chilledbear

Noticed this tweet from RST Well done to @RangersFirst on their new purchase! Did you think we were finished with our good news? Think again.....

He hasn't had the support for months.

On SSN. February 2015 Rangers International Football Club plc ("Rangers" the "Club" or the "Company") Directorate Change Rangers announces that James Easdale has resigned from the Boards of the Company and Rangers Football Club Limited with immediate effect. He leaves Rangers having never received any remuneration, bonus or compromise payment during his time at the Club. He would like to thank all the fans and shareholders who supported him and wishes the club a speedy return to the top flight of Scottish football and beyond. For further information please contact: Rangers International Football Club plc Tel: 0141 580 8647 David Somers WH Ireland Limited Tel: 020 7220 1666 Adrian Hadden / Paul Shackleton Newgate Tel: 020 7148 6143 Roddy Watt / Ed Treadwell

Especially now with the chance of a recovery on the way.

Quite a few shares changing hands today.

Wrong Thread

They warned us at the beginning.

We don't need this, why do we kick ourselves.

No idea what this Collymore thing is about, but the media will support Collymore and condemn us. Why the hell are we getting into this when our future is at stake?

Brought a smile to my face. Well done the auld guy.

Tom Walsh http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/item/8529-teething-problems-will-subside TOM WALSH believes Rangers under 20s new style of play will help them in the long term but admits it will take time to adapt to the new system. With changes in the youth set-up since the turn of the year and Ian Durrant taking over from Gordon Durie as the Development League a refreshed footballing philosophy has been imposed. The youngsters have struggled for form since the changes though with convincing wins over Aberdeen and Hearts followed by defeats at the hands of Dunfermline and Hibernian. The 18-year old explained the impact to Rangers TV: “With a new coach and with Craig Mulholland taking over as head of the youth department we’ve tried to play from the back a bit more and I think early on it was working very well. “We’re still trying to do that but over the last couple of weeks we just haven’t been ourselves which is quite disappointing but hopefully we’re back to our best on Sunday. “It’s harder when you go full time because it’s more about winning - when you’re younger you can go and play with no worries. “At this stage there are points at stake and there is more emphasis on winning so I think sometimes that can be a lost a bit. “I think with Craig, and with Durrant and Billy Kirkwood they are trying to get us playing well and get us results in a good way. “I think the new style is something we’re still getting to grips with but I think the Hearts game showed that we can beat anyone because they had a lot of boys who have done well in their first team. “The frustrating thing is the likes of the Hibs game shows there is an inconsistency. It’s alright doing it one week but if you’re note producing it regularly it makes no difference.”

Ian Durrant took charge of the under 20 squad late last year and Halkett has been impressed by the former Ranger. As a defender the 19-year old feels he has benefitted from a more footballing approach to their play and is enjoying adapting to it. He said: “It's been a little bit different since Ian Durrant has been involved; he's brought a bit of a buzz around the place which is good, just changing things a little. “I'm enjoying it with him and he's brought a bit of a different side to it, it's been more enthusiastic. “We are trying to change the way that we play just now, so hopefully we'll get a few more results that way - we're starting to play a little bit more from the back now. “We've had that in our locker before, but we've not really done it, but now we are starting to do it and I'm finding it a little bit easier and more enjoyable - I like to play that way, it's the way forward. “Being a defender used to be about being physical and winning headers and things like that, but now you have to play too and I'm enjoying it." http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/academy-news/item/8528-halkett-andys-given-us-hope

Might be a few contracts given before March.

Hiring another one ?

Ronnie Esplin I wonder if the #rangers board were in The Blue Room at Ibrox last night singing 'sack the fans, sack the fans, sack the fans...'?

This Board keep on giving.

Keith Jackson So Derek Llambias has had a busy couple of days. Stories should be online soon...

Well done.

At least it's a short month.

