ian1964

But does he advance in pragmatic peace or in purposeful anger? The role of the HMRC in the unfolding drama at Rangers has been subject to polarised views. Charles Green, the head of the latest consortium to seek control of the club, believes the taxman may have to be content with a reduced sum instead of debt repayment in full. "If they turn down the cash that is in the pot, then they will get nothing," was his succinct view at a press conference on Sunday. Something is better than nothing was his summation of the situation. However, a contrary view has been expressed by Dr John Beech, an expert on football insolvency. His study of the recent history of clubs going into debt in England shows that HMRC have been unrelenting in their pursuit of their money. He believes Rangers will be "pursued with maximum prejudice". Dr Beech, senior research fellow and head of sport and tourism at Coventry University, has written a prestigious paper on insolvency of football clubs for the Centre for the International Business of Sport. He is keenly aware in a situation of insolvency that some matters differ in England and Scotland. For example, the "football creditors' rule" in England means that debts to other clubs or players are prioritised and must be paid in full before the club is eligible to compete again in the league. This does not apply in Scotland. Dr Beech â?? visiting professor at both the University of Applied Sciences in Kufstein, Austria, and the IE Business School in Madrid â?? has studied the HMRC reaction to clubs in financial trouble closely over the years. He said of the Ibrox situation that the taxman was desperate "to get their pound of flesh for a whole bunch of reasons, nothing to do with Rangers." Dr Beech said there had been a significant change in the attitude by HMRC around 2009 "when they started taking a very, very hard line". He added: "They do not hold back in issuing winding-up petitions." He believes the high profile of Rangers and the amount of money the club owes to the taxman â?? pitched at a dramatic £93m by the administrators, but already around the £13m mark â?? means that "literally HMRC can not afford to let them get away with it". Dr Beech accepts a creditors' voluntary agreement is the preferred route out of the crisis at Rangers, but he added: "HMRC consistently opposes CVAs and the only flexibility it has is if it recognises that a delay in proceedings will help them get their money." He said bluntly: "HMRC stick to a line rigidly. It is this: 'We want our money'. It is absolutely indifferent to what level the club is or what amount is owed. The taxman is relentless." Dr Beech, author of the award-winning Football Management blog, said the size of Rangers could work against the club. "This is a most high-profile case against a famous football club. I think HMRC would be very reluctant to show any weakness whatsoever. They will pursue with maximum prejudice." So why has the taxman been so patient? Why has he not waded in at Ibrox, demanding money? "My reading of the situation is that they will hold back in the interests of getting their money in the mid-term," said Dr Beech. "But they will not hold back if there is no hope whatsoever. They will go in boots flying. They have become very hardline." He said the tax authorities were under pressure from the government to maximise tax revenues. "In the present economic and political climate, they can not afford to seem to be letting people off paying tax, particularly in the case of VAT." This is at the heart of the political ramifications for HMRC. Professor David Hillier of Strathclyde University last night tweeted his belief that HMRC would agree to a CVA. Green may be staking his future plans on this eventuality, though he did not rule out Rangers becoming a newco. "In some respects liquidation is the most likely prospect," said Dr Beech. He said Rangers could be "looking to shuffle the debt around", possibly into a newco. HMRC could pursue that company but that would be "shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted". Such a move, though, could keep lawyers gainfully employed over both the validity and culpability of separate company structures. The decision for the taxman is simple in that there are two options. But either route is fraught with danger politically. Does HMRC pursue Rangers until perdition and face the dangerous prospect of receiving no money. It would then be accused of destroying a club and turning down money. Or does it come to an agreement? Then HMRC would be in the line of fire for cutting a deal with a club that has wilfully avoided tax. The tax bill may now stand at £13m: £9m in unpaid PAYE and just more than £4m for the 'little tax case". But if a deal of Xp in the pound was reached it would prompt a political storm, with opponents citing how many nurses, schools or health facilities could have been purchased by the unpaid tax. So is the taxman the accommodating pragmatist hoped for by Mr Green? Or is he the relentless pursuer studied by Dr Beech. All may soon be revealed. And then the big tax case will come along. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/two-sides-of-the-same-coin.17596205

I asked this in the other thread,will the administrators have to know who the investors are before agreeing to sell?.

