Rangers takeover: Bullish Charles Green brushes off fears over his past

NOT many deadlines have been met in the saga of Rangers Football Club in administration over the past three months. So it was understandable that Charles Green gave the impression yesterday of a man desperate to beat the clock.

Ten minutes before the appointed hour of 10am, this epitome of a bluff Yorkshireman breezed through the doors of the media room at Murray Park, eager to start talking about the £8.5 million purchase of Rangers which he is fronting.

His enthusiasm had to be checked as the club’s public relations team waited for the full complement of media representatives, roused by an early Sunday morning alert, to make their way to the Milngavie complex.

But, when Green did finally get the go-ahead, he hardly paused for breath.

“Can you edit them and get rid of the grey [hairs],” was his opening line to the ranks of photographers taking their first snaps of the latest and perhaps most significant character to emerge in the extraordinary story which has surrounded the Ibrox club since their entry into administration on 14 February.

After co-administrator David Whitehouse had briefly outlined details of the deal, which proposes taking Rangers through a Company Voluntary Arrangement process by 6 June, the stage was set for the man who freely admits he was Sheffield United’s “most hated chief executive”.

He accepts his spell at Bramall Lane in the mid-1990s, which earned him a reputation as an uncompromising cost-cutter and made him hugely unpopular with the club’s fans, will make Rangers supporters suspicious of his motives and credibility.

But Green is unrepentant about his track record in his only previous involvement in football and is confident his approach to running a business can drag Rangers back from the financial abyss and rescue the club.

He also refuted the suggestion that manager Ally McCoist could be one of the first casualties of his tenure.

“The fans will remain sceptical and I expect them to do that,” said Green. “All I can ask them to do is bear with us. After the CVA is voted on, there will be a 30-day cooling off period. The fans will be informed about everything. I’d rather get this done in six days, but that can’t happen, there’s a legal process.

“I read a comment from Dave Bassett, the former Sheffield United manager, who said Ally McCoist should watch his back now I’m here. I find that sad. I’m not offended, I’m a Yorkshireman and too old to get offended. But it’s totally wrong. The day I went into Sheffield United, the players hadn’t been paid for two months. The PFA were paying their salaries. The two previous chairmen and vice-chairmen were wanted by Interpol. You think you’ve had a few characters at Rangers in the past? Well Sheffield United had guys who got custodial sentences.

“Let’s be clear about the mess Sheffield United were in when I went there. We floated the club on the stock exchange and it was the most successful football club flotation in history. We set out to raise £10million and raised £100m. We had to send £90m back.

“The new board said Dave Bassett had done a fantastic job as manager but they wanted a change. So it was my job as chief executive to go into his office and sack him. That’s what chief executives have to do sometimes.

“The straw that broke the camel’s back for me at Sheffield United was selling Brian Deane to Benfica, who had Graeme Souness as manager at the time, for £1.5m instead of losing him on a Bosman at the end of that season. I also sold Jan Aage Fjortoft and Gareth Taylor, two other strikers, in the same weeks. The fans weren’t happy, but I brought £4 million into the club which was a big pile of money for Sheffield United.

“The fans there had a go at me because I wasn’t a ‘Blade’ and didn’t love the club. But I can make difficult decisions without wearing my heart on my sleeve. I’ve spent most of my life in the stock market. I’ve listed I don’t know how many companies, maybe 10 or 11, here and abroad. I’ve raised over £1billion in cash for those companies.”

Green firmly denied any formal business connection with current Rangers owner Craig Whyte, whose transfer of shares to the incoming consortium were agreed in advance of a deal.

“Complete and utter rubbish,” retorted Green. “I read that I had a relationship with him through a financial services company I was chairman of in 2000. That’s like saying you all have a relationship with him because you shop at Tesco and so does he.

“I’d never met Craig Whyte before getting involved with this consortium. He has now signed the legal documentation exclusively with my group to pledge his shares and his debenture to this bid on the basis that a CVA would proceed. I paid him £1 from my own pocket, the same as he paid David Murray, for the shares.”

Green refused to divulge the identities of the investors in his consortium but played down reports former Newcastle United chairman and owner Freddie Shepherd was among them.

“I don’t know where these names come from,” added Green. “Look, if Freddie Shepherd walks through that door today and wants to put a cheque in, providing I know that money’s not come from drugs, prostitution or any illegal source, that he’s got the interest of Rangers at heart, then I’ll take his cash.

“Do you want to sign a cheque for my consortium? Give me your name, give me some money, let’s get it cleared and you can be part of the team. I’m not going to turn money down. If I can raise £1billion, I’ll raise £1billion.

“It’s very important these days, with money laundering and other things, that those issues of where the money is coming from are dealt with. We are not dealing with people of disrepute in this consortium.

“The reason I selected some of these people is because in the areas where they live they have fantastic connections and my vision for Rangers is to develop the brand in those areas. Asia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China – the demand for football is insatiable. I believe this product, one of the world’s leading football names, can benefit from exposure out there and by setting up academies.

“The interest of my investor group is not to walk round, have photoshoots, developing my image or someone else’s image. These people want to do it for the right reasons and they will not just be able to sign cheques. With all respect to where we sit today, financially the world is in a mess.

“But people still have an interest in football, it still attracts people for the right reasons. We will provide the names. If and when we get confirmation of the CVA going through, I’ll be more than happy to sit down and show you that list.”

Green revealed that former Rangers manager Graeme Souness, earmarked for a role in the ultimately unsuccessful Brian Kennedy bid for the club, had provided him with advice throughout the process.

“Graeme is a legend as far as this club is concerned and a man who speaks his mind,” said Green.

“We spoke about difficult decisions I’ll have to make. There hasn’t been a season ticket increase for three years so I’m going to be popular when I raise the price.

“I was talking through these issues and trying to get some guidance when Graeme said: ‘I’m the right man to talk to about tough decisions at the club. I signed a Catholic.’ You have to make decisions for the right reasons.”