Zappa

I predicted as much when news broke of us offering contracts to Holt & Halliday. If you are Waghorn, Tav or Wes's agent you are going to be generating stories of interest to ensure your client is offered an improved deal once you know the club is willing to deal in others in a similar position.

 

I know Tav has a release clause and it's not huge. I assume Waghorn will be similar as he also signed for less money than was offered elsewhere.

It's absolutely fine for us to make assumptions TB, but I'd argue that if we do so, then we need to assume that players like Martyn Waghorn, James Tavernier and Wes Foderingham are safe in our hands too in terms of their contracts.

It's really handy (not to mention up-to-date) technology to have installed in any stadium, but the bottom line is that it was probably only installed at Ibrox for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The Club received (or was certainly meant to receive) GCC funding for stadium upgrades specific to those Games which no doubt included the wi-fi installation, but that's where it gets a bit complex looking on from our point of view because AFAIK we (as onlooking fans) don't know for sure if the funding was received pre or post administration and it makes quite a big difference which one it was.

Scots football fans could be able to buy clubs under new plans to create bailout pot for cash-strapped teams

 

17:09, 10 Jan 2016

Updated 17:10, 10 Jan 2016

By Paul Ward , Andy Newport

 

BACKERS of the proposed community sports fund hope the offer of tax incentives for investors would allow a stockpile of cash to be built up to help rescue troubled clubs.

 

The new proposals were drummed up in a special summit hosted by Supporters Direct Scotland at Hampden

 

FOOTBALL FANS in Scotland could soon be given help to buy their cash-strapped clubs if plans for a new lending pot are passed.

 

Backers of the proposed community sports fund hope the offer of tax breaks for investors would allow a stockpile of cash to be built up to help rescue troubled clubs.

 

According to a study published today by the independent Lolben Consultancy, the fund would soon become "self-financing" with the help of private social investors and allow supporters to borrow the necessary funds to save their clubs.

 

The report, commissioned by Supporters Direct Scotland (SDS) and published to mark its annual summit at Hampden , also claims that social investors could be attracted by qualifying for 30% income tax relief.

 

It says: "The proposal of creating a sports specific fund providing affordable social investment to community trusts has merits and will meet a recognised need."

 

SDS, founded in 2002, has helped to establish more than 30 supporters' trusts, 18 of which have a director on the board of their club.

 

Sports minister Jamie Hepburn was a keynote speaker at the summit , which welcomed supporters and politicians to discuss the future of fan involvement in football governance.

 

A government consultation on supporter involvement remains open until January 15 and Hepburn wants more people to take part .

 

He said: "I firmly believe there is a powerful and persuasive case for supporter involvement and - where appropriate - ownership of their clubs.

 

"It is commonplace in the Bundesliga so often held up as an example of best practice on and off the field.

 

"And supporter involvement and ownership is gaining momentum here in Scotland too. Hearts and Motherwell are pursuing high-profile fan ownership models, while other clubs like Clyde, Dunfermline and Stirling Albion have led the way.

 

"So fan involvement and ownership can - and does - work."

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/scots-football-fans-could-able-7152250

I meant to post about this on here on Friday after accidentally reading about it on the SFA site because I thought it was strange of SDS to hold a summit on the same day as both OF sides were playing Scottish Cup ties.

Let's see iif the BBC report with the same vigour and venom about today's disgrace at the Celtic game. Flares, smoke bombs and the IRA sectarian songbook.

No written report on it from Pacific Quay so far....

Tom English should probably be banned (or at least put into the persona non grata category) too.......

Checking back, I see I was not alone, there were two such votes

Probably you and Charles Green's biggest fan STB.

Jackson has got inside info from Paul Murray for years, so I'm not surprised just disappointed that that particular anti-Rangers paper gets preferential treatment.

 

I keep getting told that money is tight, to not expect quality signings that get fans pumping £15M or so pa into the club excited, so to see money being spent unnecessarily in this fashion annoys me.

 

I like these 3 players and while I am glad if they are now on longer deals, I find the timing completely stupid. For Holt/Halliday they are barely in the door. Nobody can tell me these two are unsettled, or feel unloved, or frustrated at game-time, or that we have had bids for them, so there is no reason whatsoever for spending a few hundred grand on already happy contracted players, when we have so much to do both on the playing and non-playing side at the club.

I could be wrong, but you're maybe missing a bigger picture here mate. When this rumour initially broke I was thinking it was just directly in response to the situation with Accrington, but in retrospect it's probably being dished out as a sort of double edged sword because it's a good thing for our targets and possible signings to see too.

Have to agree with Craig earlier in the thread in the sense that it does seem to be a mountain being made out of a molehill.

Outwith the fan group (and individual) politics, it's maybe a just case of poor communication or timing.

That's the predictions thread up for our Cowdenbeath Scottish Cup game on Sunday - Predictions for Rangers v Cowdenbeath - Scottish Cup R4 (GPL game 28)

The lad's dad Dean did a reasonably lengthy live interview on Clyde1 tonight and it was an interesting listen. As with Tav (and others?) Mark Warburton's signed, I like hearing that this player isn't a drinker because even although that won't necessarily make you a better player overall, it can certainly have an effect on certain important days if half your team's been out on the lash the night before a game.

