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THE Rangers Charity Foundation is delighted to share news from our International Charity Partner UNICEF on the ongoing difference our support has made in Togo, West Africa where we recently funded the renovation of 7 health centres, and helped equip a further 6. The Foundation raised £200,000 in support of this project which helped UNICEF to strengthen the rights of children living in the poorest areas of Togo. The aim of the initiative was to ensure mothers and children had access to good quality health services, targeting three particular regions: Savanes, Kara and Maritime. These areas are three of the most affected and vulnerable in Togo where children die daily from preventable diseases and illness. The funding also assisted with training health care professionals, providing transport, installing water and sanitation facilities and funding communication materials to educate the local communities on how to keep their children healthy. The health centres we supported are now providing water and sanitation facilities and therapeutic feeding services for severely malnourished children and thanks to our new 3 year initiative with UNICEF – our ‘One In A Million’ campaign – we are building upon this amazing legacy and continuing to safeguard the futures of the world’s children by funding one million vaccines to fight preventable diseases. UNICEF uses vaccines where they are needed most, including in remote and deprived areas such as Savanes, Kara and Maritime in Togo, which are part of UNICEF’s world-wide immunisation programme. Some of the amazing achievements made possible by our project in Togo include - •An estimated 90,125 children under five years old have been able to access quality nutritional rehabilitation services as a direct result of the Foundation’s support. It is estimated that 1,500 people living close to the health facilities are now benefitting on a daily basis from the clean water point and sanitation facilities. •Specialist training has been given to 150 health workers from Kara and Savanes on tackling severe to acute malnutrition. Five primary health centre units benefited from the staff training which has helped provide full geographic coverage of services for children with acute malnutrition in the most vulnerable regions. •Three of the primary health care units (Solla, Korbongou, Assakondji) which did not have any transport also received a motorbike to allow staff to easily visit communities on a regular basis to provide support and promptly identify and diagnose illness in even the most remote areas. •A new training manual for Community Health Workers has been developed on Key Family Practices to promote health messages to families. An estimated one million Togolese citizens will be reached through various communication channels. These manuals include information on exclusive breastfeeding, the use of mosquito nets, the use of oral rehydration salts and zinc in cases of diarrhoea, hand washing with soap, the use of latrines, immunisation and much more. In total, just over 100,000 children in these areas have been supported by the Foundation, an achievement we can all be proud of. More children now have the chance to have a brighter, healthier future – thank you to everyone who has supported us and made this amazing project possible! If you would like to find out more about our ongoing work with UNICEF, click here to read about the ‘One In a Million’ campaign and our partnership with the world’s leading children’s charity. If you would like to help support our work with UNICEF and our other charity partners, click here to find out how to get involved. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/club-news/item/7249-our-amazing-legacy
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RANGERS Football Club can this afternoon confirm the signing of Marius Zaliukas on a two-year deal. The Lithuanian defender joined Ally McCoist’s squad in Brora last week and during his second trial spell with the club he impressed both in training and in a 45-minute run-out against Brora Rangers at Dudgeon Park. Having successfully completed his medical he will now travel with the League One champions to North America tomorrow. Zaliukas came close to agreeing a deal with the Light Blues last September but after training at Murray Park he moved to Elland Road instead. Prior to that the 30-year-old centre half spent seven years in Edinburgh with the Jambos and captained the club Rangers will face on the opening day of the Championship season at Ibrox. In total he played 220 times for Hearts following his move from FBK Kaunas in his homeland and scored on 14 occasions. Manager Ally McCoist has already added one central defender to his pool this summer with ex-St Mirren stopper Darren McGregor putting pen-to-paper on a one-year contract on June 11. With Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd also returning to Ibrox last month, Zaliukas’ decision to join Rangers is another boost for the manager and the club as the preparations continue for a massive year in Scottish football’s second tier. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7183-zaliukas-joins-gers Hopefully an end to Jig at the back, thank goodness. Zaliukas will surely be the No. 1 choice CB with Faure but more likely Mohsni.
