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I was “invited” to attend a meeting at Ibrox today with Rangers’ Director of Communications, Irene Munro and Jim Hannah, Supporters’ Liaison Officer. I had to ask three times by email about the nature of the meeting and eventually was told only that it was “to discuss complaints raised against you by other fans board members”. I asked to be supplied with the details of the complaints before the meeting but this was denied. At the meeting I was told that as a result of two complaints by colleagues on the Fans Board and one complaint from a member of the public, I was being removed from the Fans Board. The complaint from the member of the public was in connection with or as a result of information that I posted about the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund. I was not told the nature of the complaints by members of the Fans Board. These are the relevant sections of the Constitution: 17.Conduct of members of the RFB 17.1 The Elected Representatives shall, in exercising his/her functions as a member of RFB, act in the interests of the Club and RFB; and, in particular, must (a) seek, in good faith, to ensure that RFB acts in a manner which is in accordance with its objects (as set out in clause 3 this constitution); (b) act with the care and diligence which it is reasonable to expect of a person who is managing the affairs of another person; and © in circumstances giving rise to the possibility of a conflict of interest between RFB or the Club and any other party (i) put the interests of the RFB and the Club before that of the other party, in taking decisions as a member of the RFB; or (ii) where any other duty prevents him/her from doing so, disclose the conflicting interest to the RFB and the Club and refrain from participating in any discussions or decisions involving the other Elected Representatives with regard to the matter in question. (d) If, in the opinion of the Club, any Elected Representative is in breach of paragraphs (a), (b) and © above, or in the opinion of the Club, brings the Club into disrepute, the Club shall have the power to terminate that individuals Membership and remove them as an Elected Representative with immediate effect and without notice. There is no right of Appeal. The Fans Board had agreed an interim Code of Conduct which includes up to three warnings but this was not applied because it provides for complaints to be referred to the Office Bearers and there are no Office Bearers in place at this time. I was told that in the opinion of the Club I have not been acting in the interests of the Fans Board and that my position was not tenable, so I was being removed. I was given the opportunity to resign, which I declined. I was then told that Rangers would issue a statement saying that I had “left the Fans Board” but I asked that if they were removing me they issue a statement accordingly.
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12147393.html
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I don't always agree with the UoF but this statement is well worth sharing.
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According to the Herald: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/rangers-fans-up-in-arms-as-ashley-loans-club-1m-more.25855834 That's me sold..
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Email from RFC:
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...as he reveals his part in Brian Kennedy's failed 11th hour Ibrox bid. THE former Ibrox boss vented his anger at chief executive Charles Green in a scathing attack on the Rangers boardroom chaos. GRAEME SOUNESS last night revealed he was part of Brian Kennedy’s failed 11th hour bid to stop Mike Ashley seizing control of Rangers. And the former Light Blues manager branded former chief executive Charles Green a “pr**k” during a scathing assessment of the never-ending boardroom chaos at Ibrox. Souness has told for the first time how he teamed up with old pal Kennedy last month when the Sales Shark owner launched a £3million rescue package after being approached by former chief executive Graham Wallace – only for the rest of the current regime to rubber-stamp take a £2m funding deal from Ashley instead. That setback came two-and-a-half years after Souness and Kennedy’s Blue Knights thought they had managed to get through the Ibrox front-door, only for disgraced Yorkshireman Green to grab control. Souness is angry about what has happened at his former club and concerned over Rangers’ future. But he reckons that would not have been the case had he and Kennedy got their way. When asked if he was also involved in the latest move, Souness said: “Yes. I had a week with Brian in Majorca three weeks ago. But if it’s not to be it’s not to be. ”It never got beyond a bid. And they never wanted Brian’s money this time either. “When we met a couple of weeks ago, we never went into detail because, the last time, we believed we had it. Brian believed he had it only to be let down and deeply disappointed. We even came up to watch a Rangers and Celtic game because we believed we had it. “I think this time around he was always thinking the worst. “Given the structure the way it is now I would think that’s it finished now. ”I’m angry about it and saddened by it in equal amounts because a lot has been allowed to happen. “I don’t want to get into being involved in a libel case. “All I would say is that if we had got it the people there would have had the club for the right reasons.” Souness believes the club has missed out by turning Kennedy down and added: “They