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SteveC

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Everything posted by SteveC

  1. SteveC
    So really we need a Walter or an Ally or a Greig or Gough to come out and lead the thing or it's no chance?
  2. SteveC
    That's a bit worrying as I just joined - 4 days after you - and it is still under 2,400
  3. SteveC
    It's a torture technique, I think - it's certainly torture to endure
  4. SteveC
    When I last wrote on Ursula le Guin, the first home computers were still a decade away so no, sorry. I lost touch with all that long ago, she was one of the best though
  5. SteveC
    People become so wrapped up in their online persona that they stop thinking and just react with ever increasing vitriol along the pre-programmed online identity they have constructed for themselves. It happens on non football forums too. Add into that fandom, where the fan life experience becomes more important than the thing they are purportedly fans of, (again this happens outwith football, just the same*) and you have a recipe for the kind of thread you allude to. * I have run fanzines on science fiction authors and rock singers and I can tell you that rival fanzines of the same artists fought like hell all the time. It's human nature - sad reflection though that is - and also because, if you expend so very much of your precious time on something, publishing a fanzine, say, it becomes huge in your eyes, far more important than it really is. A hard lesson I had to learn more than once before accepting its message. A look at the left wing of politics in France (or nearly anywhere else!) shows more vitriol aimed at other left wingers than at anyone else. (This may be true of right wing politics too, I don't know - would be interesting if not but is waaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy off topic, sorry)
  6. SteveC
    "childhood fan" - surely some mistake here? I thought he was a Man U fan from R.o.I. stock. (I am not saying that should debar him from Rangers, btw, but merely raising an eyebrow that we had young boys supporting us from that background at that time) Anyway, this is a heartening quote: "In order for us to have a club at all we need a stable board and management structure and an ongoing supply of capital. “If that means a new rights issue then it means a new rights issue. If I have to dilute my shareholding for the good of the club then it’s no big deal. We may not need a shares issue but I’d rather have one if it safeguards the club.” And fingers crossed he is correct re other investors.
  7. SteveC
    Former Rangers director Dave King will fly in from South Africa next week and not leave Scotland until he comes up with a “definite gameplan” for the future of the Ibrox club. The South Africa-based businessman last week urged supporters to withhold season- ticket money and hand it over to the club on a game-by-game basis, amid growing concerns about the League 1 leaders’ finances and governance. The 58-year-old Glaswegian, who invested £20million in the club before it was consigned to liquidation in June 2012, made his plea to fans after Rangers confirmed they had accepted £1.5million in loans from shareholders Sandy Easdale and Laxey Partners. King then accepted an invitation to meet the Rangers board after an open letter from chairman David Somers claimed he was “damaging the club” with his statements, although he mocked the tone of the letter, saying he was being “summoned” to explain himself. Backed by the influential Union of Fans coalition, King will first jet into London to meet with investors in the club before travelling to Glasgow where, aside from his appointment with the Ibrox board, he will meet supporters to find a way forward for the Govan club. “I will visit the institutions in London next week and put a schedule together with some of the existing shareholders to understand where they are and how they would feel about a rights issue,” said King. “Also, whether they would participate, whether they would give the rights to someone like me and I would like that out of the way before I meet the fans. Then I will stay up in Scotland for as long as it takes until we have a definite gameplan as to how we will go forward from there.” Former finance director Brian Stockbridge said in October that Rangers would only have around £1m of cash reserves left by April but chief executive Graham Wallace has denied there is a risk of a second administration. King claims the Ibrox board were fully aware of their predicament when they refused his offer of help late last year. “I said then ‘it’s now early enough to anticipate you will not make the end of the year on your current cash balances and let’s now try, and in an orderly fashion, go about a new fund-raising exercise’,” he recalled. “I was happy to be a significant investor, in fact a leader of a consortium putting new funds into the club with the only condition that the funds went into the club. “I was looking for a new share issue and for those funds to go into the club and into the team and really all that’s happened is they have adopted a ‘Nero fiddling while Rome burns’ approach where the inevitability of the next couple of months has come to pass. “They are looking for [fans] to give enough money for season tickets so they can continue for another couple of months before again ending up in another financial crisis. That is what I am trying to avert at this point.” King later clarified that he had offered to invest in Rangers in response to an apparently misleading statement by Easdale, which was read out on Sky Sports News. He said: “I refer to Sandy Easdale’s statement earlier today that I had never had discussions with him regarding putting new funds into the club. “I subsequently engaged in private communication with Sandy and he has confirmed directly to me that he intended his comment to be construed as meaning that I had never offered loan finance to the club. I accept that Sandy’s incorrect statement was merely a misunderstanding and that he was not intending to impugn my integrity.”
