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The emergence of Mike Ashley as the key shareholder in Rangers has raised many questions on what his exact intentions are. Some are of the opinion that billionaire Ashley will invest millions into Rangers which sees us dominate Scottish Football and participate in the Champions League. The conflicting aspect of Ashley investing in Rangers is the fact he has complete control of the income generated by the sale of club merchandise and the £1 stadium naming rights, although denied in certain quarters as scaremongering, was only just revoked after pressure to comply with possible fiduciary duties. Why invest millions when he’s taking money out of the business?........... http://www.therst.co.uk/mike-ashley-what-are-his-intentions/
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According to the Herald: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/rangers-fans-up-in-arms-as-ashley-loans-club-1m-more.25855834 That's me sold..
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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.
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Email from RFC:
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http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/charlies-sake-hope-rangers-cash-4610915#rlabs=1 JACKIE McNAMARA is desperate for Dundee United’s cash row with Rangers over Charlie Telfer to end. The clubs are locked in a stalemate over the Scotland youth star’s summer switch from Murray Park to Tannadice. Telfer has made four appearances for United – scoring in the 3-0 win over St Mirren earlier this month – while he made his one and only top-team appearance for Rangers as a sub in April. Under SPFL rules clubs can receive compensation for developing and training players under 23 who move as free agents. Rangers argue they are entitled to six years’ cash for the player between the age of 12 to 18. United, meanwhile, believe the Championship side should only receive money to cover two years since liquidation in 2012. Tannadice chairman Stephen Thompson was even claimed to have said “you’ve only got two years of history”. With both clubs unable to decide on a fee for the player the dispute will now be heard by an independent panel. And McNamara said: “For everybody it would be good if it was sorted, especially for young Charlie. He came in last week against St Mirren and he was excellent. “He was a bit unfortunate not to start the game at Motherwell on Friday but for all of us it would be good if we can get that resolved so we can move on. “There are all sorts of things come in to it, I’m not an expert on that. That will be up for the people in charge of the tribunal to decide.”
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12147393.html
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12147419.html
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...as he reveals his part in Brian Kennedy's failed 11th hour Ibrox bid. THE former Ibrox boss vented his anger at chief executive Charles Green in a scathing attack on the Rangers boardroom chaos. GRAEME SOUNESS last night revealed he was part of Brian Kennedy’s failed 11th hour bid to stop Mike Ashley seizing control of Rangers. And the former Light Blues manager branded former chief executive Charles Green a “pr**k” during a scathing assessment of the never-ending boardroom chaos at Ibrox. Souness has told for the first time how he teamed up with old pal Kennedy last month when the Sales Shark owner launched a £3million rescue package after being approached by former chief executive Graham Wallace – only for the rest of the current regime to rubber-stamp take a £2m funding deal from Ashley instead. That setback came two-and-a-half years after Souness and Kennedy’s Blue Knights thought they had managed to get through the Ibrox front-door, only for disgraced Yorkshireman Green to grab control. Souness is angry about what has happened at his former club and concerned over Rangers’ future. But he reckons that would not have been the case had he and Kennedy got their way. When asked if he was also involved in the latest move, Souness said: “Yes. I had a week with Brian in Majorca three weeks ago. But if it’s not to be it’s not to be. ”It never got beyond a bid. And they never wanted Brian’s money this time either. “When we met a couple of weeks ago, we never went into detail because, the last time, we believed we had it. Brian believed he had it only to be let down and deeply disappointed. We even came up to watch a Rangers and Celtic game because we believed we had it. “I think this time around he was always thinking the worst. “Given the structure the way it is now I would think that’s it finished now. ”I’m angry about it and saddened by it in equal amounts because a lot has been allowed to happen. “I don’t want to get into being involved in a libel case. “All I