Creating a new £10 million training facility and a covered stadium are two of the improvements being proposed by businessman Neil MacGregor, who has made a formal takeover approach to club chief executive Mike Smith.

The club's major shareholder David Sutherland is due to be briefed on the offer today while the board is currently running checks on Mr MacGregor's background and seeking further details of his proposals. But both Mr Sutherland and club chairman Alan Savage have expressed their determination not to allow anyone to take a controlling stake in the Scottish Premier League side.

The Inverness Courier exclusively reported on Friday that two parties had declared an interest in buying into Caley Thistle. One is a group of London investors understood to have links with an English league side and who see Caley Thistle as a potential feeder club. Mr MacGregor has now declared himself as the other.

A lifelong Rangers fan, Mr MacGregor owns MacGregor's Adult Entertainment Services which provides clients with male and female escorts, dancers and strippers and is a senior partner of Glasgow and California-based security firm MacGregor Protection Services, which claims to have provided security to celebrities, royalty and US President George Bush. He also operates a website design company and has links to beauty company Senses Beauty, located in Stirling.

Yesterday he confirmed he was proposing a full takeover of Caley Thistle and criticised the board's negative reaction.

"These people are grippy," he claimed. "They do not want to lose control but they have no money to do anything with it. Either do something with the club or step aside and let someone else do something.

"I have inquired about it but nothing has happened yet."

It is not the first time Mr MacGregor has attempted to win control of a Scottish football club. Last summer he offered to buy out all Elgin City's shares for £600,000 and to invest a further £5 million in taking the club full time. He also outlined plans for a £10 million training facility and to rebuild the club's Borough Briggs stadium, taking the capacity up to 10,000 seater capacity.

However, the bid eventually foundered after receiving a mixed reaction from Elgin City fans following revelations that he had links to the sex industry. Questions were also raised about the legitimacy of the offer, with more sceptical supporters dismissing his proposal as a fairytale.

Mr MacGregor subsequently bought shares in the New York Red Bulls soccer team.

He said yesterday his aspirations for Caley Thistle were very similar to those proposed for Elgin and included building a £10 million training facility and a closed roof 20,000-seater stadium to encourage supporters to turn out in all weather conditions.

With the right investment he predicted Caley Thistle could be one of Scotland's top six sides within two years.

Yesterday Mr Savage said he believed supporters would expect the board to take both offers seriously and ascertain whether they were in the best interests of the club.

However, Mr Sutherland has made clear he opposes Mr MacGregor's takeover proposals, indicating he would be prepared to increase his own 29 per cent stake in the club if necessary to keep him out.

paterson_l@inverness-courier.co.uk

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