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THE SPFL have set a date of December 9 for Charlie Telfer's transfer tribunal. The midfielder moved from Rangers to Dundee United in the summer and the Light Blues are due training compensation. Rangers have so far rejected United's offers for Telfer so an independent panel will now decide the fee next month. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/d-day-is-set-for-rangers-telfer-fee-189833n.25957183
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I note from Bill McMurdo that the fans group he's involved with are now asking for up to £15 from Rangers fans to be members of the Rangers Supporters Loyal: http://www.rangerssupportersloyal.co.uk/membership/ Other than the difficult to understand McMurdo, who else is involved with this group and handling our fans money?
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Rangers: Jon Daly urges team-mates to help manager out Rangers striker Jon Daly insists the players must raise their game to ease the pressure on manager Ally McCoist. The Ibrox outfit lost 2-0 to Hearts at the weekend, leaving them nine points behind the Tynecastle side in the Championship title race. McCoist received flak from some Rangers fans during the game and Daly said: "The players must take responsibility, once we cross the white line there's nothing the manager can do. "It's up to us to get results." The abuse aimed at McCoist was heard when he took off midfielder Lewis Macleod in the 80th minute, with Rangers 1-0 down, although the chants were quickly drowned out by support for the Ibrox boss. Hearts had taken the lead through Jamie Holt's strike, after Steven Smith was sent off for Rangers in 21 minutes for a reckless challenge on Callum Paterson. Rangers manager Ally McCoist Rangers manager Ally McCoist saw his side lose out in Saturday's massive match at Tynecastle Jamie Walker sealed the win with a late penalty to leave the league leaders in a strong position to secure the title. And Daly reckons the Rangers players need to step up as they look to close the gap on the Tynecastle side. "The manager can't do anything about the sending-off, it's something you have to adapt to," the Irishman added. "It's up to the players to make sure we win games for him and at the moment we are not doing that." Hearts remain unbeaten in the league but Daly retains hope that they can be caught. "It's going to be tough, no doubt about it," he added. "That's nine points and we only have two games against Hearts left, so it's out of our hands. "It's Hearts' to lose but we need to concentrate on ourselves. We have lost points we shouldn't have and we need to make sure that stops. "But I think there's still plenty of twists and turns to come and we need to try and close that gap as soon as possible. Hopefully if we do that they will feel a bit of pressure and drop a few points." Do you really think Ally will do the same for you if his job is on the line??
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Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has accused politicians of using Celtic for their own political agenda over the living wage. At the club's AGM the club announced they are prepared to offer permanent staff £7.85 an hour, but will not implement the living wage to all. However, Lawwell feels Celtic have been unfairly targeted by others. "We've been used," he said. "Our club has been used over this campaign by politicians and by others." He added: "There's more and more evidence there's poverty in society, there is inequality, and we would urge them - the people who've got the power, who've got the opportunity to change it - to change it, and not hitch their wagon to Celtic's wagon for their own political purposes. "We're a football club. We'll do all we can in the community. We do so much, but we can't change government policy. "We have a very satisfied, highly motivated workforce who are content with their lot. Not just my words, but we're the only football club in Scotland that's got Investors in People [accreditation] and [there are] only three in the UK, so we look after our people." Hearts last month became the first club to implement the living wage , but Lawwell insists their decision has had no bearing on Celtic. "Hearts are a different business," he said. "It's a small business in comparison, they won't have as many people. "If that's what they want to do, then good on them and they've done it. But we have to look after ourselves here and do the right thing. "At the moment we're looking at our permanent employees that includes everybody apart from match-day staff, who are primarily second income. "The 180 of them are mainly in retail, which is a very competitive business. Ironically our competitor is Sports Direct, and we're getting the spotlight." Celtic chairman Ian Bankier revealed the move to increase the wage for permanent staff will cost the club £350,000. He said: "We responded to the many people who have made approaches to us since this became a live issue and we understand what they're saying, and we understand the sentiment of what they're saying. "So what we've said today is we will speak to the people