Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'football'.
-
...Hibs and Hearts back to the top. GORDON STRACHAN claims Scottish football might need to engineer change to get Rangers, Hearts and Hibs back into the top flight. Speaking on Sky’s ‘Goals on Sunday’ programme, the Scotland boss said getting all three promoted is for the good of the game. This season only one team is certain of climbing up from the Championship. One other team could gain promotion via the play-offs but one club is guaranteed to spend another term in the second tier. Strachan reckons the hype at the impending Old Firm League Cup semi-final shows how much the game has missed the Glasgow derby. And he reckons finding a way to “manipulate” the leagues to get all the big guns back in double-quick time would be a good move. He said: “Somehow we have to get these three teams back. People say you can’t manipulate it, but I think you must to get them back in the Premiership. “Then the game will grow again, with the crowds and money and excitement.” On the Old Firm cup-tie, he said: “The top league has missed Hearts, Hibs and Rangers, so to get that fixture back is fantastic, as all the talk is administration and all the rest of it. “The phone-ins are filled with all these kind of things. We need Rangers back. They were punished and something had to happen but it’s left Scottish football short.” Rangers started again in the bottom tier while Hearts dropped out of the top flight after administration and a 15-point penalty. Hibs’ abject failure last season saw them relegated via the play-offs. SFA and SPFL chiefs may secretly agree with Strachan, but finding a fair way to do it would be hard to do. http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/530715/Gordon-Strachan-league-engineering-Rangers-Hibs-Hearts
-
Jane Lewis @BBCJaneLewis 36s36 seconds ago #Ranger appoint Derek Llambias as non-executive director. The stock exchange made announcement morning.
-
Looks like 3.6 million shares were traded today or rather transferred , could this be in part payement for either outstanding loan
-
Seven members of the Green Brigade group of Celtic fans are to stand trial next month charged with singing a pro-IRA song. They are alleged to have behaved in a way that "is likely or would be likely to incite public disorder" by singing the Roll of Honour at Celtic Park. Paul Duke (38), Ross Gallagher (30), Christopher Bateman (29) David Gallacher (23), Sean Cowden (22), Kieran Duffy (19) and Greg Robertson (29) are charged with the offence. Duke and Gallagher, both of East Kilbride, Bateman, of Irvine, Gallacher, of Glasgow, Cowden, of Rutherglen and Duffy, of Coatbridge, are accused of singing the song at the Champions League qualifier match at a Celtic against Elfsborg match on July 31, 2013. Gallagher, Bateman and Robertson, also of Glasgow, are accused of singing the song at a league match against Ross County on August 3 last year. Robertson faces the same allegation along with Gallacher in connection with match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on August 24 last year. The case against all seven - who plead not guilty - today called for a hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court. They were ordered to return for trial, which is set to start next month. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/u/seven-green-brigade-members-face-trial-over-pro-ira-song.1414595076 -
I see he has resigned.
-
I thought this was quite well written from Chris Jack regarding last night's crowd. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangerscomment/empty-seats-tell-story-of-rangers-fatal-rift-186382n.25722001
-
Noticed this on FF, T4C also had a post on it last week I'm sure, QUESTIONS have been raised over Rangers' commercial deals as it emerged that Sports Direct, headed up by billionaire Mike Ashley, have had effective control of the club's retail operation for nearly two years. According to official documents, while Rangers Football Club Ltd have 51% of the joint venture and Sports Direct 49%, Ashley and Sports Direct have the upper hand. The Sunday Herald can reveal that the company rules for Rangers Retail Limited were changed in November 2012, three months after the joint venture was established. Rangers Retail's amended Articles of Association showed Sports Direct receive two votes for every share on "financial matters", ensuring Mr Ashley's company has effective control. When Rangers' joint venture with Sports Direct was confirmed by the club under then chief executive Charles Green in August 2012, it was promoted as enabling Rangers "to once again control its retail operation and give supporters the chance to buy direct from the club and in doing so, continue to invest in its future". At the time, there were no details of any money changing hands to seal the deal and details of how the club benefit have been sketchy. Rangers Retail run the club's entire retail operation, including the Rangers Megastore, and hold the rights under licence to the club's famous crests. Details of the terms of the joint venture between Sports Direct and The Rangers Football Club Ltd, the club's operating company headed by controversial chairman Sandy Easdale, came as supporters registered their disquiet over the acceptance of a £2 million emergency loan from Ashley amid unsubstantiated claims the business was days from insolvency. As working capital was running out, as of June, £2.72m relating to Rangers Retail was included in the £4.26m cash balances of parent company Rangers International Football Club plc. But, according to their accounts, this sum was "not immediately available as working capital to the group". Ashley has already bought the stadium naming rights, so far unused, for £1 in 2012. It is understood he has a deal for the operation of the club's shops and that he controls a portion of Rangers' revenue through that contract, which sees club merchandise sold in Sports Direct stores. According to Sports Direct's latest accounts, it has registered sales of £3.843m to Ashley-controlled Rangers Retail in the year to April 2014. Craig Houston, of the Sons of Struth supporters' group, said Ashley appeared to have control of every part of the money-making side of the club and has made it "unsellable". He said: "All a buyer seems to have is ticket sales and TV rights." The terms of Ashley's £2m emergency loan also gave him security over the Albion car park and Edmiston House facility next to Ibrox. Under the previous 10-year retail agreement with JJB struck by Sir David Murray in 2006, Rangers accepted an initial £18m from the sports firm, while it was also guaranteed a minimum royalty fee of £3m per year until 2016. As a result, JJB held exclusive rights to design, develop, source and retail merchandise associated with the club. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/ashley-firm-had-financial-control-of-rangers-retail-2-years-ago.25756326
