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http://news.stv.tv/west-central/299623-four-men-detained-after-police-probe-into-sale-of-rangers-in-2012/ I'd like to remind people of their legal obligations in speculating over individuals and alleged criminal behaviour.

I was “invited” to attend a meeting at Ibrox today with Rangers’ Director of Communications, Irene Munro and Jim Hannah, Supporters’ Liaison Officer. I had to ask three times by email about the nature of the meeting and eventually was told only that it was “to discuss complaints raised against you by other fans board members”. I asked to be supplied with the details of the complaints before the meeting but this was denied. At the meeting I was told that as a result of two complaints by colleagues on the Fans Board and one complaint from a member of the public, I was being removed from the Fans Board. The complaint from the member of the public was in connection with or as a result of information that I posted about the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund. I was not told the nature of the complaints by members of the Fans Board. These are the relevant sections of the Constitution: 17.Conduct of members of the RFB 17.1 The Elected Representatives shall, in exercising his/her functions as a member of RFB, act in the interests of the Club and RFB; and, in particular, must (a) seek, in good faith, to ensure that RFB acts in a manner which is in accordance with its objects (as set out in clause 3 this constitution); (b) act with the care and diligence which it is reasonable to expect of a person who is managing the affairs of another person; and © in circumstances giving rise to the possibility of a conflict of interest between RFB or the Club and any other party (i) put the interests of the RFB and the Club before that of the other party, in taking decisions as a member of the RFB; or (ii) where any other duty prevents him/her from doing so, disclose the conflicting interest to the RFB and the Club and refrain from participating in any discussions or decisions involving the other Elected Representatives with regard to the matter in question. (d) If, in the opinion of the Club, any Elected Representative is in breach of paragraphs (a), (b) and © above, or in the opinion of the Club, brings the Club into disrepute, the Club shall have the power to terminate that individuals Membership and remove them as an Elected Representative with immediate effect and without notice. There is no right of Appeal. The Fans Board had agreed an interim Code of Conduct which includes up to three warnings but this was not applied because it provides for complaints to be referred to the Office Bearers and there are no Office Bearers in place at this time. I was told that in the opinion of the Club I have not been acting in the interests of the Fans Board and that my position was not tenable, so I was being removed. I was given the opportunity to resign, which I declined. I was then told that Rangers would issue a statement saying that I had “left the Fans Board” but I asked that if they were removing me they issue a statement accordingly.

Wearing an IRA pin badge whilst in Wigan FC tracksuit.

I know a fair number of members have already signalled their intention to attend this event but I thought I'd share this main site article for those that may have forgotten about it. Only 4 weeks to go! http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/291-your-invite-to-the-gersnet-christmas-dinner OK, perhaps a Spanish tapas restaurant doesn't offer up immediate thoughts about the baby Jesus and/or Roast Turkey with all the trimmings but our previous event at the wonderful Malaga Tapas earlier this year was such a success, we simply had to return again next month for our Christmas dinner. Not only will we have another wide range of tapas and side-dishes available to enjoy, Barca '72 legend Dave Smith will also be giving us a talk on the most successful period of his eight-year Rangers career entitled 'the road from Nuremberg to Barcelona' and will be answering our questions thereafter. The affordable cost of this event is £19.50 per person which includes a primer plato of meats and bread and choice of paellas after the tapas - effectively at least six different tapas (x3 per person) and three different paellas which really is superb value. Depending on numbers we may be allocated the private cafe next door to the main restaurant and once again owner Cristobal will ensure we have an excellent time! Malaga Tapas has been widely reviewed to a superb standard online - please check TripAdvisor and the 2014 edition of The List for evidence! The date of the event is Saturday 6th of December at around 5.30pm. Rangers are scheduled to play Cowdenbeath at Ibrox that day (KO 3pm) so that should leave plenty of time for attendees to nip round to the restaurant which is also in Glasgow's Southside on St Andrew's Road. Further information on the restaurant can be found here and you can register your interest (or pay a deposit) via our forum here. I hope to you see there!

