ian1964

CRISIS club Rangers WON'T play in Europe next season. That became clear last night as Ally McCoist's shattered stars slumped to their second Ibrox defeat on the spin. Hearts dumped skint Gers a fortnight after Kilmarnock took three points away as the Ibrox administrators prepare to swing the axe tomorrow morning. Duff and Phelps confirmed potential buyers have until March 16 to show their hand. But they now say it's highly unlikely the SPL champions will be out of administration by the end of the month. That means Gers will lose their Euro license and miss out on a money-spinning crack at the Champions League. But in a welcome boost, joint administrator David Whitehouse confirmed several interested parties are lining up to save the club. He said: "The March 31 deadline is technically still possible, but highly problematic. "But the chances the club will be out of administration for the start of next season are high. "We will know much more by March 16. "We have set a deadline of March 16 for first indicative bids from interested parties. "We have to decide who is a genuine bidder with a desire and the capacity to deliver an offer. We also have to establish who is posturing. "I think there are a number of genuine bidders who could offer a solution but that is just my opinion. We have a good feel for how the business will be structured for the next few months. "The on-going tax case would form a creditor of the company and it will determine how big the creditor pot is. "At the end of this process that creditors pot could be £20million it could be £100m. "There will be a value for creditors but the size of the pot wouldn't frustrate the process." SunSport understands Duff and Phelps are still trying to establish whether owner Craig Whyte IS the secured creditor. It's believed there is a significant sum of money still unaccounted for. Whitehouse added: "We now have a significant level of interest in terms of investment and potential purchasers for the club. "The majority of those have expressed their desire to make their bid for the business based on a materially reduced cost structure. "They want to approach the business with a clean sheet of paper in terms of investment. "We want to groom the business so it's attractive to new owners." http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scot...-Hearts-2.html

Officers detained one 47-year-old outside Ibrox stadium during Rangers' clash with Hearts. Another supporter was huckled out of the ground during the crisis-hit club's 2-1 defeat by the Jambos. The pair could now face a staggering FIVE YEARS in prison if they are charged under the controversial Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act which finally came into force on Thursday. And they could be banned from soccer grounds if found to be indulging in bigoted and threatening behaviour which could incite violence at and around games. The Act was borne out of a series of high-profile bust-ups and sectarian incidents last season which shamed Scottish football. And the law was pushed through by the SNP at Holyrood last November â?? despite huge opposition from clubs, fans' groups, church leaders and legal experts. There were NO arrests during yesterday's showdown between Aberdeen and Celtic at Pittodrie â?? but yesterday's crackdown at Ibrox has led to yet more concerns over freedom of expression. Peter Kearney, of the Catholic Church, said: "We are in favour of the threatening communications element and clamping down on web hate. But the new law risks infringing freedom of expression because the term offensiveness is so wide. "Isn't 50,000 rugby fans singing Flower of Scotland offensive to English people?" Mr Kearney, below left, added: "What is the main job of a football fan? It is to cheer on their team and offend opponents. In the confines of a stadium fans shout abuse at one another, which is not abnormal. "Part of the thing about football is you let off steam. I think we would rather there is screaming and shouting in the ground than physical violence in the street." A massive 3,330 signatures OPPOSING the law have already been amassed by the Take a Liberty (Scotland) campaign. The drive is the brainchild of university boffin Dr Stuart Waiton. The 44-year-old said: "Scottish football is probably now the most regulated environment in the world. You can be offensive as a comic, a rugby fan or as lots of people â?? but clearly not as a football fan. "There's an old form of contempt for working-class football fans. Sectarianism in Scotland has not got very much to do with religion. "So the fact the government bangs on about religion, when it means less and less to people, is peculiar. "Sectarianism doesn't mean Protestants hate Catholics, it's a football thing. "You have ordinary people singing songs in order to wind up the opposition. "There is no need to 'tolerate' a football fan's behaviour, because the passion and even the offensiveness on display is what helps make it the greatest game in the world." And Scottish Tory justice spokesman David McLetchie said: "This is just the beginning of what will be a flood of prosecutions as established laws are ignored in favour of this new legislation. This will no doubt be presented as a great success by the SNP but in reality it is a complete sham as the existing laws were more than adequate to deal with this behaviour." But the law WAS praised by the groundbreaking Nil By Mouth group who have branded sectarian bigotry as Scotland's "cancer". Director Dave Scott said: "We will be monitoring how the new law is being implemented closely. Judging by our inbox I suspect the online aspect of the law will be the one to watch. "The internet is being used to bring sectarianism into the 21st century and people feel that they can peddle it without consequences." And Roseanna Cunningham the Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, said the Act was designed to ensure most fans can enjoy the game. She said: "The overwhelming majority of fans who have been supporting their teams in the true spirit of the game for years have absolutely nothing to fear from this legislation. In fact it is designed to improve their experience, ensuring they can focus on football and not be distracted by the mindless, hateful prejudices of a small minority. "This legislation will have no impact on the banter and passionate support that goes hand in hand with supporting football teams. "It is not about discouraging the rivalry that is the lifeblood of football â?? it is about eradicating sectarianism and other unacceptable expressions of hate from our national game." She said the government had taken a hard line against the bigots after pleas from police and prosecutors. Ms Cunningham added: "The majority of Scots, 91 per cent, supported tougher action to tackle sectarianism. "This legislation will not be the one-stop solution to all our problems. That is why I recently announced £9million over the next three years to continue work to tackle sectarianism across society. "Attitudes change over time and this marks the beginning of the end of the shame that has blighted our glorious game for too long." We want to hear your views on The Sunday issue. Please leave your comments below Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scot...#ixzz1o6V7XLYo

