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  1. Haven't heard it but by all accounts it was a car crash. Anyone hear it? Claiming he was tired at the weekend. Players don't have anything to prove. Only job was to win the league and they have done that at a canter. Not embarrassed by the result yesterday. What more do fans want.
  2. .......can only trade on his past glories as a player for so long. HUGH believes the Ibrox manager misjudged the mood after the draw with Albion Rovers and has only increased the pressure on himself from the supporters. IT would take James Ward, at his current rate of pay with Albion Rovers, 100 years to earn what Ally McCoist gets in 12 months at Ibrox. That’s not a flight of fantasy plucked out of the air for dramatic effect in the aftermath of Sunday’s 1-1 Scottish Cup draw between the clubs at Ibrox. It’s a cold fact underlining what two opposite worlds look like when their differences are written down in black and white. Football is indivisible from money, and that holds true with a vengeance at hard-up Rangers, where they’re borrowing money to look after their borrowings. What Albion Rovers did at Ibrox was to come within 13 minutes of eliminating the home team from a competition which would be worth £1million to Rangers if they won it. That’s also how close Ally came to losing his job as manager for non-commercial reasons. Defeat from Rovers would have been the most humiliating result in Rangers’ history and formed employment law’s grounds for constructive dismissal. It didn’t happen in the end, and slipping the noose is perfectly allowable in football. Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest manager of them all, did it when he went through the barren years in his start at Old Trafford. Neil Lennon was forgiven a 2-0 defeat from Ross County in a Scottish Cup semi-final and promoted from interim to permanent manager at Celtic Park in spite of that embarrassment. But there are those who believe Rangers’ off-field problems have disguised McCoist’s shortcomings on the managerial front. Not any longer. The manager’s declaration that a replay against Albion Rovers did not represent any kind of embarrassment has resonated badly with the Rangers fans. It has focused their attention on matters on the field while they wait for the next battle in the civil war for power at Ibrox to commence. Ally said he was withdrawing from the front line on that issue to get on with being the manager. And he was quite right to do so. McCoist has compromised his better judgment and given public support to individuals he might otherwise have left well alone over the past couple of years. But his desire to see Rangers emerge from the morass created by administration, liquidation and manipulation by people who used the club for their own ends got the better of him. Now he’d be better advised to focus on himself because too many Rangers fans are questioning his judgment as a manager. Ally might genuinely have been trying to be respectful to Ward, his counterpart, and all associated with Rovers when he said there was no embarrassment attached to being taken to a replay by them. That’s not how the Rangers fans saw it, and they’re the barometer of public opinion the Ibrox boss has to be aware of at times like these. The season started with a League Cup defeat suffered in extra time against the part-time professionals of Forfar Athletic. Not much changes, it appears. Ninety-five minutes against a League Two collection of gas fitters and office workers wasn’t enough time for Rangers to remove Albion Rovers from the Scottish Cup. There comes a time when past history as a player becomes an irrelevance. The greatest of them all on both sides of Glasgow’s great divide – John Greig, Jock Wallace, Billy McNeill, Tommy Burns and Davie Hay – were dispensed with when considered to be unfit for purpose. Reputation saves no one if your face no longer fits. It’s astonishing to think Ally will, in all probability, win a second, straight league title tomorrow night when Rangers host Airdrie while bedlam breaks loose all around him. But he’s lived in that frenzied environment since he signed for Rangers from Sunderland just over 30 years ago. Ally’s in the dock, and his list of “previous” where domestic and European failures are concerned has been brought up to be used in evidence against him. Uncertainty is in the air at Ibrox as Dave King prepares to fly into Glasgow tomorrow and challenge the club’s idea of proper governance at boardroom level. The manager will sit that one out as he prepares for the replay with Albion Rovers on Monday night at Hamilton’s New Douglas Park. Defeat is unthinkable. If you want to be judged purely on what you do as a manager then you must expect a jury to be formed for that purpose. And there are more than cinema’s Twelve Angry Men waiting to pass sentence on Ally unless he can offer a more convincing case for the defence than was evident at the weekend. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/hugh-keevins-rangers-manager-ally-3228364
  3. Five people have been arrested in connection with crowd trouble at the Motherwell v Celtic game last week A reported £10,000 of damage was caused to seats in a section housing Celtic fans, a flare was let off in the same area before the game and two green smoke bombs were thrown on to the pitch during the match at Fir Park stadium on Friday. Celtic said they were ''appalled'' by the actions and issued precautionary suspensions to 128 supporters preventing them from attending home and away matches, while 250 season-ticket holders seated in the Green Brigade's corner of Celtic Park are to be moved to other parts of the ground. Police said 18 smoke bombs, three fireworks and one flare were set off. There were also disturbances and vandalism in Motherwell both before and after the game. Officers said five people were arrested in connection with the disorder on Monday and inquiries are continuing. The incident was the latest in a spate of trouble at Scottish football matches. A teenage girl was arrested after a flare was thrown from the Rangers support after their win at Falkirk on November 30, damaging the pitch, and a smoke bomb was thrown from the Motherwell support during their defeat by Albion Rovers on the same day. Last Saturday, 10 people were arrested in connection with football-related disorder before the Falkirk v Raith Rovers match. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/u/five-arrested-after-celtic-fan-trouble-at-motherwell-match.1386845170
