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Rangers' biggest shareholders will back the current board at next month's annual general meeting. Laxey Partners Limited increased their shareholding to 11.64% on Wednesday. Colin Kingsnorth, founder and director of the hedge fund, said: "I want to support stability so I think that means supporting all current directors. "Shareholder worries are the use of cash, transparency and corporate governance. The recent appointments seem to address that." Laxey's stance could prove crucial as the current board attempt to retain control, with another group of shareholders, including former director Paul Murray and former chairman Malcolm Murray, keen to oust them. With voting at the AGM expected to be close, the identity of the seller or sellers of the shares is also significant, depending on who they would have backed. But Kingsnorth told BBC Scotland: "I have no idea where the shares came from. I just bought them in the market." Asked if it was conceivable that Laxey could also vote the "requisitioners" - Paul Murray, Malcolm Murray, Alex Wilson and Scott Murdoch - onto the board at the AGM, Kingsnorth added: "Of course I could support the EGM people but I won't because their job is done. "They should claim some credit for forcing the club into action, but now it has I hope they accept that. "They would have supported (the new chief executive) Graham Wallace if he had joined them and I think they should be big enough to support him if the club supports him. "I doubt they will. A spurned chairman just wants to be loved again, but the club has moved on and I hope the new board drives it forward. They have the credibility, so why not. "The fact that cash has been spent badly seems fact, but what's the best thing to do now? "We'll get behind a professional board, make sure we never go into administration again, get the on-the-pitch stuff right." Source BBC ( need you ask )

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25023927 Fair enough if it's a football debt it should be paid but this is over a year after the event. Get it sorted once and for all!

Daisuke Nakajima quickly packed his bags whilst his editor’s secretary arranged his flights – a 6000 mile journey to cover a story of global proportions. For a country with a history and heritage as rich as Japan’s it was seldom a story emerged from the West with a tale of honour, which could catch the imagination of a country reared in the tales and traditions of the Samurai. But this one most certainly had. Nakajima was returning to Scotland , not to the the city of culture, nor the home of the Scottish Parliament but to of all places Elgin, to report on Scottish football. But this story was not about players, teams, pitches but about fans – a certain type of fan. The type of fans who deserve to be called “extraordinary”, “loyal”, “devoted”. Fans whose actions prove to be the catalyst to reporters journeying across continents. The stories of the Rangers support has now crossed continents seizing the imagination of all who hear. In a country where football has become toxic – they are the antidote. Let us talk not about impersonators – for these truly are the greatest fans in the world. Bar none. Treated with disdain and with malevolence Rangers found themselves consigned to the lowest echelons of Scottish football. But that did nothing to deter the loyal. Still they came in their thousands, following and preserving a footballing institution. It was not for glory – for there was little to be had but out of devotion to a football club. If they had to play in the streets then the pavements would have been brimming. This army of blue legions defied the hatred and machinations of a country, a footballing authority and a less than sympathetic, or impartial media. While others falsified attendance figures, offered two for one ticket deals and extended season ticket sales, the Rangers support broke attendance record after attendance record. On many a week the loyal army following Rangers would outnumber all the SPL attendances. Whose laughing now ? Nakajima never got to see Rangers at Elgin. The match was cancelled due to the demand from the loyal Rangers fans for tickets. But for Nakajima this in itself proved to be a bigger story than the one he had hoped for. Rangers – The Legend goes from strength to strength (even in Japan)

http://www.list.co.uk/event/370180-rangers-fc-debate/ Waterstones, Glasgow (174 Argyle Street, G2 8AH ) Thursday November 28th, 7pm Entry: FREE

Coming up on SSN. Sons of Struth ‏@SonsofStruth 28m You should tune in to skysports news if your a fan of SOS. Chris Graham ‏@ChrisGraham76 55s Rangers news coming up on Sky Sports.

Today I came across a copy of the celtic share prospectus going back to 1994 and as they are always bumping their rancid gums about name changes etc there is a bit on page 26 from Pannell Kerr Forster chartered accountants and its says this . On the 15th December 1994 the company's name was changed from the celtic football and athletic company , to celtic limited and the company was then re-registered as a plc .On the 15th of December 1994 the company acquired pacific shelf 595 limited a dormant company which has not traded since incorporation and changed that company's name to the celtic football club and athletic company. why did they change it in the first place can anyone explain this .

