DAVID ROBERTSON reckons Rangers have blown a 'fantastic opportunity' by rejecting investment from American businessman Robert Sarver.

The 53-year-old was thwarted in his attempts to gain control at Ibrox earlier this year after the under-fire board knocked back two multi-million pound offers.

Sarver's plans for an initial loan and subsequent share purchase required the backing of 75% of the current investors, with the recent separate moves by Dave King and the Three Bears consortium also presenting a major stumbling block.

Robertson introduced Sarver to the idea of investing in Rangers and insists he would have been good for the crisis-hit club.

He said: "I don't know if I'm speaking out of turn, but for me I know it's a fantastic opportunity, and I'm sure there could have been ways to make it work.

"There's the shareholding piece of it - that didn't work out -but if those guys really had Rangers at heart then they would have tried to find a way to make it work.

"I don't know if people want power or whatever, but the way I think the shareholdings are, there are a lot of small shareholdings that all add up.

"It's a difficult situation. He needed 75 per cent and they felt they couldn't have got that. The shareholders really could have made it happen.

"I don't know how far he would have gone, but he's such an honest guy, whatever he says you can take as gospel.

"He had visions of getting Rangers back to where they were and even further than that. He's never been negative towards Rangers or anything, he's obviously disappointed the way it is, but he feels he's the guy who could turn the place around."

Sarver stated Rangers 'only had to ask' if they wanted his help in the future as he took a step back from the boardroom battle.

King is attempting to remove the current hierarchy while the Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor consortium are also keen to invest.

And Robertson reckons the owner of NBA outfit the Phoenix Suns would have been an ideal man to have on board.

He said: "He was prepared to invest a lot in it. He's got the know-how of a pretty big sports franchise to implement a lot of stuff.

"On and off the field he could have done so much. I know Rangers as a club - even on the business side of it - are not operating to full capacity.

"You just hope that there's a plan there. Whatever the plan is, and whoever ends up in control of Rangers, there's got to be a good solid plan. It's got to be long-term.

"I'm not really sure how it works at the Phoenix Suns but I think he's the type of guy who wants to make a bad situation good. I think he would do whatever it would take."