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  1. THE reason for the delay in Rangers publishing their half-yearly figures is ,there are those on the Ibrox board who quite simply do not trust Lloyds. However, I believe that recent top level talks with the new men at the top of Lloyds will see Rangers release the figures this week. It surprises me that not much has been made of what has been going on at Lloyds' top table in the last month. For the fact is that since the last update on the power struggle on the Ibrox board, and my revelations about why the half yearly accounts had not been published, there have been massive changes at Lloyds. It now remains to be seen whether those changes will undermine the position of Donald Muir and Mike McGill, the two Ibrox directors who are seen as Lloyds men. Somehow, and for no reason I can fathom, the huge upheaval at Lloyds has not made its way onto the sports pages of the nation's newspapers. Though what's being going on at Lloyds has appeared on the business and financicial pages of such reputable media outlets as the Daily Telegraph and the Scotsman. Let's kick off right at the top of the tree. The man who was in charge of Lloyds as chief executive, Eric Daniels, is no more. And a good thing too, many may believe. Closer to home for Rangers, the executive director of Lloyds, who had special responsibilities for the bank's business in Scotland, Archibald Gerard Kane, is also no more. An even better thing those on the Ibrox board with the good of Rangers in their hearts, Martin Bain, Alastair Johnston John McClelland, Paul Murray and Dave King, may well believe. The new Lloyds chief executive is the Portuguese born Antonio Horto-Osorio, who took over three weeks ago, and who is believed to be a hands-on supremo. Certainly it did not take him long to express what many interpreted as his dis-satisfaction with the performance of Lanarkshire born man-of-mystery Kane. One of the new chief executive's acts was to show Kane the door and replace him with Philip Grant. My research into Grant seems to show he was previously with the Royal Bank of Scotland, but the probe is ongoing. More of Lloyds new man Grant at a later date. For the moment, it is better to examine just what has been going on between Rangers and Lloyds during this period of turmoil at the bank. You may recall that last month I revealed the four page document which contains Rangers half yearly figures, plus a statement from chief executive, Bain, was pulped after Muir and McGill were reported to have objected to what Bain had written. There followed a round of briefings by Donald Muir to a small cherrypicked group of reporters, which surprisingly exiled the Daily Record. WHY? Rangers were believed to be furious that the outcome of these clandestine meetings was a series of stories which claimed Lloyds had saved Rangers. There was even some talk that what Muir had done may have breached the strict confidentiality laws governing the relationship between a bank and its customer. While this was all going on, Bain met with the bank again to try and thrash out a new business plan. When he reported back to the Rangers board, McClelland, Murray and Johnston were unhappy with what the bank proposed. That led to a further delay This happened against the backdrop of Horto-Osorio was getting his feet under the Lloyds boardroom table. Now, with the arrival of the new executive director at Loyds with special responsibilites for their business in Scotland, Philip Grant, Rangers have a new man to negotiate with. The latest delay to the publication of the half yearly accounts is a direct result of those talks, with Rangers hoping they get more sense out of the new man than they did from Archibald Gerard Kane. Or from the man who was responsibe for business banking at Lloyds when they took over Rangers banking arrangements, the now departed founder board member of the Celtic Trust, Manus Joseph, J Fullerton. Rangers can point to the fact Lloys inherited a debt of �£31M, largely due to the club's absence from Europe in the year before, which had fallen to �£23M by the time the annual audited accounts were published in the summer of 2010. It is believed that debt to Lloyds will now be around �£20M....or even less. Which will show the new men at Lloyds the ability Rangers have to reduce their debt, provided they are allowed to conduct their business in a way geared to bring that business success. As the business of Rangers Football Club is football, success financially is relative to the success on the park of the team. Therefore, playing in Europe - even in the Europe League - increases the club's income. In turn making Rangers more able to continue to reduce its debt to Lloyds. That is neither brain surgery nor rocket science. The amazing thing is that Eric Daniels, Archibald Gerard Kane or Manus Joseph J Fullerton seemed to realise that. Or if they did, the gave every appearance of wanting to ignore the fact. For whatever reason. Now, perhaps trust will finally be established between Lloyds Bank and Rangers Football Club. http://leggoland2.blogspot.com/
  2. I really doubt Ally would say to any possible future boss to put up or shut up. It would be very stupid if he did.
  3. By Glenn Gibbons This column owns up to a long-standing struggle to understand the difference between a supporters' "trust" and an old-fashioned supporters' "club". Apart, that is, from the former's curious and misguided belief that the fortunes of the football club of their favour would increase dramatically were they allowed to take a hand in its affairs. The notion of planting a "fan" on the board has always seemed something of an insult to the sitting directors, with its implication that they are not themselves fans. This point is usually countered with the claim that they are referring to an "ordinary" supporter. It is a view that appears to ignore the fact that, in the event of an appointment to the board of one of their number, he or she would no longer be an "ordinary" fan, but a director. As such, he or she would probably also be shocked to discover that board members are obliged to work under certain restrictive imperatives - largely financial and/or legal - with which loudly critical supporters are unfamiliar. The new director would spend most of his time explaining to those who campaigned for his co-option why he cannot instigate the measures they have in mind. In addition, champions of the cause of having the "trust" represented on the board insist that they should be taken seriously, because they comprise mainly respected professionals, such as lawyers and business people. This appears rather to contradict their fundamental principle of putting an "ordinary" fan on the board. Even armed with the impression of this inflated sense of themselves, however, it was something of a shock to discover that the Rangers Supporters Trust seemed to consider that no debate on the misbehaviour that marked the latest Celtic-Rangers match could be completed - or even regarded as official - without their contribution. Their entry took the form of an email sent to the country's major media outlets. Referring to themselves as RST - presumably on the assumption that anyone who is anyone would recognise it as instantly as they would such other Old Firm-related abbreviations as DOB and FTP - the trust revealed its "unequivocal" backing of the Rangers chief executive, Martin Bain, and its call to the Scottish FA to investigate the behaviour of the Celtic manager, Neil Lennon. As an exercise in self-importance, this revived a once-famous image of the preposterously pompous Italian warmonger, Benito Mussolini, as he stood on a platform, arms crossed over a puffed-out chest, head nodding his agreement with the crowd below as they acclaimed him as Il Duce. It was as close as anyone made of flesh and bone could possibly come to playing a cartoon character. Thankfully, many sports editors - though, regrettably, not all - demonstrated their disdain for the uninvited intrusion by sending the email straight to trash. http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Glenn-Gibbons-Matter-of-trust.6732801.jp
  4. By Tom English in Eindhoven IF MARTIN Bain, the Rangers chief executive, managed to suppress any cynicism he may have had at the Holyrood summit on Tuesday then the club captain, David Weir, wasn't nearly as cagey when Rangers arrived in Eindhoven for today's Europa League tie against PSV. Weir described the furore that has built up around the Old Firm in the wake of the so-called "Shame Game" against Celtic as nonsense and dismissed the idea that the fixture would ever get played behind closed doors, as some in the police have intimated. "It will never happen," said Weir. "It is the pride fixture of Scottish football. It has kept Scottish football going for years and you would be as well just closing down the league if that (closed doors Old Firm games] was the case." The captain, quite obviously unimpressed with some of the interventions from Holyrood and Strathclyde Police, didn't stop there either. "You play in a lot of games that have an edge," he said. "Throughout the course of your career you get involved in games like this. That is what football is all about. People love that. Everybody says it is Scotland's shame, but I know by going down south that everybody is talking about it. Everybody is saying Scottish football is on its knees but there has been more interest in the last week than there has been in weeks. "I think we have to be a bit more realistic and put things into perspective and move on a wee bit. That game is gone. As players you are ultimately disappointed to lose the game. That's the bottom line. The other sort of nonsense that goes with it is irrelevant." Weir is not blind to the connection between on-field aggravation and off-field trouble in these games, far from it. But he disputes the level of blame that can be attached to the Old Firm for, say, domestic abuse against women in the hours after Rangers and Celtic play each other. He also questions the rationale for police wanting to address players before Old Firm games to remind them of the repercussions of their actions on the street. "If you do that for this game," he said, talking about the upcoming Co-operative Insurance Cup final, "then you are going to need to do it for every game. I don't see how you can only single out one game and watch what you have to do in one match and not the others. I don't see why that should happen. It should be the case in every game. You have to be responsible for your