Rangers newco: Club takes bid for licence to the wire as season looms

By close of business, the SFA were yet again not in a position to grant the newco Ibrox club permission to play football. Rangers chief executive Charles Green, whose Sevco consortium purchased the business and assets of the club following failure to exit administration through an agreement with creditors last month, held further talks with Scottish Premier League officials.

But, although some progress was believed to have been made, the two parties were unable to reach an accord over the outstanding issue of the SPL’s inquiry into alleged “dual contracts” given to players by Rangers during Sir David Murray’s ownership of the club.

Rangers hope to return to action on the field this Sunday when they are scheduled to face Brechin City at Glebe Park in the first round of the Ramsdens Cup. The tie is sold out and is due to be televised live on BBC Alba. But Second Division Brechin now face the prospect of missing  out on what would be one of their most lucrative occasions in recent years.

If Rangers do not obtain the necessary transfer of SFA membership from their oldco to Green’s newco today, then Sunday’s match will have to be postponed. Contrary to some reports, however, there is no deadline for Rangers to secure SFA membership.

They had 14 days from becoming associate members of the Scottish Football League, which they did two weeks ago today when they were voted into the Third Division by the 30 SFL clubs, to make their application to the SFA. Rangers would only lose their membership of the SFL in the event of their application to the SFA being unsuccessful, whenever that decision is made.

The delay compounds the frustration being experienced by Rangers manager Ally McCoist as he tries to lead the club from the darkest period of its 140-year history. A pre-match media conference by McCoist has been provisionally scheduled by Rangers today but will only be held if SFA membership is received beforehand.

The ongoing uncertainty surrounding Rangers’ status also has a ripple effect throughout the rest of Scottish football, with clubs still waiting to finalise their budgets for the season ahead. Maintaining a television contract with BSkyB and ESPN is the biggest single factor in that equation, with the SPL and SFL believed to have reached a deal which would include Rangers’ matches in the lower divisions over the next three years. That cannot be formalised or announced, however, until Rangers become SFA members.

Allan McGregor, one of the nine senior players who refused to have their contracts at Rangers transferred to Green’s new company, last night signed a two-year deal with Turkish club Besiktas.

The Scotland goalkeeper, who underwent a stringent medical at the Istanbul side’s training facility, is understood to have secured a contract worth around £18,000 a week. Fifa are expected to grant a temporary international clearance certificate for McGregor, as they have done with several of his former Ibrox team-mates, although Green will pursue compensation for the 30-year-old. The Rangers chief executive disputed PFA Scotland’s interpretation of TUPE employment law by which they advised their members they were free to leave the club  after it became destined for  liquidation.

Speaking to Besiktas’ in-house television channel, McGregor said: “It’s a big club, with a big tradition. Supposedly, they have great fans and a lot of noise in the stadium so I’m very excited.

“Every time I play, I don’t like losing, which is a good thing to have. I’ll just give my all for the team and hopefully I can do my best.”

McGregor joins Steven Davis (Southampton), Steven Naismith (Everton), Kyle Lafferty (Sion), Steven Whittaker (Norwich City), Jamie Ness (Stoke City), John Fleck (Coventry City), Sone Aluko (Hull City) and Juan Manuel Ortiz (Almeria) in signing for a new club after rejecting the option of remaining with newco Rangers.

One of McGregor’s former deputies at Ibrox, meanwhile, also completed a move yesterday. Scotland under-21 international goalkeeper Grant Adam, whose contract with Rangers expired at the end of last season, has signed a two-year contract at St Mirren. Adam, the younger brother of Liverpool and Scotland midfielder Charlie, failed to make a first team breakthrough at Rangers.

He will now challenge Craig Samson for the first-choice berth in St Mirren manager Danny Lennon’s side during the forthcoming SPL campaign.

“I’m delighted to get Grant signed up as he has come in here and done very well over the pre-season,” said Lennon. “He still has a lot of development in him but he will certainly be challenging and pushing for the goalkeeper’s place. Grant is a very determined young man with a bright future and he will learn from [goalkeeper coach] Paul Mathers, and he will certainly add strength to our squad.”