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Rangers board in crisis talks after emergency £500,000 loan Roddy Forsyth explains the ongoing power struggle at Rangers between Mike Ashley, Dave King and the Three Bears, and Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver Email Ibrox - Rangers power struggle takes new twist after Mike Ashley loses key ally in his quest for Ibrox boardroom coup Battleground: The battle for power at Ibrox took a new twist on new year's eve Photo: PA Roddy Forsyth By Roddy Forsyth11:19AM GMT 05 Jan 2015Comments27 Comments In a day of high drama at Ibrox the Rangers board is negotiating under severe pressure to save the club from financial meltdown for the second time in three years. The plc directors are frantically trying to strike a deal with the investor alliance of Dave King – a former Rangers director – and the Three Bears consortium, who last week scooped up available shares in an audacious raid. The astonishing development followed Telegraph Sport’s disclosure last night that the unpopular Ibrox regime had reached a crisis, which was confirmed today when the club’s board announced to the Stock Exchange that they had accepted an emergency loan of £500,000 from its football chairman, Sandy Easdale, to stay afloat for another few days. The Telegraph had revealed that a major announcement to the LSE was imminent, in respect of Rangers’ parlous economic situation. The trigger was a bill from HMRC for payment of National Insurance, under threat of a petition by the tax authority for the club to be placed into administration if the account was not settled immediately. Easdale’s loan is secured on the fee – believed to be £1 million - obtained from Brentford for the transfer of the highly rated 20-year-old midfielder, Lewis Macleod. When Rangers confirmed MacLeod’s sale to the Stock Exchange on Friday, the announcement said that the proceeds would “be used for immediate working capital”. The announcement of Easdale’s loan stated that the £500,000 would “be used by the Company for general working capital purposes over the next few days”. The statement added that the loan had been offered and accepted “on a fee and interest free basis and it will be secured against the income from the sale of player announced on 2 January 2015”. Related Articles Rangers board to lose power unless Mike Ashley steps in to save directors Rangers board to lose power unless Ashley steps in 04 Jan 2015 Rangers' squad could be decimated in January 01 Jan 2015 Rangers supporters’ group urges fans to displace Ashley 03 Jan 2015 Ashley's plan to own Rangers hits buffers 02 Jan 2015 Even as the Rangers board sought an agreement to avoid the club's collapse, however, a statement from Sandy Easdale's PR advisor, Jack Irvine, brought a sharp retort from King. Commenting on Easdale's secured funding deal, Irvine said: "Once again Sandy has stepped up to the plate with this half million pound loan from his own pocket. Whilst we welcomed the recent share purchases by Dave King and Douglas Park and his consortium, this unfortunately did not put any funds into the club. "Sandy was the only option for this cash injection at such short notice. The Easdale family remain totally committed to achieving a satisfactory financial future for Rangers and they hope all parties can work together in the future with that common goal."Given that Sandy Easdale rejected new funds and was a chief architect in getting the club into this mess, lending a small amount of money is the minimum he should have done. As part restitution he should make the £500,000 a donation rather than a loan." King retorted angrily and told Telegraph Sport: " The situation whereby a short-term loan of working capital is secured on recently obtained and desperately needed working capital is not only designed to stave off immediate administration, but also to keep the club afloat while the directors try to salvage what they can before surrendering to what now looks like an inevitable takeover by the fan-friendly axis of King and the Three Bears. However, three possibilities are in play. One – currently looking the least likely - is that Mike Ashley will come to the board’s rescue, having secured control over the appointment of two directors in return for £3 million of emergency funding in October. However, the Newcastle United owner had previously tried to negotiate with the Scottish Football Association to increase his stake at Ibrox from 8.92% to 29.9% but was refused by the governing body, who insisted that he should comply with his written undertaking not to go above 10%. The second option is an £18 million takeover offer from Robert Sarver, owner of Phoenix Suns basketball club. That offer was also notified to the Stock Exchange at the start of business this morning. Again, Telegraph Sport led the way in revealing that there had been conversations between Sarver’s advisers and those connected with the Three Bears consortium of wealthy shareholders, who have bought a substantial tranche of Rangers shares, as has the former Ibrox director, Dave King. Rangers’ second Stock Exchange statement today read: “The Company notes recent press speculation and confirms that it has received an approach from Robert Sarver (or a vehicle to be established and controlled by him) ("Mr Sarver") that may or may not lead to an offer being made for the Company. “There can be no certainty that an offer will be made, nor as to the terms on which an offer may be made. A further announcement is expected shortly.” Takeover rules mean that Sarver has until 5pm on February 2 to confirm or withdraw his offer, which is worth £18 million and designed to give him complete control of the club’s equity. Again, there are difficulties with this proposal. As the Telegraph disclosed, Sarver has an interest in investing in European football clubs, as opposed to a strategy based solely on a single outfit such as Rangers. A full equity bid would take time to implement, even if it found favour with the majority of investors. When King placed an offer of £16 million in October – the deal rejected by the Rangers plc board in favour of Ashley’s short term fix of loans – it was in the form of a debt and equity mix that would have lent the club sufficient money to keep it going through the takeover process. Another problem for Sarver is that, taken together, the recent share purchases by King and the Three Bears – Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor – constitute a little over 34% of Rangers’ stock. They have been pledged support by other disenchanted investors and have also been allocated proxy votes. The King/Three Bears axis know that they can now call upon sufficient support to outdistance the Ashley/Easdale camp by a significant margin. Having got themselves into such a favourable position they are not inclined to stand aside for Sarver although they have, as would be expected, let it be known that they will happily have him on board as a like-minded investor. This is well short of Sarver’s original intent of attaining complete control of Rangers before looking elsewhere to acquire other football interests. One obvious objection to that as a long-term strategy is that it would infringe the same dual-ownership regulations that have prompted a disciplinary complaint against Ashley by the SFA. In any case, time is now the pressing enemy of all the contending parties. If the club runs out of cash and is forced to enter administration for the second time in three years Rangers will be consigned to a fourth successive season in the lower leagues – a prospect feared by the Scottish football authorities as well as other clubs who would benefit financially from their return to the top tier, as a consequence of better sponsorship and broadcast deals than are currently available. Rangers are again teetering on the edge of a financial precipice as the principal personalities jostle on the brink to establish who will be thrust over to the rocks below - and who will be left standing to inherit whatever remains of this once immensely proud and respected club.