Folks, I'm posting this in a new thread here so that nobody taking part in the GPL misses it. I've just completed a significant update to the format of the GPL results & standings tables in Excel and now we have a more advanced template which provides more information and in a clearer presentation. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while and simply had to do it before the season progressed any further because the system of players on the same number of points being separated by their average score or names in alphabetical order made absolutely no sense. So, check out the new league standings table format below, tell me what you think and if anyone has any questions please ask.

ALLY McCOIST admits he is bracing himself for a period without Bilel Mohsni early next year which could see him miss the League Cup semi-final with Celtic. The defender has made himself a regular in the Tunisia squad which is close to qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations. At present, the event is scheduled to be played from January 17 to February 8, although Morocco has until Saturday to decide if it still wishes to host it. The Moroccans have pushed for a postponement because of the recent Ebola outbreak and a final decision will be taken next Tuesday on what will happen if they maintain their stance. Should the tournament go ahead as currently planned, Tunisia will most likely be competing having moved to the top of their group in the final round of preliminary fixtures. Sitting with 10 points from four games, Georges Leekens’ side will advance to the finals if it matches Egypt’s result against Senegal when it faces Botswana next Friday. That would put the Eagles of Carthage through with a tie to spare and even if they suffer a dramatic collapse in their last two outings they will probably still progress. The best third-placed team will go through too and Egypt are currently the highest ranked in that respect with six points, four less than Mohsni and his team-mates. The latter stages of the finals event clash with the tie against Celtic on January 31 or February 1. While Mohsni would certainly miss at least the meetings with Hearts and Cowdenbeath in the SPFL Championship, he may be at risk of sitting out the derby too. McCoist said: “People keep talking about squads and the numbers we have in ours and this is why we need as many players to fill our group as possible. “You do get injuries, suspensions and international call-ups. Regardless of the fact he hasn’t played recently, Bilel is still a very important member of our squad. “Of that there is no doubt. Darren McGregor and Lee McCulloch have been doing well and were put together due to Bilel’s suspension. “We have to show loyalty to boys who do well and we’ll continue to do that but we would still rather not be without anyone else. “It would be nothing short of a real shock for Tunisia not to qualify now because of the position they’re in. “If and when he goes, we’ll wish Bilel well but we’ll certainly miss him. It’s a catch 22 situation.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/8031-bilel-set-for-finals-trip

Rangers draw Killie at home... Live on SSN at 2pm... Conducted by Campbell Ogilivie (SFA), David Coakley (William Hill) and former Metalurh Donetsk defender and Ireland internationalist Darren O'Dea. Another glamour event!

I wont document the fiasco involved in picking up public sale tickets etc at Ibrox, port-a-cabin queues a mile long etc (which I have to do when I want to take my son) as we are all fully aware. But just a few weeks ago before I went to Madrid I decided to see if I could get tickets for Athletico at home. I went online and was astounded when it gave me the option to buy online and print the 'ticket' off on my home printer. All I had to do was go to the turnstyle and get the barcode read. As easy as you like. What the hell is stopping Rangers from adopting a similar setup and saving quite a few quid in admin at the same time I would imagine?

