Steve1872

"I only support two teams: Rangers and whoever is playing Celtic." - Davie Cooper

Vanguard Bears - just who are they? Written by The Ref Wednesday, 24 October 2012 14:33 Similar to many Scottish based Bears, in the last number of years Iâ??ve found myself disillusioned by events in Scotland pertaining to my beloved football club, how it was perceived and how it was such an easy target for its enemies. After reading a few articles on-line from Vanguard Bears I decided to apply to their web based forum at http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk/ to join them in the hope of redressing the balance. The 20th of October 2012 was a defining day for the group of Rangers fans known as the Vanguard Bears, and Iâ??ve penned this article because I believe the work that VB do should be available for the wider support to view. It brought the group into the public eye for many supporters of our club, and many within the media pack for the very first time. On a day when Rangers football club set a new world record of 49,486 for an attendance in a fourth tier football match, many Vanguard Bears were in the crowd. Many thousands of people would have opened their match day programme and seen that the young Rangers first team player Robbie Crawford has been sponsored by the Vanguard Bears for the season. At half time a highly respected and prominent member of Vanguard Bears and member of the supporters group RTID NI presented two cheques with a combined total of £46,050 to our club. This amazing donation was raised by Rangers fans in Northern Ireland to support our club in its time of need. Half time also saw the unveiling of a new banner, from the Vanguard Bears. The flag was a reward to the group, by the group, for all the hard work done by members past and present. Itâ??s size, its message and its beauty drew many remarks from supporters who were quite rightly impressed by this fantastic banner, created by and for a supporters group who many of them had never heard of. Many supporters, so impressed by this banner, asked the people around them who the Vanguard Bears were. So who exactly are the Vanguard Bears? If you would believe the ramblings of the mentally-ill wannabe Irish, but definitely Scottish, blogger Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, we, as Rangers supporters are an underclass, a Klan, bigots and hooligans. Rich indeed, when you consider that those words have been written by a discredited journalist who has been described by the mainstream media as being â??tarred with the sectarian brushâ?. Mac Giolla Bhain isnâ??t the only one to have expressed an opinion on the group though; an on-line forum "FollowFollow.com" run by someone who purports to be a Rangers supporter, Mark Dingwall, but which allows supporters of not just Rangers, but of Celtic and other Scottish clubs to post, has used his forum to launch attack after attack upon the Vanguard Bears. He describes members of the group as bullies, hooligans, terrorist sympathisers, bigots and self proclaimed Uber-fans. He has put in place a filter which will not even allow the name of the group to be published within his forum (example below). Aided and abetted by his small group of moderators, they censure posts and remove all reference to the group. On his forum, Vanguard Bears are a group not to be spoken of, and his reasons for this? The Vanguard Bears dared to challenge him when he proclaimed himself as the voice of the Rangers Supporters. They highlighted his rather shady financial dealings in the past, and questioned whether he was a fit and proper person to be entrusted with funds raised by loyal Rangers supporters during our clubs darkest hour. This was particularly relevant due to the very nature of Rangers off field problems, and the much highlighted issues surrounding our last owner in this regard. So, if you would believe the mentally ill, sectarian pseudo-Irish blogger, or the self proclaimed voice of the Rangers support, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Vanguard Bears are some sort of extremist group. You would be very wrong. Vanguard Bears are not terrorist sympathisers, bigots, self-seeking publicity junkies, hooligans or bullies. They are not some kind of Klan, nor do they consider themselves some kind of Uber-fans group. Vanguard Bears, are a group whose members come from all walks of life. Its membership includes professional people and also includes some of the most talented bloggers and writers in the United Kingdom. They are predominantly members of the Protestant Unionist Loyalist community, and as their banner proudly proclaims their primary aim is to â??Defend our Traditionsâ?. Being a Vanguard Bear carries with it a great deal of responsibility. Vanguard Bears defend our traditions, defend our football club, and defend our way of life. They are armed with a formidable weapon, a weapon which those who would kill our club, our traditions and our way of life truly fear above anything else. The