Rangers Fans Demand Further Exits

pic: Jeff Holmes

Rangers fans have demanded the club's remaining board members follow chairman David Somers out of the Ibrox exit. The club confirmed on Monday morning that Somers had resigned following 16 turbulent months in charge. The 66-year-old was a deeply unpopular figure with fans but walked before he was pushed out of the club by Dave King at a general meeting this Friday. He even sold his 61,000-share stake in the Light Blues just two hours after his departure was confirmed. Somers' exit leaves the Ibrox club with just two directors, chief executive Derek Llambias and finance director Barry Leach. Both can now expect to be swept out of the club when shareholders meet at Ibrox to vote. James Easdale resigned his directorship last week in the face of growing fan opposition and the signs are now clear that King is on the verge of grabbing control of the Glasgow giants. Now the Rangers Supporters Trust have told Llambias and Leach to accept defeat. In a statement containing derogatory comments about Somers, Leach and Llambias, the fans group said: "We are delighted that David Somers has finally resigned as chairman of Rangers. We note that his parting comments are entirely in keeping with his behaviour during his time at the club. "He will be remembered as one of the most inept and embarrassing chairmen of our wonderful sporting institution. "Our focus now turns to the remaining directors. They should do the right thing, appoint the nominee directors and then follow Mr Somers out of the door. Mr Leach should have resigned when he made disparaging comments about major shareholders in a meeting with fans. He should be suspended and subject to disciplinary procedures after the general meeting." The statement also criticised the process which led to Llambias' appointment as chief executive and the board's threats of legal action against the outgoing representatives of the Rangers Fans Board. The statement described Llambias' position as "untenable". Somers sits on a number of company boards - including Zenith Bank, Europe Arab Bank and the Fujitsu Technologies International Pension Plan - and Press Association Sport understands he did not want to risk his reputation by being forcibly removed from the Ibrox boardroom. In his resignation statement, he said: "I have resigned as Chairman of Rangers International Football club plc. I have worked in the City of London, the world's greatest financial centre for decades and enjoyed considerable success. "When I was approached about the Chairmanship of Rangers, friends warned me that the world of football has different rules and codes of behaviour. I now know that is a gross understatement. "I am a non-confrontational man and have always tried to bring harmony to boardrooms and with stakeholders. "At the risk of antagonising my army of critics I would point out that Rangers managed to pay its bills and avoid going under during my tenure. "These critics might not agree with how we achieved this. I look forward to alternative solutions from whoever is running the club in the future. "Despite the personal attacks on me from various sources I genuinely wish the club the very best in the future and I am confident that with such a passionate and vociferous fan base they will be restored to their former glories." The chartered accountant was appointed to his Light Blues role just weeks ahead of the club's Annual General Meeting in December 2013. But it was his performance in front of last year's shareholder summit which saw him heckled by furious shareholders. Responding to the flak coming from the Ibrox stands, he said: "When you are chairman of Rangers, you can do it your way." Somers also took over executive duties for a short spell at the end of October after Graham Wallace quit as chief executive in protest at Mike Ashley's growing influence at the club. But he caused further outrage when a leaked email appeared to show him threatening to sink the Newcastle owner's planned loan deal if his place on the board was put in jeopardy by a rival £16million bid lodged by King. The South Africa-based former oldco director was rebuffed at that point but the stage has now been set for him to return to Glasgow and claim the chairmanship from Somers. He needs to win a majority vote on Friday to oust Ashley's boardroom appointments Llambias and Leach from the club, and if successful plans to replace them with former Blue Knight Paul Murray, ex-Glasgow brewery boss John Gilligan and himself. The Castlemilk-born millionaire already holds 14.57 per cent of the club's shares, while the Three Bears - Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor - are in control of another combined 19.49 per cent. The RST has been collecting shares and proxies from minor shareholders - with former manager Walter Smith the latest to gift control of his stake - along with fellow fans group Rangers First but with Somers and Easdale both making a run for it, victory appears inevitable. Meanwhile, the Scottish Football Association confirmed the Monday night hearing into Ashley's involvement with Rangers has broken up without a decision being reached. The Newcastle United owner - who also holds a stake of just under nine per cent in the Ibrox club - is accused of breaching the governing body's rules on "dual ownership". The SFA said it would provide an update on the case on Tuesday.