that matter in all of this, who are the employees. "We will talk to our permanent workforce, and those who are in that zone of pay policy, and we will seek to get their wages up to £7.85 an hour, which happens to be the rate of the living wage." Celtic also admitted at the AGM that the loss of Rangers from the Scottish Premiership has cost the club around £10m a year. However, responding to the recent comments by Scotland manager Gordon Strachan that the leagues should be manipulated to get their Old Firm rivals in the top flight along with Hibernian and Hearts, Lawwell was adamant there has been no discussion regarding league reconstruction. He said: "I love Gordon dearly, he's a pal, but he's way off the mark there and we would never support that." http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30150594 -
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/gordon-waddell-rangers-players-shrug-4678381 ALL for one – and every man for himself. Clearly Ian Black’s motto for Rangers’ new era. If ever you needed confirmation of the mink-lined vacuum some players live in, the Rangers midfielder was happy to provide it last week. “The only time it affects you,” he said, talking about his club’s off-field circus, “is when it gets to the stage when you’re not getting paid. “That’s the only time it will affect the players. Until then we don’t really pay attention to it.” Ten staff made redundant, 10 lives ruined six weeks before Christmas, 10 families thrown into upheaval. But as long as there’s unleaded for the Bentley and foie gras for the dinner table in the Black household, eh? Talk about being detached from reality. A month of Black’s wages would have kept a couple of those staff – his fellow employees – in jobs for a year. It never works that way, I get that. It’s never that simple. Like when Gers plunged into admin what seems like a lifetime ago and the players took pay cuts on the guarantee that no staff would be emptied. It was flawed logic at the heart of an even more flawed administration – but at least it showed the dressing room had some kind of conscience at the time, a little integrity. A base layer of decency. Clearly not the case these days. And perhaps wholly indicative that the complete Ashleyfication of the club is moving ever closer. The ‘he said, she said’ debacle between the Easdales, David Somers, Dave King, George Letham, Brian Kennedy and the entire ensemble cast has become a daily weeping sore, a little more pus seeping out every few hours on the wires. The court actions against those at the centre of the club’s shambolic descent. The giant cartoon sticking plasters that are Mike Ashley’s temporary loans, covering over one burst financial pipe only for another one to spring a leak right next to it. Fred Quimby would’ve had a field day with this kind of material. And those job losses. Always the staff, usually always the good guys who plod away in the background trying to keep the place ticking over while the bombs drop around them. You end up asking yourself who’s going to be left to switch the lights on and off, make the place function on a day to day basis, so many of them have been given deals. Then again, is that all part of the plan? If there is a plan? A few weeks ago, this column indulged in a little bit of devil’s advocation, asking whether a profit-oriented pragmatist such as Ashley wasn’t exactly what Rangers needed to get them running on an even keel, rather than the regimes who openly admitted to blowing £67m in 18 months. What price will they pay for it, though? Are Rangers just going to become a footballing branch of Sports Direct, a strip-lit, soulless outlet, centrally administered by faceless call-centre minions? What will become of the Rangers Charity Foundation? What about all the work in the community they do? The Rangers Study Support Centre? Are all these things still going to be funded, or will they be stripped away? Are they about to become a bare-bones operation without a care for what or who they represent? Will they have any values, or is it simply about value? From everything you hear about Ashley, he won’t give a toss about the periphery and the frippery. But they are questions that need answers because these are all things that make a club. They’re constituent parts of something that’s bigger than 11 players, four stands and two goals. Look at Celtic’s agm the other day. Look at how much is made of the culture of the club, its history, when it comes to things like the living wage and their staff being looked after. Look at an organisation like Big Hearts and the amount they do in the community, how much retaining its reach meant to them when they emerged from admin. Then look at Rangers and wonder what they’re going to look like when this is all done. If it’s ever all done. Wonder at what point an Ian Black WILL care about what’s going on outside his cocoon and whether there will be anything left of them to care about anyway. ************* Ian Black, your time is also up. Never have i disliked any Rangers player so much. The very definition of imposter. All this after the betting scandal and him asking fans "what the fuck do you expect" ? embarrassment.
