ian1964

By John Mcgarry PUBLISHED: 22:49, 14 March 2012 | UPDATED: 22:49, 14 March 2012 Hugh Adam has railed against Sir David Murrayâ??s defence of EBTs, claiming they were simply part of the Ibrox starsâ?? salaries. Murray broke his silence on Tuesday to confirm the two main allegations Adam made in Sportsmail last month. The man who created Rangers Pools claimed EBTs had been used in the 1990s and that they had been excluded from player contracts registered with the SFA and SPL. Excuses won't wash: David Murray attempted to defend his use of EBTs If true, the second allegation would be in direct contravention of both bodiesâ?? rules on player registration, which demand full disclosure of all remuneration. Having seen both bodies launch investigations in the past week, Murray defended the use of EBTs by insisting there was no obligation to detail them in contracts as there was â??no contractual entitlement on the part of the playersâ??. Adam, however, responded by insisting that, far from being discretionary, the money paid via EBTs was, in effect, wages. â??It was effectively salary and should have been included in the playersâ?? wage slips,â?? he said. â??It was a way of attracting players into the club. I think he (Murray) was aware that if he did that, the players would be quite happy and would stay with Rangers. If someone can give you an extra twenty grand a year that you donâ??t have to account for, then youâ??d jump at it. â??I donâ??t see how you can have that kind of contract and just take a bit out of it as you go along. Duped: Murray claimed he was taken in by Rangers owner Craig Whyte â??If you were trying to attract players, you had to get money from all sources. He probably wouldnâ??t have been paying them enough in the ordinary way.â?? Although Murray has denied the existence of a â??second contractâ?? containing EBT payments, employment lawyers who examined a â??back letterâ?? given to an unnamed player detailing bonuses believed it to be a de facto contract. Adam maintains that whatever shape it is in, there exist written agreements detailing remuneration which were not lodged with the authorities. â??I always said there were separate contracts. I said that quite deliberately,â?? he added. â??If there hadnâ??t been, they would have been in the main books. It wasnâ??t included in the standard contract. Thatâ??s a certainty.â?? On the day that SFA president Campbell Ogilvie admitted having an EBT, but stressed that since the mid-1990s heâ??d had no part in administrating contracts, Adam concurred, saying: â??Campbell would only have been a nominal general secretary. David (Murray) was secretive and kept these things to himself.â?? Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz1p8SkVr7I

It's Thursday 15th March here,04:30:tu:

Nope,my flight from Perth is not until 22:30 tonight,as in tonight here,and it's only 04:00,feckin night shift!,chopper in 6hrs 32 minutes

Who gives a flying fuck what the BHEASTS say?

Dear god,what next?

Campbell Ogilvie, Scottish FA President: â??In light of todayâ??s comments by Sir David Murray, and the ongoing speculation surrounding my role as President of the Scottish FA and my previous employment as a director of Rangers FC, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify the following points: â??I was aware of the EBT scheme in operation at Rangers during my time at the club and, indeed, was a member. The existence of the scheme was published in Rangersâ?? annual accounts. â??My role at Rangers, until the mid-90s, included finalising the paperwork for player registrations. As confirmed by Sir David Murray today, it was never my role to negotiate contracts during my time at Rangers. It is also worth noting that, since the mid-90s, I was not responsible for the drafting or administering of player contracts. â??I ceased being Company Secretary in 2002 and became General Secretary responsible for football strategy, in effect becoming the main point of contact between the club and the respective league and governing bodies. â??In relation to the recent investigation, I can confirm that I asked to be excluded from the Scottish FAâ??s Independent Inquiry into Rangers. In the interests of good governance it was absolutely right that this was the case. â??I am proud and privileged to be President of the Scottish FA during an exciting period in its history. I have an excellent relationship with our chief executive, Stewart Regan, and the Board of Directors. I would like to thank them for their support throughout this process and look forward to new and exciting challenges ahead at the Scottish FA.â? http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=1335&newsCategoryID=3&newsID=9490

Apart from their hatred for everything Rangers,it's the fact that their bigoted, vicious campaign against us,starting with the way in which they hunted down the refs,attacked the SFA in a bitter,twisted & sad way,in an attempt to 'right all the wrongs' that have happened to their club since their beginning,the reality of when the Rangers pull through this administration and continue to be the dominant club in Scotland is going to cause the biggest TIMplosion ever seen,and all because they fail fail, again, with their latest attempt to destroy our club.