certainly did the first time around. “It would have the right people running it for the right reasons. “That would have been Walter [smith] and I and the right person as the owner. All of us there for the right reasons. ”I don’t know how Brian feels right now but I think his attitude to it has changed now the other folk are involved.” Souness launched a scathing attack on Green as he revealed the Yorkshireman’s attempts to get him on board days before he completed his £5.5m buyout of the club’s assets back in the summer of 2012. He explained: “What is it? Two years since that prick had it? “The guy who knocked on my door one night asking me if I would get involved in it, with him. Charles Green. “Late one night about 11 o’clock, my answer was no. “I got a phonecall about an hour before that saying he was coming to see me. I had been asked to see him and I had refused. “I got a call an hour before to say he was on his way to see me. We went for a cup of tea at a hotel around the corner. “You’ve got me angry now… “Who knows what would have happened if we had got in? But I’ll tell you, the stadium would still be full.” Souness has no idea what the future holds now for Rangers under Ashley but said he had done a tremendous job with Newcastle. He said: “I don’t want to end up in court. “I wouldn’t be critical of Mike Ashley. He is a fantastic businessman who saw an opportunity at Newcastle and it’s very hard to be critical, having worked there myself. “I think he has done the right thing there. “What I worked there the largest shareholder was under enormous pressure to make changes too quickly. “He lived in the city. Mike Ashley doesn’t live in the city and has not listened to any fans forums or phone-ins. “He has stuck with his manager and it looks like he is getting the rewards of that. “That’s what it needed. It needs a strong owner and that’s what he is. Someone who has been supremely successful in anything he has touched. “I think in terms of Newcastle supporters they should be counting their blessings rather than being critical.” Souness also aimed a blast at those who celebrated Rangers’ demise when he said: “ All I would say is that all the people who enjoyed their demise, if they had their time again, would they have voted the same way? “Celtic getting gates of less than 20,000? I think it has damaged football, hopefully not beyond repair. “Football goes in cycles. Over a 10-year period, they say if you lose a support, it’s very hard to get that back. “I don’t know if it will get back. “Rangers will get back to the SPL, the Old Firm games will be enormous affairs again and the passion will remain the same. “But will it ever get back to where it was six or seven years ago? I very much doubt it.” Meanwhile, Rangers fans have written to stock market bosses urging them to investigate Ashley’s Ibrox power grab. The Rangers Supporters Trust has also raised a number of concerns about the current board’s handling of the League One champions, accusing them of a operating with a “reckless and irresponsible attitude to going concern status”. Newcastle United owner Ashley holds just under nine per cent of the cash-strapped Glasgow giants but has been effectively pulling the strings since the club was forced to accept his offer of a £2million loan. The terms of that crisis credit line allows the Sports Direct billionaire to name two directors to the Ibrox board. Former Magpies managing director Derek Llambias was Ashley’s first pick with the second yet to be revealed. Ashley also runs Rangers’ retail division – a deal which hands him 49 per cent of the club’s shirt sale profits – and owns the naming rights to the stadium following an agreement he struck with former chief executive Charles Green for just £1. Hampden bosses have already written to both Rangers and Ashley seeking “clarification” on the 50-year-old Londoner’s involvement. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/graeme-souness-vents-anger-gers-4611416
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http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/rangers-investors-sandy-james-easdale-4597710
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woooooooooooooo
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ALLY McCoist has been heavily criticised and, at times, even derided for having Rangers games postponed during the last year or so. Fans of all football clubs like to go and see their side in action at three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon - at home especially. So when a match is switched to a midweek slot, for whatever reason, it tends to annoy supporters. The logic behind McCoist asking for fixtures to be called off - that three or more of his players are away on international duty - has not been widely accepted. When the Gers manager last invoked SPFL rule G7 and had last month's scheduled Petrofac Training Cup quarter-final against East Fife put back it upset many. Centre-backs Bilel Mohsni and Marius Zaliukas were called up by Tunisia and Lithuania respectively. Northern Ireland, meanwhile, placed Dean Shiels on stand-by. All three men had featured in the first team in the 2014/15 campaign. But not all of them were likely to kick off the last eight tie at New Bayview. In fact, it was not inconceivable that none of them would play. Surely, a lot of disgruntled fans asked, the Ibrox club has a strong enough squad to be able to cope with a meeting with part-time opposition from the bottom division without Mohsni, Shiels and Zaliukas? For followers of other clubs, meanwhile, it was nothing short of laughable that the once-mighty Glasgow