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986278 Gunner William THORNTON - Recommendation for Military Medal
Guest posted a topic in Rangers Chat
Our very own William Thornton was one of only 19 members of the Scottish Horse Regiment to be awarded the Military Medal during World War 2. The Battle of Sferro Hills on Sicily, in which Mr. Thornton's actions saw him awarded the Military Medal, claimed the lives of 124 officers and 1,312 ' other ranks.' You can read more on the Battle of Sferro Hills on this link http://51hd.co.uk/history/sicily_sferro Below is the recommendation for his Military Medal, purchased from the National Archives. " On the night of 31st/1st, 986278 Gunner Thornton, accompanied his Battery Commander as Signaller to an O.P. on Point 224. He retained constant communication for 18 hours and passed down Fire Orders often under heavy shelling and mortar fire. By his coolness and devotion to duty Gunner THORNTON gave great assistance to his Battery Commander in bringing down his fire on the enemy." The Memorial at Sferro Hill being dedicated on 4th November 1943, 8 days before William Thornton received his Military Medal, and how it is today. Of course there are more Rangers World War Heroes, some of which are detailed in an article I wrote last summerÂ… http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/club-history/265-armed-forces-day-rangers-world-war-heroes -
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7016-ally-continue-your-magnificent-support
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I posted this in the footie section, but thought it would be better in here?,admin can delete if they think different. COUNTY chairman MacGregor is leading the way in re-engaging with Scottish football fans by making his club's relationship with their supporters a priority. HE owns and runs a business worth half a billion pounds a year and a community football club worth its weight in gold. In the fragmented new landscape of Scottish football, strewn with the detritus of mismanagement, Roy MacGregor should be a guiding light. A man who believes in customer and fan first, everything else a distant second. Who invests in the people of Dingwall and Inverness and reaps the rewards. Who lives within his means despite their limitations. Two hundred miles away from the game’s traditional epicentre, though, his voice remains relatively unheard. A whisper of common sense drowned out by the eternal bickering of the incompetent. As the chairman of both Ross County and the Global Energy Group he doesn’t take it personally. He has enough on his plate. That doesn’t mean what he has to say isn’t worth hearing, though. So when a man of his substance tells you a Scottish game which sees three of its biggest clubs languishing outside the top tier is ripe for reinvention, for re-engagement, someone in the hierarchy should be asking him not why but how. “Scottish football is still getting an awakening,” said MacGregor. “It’s not so much the sport – I see fledgling shoots all over the place, with young players getting an opportunity but the game is still unable to enthuse the broadcasters and the public. “I see it in all areas of our game that we have forgotten either our brand or our customer. “Clubs have to examine their customer, their fan. If you take your eye off that you have questions to answer. It comes back to boards of directors understanding fans. “Clubs have forgotten their fans and in any business you do that at your peril. “It’s not finance. Nothing to do with it. Hibs’ budget was five times mine – it’s about your relationship with your customer. “Football clubs used to have really good relationships but they took it for granted. Now we need to reinvent it – and everything negative that’s happening can have a positive outcome but only if boards and fans groups get their eye back on the right values. “Hearts have done it, Hibs are doing it as we speak. Rangers still have to find whatever it is they’re looking for. Their directors don’t have their eye on their fans.” As we talk in his Inverness HQ MacGregor has spent the morning at his club’s ground, throwing ideas at his admin staff on how to improve the matchday experience for their fans, and, uniquely, the away support as well. He talks free pies, free transport, entertainment, value for kids – anything that is the opposite of standing still. He knows half the ideas might not fly but it won’t stop him stretching his people to try. He sighed: “We don’t market the game in this country. The league body should be 90 per cent PR and marketing and 10 per cent rules and administration – we’re the other way round. “Yet I look at what Man City are doing around their stadium and I want to do it. You’re not just going to a game. You’re going to the Man City Experience. You’re there from lunchtime, eating, drinking, being entertained, engaging with the community around the club. “Today’s pay-as-you-go generation have choices to make. The people are still there, just in a different culture. When we first came in the league we went down to Morton – I’d never been there before and the ground had held 35,000 people at one point. “And you look out and see the shipyards and decay and you imagine the people who worked there and went for a pie and a pint and then went to the football. “Yet there were only 1200 people there that day. “If you fight your fanbase like, say, Rangers are doing, your club will never be right. It’s a dysfunctional relationship. The hierarchy in football is changing for the better but it’s the clubs who need to change. Get real with where they are with their fans, with their stakeholders, with the Press. “I see it happening because of finance but it needs to be in your soul. “I’m here with Ross County because I believe in an area which didn’t get an opportunity in a football sense, a talent sense or a business sense to express themselves as part of the UK or Scotland. “My role is to give people opportunity. I do it with my business and with my football club. And we don’t live beyond our means.” MacGregor is rightly proud of his club finishing fifth then seventh in their first two seasons of top-flight football, less than 20 years on from becoming a senior club and on one of the smallest budgets and fanbases in the country. But you’ll never catch him thinking they’ve become something they’re not. He said: “What’s success for us? To stay in the top division and do well in a Cup. Anything beyond that is aspirational. “Plug your club into that aspiration. Don’t think you can be a top-six club. It’s not possible. It’s a bonus and you have to be exceptional to do it. “So just be real and don’t let your supporters get expectations beyond reality. The biggest thing is for the fans to believe you can be better than what you are. You always try to outperform what you are and the fans will come with you.” MacGregor also refuses to fall into the trap many wealthy football benefactors have. He’s watched Stewart Milne and David Murray make decisions in the game they’d never in a million years have made in business but he said: “I find the discipline of it easy because I worry, if I get expectation beyond reality, I’ll let my community down. “I go