I think the best thing about this long piece is the trailer, but anyway, here's your Sunday morning... When we got kicked out the SPL, one thing I thought would be good was that when international breaks came around, we at least would have a game to look forward to. The idea that we could have internationalists playing for us down amongst the dead men never occurred to me, and while these dreary weeks without even a competitive international game to watch are dull, they do at least give you a chance to look a the bigger picture. As usual, it's a dispiriting one, with the main news of note being the appointment of a raft of directors at Rangers - temporary or otherwise, time will tell - and celtc's continuing attempts to remove Rangers entirely from the game in Scotland. Booooring!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsSbhdo0kQI So instead of waxing gloomical about the same old stuff I've groused above before, I shall this week offer a menu of possibilities for the future, things the game could engage with and maybe create a freshness about that stalest of products, the SPFL. These are all nicked from other sports, but that's no reason to dismiss them. Other sports are booming, thriving even, in these difficult financial times by innovating: we could learn from them. First up, a boring marketing/community bonding opportunity. BT show French Ligue 1 games, and you see every side has the regional tourist board advertised on their strips. Watching the Aussie football this weekend, I see they are the same. 'Do the CG experience!' exhorts the brightly coloured either Adelaide or Perth shirt (my Australian geography is not great). Given that there's plenty of space available on SPFL shirts, they ought to employ this device to get as much exposure (limited, I admit) for each club's region or city. Given how fast Scots clubs are declining, anything which re-engages them with their communities ought to be embraced. The current rugby world cup is attracting huge audiences in England, Wales & France; at the end of the game, both teams take a lap of honour, during which players pose for photos and sign autographs for fans. Perhaps this ought to be home fans only, and only then after a win, but it's an idea which would take an extra 10 or 15 minutes for the players and which would reinforce the bond between fan and player. And to any player who couldn't be bothered, they would have to shoulder the consequences should they dip in form! Cricket's 20/20 competition has brought in many innovations since it appeared about 10 years ago, nowhere more so than in the magnificent Indian Premier League. Features include an audio link between a fielder (usually the skipper) and the commentators while bowlers are walking back to their mark, or during a drinks break; while the heat doesn't require such a break in Glasgow very often, there's no reason why keepers could not be linked up by an audio tech behind the goal while their team are up the other end of the pitch - in cricket the interviewed player just breaks off should he have to, and goalies could do the same. Likewise, since there have been trackside reporters for decades, let's get them broadcasting the actual sounds of the sideline, rather than some mediated, filtered, cleaned up version. If this causes issues for managers or coaches who can't go 45 minutes at a stretch without effing or blinding, that is their problem - if they want TV money, they can behave to minimum live TV standards. This kind of technical innovation would allow the SFA or SPFL or whoever to approach broadcasters with a fresh product, offering superior access to players or staff, rather than a pale imitation of England's success. The IPL also require their grounds to build a little VIP booth, which is for competition winners rather than high heid yins, and include big comfy armchairs and fridges filled with Pepsi products. Practicalities might make this hard, but we are too much in the habit of saying 'we can't' when we need to be saying 'we have to'. Such competitions and prizes must be a money spinner as well as ideal product placement, an area we need to maximise in order to tempt what appears to be a highly reluctant commercial sector back to our moribund product. Joint managerial press conferences could be introduced, which ought to go some way to enforcing managers to act like adults. I think we can think of the one exception who would still stick out his petulant lower lip, and no doubt the media would be annoyed at losing their precious controversial moments, but the aim is to make the product better and financially healthier. Childish and whiny complaints will not bring in investment, a relatively mature product might. No doubt every reader will have ideas of their own. We all know that the game needs radical change at a purely functional level, especially the 4 games a season nonsense, but there's lots of room for tinkering around the edges and freshening up what is a sorely tired product. Just sometimes we need to turn our thoughts toward what we can do to make the game better, rather than the understandable constant harping on about what's wrong with it. Let's hear it for positive thinking, even just for a week!

