Former Rangers star Brian Laudrup fears that the financial state of the massive club is strangling manager Ally McCoist.
The reigning Scottish champions are facing a potentially crippling £49million bill from Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) which has forced them to sell some star players without the clout to bring any replacements in.
The £6million sale of Nikica Jelavic to Everton may ease some woes financially but will weaken the on-field side of things with Old Firm rivals Celtic in a strong position to halt their three-season Premiership reign and Laudrup is worried for McCoist.
"It is not just this season but you have to look at what will happen in the long term as well.
"It's all very damaging for Rangers and after some fantastic years it is going downhill rapidly.
"He is having to sell his best players and he is not allowed to buy any replacements.
"I read a couple of days ago that Rangers are going back to the dark ages of the 1980s and it looks like it. Rangers are in choppy waters and it is getting harder for Coisty to navigate through them.
"Big clubs have to constantly refresh and get new faces in. But it's increasingly difficult for Rangers to do that and that will be reflected on the park.
"At the moment they are still in the hunt for four in a row but Celtic have the upper hand.""With the HMRC case hanging over them it is terrifying times for all those associated with Rangers," he told the Daily Record.