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Become a member Sons of Struth was formed out of frustration that we felt no one spoke for us and we wanted a voice. We certainly found one. If it was not for the thousands that joined our protests then our voice would not have been heard. We now want to give those who helped us be heard a platform and to be involved in shaping the future of SoS As a member of SoS you will receive updates on future activities be invited to put forward ideas for future activities be polled on concerns we may have for our club and on future activities have access to a members only forum have a say in the future of the group be part of the most active group of fans in the last 12 months Membership is FREE http://www.sonsofstruth.co.uk/join-sos.html
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How long do we wait after the 120 days ???? review? http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-boss-ally-mccoist-admits-3813756 McCOIST is seeking clarity on what the operations officer role would entail and whether he'll be allowed to appoint someone else to head up the club's scouting network. ALLY McCOIST has admitted he’s in the dark over Christian Nerlinger being lined up as chief football operations officer at Rangers. And the Ibrox boss wants clarity on what that new role would entail as he still doesn’t know if he can bring in someone else to head up the club’s scouting network. Chief executive Graham Wallace claimed an operations officer was needed in his 120-day business review back in April. And former Gers midfielder Nerlinger is said to be on the radar, having held a similar position at European giants Bayern Munich. But when asked about Nerlinger, McCoist said: “I haven’t heard anything regarding that. I spoke with Graham on Wednesday and nothing has been said about Nerlinger or any director of football so I don’t know anything about it. “I would expect to know something but it has gone quiet. I don’t know what has happened. My priority is to win the league but in terms of infrastructure we desperately need a chief scout. In an ideal world Graham and I would sit down but I don’t know what the plans are with the chief football officer. “I don’t know whether that would be his department in terms of scouting. “Do I have someone in mind? Absolutely. But let’s be honest – there is a financial aspect as well. “We need somebody to scout talent. Whether that is the chief football officer’s gig or the chief scout’s gig is up for debate. But if we want to get back to a top standard in Scotland and hopefully get back into European football we need to have people assessing players.” McCoist has snapped up Darren McGregor, Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller so far this summer. But he also wants to land former Hearts stopper Marius Zaliukas and Cardiff midfielder Don Cowie. The Ibrox boss said: “Marius has trained with us after being released by Leeds and we are going to have a chat. I think there’s still a few quid knocking about in that budget and that will be put to the test in the next week or so.” All of Rangers’ summer targets are tried and tested in the Scottish top flight and McCoist claims in the absence of a proper scouting department he is left with no option but to go for players he knows well. He pointed to Sporting Lisbon’s capture of Dundee United kid Ryan Gauld as an example of clubs casting their net wide and admitted Rangers are “light years” away from being able to work like that. He said: “Ian Durrant, Kenny McDowall and myself watch French football, Dutch football, absolutely everything on TV. But we can’t go to watch players unless they are in Scotland because of the situation the club is in. “That is the beauty of having a scouting department. If you have scouts they can go and watch games, they can recommend players and then you can go and look at them. “At this moment you are actually just watching games off videos. It is not ideal. “I met Peter Houston about four weeks ago (when he was scouting for Celtic) at the airport and said: ‘Where have you been?’ He said: ‘Watching six games.’ “Our best opportunity is to watch on the telly. If you have a chief scout and a department, you have the potential to do a Sporting Lisbon. “You can get a boy at 18, 19 and say: ‘Right, it looks like we are not going to play you for 18 months but we are going to develop you’. “That is the ideal world. We are light years away from that.” -
RANGERS have experienced a flurry of late season ticket sales since striker Kris Boyd made his emotional return to Ibrox last week. Boyd ended weeks of speculation when he signed a one-year deal with the SPFL League One champions - and is set to team up again with Kenny Miller. And his capture has since led to a surge in Light Blue supporters signing up to watch Ally McCoist's side in the 2014/15 season. The ticket office at Ibrox at the weekend was queued out of the door for long spells as fans snapped up season books for the new campaign. Lifelong fan Alan Anderson, from Cambuslang, was taken aback at the level of interest when he renewed his ticket at Ibrox on Saturday. He told SportTimes: "I was told the season ticket office was going to be open until after two o'clock and popped down half an hour before it shut. "But when I got there there were a lot of cars in the car park and people were queueing out of the door. "There was a great atmosphere among the supporters who were waiting to buy tickets. "I think most of them were, like me, buying season tickets because Kris Boyd has signed. "But people were genuinely excited about the season ahead and the prospect of playing teams like Hearts and Hibs. "I wasn't going to renew my season ticket, but I decided to do so when I saw that Boyd had signed. "I think a lot of people were the same as me. "I don't necessarily like who is in charge at Rangers at the moment, but I am, as the slogan goes, prepared to support the team and not the regime." Rangers announced to the Stock Exchange a fortnight ago that "approximately 17,000" season tickets had been bought by fans this summer. That is in stark contrast to the 34,000 supporters who made the Gers one of the best backed clubs in Britain for the second stage of "The Journey". The Union of Fans - an umbrella group comprising six supporters organisations - has been urging fans not to renew their season tickets. The UoF and former director Dave King set up Ibrox 1972 Ltd in the close season and urged supporters to pledge their money to it instead. They want Rangers to give them security over the stadium and the training ground at Auchenhowie in return for the cash. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-revel-in-boyd-ticket-bounty-169185n.24618366
