After a three-decade exile from Ibrox, former Rangers chairman David Holmes came clean about his hurt feelings at being shunned by the team where he started a revolution.
Speaking from within the Blue Room at Ibrox for the book’s launch, the 88-year-old acknowledged that “nasty” boardroom politics were the reason for his 1989 departure, which saw David Murray take his place. When Holmes signed Graeme Souness in 1986, it set off a chain of events that would change the history of Scottish football. Holmes says he accepted that he was no longer welcome to join clubs.
It’s a little bit nostalgic, he said. I have been invited back here for the first time in 34 years. That was the painful part. That was, however, a while ago. I may have [shown up to watch a game], but I never received an invitation, presumably because I wasn’t the most well-liked person on the board when I first arrived.
They were aware of what was going to happen, which is why I wasn’t the most well-liked person when I left this place. How much do I love my supporters and how much do they love me back? That won’t ever be broken by anyone. At the time, I was happy to move away from them because they made it extremely unpleasant. The relationship I have with
A remarkably young-looking Holmes gave a candid account of his role in bringing the Light Blues back to life following a run of just 13,000 attendance at Ibrox and third and fourth place finishes in the Premiership table.
“It was a specific job when I came in,” he stated. I entered this place as a John Lawrence Group participant. Making the Rangers an asset rather than a liability is why I came here.