through the wringer the same as every other fan. I’ve been watching my team since 1966 but I’m not on an ego trip. “I’m in it for an area which has two Premiership teams and is being recognised at last that it’s part of the framework of Scotland.” Yet not so much part of the framework that he’s ever held office in a game you’d think would be crying out for its best business minds to participate. “I’ve never been asked,” he deadpans. “But then this part of the world is still trying to come to terms with being part of football and being accepted. “We’ve never been accepted as part of the football hierarchy and it’s 20 years on. I’m not complaining. We’re 200 miles away from the mass of football supposedly but this season we’re playing five teams who are nearly home games for us, all north of the Tay. “So it HAS changed. Where the heartland of football was has been rocked. “It’s getting better though. We’ve had some revolution in the SFA, we have the leagues together again and I believe the structure is better. “But selling the game is still a difficult job, especially with three of our biggest clubs out of the top division. “So you need to sell the brand on 42 clubs, not 12, and you need to sell it on the whole nation. You need someone who buys into that. “It’s difficult because we have a devolution debate – are UK wide companies wanting to get into that debate by getting into football? “You have issues with tarnished goods – clubs who can’t manage themselves. That effect is still there. The product is not good. But there’s a lot more sense being talked and it’s out of necessity. Setbacks are opportunities. “The SPFL will have to adjust their TV policy, for example, and if that’s what the fan wants? You’ll have to give them Hearts v Rangers not St Johnstone v Ross County. “Do what the customer wants.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/f...gregor-3632540 -
We are currently in the process of gathering together names of individuals and representatives of fans groups, RSCs, websites, etc who are willing to come along and help find a solution to the infighting amongst our fans. If you are interested in attending the meeting could you please email info@thelouden.co.uk (or you could dm/pm us) with your name and any group that you wish to represent or are a part of. To be clear, any individual who wishes to attend to try and help our support is more than welcome but we would appreciate an email so as to know the numbers. Regarding the format of the meeting, we are looking for suggestions on what specifically the meeting should cover. We are not discussing the politics at the club, we are only focusing on the way fans communicate with each other. This is not about which side is right or wrong. We do not need everyone to agree about everything but at all times we should be civil to one another. The meeting will be held in the lounge area of the pub and no alcohol will be served for the duration of the meeting. If anyone wants any other information, please ask. Thanks We Are The People God Bless The Rangers The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium - More than a Pub Official Partner of The Rangers Football Club *We are responsible for The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium, 111 Copland Road, Ibrox, G51 2SL solely and are not involved in the operation of any other premises
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Talksport programme with big Eck is now available to download. References to Rangers are probably through-out, certainly some at the start (best moment type thing) but the main segment on us kicks in some 62 minutes in https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/my-sporting-life/id777692680 You need to install/have installed itunes as far as I can see
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Due to immense demand we are very proud to announce that Graeme has agreed to do a second night for The Rangers Support. Tickets are on sale now… We are delighted that we have managed to secure a legend of British Football for a night at The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium. One of the most admired men in Rangers History, Graeme Souness will be hosting a Question & Answer evening and we could not be more proud. Tickets for this event are extremely limited and are available from http://www.thelouden.co.uk/events.html. Priced at £30, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet a giant of the game. Doors will open from 6.30pm on the night with the Q&A scheduled to begin at 8pm Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis and all ticket sales are final We Are The People God Bless The Rangers The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium - More than a Pub Official Partner of The Rangers Football Club *We are responsible for The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium, 111 Copland Road, Ibrox, G51 2SL solely and are not involved in the operation of any other premises
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Anyone heard where Mr King is and what hes up to? He seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.
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Announcement: Gersnet and WATP Magazine link up with a new monthly Gersnet column We are delighted to announce that from this summer a monthly Gersnet column will now be featured in WATP Magazine - the only A4 sized monthly magazine by Rangers fans, for Rangers fans. Gersnet was one of the first Rangers discussion websites and has been a quality source of information and debate on the club for almost 15 years. WATP magazine begun its life in season 2013/14 and quickly became one of the biggest selling print fanzines; rivalled only by the official match-day programme in terms of it's first-rate A4 colour production and content. In each monthly issue you will find columns and interviews from club legends, articles that look into today's Rangers written from well-known supporters and historical articles which will take your breath away at the majesty of our history. The features section includes a closer look at the Rangers family, with everything from Supporters Club of the Month to the lovely Bearette section. We can't wait to complement all the above with our own writers from the Gersnet website and forum! You can subscribe to the magazine via www.watpmagazine.co.uk and follow WATP on Twitter @WATP_Magazine. Gersnet and WATP - 'One Rangers, no factions'. -
Would like to hear what fellow Bears expect next season. Obviously the journey back up the leagues was supposed to be a gimmie and we didn't foresee hearts and Hibs standing in the way. Hearts are on the rebuilding and Hibs are about to make changes.....An article on here a few weeks ago had Ally saying he fears Hibs, sorry but we should never be fearing them. We had a good Scottish cup run this year but id not worry about that this year and put all efforts into the league. Still cant believe we didt pick up the Ramsden's and I cant see there being big interest in that this year. I don't think Ally is the right manager, he should be at the club in some capacity but not on the training field and If im honest I don't think it will be easy next season.
