SPFL: Charles Green backs Mike Ashley for Rangers

Charles Green has been passionately defending his time in charge at Ibrox - and has backed Mike Ashley as the man to save the troubled Scottish Championship club from the brink of financial collapse.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News HQ's Jim White at a London hospital - where he is recovering from a knee operation - Green was keen to put an end to social media rumours that he had been arrested in France.

While admitting that he had spoken to police on more than one occasion, Green was insistent those meetings were in relation to matters pertaining to the previous incumbent in the Ibrox hot-seat, Craig Whyte.

He said: "The current team are doing a great job. I don't like Mike Ashley but that doen't mean that he is not the right man for the job. I happen to think that his team are the right people. Derek Llambias might have had a charisma by-pass but actually he is good guy doing a good job. 

"The reality is that these people have done nothing but good, they haven't taken anything out of Rangers, they have just put money in. Sandy Easdale is the same - but the fans are slaughtering him. Sandy has just one charge and one conviction against him – Dave King admitted to 40 to settle with the South Africa authorities.

'Worse situation'

"Let's be clear, I raised £35m for that club when it was in a much worse situation than it is now. I was sat in meetings with Rod Petrie who was saying 'Just hand the titles back, hand the cups back' and we didn't do that. I stood up and fought for Rangers.

"My salary was £360,000 a year. It was going to be double that but we were in the SPL. When we were thrown out the SPL I halved my salary. Ally McCoist refused to so he kept his £760,000. I though the chief executive previously, Martin Bain, was on more than I was on but I reduced my salary to £360,000.

"I was entitled to stock option twice my salary and I didn't take them. So all this rubbish that Charles Green raped and pillaged that club is not true."

Referring to stories alleging he had been arrested in France, Green countered: "I have met Police Scotland on two occasions where those questions were in relation to the previous ownership of the club and obviously is part of an ongoing investigation but it was nothing to do with my running of the club.

"There's times when I think I shouldn't have left it I should have stayed. It's things like today that make me think I should go back."