Just heard that one of them has loaned the club 500,000 pounds to keep things ticking over. Anyone else heard this

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30674489

[video=youtube;Qr3-ScLFG4w] While it's far too early, and things remain far too murky, to even whisper about some kind of bryter layter for Rangers, we can probably all agree that last week was the first time in, oh, three years or more when hopes were raised without being swiftly crushed again. The temptation is to rush headlong into dreams about good things happening next: Ashley snapping his fingers, tearing up his contracts and ruefully reflecting he'd have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for those meddling Three Bears. Somers getting unceremoniously booted down the marble staircase and out onto Edmiston Drive. Easdale...well, hate crime laws are very strict in Scotland, so suffice it to say a more appropriate position, like sweeping out one of McGill's garages, would suit him better. It's hard to believe no-one in his circle has made him aware that his ongoing connection with Rangers is only making his public persona even less popular than it was previously, but it seems self-awareness is not a strong suit among Rangers board members, who have only stopped short of signing and appointing Ched Evans as clup captain in their litany of grossly self-destructive moves. But, in all truth, self-awareness is not a strong suit among fans, either. Even allowing for the natural, emotional response to all that has gone on in recent years - to defend what we perceive as the club, and to reject those who bring bad news as enemies or traitors - we've not covered ourselves in glory, Never mind what fans of other clubs say or think, they are (or should be) irrelevant to us, and we have to come to terms with ourselves and our club in our own way. Disharmony has been the prevalent key - if we actually do agree that the last week has been good it is a rara avis indeed, a very occasional visitor to these shores. Everyone has their own pet theory about why our fan base failed to act collectively or effectively during our - and I use the present tense, since we're far from out of the woods - predicament. In that use of the expression 'fan base' there lies the nub, for although we have the numbers we really don't have the unified power of a fan base,we have lots of fans who have different priorities. I've complained about people adding things onto Rangers often enough and won't repeat those arguments now, since there are more important matters to hand. But it's worth remembering that if we want people to stand shoulder to shoulder, the more colours we add to the strip, the less appealing it's likely to be. Keep it about The Rangers and only The Rangers and I fail to see how any Bluenose could possibly object to any fan body, or at least do so in any credible manner. Anyway, as fans we stand revealed as having serious self-identification issues. We've welcomed in, at first with some enthusiasm, then with more caution, and finally with dull, numb acceptance, a series of cheap tricks, none of whom have been able to replace Sir David Murray, who was not exactly the ideal partner himself. Beaten and battered, you can find fans who yearn for a strong owner, fans who want complete OMOV fan ownership, fans who have no clue, and all points between. Asking such a constituency to come up with a popular plan which will garner universal support is, to put it mildly, wildly optimistic. Maybe the shareholders who have emerged in the last seven days will turn out to be our Mr Goodbar after all, a strong reliable type who will do right by the club and us. Plainly a little bruised myself, I'm not even close to giving anyone one iota of trust until they've emphatically earned it. If we do emerge from these sick years with a club still intact, I hope at some stage we do the introspection thing, and come up with a different identity to the one which has proven next to useless over the last years. People who could have stepped up and helped us when we desperately needed them too have avoided us with a barge pole: no use denying it, we see people with Rangers connection investing in other teams. No doubt some will feel too attached to change, but if you survive a life threatening illness, the least you can do is examine yourself to see where you could maybe do better, should the worst happen again. Time enough to worry about that if there's nothing more pressing to be getting on with. And that day, sadly, is some way off yet. The best we can say is, at the end of each week, we're still here.