Will the admin guys know who these investors are?

So,is it just Rangers owners that are to be investigated?,the SFA fucked up with CW 100%.

SFA boss Stewart Regan is to demand full disclosure of the people and groups behind Charles Greenâ??s Ibrox takeover. The former Sheffield United chief executive doesnâ??t want to reveal his team until a CVA can be agreed but the gameâ??s governing body will insist Green lists everyone involved â?? and also provides full details of his business plan. We can reveal today that former Newcastle owner Freddy Shepherd is giving â??serious considerationâ? to joining the group. The controversial 70-year-old broke cover to speak exclusively to Record Sport last night after seeing his name linked with Greenâ??s anonymous 20-strong consortium. But one name will not satisfy Regan â?? he wants the full story behind the deal, believing itâ??s the correct and responsible thing to do. And he should be applauded for stepping forward and demanding answers. Only yesterday in these pages, we said the SFA had to act on behalf of Rangers, who are in the hands of administrators, and it appears thatâ??s exactly what they are doing. We can also reveal that Green will be back in Glasgow tomorrow because he wants to meet the Ibrox staff but now he will also have to provide answers to the SFA. Rangers fans are desperate to know who is in with Green and how much money they can muster after their £8.5m buy-out but these supporters donâ??t have a board of directors or anyone to speak on their behalf. On Sunday night, just after our sister paper the Sunday Mail had revealed Green was in line to be the next owner, an SFA spokesman said they couldnâ??t get involved and that they didnâ??t have a fit and proper test. But common sense has prevailed and we believe Regan will now demand full information on Greenâ??s men and their backgrounds, even though he made it clear he had no desire to do that when he stepped forward on Sunday as the leader of Rangersâ?? next owners. The Yorkshireman, 59, reaffirmed this last night in a statement but said he would welcome talks with the gameâ??s governing bodies over any future sanctions the club may suffer. Green said: â??Quite rightly, fans and the media have raised the issue of the identity of those involved. â??The reason I canâ??t do this at this time is some investors would like to wait until a CVA proposal is advanced or agreed before going public. â??What I can say is that there is a broad church of investors, from families in Singapore and India to individuals in the UK. â??The identities of those involved will be revealed as we pursue the CVA and know what the outcome of that will be. â??I am also hoping to meet the SPL and SFA soon to discuss the consortium and all matters regarding the club. I would also like to say that as soon as the CVA process is further along the road I would like to meet supportersâ?? representatives again to discuss progress.â? Regan will push through tougher controls on clubs and new owners at the SFAâ??s agm on June 6. They will place a great onus on clubs to conduct more detailed due diligence on prospective new owners to avoid one of their members falling into the hands of another Craig Whyte. But because the SFA are limited on what they can demand of certain businesses they will make it harder for clubs to change hands. They hope that by doing so the futures of their clubs and the game in general will be become better protected. Meanwhile, Shepherd confirmed Green has asked him to pump some of his family millions into the Ibrox rescue package. But he insists he wonâ??t make a final decision until he has seen more details of Greenâ??s vision for the club. The man who sold his shares in Newcastle to Mike Ashley in 2007 said: â??Weâ??ve been approached about joining his consortium and are considering it. He has obviously approached other people â?? we are not that daft â?? but he has spoken to us and we are thinking it over. â??We havenâ??t been given a timescale but youâ??d be an idiot to think this can go on for weeks or months.â? Shepherd has asked for more information on the crippled state of the club and will also be keen to obtain a clearer view of any further football sanctions likely to be imposed on Rangers before he digs into his own pocket on their behalf. But he wonâ??t be scared off at the first sign of trouble, having helped build his local club up from nothing into a £100m business. Shepherd added: â??Nothing is impossible so once weâ??ve got all the details weâ??ll be able to make our decision. The bottom line is Rangers are a big club. Itâ??s a global brand and we are seriously looking at it. â??Iâ??ve been at the bottom end before. When I took Newcastle over it was hardly the Bank of England I was buying. So I have experience in these matters.â? Green is not only trying to bring in more financial muscle. He is also engaged in a PR offensive with the clubâ??s supporters. After attending Sundayâ??s 4-0 win at St Johnstone, he released a statement through the clubâ??s website yesterday which said: â??Although I have spent many years in and around football, nothing could have prepared me for the passion and commitment I saw in the last few days. â??I hope the consortium I lead can repay that and we are now pressing on with the job of completing the sale of the club.â? http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/05/15/rangers-in-crisis-sfa-chief-stewart-regan-demands-charles-green-reveals-his-mystery-backers-86908-23859951/

