John Gilligan tells Dave King to stop ‘unfair’ criticism of Rangers board

Rangers interim chairman John Gilligan has warned Dave King to back off and stop undermining the club’s efforts to get back on track.

King – who was Gers chairman for five years between 2015 and 2020 – was critical of the board in a recent media briefing, saying the Light Blues were “in crisis”, and that he would be keen to step back into his old role for two years.

“I’ll come in, stabilise it, get the right people in place, get the club working properly, at least give it direction, give it a plan,” said the South Africa-based businessman, who holds a 14 per cent stake in the club.

Gilligan, who stepped up to replace John Bennett as chairman on a temporary basis earlier this month, said that King’s criticism was “unfair” and that there is “no appetite” for him to return to the board.

“I’m trying to think, has any other director or any person said anything about Dave? No,” said Gilligan, who was a director for part of King’s chairmanship. “Have they responded publicly? No. Will I ever say anything bad about Dave? No.

“So in answer to your question, do I wish he would stop? Yes. I just say to Dave, ‘please take it below the radar, behave like a proper shareholder. Don’t do what you are doing’.

“It’s just a shame because he is a great character and he had a massive influence on the club at the time. I’ll always respect that.”

Asked if there was any likelihood of King returning as chairman, Gilligan said: “Dave is a major shareholder and he can say whatever he wishes to say. My view is it’s a bit unrealistic.

“Dave is a real businessman, he knows how shareholdings work. He is a 15 per cent shareholder, the other directors are 10, 12, 13 per cent shareholders.

“Dave was chairman, Dave’s still a major investor and can attend the AGM and ask questions, but there’s just no appetite for it at the moment because Dave was here before and he stepped away. Other people stepped up – Douglas [Park] stepped up, then stepped down and John [Bennett] stepped down. There’s just no appetite.”

Gilligan explained that the main priorities during his stop-gap tenure as chairman are to bring stability to the boardroom and oversee the appointment of a new chief executive following the departure of James Bisgrove at the end of last season.

“I will stay on as long as required,” said the 72-year-old. “The main priority is to get a chief executive, we are working on that right away. I can stay on indefinitely, I am expecting a few months and then a chairman to come in too.”

Gilligan acknowledged that Rangers are trailing in Celtic’s slipstream at present. “At the moment we are chasing, there is no argument there, I am not stupid enough to say otherwise,” he said. “But we will keep chasing.”

Gilligan said successful player trading and Champions League qualification offer the best chances for Rangers to overhaul Celtic, but he is buoyed that they currently have Philippe Clement as manager.

“Personally he inspired a bit of confidence,” said Gilligan of his first official meeting with the Belgian last week.

“He’s a very intelligent man and knows what he is trying to do, what he’s trying to do for the club.”