Ally McCoist has admitted that liquidation looks more likely for Rangers Football Club. The manager was speaking after his side’s 3-0 defeat to Celtic in the last Glasgow derby of the season and with continued uncertainty over whether a buyer can be secured for the Ibrox club - currently in administration - McCoist acknowledged the threat to the club’s 140 year existence is now greater than ever while also conceding it could be the last derby for a while.

"I would have to say that (liquidation) looks more of a possibility now than it ever has," he said. “I don't know where we'll be in 24 hours, where we'll be in 48 hours. I'm very hopeful that we do have an Old Firm game next year, but you have to say there's a possibility there might not be. "

The Blue Knights consortium, headed by former Rangers director Paul Murray together with Sale Sharks rugby club owner Brian Kennedy, are vying with American tow-truck tycoon Bill Miller to gain control of the club, but neither has submitted an unconditional bid that would be commercially acceptable to the club’s administrators Duff and Phelps.

With only three games of the Scottish Premier League season remaining, the prospect of either bidder achieving a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) and keeping the club's history intact appears to be diminishing, making liquidation and an asset transfer to a new company a more likely outcome.

“We've got a far, far bigger battle on our hands in the next few days which is obviously more important in the grand scheme of things,” McCoist added. "This is the really worrying and concerning issue. You can't organise pre-season training, you can't organise pre-season trips, you can't organise pre-season games, you don't know who your staff will be at the start of the season, you don't know what players you'll have. It's a shambles really.

"It's our football club, it's our livelihoods, it's the livelihood of the players, the staff and it's the institution that our supporters have loved and come to look and support for 140 years, that's the important thing."

With all 12 SPL clubs meeting at Hampden on Monday to discuss financial fair play guidelines and introduce sanctions for clubs going into liquidation, McCoist feels that a special case should be made for Rangers for the greater good of Scottish football.

"I don't think for a minute the other clubs shoud go lightly on us, I really don't," he said. "If they feel we should be punished I just hope it's a fair one. Of course they have to take care with their decision. They might make a decision that we are not happy with and disagree with, but we will take it on the chin and react to it when we get the decision. Obviously that might hurt Rangers but it could also hurt Scottish football just as much if not more and that's something that would concern everyone."

Meanwhile, Celtic manager Neil Lennon refuted suggestions this season’s SPL title might have been tainted by the ten point penalty applied to Rangers for going into administration.

"The only way it’s tainted is if you’ve won it and you’ve cheated to win it and we’ve done nothing wrong,” said Lennon. “We have played the best football and score the most goals, conceded the least goals and have the best disciplinary record in the league, so we are worthy champions.

Asked if he agreed with McCoist that Rangers should be treated as a special case by the Scottish football authorities, Lennon said: "No. Not if you break the rules, not if you break the laws of football. There is an issue of sporting integrity and moral sporting integrity as well. I understand Ally's point to a certain extent but if you have flouted the laws in the capacity that they have then the powers-that-be will punish you accordingly. If you break the rules then you should expect to be punished."

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Alex O Henley
Freelance football broadcaster/reporter/ summariser/pundit. You can also follow me at UEFAcomAlexO