Rangers takeover: Brian Kennedy in at Ibrox for more talks

Four indicative bids have been tabled with Duff and Phelps for the stricken Scottish champions, who were forced into administration last month.

Kennedy and former Ibrox director Paul Murray’s consortium are the only confirmed bidders with an American consortium also reported to be among the interested parties.

It emerged yesterday that the fourth bid, which was confirmed on Tuesday, is conditional on the controversial Ticketus agreements being taken out of the picture. David Sellar, QC, for administrators Duff & Phelps, announced at the Court of Session in Edinburgh that an offer which had been received in the last few days had a prerequisite that none of its revenue should be committed to Ticketus.

Earlier in the week, the QC had disclosed that one of three bids made by a deadline last Friday had a similar condition.

He was making final submissions to Lord Hodge in a request for guidance from the court about the possibility of removing the £20 million deal for future Rangers season tickets which Craig Whyte had struck with Ticketus.

He stated: “I am instructed to say the particular bid that has appeared in the last few days has also said that it is a prerequisite that no future revenues of their proposal were committed to Ticketus.”

Lord Hodge said he intended giving his decision on Friday.

Meanwhile, manager Ally McCoist was also at the stadium yesterday as Rangers attempt to resolve their off-field issues, while trying to ensure a return to winning ways on the park.

They suffered a third defeat in four games since going into administration when they lost against Dundee United on Saturday.

The loss at Tannadice means rivals Celtic could clinch the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title at Ibrox on Sunday if Motherwell drop points to Kilmarnock on Saturday.

However, David Healy believes Rangers must take confidence from their last home meeting with Celtic – an emphatic 4-2 victory at Ibrox in September.

The striker said: “It’s going to be a tough challenge and it’s always a big game, the Old Firm. I know everybody here is looking forward to it and Celtic will be looking to bounce back after their disappointment in the [Scottish Communities League] Cup final.

“We lost at Dundee United and Celtic lost in the cup final so we’ll both want to bounce back – and there’s everything that goes with the Old Firm in terms of the passion and Celtic might have the chance to win the league.

“But we beat them earlier in the season, which was an incredible game and performance. The atmosphere that day was electric so I know there is going to be a huge, passionate support for both sides on Sunday.

“The gaffer, from now up until the end of this week, will be getting us all prepared in terms of what way we are going to play, who is possibly going to play and the dangers we will face against Celtic. They have got a good squad and good players, players that can hurt you.

“But, come Sunday, hopefully we will have done enough during the week to know how we can get the right result.”

The club revealed the total raised by supporters contributing to the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund broke through the £150,000 barrier yesterday afternoon. Healy believes fans deserve a victory against their biggest rivals this weekend after rallying around the club during a difficult period.

He told www.rangers.co.uk: “It’s not been an easy time, especially for the supporters, because results have gone against us for whatever reason. It’s been three or four weeks since everything has settled down a bit and it’s time for the players on the pitch to go out and give the supporters something to cheer about.

“But it’s not been easy. Going to Dundee United with a makeshift back-four is tough because they are a good side which they proved in the cup against us.

“But the gaffer said he can take a lot of positives from the game and I’m sure he’ll watch the video again and hopefully he can pick the right team for the biggest game of the season so far.”

Meanwhile, Celtic midfielder Victor Wanyama is eager to quickly erase the memory of the Hampden defeat to Kilmarnock, beginning with Sunday’s Old Firm match. Kilmarnock ended Celtic’s treble tilt last Sunday with a 1-0 win in the final of the Scottish Communities League Cup, leaving Neil Lennon’s side to focus on the SPL and the Scottish Cup.

It appears only to be a matter of time before Celtic wrap up the SPL title. Wanyama said: “I’ve learned a lot from this [the loss to Kilmarnock]. It was a very big game and a chance for me to win something. It was very important to me before the game and I was very disappointed at full-time when we lost.

“I don’t want to feel like this again so I hope we will move on from this. This meant a lot to me personally. Every player wants to win trophies and I was very excited about the thought of possibly doing that.

“We have to step up now and concentrate on our next game.

“Hopefully we will be back to our best and can continue our run in the league. There’s nothing we can do now. We just have to move on and put it out of our minds. We’ve all switched our minds to Sunday’s game.”