Tick, Tick, Tick

09 May 2012 11:34
Time is of the essence if Rangers are to survive. Not much time for books to be examined and realistic survival plans passed by Duff and Phelps

Duff and Phelps are in the firing line from so many positions with the fate of Rangers in their hands which many do not think is a safe place. Bill Miller has handed back his preferred bidder status to the administrators which gives any saviour very little time to come to the rescue. One of the previous bidders, Sale Sharks owner Brian Kennedy is going to 'reflect on his own position' after expressing fears over the future of Rangers following Miller's decision.  Duff and Phelps have three other bids for the club on the table - which excludes any fresh offer from Kennedy. He said: "Words fail me. All my worst fears are coming to pass. In the meantime, I am reflecting on my own position. I'm not trying to be a smart ass here. This was a clear sequence of events. I could see it, every Rangers supporter could see it was likely to unfold. And yet here we are, in an even more perilous position than ever. My worst fear is that we could see a padlock on the gates of Ibrox. I don't give a monkey's about the Americans pulling out. I care about the damage that has been done in between and where it will all lead to. When someone predicts a sequence of events 'A, B, C, D and E', and when 'A, B, C, D' happens then you've got to think there is a good chance 'E' will happen too. If anyone is going to step up and do something then they'd better do it soon. I will reflect on this and will be talking to those who were considering investing with me." Understandably, the fans are getting more restless as each day passes and bidders fall away. President of the Rangers Supporters Assembly, Andy Kerr has urged Duff and Phelps to "move with the utmost haste" to secure the club's future. He said: "Let's be open, let's be honest, let's fully understand another false dawn is going to be the final nail in the coffin." Asked if the game was up for Rangers, Kerr replied: "I don't think it is up but we are in a critical situation and things need to happen very, very quickly. I very strongly urge Duff and Phelps and the people they are currently speaking to to move with the utmost haste now." Miller was not impressed with sight of the Ibrox books which clashed with the preliminary information he had received about the club. This he described as "more optimistic than reality". Miller was also not expecting the harsh welcome he received from some sections of the support. One of his advisors, Club 9 Sports chief executive Jon Pritchett, said the businessman received "vitriolic" emails from fans. Referring to the emails, Kerr said: "It would be interesting to see one or two examples and just try and understand what sort of people were doing that. We saw a couple of banners and we're talking about a few people here, and it is disappointing when people are effectively prejudging the guy. The general call from the supporters was, 'Who are you? Give us an explanation of what you are trying to achieve. Let's try and work together and engage with you and see if we can take the club forward'. That's where we wanted to be. I just don't think that he had an understanding of the business, what was going to be involved to turn the club round, the precarious nature of where we are and where we're trying to get to. It just seems an odd scenario that someone from so far away was trying to buy into a 140-year-old institution."

Source: FOOTYMAD