SIR DAVID MURRAY has spoken of the pain he feels for Ally McCoist. 0 comment Related Stories US big guns make move for Gers A BILLION pound American investment bank is behind a Rangers takeover bid Boydy fells Philly on Timbers debut Gers has cost me close to £100m No more Ibrox Knight-mares Kennedy's set to bid for Gers China is a no Go for stopper Dorin McCoist has been left to hold together crisis-torn Rangers as they teeter on the brink of oblivion. Former Gers owner Sir David yesterday confessed to regrets over selling the club to Craig Whyte. He feels Ibrox icon McCoist has been left to carry the can in the season from hell. The ex-chairman admitted: "I really feel sorry for Ally. In the past, there has always been a spine at the club. There was myself, Martin Bain, Walter Smith, Richard Gough, David Weir. It gave us solidity and there was always confidentiality too. The group was tight and nobody leaked anything. "Unfortunately that's not there now. It's like a rudderless ship. "The sooner someone puts a hand on the tiller, the better." Sir David owned Gers for 23 years before selling to disgraced tycoon Whyte for just £1 almost a year ago. He had presided over the Nine-in-a-Row heyday when McCoist was a record-breaking striker and he admitted for the first time that he misses aspects of his old role at Gers. Sir David added: "If I could genuinely help, I would. I have genuinely put in close to £100m over the years. There was a rights' issue where I put in £50m. "We enjoyed a lot of success together. "Now it's all my fault but I accept that I was captain of the ship and I take my share of the criticism. "I do miss the camaraderie and friendship I had with people." Asked if he may return, he said: "It is not on my agenda — today." Sir David meanwhile, has denied he was under pressure from Lloyds to sell the club to Whyte. He said: "Was I under pressure from the bank to do the deal? No. "The bank wanted their money back, of course, and I'd made it clear I wanted out of Rangers. "At that time we were going into recession and people weren't queueing up to buy football clubs. "But if we'd known of the Ticketus thing, we'd not have done the deal. "If Craig Whyte had done what he was meant to have done, we would also be in a far better position." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4193120/Murray-My-pain-for-Ally.html#ixzz1p2zLGGHV

A BILLION pound American investment bank is behind a sensational Rangers takeover bid. SunSport can reveal that New-York based Fortress, which currently boasts assets of £27BILLION, has expressed definite interest with administrators Duff and Phelps and it is understood the Yanks' move is being taken seriously — while a Far East consortium from Singapore continue to weigh up their options. An insider close to the deal told SunSport: "This American company has piles of cash behind them and they are turn-around specialists." Fortress Investment Group was set up as a private equity firm in 1998 by mega-rich American duo Wesley Edens, 50 and Robert Kauffman, 48. Four years ago dad-of-four Edens, 51, was ranked 962 on the Forbes World rich list with a personal fortune of around £770million. Just one year earlier the magazine ranked Kauffman at 557 with a bulging bank balance of £1.1billion. Fortress began as an equity company before expanding into hedge funds, real estate and debt securities. It is unclear as yet if the corporate giants have been approached by Gers supporting businessmen trying to rescue the stricken club, who were plunged into administration last month over an unpaid tax bill. Rival bidders are preparing to show their hands as the Friday deadline looms for new owners to prove they are serious about buying the stricken SPL champs. Paul Murray and his Blue Knights, who include London-based John Bennett and Scott Murdoch and motor tycoon Douglas Park, still believe they are in pole position to snap up Rangers. Ex-director Murray, 46, who has the backing of fans groups and ex-Gers gaffer Walter Smith, inists he is confident of formalising his bid in the next 48 hours. Now he could face Stateside opposition. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4193153/American-big-guns-make-move-for-Gers.html#ixzz1p2yl6F00

As we all remember DM saying he will only sell to someone who has Rangers best interest at heart and we all know how that turned out,but how much emphasis will the administration guys put on the next buyer/owner?,I mean how can we be confident in who is right for Rangers?.

