Craig Whyte: Rangers is the biggest regret of my life
By Chris McLaughlin
BBC Scotland sports news correspondent
The former owner of Rangers, Craig Whyte, says getting involved with the Ibrox club was the biggest regret of his life.
Whyte took over Sir David Murray's majority shareholding for £1 exactly 10 years ago, while agreeing to take on millions in debt.
The business also faced the prospect of a huge tax bill.
Whyte used money projected to come from future season tickets to allow him to complete his purchase.
However, under Whyte's stewardship, the Rangers business went into administration and then liquidation in 2012.
Whyte, who is now 50, was charged and later cleared of fraud in relation to the takeover.
"I thought it was a good opportunity to make a profit," he said.
"It's hard to believe it is 10 years but I remember when I was first asked to have a look at it.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time but clearly it turned out not to be."
Loathed by Rangers fans and lauded by some supporters of other clubs, Whyte still maintains he should never have been painted as the villain.
"I don't believe I did anything wrong," he said.
"I was not responsible for the build-up of tax debt that caused HMRC to pursue Rangers.
"I was the guy who was there when it went wrong but I wasn't the person who caused the problem."
Whyte, who now does most of his business in South America, admits he could have been more open about his funding of the takeover.
The sale of the club was predicated on wiping out bank debt totalling about £18m.
He used the company Ticketus to secure a loan based on future season ticket sales - effectively buying the club with fan money.
But he decided not to make that news public.
"I should have been more open with the fans and the media," he said.
"I should have disclosed the funding method on day one - by not doing that I gave the media and the fans ammunition to throw at me."
It is an argument that is unlikely to make its way into the history books.
Whyte knows he will forever be the main villain one of the darkest chapters in the history of Rangers - something that is justified, according to journalist Stephen McGowan, from the Scottish Daily Mail.
"I think Craig Whyte will be remembered as the man who took Rangers into administration and ultimately towards liquidation," he said.
I don't think history will remember him in any way in any fond or benevolent manner.
"He may wish to paint himself as the man who had the wool pulled over his eyes, but ultimately Rangers fans will always feel that he was the one doing the pulling."
Whyte admits his brief association with football is not one he is keen to repeat.
Asked how he would look back on his time at Rangers, he used the word "nightmare".
"I think it's fair to say that the whole experience, from start to finish, from walking into Ibrox on that first day, to being acquitted at the High Court, was the most traumatic experience of my life, for sure."