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“If ever fans required a reminder of the reasons for our campaign to secure our club’s home, it is the recent £200k windfall received by disgraced former finance director Brian Stockbridge, who in the past couple of days has been handed shares worth approximately £215,000 for which he has paid just over £7,000. It is the current board’s position that Brian Stockbridge was contractually entitled to these shares and it was therefore outwith their control. We reject this entirely. Mr Stockbridge could and should have been sacked for any number of employment related issues including his abysmally inaccurate financial projections, financial mismanagement of tens of millions of pounds of fans’ and investors’ money and several misleading statements to fans and shareholders. That this board allowed a compromise agreement to be signed, on termination of Mr Stockbridge’s contract, which allowed Mr Stockbridge a further £200k windfall is an absolute disgrace. His share option entitlement and any other financial benefit which Mr Stockbridge was due should have been removed as part of his contract termination. Mr Stockbridge has already received considerably more than he merited from our football club as have several others with whom he is closely associated. Did Mr Stockbridge’s close relationship with the Easdale brothers, who hold undue influence over boardroom matters, smooth his path to this further windfall? Furthermore, we believe that David Somers misled shareholders at the AGM on the subject of Mr Stockbridge’s share options. When a question was asked on this topic, the clear inference from Mr Somers was that this would not be an issue due to the option price of 70p, which at that time was almost twice the market value of the shares. Mr Somers clearly gave the impression that the option would not be taken due to the drop in share value. At no point did either Mr Stockbridge or Mr Somers make it clear that this option could be exercised for 1p a share – a crucial and highly misleading omission. Charles Green had a similar clause in his contract which entitled him to 1,028,571 shares. Can the board confirm whether this option was also allowed to remain following Mr Green’s contract termination? If so, can we expect a further windfall in the near future for Mr Green on top of the small fortune he has already bled from the club? Finally, despite repeated attempts to engage with Graham Wallace and the board over the issue of a binding legal commitment not to sell or lease back Ibrox or Murray Park, we have been unable to come to any agreement. It seems the board are happy to continue to alienate the thousands of fans who have supported our efforts through the Ibrox 1972 fund. As a result of this refusal from the board to give fans any legal undertaking over the club’s most prized assets, we are left with no option but to release all those who have supported the fund from their binding financial commitment. This will be confirmed to them over the coming weeks. We urge fans not to give their money to this regime in a lump sum payment via season tickets and to support the team on a game by game basis. The team deserve our loyalty, this regime, with its stranglehold on our club, deserves nothing but our contempt. Quite simply, they cannot be trusted and supporters simply do not know where their hard earned money is going to end up if they pass it over blindly."
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http://www.redandblackshirt.com/
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All over twitter this evening.
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Don't think we've had a discussion on Boyd before. Certainly haven't had on whether I have been pro-Boyd. Long time posters on here will know I was his biggest critic. However this season I think we've seen a different player and I cant believe I would ever say that if we are being linked with him Id like him to return - mainly due to the position we are in. I still think he is a poor 'footballer' as such but he is a good poacher / scorer. 18 goals this season has kept Kilmarnock in the league until the final day and I wouldn't bet against him scoring today against Hibs. Looking at some of his goals from highlights and pictures I think we have got a guy who has matured late and realised what being a professional is all about. Ive no doubt his ventures in England, Turkey and USA (all of which were poor) has developed the 'person' Kris Boyd. I thought we wouldn't see him play again but to be edging towards a Scotland call up shows the hard work he has put in and he also looks far more fitter and stronger. Perhaps he thought he had made it when he came to Ibrox first time around and being part of Fergusons gang made him feel untouchable. If we was still a top flight team challenging for titles this wouldn't even be a thread but if we ever needed someone WANTING to prove his worth and banging the goals in the championship it might be Boyd now. If Ally could only find some tactical knowledge then playing Templeton, Macleod, Shiels and Law in creative positions then Boyd would score 20+ goals in the championship. But then again if Ally had tactical knowledge we maybe wouldn't need Boyd as Clark, Little and Daly may have got high tallys this season also and we'd be happy with them going into next season. I reserve the rights to retract this statement.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27934760
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http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/250-dave-king-the-grand-old-duke-of-york
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We know that season ticket sales are slow/low, and this is for a variety of reason. One of them being Dave King's "trust". Does anyone know what sort of numbers are involved with the trust now??? Is it a significant number, or has it turned out to be a bit of a damp squib???
