| Chairman Alastair Johnston may yet go down in History as one of the most important appointments in the history of the Rangers. |
Alastair Johnston, cruelly dismissed in some quarters as a mere puppet of Sir David Murray and the MIH group, has a signficant role to play over the next few months: a period which will help to define Rangers over the short and - we can only hope - the long term.
Johnston's remit - the main prioity he disclosed when meeting the press - was, is and will be to find a new owner to assume control of the Club and the shareholding of Murray. Sir David wants to go, the Club needs him and his influence to be past-tense.
Until that point, the question of the manager - more pertinently, the question of replacing the manager - is unlikely to be a straightforward matter. Indeed, for all that the new Chairman has spoken of contract discussions with Smith, it would take an optimist to imagine circumstances in which both parties would want to go on together past the end of the season. The fact that the new year sees the end of one agreement need not signal chaos and disorder - Smith is a proud, decent and loyal man and would surely not leave the Club in the lurch - but there is no doubt that new blood, new ideas, and new approaches are necessary.
We would be unwise to assume much of any new owner(s) but it would be an oddity indeed if those who take over would not want a new man as part of a new dawn for the Club.
Alastair Johnston's time as Chairman of this great Club could be short-lived, but may yet be decisive. His good work and success in delivering that which is asked of him may prove to be as vital in the short-term as it is fundamentally important over a wider period. The cost of failure is such that recovery may be difficult. Alastair's page in the history book of the Rangers remains unfinished - he can be a footnote or a true pioneer and gallant hero.
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