Malcolm Offord WON'T become Rangers chairman as 'talks stall' for vacancy with backup options on agenda

Rangers will have to continue their search for a new chairman, according to reports - with a move for Malcolm Offord breaking down after talks stalled at the start of the week.

John Bennett announced that he was stepping down in mid-September due to health reasons, and that has seen the club scramble to appoint a new chairman with Bennett’s eight-year reign on the board coming to an end.

John Gilligan is the man in the hot seat at present, acting as interim until a permanent solution is found at the Scottish League Cup champions - and it appears he’ll be warming the chairman’s throne that little bit longer, with talks between the Light Blues and Offord breaking down to leave Rangers in the dark.

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The report from the Scottish Sun states that Rangers’ talks with Offord have stalled - despite the 60-year-old being in the frame to replace John Bennett. However, detailed discussions over the past two days have broken down, with an agreement yet to be reached for his services - and Ibrox’s top brass are considering their back-up options for the vacancy.

Offord had been the number one target for the job, according to The Sun, with his rejection possibly being a negative for Rangers having had connections with London City investors, which made him an attractive proposition.

However, both parties have yet to strike an agreement, and there is now a feeling that he won’t land the job. That hasn’t been ruled out completely, but Rangers chiefs are preparing to move on, and put their time and effort into other possibilities, as they are still confident that they can make an appointment soon.

The Ibrox club are hosting their AGM on Thursday, and Offord’s failure to be appointed will almost certainly be on the agenda, especially with Patrick Stewart becoming the club’s chief executive in just under two weeks’ time - though club insiders insist that they are confident of landing a chairman with a similar profile to Stewart, despite Offord’s breakdown in talks.