-
... for the handover from tyranny to terraces. Gordon Waddell discusses the relationship football has with its fans and how Ann Budge's statement to Hearts support is a masterpiece. Football is an imperfect world. One man’s satisfaction is always another’s rage. But imagine a club with a functional relationship with its fans. A club who respect their support for the money they spend and the loyalty they show. Who communicate regularly and honestly, who pay fairly and on time, whose charitable wing is strong, whose academy and its philosophy is treasured, and whose leadership is a byword for trust and integrity. Pie in the sky? An impossibility to tick every box in a cruel environment plagued by too many who are in it to see what they can get out of it? Or just a template for Hearts’ story of redemption? Honestly, take a look at Ann Budge’s statement to the Hearts support this week if you haven’t already seen it. An absolute masterpiece. And a marker of faith that, if you really want to, you CAN run a football club with values and with decency. Back in February I said that the deal to take Hearts out of administration and onwards was the result of months of good leadership, good governance, good PR, good organisation but, most of all, good intentions. And what the Jambos have emerged with from their post-Romanov apocalypse appears to be progressing as the perfect template for the handover from tyranny to the terraces. Thanks, in the main, to one woman. When Budge put her money up as the backstop to the Foundation of Hearts’ ultimate dream of fan ownership, and then said she’d steer the ship towards safety on a pro-bono basis, it was always going to be the best thing that ever happened to the club. But even in the most far-flung reaches of their support’s imagination, they couldn’t have dreamed she would do as well by them as this. Never mind what’s happening on the park. It’s not an irrelevance but nor in the grand scheme of them redeeming themselves from an era of financial abuse is it the main thing they must get right. What she’s achieving off it is. And when you look at the latest update, it’s clear Hearts are running to a set of principles that all but a few in our game can only dream about matching. She covered everything from hot water in the toilets to kids’ clubs, to improved websites, to finally getting shareholders issued with the evidence of their investment which the previous incumbent happily took from them and then flushed down the pan. She promised audited accounts on time, an agm before the year’s out and even an explanation of why it costs so much to post them out and how they tried to save 10 grand in the process. A step up from that though, she committed the club to paying the Living Wage. Which, when it comes to the likes of catering staff and security, will make a significant difference. It will cost the club but it will be worth it because they can look themselves in the mirror in the morning. Finally, a kick-in-the-teeth threat of a lifetime ban for the zoomers setting off flares in the midst of their support, lest anyone thought she was some kind of soft touch as a 66-year-old grandmother. Budge didn’t put a foot wrong. She hasn’t yet. You can say what you like about how Hearts got there, about the immorality of skipping your debts through administration, but you can’t question what they’ve done since. And it all got me thinking... Who else could be doing with that calibre of leadership and foresight? Which other organisations need more clarity, better communication, more respect for the fans, shrewder judgment? Anyone? Anyone? It’s a bit like the interview I did back in the summer with Roy MacGregor. Arguably the best businessman in Scottish football, a man whose empire turns over half a billion a year, yet who has never been asked to participate in the administration of our sport. Not even for an opinion. Amongst all the macho posturing going on between the hierarchies of the SPFL and SFA, why wouldn’t you ask someone of Budge’s obvious qualities to share her expertise? Are the league’s executive leadership scared to be shown up? Are the SFA’s old guard fearful of change and new ideas? We all know the answer to that. It should be a no-brainer that the cream of the game’s business talent should be contributing to its future wellbeing. Then again, the chances are they might face some stiff competition from a Hearts support who may never want Budge to leave, despite her well-defined exit strategy. Who could blame them for trying? ** You can’t blame FAI chief John Delaney for trying to get Irish fans a bigger slice of Celtic Park for the Euro qualifier. But his outburst at the SFA’s refusal is a bit rich and probably a deflection from him diverting a chunk of their ticket allocation away from the rank-and-file fans. Parkhead was chosen due to its segregation arrangements that could minimise the presence of the Irish. They get 3000 briefs and the rest is a mass of Scotland fans. Exactly how Gordon Strachan will want it. ** The Aleksandar Tonev racism row will rumble on. Lawyers will have a field day with a Judicial Panel protocol that at its core only has a “balance of probability” as its burden of proof. Shay Logan is a credible guy who you would never expect to fabricate something. Sad thing is he’s the victim again, on the receiving end of an abhorrent attitude, and he’ll be forgotten in the fight to ensue between Celtic and the SFA. ** Interesting stats from the States. MLS crowds for 2014 averaged 19,151 across their 19 clubs, up nearly a third in a decade. Next season’s reshuffle will see it go even higher. Sawker is definitely getting there. ** In the next hilarious episode of ‘Rangers’... Derek Llambias whacks Sandy Easdale with a swinging ladder as he washes the Ibrox windows to cut costs and Dave King walks in at an inopportune moment – again! Comedy Central. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/jambos-find-perfect-template-handover-4552636