In two weeks, the board of Rangers International Football Club (RIFC) are obliged to hold a extraordinary general meeting (EGM) for the company's shareholders. After two London hotels withdrew from staging the event, it will be convened at Ibrox, the team's home and the venue for the previous two annual general meetings. It will probably be a short meeting, since there are only seven resolutions to be read out and voted on, and no opening or closing addresses. It is, though, the culmination in a long battle for control of the club. Here, BBC Scotland explains the EGM and the circumstances surrounding it. What is the EGM about? In its broadest sense, the future of Rangers; but in pragmatic terms, control of the board. The EGM has been called by Dave King, the former Rangers director who owns 14.5% of RIFC. He has raised seven resolutions: the removal of all four current directors - chairman David Somers, chief executive Derek Llambias, finance director Barry Leach, and James Easdale - and the appointments of King, Paul Murray and John Gilligan. As far as the bigger picture is concerned, this can be framed as Mike Ashley versus 'the rest'. The former is the majority shareholder of Sports Direct and Newcastle United, and his MASH company owns an 8.92% stake in RIFC. King is at the head of the latter, but he has clear and unambiguous support from fellow Rangers-supporting shareholders, ranging from ordinary fans with small holdings to Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor, who between them own 20% of the RIFC shares. Who are the key parties? Ashley looms over the current regime. He wanted to increase his stake, in underwriting a share issue, but the Scottish Football Association paid heed to the spirit of their dual ownership guidelines and denied him permission. Sports Direct have a joint retail agreement with Rangers and have lent RIFC £5m, secured against various assets, with a second tranche of £5m available to be drawn down. As part of this agreement, Sports Direct are entitled to appoint two directors until the loan has been repaid. Llambias is the former managing director of Newcastle United and when he was appointed as a non-executive director, the Stock Exchange was informed by the club that this was on behalf of MASH. Leach left his executive role at Sports Direct to take up the position at Ibrox. Sandy Easdale is also part of this group, having supported the board appointments through his brother, James. Sandy Easdale owns 6.45% of RIFC and holds proxy votes for a further 19.67%, which includes the shares held by Blue Pitch and Margarita Holdings. King was born and raised in Castlemilk before moving to South Africa early in his working life. He was a director of Rangers under Sir David Murray and then Craig Whyte, with his position on the board under the latter one of two issues that he faces in terms of 'fit and proper person' criteria. After an 11-year battle with the South African Revenue Services, King was convicted of 41 breaches of the Income Tax Act - paying a cumulative fine of around £186,000 - and a tax bill of more than £40m. King has said that he has a company lined up to act as the nominated advisor of RIFC - which manages the company's listing on the Alternative Investment Market - that will approve his appointment as a director. He would then need to seek the approval of the SFA's professional game board, having been on the board under Whyte when Rangers Football Club plc was put into administration, and due to his breaches of the Income Tax Act. Murray is also a former director of Rangers, and faces the same issue with the SFA having been on the board under Whyte, albeit he was sacked by the former owner before RFC plc entered administration and had previously been very vocal about Whyte's unsuitability as an owner. A private equity investor, Murray has campaigned for proper corporate governance at Ibrox, becoming a thorn in the side of Charles Green and others who have passed through the boardroom in the past three years. Gilligan is the former managing director of Tennents Caledonian Breweries and a former vice-chair of the Rangers Supporters Trust (RST). There is a further block of powerful shareholders in Park, Letham and Taylor. The three offered to provide equity finance to RIFC earlier this year, but the board chose instead to take a loan from Sports Direct. All three want to invest in the club, and will vote for King's resolutions. They have yet to respond to comments to the Rangers Fans Board by Leach, that were noted in minutes and released online, in which he said - in very uncomplimentary language - that they had been terrified when they thought their offer would be accepted. Later, Rangers said: "These minutes have not been seen or approved by the board. We are very disappointed by the behaviour of the existing fans' board". How do the votes stack up? Votes are currently being cast by post or by proxy, but informed estimations can be made. King is adamant that he will win, and has the backing of his own 14.5%, the 19.49% held by Park, Letham and Taylor, River & Mercantile's 5.7%, Rangers First's 1.75%, Rangers Supporters Trust's 1.56%, Kieron Prior's 1.35%, Ally McCoist's 1.34%, Felix Magath's 0.99%, Graeme Henderson's 0.72%, Malcolm Murray's 0.25% and Walter Smith's 0.09%. That gives King a starting point of 47.74%. The board can count on MASH's 8.92%, Sandy Easdale's 6.45%, Blue Pitch Holding's 4.91%, Margarita Funds Holding's 3.19%, James Easdale's 0.7%, David Somers' 0.08%, and the remainder of Sandy Easdale's proxy, 11.57%. That gives the board a starting point of 35.74%. The floating voters? The remainder of the shares - 16.49% - are held by a smattering of small investors and individual fan shareholders. The latter are thought to hold around 10%, and many have been motivated to vote in advance by the board's attempts to hold the EGM in London. The RST, in particular, and Rangers First have been gathering proxy votes and will cast them ahead of the EGM. Given the amount of proxies lodged so far, those votes alone could see King have the backing of more than 50% of shareholders, and a straight majority is all that is required for resolutions to be passed. It is conceivable that the board will be informed ahead of the EGM that King's resolutions have the required support, prompting them to appoint the three and then resign. What happens after the EGM? Whichever side wins, there are clear and critical issues to address. The first is finance, since the Sports Direct loan is short-term and the club needs rebuilt from top to bottom. It is also conceivable that the second £5m tranche from Sports Direct will be drawn down before the EGM, with additional securities. The performance of the team also needs to be addressed, since Rangers' only likely route to the Scottish Premiership is now via the play-offs, and performances have sagged during the recent political strife. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31524925