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The BBC has learned former Rangers chief executive Charles Green is seeking financial support to launch a new bid for control of the Ibrox club. Green led a consortium which bought Rangers' assets in May 2012 and then raised £22m from a share issue, but resigned from his post last year. He returned for a short-lived spell as a consultant before selling his shareholding in the club. However, he has spent the last week in talks with potential investors. Rangers plan to launch a new share issue in a bid to raise in the region of £8m and if Green is to be successful he would need to convince existing shareholders to sell to a new consortium. Green, who held the same position at Sheffield United, stood down from the chief executive's position citing the "negative publicity" surrounding an independent investigation, commissioned by the club's board, into allegations of undeclared dealings with former owner Craig Whyte. That investigation consequently found no evidence of Whyte's claims that he was involved in the Green-led acquisition of Rangers two years ago. On selling his shares to Sandy Easdale, chairman of Rangers' football board, Green said: "I want to make it clear that this means I will have no ongoing influence or financial interest at the club but I remain a fan and fervently hope that Rangers will soon be back at the top where they belong."
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Rangers' beleaguered directors face the possibility that the club auditor, Deloitte, could sever its connection with the club over the next few weeks, following a collapse in the number of season tickets sold. The Daily Telegraph understands that the international corporate finance and accountancy specialists are unhappy about the latest figures emerging from Ibrox, which show that season ticket sales for Rangers’ Scottish Championship campaign are running at half the level of last year’s take-up for their SPFL League One schedule. In a statement on the Rangers website on Friday, the board confirmed that only 17,000 season tickets have been sold. On March 27, when Deloitte signed off the half year accounts up to the end of 2013 – which showed a £3.5 million loss – the auditors added that “key assumptions” made by the directors included a reckoning of future season ticket sales. Deloitte noted that this indicated the existence of a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Despite assurances at the annual general meeting in December from the chief executive, Graham Wallace, that the club could meet its costs until the end of the season, the board subsequently borrowed £1.5 million from shareholder George Letham on the assurance that the sum would be repaid when season ticket sales had yielded the equivalent amount. *However, there has been no notification to the Stock Exchange of any repayment. Instead, leaked reports from a spin doctor formerly employed by the club, confirmed that the board would attempt to raise £8 million through a rights issue later this year. In a statement on the club website on Friday, the Rangers directors said of the latest season ticket sales total – and the likelihood of a share issue – that “The Board believes that whilst this level of support reduces the potential requirement for short-term financing the Board also notes the strategic objectives that it identified in the Business Review Summary published on 25 April 2014 and the related funding requirements. “The Board continues to evaluate its plans in this regard and will update the market in due course.” However, should Deloitte dissociate themselves from Rangers, investor confidence is likely to diminish. Deloitte last night would not comment on any speculation, citing client confidentiality. In response to the club statement, the supporters’ umbrella group, the Union of Fans, condemned the directors’ stewardship. The UoF statement read: “We note the announcement of the Rangers board regarding the season ticket renewal levels for the club this year. It is now obvious that a clear majority of fans have rejected Graham Wallace, Norman Crighton, David Somers, James and Sandy Easdale and their running of the club. “In any normal business, a board which had been rejected by over 50 per cent of its customers in the space of a few months would be removed. Whilst we do not expect this to happen due to the continued support of anonymous shareholders, who could not care less about Rangers, we would highlight that they have utterly failed to gain crucial trust from fans. “We do not believe this trust will ever be built without fundamental change at the club. The problem for this board is very simple. The vast majority of fans, even many of those who have renewed, simply do not trust them and likely never will. “The corporate governance at the club also continues to be a cause for grave concern. We would repeat that it is unacceptable for Jack Irvine of Mediahouse to have access to confidential, price sensitive board information through the Easdales and to then leak that information to the press as he did this week.” J
