Former Rangers chairman Alastair Johnston:

[ian1964 10,390]

I never for a minute thought Craig Whyte had walked away

13 Apr 2013 08:53

 

JOHNSTON spoke exclusively to Record Sport at the end of another turbulent week for the club in which chief executive Charles Green claimed he was partners with the disgraced ex-owner.

 

 

 

FORMER Rangers chairman Alastair Johnston claims he was always suspicious Charles Green was working with Craig Whyte when he took on the club.

 

Now Johnston insists the jury is still out on whether chief executive Green deserves the full trust and backing of the fans after a turbulent week started with Whyte claiming they were partners â?? and ended with the outspoken owner caught up in a racism storm.

 

Johnston, speaking to Record Sport at Augusta National where he is watching the US Masters, admits he is concerned by Whyteâ??s allegations that Green was acting as his frontman.

 

Despite the Ibrox chiefâ??s strong denial of a partnership, Johnston is worried by the Yorkshiremanâ??s admission he misled Whyte into thinking they were working together in order to persuade him to sell his shares.

 

Now he believes itâ??s crucial fans remain vigilant and continue to scrutinise Green to ensure all his actions are in the best interests of Rangers.

 

Johnston said: â??Iâ??m concerned by what Iâ??ve seen this week but am I surprised?

 

â??No. I never thought for one minute Mr Whyte had actually walked away.

 

â??His nature and his whole mission from day one was to profit by screwing the club for his own benefit. And he wasnâ??t going to give up whatever remnants of any leverage that he had.

 

â??Knowing what I do about how Mr Green and Mr Whyte were introduced with respect to the consortium of investors, there was a lot of common factors there.

 

â??There is a natural chain all the way from Andrew Ellis, through Zeus Capital to today. Ellis was the man who got Craig Whyte interested.

 

â??I just did not believe Mr Whyte had left the scene. He doesnâ??t take no for an answer, he is threatening and intimidating so he wasnâ??t going to walk away carefully or quietly.

 

â??What I was watching for very carefully during the takeover process would be who ultimately would own Ibrox and Murray Park.

 

â??Getting inside Whyteâ??s mind â?? and Iâ??ve studied him a lot over the past couple of years â?? he felt if he owned the stadium and training ground the club would lease the property from him.

 

â??So every month he would be sitting in Costa Rica, Monte Carlo or wherever getting a cheque from Rangers with his two fingers up at everybody else.

 

â??I thought that was certainly a likelihood but it sounds like it didnâ??t happen as he planned in the end.

 

â??That was the business model I thought Whyte would pursue and may very well have still tried to even after Mr Green got involved.

 

â??What has been important to me over the last few weeks is watching the civil lawsuit happening in London between Ticketus and Whyte.

 

â??That has been very revealing and now that the High Court have upheld Ticketusâ??s claim, the outcome of that case will be a factor in what the Crown Office are willing to do with their criminal investigation. We as Rangers fans donâ??t speak with one voice which is great because itâ??s part of the vibrancy.

 

â??So for everyone in unison to say they are against or for Green is neither practical nor very healthy.

 

â??Itâ??s important there is continued public debate among the fans and a reasoned approach to analysing what Charles Green is doing and how he is doing it.

 

â??The revelations of the past few weeks, with respect to Charlesâ?? relationship with Whyte and some of the things that may be just scratching the surface, will certainly sway peopleâ??s opinions of him. But the jury is still out on that.â?

D-Day at Rangers as board grill chief executive Charles Green over his relationship with Craig Whyte

 

Whyteâ??s allegations aside, the past 14 days have been plagued by controversy caused by some of Greenâ??s actions.

 

The sacking of Francisco Sandaza after he was embarrassingly duped by a crank caller will be challenged in a potentially lengthy and messy court battle.

 

The suspension of chief scout Neil Murray and Greenâ??s request to ditch Ally McCoistâ??s right-hand men Ian Durrant and Kenny McDowall have further strained relations within the ranks.

 

He has also repeatedly branded McCoistâ??s team the worst in Gers history and there was his racist remark about friend and business partner Imran Ahmed which has sparked outrage and landed him on a charge at the SFA.

 

While Johnston does not think Greenâ??s conduct is seriously damaging the clubâ??s reputation, he wants to see him ditch the soundbites and crowd-pleasing statements and clearly outline his plans for the club.

 

He added: â??The investment in the club wasnâ??t something Mr Greenâ??s consortium ever made any commitment to.

 

â??It was very noticeable that there was little other than rhetoric.

 

â??A lot of what Charles does with respect to his public statements in all honesty is him talking to his investors.

 

â??When he talks about going into the EPL or a European league or whatever he is basically saying to his investors: â??Be patient with me.â?? Thatâ??s what I think he is doing.

 

â??But at the same time he has to keep his real constituency happy which is the fans and his expectations.

 

â??There was always going to be a natural confrontation between the expectation of the investors to get their money back quickly and what the supporters deservedly want with respect to investment in the club.

 

â??By his own admission Charles didnâ??t really know what he was getting into.

 

â??But how Charles conducts his public profile is up to him. Heâ??s doing it his way, itâ??s a very personal style and he lives and dies by it.

 

â??Is Greenâ??s personality compromising the reputation of the club?

 

â??Being pragmatic, Rangers have been a victim of so much mischief from a lot of parties over a period of time.

 

â??His comments are just another step in the process that has to be resolved as we start healing the club.â?

 

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-rangers-chairman-alastair-johnston-1828743?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[the gunslinger 3,366]

aj isn't the only one who thought that way. bomber is another for a start.

[simplythebest 0]

aj isn't the only one who thought that way. bomber is another for a start.

 

Yet he sounds rather balanced about it all rather than getting his pitch fork out.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Yet he sounds rather balanced about it all rather than getting his pitch fork out.

 

frankly its more pitch forks we need not less.

 

aj is a huge fan. he will know the whole story and be angry.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

“Knowing what I do about how Mr Green and Mr Whyte were introduced with respect to the consortium of investors, there was a lot of common factors there.

 

“There is a natural chain all the way from Andrew Ellis, through Zeus Capital to today. Ellis was the man who got Craig Whyte interested.

[simplythebest 0]

“So for everyone in unison to say they are against or for Green is neither practical nor very healthy.

 

“It’s important there is continued public debate among the fans and a reasoned approach to analysing what Charles Green is doing and how he is doing it.

[GovanAllan 0]

The hysteria round all this is actually getting embarrassing.

[der Berliner 3,219]

The hysteria round all this is actually getting embarrassing.

 

And you start asking: Who's next in line?

[the gunslinger 3,366]

i can't understand that attitude ga. the fact whyte and green were in partnership and d@p agreed a deal to sell to whyte both with and without a cva is a big deal. what aj says about zeus is huge.