Is this the squad for our next first team game? Rangers:- Alan Smith; Kyle McAusland, Josh Robinson (Adel Gafaiti 37mins), Stuart Urquhart, Matty Clarke; Darren Ramsay (Jordan Wilson 74mins), Lewis McLeod, Kamil Wiktorski, Fraser Aird (Jamie Burrows 60mins); Robbie Crawford, Barrie McKay. Not Used:- Liam Kelly (Gk), Tom Skogsrud, Tim Skogsrud, Gregor Fotheringham.

PC is a weapon being used by the SNP against every mans/womans right to freedom,free to speak,free to think,something that our fore fathers fought and died for so we could be free. How sad it is to see it being taken away from us.

That's normal these days mate,although the new legislation will give them an added edge

Did they mention the Hertz fans singing the Huns are going bust ?

Let's all sit quiet in our seats,or maybe we could sing row row row your boat?,twinkle twinkle little star?

Did they have an inquiry at BHEAST FC for child abuse/rape ?. Just for the lurking BHEASTS :tlb:

Quality,never miss an opportunity to remind them of that FACT

You should have said BHEAST FC should have been closed down for harbouring peados'

Rumour on FF that Greegs & Jig have offered to play for nothing.

The Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications ( Scotland) Act 2012 become law today, 1st March 2012. On Monday 27th February at 7pm RST board members Derek Johnston and Mark Dingwall attended a FOCUS (Football Co-ordination Unit for Scotland) fan organisations forum on behalf of the Rangers Supporters Trust. The meeting had various representatives from Celtic, Partick Thistle, St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Queen of the South as well as three police officers from FOCUS. Only Inspector Marian MacLean, the deputy head of FOCUS, identified herself. During the meeting the following outline for what is seen as the â??guideâ?? on Offensive Behaviour at Football (2012) was given. Any songs/ lyrics which refer in an offensive manner to heritage, religion, race, sex or mock the death/ injury of others as well as any songs/ lyrics which show support of any terrorist organisations. The same â??guideâ?? is also given in terms of any flags or banners supporters might produce at a regulated football match in Scotland (Junior football is not deemed as regulated.) The police regard the Act a simplifying things and giving them a legal â??one stop shopâ? in terms of powers to charge people with football-related behaviour. They claimed that fans shouldnâ??t see a difference in policing at games and that no new tactics would be employed. Inspector MacLean said that she would consider no increase in arrests as a result of the legislation and said that she felt no pressure to justify the existence of FOCUS by upping the level of arrests at games. HOWEVER, one of the two male police representatives announced that the song Build My Gallows is now â??likely to be deemed chargeableâ? by police and shall be under scrutiny as of Thursday 1st March when this Bill comes into effect. The Rangers reps pointed out the song referred to a regiment in the British Army in no way connected to present day clandestine organisations and that this had been accepted recently after lengthy legal argument by UEFA. Subsequent enquiries have led us to believe that the â??offendingâ? part of the song is a reference to â??fought the IRAâ?. Itâ??s incredulous that someone might be arrested and charged for opposing rather than supporting a terrorist organisation. The Lord Advocateâ??s Guidelines for the operation of the Act will shortly be published but we are told they involve exemptions. For instance, it will not be an offence to make a â??religious signâ?? in a football ground unless there are aggravating factors. This somewhat runs contrary to the mantra the police repeated throughout the meeting that fans should refrain from anything that has â??nothing to do with football.