Hibernian chairman Rod Petrie has given a strong hint he would vote against a â??newcoâ?? Rangers entering the Scottish Premier League by declaring â??integrity is beyond purchaseâ?. The Charles Green-fronted consortium which has signed a deal to take control of Rangers hope to take the club out of administration through a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA). However, the group say they will form a new company to purchase the clubâ??s assets if a CVA is rejected by creditors. SPL clubs have twice postponed a vote on possible sanctions for â??newcoâ?? clubs and are due to meet again on 30 May, when the 12 clubs will assume control of any decision on whether a newco Rangers can acquire the share of the current club, with an 8-4 majority decision needed. Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston has signalled he would accept a newco Rangers for financial reasons. But Petrie last night claimed that money should not come into the equation. He told BBC Radio Scotland: â??Thatâ??s fundamental to us at our club, to make sure the integrity of the game is not called into question and that the sporting integrity of the competition we take part in is maintained at the highest standards. Itâ??s not a question of any sum of money in return for that integrity â?? integrity is beyond purchase. â??Itâ??s important that all clubs can have a place within football, provided they have earned it in a sporting sense and also have abided by the rules.â? Rangers fans have threatened action against clubs who act against their clubâ??s interests, while supporters of other clubs have threatened to walk away from the SPL if it contains a â??newcoâ?? Rangers that could not agree a deal with creditors. â??Itâ??s vital part of what we do, listening to supporters,â? Petrie said. â??Itâ??s important we understand what they are thinking and itâ??s also important we are able to explain the dynamics of the landscape in front of us. â??If we are called upon to make any decisions we will try to do the right thing and uphold the integrity of the competition that we are engaged in.â? Celtic last week stated their guiding principle would be the best interests of the club and supporters, consistent with upholding the â??interests and reputation of Scottish footballâ?. Speaking about the difficulties facing Scottish football in general, Petrie continued: â??We need to find a future for football that people want to be part of. â??Weâ??re one of the leading clubs in the country and we have to play our part in making sure we have a successful and vibrant game. A game thatâ??s attractive to supporters. â??The game touches almost every household in the country. â??Where we are failing a little bit at the moment is getting the balance between those who are willing to make a contribution, supporters and television. â??Our supporters want games at three oâ??clock on a Saturday and we have to balance that against the needs of a television audience. â??Of course, TV viewers want to see games played out in front of big, enthusiastic, crowds.â? http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spl/rod-petrie-insists-spl-must-maintain-integrity-despite-financial-cost-1-2294135

I would expect there not to be a season ticket left unsold. If Rangers are to survive there needs to be full backing from the fans,unless you can't afford a season ticket why wouldn't you buy one or renew?.

Agreed. Much as everyone would like to know who is part of the consortium,what the fuck has it got to do with the SFA/SPL who these investors are?

peter lansley‏@LansleyTimes McLeish saying his goodbyes to the #avfc players. In discussing compo. Announcement likely by lunchtime

I hear you mate,but we have Durrant there with Ally,do we need Gattuso?,anyway it's all speculation.

I honestly think it would be a bad move if this were to happen,we have young midfielders trying to make their way in the first team and I would rather have that.

