chilledbear

MUrray still on the Board?

So a non executive chairman means what? Less powers?

What does the Non - Executive mean?

Now official http://t.co/QhI6aWAv0k

Someone needs to inform the BBC. Still nothing on their Site

Davie could be a Manager before the season starts.

What does 'effectively sold' mean?

For short term stability I guess, does this mean a return for Bain as CEO?

If there has been changes, Stock Exchange will have to be informed tomorrow. Perhaps that is why there has been no leaks.

Started hours ago, not sure if it is still going on. No leaks so far!!!!!

Perhaps says more about the Coaches.

Do all three agree with both Statements?

Is it true the new signings can play from the start of the season?

calscot. Your better than me on PCs, I wouldn't be able to reply as you have. We look to be signing players, many of whom will be fighting over the same positions, while the part of the side where we were weakest, has up to now been ignored. These signings will be on good wages, any players we have freed are youngsters, our wage bill is increasing at a time of uncertainty on the Financial front. Who has control over the Budget, would anyone at the moment say no to McCoist?

Don't understand the strategy here, are we signing players just because they are available, or is there a cunning plan? From midfield forward, we have all of last seasons players, including youngsters who only had one or two appearances, plus the new signings and any still to come. Perhaps we need last seasons players until the point when we can actually play the new guys, but can we then cut the squad come September? As far as I can see, there is no control over spending or strategy for the future.

Don't understand some of the signings, might be good players but are we going to shoehorn players into wrong positions.

This would be good. ''With the Rangers Supporters Trust, as well as individuals, having bought shares during the IPO, there is also an opportunity for the fans to take larger stakes in the club if they can work together to pool their influence.'' If only!!

That is disgraceful. Who would be behind this decision?

He ought to be used to the circumstances, since every board meeting for the past two months has involved discussions, sometimes heated, about his involvement in the club. The directors met last Friday to vote on the matter, only for the gathering to be abruptly brought to a halt. Had it gone ahead, Murray would have been voted off. His future will not be the only item on the agenda today, but it is certain to feature prominently. For all of his obvious and heartfelt affection for the club, and his commitment to good corporate governance, Murray is a flawed chairman. With him at the helm, the board is thought to lack leadership and decisive decision-making, with much of the business of the last few months spent on internal politics â?? there was a fierce clash of personalities between Murray and Charles Green, the former chief executive â?? rather than driving the club forward. The majority of the directors, some of them reluctantly and including Walter Smith, have come to the same conclusion, but the process is not straightforward. Murray would need to be replaced, although it could be an interim appointment. There are four current non-executive directors but one of them, Philip Cartmell, has only attended one board meeting. That remoteness would not suit the role. Smith has intimated in the past that he has no wish to hold the position. That leaves Ian Hart, a lifelong fan and respected business figure, and Bryan Smart, another who has an emotional attachment, but neither may be keen given the difficulties that chairing the board may bring, with much of the club's business having been carried out in public in recent months and a lack of unity amongst directors and fans alike. There are good working relationships around the board table, though. On the current issues, Hart and Smith are increasingly in agreement, with Smart often also sharing similar views. Craig Mather, the chief operating officer, and Brian Stockbridge, the finance director, have also been prepared to vote in favour of moves that would bring some stability to the board. With an emergency general meeting having been requested by Blue Pitch Holdings, with four issues to be addressed â?? to remove Murray, to remove Cartmell, to appoint James Easdale and to appoint Chris Morgan â?? there is a desire to find the means to negotiate a settlement in advance that is not disruptive. There are two stages to Rangers returning to a more stable, productive set-up. The first is change in the boardroom, which is likely to begin to be addressed today. Disagreements amongst directors have not always followed along 'Rangers men' and 'non-Rangers men' lines, and there have been few clear-cut points of disagreement; the subtleties and the nuances have often been lost in the rush to impose a clear narrative on events. It is more that the board has lacked strong leadership, from the chairman, and some of the dissent has been leaked. A new chairman, and perhaps a vice-chairman with a specific remit, would go some way to restoring order to the boardroom. It is considered highly unlikely that Green will return, despite being the majority shareholder with a 7.8% stake. Having resigned as chief executive last month, he was allowed to remain on the board as a director until May 31, so he can participate in today's meeting. The independent investigation into the level of collusion last summer between Green and Craig Whyte, the former owner â?? which was launched by Murray and carried out by Pinsent Masons and Deloitte â?? has been completed, but the results have not yet been seen by all of the directors. A detailed statement on the outcome is unlikely, but there seems little prospect of a return for Green. He remains popular with some fans, although the consensus view is that the club needs to draw a distinct line under the turbulence of the past 12 months. Even if matters are addressed in the boardroom, where many of the issues have become centred on personalities, Rangers' long-term stability is likely to require a change in the balance of shareholders. As revealed in the prospects ahead of last December's Initial Public Offering of shares, members of Green's initial consortium can begin to sell their stakes in June. Green himself, as well as Imran Ahmad, the former commercial director, have to wait until 12 months have elapsed before they can trade, although lock-in agreements do often leave room for manoeuvre. Dave King, the former Rangers director, has previously admitted to monitoring the situation. Even if last year's season ticket sales could be repeated, there is the likelihood that Rangers will need additional funding on or before the club's return to the top flight. King has always believed that the business model will require further investment to be successful. With the Rangers Supporters Trust, as well as individuals, having bought shares during the IPO, there is also an opportunity for the fans to take larger stakes in the club if they can work together to pool their influence. The board meeting today may well begin to address some of the issues that have been troubling Rangers in recent months. There will still be other difficult decisions to be made in the weeks ahead. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/agenda-clear-but-more-tough-decisions-ahead-for-rangers-board.21208735

