Alastair Johnston hopes takeover can start to ‘extinguish rot' from Rangers past
Johnston was ousted from his post as chairman when Scottish businessman Whyte bought Rangers from majority shareholder Sir David Murray in May 2011.
The club subsequently lurched into administration in February 2012 and then were consigned to liquidation three months later, before Rangers re-emerged in the bottom tier of Scottish football as a new company with Whyte having departed under a cloud.
Johnston predicted then that it would take a decade for the Govan club to recalibrate.
Although they lifted the Scottish Premiership title in 2021 and enjoyed success in Europe, Celtic still retain a strong grip on Scottish football with 13 title wins in the last 14 years, amongst a plethora of other silverware.
However, Rangers fans and Johnston are looking for better times ahead following the confirmation last week that an American consortium, headed by healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers Enterprises, has acquired a 51 per cent controlling stake in the club.
Johnston, who returned to the board as a non-executive director in 2017 when South Africa-based Dave King was chairman, is standing down with a new-look board taking shape but the United States-based Glaswegian and lifelong Gers fan is optimistic about developments.
The 76-year-old told the PA news agency: 'I was asked to respond to a question at the Rangers AGM last December as to the options available to the club in order for it to return to its glory days.
'My comments were reported at the time as being somewhat bemusing.
'I responded by describing the current circumstances in English football about so many of the leading clubs being taken over by American investors and, in several cases, their approach included an ownership model that involved multiple teams.
Rangers Football Club is pleased to announce that a consortium of investors, led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, has purchased a majority stake in the club, with approval from the Scottish FA.
The consortium will chart a new strategic vision for the club's future… pic.twitter.com/x9m40Q2KnT
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) May 30, 2025
'I was careful to insinuate that this was a hypothetical possibility.
'In truth, I was already aware of the interest that a group involving the 49ers had shown in Rangers and that we had already engaged in early-stage discussions with its representatives.
'Understandably, the possible investors wanted to maintain the utmost secrecy as to the direction of their mission.
'It took about six months for the Rangers board to reach a mutually acceptable arrangement that would be in the best interests of our club.
'Intense negotiations were conducted covering all facets of such an acquisition, and I am delighted we were able to capitalise on a collaboration that we believe will provide us with a platform to extinguish the rot that had befallen the club for a decade since the Craig Whyte fiasco.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Is AI about to steal your job?
Over the weekend, Dario Amodei, the chief executive of Anthropic, arguably Open AI's greatest rival, issued a stark warning. He claimed that AI's rapid advancement could lead to the disappearance of half of all entry-level white-collar jobs in the next one to five years, as well as 10-20% unemployment levels in the United States by the end of the decade. 'Everyone I've talked to has said this technological change looks different. It looks faster, it looks harder to adapt to … We're not going to prevent it just by saying everything's going to be OK.' The tech journalist Chris Stokel-Walker tells Michael Safi that we are already seeing some companies reduce their workforce in favour of AI, with office workers now more at risk than during previous rounds of automation. While Stokel-Walker is wary of believing all the hype that a tech boss might generate, he explains that the recent emergence of agentic AI (one that can be instructed to complete tasks autonomously) is a significant development. The pair discuss how governments should be preparing for huge potential shifts in people's relationship to the economy, and what individuals can do within their own careers to protect themselves from being replaced by AI. Support the Guardian today:
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Ivan Toney says he never feared Saudi Arabia move would end his England career
