ian1964

"Rino Gattuso has warned Rangers they will lose him to another club if their problems aren't resolved quickly. The Italian World Cup winner's agent Andrea D'Amico spent a second day talking to prospective owner Charles Green in Glasgow on Friday. Reports from Italy even suggested the 34-year-old has been offered a two-year, £12,000-a-week deal, complete with a cut of merchandising sold in his name. Warning: Rino Gattuso wants clarity from Rangers On Friday night, however, the AC Milan legend told Sportsmail that Rangers are just one of five offers on the table. And he will only return if the club can thrash out a CVA, exit administration and find a way to sign players while keeping a competitive team together. 'The problems right now are with the club. There is no problem with the contract,' said Gattuso. 'If they want me to sign for one year or two years - no problem. The only problem for me is that I have four or five offers from other teams but I want to play for Rangers. 'By the 14th of this month the club will know if the CVA stands or not. If there is some hope things can be all right, then maybe I will wait for another week or two before I do anything.' Gattuso refused to confirm a contract is already in place in principle, but insisted: 'I am 34. I have money, and if that was important to me I would just go to Dubai or Qatar. Simple. 'But it's not about money. I played for Milan for 13 years - so money is no issue. Title ambition: Gattuso says Rangers must be competitive 'What is important is that the squad is competitive, that every day the training is good and the situation does not change every week. 'I would like to help them and play for Rangers but the team must be competitive. I would come to Glasgow to win the league - not to be fighting relegation.' Gattuso, whose wife Monica is Glaswegian, spoke to Ally McCoist this week and insisted the discussion was positive. He added: 'I spoke to Coisty three or four days ago and he was very happy I wanted to come back. 'We didn't talk too much about the problems, because every day things change.' Green confirmed talks with Gattuso had been positive but admitted the move is obviously contingent on the club being able to sign players."

He has said that no-one will own more than 15% shares in Rangers,and he is saying he will be out in a year,then I take form that is that the job he has come in to do will be completed,which is a good thing,no?. The RFFF should be readying themselves now to buy 15% shares in Rangers when he leaves?.

Tranynor - interviews Green todays Record -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHARLES Green has been living in fast-forward mode ever since emerging as Rangers’ likely new owner but even he will come to a dead stop on Thursday. The Yorkshireman last night pinpointed that day, June 14, as the most important date in the club’s history. Rangers’ creditors will meet on Thursday to accept or reject Green’s £8.5million CVA proposal to rescue the ailing football business and he stressed: “On that day this club’s future will be defined once and for all.” Green is not underestimating the huge significance of the SFA’s next move in the sanctions row but sees the creditors’ meeting as THE major step in Rangers’ rehabilitation. A rehabilitation, he believes, that will see Rangers strong enough to compete for the championship and a place in the Champions League. “That’s where the club has to be,” he said. “And getting Rangers back quickly to the point where they are able to compete at those levels is my priority.” First up, though, are the creditors and if they throw out the CVA offer Green will go down the newco route, albeit reluctantly even though he and his consortium – “you’ll see their names after the meeting on Thursday” – would save themselves £3m by taking control of the club out of liquidation. OFFENSIVE But Green and his people remain convinced agreement is the better option and it would also make it easier for Green to stick to his own timescale and get out in a year, although that will be longer if the SFA withdraw Rangers’ licence to play for a year. He said: “We could watch the grass grow, or put sheep on the pitch. Make some money in livestock but it would be difficult for clubs in Scottish football to make money without Rangers.” Annoyed rather than angered by Dave King’s recent and unexpected views, the man who insists the £10m first-phase funding for his Ibrox buyout is firmly in place felt it was necessary to clear up one or two matters. Green said: “Dave King said he didn’t think I’d still be here in a year’s time and do you know what? He’s right. “It isn’t my intention to be here longer than that. If nothing much is added to what I can see on the table at the moment I believe I can get over all the hurdles in a year. “I’d be very disappointed if I am not out of the club quickly.” Green also revealed that he thought about getting out even before he got in because of the impact his attempt to buy Rangers from Craig Whyte had on his children and one or two of his advisors. There have been offensive emails, one of which has been passed on to the police, but Green wants to see his project through. “I have been tempted to walk away,” he revealed. “The privacy of my children was invaded by one or two journalists. “We’ve had the abusive emails and at one point I did think I should stop but the minute you pack up and go is the moment the lunatics are able to take over the asylum. So I’m not doing that. “I’m not walking away and I believe next Thursday will be the most important day in Rangers’ history. “The SFA’s decision on how Rangers should be punished will also be crucial but next week is so important. “The decision taken will determine what model we have to choose and the speed at which Rangers can hope to recover. Fans should be urging their politicians to apply some pressure so that the CVA is accepted.” Most of Green’s calculations have been done around a CVA being accepted and the SFA stopping short of withdrawing Rangers’ licence to play for a year. If after next Thursday he is all but confirmed as the new owner he will be seeking further talks with the authorities to find a middle ground. But even if the SFA throw the book at Rangers and expel them Green won’t turn and run. He said: “Jobs will be lost because we won’t be doing anything. We wouldn’t even need groundsmen. “But even though we (the consortium) will have to pay for upkeep and some wages we won’t lose money. The game will. It might even lose some clubs if TV deals have to be revised and there are no Rangers fans going to matches. “There will be cutbacks everywhere and surely no one wants that. It’s important for the SFA and Rangers to resolve this for the good of Scottish football. Although none of us working to get this club back on its feet are responsible for problems of the past we accept we must take our punishment. “We don’t expect we should walk away free but we must discuss this.” Green has already been doing a lot of talking, mainly with supporters groups and yesterday with local MP Ian Davidson and they have all been given the same assurances. “No, there will be no selling off or hiving off of the club’s assets. No, Craig Whyte won’t be getting anything other than the £2 I’ve paid him. “No, I won’t be getting £4m or anything like it for my trouble. I’ll be getting £2m in shares, not cash. No, I’m not waiting on the season-ticket money because that’s going into an ESCROW account and I won’t be able to get my mitts on it. “Yes, the funding is in place. The investors are in. The first phase funding, £10m, is all there. “Yes, I will raise £20m more and I say that well aware of just how difficult it is to raise money these days. Getting the first £10m was the hardest part because the people who are in don’t know what they’ve bought into yet. “And yes, Rangers will be back competing at the top. That’s what we all want – Ally McCoist, the fans, me, the investors. But this was never going to be done quickly. It’s a bit like turning the QE2 and that takes a day. “It’s a big ship and Rangers are also massive. But this club must be there again competing to get in the Champions League, that’s Valhalla.” Green hopes that if the CVA is accepted he will be signed off as new owner and ready to go after a 28-day cooling off period. If all goes his way on Thursday he will become the legal owner on a date which will have significance for more than a few Rangers fans, July 12. It means nothing to Green other than that will be the time he has to raise a further £20m although he said last night that because of the players and staff who have left, Rangers are close to breaking even already.