SIR DAVID Murray last night held his hands up and admitted he had been "duped" by Craig Whyte and now "deeply regretted " selling Rangers to the Motherwell born businessman. And in his first full and frank interview since the Ibrox club entered administration the former owner insisted he would never even have entered into talks with Whyte if there had been any suggestion he was going to pay for the take-over with £24m worth of borrowed money from Ticketus. Murray who produced legal documents and letters of assurances from Whyte and his lawyers Collyer Bristow to support the sale which included £9.5m being set aside for players and stadium work and an immediate £5m of other working capital also confirmed all negotiations in London and Monaco had been conducted with a "chaparone " to meet Takeover Code rules. Now the man who was in charge for 22 years at Ibrox and invested almost £100m in the club says he is willing to help in "any small way" to ensure Rangers thrive again under new ownership as Scottish football and the country's economy in general needs them. ì David Murray admitted he had been "duped" by Craig Whyte î "I was primarily duped. My advisers were duped, the bank was duped, the shareholders were duped. We've all been duped. Is duped the right word? I think it is." admitted Murray. "There's only so much information. After someone has been disqualified for seven years, it's not that easy to check. And it is also down to the individual, is it not, to make us aware of that. So we did check, to the best of our ability. "But I was in a situation where we had been endeavouring to sell the club for four years. We had received proof of funds. We had a legal document confirming he was going to spend money on players, eventually, once he had paid back the loan. "I'd actually delivered what I'd said I'd deliver in a tough economic time. I'm not defending me _ because I've made a huge mistake here. And I deeply regret, I deeply regret, selling the club to Craig Whyte now. Deeply. "And if the information had been available to me at the time I wouldn't have done it. I did it in good faith. "Any time you sell there are always murmurings. There was no factual information. And in fact shareholders, press, SFA - I mean, I'm first in the line, but everybody was duped. But then slowly it has unravelled." " What we wanted to do was get debt out the club. I've read all this 'debt-ridden club'. Craig Whyte made a statement the club was never in better financial state when he took it over. "I thought: I hope I've done the job right. I've passed it on. This is a guy saying he's going to spend money on players, on health and safety, do the ground up. That is a legal offer document. You would expect that to be honoured." "My Rangers reputation has been tarnished and I accept as I was captain of the ship I must take my share of the blame. "I very much regret selling to Craig Whyte. "He was the wrong person and it was a big mistake .I apologise again for how things have turned out but at the time he seemed the right choice. They weren't exactly queuing up to buy Rangers over a four year period. "He was Scottish, supposedly a Rangers fan, seemingly had the money and was very affable even if his reputation was vague . He and his lawyers met the criteria we laid down in the offer document and if he had delivered we would not be in this position today." he added. "We have all the relevant documents and they have been passed on to the Administrators who visited us as a courtesy and not to 'interrogate' as was reported and understand those will be of use to them in pursuing funds totalling as much as £9.5m held by Collyer Bristow and apparantly unaccounted for." Murray stressed an arrangement with Ticketus had never been mentioned in take-over discussions nor had the sale of "historic " shares in Arsenal FC which he bitterly regretted. He has no preference as to the next owners but warns: " They will need to have a bold strategy to adapt to a changing situation and have deep pockets. I made the wrong choice and hope whoever gets it this time , whether it is a Black, White or Blue Knight is the best one. "It's important the club survives, not just for Rangers supporters but for Scottish football as a whole." http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/307965

Two men have become the first football supporters in Scotland to be convicted and sentenced under new offensive behaviour at football legislation. Andrew Whitson, 28, and Paul Swan, 39, both from East Lothian, admitted singing racially-offensive songs on a train from Ayr to Glasgow on Saturday. Whitson was fined £180 and Swan £200. They were also given a one-year football banning order. The Offensive Behaviour at Football Bill came into force on 1 March 2012. Guilty pleas Whitson and and Swan were returning from the Ayr v Hibs Scottish Cup quarter final match on the 18:13 train when they committed the offence. They were arrested after officers from British Transport Police (BTP) observed them singing songs of a racially derogative nature. Whitson, from Longniddry, and Swan, from Tranent, pleaded guilty when they appeared from custody at Glasgow Sheriff Court. From BBC site That's your mate Johnny & Frankie :grin:

