Rangers takeover: Supporters chief calls for ‘utmost haste’ from administrators

• Bill Miller was preferred bidder but withdrew offer yesterday

• ‘Vitriolic emails’ and supporters’ banners among reasons for his decision

• Rangers supporters chief questions tycoon’s understanding of the club

Andy Kerr, president of the Rangers Supporters Assembly, said: “Let’s be open, let’s be honest, let’s fully understand another false dawn is going to be the final nail in the coffin.”

Asked if the game was up for Rangers, he replied: “I don’t think it is up but we are in a critical situation and things need to happen very, very quickly.

“I very strongly urge Duff and Phelps and the people they are currently speaking to to move with the utmost haste now.”

Miller said preliminary information he had received about the club was “more optimistic than reality”, and also made reference to opposition to his takeover bid by Rangers supporters.

One of his advisors, Club 9 Sports chief executive Jon Pritchett, said the businessman received “vitriolic” emails from fans.

Referring to the emails, Kerr told the BBC: “It would be interesting to see one or two examples and just try and understand what sort of people were doing that.

“We saw a couple of banners and we’re talking about a few people here, and it is disappointing when people are effectively prejudging the guy.

“The general call from the supporters was, ‘Who are you? Give us an explanation of what you are trying to achieve. Let’s try and work together and engage with you and see if we can take the club forward’. That’s where we wanted to be.”

He added: “I just don’t think that he had an understanding of the business, what was going to be involved to turn the club round, the precarious nature of where we are and where we’re trying to get to.

“It just seems an odd scenario that someone from so far away was trying to buy into a 140-year-old institution.”