Former Scottish League 1 Rangers Dir Ian Hart Saturday night insisted that the club’s recent boardroom shake-up "would finally bring stability to Ibrox," according to Bill McIntyre of the Scotland DAILY RECORD. The arrivals of Chair David Somers, CEO Graham Wallace and Non-Exec Dir Norman Crighton "took some fans by surprise but Hart believes they will guide the club back to the top." Somers, Wallace and Crighton will learn on Dec. 19 at the Rangers AGM "if they can stay on at the club following a shareholders vote." Rebels Paul Murray and Malcolm Murray "are still seeking to put their own men on the board but Hart believes the current line-up of directors will win the vote." Manager Ally McCoist "has also backed the new board and his relationship" with Somers "is growing by the day." McCoist said, "He’s keen to let me know what his plans for the club are and he’s trying to get things done, which is great" (DAILY MAIL, 11/24).
OLD FIRM: In Glasgow, Euan McLean reported Scottish FA President Campbell Ogilvie "responded angrily to Rangers’ formal complaint" about Celtic CEO Peter Lawwell making a joke about them during last week’s AGM at Parkhead. When asked by one shareholder about the reporting of Rangers in the media as a club founded in 1872, rather than a new club following liquidation last summer, Lawwell replied, "Rory Bremner can pretend to be Tony Blair." That "jibe infuriated Gers fans and the club’s hierarchy." But Ogilvie, a former club secretary at Rangers, released a statement "bashing both clubs’ heads together and urging them to set a better example during these testing times for Scottish football" (DAILY RECORD, 11/23).
