Sevco managing director Stewart Robertson has backed down from his plan to stand for the board of the SPFL.
Just six weeks after explaining why Scottish football needed to embrace the new regime at Ibrox Robbo has back-tracked rather than be humiliated in the vote with the three places up for grabs.
Announcing his climbdown rather than standing for election against Peter Lawwell, Ann Budge and Partick Thistle director Ian Maxwell, a club statement claimed: “RANGERS Managing Director, Stewart Robertson, has decided not to stand for election to the SPFL board. Mr Robertson’s decision comes after much thought and consideration.
“Mr Robertson is fully committed to ensuring Rangers’ return to the top flight runs as smoothly as possible.
“It should be pointed out that after a series of meetings with other Premiership representatives over the last month, Rangers is confident its views are being listened to and treated with the utmost respect.
“It is accepted that Rangers’ voice is being heard within Hampden, both at SFA and SPFL levels.
“Although Mr Robertson won’t be standing for election, he has made it clear he will be available to assist the governing bodies when and if required. No-one should be in any doubt Rangers will be perfectly positioned to contribute and play a full part in moving Scottish football towards a brighter future.”
Shortly after justifying the anti-catholic singing of his club’s season ticket holders at the Scottish Cup Final Robbo decided, in his usual roundabout way, his decision to stand for election to the board of the SPFL.
He said: “Eric Riley is retiring, he is a top man who has done a good job. When I was on the SPL board, Eric was a really good guy.
“There is an opportunity for change now and an opportunity for fresh faces to get round the table and look at things a bit differently.
“In any organisation, if you don’t change it up occasionally you get strained. If you don’t bring in fresh voices, you don’t see the bigger picture and the opportunities that are there.
“In the days when I was on the board of the SPL, we had four directors from the clubs.
“This is the way the voting would work. It wasn’t a concert party [between Rangers and Celtic], it was just a natural evolution.
“You had one from Rangers or Celtic, you tended to have one from Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs and then two from the balance. When I was at Motherwell, it was myself and Stewart Gilmour or myself and Eddie Thompson.”
It seems that Robbo’s fresh face didn’t have any support among other Premiership clubs leaving the former Motherwell director with more time to balance the books, avoid another going concern warning and appoint a Nominated Advisor to deal with company shares.