Agree with this,just because Green has admitted he is not a Rangers fan doesn't mean he will fail,we have always had Rangers supporters on the board and we are in the shit,some people just talk the talk and others walk the walk.These guys have had plenty opportunity to save the club and all I can see is FAIL.

Green Interview: http://rangerstv.tv/viewfree.php?it=10358&c=News&r=236678734985

Alasdair Lamont‏@BBCAlLamont Green still won't reveal names of other backers, but says all will become clear on Thursday after creditors' meeting on CVA

Rangers manager Ally McCoist has confirmed that the Old Firm outfit are keen to try and resign Gennaro Gattuso. The Italian midfielder is available to the Scottish side after confirming that he would be leaving Milan this summer at the expiry of his contract. Having spent a season in Glasgow 15 years ago, the player is known to have an affinity with the club, whilst reports today suggested that his agent was in Scotland for talks over a possible reunion. Rangers boss McCoist, who played alongside Gattuso for the Scottish Premier League outfit during the 1997-98 season, has now confirmed that if possible, they will try to bring him back. â??We know Gattuso, we know what his value is and of his willingness to return to Rangers,â? McCoist told MilanNews.it. â??Our situation is unfortunately complicated, we have problems. In any case, we hope to fix everything and we are in talks for his return to Glasgow.â? Rangers are currently in administration, but recently successfully appealed against a 12-month transfer embargo being placed on them. http://www.football-italia.net/19711...-want-gattuso?

CHARLES GREEN - who is leading a consortium acquiring Rangers - and club administrators Duff and Phelps have reacted to allegations made by Dave King today. Mr Green said: "Mr King's statement is breathtaking in its arrogance and is destructive to the interests of the club. "My consortium tabled an offer, which was accepted by the administrators as the best offer for the club and its creditors and substantial sums of money have already been paid to the administrators. "Provision has been made for working capital that does not rely on season ticket sales any more than would be part of normal operations at the club. To suggest otherwise is scurrilous and scaremongering. "I would question Mr King's motives in urging the rejection of the CVA proposal which is the best offer available to creditors, particularly since he made no mention of this or any other issue when I spoke to him on the phone in South Africa last Friday. "If the CVA is rejected then the club will be acquired on a newco basis which will not benefit creditors, nor will it benefit the club in terms of participation in Europe. "In one week's time, we hope the CVA proposal will be approved by creditors and that will be an important milestone for the rebuilding of the club. "It is also absurd to suggest I have not been communicating with fans. Only yesterday I had a constructive and progressive meeting with fans representatives which was one of many I have had over the last few weeks and there will be continuing dialogue with them. The fans will be kept informed at every stage of this process. "People such as Mr King who, as I understand was not in a position to make a bid for the club, need to accept the realities of the situation and move on rather than continue to snipe from the sidelines." Paul Clark, Joint Administrator, added: "I find Mr King's remarks disappointing and misleading. "As he should know more than most, all shareholders, as well as creditors, have received access to the CVA proposals and all relevant information has been made public on the Rangers website. "Mr King should also know, that immediately after the conclusion of next week's creditors meeting, a shareholders meeting will be convened. "Mr Green, as the new legal owner of Mr Whyte's shares, will vote in favour of the approval of the CVA should that be the outcome of the creditors meeting. "Mr King refers to a claim against the club. We have received a letter of claim from Mr King's solicitors which contains a number of broad and unsupported allegations concerning matters which took place some 10 years ago. "The claims raised are neither accepted by the club nor have they been adjudicated by a court. We have written to his solicitors to ask them to provide evidence to support the claim, as all creditors are required to do. !As a result, Mr King's suggestion that his representations have been ignored is entirely unfounded. "If Mr King feels he has a claim against Mr Whyte or Mr Murray, then that is a matter for him and not a concern of the Administrators. "The CVA proposal is completely transparent and gives detailed information as to different outcomes such as a newco or dissolution of the company. "It is a comprehensive document and there have been no issues raised about its content by significant stakeholders and creditors. "Mr King should also note that Duff and Phelps meet the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund on a weekly basis and will continue to do so."

