THEY'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when ...

it was no ordinary end-of-season farewell at Ibrox.

As Ally McCoist and his squad took the acclaim of the the supporters who have backed their team through the darkest days in Rangers' history, the realisation would have struck many that that May afternoon could be their last at the famous stadium.

Fans said goodbye to those they have shared the highs and lows of a dramatic season with not knowing what league their team will be playing in when Scottish football returns in three months' time or who will pull on the famous blue jerseys.

There will soon be farewells in the Gers dressing room, too, with a number of McCoist's players likely to leave during the summer transfer window at the end of their contract or as a result of being sold off to raise much-needed funds.

The 90 minutes that preceded the emotional scenes were a low-key culmination to a dramatic season at Ibrox as neither the hosts nor Champions League-bound Motherwell could find the breakthrough, with the exertions of Wednesday evening's 5-0 victory over Dundee United seemingly taking their toll on the weary Gers.

Chances were few and far between, with Stuart McCall's squad often looking dangerous on the counter-attack yet failing to capitalise on the hat-trick of occasions where they perhaps should have broken the deadlock.

"We didn't play well at all," McCoist said. "We looked a bit heavy-legged and a bit tired. As Motherwell did, we had chances to win the game. We possibly could and should have had a penalty. It looked an end- of-season game, to be quite frank."

Few of the 45,000-plus home crowd would have grudged their heroes an off-day after a physically and mentally-sapping season that has tested all those associated with the club to their limits.

The announcement by administrators Duff and Phelps of American businessman Bill Miller as the preferred bidder for the 140-year-old club last week moved Rangers a step further away from the abyss, but many hurdles still have to be overcome before they can look forward to a prosperous future after a turbulent 12 months.

Uncertainty still surrounds his plans to save the club via his 'incubator' strategy, a move that will see him purchase Rangers' assets and place them in a newco structure while the current company attempts to exit administration by means of a CVA.

The biggest obstacles could come in the form of the football authorities, with the SFA and SPL set to keep a close eye on developments at Ibrox from their Hampden offices.

In a worse-case scenario, the Light Blues' squad could be given permission to decline their contract being transferred to Miller's newco Rangers and leave the club on a free transfer while the SFA reject the club's appeal against a year-long ban on registering players over the age of 18.

That combination of events would prove disastrous for Rangers' on-field aspirations, but more bad news could come today when the SPL meet to discuss changes in the rules and regulations relating to clubs who find themselves in financial difficulties.

The clamour from supporters of teams across the country is for severe punishments and sanctions to be handed down to the Ibrox side, but the ramifications of losing the Gers from our top flight could be severe.

It is a balancing act the chairman of the 11 SPL clubs will be well aware of ahead of that Hampden summit this afternoon and McCoist knows the magnitude of whatever, if any, outcome is reached.

"Obviously I just hope it is a favourable result for us," he said. "I can understand the SPL and the SFA have got big decisions to make and they won't please everybody.

"Phone lines on radio stations are jammed with non-Rangers supporters saying we should go down to Division Three.

"I can understand that. But it is not just as simple as that because I do believe there would be a threat to the livelihood of some other clubs in the SPL if that were to happen. That is not something I would say lightly.

"In terms of the finance of Scottish football – sponsorship and television money and things like that – it is a massive, massive issue. The right thing to do might be the wrong thing in the long run. It is a big problem."

Decisions made in offices from Chattanooga to Mount Florida will shape Rangers' future and determine what form the club will take in its 141st year.

For McCoist, his players, and the Light Blue legions, the wait will go on. They will meet again some sunny day, however.