would say is that if we had got it the people there would have had the club for the right reasons.” Souness believes the club has missed out by turning Kennedy down and added: “They certainly did the first time around. “It would have the right people running it for the right reasons. “That would have been Walter [smith] and I and the right person as the owner. All of us there for the right reasons. ”I don’t know how Brian feels right now but I think his attitude to it has changed now the other folk are involved.” Souness launched a scathing attack on Green as he revealed the Yorkshireman’s attempts to get him on board days before he completed his £5.5m buyout of the club’s assets back in the summer of 2012. He explained: “What is it? Two years since that prick had it? “The guy who knocked on my door one night asking me if I would get involved in it, with him. Charles Green. “Late one night about 11 o’clock, my answer was no. “I got a phonecall about an hour before that saying he was coming to see me. I had been asked to see him and I had refused. “I got a call an hour before to say he was on his way to see me. We went for a cup of tea at a hotel around the corner. “You’ve got me angry now… “Who knows what would have happened if we had got in? But I’ll tell you, the stadium would still be full.” Souness has no idea what the future holds now for Rangers under Ashley but said he had done a tremendous job with Newcastle. He said: “I don’t want to end up in court. “I wouldn’t be critical of Mike Ashley. He is a fantastic businessman who saw an opportunity at Newcastle and it’s very hard to be critical, having worked there myself. “I think he has done the right thing there. “What I worked there the largest shareholder was under enormous pressure to make changes too quickly. “He lived in the city. Mike Ashley doesn’t live in the city and has not listened to any fans forums or phone-ins. “He has stuck with his manager and it looks like he is getting the rewards of that. “That’s what it needed. It needs a strong owner and that’s what he is. Someone who has been supremely successful in anything he has touched. “I think in terms of Newcastle supporters they should be counting their blessings rather than being critical.” Souness also aimed a blast at those who celebrated Rangers’ demise when he said: “ All I would say is that all the people who enjoyed their demise, if they had their time again, would they have voted the same way? “Celtic getting gates of less than 20,000? I think it has damaged football, hopefully not beyond repair. “Football goes in cycles. Over a 10-year period, they say if you lose a support, it’s very hard to get that back. “I don’t know if it will get back. “Rangers will get back to the SPL, the Old Firm games will be enormous affairs again and the passion will remain the same. “But will it ever get back to where it was six or seven years ago? I very much doubt it.” Meanwhile, Rangers fans have written to stock market bosses urging them to investigate Ashley’s Ibrox power grab. The Rangers Supporters Trust has also raised a number of concerns about the current board’s handling of the League One champions, accusing them of a operating with a “reckless and irresponsible attitude to going concern status”. Newcastle United owner Ashley holds just under nine per cent of the cash-strapped Glasgow giants but has been effectively pulling the strings since the club was forced to accept his offer of a £2million loan. The terms of that crisis credit line allows the Sports Direct billionaire to name two directors to the Ibrox board. Former Magpies managing director Derek Llambias was Ashley’s first pick with the second yet to be revealed. Ashley also runs Rangers’ retail division – a deal which hands him 49 per cent of the club’s shirt sale profits – and owns the naming rights to the stadium following an agreement he struck with former chief executive Charles Green for just £1. Hampden bosses have already written to both Rangers and Ashley seeking “clarification” on the 50-year-old Londoner’s involvement. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/graeme-souness-vents-anger-gers-4611416
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Slightly off topic but Chris Graham was co-opted onto the RST board this evening. Strong addition and great to see him finally take the step.