Glenn Gibbons: Mistake to taunt Whyte over Ibrox credentials

Nobody who has paid any attention to Rangers' off-field affairs over the past five years could possibly have concluded that the recent purchase by Craig Whyte would bring an abrupt end to the Ibrox club's capacity for newsworthiness.

Momentous events such as the transfer of ownership of a high-profile organisation almost invariably leave too many questions unanswered and too many issues unresolved to preclude the likelihood of continuing uncertainty.

What is unusual about Whyte's assumption of control of Rangers is that most of the questions being asked of him - these range from how much money he has and the source of his wealth to the sums he intends to spend on players every year for the foreseeable future - embrace matters that are nobody's business but his.

This information would certainly be of interest to Rangers' supporters, particularly those still undecided about the renewal of their season tickets. But it seems inconceivable that Whyte and his lieutenants will not be aware of the need to present a persuasive come-on to potential customers. Whether or not the new hierarchy see the need to sweeten the fans with details of their financial muscle, Whyte is certainly under no obligation to meet the demands of the two directors he sacked, chairman Alastair Johnston and Paul Murray.

Johnston's resistance to Whyte's takeover, which seemed to be born at the start and remain quite constant throughout the process, may hint at personal knowledge of the new owner's lack of the capability to "take the club forward", but, if this is the case, he has done a remarkable job of keeping it to himself.

Instead, Johnston played the "Rangers-minded" card, suggesting that, unlike himself, Whyte may not be a 24-carat, fully paid-up, card-carrying bluenose. This is a perfectly ludicrous "taunt", since anyone need look only as far back as the previous owner, David Murray, to find a head honcho who was not only not a Rangers supporter, but not even a football fan. Murray's preferred sport was rugby.

If Johnston and Murray refused to resign in the hope that their enforced removal would convey Whyte's "ruthlessness" to a sympathetic public, it seemed to backfire. The most striking aspect of the reaction to the "coup" among internet posters has been the near-total absence of support for the ousted pair.

Much more intriguing are the suspensions of the chief executive, Martin Bain, and the former company secretary and finance director, Donald McIntyre, pending an internal investigation.

But schadenfreude addicts will have to wait for their next fix. Before Whyte himself chooses to make public the outcome of his inquiry or, more probably, relies on his actions for approval or opprobrium, speculation will remain meaningless.