  8. SteveC
    ALLY McCOIST has reaffirmed his faith in his Rangers squad and clarified his comments to the Press last week after being unhappy with the way they were reported. The Ibrox manager spoke to the media on Friday to preview Saturday’s trip to East Fife and said he would like to strengthen his pool for next season’s likely Championship campaign. His consequent complaint is that was interpreted by some as him fearing his men wouldn’t win the title it goes for without further investment in the group first. McCoist has insisted that’s not what he meant at all and maintains it’s his job to strive for constant improvement whatever league Gers play in and however well they perform. There was a reaction to how the 51-year-old’s words were put across and he is disappointed as he feels he has been portrayed in some quarters as having a lack of trust in his current crop. McCoist will still look to recruit high-quality players if he is permitted to when the 2013/14 term draws to a close and the transfer window reopens. But he is adamant that doesn’t mean he doesn’t rate those currently at his disposal because he’d always seek to make his side as strong as it can possibly be. McCoist said: “I said if we got up to the Championship there were no guarantees we’d win it and I stand by that. There are no guarantees in anything. “But not for the first time, I thought the standard of journalism was very poor. I listened to the interview again and at no time did I say we have to spend cash. “I’m obviously quite guarded about saying things like that but various newspaper reports claimed we needed to spend vast amounts of money. “These people look to me to do my job and I would actually look to them to do their jobs too. All I want them to do is report what I’m actually saying. “What I said was I’d like to strengthen the squad for next season and the foreseeable future but it came across in a completely different manner. “What happened then was I had people reacting to a statement I never made. I’ve been in the game long enough to know what to expect but it’s a little bit disappointing at times. “We’re bound as coaches and managers to try to improve the quality of player in the team and the squad all the time, regardless of what level we’re at and how successful we are. “That’s our job. We’ve got to keep pressing buttons and asking questions in an attempt to do that and that will always be the case. “What has been written suggests I don’t have faith in my current squad and that’s not the case at all. If and when we get promotion, I’d like to strengthen and give the squad a hand.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6440-boss-clarifies-press-comments
  9. SteveC
  10. SteveC
    Yes, that was the key thing to take form it, I thought.
  11. SteveC
    Hasn't it just. Any chance of moving on, now?
  12. SteveC
    It would be a much better world of Rangers fans spent their time worrying about Rangers FC and not their particular fan group and concentrated on real people not virtual identities whose forum beliefs must never be allowed to waver.
  13. SteveC
    Which is fine, and well put. "whole affair" and "stinks" however = not so much.
  14. SteveC
    "Rangers' Firsts clutching mittens". Ffs, what wrong with good people and posters that being part of a Rangers fans group send them doo wally? I was already going to go for the 18:72 DD but this has just convinced me to also donate my shares bought at the IPO. Rangers First, fan egos = not even placed, left in the bloody paddock. And I too have agreed with many of your posts Hildy. There was a briliant one recently but a whole swathe of RST-Rangers folk have lost the plot here. It is NOT about you or your groups, it is all about The Rangers.
  15. SteveC
    You didn't ever seem keen on being "in". Why not just let it progress without you if you are not interested in joining? There is no call for this sort of pejorative and total denunciation.