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30009546 Hibernian: Pat Stanton leads fans' buyout campaign Hibernian legend Pat Stanton is to head a new group that hopes to unite fans behind a bid to buy the club. BuyHibs is backed by the Erin Trust, Hibernian Supporters Association, the Formers Players Association and Hibernian Shareholders Association. Stanton has called for a meeting with Tom Farmer and want Hibs' owner to name his price for the club. "The BuyHibs campaign has the ultimate aim of buying our club," said the former Hibs player and team manager. BuyHibs campaign director Neil Wheelan "The club are failing on and off the park and the need for change has never been greater; the club needs a new direction with fresh drive and investment coming into the club." The group was formed following supporters groups meetings and a survey of more than 4,000 fans carried out by Supporters Direct Scotland. "We are in the fortunate position that the motivation for BuyHibs has not been generated from an emergency situation through a threatened insolvency like supporters of other clubs have been faced with," said Stanton. "We want to be in a position where we can make a positive contribution to the long-term position of our club and to be ready to buy the club when the opportunity arises. "We are asking fans to pledge to provide funds which will allow BuyHibs to drive positive change and to give an indication of what size of stake is achievable. "We are open to work with all Hibernian-minded people and groups who share the same goal. "As a first step, we call on Sir Tom Farmer and Rod Petrie to meet with us to find and promote a positive and sustainable change for the betterment of Hibernian and to provide Sir Tom with a clear and deserved exit from the club he has backed for many years." Hibs are presently playing in the Scottish Championship after being relegated from the top flight last season. Cowdenbeath's Callum Gallagher challenges Hibs' Matthew Kennedy Hibernian are in the Scottish Championship after being relegated last season BuyHibs campaign director Neil Wheelan said: "The club are failing on and off the park and the need for change has never been greater; the club needs a new direction with fresh drive and investment coming into the club. "The potential within the Hibernian fan base is enormous and this must be used to take the club forward. "The club needs sweeping changes to bring a new and more positive outlook and the required fresh investment. "It would appear that the current custodians have no desire to invest to move the club forward so we call on Sir Tom Farmer to remain true to his word and pass the Football Club, Easter Road Stadium and the East Main Training Academy into a community-backed vehicle that safeguards the future of all assets." In August, a consortium of investors claimed to have made a £3.5m offer to take control HFC Holdings Ltd, the company that owns about 98% of the Easter Road club. The fans survey by Supporters Direct Scotland, which has helped other clubs move to fan ownership, revealed that 84% of Hibs fans wanted the Edinburgh club to follow that path. Slightly less - 80% - also believe Easter Road Stadium should be safeguarded and that any change to that would require fan approval, while 68% said that they would be willing to join a membership scheme to provide additional income for the club. Andrew Jenkin, of Supporters Direct Scotland, added: "Supporters are the heart and soul of any football club and the BuyHibs campaign shows Hibernian have many passionate, knowledgeable and highly-skilled supporters who would like to be further involved in the running of the club."
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http://www.therst.co.uk/rst-letter-to-aim/
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...from Scotland fans. THE former Scotland legend hopes that the Tartan Army give the two Glasgow-born players a rough ride when they turn out for the Republic of Ireland. GORDON McQUEEN has told the Tartan Army to give James McCarthy and Aiden McGeady pelters at Parkhead on Friday night. The Scotland legend is furious the pair will turn out in the green of the Republic of Ireland in their home city of Glasgow. Everton ace McGeady played for Scotland Schools as a teenager but switched allegiance at Under-15 level, qualifying for Ireland through his grandparents. Goodison Park team-mate and former Hamilton kid McCarthy was snatched from under the noses of Scotland as a youngster and refused to think again once he’d burst onto the scene. Scotland boss Gordon Strachan said he’s happy for the home crowd to jeer the pair and McQueen said: “I hope they get a horrible reception because they deserve it. I’ve got no time for these players. “You’re born in Glasgow but then you go and play for somebody else? What’s that all about? I’m not having that at all. I hope it’s hard for them coming back here with Ireland. “I’m sure somebody must have asked them to play for Scotland at some stage. You’re either Scottish or you’re not Scottish and you should know that by the time you’re 12 years of age. “I played alongside Bob Wilson and Bruce Rioch, who were born in England but they always considered themselves Scottish. That’s all I want. “If you feel Scottish you’re Scottish but I hate these guys who think, ‘I can’t get a game for England so I’ll play for Scotland’.” McQueen worked as chief scout at Middlesbrough under Strachan and is