Rangers agm: Wallace calls for fans’ support

Rangers chief executive Graham Wallace spoke after he and his fellow directors retained their place on the board.

Rangers Shareholder James Easdale (left), manager Ally McCoist (centre) and Graham Wallace. Picture: SNS

Q: How surprised were you by the depth of bad feeling at the agm today?

GW: I was not surprised at all. If you look at what has happened to the club over the past three years, it is quite understandable that the supporters are really concerned about the stewardship of their club. There has been a lot of talk externally that the business was teetering on the edges of another administration, which is alarmist to the fans and quite rightly so. But I need support and time to demonstrate what I can do and hopefully in time the fan base will realise what we are doing is in the best interests of the club and not for some personal agenda.

Q: You heard the fans’ thoughts on finance director Brian Stockbridge. Are you thinking of sacking him, or will he leave Rangers because as you must be aware, he is the sticking point for many of the fans?

GW: Brian is the last man standing from the previous board, he seems to be the guy shouldering a lot of the blame, if that is the right word, for actions that were taken and debated as a board. And one of the requisitioners, Malcolm Murray, was chairman of the board part of that time. I understand there is a widespread source of criticism against Brian. It would be grossly premature and inappropriate to be talking about dismissing anybody when I have been in the building less than a month. My style is to assess what we have got and what we need.

Q: It could be argued that there will be no trust in the current Rangers board until Brian Stockbridge has left the building.

GW: I’m absolutely aware of the view of the fans and the shareholders. I have no hesitation and no difficulty in making difficult decisions but I think those decisions need to be made on the basis of my assessment of the facts rather than necessarily somebody else’s view.

Q: Can you guarantee fans that no director will get bonuses for Rangers winning tournaments?

GW: I think that is a difficult question to answer. If your question is an executive bonus related solely to the team winning a title, then I think that is completely inappropriate.

Q: Have you spoken to Ally McCoist and explained that his budget will be cut?

GW: We are in the process of looking at our footballing capability. Looking at the cost base of the playing squad, it is way too high for what we have got in the current division.