ARNOLD PERALTA will follow Nicky Clark into Ibrox this week as Ally McCoist steps up his Rangers rebuild. Honduras midfielder Peralta has agreed a switch to the Division Three champs from CDS Vida. Gers will confirm the deal in the next 48 hours — after unveiling Queen of the South hitman Clark as the club’s fourth signing in a week. Peralta, 24, is currently away on international duty with Celtic’s Emilio Izaguirre and has been on McCoist’s radar for several months. He rejected a switch to the MLS with Toronto in January after setting his heart on a switch to Gers. McCoist and No2 Kenny McDowall held talks with his agents during a trip to Central America towards the end of the season. And last night he took time out from preparing for Honduras’ clashes with Israel, Costa Rica and USA over the next three weeks, to reveal that his switch to Ibrox should be sealed at some point this week. He said: “We still have not quite signed the papers to complete the transfer — but I am hoping that will happen this week and the deal will be completed.” Peralta is happy to be part of the Hondurans’ World Cup bid and said: “I have worked hard over the past season to be a part of this team.” Now Peralta will follow Kilmarnock keeper Cammy Bell, Motherwell midfielder Nicky Law, Dundee United striker Jon Daly and fellow hitman Clark to the Light Blues as McCoist prepares for the end of the transfer embargo on September 1. Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/feeds/smartphone/scotland/4945999/Arnold-to-seal-deal-this-week.html#ixzz2Ueta3ILA

Watching Sunday Supplement last week-end. One of the guests told the story of the then Barcelona Manager Terry Venables,when he bought Steve Archibald for £750k. The ones in charge asked him to say the price was £3m not £750k, the fans would vote them out if they knew Barcelona were buying players for only £750k. Good post amms, I don't think fans realise what FO entails.