Carlos Bocanegra ‏ @BocaBoca3 Hope this situation gets sorted just as quickly as everyone else does. Enjoy being a part of this club and city Retweeted by Frankie

JUST about the only hackneyed old cliché Charles Green didnâ??t fall back on was an â??Ba Gum Ladâ? sound bite. In all other respects this mouthpiece for the MEN OF MYSTERY who want to get their hands on Rangers, played the big, bluff professional Yorkshireman right down to the soles of his shoes. But Green even managed to get in an even bigger Yorkshire cliché as he battled to win the hearts and minds of the media. He resorted to a phrase which has become a standing jokeâ?¦. even in Yorkshire. The one about going DOWN THE PIT! Gimme a break, Mr Green! Donâ??t be a proper Charlie. Some of the more gullible hacks who fawned over you at the Rangers training ground may have fallen for your Yorkshire Working Menâ??s Club stand-up comedy act. It didnâ??t fool this old hack! Just who is Green fronting for? Who are the MEN OF MYSTERY? Whatâ??s their backgrounds? And if they are all so fabulously wealthy, why does Green need TWENTY of them for the whip round? It isnâ??t as though they will all be contributing £3M apiece. That would amount to £60M and remove the need for a CVA. They could just move in now. Today! They could sign on the dotted line, pay off all the debts, send out the season ticket renewal forms, complete with the price increases Green has promised, and watch £20M more roll in. From the pockets of hard working Rangers supporters. But none of that is on Greenâ??s agenda. None of that is what he is being ordered to say by the MEN OF MYSTERY. Of course there are many Rangers supporters out there who are already buying into the Green routine. Already welcoming him as the leader of a squadron of Arabian Knights. And it is hard to blame them. Those supporters have spent the last three months on the edge of despair. They are now in such turmoil, so frightened, so bewildered, they are fair game for any blarney. And much of what Charles Green spouted to the media was just that. Blarney! A patter routine carefully scripted and designed to hand headlines to the tabloids. To, in the vernacular of the press pack, fill their boots and send them off chortling happily with an easy story to write. The same way Craig Whyte handed hacks an easy story to write a year ago. The same way he and his spin doctors whispered about just calling conman Whyte a billionaire. Rangers fans would be well advised to remember how that turned out. So too would the press pack. It was not their finest hour. Those fans may have been ill served by the media a year ago, but they at least knew WHO Craig Whyte was, if not WHAT. Now they know who Charles Green is. Donâ??t they want to know WHAT he is? Do Rangers supporters not want to know who the MEN OF MYSTERY are? Or will Rangers fans aim venomous abuse at the few reporters who go diligently and professionally about the perfectly reasonable and entirely legitimate business of investigating Charles Green and of attempting to name the MEN OF MYSTERY? There are already sections among the Ibrox fan base which has accused the Daily Record of digging the dirt. Of muck raking. Do me a favour. Thatâ??s the paper which uncovered conman Craig Whyteâ??s dodgy deal with Ticketus. It is the bad guys, the villains whose dark deeds are laid bare by newspapers, who call it muck racking. Thatâ??s the language those thieves in the House of Commons resorted to when the Daily Telegraph laid bare the money MPs were stealing. So please, save the digging the dirt jibes, save the anti Rangers agenda comments, for those who deserve them. Hereâ??s a wee question. I want to know all there is to know about Charles Green. I want to know what he is. I want to know who the MEN OF MYSTERY are. Does that make me anti Rangers? One thing I already know is that the administrators, Duff and Phelps say they have had a sight of the client account where the MEN OF MYSTERYâ??S money has been lodged with a firm of London solicitors. The firm is Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, 35, Vine Street, London. Now, give me a minute. Iâ??m just trying to remember where Iâ??ve heard a similar tale. Ah, yes. That was when David Murray had a sight of the funds lodged by Craig Whyte as proof of financial substance, with a firm of London lawyers, Collyer Bristow. Only the names have been changed. One name which I believe we will be hearing a lot of in the coming days is that of a lawyer with that firm He specialises in football matters. His name is Daniel Geey. Any hack wishing to get more information can reach him at daniel.geey@ffw.com or at ontheball@footballaid.com or at info@danielgeey.com or on 0207 861 4335. He writes a monthly legal football column and offers advice to football clients on such matters as fit and proper persons. Now hereâ??s a thing. Does Danny boy know who the MEN OF MYSTERY are? Is he willing to stake his impeccable professional reputation and his clearly lucrative career on them? Is he satisfied, as a leading legal expert in such a key area, that the MEN OF MYSTERY will pass the Scottish Football Associationâ??s fit and proper person test? He should have no trouble finding out, for the website of the On The Ball company which Daniel Geey is heavily involved in, lists the Scottish Football Association as sponsors/partners/backers. Call it what you like, the site carries the logo of the Scottish Football Association. So all Daniel Geey has to do is pick up the phone and give his pal, Stewart Regan a buzz. Thatâ??s to say, if he can find a minute to spare from fielding calls and emails from the Scottish press pack. Reporters will be keen to find out everything they can about Charles Green. Wonâ??t they? They will be keen to discover just who the Arabian Knights, the MEN OF MYSTERY are. Wonâ??t they? Or will there still be plenty of newspapers lazy enough to be satisfied with Charles Greenâ??s professional Yorkshireman stand up comedy act? If I can steal a wee line from Green's blarney. The one about, â??Down The Pit.â? IT IS TIME TO START DIGGING!.

