der Berliner

They way the admins talk about the sale it seems to me that he has next to no say in it. Why that is the case I don't know, but the way the admins go about their business appears them having all the power to do it.

I think his agent was quick to grab the opportunity by the throat and get his player another cool freebie deal within a few months and himself a decent earning too. I don't think that Celik fell into the 75% category, but throwing that number in eased the explanation by the agent.

Players? We speak of 17 to XY year old people who usually do nothing but play football since they've left school. Agents make sure that when they get a club that the latter does not "exploit" the player with the deal he gets, payments, transfer deals, add-ons and whatnot. Obviously a lot of agents are decent people who really care about those under their auspices. At the end of the day though, any deal they get from a club earns them money. It is their job to make the best out of everything a club does with contracts.

Very much so. But even the liquidation they mention is not one they like to see themselves. Currently, they challenge the players/agents to make sure that the club survives the CVA period. If they don't agree and no-one shows up to fund the admin period, there will be redundancies. The latter will in turn weaken the "attractivity" of the club as such to buyers. You can only hope that the interested parties include people able to take the club forward in one go.

Since when do they do that? They work in the "best interest of the players" (and their own purse). If it is just one or two players and one agent involved, maybe these two will bite the bullet for the good of the club ... whether their agent likes it or not?

A opposed to the last take-over we at least have interested parties, not just one chap with no background. What he is saying clearly though is that once players and their agents agree to pay cuts the club is safer than it is now and a CVA et al can be concluded more easier.

Make that "certain agents" and we are closer to the truth. The admins are businessmen who have their work and the welfare of the club (creditors/survival) in mind. The players (most I hope) have the club in mind, the fans and all. The agents have money and deals in mind, more often than not their own.

So no European football nor liquidation for the time being. "Just" cost cutting starting in earnest if involved parties don't move. As I intimated above.

Coming to think of it, they may just want to speed proceedings of the sale so they can have the paperwork ready by March 29th. There you have it, plain and simple!

They just want to be away and have no more interest in talking to stubborn player agents haggling about contracts and caring a jot about the club and the support. The last lines of the statement simply say that if people cannot agree to what is on offer or people come in to ease the monetary burden of the running costs, there will be redundancies. A liquidated club is even less a prospect for future investors than one that survives to the summer with a squad of youngsters. There is decent enough potential out there on low fees and wages, IF people look carefully.

There is no need to organize, saveRangers has been set up, people just need a save account to send the money to and someone trusted who looks over that account. Of course, some rich chap could simply decide to buy Murray Park just now and loan it back to the club (for a decent fee if necessary). Anyone knows a rich chap or lass? From the cold looks, the admins fire a warning to all parties involved. Be they potential buyers, HMRC, players, player agents, and what have you. You just hope that this ain't a poker game that sees no winner and Rangers FC suffers in the end.

If they need money to keep the club in business, why not use the money pledged by the support? A pledge sure is no real money in the bank, but they can at least try this route and see what comes in. If anything the money can be used for the Rangers post-takeover still, if it is not needed.

They are saying that "very severe cost cutting" have to be taken, i.e. that people not agreeing to pay cuts will be released from contract. IMHO, a Rangers like they are now with a servicable debt/CVA/whatnot and team of people able to fulfill the remaining fixtures is still a better option than a liquidated Rangers with no history and three years in financial wilderness and staring at "funny" point deduction ideas from the SFA/SPL/Lawwell's cohorts.

You can add ICT's "hardman" Richie Foran to that list. One of the first.

Essentially, should there be no takeover, the club will most likely be able sustain itself these next three months of the season and can then pre-sell all the players who are assets (until the transfer window opens) or send them all packing, thus streamlining it into a business that is fine financially, but horrific on the park. Not exactly the general admins main concern. Then we can sign up a couple of dozen freebies and promote the youths to have a "football team" handy. While people can always be wary about the words of the admins, I think they made it clear that they do not want the club to fold. If that means that we send half the team packing and field youngsters from now to the end of the season, so be it. Liquidate the clubs is of nigh to no interest to all parties involved, bar Whyte (and he may get a different treatment anyways soon, it seems).

But, but, ... but if Rangers drop out of the title picture, you know, fans would suddenly sense that there is more competition for places and the SPL suddenly becomes far more competitive and can attract better players and thus more people will flood into the grounds and the SPL will flourish! That is what will happen! Rest assured! Now back to reality.

