Rangers ‘internal warfare breaks out’ as Ibrox accusations fly
Rangers hope to put the disappointment from the last several years behind them once the takeover by Paraag Marathe and Andrew Cavenagh is finalised, but some wounds remain.
The Light Blues are poised for an exciting new era as a consortium including 49ers Enterprises aims to acquire a 51 per cent stake at Ibrox before the end of the season after convincing several existing shareholders to sell their shares.
Marathe and Cavenagh have already reached an agreement in principle to move forward with the takeover, with due diligence and paperwork only remaining before the deal is rubber-stamped.
The US consortium is currently sweeping over the legalities of the process before coming into power in Govan.
Hugh Keevins hits back at Steven Naismith amid ‘internal warfare’
Everyone associated with Rangers are hopeful that the change in ownership will allow the club to bounce back from years of mismanagement and consistently compete with Celtic again and it is no different for Steven Naismith.
Assessing the Gers’ current situation, Naismith recently stressed the need for them to have people prioritising the club’s best interests at the helm and hit out ‘Rangers men’, who he cited as the reason for the Ibrox outfit falling so far behind Celtic.
| Shareholder | Stake |
| Dave King | 12.96% |
| Douglas Park | 11.54% |
| George Taylor | 10.22% |
| Stuart Gibson | 9.53% |
| Julian Wolhardt | 9.53% |
| John Halsted | 9.53% |
| John Bennett | 7.11% |
Meanwhile, Hugh Keevins is of the view that “internal warfare has broken out” amongst a few figures associated with Rangers after what Naismith said.
However, the journalist hit back at Naismith, pointing out how he prioritised his own career when the Glasgow giants went into administration in 2012, while some of the Rangers men he criticised lost money trying to get the club back on track.
“Celtic have won 13 of the last 14 league titles and internal warfare has broken out amongst Rangers men who have turned on fellow Rangers men”, Keevins wrote in his column on the Record‘s website (6 March).
“Former Ibrox stalwart Steven Naismith went public last week to state that some Rangers men had looked after number one and got out of the club’s hierarchy when the going got tough.
“Some Rangers men, it should be pointed out in their defence, have lost personal fortunes trying to fortify the club over the last 14 years and personal health has, in certain regrettable cases, been affected along the way.
“Naismith, justifiably and without any trace of criticism from me, got out of Ibrox as a player when administration, then liquidation, took the club to the bottom tier of Scottish football in 2012 and threatened the progress of his career.
“He looked after No.1. All of that stuff will soon be over and done with, in any case, and the complexion of the club will change for good.
“Better to have cosmetic surgery than no club at all, I would suggest.”
Rangers ready for new era
Naismith is right about Rangers falling so far behind Celtic due to terrible decisions behind the scenes, while Keevins’ stance is also valid.
Nevertheless, everyone will be hopeful that Marathe and Cavenagh can enable the Premiership heavyweights to consistently compete with Celtic again.
The new owners are likely to make major changes at the board level once they come into power while appointing a new permanent manager will also be high on their agenda.