Truth! While our enemies rely on unsubstantiated propaganda and biased media reporting from their carefully orchestrated sympathisers within the media, the truth is far mightier. To them, the truth truly hurts. When they call for trophy stripping and accuse our club of committing the greatest sporting scandal in Scottish football history, we remind them that there can be no greater sporting scandal in any countries history than that which saw a club in Scotland deliberately conceal child abuse. We live in a time where being proud to be a Protestant is almost considered a crime, and to openly proclaim it, may see you cautioned by the police. In Northern Ireland, many politicians sold out the members of the PUL community in their rush for power within the Assembly. Protestants have become more and more marginalised, the Orange Order have been under almost constant attack by the Parades Commission and IRA supporters and former members, who have gained positions within the corridors of power. The vast sums of money raised by the Orange Order and the flute bands, and the positive impact the bands and Orange Orders have within the communities is ignored. A propaganda war is being waged by the media and pro IRA groups, against the PUL and the Loyal Orders. At the same time, Republican groups are able to incite violence, promote terrorist groups and openly display firearms in public. Biased media censorship ensures that the Republican groups attract no negative publicity. Vanguard Bears made a stand where others would not. Members of the group highlighted the disparity between how the Orange Orders, flute bands and the PUL community in Northern Ireland were being treated in comparison to the Republican element within the community. Those members compiled a detailed portfolio of hard evidence which supported this and published it. I suspect many people out-with the group were unaware that it was Vanguard Bears who led the way. In Scotland, the PUL have been under constant attack for a number of years. The Scottish Assembly is run by a party determined to bring about a break up of the Union. It has sought and been granted a referendum vote, to decide on the fate of the Union, and it will use any means at its disposal to try to ensure they get the decision they are desperate for. The ruling Scottish Nationalist Party, assisted by a concentrated and biased media campaign, were able to push through their parliament; sectarian laws which were not only unnecessary, but cleverly designed to suppress and isolate the PUL community in Scotland. Vanguard Bears have actively highlighted the disparities in the way the law is being applied within Scotland, they have challenged the powers that be, and provided hard evidence to support their claims. Again I suspect that few out-with the group itself, actually realise that it was Vanguard Bears who were at the forefront in exposing this. Although Vanguard Bears are primarily a Rangers supporters group; supporters of the biggest and best supported club in Scotland, a club who have won more domestic championship titles than any other club in the world, as you have read, they are more, much more. Despite all that our club has endured in recent times, Vanguard Bears have supported the new owners, the management team, the playing squad, and the many support staff at the club, ranging from the people in the ticket office to the people who serve the food on match days. They have bought the plot and headstone of Rangers founder William McBeath, who rests in peace in Lincoln. The Vanguard Bears have donated money to the club, they have supported their fellow Rangers fans by donating money to allow them to attend games, they have challenged biased media reporting against the club, they have challenged heavy handed policing of our supporters on numerous occasions this season, they have taken the fight to those who would destroy our famous club. They have protested against the biased BBC, and will no doubt do so again as the attacks on our cub continue. They have promoted unity amongst a sometimes divided support, and have demanded answers from those who put the very existence of our club into doubt. Of course; if you are a Vanguard Bear, you already know this. If you are not, then I suspect you were unaware of exactly how much this supporters group has done for our club and the PUL community in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Vanguard Bears do not openly seek any recognition, nor do they class themselves as better than any other supporters group. They would much rather work away, for the benefit of our club, our traditions and our way of life behind the scenes. It is only those who know nothing about the group who denigrate and attack it. Vanguard Bears, Defending our Traditions? Most definitely! Hated but Rated? Hated by those who know nothing about us, but rated by all! The Ref A Proud Vanguard Bear http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=298:vanguard-bears-just-who-are-they