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27793911 Rangers are to launch a new share issue in a bid to raise in the region of £8m. The Ibrox board met institutional investors in London on Tuesday, with the new issue to take place before the end of August. Rangers chairman Graham Wallace recently told fans that the Ibrox club was "in a good place" financially. The BBC understands that a minimum of £7m is needed to cover a cash shortfall at the newly-promoted Scottish Championship outfit. Major shareholders Laxey Partners and Sandy Easdale, chairman of the football board, have both indicated they will buy more shares. The Union of Fans - a collective of Rangers supporters groups - has urged people to withhold season-ticket money in protest against the board's running of the club. It led to question marks over the ability of the club to meet the sales figures required for next season. However, Wallace insisted Rangers are "in a good place" despite concerns over the club's finances. The chairman's 120-day business review set out the club's intention to raise fresh equity in the autumn, win promotion from the Championship at the first attempt next season, before adding a Scottish title and being competitive in Europe by 2017. The club's interim accounts revealed losses of £3.5m for the six months to 31 December and "going concern" status was only granted on the basis of predicted rises in season-ticket prices and sales. The board have had to seek emergency funding in recent months. -
The board of Rangers (the “Board”) can confirm that approximately 17,000 season tickets have been renewed to date for the Club's forthcoming SPFL Championship season. This level of renewals reduces the potential requirement for short term financing as highlighted in the Business Review Summary published on 25 April 2014 particularly given the updated season ticket pricing structure for the 2014/15 campaign. Applications for new season ticket purchases opened on Monday and sales of season tickets are continuing. The Club very much looks forward to welcoming more supporters back to Ibrox for what promises to be an exciting league competition. The Board believes that whilst this level of support reduces the potential requirement for short-term financing the Board also notes the strategic objectives that it identified in the Business Review Summary published on 25 April 2014 and the related funding requirements. The Board continues to evaluate its plans in this regard and will update the market in due course. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7059-season-ticket-sales
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27804525 By Richard Wilson BBC Scotland Finance remains the fundamental issue at Rangers. One contingency plan has always been to seek additional funding from current shareholders, and a substantial drop in season-ticket sales merely exacerbates the problem. When chief executive Graham Wallace published his business review last April, he indicated that if the uptake of season tickets was "materially less than anticipated" then the board would consider a pre-emptive offering of 43 million unissued Rangers International Football Club shares to existing shareholders. That remains, for now, the only viable way for the business to raise additional funding. With a new share issue proposed later this year, the price would be at a discount to the current market value of 27p and the intention is believed to be to generate in the region of £7m. This would go some way to covering any shortfall from a significant drop in season-ticket sales, and so allow the business to continue trading for the next 12 months. Unanswered questions abound, though. Which shareholders, for instance, would participate? Some individuals are suggesting that Laxey Partners would invest more money, along with Sandy Easdale, the chairman of the Rangers Football Club board. Others believe that the institutional shareholders, such as Hargreave Hale and Artemis, would not participate, given the sharp fall in the share price from its launch of 70p. In the first instance, existing shareholders are normally offered enough additional shares to maintain the size of their overall stake. Any shares that are not taken up could then be offered to existing shareholders to allow them to increase their ownership stake. It is also theoretically possible, though, for the board to place shares with specific existing shareholders, which could strengthen the power base of the group of aligned shareholders who currently effectively run the club. That would, though, be likely to agitate those left out and potentially cause further upheaval. However, Easdale and his proxies could then be considered as acting as a concert party if their combined shareholding goes above the 29% threshold, and so expose them to takeover panel rules and regulations. While a pre-emptive offering is restricted to current shareholders, their rights to participate can be acquired by non-shareholders. So while finance remains the fundamental issue at Ibrox, in that it underpins every substantial development, how the need for funding is addressed is also critical. Control is at stake also. Laxey Partners are currently the largest single shareholder, while Sandy Easdale held the proxies for around 25% of shareholders at last December's annual meeting. Institutional shareholders supported the current board at the AGM, but the need for additional funding may alter their point of view. Wallace is attempting to steer a course through the demands of financial issues and specific shareholder interests. There is no simple solution, beyond a radical change to the shareholder dynamic. That would only occur, though, if shareholders were prepared to sell their stakes or if a fresh rights issue was launched to the public. In the meantime, the Rangers board need to ensure that the business can trade as a going concern for the next 12 months. When the