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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29050877 Former Rangers commercial director Imran Ahmad has returned to court for a third time in a bid to have £620,000 of club assets frozen. Lawyers acting for Mr Ahmad claim he is owed a £500,000 bonus for the time he spent working at the Ibrox club. The Court of Session in Edinburgh heard Mr Ahmad is worried about the potential prospect of Rangers becoming insolvent. Lord Stewart continued the case to Friday when lawyers for Rangers will address the court. Mr Ahmad, who has twice lost court bids to have Rangers' assets ring-fenced, claims he is owed £500,000 for negotiating deals and wants another £120,000 to cover legal expenses. Advocate Kenny McBrearty QC told Lord Stewart that Mr Ahmad is concerned about the current state of the club's finances and fears Rangers would not be in a position to pay up if the court eventually rules in his favour. He told the court Rangers have sold 23,000 season tickets this season, down 15,000 on last season. Mr McBrearty said the Rangers board's latest plans for a share issue may only raise £3.6m and cover part of the club's obligations. He added: "There is a significant hole in the club's finances for the forthcoming season."
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I had a very good meeting today with Arnold Black, who wrote the article that was published recently about a membership scheme. I proposed this some years ago at the Club’s AGM and it was also discussed but not pursued (because we were promoting the share scheme) when I was Secretary of RST. Arnold is of the opinion that fans should put their support behind any current or new director who promotes a membership scheme. In order to get a scheme off to the best possible start we are of the opinion that all season ticket holders (next season) should be automatically enrolled as club members.* This would guarantee more or less 35,000 club members with little or no effort on the part of the club. Arnold’s thought is that there should be no membership fee for those enrolling this way at least in the first season; my own feeling is that at least a nominal amount (to be deducted from season ticket monies) or an additional £10 fee (to be added to the season ticket price) should apply; otherwise everyone would have to be granted free membership. Whilst free membership is sometimes attractive (as with the FC United of Manchester model) it artificially inflates the true membership numbers. Realistically, however, going forward the fee would need to be at least £5 per month or say £50 - £60 pa. We take the view that an initial worldwide target of 100,000 members and £1,000,000 - £5,000,000 a year is not unreasonable. This could be ring fenced for special projects within the club. Possible benefits of membership might be: • Discounts from Rangers’ sponsors and suppliers • Offers from the Club e.g. discount on Rangers TV • Membership Certificate, badge etc. • Priority/Discounted Ticket purchase (Note that in some countries e.g. Boca Juniors in Argentina, only members can buy tickets or certain categories of tickets). • Meet players and other exclusive events • Monthly prize draw • Discounts in restaurants etc. • *In future you might have to be a member to buy a season ticket. The proposal would be that the members would elect a Supporters Board (as in the Hamburg model) and that that Board would elect one or two members to the Club Board.