IAN REDFORD reveals all about the stress and strains of his Ibrox career, the death of his younger brother and his experience as Darren Fletcher's agent in his new book FOOTBALL is a game of fate. A roller coaster of fortune. During my time at Rangers, Ally McCoist was enduring torture from the fans. It wasn’t his fault the club were struggling – but the fans seemed to be on a mission to destroy him. And things came to a head on March 17, 1984 when we played Dundee at Ibrox in a Scottish Cup quarter-final replay. We started well but Dundee pegged us back to 2-2. The crowd were getting impatient and I remember feeling the enormous pressure of expectation on the players. It got so bad for Ally that at one point the whole of the support began chanting, “ALLY, ALLY, GET TAE F***” And it got worse. First Robert Prytz was sent off then I stupidly saw red as well. We heard their winner from the dressing room. Afterwards, we all just sat in the huge communal bath together, no-one speaking a word. Suddenly Ally just broke down into tears, he was weeping openly. The weeks and months of constant pressure and abuse had driven him to the limits of his tolerance. He looked a broken man and I’m sure no one would have thought it possible for him to come back from such depths of seemingly utter despair. But fate intervened. If Prytz and myself hadn’t been suspended for the League Cup Final with Celtic the following week, I don’t think Jock Wallace would’ve selected Ally. He had no choice, though, and the rest is history. Ally scored all three in a famous 3–2 victory, the winner coming in extra-time from a rebounded penalty. Some things are just meant to be. But that’s the pressure of signing for Rangers – and the day I did back in 1980 was one I’ll never forget. I had only ever wanted to go to London from Dundee and play for Arsenal or Spurs but John Greig had offered a Scottish record £210,000. So I found myself at the top of the marble staircase shaking hands with him. I defy anyone to walk through the doors of Ibrox and not feel they are within the boundaries of a special club. But so many things about my move to Rangers weren’t right. Signing for them was an intimidating prospect for a country boy with low self-esteem. When it came to the finances I was at best naive and at worst plain stupid. I got £6000 to sign on, taxed, £150 a week, a four-year contract and never saw a penny of the transfer fee. I became Rangers’ biggest ever signing for practically nothing! I knew this was a struggling team I was joining. I was also just not fit enough to do myself justice and to handle the immediate pressure. My dad was no help because all he wanted was to see me playing for Rangers. That was his dream. He didn’t want me going to England. To be able to say I played 250 games for Rangers gives me an enormous sense of pride. But the timing was wrong. In that first year I didn’t really feel part of that dressing room. In training I had a major bust-up with Rangers’ most legendary hard man, Tam ‘Jaws’ Forsyth. He seemed at that time like a playground bully. We were playing fives on the ash park at our Albion training ground and I took the ball straight past Jaws. He was getting on a bit and didn’t appreciate anyone doing that to him. Next thing I knew was WHAM! I received a forearm smash. I just exploded in rage. Within seconds Big Tam and I were trading punches. We were separated but Tam wanted ‘afters’ and I was up for it because I was past caring. It turned out to be a defining moment because my team-mates no longer saw me as a big, soft, silver-spooned country boy. Coming from the Perthshire countryside, religious bigotry was new to me. Although I’m a Protestant, I would not consider myself a religious person. Early on at Rangers, I was targeted by a bigot at a party. He was goading me then punched me hard in the face without any warning. The next day at training, I was asked by someone what had happened and if I “wanted it taken care of”. The tension of sectarianism is inescapable when you play for either Rangers or Celtic and, like it or not, sectarianism is responsible for the unique atmosphere that surrounds the rivalry. A bigot is just a bigot – no matter what the colour of his scarf is. It’s naive to think it will all just go away. It never will. The wounds of history will ensure a portion of each new generation, no matter how small, will be indoctrinated in hatred. I was also shocked one night at a Supporters’ Player of the Year function when a fan asked for my autograph and wanted me to sign FTP alongside it. I told him “no way” and he began to rant that I wasn’t a true Rangers player. It was an isolated incident though. Generally speaking, the fans are wonderful and make you feel proud to be playing for the club. The best Old Firm game I played in came in the same week as a 3–0 defeat by Chesterfield in the Anglo-Scottish Cup. We took a slaughtering but playing Celtic was ideal because we had nowhere to hide. We thumped them 3–0 – it easily could’ve been six – and I was voted Man of the Match. But John Greig wasn’t able to find a formula consistent enough to win a title. My frustrations led to me feeling depressed and I was drinking to blot everything – but it solved nothing. It was a vicious downward spiral. Then at the end of 1981 – after beating Dundee United in a Scottish Cup Final replay following my missed penalty in the first game – we met them again in the League Cup Final. I was on the bench. Looking back, I can see that I was very depressed. In the second half United took the lead. I had begun to give up on playing any part in the match. So had my friend Billy ‘Bleeper’ MacKay, so we began to tuck into a box of chocolates that had been lying unopened in the back of the dugout. It was comfort eating! Suddenly, Greig shouted: “Bleeper! Get warmed up.” Meanwhile, I was still stuck in the dugout, feeling even more depressed. Then, with no more than five minutes remaining, John shouted: “Reddy, get your tracksuit off. You’re going on – NOW!” I nearly choked on the last remaining chocolate as I stumbled out of the dugout. I had been on the pitch no more than seconds when Davie Cooper equalised. Suddenly, from munching chocolates in depression, I had only one thing on my mind – scoring the winner. It all happened within a split second. As I controlled the ball, I was aware of a gap just inside the top left of the United goal. My first touch had been good but my second touch was even better. I knew in an instant. My lifelong dream came true. I had just scored the winner in the last seconds of a cup final! In front of me were all those Rangers fans who had witnessed that last-minute penalty miss. Like a maniac I was off and running. Had the stadium doors been open I would’ve needed a fiver to get back in! There were too few of these rare gems in my time at Ibrox but even to have experienced one moment such as this made everything worth it. *** My last appearance as a professional player was a cameo role in Raith Rovers’ remarkable League Cup triumph over Celtic in 1994. I was a sub and don’t remember much about the game – but was crapping myself when the tie went to penalties. As a former spot-kick taker it shouldn’t have fazed me but I didn’t relish it. It went to sudden death and it was Paul McStay’s turn, then mine. I wanted him to miss more than anything in the world. Sure enough, Paul obliged and it saved me the ordeal of another do-or-die Cup final penalty. My previous record was one taken, one missed! *** I remember being happy in my early childhood – but a couple of events ended up having a profound effect on my life. The first was the birth of my brother Douglas when I was five. When he was two Douglas was diagnosed with leukaemia and it was the beginning of a nightmare that makes me feel empty. My sister Jill and I were young and had no idea our little brother’s illness was life threatening. I would regularly say things like, ‘When will Dougie be better, mum?’ I never considered for a minute he might be dying. When he began going to school he was teased because he had lost his hair and was fat because of the chemotherapy and having to take steroids. I hated that. He loved playing football when he was well enough but I would never let him win. He would go running off crying to mum and she would come out and give me such a rollicking. I couldn’t understand why mum and dad seemed to go way over the top but the hurt and anger they were feeling made them protective of him. They kept a lot from us but the time they spent with Douglas at hospital with mum meant Jill and I had to fend for ourselves emotionally. Looking back, deep down, I must’ve resented it. We would sometimes talk about how Douglas was their favourite. The atmosphere at home was not what it had been before Douglas was born. I was subconsciously blaming Dougie for the way all our lives seemed to be changing. I was in my first year at Perth High School when Douglas died. I was playing football for the school on a cold Saturday morning in December 1972 and when we got home I was told he only had hours to live. I bolted from the kitchen, threw myself on the bed and sobbed my heart out. The emptiness I felt during that time haunts me to this day. It was a total, unforgettable nightmare. My life felt like it had just imploded with the shock of it all. Christmas followed just days after the funeral. Somehow mum found the strength to make the effort but dad made it clear he wanted no part of it. Every Christmas after that at home was a tense, anxious and depressing affair. For years it was taboo to even mention his name. Dougie died pretty much a stranger to me. I regret not being able to say sorry for resenting the attention he got and sorry for teasing him and hurting his feelings. But as a young child, I simply didn’t know. Over the years I have rationalised this and forgiven myself for my feelings then. The other big thing to happen was when I found I was stone deaf in my left ear. A specialist told me a nerve had been damaged and there was nothing they could do to save my hearing. He told me contact sports were no longer an option – I would end up completely deaf if I received any blow to the head. But there was no way he was going to stop me doing what I loved. *** After my playing career was finished, it seemed natural to get involved on the business side of football as an agent. One major talent I was involved with in his early years was Darren Fletcher. A French contact tipped me off that scouts were raving about his displays for Scotland schoolboys at a tournament in France. I was asked to get him to Lille and persuaded Darren and his dad to come with me to France to see the set-up. They were impressed but Alex Ferguson got wind of the interest and convinced them Darren’s future lay at Manchester United.