â?? Similarly, the singing of national anthems is excluded from arrestable behaviour even if they are in fact racist, sectarian or otherwise offensive. The police repeatedly stated that bad taste and banter would be allowed but repeatedly stressed they would challenge songs or â??banterâ?? that they consider to be â??not appropriate,â?? â??not relevantâ?? or â??not to do with football.â?? Several reps asked if their vision of the future was the complete remove of rivalry, colour and wit and the replacement with nursery rhymes or complete silence. All three police officers present said that there are some songs and chants not previously chargeable that now are but they declined to offer examples or explain the rationale they would be applying. It was pointed out that if they were having discussions about jailing people for Build My Gallows then they must have had other internal discussions and why would they not share that information with us and save people from being arrested. The Trust would like to ask all fans to continue in vocally backing our team at matches but also make sure that you take care in the stands in terms of what you may sing/chant at a match.

Article lifted from FF: Fans are understandably nervous about the future, but at this time donations are not the answer. If you want to help Rangers - buy something - get tickets, treat yourself to hospitality, buy a Rising Stars ticket or get into the megastore at Ibrox. In discussions with the administrators the Rangers Supporters Assembly has been give this advice:- â?¢ The current running costs mean the Club is losing around £1m per month so the cuts that need to be announced will seem severe. â?¢ The final details of the cuts to players and staff have not been agreed but are in the ballpark reported in the press. â?¢ There is around £4m in the Collier Bristow accounts which has now been frozen - they will need a further Court hearing to decide how much of it the Club receives. â?¢ The Administrators do not favour taking fans' money now because of problems attributing it to specific costs - it's a legal minefield and would take up a lot of resource. â?¢ They have a timetable for interested parties to sort out the genuine bids by 16 March - still a fair bit of interest. Just handing over cash to the administrators is lunacy. Every other set of fans who have been in our position say - â??Get tickets or shares for your money, donâ??t just hand it over with no strings attached.â? It will not save the club. There is no need to do it. It will not save the club. In talks with the administrators they have said they do not need it. If Craig Whyte is charge you are throwing your money down a black hole. What will save the club long-term is a massive cash injection via a share issue to the fans once the control of the club has been taken away from the kamikaze pilot. Save your big money for then.

It is heading that way,unless someone steps up and plays

Friday, 02 March 2012 Stewart Regan, the Scottish FA Chief executive, has today provided an update on the progress of the Independent Inquiry into Rangers FC chaired by The Right Honourable Lord Nimmo Smith. "We are now in the final stages of our independent inquiry into the situation concerning Rangers FC. The report by The Right Honourable Lord Nimmo Smith is expected to be completed next week and will go to a Special Board Meeting for consideration. "It would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage in relation to the details gleaned from the inquiry, the potential contents of the report or any possible sanctions. "We are, however, aware of the most recent allegations made against Rangers FC today by a former director of the club. We shall investigate this matter thoroughly before making any further comment." http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2111&newsCategoryID=36&newsID=9417

Murray in over head - Hugh Adam. Published on Sunday 14 July 2002 01:00 http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/top-football-stories/murray_in_over_head_1_1375205

