Rangers ban BBC over Ally McCoist axe plan story

Rangers manager Ally McCoist celebrates the club's title win with supporters. Picture: SNS

• BBC posted story about plot to sack McCoist.

• Rangers ban BBC journalists from Ibrox and Murray Park.

• Club accuses broadcaster of reporting lacking “logic, balance and fairness”.

The BBC posted a story online about a leaked document entitled Football Philosophy: The Way Forward, which appeared to show that Charles Green had planned to install a new coaching team at the Ibrox club.

The plan had apparently been written by an investor outlining his vision for the club.

The document said: “There is a big risk that if the current coaching regime remains, then fans will stop coming and we will see half of the season ticket sales we had this season. Change is required, and this starts with a big decision”.

However, it is understood that the plans for change had been shelved after Green left Rangers.

Duty

As a result, the club issued a statement on their official website, saying it had asked BBC football correspondents present at the Berwick game at Ibrox to leave.

Rangers accused the BBC of reporting which lacked “logic, balance and fairness” as they announced the ban.

The statement read: “Rangers Football Club can confirm the BBC is no longer welcome at Ibrox Stadium or Murray Park.”

It continued: “The club asked BBC journalists to leave the stadium ahead of today’s Division Three title party against Berwick Rangers.

“Rangers Director of Communications James Traynor said: ‘We are aware of our contractual obligations but we also have to be aware of our duty to protect the players, manager and supporters against reporting which lacks logic, balance and fairness.’”

McCoist made light of the document, which reportedly involved ousting McCoist and bringing in Dutch legends Johan Cruyff and Frank Rijkaard.

McCoist said: “I believe the person who did it was an electrician.

Promise

“I’m not sure, it might have been, but if that’s the case, I’m heading straight home to do a thesis on the way forward for electrical engineering.

“If the gentleman who wrote it can promise us Johan Cruyff and Frank Rijkaard, I will drive over tonight and pick them up and bring them back and they can get on with the job.

“I would certainly move sideways for those two.”

Meanwhile, McCoist said he is still the right man to lead Rangers on their journey back to the top of Scottish football after formally completing stage one of the process with a 1-0 win over Berwick in their final Irn-Bru Third Division game.

The Light Blues clinched the title a number of weeks ago but were presented with the trophy in front of a packed house at Ibrox today after Fraser Aird netted the only goal of the game.

McCoist admitted the season in the bottom tier had been difficult and, with a transfer embargo restricting Gers to registering free agents from September 1, he warned the coming campaign could also be tough.

Transfers

But, asked if he was confident of proving he is the man for Rangers, he said: “I just want the opportunity to do that. I’ll be honest, I don’t think there will be massive amounts of change for next season.

“With the greatest of respect, we are bringing in free transfers.

“Before I sound as though I’m criticising the people that we hope to bring in, you are a free transfer for a reason.

“We’re not going to get the best youngsters. It ain’t going to happen.

“If people think we are going to go out and sign boys at 22, 23, 24, who have a tremendous future ahead of them, that’s not going to happen because they are not going to be free transfers.

“We will have to get a group of players who are going to get us out of the next division, hopefully with the same margin of points but with one or two better performances.”

Deadlock

First Division clubs last night moved to break the deadlock surrounding league reconstruction by proposing the formation of an SPL2.

Ten clubs sent their proposal to the Scottish Premier League following a meeting at Hamilton’s New Douglas Park.

With fresh uncertainty now cast over Scottish football ahead of next season, McCoist said: “As far as we are concerned, we will be playing in SFL2 next year.

“In an ideal world, we would know where we are going to play. If it’s SFL2, that’s what we will prepare for.

“We will get some free transfers in to help the boys for the next attack on that league.”

McCoist received a text from club legend Sandy Jardine last night urging him to enjoy today’s title party.

Jardine had worked behind the scenes at Rangers before announcing his battle with cancer last year and, speaking about the message, McCoist said: “It just sums the man up.

“The club I look at and respect, probably more than any, is Bayern Munich.

Healthy

“I think the way they model themselves is wonderful and I would love us to get a similar type model.

“By that I mean a spine of people within the club that feel for the club.

“I’m not necessarily saying that all business people should have blue blood but I think it’s very healthy if you’ve got the likes of John Greig, Sandy Jardine, Walter Smith and people like that who the fans can relate to and have confidence and belief in.

“I do understand that businesses are made up of different characters but our club, at this moment in time, needs stability and needs a spine of people that the fans can look up to and trust and believe in.”