As we know,when it comes to abusing anyone age doesn't come into it

I think all we can do is sit and wait to see what transpires,no need to get too excited or to go against him for now,nothing else we can do

Step forward TBKs',after all they have the best interest of Rangers at heart,nothing stopping them investing in Rangers!

When we win the league we head to Ibrox,our own stadium, for a party,these mutants are just low lifes and I really hope they get caught and jailed,SCUM!.

It is amazing how they continually get away with thuggery like this,of course if you say it would be different if it was Rangers fans that behaved like that you would be accused of being paranoid,typical Republic of Scotland

CHARLES GREEN last night insisted there are some Rangers supporters in the mysterious consortium that has funded his bid for control of the club. But the Yorkshireman then admitted heâ??s worried fans wonâ??t be able to make the life-or-death decisions needed to keep the Ibrox club from going under for good. Former Sheffield United chief executive Green was given the keys to Murray Park yesterday when administrators Duff and Phelps confirmed the two parties had entered into a binding agreement for the sale of the club. He hopes to have saved the club by June 6 by ploughing £8.5million into a CVA pot and says only then will he reveal the identities of the 20-strong group of investors who are backing his plans with hard cash. Green would not confirm the likes of controversial former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has signed up, saying only the group was made up of individuals and families from the UK, Middle East, Far East and Asia. He did insist that genuine Rangers supporters were among them. But Green added: â??I worry about them. Sometimes fans donâ??t make good business decisions. The Sheffield United fans had a go at me because I wasnâ??t a Blade and didnâ??t love the club. â??I argued I thought that made be dispassionate because I could make difficult decisions without wearing my heart on my sleeve. If I didnâ??t have some attraction I wouldnâ??t have gone to Sheffield and I wouldnâ??t have come to Rangers. All football clubs will lose money if they are not run properly.â? Green admits his plans are not yet clear and entirely dependant on a list of outside factors. He said: â??My problem and Ally McCoistâ??s problem is the unknown. Have we got a transfer ban? Are we banned from Europe for one year or three years? â??Thatâ??s all driven by the structure of the deal and whether the CVA goes through. No one knows the answers to these questions yet. What we know is weâ??re committed to funding this club to the maximum. â??If I go to the people who are funding this with me and say, â??Ally would like to spend X million on these three to get us into Europe and make a difference of £20m a yearâ??, why would they not support that?â? Green has already held lengthy discussions with McCoist. He said: â??I would have loved to speak to Ally a long time ago. Clearly he is the most important person in this story. â??But do you want to take your son to Harrods and show him the big teddy bear knowing you canâ??t give it to him? â??So why would I want to go and speak to Ally until I know I have got the club? Iâ??ve obviously met Ally now and have explained who we are and where we are. â??We have spent a lot of time and done what we need to do. And there are massive hurdles to cross. My lawyers are saying, â??This is a riskâ??. But itâ??s a risk just crossing the road. So there are huge risks â?? with the SPL, the SFA, the Inland Revenue.â? http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/05/14/rangers-in-crisis-charles-green-fears-the-gers-fans-in-his-20-strong-consortium-could-be-a-problem-86908-23858790/

BBC Interview with Green: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18052448

5 minutes added time..........................

Couldn't give a fuck mate as long as he gets us sorted

If this take over happens,what kind of squad will we have?,will we lose our high earners?.

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I was not happy when the fund was used to pay Dunfermline,then we all know what their chairman said regarding Rangers.It's all about opinions I suppose but for me they can all go and take a hike