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Hoping for Atletico to do the double, will have a wee bet on them to lift the trophy. Real have put all the eggs into the CL basket and are hot favourites.
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EDIT: thread was already in motion here: http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/vb/sh...084#post491084 Hamilton win on penalties (scored all 4 of theirs, Hibs missed 2) Hamilton were by far the better team from start to finish. Playing some lovely football, unlike Hibs. I know this is not Rangers - but it is relevant to next season
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By CHRIS JACK and MATTHEW LINDSAY: RANGERS have recorded many memorable and momentous triumphs throughout their 142-year existence. The Ibrox club has won the league on a world record 54 occasions as well as the League Cup 27 times and the Scottish Cup 33 times. On the road to recording that incredible haul of domestic trophies, the Light Blues have claimed seven Trebles. That is a feat no other football club on the planet has managed to match. The Gers have also excelled in Europe over the years. They have reached four finals in continental competition - in 1961, 1967, 1972 and 2008. The Glasgow giants have also slayed some of the biggest names in football over the years - including Bayern Munich, Juventus, Leeds United and PSV Eindhoven. And there have, of course, been numerous victories over Celtic which will never be forgotten by their legion of loyal followers. But what are the 50 most memorable games in the history of Rangers? Chris Jack and Matthew Lindsay trawled through the Evening Times archives in an attempt to come up with a definitive list of their biggest outings. And in the coming fortnight in SportTimes, we will count down from 50 to 1. Not every Rangers fan is likely to agree with their findings. But starting today, we take a nostalgic look back at the most entertaining, most unlikely and most important results for Rangers since the Second World War. It promises to be as much fun as watching them in action. 50 Game: Rangers 5 Celtic 1. Date: November 26, 2000. Competition: Scottish Premier League. Venue: Ibrox. Attendance: 50,083. The most expensive player in the history of Scottish football made his debut as Rangers overwhelmed their Old Firm rivals at Ibrox. Tore Andre Flo, the striker signed for £12million from Chelsea, netted on his Light Blues bow as Dick Advocaat's side bounced back from an embarrassing 6-2 drubbing at Parkhead in some style. Rangers were miles off the pace in the title race, but this derby victory cut their arrears to the Hoops to 12 points and gave the Light Blue legions plenty to shout about. Barry Ferguson, Ronald de Boer, Lorenzo Amoruso and Michael Mols were also on target for the Gers. It was to prove a horror day for Martin O'Neill's side, who had got back into the game at 2-1 after Henrik Larsson scored before Alan Thompson saw red and Rangers romped to a victory to savour. 49 Game: Rangers 10 Valletta 0. Date: September 28, 1983. Competition: European Cup-Winners' Cup. Venue: Ibrox. Attendance: 11,500. Rangers recorded their biggest-ever European victory, but few were inside Ibrox to see history being made. Already 8-0 ahead from the first leg in Cyprus, John Greig's side turned on the style on home soil to also set a new aggregate score record and Scottish club record in Europe. The Gers were off and running inside the first minute when David Mitchell scored and the game was won after 10 minutes, John MacDonald netting the first of a hat-trick before Mitchell completed his brace. Ian Redford also scored twice and there were goals from Ally Dawson, Billy Mackay and Billy Davies as the Light Blues romped to victory. 48 Game: Rangers 2 Real Zaragoza 0. Date: March 1, 1967. Competition: European Cup-Winners' Cup. Venue: Ibrox. Attendance: 65,000. The 1966/67 campaign is one of the most remarkable in Rangers' history, with the team that reached a European final humbled by Berwick. Scot Symon's side would eventually win this tie, and book a place in the semi-finals against Slavia Sofia by virtue of a coin toss after a defeat in Spain left the scores tied after extra-time. The crowd that packed into Ibrox would have been unaware of the drama that would unfold, especially after the Gers took control of the match and seemed to be heading smoothly for a last-four berth against the fancied Spaniards. Dave Smith put the hosts ahead after just 10 minutes and when Alex Willoughby doubled their advantage before the half-hour mark, victory on the night was secured for Rangers. 47 Game: Kilmarnock 1 Rangers 5. Date: May 15, 2011. Competition: Scottish Premier League. Venue: Rugby Park. Attendance: 16,173. In his final game as manager, Walter Smith bowed out in style as he led Rangers to their third successive SPL crown. The Light Blues went into the Rugby Park clash a point ahead of Old Firm rivals Celtic on the final day, but blew Killie away to win the title inside seven minutes. Kyle Lafferty scored twice, either side of a Steven Naismith strike, to settle the nerves and allow the Light Blue legions to start celebrating in Ayrshire. After the break, Nikica Jelavic beat Cammy Bell and Lafferty completed his hat-trick. It was the perfect way for Smith to bring the curtain down on his illustrious managerial career, with the celebrations continuing in front of thousands of fans when the team returned to Ibrox. 46 Game: Rangers 3 Aberdeen 1. Date: April 28, 1996. Competition: Scottish Premier League. Venue: Ibrox. Attendance: 47,247. Rangers wrapped up eight-in-a-row to move within touching distance of the famous nine and did so thanks to a superb showing from Paul Gascoigne. The England midfielder enjoyed a terrific first campaign at Ibrox and put the seal on the title with all three goals against the Dons to clinch the title for Walter Smith's side. Gazza was the most expensive signing of the previous summer for Smith, who shelled out £4.3million to bring him from Lazio, and he took his tally to 19 goals with his hat-trick on the penultimate day of the season as he cancelled out Brian Irvine's opener and produced a world-class display to get the party started at a packed Ibrox. Your shout ... Now it's your turn to let us know what you think about Rangers' 50 most memorable matches. Get in touch with us via email at sport@eveningtimes.co.uk and have your say on the Light Blues' biggest games. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangerscomment/rangers-the-50-most-memorable-matches-50-46-164912n.24311913