THE conduct of Sir David Murray and the Rangers board in the three years before its administration is being examined by the Governmentâ??s insolvency investigators. The Insolvency Serviceâ??s Investigations & Enforcement Directorate are also looking at the role played by Craig Whyte, who bought the club from Sir David for £1 in May 2011. Other key figures under the microscope reportedly include Ibrox legend John Greig, a director from 2003, former chief executive Martin Bain and chairman Alistair Johnston. An Insolvency Service spokeswoman said: â??We can confirm that, since Rangers has entered a form of insolvency, an insolvency practitioner (IP) is required to report on the conduct of the directors. The IP has reported and so the Investigations & Enforcement Directorate are considering the matter.â? It is understood that administrators Duff & Phelps, who took control of the club on February 14, completed the report. Shortly before Rangers went into administration Mr Johnston called on the Insolvency Service to investigate Mr Whyteâ??s takeover, but the Government agency could not confirm if it was acting upon this request. The regulators can take action against company directors for a range of offences, including failure to keep proper accounting records or failure to pay tax. It has the power to disqualify directors for up to 15 years. The report is likely to be confidential. http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/sfl-division-three/conduct-of-sir-david-murray-craig-whyte-and-rangers-directors-examined-1-2595313

Sheffield &Districts Loyal Club Meeting â?? 21.10.12 1 CHARLES GREEN â?? We dropped of at Ibrox before thegame on Saturday (20th October) a letter to Charles Green, alongwith an honorary membership and a club polo with extra embroidery (C.E.O.Branch lol). As CG is origionally from our local area we are the closest RSCfor him!! The letter made it clear we expect nothing from him re this, but itdid enclose our website address and my email address, so if I receive anycommunication from him I will forward it on.

Green Clarifies Death Threat Comments Written by Rangers Football Club Rangers Chief Executive Charles Green has issued the following statement today. â??In remarks attributed to me in todayâ??s Scottish Sun I was trying to get across how far we have travelled together since the dark days of the Club being put into administration and subsequent liquidation of the old company. â??No words can express the gratitude I feel towards Rangers fans at the way they have stood by the Club in one of its darkest hours. â??They have risen to the challenge of helping rebuild this great institution and have won widespread admiration across the world for their backing of Rangers. â??Not a day goes by without foreign TV stations or journalists telling me how amazed they are by by the response of fans as they continue to back the Club in huge numbers. â??The reality is there were a few occasions in the very early days where I was clearly not the flavour of the month among some sections of the fanbase and I was subject to taunts and abuse. â??However, that was short-lived and the fans are now behind me and the board and we have all moved on together. â??I just want to make it clear that I believe Rangers fans are the best in the world and that is my heart felt position. I appreciate the article in todayâ??s Sun has upset some supporters and for that I am truly sorry. As I stated, I was merely trying to illustrate how far we have all come together.â?

I'll be there

At least we can debate on here Vanguard Bears banned word on FF Threads deleted thank god for Gersnet

The talks have intensified following last week’s announcement from Hampden Park Limited, who manage the use of the building, that the ground would be a football free zone from November 2013 to November 2014. http://www.queensparkfc.co.uk/

JohnDCGow only R. Madrid, Dortmund, E. Frankfurt, F. Dusseldorf, Valencia and Man Utd had bigger crowds throughout he whole of Europe y'day

dont forget there were 1500 seats unsold

Saturday, 20 October 2012 15:30 Gers Are In My Blood Written by Andrew Dickson KEVIN KYLE has an extra reason motivating him in his quest to be a hit at Rangers after discovering he is related to 1920s Ibrox icon Alan Morton. It was a dream come true for the big striker when he joined the Light Blues on a one-year deal back in August after 18 months on the sidelines through injury. But his delight was magnified somewhat by the fact he knew he was following in the footsteps of one of the club’s most prominent players from a golden era. Morton was the first signing legendary manager Bill Struth made after becoming boss as he recruited the winger from this afternoon’s opponents Queen’s Park. And despite being smaller than many of his opponents, the qualified mining engineer turned in some devastating performances using his excellent speed, control and balance. He featured during a truly dominant spell for Struth’s team as it claimed so many major honours in the 1920s and early 1930s. In all, Morton – nicknamed the Wee Blue Devil - spent 13 years plying his trade in Govan and won an astonishing nine championships along with three Scottish Cups. Although he scored more than 100 times in competitive games for the club, he was arguably noted more for his assists due to the excellent service he provided for others. On top of his efforts for Gers, Morton was also a Scotland international and one of the famous Wembley Wizards that beat England 5-1 in their own back yard in 1928. Now 31, Kyle will never go on to enjoy the same levels of success his predecessor had in a glorious career with Rangers. But that doesn’t take away from the fact he’s continuing along the same path as an esteemed family member and he is keen to make the most of his opportunity to shine. Speaking today in matchday programme 'Ready', Kyle said: “Because he played for years himself, my dad always took the credit for me and said it ran from his side of the family. “He thought he was quite good in his day but my mum’s brother had a look at our family tree and found I was related to Alan Morton. “I’d never really done anything to find out my background but it’s nice to know we’re related and I’m very proud to be following in his footsteps. “The Wee Blue Devil played for Rangers in the 1920s and he’s a legend. Everyone who supports this club knows about him. “It turns out he is my great grandfather’s cousin and my granny, who passed away a long time ago, was Dorothy Morton. “My dad was a bit gutted when he realised the football talents don’t necessarily run from his family. “But all joking aside, it’s great when you come to Ibrox because the first thing you see when you walk up the Marble Staircase a big life-sized portrait of Alan Morton. “Having that tie with him makes being a Rangers player now extra special for me, just like it was to play for Hearts before with my dad’s dad being a diehard Jambo. “There aren’t many people who get the opportunity to play for this club and I’m really proud to be a part of it.”