actions on and off the field, whether you are a footballer or Joe Public. That is the way it should be. It should be at the back of your mind regardless of what you are doing, so I don't see why we should be reinforcing it before the cup final." The captain rejected the notion that last Wednesday's game at Parkhead was especially ugly - "There were no major incidents and nothing that merits politicians getting involved," he claimed - and defended the rights of players to be fiery at Hampden on 20 March. "If you sanitise it and take that out of football then we are in danger of becoming a society where we won't be able to do anything. We would end up constantly on the back foot worrying what are doing." Walter Smith - who, in a rare moment of football chat, revealed that Kyle Lafferty is fit to play this evening but that Vladimir Weiss is probably not - also revisited the summit. It is long been the manager's view that blaming the Old Firm for society's ills is a cop-out, that the nation's problems with drink and violence and bigotry go way beyond a mere football match, albeit a football match that is undoubtedly the catalyst for public disorder. Like his captain before him, Smith played down the somewhat emotional talk of last Wednesday's 'game that shamed a nation'. "You see things happening in England which are worse," he said. "Tackle-wise and otherwise. We see clashes between managers and other things happening on the pitch. That just goes as part and parcel of the game. Percentage-wise we don't do too badly in terms of handling a situation which is a fairly volatile one. I must stress, as a whole, in all the years I've been involved that it's not been too bad (the on-field discipline]. When the police flagged up a few weeks ago that there is a problem then we've all got to listen to that. The Wednesday game then made it worse. But would the social problem outwith Wednesday's game be any worse after that match than after previous games? "It's not actually what happens in the game which causes the problem (of domestic and general violence]. It's the game itself - the Rangers and Celtic Old Firm game at any time. It's a broader issue than just looking at what happens on the pitch. So, anything they try and do, yes, we'll agree to do it and it'll be helpful and we hope it can bring a certain calmness. Everyone has to play their part in that." Of course, he's got the small matter of a last 16-tie in the Europa League to contend with first. http://sport.scotsman.com/celticfc/Old-Firm-games-behind-closed.6731468.jp?articlepage=2
  5. The RST finally says something worthwhile ..... has there been another night of the long knives and real Rangers supporters have taken over.... Copied from post on VB The Board of the Rangers Supporters’ Trust offers unequivocal backing for Martin Bain, the Rangers Chief Executive, in his attempt to bring some sanity and balance to hysterical nonsense around the Scottish Cup tie on 2 March at Celtic Park. We also have serious concerns about Neil Ginger-toothed Bigot’s actions in the first half of this game* and cannot understand why no action was taken against Ginger-toothed Bigot either by match officials or the SFA for i) leaving his own technical area; ii) for intruding on the Rangers technical area, or; iii) for deliberate provocation. If the alleged contact between Diouf and the Celtic physiotherapist was such an issue for Mr Ginger-toothed Bigot, why did he not raise this with the 4th official standing about four feet away from him? We consider that the management team at Celtic FC are out of control and in our view this is evidenced by Mr Ginger-toothed Bigot’s previous behaviour at Tannadice and at Tynecastle, for which he received a four match ban. What we consider to be premeditated provocation and incitement of Rangers players and staff was continued last Wednesday evening in the tunnel in Celtic Park after the half time whistle in scenes captured on Sky television. We are also in possession of documentary evidence from Strathclyde Police Chief Superintendent Andrew Bates, referring to Neil Ginger-toothed Bigot’s provocative gestures towards the West Enclosure and Main Stand during the game at Ibrox on 6 February, stating that: “The alleged conduct of the Celtic manager, Neil Ginger-toothed Bigot, was noted by my ground commander and highlighted to the match referee at half time and at the conclusion of the match. In my view as match commander it was entirely appropriate for the match referee to include the circumstances of the alleged incident to the Scottish Football Association for their consideration as part of this match report.” If the referee and the SFA had acted on this, perhaps the Celtic management team would have behaved more responsibly? This incident was immediately followed by an alleged incident between the Celtic manager and El Hadji Diouf, Steven Naismith and Vladimir Weiss in the tunnel after half time, an incident which had a direct bearing on what happened on 2 March. We are now asking Rangers to reveal precisely what took place and why this had such a major effect on subsequent events. All the incidents cited above are at the very least cause for concern and we therefore call on the SFA to conduct a meaningful and thorough investigation into these issues as soon as practicable. Stephen Smith Chairman, Rangers Supporters' Trust
  6. http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/latest-rst-news/375-rst-backs-bain-and-calls-for-sfa-investigation-into-lennons-conduct?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter So, question must be asked - did Calum Murray include these incidents in his report and, if so, why did Stewart Regan not act upon them last month? Increasingly likely that SFA is being compromised by incompetence at all levels here.
  7. BAD boy El-Hadji Diouf should be booted out of Rangers following his Old Firm red card shame. That's the view of Express Sport columnist and Celtic and Scotland legend Charlie Nicholas. Diouf was involved in bust-ups with Celts boss Neil Lennon and the Hoops skipper Scott Brown during the Light Blues' 1-0 Scottish Cup fifth round replay loss at Parkhead. The Senegalese striker was also accused of clashing with the home physio Tim Williamson before being sent-off after the final whistle by referee Calum Murray for dissent. Diouf threw his shirt into the away end at time-up, but Nicholas insists he has seen enough of the controversial 30-year-old, who arrived on loan from Blackburn in January with a bad reputation for trouble. And he insists Ibrox chief executive Martin Bain and the board should lay down the law to manager Walter Smith. Nicholas said: "Get him out of the country and get him out of our league. "He had a chance to come to Scotland and clean up a sullied reputation, but he has failed abysmally.He should be ordered back down the road to Blackburn this morning. "Ibrox board members should be brought into play, they should sit Walter Smith down and ask him just how much more trouble this guy might cause. "My own view is that there's a strong chance he'll be involved in more flashpoints with Rangers and Celtic set to meet twice more before the end of the campaign, so I'd say: 'Thanks for your help. Goodbye and good riddance'. "He's not concerned about the team's ambitions. "It's all about what is going on within his own little world and, having seen him pretty much go out to get himself ordered-off, I will say right here and now that his world should be brought to an end today." Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/232542/Boot-out-Diouf-blasts-Celtic-legend/Boot-out-Diouf-blasts-Celtic-legend#ixzz1Faeyllyc
  8. RANGERS Football Club issued the following statement after First Minister Alex Salmond and Strathclyde Police announced that a summit will be held next week to discuss events surrounding recent Old Firm matches. Chief Executive Martin Bain said: "At Rangers we have spent the day looking closely at the events of last night and the widespread comments expressed. "When the First Minister and I spoke today I said we would willingly take part in the summit and welcomed the opportunity to discuss matters surrounding these fixtures 'frankly and openly'. Martin Bain at the AGM"At the summit we think it is important there is clarity on the issues we need to address. "In relation to the match itself, we will be making the following points: "There was indeed increased tension at last night's match between the clubs, mainly as a result of incidents at previous matches where two of our players were the subject of extreme verbal abuse in the tunnel and around the dug-out area at Ibrox. "Our management team are highly regarded across the football world for their approach to the game. Our Assistant Manager, who is acutely aware of representing Rangers in the best possible way, became embroiled in a situation last night where he acted in the defence of our players. He met Neil Lennon again after the match and is now satisfied the Celtic Manager is fully aware of his views. "The dismissal of three Rangers players and the extraordinary number of bookings we believe is a matter for the Scottish Football Association's disciplinary process. "We should point out that in recent matches between the two teams the number of bookings and sendings off has been unremarkable. "There has been extensive criticism of referees and the SFA this season and we are now questioning the impact of that criticism. Refereeing Old Firm matches is an extremely difficult task but the number of bookings last night compared with other recent Old Firm fixtures indicates the match was not controlled in the same way. "We regret that on one hand the SFA Chief Executive today said they had launched an investigation into the whole matter and then in the same statement immediately leapt to conclusions on two of our players. "On the wider issues raised by the Police, we as a Club take our social responsibilities very seriously, and the work we do to tackle issues such as anti-social behaviour, sectarianism and racism has been recognised by government, police authorities and football authorities. "As regards drunken, violent or sectarian behaviour - either at Old Firm matches or in the wider community - we are at one with the Police and Government. Indeed, we work closely with Celtic through the Old Firm Alliance and other initiatives to tackle sectarianism. "The issue of drunken behaviour in the wider community is something that all agencies need to work together to address. As a football club we are more than willing to play our part."
