Ouch! Jackson shines a light on the Ibrox accounts missing from Companies House

Addressing the departure of Douglas Park from Ibrox Keith Jackson has highlighted the missing accounts from Companies House.

Back in November Rangers International Football Club published their accounts for the year to 30 June 2022 with the Daily Record leading the cheers over record turnover and claiming that a loss was actually an operating profit.

At the club AGM all was dignified and respectful, Mister Beale was given reverential treatment with only a couple of awkward questions about the horrendous dealings of Ross Wilson causing some concern on the podium.

Greig McKnight of Renfrew based Azets Audit Services signed the accounts off but four months later they have still to be accepted and published at Companies House.

Speculating over the handover from Park to John Bennett, Jackson uses his knowledge of business and city regulations to inform Daily Record readers:

Bennett speaks well and comes across as a more progressive, credible figurehead. Like Park, he’s also ploughed a small personal fortune into rebuilding the club’s stature since the days of Charlie and the Bandits running riot in the boardroom. Having waited for this opportunity Bennett must now walk the walk and perhaps he can start by explaining exactly why the chairmanship has swapped hands at a moment in time when the club’s latest accounts have not been filed on time with Companies House.

The Rangers Football Club Limited – aka the football board – was supposed to have this paperwork signed off in Edinburgh by March 31. This, of course, may be nothing more than an oversight punishable by a minimal fine.

But, given that the numbers involved relate to the financial period ending June 2022, it is difficult to fathom why on earth they are still to be submitted. While the majority of Rangers supporters will be a great deal more concerned about what goes on behind the doors of a lock-out at Celtic Park this weekend, there will be plenty of others who would appreciate some sort of honest explanation for this delay.

And especially now that Park has suddenly disappeared into the distance, without stopping to tell them why on his way out of the door.

“It’s been a great honour to serve the club as a director and chairman,” was how he announced his decision in a four line release published on the club’s website on the stroke of 5pm last night.

Park went on: “During my eight years in office, we endured extraordinary pressures. I am glad we have stabilised and strengthened the club and it is now time for me to hand over the baton to a new chairman for the next stage in the club’s development. I look forward to continuing to attend matches supporting the team, and I wish John and all at Rangers Football Club the very best.”

Just last week, Bennett was sticking his hand in his pocket once more to support a £2m fundraiser, with more than £100k of his own money. A total of 7.7m new shares were released with the likes of George Letham and American investor John Halstead also ploughing more cash into the club.

Bennett may wish to address why this investment was deemed to be necessary at this point in time, especially after such a lucrative European campaign last time around along with the sales of Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo. He may also want to explain why these shares were up for grabs for just 25 pence when another American, Kyle Fox, was prepared to pay a price of 40p had her offer not been so aggressively and repeatedly rebuffed by Park over the last year or so.

UEFA now deal directly with licencing, the old deals with the SFA through Campbell Ogilvie or overseen by Andrew Dickson are now a thing of the past.