From FF Re: Update to Telegraph article - EGM in both London and Glasgow Do not worry guys. I was a finance journalist until recently. It may be unusual practice but it is correct that if you name a venue, time and date for a General meeting then you have to actually open the meeting at that place in case any shareholders who are not aware turn up. As long as they're told it is being adjourned to another venue then you have legally fulfilled your obligations. In this case they have to then go to a second venue at a different time to adjourn again. And then remarkably they all have to head up to Ibrox at a time that will be agreed by the LSE (who Capita are, in effect, acting on behalf of) that gives sufficient time to travel from one general meeting venue to the other. I suspect the meeting at Ibrox will be on the 6th.

RST Statement https://www.therst.co.uk/news/rst-statement-on-egm-developments/ We are pleased that the board has finally been forced by their own ineptitude and propaganda to hold the EGM where it always should have been - Ibrox Stadium. Sadly their shambolic attempt to stop shareholders attending the meeting has led to a great deal of disruption and cost to people wishing to attend. We are not sure if the Grange Hotel took its decision not to host the EGM based on the hundreds of Celtic fans who contacted them today or because of misinformation from allies of the board. If it was due to the former, we would like to thank those fans for the obsession with our affairs that now sees the EGM being held at Ibrox. There was not going to be any issue with over attendance or indeed with disruption to guests or visitors. Rangers fans, despite showing their displeasure towards this disgraceful regime over the past two AGMs, have not caused any trouble at these events. Furthermore, fans have been proxying their votes in the high hundreds to the RST and submitting postal votes to Capita. They are well informed and well aware of the need to ensure there are no issues. Only two groups benefit from disruption of the EGM. The board themselves and people who wish to see Rangers remain in financial difficulty. On that front we find it odd that this week Derek Llambias made what we consider to be false claims of being 'attacked' in Glasgow. It is clear this board is attempting to paint a dishonest picture of the understandable but entirely peaceful anger which is being directed at them. We will continue to take proxy votes from any fans who have difficulty attending or who prefer not to. We urge restraint from those who do attend the EGM at Ibrox. It is clear this board will attempt every dirty trick in the book. We must vote them out and start the hard work of rebuilding our club and mending the damage that the Easdale brothers, David Somers, and Mike Ashley's cohorts have done. - See more at: https://www.therst.co.uk/news/rst-statement-on-egm-developments/#sthash.hMvAsW55.dpuf

Yes please.

Nothing to stop this lot booking a hotel on the promise of that same Hotel will cancel for a remuneration.

Anyone like to change their vote FOR Leach after the RFB minutes ?