RANGERS chairman David Somers was today urged to quit after it emerged Sandy Easdale had given the crisis-hit Ibrox club a £500,000 emergency loan.

Football board chairman Easdale stumped up the money until the Lewis Macleod transfer fee flows into the cash-strapped club's coffers.

But fans reacted to the loan with fury because a £16million rescue package offered by South Africa-based businessman Dave King was snubbed by the Light Blues just over TWO MONTHS ago.

Somers claimed that was because former director King had not provided the SPFL Championship club with proof of funds of revealed the identity of his fellow investors.

But a leaked email subsequently showed the majority of the board were in favour of the deal and the chairman feared for his own position on the board.

And Craig Houston of the influential Sons of Struth supporters group today appealed to Somers to stand down and pave the way for fresh investment in Rangers.

The Three Bears - a consortium of wealthy fans comprising George Letham, Douglas Park and George Taylor - are willing to underwrite a share issue to the tune of £6.5m.

And Robert Sarver, the American owner of NBA basketball team the Phoenix Suns, is also prepared to invest £18m to buy the troubled Glasgow giants outright.

Houston said: "If Somers had done what he should have done and accepted the Dave King offer then we would still have Lewis Macleod at Rangers.

"That is how ridiculous this is. We would still have the guy at our football club and wouldn't need to have sold him or accepted a £500,000 loan.

"We have had two offers of funding. One of £16m from King.

"The other of £6.5m from George Letham and his team. And they are still wanting to get a deal done.

"Instead we have a £500,000 emergency loan for a transfer fee for a guy we should still have at the club."

Houston added: "David Somers shouldn't be there after the emails that he sent were released.

As a PLC director he can't act in his own interest above the interest of the PLC."

"In any ordinary business if there were people who were wanting to collectively put in around £40m they would be accepted with open arms.

"These people are saying to us: 'Can we give you some money?'

"But we are not working under normal circumstances and they are not being accepted."