THE most important result of the season so far for Ally McCoist has not actually involved his Rangers side. It has not been any of the 12 consecutive victories the Ibrox club has recorded in SPFL League One. Nor was it the Ramsdens Cup or Scottish Cup triumphs which kept alive the Gers' hopes of a unique Treble. No, it was the historic win that Greenock Morton recorded over Celtic in the League Cup at Parkhead in September. Not because McCoist in any way revelled in the misfortune of his club's fiercest and oldest rivals. He simply felt the specific result highlighted just how difficult it is for his charges in the lower reaches of the senior leagues. For over a year now, anything less than outright victory by Rangers has been labelled a disaster - by fans and critics. There have been a fair few dark days. McCoist, though, knows just how demanding getting a result, never mind a victory, can be in the third tier. Yes, the Glasgow club still has, by some distance, the second highest players' wage bill in the country. And, yes, they should, on paper, be able to beat all of their part-time opponents comfortably both home and away. But games are not played on paper. More often than not in this country, they are played on poor surfaces in appalling weather conditions in front of thousands of hostile fans. Invariably, too, they are played against 11 individuals hell bent on pulling off an upset against their famous rivals on what is very often the biggest occasion of their playing careers. The meeting with an Arbroath team that took Celtic to a replay in the Scottish Cup last season at Gayfield a week today will, for example, be highly treacherous. It will, then, be a tall order for Rangers to maintain their winning run in League One and record a fabled "Perfect Season". Even with the strengthening of his squad that McCoist carried out in the summer, going undefeated will be far from straightforward. Rangers have been lucky to take maximum points from their league games so far. There have been several instances when they could have drawn or even lost. The game against Brechin City at Glebe Park last month was a close thing. They were trailing 3-1 at half-time and needed to produce an amazing second-half fightback to triumph 4-3. And that was not an isolated incident. There have been other near things. How much longer, you wonder, can the Govan club continue to ride their luck? McCoist does not, despite his close season recruitment drive, have great strength in depth in his squad to cover adequately for inevitable injuries and suspensions. Indeed, the loss of Andy Little has left him with just two recognised strikers - Jon Daly and Nicky Clark - given that Lee McCulloch is now firmly established at centre-half. Clark is taking time to find his feet at Ibrox. He is performing with heart and no little skill when he is handed a start. But he is not yet scoring as regularly as he did with Queen of the South last season. So the Third Division champions could run into difficulties during the long winter months. If they have to rely heavily on their youngsters, as they did last season, there is no guarantee they will keep winning. Yet, there is certainly a huge desire within the Rangers squad, among the coaching staff and the players, to create a bit of history by becoming one of the few sporting teams in history to win all their games. They may not say so publicly, but the Light Blues would love to go through the 2013/14 league campaign without dropping a single point. Rangers are no strangers to making history. They have, after all, got a world record 54 national titles to their name. No other football club has won as many domestic Trebles - seven to be precise - as they have. A "Perfect Season" would sit very well alongside the many other accomplishments they have achieved since they were founded back in 1872. Rangers will win SPFL League One at a canter. They are already 11 points clear of their nearest contenders Dunfermline. Given their full-time status and the quality of their squad that is to be expected. The only way they will gain any respect for the league success is to record an achievement that will resound around the world. So do not be surprised if they defy expectation and do exactly that. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/the-lure-of-history-can-be-spur-for-mccoist-men-142824n.22719849