Yesterday, I was having a discussion with a couple of mates, Dumbarton had just scored and another cross into our box had been poorly defended. "Big Jig is well done", opined mate seated to my left; "the Yahoos will exploit him time and again on the 1st of February", chimes mate seated to my right. Conclusion is we need fresh investment, to resolve another most urgent issue. Where does the cash come from? Dearest David has informed us that the monies from the sale of Lewis MacLeod are to be utilised immediately as working capital. Lee Wallace's body language suggested he might be next to be sold. Mate seated to my left suggested David save the opportunity cost of sending desperate e-mails at 04.00hrs on Boxing Day, "better selling his arse in the leather bars of Brighton". I don't think the purveyor of wet fishery has much of a future in rough trade? Thus, Kyle Hutton's boots seem the best bet. They look to be size 15/16? I suspect several hundred Syrians would be willing to cough up several hundred pounds each to sail to Italy on Kyle's footwear. I note the abandoned freighter in the Med' on Thursday, realise £3million to the disappearing Skipper and crew. There you go, drive your Bentley to coastal Syria and resolve our central defensive problems. Please note David, before you conclude this to be a ridiculous idea; well, you started it. Now, fuck off!

It was to become the stuff of legend, the type of story normally reserved for a Roy of the Rovers comic book sketch. Ranger’s manager Willie Waddell was to take the ultimate gamble, replacing his injured and iconic inspirational captain, John Greig, with a raw 16 year old youngster who had made his professional debut only weeks earlier against Cowdenbeath. It was a particularly brave decision given the setting was the 1970 Scottish League Cup Final and Rangers opponents were arch rivals, Celtic. 90 minutes later the manager’s decision was to be completely vindicated as the 16 year old Derek Johnstone scored the only goal of the game, sending the light blue legions amongst the 106,000 crowd into rapture and thus heralding the end of a 4 year trophy drought. Who would argue that fortune does indeed favour the brave? Today’s Rangers fans yearn for that kind of bravery amongst our current management. The highly publicised departure of young starlet Charlie Telfer and his criticism of the lack of opportunity for youngsters at Ibrox should set alarm bells ringing. Sour grapes or valid criticism? Well despite League One being done and dusted early doors, Telfer only featured once, coming on as a substitute in the 4-0 defeat of Stenhousemuir. Was completing a season undefeated in a lower league really more important than the continual development of our youngsters? Alarmingly, the Telfer story is not an isolated one. Last year, centre half Stuart Urquhart, a captain of the Scotland Under 17 side, having held his own at Dumbarton whilst on loan (2 divisions above Rangers at the time) chose to depart the club despite not having any clear destination. His subsequent snapping up by Steven Pressley at Coventry City, himself a product of the Rangers youth system, adds a touch of irony to a fast developing farce. That orchestra of irony reached a crescendo this week with the departure of Lewis Macleod, one of our few “blooded youngsters,” in order to keep our club afloat. Those of us at Ibrox yesterday, watching the toiling of Lee McCulloch, were left to wonder if a nurtured and blooded Gasparotto, may well have spared some of the raised blood pressure caused by the inadequacy of our failing captain. The same could be said of Sinnamon as an alternative to Foster or McKay instead of Smith. In an age of “gardening leave” it’s clear our club is in dire need of a bold, green fingered horticulturist with a proven aptitude for the development of young seedlings.

http://www.thesportbible.com/videos/newcastle-fans-create-new-chant-aimed-at-mike-ashley