  4. Stand back and survey the scene. The institution that once believed itself to be Scotland's premier football club; a national monument, an establishment-protected icon, a pillar of excellence and endeavour, is in disarray once again. The red brick Ibrox facade hides a multitude of sins and an array of secrets. The Old Lady is a bank of opportunity for hedge funds and a safe haven for overpaid, bonus-ridden, bean-counters. Its fading grandeur reflects the impoverishment of its host, and like a stately home with a leaky roof and a never-ending list of repairs, the old ground has an uncertain future. The Old Lady is a victim of the disease of avarice. As she struggles to hide the scars of neglect, a succession of carers has swanned off into the sunset with money-laden suitcases, and now a crisis loan is required to pay bills and keep third division players on top division wages. Rangers' problems have not gone away. Maybe they never will. As smaller football clubs receive public sympathy for their financial difficulties, Rangers, uniquely, stands accused of depriving schools and hospitals of income. As football minnows wallow in victim-status, Rangers is in the dock, roundly condemned by press comment and regularly vilified by public opinion. The world has changed: Scotland has changed: the political establishment has changed. Rangers has become a misfit. In modern Scotland, the club has few friends and even less powerful allies. The club has been so denigrated in recent decades that it taints reputations merely by association. As the club flounders and falters, there is an almost unspoken hope in polite society that its final act will be to disappear altogether. To Rangers fans, this is an unpalatable prospect, but there are people across Scotland - not just Celtic fans - whose most fervent wish is that Rangers goes away: permanently. To them, Rangers represents intolerance, sectarianism and bigotry, and in this hypersensitive and politically correct age, the club is perceived to be an anachronism that has outlived its usefulness. They want it to wither and die because only hardcore bigots and sectarian morons will mourn it. Decent people, in their eyes, will be glad to see the back of it. Beleaguered Rangers fans can attempt to deflect blame, point the finger elsewhere and proclaim innocence, but no-one is listening. The jury has already made its mind up. Rangers has lost the respect of a nation and edged towards the precipice. It has become the black sheep of Scottish football. Administration and liquidation didn't kill the club, but they highlighted something that should be deeply concerning to a support which aches for a leader to look up to and respect. Within the million-strong Rangers fanbase, there is a noticeable lack of people who have the means to rescue the club and the willingness to actually do so. When David Murray bought Rangers in the late nineteen-eighties, it seemed like a marriage made in heaven. Scotland's biggest club had been taken over by a young businessman who had the means, the cojones and the ambition to further the Rangers cause, and enhance his own reputation along the way. From being a well-known business figure, Murray quickly became a household name, and he relished the fame that was part and parcel of being owner of Scotland's establishment club. In time, he became Sir David Murray - a dream come true for a man whose ego matched his not inconsiderable bank balance. Would a thrusting young Scottish businessman buy Rangers today, or would he prefer to duck the opportunity and steer clear of the hassle that being custodian of Rangers brings? Given that there are no budding David Murrays knocking on the Ibrox front door, it would appear to be the latter. What respectable businessman or woman would want to take on an ailing institution that has incinerated millions of pounds at an alarming rate and now has to borrow to keep the wheels on the wagon? What entrepreneur needs his name associated with a club whose existence is played out while the spectre of sectarianism still haunts it? What hard-won reputation wants to take a chance on a club that habitually pays out too much money for too little reward? What business type would enjoy being the man or woman to sack the club's management team and bring in new blood more appropriate for the task ahead? Would the young David Murray be as quick to buy Rangers in 2014 as he was in 1988? Rangers Football Club is a bloody mess. The team plays dreadful football, the club spends exorbitant sums in the process, it makes the undeserving rich, it is owned by people whose God is greed; it has a reputation that will take years to repair, it can't afford to look after its stadium, and its fans excuse incompetence out of a misguided sense of loyalty. The Rangers support, for the most part, doesn't welcome soul-searching and reflection. It prefers to talk itself up and believe that a full recovery is not only possible, but likely, and this is a mistake. Rangers urgently needs to be re-born. In a relatively short time, the club has descended from being the centre of the Scottish football universe to become an outcast within the sport - and a much-ridiculed laughing stock within the country. The Rangers support has played a minor role in the club's downfall, but it will never fully recover until it plays a major part in its recovery. Fan ownership has to be the future for Rangers. Nothing else will return it to where most fans believe it should be. Only a revolution - a people revolution - will save this club now.
  5. Got a phone call earlier on from my parents who live near Airbles station on Airbles Road in Motherwell and they said there's was mega chaos after the match tonight. The mass of police and ambulance sirens interrupted their TV viewing and they looked out to see total chaos. Will be interesting to see if anything is reported in the mainstream media.