Kevin Kyle related to rangers great Alan Morton mentioned on rtv

For a short time in the early 1880’s Rangers changed their blue jersey for a blue and white hooped one. They wore it in 1882 for the first time in a match against Queens Park.

Ranger v Queens Park. The Original Glasgow Derby. Posted on October 15, 2012 by vallance May 1872 saw a group of teenagers take to the field at Fleshers Haugh and kick a ball for the first time as they embraced the new game of Association Football. This get-together of friends was to change the course of the game forever. It wasnâ??t long before the young Rangers fast and open game was attracting admiring glances from passers-by on the Haugh. Queens Park who had been founded in 1867 were regarded as visionaries and pioneers and regularly took tours across Scotland to teach the new game to interested participants. However, the great Hampden outfit initially refused to face Rangers in its infancy citing the new Clubâ??s lack of a permanent home as the principal reason. They eventually agreed to send their second side, known as the Strollers, but this infuriated Rangers who wanted all or nothing and refused their offer. They wrote again to Queens Park in July 1875, and this time the standard-bearers slotted in a game against them on 20th November, with the proceeds from the fixture, a 2-0 victory for the more senior Club, distributed to the Bridgeton Fire Fund. The Charity pot had been established to help the eight families left homeless and the 700 workers left idle following a blaze at a spinning mill in Greenhead Street. Queens Park v Rangers 20th Nov 1875 Rangers had to wait until 22nd March 1879 before inflicting their first defeat on Queens Park when they won 1-0 in a Scottish Cup Quarter Final tie . Queens Park v Rangers 22nd Mar 1879 1890 saw the formation of the Scottish Football League in Holtonâ??s Commercial Hotel on Glassford Street Glasgow, soon after professionalism came into the game. Queens Park scoffed at the idea of players being paid to play football. Queensâ?? found themselves very quickly on the outside looking in and to this day Queens Park remains an amateur club. Their stance is reflected in their admirable Club motto.â?? Ludere Causa Ludendiâ??â?¦â?¦â?¦â?¦To Play For The Sake of Playing. As irony would have it Queens Park wrote to Rangers as they watched the Scottish League flourish requesting a match. This was politely refused. In the early years of football before binding contracts it was common for players to move freely between Clubs , in fact our own Moses McNeil joined Queens Park in 1875 for one year just in time to face the great English powerhouse Club that was Wanderers at Hampden Park. He was joined in the Queens Park ranks by his older brother Harry McNeil who was a guest player for Rangers in our first ever game v Callander three years previously. Harry & Moses McNeil both playing for Queens Park in 1875. Looking back over the last 140 years itâ??s fascinating to chart the paths and varying fortunes that both Rangers and Queens Park took and experienced. These Clubs are the pioneers of todayâ??s game that continues to enthral millions around the world. This Saturday 20th October 2012 we welcome our old friends to our magnificent home that is Ibrox Stadium and an audience of 50,000. The Rangers have come a long way from Fleshers Haugh. Iâ??m assured that Queens Park didnâ??t require a written invitation on this occasion. ************************************************************************************************************ *** Rangers v Queens Park EXTRA TIME â?? For a short time in the early 1880â??s Rangers changed their blue jersey for a blue and white hooped one. They wore it in 1882 for the first time in a match against Queens Park. Scottish Athletic Journal Oct 1882

stanley matthews played twice for us, and won a glasgow cup charity medal when rangers beat partick thistle 3-0 in 1940-41.