giants appeared to be running scared of minnows from Methil. McCoist will argue that it is his responsibility as manager to put out his strongest possible side on the park irrespective of how lowly the opposition team are. He will also point to the fact his side has won all four of the games he has had postponed - against Dunfermline, Forfar, Cowdenbeath and East Fife - this season and last. Yet, whether you approve of his stance in these situations or not is neither here nor there in the case of the Championship match with Alloa at Ibrox this Saturday. For the club board to decree the match goes ahead without consulting with their manager on the matter is alarming and suggests all is not well in the relationship between the two parties. Yes, the future of the troubled League One champions remains, despite Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley agreeing to loan them £2million last month, shrouded in uncertainty. And, yes, playing the game against Alloa this weekend as scheduled will certainly ensure that much-needed revenue comes in to the stricken club as normal. It should also prevent Championship leaders Hearts pulling further ahead of Rangers at the top of the second tier table ahead of a massive meeting between the two sides at Tynecastle seven days later. But the decision on the Alloa match going ahead was a football one and should have been taken by Ally McCoist and Ally McCoist alone. That it was not was a disturbing development and has set a worrying precedent. What's next? Derek Llambias ruling that Jon Daly deserves a start up front ahead of Kris Boyd? David Somers insisting the side should set up in a 4-5-1 formation instead of a 4-4-2? The absence of Mohsni and Arnold Peralta will not impact on Rangers as neither man has featured for the first team in weeks. The loss of Lewis Macleod, however, most certainly will. It is no surprise McCoist is considering asking Scotland boss Gordon Strachan to release the midfielder for the game if he is not set to be involved in the Euro 2016 qualifier with the Republic of Ireland on Friday night. Macleod scored one goal - his eighth of the campaign -and set up Kenny Miller for another in an emphatic 4-0 triumph over Falkirk in a league game at Ibrox at the weekend. He was also the deserved recipient of the man of the match award. The 20-year-old, then, will be conspicuous by his absence if he is not in the Rangers team against Alloa. He certainly has been whenever he has been sidelined previously this term. It was no coincidence the Light Blues drew 1-1 with Alloa away and lost 3-1 to Hibs at home when the talented youngster was injured. Five of the eight points they have dropped in the league this season have been leaked without him. Stevie Smith will probably get the nod to stand in for Macleod and will no doubt acquit himself with all of his usual professionalism. But he is a specialist left- back and is not a like-for-like replacement. Having said all that, if McCoist's men, who have now kept six consecutive clean sheets in all competitions, continue to play as well as they have done in recent weeks against Barry Smith's charges they should collect all three points. Their performance against a decent Falkirk side was assured. A Nicky Law strike early on gave them the lead and subsequent efforts from Macleod, Miller and Nicky Clark secured another victory. The backline of Richard Foster, Darren McGregor, Lee McCulloch and Lee Wallace was once again rock solid. Steve Simonsen in goals was rarely troubled by the visitors. Hearts edged out Raith Rovers - a side that Rangers had thrashed 6-1 a few weeks ago - by 1-0 through in the capital on Saturday and maintained their four-point advantage at the top of the table. But the fact that Rangers have won eight games on the spin, letting in just one goal in the process, is rightly giving them confidence they can catch and overtake their main rivals for promotion back to the top flight. You would think Ally McCoist, the man responsible for orchestrating that run of form and for overseeing Rangers rise through the bottom two divisions, would be deferred to on football matters. You would be wrong. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/ally-must-action-cap-call-offs-at-rangers-187907n.25814885
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30009546 Hibernian: Pat Stanton leads fans' buyout campaign Hibernian legend Pat Stanton is to head a new group that hopes to unite fans behind a bid to buy the club. BuyHibs is backed by the Erin Trust, Hibernian Supporters Association, the Formers Players Association and Hibernian Shareholders Association. Stanton has called for a meeting with Tom Farmer and want Hibs' owner to name his price for the club. "The BuyHibs campaign has the ultimate aim of buying our club," said the former Hibs player and team manager. BuyHibs campaign director Neil Wheelan "The club are failing on and off the park and the need for change has never been greater; the club needs a new direction with fresh drive and investment coming into the club." The group was formed following supporters groups meetings and a survey of more than 4,000 fans carried out by Supporters Direct Scotland. "We are in the fortunate position that the motivation for BuyHibs has not been generated from an emergency situation through a threatened insolvency like supporters of other clubs have been faced with," said Stanton. "We want to be in a position where we can make a positive contribution to the long-term position of our club and to be ready to buy the club when the opportunity arises. "We are asking fans to pledge to