  6. If you were constructing a gallery of guilty men at Rangers then you’d want to make sure your walls are supported by reinforced steel, such is the weight of numbers you’d be hanging up there. Walter Smith has pretty much stood alone as the good guy in all of this. ‘In Walter We Trust’ as some Rangers supporters might put it. It’s hard not to respect and like the former Ibrox manager given all that he has done in the game, but it’s possible to hold him in high esteem while at the same time pointing out the fallacy that he is blameless in the spectacular mess that his club has become. In the deconstruction of the Rangers story you’d point the finger at plenty of guys *before you’d have Smith in your sights, but the fact is that he has played his own part in the *malaise. He possesses none of the spiv-ish nature of some of the chancers who have come and gone at Ibrox, but he still warrants criticism. It didn’t come across in his interviews on Tuesday, but Smith is no innocent bystander in all of this. We go back to last summer and a tabloid headline that read ‘Walter’s Heartbreak’ above a story that told of Smith’s failed bid to take control of Rangers in June 2012. To talk of his heartbreak was a little kind given that the bid failed partly because, as Malcolm Murray subsequently pointed out, there was actually no formal bid – he called it empty posturing – and partly because even if there was a bid it was too little, too late. By the time Smith, Jim McColl and Douglas Park mounted their white steeds and galloped over the horizon in Govan, calling on Charles Green to “step aside” in the interests of Rangers, Green had already secured the business and assets for a song. What took them so long? Where had they been? They made no secret of their concern about the motivation of Green and his group. They were spot-on there. So why wait until Green had done the deal before appearing on the scene? On these pages in the past I equated their action to somebody busting in on a funeral with a defibrillator. Smith asked Green to step aside in the interests of Rangers. Appealing to his sense of fair play wasn’t going to change the course of events. The one thing that Green would have listened to was an offer. Money doesn’t talk to Green, it hollers like a banshee. Smith’s group had the financial clout to get the Yorkshireman off the scene and they didn’t deliver. They spoke openly of their serious reservations about Green’s mysterious group but didn’t do what needed to be done. We could talk about Smith’s axis of excess with David Murray back in the day when Rangers thought they had money when in actual fact what they had was credit and iffy tax schemes, which eventually came back to trouble them and helped cause the spectacular implosion. More recent events show that the hubris of the 1990s and early 2000s hasn’t been fully purged. Smith was right to be anxious about Green. For months, Green attempted to get him on board and was getting nowhere. Getting Ally McCoist’s imprimatur was incredibly valuable to Green and the chances are that his regime would not have got off the ground had McCoist stayed true to his own initial feelings about the Yorkshireman, but he didn’t. The endorsement of McCoist helped shift season tickets and helped endear Green to the Ibrox faithful after an early and bitter stand-off with the supporters, featuring a death threat. Getting McCoist on side – publicly at any rate – was good, but getting Smith to join him was equally important given the IPO last December. In November, Walter jumped into bed with Green. They shook hands and smiled for the cameras. One big happy *family again. Smith became a non-*executive director. The veneer of calmness was what Green was looking for and thanks to two Rangers icons, he got it. Both men would have been better advised to stick to their original positions on Green and his cohorts. By changing their minds, they played their own part in facilitating the embarrassment that followed. It can’t have been that much of a surprise, given how dubious they were about Green in the first place. Smith became chairman last June, not because he wanted to but because he felt he had to in the wake of the in-fighting at Ibrox, the dysfunctionality of the board as he later described it. It was to his credit that he moved into a position that he had no experience of. He knew he lacked the tools but, equally, he vowed that he would be as hands-on as he could possibly be. “No-one should believe that I see my role as a passive one,” he said. “That hasn’t been my way in the past and it won’t be my way in the future.” Encouraging words for the Rangers fans who craved authority and order at the top of the club, but it’s easy to see how Smith was virtually powerless in that bonkers regime of Green’s. You can’t blame him for walking away from the civil war. But some of the things he said on Tuesday jar a little all the same. His comments on the financial waste at Ibrox, under his watch in part, demanded explanation. “I knew they [Rangers] would make a loss [for the financial year ended 30 June] but I wasn’t sure exactly what it would be. It was quite a surprise when it came out to be such a large figure.” Quite a surprise? Smith was chairman for the end of that period. Did he ask questions about the financial state of the club while he was there? Did he get answers? Were the answers truthful? If yes, why was he then surprised when the accounts revealed such a massive cash-burn? If no, then did he feel people inside the club had lied to him? Smith was chairman. He should have known, shouldn’t he? Having the business savvy to be able to do something about the obscene bonuses being dished out would have been a different matter entirely, but as chairman he should have known. Unless he was a passive chairman, which he said he wouldn’t be. On the football side of it, it’s pretty clear that Smith had no issue with McCoist earning £825,000 a year. Also, he has said that giving a player a wage of £7,500 a week (Ian Black, for one) while in the Third Division was not such a big deal. Presumably he had no truck with other deals, like the one given to Fran Sandaza that would have seen the Spaniard’s salary rise to £10,000 a week in the final year of his contract. The overall wage bill in the Third Division was £7.8 million. Smith said: “People come out and say ‘Ah, it’s not necessary for them to have those players in that division’. But it’s not just the division that matters at Rangers, it’s the fact that you have 45,000 people coming to watch something on a football pitch…They are still losing money. But when you make a decision to be involved at Rangers, there is no common sense to it. The financial bit of Rangers Football Club and common sense don’t often go together.” That’s a remarkable statement when you think about it. What is wrong with Rangers attempting some common sense in their spending? Why be so accepting of a lack of common sense? It didn’t have to be that way. There is no law – apart from the law of hubris – that says Rangers have to lack common sense in their finances. This is the 2013 version of David Murray’s freakonomics. ‘We are Rangers and we’ll spend what we like’. Either through arrogance or stupidity – or both – that mindset hasn’t changed all that much despite the torment. What would have been so wrong with offering Black £3,000 a week instead of £7,500? What would have been the problem had McCoist been put on £400,000 from the point of administration instead of continuing on £825,000? Why is the wage bill so eye-wateringly high for a club in the Third Division? Because there is no common sense at Rangers, says Smith. Instead of just accepting it, how about doing something about it? Incredibly, it wouldn’t appear that the penny has dropped yet. The former manager deserves all the respect for what he achieved in the game, but in the on-going crisis at Ibrox, he is not blame-free. Rangers are still stuck in a financial time-warp. And many people have allowed it to happen.