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http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/272-rangers-being-held-hostage-stockholm-syndrome It’s been a stressful week for those interested in the well-being of Rangers Football Club. Not only does the club admit to the Stock Exchange that if the latest share offer is under-subscribed it will be unable to pay its creditors; we have key board members who represent the interests of the vast bulk of existing shareholders conceding that his and our CEO’s intentions are different, confirming a split at board level. Meanwhile the negative detail of each onerous contract placed upon the club are drip-fed to concerned fans on a week-to-week basis: from retail deals where the money is yet to be released to our struggling accounts to stadium naming rights which appear to be the result of self-interest rather than good value. Never has it been more obvious that our club is being held hostage to the whim of chancers. Yet, bizarrely, almost in a comedic fashion, we have some fans absolving these people of blame. Wikipedia describes Stockholm syndrome, or capture-bonding, as ‘a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with them.’ The syndrome itself is named after the Norrmalmstorg robbery of Kreditbanken in Stockholm, Sweden, in which several bank employees were held hostage in a bank vault from August 23 to 28, 1973, while their captors negotiated with police. During this standoff, the victims became emotionally attached to their captors, rejected assistance from government officials at one point, and even defended their captors after they were freed from their six-day ordeal. Ok, I’ll admit at the outset the analogy is a bit strong but if we examine the last few years – from the excesses of Sir David Murray to the actions of Craig Whyte right through to the present day incumbents, there are examples of the above. These include the eyes-wide-shut worship of Murray onto the lauding of Whyte’s supposed net-worth despite all the evidence to the contrary at the very outset to some fans insisting the ‘current’ board are not to blame for the club’s position now. Indeed, not only do we have bloggers continue to suggest Charles Green remains interested in the well-being of the club but we have various fans eager to hold their own as culpable in Rangers’ problems. Apparently it’s Dave King, the Union of Fans or Sons of Struth’s fault that the club cannot pay its bills. Similarly, possible investors such as Dave King who has proven his good intentions to the tune of £20million previously are mocked and pushed away. Conversely, some supporters are eager to extoll the virtue of Mike Ashley’s ongoing involvement despite many Newcastle fans being desperate to rid their club of him. He’s a billionaire they cry – without acknowledging the reason for his success is the kind of questionable retail and naming deals he strikes with clubs such as ours. Let’s be clear: the future of the football club is again in serious question and the danger should not be under-estimated. There has been a shortfall of at least 12,000 season tickets and it’s this lack of working capital that is directly impacting upon the club’s ability to trade. Thus, those that suggest the fans are to ‘blame’ for the financial problems are at least partly correct but the reasons are worth examining as well as the club’s inability to address this serious problem. Never has it been clearer that our money runs the club year on year – not Sir David Murray’s, not Craig Whyte’s and certainly not the anonymous investors currently in control of it. Therefore, engaging with the support should be a priority for any regime looking to make a success of the club. For all his faults, Murray realised this and while he was by the dominant partner in that relationship, we did have a nominal seat at the table and aside from a few small issues (comparatively speaking anyway!) crowds were always high and only his cowardice led to the Whyte debacle. Yet even in the dark days of that era attendances didn’t drop and after administration we had capacity crowd after capacity crowd. The same can be said after we fell to Division Three – our support did not dissipate and our loyalty should never be questioned. Not by anyone – least of all our own. Unfortunately the last year or so has seen attitudes change: not due to fans becoming lazy or greedy but because of a combination of factors. Firstly it become clear that much of the substantial monies raised in backing the Charles Green ownership were wasted and his associates less than ideal custodians of the club. In the face of this criticism, board changes were made and supposedly extensive reviews into the business carried out but the paucity of these contributions didn’t provide much solace. A poor quality (or at best inconsistent) product on the park wasn’t helping but promised changes highlighted in the review to address this have not been forthcoming. Thus, reluctantly, and by way of protest, many fans chose to withhold their investment and, if we’re brutally honest, that’s understandable. Generally, the last year has seen fans become ever more frustrated with their club and increasingly obvious evidence that the incumbent board – or more accurately the decision-making investment groups – cannot turn things around. Not just in terms of the £30million investment talked of in their empirical reviews but the kind of credible and transparent leadership required to rebuild trust in the boardroom and entice fans back to Ibrox. With almost 250 staff members and overheads of aging stadiums, training grounds and dilapidated white elephant buildings, is it any wonder a new administration event looms large on the