RANGERS' administrators have told the Blue Knights: Put your money where your mouth is. Ibrox director Paul Murray's consortium has been the most public of all the groups set to come forward. But joint administrator Paul Clark insists that DOESN'T mean they are the most likely to take over the club. Others from Scotland, the rest of the UK, the States and the Far East also want talks in the coming days. Clark said: "I don't want to be specific about bidders, but there is at least one party from the Far East. "We've had some interest as well from the American continent. "There's been a number of meetings over the last few days and more are planned for next week. "I've got two calls to two different parties over the weekend. We want only serious bidders left by the end of next week. "We want to seek out anybody who has just been talking — and there are a few out there who have done a lot of talking. "We want them, as it were, to put their money where their mouth is. "Let's get them round a table so we know how many parties we've got. "We have one or two parties prepared to talk to the media. "Then you have other parties who have been quietly, slowly and diligently getting on with their business behind closed doors. "We're taking them just as seriously as anybody who is on the front page of the newspapers saying 'I'm going to buy Rangers, you just watch'. "If somebody wants to involve the media that's fine. If they become the owner they can sit on the front page of all the papers saying 'I did it'. "But don't be surprised if the owner isn't one of the people who is media friendly. "I am not ruling anybody out in this process, absolutely not. "I'm just saying nobody should assume the only serious bidders are the ones who are in the public domain. "I don't care how many bidders we end up with, but I want to know who they are, what they are and what their worth is. "Then we can have more serious conversations about achieving the end goal, which is to get Rangers under new ownership. "Next Friday we want to receive absolute proof of funding so we understand who they are and which camp they're in, because some people have feet in various camps. "We want to know who exactly has their money. More importantly, we want some form of indicative bid where we see the price they'll pay. That will distil down however many parties we have at the moment to the final few." Murray's group includes Ticketus, the firm who current owner Craig Whyte sold four years' worth of season tickets to in order to raise the cash to buy the club. Clark said: "If the Blue Knights and Ticketus become the preferred bidder and prove they have the finance and can fulfil appropriate fit and proper tests, to my mind it's okay. "I'm not going to comment on any individual, but undoubtedly this time around there will be close scrutiny from a number of parties — not just the football authorities — to look at the backgrounds of all people involved in any takeover. "It's a careful balancing act for us because we want to get the best price and the most money. But we don't want a situation whereby the group that has paid the most money ends up with an issue of fitness or other grounds. "The reality is, anybody who doesn't pass the fitness test won't necessarily be discarded there and then, but we have to treat them with extreme caution because the last thing Rangers needs is another Craig Whyte type character. "The fitness of a new owner is going to be very important, but it's one for the football authorities. "I suspect the SFA will be taking a look at their own rules to see if they require any adjustment. I don't know how quickly that could be done." Clark revealed Whyte has been helping the joint administrators' investigations, but confirmed they believe he never put a penny into Rangers and will become IRRELEVANT to the future of the club. He added: "Craig Whyte has, when we've asked him, assisted us. But we've seen no evidence whatsoever of any investment by him into Rangers. "We can't see any monies that he has paid in. We can't see how he can have any secured creditor status, so we think his position is limited. "I'm not going to give away the strategy of how we get to the final point, but Duff and Phelps are in charge of Rangers and we're making the decisions, not him. "The fact that he's had to come in and supply us with information doesn't mean he's part of any decision-making process. "He has no rights, in my view, to Ibrox or Murray Park. The only rights he could possibly have over them is if his secured creditor status was proven and he had any value to it. "He doesn't have any value. So if he's not a secured creditor, he has no rights to Ibrox or Murray Park. "The SFA have announced he's not a fit and proper person in accordance with their rules, so he couldn't come back. We never thought he was coming back to Rangers. "I don't see him as ongoing owner of Rangers. I don't see him as important going forward. We're in control of the process. "In terms of his influence on the outcome to all of this, I think he has little or no relevance. In terms of Rangers' future, medium to long term, he is absolutely irrelevant. "The value of Craig Whyte's floating charge security is zero. If it's zero it has no impact. There is no money due to him. "He paid no money, so there is nothing to assign to him. The money from Ticketus was paid into Collyer Bristow and those monies were from the sale of Rangers season tickets. "Those monies were then paid to the bank so the company, Rangers, paid off the bank, not Craig Whyte. He put no money in." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scot...#ixzz1olLcIdsy

RANGERSâ?? administrators have made it clear disgraced owner Craig Whyte will have no say in the future dealings of the club. Paul Clark of Duff and Phelps has made it clear that Whyte has no stake in Rangers. He said: â??I donâ??t see him as on-going owner of this club. I donâ??t see him as that important going forward. â??In terms of his influence on the outcome to all of this I think he has little or no relevance. â??In terms of Rangersâ?? future medium to long term he is absolutely irrelevant. The last thing Rangers needs next is another Craig Whyte figure.â? â??Look at the bigger picture and the SFA has announced that he is not a fit and proper person in accordance with their rules and therefore he couldnâ??t come back. â??And we never thought he was coming back.â? There is no money due to him. He paid no money so there is nothing to assign to him Paul Clark, of administrators Duff and Phelps That doesnâ??t leave Whyte with any apparent room to manoeuvre and is a damning verdict from the administrators. Clark went on: â??There is no money due to him. He paid no money so there is nothing to assign to him. â??Weâ??ve seen no evidence whatsoever of any investment by Craig Whyte into Rangers. â??We canâ??t see any monies that he has paid in. â??And he has no rights, in my view, to Ibrox or Murray Park. The only rights he could possibly have over Ibrox and Murray Park is if his secured creditor status was proven and he had any value to it but he doesnâ??t have any value. â??So if heâ??s not a secured creditor he has no rights to either.â? Clark maintined he is confident of finding new owners for the club. â??Weâ??re talking about them coming from Scotland, the wider UK and some overseas parties,â? he said. â??Thereâ??s been a number of meetings over the last few days and more are planned for next week and Iâ??ve got two calls to two different parties over the weekend. â??We hope and believe that a new owner will be installed before the end of the season. Thatâ??s our objective.â? http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/...in-Gers-future

