IT was, in Glasgow parlance, a day for taps aff.

At Ibrox, it was all about the ones that Rangers fans will not be putting on.

The chances of you seeing a punter walking down the street with the new home or away kit on their backs this summer are slim. This lot won't be flying off the shelves.

Once again when the shareholders and cameras were in town, so too, right on cue, was the Sports Direct lorry this morning, but the driver was wasting his time even trying to get parked. He left without £5million for his boss as well.

The latest chapter in the Rangers saga may have turned, once again, into the Mike Ashley show as he called for the General Meeting that was held at 10.30am but it was a no-show from the businessman at Ibrox. Ashley had already got his first tackles in before the opening whistle, legal action in the High Court in London and Edinburgh's Court of Session yesterday rendering this gathering of directors and shareholders even more meaningless than it already was.

The questions Ashley posed were answered as Paul Murray addressed his queries over Rangers International Football Club plc's removal from the AIM market and the loan deal struck with the Three Bears consortium. John Gilligan also once again affirmed the board's belief that the Newcastle United owner should not be repaid his £5million loan at present.

Ashley may not have been there to hear Murray and Gilligan speak but his ears must have been burning, the questions from the stand plentiful enough to fill a giant Sports Direct plastic bag.

The board had hoped to reveal the details of the deals that are in place between Rangers and Sports Direct but the two Court cases, and the notices served on the directors at home last night, quashed any hopes of clarity. The revelations, when or if they arrive, are only likely to confirm supporters' worst fears rather than allay them.

One shareholder called for the board to 'give us a cough' if the answer to his Ashley-themed question was affirmative while another was more forthright, urging the directors to attach a note to Ashley's copy of the meeting minutes saying 'not one effing penny more' as he summed up the mood of the supporters who continue to withhold their cash from the club in protest.

It was no surprise that the Sports Direct deals dominated the agenda but, where the board had hoped to knock Ashley for six, every question was met with a straight bat. "I sympathise with what you say," James Blair, Rangers' company secretary, said. "But the directors, given the terms of the injunction, can't comment at all on the agreement I am afraid."

It made for a far more peaceful gathering of shareholders than had become the norm at Ibrox. There was no booing and heckling of the kind that used to greet David Somers or the cheering and congratulating that heralded the arrivals of Murray, Gilligan and Dave King in March.

It was a far more serene affair in the Glasgow sunshine. Never mind summer football, the case has now been made for summer General Meetings.

There was talk of an old manager, Ally McCoist, of the ongoing search for a new boss and a mention for Colin Jackson, the former Rangers defender who passed away last weekend.

When the votes were cast, it was Ashley that was back on the agenda, though. The outcome of the poll will be revealed on Monday and then, instead of spurious GM calls and court cases, it should come down to the negotiating table as Rangers and Ashley look to find a way to live together in this unhappy marriages.

It is the battle of the men who love the shirts and the guy who wants to sell the jerseys.