  16. SteveC
    I'd say that they've been perfectly visible all along
  17. SteveC
    yes, but if the debtors and lenders are in cahoots making moves according to a perpetual make-ourselves-rich scheme planned well ahead and launched long ago, it makes little difference. A bit like selling shares back and forwards to each other in the Ibrox boardroom for each others' profit (as Walter referred to). As I wrote back at the time of Whyte getting off with appointing D&P - "we are now in Portsmouth and Leeds territory - rip-off after rip off from crooks-in-suits to fellow crooks-in suits. It is pass the cash cow parcel time and there is no legal way out other than buying them out at exorbitant profit for them all either in hard cash or long term rents." At the moment their end game is way, way in the far future - unless King and fans combine to bring that forward. Regardless, they will still walk away with a fortune even greater than that they have claimed from us so far.
  18. SteveC
    Related, a poster on FF posits the following links: Director Norman Crighton is a director of company called Private Equity Investor PLC alongside someone called Peter Dicks. http://companycheck.co.uk/company/03...people-summary'>http://companycheck.co.uk/company/03...people-summary Peter Dicks happens to be a director of Daniel Stewart Securities who in turn own our NOMAD 100%. http://companycheck.co.uk/company/03...people-summary http://companycheck.co.uk/company/02...e#shareholders Colin Kingsworth of Laxey also used to be a director of Private Equity Investor http://companycheck.co.uk/director/904231162
  19. SteveC
    I suppose that he is just mimicking Ill Phil and that we should not give too much credence to him. It is very unsettling though. Especially with no accounts published and Wallace, the repeated denier of administration, withdrawing from TV yesterday. I guess the cub will have to deny it, yet again? Or.....
  20. SteveC
    MARCH 2, 2014 PRESS RELEASE TO PRESS ASSOCIATION FROM THE UNION OF FANS (02/03/2014) by Union of Fans We welcome the fact that Dave King has committed to travelling to the UK to advance the setup of the required legal structures for a Season Ticket Trust and a fund to purchase an equity stake in the club. We very much look forward to meeting him in the near future to push things forward. We also note that, like us, he shares a fear that Charles Green and the people he represents are still de facto in control of our club. At their meeting of 30th January with CEO Graham Wallace, the RST requested an updated copy of the register of shareholders in RIFC PLC, which is a legal entitlement of all shareholders. The club considered this request and asked for further information, which has now been provided. We are aware of similar requests by individual shareholders which have yet to be fulfilled. We are aware of concerns by shareholders that there has been a perceived delay in complying with requests for a copy of the members register, and that these concerns have lead to suspicions. We would urge the club to comply with these requests as a matter of urgency, and act on their promises of transparency and engagement with supporters. We also note that Graham Wallace recently attempted to justify the £1.5M loan from Laxey and Sandy Easdale, by indicating that it was part of a business plan he “inherited”. Just who did he inherit the business plan he is implementing from? Charles Green? Brian Stockbridge? Imran Ahmad? Also, why is he still implementing a business plan which is so clearly flawed? Particularly when it is clear that alternative routes are and have been available. We would like this board to explain just what has happened to the 5 million shares Charles Green awarded himself at 1 penny each and which constituted a 7.68% stake in Rangers. We are aware that some of those shares are now in the hands of Laxey. It was also widely publicised that Green had proxied his shares to the Easdales and struck an agreement to sell those shares to the Easdales in December 2013. But no record of such a share trade exists. Also the Easdales do not appear to have increased their notifiable interest in the company according to the most up-to-date information available. It is entirely unclear who now holds the balance of Mr Green’s shares and if indeed they have even moved out of his control. Dave King is quite correct to express his fear that Charles Green and those he represents are possibly still controlling Rangers. Just as we, as supporters and shareholders, are right to exercise our legal right to view the up-to-date shareholders register. Once again, we simply ask this board to answer the perfectly reasonable questions they are being asked and to not just speak about transparency but actually provide it.