The joint administrator Paul Clark said there was global interest in Rangers by parties who have yet to declare their hand openly and warned the Blue Knights consortium that it must back up public statements of interest with action. He also praised the Rangers players for accepting pay cuts and said that without their taking a hit to their pay packets the administrators were considering "complete decimation" of the playing staff. The Blue Knights, headed by the former Rangers director Paul Murray and backed by supporters' groups, has confirmed it will launch a takeover bid and administrators Duff & Phelps have set 16 March as the deadline for any formal notes of interest to be placed. However, Clark challenged Murray to back up his claims and indicated there could be a wider battle to take control of Rangers. "We're talking about Scotland, wider United Kingdom and some overseas parties," Clark said. "I don't want to be specific about bidders but there is at least one party from the far east. We've had some interest as well from the American continent. "There's been a number of meetings over the last few days, more planned for next week and I've got two calls to two different parties over the weekend. We have an online data room for those parties so they can go in and take information over and above what we've told them in our meetings." Clark said that only "serious bidders" would be considered by the end the week. "So anybody who has just been talking â?? and there are a few out there who have done a lot of talking â?? we want to seek them out and, as it were, put their money where their mouth is. If somebody wants to involve the media, that's fine. And if they become the owner then they can sit on the front page of all the papers saying: 'I did it.' But don't be surprised if that owner isn't one of the people that is media friendly. "By the way, I am not ruling anybody out in this process, absolutely not. I'm just saying that nobody should assume that the only serious bidders are the ones who are in the public domain." The administrators also believe that they can somehow unravel a key deal between Rangers and Ticketus, the football finance company that bought 100,000 Rangers season tickets for £24.4m. That arrangement was agreed with the club's owner, Craig Whyte, before he formally bought Rangers. The administrator has also sought to placate supporters over any input Whyte will have on Rangers in the future. "I don't see him [Whyte] as a secured creditor, I don't see him as on-going owner of Rangers," Clark added. "I don't see him as that important going forward. We're in control of the process. In terms of his influence on the outcome to all of this, I think he has little or no relevance. In terms of Rangers' future [in the] medium to long term, he is irrelevant. "He has no rights, in my view, to Ibrox or [the training ground] Murray Park. The only rights he could possibly have over them is if his secured creditor status was proven and he had any value to it. He doesn't have any value. So if he's not a secured creditor he has no rights to Ibrox or Murray Park. "Look at the bigger picture and the Scottish FA have announced that he is not a fit and proper person in accordance with the SFA rules, and therefore he couldn't come back. We never thought he could come back to Rangers. The value of Craig Whyte's floating charge security is zero. And if it's zero it has no impact. There is no money due to him. He paid no money so there is nothing to assign to him." Clark paid his latest tribute to the Rangers squad, who have agreed to pay cuts until the end of the season. Such a move has guaranteed the club can continue until then. "Let's talk about what the alternative would have looked like," Clark said. "There was mention over the last week of between eight and 11 players being made redundant. Those numbers were quite right, but even after we had made those redundancies we would have still needed a 50% pay cut from the players who remained. If those cuts had not been made, and I couldn't do the sums up until now, if we had got no pay cuts from players we would have been looking at cuts of up to 20 players in total. We were looking at complete decimation of the squad."