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http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/rangers-blazers-war-dave-king-4670042
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According to Liewell at their agm. "Lawwell made his assertion after contextualising the Hoops' earning potential at the club's packed annual general meeting at Celtic Park on Friday. He claimed that the 40,000 season tickets sold for this campaign was only bettered in Britain by Manchester United and Arsenal, then told shareholders that winning the Scottish Premiership title brings in £1.8million while claiming that clubs relegated from the English top flight rake in £65million. At a press conference in the Celtic Park boardroom afterwards he expanded on the theme, claiming that, if the Scottish champions had access to the sort of broadcast monies available to the top clubs in England, Celtic would be peerless. "I believe that," he said. "If you go back 25-30 years and compare us to Manchester United before the media and TV boom, there probably wasn't much in it. "I think our story is unique, it is rich - it is the best. "We have a potential fan-base of Scots/Irish diaspora around the world to support that and we have fantastic, strong fan-base in Scotland. "I don't see any barrier if you compare Celtic to Manchester United or Arsenal, the top clubs down there. "I don't see any barriers if we were getting the same media values as they are getting regularly." Asked about comparisons with Real Madrid and Barcelona, Lawwell replied: "Similarly. The media values in England will outweigh the media values or be similar to the top in Spain or Germany. "Therefore if it is a level playing field with our strong fundamentals. I don't see any reason why we couldn't be." In a more cryptic way, Lawwell suggested that moves were afoot all across Europe for clubs in a similar situation to Celtic - essentially big fish in small ponds - to increase revenue potential, having earlier mentioned regional leagues or supranational leagues. "We are not alone," he said. "Other leagues and nations are suffering the same problems and there needs to be a solution, and I think more than ever UEFA are open to a solution . "There are no concrete plans, but it is getting to become more of a discussion item." Lawwell, who hopes to convince striker John Guidetti to make his loan move from Manchester City permanent, reiterated a previous assertion that the absence of traditional rivals Rangers from the top flight costs the Parkhead club £10million per season. However, he was unimpressed when reminded that former Hoops boss Gordon Strachan, currently the Scotland national team coach, had recently spoken about the need to get Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian - all battling to get out of the Championship - back into the top flight. Strachan said: "People say you can't manipulate it, but I think you have to get them back in." However, Lawwell said: "I love Gordon dearly. He is a pal, but he is way off the mark there. We would never support that. "It is sporting integrity. It is a football competition and above all else you have to apply the rules, and to manipulate those rules would be wrong and there would be clubs who would suffer, as well as clubs who would benefit." There were relatively few nods to Ibrox during the AGM, which lasted just over two hours, but Lawwell was later asked, in his capacity as member of the main board of the Scottish Football Association, whether there was a possible conflict of interest in the shape of Rangers shareholder Mike Ashley, who appears to be increasing his power-base at the Ibrox club while still the owner of Newcastle United. Lawwell said: "I think potentially there is, but I am sure the SFA and the other authorities will scrutinise, analyse and do the right thing.""