Triple Injury Boost Written by Lindsay Herron ALLY McCOIST has been given good news on the injury front as he tries to drive Rangers on in the coming months. The manager has confirmed that Andy Little is back in the squad for Saturdayâ??s game with Queenâ??s Park after missing the last six weeks with a foot problem. He has revealed that David Templeton is likely to be back from his ankle problem ahead of schedule. And he also has good news in terms of young striker Kane Hemmings who has had a catalogue of injury problems. McCoist told RangersTV: â??Andy Little played 45 minutes in the reserve game during the week and hopefully he will be involved at the weekend. â??Andy was a big loss to us because he had started the season very well and scored a number of goals. â??I watched him in the reserve game and he looked to be in good form and had a few shots at goal so he can come back in now and hopefully he will be fresh and raring to go. â??David Templeton is making good progress too and we hope he is only another couple of weeksâ?? away. â??Itâ??s a major boost for us if we can get him back a little sooner than we hoped. â??It was a real blow for Temps to suffer the injury in his second game for us and we have had to deal with that. â??He has been working out in the gym and he will be back running in the next couple of days so it looks as though he will be back ahead of schedule which would be great. â??We have some good news on Kane. He went down to see the specialist and he has been given the all-clear on his knee and he can start training again. â??He has had a torrid time of it with knee injuries and I feel for the lad more than anything else. â??However, the positive news is that he can now step up his training. â??He broke into the team last year and scored a good goal in Belfast against Linfield and he is one we have high hopes for. â??The next two or three weeks will be important for him and we hope he comes through.â?

Foundation Is In The Pink! Written by Neil Smith RANGERS Football Club and Sportsdirect.com have launched a limited edition pink shirt in support of the Rangers Charity Foundation. The striking pink shirts replicate the design of the Rangers replica shirt design for this season and are available in a variety of adult sizes for men and women. There are only 5,000 shirts available and £15 from the sale of each shirt will be donated to the Rangers Charity Foundation in support of its fantastic work in Glasgow, across Scotland and throughout the world. The initiative has the potential to raise £75,000 in support of the Rangers Charity Foundation and comes thanks to a generous agreement between the Club and Sportsdirect.com to back the work of the Foundation in this way. The shirt launch is a great cash boost for the Foundation as it celebrates a decade of charitable giving and it is hoped that the shirt will be a big hit with fans who can wear them with pride. The limited edition shirts are an exciting first for the Foundation and they are guaranteed to make you stand out in a crowd! During the last 10 years over £2.5 million in both cash and in-kind support has been donated making dozens of inspirational projects a reality, from health centres in some of Togo’s poorest communities and specialist facilities in Glasgow for teenagers with cancer to Braille books for Scotland’s blind children and life-improving nebulisers for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. One of the projects benefitting from the sale of the limited edition shirts will be The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice after the Foundation recently announced a landmark partnership with the Hospice to raise £100,000 towards a new palliative care facility which will be built on a proposed site within Bellahouston Park. Rangers Chief Executive, Charles Green has been delighted to give this new fundraising activity his full support and said, “I know that this initiative has been a year in the planning, and, although it has been a difficult year for everyone connected with Rangers Football Club there is absolutely no doubt that the spirit of our supporters, including their charitable spirit, has been incredible. The Rangers Charity Foundation is a vital and cherished part of the Club’s spirit and activity and this initiative demonstrates the Club’s continuing appreciation of the wonderful work that the Foundation does.” The Club would also like to express their thanks to Tennents’ for agreeing to remove their branding from the shirts in favour of the Rangers Charity Foundation. The limited edition shirts in a variety of men’s and women’s sizes are priced at £39.99 and are available to buy from the Rangers Megastore from 9am tomorrow (Friday 19 October) and online at sportsdirect.com.

Rangers FC Official‏@RFC_Official There are only 5,000 shirts available & £15 from the sale of each shirt will be donated to the @RFC_Charity Foundation