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Seems that the bros or one of them are suing for £200K. In tomorrow's Record.
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Neil Lennon is to part company with Celtic after four years as manager following talks about his future. It is understood that the former club captain had been considering his position for some time despite securing a third straight Scottish title. He has been concerned about this playing budget for next season. The 42-year-old Northern Irishman took charge of the Glasgow club in 2010, leading them to three league titles and two Scottish Cups. Lennon, who also previously led Celtic to Champions League last 16, is believed to have been concerned that his present side would be able to negotiate three rounds of qualifying next season.
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We are looking to put together a meeting of all the different groups of the Rangers Support. All the fans groups, representatives, forums, magazines, podcasts, radio shows, fanzines and anyone who wants to come along We would like to make an attempt to bring civility back to the Rangers Support and thrash out a ‘code of conduct’ for how fans interact with each other online and in real life. It has been a hard time for the support as different views about what is best for the club are prevalent but this isn’t about protests, boycotts, supporting the board or anything else. It is purely about Rangers Supporters meeting and finding a way to give each other the respect a Rangers Supporter should have with one another. This is not about who is right and who is wrong – it is about the support moving forward and people with differing views being able to speak to each other. List of Groups we’d like to see there include: Sons of Struth Vanguard Bears Union Bears The Blue Order RST Rangers Media Follow Follow Gersnet Do The Bouncy No.1 Fanzine 72 Magazine WATP Magazine Rangers Supporters Assembly Rangers Supporters Association Copland Road Organisation Rangers Fans Fighting Fund Rangers Chat Heart & Hand Podcast We Welcome The Chase Podcast Aye Ready Podcast Any RSCs that are interested And apologies for anyone I have missed but everyone who has Rangers at heart is welcome. We would like to have this meeting at 1pm Saturday 31st May in The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium, 111 Copland Road, G51 2SL. If you are willing to come along could you contact us here or email info@theloudentavern.co.uk There is no hidden agenda here, we are just trying to help the support. We have enough enemies out there. Check out http://www.rangersfirst.org – Do something positive to help the club and the support We Are The People God Bless The Rangers The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium - More than a Pub Official Partner of The Rangers Football Club *We are responsible for The Louden Tavern: Ibrox Stadium, 111 Copland Road, Ibrox, G51 2SL solely and are not involved in the operation of any other premises
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Bawsburst on RM hinting at something happening soon with this recently formed company by Laxey pic.twitter.com/Nc8zHXA8Dn So Laxey's Kingsnorth registers a new company called GreenWhiteStar UK PLC. How disgustingly ironic
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Support from the above on keeping Ibrox and Auchenhowie, while some of our own dither. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-fans-backed-by-leeds-support-for-board-battle-164353n.24280107 RANGERS fans were today urged not to give up the fight to hold on to Ibrox and Murray Park as animosity grows towards the under-fire Light Blues board. The call came from Gary Cooper, chairman of the Leeds United Supporters Trust, who have fought a series of hierarchies in Yorkshire as the club have fallen from grace in recent years. United's Thorp Arch training centre was sold off for £4.2million a decade ago while their Elland Road home was hived off in a sale and leaseback agreement just weeks later as the club battled for survival. The Rangers Union of Fans have launched a bid to pool season ticket money this summer that will see cash only handed over to the Gers board once security has been granted over Ibrox. A meeting between the group and board last week failed to reach a settlement, with fears growing among supporters that their Murray Park base could be sold to raise much-needed funds. Leeds have never fully recovered from the disastrous Peter Ridsdale era and fans' chief Cooper has issued a rallying call to the Light Blue legions to play their part in safeguarding Rangers' biggest assets. He told SportTimes: "Any club worth its salt has to own its stadium and training ground. For a decade and more, Leeds United haven't and that isn't right. "It is difficult for supporters, they value it more than bricks and mortar. "They make an emotional investment in their team and the club and have a link, a tie to the heritage and history, past glories and failures, to the ground, your home. "We have not had that at Leeds United and it is hard for supporters of any other club to fully understand it until it happens to them. "Rangers are a massive, historic club and the idea that they could lose their stadium and training ground and become tenants is, in my opinion, devastating. "It has been so hard for the fans of Leeds United and it will be for Rangers fans if it happens. "We are in a fight to reclaim our identity and our home and I would urge Rangers fans to keep up their fight to hold on to Ibrox and Murray Park." Having seen the board backtrack on plans to consider a legally binding undertaking on Ibrox and again hit out at the aims of Ibrox 1972 Ltd - the vehicle used by the UoF to collect season ticket pledges and backed by Dave King and a host of Light Blue legends - supporters have become increasingly disillusioned with the Gers powerbrokers. The board have repeatedly