PETER Lawwell will know that such is the relationship between Celtic and Rangers that he cannot make a joke at the expense of his rivals from across the city without there being a reaction, especially a bad joke, especially a joke that plays to the galleries and is a little cringe-making for a man in his lofty position in the Scottish game. By the sounds of it, there was much talk about Rangers at the Celtic agm on Friday. A question from the floor about why so many still call them Rangers, another question about why Rangers were given their licence to play after the tumult of summer 2012 and yet another about whether Celtic’s assets were owned by the club, the inference being that Rangers’ assets are not. This one was answered by Ian Bankier, the chairman, in a way that summoned up an image of John Brown outside Ibrox and his “Show us the deeds” speech. All of this jolly japery might have gone well with some Celtic supporters but it will only have reinforced the view in the minds of their counterparts across the city that a chunk of the Celtic fanbase are obsessed with Rangers (and vice versa). When the Parkhead agm contains so many references to the blue side of Glasgow then you can see their point down Ibrox way. Obsessed? Lawwell had a chance to kill that charge stone dead when asked about the Rangers new club/old club saga. He could have said: “That’s got nothing to do with us, we are Celtic and we’re doing very well thank you very much.” Only he didn’t say that. He said that “Rory Bremner can pretend to be Tony Blair” meaning that the Rangers we see now is only imagining itself to be the Rangers of the past 140 years. It was so unnecessary and Rangers have complained, inevitably. Their support will have demanded, in thunderous union, that the complaint be lodged and Lawwell will have expected it. He’s been around too long to believe that his “wee bit of humour” defence was going to be accepted at face value among Rangers people. This stuff is toxic. The question of Rangers – new club or old – is one that gets under the skin of most fans at Ibrox and Lawwell knows it only too well. Once he said what he said he would have known what was coming next. The thing is, Lawwell is no longer just the chief executive of Celtic, he is now on the professional game board (PGB) of the Scottish FA, a double-act that makes him one of the most – if not the most – powerful man in the domestic game. When he pokes fun at Rangers’ identity he does rather call into question his role on the PGB, a body that is supposed to above such petty squabbling. A few weeks ago he said that if it ever felt compromised in an SFA vote about Rangers – he was talking specifically about Dave King’s mooted application to become a director of the club – then he would consider stepping out of the room and playing no part in proceedings. In the minds of Rangers people, his Rory Bremner gag might confirm that Lawwell will always be compromised on anything to do with Rangers and, frankly, you can see their point. There is another aspect to this, too. Lawwell wants Rangers back in the Premiership, not because he cares about what happens at Ibrox but because it would be commercially beneficial for Celtic. And when they do get back, and when Sky or BT get ready to up their investment in the Scottish game because the Old Firm derby is once again on their horizon, will Lawwell talk of Rory Bremner then? Will he say to TV partners: “Lads, put away your wallets, this is not the same Rangers, the Old Firm game is dead. They’re only an imitation act over there at Ibrox. Don’t bother giving us more money.” No, he won’t. Lawwell seems to have an adaptable view of Rangers. Depending on who is acting the question, they’re either the same Rangers or new Rangers. He seems to flip-flop between two entirely different positions. All the headlines, post agm, have been about the Rory Bremner joke, which is unfortunate, because there was a far more interesting section of the meeting on Friday, a topic that was written about by my colleague, Andrew Smith, in yesterday’s Scotsman. It was to do with the resolution that sought support for “taking all necessary steps” to make the club a living wage employer, thereby ensuring that all staff are paid at the very least £7.45 an hour instead of the minimum wage of £6.31. This resolution was shot down by the Celtic board, who said that it would cost them too much money, about £500,000. All you hear from Celtic’s top brass is how well they are doing financially on the back of Champions League success and player sales so to come the poor mouth as soon as somebody raises the issue of paying their workers an extra £1.14 an hour is a bit much. Especially since they had earlier trumpeted that no club took their responsibilities to the community more seriously than Celtic while also saying charity and fairness was in the club’s DNA. Cue video of the Brother Walfrid story. Brother Walfrid was an inspirational force for good, but as Smith pointed out yesterday: “If you know your history when it comes to Celtic… it will not be lost on you that his [Walfrid’s] vision was sold out within ten years, when the club became a plc, stopped making charity donations of any note and started paying fat dividends to directors… Walfrid later distanced himself from what the club became.” It might suit Lawwell to get himself embroiled in the Rory Bremner situation because the alternative would be that more attention might be paid to the rejection of the living wage resolution, “one of the grubbiest and divisive decisions made by a Celtic board”, according to Jeanette Findlay, chair of the Celtic Trust. Findlay has, it seems, much support from fellow fans on the issue. And that is to their credit. Their passionate arguments have been drowned out by this Rory Bremner affair. It’s sad, but this is the way of things between Celtic and Rangers. How embarrassing if the SFA have to sanction the newest member of its professional game board for an avoidable cheap shot a veritable five minutes after his appointment. Findlay, and others, would argue that the real mortification can be found elsewhere, however. http://www.scotsman.com/news/tom-english-the-way-of-things-between-celtic-and-rangers-1-3191758