interim results were released last March, they contained a note outlining that a fall in season-ticket renewals from last year's figure of 38,000 would affect the business's ability to trade as going concern. Right now, Rangers are thought to still be considerably short of that. Short-term financial issues are at the forefront, but other intrigues also exist. It has been possible to detect, within the noise around the club, a growing tension between Wallace and Sandy Easdale, who is not a member of the plc board. Wallace has the executive role, but Easdale, through his proxies, carries the strongest shareholder authority. Rangers' April review: Key points Business needs to raise up to £30m over three years New share issue planned for autumn 2014 Cuts of £2m have already been made with other savings likely Plan to make the business sustainable by season 2015/16 Aim to make team Scottish Premiership winners by 2017 The flow of information is also a source of consternation to some within Ibrox, not least because talk of a share option is price-sensitive information and ought to be published first to the stock exchange. Jostling for position is evident, although finance remains the key point, not individuals. Dave King, the former Rangers director, wants to invest directly in the club. The South African-based businessman and Wallace in his business review both estimated that it will require £20-30m of additional investment to provide Rangers with the means to challenge Celtic for the Premiership title and compete again in Europe. The only way to raise that kind of money would be a fresh public offering of shares, which is what King wants to participate in since his money would go directly to the club, which needs money spent on the football infrastructure - there is still no scouting network - and maintenance work at Ibrox. King's intervention would likely lead to the dilution of the current shareholders, though, which is why an alternative route is being sought. The current squad, with one or two additions, ought to be good enough to gain promotion from the Championship, but to compete again with Celtic, Rangers need to be properly rebuilt. There is a current shortfall to address, but that is only a short-term fix. For Rangers to compete at the highest level, a change in approach is required.
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GRAHAM WALLACE says Rangers now has a solid base from which it can move forward with confidence as it looks to grow, prosper and thrive more as time goes on. Wallace has spent the weekend in Toronto at the 2014 NARSA convention, where over 1,000 Light Blues fans have been in attendance. The chief executive took questions in an open forum yesterday afternoon following the association’s annual general meeting. A number of issues were raised with him and Wallace is keen to reassure Gers followers a path to a brighter future lies ahead. He said: “It has been interesting talking to a different cross-section of fans in Toronto as it was an opportunity to hear at a really detailed level about some of the issues they have. “Almost since the day I came to Rangers, we’ve been operating in an environment where there have been consistent questions about the financial stability of the club. “I’ve repeatedly come out and said there’s no threat of administration and we’ve built a very solid base now which we’re moving forward from. “The fans should take reassurance and comfort from that. We are moving in a way that allows us to grow and develop the business. “The long-term financial stability of the business is well in hand and we are in a good place now. Fans should be confident and comfortable with the club’s long-term stability. “The club needs them to survive like any business does and we are absolutely hoping they will stand behind and support the club the way they have in recent seasons. “In the vast majority of areas, I think we are moving in the right direction and it is business as usual at the football club. “The fans are looking for a degree of confidence that their club is stable, it’s being properly run and we are in a good position financially. “We are now in our best position financially in my time at the club so that’s positive and we are placed very well for the start of the forthcoming Championship campaign.” Wallace admits there is still considerable work to be done as Rangers bid to make up for what he feels has been a missed opportunity to rebuild in a better way since administration in 2012. But he is sure a lot key moves have now been made which will allow the League One title winners to make more notable strides from now on. He added: “I’ve been in position now for a little over six months and in that time it has been extremely challenging. “There have been so many legacy issues we have had to deal with and we spent a considerable period of time looking at the condition and the state of the business. “We had to map out what we think the club and the business is capable of doing over the next several years. “We have done a tremendous amount of groundwork and we’ve addressed a significant number of issues. “In April, we published our business review. That gave fans a sense of what we inherited but more importantly, a sense of the vision of where we think we can take the business. “We have made significant strides but it’s not an overnight journey and what we are looking for now is to move forward again. “We want to go through our pre-season routine into the new season and really push on, starting to make a huge difference in the areas we’ve identified.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7029-a-base-to-grow-from