delighted to see the national team gaffer bounce back from the miserable year he endured on Teeside where he won just 13 of 46 games in charge. The 62-year-old, capped 30 times, said: “Why did it go so badly for him there? I think he underestimated the challenge. He’ll say that to this day. “He brought in all these guys he’d worked with at Celtic – Scott McDonald, Stephen McManus, Barry Robson, Willo Flood and Chris Killen – plus other guys from Scotland such as Kris Boyd, Kevin Thomson and Lee Miller. Gordon thought they would cruise the Championship but it just didn’t happen. “People within the club can understand why he’s doing so well now because they rated him and believed in him. “But I didn’t see him get down, even when things weren’t working out. It would take quite a bit to dent Gordon’s confidence. He’s the ideal man for the Scotland job. “Right now it looks as though everyone is on his side, regardless of results. They’ve been alright but what if we end up finishing fourth in this group? “I think we will qualify but I would be ashamed if we didn’t because just about everybody gets to these finals – 24 countries. Surely we can do that. “I think we’ll beat Ireland. Celtic had some very average sides at times but European teams coming to Parkhead were intimidated by the atmosphere there. “There are certain grounds where the crowd just gets to the opposition. As long as I live I’ll never forget playing for Scotland against Wales at Anfield in 1977 in the game that took us to the World Cup finals. That was intimidating. “It was bouncing with Scotland fans everywhere you looked, even though it was their home game. We didn’t play well that night but we still won 2-0.” Strachan’s side face a friendly with the Auld Enemy after the qualifier and McQueen, who scored in the famous 2-1 win at Wembley in 1977, added: “We’ll take the game more seriously. “England will have a lot of call-offs but we won’t.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gordon-mcqueen-hope-james-mccarthy-4601708 -
ALLY McCoist has been heavily criticised and, at times, even derided for having Rangers games postponed during the last year or so. Fans of all football clubs like to go and see their side in action at three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon - at home especially. So when a match is switched to a midweek slot, for whatever reason, it tends to annoy supporters. The logic behind McCoist asking for fixtures to be called off - that three or more of his players are away on international duty - has not been widely accepted. When the Gers manager last invoked SPFL rule G7 and had last month's scheduled Petrofac Training Cup quarter-final against East Fife put back it upset many. Centre-backs Bilel Mohsni and Marius Zaliukas were called up by Tunisia and Lithuania respectively. Northern Ireland, meanwhile, placed Dean Shiels on stand-by. All three men had featured in the first team in the 2014/15 campaign. But not all of them were likely to kick off the last eight tie at New Bayview. In fact, it was not inconceivable that none of them would play. Surely, a lot of disgruntled fans asked, the Ibrox club has a strong enough squad to be able to cope with a meeting with part-time opposition from the bottom division without Mohsni, Shiels and Zaliukas? For followers of other clubs, meanwhile, it was nothing short of laughable that the once-mighty Glasgow giants appeared to be running scared of minnows from Methil. McCoist will argue that it is his responsibility as manager to put out his strongest possible side on the park irrespective of how lowly the opposition team are. He will also point to the fact his side has won all four of the games he has had postponed - against Dunfermline, Forfar, Cowdenbeath and East Fife - this season and last. Yet, whether you approve of his stance in these situations or not is neither here nor there in the case of the Championship match with Alloa at Ibrox this Saturday. For the club board to decree the match goes ahead without consulting with their manager on the matter is alarming and suggests all is not well in the relationship between the two parties. Yes, the future of the troubled League One champions remains, despite Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley agreeing to loan them £2million last month, shrouded in uncertainty. And, yes, playing the game against Alloa this weekend as scheduled will certainly ensure that much-needed revenue comes in to the stricken club as normal. It should also prevent Championship leaders Hearts pulling further ahead of Rangers at the top of the second tier table ahead of a massive meeting between the two sides at Tynecastle seven days later. But the decision on the Alloa match going ahead was a football one and should have been taken by Ally McCoist and Ally McCoist alone. That it was not was a disturbing development and has set a worrying precedent. What's