Noticed this on FF, T4C also had a post on it last week I'm sure, QUESTIONS have been raised over Rangers' commercial deals as it emerged that Sports Direct, headed up by billionaire Mike Ashley, have had effective control of the club's retail operation for nearly two years. According to official documents, while Rangers Football Club Ltd have 51% of the joint venture and Sports Direct 49%, Ashley and Sports Direct have the upper hand. The Sunday Herald can reveal that the company rules for Rangers Retail Limited were changed in November 2012, three months after the joint venture was established. Rangers Retail's amended Articles of Association showed Sports Direct receive two votes for every share on "financial matters", ensuring Mr Ashley's company has effective control. When Rangers' joint venture with Sports Direct was confirmed by the club under then chief executive Charles Green in August 2012, it was promoted as enabling Rangers "to once again control its retail operation and give supporters the chance to buy direct from the club and in doing so, continue to invest in its future". At the time, there were no details of any money changing hands to seal the deal and details of how the club benefit have been sketchy. Rangers Retail run the club's entire retail operation, including the Rangers Megastore, and hold the rights under licence to the club's famous crests. Details of the terms of the joint venture between Sports Direct and The Rangers Football Club Ltd, the club's operating company headed by controversial chairman Sandy Easdale, came as supporters registered their disquiet over the acceptance of a £2 million emergency loan from Ashley amid unsubstantiated claims the business was days from insolvency. As working capital was running out, as of June, £2.72m relating to Rangers Retail was included in the £4.26m cash balances of parent company Rangers International Football Club plc. But, according to their accounts, this sum was "not immediately available as working capital to the group". Ashley has already bought the stadium naming rights, so far unused, for £1 in 2012. It is understood he has a deal for the operation of the club's shops and that he controls a portion of Rangers' revenue through that contract, which sees club merchandise sold in Sports Direct stores. According to Sports Direct's latest accounts, it has registered sales of £3.843m to Ashley-controlled Rangers Retail in the year to April 2014. Craig Houston, of the Sons of Struth supporters' group, said Ashley appeared to have control of every part of the money-making side of the club and has made it "unsellable". He said: "All a buyer seems to have is ticket sales and TV rights." The terms of Ashley's £2m emergency loan also gave him security over the Albion car park and Edmiston House facility next to Ibrox. Under the previous 10-year retail agreement with JJB struck by Sir David Murray in 2006, Rangers accepted an initial £18m from the sports firm, while it was also guaranteed a minimum royalty fee of £3m per year until 2016. As a result, JJB held exclusive rights to design, develop, source and retail merchandise associated with the club. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/ashley-firm-had-financial-control-of-rangers-retail-2-years-ago.25756326

Some more analysis from Graham McLaren on TRS: http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/331-what-now-for-dave-king

Guys, I wouldn't normally pester anyone about such stuff but I think Zappa in particular has worked very hard over the last year or so on maintaining our main website including ensuring we have a steady flow of articles. Further, with so many new faces writing previews and lots of new users on the forum, I think it's agreeable to try and recognise that via the industry awards and the organisers say we've been nominated. You can vote via: http://www.footballbloggingawards.co.uk/vote-now/ Use Gersnet or GersnetOnline as the site name and I'd suggest you vote in the following categories: Established, Forum, Club and/or Social. You can vote on Twitter as well. You MUST tweet the FBA in a certain format as they have Twitter robots acting as referees to make sure nobody can cheat and all is fair. Use the following format to ensure your vote is counted. “I am voting in @TheFBAs for @GersnetOnline as the Best #Category Football Blog” Again, please change #Category to one of #Established, #Forum, #Club and/or #Social. Thanks for your time!