  7. RANGERS chairman Alastair Johnston has sparked a high-stakes game of poker - with the club's future in the pot. Late on Monday night, with would-be Gers buyer Craig Whyte desperate to finally seal his �£25million takeover, Johnston REFUSED to be railroaded into rubber-stamping the deal. Instead he listened to another Gers director - understood to be chartered accountant Paul Murray - who promised he could broker a rival �£25m bid to underwrite a new shares issue in the club. SunSport believes that proposal is backed by the financial muscle of South African multi-millionaire Dave King and Lanarkshire motoring tycoon Douglas Park. As manager-in-waiting Ally McCoist sweats over what funds he will have, though, the nightmare news for Gers fans is that process could take 10 WEEKS. Forget all the financial posturing and alleged stalling tactics, the reality is that new boss McCoist could be marooned on July 1 with NO IDEA what his transfer budget is, with the SPL season due to start on July 23. Johnston, though, insisted he had grave doubts whether the transfer budget Whyte promised would materialise. And he said: "Based on the documents we have only been able to review within the last week, we are disappointed that they ultimately did not reflect the investment in the club that we were led to believe for the last few months would be a commitment in the purchase agreement. "Given the requirement to repay the bank in full under the proposed transaction, there appears to be only a relatively modest amount of money available that would positively impact the club's operations, especially as it relates to an urgent requirement to replenish and upgrade the playing squad. "Whilst the proposed transaction has addressed the interests of Lloyds Bank, the Murray Group and Craig Whyte, our perspective is solely directed towards the future of Rangers Football Club." Whyte had pledged McCoist would get at least �£5m per season towards improving the champions' threadbare squad. Johnston, though, is prepared to gamble on examining the shares issue option. He said: "The board has had an approach from one of its directors who wishes us to consider an alternative funding option. This would involve a fresh issue of new capital to raise �£25m to be invested directly into the club. The board believes it has a responsibility to examine this proposal whilst continuing its review of the Craig Whyte transaction. "After six months of limited engagement in the process, the board believes it is not in the best interests of its stake-holders for it to be pressed into an unrealistic timescale." The Independent Sub-Committee of the Rangers board has taken a huge risk. Johnston's soundbites claim he is desperate to make sure the best interests of the 26,400 minority shareholders are served. When the fan in the street picks through the legal language and peers through the smokescreens, though, this looks like one thing. A stalling tactic. Majority shareholder Sir David Murray, Lloyds Bank and Whyte himself are desperate to get the deal over the line. The bankers are CONVINCED the funding is there. Johnston, chief executive Martin Bain, finance director Donald McIntyre, non-executive directors John McClelland and John Greig CAN'T veto the Whyte deal but can shunt it into the sidings at a critical time. Meanwhile, the fans suffer once more. Johnston, though, said: "We have only very recently had the opportunity to meet Craig Whyte and his team. "Moreover, it is only in the last few days we have started to receive the draft agreements outlining the transaction. "We are still awaiting a detailed working capital statement demonstrating there is sufficient funding in place to meet the club's pressing needs. "On Monday, I had a lengthy conversation with Craig Whyte explaining the dilemma the board faces. It was a constructive dialogue, and whilst he expressed his frustration, he understood our position." Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3536471/We-wont-be-railroaded-into-selling-Gers-Craig.html#ixzz1K0whqlEN
  8. With all the problems with playing many games in a short time I found this pretty interesting. Now a days two games in three days has them complaining although I will admit the game is far faster and more athletic now than it was in those days. (I hope I don't need the authors permission to print extracts?)
  9. Celtic striker Daryl Murphy wants to capitalise on the 'massive incentive' of moving to the top of the table. More...
  10. Hearts cruised to their first win of the SPL season with a 4-0 rout of Hamilton at New Douglas Park. More...
  11. Rangers director Dave King finally breaks his silence today on the cash crisis that has engulfed the club he loves. The South African-based tycoon has kept his own counsel during the last few troubled years as the banks clamped down on Rangers. But starting today and ONLY in Record Sport the man who has already invested �£20million in the Ibrox club speaks out from his luxurious Johannesburg base. King rarely grants interviews but the multi-millionaire, who is still regarded as the only man who can come to Rangers' rescue, sat down with the only paper capable of gaining access to him. And he didn't hold back: * In our sensational two-day series he reveals how Rangers were left teetering on the brink of administration. * King out lines his hopes for Rangers in the years ahead and REFUSES to rule out the possibility of investing further in the club . * He insists the Andrew Ellis deal was NEVER a realistic option. * King claims Walter Smith's latest title success SAVED Rangers. * He ACCUSES Rangers' bankers of attempting to asset strip the club . * He identifies and pays tribute to the real resistance HEROES behind the scenes in the fight to keep the club alive. The 55-year-old kicked off his astonishing insight into his Rangers love affair by revealing he is mulling over new support for the club and is developing a five-year plan to turn around the financial situation at Ibrox. Ex-pat King invited Record Sport into his South African home for his first in-depth interview with a Scottish paper and suggested he could be willing to make available some of his reported �£300m fortune for the club he first grew to love growing up in Castlemilk. Asked if he was in a position to invest in the club again, King said: "I wouldn't say yes to that today. However, I wouldn't rule out taking a greater role in the club going forward. "Things must settle for a couple of months first. There are a lot of emotions that must die down and I wouldn't mind spending time with David Murray when I'm next over just to see what it means to him now. "I've had discussions with people such as Douglas Park and he says if the time is right and things settle he is willing to invest in a proper, commercial basis. "There are enough people out there with money to put together a funding group to get the club to a position it should be in. "It needs enough money to bring the debt down to a sustainable level, new money to take away some of the historic problems and enough money to create a kitty for the manager for five years." King has outlined the battles with Lloyds as they fought to protect their investment in the Murray Group, Rangers' parent company, which reached crisis point last year due to the global recession. He maintains it was the stubborn approach adopted by the bank that prevented him f rom launching a takeover bid last