criticised the UoF proposal that would see the stadium and training complex handed over to fans but LUST chairman Cooper has given the group his firm support. He said: "Supporter involvement in owning any ground, or financing the purchase of a ground, has to be a positive thing. "The club's identity is intrinsically linked with the place it plays its football. "Its history is there, its traditions are there and the hearts and emotions of the supporters are there, and I mean supporters from a hundred years ago and today. "It is fundamentally important that fans try to retain a voice in all aspects of our game and our clubs. "It doesn't belong to the money men, it isn't all about money. "It is about competition, identity, tribalism, recognising something in your club that lives and breathes in yourself. We are losing that. "If the Rangers fans are going to fight to keep ownership of Ibrox and Murray Park then I am sure our 9,000 members would support them all the way."
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SATURDAY, 17 MAY 2014 19:30[h=2]Club Statement[/h]WRITTEN BY RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB RANGERS have issued the following statement today: “Representatives of Rangers have met with a number of supporter groups over the past few days and discussed a wide range of topics. We again made it clear during these meetings that the club will not grant security over Ibrox to any organisation and therefore the 'Ibrox 1972' scheme can never achieve its objectives. In addition the club will not accept season ticket applications from third parties such as 'Ibrox 1972' on behalf of supporters. “In some of our discussions with fans, it was indicated that there was a wish for the Board to confirm that our statement of intention not to grant security over Ibrox could become a commitment that would last for 12 months. This has subsequently been discussed by the Board and the Board confirms that it will not be seeking to effect a sale and leaseback or grant security over Ibrox during that period of time. “The Board is rebuilding the Club by ensuring its financial stability and the integrity of its assets. “Whilst the Board is reported to have offered legally binding undertakings during a fan group discussion in relation to Ibrox and Murray Park, this is not the case. The Board is committed to high standards of corporate governance and is comfortable that it has at all times been very clear in providing consistent and unequivocal public comments on this subject. "Season ticket sales have continued at a good pace over the last few days and we appreciate the continued support shown by our loyal fans. "We trust that any supporters who may have been in any doubt about the Board's previous statements regarding Ibrox now have an additional level of comfort and any who may have made, or were considering making, a pledge of their season ticket money to 'Ibrox 1972' are clear that there is no prospect of that group achieving its aims."
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http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-utd/new-leeds-owners-will-buy-back-elland-road-for-15m-1-6322034 BUYING back Elland Road for around £15m tops the list of priorities for Leeds United’s prospective new owners, the Yorkshire Post has been told. A consortium led by United managing director David Haigh is bidding to buy a 75 per cent stake in the Championship club. The group - which is believed to include Andrew Flowers, the managing director of current shirt sponsors Enterprise Insurance - have signed a share acquisition agreement with GFH Capital, the Dubai-based firm that purchased United from Ken Bates a year ago. Football League approval is now being sought as this buyout would be the second of the club in as many seasons. Providing there are no late hiccups, the Haigh-led consortium is expected to take charge early in the New Year. As revealed in this newspaper yesterday, re-signing former Player of the Year, Max Gradel, in the January transfer window is high on the list of targets for the prospective new owners. However, sources close to Haigh’s group have also made it clear to the Yorkshire Post that buying back Elland Road will be their top priority once at the helm. United’s home was sold to Manchester businessman Jacob Adler for a knockdown £8m price in November, 2004, as mounting debts threatened to drag the club under in its first year outside the Premier League. Ownership passed the following year to Teak Commercial Limited, a firm based in the British Virgin Islands. Included in the initial sale and leaseback deal with Adler - and something retained in the subsequent sale to Teak - was a buyback option that allows the club to purchase the stadium at a set price. That amount rises each October and today stands at £15m. Also subject to a raise of three per cent each October is the rent United pay to Teak, which this year will cost the club £1.4m. Since Elland Road was sold to Adler by the United board that was led by Gerald Krasner, United have paid around £11m in rent. Removing that financial millstone from around United’s neck will, the source close to Haigh’s group insists, be the overriding priority providing the expected takeover goes through early in 2014. Regardless of whether the club’s would-be new owners are successful or not in that quest, United’s tenancy in LS11 is secure thanks to the terms of the 2004 sale and lease-back arrangement - a deal in which the owner of a large asset, such as property, sells it and then immediately buys back from the buyer the right to use the asset under a lease for a fixed term at a pre-arranged rent. In United’s case, that agreement was for a 25-year lease that, once at an end in 2029, can be extended by a further quarter of a century. This means Leeds’ future at Elland Road is safe for at least the next 41 years. Haigh and his fellow would-be investors, however, are well aware that buying back the ground would be the clearest signal yet to supporters that the club is moving in the right direction. If they are successful in that quest, it will be the second time in a generation that United will have bought back their home thanks to improving financial fortunes. The first instance came in 1998 when Peter Ridsdale’s