48. Lewis Macleod, Rangers, 19. Living the dream after joining Rangers as a 10-year-old, he might be playing in the Scottish League One, but there are plenty predicting big things for the midfielder. Impressive displays at all levels for Scotland’s youth sides suggest he will continue to be an important player as Rangers climb the divisions. http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/the-top-101-youngsters-in-world-football-don-balon-list-2013/

I suppose this is blogger’s equivalent of the Samurai tradition of Seppuku – their unique suicide rite. At journalism college one of my course tutor’s used to invariably preach about the successful narrator knowing, and writing to the very heart and soul of their audience. This article will do quite the opposite and some may find the content uncomfortable, however I feel it asks a question which needs to be asked. The boardroom battle for control of our club has seen a thorough examination of the character and integrity (or alleged lack thereof) of the various candidates vying for control. It would be fair to say the Rangers support is well versed in the personal character strengths and weaknesses of the Murrays, the Easdales etc. The apparent weaknesses of the “other sides” candidates have been given maximum exposure during the ensuing debate, with the morality factor at times appearing as important as the size of the wallet they, or their backers, bring to our club. All is fair in love and war. Waiting in the wings is a man many Rangers fans would view as our club’s “Messiah” – Dave King. Almost as important as his money appears to be his ability to unite the fragmented factions within our support for he appears to have the unanimous backing of all. Perhaps the eventual winner in our boardroom battle will determined by which side, if any, Dave King decides to ally with. Such unanimous support for King has spared him the moral examination so many others have been subjected to in our boardroom struggle. With the exception of course of the Scottish Press. Let me make one thing clear – the Scottish Press have long surrendered the right to exercise moral judgement with regard to our club. They surrendered such a right long ago with their silence over 5 way agreements, their silence over unlawful transfer embargo’s imposed on our club and their desire to join with the haters in labelling us “cheats”and thus trampling over our right to a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. This discussion is by invitation only, and those out with the Rangers support are not invited, cordially or otherwise. But it is nonetheless, a discussion which has to be had. Judge Southwoods assessment of Dave King in his tax battle with the South African authorities was damning. I’m sure most of you have read it, but to spare you the false morality of the Scottish press it can be found here : http://www.moneywebtax.co.za/moneywebtax/view/moneywebtax/en/page259?oid=56208&sn=Detail Are we satisfied as a support that the coat bearing glib and shameless will be discarded should Dave King return to Ibrox in any capacity ? Will an alleged disrespect for the truth be at odds with a support demanding transparency and clarity with regard to the governance of our club ? Or are the characteristics described by Judge Southwood exactly what are needed at our club in a battle where our enemies are not playing by the rules ? These are difficult questions but we will need to wrestle with them at some point. Failure to do so is just not an option.

http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5579-club-statement Now that's a statement we can all agree with. Let's hope club means what they say rather than offering a sop to concerned fans.

Scotland's claim to be fighting the cancer of sectarianism and hatred took a severe dent at the weekend. Perhaps sadly, the decision not to hold a one minute silence prior to the Ross County vs Celtic match, came as no surprise to many of us. Its embarrassing, unedifying and sickening to hear a one minute silence being disrupted and dishonoured. But there is something worse, far worse in fact - not holding such a ceremony at all. Because in failing to do so we have acquiesced to the morons, the bigots - we have handed them victory on a plate. Let the moronic and shameful actions of bigots within the Celtic support shame all the devils in hell - rather that than our country is forced to fail to remember the fallen whose sacrifice ensured our freedom from evil and tyranny. This morning I wrote to Ross County asking for an explanation into such an omission on Saturday and in particular who made the decision to dispense with the one minute silence - was it from someone in the club or from outside the club? The Ross County support have previously made their club aware of the importance of Remembrance Day and its significance within their support. http://www.north-sta...oldiers-667.htm Furthermore this is an issue which must ascend Old Firm rivalry and the often tit for tat churlish and pedantic tribalism. It is time for the Scottish press and media to stop avoiding the issue and to speak out - ignoring it will not make it go away. It is untenable and unacceptable that men who laid down their lives in order to defeat that which is unacceptable cannot themselves be remembered and honoured due to the actions and behaviour of some in our society which is in itself – wholly unacceptable.

chucks gona get the jail

Hearts really don't look like they have the potential to beat the drop. They have a 15 point disadvantage but have gained no more points than second bottom after more than a quarter of the season. Could it make next season a bit more interesting? In fact half the teams will be no strangers to the SPL and will be not be much different to playing the bottom half of the top league. That's when our current squad will make a lot more sense. We could have saved money with a lesser team this season (although who wants the results and performances to be worse than they are?) but we'd have the same squad for next season too as who is going to sign a one year contract? Otherwise we could have ended up like QotS in the bottom three of the Championship - which so many people wanted to copy.