horizon? Consequently, where does that leave us? Well, I’d suggest we have two distinct pathways ahead. One: if as seems likely, the share offer is subscribed enough to defer our problems to another day; we’ll have the fait accompli of 75% share-holding levels for approval of AGM/EGM resolutions related to the sale and/or leaseback of club assets ¬– such as the Auchenhowie training ground which has consistently been ignored by club representatives when talking about such revenue sources. Or, two: investment groups are able by way of this issue to consolidate their holdings enough to enable a sale to other interested parties. Now, I won’t try to predict the outcome but I’m certain both the existing ownership and the likes of Dave King and/or Mike Ashley will have planned for these eventualities over the last year. The events of the last week won’t be a surprise to them. What is easier to predict is that without one of these outcomes an insolvency event is inevitable as things stand. However, misguided suggestions that this may be an agreeable solution make me uneasy. For example, will onerous contracts be removed by this process, would ownership be guaranteed to change after it and what of the club’s league position after the fact? We don’t know so, simply put, no-one should look at administration with anything other than horror. On the other hand, neither should fans be emotionally blackmailed into providing what appears to be an ever-more toxic board and ownership with a mandate to stumble on in charge. The time for making excuses for these people has long gone. There is no defence of Charles Green and, whether he’s still involved now or not, his associates on the ‘current’ board are equally tainted by their deficiencies. With that in mind, what options are available to fans? Not many is the desperate answer. Yes we have worthy share initiatives like Buy Rangers and Rangers First but with further financial uncertainty abound, can we really expect fans to invest in shares after the events of 2012? Even so, we absolutely must consider such projects with an open mind but with the greatest will in the world, they’re arguably not a short term solution. Nevertheless, possibly buyers engaging with these groups going forward would go a long way to cementing the fans’ contribution in a better future. Indeed, it’s only through that kind of undertaking that we may finally achieve the kind of bond between supporters and ownership that has been missing for so long. Unfortunately, such a positive conclusion seems difficult to attain. The coming weeks and months will define the future and it may well be beyond the fans abilities to impact upon this. Nevertheless, neither should we be held to ransom by people who will never understand the love we have for our football club. We have a choice and while I’d never begin to tell my fellow fans what to do, at some point we have to stop identifying with people who don’t share our love for our club. In that sense Stockholm syndrome is not a workable survival strategy – it just prolongs our inability to escape from the status quo and it’s that kind of clarity every fan needs for our battles ahead. Either that or be held prisoner forever.
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(Tom English – The Scotsman 25.11.2012) (Tom English - Twitter 21.08.2014) Its good to know that Tom English has found some sort of journalistic morality of late, however it may present a conflict of interests with his new employer, BBC Scotland. Or does the morality of source over story only apply in certain circumstances ? After all, Tom is now working for an employer who were happy to utilise not just stolen property, but stolen evidence from the Rangers Tax Tribunal, if Lord Nimmo Smith's conclusions are correct. But in his new found morality Tom has excluded himself from the knowledge that Vanguard Bears appear to have successfully cultivated a mole, perhaps within the SFA itself, as previous revelations, including documentary evidence, suggest. And could this latest expose, while perhaps lacking in documentary evidence, be a clear signpost to of a course of unedifying, unprofessional and negligent conduct involving our footballs higher echelons of administration ? Especially when viewed in the context of previous disclosed e-mails and agreements. Nope of course not – nothing to see here – move along please. But should we really be surprised ? After all there seems little excitement in journalistic circles that those in charge of Scottish Football were prepared to find Rangers guilty prior to trial as well as inflict draconian type punishments on a club which had yet to be found guilty. Morality ? Perhaps some of those journalists, and there have been many of late, who remind us of the impoverished state of our game via their daily columns, care to consider if perhaps they have a role to play. After all if the head of our game is more worried about being on time for a dinner date rather than what was probably one of the most critical meetings in the history of our game, is there not something fundamentally wrong ? What is particularly alarming in this whole episode are those gleefully re tweeting Tom English's original tweet. It does not matter that journalists will ignore story over source, it does not matter that it contains allegations of incompetence, of lack of prioritisation, of utter disdain for the game of football in Scotland (ironically affecting their own clubs) – so long as Rangers or Rangers fans get it in the neck - then that makes it okay. But let's not be too harsh on Stewart Regan – I’m told there is a certain restaurant in Leeds which does a succulent lamb to die for. It looks like football in Scotland will be the sacrificial lamb.