RANGERS are at the mercy of a hostile takeover which could see the club closed down. The news that the astute Paul Murray has struck a deal with Ticketus is a big step in the right direction towards returning Rangers to safe and sensible stewardship. But as things still stand, anybody with enough money could move in and make the administrators an offer they canâ??t refuseâ?¦and not just from a financial viewpoint either. Some folk suspect dark forces have been at work in the background. Be that as it may, the fact remains that Rangers are more vulnerable to hostile forces than they have ever been in their illustrious 140-year history. There is nobody inside Ibrox with the clout to stand up and protect Rangers from the clubâ??s many wealthy and extremely well connected enemies. Think about it! And Rangers supporters must do exactly that in order that they heap plenty of pressure on the Duff and Phelps Two, Brian Clark and David Whitehouse so they know their every move is being watched. So Clark and Whitehouse know that if the Doomsday scenario comes to pass they will be held accountable by the many millions who support Rangers and who are scattered throughout the globe. Clark has already admitted that the motives of some of people who have expressed an interest in buying Rangers have to be questioned. WHY? Who are these people? What are their questionable motives? What Clark said was a direct quote from him in Fridayâ??s Daily Record, the newspaper that has led the way in this whole sorry tale since it kicked off the WHYTE SCANDAL by exposing his dodgy deal with Ticketus. There was another direct quote from administrator Clark which set me thinking and set alarm bells a jangling. It was that some individuals have attached themselves to more than one consortium which has expressed an interest in buying Rangers. Now, before some of my colleagues â?? those who see Scottish football through Peter Lawwellâ??s eyes and describe it from his script - dismiss this as the ravings of someone who has just reported UFOs in his back garden, let me pose a question. Back in May, when Rangers had just stopped celebrating a third successive title and Craig Whyte moved in, with Rangers seemingly debt free, would they have believed the Ibrox club would be in their current situation? And no matter what doubts they harboured about Whyte at that time, how many will admit they saw all of this coming? That Whyte would turn out to be a huckster, a trickster, a conman, and very possibly a common thief? Nary a one Iâ??ll wager. So what if there was somebody out there meaning to do Rangers harm? Somebody whose riches scaled the peak of being a BILLIONAIREâ?¦.and then some? What if he saw £80m as small change, well worth spending to kill Rangers? Are there such people? Well, not in Scotland. But in a nearby foreign country? Mmmmmâ?¦â?¦.. Think about it! Such a person, either boldly and with a brass neck, but more likely hiding behind nominees, could buy Rangers, which would give him Ibrox Stadium, the training ground in Milngavie and the Albion car park. He could then decide that Rangers, as a football club, was being closed down. That would leave him with the three properties. None of which would give him his money back if he sold just now. But what if he held on until an upturn in the economy and sold Ibrox and the Albion for building social and/or affordable housing? Of course he would need the help of Glasgow City Council. Think about that! As for the land outside Milngavie? I am sure a deal could be struck for upmarket housing to be built there, giving any such so minded and rich enough enemy of Rangers his original investment â?? or at least the guts of it â?? back. Impossible? Well two people, neither of them given to conspiracy theories, both senior professional men, who I put such a scenario to said it was unlikely, but not impossible. For the original question regarding why Craig Whyte bought Rangers remains unanswered. Though the emergence of any hostile bid to buy Rangers and close the club could provide some answers. Especially regarding just how Whyte can sustain a multi millionaire lifestyle with no visible means to support it. It must be a helluva big Giro heâ??s getting. For the moment it is enough for Rangers supporters to be placed on red alert as to the danger their club is in. And enough for the Duff and Phelps Two to be made acutely aware of just how closely their every move is being watched. Even when they retreat to their Glynhill Hotel hideaway in Renfrewshire. Or even check in at the more up market Grand Central in Glasgow city centre. â?¦â?¦â?¦.. ANDâ?¦.. ODIOUS CREEP continues to boast and bumble in his own imprecise style. But whatever the self confessed paedophile sympathiser says, it all gets back to me. Not everyone in every television studio thinks Creep should be there. For instance, just before one his many irrelevant television appearances last week â?? Newsnicht since you ask â?? Creep was boasting away about how his daily newspaper colleagues delegated him and gave him a mandate to interview Craig Whyte on their behalf. Now clearly this is an old story as Odious Creep has not worked on a newspaper since the beginning of December. And so it proved as he added flesh to the tale. It was, he lied, on the plane coming back from Malmo that the other daily newspaper men elected him as their representative to interview Whyte. It seemed unlikely to me as I know that almost every newspaperman on that flight not only dislikes Creep as a person, but think he is a slothful, unprofessional dud. And so the truth came to pass. It is this, confirmed by three separate sources, one broadsheet, one tabloid and one even more official. All requests to interview Whyte were refused. When the plane landed, Creepâ??s bag was first off the baggage roundaout and as luck would have, it he and Whyte went through the Nothing To Declare lane together. During that time he got half a dozen sentences from Whyte which, as he had been spotted by a couple of gnarled old hacks, he was forced into passing round the press pack. These are the facts. Not the fiction. You get that fiction if you are daft enough to watch Odious Creep on telly, or listen to him on Radio Clyde. â?¦â?¦..FINALLYâ?¦â?¦â?¦.. WEE BILLY LECKIE is another who is well worth watching. The Sunâ??s wee Billy was wined and dined by Irn Bru last week as part of the Scottish Football League player and manager of the month awards. Possibly more than Scotlandâ??s other favourite drink had been flowing, for wee Billy told anyone who would listen that Scottish football would be a better place WITHOUT Rangers. Tut! Tut! You Silly Billy!

Also it was said that the players agreed they would take the pay cuts providing that CW would not be the owner,if they were leaving why would they care who the new owner is?.