  21. SteveC
    Hard to argue with his main points this week
  22. SteveC
    RICHARD GOUGH from Scottish Sun DAVE KING delivered an impressive statement straight from the heart last week. But as captain of the Rangers team that dominated Scottish football in the 1990s, one section really stood out for me. It was the part about the prospect of Celtic winning 10 in a row ‘— while Rangers ‘‘remain a small club who slug it out for the minor places’’. It stood out for one reason, it focused on football. It focused on the need to ensure Rangers is able to have long-term success on the pitch. Throughout this whole saga, it has often been forgotten that we are talking about Rangers Football Club. This has been a wretched story of dodgy dealings, of boardroom shenanigans and shadowy characters. But we should never lose sight of the ultimate goal ‘— and that is restoring Gers to the top of the Scottish game. I’’ve known King for a long time and share his concerns that unless serious action is taken, Rangers are in danger of being left trailing by Celtic. That can’’t be allowed to happen ‘— but there are countless tales in world football of big clubs who go through difficulties and never truly recover. You want an example? Just take a look at Leeds United’’s troubles over the last decade. I was in Dubai for a few days playing in a Scotland/ England legends match, and Lee Bowyer was in the opposition side. Seeing him reminded me of that great Leeds team from the 2000/01 season that reached the Champions League semi-final. That in turn got me thinking about our own Battle of Britain with Leeds in the European Cup in the early 1990s. They were an elite club back then. Those sides carried on the tradition of the legendary Leeds teams of the 1960s and 70s. Now? They are just an average Championship side who have been out of the top flight for 10 years. Leeds are still a massive club with a huge fanbase and they regularly attract crowds of 30,000 but they have never recovered from their original problems. So many years of mismanagement have hit Leeds very hard. Leeds are a million miles away from challenging for trophies and being a big hitter in English football again. Rangers won’’t languish in the Scottish lower leagues like Leeds have down south. But with the ongoing financial chaos and concerns over the direction of the club, it could be years before Gers can challenge Celtic. Are Rangers going to be the Scottish equivalent of Leeds? King certainly holds that fear, judging by his statement and it’’s hard to argue with him in a week that saw Rangers bank a ‘£1.5million emergency loan ‘— loaded with a crazy 15 per cent interest rate over six months. The Ibrox board claim this was part of a plan. Really? Are the fans expected to buy that? Rangers’’ response to King’’s statement said his comments were ‘‘damaging’’ but could any more damage be done? From the outside looking in, it appears Gers are in a mess ‘— once again. King’’s had enough and it looks as if the fans have as well. But who can blame them? Remember that banner from a few years back towards the end of Sir David Murray’’s reign? ‘‘We Deserve Better’’ it said. It’’s time the Ibrox fans looked that out again. For the last two years, the people running Rangers have taken them for granted. Enough’’s enough. It all has to stop now. This has to be the watershed moment. The fans have backed King. They have responded to his call for season-ticket money to be withheld and pooled. That might seem like drastic action, but why should the fans just hand over millions again? They have already seen a fortune being squandered by the people running Gers. They have watched as mystery shareholders have walked away with a massive profit in a matter of months. With the ongoing uncertainty, the fans have every right to choose to put their money somewhere safe ‘— not in the hands of people they don’’t trust. Nobody wants to damage Rangers. That is the last thing King or the fans want. Their support has been exceptional. But they need full transparency from the board before the hand over yet another huge wedge of cash. Fans are demanding answers and those in control at Ibrox will need to start providing them quick. If they don’’t, then it looks like they won’’t be getting the season-ticket money. That could put them in an impossible position. As for Ally McCoist, the best thing he can do is concentrate solely on football. My old team-mate has been shoved from pillar to post in the last few years. He has had a succession of bosses who have asked for his backing. Right now, Coisty is right to stay out of the politics. The fans look to him for guidance because he is the one man they trust. But the Rangers manager has three trophies to compete for. He has to try to lift the gloom over Ibrox. What better way to do that than by winning silverware? After all, that’’s what Rangers Football Club should be all about.
  23. SteveC
    There was a quote from a SARS spokesperson at the time saying that they were watching him like a hawk for any evidence of him trying to get round his investment ban and if he was caught doing so it would prejudice his whole case , Frankie.
  24. SteveC
    There's nothing to be convinced by, he's a patsy - he's there to say what his employers tell him to, same as the last guy. Same as the next guy too if the club is still being run by the same crooks-in-suits.
  25. SteveC
    Union of Fans Interview:
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