BOOZY Alan Thompson was sacked by Celtic after going on one drinking session too many. He was fired as Parkhead coach by his close pal and club manager Neil Lennon after failing to heed calls to curb his wayward off-pitch lifestyle. The dramatic sacking on Sunday night came as a shock to Celtic fans and even club insiders who had no idea moves were afoot to axe him. But a Celtic source said: “Alan was a 38-year-old middle-aged bloke who was behaving like a teenager. “He was out boozing too often and got himself blootered once too often for Celtic’s liking. “The view was that he was becoming a bad influence. “The opinion was that he had turned into the sort of guy Neil Lennon would be better off without.” Lennon fired him by telephone after his No2 refused to attend a meeting with him in Thompson’s home city of Newcastle over the weekend. Yesterday, furious Thompson revealed he intends to take the club to court over his dismissal, which could embroil both Celtic and Lennon in an awkward public dispute. He has instructed a lawyer’s firm run by solicitor John Paul Mowberry, whose previous clients include Tommy Sheridan’s wife Gail. Thompson, who was found guilty of his second drink-driving offence in February last year, was often seen drinking at The Drake bar in Glasgow’s west end. alan thompson celtic Image 3 Sources say he threw himself into a bachelor’s lifestyle after splitting last year with his wife Joanne – a lifestyle which has now cost him his job at the club he worshipped. Joanne, mother of Thompson’s three children, has said he is in the grip of a “mid-life crisis”. After their split, Thompson bought a bachelor flat in the swish Park Circus area of Glasgow and began dating model Kirsty McLeod, described as a one-time Britney Spears lookalike. The pair were photographed leaving the flat together last summer. Last May, angry Joanne told our sister paper The Sunday Mail: “He is having a mid-life crisis so he can get on with it. “He had absolutely everything in the palm of his hand – a loyal, faithful wife and three beautiful children. “I never looked at another man, he never looked at another woman. “I’m not making excuses for him but all the fame and ego has gone to his head.” Former ballet dancer Joanne, 41, added: “I’m going to write a book about this and I want every single other footballer’s wife in the world that’s had it done to them to stand up and applaud me. “I will never understand it. I will never, ever get my head round what he has done to me.” The bachelor pad is now on the market, we can reveal. It is believed Thompson put it up for sale a month ago. The two-bedroom, third floor flat, which boasts views across the west of the city, is up for sale at offers over £340,000. Among the former Celt’s neighbours there was Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor. The two sparked controversy when they enjoyed a boozy night out together at The Drake in February. At the time, Lennon – who was so close to Thompson that he was the first Parkhead figure he confided in over his battle with depression – made a staunch public defence of his pal. He said: “One of my staff and Allan McGregor frequent the same pub. Wow.” Lennon added: “I have been there myself when Allan has been in and had his company for 15, 20 minutes.” But behind the scenes, pressure was beginning to mount on Lennon to part with his close friend. That pressure came to a head at the weekend. “The bottom line is that Alan just went and got blootered one time too many,” said the Celtic insider. Thompson’s night out with McGregor was not the first time his drinking has landed him in trouble. In February last year, the star – a hero Celtic player under Martin O’Neill – was banned for 16 months and got a £600 fine after he admitted drink-driving. He was stopped by police in his Range Rover near Celtic’s training ground in Lennoxtown, Dunbartonshire, on October 25, 2009. Glasgow’s Justice of the Peace Court heard Thompson – who had a previous drink-driving conviction in 1996 – had been boozing the previous night after Celtic lost 3-1 to Rangers at Parkhead. The former midfielder had been out drinking until 2.30am, the court heard. Seana Doherty, prosecuting, said Thompson was stopped in his Range Rover by police at 10am. She added: “When officers were speaking to him, they detected a strong smell of alcohol.” But he was told that he would be allowed to drive again after 12 months if he completes a drink-driver awareness course. News of Thompson’s dismissal may not come as a massive surprise to regulars of The Drake. Thompson was such a regular there that he featured in a restaurant reviewer’s account last year. The reviewer mentioned that Lennon was also in the bar the night he sampled the food. A source said: “Thommo was a popular bloke among the regulars. He was in a lot, sometimes with other football people and sometimes not. “It’s a shame he lost his job... he loved Celtic and he loved the Glasgow lifestyle. Being on the management staff at Celtic seemed to be his dream job.” Thompson started his career at Newcastle United, the team he supported as a child. He then moved to Bolton Wanderers in 1993 and scored at Wembley in the 1995 League Cup final in a 2–1 defeat to Liverpool. The midfielder moved to Aston Villa in 1998 for £4.5million before eventually signing for Celtic, managed by O’Neill, in 2000 in a £2.75million deal. He became a hero for the Parkhead support, helping the club to the UEFA Cup final in 2003. He eventually left in 2007 after falling out of favour with new manager Gordon Strachan and had a spell at Leeds United. Thompson started his coaching career back at Newcastle in 2008 before being appointed first team coach under Lennon at Celtic in June 2010. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/06...6908-23886176/

WEST HAM have joined the £2million race to sign Stevie Naismith. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has started reshaping his squad for their return to the English Premier League. And heâ??s determined to pip Everton and West Brom to the Scotland star. We told last month how the Baggies had bids rejected by the administration-hit Ibrox side for Naisy who is nearing fitness again after snapping his cruciate in October. Goodison gaffer David Moyes is also a huge admirer but Upton Park boss Big Sam could steal a march on their Premier League rivals by slapping in an offer that would trigger the 25-year-oldâ??s £2m release clause. That figure was inserted into Naismithâ??s deal when he and other top Gers earners took a 75 per cent cut to their wages in a bid to keep the ailing club going until the end of the season. Salaries are due to return to normal when they are paid out later this month. Would-be owner Charles Green has claimed it would be his mission to renegotiate deals to keep his top stars. But time is fast running out with creditors having two weeks to agree to a CVA with the 28-day cooling off period up on July 14. Ironically, Naismith could team up with Norwich striker Grant Holt after the Hammers were linked with a £4m move at the weekend. But both could have been team-mates at Ibrox if Ally McCoistâ??s cut-price January deadline day bid had been accepted. Now the pair could be sharing a dressing room in East London if the Hammers can piece together a package to tempt Naismith away from Ibrox. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4355276/Big-Sam-to-trigger-2m-release-clause.html#ixzz1wtGCIm2U