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I wonder if anyone knows what the current setup is regarding the contracts for catering and programmes. I know Azure have got a contract for catering, do they pay a licence fee and then they take all the match day takings, or do they pay a lower fee and the club gets a slice of the till receipts? Same with the programmes, does the club get a fixed fee so it doesn't matter how many they sell or is the clubs income from programme sales dependant on the number sold? Anyone?
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Gonna charge up the phone. Have a feeling there might be some Rangers breaking news to come tonight as well! https://twitter.com/tedermeatballs
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Side splitting stuff,,,,, ......and back on the payroll!
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I sometimes wonder if the news HMRC intend to appeal the latest dismissal of their vendetta against Rangers causes any ripples in the Ibrox boardroom. After all it was another time, another regime with legal culpability squarely on the shoulders of Sir David Murray and his legal advisers. But not for us who are the Rangers support. For us it is part of a journey from hell, a journey which is not yet complete, with the scars and wounds endured on that journey show little sign of healing. Why is it that those who aspire to power within our club don't seem to feel the pain of such scars ? For years under the tenure of Sir David Murray many of us warned about the dangers of the “dignified silence” strategy. As lies were written and broadcast about both club and support Sir David Murray responded to our concerns with “If a newspaper offends you – don’t buy it” Our club and support have become the easy picking for hate filled individuals who appear to think that carrying an NUJ card offers them considerable immunity from lies, deceit and hate filled articles, many written without research or based in fact, or more concern, deliberately omitting facts in order to damage to our club. Why is it the defence of our club has been left to individual bloggers or groups such as Vanguard Bears, The RST or The Rangers Standard who appear to have the energy and passion to respond to unfair articles or decisions against our club ? Why is that same energy and passion not emanating from inside our club ? Have we honestly learned nothing in the last few years ? Its time those inside Ibrox, whoever that might be, became pro-active rather than occasionally reactive. If you are privileged enough to wear a Rangers blazer and tie – then that should be akin to a suit of armour - stand prepared to champion this club against all attacks. Jim McColl's alternative board missed a considerable trick at their question and session at the Hilton when asked about defending the club. Their fudged answer showed little desire or forethought, and was as bereft of ideas as those they sought to depose. Why cant these people get it ?? This issue is of vast importance to the Rangers support. We live, eat and breathe this club and every attack on her is borne personally by every single one of us. It's hard to understand why our club pays for PR, when we appear to be getting trodden on day in day out by the same individuals and organisations, operating with apparent impunity. Jim Traynor's “Gentlemen be very careful” is a dark and distant memory full of empty threats. In fact words without action appear to have exacerbated the problem. For all the criticism I have penned over the years about Charles Green, I will concede one point – at least he “got it”. He realised that defending this club, albeit his reasons were part of bigger plan and not altruistic, was a sure fire of winning over the support. How can it be a stranger can walk into our midst and grasp such a crucial point which our own seem to continually miss ? The well meaning articles by Rangers bloggers, Rangers Supporters Groups and Rangers websites however well intentioned and passionate, do not carry the same authority as statements or action coming from within the club itself. Furthermore it's not our job – its your job, those of you who are privileged enough to wear a club blazer and tie, or aspire to do so in the future. This support has proven itself time and time again in the face of considerable adversity, with its willingness to protect and safeguard this club. We have done as much as we can. For those with both responsibility and authority – its time for you to step up and play.
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Richard Wilson has tweeted.
