August, chairman David Murray stepped down and was replaced by non-executive director Alastair Johnston. Johnston stated that one of his main priorities was to find a buyer for owner Murray's shares. On 24 October, Rangers manager Walter Smith was reported to say that Lloyds Banking Group, who the club was in debt to, was "effectively running the club". On 12 November, the extent of the club's financial problems was shown to be a debt of £31 million, a rise of £10m from the previous year. On the field, Rangers' Scottish Premier League title defence got off to a stuttering start: three wins in the league was followed by three draws, the first Old Firm victory of the season was followed by dropped points at home to Hibernian. The side lost their first league match of the season away to Aberdeen on 28 November but then embarked on a six-match winning run, scoring 26 goals in the process. At the start of 2010, Rangers sat at the top of the league. The second Old Firm fixture finished in a 1–1 draw. Rangers had a ten-point lead by mid-February. They won the third Old Firm match 1–0, thanks to an injury-time winner from Maurice Edu, which all but secured the title. The side had to wait nearly two months to be confirmed as champions due to dropping points to St Johnstone and Dundee United. On 25 April, Rangers won their 53rd league title after defeating Hibernian 1–0 at Easter Road. In the domestic cup competitions, Rangers won the League Cup after a 1–0 victory over St Mirren in the final, despite being reduced to nine men, with Danny Wilson and Kevin Thomson being sent off. However, they were unable to retain the Scottish Cup after losing 1–0 to eventual winners Dundee United in a quarter-final replay. Rangers were seeded in pot two of the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time. The club was drawn against Sevilla, Stuttgart and Unirea Urziceni. A 1–1 draw in Stuttgart was followed by two consecutive 4–1 defeats at home to Sevilla and Unirea, the latter being regarded as one of the club's worst-ever European results. Rangers were left with a small chance of qualifying from the group after a 1–1 draw in the return leg with Unirea, a match that saw trouble in the Rangers fans section of the stadium. The club was charged