RST Statement on Share Purchases The RST is delighted with the news of the past few days which now sees around 35% of the club’s ownership in the hands of trusted, Rangers’ supporting businessmen. With the shareholdings of the RST, other fans and individuals such as Ally McCoist, Walter Smith and Malcolm Murray, we believe that we are inching closer to the point where those who care about the club can command a 51%+ shareholding. However, now is not the time to rest on our laurels. The club requires significant investment beyond the money that fans already contribute via season ticket and matchday income. It is our firm belief that the fans have a huge part to play not only in supporting the club financially but also overseeing its well-being through a substantial shareholding. RST board member and Buy Rangers contributor, George Letham, is amongst those who have taken a large holding in the club. We will continue to work closely with him, George Taylor, Douglas Park and Dave King in an effort to rebuild Rangers on and off the park. We believe that the time has come for grass roots fans to shape the direction of our club along with wealthier supporters. As part of the Union of Fans, and independently, we have campaigned long and hard for change. That campaign has not always been easy and tough decisions have been taken, but at every step along the way we did what we believe is right for Rangers. We are extremely proud of having stood side by side with those determined to force change under extremely difficult circumstances. The RST is 100% committed to a successful Rangers, run for the benefit of the Rangers community and not nameless shareholders and their representatives. To achieve that we need the help of every Rangers supporter. We appeal to everyone with Rangers at heart to join the RST and work with us and wealthier fans to build a strong and vibrant community around our club – a community that can make sure that the damage done to the club over the past few years is never repeated. Please visit http://www.therst.co.uk and join us. Let’s get to that magical 51% mark and take our club back. - See more at: http://www.therst.co.uk/news/rst-statement-on-share-purchases/#sthash.edhZcxVV.dpuf

Dave King bought a massive chunk of Rangers last night and then told supporters of the long suffering Glasgow giants: I told you I wouldn’t let you down. South-Africa based tycoon King has snapped up a near 15 per cent stake in Gers, after spending £2.5million to purchase the shares held by Artemis and Miton. And King revealed: “Despite being rebuffed by the current board I have never given up and will continue to pursue the commitment I made to the Rangers fans. I said before that I am not going away and this shows I am not.” Castlemilk-born King’s powerplay comes less than a week after George Letham’s Three Bears consortium bought Laxey Partner’s 16 per cent holding. Factor in the ten per cent held by Gers fans — as well as the two per cent owned by previous bosses Walter Smith and Ally McCoist — and the group as whole now command a 45.8 per cent shareholding in Rangers. Both moves are understood to have caught the current Ibrox regime cold. Insiders believe it could spell the beginning of the end for a board of directors so despised by Gers fans, with thousands of supporters boycotting home matches to show their anger. King added: “The current board will never be accepted by the fans.” Johannesburg-based King now plans to return to Glasgow in the coming weeks when the stakeholders could call for an EGM at Ibrox. King said: “I am considering my next steps and must consult with all stakeholders. “I will be back in Scotland in a few weeks for meetings.” It’s believed Laxey, Artemis and Miton made their decision to bail out amid concerns over Rangers’ chairman David Somers conduct at last month’s explosive AGM. The Ibrox share price has been in freefall for months with King snapping up his shares for just 20p yesterday. Asked if he felt under-fire Somers should go, King said: “He should remove himself.” After three years of turmoil, King believes his purchase, coupled with the earlier move by the Three Bears, could prove hugely significant as the businessmen look to rebuild the Light Blues. King added: “I am, once again, hopeful about the future of Rangers. I have never given up and will continue to pursue the commitment I made to the Rangers fans. As I said before.” http://www.cfclatest.com/2012/01/03/king-tells-fans-i-said-id-be-back/

The last few years have been a miserable experience. Truly depressing. Both on the park and off it. Today over 30% of the club is now owned by Rangers men. As such I feel we are saved and this really is a momentous day. Instead of having cantankerous leeches running us who treat us with utter contempt, we now have honourable bears running the club who will bring us back to where we belong. I said recently that competency was all I wanted in the board room. To have competency and Rangers fans controlling us is all the better. What has been most disparaging for me has been the rather disgusting and ignorant attitudes displayed by many of our fans. There are certain people being paid by the board to cause trouble, yet we have seen entire online communities buying into it out of their own free will. It has really been absolutely bizarre. It reminds me of Doublethink in George Orwell's 1984. We as a fan base have been persecuted but a repulsive element of our support has been exposed. I will not forget any of this but I'm just delighted my club has been resurrected. So farewell the Easdales, Llambias, Somers and all the rest of you rancid, repugnant individuals. We are Rangers, super Rangers.

I am seeing a rumour that Dave King has purchased Artemis shares "Dave King has purchased just under 12 million shares from Artemis. Equates to 14.57% of club."

God Bless the 66.