board paid £10m to Leeds City Council for the stadium, which along with the surrounding land had been sold 13 years earlier to the local authority for a quarter of that sum. Crippling debts of around £1.5m had forced the 1985 sale on the club. History then repeated itself in 2004, though by then the sums involved had multiplied dramatically. Krasner’s board had taken over Leeds in March of that year but relegation just a couple of months later hit United very hard. A fire-sale of players such as Alan Smith and Mark Viduka during that summer bought the club respite for a time but by the early months of the 2004-05 campaign it was clear Leeds were still in the financial mire. Debts that had, at one stage, stood north of £100m when the takeover went through had been slashed to around £25m. However, punishing repayments to Jack Petchey, a London-born businessman who had once been chairman of Watford and an Aston Villa shareholder, for a £15m loan taken out by Krasner and his fellow directors when buying the club had started to bite. After negotiations with a number of parties that included Sebastien Sainsbury and local businessman Norman Stubbs floundered, the United board was left with no option but to sell the club’s only two remaining assets of substance - Elland Road and Thorp Arch, the latter’s sale raising £4.2m. Once the two sales were concluded, the remaining debt of £9.2m to Petchey was cleared. United’s financial woes continued, however, and the club was subsequently sold to Bates the following January. At his first press conference, the former Chelsea chairman said: “It is our intention, in the fullness of time, to exercise those options and bring the land and stadium back where they belong.” Scarcity of funds, though, meant those wishes went unfulfilled with a bid to buyback Thorp Arch floundering at the 11th hour in 2009. Similar sentiments about purcahasing Elland Road were expressed by GFH Capital following their December 21 takeover last year but, again, nothing concrete came of the plans.
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The Union - an umbrella group comprising six supporters' organisations - had been urging Gers followers to withhold season ticket cash. A company, Ibrox 1972 Ltd, has been set up with South Africa-based businessman Dave King and legendary captain Richard Gough as directors. The Union wanted the club to grant them security over both Ibrox Stadium and Murray Park training ground in return for the money. Wallace admitted last Friday that season ticket renewals had been slow and fears have also been expressed by some about the future of the club. But representatives from the organisation met with Wallace, non-executive director Norman Crighton and major shareholder Sandy Easdale. And Wallace, who has stated in the past that security will not be granted, told them the club could be prepared to give them a legally binding guarantee over Ibrox. However, the Union asked for an identical agreement over the club training ground at Murray Park and the club officials agreed to look into that possibility. But the talks were a huge step towards the bitter stand-off between fans and the club being brought to an end. A Union of Fans statement released on Wednesday night read: "Following a number of attempts for several weeks to arrange a meeting with chief executive Graham Wallace to discuss our proposals for security over Ibrox and Murray Park, the Union of Fans were invited by Mr Wallace to discuss this and other issues at a meeting at Ibrox. "Representatives of the Union of Fans met with Mr Wallace, non-executive director Norman Crighton and Sandy Easdale. "A proposal was made by Mr Wallace that, whilst the board would not grant a security, they could consider giving a legally binding undertaking which would protect Ibrox from sale, sale and leaseback or as any form of security for a loan or other finance. "We made it clear to Mr Wallace that we felt it was also appropriate that they provide the same undertaking for Murray Park. "Mr Wallace and Mr Crighton agreed to discuss this with the rest of the PLC board as a matter or urgency and further discussions between the PLC board and the Union of Fans will continue once this board meeting has taken place. "We believe we accurately conveyed the fears of supporters that either or both of these club assets could be lost to the club in a scenario where they were used for any sale and leaseback or other loan security. "Any proposal by the board will be evaluated by our lawyers and a decision will then be taken on how to move forward. We will keep fans full informed as discussions continue." Rangers did not comment on the meeting. GET RANGERS NEWS ALERTS BY EMAIL
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“If you’re prepared to accept mediocrity because our owners are greedy fair enough. Me, I intend to do everything I can to root them out.” A quote from Gunslinger. So what are we doing as a support to root out the directors? I believe the answer is “Not a lot”. Let’s look at the two lots of people a majority of the fans want rid of – the Shareholders and the Directors. 1. The Shareholders There are 2 main ways that the shareholders can get to go or to lose control: a) Someone buys their shares – there is currently nobody who wants to buy their shares. Dave King has said he won’t do it. There are 2 fans’ vehicles for purchasing shares, both of whom are a long way away from getting enough cash to make a meaningful investment. They also both have the dilemma of raising cash and then deciding whether to use the cash to pay existing shareholders and therefore not a penny goes to the club, as happened recently with BuyRangers, or wait until there’s a share issue at some future point. They also run the risk of their shareholding being diluted. Let’s say they get 1% of the shares and then there’s a rights issue. They could find that their 1% has been reduced to 0.5% or even lower. Perhaps it needs yet another calamity like an administration to change the mindsets of the fans to fan ownership as they have consistently shown that a vast majority are not there yet. b) There’s a share issue of some sort, which dilutes their control in the way mentioned above. However what happens if they are the ones to put in the cash? They could increase their shareholding percentage. Dave King has said that he would be willing to invest, but only under certain circumstances. Are the current shareholders likely to structure an issue that sees them losing control to King? Very unlikely. Is King willing to invest that level of cash and not have a level of control? Very Unlikely. All of King’s actions seem to be aimed towards trying to force the existing shareholders and directors out without him having to spend any cash in doing so. He has built up a degree of animosity between him and the board and as such he has made it less likely that the board will turn round and make it easy for him to get control. The existing shareholders generally want an exit strategy and nobody is offering them one and they aren’t going to effectively have their shareholding become worthless. 