Craig Whyte, the former Rangers owner, publishes his autobiography, Into the Bear Pit, a week today on the eighth anniversary of the Ibrox club being put into administration.

The book, published by Birlinn, is packed with astonishing revelations about his time in charge of the Glasgow club and is sure to shake Scottish football to its foundations.

Here are some of the most incredible quotes:

On being disqualified as a director in the United Kingdom for seven years:

"I didn't see the judgement as a big deal. Banning problem directors doesn't curb their activities.

"Anyone with half a brain can get around it and it means the authorities can't monitor them."

On moving to tax haven Costa Rica:

"My view on tax is that transactions between people should be voluntary, and that goes for the government as well.

"Tax havens are completely moral as they stop governments from stealing your money. Governments are basically shakedown operations, like the mafia, but with better manners. They are parasites with no morals whatsoever."

READ MORE: Craig Whyte attacks just about everyone in explosive new Rangers book

On the likelihood of Rangers going into administration after his takeover:

"Administration seemed almost inevitable. We looked at the possibility of of putting the club into administration pre-acquisition, or at the time of the takeover.

"But the outcome of the EBT tax case was within the first month of the takeover. If we put the club into administration and then found we'd won the case that wouldn't look great."

On the Rangers directors:

"I thought the board were a bunch of pompous buffoons and meeting them served no purpose.

"I decided they were all going to have to go sooner rather than later."

On Rangers manager Ally McCoist:

"Ally McCoist was untested as a manager, but I had no choice but to keep him as it would have cost the club £1 million to break his contract.

"My hands had been tied by the old board."

On Rangers losing to Malmo in a Champions League qualifier in 2011:

"It was probably the moment when the inexperience of our young manager was most exposed.

"Had Walter Smith still been in charge and been able to guide us into the Champions League I firmly believe I would still be the owner of Rangers today."

On the Rangers players:

"In the main footballers struck me as mercenaries. They were there for the money, not because they loved the club.

"They got in at 10.30am, had a run around the pitch, got their free breakfast, their free lunch and then they disappeared. What a life. I used to hear all sorts of things about the players.

"The club doctor told me a player had picked up a sexually transmitted disease and his performances had seemed to dip as a result."

On failing to broker a deal with HMRC over the "big tax case":

"From the moment I took over I was confident that we'd either win the case or be able to do a deal with HMRC.

"At the time of the takeover I didn’t believe there was a single problem facing the club that was insurmountable. In my experience, when it came to dealing with HMRC, there was always a deal to be done. They always wanted to get paid. It didn't make sense to me."

On the SFA, who fined him £200,000 and banned him from being involved in football for life:

"They struck me as being completely clueless. They were complete clowns. They had a lot to say about me at the time, but did they say anything about the EBT case?

"A club effectively cheated the game for years and no sanctions were taken against any of the individuals responsible."

On selling Rangers' shares in Arsenal:

"The media said I'd sold shares the club held in Arsenal and kept the proceeds - that was completely untrue."

On being frozen out after Rangers went into administration:

"I thought I was in control of the situation. I genuinely believed we could emerge a debt-free club, that I'd still be at the helm and we could move on.

"The moment I thought I was in command was precisely the time it all fell apart. Duff and Phelps (the administrators) were acting with HMRC. Suddenly I was an outcast. Duff and Phelps were in charge and they swiftly instructed everybody not to deal with me."

On receiving death threats:

"I was the subject of several death threats, mostly online, people saying they'd happily take a life sentence to do me in. Another threatened to fire bomb the castle."

On Rangers' use of EBTs:

"Rangers cheated for years under David Murray. There should be a level playing field in sport and Rangers did not adhere to that by using the EBT scheme to sign players they otherwise would not have been able to bring to the club. That was unfair on the other teams."

On his involvement with Rangers:

"I've never known a deal like it. It seemed that everyone I came into contact with tried to shaft me. Many of them succeeded."

On Rangers and their supporters:

"I don't care what happens to Rangers now - but I have a lot of sympathy for the Rangers supporters.

"Those fans have suffered more than anyone, and through no fault of their own."