Bill

I think it would be sensible to stop thinking about Mike Ashley like some kind of hate figure. Many successful businessmen and women are like him, hard-nosed bastards who regard their business activities as some kind of combat zone. He wouldn't be in the least bit phased by anything said about him on here or anywhere else. Nor will he ever change the way he operates as a result of anyone thinking he's a bastard. I'm sure in his eyes his business successes vindicate everything he does and justify every enemy he's made in the process. There comes a point where repeatedly reading how Mike Ashley is a shit just looks like fleas shouting at an elephant. He can't hear you, he wouldn't care if he did, we don't benefit, it's just pointless venting. Rangers has entered into a contract that favours Sports Direct or at least fails to favour Rangers - exactly the aim of all of Ashley's business deals. The people running Rangers were too corrupt or too stupid to safeguard their own interests properly and now they or their successors will have to find a way out. But is it reasonable to expect Ashley to help them or to condemn him for not doing so? I'm in no way defending Mike Ashley but .... I don't think so.

That would be such a fundamental change to the existing contract that we'd be justified in walking away

Shambles appears to be turning into farce. "No way I'm putting my name to that bollocks. I'm off" Sports Direct finance boss quits after day of missed deadlines https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/07/26/markets-latest-news-pound-euro-ftse-100-sports-direct-results/

I don't understand how a judge, in reaching his decision about this dispute, can arbitrarily try to re-write the contractual liability cap. That seems absurd. What else would he like to re-write while he's at it?

With all due respect (sincerely) that was then and this is now. For all that Tav has been one of our best performers, the team is changing and the demands that have been placed upon him for deliveries into the box are being transferred elsewhere in the team. Even if Tav maintains the same form as last season, his number of assists will inevitably fall, simply as a consequence of the evolution of the team and his role in it. I think it was Gaffer who made this point already. There's no intention on my part to belittle Tav's contribution but I think we need a more natural and consistent defender and if the chance comes I would use it to provide funds for the next steps forward. The best manager know to move on players who the support would keep, precisely because they know the future is always more important than the past.

In the long history of our club there might have been some players who couldn’t be replaced but James Tavernier certainly isn’t one of them. As far as I’ve seen, no one at all has brought out knives for Tav but it’s indisputable that he’s prone to losing form and to making costly defensive errors. He has been vital for the team but the team is changing and we can no longer afford a fullback whose defensive duties require the constant cover of other positions. What he brings in terms of attacking will now largely be provided by others and it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s been discussed with him already - hence his current apparent loss of confidence.

Sadly, that's not even a remote possibility.

Last night reminded me that Tavernier has as many weaknesses as strengths. He's been good for us overall but it may be we've seen the best of him and need to move on. I'd happily accept a good offer.

Just how bad are things at SD? The ongoing delay in posting financial results is almost beyond comprehension. Sports Direct shares fall after results 'shambles' Mike Ashley firm delays results again as questions are raised over company’s direction https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/26/sports-direct-shares-fall-results-delay-mike-ashley

MOTM for me was Ryan Jack but Davis, Halliday & Aribo ran him very close.

Edmindson Goldson Halliday Davis Jack & Aribo are meeting the standard. Others need to pick it up.

That was my reaction to Cameron but he insists he's right and that many of the players think so too.

It's pure diversion. The only truly unexpected thing I ever heard (off the record) from Neil Cameron wasn't about football but about Gregor Townsend, who he described as a "compete charlatan" and described the half-time Scotland dressing at Twickenham as "total mutiny".

In case anyone thinks it, let me assure you Neil Cameron is no fool. He hates Rangers but he's no fool. He's survived too long while colleagues have dropped like flies to ever be underestimated. This particular article is quite clever. On the surface of it he's flattering us by saying that Rangers fans have changed and are less bigoted and more inclusive. However, what he's really doing is saying to Rangers fans "if you want people to stop thinking of you as Neanderthals then you need to be less loyalist/unionist and more pro-independence". His aim here is clearly to give confidence to the few Rangers fans who have or are tempted to stray from our core loyalist/unionist/conservative tradition, thereby quietly attacking what he hates most about us. There's always more than one way to skin a cat and Cameron will no doubt pull the wool over the eyes of a few gullible bears with this nonsense.

Hear hear

Good. The fewer Rangers fans funding ABERDEEN the better.

Ditto Tavernier.

Any bids for Morelos we’re always going to come late in the window. We’re in the game zone now though.

What I’ve never understood is how you give SD the chance to match the terms of a third party offer without breaching contractual confidence with the third party. Who would make an offer to Rangers, knowing it will be disclosed to a competitor like SD?

Frankly, the tale you tell is a bloody disgrace, both on the part of the club and our main supporters organisation. It's now clear, to me at least, that Club1872 is definitely not the answer to the age old representation problem. In fact, setting aside what it derived from Rangers First, it looks increasingly like the impotent failure that the RST used to be.

You might be right about Blair but even if the rest of the board agreed with you, he could never be sacked while a judgement is pending that relies on his testimony. That said, the fact his words have now been ridiculed by a judge should make his departure a necessity now.

If there's shares in it Club1872 will be right on the case. If not then you might be calling the wrong number.

That's exactly what it is, squalid virtue signalling. When I see shit like this and the SD issue I realise just how much still has to be done to strengthen the management team running the club.

The signing of Grezda for significant money looks like a huge punt in the dark. I hope we won’t be seeing that again. The current regime have had a long time now to properly assess recruitment targets.

The Theresa May negotiating strategy? ?