-
-
SUCH would be the frenzied hype surrounding the pairing of Celtic and Rangers in this evening’s League Cup semi-final draw, the fixture would hardly be in need of any sub-plots. But it will have one nonetheless, in the six-foot-four-inch form of Craig Gordon. The goalkeeper is currently revitalising his career in hugely impressive style for Celtic with a series of performances which have earned him a recall to the Scotland squad. The irony of the 31-year-old’s rebirth at Celtic, of course, comes in the fact it was conceived at the training base of their fallen Ibrox rivals. Gordon spent much of last season using the training and medical facilities at Murray Park while he sought to finally overcome a career-threatening knee injury. The former Hearts and Sunderland ’keeper admits he owes a debt of gratitude to Rangers for his successful rehabilitation and bears no grudges over their failure to offer him a playing contract, insisting they were right to strengthen other areas of their squad instead. “I think Rangers’ priorities lay elsewhere and in my view probably quite rightly so,” said Gordon. “That was their choice. They went the way they saw fit and personally I think they probably made the right decision. “I was there most of last season working with their physios and doctors and trying to get myself to a level of fitness where I could compete again and go back out and play. Thankfully, towards the end of the season, I managed to do that and then it was a case of trying to get myself a job. “The possibility of me joining Rangers was talked about but nothing was ever finalised or offered. Would I have signed for them? Who knows? Until it was presented to me, then I don’t know what I would have done. Going to Murray Park came through Jim Stewart who was my goalkeeping coach when I was 15 and signed my first contract at Hearts. “Jim worked very hard to get me my first contract and we obviously worked together at Scotland and at Hearts for a long time. We had that friendship and he wanted to try and help me get back to fitness. “There were no guarantees it would even work and that I’d get fit again. We said I’d give it a go and see what happened. Their help was invaluable. Without the Rangers physio Steve Walker, I might not be where I am right now. “They did help, undoubtedly, to get me to this point. I’ve spoken to the physio a couple of times but not that often and not that recently. Now being at the opposing club, it makes that a little bit more difficult but I’ll be forever grateful for the help he did provide. “I honestly don’t care who we get in the semi-final draw. I just want to try to win the League Cup with Celtic. It really makes no difference to me whatsoever. I understand the potential of an Old Firm match is a great talking point for everyone but we’ll see what the draw is and even then the semi-final is still a few months away. “It’s a fixture I’d like to experience at some point in my career and when it comes along, great. But until it happens, then it’s hypothetical. “I didn’t go into Murray Park trying to impress Rangers. I was probably quite selfish on my own part and just went in to try to help myself get back fit. Towards the end, I trained with some of the younger goalkeepers and maybe passed on a few tips and spoke to them but I was trying to get myself fit and that was it. “It’s difficult to be in a football club when you can’t train or take part in games. It can be quite a lonely place at times. If I could have got that level of expertise and facilities elsewhere, then I’d probably have stayed away and kept myself to myself until I felt ready to get back in. “I was out the game for two years and then a year at Rangers, the first six months of which was in the gym. Everyone was outside training and working away. There might have been one or two other injured lads but it’s not an easy thing to go through and mentally get yourself up for training when it’s only for yourself. “There wasn’t any money to be earned. It was just a question of whether I could get back to doing what I want to do. It feels good to be back at that level with Celtic and when you make a contribution to the team, it feels good. “It’s not just in training but when you go out and play games it gives you a sense of worth among your team-mates and they respect what you do and vice versa. It’s that sense of belonging to a team that you don’t get when you’re injured.” Gordon admits to both surprise and delight at the level he has returned to with Celtic, revealing at one point he was forced to contemplate an unlikely move across the Irish Sea. “I didn’t expect this to happen,” he added. “I didn’t even know where I’d fit back into football. I had teams on the phone from the Irish League and other part-time clubs. “I didn’t know how fit I was going to be. I didn’t know what level I’d be in terms of ability. That was something I had to prove to myself. If things hadn’t gone so well, even if I was fit, I might even have had to go part-time somewhere to get back in. “I didn’t have any targets. I just wanted to get fit and back into football and I’ve been fortunate to end up at a great club and my fitness is close to what it was before and I’ve managed to pick up where I left off. It all just fell into place that way, it wasn’t by design.” http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/craig-gordon-owes-his-resurgence-to-rangers-physio-1-3590830
-
Delighted by that... not. http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12133485.html PS: Apparently this is to oversee the appointment process of our new CEO. No laughing at the back.