  9. Our current situation - It's time to face the inevitable then rebuild for the future. When you drill down to it, The Rangers support, to a man, has known at the back of its collective mind that the situation we are in is dire. Many of us will be in agreement that weââ?¬â?¢ve been urinating into the proverbial wind for 3 years yet miraculously, we have managed to avoid getting wet. Sooner or later, the stranglehold that being owned by Sir David Murray has placed us under was always going to come close to killing us. I say Sir David Murray rather than Lloyds bank specifically, as our current situation has been clouded by the usual sea of half-truths, speculation and contradictions that weââ?¬â?¢ve now come to expect from the Ayrshire millionaire. I wonââ?¬â?¢t sit here and try to claim the moral high-ground by claiming recent results against the filth havenââ?¬â?¢t had any impact on what Iââ?¬â?¢m about to write: They have, and Iââ?¬â?¢ll get to that later. However, let me start from the very beginning of this, probably the most sorry episode in the never-ending series that is ââ?¬Å?The David Murray Showââ?¬Â.. It all started in January 2009. Rampant speculation built up suggesting that our top goal scorer was subject to a bid from Alex McLeishââ?¬â?¢s Birmingham. The source was originally an article from The Scottish Sun that was brief and lacking in quotes ââ?¬â?? normally the tell-tale signs of a non-story. Unfortunately, it didnââ?¬â?¢t quite work out like that, the bid from Brum was legit ââ?¬â?? and the then-chairman was about to inform us of news that would utterly stun us. After coming off of our most commercially lucrative season ever...Iââ?¬â?¢ll write that again for extra emphasis ââ?¬â?? After coming off of our most commercially lucrative season EVER ââ?¬â?? The chairman was about to confirm that despite all of this, in no small part down to a historic European run the year before ââ?¬â?? our finances were once again down the toilet... Murray told the Guardian at the time... "If we did not take this action [selling Boyd], it could have been bad but there are far worse situations developing around us and I will not allow it to spiral again. Rangers have to be run on a sound fiscal basis." In typical Murray style, however, he was soon to contradict himself completely after the transfer window closed when he said.. "The Boyd situation is simple. We received an offer that we believed, collectively, Walter Smith, manager and Martin Bain, chief executive represented good business. "The player then went to Birmingham and refused terms. That is where it stands. But Rangers will go on whether the player goes or not. In that sense, it is immaterial whether he stays or goes." I donââ?¬â?¢t know about you, but I see two statements that glaringly contradict one another. That wasnââ?¬â?¢t the end of it, however, a leading football agent told national commercial radio station TalkSport the same month, that literally ââ?¬Ë?every Rangers player was for saleââ?¬â?¢, with the likely culprit Wullie McKay later declaring that Rangers CEO Martin Bain had instructed him to sell a raft of high earning first team stars, citing McKayââ?¬â?¢s ability to ââ?¬Å?get the job doneââ?¬Â as the reason behind him being allocated this particular mission. Murray issued a ââ?¬Ë?denialââ?¬â?¢ in The Sunday People soon after which actually confirmed McKayââ?¬â?¢s claim in a roundabout way. So we were back up the financial creek without a paddle. Despite a debt that was dwindling, a tremendous run to a European Final, solid season/match day ticket sales and several impressive fees recouped for players that we sold that culminated in what was officially the most commercially lucrative season in the history of Rangers Football Club ââ?¬â?? Our debt somehow increased and we needed to make drastic cuts It was truly one of the most shocking revelations in our recent history, and it left us wondering where our money was actually going. In the summer of the sale year, Rangers managed to cut the wage bill by well over Ã?£200,000 per week (Over Ã?£10m a year) by moving on a raft of first team squad members. To the credit of Walter Smith and the board, the club maintained most of our key players but we were left well-short of numbers in the squad, a huge potential problem that thankfully was not exploited by faltering then-Celtic manager Tony Mowbrayââ?¬â?¢s inability to field a team capable of challenging for the SPL title. To make matters worse ââ?¬â?? our solitary signing that season, Jerome Rothen, had his loan spell at the club cut-short after an ineffective first half to the season. Despite the support rationally assuming that we would be able to bring in a player or two using Rothenââ?¬â?¢s estimated Ã?£18,000 per week wage, an assumption further justified by the departure of another high-earner in Pedro Mendes to Sporting Lisbon, the Rangers support were again left scratching their heads as there were no incoming transfers to the Champions in the January window of the 2009/2010 SPL season. ââ?¬Å?Mystifiedââ?¬Â just didnââ?¬â?¢t do justice to the general feeling of the Rangers support then, or indeed now. After we won the SPL title for the second consecutive season in 2010, it appeared that following some pleading words from Walter Smith himself, those big bad bankers who had been subject to a tongue-lashing or six from him over the previous months decided to relent and kindly let Rangers buy players ââ?¬â?? with money raised from selling yet more players from our already thread-bare squad. We were all left pleased with the quality of players we brought in but once again, the number of players who moved on last summer was more than the number that came in, and with our continued reluctance to promote youth in decent numbers...or use youth in Cup competition domestically given our hectic schedule, we were again left to face a season at home and abroad with a woefully small squad. For just over two years, Rangers have been fire-fighting and, as I said above, urinating into the wind without getting wet. Nobody should be surprised that this is happening, it was only a matter of time. The reality is that on-field failure and the ââ?¬Ë?huge problemsââ?¬â?¢ I speak of are hopefully going to be the precursor to change at Ibrox. Walter Smith and Martin Bain have done an outstanding job of keeping the club together during these turbulent times ââ?¬â?? that should never be forgotten and both men, Walter in particular, should be commended for this. His contribution since coming has only furthered his status as a legend despite the split opinion of his on-field approach. Something from the previous two years that I sadly canââ?¬â?¢t spare the Rangers management team and board from, however, is the constant stream of contradictory information and statements that has come from them. One minute ââ?¬Å?everyone is for saleââ?¬Â, the next ââ?¬Å?we donââ?¬â?¢t have to sell anyoneââ?¬Â. On other occasions weââ?¬â?¢ve told the world ââ?¬Å?the bank runs the clubââ?¬Â only to play it down days later. Our current chairman, who appears to have vanished without a trace, has justified our constant flip-flopping on the issue by saying our relationship with Lloyds bank is ââ?¬Ë?a fluid situationââ?¬â?¢ i.e. our status with the bank changes all the time as per their business needs. Sadly, that statement has never quite cut it for me, and the only thing fluid about this whole thing is in the way weââ?