Mike Ashley has been energised by the battle for Ibrox in a way that he never has by challenge of making Newcastle United competitive. On Saturday afternoon Newcastle United have their eighth crack at winning a Premier League match this season. If they swing and miss, it will be their longest winless run in the Premier League era: worse than the ill-starred 2008/9 relegation season and more desperate than the year that brought Sir Bobby Robson to Tyneside. Throw into the mix an undercooked team light on experience of a relegation battle and there can be little doubt that this is a time for minds to be focused. Even at this early stage survival appears the priority, but that cannot be taken for granted. And where is Mike Ashley? The owner’s scrutiny is not trained on the lame duck manager who is only ever one defeat away from losing further ground with a sceptical support but instead it is in a messy, protracted and potentially long-running takeover of Rangers. The Newcastle owner blew his own cover on Ibrox weeks, months or even a year or so ago. By dodging the share issue and banning a journalist who had speculated on his intentions towards Rangers, he tried the owner’s equivalent of an Ali shuffle – but the knockout punch has not yet been delivered. Rangers is going to be a slow burner for Ashley. Unlike Newcastle – where he found an owner willing to make a quick sale – there are messy and protracted battles to be fought at Ibrox with groups who are not going to relinquish their grip on a potential goldmine anytime soon. The motivation for investing in a fallen club that needs plenty of work is the promise of a potential route into the Champions League. Ashley’s mistakes have made that path impossible for Newcastle for a generation or so, but Rangers’ size and the impoverished standard of the competition give him a chance north of the border. And the Champions League gives him even greater profile than the Premier League in a sportswear market that he fancies a crack at: Europe. There are obstacles to be vaulted, of course: not least rules that state he cannot own majority stakes in clubs in both Scotland and England. But that is a hurdle to be clambered over when the time comes: the important thing is to elbow out the other prospectors sifting through the wreckage at Ibrox. Rangers is time-consuming for Ashley. It has caused him to take his eye off the ball at Newcastle and the consequences of that could yet be catastrophic for a club that appears rudderless, leaderless and entirely without hope at the moment. Ashley gutted Newcastle of people who would answer back to him. Managing director Lee Charnley owes his career to Ashley, and is hardly likely to stand up to him. We all know that Pardew will acquiesce if required. That is the way the owner wanted it – him dipping in and out of Newcastle when it suited him. Ever since Rangers became a serious interest for him, the dynamic has changed. Ashley may be more visible at Newcastle – naming himself as chairman over the course of this year – but he has not been as involved as he was before. A source I spoke to said his greatest hope was that people would run it for him, keeping it ticking along for a while. He simply doesn’t have time for Newcastle anymore. There is a shiny new toy north of the border and the fight for control at Ibrox has energised him much more than the battle to make Newcastle United competitive has. And what is unfolding north of the border is very, very messy indeed. For those still in any doubt, it is worth taking a quick journey through the coverage of Ashley’s actions north of the border. Festering worry about his intentions has given way to outright disgust at the way he has operated in the last couple of months. Just like he has with Tesco and Debenhams, Ashley has struck at a moment of weakness. That is savvy strategy from a sharp businessman, but it doesn’t mean that Rangers fans should be happy about what is happening. Not that many are, despite claims from a couple of Old Firm icons this week that Ashley might be the man to return the club to its perch. The Daily Record’s Michael Gannon wrote a withering editorial two weeks ago challenging that belief: capturing the scorched earth policy of Ashley and his unquestioning acolytes perfectly. Warning that sometimes the devil you know can be worse than the devil you don’t, he wrote: “He is simply out to bag a quick buck at Rangers.” It is a familiar theme when the subject of Ashley and the Ibrox club are brought up: money is the reason he is hanging around. Not necessarily money that will be made directly off the club’s success but more the reflected perks of owning an institution that can reasonably challenge for the Champions League in a couple of seasons with pretty minimal investment. Gannon summed up his latest power play in a couple of damning sentences. “He could have sunk in money at last month’s share issue and it would have gone to the club,” he wrote. “Instead he waited and bought out Hargreave Hale. It strengthened his position and rubbed the board’s face in it after they refused to cave in to strict demands in return for a loan.” It is Ashley to a tee. Stubborn, obstinate and looking entirely after number one. The worry is that Newcastle United’s Premier League status will become collateral in the battle for Newcastle United. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastle-united-become-collateral-damage-7943767

With the next 24 hours likely to be important in terms of this issue, this article from Richard Wilson is a good appraisal ahead of a new thread on boardroom events. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29717979