RANGERS ace Andy Little could spark an Ibrox exodus after admitting heâ??s now on the lookout for a new club. The Northern Ireland star, 23, is out of contract and keen to discuss an extension with prospective owner Charles Green. But Little, who scored five goals towards the end of last term, is losing patience and has told his agent to find him a move. Little, who came through the ranks at Murray Park, scored in the 3-2 Old Firm victory over Celtic in March. But, despite his rise to prominence under Ally McCoist last term, he accepts he may have to end his ties at Rangers after six years. He told Record Sport: â??Iâ??m now looking elsewhere for a club. There hasnâ??t been much contact at all from Rangers. â??I know there are so many problems and they have bigger things to sort out. But how long do I wait? Iâ??m effectively unemployed right now and I canâ??t hang around too long. â??My agent is based in Manchester which is good for me because, if I do leave Rangers, Iâ??d be keen to move to an English club. â??Hopefully Iâ??ll hear from Rangers soon but I have to keep my options open. If I have to leave Ibrox, itâ??ll be disappointing because Iâ??ve worked so hard to get into the team after all the injury trouble I had. â??But this is still a job and a short career so I canâ??t hang around for ever.â? Littleâ??s out-of-contract team-mates Sone Aluko, Salim Kerkar and David Healy are also still waiting to find out if theyâ??ll be offered new deals at Ibrox. Big-name stars such as Allan McGregor, Steven Whittaker, Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty and Steven Naismith all had clauses in their contracts which mean they are for sale at cut-down prices. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/06/04/rangers-in-crisis-striker-andy-little-on-lookout-for-new-club-as-he-admits-his-time-at-ibrox-could-be-up-86908-23884983/

Footballer Joey Barton has been punched in the face outside a nightclub in Liverpool. Merseyside Police said officers were called to Eberle Street at about 05:30 BST following reports of a disturbance outside the Garlands club. His club Queens Park Rangers said two men sang offensive chants at the midfielder and then hit him. Two 21-year-olds are being held on suspicion of a public order offence and are currently in police custody. A spokesman for QPR said: "Joey Barton was involved in an incident in Liverpool city centre in the early hours of Monday morning. "Barton was on his way home from a night out with his girlfriend when two men sang offensive chants and then proceeded to hit the Rs midfielder." "Police were immediately on the scene and... Barton decided not to press charges and left the scene with his girlfriend soon after." Barton, 29, was banned for 12 matches after being sent off in Queens Park Rangers' defeat at Manchester City on the final day of the season. The Football Association found him guilty of two counts of violent conduct. He joined QPR in August last year on a free transfer from Newcastle and became club captain. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-18321310

FROM PRIVATE EYE THE latest saviour of Rangers, Charles Green, suggests that some of the members of his syndicate of overseas investors will come from the Middle East as well as Singapore and Malaysia – perhaps the rich Gulf state of Qatar. Green certainly knows a little about Qatar, as he was a onetime reported "deputy chairman" of Panceltica Holdings, a Jersey-registered but Qatar-based construction company that had a short and, for investors, unhappy life on the AIM market. Although not listed as a director of the Jersey parent, Green, then living in Dubai, was very much involved in the promotion of Panceltica. Panceltica was floated in March 2008 with a placing of 10m shares at 100p, providing a market capitalisation of £230m. It was touting a new technology using lightweight, steel-framed buildings to build houses and apartments. "It's like putting together a Meccano kit," Green told the Daily Telegraph. Clearly there were some missing pieces. By June 2009 problems with its main contract for low-cost housing in Qatar – which was on behalf of its major local shareholder, the government-linked Barwa Real Estate – had delayed the accounts and threatened the survival of Panceltica. A month later Barwa terminated the contract. In August, the Qatar subsidiary went into liquidation and Panceltica shareholders were told there would be nothing for them. The shares were delisted. Panceltica and two Jersey subsidiaries were wound up in 2010. Rangers shareholders and fans will be hoping that the Green-backed company voluntary arrangement to be sent out to creditors this week has much better luck. Meanwhile, more light was thrown by last week's BBC Scotland Investigates TV documentary on the murky dealings leading up to the acquisition of Rangers last year by Craig Whyte, which resulted in administration in February. The programme showed the October 2010 "comfort letter" provided to Rangers owner Sir David Murray's lawyers by Whyte's now ex-lawyer, Gary Withey. It referred to an unidentified "UK financial institution" – previously identified here as Merchant House Group — which had confirmed that Whyte had "up to £33m" available for the deal. So desperate was Murray to sell that he never asked to see the MHG letter. Withey blamed MHG, telling the BBC it had confirmed Whyte's resources as being in excess of £33m to his then law firm, Collyer Bristow. "I have no reason to doubt their bona fides," wrote Withey of MHG. But what he did not reveal was that at the very time MHG was vouching for Whyte, Whyte's Liberty Capital was (and had been since 2009) its major financial lifeline. Liberty Capital first became a major shareholder in MHG in November 2008, when it surfaced with a 9 percent stake, costing around £120,000 following a share placing earlier that year. In December 2009, Liberty transferred £500,000 of preference shares in another Whyte company, Tixway, to Merchant Capital, an MHG subsidiary, to enable it to meet capital requirements for Irish regulators. Liberty received a £500,000 unsecured, no-interest convertible note from MHG due in 2015. Around this time, Merchant Capital agreed to push all its investment fund business through Prichard Stockbrokers, where Whyte was company secretary and a major shareholder. In February 2010, Liberty provided another £100,000 to meet capital requirements in Ireland in return for almost 42m shares in MHG. This took Whyte's stake to 29.9 percent. The following month, Liberty sold 35m shares at a big profit for £175,000 ahead of a deal whereby it acquired another 50m new shares for £250,000, restoring the Whyte stake to just below the bid-trigger level of 30 percent. But by July 2010, Liberty had managed to unload 59m shares on to a falling market which could have realised as much as £3m, thereby more than recouping its investment. However, MHG was still in need of Whyte's help. In June 2010 Liberty had agreed to "provide financial support" for at least 12 months. So Whyte agreed in August to pump in £617,000 by way of 400m new shares and a new convertible loan. This pushed Whyte's stake in MHG from 5 percent to over 20 percent, making him again the biggest shareholder as well as its main financial backer. And that was the position at the time Withey wrote his "comfort letter". No wonder Withey did not identify the "UK financial institution". MHG would have no doubt been prepared to say anything Whyte wanted — especially so long as it was not identified. Had MHG been named the warning signs would have been flashing even to the desperate Murray. As for Whyte, Liberty sold some MHG shares and convertible before dealings in MHG were suspended in April — due to concerns about its financial condition. But it is likely to take a six-figure hit on the remaining shares, convertible and preference shares. But then nothing a supposed "billionaire" like Whyte could not afford. Lifted from FF