¬â?¢ve had the piss taken out of us by those who run the club. Fiscally, theyââ?¬â?¢ve done a remarkable job with a fair-share of luck involved. Keeping Davis, Bougherra, McGregor and others when weââ?¬â?¢re so up against it financially is something to be proud of. I personally decided that Rangers would not get another penny from me after that cup game. I donââ?¬â?¢t need to state the obvious about the difficulties many of us have paying for tickets when we have families to keep in this climate, the teamââ?¬â?¢s approach in this one-off must win fixture, along with yesterday and the other league game in January really symbolised the problems we have. Our first team appear to be a spent force ââ?¬â?? lacking in interest and focus because they have zero competition for a first team place. Our manager, like him or not, just doesnââ?¬â?¢t do squad rotation or youth promotion unless his hand is forced. So we now face a situation where our first team at the moment isnââ?¬â?¢t good enough and we canââ?¬â?¢t and wonââ?¬â?¢t change it. But we still pay our money and I think despite the small decrease in numbers, the club have taken our blind loyalty a little too for granted by anyoneââ?¬â?¢s standards. Weââ?¬â?¢ve all wanted a change of approach, change of ethos and a complete shift from the short-term, ââ?¬Å?boom and bustââ?¬Â mentality that has saw us teetering on the financial brink twice in less than ten years. Sadly, due to the furthering financial problems in recent years we have regressed even from that. We do not have the talent on or off the pitch to run Rangers effectively anymore. As a support, we have been very kind to the board and management team ââ?¬â?? weââ?¬â?¢ve taken everything said to us at face value. But the time has come for proper communication with the man who truly holds all the cards, Sir David Murray. Questions about the ongoing HMRC tax investigation, links between Murrayââ?¬â?¢s companies and the aggressive attitude of Lloyds bank to Rangers over what is a perfectly manageable debt from a club who have implemented some shrewd fiscal measures in recent years have not been met with satisfactory answers. Rangers quite like it when we pay our money, sit down and shut up. We canââ?¬â?¢t do it anymore ââ?¬â?? we just canââ?¬â?¢t. Answers to many, many questions are required, and only the man who has disappeared into the night can answer them properly, he still holds all of the cards. One wonders if the warning that Sir David Murray claimed he was trying to send us by selling Boyd in January of 2009 is the real reason behind the financial handcuffs that have been placed on us, with anonymous, invisible bankers quite happy to take the blame and be the ââ?¬Ë?faceââ?¬â?¢ behind the cuts as it gives them just cause to get their money back quicker. There arenââ?¬â?¢t too many other arms of Murrayââ?¬â?¢s empire that can raise seven figure sums by selling off assets relatively quickly. Our club bemoan financial pressure from the bank on one hand yet announce excellent half-year profits on the other, they blame the bank for the restrictions yet charge us through the nose for games weââ?¬â?¢ve actively tried not to win, they demand we pay for our season ticket in advance over a short timescale at inflated prices while warning us that we canââ?¬â?¢t spend money and are open to offers for our star players despite the relative success weââ?¬â?¢ve had recently in maintaining them. On field failure is the excuse the money men need to make further cuts ââ?¬â?? and itââ?¬â?¢s the excuse many of our support will need to get off their backside and demand change at Ibrox ââ?¬â?? along with clarification on what our real problems are. Enough is enough, our expectations have been managed very well by the club ââ?¬â?? weââ?¬â?¢re quite tolerant of the hardships we face now...because weââ?¬â?¢ve so splintered and blindly loyal that we refuse to speak up en masse. So long as the season ticket cash keeps rolling in, change will be delayed that little bit longer. We need to stop propping up a system that is not sustainable in the medium to long term, a regime of noble-yet-helpless individuals fighting the tide of faceless penny-pinchers...who for all we know may include our current owner, and face being flattened by the big truck weââ?¬â?¢ve been waiting to knock us down for two years. As I have no doubt that with the unrest this could all cause, we will emerge from the wreckage a much stronger force, able to plan effectively for the future. This is and always has been about more than one title or season ââ?¬â?? itââ?¬â?¢s about getting our club back. Sorry if this is negative, but I donââ?¬â?¢t care how we get that ââ?¬â?? the sooner we face the inevitable, the better as far as Iââ?¬â?¢m concerned.
  10. Looks like we will receive some money from a Charlie Adam transfer, also Smith hopeful he can use any money we get for Miller. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks/maurice-edu-we-can-cope-without-kenny-miller-1.1079256 Maurice Edu today insisted Rangers can still retain the SPL title ââ?¬â?? as top scorer Kenny Miller gets ready to leave for Fiorentina. The 22-goal hitman, who has rejected terms on a new contract, had been targeted by Birmingham in a Ã?£650,000 deal, but looks set to snub Alex McLeish and move to Serie A by the end of this week. Miller has been offered around Ã?£40,000-a-week on a two-and-a-half year deal, and the Italians are now locked in talks with Gers chief executive Martin Bain over a fee for a quick sale. Despite reports today of a Ã?£700,000 fee already being agreed, sources at Ibrox said nothing had been struck with the Italians. And they will only resume their pursuit of Dundee Unitedââ?¬â?¢s David Goodwillie once a fee for Miller is banked. Whether they can scrape together enough cash for the Ã?£1.5m-rated 21-year-old ââ?¬â?? with Fiorentina reluctant to match Birminghamââ?¬â?¢s offer ââ?¬â?? remains to be seen. Asked if he was confident he would be able to use any proceeds from the sale of Miller to go back in for Goodwillie, Gers boss Walter Smith said today: ââ?¬Å?I think we will (get the funds to re-invest) ââ?¬â?? I would hope so.ââ?¬Â But Edu, who made his return in the 3-0 Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock after two months out, believes his side can cope if Miller departs. He said: ââ?¬Å?Kenny has been a big player. He has scored umpteen goals but, as with any situation where a player leaves or gets injured, it is an opportunity for another player to step in.ââ?¬Â Edu has been impressed with how Rangers handled the loss of Kris Boyd, who joined Middlesbrough on a Bosman last summer. And he is confident the likes of Kyle Lafferty, James Beattie or Nikica Jelavic ââ?¬â?? who is close to returning after recover-ing from injury ââ?¬â?? can supply the goals to win three-in-a-row. Edu said: ââ?¬Å?People were questioning what would happen after Kris left. But this is another situation where the team has to come together. We have the personnel here to cope without Kenny.ââ?¬Â Meantime, Gers are keeping an eye on Charlie Adamââ?¬â?¢s situation at Blackpool. Sources at the club confirmed they are on a 10 per cent sell-on of any fee over Ã?£500,000 for their former player. Aston Villa are set to go back in with a Ã?£3.5m bid for the Scotland ace after an initial approach was rejected, and that would land Gers a much-needed Ã?£300,000 windfall should it go through.
