‘I was aware of the rumours of Donald Trump buying Rangers – my first sit-down board meeting with him would have been interesting…’ Ally McCoist gives verdict on reports of a high-profile takeover

Donald Trump returned for a turbulent second term as US president in January, but he could have been a football club owner if things had turned out differently.

Back in 2012, before he’d ever run for president, Trump was linked with a takeover at Rangers during their financial crisis – his mother is Scottish, and he owns two golf courses in the country.

Reports ultimately suggested that Trump didn’t proceed with his interest, deeming their fiscal situation too dire. “We looked seriously and walked away,” a Trump source said at the time. “It just didn’t make sense to us, although they’re a great club.”

Trump's first manager?

Ally McCoist was Rangers manager back then, and tells FourFourTwo that he did see the speculation about Trump at the time.

“I was aware of the rumours – I think my first sit-down board meeting would have been interesting!” he laughs.

“The one thing I would say about Trump – we can argue about his politics, we’ll probably agree on what we think about his politics and we can discuss it until the cows come home – but he knows how to run a golf course, I can tell you that!

“So forget everything else, if it’s any dealings in sport, his two golf courses north of the border, Turnberry and Trump International in Aberdeen, are nothing short of magnificent, they really are.

“But I wasn’t really conscious of the fact that the deal was anything like going to happen, I think they were just rumours.”

Rangers could be under new American ownership soon, with investors reported to have agreed a deal to buy the club – although Trump isn’t on the agenda this time.

Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe and health insurance tycoon Andrew Cavenagh are leading the bid, hoping to help the club return to title glory – they’ve endured a difficult period since winning the league in 2021, and trail Celtic by a distance again this term.

“This one is certainly hopefully nearer completion," McCoist said, speaking in association with talkSPORT BET.

“There’s a bit of due diligence getting done as you’d expect, but I’ve heard that the parties have agreed in theory about the deal, which is great. I’m excited about it, I really am, it’s long overdue.

“It’s alarming how far the club have gone backwards since winning a title and being beaten on penalties in a Europa League final not so long ago.

“No club on the planet has any divine right to success, look at Manchester United, but I just think the mismanagement and poor decision-making at Rangers in recent years since probably since Steven Gerrard left – or I take that back, probably since they got rid of Gio van Bronckhorst – has been shocking, unacceptable in many aspects.

“Where every fan has a divine right is to care about your team and want the best for them, all fans are like that and so they should be. I’m the same about Rangers.

“The mismanagement since Gio left in terms of recruitment, it’s just been really poor. Of course you’re not going to get every decision right in terms of bringing players in and letting players go, but it’s been unacceptable.”

Baby steps

Rangers have progressed in the Europa League, and won 3-1 at Fenerbahce in the first leg of the last 16 on Thursday, but their woes in the domestic league were compounded by a shock Scottish Cup defeat at home to Queen’s Park.

“I’m one of those Rangers fans who’s looking forward to change and I don’t mind if it takes a while,” he said.

“I just want to get our club back on a stable footing, competing with Celtic, I’m not wanting anything dramatic at the moment, I just want to be giving Celtic a challenge in the league, because we’ve not got it at the moment.

“The European run has been good, we’ve had some good results in Europe again this year, but your bread and butter is domestic football.

“I’m quite excited about the new owners, I like the way they’re going about it, Leeds look like they’re in a very good place at the moment.

“That would do me, measured, let’s regroup, it’s not going to happen in the next three months but let’s get a plan and a structure, a group of people who know what they’re doing, care about what they’re doing and care about the club, and move forward. That would do me.”