WHEN Dave King speaks, people should listen. Even if you don't like the messenger, you cannot dismiss the message.
King chooses his words and his timing wisely. His interventions attract headlines and comment, but he is considered in his approach and the shrewd manner in which he operated as Rangers chairman continues in his current roles as a supporter and a shareholder.
It was in those guises that he addressed members of Club 1872 on Monday evening. As the couple of dozen who were successful in the ticket ballot watched and listened on a big screen, King produced a performance that was typically polished as he answered questions from the other end of a Zoom link.
King joined from the comfort and luxury of his home in South Africa but it was matters back in Glasgow, just a short distance from the Village Hotel where fans gathered, that were prominent in his mind as he reflected on the latest storylines in the Ibrox drama.
His tenure as chairman focused on finance as much as football. The first question of the evening centred on Giovanni van Bronckhorst's departure and the culpability of Ross Wilson, the sporting director, but there were few times in the hour-and-a-bit that followed that had a sporting theme.
"At the time I left the club, I was very confident that the path that Ross was taking the club on in the football side of things was the right path and that he had the ability to do that," King said as he addressed matters on the field, a subject he would only be asked to return to at the end when he was quizzed about the search for a new manager. "It is clear that things have changed in the time that I left, I am not privy to all the reasons for that. Much of what has happened since hasn’t worked out."
There are those who believe that King says too much too often. There are others who wish he would say and do more but a return to the boardroom is not on the cards and the man who helped save Rangers in 2015 won't cast himself as the knight in shining armour for a second time.
What he sees as an 'erosion' of the values of the club and the board have concerned King for a prolonged period. He pinpointed dealings with supporters - who have been 'treated as ATMs' - and shareholders and name-checked Mark Hateley, Richard Gough and Derek Johnstone as he lamented their recent dealings with Rangers.
"I would be really negligent to my fellow supporters and fellow shareholders if I was aware of things that were going on and did nothing," King said. "It would be extremely sad for me if someone came in two years time and said ‘well Dave, you knew about this but you said nothing at the time’.
"I try to speak only when I think it is important and when the values and direction of the club from a supporter and shareholder perspective is going in the wrong direction. But I am certainly not talking as often as I would like to because otherwise I would be there twenty times as often as I am at the moment."
His motives before and after regime change were not personal or financial. No one person has put more into Rangers than King but a desire to see a return on his investment, if it can be called that, doesn't drive his pushes for change in the way the club operates today.
A 40p per share offer for his major stake was rejected and King will not cash in and leave the game on a whim. He expressed his commitment to the deal he has in place with Club 1872 that could see supporters become the single largest shareholders at Ibrox and give them a significant voice in the running of their club.
That say has diminished in recent times. King addressed the issues of PR and communications, and the departure of David Graham, as he bemoaned the 'spin' from the club and the lack of trust supporters and shareholders could have in Rangers.
Many of the issues King highlights land at the door of Douglas Park. The chairman finds his own position under scrutiny right now and King detailed the breakdown in the relationship between two men who played significant individual and collective parts in saving their club.
King's belief that Park should not succeed him as chairman two years ago was the beginning of the end. Within an hour of King stepping down, he was informed that his farewell speech to the fans would not be posted on the official website and the motor mogul remains against increased supporter influence through Club 1872.
“Douglas makes the point that he’s put in all this money and he’s not letting supporters tell him how to spend his money," King said. “I’ve put in more than Douglas. I’ve put in more money than any one person in the history of the club.
“But I’ll tell you what. The supporters have put in a lot more than me. They put in more than any investor and always have done.
“Just be honest with the supporters. Tell them what you are doing with the money. Then they’ll still back you."
The AGM in early December will be another acid test for the board. King will use his stake to vote against Park's re-election and a question regarding Resolutions Seven and Eight, which deal with the issuing of shares to selected individuals, saw another no vote confirmed.
King remains friendly with members of the Ibrox hierarchy but the stand-off with Park casts a shadow over the boardroom and the club. Ultimately, there can only be one winner despite both men wanting the best for Rangers.
"My preference is to engage with the board," King said. "I’m the largest shareholder.
"I’ve been in business 40 odd years and I’ve never seen a situation where the largest shareholder is ignored by the board."
King spent years fighting those who he believed didn't have the interests of the club, of his club, at heart. Mike Ashley was the main figure in that regard but that battle wasn't concluded and he was sidelined in recent times as his knowledge of the situation was overlooked and the board eventually had to call a halt to legal proceedings that resulted in a bill of several million pounds.
When King was asked about Kyle Fox being another Mike Ashley in a dress, he quipped that the American businesswoman was a lot prettier than the Sports Direct billionaire. On a more serious level, he addressed her willingness to invest in Rangers.
“At least we are fighting about football issues and how to spend our money," King said as he insisted that Fox was not a 'charlatan' but urged her to 'make a full presentation to the board and supporters and explain who she is and what’s behind her' if she was indeed serious about putting her money in.
“But we still have to go forward. We can’t stagnate. I do think we could do with a new injection of people onto the board and a new injection of money.
“I don’t think the current composition of the board has a lot of scope to increase their investment.
“If we are going to take the club into other areas, gaming opportunities and other financial opportunities, which will be important financial also resources for the team on the pitch, I think we need different ideas."
The thinking of those in power at present will shape Rangers' future. King has done that once already and he will continue to be critical and analytical of every decision made at Ibrox.
King has spoken once again. Those who listened were left in no doubt about his messages and his motives.