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...and says manager Ally McCoist is being 'hung out to dry' by the board. THE former boss gave a withering assessment of the men at the top of the marble staircase and claimed they’ve hung McCoist out to dry. WALTER Smith last night accused the Rangers board of making Ally McCoist the worst prepared manager in their history. The former boss gave a withering assessment of the men at the top of the marble staircase and claimed they’ve hung McCoist out to dry. Smith spoke out in strong support of McCoist in Glasgow in front of an audience of 750 at a question and answer session during a charity dinner. The ex-chairman accused the current regime of failing to back the boss and said boardroom instability is also hampering the team. Asked to reflect on the work of McCoist, who was at the event, Smith said: “Ally will need a little help – in the last three years he has had none whatsoever. “I was fortunate enough to be given great support by the likes of David Murray with the signings I was allowed to make. “People are casting aspersions on Ally’s ability but if I ever had doubts about him I would never have recommended him for the job. “No club can be successful until it is well run from the top, it’s the single determining factor in how well the team plays. “I wish Ally could be given that opportunity but it isn’t being afforded him. Ally is bearing up well under the worst circumstances under which any Rangers manager has had to work.” Smith also turned on former owner Craig Whyte when asked if he was still happy with his decision to step away from the club three years ago. He said sarcastically: “I was quite happy to leave Rangers in the hands of Craig Whyte – well, he was a billionaire, after all. “Where is he now? Costa Rica or somewhere? The wee b******.” Meanwhile, Dave King claims Sandy Easdale was as concerned with his seat on the board as investment in the cash-strapped club. Easdale has labelled the South African-based tycoon’s plan to invest £16million a phantom bid driven by self-promotion. The bus boss and Rangers board snubbed King’s offer and a £3m loan from Brian Kennedy, instead taking a £2m bailout from Mike Ashley. Now King has hit back and said: “When I spoke to Sandy on my recent trip to Scotland his main concern was whether, after investment by our consortium, he would still be involved with the club. “I confirmed we had no immediate intention to remove him or his brother from board involvement. This was clearly not enough to gain his support.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/craig-whyte-wee-b-walter-4665444
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https://twitter.com/Herald_Editor/status/535213375333359618/photo/1
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30134269 Sandy Easdale, chairman of the Rangers football board, sought assurances that boardroom changes would not force him out of Ibrox, Dave King has revealed. During discussions about a proposed £16m investment by King and a Rangers fans' consortium, he wanted reassurance that his position was safe. He was advised there was "no immediate intention to remove him or his brother [James] from the board". Sandy Easdale subsequently supported Mike Ashley's offer of a £2m loan. James Easdale is a non-executive director of Rangers International Football Club. A series of disagreements has broken out following the RIFC chairman David Somers' attempt to justify why the board accepted Ashley's offer ahead of the proposed investment from King and the consortium, and a £3m loan offered by Brian Kennedy. The latter has revealed that he was prepared to provide the loan at nominal or zero interest, and wanted Ibrox protected in a trust. Somers explained that the board opted for Ashley's loan, which has since been increased by an additional £1m, because it involved less interest and less security, Sandy Easdale also insisted in a strongly worded statement that he never agreed with the King consortium that they could provide proof of funding and the identity of all of the investors after shareholders agreed in principle to support the investment, which would have seen the group receive an equity share of RIFC and take control of the board. "I have grown tired of Mr King's antics," Easdale said, after offering his support to Somers' stance. This prompted a further response from King, who had already urged supporters to withdraw their financial support from the club on match days and in terms of merchandise. Ashley's Sports Direct already had a commercial arrangement with Rangers through the joint venture Rangers Retail Ltd. The terms of that have since been "normalised" and Sports Direct have entered a "partnership marketing agreement". Sports Direct have also given up the naming rights to Ibrox, but the company still retains "certain advertising rights". Around 10 administrative staff have been made redundant at Ibrox, including commercial and marketing employees. "It remains interesting that Sandy continues to take the lead on public company affairs," King said. "The truth is, when I spoke to Sandy on my recent trip to Scotland his main concern was whether, after investment by our consortium, he would still be able to stay involved with the club. "He indicated that Mike Ashley would look after him if he assisted Ashley in protecting his commercial rights. The new investment proposed by Paul [Murray], George [Letham] and I was seen as a threat to Sports Direct's desire to extend its influence over the Rangers brand in all its forms. "After discussion with Paul and George, I confirmed by email to Sandy that we had no immediate intention to remove him or his brother from board involvement at Rangers. "This concession was clearly not enough to gain his support and the board approved the inferior offer presented by Ashley. "Furthermore, in my meeting with the Rangers board I confirmed that I could give proof of funds within 24 hours of the board accepting our proposal in principle. I was never asked to do this."