provide funds which will allow BuyHibs to drive positive change and to give an indication of what size of stake is achievable. "We are open to work with all Hibernian-minded people and groups who share the same goal. "As a first step, we call on Sir Tom Farmer and Rod Petrie to meet with us to find and promote a positive and sustainable change for the betterment of Hibernian and to provide Sir Tom with a clear and deserved exit from the club he has backed for many years." Hibs are presently playing in the Scottish Championship after being relegated from the top flight last season. Cowdenbeath's Callum Gallagher challenges Hibs' Matthew Kennedy Hibernian are in the Scottish Championship after being relegated last season BuyHibs campaign director Neil Wheelan said: "The club are failing on and off the park and the need for change has never been greater; the club needs a new direction with fresh drive and investment coming into the club. "The potential within the Hibernian fan base is enormous and this must be used to take the club forward. "The club needs sweeping changes to bring a new and more positive outlook and the required fresh investment. "It would appear that the current custodians have no desire to invest to move the club forward so we call on Sir Tom Farmer to remain true to his word and pass the Football Club, Easter Road Stadium and the East Main Training Academy into a community-backed vehicle that safeguards the future of all assets." In August, a consortium of investors claimed to have made a £3.5m offer to take control HFC Holdings Ltd, the company that owns about 98% of the Easter Road club. The fans survey by Supporters Direct Scotland, which has helped other clubs move to fan ownership, revealed that 84% of Hibs fans wanted the Edinburgh club to follow that path. Slightly less - 80% - also believe Easter Road Stadium should be safeguarded and that any change to that would require fan approval, while 68% said that they would be willing to join a membership scheme to provide additional income for the club. Andrew Jenkin, of Supporters Direct Scotland, added: "Supporters are the heart and soul of any football club and the BuyHibs campaign shows Hibernian have many passionate, knowledgeable and highly-skilled supporters who would like to be further involved in the running of the club."
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What was/is their motivation for getting involved in Rangers? I've heard/read alsorts, such as they were 'sucked in' by Green and probably now wish they didn't get involved, or they were identified by Green to be his group's front after he made his supposed exit, or they were hoping to have sold up and been out with a good profit by now, or wanting some level of respectability that a Rangers director brings (or at least used too, what with the procession of chancers we've had lately), or even they are genuine Bears who want what's best for the club................ Interested in hearing opinions on why they got involved.
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...then renew battle with English rival. RANGERS star Lewis Macleod is delighted to be in Scotland squad for Friday's clash with Ireland but he already has eyes renewing a rivalry with the Auld Enemy. LEWIS MACLEOD admits he has an old score to settle with the Auld Enemy. The Rangers striker was part of Scotland’s Under-16 side that lost 2-1 to an English team that included Liverpool starlet Raheem Sterling. The Victory Shield defeat in 2009 at Tynecastle provided a glimpse into the future – and fast forward five years, the two graduates will be reunited at Parkhead next Tuesday. Macleod’s promotion into Gordon Strachan’s senior squad for the double-header against Ireland and Roy Hodgson’s men is more about gaining experience than game time. But the midfielder insists he’s desperate to get up close and personal once more with Sterling – and hopes for a happier ending. Macleod was awarded the Young Player of the Month trophy for October and he said: “You could tell Sterling was going to be brilliant. “His career has really blossomed and he’s gone from QPR to become an influential player at Liverpool. “Raheem is different class. There will be teams looking at him in January. He’s the type you want to play against. “I would be delighted to get any sort of game time with Scotland but I know it’s not going to be a quiet match against England. But it would be a great experience. “There were thousands of fans at the Tynecastle game in 2009. “We lost because of a dodgy decision by the ref. “It was 2-1 but we scored first and played well. I was taken off after about 60 minutes but it probably was my fault for the first half. “Hopefully things go better in the next couple of weeks. “Back then I was nervous and it will pretty much be the same come the next two games. The atmosphere will be electric.” The meteoric rise from Murray Park hopeful to the brink of his first international cap has been stunning but Lewis admits there’s time for some of the class of 2009 to follow his trail. And the 20-year-old is adamant Strachan’s policy of promoting the kids is starting to pay dividends. He said: “There were a lot of good players in our Victory Shield side. Islam Feruz played up front for us that day and big Jack Grimmer was the captain. “There were a lot of players you expected to go on and do good things. There is no reason why they still can’t. “It just shows you how far I have come that I have been called up. “Wee Ryan Gauld wasn’t in the same team as me as he was a year younger. It is good to see the likes of Andy Robertson, Stevie May and