CHARLES GREEN today dismissed suggestions Rangers manager Ally McCoist should "watch his back" if his consortium pulls off an £8.5million takeover bid.
And he also assured fans Rangers would never again run up colossal debts under his watch.
Green was highly unpopular with fans during a spell as chief executive of Sheffield United in the 1990s, when he was accused of asset-stripping by selling key players, despite a successful share issue.
And Dave Bassett, the manager sacked by Green at United, warned McCoist to be wary of the 58-year-old Yorkshireman who is the only confirmed figure in a 20-strong consortium which wants to buy Rangers.
But Green, who watched Rangers finish their season with a 4-0 win at St Johnstone yesterday, described McCoist as "the most important person in this story" and dismissed Bassett's comments. "I find that sad," he said. The newly-appointed board said, 'Dave Bassett has done a fantastic job, but he has been here 12 years, we want a change'.
"So my job was to get rid of Dave and appoint a new manager. And that – unfortunately – is what chief execs have to do.
"But it was face to face, it wasn't in the back. For David to say that is wrong. I'm here to do what's right for the club and it was right to change that manager at that time."
He met McCoist for the first time on Saturday, having previously declined the chance to do so until administrators Duff & Phelps had confirmed the consortium's bid had been approved.
He said: "Ally is the most important person in this story, the future of the club, everything.
"We have had a chat and I have explained who we are and where we are.
"My problem and Ally's problem is the unknown. Have we got a transfer ban? Are we banned from Europe for one year or three years? That's all driven by the structure of the deal and whether the CVA goes through."
Green has still to name the consortium members, but he said there were Rangers supporters among them.
"There are some Rangers fans in our group. The Sheffield fans had a go at me because I wasn't a Blade and didn't love the club.
"I argued that I thought that made me dispassionate, because I could make difficult decisions without wearing my heart on my sleeve."