  11. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/michael-grant-on-monday-1.1082711 The first suggestion was that Craig Whyte might be able to rush through a takeover and own Rangers in time for Christmas. Then he supposedly wanted to have the reins in time for the January transfer window so he could plough in some funds for signings and an enhanced contract offer to Kenny Miller. Christmas is over, Miller is away, the window closes at 11pm tonight, and still there is no Whyte. Not a peep has been heard and sources have said nothing is likely to change. It is now 74 days since the story broke that he wanted to buy the Ibrox club. It wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that the most pressing matter on Whyte’s mind now is how best to spin his retreat from the Ibrox doorstep. Not much is clear about Rangers’ ownership and information remains contradictory about whether or not the club will end up in Whyte’s hands, but there has been absolutely nothing in their January activity to suggest this is a club on the brink of new ownership. They submitted a bid for David Goodwillie which Dundee United rejected, and that was that. No increase, no bargaining, just a withdrawal from the table. They effectively agreed a fee with Derby County for Kris Commons only to realise they weren’t able to follow it through when he asked for Ã?£20,000-per-week. Whatever impact David Healy may go on to have for them, the fact remains that he wasn’t the first or even second forward on their wanted list. The Commons move said it all. The best Rangers could manage was several thousand pounds per week less than he was able to get from Celtic. If the most Rangers can offer now is about Ã?£14,000-per-week, they risk being outbid by their rivals for any player they might want in the foreseeable future. Agents routinely offer the same player to both clubs (same city, same league, same status of club) and their obligation to do the best they can for a client means they would naturally try to play one club off against the other if it might hike up the wages on offer. The Commons deal might not be the last time Rangers are gazzumped by Celtic. Rangers also risk not being able to keep hold of Madjid Bougherra, Steven Davis and Steven Whittaker, who are all out of contract at the end of next season. All three will believe they can get more money by leaving than re-signing. It’s easy to see all three of them going the way of Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller, departing for little or nothing. Lloyds Banking Group’s aggressive clawing back of the debts accumulated under Sir David Murray have been cold and clinical and still it goes on, relentlessly. Around Ã?£22m of the Ã?£27m debt is owed to Lloyds and they continue to be voracious in trying to get it back. “Whether we think it’s fair or not, it doesn’t really matter because we are not getting any kind of reaction any time we ask about it,” said Walter Smith recently. Lloyds don’t look at the football implications of anything. They aren’t interested in speculating to accumulate, which is why they were unmoved by the case for keeping top goalscorer Miller and increasing the likelihood of winning the league and reaching the Champions League. To Lloyds, Ã?£400,000 for Miller sounded a whole lot sweeter than nothing for him in the summer. They don’t give any ground, no matter how often or how passionately the case is made by Smith or chief executive Martin Bain. Those two must feel they are banging their heads against a brick wall. It isn’t going to change. Lloyds want another cut to the wage bill for next season, another Ã?£1m off the players’ salaries. They see themselves owed a big pile by a club facing reduced television income, the possibility of no Champions League money, and even some reduction in season-ticket sales. They see a possible Ã?£36m bill, plus penalties, from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs tax investigation which might hang over the club for another 18 months or so. They aren’t sitting back, waiting for Whyte or anyone else to pay back the money they’re owed. They’re working to get it back through a thousand cuts. Others won’t shed tears for Rangers. Even Ã?£14,000-per-week is way above what any Scottish club except Celtic can pay. Even after Miller’s departure they have four strikers on the books who cost Ã?£11m in transfer fees alone. They aren’t in this mess because of Lloyds, but because Murray allowed the debt to soar in the first place. It’s just their misfortune that Lloyds are being as brutal as a loan shark when it comes to claiming the money back. If it’s exasperating for Smith and Bain, then what must another central figure be making of it all? What kind of job is Ally McCoist going to inherit in four months’ time? Celtic appointed an inexperienced manager last summer, but crucially they backed him with the money to buy his way out of trouble. Rangers will not be able to do that. McCoist will swell with pride when he becomes manager, but there has never been a worse time to inherit the job he has always wanted.
  12. Cast your mind back ten years to season 2000/2001. Ronald de Boer signed from Barcelona; Tore Andre Flo signed for a transfer fee that will never be matched in Scotland; and a squad containing names such as Amoruso, van Bronckhorst and Klos - we could even afford to let Andrei Kanchelskis go on loan to the EPL and Man City for half a season. This was the start of a new decade under the continuing custodianship of David Murray - where he summed up his personality and ambition at the time with one simple quote from 2000 - "For every five pounds Celtic spend, we will spend ten". Most Rangers fans everywhere were enjoying the regular spectacle of Murray lording it in the media. Indeed the word 'moonbeam' didn't exist in those days. Speaking to Michael Grant in the Sunday Herald in late 2001, the loss of the league in 2000/01, coupled with rising debt hadn't affected the gallus 50 year old David Murray. In fact, he was as confident as ever in his club's future and given the success he'd help bring in during the 1990s, he had every right to be. Surely one season without the title wouldn't affect our operations ten years later? After all, Murray spoke candidly of 'being guilty of looking for short-term fixes', 'not wanting to sell the club', and that while he felt a major football club would go out of business it 'wouldn't be Rangers'. Juxtapose such warranties with comments about tying players down on long term contracts and ring-fencing the club against future losses, most of us bought into the security offered by an owner who had helped bring back success to the club along with the vision of Holmes and Souness. Unfortunately, less than a year later, we found out we were �£50+million in debt, Murray had stepped down as chairman and Alex McLeish was to preside over a 'short' period of 'downsizing'. "Not to worry," said new chair John McLelland at the 2002 AGM, "we won't lose sleep over it." With tax 'queries' originating from that period's wage-book casting their shadow over the club, to the ongoing saga over its ownership and declining ticket sales; one wonders if McLelland is sleeping well nowadays. Of course, while it is easy to pick through old newspaper interviews and make anyone look bad, our present situation is something to worry about given the assurances given back then. Players are no longer 'locked away' on long term contracts, we are the ones bringing players IN on loan (from Aberdeen!) and it is Celtic spending the kind of money that was pocket change for us ten years back. The ever-loyal Rangers fan-base still has no long term vision to buy into. Indeed, in 2001 Murray specifically alluded to the wider problems of a declining Scottish product and the Old Firm dominance being problematic for its future. Prophetic words but our club are as guilty as anyone in being over-reliant on TV money and selfishness. Why did we not heed our own warnings? Furthermore, from Sir David Murray to John McLelland to Martin Bain; the same people are in charge of guiding the club through these same deep financial waters. Or at least, they appear in charge - with allegations of bank interference (the Lloyds Banking Group have an increasing stake in Murray's company, thus an increasing stake in Rangers' operations) still rife in the media and amongst the support. The supporters - expected to part with their season ticket money again in a couple of months - have no idea of what's true and what isn't with mixed messages the only certainty in Rangers' dealings with us. Whether it be current chairman Alistair Johnston or even Walter Smith, we just don't know who is being straight with us. Therefore, at some point, we have to ask ourselves who is in such a position to know the truth, to deliver genuine answers and to lead from the front. Well, only one man still owns Rangers and only one man has the power to make the decisions that truly affect our club's well-being. Yet he is missing in action, absent without leave and by failing to lead he only lends weight to the criticism he vigorously defends. I'll conclude with another quote from that interview in 2001: Again, it is easy to find fault with comments that were only truly relevant when they were said. But is it clear from Murray's own words that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Sir David Murray will be 60 later this year. Will that represent an epiphany for a return to the front-line of a owner who once excited us all? Or will it be the final nail in the stewardship coffin of a once successful businessman whose interest in Rangers died as soon as it threatened the well-being of his personal wealth. Where is our owner and what is the future of our club?