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It's the question all Rangers fans want the answer to: "What exactly were the so-called movers and shakers of Scottish football up to, behind closed doors, during that long dark summer of 2012?" Are Rangers supporters correct to be suspicious of their meetings, their motives and their thinly-disguised malevolence? You bet we are - detailed and dogged investigation has proven our own suspicions of two years ago to be correct. Over the next few weeks, Vanguard Bears will vindicate all of those Rangers supporters who harboured suspicions. What went on was scandalous. We have the proof, we've seen the agreements with our own eyes, we have heard first-hand accounts of the double-dealing in all its devious, dastardly detail. We will start by showing you an excerpt of an early draft of the now infamous "5-Way Agreement" and later we will detail the machinations behind it. Please note in particular clause (I) on page 2 - "guilty until proven innocent" springs to mind - also note the subsequent EBT Sanctions on page 3 where the stripping of trophies is mentioned. This should get the ball rolling. Coming soon – Who runs Scottish Football? Low Level Paper Gatherers? Surely not! Read more - http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk/the-five-way-agreement.html
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Here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in November 2010: "Financial whizzkid Craig Whyte stands on the brink of pulling off the biggest deal of his life... Record Sport understands self-made billionaire Whyte has entered into the final stages of negotiations to buy control of the club he loves from Sir David Murray... A deal worth around £30million is now believed to have reached such an advanced stage that sources say Whyte, a high-roller who splits his time between a home in London and the idyllic Castle Grant in Grantown-on-Spey, could even have the keys to Ibrox in time to fund a major refurbishment of Walter Smith's top-team squad in January... By the age of 26, Whyte was already Scotland's youngest self-made millionaire. Now, 13 years on, and in charge of a vast business empire, his wealth is off the radar." Here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in October 2012: "A private investigation commissioned for Rangers showed Craig Whyte had a record of tax avoidance, failed companies and double dealings – before he was sold Sir David Murray's majority shareholding... The report, prepared by private investigators Titon, described Monaco-based Whyte as a 'fuyant' – French slang for an evader or manipulator. It warned there was no evidence to back claims circulated by Whyte's spin doctors that he was a billionaire with plenty of cash to finance Rangers. In fact, it said, there was no evidence he was even a multi-millionaire. The report talks of "the questionable source and extent of his reported wealth". And here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in August 2014: "The taxman was chasing Craig Whyte for £3.7million before he took over Rangers. HMRC focused on Whyte's personal finances and made several failed attempts to get him to pay his dues before, during and after his catastrophic reign at Ibrox... Documents seen by the Record show: * The authorities instructed debt enforcers to chase Whyte with a bill for almost £4million and threaten him with bankruptcy in May 2011, the same month that he bought Rangers... * Yet when he struck the notorious deal with Ticketus for funds to finance his Rangers takeover, he gave the firm a personal guarantee he was worth nearly £33million... At the same time he was able to run up a further £15million in unpaid taxes and penalties during his nine months in charge of Rangers. Whyte had bought Rangers for £1 from Sir David Murray in May 2011, while agreeing to wipe out the club's £18million debts... A sizeable proportion of Rangers fans still hold Murray at least partly responsible for the club's demise, arguing he should not have sold to Whyte, whose reputation had already been questioned." Perhaps the fans should be holding the Record to blame as well. When the paper was reporting on Whyte's hyped wealth it failed to mention the fact that serious questions were being asked in the blogosphere about the veracity of his claims. How could the Record know that Whyte was a billionaire with "a vast business empire" and wealth "off the radar"? And when it did know otherwise, why did it take so long to inform Rangers' fans? And why no apology to its readers? Note that 2012 reference to spin-doctors, as if it was all their fault rather than that of the paper's journalists for accepting what they were told without checking. The age-old problem of sports reporting was the willingness of journalists to act like "fans with typewriters" (or, nowadays, fans with laptops). The reporting of the Rangers' saga over the past five years has been a classic example of reporters being no more than stenographers for PRs offering them stories they didn't care to verify. http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/aug/06/daily-record-rangers -
Suspect the Daily Record will make for interesting reading tomorrow. Will make us even more frustrated though. #justicefortherangerssupport Glad to see what looks like some things HMRC would rather stay unsaid are going to finally come to light. A couple of tweets tonight. Story here: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ex-rangers-owner-craig-whyte-being-3992415
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From @SonsofTruth twitter (not sure who administrates/runs/owns that account):
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Some thoughts on yesterday's HMRC appeal result: http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/256-rangers-v-hmrc-a-pyrrhic-victory
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He lost the vote but I'm surprised that seems to have been the end of it? I don't think much of him but it seems odd he has gone completely quiet. Am I missing something?