Whilst I agree with you,it's the mHedia that use it more than any fan

THEY'VE been lauded as heroes for making a huge sacrifice. Steven Naismith, Steven Davis, Allan McGregor and Steven Whittaker have all agreed 75 per cent wage cuts. Fair play to the Rangers players. I'm not sure I would have done the same. This kind of gesture isn't witnessed too often in football. Some will argue the salary reductions have been forced upon them. But the players still deserve massive credit for agreeing to them. Like you and me, they have families to look after. They have bills to pay, they have all manner of financial commitments. But before we go all misty-eyed at this rare gesture of selflessness, let me tell you one thing. They will ALL be away from Rangers in the summer. I don't know where they'll go, but they'll definitely go. I'm not saying that because I suspect there's been any deal struck between the players and the Ibrox administrators. It's just common sense that they'll leave and play somewhere else next season. Take McGregor, one of the best keepers in the land. Say, for argument's sake, he was on £25,000 a week. After the late-night crisis talks at Murray Park on Thursday, that's been slashed to £6,250. You're not telling me that the likes of Bolton, Newcastle or Swansea couldn't take his wages back up to £25,000. In fact, they'd pay him even more than he was originally on if they thought they could lure him south. The vultures from the Premier League will be circling already. Hovering over Gers' carcass to see what they can pick off. They'll view Naismith, McGregor, Davis and Whittaker as players they can grab. Just watch out for their scouts flocking to Ibrox between now and the end of the season. The players' agents will be rubbing their hands in glee. Yes, their clients have had to take a short-term hit. But the long game will see them head south for greater riches than they have ever earned at Ibrox. The agents will be working triple time now to get the players big-money moves. And there will be no shortage of takers for those top men. Even promoted clubs like, say, West Ham, Southampton or Reading would crave the experience that the likes of Davis, Naismith, McGregor and Whittaker would bring. These guys are internationals who have played in Europe and starred in so many big games. They have been fine players for Rangers over the years. They won three consecutive SPL titles before this season's spectacular financial collapse. They've experienced little other than success and they've got trophies and medals coming out of their backsides. They have put in a real shift for the club and taking a massive pay cut is a huge sign of what Rangers means to them. But that doesn't mean they'll hang around next season. I read someone earlier this week claiming players don't play for money. What a load of nonsense that is. Yes, they play for the love of the game and they play to win. But they also play for the noughts at the end of the salary. That's why guys on £100,000 a week will agitate to get to a club which will pay them £200,000 a week. When the big offers are dangled in front of players, they are simply impossible to refuse. That's the way it is in any walk of life. And that's why it's inevitable that these four â?? and maybe some others, too â?? will quit Ibrox in the summer. It's just one more nightmare scenario that Gers supporters must get their heads round. The current crisis remains an incredible story, with so many twists and turns. This week alone Rangers have been threatened with a potential 30-point penalty at the start of the next SPL season. They've been warned they could be kicked out of next season's Scottish Cup if they don't pay a debt to Dundee United. And it's certain they won't play in Europe for the first time in 32 years because they won't meet UEFA criteria. For me, they deserve EVERY punishment that comes their way. They've not just broken one rule â?? it looks they've broken almost every rule in the book. So they can expect to have the book thrown at them. And I've no sympathy for them at all. Just because they are a massive club with a fantastic sport, a great stadium and terrific history, shouldn't spare them from penalties. Previous regimes have brought all this on the club. Too many people have been deceitful and sly in the way they've gone about their business. The club will now pay a high price â?? and so they should. Losing these four stars will be just the tip of the iceberg.

SIR ALEX FERGUSON has thrown his weight behind the 'Save Rangers' campaign being run by worried Blues fans. The Rangers Supporters' Trust have set up a website which fans can use to detail how much they would be willing to pledge towards any future campaign to raise funds for the stricken outfit. Ferguson has written to them to give the campaign his backing and offer his thoughts to the staff members whose jobs have been placed on the line. The Manchester United boss said: "Having been born within one mile of Ibrox Stadium, grew up supporting Rangers and had the pleasure of playing for them, I really hope that the future of this great club is made secure. "No matter whether you supported them or not, no-one can dispute their place in Scottish football history. "I fear not only for the supporters, but for all those loyal staff members whose lives are embedded in the fabric of the club. Having been born within one mile of Ibrox Stadium, grew up supporting Rangers and had the pleasure of playing for them, I really hope that the future of this great club is made secure Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson "Ally McCoist and his staff have done a marvellous job in continuing under such pressure as have other staff like Sandy Jardine, who work tirelessly to maintain the club's prominence. "I wish Rangers Football Club all the good luck in the coming weeks and sincerely hope that a resolution is found." http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/307230/Sir-Alex-Ferguson-supports-Save-Rangers-campaign