After last night’s extraordinary scenes in Belgrade, where the Serbia-Albania match was called off when a drone flew a pro-Albanian flag over the pitch, we look at sport’s other great incendiary political gestures, from Souness to Gazza. • Souness plants flag on enemy territory Graeme Souness was never one to back down from conflict and he certainly found it while managing Galatasaray in 1996. Facing fierce Istanbul rivals Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Cup final, Galatasaray, who had won the home leg 1-0 at home, secured the cup with a 1-1 draw in Fenerbahçe’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. Souness, perhaps emboldened by the victory, decided to celebrate by taking a gigantic Galatasaray flag and planting it in the middle of Fenerbahçe’s pitch. The incident sparked a predictably violent response from the home fans who rained objects down on the pitch, while medal presentations had to be temporarily halted after the Turkish President was hit by a bottle Press reaction was equally furious. Souness was condemned for his insulting gesture and considered responsible for the Fenerbahçe supporters’ riotous behaviour. Funnily enough, Souness didn’t have his contract renewed at the end of that season, having lost out on the Turkish title . . . to Fenerbahçe. Souness though was unrepentant. “One day I would’ve got round to planting a flag at Celtic Park if I’d stayed on as manager of Rangers,” he said later. • Gascoigne plays the pipes Paul Gascoigne could hardly be considered a political animal but he managed to stir up some serious controversy after he played a mock flute during an Old Firm match at Celtic Park while warming up as a second-half substitute. The gesture, which is symbolic of the flute-playing of Orange Order marchers, is considered a Loyalist symbol insulting to Catholics. Gascoigne first made the mime after scoring his first goal for Rangers in 1995 with the suggestion he had been egged on by team-mates and knew nothing of its significance. But this time the gesture infuriated Celtic fans who had been taunting him and Gascoigne was fined £20,000 by Rangers after the incident. He also received death threats and left Rangers at the end of that season. • Baghdatis sparks furore Marcos Baghdatis, the Cypriot tennis player, found himself at the centre of a storm at the at the 2008 Australian Open when a video posted on YouTube almost a year earlier showed him holding a flare chanting slogans such as “Turks out of Cyprus” at a barbecue hosted by his Greek Australian fan club. The local Turkish Cypriot community claimed it was a “racist attack” and a “straightforward provocation of our community”, and called for him to expelled from the tournament. However, he was allowed to play on with Baghdatis claiming he was not calling for Turkish Cypriots to leave Cyprus, but rather an end to Turkey’s military occupation since 1974. • Football goes to war Perhaps the only time that a sporting event has resulted in conflict, the “Football War” between El Salvador and Honduras was sparked by best-of-three World Cup qualifiers in 1969. Honduras, who won the first match 1-0, lost the second 3-0 in San Salvador after Honduran players endured a sleepless night before the game, with rotten eggs and dead rats allegedly thrown through the broken windows of their hotel. Honduran fans were also attacked at the game By the time of the third match, won 3-2 by El Salvador after extra-time on June 27, tension had ratcheted up so much that Honduras broke off diplomatic relations By July 14, El Salvador had invaded Honduras. When the conflict ended on July 20, between 1,000 and 2,000 people had been killed and 100,000 had lost their homes. It took 11 years to negotiate a peace treaty. Ironically El Salvador hardly shined in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico either. They lost all three of their group games without scoring. • Black power salutes In perhaps the most famous political protest made in a sporting arena, Tommie Smith and John Carlos both raised a black-gloved fist during their medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City in a silent demonstration against racial discrimination. The Afro-American pair had finished first and third in the 200 metres with Smith triumphing in a world-record time of 19.83 seconds. Smith and Carlos also wore human-rights badges on their jackets along with Peter Norman, the Australian silver medal-winner. “If I win I am American, not a black American,” Smith said later. “But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight.” The response from the IOC was swift, banning both American athletes from the Games and dubbing their actions as “an act of racial protest.” The pair were largely ostracised on their return to the US and Norman was also censured by Australian athletics for his involvement. But their brave action is now regarded as one of the most eloquent statements ever made in the fight for racial equality.

Not sure if it'll benefit us when we do eventually play under the lights of Ibrox in the CL again. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29562047 One can only hope!

Tuesday 7th October 7pm. Grovsner Hotel Gt Western Rd Glasgow. Public meeting for all fans concerned with recent events at our club and who wish to explore possible actions available to the fans. We have one guest speaker confirmed so far and the meeting will include a Q&A session Much better from Craig here. Hope it goes well.

We are running a wee competition for those who wish to join our Louden Tavern Mailing List with the winners getting a pair of tickets for this Friday’s Founders Trail Roadshow Event at The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium. To enter simply enter your details into the link below and we will draw the winner at random. http://eepurl.com/30lr5 If you are currently on our email list please comment below or send us an email to notify that you wish to be included in the competition. The Event will begin at 7.30pm (with doors opening at 6pm) and there will be a fun quiz with prizes afterwards. It is a fantastic evening and really worth seeing so I would urge all Rangers Supporters who are able to come along. Tickets are available now at http://www.thelouden.co.uk/events.html We Are The People God Bless The Rangers The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium - More than a Pub *We are responsible for The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium, 111 Copland Road, Ibrox, G51 2SL solely and are not involved in the operation of any other premises