Lifted from FF By Mark Dingwall Updated Monday, 4th June 2012 It may be unfair but a huge percentage are hedging their bets. It might be paranoia, it might be safety first, but itâ??s undoubtedly true. In recent days the heads of both the Supporters Association and the Supporters Assembly have voiced wariness about fans coughing up for season tickets. Iâ??ll be upfront about my support for the Blue Knights - itâ??ll save time dealing with the juvenility of â??you would say thatâ? arguments online later on. SUSPICIONS ABOUT A WHYTE-SANCTIONED BUYER Weâ??ve always suspected that to make his scam work Craig Whyte would have a buyer waiting in the wings to buy the club and give him a payday. That might be unfair but itâ??s no more unfair than the questions asked of Bill Ng, Brian Kennedy or Bill MIller when they first appeared on the scene. So when the unfortunately-named Green strolls into town out of nowhere the alarm bells started ringing. Likewise when he didnâ??t seem to suffer the problems in dealing with Duff & Phelps that the Blue Knights, BIll Ng and Bill MIller have all publicly documented. HEâ??S NOT ONE OF US After all that has happened with Craig Whyte is it any surprise that the punter in the street wants to know chapter and verse on Mr X or Mr Y? Craig Whyte was a self-proclaimed Rangers fan so perhaps that goes for nothing - but I think the overwhelming majority of the support want the comfort of knowing the club is owned by Bluenoses. YOU CANâ??T MAKE MONEY OUT OF RANGERS, UNLESS . . . You do a land deal. David Murray couldnâ??t make an honest profit out of running the club for 20 years so what chance anyone else? Forget the club emerging debt-free from administration (and weâ??ll come to that in a minute) weâ??re in the wrong league and the wrong country to operate at the level of playing squad and return big profits. David Grier of Duff & Phelps was hawking Rangers around in City of London presentations as primarily a land deal so suspicions aroused. IS GREEN HIS OWN MAN? Heâ??s been asked to his face if heâ??s the mastermind behind his own deal especially as he claims he has little money of his own due to two divorces. Heâ??s never answered that straight. Thatâ??s his choice. THE PROPOSALS DOESNâ??T HANG TOGETHER Heâ??s still trying to round up money and hoping he might have success getting overseas buyers to believe in a European Super League with Rangers as a franchise, of the G51 project, of Murray Park being re-zoned, of agents investing in players to sell on, etc. Itâ??s all been tried or spoken of before and simply doesnâ??t match up with the reality of what can be done in the Area Plans for development in any of the locations where Rangers have land or the reality of where UEFA is headed with its competitions. Rangers fans who take an interest in such matter know that. HIS PALS AND RECORD AT SHEFFIELD UNITED Green goes on at great length about his pal Freddy Shepherd and how Freddy could put in £20million on his own - but only if he feels wanted. Football fans have long memories and the prospect of being owned by Shepherd with his mocking of Newcastle fans for spending too much on merchandise as exposed in a Spanish brothel in 1998 hardly fills you with confidence. LIkewise with the agent Paul Stretford and Mike McDonald, his Chairman when Green presided over utter chaos at Sheffield United. THE CVA There was a lot of relief that someone got through to exclusive bidder status with Duff & Phelps with a proposal for a CVA. But now that the CVA is being analysed it looks a lot less appetising than the relief of escaping from liquidation initially boosted it up to be. When you look at the fact it consists of loans secured on property, etc, etc, then many are getting cold feet because it all points to Green not being confident he can complete and/or he does not have in place the kind of funding needed to finance the club going forward. Duff & Phelps were in the press over the weekend claiming they had the funding in place to pay wages until the CVA cooling-off period is over. The mechanism for that is not new money from Green: it is players sales, season ticket sales and anything else they can get their hands on - read the CVA proposal if you donâ??t believe me - and if that money is not sufficient then they can ask Green if they can spend some of the money he has deposited to pay for the CVA. Itâ??s a glorified version of robbing Peter to pay Paul. WHAT GREEN NEEDS TO DO At the moment he clearly doesnâ??t have in place the money sufficient to both buy and fund the club on an ongoing basis for the next few months, never mind years. He may be able to do that but unless he is utterly transparent about the level of unencumbered cash available and who the beneficial owners of the club will be - a lawyers office in the Far East is no more acceptable than a PO Box in the British Virgin islands - then fans will, I suspect, hold fire until things are settled and they are confident that they are not funding another financial black hole.

Celtic coach Alan Thompson left reeling as Parkhead boss Neil Lennon sacks him over the phone Jun 4 2012 Exclusive by James Traynor and Keith Jackson Celtic boss Neil Lennon and coach Alan Thompson pop some bubbly after the league title win ALAN THOMPSON was left stunned last night after being sacked by Celtic less than two months after helping Neil Lennon’s side win the title. Record Sport understands first- team coach Thompson was furious after being told his services were no longer required as the first stage in a summer reshuffle of Neil Lennon’s backroom team. Old team-mates to sources close to Thompson he feels hurt and badly let down. Former team-mates Thompson and Lennon were celebrating a championship triumph together at Rugby Park just a few short weeks ago but it’s understood that all was not well. One source said: “Alan had been trying to get Neil on the phone but his calls weren’t being returned. And then this last night. “It is thought this has something to do with Alan’s lifestyle. For whatever reasons there may have been deep concerns about that but he shared a similar lifestyle to Neil and with him.” The source added that Lennon may have been under heavy pressure from the Celtic board to take action and then said: “The thing is, Alan knows where the bodies are buried.” Nevertheless, Thompson, who along with Lennon was a key member of the Martin O’Neill era, is the surprise first casualty of a predicted summer shake-up. Lennon is determined to build on his first major success as a young manager and will now be looking to strengthen his coaching staff before the start of Celtic’s title defence. But Thompson is struggling to come to terms with the manner in which he was dismissed. The sources insist their man had no inkling of yesterday’s surprise development. His lawyer, Margaret Gibbon, of Glasgow-based Bridge Litigation, said in a statement: “I can confirm that I have been instructed to act on behalf of Alan Thompson following his dismissal by Celtic. “Alan was informed of the decision to terminate his employment with immediate effect in a telephone conversation with the club manager Neil Lennon.”