The Founders Trail By Iain McColl The research into the lives of the young lads who formed Rangers Football Club began in 2006. Their untold story was something that had intrigued me from an early age, what kind of people were they, were they as successful off field as they were on it , where did they live, did they work within the City, what became of them ? As the research intensified into their story locations all around Glasgow started to reveal themselves, it truly was fascinating. I would often find myself walking from Fleshers Haugh, through Glasgow city centre and on up to the west end of the city, having of course a couple of well appointed pit-stops on route! This was a story that had to be shared with my fellow Rangers supporters, so friend and fellow enthusiast Gordon Bell got to work on creating the Founders Trail Map that could be downloaded from the internet that would allow fans to set-off on foot around the city. The Founders Walking Trail set off in August 2009 where we took a large group around the various sites that had been located and it proved very popular, that's apart from the aching feet that followed over the next couple of days! As the Founders Trail evolved we were flooded with enquiries via our email address and various fans forums. The next logical step was to take our 'Journey of Discovery' around Glasgow by using the novelty of an open-top bus and approach Rangers about adding on a Stadium Tour to finish off our day. The Founders Trail by bus has been operating from November 2009 on a monthly basis, and with the addition of a Tour of our magnificent Ibrox Stadium from March 2010. It continues to grow and we've been totally overwhelmed with the response. Young and old have came in their hundreds to share our unique and wonderful story. We were told often enough that people just weren't interested in the history of the Club but time and again the supporters have proved them wrong. Over the last couple of years more locations have sprung up as the Founders Trail has evolved. Visit Scotland have embraced the venture as have other Tourists promotion outlets within the City of Glasgow. Rangers TV have filmed the Tour and also highlighted other projects which we've worked on such as the Tom Vallance Painting. The issue of a Museum at Rangers has been rumbling on for a number of years without any one person at our Club taking the project fully on board. It's appreciated by all that the Club has been shuttling between pillar and post over the last couple of years and this project, along with many others, has simply been put on the back burner. Over the last 6 months we watched in total disbelief and horror as our Club almost slipped off the radar completely, this in turn has led to more and more people looking back at our roots and the Rangers story. No, it wasn't always about EBT's, Administration and individuals in the corridors of power hell-bent on destroying the country's greatest sporting institution. Rangers is a Club who were and are for millions around the world the very cornerstone of society. A Club built on hard-work, sporting excellence, fair play and honesty. Perhaps now the need and want for a Museum at Ibrox Stadium has never been greater. Technology in 2012 has gone way beyond any of our dreams and it's now time for Rangers to take full advantage of this. We have many within our community who have skills to make all of this happen, it's now up to the Club to take full advantage of this. Glasgow will host the Commonwealth Games in 2014 which will see an massive influx of Tourists into our City. A Museum at Ibrox Stadium and subsequent initiatives aimed at not only visitors to our City but the population as a whole should now be one of the main focal points for our Club. Iain McColl is a Rangers Supporter aged 47 from Cumbernauld, originally from Glasgow. Iain has been attending Ibrox since 1970 and is a history of Rangers enthusiast. He also operates the Founders Trail and Ibrox Stadium Tour. http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/club-history/177-the-founders-trail

