WATP_Greg

Three Bears investor George Taylor believes Rangers should eventually be controlled by the Ibrox support.

Along with partners Douglas Park and George Letham - as well as oldco director Dave King - the Hong Kong-based banker is among three factions battling for control of the Glasgow giants.

But while the Three Bears' most immediate threat comes from US financier Robert Sarver - who has launched a £20million takeover bid - and the current board and their ally Mike Ashley, Taylor believes the club should eventually be governed by the Light Blues faithful.

The Morgan Stanley managing director has now signed up to a life-time membership with fan-ownership group Rangers First.

In a statement given to Press Association Sport, he said: "My hope is that direct fan ownership would become the biggest individual owner of Rangers."

Rangers First have made a number of significant strides in recent days.

Wealthy supporter Jim McColl recently handed the group his 10,000-share Ibrox stake last week, while they have signed up around 700 new members since the Three Bears and King bought up around 34 per cent of the club in two surprise transactions just before the new year.

The scheme - which is similar to the one used to rescue Hearts from administration - is now collecting thousands of pounds a month from contributors and using that to buy up shares.

On Saturday night, they announced another 60,000 shares had been purchased, giving them control of 0.8 per cent of the club. The Rangers Supporters Trust has also recently increased its stake to just over one per cent.

With the fight for power set to come down to which faction can get to 51 per cent, the fans could yet play a vital role for the Three Bears and King in the coming days.

The board urgently needs to raise cash to keep the club afloat and an announcement on Sarver's revised takeover bid and possible news of another emergency loan is expected early next week.

A general meeting may also be called if King and the Three Bears can find the support to force boardroom change.

Rangers First director Ricki Neill said: "With our monthly contributors donating amounts from 5 upwards, Rangers First have the income to buy an increasing number of shares every month.

"The more members we get the faster we grow and the bigger our shareholding becomes. We also have the Club 1872 membership which George Taylor has recently joined, this costs £500 and was designed originally to help us reach our target in as short a period as possible.

"George Taylor is one of many true Rangers fans that have joined Club 1872, we look forward to meeting up with George in the near future."

Meanwhile, midfielder Nicky Law believes a win against Hearts next Friday could kick-start Rangers' Scottish Championship title push.

The Ibrox side host the Jambos but cannot afford to let Robbie Neilson's men add to their already huge 13 point lead at the top of the table.

Law, who scored a first-half winner as the Light Blues finally beat Alloa at the fourth time of asking on Saturday with a 1-0 success at the Indodrill Stadium, said: "The quality of player we have got, we know we should be doing a lot better than we have been doing.

"There is no way we should be 13 points behind Hearts but we are. Unfortunately that is a huge gap to claw back but we will do our best to try and rein them in, starting on Friday night.

"It's a must-win game. If we can get it back to 10, you never know."

Also - seems I was wrong on both holding off! - but any shares in fans hands i'm delighted with so hopefully we as a support can be buying significant stakes and having the influence we deserve.

Disappointing to hear that, but they've been very responsive in any dealings I've had with them.

 

Did you use the contact form on the website?

The website is in the process of being redesigned I was told so could be to do with that - shares@rangersfirst.org is the email of the lad who is dealing with proxies and donations.

Contacted rangers first to give them the proxy vote on my dad's shares and haven't heard a thing back. Poor poor show.

When was this? I know there was an issue with emails a while ago but if its recently then there then they should have gotten back - did you contact shares@rangersfirst.org?

With a share issue in the offing I assume both will be holding off so that the money can go directly into the club

Think its over 300 signups in the last few days - good going

Hoping there is 20k there at least but doubt it...

The lad on twitter that is claiming to have set it up is @stewartk15 .

Think he's a blogger on McMurdo's site but not sure.

Claims to be trying to unite the support but I can't for the life of me think how charging £10 to use a forum will help the support.

From SOS facebook page 35 mins ago.

 

 

Is it public knowledge that Brian Kennedy was asked by D&P to put his offer in legal format and he would own rangers? He returned from New York and done exactly what was asked only to lose out to another bidder.

The reason being the other bidder, allegedly, bid £500k more and had paid a £500k deposit to gain control

I hope the current investigation finds where this money was paid from and where it went as this would dispel the fears that this never took place and the rumour that a lesser sum was paid in a "brown paper bag"

Graeme Souness told the same story I think at The Q&A at The Louden (minus the brown bag stuff).

I've had a lot of dealings with Jim and he's been very helpful so there are two sides to every coin.

I like Jim, I've met him a fair few times and I think a lot of the criticism is unfair.

He's a club employee at the end of the day and I don't know what some people expect him to come out and say.

The 'advisor' at Daniel Stewart & co who deals with the RIFC plc business is Paul Shackleton.