  13. Borrowed from another forum Exclusive June 7th 2010. A few weeks ago I spoke with Rangers chief executive Martin Bain. He kindly took my call on a Saturday morning just after his ladââ?¬â?¢s football match. I told him that I was a freelance journalist commissioned to do a story for the News of the World. After exchanging some jokes about the perils of being, as I termed it, ââ?¬Å?a maddie at your boyââ?¬â?¢s fitba matchââ?¬Â I had to tell Martin Bain some bad news. I informed him that this journalist already knew that Rangers had received a bill from the taxman for Ã?£24 million and that interest of Ã?£12million had been nailed onto that amount. Over the previous two weeks the News of the World had firstly broken the story that all SPL clubs were being investigated by Her Majestyââ?¬â?¢s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as part of an ongoing tax probe. The real story, however, was revealed the following Sunday in that the old firm, conjoined twins in so many areas, had very different tax policies. For the last decade, Rangers had been making a systematic use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs). Celtic looked at this method of being ââ?¬Å?tax efficientââ?¬Â in 2006, but Celtic Chairman, ex of the Bank of England, Brian Quinn thought better of it. Initially Martin Bain said to me that, effectively, the tax issue belonged to the parent company of Rangers; Murray International Holdings (MIH). He told me that there was no tax bill at Rangers. After going round the houses with Martin Bain on the phone we nailed down that there had been ââ?¬Å?an assessmentââ?¬Â delivered by HMRC to Rangers FC. Most people would call that a bill. The ââ?¬Å?assessmentââ?¬Â formally becomes a bill when the tribunal system is exhausted, the amount on the ââ?¬Å?assessmentââ?¬Â then ââ?¬Å?crystallisesââ?¬Â. That is when the money is due to be paid. The tax authorities have sent a bit of paper to Rangers and that piece of paper has a number on it. That amount is Ã?£24 million + Ã?£12million interest. That Ã?£36 million is greater than the clubââ?¬â?¢s well publicised bank debt. After my interview with Bain the story was out there and perhaps because of this the club Chairman Alistair Johnston went public and clarified the position on the tax probe. The Ohio based businessman confirmed that the assessment from HMRC was indeed ââ?¬Å? a Rangers issue, but it is being masterminded by the Murray Groupââ?¬â?¢s financial and legal advisors,ââ?¬Â said Johnston. The only question to be answered was what tax penalty would be imposed on Rangers by HMRC should they lose the case? What has not been previously revealed is that Rangers football club have already been served with a tax penalty of Ã?£15 million by HMRC for their sustained use of ââ?¬Å?Employee Benefit Trustsââ?¬Â (EBT) to players and other senior employees. This brings the total confirmed amount that HMRC are seeking from Rangers to Ã?£51 million. This Ã?£51 million bill has yet to ââ?¬Å?crystalliseââ?¬Â, i.e the tax tribunal due process has yet to reach its conclusion. Rangers can drag out this process by using all the appeals available to them. However this will incur huge legal bills should they decide to do this. The figure of Ã?£15 million for the penalty is an indication of the seriousness with which HMRC view this case and their determination to see it through to a successful conclusion. The recent press interest investigation has clearly rattled the Scottish Premier League champions with the clubââ?¬â?¢s chief executive refusing to answer whether or not Rangers had ignored expert tax advice to abandon their tax strategy? I also put the following question to Martin Bain: - ââ?¬Å?Did Sir David Murray or other Rangers executives benefit from this scheme?ââ?¬Â Bain confirmed that ââ?¬Å?employees of the trustââ?¬Â were paid through the EBT. I asked him if that included people at the club other than players. He confirmed that it was not just players. I then asked him if he had been paid through the EBT. ââ?¬Å?Thatââ?¬â?¢s a matter for the tax office and my own personal contract so Iââ?¬â?¢d rather not go into that.ââ?¬Â Of course a simple denial would have killed that particular part of the story. When I put it to Bain that his answer was in fact a ââ?¬Å?no commentââ?¬Â he didnââ?¬â?¢t disagree with my characterisation of his answer. Here is what has been confirmed at this time: - Rangers have confirmed that there is a tax probe - Rangers have used EBTs. This will have helped millionaire players pay lower tax rates than most Rangersââ?¬â?¢ fans. - Chief Executive ââ?¬Ë?Martin Bain has confirmed to this journalist that the bill for core amount has been received. Initially Bain told this journalist that the EBT was a matter for parent company Murray International Holdings (MIH). However, after the article was published chairman Alistair Johnston confirmed that the HMRC issue was, indeed, a matter for Rangers. ââ?¬Å?It is a Rangers issue, but it is being masterminded by the Murray Groupââ?¬â?¢s financial and legal advisors,ââ?¬Â revealed Johnston. When I interviewed Martin Bain he suggested that I speak to MIH financial director Mike McGill. I called McGill on the Monday after I had spoken to Bain. I spoke briefly with McGill. He told me that he had read the NOTW story and, subsequently, refused to speak to me. The day after I spoke to the MIH financial director I received further news that shocked me. What moves this story on is the following information. I did not know at the time of my interview with Martin Bain that Rangers had already been served with the tax penalty. The amount of that penalty is Ã?£15 million. Therefore the full amount that Rangers will be due, should they lose this case against HMRC, will be Ã?£51 million. It is clear that those in charge of Rangers did not wish this story to break. Since I started writing on Rangers taxing problems the clubââ?¬â?¢s public comments have confirmed my journalism to be accurate. The initial stories were met with disbelief from both sides in Glasgowââ?¬â?¢s football feud thinking that this news was either too awful or too wonderful to be true. It is true and it will not go away. The Scottish championââ?¬â?¢s problems with HMRC will be the dominant story out of Ibrox in the next 12 months. The clubââ?¬â?¢s bank debt is serviceable. The tax bill is not. Itââ?¬â?¢s a game changer. Martin Bain, as much as one can ascertain over a 15 minutes phone call on a Saturday morning, came across as a really really decent bloke in a difficult position. Iââ?¬â?¢m sure he cringed when he heard the ââ?¬Å?Famine songââ?¬Â or saw Manchester policemen kicked to the ground by feral louts in Rangers shirts. The Rangerââ?¬â?¢s Chief Executive told me that wee Bainââ?¬â?¢s team had lost 4-1. I told Martin to tell his lad to keep his chin up, because you usually find out more about yourself when you lose than when you win. His dad agreed with me.. Watch this space.
  14. The past few years we've been fed all sorts of stories from the press, online 'sources' and the club itself regarding our financial position We've had Ellis then Whyte look seemingly close to a deal. only for both to disappear like it never happened. The past two seasons Walter has publicly stated the bank runs Rangers, yet we've been told by the club we have a minimum payment that's easily within our grasp. Now January comes, our top scorer is sold and there's no sign of the squad being strengthened. Last year, financially, was a good year with the debt going down and profit posted. This year should be even better given our improved performance in the Champions League! So, why are we unable to beef up the squad? Why do potential buyers appear then disappear? Why does Walter come and say the bank runs Rangers when Bain has told us we have a new working relationship with the bank, which includes a workable payment plan. Not sure of the exact figures, but half our squad, or more, will be out of contract or entering the last six months of their contract this time next year - why aren't we sorting this out now? It seems we wait until the last minute and receive a minimum fee that won't give us much leverage in the transfer market. What about the rumours of the rabid tim on the board of Llyods bank? Lego has alluded to him on a number of occasions as has some online bears. Surely if it were true Walter or the club would make a play on it? With all this going on the club has on numerous occasions this season warned fans about their behaviour. It seems to be a focal point as if it's important. If the club had any sense of loyalty they would, IMO, sound out all the other offenders in football, case in point Celtic. The yahoos seem to act with impunity and nothing bar the odd snippet is reported. I think you'd have to be naive to actually believe they're not writing letters, sending emails or faxing the football authorities about us, in their effort to deflect attention away from them. They do it very well too. Furthermore, where the hell is Murray? He's still the owner and, IMO, accountable to the fans, particularly ST holders. Slight rant and I've probably went of at a tangent, or I'm reading too much into what's going on at our club. However, does anything seem to make sense at Rangers? Nothing smells right at the moment.