autumn. He said: "I looked at buying the club in the third financial quarter last year. "I felt the position adopted by the bank was inflexible and commercially aggressive against the club. Their demands were excessive. "It provided no opportunity for me to sensibly come in and put money into the club knowing the new money would not be going into Rangers but to protect the bank's position. It would have been throwing good money after bad." Silly Rangers have been taken off the market by majority shareholder Sir David Murray after a move to buy the club by London property developer Ellis stalled. King added: "I knew the El lis deal would not be concluded as soon as it was announced. I have my own ability to do due diligence and that deal would only have happened under very silly circumstances. "I don't think he's a silly investor but my assessment told me there was no possibility of Ellis structuring a deal that could have made sense for him." King acknowledged the right of the bank to demand its debt be repaid but believes they also share a responsibility for allowing Rangers to dip into the red to the tune of over �£30m. He said: "I recognise the responsibility of the bank to recover the money owed but they should have recognised a greater share of responsibility for participating in the funding levels Rangers received. "Walter securing the SPL title and the Champions League money saved the day. The bank are now much more willing to listen to considered argument, plus we have the benefit of that Champions League cash which has bought us this 12-month period of calm. "I'd describe Rangers as being in a comfortable position at present. We've had the operation and we're home. However, we're going to have to look after our health carefully." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/2010/06/25/dave-king-rangers-and-me-86908-22358553/
  12. This has been posted by sccgers on FF , he has posted a high percentage of stuff that hass later proved correct , make of it what you will. Park and Co. finally set to move ? Andrew Ellis / Boyd / Adam / Danny wilson .Latest. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Managed to catch up with my source within the last hour or two and he had quite a bit to share with me - I can't expand on it any further and what I am about to post is the exact extent of my knowledge I can't say it's 100% but he has a very good track record, I am merely passing it on 1 - Douglas Park and co. - several meetings with lawyers this week and he has struck an agreement for a deal they believe can mark a takeover attempt. They have intimated to the club that they will make a formal approach early next week and a meeting with AJ has been set up between most parties 2 - Andrew Ellis - remains firmly in the driving seat, in constant dialogue with Murray and is negotiating the final points before making a formal offer. These points are minor and he has intimated to the club firmly he will be making an offer and he intends to buy the club (This was done last week - most likely causing Walters frustration this week) Now Murray favours completely Andrew Ellis and even with Park and co's move, it appears extremely likely that Ellis will still be the man who takes over the club. For Murray though this whole scenario is exactly as he wanted. The bank are happy as they will be getting there debt and Murray will get the �£6m + (hopefully more from his point of view) he is looking for. Murray also has a big favour for Ellis due to his plans for redevelopment and Murray has been promised a slice of that pie. On time limits he says next week will be massive for apparent revelations either way. On backers for Ellis and Park names have been mentioned, nothing shocking and at this stage nothing confirmed either. Ellis does apparently have the cash to back this takeover, something which in recent week or so, I have encountered that no one seems to believe So next up - Danny Wilson - Will travel south as early as Monday to tie up a �£2.6m move. Additional clauses have been agreed and the club have been left with no other choice but to accept this after Wilson made it crystal clear he would not sign the new deal and the club could not alter or increase it further. Expect to see Liverpool play Rangers at some point in a friendly Charlie Adam - A little bonus it seems, on top of the 20% sell on fee negotiated by monseur Bain, Gers also have a Promotion bonus which requires Blackpool to stump uo �£600k further for Adam should they gain promotion. Something no body thought would happen Kris Boyd - It is common knowledge apparently that Boyd has signed an agreement with Eck and Birmingham should he leave Rangers. Not a Bosman but should he leave the Gers then Birmingham is where he will end up. He will not sign the current deal offered at the moment either. So we could still do a deal with him but it is extremely unlikely Novo, broadfoot and contract others - NONE look to be staying. Smith and Beasley has been told they won't be getting new deals. Novo has been offered a 1 year deal with an option which he also has refused, there is no wiggle room on this. Broadfoot is angling for more money and has also refused his new deal. (Should also add that Preston seem a likely direction for Smith) Only SDOW has been told Rangers want to keep him on a reduced wage, though he will be offered a new deal at same terms should the takeover finally be completed either way. At the moment Smith will have around �£2m plus room for some cheap bosmans, maximum 2-3 in with it already looking like 6 are guaranteed to leave. Should Bougherra and others go he may get a small percentage of that cash. Hardly awe expiring news that Again, this is as much as discussed today - as I have said passing on what was said and it can be taken or left Cheers
  13. By Terry Murden RANGERS owner Sir David Murray says he is hopeful that a new owner will take over at Ibrox by the start of next season. The former Ibrox chairman, who has been in talks with London-based property tycoon Andrew Ellis, told The Scotsman: "The sooner a deal is concluded the best it will be for all." Murray, whose group of companies own 92 per cent of Rangers, said the proceeds from a sale would be used to pay off the club's debt which is understood to have fallen from �£31.1 million to about �£25m. "A buyer would pay a figure to buy a debt-free club," he said, adding that "Rangers are in a much-improved position". Rangers made an operating loss of �£11.74m last year after the team crashed out of the Champions League in 2008 by losing a qualifying match to Lithuanian side Kaunas, denying the club a minimum �£10m windfall from the group stages of the competition. But management have turned round their operations so that debt will be reduced and the club will be able to make a profit this year and probably next. Murray unveiled a financial restructuring of his Murray International Holdings empire yesterday but said it would not involve Rangers, which will remain separate from the group. In accounts for the 18-month period to last June he said he remained "completely committed to finding an appropriate investor to secure the future development and stewardship of the club". Ellis is the only interested party who has been confirmed as in talks with Rangers, through a Stock Exchange announcement. There have been other hints of interest, mainly through the media, from businessman Douglas Park, South Africa-based Rangers director Dave King, and an underwritten Supporters Trust buy-out, but Ellis remains the main player. Earlier this week it was revealed that Rangers are subject of an on-going HM Revenue and Customs inquiry into the club's tax affairs. Commenting on the investigation, Murray said he had received legal advice that the club would put up a defence against claims that it used offshore accounts to pay its players. "We have a strong case according to our lawyers and will robustly defend it," said the 58-year-old. He said the tax arrangements had been in the club's accounts for many years. http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/David-Murray-eyes-Rangers-sale.6264080.jp
