DAVE KING passed the baton to Douglas Park. Now the finishing line is in sight for him at Ibrox.

King has almost run his race at Rangers as he prepares to cut what remains of his ties and sell his major shareholding in RIFC plc. He is content for those that he leaves behind to lead the charge for the medals in the coming years.

The announcement last week that King was selling his 20.37 per cent stake to Club 1872 provoked an array of opinions, arguments and theories. In typical King fashion, he has an answer to each.

On the topic of his relationship with the board that Park now chairs, King has no issue discussing the situation as he dismisses hearsay and conjecture of a breakdown in their communication and understanding in recent months.

“I certainly haven’t heard any rumours in that regard and there has been no fall-out between myself and the board,” King told the Four Lads Had a Dream Podcast. “I stepped down at the end of March, which was consistent with the statement that I made at the AGM to step down once we had the funding secured so that the legacy of the financial deficit that I had been party to incurring was properly squared away.

“At the time when I stepped down, I did say that Douglas did ask me at the end of March if I would consider extending my stay on the board to see the club through the Covid crisis. I said ‘Douglas, I just can’t do that’. There was an intention, from a board point of view, to keep me on the board a little bit longer.

“But I felt that the Covid crisis was a new crisis and probably best dealt with by those on the ground in Scotland given the travel restrictions. It was an issue that the people in Scotland should deal with. Plus, from my own perspective, I had some very challenging, and continue to do, times for my business in South Africa. I was not able to agree to the request of the board to extend beyond March.

“I think they were looking at it saying ‘it is another crisis, Dave, can you come and help us out with this?’ I just couldn’t do it, but I don’t think there was any falling out with that. It was just a request from the board that I was unable to comply with.”

The decision from King to sell his major shareholding to supporters has been viewed with suspicion in some quarters but a long-held belief is behind his plans.

If the £13million deal is completed, the crucial 25 per cent threshold will be reached and Rangers will be protected for generations to come. As King thinks into the future, he has no worries about the present.

“Not at all. Absolutely not,” King said when asked if there was any issue between himself and the board. “The board members… it is the same board that I chaired, the same individuals who were part of the recovery process and, as I see it, they have continued with that process and certainly, for my part, I am delighted with the way that the board has continued.

“The board are safe pair of hands for the club right now. But this is something for the future.

“We thought we had a safe pair of hands when David Murray was in charge and it didn’t turn out that way. So we have got to make sure that the supporters have a level of influence that is independent of the board at any given time.”

It is a week since the announcement was made and Club 1872 started the ball rolling on the process that asks fans to donate £500 as part of their ‘legacy membership’ scheme.

Rangers were informed of King’s plans on the eve of the launch, but no feedback was sought before then as the two parties reached consensus on a deal.

“No, this is a shareholder issue,” King said on whether he discussed this deal with the board beforehand

“From the time that I left the board, I have just been another shareholder, I have not had access to any information from any director given the affairs of the club.

“I am just another shareholder and this was a confidential discussion between myself and Club 1872. It was very tightly managed in terms of confidentiality because one knows in all things Rangers that these things can leak and develop a life of their own.

“We maintained very strong confidentiality between ourselves up until the time we reached agreement and were going to make the announcement. In advance of that, I let the board know as a courtesy that I was going to make an announcement.

“There was no discussion with the board and there was no reason to discuss it with the board. It is a shareholder issue, not a board issue.”

The influence and importance of King at Ibrox in recent years cannot be underestimated or understated. Now it is those that he served with that will lead Rangers into what he is sure will be a bright future after the most tumultuous years in their history.

His share sale is his parting gift to supporters, the final piece of his legacy. It is an opportunity he hopes those in the stands and boardroom make the most of.

King said: “Not only is there not a problem, but I would be very surprised if the Rangers board weren’t delighted at this development.

“I guess they would have some concern over what was going to happen with my shareholding some time in the future if I wasn’t around.

“I think what this has done is take away a lot of uncertainty and at least the board can now look forward and say ‘well, we now know where Dave’s shares are going to end up’. They are going to end up with the supporters.

“This board certainly is very alert to the fact that supporters have been key in getting the club back to where it is at the moment and very alert to the need to retain a close relationship with supporters and avoid the disconnect we saw from the Ashley/Easdale era.

“So I would be very surprised if any of the board members were not happy and didn’t welcome this initiative from me.”

*Dave King was speaking exclusively to the Four Lads Had a Dream podcast. For more information visit https://fourladshadadream.blog/ or @4ladshadadream on Twitter.