RANGERS Football Club has today been notified by the SPFL that Tuesday’s away Under-20 League fixture against Celtic will not take place. The match has been scheduled to be played next week since early August when the fixture list was first published. Strenuous efforts were made by Rangers, including offering to reverse the fixture to Ibrox, to ensure that happened and dialogue between the club and the SPFL has been ongoing over the last week. This morning we were informed the game has been postponed with no reason given as to why Celtic failed to put proper arrangements in place to host their home match. Rangers will take this matter up with the SPFL to ask for an explanation of why the game will not take place. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5541-u20-derby-statement

From the LSE...

It is that most poignant time of the year – Remembrance Day. A time to remember, a time to reflect. But for the people of Ulster, today is particularly poignant, it is hurtful and will bring much reflection and sadness. 26 years ago to the day, a bomb exploded without warning at a Remembrance Day memorial in Enniskillen leaving 11 dead and 63 injured. The cowardly, savage and barbaric nature of this attack saw those responsible – Irish Republican Terrorists – roundly condemned by all sides of the community. It was an act of inhumanity designed to terrorise the PUL community in Northern Ireland, to prevent them honouring the memory of their fallen; it was the very essence of terror in that it was designed to disrupt and discourage people from their normal activity through fear and intimidation. That it failed spectacularly to do so is down to the courage, bravery and determination of the ordinary people of Ulster. The postmen who continued to deliver letters, the policemen who continued to uphold the law, the judges who continued to dispense it, the firemen who fought the fires, every single Ulster man woman and child who quietly and with stoic determination continued with their normal lives and normal activities. Who refused to deviate from the norm, who refused to give in to the bullet or the bomb, who refused to surrender the norm. But it is not just a story, it is a lesson. In a week which saw our club's name dragged through the courts and the press for misinterpreted salutes it serves as a reminder of our responsibility to not only our club but also the PUL community in Ulster. Instead of showy, chest beating, but otherwise empty and moronic gestures (which our enemies will make use of to the full) if you really want to help and show your support for the PUL community in Ulster why not take a leaf out of the Vanguard Bears book, and quietly and without fanfare actually undertake some kind of activity which will benefit their community ? I’m sure the £560 raised by them for the Twaddell and Woodvale Residents Association was of far greater benefit than the negative imagery and commentaries associated with “Red Hand Salutes” If any of you are in any doubt – ask yourself why a newspaper recently published a 3 year old picture of such behaviour. It damages our club and the very people for whom you are trying to show your support. Today in Enniskillen a father will reflect on the daughter he will never walk down the aisle. A son on the missing father at school parent's evening. A whole community will join together in sorrow. But they will not be beaten. They will remember and they will honour. And others will watch and remember them as the very essence and embodiment of No Surrender.

We all know our current NOMAD (name & address) Daniel Stewart & Company plc Becket House 36 Old Jewry London EC2R 8DD http://www.danielstewart.co.uk/Home/...t/default.aspx Compare this with another company that Phil Betts has been a director of since 2008 D S FINANCE & LEASING LTD (previously called Merchant House Finance Ltd) BECKET HOUSE 36 OLD JEWRY LONDON UNITED KINGDOM EC2R 8DD http://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/lt...-house-finance Co-incidentally the same address ? Becket House is used by various businesses so they could have nothing to do with each other. Anyone know of any other connections or relevant details that could help determine if there is or there isn't anything to see here ? I'll post the alleged e-mail seperately in another post.