  14. ..erm, in the ET: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks-ignore/fans-deserve-home-truths-1.1024057
  15. Amongst the hyperbole and sensationalism over legal tax loopholes (yes, I did say legal), last night's result in France where Bayern Munich routed Lyon over two legs means Rangers have now qualified for next season's Champions' League Group Stage. Currently we're third seeds but we could easily make it into the second group of seeds given the right results. However, future performance aside, the main issue for those who control the club and, for many of us who support it, will be the associated finance with this competition. Up to �£17million of income could be secured if, as expected, Celtic fail to negotiate a difficult qualifying route to the group stage. In an era where our future participation in the competition will be far from guaranteed, that money could well be the last pot of genuine gold at the end of the UEFA rainbow. Moving back to the hysterical coverage in the media then and the debate turns to how will that income be used. Will it be ring-fenced to reduce debt or will it be reinvested into the club to address such crucial issues as the loss of out-of-contract players and, erm, the broken big screens? To be honest, despite the protestations of the club yesterday evening, the former is most likely with a bank ever wary of a club (and parent company) sailing close to the rocks in recent times. Of course, panic aside, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The club debt may well be reducing but it is certainly agreeable to use any future income to reduce it further and/or prepare in advance for less lucrative seasons. After all, without a decent run in European football, an annual loss is probable to be reported. Years of cuts in playing staff and wages, along with savings made elsewhere may signal efficiency but perhaps still not enough to break even without the UEFA cash cow. And this is where the harbingers of doom have some sway. With various players out of contract or likely to be sold and the management team similarly non-committal, just what is the competitive future of the club? After all, while the bank has every right to expect its debt to be repaid, why are they so keen to dispense with already agreed and perfectly reasonable repayment structures? The plight of the crumbling MIH empire may well be casting a dark shadow of influence and their delayed annual accounts will be interesting reading when finally released this week. However, Rangers remain in profit and, unlike other teams in Glasgow, our fans have shown they will not desert our club even when success may not be imminent. As such, the immediate future is not as bad as some would like to paint. Nevertheless it appears the battle-lines have been drawn. Potential owners and sources within the club itself are lining up to leak information to all and sundry - from internet mischief-makers, to tabloid journalists, to phone-in hosts and more. Suddenly - less than 48 hours after securing our 53rd title - the muck is being thrown and the 'Rangers in Crisis' headlines are of a huge gauge on the street paper-stands. Once again, the average Rangers supporter is left worried and bewildered as opposing camps fight it out in the media. Hardly the dignified approach our loyal and committed support deserve. Ever since the ownership issue suddenly appeared to be the main topic of the club's immediate future, some fans have called for clarity and leadership from those who purport to buy and represent us. Unfortunately, there has been little evidence of this from any party involved. Fingers are pointed, accusations are thrown and blame is cast as the poker game gets very dirty indeed. It seems everyone has had their say but few in a positive sense. From Dave King, to Douglas Park, to Andrew Ellis, to Graham Duffy, to the RST, to Sir David Murray, to Alistair Johnston, to Walter Smith, to Donald Muir and to all the journalists choosing their side of the fence to stand on; all should be asking themselves just what this very public battle is doing for our club. This should be a time of celebration and oneupmanship as we break our own world record. Instead division is again rife, and those who matter most at the vital time of season ticket renewal, are treated with disdain and disrespect. To a man, Rangers fans care passionately about their club but the 'political' sleaze currently surrounding it is as distasteful as the spin we see mirrored in the General Election debate. But, at least we're given a vote and debated with in that arena. As its stands, not one of the main names mentioned above has had the honesty, the integrity, the transparency and the leadership to actually come out and show why they should own the club and why their plans will ensure our world record will be maintained in future years. Not one has come to our support and said this is why you matter to me and why your opinion will form an important part of the club for its future. That is nothing short of a disgrace and is just as worrying as any financial issues we may face in the coming years. Rangers need leadership - it is well beyond time for those who think they're capable of that to show it.
  16. Rangers in crisis ââ?¬â?? Douglas Park has spoken to director Dave King, but admits takeover is ââ?¬Ë?impossibleââ?¬â?¢ because of tax investigation For sale ââ?¬â?? but whoââ?¬â?¢s buying? Darrell King Share 0 comments 28 Apr 2010 Douglas Park, the businessman who has interests in several car *franchises and a coach company, last night confirmed he has spoken with Dave King, the South Africa-based *millionaire Rangers director who remains interested in taking over the club. Park told The Herald there was a ââ?¬Å?real willingnessââ?¬Â from several individuals who want to help the Ibrox club out of their financial plight. However, with the revelation that an HM Revenue and Customs investi*gation is ongoing into payments Rangers made into playersââ?¬â?¢ offshore trusts over the past decade, Park conceded there would have to be certain conditions agreed with Rangersââ?¬â?¢ owners, Murray Inter*national, and the clubââ?¬â?¢s bankers, Lloyds, before any deal could be done. The SPL championsââ?¬â?¢ debts are still hovering around the Ã?£30m mark, and the HMRC investigation could lead to a tax bill ââ?¬â?? the exact amount yet unknown ââ?¬â?? having to be met if the club is found to have a case to answer. When asked if he had held discussions with King over a potential buy-out, Park would only say: ââ?