HE'S seen the club he's always loved crash to its knees. Sat through 15-hour days of tense and tormenting negotiations in a bid to save jobs. Then had the snipers turn on him after being wrongly accused of being a deal-breaker. Put it all together and it's no wonder Stevie Naismith doesn't hesitate to say he's been through the longest week of his life. SunSport revealed yesterday that Rangers ace Naisy, along with top-earning team-mates Steve Davis, Steven Whittaker and Allan McGregor, had been the first to sign up to massive wage cuts. It was always their plan when Gers entered administration and the club's very existence looked bleak. They just wanted to make sure their big-hearted sacrifices â?? they will now earn just a quarter of what they should have until the end of the season â?? would pay off for others in the long-run. On Thursday night Naismith and Whittaker stayed back to seek written guarantees that, if the whole squad put pen to paper on their salaries being slashed, the axemen would waive further cuts. They got that, plus a statement of intent that non-football staff would also be dealt with in the best way possible. That, rather than any monetary greed, was the reason for the hold-up earlier in the week. It's why Naisy was so shocked when he picked up other newspapers to see him being branded a contract rebel and deal-breaker. SunSport revealed how Naismith, Whittaker and Davis had angrily clashed with joint administrators Paul Clark and David Whitehouse on Tuesday night as the bean-counters tried to pressurise them into signing something they weren't comfortable with. But Naismith sped away from Murray Park two nights ago as satisfied as he could be after seeing his weekly wage slashed from five figures to four until June. What hurts most though is the accusations that were never accurate and saw the Scotland star branded greedy by the Ibrox fans he once sat among as a kid. As he pulled back into the Gers' training base yesterday morning Naismith said: "We just wanted what was best for the club. "Some people have been getting negative press about supposedly not wanting to do a deal. That isn't, and has never been, the case. "Everyone at the club has been doing all we can to get a solution here. The players are, and have been, doing everything in their power to try and get a deal done. "We've been willing to accept cuts from the off. That's always been the case. We knew for the club to move forward we needed to pull together and do that. We've always been of the mind that we wanted to strike some sort of deal. "I've been one who's come in for criticism. Well, if I'm getting criticised for looking out for the best interests of the players, the staff, potentially the fans too, by saving the club, then bring it on. "People doing the criticising should look at themselves. Real supporters will only want what's best for the club, as we all do. "It's totally false to say we've been deal-breakers. It's not nice when people are jumping to conclusions when they don't know the full facts. "I've followed the team all my life, they're my team. The club means a lot to me. I've only ever wanted what's best for its future. "There are a lot of other Rangers fans in the squad and they just want to get it fixed, so, hopefully, a deal can now be done. For everyone involved at the club I'm sure it's been the longest week they've ever been through in their lives. "There have been long, late shifts trying to get a deal done, but that shows the commitment of everyone involved to try and get something sorted." The quartet who got the ball rolling have been key voices since the club slipped into administration nearly four weeks ago. Naismith, 25, hoped their stance would set the tone for the rest of the squad yesterday, with the administrators threatening compulsory cuts if a unanimous decision isn't reached. Top earners were set to take the same 75 per cent hit, with middle earners seeing their wages halved and those on lower earnings having a quarter knocked off their pay. But Naismith, out for the season after snapping his cruciate, wouldn't have had a problem if someone opted not to follow suit. He said: "People need to respect that everyone's financial situations are totally different. "And by that I mean all staff at Rangers, not just the players. "People need to respect what each and every person decides because it could be a life-changing decision that they make. "We, as players, want to secure as many jobs as possible, not just within the playing staff, but throughout the whole club. "Everyone is trying to bring it to a good conclusion. Everyone wants this to succeed. There are a lot of innocent people here who just want to get on with their lives and have a job at the end of the day. "Hopefully, these decisions to take cuts to our wages will let them do that and eventually help save the club." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/4184397/If-taking-this-pay-cut-can-help-rescue-my-club-itll-be-worth-it.html#ixzz1ofdXjbXu

Aye,for the rest of this season the gesture the Rangers players have made far outways performances and they should receive a standing ovation before during and after games. Well done guys.

'Jumping from the frying pan into the fire'...................?

Clarity on Ticketus involvement is certainly required before it sits comfortable with me

The â??Blue Knightsâ?, led by Paul Murray, today confirm that they are finalising an offer for Rangers Football Club (â??the Clubâ?) in partnership with fansâ?? representatives (from the Rangers Supporters Assembly, the Rangers Supporters Association and the Rangers Supporters Trust) and Ticketus (together, â??the Consortiumâ?). The members of the Consortium are united in their belief that a collaborative approach is essential in securing the Clubâ??s future through a CVA, thereby achieving a fair and fast resolution that will put the Club on a secure financial footing. Through a CVA rather than liquidation, the Club will benefit from being able to qualify for future European competition and access the significant revenues associated with this. Preserving this revenue stream, and the Clubâ??s 140 year old legacy, is paramount and in the best interests of all parties. Paul Murray said: â??I believe that the Blue Knights, working in collaboration with the fans and Ticketus, are able to deliver an attractive solution that will see the Club emerge from administration with a clear plan for the future that will bring the financial stability that the Club needs.â? â??We firmly believe that a CVA is the best way forwards and we are working hard to offer a solution that will enable this to happen. As the Administrators have stated, the alternative route of putting the Club into liquidation is much less attractive for creditors, supporters and players, with its capacity to destroy value. Under current UEFA rules, a football club is banned from European competition for three years in the event of liquidation. Taking this route would have a significant impact on Rangersâ?? future revenues and the overall financial viability of the Club, so it is something we want to avoid.â? Ticketus stated: â??We believe that the Blue Knights understand very clearly what needs to be done to stabilise the Club, and represent the most attractive long-term solution to Rangersâ?? financial situation. We are therefore backing their bid and will be an active partner, contributing to a successful outcome. We believe working alongside the Blue Knights and fansâ?? representatives offers the best chance of the Club surviving and becoming a viable business.â? The Consortium is confident that the Club can achieve financial stability through appropriate restructuring and the appointment of a new and experienced board with a sensible business plan. The Consortium have spoken to the Administrators today to tell them that they will be working together to buy the club out of the CVA process and will be meeting the Administrators to discuss the proposed deal in detail on Monday. The Consortium will continue to work with the Administrators as it finalises its bid in order to bring a swift resolution for the Club, its fans and employees. For all media enquiries, please contact: Luther Pendragon Oli Winton / Leigh Marshall / Simon Whale ticketus@luther.co.uk / +44 (0)207 618 9104