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“There must be some kind of way outta here Said the joker to the thief There’s too much confusion I can’t get no relief Business men, they drink my wine Plowman dig my earth None were level on the mind Nobody up at his word” Where is it we are trying to get out of ? I would respectfully suggest a rock and a hard place. As many of you know I’m not often given to profanity – but quite simply – what an absolute clusterfeck. There is a civil war engulfing us with our boardroom the battleground. As in every conflict the collateral damage is considerable. On one side we have a board who have failed to impress, fail to convince the Rangers support they have our club’s best interests at heart and on the other side we have the challenger in the shape of Dave King, who appears to be being given considerable latitude in his own failings and lack of clarity, as a consequence of his previous investment in our club. And of course that collateral damage I referred to is manifesting itself not only in a season ticket boycott, but also in the form of a “protest shirt” whose purpose is to deliberately prevent incoming revenue from the sale of club merchandise. It’s easy to say that such ventures deprive the board of money and as anti-board protesters I’m sure that provides the conscience with a fairly robust moral platform for such action. But at what point does it not only deprive the board, but also our club and a manager wishing to strengthen a squad ? Having deliberately deprived the board of regular and essential revenue are we then to hold them to account for failing to enhance our playing squad ? Good Lord. Before anyone starts harbouring feelings of sympathy for the current board allow me to remind you of the 3 critical questions I tweeted about the other week, which as yet remain unanswered. 1. Why did our club have to secure additional funding after CEO Graham Wallace assured us only weeks earlier there was sufficient money in the account. 2. Why have the board not moved to dispel allegations by the Daily Record that our credit/debit card facility was removed re season tickets due to the financial incompetence of the board and not as was suggested in the review – due to threats of an imminent boycott. 3. Why does it appear the Rangers Football Board, or persons serving thereon, have the ability to overrule the PLC board, when circumstances dictate. At the forefront of much of the angst against the current board have been the Sons of Struth. Since its inception this group have campaigned on a platform of opposing any sale or leaseback of Ibrox Stadium. Perhaps this groups 3 original aims and objectives are worthy of a refresh. 1. Keep the stadium in the club’s name to avoid Coventry situation 2. Have clear accounts which prove the proper running of the club 3. Have a board that keep the club off the front pages and who themselves are beyond reproach. To date however the Sons of Struth have not shared with the wider support the circumstances which gave rise to their fears which suggested our stadium may be subject to a sale and leaseback. Why cant those demanding transparency of others lead by example ? Surely if there is evidence which suggests this current board are planning such an option for our stadium it is something which should be shared with the wider support not only made available to a select few ? In fact would the sharing of such information not in fact be in this group’s interests in convincing the undecided within our support of the unsuitability of the current board ? I have spoken previously of our need for our support to find an enthymeme – a point where there is common agreement and we can move on from. Surely the status and destiny of our 2 biggest assets – Ibrox and Auchenhowie – can provide such a point of common agreement. All along the watchtower Princes kept the view While all the women came and went Barefoot servants, too Outside in the cold distance A wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching And the wind began to howl How long before the Princes stop being onlookers, or begging for the scraps off the master’s table ? When will we start campaigning on behalf of ourselves and the vision and aspirations we have for our club instead of using our energies and efforts to do the bidding of others ? When will we realise that the way outta here is to take control of our own destiny, and rely upon ourselves rather than upon others ? As Buy Rangers, Rangers First and Vanguard Bears continue to do that which Dave King seems to find impossible – buy shares in our club – its becoming less and less a question of “if” but rather a question of “when” ? Many music critics have commented on how Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower mirrors the words of The Book Isaiah Chapter 21 :- Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise ye princes, and prepare the shield./For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth./And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed./…And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground. I truly hope I live to see the day when Babylon falls at our club.
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keith jackson @tedermeatballs 43s More sources close to RFC board saying 20k season tickets now sold. If true then they should thank Dave King for his prolonged silence. IF true.
