---
title: "Rangers: Dave King makes Mike Ashley claim"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/rangers-gers-ibrox-steven-gerrard-mike-ashley-dave-king-55-premiership/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "jonathan radcliffe"
section: "Features"
published: "2021-03-09T18:35:22Z"
modified: "2021-03-09T18:35:22Z"
---

# Rangers: Dave King makes Mike Ashley claim

**Dave King has revealed Glasgow Rangers would never have been able to compete for trophies had Mike Ashley remained involved in the club’s affairs.**

### **King makes Ashley claim**

Ashley, who has a net worth of $2.5bn (£1.8bn) [according to Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/profile/michael-ashley/?sh=2b1e9b8860a8), previously had a stake in the Ibrox outfit before selling his entire share in 2017.

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He was far from a popular figure at the club ([The Daily Record](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/furious-rangers-fans-slam-mike-5866365)), and King has revealed that the club would have failed to compete had he not moved on. He said ([via The Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9340493/Rangers-Ex-chairman-Dave-King-insists-ousting-Mike-Ashley-key-moment-clubs-journey-title.html)):

> *“I don’t think Rangers would ever have folded completely in the sense the supporters base is so large.*
>
> *“My view just prior to becoming involved with the club, when I looked at the Easdale-Ashley axis, was that under their business model Rangers were \*never\* going to compete for honours again.*
>
> *“I had a conversation with Ashley in London and his view was that he could run Rangers at a profit.*
>
> *“He could have done that, of course he could. If you have 50,000, 60,000 fans willing to buy season tickets then it was feasible.*
>
> *“If you spend less than you earn and you have a loyal customer base then he could have made a profit.*
>
> *“But Rangers would never have competed. Rangers at that stage were so far behind Celtic that it required major investment to play catch up.*
>
> *“My concern was that if we hadn’t found a way to unlock regime change and bring in investors who had the same target of winning leagues and not making money then I felt Rangers would become a senior junior club in Scotland. It would have become a one-team league.”*

### **Best for the Gers\**

As mentioned, Ashley was a deeply unpopular figure at Ibrox amongst the supporters – whether it was to use the stadium as security to secure a loan ([BBC](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/30827483)) or [taking the club to court](https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/rangers-court-blow-mike-ashleys-18667096) in regards to a commercial deal, he did little to endear himself to the supporters.

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Clearly, things have improved for Rangers. On Sunday, their status as Premiership champions was confirmed – it was their first major trophy in 10 years. While it is important to make sure the Gers are financially safe, they must make some calculated risks – the ones they have taken so far have paid off.

***In other news, [Rangers fans slam comments from this politician.](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/rangers-fc-news/rangers-gers-ibrox-steven-gerrard-nicola-sturgeon-55-premiership/)***