  15. You may be interested to read the following post from Vanguardbears ... the poster himself is an impeccable source ... Good Bear I know has been in my work having a chat in the last hour. This bloke comes from Barrhead and grew up beside Donald Muir and was his guest at the Hamilton game last week. I've been told that Muir is as big a Bluenose as anyone can be and is doing all in his power to ensure Rangers are sold and back on the straight and narrow. When asked if the takeover was ever going to happen, apparently Muir said, the hold up was all concerning the tax problems Murray left us with, but Muir doesn't think it'll be too big a problem. He thinks Whyte and Ellis will own Rangers very soon and Murray will be gone for good. He even said, that he likes Ellis and his views on the club. Obviously I've not got the time to write everything that was said, so I'll just give a few hints on the conversation. Muir went to the bank and ensured Rangers got the spending money for Jelavic. Bain didn't want to spend this money and Walter persuaded him it was essential. Muir has no time for Bain at all. Muir has openly said, no harm will come to Rangers in the long term, whilst he's in control during difficult times. Muir was given the choice between two companies in shit street. One being the Gers, the other, Tom Farmer's (Opus Dei and Hibs) He chose the Gers. The banners saying enemy within etc towards Muir, apparently could not be further from the truth, as he's been a Bear all of his life and still has season books for the family etc. Just thought I would give a brief intro to what was said. The guy who gave this info, will be joining VB very soon and I've no reason to doubt his opinions. Like all of us, he's a Unionist - Loyalist - Rangers man.
  16. A year or so ago we had Boyd and Miller, a good partnership, playing very well and linking well together. Who would have thought two of our best performing first team players would be gone for practically nothing? It is hard to imagine what price the pair were worth, but combined you would have to say they were worth 5-6m+ and maybe considerably more. I would hazard a guess that Boyd could have generated 4-5 million (when he had more time on his contract remaining), considering interest from England. Then considering Miller performing at a bigger club, he surely would have been worth at least 2 or 3 million. Of course, often our players are worth poultry sums so it is hard to gauge things. Unless we have 100% standout top performing players like Boumsong, Hutton, Cuellar etc, our players seem to be worth peanuts. Then you have to look at the sales of Charlie Adam and Barry Ferguson, both leaving for nominal fees. Granted, both were not performing at Ibrox but questions have to be asked when two of the top performing midfielders in the premiership this season played for us recently yet little money changed hands. That might not be entirely Bain's fault - both appeared to have little to offer by the end of their times at Ibrox. Walter Smith has to be held accountable for sure. Why do two players who looked rubbish against teams like Hamilton go two pretty average teams in England and shine? Both have been man of the match at least more than once this season, with Charlie seemingly winning it or getting close near every other game he plays. Is it any wonder the bank are coming down so hard on a club so inept at running things? Key players should be tied down with 18 months or 12 months at the latest remaining on contracts. Failure to negotiate a deal should result in the player being sold. This is how other successful clubs would conduct business. Maybe the banks involvement makes increased and longer contracts difficult but it is the club that got us in this mess in the first place. The club think that by offering deals at the last minute they don't have to get tied to overly long contracts or increased wages. Well in the process we have lost 2 strikers that both cost a considerable sum and should have been sold for considerable profit. Buy for a dime, sell for a nickle, that's the Rangers way. I wonder what the average amount of money we generate is for the players that leave Ibrox - not a lot I'd guess.
  17. From the official site. Surely the money could've been spent more wisely.
  18. Telegraph.co.uk Blame the bank, says Rangers manager Walter Smith as he looks for his players to bounce back from defeat Rangers manager Walter Smith believes that Lloyds Banking Group constitutes a bigger threat to his clubââ?¬â?¢s chances of winning a third successive title than Neil Lennonââ?¬â?¢s Celtic. They may trail their Old Firm rivals by four points after losing 2-0 to them at Ibrox last weekend but Smith is in no doubt that the financial constraints he is being forced to work under can only undermine Rangersââ?¬â?¢ prospects of triumphing at home and abroad. Smith, who will turn 63 next month, is in his final season in charge and has had to contend with the interference from Lloyds (the clubââ?¬â?¢s biggest creditors) for the last two years. However, he accused the bankers of short-termism and pointedly noted that it was their profligacy ââ?¬â?? on a far greater scale than that indulged in by Rangers owner Sir David Murray, although they bankrolled that as well ââ?¬â?? which has brought the global economy to its knees. At a time when he has guided Rangers back into profit for the last three years, significantly reducing the clubââ?¬â?¢s debt in the process, Smith believes he is due a little respite from the number crunchers who continue to treat him with the distrust normally shown to those applying for a first mortgage. ââ?¬Å?I feel as though the whole situation is a bit unfair from the football side of things,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?We do need a bit of help. You had the situation a couple of years ago when some boys put the banner up saying 'We Deserve Better.ââ?¬â?¢ ââ?¬Å?Of course, they meant the supporters but at times you have to look at it from our side and realise that we also deserve better for what weââ?¬â?¢ve done: and by that I mean in comparison to clubs of similar stature. ââ?¬Å?There obviously isnââ?¬â?¢t a long-term view, they are only looking at it from a short-term perspective. Whether we think itââ?¬â?¢s fair or not it doesnââ?¬â?¢t really matter because weââ?¬â?¢re not getting any kind of reaction anytime we ask: therefore we are well and truly in the hands of the bank. ââ?¬Å?We just need to get on with it. Of course, the ironic aspect, not just for Rangers but for everybody, is that the banks are telling us what we can and canââ?¬â?¢t do. Maybe someone should have done that with them a long time before they started [the credit crunch].ââ?¬Â The bankers have informed Rangersââ?¬â?¢ chief executive, Martin Bain, that they would not be allowed to reinvest any fee received from another club should one their players be sold during this transfer window. ââ?¬Å?It becomes a concern when you have to keep asking the same group of players to keep on delivering,ââ?¬Â said Smith. ââ?¬Å?Thatââ?¬â?¢s when you need a wee bit of help. Unfortunately, we are not going to get that help. ââ?¬Å?We canââ?¬â?¢t afford to bring in a loan player or anything like that. Thatââ?¬â?¢s the situation weââ?¬â?¢re in. Itââ?¬â?¢s an unfortunate one for our club but the bank are dictating the policy overall. Thatââ?¬â?¢s what we have to put up with. ââ?¬Å?If we transferred a player we might not get all the money and we have been told that. If someone left it would give us the opportunity to bring someone in on a similar wage. ââ?¬Å?But transfer-wise weââ?¬â?¢ve been told thereââ?¬â?¢s no certainty we would get the money. The wage would obviously allow us to bring someone in but if we donââ?¬â?¢t lose a player then we wonââ?¬â?¢t be bringing anyone else in.ââ?¬Â Smith also pointed out that the decision to accept or reject any offers for his players would be taken by Lloyds and not by Rangers. As his relatively small squad prepares to do battle in the Co-operative Insurance and Scottish Cups and the Europa League while also having to contend with a fixture backlog in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League, the veteran is concerned that his resources will be stretched to breaking point. ââ?¬Å?This season was always going to be a big ask for all of our players,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢ve handled the first half extremely well, allowing for the fact a few games have been postponed due to the weather. ââ?¬Å?Now we find ourselves in a situation, after the turn of the year, that if we win those games in hand we go back to the top of the table. Considering the Champions League games, the size of the group weââ?¬â?¢ve got and other things, that would still be a fair achievement. ââ?¬Å?We have to remember that but we need to get a good reaction following the Old Firm defeat. Weââ?¬â?¢ve taken a little knock in the Old Firm game and youââ?¬â?¢re always worried about a possible hangover from that. ââ?¬Å?This is big test of character from my players but theyââ?¬â?¢ve shown in the last number of years that they are able to dig deep. If weââ?¬â?¢ve had a setback in the past theyââ?¬â?¢ve always come back from it. We have enough experience.ââ?¬Â Did Walter not slate the we deserve better campaign:confused:
  19. BBC. The sooner this guys signs a new contract the better. He's a no nonsense, steady Eddie player who has performed well over the last few seasons.