myself getting called in. “It just shows you the gaffer is not scared to call up the young players. “I can’t see too many from that England U-16 team who have come through. There is a guy at Reading called Daniel Redmond who came on as a sub. And Nick Powell is at Man United and a good player. “But it just shows how long ago it seems as all of their team were sought-after players. “It takes an awful lot to reach the full England squad so all credit to Raheem as he’s been brilliant.” Macleod admits playing for his country at senior level was beyond his wildest dreams but that reality will come a step closer when he meets up with the rest of the Scotland squad today. He said: “You always have aspirations to do better. You don’t really think about that at the time as it looks such a long way away. “Back then I was only about 14 or 15 years old but it’s good that I’ve come through the ranks for both club and country. “This is the best week of my career. I don’t expect too much when I go away with the squad but just to be there and experience it for myself will be great. “It is a huge difference to go from playing Cowdenbeath the other night to getting a chance to play Ireland and England at Parkhead. “I haven’t spoken to Strachan. It’s my first time with the squad so I can’t expect to get a lot of game time. “Hopefully the experience can be beneficial for years to come. I will try my hardest so hopefully I can impress him and possibly be involved in future squads. There has been a change in the Scotland squad and it looks quite promising. The manager has them playing good football.” Macleod will also get the chance to meet a childhood hero when he trains alongside Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher. He said: “I wanted to be like Darren growing up. He was at the heart of things and it doesn’t get much better than playing for Man United. “He’s the type of guy I looked up to and you want your career to go the same way. So it will be weird to train with these guys next week.” If Macleod is given his debut he’s vowed to hang on to his first Scotland top. He said: “I might be greedy and keep that for myself.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/pound-sterling-rangers-youngster-lewis-4596946 -
Ally McCoist will be given a £10 million January transfer budget, courtesy of controversial Mike Ashley. Ashley has all but confirmed he will front the funds, with an Ibrox source telling us the board have been told to "use the funds effectively to push the team through to a cup final and back to the Premier League." The source said the decision was highly influenced by Ashley's close friend & Ibrox adviser Derek Llambias, who believes committing these funds to the club will not only strengthen the team, but strengthen Ashley's position with Rangers supporters.
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http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/289-is-donald-findlay-right-discussing-our-rangers-addiction Waking up to another Rangers controversy is nothing new. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Monday, a Thursday or a match-day, there’s always another Rangers related story to keep this ongoing farce alive. From the boardroom to the dressing room; from the small grounds in Scotland to the businessmen of Singapore; the bizarre nature of what has happened to one of Scotland’s proudest institutions continues to make waves wherever and whenever you care to cast a sideways glance. It’s impossible to hide from. Now, I’ve not read all of what Donald Findlay has said to journalist Stephen McGowan in today’s Daily Mail. The ‘debate’ surrounding about whether or not Rangers are a new club isn’t something which particularly attracts me. For me, the opinion of the law lords and football authorities is enough – Rangers is the same club with their history and successes intact from one company vehicle to the next. In many ways though, does it really matter what they or Donald Findlay think? I still follow follow Rangers with the same excitement and love I’ve always done. I always will. Many hundreds of thousands agree. However, and here’s the rub, some do feel differently and I can empathise with that. Why? Well, there can be various reasons. For one, the club’s reputation has taken a huge hit – doesn’t matter how fraudulent Craig Whyte and his associates' actions are proven to be, our club almost died. It doesn’t matter with how much disdain the Scottish football authorities, fellow clubs and fans and the Scottish media approached this fall from grace; we had to start again in Division Three. In that sense, of course the club’s reputation has changed forever. No Rangers fan alive has had to experience such a dramatic change in fortunes so it’s inevitable our mind-set has as well. Moreover, since administration, the situation has hardly improved. The Rangers brand (and tradition as well perhaps) is no longer associated with success and pride and honesty and hard work. Instead, embarrassment, dishonesty, manipulation, excess and fraud are now bywords for our club. Yes the team on the park may still be the team we love but unlike our fathers and their fathers before them, we’ll now forever have to associate on-field displays with the performance of the boardroom. Some may find it easy to refrain from such, but many others cannot. Not as long as the money we pay into the club can be withheld by companies with a somewhat different relationship. That particular landscape has changed forever; it’s undeniable. Moving on, and even within our fan-base things have altered for the worse. Small minorities they