They're worried, make no mistake about it, not one single positive thing in Merlin's latest propaganda, which fills me with yet more confidence for our future - Transparency Required January 1, 2015 / billmcmurdo The remarks of Colin Kingsnorth upon Laxey’s sale of their shareholding in RIFC do not bode well for the future of the club. Kingsnorth seems to have a personal issue with Mike Ashley and hopes that the group he sold to will ramp up the opposition to Ashley in their new position as shareholders. With these intemperate comments, Kingsnorth has thrown petrol on an already ravaging fire and possibly kicked off a whole new era of turmoil at the club. Ashley’s position as Rangers’ major creditor, coupled with his having Derek Llambias in place, means that he still wields considerable power in the Ibrox boardroom, despite having a lesser shareholding than the Three Amigos. The problem for Rangers fans is what happens if the incoming group decides to go to war with the other factions for control of the club. This would make the boardroom battles of recent times look like an infant spat. If Ashley decides to fight for control of Rangers then things could get very nasty indeed. The Amigos as predicted took advantage of the plummeting price of Rangers’ shares to secure their stake. This has left a bitter taste in the mouth of many Rangers supporters considering it is the actions of those activist groups like the UoF and SoS who support Amigoco that have driven the share price down. It also doesn’t help that Taylor, Letham and Park have bought shares from an existing shareholder and that the monies do not go directly toward the club at a time when RFC is screaming for income. Let’s be fair – if people like Mike Ashley can be criticised for buying shares this way, so can the Amigos. Good for the goose, good for the gander and all that. There are also many fans who question the concept of chasing away a billionaire for people whose combined net worth comes nowhere close to his. The possibility that further bitter infighting could rip Rangers apart cannot be discounted. Imagine, for example, if Mike Ashley chose to take on the pointless rules of the SFA regarding his own shareholding with the Three Amigos supporting the SFA and conspiring against Ashley. An unthinkable prospect as there isn’t a Rangers fan alive who thinks that the SFA will act in Rangers’ best interests. Questions must be asked of the new shareholders – again, in the interests of parity with Ashley. Some of mine would be:- What are their plans – if they have any – to help raise revenues in the future? Short, mid and longer term would be great. What are their intentions in respect of control of the club? Do they intend to oust other factions and wrest control? What are their plans for the management, coaching and playing side of the club? How do they intend to take on the club’s many detractors in the media and elsewhere? These are broad stroke questions but more pointed ones would be how would they propose to deal with the present gardening leave situation of the manager and who specifically do they want on the board? It would also help if we could get a definite answer on whether or not George Letham is on the RST board. All in the interests of transparency, of course. The new shareholders will surely be willing to have exacted upon them the same demands for transparency and openness they expected of others. Mile Ashley’s seeming reticence to share his own plans has not served him well and only breeds suspicion. The Three Amigos would do well to heed this because they can definitely expect to be grilled repeatedly should they fail to be transparent in their own dealings. After all, we have been taught to expect much better from real Rangers men…

Hi to all Rangers fans and a happy new year! Well. I've woken up today to find that we've signed one of your lads, Lewis McCloud and I think I'm delighted. But I know little about him and so wondered if you could give us a few pointers on what to expect? I understand he plays midfield which is a little strange as that is one area I would say we don't need to strengthen. I'm guessing we've bought him as cover with a view to developing him for the future. But if called upon, is he ready for the Championship in your opinion? I've read that a couple of lower league clubs (namely Shrewsbury Town and Leyton Orient) were in for him but were put off by the asking price (reported here as around £400k). Interested to hear your views on Lewis. Brentford is a progressive club and a good place for up and coming players so it seems a shrewd move by McCloud, the Reds seem to have signed a promising young player for the future and Rangers have a few bob in the bank so hopefully this will prove to be a good move for all concerned. Good luck for the rest of the season!

Going to keep this quick , All the very best to all gersnetters , heres to a royal blue 2015 , and absent friends