In this week of drama, i.e. real drama for Rangers FC, was there any need to heat up the debate and give the media more ammunition? What a silly stunt by the man harrassed for what, a dozen years by RSA's taxmen? Here's a quick glance at what this single line just caused ... Liquidation looms for Scottish giants IOL 14:06 Dave King fears liquidation for Rangers FC Business 14:06 Rangers liquidation 'inevitable' - director SuperSport 14:03 Gers can be saved - Murray TEAMtalk 13:59 Rangers crisis: Live updates as administrators and players reconvene for wage talks The Scotsman 13:52 Rangers director Dave King: Liquidation is inevitable Metro.co.uk 13:51 An insight into the disturbing anti-Rangers Witch-hunt. FollowFollow.com 13:45 Rangers liquidation 'inevitable', says director Emirates 24/7 13:43 Murray targets Rangers takeover BBC 13:39 Liquidations looms for Scottish giants IOL 13:39 Rangers liquidation 'inevitable': director Bangkok Post 13:34 Exclusive - Murray rubbishes claims that liquidation is inevitable for Rangers talkSPORT 13:31 Former Rangers director 'will make takeover bid for club' STV 13:31 Liquidation 'inevitable' says Rangers director Evening Echo 13:30 Rangers can't be saved, according to club director JOE.ie 13:22 Liquidation 'inevitable' for Rangers - King ESPN.co.uk 13:18 King: Rangers liquidation is inevitable Metro.co.uk 13:10 Rangers 'close to liquidation' Daily Star 13:03 Gers liquidation 'inevitable' ESPN Soccernet 12:49 Rangers quintet agree to leave club - repo… ESPN Soccernet 12:49 Dave King says liquidation of Rangers now “inevitable” The Scotsman 12:47 King: Rangers liquidation 'inevitable' Telegraph.co.uk 12:39 Stalled: Senior rebels give thumbs down to Ibrox deal as Wylde sacrifices career to aid... Creditman 12:37 Scottish News: Rangers liquidation 'inevitable' The Rutherglen Reformer, Scotland 12:36 Dave King King fears liquidation for Rangers FC Business 12:35 Gregg Wylde tells of relief at Rangers exit The Scotsman 12:35 Rangers liquidation 'inevitable' Wishaw Press, Scotland 12:27 Rangers director fears liquidation is 'inevitable' The Independent 12:25 ‘Inevitable’ that Glasgow Rangers will go into liquidation,’ says club director The Irish Independent 12:23 King fears liquidation for Gers TEAMtalk 12:17 King expects Rangers liquidation Radio 1 12:16 Rangers: King expects Rangers liquidation Footymad 12:15 Rangers' Slide Into Liquidation 'Inevitable', Says Club Director The Huffington Post 12:15 Dave King statement: Read the full 1,500 words on Rangers Daily Mail 12:14 King fears liquidation for Gers Football 365 12:12 In full: Dave King statement on Rangers FC The Scotsman 12:10 Gregg Wylde relieved to leave Rangers Daily Mail 12:10 Liquidation 'inevitable' for Rangers Belfast Telegraph 12:08 Dave King says liquidation of Rangers now “invevitable” The Scotsman 12:06 Rangers latest Live Latest developments at Ibrox as administrators hold talks with... BBC Sport 12:04 Rangers director Dave King believes 'liquidation is inevitable' STV 12:03 Partick Thistle unsure on future of Rangers loanees Darren Cole & Kal... The Glaswegian 12:00 Rangers director fears the end Sky Sports 11:57 Rangers director fears liquidation of club Evening Echo 11:50 Rangers chief says club will go bust Daily Mail 11:43 Rangers Liquidation 'INEVITABLE'? Sporting Life 11:39 King expects Rangers liquidation BBC Sport 11:26 ... well, well.

Yep. But the only words you can take "for granted" from the other side are direct quotes. So far, the press delivers spicy reports peppered with the odd quote here and there, but none which are actually "spicy". As I said, they have us go bananas on the basis of "our sources close to players", "claims by" and somesuch. When you look at what is actually quoted, the story is sure not as dramatic as painted. (Which is not saying that it isn't. But I for one do not jump to conclusions from press talk alone.)

The point is: this is what we are told by the press. Do we know whether the admins have talked to the staff at all and in any detail? I would imagine that the redundancies in that area are occuring too, but to which extent is another matter. Compared to what the players earn, the amount of money saved by making other staff redundant is probably very (as in VERY) minimal. Just MHO, of course.