may be but the division amongst some fans is bordering on the obscene at times. Bear antagonising bear is not only counter-productive but downright bizarre. Disagreement can and should be healthy but some supporters have taken that to all new levels. In the modern era of online debate that may well be inevitable but it’s a change from previous times and it’s not a good one. These aren’t arguments in private RSC cubby-holes but very public fall outs which can be seen by all. They help no-one. Considering all the above, it’s perhaps more surprising to suggest anyone doesn’t approach supporting the club differently. To be clear, it’s not that our love has decreased or that our history and success has somehow been removed (such arguments are ludicrous) but that what has happened in recent years has changed us all forever. Indeed, it has to – we have to learn from our mistakes and ensure it doesn’t happen again. That’s not to say we can do so easily – we can’t – but if we try to hide from it then we’re no worse than an addict glossing over their dependence. To sum up, while I fundamentally and strongly disagree with Findlay in terms of Rangers still being the same Rangers, he is right to an extent. Of course the club is the same one we've all supported but there are elements of recent events which will have affected us all in different ways. Perhaps it's the divided fans taking each other for granted, perhaps it's the club's total disdain for our opinion, perhaps it's the media apportioning blame to the wrong people, perhaps it's the manager refusing to learn from his mistakes, perhaps it's the constant stress amidst the whole farce but no matter the issue, it has become very difficult to support Rangers nowadays. It should be fun, it should be a release from the everyday hum-drum but it's not - in fact I'd say supporting Rangers is just another daily stress and only our fans will understand just how bad it's been. For some, even someone like Donald Findlay, the challenge may be too much but shirking from his opinion won't help. To that end, if anyone has found the last few years hard then we should be working together to talk through our worries - not hide from or belittle them. Supporting Rangers isn't something you can turn on or off. It's an addiction which infects the soul. Thus, I'd say anyone who hasn't had their heart broken and their faith challenged is in the minority. However, broken hearts can be repaired and reputations restored. My name is Frankie and I'm an addict.
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12135507.html In the name of George Alexander Taylor who seems to be a Morgan Stanley employee. I would assume this purchase is being made on behalf of a Morgan Stanley customer what do our financial experts think? Is this likely to be something significant?
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Jane Lewis @BBCJaneLewis 36s36 seconds ago #Ranger appoint Derek Llambias as non-executive director. The stock exchange made announcement morning.
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Looks like 3.6 million shares were traded today or rather transferred , could this be in part payement for either outstanding loan
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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
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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
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... 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
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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.
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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/
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ALLY MCCOIST considers what he interprets as the clamour for Rangers and Celtic to be drawn together in the League Cup later today to be proof of how much the Ibrox club have been missed by Scottish football’s top flight. The Ibrox manager was in impish form yesterday as he pondered the prospect of Rangers meeting with Celtic for the first time in nearly three years. The semi-final draw for the League Cup will be shown live this evening at 5:05pm on BBC 1 Scotland. Although Aberdeen and Dundee United make up the four teams involved, McCoist believes “everybody would look forward to the game” if Rangers and Celtic come out of the hat together. The clubs last met in April 2012, shortly before Rangers were forced to begin a trek back up the leagues after liquidation. McCoist has on several occasions talked of Rangers having to take their medicine. However, there is still clearly a sense of grievance being nursed by the Ibrox club. This was certainly discernible yesterday as McCoist claimed that few people would now argue the Ibrox club’s plight has not been detrimental to the Scottish game. “Gone are the days of this ‘we don’t need Rangers in the top flight’,” he said. “Sadly, because it’s too late, there is now a little bit of common sense being shown. It’s clear we do need Rangers, Hearts and Hibs in the top flight. “Gordon [strachan] is doing a fantastic job for the national team, but in the best interest of Scottish football we need our big clubs in the top flight. With Rangers being in the lower divisions there was clearly going to be no scope for an Old Firm game unless we drew each other in the cup. The majority of people, if we do draw each other, can actively look forward to an Old Firm game and I more than anyone can appreciate that.” “I’ve missed them and I think Scottish football has missed them,” he