¬Å?I have had meetings with Dave King since January, but the contents of our discussions are private. There are people out there with a real willingness to put millions of pounds of their own money into the club to try to address the current situation and return the club to stability. However, unless certain conditions are met, it would be impossible for anything to proceed. ââ?¬Å?At the moment, the bank are in total control of the situation as the season-ticket money, and any Champions League money, comes in.ââ?¬Â Rangers are anxious to discover as soon as possible the bankââ?¬â?¢s plans for the biggest revenue stream into the club, season-ticket monies that annually amount to between Ã?£18m and Ã?£20m, with sources telling The Herald there are fears this money will be used to attack the overall debt as the wait for a new owner goes on. Last night, Rangers were guaranteed automatic entry to the Cham*pions League group stages next season after Bayern Munich overcame Lyon 0-4 on aggregate in France. The German side, along with Barcelona and Inter Milan, who contest the second semi-final tonight, are all guaranteed to play in the 2010/11 group phase courtesy of their domestic league positions and, therefore, an automatic position has been freed up for the champions of Scotland. There are people out there with a real willingness to put millions of pounds of their own money into the club to try to address the current situation and return the club to stability. However, unless certain conditions are met, it would be impossible for anything to proceed. Douglas Park This will generate revenue of around Ã?£15m for Rangers and, again, answers are being sought from the bank as to what will happen to that money, and how much will be put into the business plan for the season ahead. Rangers issued a statement last night denying that Champions League income ââ?¬Å?had already been ring-fenced by the bank to reduce the clubââ?¬â?¢s debtââ?¬Â. However, when our sister paper the Evening Times broke the story yesterday, their suggestion was that senior sources at the club feared the Champions League and season ticket money would be used to address debts, not that it had already been agreed. The statement added: ââ?¬Å?Discussions with the bank in relation to the business plan will take place in the coming weeks. The club would also like to reiterate once again that at no time has director Dave King made an offer for the purchase of Rangers.ââ?¬Â Manager Walter Smith has expressed fears since last October over the future of the club, but he will say nothing else on the financial situation, or his own contractual situation, until being informed by the board of what the business plan is. Smith is almost certainly unwilling to commit to another season at the helm if the club is going to continue downsizing. At the moment, with six players out of contract, *Rangers are scheduled to return for pre-*season training in July with a squad of 14 first-team players plus two goalkeepers. Of that number, three are young players in Danny Wilson, John Fleck and Andrew Little, while another is Andrius Velicka who is unlikely to be match-fit for the start of the season after nine months on the sidelines with a knee injury. They could be open to predators in the transfer market for players such as Madjid Bougherra, Steven Davis and Allan McGregor, with no guarantees that any money from sales will be allowed to fund replacements. There has been no scouting network in place because of the financial cutbacks over the past six months; while the pre-season tour planned for America, including a money-spinning Old Firm match against Celtic scheduled for Boston on July 21, *cannot be confirmed until a management team is in place for next season.
  17. Hamilton moved up to eighth in the SPL after a convincing 4-1 win over Hibernian at New Douglas Park. More...
  18. Has Douglas Park had him taken out?
  19. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=225: Ten points clear; still in both cups; �£13million interim profit reported; singing sections standing together in front of hospitality; different people from different websites working together on relevant issues; our chairman answers questions raised by protesters; Celtic can't beat Aberdeen; Aberdeen can't beat Raith Rovers; Celtic making a loss while 'rebuilding' with expensive players on temporary loan deals;the sun shining as the nights get longer; life is good if you're a Rangers fan! Or is it? A cursory look at most Rangers sites will reveal that despite the positive signs above, many bears are still worried about the future. Indeed, examine the recent official comments from Alastair Johnston (and the less official ones from Donald Muir) then you can interpret the words differently depending on your own viewpoint. Certainly the contrary opinions from our management team don't help, while the 8-10 day plans touched on by the chairman, subject to change depending on what happens SPL/CL wise in 10 weeks time, suddenly make the brightness of the winter sunshine seem less satisfying. Investment is required then - and soon if we're to retain key players and remain competitive for the coming years. But where from? The new Tennent's deal is positive but worth less than the existing Carling one. The retail and replica strip side of our commercial activities are limited for another 5 years at least. The naming rights to Ibrox are not to be considered said Mr Johnston at the AGM. Any sale or leaseback of the stadium or training facility would be cause for serious concern for any fan. Ticketing and hospitality revenue is down from previous years with no money to make stadium improvements to increase the numbers. Flexibility for the board is a huge problem and investment difficult to find. A new buyer then? Would such a person or persons solve our problems? Graham Duffy poked his head up late last year and the fans were quick to research then castigate his background. Rightly so it seems - even if his intentions may have been interesting enough. Dave King remains a figure who does have the net worth on paper but he seems no closer to a resolution with his peers in South Africa. An enforced withdrawal from the debate from him as it stands then - though I guess that may change. So that leaves us with the usual conglomerate of Members' Lounge supporters of whom most bears know. It seems Douglas Park is the most likely leader from the names we all know there - the Lanarkshire based transport tycoon being a well kent face at Ibrox. Owner of the popular bus company and several car franchises, the Park family are popular within the support. Whilst their wealth may not be in the same league as King; their financial support of that bid may be crucial to win over fans who doubt King's reputation. Moreover, if King is unable to step forward, Park may be the one of the few names left capable of doing so as the leader of a consortium. Unfortunately, despite the 'in-the-know' rumours of his involvement across the supporting community (on and offline), he seems reticent to stand up and define his interest as one the fans could buy into - literally! Having the respect of so many bears - even though, like me, they may not know him personally - is surely a good place to start when looking to become the new owner during such difficult times. That respect would only be increased if he involved the supporters in aiding his bid to do this. Strange then, rumour and counter-rumour about his alleged involvement notwithstanding, nothing more concrete has arisen. To that end, the last week has seen various initiatives