2. The Directors Most Rangers fans are not impressed by the current Board, but nobody has offered any alternative since the Paul Murray faction got voted down at the AGM. Nobody has set out any level of vision for the future and King suffers from this criticism more than most. He has not set out detailed plans or any level of alternative. King set up his Ibrox 1972 Ltd company, asking for the club to give it security over its biggest assets. Does anyone seriously expect a quoted PLC to give security of its main assets to a third party company that apparently doesn’t have a season ticket holder or Rangers shareholder on its board or as a shareholder? There is no connection between this company and the club. As it stands, there’s no connection between the ownership and control of Ibrox 1972 Ltd and the support either. It’s almost as if King has come up with a vehicle that makes it impossible for the club to grant security, not that they would do it anyway. Perhaps that’s what King is hoping for? Many fans are not buying season tickets, partly due their opposition to the board and partly due to the fare on the park. For the fans who fall into the former category, is them withholding season ticket cash really going to chase out the directors? I really don’t think so. Why should it? Are the really just going to resign and walk away or are they going to carry on running the company in whatever financial situation it Is in? I would argue that it is the latter and they will continue run the club as best they can, with the lower income and therefore lower quality on the park. Many are there to do a job (presumably to the best of their ability) and less season tickets makes it more challenging but it is not a reason for them to resign from their job. Are the shareholders going to insist on a change of board due to lower season tickets? Unlikely, given that the gave the directors a vote of confidence at the AGM even after the club had spent the £22m from the share issue in 9 months. If they still retain the shareholders’ support after that then season ticket holder revolt isn’t going to make much difference. There is also the situation where Sandy Easdale controls the votes of over 26% of the shares and it means that he only needs 24% of other shares to get his way in most matters. The fans who are not renewing their season tickets have my admiration for the sacrifice that they are making and I understand their frustration as they want to do something and not renewing is something. However it doesn’t mean that what they are doing will result in a change or will make any difference to the positions of the directors. Even if the season ticket boycott did force a change in directors, would it change the overall way that the club is being run? Again, very unlikely. So what is the best hope for a change? We can only hope that Dave King has a change in heart and does decide to buy out the existing shareholders because otherwise I just don’t see a way out of this mess as we fans appear to be powerless against shareholders and directors who have no interest in engaging with the support and taking actions to keep them onside.
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By Richard Wilson BBC Scotland John Brown is the latest former Rangers player to declare his support for the Ibrox 1972 Season Ticket fund. Brown, a fierce critic of former chief executive Charles Green, urged fans of the League One champions to withhold season ticket money two years ago. He has now joined Richard Gough and Lorenzo Amoruso in backing the fund, which has been set up by supporters' group coalition Union of Fans. "Rangers supporters must not give this board a lump sum of money," said Brown. The deadline for renewals is on Friday, and it is thought that the number of tickets sold is still in the very low thousands. During a question and answer session on Twitter last week, chief executive Graham Wallace admitted that sales were "slow". In their interim accounts, published in March, and in Wallace's business review, details of which were released last month, Rangers acknowledged that if season ticket sales dip below last year's uptake - which was around 34,000 - then the business's ability to trade as a going concern will be under threat. The UoF want fans to pay their renewal money into a fund instigated by former club director Dave King. The group will then seek security over Ibrox Stadium in return for handing over the gathered money in a single payment. This would prevent the property being used as security against future borrowing. Amoruso, the former Rangers captain, backed the campaign last week, while former Rangers manager Alex McLeish offered his support to King's intention to invest directly into Rangers International Football Club plc, by means of a new share issue. "I am not saying to my fellow Bluenoses, 'don't support your team'," said Brown, who left his job as Dundee manager last February. "Far from it. Buy your ticket on a match-to-match basis if this lot are still there next season." Brown, who left his job as a scout at Ibrox when Green's consortium took charge two years ago, pointed out that former player and manager John Greig refuses to currently attend games at Ibrox. He also said that he expects other former players to declare their support for the UoF initiative, although Mark Hateley urged fans to buy season tickets in an interview on the club website.