next? Derek Llambias ruling that Jon Daly deserves a start up front ahead of Kris Boyd? David Somers insisting the side should set up in a 4-5-1 formation instead of a 4-4-2? The absence of Mohsni and Arnold Peralta will not impact on Rangers as neither man has featured for the first team in weeks. The loss of Lewis Macleod, however, most certainly will. It is no surprise McCoist is considering asking Scotland boss Gordon Strachan to release the midfielder for the game if he is not set to be involved in the Euro 2016 qualifier with the Republic of Ireland on Friday night. Macleod scored one goal - his eighth of the campaign -and set up Kenny Miller for another in an emphatic 4-0 triumph over Falkirk in a league game at Ibrox at the weekend. He was also the deserved recipient of the man of the match award. The 20-year-old, then, will be conspicuous by his absence if he is not in the Rangers team against Alloa. He certainly has been whenever he has been sidelined previously this term. It was no coincidence the Light Blues drew 1-1 with Alloa away and lost 3-1 to Hibs at home when the talented youngster was injured. Five of the eight points they have dropped in the league this season have been leaked without him. Stevie Smith will probably get the nod to stand in for Macleod and will no doubt acquit himself with all of his usual professionalism. But he is a specialist left- back and is not a like-for-like replacement. Having said all that, if McCoist's men, who have now kept six consecutive clean sheets in all competitions, continue to play as well as they have done in recent weeks against Barry Smith's charges they should collect all three points. Their performance against a decent Falkirk side was assured. A Nicky Law strike early on gave them the lead and subsequent efforts from Macleod, Miller and Nicky Clark secured another victory. The backline of Richard Foster, Darren McGregor, Lee McCulloch and Lee Wallace was once again rock solid. Steve Simonsen in goals was rarely troubled by the visitors. Hearts edged out Raith Rovers - a side that Rangers had thrashed 6-1 a few weeks ago - by 1-0 through in the capital on Saturday and maintained their four-point advantage at the top of the table. But the fact that Rangers have won eight games on the spin, letting in just one goal in the process, is rightly giving them confidence they can catch and overtake their main rivals for promotion back to the top flight. You would think Ally McCoist, the man responsible for orchestrating that run of form and for overseeing Rangers rise through the bottom two divisions, would be deferred to on football matters. You would be wrong. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/ally-must-action-cap-call-offs-at-rangers-187907n.25814885
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CELTIC manager Ronny Deila has expressed his disappointment after some fans disrupted a Remembrance Sunday silence ahead of their 2-1 victory over Aberdeen. The minute of reflection, which remembers British servicemen and women who have died in conflicts since the First World War began 100 years ago, was quickly interrupted by some fans shouting and singing from the visiting section at Aberdeen’s Pittodrie Stadium. Some Celtic supporters tried to shout the protesters down and noise was evident throughout the 60 seconds, just before the Scottish Premiership game kicked off. Norwegian manager Deila said: “That was disappointing. “But again 99 per cent was good. Sometimes some people are not respectful. “It’s very, very important for Celtic to be respectful.” Celtic FC Foundation, the club’s charity organisation, this week donated £10,000 to Poppyscotland and carried a story on their website detailing the Celtic players who died during the First World War. The issue has proved controversial in the past, with a group of Celtic fans staging a banner protest against the “blood-stained poppy on our hoops” when the club strip carried the symbol for a game four years ago. http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/ronny-deila-hits-out-at-fans-who-disrupted-silence-1-3599363
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http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/rangers-investors-sandy-james-easdale-4597710