 

He responds to communication from shareholders, but only with the briefest, minimal information required of him by law.

 

Just ask Govan Derriere who posts here and on FF. He's had a lot of communications with Paul Shackleton.

I've heard the name.

If there work is unsatisfactory then should that not be the route they go down? Make a complaint to AIM about them?

Though I suppose we'll see what comes out of this - I think we all just want some answers

Reply will be along the lines of, "F*&k all to do with us guv, complain to your NOMAD".

The little I looked at is all based around the NOMAD being the protection for shareholders - has ours been approached?

Oi! Nicking my threads again. Give them the hits and copy & paste the link only

The RST don't have adverts on their site do they? Is that not the only reason you would want hits?

Which "sinister people" are they then?

I'll wager he means Bawsburst - he'll be reading this thread anyways.

For what its worth I think he's just a propagandist - I don't take them seriously and I don't think most do either

I'm surprised at FS's category having such a small number of voters and I think it's logical to assume that means that less than 1,000 voted overall.

Really thought it would have been anywhere up to 5,000.

Thanks for that ringing endorsement Mr McLean.

 

No that is not correct (that if a Rangers fan has not been elected by any fans group then that fan should not have the right to question what is happening within the club); that is not what I said.

 

What was proposed from elsewhere and what was supported by the Board on the night was that Rangers should not communicate with (the leaders of) unelected groups. Despite the criticism on this forum I agree with that.

 

I would reiterate yet again that any fan is free to raise any issue with any member of the Fans Board.

 

 

 

Once you have more experience of posting on here you will know that I have a reputation for trying to be as accurate and factual as possible, some call it pedantic; and when I make mistakes, folk around here are not slow to point them out.

 

I put forward the questions that I was asked to put forward. There were in fact no directors present when I put forward those questions. I assume you would be even more critical of other Board members who didn't put forward any questions? Or is a Board member who doesn't ask any questions somehow not paying lip service to the BoD; whereas one who asks questions that you regard as irrelevant is only doing so for self aggrandisement. What utter nonsense.

 

Lastly for your information, I am the person who asked within an hour or so of the Stock Exchange announcement being made on Monday, that Mr Ashley (and Mr Llambias) be invited to the next meeting of the Board. Why do you think I did that? Could the answer possibly just be that I want ask him about his plans for the Club?

To be pedantic, and regarding the last point is that your intentions?

Hoping it stays on a Saturday this time!

Really ??

 

Honestly not seen many red and black.

I have seen maybe 5 or 6 at The Louden before matches since the start of the year.

Definitely some about though it isn't in the same category as the scarf campaign previously

It read to me as a personal investment rather than one for a client.

Does anyone agree/disagree?

Ally is his friend so that seems unlikely.

 

Depends hoe good Messi was at RB and hitting long speculative airborne balls to nowhere, to be fair. If the Argentine could clog opponent wingers and do that he'd be in with a chance

I keep seeing this across the forums - I have seen no evidence that King is particularly friendly with McCoist.

Gough is his man as he is friends with Gough's dad.

I think King is his own man (based on how he has handled the last couple of years)

Likely that people will try and steer the committee in the direction away from difficult questions. For example, Jim Hannah attending meetings and saying to the likes of FS that the club's fiscal policy isn't in the remit of disabled fans area. Repeat and rinse for all other sections.

Did that happen?

Apparently the categories were the result of the surveys and focus groups.

 

I too am puzzled that there is no category in regards to RSC's, though at least 3 members (perhaps more) do travel to the games with RSC's myself included.

 

Oh and there is of course a former RST Secretary on the board!.......

I too think the categories are a bit strange - for instance one member is there to represent the vast majority of the 25k ST holders - where as there is someone there to rep club membership members who are not ST holders - which you would be lucky if it had numbers in the three figures.

But best of luck - hopefully we can get some value out of this project

It just stuns me the amount of publicity McMurdo gets for being such non-entity who spouts absolute egotistic nonsnese.

 

The on-line Rangers support should just ignore him and stop giving him the attention he craves.

 

IMO we should start by NOT posting his guff on reputable sites like this.

I disagree - there is a degree of value to be had in reading his propaganda imo

It allows people to see how transparent that some of the attempted manipulation of the support is

Seems to be: http://www.rangers.co.uk/tickets/the-ibrox-bar

Never even noticed it but I'm only up a few times a season as a rule. Normally spend my two hours before the game queuing for a pint in the Louden:D:D

Lies! We get everyone served really quick

Seriously though which section do you go in as if there are queuing issues I'd like to know

Understandable and quite funny too in a way.

I usually have a laugh with the lads about it - usually a word or two is enough but we have a brilliantly behaved clientele and we hardly ever have any issues. Really proud of our match day atmosphere