Thought this worth sharing from FF: "Lifted this from another forum, some things we didn't know about players, training etc!! Training seems like a hoot! http://www.hat-trick.fr/sebastien-fa...st-jimmy-bell/ You’ve been here for two years now. What does “Rangers” mean to you? (After a long time spent thinking) Well it’s easy to say this and a bit of a cliché, but it’s a religion. There’s football here which is one thing, but then there’s Rangers, the fans, and everyone else associated with the club, it’s amazing…even after the club was relegated to Division 4, people kept their jobs at Ibrox or at Murray Park. And they are just so proud to work here, and they so proud to say “I work for Rangers”. When you are a professional player, you tend to move from club to club, it’s part of the job. It’s not easy to really absorb the culture and ethos of a club, apart from those who stay for years and years and really become ingrained in the fabric of the club, like Lee McCulloch. Sometimes, the supporters shout at you or get angry. But you can’t let it get to you, you can only do your talking on the pitch. They’ve had so much good football over the years that I think they sort of have a right to be angered, to be honest. In any case, playing at Ibrox is far from easy. There’s so much pressure. You can be winning 2-0, but if you misplace just one pass you’ll be whistled. I mean I heard a few boos at the Gerland (Lyon stadium), but never like the one’s you get here sometimes! (laughs) Did it take you long to learn what it meant to play for a club like Rangers? What did you expect when you came over? No, I didn’t expect it to be honest. I knew Rangers were a massive club, but I didn’t know how they were perceived by the other Scottish clubs. The Glasgow clubs really are hated by the other Scottish clubs. It’s incredible! What’s more, you have to understand that I was a but unsure about coming over here in the first place. I said to my agent: “You’re kind, but I’m not sure if I want to be dropping down to play in Division 4 in France” and he said “It’s Division 4 in Scotland”. He said: “Seb, please, just go over for a few days, check out the facilities and the stadium, you’ll soon change your mind.” On the first day of my trial I trained with the reserves, and it went well. That night, I went to see the first team play in the League Cup again East Fife. It was a Tuesday night, we won 4-0 and almost 40, 000 fans were there. It was…mad, just mad. I called up my agent and said: “If you can sort it out for me, I really want to stay here!” Everything you do and say is reported on and scrutinised at a club like Rangers. Has the press had an influence on the atmosphere at the club? First of all you need to understand that the press and its reporters here are a million times worse than in France! I’m sure I’ve seen the word “crisis” used to describe our club just about every day of the year, even when we win. Taking this into consideration, I do think that it’s had an influence. I must say, not on me personally. To be very honest, I don’t read the papers, apart from when they discuss politics or cover stories from France. But at the level of the club more generally, they have definitely had an influence. Ten days ago, an old team mate of McCoist’s, John Brown, said to the Sun: “You are a disgrace!” The coach brought us the article and he had an argument with Kenny Miller. After we got beaten by Hearts, apparently Miller had called up a journalist wanting to speak to him to tell him the manager had made some bad decisions, although it turned out that he hadn’t. McCoist got so angry: he threw the paper, he stamped on it, he was shouting and screaming! It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him like that. Blacky brings the Sun in every morning, and we read it. McCoist reads all the papers every morning in his office at Murray Park, which by the way is enormous (laughs). I think that its mainly at the level of the club staff that the papers have an impact. In your eyes, who represents the soul of the club? Jimmy Bell the kitman. He’s been here since 1972, I think. It’s amazing that he was taking care of McCoist and Durrant when they were players, and now its them who are in charge. It’s an amazing story and an amazing history, one which you wouldn’t get at many clubs at all. Jimmy’s got his own room in Ibrox where he displays all the Rangers kits and all the Rangers photos that he’s collected over 40 years. In his office at Murray Park, there’s a room, which we are forbidden from entering (laughs), which has all of his souvenirs, his trophies…it’s his very own museum! When it looked like they might be re-possessing Ibrox, he had to pack up all his stuff because he was scared that it would be taken off him. He is really the soul of the club, its him, its Jimmy. He’s a great guy, even if he’s always sulking. You need to get to know him…I remember when I arrived on trial, I didn’t speak English. “You don’t speak English, ****ing French!?” he said (laughs). But I mean really nasty to me! But nowadays, along with Bilel, he tells us loads of stories, loads of jokes. He’s really a top guy, he’s golden. I’m trying to help our readers understand the complete devotion that Rangers inspires in people. To give us more of an insight, is it true that one of the players has got the logo of the club tattooed on his calf? Yeah its Danny Stoney! He’s a good lad who we’ve loaned out to Stranraer. He’s got a tattoo that’s blue, with red around it, and five golden stars in the middle. It’s amazing, simply amazing. When I was at Lyon, even though I was also a Lyon fan, I would never have got a Lyon tattoo. It would never have crossed my mind! It’s just a different type of relationship to the club here. At Lyon, if I’d have got a club tattoo while I was at the academy I’d have had the piss taken out of me! “Suck up!” they’d have said. Here, it is praised! But by contrast, at Lyon if you change your hairstyle or your clothes, people will talk about it. Here, no one cares! The outfits people wear here, and I’m talking about the players, are just….Take Lee Wallace for example, I’ve never seen him wearing jeans (laughs)! At Lyon, you dress well to be stylish or whatever, but here, not at all.

Great day for the Rangers first schemem , now sitting at over 2170 members , superb , hopefully this is just the start , I know there is an off line campaign starting soon which has been funded by separate donations.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words....... Rangers manager Kenny McDowall (Copyright: 2014 Willie Vass)

http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/exchange-insight/trade-data.html?fourWayKey=GB00B90T9Z75GBGBXASQ1