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McCoist in tomorrow's Scottish Daily Mail: ‘The sad thing is that, in our country, our vindication will stick in some people’s throats.' McCoist in tomorrow's Scottish Daily Mail: I will never forget some of the things which have been said and done to our club.' #Rangers
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RANGERS Football Club can this afternoon confirm the signing of Marius Zaliukas on a two-year deal. The Lithuanian defender joined Ally McCoist’s squad in Brora last week and during his second trial spell with the club he impressed both in training and in a 45-minute run-out against Brora Rangers at Dudgeon Park. Having successfully completed his medical he will now travel with the League One champions to North America tomorrow. Zaliukas came close to agreeing a deal with the Light Blues last September but after training at Murray Park he moved to Elland Road instead. Prior to that the 30-year-old centre half spent seven years in Edinburgh with the Jambos and captained the club Rangers will face on the opening day of the Championship season at Ibrox. In total he played 220 times for Hearts following his move from FBK Kaunas in his homeland and scored on 14 occasions. Manager Ally McCoist has already added one central defender to his pool this summer with ex-St Mirren stopper Darren McGregor putting pen-to-paper on a one-year contract on June 11. With Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd also returning to Ibrox last month, Zaliukas’ decision to join Rangers is another boost for the manager and the club as the preparations continue for a massive year in Scottish football’s second tier. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7183-zaliukas-joins-gers Hopefully an end to Jig at the back, thank goodness. Zaliukas will surely be the No. 1 choice CB with Faure but more likely Mohsni.
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Looking forward to reading and reviewing this book in the coming few weeks: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Born-Under-Union-Flag-Bissett/dp/1910021121/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404410171&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Born+Under+a+Union+Flag%3A+Rangers%2C+Britain+and+Scottish+Independence I know Ally and Alan (and the other contributors) have worked hard on this so it should be an interesting read and useful accompaniment to the Referendum debate. -
.....for £8.5m if not for the 'big tax case'. SHEPHERD held crunch talks with Charles Green two years ago but says the legal battle with the taxman scuppered any hopes of becoming a majority shareholder in the ailing club. FORMER Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd last night lifted the lid on his failed bid to take over Rangers. The renewable energy tycoon revealed he was close to securing an £8.5million buyout of the Ibrox outfit in 2012. He held crunch talks with Gers’ chief executive Charles Green at the exclusive Loch Lomond Golf Club. But Shepherd said the club’s long-running legal battle with the taxman scuppered any hopes of becoming a majority shareholder in the ailing club. He said he was wary the legal battle could affect the profitability of the club despite assurances the purchase of the “newco” would not be affected by the former club’s tax dealings. Shepherd, who has never before spoken about his attempt to buy Gers, said: “We looked into it but we unfortunately couldn’t make any headway with Charles Green. It was impossible to agree a deal at that time. “The tax legal proceedings were still ongoing. “We were assured the company was OK but it certainly didn’t do the deal any good. It was always in the background and it was always hanging above us.” He added: “Nobody really knew what decision was going to be made at the end of the day, whether the club was going to be hit by millions or walk away paying a small amount. “No one knew how you could keep the proceedings away from the main company even though we were assured that it was not going to be an issue.” It is understood that Shepherd, who made more than £50million from the sale of Newcastle United in June 2007, was also wary of making a deal with Green. A source close to the talks said: “Freddy didn’t want to get involved with Charles Green. He didn’t think he was the right man to be handling his life savings. “Freddy was due to become a majority shareholder in the club but it ultimately didn’t happen and the whole deal collapsed.” Sir David Murray accuses taxman of sticking knife into Ibrox club as HMRC lose appeal Shepherd’s revelations back up David Murray’s claims on Wednesday that the potential £46million tax bill at stake in the legal case had deterred potential buyers when Craig Whyte snapped up the club for just £1 in 2011. Even when the “newco” were established, the spectre of the case left Shepherd doubting the wisdom of getting involved. He said: “We didn’t think it was the right time because of the difficulties the club was going through. “Charles Green approached us and asked us if we were interested in buying such a huge club. “It’s a worldwide brand known all over the world. That’s why we thought we might be able to get involved in it. “With a club the size of Rangers, they should not have had the problems they’ve had. It’s a great club and hopefully the current owners can push it back to where it was.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-newcastle-chairman-freddy-shepherd-3841624