  20. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2010/12/26/rangers-could-face-double-blow-as-bougherra-and-papac-hint-at-summer-moves-86908-22807619/ Papac has not even been offered a contract and a player who has served us well and is possiby worth a few million may leave for nothing. No wonder Lloyds are so hard on us considering how incompetent we are financially. We're terrible at selling players and contract negotiations
  21. BIRMINGHAM CITY boss Alex McLeish is set to launch a sensational swoop for Rangers star Kenny Miller. Ibrox money man Martin Bain insisted recently that the club would not be forced to sell the in-form frontman during the January transfer window - despite contract talks having broken down. Rangers boss Walter Smith is still hopeful a new deal can be struck but McLeish could make a cut-price offer of �£1million when the window opens. It would be interesting then to see whether the Lloyds Banking Group would insist on a sale as Miller could go for nothing when his contract expires at the end of the season. McLeish and his assistant, Andy Watson, know all about the free-scoring striker from their time together at Hibs and Scotland and are looking for a goalscorer to join the Premiership club. Miller is also looking for one final payday before he retires and would not be bothered by the fact he has already played for Birmingham's Midlands rivals Derby County and Wolves. But Rangers fans would be gutted to see the striker leave as he has netted 20 times already this season. Brum need to boost their squad and McLeish, having missed out on a clutch of forward targets last summer, remains in need of attacking players. James McFadden is a long-term injury absentee and Aleksandr Hleb is also out through injury. McLeish's squad is thin and he accepts his team has to become more dangerous and creative. He said: "There is scope to be adding to our squad, no question about it." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2010/12/24/rangers-hitman-kenny-miller-linked-with-january-move-to-birmingham-86908-22804415/
  22. From the official site, more bullshit from the cowards running Rangers..... RANGERS Football Club today repeated its warning to supporters not to engage in any sectarian singing at its fixtures. The club is at serious risk of punishment by footballing authorities if sectarian behavior is in evidence among its fans. This includes the singing of songs such as the Billy Boys, which is banned by UEFA, and the Famine Song, which has led to people being arrested and convicted in the past. Ahead of tomorrow's match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Northern Constabulary have confirmed it plans to take a zero tolerance approach to sectarian behaviour. Rangers Head of Safety and Security, David Martin, said: "Our fans have given us tremendous backing in Europe this season and we want that to continue in our domestic matches. "As Martin Bain has previously stated, the majority of our supporters agree there is no place at Rangers for sectarian singing and the fans and the club have made great strides in recent years to address this behaviour. "Unfortunately, we still have an element of the support who insist on singing offensive songs, particularly at domestic away matches in the SPL. "For the avoidance of doubt, the club is at risk of punishment at ALL matches, domestic and European, and fans risk arrest if they participate in sectarian singing. "Fans who engage in such behaviour only let themselves, other supporters and the club down. "Problematic behaviour by supporters at away matches is not unique to Rangers but as a club, we are determined to tackle this issue."
  23. Has it really been almost a month since news broke of the proposed Whyte consortium takeover? Amongst the tepid stickiness of premature welcomes and the excitement of tabloid transfer war-chests, as ever there was minimal meat on the bones of this story from the outset. And there's even less now as we approach Christmas, the suggested date of deal conclusion from those 'club insiders' that are oft-quoted but rarely named. Of course we've been down this road before over the last year or so. From Graham Duffy (the alleged fan buyout champ), to Dave King (the alleged financial innocent), to Andrew Ellis (the alleged Murray 'shill'); the cast of this particular pantomime is varied and about as 'A' list as Elaine C. Smith in Mother Goose. 'Yes, we are interested in buying the club', says their statements to the stock exchange. 'Oh no you're not', says Alastair Johnston and much of the fan-base. Hilarious, if you're a 5 year old kid - less funny if you're a Rangers supporter anxious to hear more about the club's long-term future. To that end, the information vacuum surrounding this issue is making it difficult for the average bear. Sir David Murray (he's behind you!) seems more interested in garden proposals for Ratho and stadiums for Edinburgh rugby teams than his >90% shareholding in Scotland's most successful club. Alistair Johnston (he knows all the big stars) enjoys making 30min long bland AGM statements but appears mute from the comfort of the USA the rest of the time. Meanwhile our fan groups (containing more than a few panto dames I'm told) profess inside information but only relay rumour rather than offering tangible guidance. Is it any wonder we're easily beaten off-the-field by more organised clubs? Obviously we all understand that there are legal restrictions in place surrounding such matters but given it won't be long before the club are selling season tickets to us again, I'd like to know what I'm buying. I'm all for ongoing debt reduction and financial prudence but I also expect the club to remain competitive personnel wise. If a purported Champions' League bounty of �£20million can't reduce the debt to a fair degree while also ring-fencing some money for a new player or two in January, how do the likes of Whyte et al intend financing their plan in the longer term? Surely we're all a bit sick of asking the same questions and not getting any answers except the well remunerated Martin Bain expecting praise for NOT selling a key player half way through the season. Gee, thanks for that Martin - here, have another half a million and a French vineyard for your trouble. The script is all too obvious and just a bit boring. �£20million+ transfer war-chests; G51 super-plans; stadium upgrades; new found respect for supporters; oversight committees to make recommendations. Blah, patronise, blah, prevaricate, blah, boast etc etc. And this is where people like Bain are treading on thin ice this winter. By all means, play the prudence card to avoid further debt. Please do play hard-ball with any player you feel is asking for too much money. Yes, ensure we avoid censure from shadowy kangaroo courts eager to feast on the anti-sectarianism sham. But, please don't treat us like mugs. Show us a bit more respect and we'll continue to show our unwavering commitment to our club. Of course, the vast majority of our fans buy a ticket again next season; most probably with league title win garnish, new ownership cherry on top or not. But cancel the ownership pantomime now as we're not interested in being served up condescending clap-trap without substance. if people are really serious about becoming genuine leaders of the Rangers, do so through the correct channels - not a nudge to Jim Traynor here and wink to Darrell King there. Yes, we're all intrigued about SPL reconstruction and we appreciate that will play an important part in our club's future. But we're more interested about our club in a specific sense. In a period where you're releasing statement after statement about our supporters' alleged 'Unacceptable Conduct'; well I'd like to remind you that allowing external parties such as banks, objectionable people within football authorities and the media to dictate our future, whilst the people who pay your wages remain uninformed is also far from satisfactory. Will you work with us towards a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year or will you allow the Scrooges you're associated with to continue the 'Bah Humbug' attitude of the club to its loyal fans?
  24. I am utterly amazed that no one anywhere has mentioned the elephant in Celtic's boardroom, or Glasgow Celtic to give them their proper name, not Belfast not Dublin, not Letterkenny, just Glasgow Celtic. Glasgow Celtic appear to be selective in their appraisal of that which is acceptable and non acceptable religious discrimination, will they ask the Catholic or rather Roman Catholic church to call for the sacking of Zander Diamond and others, who used sectarian expressions to convey very public jokes, about Protestants. However my main point is that Glasgow Celtic practise the religious bigotry that they so publicly condemn, in the heart of their own boardroom, the late and great Jock Stein was denied a directorship, for no other reason than he was a Mason and a Protestant, just like six of the Lisbon Lions. How long will our own club allow Celtic to take the hypocritical high ground, before they defend our club, our way of life, and our supporters. I invite you Martin Bain to do your job for which you are so vastly overpaid, and ask the direct question as to who was Celtics last or first non RC director/board member. The answer should be interesting.
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