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...then renew battle with English rival. RANGERS star Lewis Macleod is delighted to be in Scotland squad for Friday's clash with Ireland but he already has eyes renewing a rivalry with the Auld Enemy. LEWIS MACLEOD admits he has an old score to settle with the Auld Enemy. The Rangers striker was part of Scotland’s Under-16 side that lost 2-1 to an English team that included Liverpool starlet Raheem Sterling. The Victory Shield defeat in 2009 at Tynecastle provided a glimpse into the future – and fast forward five years, the two graduates will be reunited at Parkhead next Tuesday. Macleod’s promotion into Gordon Strachan’s senior squad for the double-header against Ireland and Roy Hodgson’s men is more about gaining experience than game time. But the midfielder insists he’s desperate to get up close and personal once more with Sterling – and hopes for a happier ending. Macleod was awarded the Young Player of the Month trophy for October and he said: “You could tell Sterling was going to be brilliant. “His career has really blossomed and he’s gone from QPR to become an influential player at Liverpool. “Raheem is different class. There will be teams looking at him in January. He’s the type you want to play against. “I would be delighted to get any sort of game time with Scotland but I know it’s not going to be a quiet match against England. But it would be a great experience. “There were thousands of fans at the Tynecastle game in 2009. “We lost because of a dodgy decision by the ref. “It was 2-1 but we scored first and played well. I was taken off after about 60 minutes but it probably was my fault for the first half. “Hopefully things go better in the next couple of weeks. “Back then I was nervous and it will pretty much be the same come the next two games. The atmosphere will be electric.” The meteoric rise from Murray Park hopeful to the brink of his first international cap has been stunning but Lewis admits there’s time for some of the class of 2009 to follow his trail. And the 20-year-old is adamant Strachan’s policy of promoting the kids is starting to pay dividends. He said: “There were a lot of good players in our Victory Shield side. Islam Feruz played up front for us that day and big Jack Grimmer was the captain. “There were a lot of players you expected to go on and do good things. There is no reason why they still can’t. “It just shows you how far I have come that I have been called up. “Wee Ryan Gauld wasn’t in the same team as me as he was a year younger. It is good to see the likes of Andy Robertson, Stevie May and myself getting called in. “It just shows you the gaffer is not scared to call up the young players. “I can’t see too many from that England U-16 team who have come through. There is a guy at Reading called Daniel Redmond who came on as a sub. And Nick Powell is at Man United and a good player. “But it just shows how long ago it seems as all of their team were sought-after players. “It takes an awful lot to reach the full England squad so all credit to Raheem as he’s been brilliant.” Macleod admits playing for his country at senior level was beyond his wildest dreams but that reality will come a step closer when he meets up with the rest of the Scotland squad today. He said: “You always have aspirations to do better. You don’t really think about that at the time as it looks such a long way away. “Back then I was only about 14 or 15 years old but it’s good that I’ve come through the ranks for both club and country. “This is the best week of my career. I don’t expect too much when I go away with the squad but just to be there and experience it for myself will be great. “It is a huge difference to go from playing Cowdenbeath the other night to getting a chance to play Ireland and England at Parkhead. “I haven’t spoken to Strachan. It’s my first time with the squad so I can’t expect to get a lot of game time. “Hopefully the experience can be beneficial for years to come. I will try my hardest so hopefully I can impress him and possibly be involved in future squads. There has been a change in the Scotland squad and it looks quite promising. The manager has them playing good football.” Macleod will also get the chance to meet a childhood hero when he trains alongside Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher. He said: “I wanted to be like Darren growing up. He was at the heart of things and it doesn’t get much better than playing for Man United. “He’s the type of guy I looked up to and you want your career to go the same way. So it will be weird to train with these guys next week.” If Macleod is given his debut he’s vowed to hang on to his first Scotland top. He said: “I might be greedy and keep that for myself.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/pound-sterling-rangers-youngster-lewis-4596946
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What was/is their motivation for getting involved in Rangers? I've heard/read alsorts, such as they were 'sucked in' by Green and probably now wish they didn't get involved, or they were identified by Green to be his group's front after he made his supposed exit, or they were hoping to have sold up and been out with a good profit by now, or wanting some level of respectability that a Rangers director brings (or at least used too, what with the procession of chancers we've had lately), or even they are genuine Bears who want what's best for the club................ Interested in hearing opinions on why they got involved.