LIKE a bad penny â?? or should that be 100, given what he forked out for Rangers â?? Craig Whyte turned up last night claiming he didnâ??t kill off the Ibrox club. In a scattergun interview, the disgraced former owner desperately tried to pin the blame for Rangersâ?? downfall on everybody but himself. Sadly, Whyte is so delusional that he probably really does believe the crisis was caused by the others whose names he tried to blacken. As he said: â??I was, if you like, driving the train when it crashed but I wasnâ??t the one who set it on this path.â? Of course not, and you were forced to stop handing over PAYE to the taxman. â??What was the alternative?â? he asked. â??What people are forgetting is that the club didnâ??t have any money to pay tax.â? Well, thatâ??s all right then. That explains it perfectly and must surely absolve Whyte of blame. Big boys â?? people like Duff & Phelps, who Whyte insists knew about the Ticketus deal, Sir David Murray and Scottish footballâ??s authorities â?? did it. Only it was Whyte who ran away. Last night, one of the joint administrators, Paul Clark, said: â??The allegations against the administrators, who are officers of the court, are false, malicious and without foundation. They shouldnâ??t be given any credibility, given the source.â? Clark continued: â??It should be remembered that Mr Whyteâ??s takeover of Rangers is now the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation and we have provided evidence to that inquiry. â??In addition, we instigated legal proceedings against Mr Whyteâ??s solicitors in the High Court in London and those proceedings are centred round the very serious allegation that he was involved in a conspiracy which deprived Rangers of many millions of pounds.â? Whyte is correct when he insists the Employee Benefit Trusts scheme operated by Rangers over a 10-year period made it practically impossible to find a willing buyer, because of the potentially massive tax liability attached to the club. Thatâ??s down to Murray and his financial advisers. But no matter how much Whyte, and others, want it to be true, the Big Tax case didnâ??t close Rangers. Whyteâ??s non-payment of tax forced HMRC to act. But, of course, they should have tried to agree repayment systems with him first. And the shamed former owner, who broke cover in an extensive interview with BBC Scotland, revealed â??prominent politiciansâ?, including Scotlandâ??s First Minister, became involved. He said: â??At one stage, Alex Salmond spoke to the head guy at HMRC but they werenâ??t prepared to come to any arrangement.â? But, according to Duff & Phelps, there was dialogue with HMRC about non-payment and possible repayment plans. Whyte, who was speaking out to set the record straight, refused point-blank to accept that he had lied at any point, or duped anyone, including former owner Murray. He did, however, admit that he had been misleading when questioned about where he had found the £20million to buy the beleaguered Ibrox club. However, despite having been asked on more than one occasion about a deal to hand over future season tickets to London firm Ticketus, Whyte would not accept that he had lied. He said: â??Maybe I should have been more open but I didnâ??t lie. I should have been more open about the funding. I perhaps misled people about that and that was a mistake.â? Come on, Craig, not even a little white lie? No? And what about the claim that it was he, and not Zeus Capital, who searched out Charles Green and introduced him to Duff & Phelps. â??Nonsense,â? Green said last night. â??Yet again Craig Whyteâ??s version of events paints a misleading picture of what actually happened.â? To be fair to Whyte, he did introduce Green to one of the administrators â?? but it was in a Chinese restaurant in London days after Zeus had brought in the Yorkshireman to mastermind the takeaway, sorry, takeover. But Green said: â??The facts are that direct contact was made by our consortium with Craig Whyte in the first instance as it appeared at that time that his shares would have to be secured in order for any purchase of the club to progress. â??I wasnâ??t present when contact was initially made but later met Craig Whyte, who introduced me to the administrator. â??I was brought in by Imran Ahmad after Duff & Phelps contacted Zeus in February.â? Green didnâ??t stay. He didnâ??t even sit down. He had work to do if something could be salvaged from the wreckage of that train Whyte was driving. But, of course, Whyte always knew Rangers were heading for the buffers and so, he insists, did everyone else around him. He said: â??There was a 75 per cent chance it would go into administration. Everyone involved in the deal was aware of that.â? Whyte also repeated his belief that he is not the man to blame for the almost catastrophic events which plunged Rangers into liquidation â?? and pointed to the administrators, claiming they knew about the Ticketus deal. He also said it was only AFTER administration that Rangers went into meltdown, adding: â??If the administrators had stuck to what they said they were going to do, then it wouldnâ??t have gone wrong. Either weâ??d have got a quick CVA (company voluntary arrangement) through or a quick restructuring. â??Staying in administration for five months was where it went wrong.â? He said given the dire straits Rangers were in, the Ticketus deal was â??considered the best way to fund the clubâ? and added: â??Duff & Phelps knew, 100 per cent they knew. â??They attended meetings and were copied in on emails. They were there on the day of completion.â? In January, when the Record broke the news that future season tickets had been sold to Ticketus, Whyte denied it point-blank. Even now, he still denies lying to fans about how his takeover was funded. He said: â??I think I was asked a specific question, â??Did you mortgage the season ticketsâ??. I said no, because they werenâ??t mortgaged.â? Whyte admitted he should have been â??more open about the fundingâ? but added: â??I didnâ??t lie but perhaps I misled people.â? However, he defended the principle of using ticket money to buy the club, saying: â??Thereâ??s no difference between a bank overdraft or a bank loan to fund the club and using a funding method like Ticketus.â? Whyte also insisted the SPL knew Rangers were in trouble and that he flagged up the problems at a meeting last October. In fact, he and Rangersâ?? then director of operations Ali Russell met SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster and non-executive director Ralph Topping for dinner. The SPL were alerted to the dangers facing the club but were unable to offer Whyte any idea of what might happen in the event of liquidation and some kind of restructuring. â??Itâ??s been a disaster,â? Whyte said. â??Theyâ??ve made Scottish football a laughing stock of the world.â? But surely you helped do that, Craig? He also added: â??What other country in the world would deal with one of their biggest clubs in the way they have and demote them to the Third Division.â? Wrong again, Craig. Rangers had to go there because they were a new club starting over. How on earth did that happen?

http://www.skysports.com/video/inline/0,,16482_8173796,00.html CG short video interview

http://www.sportsdirect.com/umbro-rangers-pink-shirt-2012-2013-ladies-376003 http://www.sportsdirect.com/umbro-rangers-pink-shirt-2012-2013-377320

Back in mid-1872, Queens Park refused to play the recently formed boys club that was Rangers. Correctly, they pointed out we had no ground of our own and did not even possess a football. The Spiders rectified the latter point by selling us a second hand ball for 7 shillings and 6 pence(37.5p), but still refused to take up our invitation for a match.

4000 tickets left