-
Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan says Rangers fans should be wary of Mike Ashley because the owner of a club should always be a supporter. Ashley has a 10% stake in the Ibrox club but is widely regarded as being the most influential shareholder, having loaned the club £2m last week. "If I was [a Rangers fan] and a stranger from England started buying my club I'd be worried," said Whelan. "I'd ask myself 'Has he got Rangers Football Club at heart'?" Whelan had business dealings with Rangers in the past through JJB Sports. Ashley now has a retail deal of his own at Rangers through his Sports Direct brand. Whelan says any investment in football should be welcomed, but questions why the Newcastle owner is getting involved with the Ibrox side. "It's like me and Wigan Athletic, I am Wigan through and through and I'll do anything I can for them," he added. "It's that kind of owner that supporters want. Is Mike going to be like that? He's not been like that at Newcastle United and the Newcastle supporters are similar in a lot of ways to the Rangers supporters. I'm at a little bit of a loss and only time can answer it. "He got involved in Newcastle United and I was a bit surprised when I saw he had a big interest in Rangers. It's not for football, it's obviously something commercial. "Rangers are a massive club and have massive retail sales and the supporters really do buy the Rangers kit and they support that club through and through. Could it be something to do with that? It's a very strange one. "The one thing you've got to remember is Mike Ashley's a very very shrewd gentleman. He's not a real football man, he's the first to admit when I talk to Mike that he doesn't really understand the game." Whelan has no doubts about Ashley's abilities as a businessman, but remains bemused by the Englishman's desire to get involved in Scottish football. "[Mike Ashley] is a very nice guy, he's strictly honest," Whelan added. "I have dealt with him because he bought JJB from me. He's ruthless, yes, and you've got to be ruthless when you're in business like he is. "At Rangers I don't know what the big pull is because he can only own 10% I think. Can you run a club with only 10%? I don't think so. "Do the Rangers fans want him to buy that club and do they want him to be chairman? I have my doubts on that." There has been speculation that Ashley has increased his interest in Rangers in the hope of the club one day moving to the English Premier League, and that is a move Whelan would welcome. "It would great for the Premier League if they extended the league, don't put anybody out, and bring Celtic and Rangers in," he said. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29856804
-
Apparently voting is now open for your favoured candidate in each section's short leet. I'm not a member myself but I'm sure someone can post the full list here if possible. http://fansboard.rangers.co.uk/
-
http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/news/local/dundee/rangers-fans-fury-at-ibrox-disaster-tweet-1.653603
-
For clarification the offer has been made by Brian Kennedy. Unlike King's package it doesn't need shareholder support. Board approval enough Board were meeting this afternoon to discuss both options. As yet no word of decision being made. I understand Brian Kennedy has travelled to Glasgow this afternoon. RFC board meeting still on going....
-
Some more analysis from Graham McLaren on TRS: http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/331-what-now-for-dave-king
-
by Alex Oliver | Contributor Dave King’s statement tonight launched a scathing critique of what he believed to be obstructions in his attempt to seek control of Rangers Football Club. Something which jumped out at me more than anything was the following part: "...given the present concerns from supporters that Mr Ashley is using his shareholder status to put pressure on the board to alienate the rights and trade mark of the club in favour of his personal interest." It got me thinking, something in this area has changed since the beginning of the season. The observant will have noticed the 'scroll crest' has now taken precedence over the traditional 'Ready' crest. Given all that has gone on and various whispers of image rights and naming rights being sold for a pittance, it would surely be naïve to suggest that it is simply re-branding. I have collated several examples of where things have changed. CONTINUE READING... http://www.thecoplandroad.org/
-
how brilliant was it to focus on the game last night found it to be a bit of relief actually and it's got me checking out the rest of the quarter finals tonight..... Thistle lie down,Aberdeen scrape a win, Hibs go down on extra time penalties perversly I'm now looking at the Newcastle scores too Maybe I need help !