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DEREK JOHNSTONE today demanded an apology from some of the most high-profile names in Scottish football in the wake of Rangers' victory over the taxman. He said: "A lot of people in the game should hang their heads in shame. Rangers are owed a huge apology." HM Revenue and Customs this week lost their appeal to the 'big tax case' verdict that ruled Rangers were not guilty of wrong-doing during Sir David Murray's time at the helm. The spectre of the case cast a huge cloud over the club before a disastrous chain of events unfolded that led to Ally McCoist's side dropping down to the Third Division two years ago. On Wednesday, the Union of Fans hit out at SFA chief Stewart Regan, Neil Doncaster of the SPFL, Stephen Thompson, Rod Petrie, Peter Lawwell and lawyer Rod McKenzie for their actions and comments during Rangers' troubles. DJ told SportTimes: "They all came to the conclusion that Rangers were guilty before anything was proven. "They all had their say and every one has been proven wrong. "The most famous two words that were spouted was 'sporting integrity'. Well, where is the sporting integrity in what has happened to Rangers? The club and the fans have been proven right. "I hope the club are recompensed for everything they have missed out on in the last two years." Despite being cleared for the second time in the courts, the ruling is a bitter-sweet one for Rangers fans and the club as Ally McCoist's side look to complete their journey back to the top flight this term. But Johnstone insists the actions of some should never be forgotten after Rangers and the Light Blue legions were vindicated once again. He said: "A lot of people in the media jumped on the bandwagon as well. It was all built on ifs, buts and maybes, and too many people lined up to stick the boot into Rangers. "It was absolute rubbish. I think there should be many, many apologies sent to Rangers in the next few days. "It is good that it has all come out and Rangers have been vindicated. That is fantastic. "But there are a lot of people who will have their heads buried in the sand and will be keeping a low profile in the next few weeks." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-legend-demands-apology-over-ebt-debacle-170696n.24723784
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How long do we wait after the 120 days ???? review? http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-boss-ally-mccoist-admits-3813756 McCOIST is seeking clarity on what the operations officer role would entail and whether he'll be allowed to appoint someone else to head up the club's scouting network. ALLY McCOIST has admitted he’s in the dark over Christian Nerlinger being lined up as chief football operations officer at Rangers. And the Ibrox boss wants clarity on what that new role would entail as he still doesn’t know if he can bring in someone else to head up the club’s scouting network. Chief executive Graham Wallace claimed an operations officer was needed in his 120-day business review back in April. And former Gers midfielder Nerlinger is said to be on the radar, having held a similar position at European giants Bayern Munich. But when asked about Nerlinger, McCoist said: “I haven’t heard anything regarding that. I spoke with Graham on Wednesday and nothing has been said about Nerlinger or any director of football so I don’t know anything about it. “I would expect to know something but it has gone quiet. I don’t know what has happened. My priority is to win the league but in terms of infrastructure we desperately need a chief scout. In an ideal world Graham and I would sit down but I don’t know what the plans are with the chief football officer. “I don’t know whether that would be his department in terms of scouting. “Do I have someone in mind? Absolutely. But let’s be honest – there is a financial aspect as well. “We need somebody to scout talent. Whether that is the chief football officer’s gig or the chief scout’s gig is up for debate. But if we want to get back to a top standard in Scotland and hopefully get back into European football we need to have people assessing players.” McCoist has snapped up Darren McGregor, Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller so far this summer. But he also wants to land