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Thursday, 29 May 2014 14:00 Gers Confirm Pre Season Tours Written by Rangers Football Club http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6988-gers-confirm-pre-season-tours RANGERS have today confirmed they will prepare for the 2014/15 Championship campaign with a visit to Northern Scotland and a 12-day trip to America and Canada. Following a successful training camp last year, the League One Champions will again head to Brora on 1 July for a six-day trip which includes a friendly against Buckie Thistle at Victoria Park on Thursday 3 July (7.30pm kick off) and a game against Brora Rangers at Dudgeon Park on Sunday 6 July (3pm kick off). Ally McCoist's squad will then travel to America and Canada from 12 July, playing two games in each country. Rangers play Ventura County Fusion at Ventura College Sportsplex in California at 7pm on 15 July then Sacramento Republic FC at Bonney Field, Sacramento at 7.30pm on 19 July. The Light Blues then play two games in Canada – against Victoria Highlanders at the Centennial Stadium, British Columbia at 6pm on 21 July with another fixture on 23 July to be confirmed in due course. Kick off times for all fixtures are local times. Rangers visited the United States ahead of the 2002/03 campaign and the trip to New York prepared the team for a treble-winning season, while Walter Smith’s class of 2006/07 won an end of season friendly against LA Galaxy in California in May 2007. Ally McCoist commented: “I am delighted our pre-season plans are now in place and we can prepare for next season’s important campaign in the Championship. “We enjoyed a successful trip to Northern Scotland last year and we look forward to taking the squad there once again to play Buckie Thistle and Brora Rangers. “We then head across the Atlantic to play four games in America and Canada and I have no doubt our overseas supporters will enjoy seeing the team in action once again. “We have a wonderful global fanbase and I am sure the members of NARSA (North American Rangers Supporters Association) will turn out in huge numbers at all of our games. “The trip to America and Canada is also a fantastic opportunity to re-introduce Rangers to the North American fans and I am confident the tour will be a success on a number of levels.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6988-gers-confirm-pre-season-tours
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IMO this question should come before the one about on-field exploits. There are many things to take into consideration and perhaps the Financial Bears could map out what they see as a probable/conditional route through the next 12 months. Some of the obvious questions that scream out are:- - Where is the money coming from to keep the lights-on? - Will there be an insolvency event? - What will be the final ST number? - Will game by game maintain it's attraction? - How long will it take to get a share issue up and running and will it be successful? - Is there money to carry out plans mapped out in business review? - How deep could austerity hit us? - How exactly will austerity hit ut? - How will severe austerity be paid for? (pay-offs) - When do the assets go? - Do you trust who is in control of the board (including the Easdale proxy block)? etc. -
So many season tickets have been sold in the past because it was 'what you did' every year and also an element of loyalty when the Club was down. Very few, if any, were still buying for the entertainment value. It was very much a habitual thing for a large number of us. You had your budget fixed every year to allow for it. A huge assumption is being made (IMHO) that everyone will come back if the boardroom mess is sorted out. I have major doubts about that. You see, I don't believe everyone has put the money aside for that eventuality. I think the poor uptake on Dave King's fund supports that theory. I don't think it was a mistrust of DK. People just want to see something for their money - instant gratification. Very few working class folks have that money to simply leave lying in a 'limbo' account. I also KNOW of many who were seriously considering giving up the STs due to the perpetual lack of entertainment year on year. Taking that step to use the money for something else, e.g. a large contribution towards a family holiday, has been a huge decision for some. But like with anything habitual in life, once you break it life goes on. After a few months........if there is nothing there to entice you back.... I'm just interested in whether anyone believes we will hit the same heights again in sales? I firmly believe that boardroom change wouldn't be enough to win the people back. -
Give written legally binding assurances to fans that Ibrox stadium will not be sold or used as security for any loans Ibrox stadium has been the home of our club for over 100 years and due to mistrust of the board of directors, many fans are unhappy that no legally binding assurances have been forthcoming from the board and a recent club statement declared that the board are unwilling to provide such assurances. The board agree that the stadium is sacrosanct and state they will not sell or use as security. The word of the board can not and will not be accepted by many fans due to a number of recent statements that have since proven innacurate and untrue. Fans also wish to be protected if the current board should be replaced in the future. They have also declared they wish to build trust with the fan base and this action would go some way in improving any relationship https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/graham-wallace-give-written-legally-binding-assurances-to-fans-that-ibrox-stadium-will-not-be-sold-or-used-as-security-for-any-loans?recruiter=97305010&utm_campaign=mailto_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition
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SATURDAY 24TH MAY. CELEBRATION AND PROTEST We have been asked by many fans to arrange some protests during the close season and as 24th May is the anniversary of the clubs greatest victory in Barcelona 1972, we have made arrangements for the Louden Tavern at the stadium to show a re run of the game from 1.00pm At 3.00pm we will be marching to the stadium for a 30 min protest and a petition to hand in and explain why the fans wont renew season tickets or indeed buy new ones. We require as many fans as possible to turn up as a show of numbers would be vital for the success of the protest Fans are asked to meet up at the Louden between 1.00 and 2.30 to give us adequate time to make final arrangements with fans Can I ask all to share at usual places and feeback to me with expected number which will allow me to notify Louden and make necessary arrangements. We are planning on some other things for Saturday and will announce them once we have confirmed Thanks Craig.
