Former Rangers chairman Dave King has declared he is “available” to return to his former role and insists the club is currently “in crisis”.
This follows the news that John Bennett has stepped down from his position as chairman of the Ibrox club with immediate effect, citing health reasons.
Bennett, who had succeeded Douglas Park in April 2023, leaves a leadership vacuum at Rangers, with the club having already struggled early in the season.
John Gilligan, a former club director, has been appointed as interim chairman. However, the Glasgow side also faces the absence of a permanent CEO following James Bisgrove’s departure in May, adding to the feeling of instability. Additionally, Rangers have already fallen five points behind rivals Celtic after just five league games this season.
Speaking to TalkSport, King expressed concern about the current situation:
“I just hope John is well because I know how tough it is being chairman at Rangers at any time. But having seen John stepping down, under normal circumstances, I would expect someone from the board to step up.”
King went on to criticise the decision to look externally for new leadership:
“When I heard that the board have decided to go outside and get a headhunter to try and appoint a chairman and a CEO – the job at Rangers is very, very different from chairing a public company.
“Right now, the club is in crisis. The extent of it, I don’t know, but certainly, the operational issues within Rangers are a challenge.”
King, who is still the club’s largest shareholder, suggested that many of the club’s structures have deteriorated under the reign of Douglas Park.
“A lot of the policies, procedures, and processes that were in place when I stepped down have been hollowed out during Douglas’ tenure,” he said.
“If no one is going to step up and we’re going to have to make some external appointment – which I’m certain will not take the club forwards – then perhaps I can step up for a period of time.”
King has, therefore, offered his services once more to the club:
“So I’ve made an announcement. I’m available to do that. I think something has to happen fairly quickly. The club lacks leadership in all aspects of the organisation.”
He did not hold back in criticising the recent decision to play early-season home games at Hampden Park due to delays with the Ibrox stadium works, particularly on the Copland Stand.
King described the situation as a failure of basic management: “Something as simple as a stadium – you don’t have to be smart to know that if you’ve got a project like that, it must start 10 minutes after the team finishes the last game in May.”
King continued, emphasising how costly the mismanagement could be, particularly given the importance of the stadium in European fixtures.
“If you’re going to be open to Ibrox for absolutely vital European, Champions League qualifiers, where Ibrox is a huge advantage for Rangers… and to have started that project with some of the steel still in China just indicates a lack of basic project management, basic management skills.”
King reiterated that these issues are symptomatic of wider problems at the club:
“That’s what’s happening right throughout the club at the moment. I think it needs someone to step in quite quickly. I’ve thrown my name in – it’s now up to the board to decide what they want to do with it.”
Looking to the future, King outlined two key objectives for any new leadership:
“I think there are two major objectives. One is to reintroduce the operational policies, controls, and processes that have gone missing over the last couple of years and get the club up to speed there. Secondly, to find a new investor.”
King proposed a two-year timeframe for these changes, explaining:
“I think a two-year period is what’s needed to get the club up and running properly, with a proper plan going forward as to how we’re going to bridge the gap.” His remarks reflect a determination to reverse what he sees as the club’s ongoing decline and to restore stability at Ibrox.