added. McCoist reckoned that “pig-headedness” would be behind some club officials involved in the events of 2012 refusing to acknowledge the damage caused to the game. During that bitter summer, Scottish Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan envisaged something he described as “Armageddon” for the Scottish game in the event of Rangers being voted out of the top flight. The other 11 then SPL clubs rejected Rangers’ application to rejoin the top tier by a unanimous majority. Later 29 of the 30 SFL clubs accepted Rangers as an associate member of the Scottish Football League but 25 voted for placing the newco club in the bottom tier, as opposed to the First Division. The Ibrox club started their journey back through the divisions with a 2-2 draw at Peterhead in August 2012. There has been no Old Firm clash since Rangers lost 3-0 to Neil Lennon’s Celtic side in April of the same year. The League Cup semi-finals are scheduled for the weekend of 31 January/1 February. “Knowing the pig-headedness of some of the people involved, no they won’t,” answered McCoist, when asked whether he felt some now regret how the the situation was handled. “But let’s be honest, was it for the greater good of Scottish football? Of course it wasn’t. It absolutely wasn’t. But we are where we are and things have happened. There is no use in looking back the way because we can’t change anything.” With his side having again made it into the last four of a national cup competition – they reached the Scottish Cup semi-final last season – McCoist clearly felt justified in adopting a pugnacious bearing. Rangers also currently sit in second place in the Championship and begin their latest Scottish Cup campaign away to Dumbarton in the third round this afternoon. He has, though, emerged from a week when his future was placed in question following the Rangers board’s acceptance of a £2 million emergency loan from Newcastle owner Mike Ashley. The decision led to the departure of one of McCoist’s chief allies in chief executive Graeme Wallace. Ashley’s increased influence led to the arrival of former Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias at Ibrox as a “football consultant”. McCoist said he had spoken to current executive chairman David Somers on Thursday and he had “kept him up to speed” about the changes on the board and the search for a new chief executive. He has not spoken with Ashley. But the manager seemed more vexed by the larger issue of the state of Scottish football. McCoist pointed to the thousands of empty seats at both Ibrox and Parkhead in midweek to illustrate how Rangers’ exile from the top tier has harmed the Scottish game. He proposed the notion that a Rangers v Celtic game would “fill the Maracana”. In contrast to comments made following his side’s victory over St Johnstone on Tuesday, McCoist appeared to will a clash with their rivals in the last four. In midweek he was quoted as saying he would prefer to avoid Celtic in tonight’s draw, comments that were interpreted in some quarters as Rangers running scared of Ronny Deila’s team. The Rangers manager welcomed the opportunity yesterday to clarify what he meant. “I need to explain myself because there have been one or two things written and said,” he said. “I am certainly not running scared or hiding behind the couch. I thought it was common sense what I was trying to say and I stand by that. “As everyone can see from the bookies, Celtic are 4/5 favourites, everybody else is 9/2,” he added. “Because the bookies are very rarely wrong I thought it was common sense that you’d like a shot at one of the teams at 9/2 in terms of enhancing your chances of making the final. There is no ‘I want to avoid Celtic at all costs’. That couldn’t be further from the truth.” Deila observed that Rangers were the weakest team left in the League Cup because they were the only non-top-flight side left in the competition. This comment, too, was given some consideration yesterday by McCoist. “I don’t necessarily agree with that but I can understand his point,” he said. “In normal circumstances he would be right. But in the last few years nothing has been what it seems in Scottish football. “You have three of the five biggest clubs in the country playing in the Championship. I understand Ronny but I don’t necessarily agree with him.” There was a glint in McCoist’s eye as he moved on to deal with John Guidetti’s comments after the Celtic striker scored three times in the 6-0 win over Partick Thistle. The on-loan Manchester City player was portrayed as issuing a brazen warning to Rangers, who he said were “going down” in the event of the teams meeting in the semi-final. McCoist noted his feat of scoring three times against Partick Thistle, who had defender Stuart Brannigan sent off just before half-time. He put Guidetti’s comments down to giddiness. “With the greatest of respect to John, I remember getting excited about my first hat-trick, but that was against 11 men,” smiled McCoist, who scored 28 hat-tricks for Rangers, the first coming in a League Cup final victory over Celtic at Hampden Park in 1984. “He’s entitled to his opinion and that’s the way it is. But maybe, just maybe, he’s got caught up in the excitement of scoring his first hat-trick for Celtic – which, of course, we congratulate him on.” http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/ally-mccoist-insists-the-top-flight-miss-rangers-1-3590826
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Some more analysis from Graham McLaren on TRS: http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/331-what-now-for-dave-king