To get you off the doom-and-gloom for a few moments, I again plundered FF for this story: On This Day (March 7th) 1885 - Ayr 2 Rangers 3 (Somerville 2, untraced) - Friendly This match was played for the Ayr Charity Cup and duly won by Rangers. 1891 - Third Lanark 0 Rangers 4 (J.McPherson, untraced 3) - Scottish League 1903 - Stenhousemuir 1 Rangers 4 (J.Robertson 2, R.C.Hamilton 2) - Scottish Cup Semi-FinalR 1908 - Kilmarnock 0 Rangers 2 (Livingstone, Smith) - Scottish First Division 1914 - Rangers 2 (Paterson, Stewart) Clyde 1 - Scottish First Division 1925 - Kilmarnock 1 Rangers 2 (Henderson, Cunningham) - Scottish Cup Quarter-Final 1928 - Hearts 0 Rangers 0 - Scottish First Division 1931 - Aberdeen 1 Rangers 3 (Smith, Archibald, Marshall) - Scottish First Division 1936 - Aberdeen 0 Rangers 1 (Turnbull) - Scottish Cup Quarter-Final 1953 - Rangers 1 (Young pen) Clyde 2 -Scottish First Division 1956 - Rangers 8 (Kichenbrand 5, Simpson 2, Scott) Queen of the South 0 - Scottish First Division The visit of Queen of the South to Ibrox was the first time floodlights were used in a Scottish League match, and Rangers' South African centre-forward Don Kichenbrand chose the occasion to notch five of Rangers' goals. Nicknamed 'the Rhino', Kichenbrand was to finish the season Rangers' top League goalscorer with 24 to his name. The other two goals in this demolition of Queen of the South were scored by Billy Simpson (two) and Alex Scott. 1959 - Rangers 3 (I. McMillan, Scott, Murray) Clyde 1 - Scottish First Division 1964 - Rangers 2 (Forrest, Henderson) Celtic 0 - Scottish Cup Quarter-Final 1967 - Airdrie 0 Rangers 1 (D. Smith pen) - Scottish First Division 1970 - Rangers 2 (Stein 2) Motherwell 1 - Scottish First Division 1981 - Rangers 3 (Russell, McAdam, J.McDonald) Hibernian 1 - Scottish Cup Quarter-Final 1987 - Falkirk 1 Rangers 2 (McCoist 2) - Scottish Premier Division 1999 - Rangers 2 (McCann,Amoruso) Falkirk 1 - Scottish Cup Quarter-Final 2004 - Celtic 1 Rangers 0 - Scottish Cup Quarter-Final 2006 - Villarreal 1 Rangers 1 (Lovenkrands) - European Champions' League last 16

In the redundancies thread, Zappa posted a number of highly volatile Record stories from the "other side". As opposed to the administrators, the press can show some leniency with regard to the truth and with claims.

That would be the best option, but the way it will unfold is that the best deal will be scrutinized by the administrators and they say Yes! or No!. At this moment and time, we need to get out of this mess first and foremost. If it is a consortium or a lone chairman, we can always try and do the membership scheme and/or share issue stuff afterwards too.

I think we have to be VERY wary with these news reports. "understands", "claims", and "sources close" mean essentially nothing, while the rest of it is buffed with volatile wording. Edge of the seats and squeaky bums stuff for the Rangers legions ... is the cry of the media here. While I can see the point in trying to ease the monetary pressure here, if we have real interest in the club by various people deadlined for next week, is there really a need to swing the axe here and make the work of those taking over doubly-difficult?

Well, there are a number of issues here and people have obviously various opinions about players seeking and getting a release. Being pragmatic here, Celik took the opportunity (according to his advisor) and did not accept a 75% pay cut of his 7.5k a week (for probably a months or two?) and became a free agent again. Saves us money and gives him the chance to sign for anyone he likes and who pays him. Strikes you as the typical mercenary approach and his posturing always kept me a bit wary of him. (Have we paid GAIS anything for him thus far?) In the end tough, we did not pay him according to his contract and he's every right to go. Ally wanted to keep him, but he (and his agent) decided against it. Good luck! (On a sidenote, anyone expects a rumour from the Hooped Horrors that he was punted because of his name?) Wylde said that he was living under so much stress that he could not bear it any longer. He in turn does not strike me as someone looking for the next best deal and I would be surprised if he signs up for anyone else in the near future. After all, we could be out of admin pretty soon again (or not, but just in case) and he would still be a freebie able to be signed up immediately. That said, we now can play Aluko and Kerkar and even Wallace on that wing and all add a very different dimension to the side than the rather straight approach Wylde offered thus far. But here, much like with the stress I mentioned above, people have to consider his age. He's not exactly a full grown adult (are footballers ever?) just yet and a combination of the above might have led him to this decision.

So essentially the agents making a mess of it ... since they are not "Rangers at heart" as some of their clients, but businessmen. Hm.