Rangers stand accused of failing to properly register players after a former director revealed secretive payments had been consistently excluded from contracts lodged with the SFA. The embattled Ibrox club are awaiting the outcome of the First Tier Tax Tribunal which will determine the legality or otherwise of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs). Regardless of whether Rangers are hit with an additional bill of £49million from the so-called 'big tax case', it appears such payments were kept 'off the books' - in direct contravention of SFA registration rules. Former Ibrox director Hugh Adam, who had a 30-year association with the club until 2002, has told Sportsmail that the club's directors were aware of the arrangement - one he believes could have started as early as the mid-1990s. 'They weren't included in the contracts. They definitely weren't. That was the whole point of them,' he said. 'If they'd been included in the contracts, they would have had to have paid tax on them. 'I don't think a lot of the other directors knew an awful lot about it. David Murray kept everything to himself. 'The directors just wanted to sit in the directors' box. That's all. When I was on the board, I knew all about them. 'I just didn't know the details of them. They became accepted. 'The revenue were seriously challenging them at that point when I was a director. 'People never really asked serious questions about them. "It's perfectly legal" was what they thought. 'It wasn't happening in Britain, so had nothing to do with Britain. All the directors heard about them but didn't take them seriously because they didn't appear in the books.' Adam's revelation suggests a clear breach of the SFA rulebook - and is a potential embarrassment to current SFA president Campbell Ogilvie, who had a 27-year association with Rangers, many of them spent as secretary. The SFA rule on registration states: 'All payments made to a player relating to his playing activities must be clearly recorded upon the relevant contract and/or agreement. 'No payment for his playing activities may be made to the player through a third party.' Adam, the man who funded the redevelopment of Ibrox through Rangers pools, believes payments into discretionary trusts may have gone on well before the turn of the millennium. It's understood the 'big tax case' relates to EBT payments from 2000 until 2009 but, when questioned if he heard of similar payments in the mid- 1990s, Adam confirmed: 'Without having any specialist knowledge, I'm pretty sure. 'People didn't want to know about them. There was a lot of that (EBTs) going on at the time (I was there). 'You knew it was cheating but some of them not only hoped but believed it was above board. 'It's this thing that when something happens it has to have a beginning and an end, but that wasn't the case with the overseas things. 'It was just something that crept up. It was considered important but not crucial. The fans didn't give a damn one way or another. You could argue that they knew about it but didn't think it was important. 'Maybe they never thought it was as much as it really was. And maybe it wasn't. I don't know if you remember radio stations from ships. 'I don't think they were making a fortune but they weren't costing a lot of money, so no one bothered. 'When I was asked for my opinion on the way the club had been run, I said it was quite obvious how it had got into trouble.'They were doing things they shouldn't have been doing. 'They (EBTs) were always regarded in my time as a bit of a joke. They were getting away with it but nobody really thought they'd get away wi th i t forever. ' It would be an offshore trust - almost like a boat. You could dodge your taxes that way. It wasn't something that you picked up the paper and read about. It was one at a time then grew on a gradual basis. 'The players were very naive. Few of them were the Brain of Britain, of course. If they get the money, they don't give a damn where it's coming from.'

We can't offer anybody new contracts though,can we?