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There was an interesting footnote to the Daily Record’s coverage of Ed Miliband’s attack on Mike Ashley over the latter’s penchant for zero hour contracts; commenting on the recent flurry of Police activity regarding the acquisition of Rangers by Craig Whyte, it read : “The warrant was issued on the day four men – David Grier, Paul Clark and David Whitehouse, who worked for Rangers administrators Duff & Phelps, and Gary Withey, who represented Whyte – were all detained by police in England acting on behalf of Police Scotland. They are due to appear in court tomorrow. Police Scotland, who are leading a joint operation with HMRC, said “inquires are ongoing” in to the whereabouts of Whyte.” What makes that footnote particularly interesting is that Police Scotland’s Specialist Economic Crime Unit are once again working jointly with HMRC. Some will remember that until recently the former were investigating the latter with regard to leaks of confidential information in the Rangers Tax Case although “they found no evidence that the leaks came from within HMRC”. Perhaps it’s unavoidable given the scope of the enquiry and the limitations on resources but does it not strike anyone else as peculiar that we now have a former suspect at the forefront of an investigation into our club? An agency which itself has been open to considerable criticism over their handling of the whole sorry mess, with serious questions being asked about their professional competency. We don’t need to do “conspiracy theories” when it comes to HMRC – the facts themselves suggest that there are considerable grounds for a government enquiry into their handling of the matter. The latest criminal developments only serve to add fuel to an already highly flammable topic. This after all is the same government agency whom:- 1. As per Keith Jackson’s Daily record expose` allowed Craig Whyte, a man they were already pursuing for tax related matters to the tune of £4 million, to assume control of a company and then fail to contribute PAYE for a period of 9 months and as a consequence forced the company into administration. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ex-rangers-owner-craig-whyte-being-3992415 2. Treated complaints from Rangers shareholders regarding breaches of confidentiality in the Rangers Tax Case as “speculation about alleged breaches of confidentiality” whilst the platforms for the foregoing breaches, The Rangers Tax Case Blog and the BBC Scotland documentary – “The Men Who Sold The Jerseys” were picking up various awards courtesy of the confidential information they had broadcast. 3. Despite the investigation aforementioned by Police Scotland, have failed to explain how evidence in the Rangers Tax case, of which they were custodians, ended up in the hands of BBC Scotland. The remarks and summation by Lord Nimmo Smith in his SPL Commission Report have not been forgotten by the Rangers support, nor will the matter be allowed to rest until a sufficient explanation is provided as to how or who was responsible for such leaks. The Rangers support will welcome the latest flexing of the long arm of the law, not only from the sense of seeing some modicum of justice, but also a means of providing answers, long overdue answers to some of the questions this particularly dark period has caused. I doubt all will welcome such developments. The latest actions by the law enforcement agencies confirm what many of us have suspected for a considerable time – that our club has been used as the vehicle for a fairly elaborate and complex fraudulent scheme and in every sense is itself the victim of the perpetrators. It will be interesting to see whether there is a determination within our club to seek recompense, financial or otherwise, in respect of those who sought to punish the crime’s victim. The tale which will unfold if only half the story however. The decision making process at HMRC and their conduct into the investigation of our club is the untold story. The latter is a story which needs to be told and only a full public enquiry will suffice.
