Journalist shares if Bennett to withdraw 'Significant' Rangers investment after sudden resignation

John Bennett’s immediate resignation as Rangers chairman will not end his involvement with the club, according to Joshua Barrie.

Speaking on the Rangers Review YouTube channel on 14 September he reported that the now-former club chief will remain a “supportive” stakeholder in the club and he is not now withdrawing his “significant” investment.

Rangers put out a statement on their website earlier the same day saying Bennett is stepping down for health reasons and will temporarily be replaced by John Gilligan.

Barrie said (1m 20s): “A couple of important caveats to make. Firstly, it’s understood that while John Bennett is making this move he remains a supportive stakeholder within the club, has significant money in the club, and this is not him completely drawing back from his total involvement with Rangers, but very much the hands-on, day-to-day involvement that has been there.”

John Gilligan to take over as interim Rangers chairman

The club list Bennett as the sixth-biggest “major” investor in the club, with a shareholding of 5.51 per cent, showing his commitment and the ongoing importance of the money he has put in.

His health has to come first despite the sudden exit coming at a time when there is already major uncertainty at Ibrox, and everyone associated with the club will wish him a quick recovery.

Bennett has come in for criticism at a time when the Light Blues are in disarray across many areas, and is believed to have taken it very hard [Scottish Sun, 11 September].

He was forced to step into a temporary CEO role after James Bisgrove’s own shock exit this summer, and has been tasked with overseeing the Ibrox building work mess and the hunt for a replacement chief executive since.

And he was thrust into the role as chair when Douglas Park also suddenly stepped down a year earlier, so has arguably been forced to step in unexpectedly more than once at times of need.

That doesn’t absolve him of all responsibility for the club’s failings in recent years but backs the view that his heart has always been in the right place when it comes to Rangers.

Gilligan will now have to take the reins in a CEO search which saw frontrunner Jim Gillespie pull out late after advanced talks [Daily Mail, 10 September] and Adrian Bevington emerge as an attractive candidate [David Tanner, 11 Septmeber], while the club also looks for a new chair.

After a rough transfer window where finances were tight, a bad start to the season with another loss to Celtic, and a need to fill other positions including academy head, the situation has only got more complicated at Ibrox.

In other Rangers news, the Daily Record have been slammed as “pathetic” over a story on Light Blues refereeing controversy.

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