By ANDREW SMITH Published on Friday 2 March 2012 00:00 RANGERS administrators Duff and Phelps asked the clubâ??s players to play for free for the rest of the season, it has emerged. It is one of the â??permutationsâ?? floated by the administrators rejected by the Ibrox squad yesterday as parties met to address the £4.5 million shortfall in the clubâ??s income as against expenditure across the next three months. The black hole in the finances was expected to bring a raft of job losses among the first-team squad and at the club yesterday, but the administrators delayed an announcement as they sought some form of concensus on their cost-saving measures in talks attended by Ally McCoist, PFA Scotland president Tony Higgins, chief executive Fraser Wishart and the unionâ??s lawyer. The Rangers squad pushed for wage deferrals without limit of time, citing the example of Plymouth where salaries went unpaid for ten months until the English League Two team were able to come out of administration following a buy-out last October. That is not favoured by the Rangers administrations who feel essentially â??parking a debtâ?? could dull the interest of potential buyers. The Rangers squad are understood to be unified in their opposition to any redundancies or permanent salary reductions, though it is believed McCoist and his backroom team Kenny McDowall and Ian Durrant are willing to accept them. The Ibrox players deny, though, that they were presented with the options of voting for a 75 per cent across the board wage cut, eight redundancies and a 50 per cent wage cut or 11 redundancies and a 30 per cent wage cuts as different scenarios that would allow the club to cover expenditure to May. With none of the short-term solutions that administrators consider workable proving acceptable to the playing squad, it is likely job and wage cuts will be imposed tomorrow that will precipitate legal challenge. â??The situation does remain fluid, though,â? said a source close to the administrators last night. â??I would expect an announcement on Friday but there are no definitives about what that will be. Ally McCoist is looking for a solution that protects the players and the clubâ??s playing interests as much as possible while the administrators must seek the best possible solution for the safeguarding of the clubâ??s future.â? There was â??nothing sinisterâ?? in the delaying of any announcement on cuts, it was stated, with the fact three players, USA captain Carlos Bocanegra, his international team-mate Maurice Edu and Romaniaâ??s Dorin Goian, late arrivals back from international duty one of the factors in it. Another was the hope that more time will give administrators an opportunity to â??track down as much money as possibleâ?. It has been reported that several million of the £20m that Rangers Craig Whyte raised from Ticketus through the sale of Rangers season tickets could still be in the Collyer Bristow account used to conduct that transaction. â??The money the administrators are hoping to claw in wonâ??t just be the big public stuff that is known about. Other people have funds, and it isnâ??t straightforward. It is a matter of pulling it all together.â? There appears no way that the administrators can draw together sufficient finances to avoid setting themselves on a collision course with the playing squad. They may be able to strike a compromised whereby eight players would lose their jobs and the others asked to take a 30 per cent wage cut, but any measures will be bloody and painful. It is understood that the most vulnerable players in any cull would be those well remunerated but in the closing stages of their contracts, and so with no resale value. Defender Sasa Papac, striker David Healy goalkeeper Neil Alexander all become free agents in May and, along with on-loan Arsenal player Kyle Bartley, would be the first targets for wage savings. In Lee McCulloch and Kirk Broadfoot having only 15 months remaining on their present deals and ranking among the better paid they are also believed to be on any job loss list. However, it is believed that McCoist is fighting hard to keep McCulloch because of his ability to cover three position and the status he holds as a respected senior figure in the dressing room. However, the flip side is that, at 33, his age counts markedly against him in the administratorsâ?? eyes. A compromise, whereby he accepted a higher wage cut than those imposed otherwise, could yet see McCulloch remain. In other developments yesterday, Ticketus called for a â??rapid and successful conclusionâ? to the administration process and said they are willing to hold talks with any potential new owners in a bid to help achieve that goal. A statement read: â??Following a meeting yesterday with Rangers Football Clubâ??s administrators Duff & Phelps, Ticketus would like to state its desire for a rapid and successful conclusion to the clubâ??s administration process and confirm its willingness to enter into discussions with any serious potential bidders for the club. This includes working with potential purchasers to help provide various financing solutions to the club that would be attractive to new owners.â? Whyte broke ranks after a period of silence to once again insist that he is working hard to help rangers come out of administration. Speaking in London before meeting the administrators, he said of possible redundancies: â??Clearly Iâ??ve got enormous sympathy for anyone whoâ??s losing their job in this process. â??This is part of solving the problem to make Rangers a stronger business when it comes out of administration, which we are all working very hard to do.â?

SHELLSHOCKED Rangers boss Ally McCoist has sacrificed his £1million-a-year salary â?? as his players brace themselves for the axe today. SunSport can reveal McCoist has told administrators Duff and Phelps he'll work the rest of the season for NOTHING. That was before a crunch Murray Park summit which saw players and backroom staff presented with three options for brutal cuts. If they don't agree to go, decisions will be made for them. There was heated debate at the training ground yesterday as Gers stars were forced to consider: EIGHT players being dumped plus a 50 per cent cut in wages across the board; ELEVEN players axed plus a 50 per cent deferral until the end of the season; or NO players axed but a 75 per cent wage cut across the board. McCoist, still trying to prepare for tomorrow's game against Hearts at a nearly sold-out Ibrox, has given up his £20,000-a-week plus wage. SunSport understands at least one senior player has also offered to play for nothing until May. McCoist also now knows the stars who will be made redundant, with the administrators anxious to slash costs as soon as possible. As yet he hasn't let on about their identities. Duff and Phelps need £4.5million just to meet running costs for the remainder of the campaign â?? and right now there's a significant shortfall. That is stopping them from guaranteeing Rangers will even be able to fulfil their final 10 games, including three at Ibrox before the April 7 split. Currently there's also a £2m a month salary bill for players and backroom staff. Loan star Kyle Bartley has returned to Arsenal and has has played his last game for Gers. Meanwhile, a statement from the administators last night said: "Duff and Phelps advise there will be no announcement yet in relation to staffing levels in any department of Rangers FC. Discussions are ongoing regarding potential cost saving measures and announcements will be made at the earliest opportunity, most likely Friday." There is no guarantee of squad agreement today and Duff and Phelps fear the matter could drag into next week. There are 32 players in the Gers first team squad, 11 on the coaching staff, 35 Under-19 players and seven academy coaches in a total staff roll of 177. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scot...ers-alive.html