http://www.cfclatest.com/2011/12/31/andy-goram-its-the-fans-getting-stung/

...while fans are queuing up to bail them out. WHY the hell are Rangers selling their best player for just £1million when they have fans who are willing to put £6.5million into the club?. It's an absolutely ridiculous state of affairs. No wonder the Gers fans are going berserk. It's obvious to me this is a reaction by the club to the SFA blocking Mike Ashley from increasing his stake to 29.9 per cent. The club is desperate for money. I said a few weeks ago that it wouldn't surprise me if clubs came in for Macleod and Lee Wallace in the January transfer window. It is well known in the game that Rangers need funds. So clubs will try to get players on the cheap. But Brentford! For £1 million! It is obvious Rangers are in a serious predicament. Because what does selling the midfielder do for their chances of winning promotion back to the top flight? I just don't know why the club aren't accepting people who have put money on the table with open arms. George Letham, Douglas Park and George Taylor have offered to underwrite the share issue to the tune of £6.5 million. They are genuine supporters who care about the Ibrox club and they have provided proof of funds. Anybody who wants to invest in the SPFL Championship club just now has to be a fan given the state they are in. They don't want to make a fast buck. Apparently, the club is ready to open negotiations with the trio over representation on the board. But for me there is no discussion needed. Ashley's attempt to buy control of the Ibrox club has been rebuffed by the SFA. So the club has to get money from somewhere else. Why aren't they accepting this substantial injection of cash straight away. Why are they offloading Macleod? Do they have something to hide? Are there things they don't want these guys to find out about? I personally am not interested in who is in charge Rangers. I just want them to function as a unit with everyone involved working together. I want to see the club run they way it should be run - on and off the park. If this consortium's bid isn't accepted there is a very real danger that more fans won't bother to turn up for the Championship game against Dumbarton on Saturday. Attendances at the matches against Cowdenbeath and Livingston this month were below 20,000. What will they be this weekend after this development? The people who are running Rangers have to understand they need the supporters onside to get out of this mess. If Letham, Park and Taylor came in then I am in no doubt that fans would have more faith in the board and more of them would come back. I know for a fact that young Lewis didn't really want to leave Rangers. Certainly not to Brentford. I am in no doubt that the 20-year-old has been told he has to join the English Championship club to raise money. Yes, it is a higher level than he is currently playing at. But I think he could do far better than the Griffin Park club. The money Rangers will bank from the sale of the Scotland Under-21 internationalist, too, will do them for a month. What do they do after that? They have lost one of their best performers, one of the few individuals they have who has a bit of quality. Do they go back to Mike Ashley and get more loans? Are we the Loan Rangers now? http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangerscomment/rangers-are-flogging-the-family-silver-while-fans-are-queuing-up-to-193047n.115344368

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/newcastle-united/11317458/Mike-Ashley-has-left-Newcastle-stagnant-and-stained-with-his-greedy-ownership-who-would-want-the-job-now.html Mike Ashley has left Newcastle stagnant and stained with his greedy ownership - who would want the job now? St James' Park now resembles a branch of Sports Direct - piled high with nonsense, with Ashley treating his critics as pygmies with pea-shooters, writes Paul Hayward Standing up to a ruthless owner who is worth £3.75 billion might sound like the definition of futility, but it happens to be the only option for the next man in at Newcastle United, where the nonsense is piled as high as the gear in Mike Ashley’s retail empire. Ashley is one of those moguls who has come to feel he has the globe on a string. Zero-hours contracts at Sports Direct? Get stuffed, liberals. Wonga shirt sponsorship? What has it got to do with you? Ashley’s business ethic is to treat his critics as pygmies with pea-shooters. He bestrides the swamp of unregulated free-market enterprise. Wealth is the only show in town. Observe the big man’s skill. Instead of having to go through the tedious business of sacking Alan Pardew, Ashley simply waited for Crystal Palace to come along and offer him £2.5 million in compensation to take ‘Pards’ away. What a deal. Not since he made £926 million in a single day floating his sportswear firm has such a cherry dropped off Ashley’s tree. No wonder his facial expression suggests omnipotence. Newcastle’s fans are understandably conflicted about Palace’s raid on St James’ Park. Those who held up a bedsheet declaring “Pardew is a muppet” will be glad to see him go. But they must know too that Ashley will want a continuation of the owner-manager relationship established during Pardew’s four years in charge. It would be a major turn-up if the proprietor ditched the current model of managerial subservience in favour of, say, Tony Pulis. Don Hutchison, the former Liverpool and Sunderland midfielder, writes in his Newcastle Chronicle column: “I’m not sure he [Ashley] actually wants the hassle of a manager who would demand money to sign players who can take Newcastle to the next level. “And I’m really not sure that he wants a manager who is going to sit there and say ‘I want this striker and he’ll cost £15million.’ I don’t think a manager like that would last five minutes at Newcastle at the moment.” Pardew, we know, endured his own powerlessness with a peculiarly strained expression, unless he was verbally abusing Manuel Pellegrini or putting the nut on Hull’s David Meyler. His disinclination to take on Ashley publicly on all the important points – Joe Kinnear, for example – took me back to the day Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano signed for West Ham, and Pardew, the manager at the time, called it “intriguing.” He clearly had no say in the club’s decision to park them at Upton Park. Multiply that many times and you find Pardew answering to Kinnear (briefly), spectating as Andy Carroll moved to Liverpool and having little say in Newcastle’s overall transfer dealings. It was during Pardew’s reign that Ashley decided he wanted 100% control over where his money went. Newcastle, who have a wage to income ratio of 64% (the Premier League average is 70%) have become a stepping-stone club for expertly-scouted players: an exercise in mid-table stagnation. Pardew never had the powerbase to resist this drift. The fans regarded him as Ashley’s puppet: another mouth from the south. Rather than fight the owner, he found a way to leave, returning to his roots at Palace. A more self-aware owner than Ashley might reflect that his manager is taking a demotion (to Palace) to escape the shadow he casts. The thought would not trouble him for long. Newcastle have previous here. Long before Ashley stepped into the Premier League casino Sir Bobby Robson and others struggled with Freddy Shepherd, a local heavyweight who also liked to do the deals. Under Robson’s tenure the late Gary Speed was sold to Bolton Wanderers without the manager’s prior approval and Patrick Kluivert’s arrival on Tyneside was conceived at boardroom level. Robson tolerated these interventions because he loved the job too much to give it up, and backed himself to produce a winning team from whatever resources were available to him. After he left, in 2004, and the job passed to eight managers inside a decade, there was one quick way to annoy Sir Bobby. All you had to do was ask him: “Who on earth would take the Newcastle job?” “It’s a wonderful job,” he would say. “Any ambitious manager would want that job. They’ll be inundated by applications.” He saw 52,000 fans, a deep love of the game on Tyneside, a strong local tradition and culture, even if they lacked the trophies to go with it. But to be Newcastle manager, now, without power, or even influence, is no siren call. Pardew’s successor will either have to lay out his terms at the first negotiation stage or step into Ashley’s empire as a departmental head, while the real business goes on elsewhere. Pardew stopped being a yes-man in the end. He accepted defeat, and fled.