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........No it's time for Dave King to step up and pay. KEITH believes it's time for Ibrox investor King to put his money where his mouth is with the club's Murray Park training ground under threat. IF Dave King is serious about rescuing Rangers then he had better get a move on. In fact, come to think of it, he may have procrastinated too long already because this basket case of a business is staring its next disaster dead in the eye. Very soon someone will have to blink and before you know it this club could find itself minus a training ground if it’s not careful. In five days from now the curtain will come down on season ticket renewals and when it does, bedraggled chief executive Graham Wallace might as well sound the emergency klaxon because unless there is a late stampede between now and Friday, Rangers will be right back on the brink. Raising money against Murray Park might then become almost inevitable, assuming insolvency is to be avoided as Wallace so bullishly insists it will be. It was interesting to note that the current board made no comment at all about the security of their Auchenhowie HQ when categorising Ibrox as ‘sacrosanct’ the other day. The truth is Wallace was busy discussing the merits or otherwise of raising funds against Murray Park with former financial director Brian Stockbridge at the turn of the year. Stockbridge wanted to push the button back then but Wallace at least had enough sense to resist. However, Wallace also made it clear that such a scenario might need to be revisited at a later date and if the season ticket revenue really is about to be obliterated then that date might well be now. Also, given the enormous scale of Rangers financial requirements, there would seem little point in simply raising a couple of million quid in the form a secured loan – like the deal Wallace brokered with those nice hedge fund folk from Laxey Partners just to keep the floodlights on till the end of winter. A full-blown sale and leaseback would certainly bring in significantly more money but at what price to a club which continues to be robbed of its soul from the inside? Which brings us back to the man who would be King and his plotting in South Africa. King has lent his name to the Union of Fans’ plan to starve the club of its biggest single source of revenue but he’s done so from a distance, almost half-heartedly, while this club’s supporters have been busy whipping themselves up into a state of high doh. That King did not attend the launch of this scheme in person, nor even make sure that his recently- recruited wingman Richard Gough was there to deputise, sent out more muddled messages to these fans who want nothing more than a leader in whom they can place their trust along with their cash. But then this is the Rangers civil war we are talking about. If there is a way to mishandle public relations then you can bet your last blue pound someone in this abomination will find it – even though you can barely move for gurus spinning furiously for one camp or the other. King says his attempted coup is not in any way reliant on public opinion, which is probably just as well because he hasn’t done enough to win over the rump of the fans. The vast majority want to believe in him but need to see tangible proof of his intentions. If Friday’s final tally of sold season tickets is as low as many are predicting then this will be an indication of how little these fans trust the characters inside their own boardroom rather than a show of faith in the man who wishes to topple them. It would also leave the board with a couple of options – selling off the family silver or engage immediately with King, who is ready to talk. So far, King has done nothing much more than kick up a stink by issuing sporadic flurries of statements, most of which have told us nothing we did not already know. He has been heavy on promises – talking boldly of blowing £30million worth of his children’s inheritance – but feathery light on substance. So if he is serious about acting – and for the record I’m sure he is – then right about now would seem like an appropriate moment for him to start digging deep. King has made clear his reluctance to line the pockets of the very shareholders he blames for making such a mess of the club. While this is an admirable position, the more time passes, the less realistic it appears. And all the while, Rangers fans are wrestling with their own consciences and fretting over whether or not to hold their club to ransom. King could remove all that confusion and guilt from their shoulders at a stroke by ploughing some of his own millions into the very account that has been set up for their season ticket cash. If those who run the club will not accept his money then why would any individual feel the least bit bad about hanging on to their own £400? Better still though, King should rethink his strategy and find out exactly how much it would cost to make those shadowy investors lurking behind the likes of Margarita Blue Pitch Holdings and Margarita disappear once and for all. Ultimately, this is what will be required if Rangers are ever to be properly ‘cleansed’ and now Friday’s iceberg is approaching, maybe those lucky enough to have stuffed their pockets with penny shares might realise it’s time to abandon ship. Even if they sold now for as little as 20p a share they’d still make mind-boggling returns on their investments. The thought of making them rich might make King’s skin crawl but, even so, this would seem like a price worth paying. He could always ask Fergus McCann who had to perform a similar U-turn when bringing down the Kelly and White dynasty across the city. A deal could even be structured that would allow King to be given some of the money back, much like the £2.5m Ann Budge has just had to pony up to make sure Hearts are a Lithuanian-free zone. King could do any of the above and instantly cement his status as a genuine hero among the club’s rank and file. The longer he waits though the more time is running out for his club.
