The silence is deafening as fans seek answers
THE full-time whistle was still echoing i nside a r apidly e mptyi n g Ibrox when a Christmas classic boomed from the PA system.
According to denim- clad 80s favourite Shakin’ Stevens, this is ‘ t he s eason of l ove and understanding’. But then old Shaky never had the Rangers annual general meeting in mind.
Confirmation last night that Ally McCoist had been placed on gardening leave for the remainder of his contract adds a whole new dimension to what was always going to be a fractious event.
The atmosphere is likely to be far from festive when the board sits in front of rank-and-file shareholders in the Bill Struth main stand this morning. Goodwill and charity are in scant supply among supporters angered by so much that has already happened and anxious about what comes next.
There was a school of thought that McCoist’s presence at the meeting would be requested, almost to act as a lightning rod by deflecting some of the voltage away from the directors. That was ruled out when the end of his three-and-a-half-year tenure in charge — a spell unlike any other in the 142 years since Rangers were founded — was signalled in a club statement.
Fittingly, given the current circumstances at Ibrox, the move both removed — and added — uncertainty.
Despite declarations of business as usual, the idea of McCoist serving out his 12-month notice period was always unrealistic. It simply couldn’t work.
Rangers have now stated that assistant manager Kenny McDowall will be in charge until the end of the season. But then McDowall is no more part of the emerging new regime at Ibrox than McCoist was.
The club’s desperate financial position severely l i mits their current options. It would seem logical, however, to predict that the next permanent manager will have Mike Ashley’s seal of approval.
Indeed, Ashley will join McCoist in casting a shadow over today’s annual meeting despite not being present in person.
His close ally, Derek Llambias, will be there after being upgraded from non- executive director to chief executive last Friday. But it remains to be seen whether any gifts of clarity about the way ahead will arrive from the top table.
Ashley is the only man capable of playing Santa Claus at Ibrox these days, albeit his sack of goodies comes plastered with Sports Direct branding.
Approval for a new share issue underwritten by the Newcastle United owner would help plug the £8million funding gap faced next year.
It would also create a further issue in terms of Ashley’s past understanding with the SFA over his shareholding and influence. Yet if Rangers argue that Ashley is their single hope of solvency, then the governing body will be wedged between a rock and a hard place when it comes to renegotiating that agreement.
Whatever unfolds today, it will draw far more of a response from those filling the blue seats than Saturday’s pallid 2-0 victory over Livingston. This wasn’t exactly a valedictory triumph to savour, but at least McCoist can say he bowed out on a winning note.
There were, however, no audible chants of support for him from those fans who bothered to turn up. Or, indeed, much noise about anything else.
The official attendance of 28,053 could barely be delivered with a straight face. That figure presumes that all season-ticket holders had attended. In truth, it looked safe to lop around 10,000 off the total.
One group in the Broomloan Road stand did direct some ire towards the directors, but it failed to catch on in other parts of the stadium.
Disengagement i s replacing outrage. It feels almost as if the club has been placed in suspended animation.
The players have seemed to be part of that on too many occasions. For all that it becomes a mantra from within the dressing room, it is surely stretching credibility to think they can be unaffected by what goes on around them.
The build-up to the Livingston game must have been another strange affair after McCoist handed in his notice 10 days ago.
‘It’s been hard and difficult, but as a player, you can only influence what you do when you cross that white line,’ said defender Darren McGregor, speaking on Saturday evening.
‘So, for us, it’s been training as normal and we’ve been listening to the experienced boys like Jig [Lee McCulloch] and Kenny [Miller], who make sure we’re all on the right track.
‘You just train hard and look forward to the next game because that’s what it all boils down to. We need to keep focused to get results and climb up the table.’
A fine, angled finish from Fraser Aird had Rangers ahead at the break against the Championship’s bottom side.
The winger’s second-half cross was then turned into his own net by Simon Mensing to complete the scoring in a very forgettable affair.