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NEIL Lennon has revealed how sectarian “chaos and madness” left him exhausted and influenced his decision to quit Celtic. The former Parkhead boss said he was worn down by a *series of high-profile off-field incidents during his 11 years as player and manager at the *Glasgow club. During his time in Scotland, he was attacked by a Hearts fan at a game at Tynecastle and assaulted while out in the West End of Glasgow. Lennon, 43, was also sent bullets in the post and suffered a number of death threats. He stood down in the summer and has taken up a new role as manager of English Championship side Bolton Wanderers. In an interview, he said: “I don’t want to paint a bad picture because it’s fantastic up there from a football point of view. But it does wear you down in the end. “Maybe it was the chaos and the madness catching up with me, but I just felt desperately tired. When I was younger, I was able to have the energy and courage to get through it. “When I was getting bullets through the post and all that, I had good people of intelligence in the background who were looking after me. But in the end I was exhausted emotionally. “It all caught up with me. I needed a change of scenery. Did it change me as a person? Not really, no. “Did it have an effect on me? I think at times it did. Now I’m out of it, do I miss the intensity? Sometimes, yes. We live off that. “But I am loving what I am doing now. I can concentrate on the management and the football rather than the other stuff.” Lennon replaced Tony Mowbray at Parkhead in 2010 and as well as leading the club to three successive Scottish Premiership successes, he has also helped Celtic claim two Scottish Cup wins and masterminded their run to the last 16 of last season’s Champions League. In his new role at Bolton, he has won four of his first six games and admits it’s a “whole new challenge” for him. The former midfielder accepts he was “no angel” at Celtic but insisted he didn’t deserve the vitriol and has told of his anger that people in Scotland refuse to accept the abuse he was getting was sectarian in nature. He said: “At times I didn’t do myself any favours. But did I get a fair crack of the whip? No. “Some of what was said about the difficulties I had was irresponsible. I found it personal. People wouldn’t come out and say my treatment was sectarian. “They said I brought it on myself. They hid behind that *because they didn’t want to admit it. But it was sectarian in the stadiums. “People say, ‘He brings it on himself… he is an aggressive manager’. But so are some other managers. So are some players. I was high-profile, I came for a lot of money as a player. For me, my job was being part of Martin O’Neill’s team and to break the Rangers monopoly. We did that. “Nobody else had to go through situations and circumstances like I have been through. I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through it. You would hope that all the nonsense that *happened to me would serve as a watershed. “The anticipation and the *rivalry in Glasgow will probably never tire. There is part of me that misses it but a bigger part of me that doesn’t.” http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/neil-lennon-sectarian-abuse-triggered-celtic-exit-1-3611120
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30106866
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Being reported that first ten employees are going.
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A minute's applause will precede Scotland's friendly against England on Tuesday in tribute to the Scotland fan who died following their victory over the Republic of Ireland on Friday. Nathan McSeveney, 20, died when he fell in a Celtic Park stairwell. Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan said: "We have all been extremely saddened. "It is fitting that Scotland supporters have an opportunity to pay tribute to one of their own at Celtic Park." The tribute was announced after consultation with McSeveney's family, from Cumnock in Ayrshire.
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http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30114815 Was one of my favourite players while at Ibrox and scored some big goals in big games.
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After 3pm apparently for those on Sky Go or in the house! He's going to be explaining the Ashley loans... Comments: - David Somers claims Dave King consortium investment offer was breaching regulatory requirements so rejected them at 'Stage One'. - Somers claims 8 people were in King consortium but SA businessman refused to provide names and proof of funds. - Somers said that King was prepared to offer up 3 names before giving the rest if agreement made in principle. - Stage Two represented comparing Ashley and Kennedy bids whereby former was approved due to better deal on interest and security - Somers also claims Rangers make a lot of money from existing retail deal with Mike Ashley.
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Grant Russell @STVGrant · 2m 2 minutes ago Rangers football board chairman Sandy Easdale issues a statement through his PR man. "I have grown tired of Mr [Dave] King’s antics." Easdale: "For a bid to be rejected it has to be received first." Grant Russell @STVGrant · 47s 48 seconds ago Easdale: "I can only conclude that Mr King’s phantom bid was designed as vehicle for self-promotion of some kind." https://twitter.com/stvgrant
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Keith Jackson saying that Brian Kennedy will reply to Somers interview comments tomorrow.