STEWART REGAN has escaped proper public censure for his collusion in a Twitter threat to Lee McCulloch, thanks to a disgraceful cover up by Scotlandâ??s newspapers. Neither of the top two selling papers in the country, the Sun or the Daily Record, carried the story about Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Reganâ??s disgraceful Twitter antics when he made a favourite of a Tweet which called for Rangers and Scotland star Lee McCulloch to be hanged. Actually the words used on the Tweet which appeared on SFA supremo Reganâ??s official Twitter account, said something about wanting to see McCulloch hung. The poor English led many to believe it had been posted by Stewart Regan, a man whose interviews are sprinkled with bad English. The Rangers Trust pounced on Reganâ??s disgrace and issued a press statement condemning it and calling for action to be taken against Regan. Any journalist worth his salt would testify to the newsworthy nature of this as a story. But this seriously sensational story was ignored by both the Sun and Record. Their snub has now led the Rangers Trust to seriously question the news objectivity of the senior news executives on both papers. And today I can add to their concerns. The Sunday Mail, the Recordâ??s sister paper, also abandoned proper journalistic standards in covering and projecting the story, when what is building towards the Regan Scandal took took a fresh turn. That came when it was revealed by Lee McCulloch that Stewart Regan had made a plaintive plea for forgiveness in a desperate telephone call to him. Regan was trying to get off the hook. The decision of what to do with such a revelation and quote is not a hard one for any newsman. It is to give the story prominence on the news pages â?? almost certainly on Page One. The first paragraph, the all important intro, actually writes itself. â??Stewart Regan has made a humiliating apology to Rangers and Scotland star Lee McCulloch.â? Did the Sunday Mail do that? No chance! The Sunday Mail buried this sensational story as two throw-away paragraphs added to the end of a run-of-the-mill interview with McCulloch, in which he said he would be staying at Ibrox next season. And the story was carried on the sports pages. I would love to hear the editor of the Sunday Mail try and explain that away. Just as Iâ??d be pleased to hear the head honchos at the Sun and the Record explain on what news value judgment they based their decision to ignore the story on. However, I can now reveal that if Stewart Regan thinks he has got off the hook over his blatant apparent collusion in an obvious and sinister on-line threat to the Rangers and Scotland player, I can put him right. My information is that the content of Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Reganâ??s official Twitter account, has been brought to the attention of Strathclyde Police. And that means police now have a legal duty to investigate the whole issue. That is something which will involve questioning Stewart Regan and demanding access to his Twitter account so they can trace the origin of the threat to McCulloch which carried sectarian undertones. I can also reveal that police investigations into such online threats are now under the personal command of a Strathclyde Police Assistant Chief Constable and that he has a team of experienced detectives at his command. I can also reveal that furious Rangers supporters, angry at the way this story has been covered up by the Sun, by the Daily Record and by the Sunday Mail, are now ready to call in political big guns and create the sort of storm even the fearties in the editorial chairs of the Sun, Record and Sunday Mail will not be able to ignore or bury away. Scotlandâ??s Scottish National Party First Minister Alex Salmond and his deputy, Govan MSP, Nicola Sturgeon, can expect to be contacted by Rangers Supporters Groups to ask what view they take of Stewart Reganâ??s involvement. After all, after Regan led the witch hunt to sack Hugh Dallas, he went on record as saying that SFA employees should take great care when using new technology and social networking sites. There have already been plenty of examples of stupid sectarian rants and sinister threats online leading to police warnings, charges, court cases and prison sentences. With all of that evidence and precedent available in the public domain, the question which is now being posed by a variety of people in journalism, politics and football â?? many of them with no connection or allegiance to Rangers â?? is this. If such a Tweet had been made about wanting to hang a Celtic player, and had it been made a favourite by Stewart Regan on his own official SFA Twitter account and left there for over four months, would the Sun and the Record have ignored the story? And had Regan telephoned the Celtic player with a groveling apology, would the Sunday Mail have been so keen to bury the story? If Rangers supporters groups make the right moves over the next 24 hours, then this story will soon make headlines. It will gather pace and run and run. Putting the already beleaguered and increasingly erratic Stewart Regan in the eye of the storm and under more and more pressure.

Aye but a lot of our detractors seem to have deliberately ignored the fact: "Unfortunately, the route to apply to the Court of Arbitration in Sport was not open to the Club because the SFA's own articles fail to include a specific provision permitting appeals to CAS and the Judicial Panel Protocol contains a rule which prohibits any form of appeal to CAS or any other body.''