http://t.co/Zb79TcMRM7 Fans of Rangers, the football club, must wonder when their immense loyalty and commitment to the Club's very best interests will be matched by those with responsibility for the wider ownership, management and operation of the Club. Another week has ended after more revelations which are bizarre in any corporate context, far less in the context of a publicly listed, publicly scrutinised organisation such as Rangers. New signings are announced, not cheaply engaged, to fight the cause of winning Scottish football's third tier championship. Duff & Phelps, the ill-starred firm from which Paul Clark and David Whitehouse came as Joint Administrators in February 2012, has been cleared of the very serious professional complaint of acting whilst under conflict of interest by its professional regulating body, the Insolvency Practitioners Association. This does not absolve them from allegations of â??crookeryâ?? on social networking sites from Rangers fans who cling doggedly and irrationally to some conspiracy mythology. Claudio Reyna has taken a new post with a new major league soccer team in New York City, giving further evidence that the development plans outlined within the AIM listing document lie in tatters. Where do, where can, we go from here? Instinct says sharply backwards in a decline into the financial difficulties in which the Club was recently enmeshed under the rank bad management of previous owners. Reason says there is a way forward, provided that certain truths are grasped, myths dispelled and realities confronted. This will come as no surprise to persons whose crust is earned in the fields of insolvency, restructuring or turnaround - not always the same thing. Turnaround projects often suffer from setbacks. Commonly, a new chair, new chief executive, new chief financial officer and new chief operating officer are appointed. The clear turnaround remit is accompanied by specific milestone targets, so that the progress of the turnaround project can be measured. In the case of Rangers three appointments were made, one of whom has departed from his post as Chief Executive, one is continuing as lame duck Chairman and one's judgement is in question over leaked video footage. The curious appointment of a fourth person has been terminated in controversial circumstances. The football operations area remained unchanged, with the return of a highly distinguished former manager of the Club reinforcing the old guard notion at Board level. Uncommonly, this turnaround has been undertaken within the context of the Scottish football industry which itself is in seemingly constant turmoil, league restructuring plans adding confusion to financial havoc. Truths must be grasped. Key amongst those truths is who owns the Club and how the several voices of influence can best be applied. The ownership of the Club is an emotive but complex subject. Where would the Club be without fans? Extinct. Where would the Club be without financial investors? Extinct. Where would the Club be without a legendary manager? Looking for a replacement. Where would the Club be without legends in the Board Room? Just as unstable as it is at present. Where would the Club be without players of high reputation, earning substantial remuneration? Seeking to emulate the rebuilding process of a club like Cardiff City which, under Malcom Mackay as manager, has reorganized from top to bottom all aspects of operation. Ownership comprises â??stakeholdersâ??, each having different purposes in being involved but all of whose interests are ultimately served by the Club's success. It is the imbalance of stakeholders' interests which has led to the current difficulties, and caused them to be so difficult to resolve. Perhaps by taking the interests of each in turn, a way forward embracing all can be found. Others may offer a different analysis but for the purpose of this article stakeholders are: Financial investors - keen to earn best long run returns on their investment but wary of holding too long, particularly when real loss is likely due to operating or other problems. Shareholding fans - those who bought directly into Rangers International Football Club as individuals, seriously disenfranchised when polarised voting blocks begin to form. Season ticket holding fans - the lifeblood of the Club without shadow of a doubt, even more so if they are also shareholding fans. Fans who occasionally attend - inability to attend may include affordability, health or otherwise; still a stakeholder constituency of great importance. Board members - persons who are jointly custodians of the legacy. No one director has more or less responsibility than any other. All must act in the best interests of the Club, period. They need not be shareholders and may or may not even be fans. Fan groups, of which there are perhaps too many. Rangers Supporters Trust does a great job, not least in building the fans' shareholding in Rangers International Football Club Plc. The contribution of other groups is harder to measure. The Rangers Assembly for example seems often to offer bland comments after the event, often with little impactful purpose. Football management - persons who carry the greatest responsibility for the success on the pitch without which nothing can be