The 29-year-old has been recalled for the first time since making a money-spinning switch from Brentford to Al-Ahli, shortly after helping Gareth Southgate's side reach the Euro 2024 final. Toney was overlooked by interim boss Lee Carsley in the autumn and left out of Thomas Tuchel's first selection in charge but the England boss stressed in March that it was nothing to do with him playing in the Saudi Pro League. The striker appreciated the German coach calling him with that explanation and is even more grateful after recalling him for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Andorra and the home friendly against Senegal next week. 😃 @ivantoney24 — England (@England) June 2, 2025 'It's always tough missing out on a squad, but I think that's part of the game,' Toney said. 'You have to be strong, you have to stick at it and keep doing what you do best and I managed to do that and I managed to get the recall, which was a nice feeling.' Asked if he thought moving to the Saudi Pro League may affect his England chances, he said at their training camp in Girona: 'No. 'You see with me I think if you're just doing the right thing, playing football, playing well and scoring goals – a striker's job, that's what you're in a team to do – it doesn't matter where you play in the world, I feel like you should still get the chance. 'I think it's been proven me being me being back here and being back amongst the boys. 'It feels good to see the faces again and it feels good to get stuck in.' Toney admitted the first month following August's switch was 'tough' but credits the string of loans during the early part of his career for aiding his adaptation to new surroundings in the Middle East. The striker went onto score 23 goals in 30 Saudi Pro League appearances for Al-Ahli, helping the side to win the AFC Champions League Elite competition. 💚💚💚💚💚 — Ivan Toney (@ivantoney24) May 4, 2025 'I feel like I'm in good form,' Toney said. 'As you see, I'm here, I'm still scoring goals. 'I have a lot to give. All the time I want to improve, become a better player and try and help others around me. 'So, hopefully I can keep doing that and be in the mix for the World Cup.' Toney is bidding to be among a number of Saudi-based players starring at next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. There is a push for more stars to head there – with Al-Hilal falling short in their bid to coax Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes – and the striker believes the competition is far better than some suggest. 'Everyone always has their opinion,' Toney said. 'They're going to have their opinion on everything. 'You have to witness it and be there to realise what it's like. You can't have an opinion on something you've never seen. 'People always just assume certain things about things without seeing it, so I suggest people have a look before they start making judgements. 'It's tough, it's not easy. There's some good footballers and it's going in the right direction and I'm sure it will continue to do that over the years.'
Leader Live
3 hours ago
- Leader Live
Rangers on verge of appointing Russell Martin as new head coach
The 39-year-old former Southampton boss will be installed in the Ibrox hotseat in the next 48 hours, barring any last-minute hitches. The appointment of a new man at the helm is the latest in a series of major changes at the club. An American consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises secured a majority shareholding on Friday and new sporting director Kevin Thelwell officially began work on Monday, when he said that the recruitment of a new head coach would come to a conclusion 'in the coming days'. Outgoing Real Madrid assistant manager Davide Ancelotti, son of Carlo Ancelotti, and Martin were the two frontrunners for the post, vacated by Philippe Clement in February, with former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson taking over to the end of the season, which ended trophyless. However, it is the former MK Dons and Swansea boss, who had a short loan spell as a player at Rangers in 2018, who will be tasked with wrestling the power back from the other side of the city where Celtic this season won their 13th William Hill Premiership title in 14 seasons and have a stranglehold on Scottish football. However, many Rangers fans have revealed some dismay at the notion of Martin's arrival. The former Scotland international brought Southampton up to the Premier League through the play-offs in 2024 but was sacked in December as they headed back towards the Championship with one win from their first 16 games. Chris Hughton, Martin's boss at Norwich, offered a glowing character reference, saying on talkSPORT: 'If I'm looking at Russell's managerial background, he is known of course, for playing a certain way, very expansive in the way that he wants to play, very much a passing game and progression through the thirds. 'But he's a strong personality also. He's had a few knockbacks in his football career so far. 'I think any knockbacks, he will look at very much as experience and look to improve in every aspect that he can. I saw him recently, and he was in good form and really looking forward to getting back into the game. 'I think he's had a few offers. So this is somebody that's still very respected in the game, and of course, the rollercoaster in management, there are always going to be ups and downs, but he's a very confident individual and very confident in what he wants to do on the football pitch. 'He was very much a leader in the changing room, vocal in the meetings that we had and, of course, he was my voice when it came to any sort of direction on the players. 'So no surprise to me that he eventually went into management. He always showed those characteristics. And he was somebody that, as he improved in his career as a player, is of course very much looking to improve the same way in management.'
