Douglas Park quits Rangers LIVE as successor John Bennett faces busy Ibrox to do list

A leadership change has been announced and there is already white smoke hovering above Ibrox.

Douglas Park has confirmed he will be stepping down from his post as Rangers chairman and John Bennett will step up from vice into the hotseat. It's been a challenging time as far as the relationship between the board and the Light Blues fans go.

There have been banners and protests in recent weeks as their bid for the Premiership title leaves them nine points off the pace. But there's been big moments of success throughout Park's reign since taking over in March 2020, just as Covid prepared to kick in.

Their 55th Premiership title wad delivered in the Spring of 2021 and then there was a run to the Europa League final last season. It ended in heartbreak at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt, before pain had some sort of remedy through a Scottish Cup final win against Hearts.

But now a new era beckons and add another layer of intrigue to an already tantalising derby week. Michael Beale takes his men to Parkhead this week.

Follow all the reaction to the news of Park's departure LIVE with us.

Bennett has a 5.1 per cent stake in Rangers; he was brought to the board around the same time as Park back in 2015, becoming deputy chairman when Park made the step-up himself.

According to reports, his stake is said to be worth £23million after supplying Rangers with £13m alongside a £10m overdraft facility, though the club have reduced that £13m payment down to £8m.

Bar the Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic at the end of the month, Rangers won't really have much to play for should they lose against their local rivals in the Old Firm derby on Saturday.

John Bennett's next plan of action will be to galvanise the squad and boardroom