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ALLY McCOIST insists it is business as usual at Rangers after the latest round of off-field comings and goings at Ibrox. The Gers manager saw chief executive Graham Wallace leave the club last month as Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley made his grab for power of the Light Blues. Earlier finance director Philip Nash had also headed out of Ibrox as the billionaire English businessman started to pull the strings after agreeing to give the under-fire board a £2million loan. And this week former Newcastle MD Derek Llambias, one of Ashley's closest allies, joined the Rangers set-up as a non-executive director. Club chairman David Somers is leading the search for a new chief executive and he is now also McCoist's main point of contact. The Gers gaffer said: "I've been dealing with the chairman for the last couple of weeks now. "He has been up to see me on a far more regular basis. I saw him at the Cowdenbeath game on Tuesday then I spoke to him on Wednesday. "He is actively pursuing a chief executive and that hasn't changed." Asked if the situtaion at the club was any more stable, McCoist replied: "It's not less stabilised. "It is what it is and it's fine. It's very much business as usual for the playing and coaching staff, as it has been all season. We're concentrating on our games and trying to get results." With Wallace and Nash gone and Llambias now in place at Ibrox, Ashley has grabbed effective control of Rangers. Supporters remain wary of his motives for increasing his shareholding and influence. The SFA are awaiting a response from the club and Ashley as they also seek answers. When McCoist was asked if he had spoken to Ashley yet, he replied: "I haven't, no. I have no real need to. "I am available at all times to shareholders and board members. If anyone wants to speak to me that's no problem at all." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/allys-not-bothered-by-ashley-changes-at-rangers-187764n.25803241
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I don't use twitter but facebook in particular is hard going. It's not just the fact that the views are so ignorant and misguided (eg one of the main pages has everyone discussing who will be signed with Ashley's 10m ), but the level of intelligence seems very low. People write in illegible English and generally do not represent our support well. Does this say something about our support or is it the platform? There's not a single person here who is incapable of conversing in legible English but on our fan facebook pages you are hard pushed to find anyone making well constructed arguments.
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http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/sport/football/from-central-defender-to-central-figure-rangers-look-stronger-with-mcgregor.25792124 -
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
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Despite previous cancellations due to international call-ups, the Alloa chairman Mike Mulraney has confirmed to me on social media that RFC have said next week's match at Ibrox will go ahead as scheduled.
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Ally McCoist will be given a £10 million January transfer budget, courtesy of controversial Mike Ashley. Ashley has all but confirmed he will front the funds, with an Ibrox source telling us the board have been told to "use the funds effectively to push the team through to a cup final and back to the Premier League." The source said the decision was highly influenced by Ashley's close friend & Ibrox adviser Derek Llambias, who believes committing these funds to the club will not only strengthen the team, but strengthen Ashley's position with Rangers supporters.
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ALLY McCoist today vowed to try and keep Lewis Macleod's feet on the ground after the young Rangers midfielder was called up by Scotland. McCoist was delighted Macleod was yesterday named in the 27-man national squad for the games against the Republic of Ireland and England. But he stressed the talented 20-year-old had "a long way to go in his career" and has to keep working hard in order to realise his potential. McCoist said: "It's brilliant for Lewis, great for him. I'd a chat with him and I'd spoken to Gordon on Monday. We are delighted and we all have high hopes for him without getting carried away. "We are genuinely pleased to see him get his first international call-up. "Can he make an impact in the squad straight away? I don't know. The Scottish boys have been doing well so that will be up to Gordon." Macleod, who helped Rangers beat Cowdenbeath 3-0 in a rearranged SPFL Championship match at Central Park, has been called up by Scotland despite playing out of position. But his manager believes the Murray Park youth graduate has benefited from playing wide on the left of midfield for the Ibrox club in the last two-and-a-half seasons. He said: "We don't have any doubt that his position will be central, but it's not doing him any harm learning his trade. "Longer term, he will be a central midfielder. But Lewis is realising it's about the team, not the individual. "Lewis was quieter against Cowdenbeath and that didn't surprise us as he has a long way to go in what will be a long and successful career." McCoist believes the win over Cowdenbeath, which cut Hearts' lead at the top of the second-tier table to four points, shows they are very much in the hunt for the title. And he has urged his players not to allow their attention to wander to the massive League Cup semi-final with Old Firm rivals Celtic in February. He said: "We didn't start very well, which is a contradiction as we scored a great goal. Our general play could have been better. "The second goal helped. Later on, we were fairly good. We grew into the game. "Cowdenbeath were very good, especially in the early part of the game. This is a difficult venue at any time, let alone a Tuesday night. "But getting the goals and the clean sheet was pleasing. We have to focus on the massive games of football before the Old Firm game. "We had to win to let the other teams in the Championship know and we certainly sent out a message that we are in the hunt." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/coisty-ill-keep-rangers-star-lewis-grounded-after-scots-cap-call-187313n.25781990
