Ally McCoist denies Donald Findlay’s Rangers claim

Ally McCoist has denied Donald Findlay's claims that Rangers were a 'new entity'. Picture: TSPL

The Cowdenbeath chairman spoke bluntly when questioned on the current Rangers set up ahead of their game at Central Park tonight. He said: “It is a different club. They may play at Ibrox and they may play sometimes in royal blue jerseys. But you cannot pass on that which is undefinable. And that is spirit and tradition and all the rest of it. To me this is a new Rangers which has to establish its own history and tradition.”

Findlay insisted that to him, the Ibrox club were now a different team. He added: “It’s not the Rangers I know. To me, genuinely, it is a new entity.”

McCoist was happy for the former Rangers vice chairman to have his own opinion on the matter but said that he followed Lord Nimmo Smith’s line that Rangers have remained the club they always were.

Nimmo Smith stated that a football club is a recognisable entity, capable of being owned and operated. McCoist said: “ I absolutely and totally respect Donald. Ian Durrant and I are the only two faces he can recognise at Rangers, which is entirely understandable. Like a lot of Rangers fans he will be very disappointed at what has happened, particularly in the last 24 months. There are lots of fans who feel the same way, that thye have lost a little bit of the identity, their personal bond or relationship with the club. Like everybody else, Donald is entitled to his opinion but his great friend Lord Nimmo Smith thought the opposite. It is safe to say my opinion would lean towards Lord Nimmo but I’m not getting into a war of words with Donald. I am looking forward to seeing him at Cowdenbeath.”

• Main points of Lord Nimmo Smith report