former Hearts stopper Marius Zaliukas and Cardiff midfielder Don Cowie. The Ibrox boss said: “Marius has trained with us after being released by Leeds and we are going to have a chat. I think there’s still a few quid knocking about in that budget and that will be put to the test in the next week or so.” All of Rangers’ summer targets are tried and tested in the Scottish top flight and McCoist claims in the absence of a proper scouting department he is left with no option but to go for players he knows well. He pointed to Sporting Lisbon’s capture of Dundee United kid Ryan Gauld as an example of clubs casting their net wide and admitted Rangers are “light years” away from being able to work like that. He said: “Ian Durrant, Kenny McDowall and myself watch French football, Dutch football, absolutely everything on TV. But we can’t go to watch players unless they are in Scotland because of the situation the club is in. “That is the beauty of having a scouting department. If you have scouts they can go and watch games, they can recommend players and then you can go and look at them. “At this moment you are actually just watching games off videos. It is not ideal. “I met Peter Houston about four weeks ago (when he was scouting for Celtic) at the airport and said: ‘Where have you been?’ He said: ‘Watching six games.’ “Our best opportunity is to watch on the telly. If you have a chief scout and a department, you have the potential to do a Sporting Lisbon. “You can get a boy at 18, 19 and say: ‘Right, it looks like we are not going to play you for 18 months but we are going to develop you’. “That is the ideal world. We are light years away from that.” -
http://www.londonstockexchange.com/e...entId=12002687 Rangers International Football Club plc ("Rangers" the "Club" or the "Company") Issue of Equity The Company has made an application to the London Stock Exchange for 714,285 new ordinary shares of 1p each ("New Ordinary Shares") to be admitted to trading on AIM ("Admission"). It is expected that Admission of the New Ordinary Shares will become effective and that dealings will commence at 8.00 a.m. on 7 July 2014. The New Ordinary Shares are being issued pursuant to an exercise of the options granted to Brian Stockbridge (a former Director of the Company) on admission of the Company's shares to trading on AIM pursuant to Mr Stockbridge's original contract of employment with The Rangers Football Club Limited dated 17 September 2012. In accordance with the provisions of chapter 5 of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, the Company confirms that, following this issue, its issued share capital will comprise 65,810,341 ordinary shares of 1p each. All of the existing ordinary shares and New Ordinary Shares shall have equal voting rights. The total number of voting rights in the Company following the issue of the New Ordinary Shares is therefore 65,810,341. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the Disclosure and Transparency Rules. For further information please contact: Rangers International Football Club plc Graham Wallace Tel: 0141 580 8647 Daniel Stewart & Company plc Tel: 020 7776 6550 Paul Shackleton / David Coffman Newgate Threadneedle Tel: 020 7148 6143 Graham Herring / Roddy Watt / John Coles
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http://www.redandblackshirt.com/
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http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/250-dave-king-the-grand-old-duke-of-york
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The BBC has learned former Rangers chief executive Charles Green is seeking financial support to launch a new bid for control of the Ibrox club. Green led a consortium which bought Rangers' assets in May 2012 and then raised £22m from a share issue, but resigned from his post last year. He returned for a short-lived spell as a consultant before selling his shareholding in the club. However, he has spent the last week in talks with potential investors. Rangers plan to launch a new share issue in a bid to raise in the region of £8m and if Green is to be successful he would need to convince existing shareholders to sell to a new consortium. Green, who held the same position at Sheffield United, stood down from the chief executive's position citing the "negative publicity" surrounding an independent investigation, commissioned by the club's board, into allegations of undeclared dealings with former owner Craig Whyte. That investigation consequently found no evidence of Whyte's claims that he was involved in the Green-led acquisition of Rangers two years ago. On selling his shares to Sandy Easdale, chairman of Rangers' football board, Green said: "I want to make it clear that this means I will have no ongoing influence or financial interest at the club but I remain a fan and fervently hope that Rangers will soon be back at the top where they belong."