CHARLES GREEN, who is leading a consortium to purchase Rangers Football Club, issued the following statement today. He said: "On behalf of the consortium purchasing the Rangers Football Club, it is my firm view that it is vitally important for the current issue of the SFA player embargo to be resolved and neither I nor my investors wish to see an outcome that would be to the detriment of Scottish Football. "Throughout this process, the Club, the Administrators and most importantly the supporters have taken the view that any sanction against Rangers - due entirely to the misdeeds of individuals no longer at the Club - should be proportionate. "We and the Administrators did not want to take the matter to a civil court at all. "Unfortunately, the route to apply to the Court of Arbitration in Sport was not open to the Club because the SFA's own articles fail to include a specific provision permitting appeals to CAS and the Judicial Panel Protocol contains a rule which prohibits any form of appeal to CAS or any other body. "Our position has been endorsed by Lord Glennie in the Court of Session. The Club was prohibited from appealing to CAS by the SFA's own rules. "The Judicial Review was not an appeal rather it was the Club exercising its right under Scots Law to have the court review whether or not the imposition of the transfer embargo was within the power of the tribunals of the Judicial Panel. "All of the appeal points put to the appellate tribunal relating to the harsh and excessive nature of the embargo were dropped as it would not have been appropriate to have taken those to the Court of Session" "Rangers is wholly committed member of the SFA and SPL and fully respects their structures. "Lord Glennie has referred the matter back to the Appellate Tribunal which heard the Club's appeal and we note a hearing is due to take place in due course. "Either party has 21 days to consider an appeal. It is the Club's view that the matter should in fact have been referred back to the original tribunal which imposed the transfer ban because the appellate tribunal in its written judgement made clear the view they held on the appropriate alternative sanction to be imposed in the event that the transfer ban was successfully challenged. "We are fully aware that one of the sanctions available to the Appellate Tribunal should the matter be referred back there is the suspension or termination of Rangers Football Club membership of the SFA. "That in our view would be a disaster for Scottish football and a major setback to our plans to take Rangers forward after a particularly difficult period in its history. "Equally, the alternative sanction of expulsion from the Scottish Cup is itself a very serious punishment which would also have a severe impact on Scottish football as well as on our Club. "We will be considering with our legal team the best way forward after the public holiday." http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/football-news/article/2796603

Should we be renewing our season tickets if the letters are coming out next week?. I am wanting to renew mine and I would like to see all the season tickets bought,but I know there are a lot of fans not wanting to buy just now until they know what the money is to be used for,until Green has shown his cash,which I can understand. The club needs our money so by not buying surely that will have a serious effect on the club,no?.

Taylor's attack on Rangers DAVID Taylor, the joint general secretary of Uefa and former SFA chief executive, said last night the football world was united in condemning the actions of Rangers in going to the Court of Session to overturn the 12-month transfer embargo imposed on them by the SFA. Lord Glennie accepted a petition from the Ibrox club's administrators for a judicial review on Tuesday, sparking the footballing version of a constitutional crisis and forcing the SFA to return the matter to the appellate tribunal chaired by Lord Carloway for an alternative sentence. Specified punishments range from a fine of £100,000 to suspension from the Scottish Cup or suspension or termination of the club's SFA membership, and Taylor admitted Fifa and Uefa will take co-ordinated action to ensure one of their most sacrosanct principles – that clubs should appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport rather than take recourse to "ordinary courts" – is upheld. Pointing out that he is not involved in Uefa's decision-making process on Rangers, the former Forfar lawyer said: "Football is almost united in saying it isn't the right approach to take to go to court to challenge the authority of the football association when there are other ways of resolving matters. Perhaps it is because the administrators are in charge and aren't familiar with these things, but I would have thought that advice should have been taken before this course of action was pursued." Taylor said it was likely to be regarded more as a Fifa matter than a Uefa one. He added: "But without getting into areas of speculation, this is still entirely a matter for the Scottish FA. A national association is only the clubs, it isn't something separate. It is like being a member of a golf club or something like that. If you want to be a member of that club then you abide by the rules, or you will suffer sanctions." http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/taylors-attack-on-rangers.17763659

I seem to remember the SFA saying they couldn't afford to go to court over TLB

The SFA have been told there will be trouble if their appeals tribunal fails to come down hard on Rangers this Friday. All the panel have to consider is a punishment to replace the 12-month transfer embargo they originally issued after it was declared outwith their remit by Lord Glennieâ??s Court of Session ruling. But SFA chief Stewart Regan, according to MailSport sources, has come under heavy pressure from FIFA to insist that the sanction now levied must be of equal or greater weight to the original. That will be communicated to the panel and itâ??s also understood Gersâ?? owner-in-waiting Charles Green has already been made aware of the grave danger administrators Duff and Phelps have put the club in by taking the case to court. FIFA take a dim view of clubs tackling their national associations in court and could even kick our sides out of Europe and Scotland out of the World Cup qualifiers if Gers arenâ??t punished appropriately. MailSport also believes there will be no compromise agreement so Rangers will either have to accept the original verdict, which is now unlikely, or stand by the tribunalâ??s new ruling. The Hampden hierarchy wonâ??t convene with all parties until Wednesday to discuss the case. And itâ??s believed they have put their tribunal members on standby to clear their diaries for a Friday night session, with the Thursday expected to be too soon to sort the formalities. The panel have yet to receive Glennieâ??s written judgment on the ban. And with the extended Jubilee holidays bringing administration to a halt, the midweek meeting will be their first chance to discuss the format the appeal has to take. Itâ??s believed the original three members of the appellate tribunal â?? Lord Carloway, Allan Cowan and Craig Graham â?? will all sit again, as per Glennieâ??s instructions. However, itâ??s unclear whether Rangers will be invited to take part in proceedings, with the facts of the case already known and uncontested by their QC Richard Keen. The difficulties facing the tribunal are enormous. And despite Lord Glennie insisting they have to choose a sanction from the list in black and white in the SFA statutes, they still face several grey areas. With a ban from the Scottish Cup the closest punishment on the â??lightâ? side of the embargo, and suspension from the SFA the next step up on the other, these are the two most likely outcomes. However, the debate over what â??suspensionâ? constitutes is thought to be troubling the panel. Up for consideration will be the time frame, and also whether suspension â?? while stopping them from playing friendlies or competitive games â?? would still allow Gers to sign and register players. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/06/03/rangers-in-crisis-fifa-order-sfa-to-get-tough-with-ibrox-club-over-appeal-panel-d-day-86908-23883880/