I was over getting my ST. Activated for the cowdenbeath game and was told the ticket sales were very slow...18-22,000 it will be then...sad..

It's only to be expected when a lot of people will be a bit skint following Christmas & New Year, but even on a weekend at a normal time of the year we wouldn't get much more than 25k for this fixture, so all things considered we'll be doing ok if there's 20k there on Sunday given that it's televised.

Well, something like that should be included in all outgoing transfers. Much of it will not bring in significant money, but sometimes: Toni Kroos moved from lowly Hansa Rostock to Bayern Munich a few ages ago, with Hansa only due a meagre development fee. Bayern sold him to Real for Euro 30m and Hansa got a healthy 300k. Peanuts for Bayern and Real, but for Hansa very welcome indeed.

In our world though, 1.5% would be more like selling a player for £3m and Stanley getting £45k.

1.5% ??? That isn't very much...

Great deal for us if it's true, but assuming it's a typo or error of some sort 15% might be a more likely figure.

fuck sake. I'll get leonard Cohen on the record player, look at the rain outside and tan ma wrists.

Happy New Year to you as well pal !

Samaritans on West George Street is open till 10pm buddy. Get yersel down there for a cup o' cha and a free biscuit!

would love to see us take a punt on highly rated lower league players the calibre of those previously stated but we arent. We havent went near one top player from any of those leagues.

 

the type of gem mentioned would be in the top 10 rated players in league 2 or in things like the team of the year league 2 /1 etc. Those are the players you can pick up for a song compared to what they can be sold for once their ability has been proven at a higher level

We maybe need to give the management team (both on and off the park) some time because they're in a tough situation right now trying to balance where we are and where we need to be.

Personally, I'm very happy with the initial signings Mark Warburton made because most of them have turned out to be very good and I honestly think he already signed a few gems even before Frank McParland was hired, so I'm confident that we're heading in the right direction.

Vardy cost £1m

delli alli cost £5m

jenkinson cost £1m

 

all were pretty much stand outs in the lower leagues not really comparable to what we are doing.

 

sorry meant to say those prices dont include add onns

There's some real gems to be found even in lower leagues than League 2 in England, but stand-outs or not, bigger clubs need to be willing to take a punt and give them a proper chance in order to find out if they can cut it. Leicester took that £1m punt on Jamie Vardy 3 or 4 years ago when they bought him from Fleetwood because he'd been impressive in non-league football. Now Leicester are sitting a close 2nd place in the EPL and Vardy is joint top scorer in the league alongside Lukaku, a player who Everton blew a staggering £28 million on.

Fair enough, there's an element of it being a gamble signing players that haven't been tested at higher levels, but if you don't take a few punts on highly rated lower league (and/or youth) players you don't unearth any of those gems. Leicester might not manage to sustain their top 4 (or top 6) push, but credit where it's due, they've got a striker who's scored as many EPL goals in half a season as some of the very best (and most expensive) EPL strikers over the past decade or two and they bought him from Fleetwood Town.

Happy New Year folks!

Don't forget to post your predictions folks! - Predictions for Dumbarton v Rangers - Championship match 20 (GPL game 27)

I don't think Zelalem should be an automatic starter because I'd like to see more of our own player Jordan Thompson. I do think Zelalem is a handy player to have around though. At the very least I'd have thought it must be nice to have technically skillful players in training in the hope that some of their abilities will start to rub off on others or inspire others to practice harder and try to improve themselves. Then again, I have my doubts about whether anyone can improve the first touch of Kenny Miller.

Oduwa I'm not keen on. I'll be very surprised if he makes it at Spurs or any other big EPL club.

Don't forget to post your predictions folks! - Predictions for Rangers v Hibernian - Championship match 19 (GPL game 26)

:drum:

Good news is good news. I can't see any negative side to paying this back so long as the directors and accountants are confident of continuing to pay the bills.

Any idea what the standings look like? I know i have been having a nightmare recently but it is a bit of fun to see just how badly I am doing!

Sorry mate (and apologies to everyone!), I have no idea yet because I've got a whole bunch of games to catch up on with collating the results & standings.

I wanted to get it done before Christmas, but I've had to do all of the family Xmas shopping and preparation for cooking my first family Xmas & Boxing Day dinners due to my mum's health. She isn't even well enough or mobile enough for us to go out for Xmas dinner, so it falls on me, the only other good cook in the family.

So, the earliest I'll have the results & standings up to date for us all is maybe Tuesday if I can manage to get a day to myself. I might just turn my phone off and bump the landline off the hook.

Don't forget to post your predictions for the Hibs game at Ibrox on Monday!!

Do it here - Predictions for Rangers v Hibernian - Championship match 19 (GPL game 26)

Merry Christmas folks!

Get your predictions in for tomorrow's game through in Falkirk folks & don't forget it's a 12:30pm kick-off !!! - Predictions for Falkirk v Rangers - Championship match 18 (GPL game 25)