with the reports that young McLeod is being sold for approx £1m.....would folk find it acceptable to use the cash to pay-off McCoist & the rest of the management team???

...if Ibrox board snubs Three Bears' £6.5m bail-out. THE Rangers board was today warned that even more fans could turn their backs on the Ibrox club if they block "The Three Bears" consortium. By Matthew Lindsay Gers fans George Letham, Douglas Park and George Taylor have offered £6.5 million to underwrite an equity issue early next year. The move comes after the SFA prevented Mike Ashley from increasing his stake in the Glasgow giants to 29.9% last week. Letham, Park and Taylor were part of an eight-strong group fronted by Dave King who had a £16 million rescue package turned down back in October. Rangers chairman David Somers said King and his associates failed to provide proof of funds and reveal the identity of the investors. But Letham, Park and Taylor have satisfied both of those criteria - and have impeccable business credentials as well as being bona fide fans. Crowds have plummeted at Ibrox this season amid growing dissatisfaction at the way the SPFL League One champions are being run. Their last two Championship games at home against Cowdenbeath and Livingston have attracted less than 20,000 spectators. And Drew Roberton, of the Rangers Supporters Association, reckons crowds could fall even further if "The Three Bears" were prevented from increasing their shareholdings. He said: "I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of some more people saying: 'Enough is enough'. "I think we are down to the hard core of Rangers fans on match days at Ibrox now. "I think we are down to the people who will go regardless of what is happening on or off the park. "If the board decline them then they will probably hide behind stock market rules or some such. "But they would have to come up with a very good reason why and try to convince people they have a long-term plan. "It is difficult to see what plan they have apart from self-preservation. "If the two Georges and Douglas fail then it wouldn't go down well with the fans - and I don't know how the guardians of Scottish sporting integrity (the SFA) would look upon it." Roberton added: "I know George Letham to say hello to. He is a nice guy. "I have no doubt the three gentlemen involved have the best interests of the club at heart. "My view, and the view of the Rangers Supporters Association, is that it's not important who runs the club it's how they run the club that matters. "And I have no doubt that George Letham, George Taylor and Douglas Park would help to run the club for the benefit of the club." Rangers expressed disappointment at the SFA refusing to allow Sports Direct owner Ashley to increase his stake above 10% in a brief statement on their website on Christmas Eve. They also revealed they would go away and consider all other options - and Roberton refused to rule out the billionaire businessman taking even greater control at Ibrox. He said: "I am kind of of the view that if Ashley wants to increase his stake in Rangers he will. "At the end of the day, I don't think there's a lot the SFA can do about it." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-fans-chief-fears-new-supporter-boycott-if-ibrox-board-snubs-192879n.115246847