-
According to the Press Association, he's flying up to Glasgow now. Not sure if he'll replace Nash or Wallace. -
Some words on recent events from yours truly via TRS: http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/330-the-fog-on-the-clyde
-
Apologies for posting but I would to mention a couple of things. If it is true that Rangers will not earn anything/negligible from merchandise, then surely it presents an opportunity for the two organisations who are buying shares on the fans' behalf. Maybe manufacturing their own (classic style) unofficial (but official quality) Rangers tops could provide a serious income stream for the organisations. I would imagine that a football top could be manufactured for circa £5 either in UK or China. 30,000 tops at £30/£35 each would provide around £750,000 profit(after further costs) to be used to purchase shares with. Surely every website and supporters club could get behind such an initiative and drive sales. Given two or three cycles, a serious share position could be built by the fans. Well done last night.
-
Dave King's talks with Sandy Easdale ended without agreement. If this surprises anyone then it shouldn't.
-
This is not a joke - It has hit us. What's a sugar daddy doing with a football club anyway? I only look at all the English Premier club owners then I wake up. Obviously for the same reason as all over Europe Rangers now find themselves under the vice grip of a billionaire. Happy days - or is it? Bad or good? Will we disappear in doomsday with all the clubs who've went down the sugar daddy route? I want this just because it can only mean success if only in the short term but we as fans have witnessed worse scenarios more than most? We have a duty as supporters...follow, follow no excuses.
-
"The Rangers support and the club itself has once again been betrayed by those tasked with overseeing the health and success of our great football club. The decision by the non-executive directors of the Plc board, Mr Somers, Mr James Easdale and Mr Norman Crighton, to effectively hand control of the club to Mike Ashley in return for a £2m, short term loan, is an absolute disgrace. They have acted in a cowardly way and have been bullied by Mike Ashley and Sandy Easdale into giving them precisely what they want with no regard for the club. The club was at a crossroads. The board had to decide whether to take us down the route of a long term, £16m, sustainable investment and the start of a process where fans could once again trust those tasked with nursing Rangers back to health. Instead they have handed Mike Ashley control of the boardroom for a pittance which will now have to be repaid out of the pockets of the dwindling number of Rangers fans who still choose to support this regime financially. They have neglected their duty to shareholders, fans and the club itself. Their cowardly act now means we are likely to see Mr Ashley gain long term control of the club’s remaining commercial income without having to actually invest a penny. The board has, through a policy of inaction and cooperation with Sandy Easdale's shareholder group, allowed a situation to develop where corporate vultures are grabbing what assets they can. There is no long term plan. There is no investment. We simply limp from one short term fix to another, each time giving away more of the family silver, despite a clear alternative being available. Sandy Easdale's pronouncement that the Plc board "did their duty and their due diligence accordingly" and have done "what's in the best interests of the fans, the club and the shareholders" is the type of laughable nonsense we have come to expect from him. Mr Easdale certainly got what he wanted which was the retention of his seat in the director’s box and his club tie. The club and the fans have been sold down the river and this is another kick in the teeth for both them and the reputable shareholders still involved at Rangers. Mr Easdale, rather than disingenuous statements, should explain to fans why he actively blocked a £16m investment that could have taken the club forward. It is now a matter of individual conscience for fans if they wish to continue to fund the corporate pillaging of our football club. They should be under no illusions however that every time they purchase a single item in either Sports Direct or our club shops, they are paying for the privilege of allowing Mike Ashley to strengthen his grip on our commercial operations in a move which could hamstring the club for a generation. Also for the remainder of this season, every match ticket they buy will be used to pay Mr Ashley back the money he has lent for control of our club. Effectively they will be paying him for the privilege of his power grab."
-
Man faces extortion allegations over leaked Rangers secrets a Ibrox stadium... home of Glasgow Rangers 0 BY ROBERT McAULAY Published: 54 minutes ago A MAN faces a charge of extortion after police began probing the release of Rangers secrets on the internet. The 45-year-old male also faces allegations involving breaches of the Computer Misuse Act and the Communications Act. http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/6036015/Man-faces-extortion-allegations-over-leaked-Rangers-secrets.html
