Boyd bid falters over personal terms

Rangers chairman Sir David Murray claims it was his decision to sanction the sale of Kris Boyd.

And he insists the club is under no pressure from the banks to sell their top players.

Boyd, 25, looked to be on the verge of a move to Birmingham last night although reports today suggest the move has stalled over personal terms.

Murray said: "I want to square the books and it was my decision to do so, with the approval of the manager, whether it involved Kris Boyd or anybody else.

"There has been no pressure from the bank, none whatsoever; how can there be if we do not know who is taking over HBOS?

"Kris Boyd has been a debate for years but you are not always able to dispose of a player you want to when you want to.

"We need to get the costs down and with the greatest respect, even if we kept Kris Boyd I do not think there would be any guarantees this season."

Captain Barry Ferguson, goalkeeper Allan McGregor and defender Madjid Bougherra have all been linked with a move to Newcastle.

But Murray added: "We have no intention of selling Allan McGregor, Barry Ferguson, Madjid Bougherra or anybody else.

"There is no pressure to do so from me or the banks.

"People are asking how bad is it at Rangers?

"If we did not take this action, it could have been bad, but there are far worse situations developing around us and I will not allow it to spiral again.

"Rangers have to be run on a sound fiscal basis.

"We did not budget for losing to FBK Kaunas, we have a squad of 28 players and we simply cannot sustain the level of outgoings compared to what is coming in.

"We are paying between 5m and 7m in wages per year for players who are not required.

"You cannot choose who you may wish to put out the door because it is dependent on offers coming in.

"We received an offer for Kris Boyd and we felt he was a saleable item."

Ferguson, 30, is also reportedly attracting interest from Sunderland and Middlesbrough but Murray re-iterated that Rangers have no plans to sell the skipper.

"We will sit down when it is appropriate and negotiate a new contract.

"I stress we are not promoting the sale of Barry Ferguson and to say we are a selling club is ridiculous. I repeat: I have no intention of promoting the sale of anyone else.

"I accept a majority of the fans will be disappointed by Boyd's departure but I hope they look around and see what is happening in society.

"If people do not accept that, then they are not living in the real world."