undertaken by many sides of the debate unsure of the status quo. From protesters at matches using banners and flyers to pressurise the club into action; from the club using other influential supporters to put across their point of view in retort; the debate took a turn for the worse when opposing viewpoints ended up in the usual tedious arguments between those scrambling for information. That in itself helps no-one as the ordinary bear has nothing to believe than the usual conflicting rumours and the usual generic sound-bites from the club. And it isn't always as simple as believing one over the other. Hence, that's where someone like Douglas Park can come in. If he's really interested in buying Rangers FC, he'll be more than aware of the tension surrounding the club/fans and will have a plan to ease this tension. If the rumours about him working with other fans to buy the club are true, if the rumours about him performing six-figure sums on due diligence are true and if the rumours about him making informal enquiries about buying are true, why hide in the background? Why not step forward, lead from the front, be open and unite the support? Of course you'll gain some unwanted publicity but Sir David Murray did OK out of that increase in profile. Of course you'll get some fans writing you off because they may not know what colour of underwear you favour. Of course the questions may prove difficult to answer to appease everyone. But how else can you gauge genuine interest in what you have to offer? Here are five legitimate questions you could answer to make your position clear: 1. Are you serious about buying Rangers Football Club? 2. What are your plans therein considering the challenges ahead? 3. How will our activities be underwritten going forward? 4. How do you plan to involve the supporters; is a wide-ranging fan ownership scheme viable? 5. Can you deliver and maintain ongoing competitiveness and success in the face of the modern football era? Now, I won't pretend for a minute that these questions are as easy to answer as they were to ask. However, you'll be asked tougher ones by more intelligent people than this writer. Especially if you want such people to part with their cash and buy into your ideas and aspirations. What is clear though is that our club and our support needs clarity and leadership. That is the minimum required for the future and for any buyer to immediately gain the credibility and respect needed for such a demanding role. We need - no we insist upon - potential buyers to show us the future of our football club is something that will be guaranteed by ongoing investment, by innovation, by transparency, by representation and by mutual respect. The challenge is there and the mission isn't impossible. Do you accept? :spl:
  20. Has anyone looked at the fixtures for the next month yet for Celtic? Going by the way they have been losing games, there's a distinct possibility it could be all over by February 28th. It's something that is said every season. But this time it could be true when you examine the fixture list. Here's the next few games for Celtic and Rangers Sat 30th January: Hamilton v Celtic Rangers v Falkirk Outcome: Is it possible for Celtic to slip up at New Douglas Park? Possibly! But I'm going for a 2-1 for Celtic and a 2-0 For Rangers. League: p pts 1. Rangers 23 54 2. Celtic 22 44 Tues 2nd Feb Killie V Celtic Outcome: Killie are slowly improving under the 2 Jimmys and a re due a bigish result. I'm going for 1-1. League p pts 1. Rangers 23 54 2. Celtic 23 45 Wed 10th February: Celtic v Hearts Motherwell v Rangers Outcome: We have played fairly crap at Fir Park recently and are due to thrash this lot. I think we will do them this time and get a grinded out result, maybe 1-0. I just fancy Hearts to grind out victories anywhere the now. They are so good at playing defensively and hitting on the break right now. Another draw at Parkhead, probably 1-1. League p pts 1. Rangers 24 57 2. Celtic 24 46 13th/14th February: Aberdeen v Celtic Rangers v Hibs Outcome; Tricky one, if Aberdeen are up for this it could extend our lead. But i don't trust them and think they could lie down to help Celtic in the league 2-0 Celtic We have a tricky one at Ibrox but we'll win 2-1. League p pts 1. Rangers 25 60 2. Celtic 25 49 Sat 20th February Celtic v D.utd St. johnstone v Gers Outcome: Dundee Utd will draw that. We'll scrape another 2-1. League p pts 1.Rangers 26 63 2. Celtic 26 50 Sunday 28th Feb Rangers v Celtic Outcome 2-0 to us league over!!! League p pts 1. Rangers 27 66 2. Celtic 27 50 16 points will be too much!:spl::spl::spl::spl:
  21. SECOND yellow rules skipper out of Buddies cup clash More... DAVID WEIR will miss Rangers' Scottish Cup trip to St Mirren next month after he was cautioned once more against Hamilton last night. The Ibrox captain collected his second booking of this season's competition for dissent after a cynical foul on Nacho Novo by David Elebert. Weir was furious with the challenge during the second half of the Light Blues' 2-0 win against Accies in their fourth round replay. And in the melee that followed the tackle, the veteran stopper and Simon Mensing exchanged angry words. The upshot of it all was that referee Charlie Richmond showed yellow cards to both Elebert and Weir for their parts in the incident. Weir was also cautioned in the original tie with Hamilton at New Douglas Park 10 days ago. He'll consequently sit out the game against the Buddies at their new stadium on either February 6 or 7 as he serves a one-match suspension. Kirk Broadfoot, Lee McCulloch and Steven Whittaker are also just one yellow card from bans in the same tournament.
  22. Rangers go six points clear (sic) with hard-fought victory over tough Accies outfit at windy New Douglas Park. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/2010/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=192:hamilton-0-1-rangers-player-ratings-and-mom-poll&catid=35:analysis&Itemid=67 :sp: for me. Dreadful first half but improved after the break -making the difference by being the extra man in attack.
  23. 4 people are to take over in under 2 weeks times. They offered �£18m and were told to come back with �£20m. Thats all ive been given and its come from Jge. He cant post it up so i have from a text hes sent and ive left the names of the 4 involved out. this is from another forum i think the 4 names are dave king douglas park graham gillespie and graeme souness here is the link http://www.gersforum.co.uk/board//showthread.php?66371-Takeover
  24. It might not have been a legendary Scottish Cup performance by any means today at New Douglas Park, but I'm actually quite pleased with the result. The team play poorly, yet we still manage to get a replay at Ibrox out of it which will bring in a decent attendance & some much needed cash for the club. I wasn't at the game, but if I had been, I'd be really pleased with the 3-3 draw after witnessing the team playing some horrendous football in chunks of the game. The replay at Ibrox will be far more difficult for Hamilton & hopefully if Davis, Novo, Beasley, Boyd & MIller are all ok, we can give Hamilton a proper doing. We desperately need the wingers back playing & it's possibly even an area where we should be strengthening because with Novo & Beasley both out, seeing Lafferty playing on the wing is enough to make grown men weep.
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