Rangers hopes of reprieve in SPL vote sunk by 'arrogant' Malcolm Murray "The arrogance was unbelievable," said one chairman. The atmosphere hardened immediately. Charles Green conducted himself well enough but the Rangers chairman was arrogant and dogmatic. Another who was present told The Daily Telegraph: "Some people in the room wanted a reason to make a case for Rangers but the standard of the presentation was woeful. Ally and Charles Green were not always on the same page but that was not damaging. The chairman was another matter entirely and the brochure was substandard - you could have easily knocked something better together given half an hour. It makes you wonder what kind of management team they have. Murray, Green and McCoist absented themselves from the meeting to allow discussion, then returned for the vote and cast theirs as a proxy for Duff & Phelps, administrators of the Rangers oldco. Only Michael Johnston of Kilmarnock gave them any sort of support with an abstention, while the other 10 clubs - including those who had expressed a degree of willingness to help Rangers, voted "No" to the newco's admission. The Rangers party departed and a further two-hour discussion ensued. "It was constructive," said one who took part. People actually listened to one another and respected the other positions. It was a huge leap of faith for integrity and it's now up to the SFA and SFL to make their decision. Neil Doncaster, the SPL chief executive, said of the decision to refuse the newco entry: "Clearly there were discussions going on between the newco and the members and ultimately that could have led to a presentation and a proposal put to clubs that they might have said yes to. In the end the proposal put forward to the clubs was considered and they said no. He added: "I think [the vote] surprised a number of people. Money is important in professional football and I think what our chairmen have done today is put aside the short-term commercial considerations, that would ordinarily drive behaviour, ahead of the longer-term interests of their clubs - and supporter involvement has clearly been a huge part of that. Ultimately they believe they have made the right decision and one that brings a bit more clarity to an unclear world. Until we know where Rangers are playing next year we won't be able to ascertain what the damage is to the Scottish game. A number of people have said the decision today has enhanced the reputation of the league but it's not for me to say. Celtic released a statement in which they expressed the integrity of Scottish football as the main reason behind their opposition of newco Rangers entering the SPL. It read: "Today's decision to refuse access into the SPL was an overwhelming one and demonstrates the depth of feeling amongst everyone involved in Scottish football. Fundamentally, the Celtic Board has also been very mindful of the need to take what it believes to be the correct course of action in protecting the integrity of the game in Scotland. Throughout the whole sequence of events leading up to today's decision the Celtic Board has been of the singular view that the integrity of the game in Scotland is of paramount importance. The Rangers Supporters" Trust, meanwhile, accused other SPL clubs of acting out of "malice." Mark Dingwall, as spokesman for the Trust, said: "We are disappointed but not surprised by this decision which has been taken out of malice rather than for the greater good of the Scottish game."