http://soundcloud.com/celticresearch/traynor-lawwell-liar/s-GBIcv

I was not being serious,hence the smilie :smile:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Craig Whyte has claimed that millions netted from sales of Rangers season tickets and player sales are “still with the club”. The Rangers owner was tracked down by STV as he entered the offices of Duff and Phelps, the firm that has been appointed as administrators for the Ibrox club. In his appearance on camera since the club went into administration, Mr Whyte claimed that his financial stewardship of Rangers would be vindicated. Asked why had “misled fans” and kept secret a deal with Ticketus to sell future season tickets in return for £24m, he said: “I've bigger financial commitments to Rangers than anyone else and I'm working very hard to get Rangers out of administration.” Asked where season ticket money and the proceeds from the sale of Nikica Jelavic was, he replied: “Every penny is in the club, every penny has been accounted for. All that will be confirmed in due course.” After taking over the club administrators said that they did not have “visibility” of the Ticketus money and have since confirmed that the money did not go into Rangers’ books. Instead they say it was used to pay off £18m debt to Lloyds Banking Group, allowing Mr Whyte to complete his takeover of the club. They said the remaining money was not with the club but was in the accounts of Mr Whyte’s solicitors Collyer Bristow. There is understood to be a dispute over whether these funds should be released to Rangers. Administrators are expected to announce on Friday that the extent of cuts to playing and other staff at Ibrox. Mr Whyte said: “I've got enormous sympathy for anyone about to lose their job but it's part of solving a problem that is not of my making."

The players should just play for nothing until the end of the season :smile:

Old Firm ticket row: Celtic fans will not be shut out of Ibrox, say Rangers' administrators Feb 29 2012 By Colin Duncan IBROX administrators were last night set to ignore demands from furious Rangers fans to get the bulk of Celtic’s tickets for next month’s Old Firm clash. Supporters groups are up in arms after the Parkhead club reneged on a deal to hand over a £300,000 advance on briefs for the game on March 25. Due to their ongoing financial crisis Rangers were forced to pay up front for tickets for the last derby at Parkhead in December. A verbal agreement was reached for Celtic to do the same but with their bitter rivals teetering on the brink the Hoops opted to move the goalposts. The Rangers Supporters Trust were desperate for administrators Duff and Phelps to redistribute the majority of Celtic’s allocation among the home support and limit them to the Govan West Corner which has a capacity of just 1000. But Record Sport understands the administrators are highly unlikely to reduce the original 7300 allocation and will give Celtic seven days from the game taking place to stump up the desperately needed cash. A statement from the Rangers Supporters Trust said: “If the Celtic board want to persist with their juvenile antics we suggest Rangers solve the problem by refusing to handle tickets for Parkhead and reduce the allocation Celtic fans receive for the Ibrox fixture to the bare minimum allowed for under SPL rules. “Celtic are playing to the lowest common denominator in their support by demanding Rangers pay up front for tickets and yet refuse to do the same.” Under SPL rules it is up to the two participating clubs to agree on a suitable allocation for the visiting support. If they are unable to do so then the SPL will act as arbiter in the dispute with board members voting on the number of tickets deemed appropriate. SPL rules C14.2 states: “The home club must make provision for the admission of such reasonable number of visiting supporters at every home league match as may be agreed in advance with the visiting club. “And, in the event of their being unable to agree such number not later than 14 days prior to the date of the league match in question, the number of visiting supporters allowed shall be determined by the board whose decision shall be final and binding.”