achieved. This requires a balance of football knowledge, commercial astuteness and budgetary awareness. Closer to home than the previously-mentioned Malcolm Mackay at Cardiff is Allan Johnston at Queen of the South, although Allan has more to prove as he rises higher in league competition. Football players - responsible for delivery of results on the pitch. No hand-wringing excuses need be made when performance is dire. It may fill radio phone-in or social network capacity but that kind of apology we can live without Operating employees - the behind the scenes die-hards who prepare the Stadium and Murray Park's facilities, who operate the ticket office, who keep the match day experience working. Now, taking a step back for the sake of perspective, two stakeholder groups dominate the headlines with only one dominating the action. Firstly, the fans - shareholding fans, season ticket holding fans, fans who occasionally attend. The fans preserve the legacy, revere the legends and clamour for stability, preferably under the control and direction of â??real Rangers menâ??. The â??real Rangers menâ?? notion may actually be a press-driven misinterpretation. Many fans I speak to favour fan ownership in principle but would not be overly bothered if the Club could again show stability and enjoy competitive opportunity at the highest levels. Fans can influence much but execute little in practical terms. Secondly, the Board. The current Board may be amongst the most dysfunctional ever to have control of affairs anywhere. It is the juvenile stuff of school leaving dances to video colleagues who are tired and emotional for whatever reason. Therein lies of course the reason for dysfunction. The absence of a strong authoritative figure leaves the Club vulnerable to the consequences of anarchy. In these stages of turnaround, a strong determination to achieve the turnaround objectives is required and a measure of discipline simply has to be enforced. Mr Malcolm Murray is not apparently that figure. Each of those two stakeholder groups is fundamental to the way forward. The best way forward for the fans is two-pronged. Support the Club through thick and thin as before - buy season tickets and encourage others to do so. Continue to support the efforts of Rangers Supporters Trust in building fan ownership with the long-term objective of control. Leave the tyre kickers to kick tyres and let those high- net worth individuals who have a real love for the Club show their financial hand or clear off. For the fans, that's truly the best they can do. The Board is a different story. Here is where financial investors have a role to play. Both as influencers and in brutal voting terms they have the ability to bring about effectual change, and that means facing rather than running from responsibilities. Change at Board level is imperative. A strong Chairman, willing to listen to the views of his fellow directors but equally willing to keep them in corporate line, is essential. A strong vice chairman to assist the Chairman in this role, perhaps taking responsibility for specific areas of corporate governance, is desirable. A chief executive with a proven track record in sports-related business / commercial development is essential. A director of football with sound management, coaching and playing knowledge, charismatic rather than divisive, would help. Out of respect for those currently in position, no named changes are proposed here. If Cenkos or Zeus or anyone else representing shareholders wishes to discuss any aspect of this in greater detail, it can be done. The changes described above would then set the stage for the real operational changes which are required. The Club had a huge opportunity when emerging into new ownership to grasp a whole new model of working. A leaner organisation was in prospect, coupled with a new footballing philosophy which could begin with youth development onwards. That opportunity has not been grasped fully. Old habits die hard. A head coach committed to highest standards of sports science and fitness, and to modern methods of player development and team coaching, would be great. Players who understand what it means to be thoroughly professional in physical and other game preparation would be terrific. It would help to break the notion that big-spending is somehow a guarantor of success, rather than a frittering of funds on questionable signings. This forthcoming Extraordinary General Meeting provides the chance for shareholders including shareholding fans, to air relevant issues, provided that statutory notice obligations have been complied with. As Rangers people, let the intent be to go forward, building upon legacy but not bound by the past, drawing upon the immense wealth of talent which lies within the Rangers community of stakeholders. David Kinnon is a Chartered Accountant and licensed insolvency practitioner. Views expressed are entirely his own

When can they start selling? I'm sure there is a period of time before they can sell their shares.

Would it stay at that level if Walter Smith resigned? Perhaps we will find out.

I have never understood this need to buy a ST. I did have one for a short time, but buying a ticket a game at a time has always done me fine. Does this make me less of a Rangers Supporter?