Duff & Phelps, Rangersâ?? beleaguered administrators, last night admitted that their tenure at the club had gone on far too long, but they insisted that Rangers were in a far better condition because of it. The claim might surprise Ibrox supporters, many of whom remain sceptical of the administratorsâ?? decision to give Charles Green preferred bidder status. Green, many believe, is still frantically trying to pull his consortiumâ??s finance together. Duff & Phelps, however, insist that Green has the money to both finance Rangers throughout June, as well as provide a credible sum for a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), which the clubâ??s creditors are set to vote on in 11 daysâ?? time. â??The administration process has gone on far too long â?? longer than we had envisaged â?? but there have been good reasons for that,â? said a Duff & Phelps spokesman. â??It has been a very messy affair, far more so than other such administrations you would come across. â??We have had to deal with Craig Whyte, weâ??ve had to go to court over both the Ticketus deal and the Collyer Bristow money, while for a long time there was no credible buyer for Rangers out there. So it has been drawn-out and more time-consuming than we had thought. â??But we actually think Rangers are in a better shape now than they were before we first came into the club.â? Duff & Phelps have torn up the Ticketus deal, which they claim has been a major boost to Rangersâ?? survival prospects. â??We have struck out the Ticketus deal, so the club now has no debt. Rangers will now be able to receive its own season-ticket money in the seasons ahead, which is good news. If or when we also recover the Collyer Bristow money, Rangers will land another windfall. So the club, we think, is in better shape than before.â? Duff & Phelps are suing owner Craig Whiteâ??s lawyers, Collyer Bristow, and Whyteâ??s takeover vehicle the Rangers FC Group for at least £25m in damages. The firm is accused of conspiracy, breach of undertaking, negligence and breach of trust. The Ibrox administrators also refute suggestions, aired again on BBC Scotland last week, that their financial gain from running Rangers for the past 16 weeks was set to go through the roof. The BBC claimed that Duff & Phelps were set to land £5 million-plus for their work at Ibrox. â??It is nonsense,â? said the spokesman. â??The legal costs are plainly set out in the CVA proposal, and a figure somewhere in the region of £2m is in there. It has, however, been a bit more complicated than that. â??It is pretty costly, as we have had to do twice, to go to court to recover money which we believe rightly belonged to Rangers. These are the things that have made this a prolonged and messy business. But we think they are for the benefit of Rangers as a future going concern.â? It was revealed yesterday that Craig Whyte had been unable to agree a proposal to put a cap on the administratorsâ?? fees when Duff & Phelps were appointed as the Ibrox administrators. A letter was drafted to cap the administratorsâ?? costs, but Whyte never got round to signing it. Whyte is expected, however, in the days ahead, to assert that Duff & Phelps did not know of the way he was using the Ticketus money to fund his takeover of Rangers â?? another contentious issue in the ongoing saga. The Ibrox administrators, meanwhile, are confident that Green can pull off a CVA deal with creditors, despite growing concerns over the Englishmanâ??s ability to finance his takeover. â??We still think there is a decent chance,â? said the spokesman. â??We have seen evidence that Charles Green has the finance in place to do the deal. â??Some people still talk about previous bids for Rangers, one of which appeared to be more to the fansâ?? liking. But the fact is, Charles Greenâ??s proposal was far stronger and more workable than any that was available.â? http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spl/rangers-administration-club-now-in-much-better-shape-thanks-to-us-insist-duff-phelps-1-2335726

HACKED-OFF Hearts could try to scupper Charles Greenâ??s bid to save Rangers. Skint Gers still owe the Jambos £800,000 from the £1.5million transfer of Lee Wallace last August. But under the terms of the CVA issued to creditors this week, Hearts would only get a paltry payment of around £70,000 for the Scotland full-back. And Tynecastle director Sergejus Fedotovas has revealed the Edinburgh club are consulting with lawyers about the best way to recoup the full fee. He said: â??Weâ??re analysing the situation. Weâ??re looking at it with our legal advisors and considering what the options available to us are.â? SunSport understands one of Heartsâ?? options would be to REJECT the CVA proposal issued by administrators Duff & Phelps and chase every penny owed. Owed That would be a big blow to would-be owner Green who needs 75 per cent of creditors to approve the CVA in order for Gers to exit administration on July 12. His consortium is already anxiously awaiting word on whether Ticketus, who are owed £26.7m, and HMRC â?? due £21.5m unpaid PAYE tax and National Insurance â?? will accept their offer. Hearts run the risk of receiving NOTHING should the CVA be rejected and Gers are instead liquidated, which could lead to the formation of a â??newcoâ??. Green, though, was boosted yesterday when midfielder Lee McCulloch confirmed he will be back at Gers next season. The 34-year-old has one year to run on his deal and he said: â??Iâ??ll be back next year. â??The big worry is the players who have got these contracts which can let them leave for silly amounts.â? Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/4353042/Jambos-wont-give-up-so-easi-Lee.html#ixzz1wj3cnwmE

THE SFA are preparing to return to Edinburghâ??s Court of Session to force shamed former Rangers owner Craig Whyte into coughing up a £200,000 fine. The governing body lost out to Rangers in the same court last week when Lord Glennie ruled the transfer ban imposed by the SFA judicial panel on the Ibrox club was outwith their powers. This week, though, the SFAâ??s legal team will be told to pursue Whyte for the fine that was handed down to him at the same time as the transfer embargo for bringing the game into disrepute. Whyte, who sneered at the time: â??Good luck collecting the money,â? had been given 30 days to pay but that deadline passed 10 days ago. A Hampden source last night said: â??If he does not respond we must consider taking a civil action against Mr Whyte through the Court of Session.â? http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/rangers/2012/06/03/sfa-to-launch-legal-proceedings-in-bid-to-reclaim-200k-fine-handed-out-to-craig-whyte-86908-23884056/