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A super legend as a player but why is he allowed to still be manager....1 or 2 results could be swept under the carpet but the following shows he isn't the man. Peterhead 2-2 Rangers Berwick 1-1 Rangers Annan 0-0 Rangers Stirling 1-0 Rangers Rangers 1-1 Elgin Rangers 1-1 Montrose Stirling 1-1 Rangers Rangers 1-2 Annan Rangers 0-0 Stirling Montrose 0-0 Rangers Rangers 1-2 Peterhead Rangers 1-1 Stranraer Rangers 3-3 Stenhousemuir Raith 1-0 Rangers (cup final) Forfar 2-1 Rangers Rangers 1-1 Albion Rangers 1-3 Dundee Utd Brora Rangers 1-1 Rangers Ventura Fusion County (no laughing at the back please) 3-1 Rangers Rangers 1-2 Hearts Alloa 1-1 Rangers Rangers 1-3 Hibs Rangers 1-1 Alloa
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THE South African-based businessman brands Ibrox chairman "disingenuous" after being accused of failing to provide proof of funds. DAVE KING has tonight hit back at David Somers’ claims he failed to prove he had the finance to invest in Rangers – and accused the Ibrox chairman of being "disingenuous". Somers had earlier today insisted the South African-based businessman couldn’t provide proof of funds and that made it impossible for the board to accept King’s offer of investment last month. A proposal from King's consortium was considered along with another from former Blue Knight Brian Kennedy before Ibrox directors instead accepted a £2million loan from shareholder Mike Ashley last month. And in an interview with Sky Sports News, Somers said: "We had three people offering us funds and I felt it was very important we do proper due diligence on all three. "In the past Rangers has perhaps done deals it wouldn't have done if it had done proper due diligence. "Where (the King offer) fell down was really at stage one. When I said to all three of these people 'would you show me proof of funds?' two showed me proof of funds. The consortium did not. "The second question for the consortium was, 'I know there are eight of you, I only know three of you. Can I please have the other five names?' And the message I was getting all the time was 'if you agree to do deal, if you persuade 75 per cent of shareholders, then we'll show you funds and you can have the other names'. "When I said to all three of these people 'would you show me proof of funds?' two showed me proof of funds. The consortium did not. "It wasn't meeting the due diligence requirements – they were simple questions. I cannot go to shareholders when I don't know all the names, I can't check the names out and I can't put my hand on my heart and say, 'these guys have the money'. "In the end we had to move on to stage two which left two providers. "Then it was a simple case of which provider was offering the lowest interest rate – Mike Ashley was offering zero interest which is difficult to beat – and which provider wanted least security. Again Mike Ashley only wanted a small amount relative to the other deal. "Once we got to that stage it was a no-brainer which one we were going with." But King has claimed Sandy Easdale - chairman of Rangers' football board - agreed proof of funds and individual identities could be provided once the backing of shareholders was confirmed. He insisted Somers was "being disingenuous with his comments". A statement from King read: "We had private discussions with both (former chief executive) Graham Wallace and Sandy Easdale in which we told them that we would immediately provide proof of funding and details of the full make-up of the consortium following confirmation from Sandy Easdale that the shareholders whom he represents were prepared to support the terms of our investment proposal in principle. "Sandy Easdale agreed to proceed on this basis. Unfortunately he was not then able to provide the confirmation we asked for. There was no possibility of proceeding any further without the support of Sandy Easdale's group who had the power to block our proposed investment." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/rangers-war-words-breaks-out-4650192?
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Teams: Marshall, Whittaker, R.Martin, Hanley, Robertson, Mulgrew, Brown, Maloney, Naismith, Anya, S.Fletcher Forde, Coleman, O'Shea, Keogh, Ward, McGeady, Hendrick, Gibson, McClean, Long, Walters
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From last week: http://t.co/aNmKNADMKG (PDF file) Collyer Bristow settlement confirmed within this. Also, BDO suggest there are £168.7m of unsecured creditors (including £94m noted for the HMRC monies (including the BTC).
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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. -
...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