David Somers, Chairman of the Investment Committee After graduating in Economic Studies David began his investment career with ten years in the investments department of ICI Pension Fund, before becoming the Managing Director and London CIO of Manufacturers Hanover Investment (now part of JPMorgan) and then taking a similar role at Nikko Capital Management. Following two further senior investment roles (as client director for Government, Local Authority and Central bank clients) he has taken on a Non-Executive portfolio.Currently he holds two non-executive director positions for FSA regulated entities (Europe Arab Bank and ACE Europe Life) and is Chairman of Trustees and of the Investment Committee for Doosan Babcock Energy Pension Scheme. In addition, he is the Independent Trustee for Fujitsu Technologies International Pension Fund and Chairman of the Investment Committee. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants and an Associate member of the Society of Investment Professionals. He is married with three daughters. He is a keen yachtsman. ---- 000 ---- BIOGRAPHY David Somers has extensive knowledge of the investment business, having held senior positions in the industry for over 30 years. David began his career with the ICI Pension Fund.In the 1980s he was Managing Director of Manufacturers Hanover Investment Management Ltd and in the 1990s Managing Director of Nikko Capital Management UK Ltd.In 2000 he joined Clerical Medical Investments Group to head up their institutional pension fund business.This company re-branded to become Insight Investment. David is Chairman of the Investment Sub-Committee for the Fujitsu Technologies International Pension Fund.In addition, he is a non-executive director of ACE Europe Life plc and a non-executive director, plus Chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee, for Europe Arab Bank plc. He was previously Chairman of Trustees for the Doosan Babcock Energy Pension Scheme. David has an Honours degree in Economic Studies, is a qualified accountant (FCCA) and is a CFA (ASIP) member. EuropeArabBank http://www.eabplc.com,'>http://www.eabplc.com, 10 Feb 2012 [cached] EuropeArabBank Non-Executive Director David Somers was appointed a Non-Executive Director of Europe Arab Bank in 2006.He supports the governance and risk management of the business, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Arab Bank group.David is Chairman of Europe Arab Banks' Audit Committee. David is an experienced professional, with a career of over 25 years at a senior level in institutional investment management.During this time, his roles included the position of Managing Director of a US owned investment house, Manufacturers Hanover Investment Management, and subsequently he held the same role for the Japanese owned, Nikko Capital Management Ltd.In recent years, he was the Director of Pension Funds for Clerical Medical Investment Group responsible for over 340 pension fund clients, with assets of over £8 billion and, after its re branding to Insight Investment, became the Head of Institutional Funds. David graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1970, with a BA Honours in Economic Studies.He qualified as an accountant in the late 70's and is now a Fellow of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants.In addition he is a Member of the CFA Institute (ASIP). David is the FSA approved Chairman of the Shepherds Friendly Life Assurance Group and is Chairman of the Audit Committee for the Commission for Racial Equality.He is also a Director of EPIC Investment Advisers. In the pensions' area, he is an independent trustee for both the Fujitsu Technologies Pension Plan and the Mitusi Babcock Energy Pension Scheme.Since 1999, David has been associated with Hadlow (Agricultural) College as a Governor and Audit Committee member of the College. EuropeArabBank http://www.eabplc.com, 10 Feb 2012 Non-Executive DirectorShepherds Friendly Society - The Board http://www.shepherdsfriendly.co.uk, 10 Mar 2009 David has over 25 years of experience at a senior level in investment management of pension funds and life assurance assets.He is currently an FSA registered Director of EPIC Investment Advisers; Chairman of the Audit Committee for the Commission for Racial Equality and an Independent Trustee of the Mitsui Babcock Energy and Fujitsu Technologies Pension Schemes. ---- 0000 ---- Employment History ■ Chairman of the Investment Sub-Committee Fujitsu Technologies International Pension Fund ■ Non-Executive Director, Plus Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee Europe Arab Bank plc ■ Non Executive Director and Chairman of Audit and Risk Committee Europe Arab Bank plc ■ Managing Director Manufacturers Hanover Investment ■ Chief Information Officer Manufacturers Hanover Investment ■ Chairman The Shepherds Friendly Society Limited ■ Non Executive Director The Shepherds Friendly Society Limited ■ Director of Pension Funds Clerical Medical ■ Non-Executive Director ACE Europe Life plc ■ Non Executive Director ACE Europe Life plc Board Memberships and Affiliations ■ Independent Trustee Fujitsu Technologies International Pension Fund ■ Trustee and Chairman of Investment Committee Fujitsu Technologies International Pension Fund ■ Chairman of the Investment Committee TCF Fund Managers LLP ■ Chairman of the Audit Committee Commission for Racial Equality ■ Board Member Europe Arab Bank plc ■ Board Member The Shepherds Friendly Society Limited Education ■ BA Honours , Economic Studies University of Newcastle upon Tyne All taken from http://www.zoominfo....omers/656138805

http://billmcmurdo.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/whyte-and-the-missing-millions/ I am told that former Rangers owner Craig Whyte could be getting his collar felt in the near future. BDO investigations have thrown up what will be an absolutely gigantic story of fraud and forgery on a staggering scale involving Whyte’s purchase of Rangers. Police Scotland are believed to be closing in on Whyte and it is reckoned he could get the maximum sentence available if found guilty. I would imagine Whyte’s extraordinary unpopularity and toxic name might be a problem in terms of his getting a fair trial. No doubt anyone involved with his trial would have to prove they were not bluenoses! On a serious note, this trial will be one of the biggest news stories in years and involves alleged misappropriation of millions. Some of the allegations being made are astonishing and will be sickening for Rangers fans to hear. Should Whyte stand trial for fraud it would certainly strengthen the case made by many Rangers fans that the club’s recent woes brought unwarranted punishment by the footballing authorities. If Whyte is subsequently convicted it would mean that Rangers were themselves the victim of a crime and questions would then have to be asked about the SFA’s role, particularly over how much was known at Hampden about Whyte’s suitability to be involved in football or lack thereof. The scale of wrongdoing alleged is quite stunning and will definitely enhance Craig Whyte’s “bogey man” status used so much recently by the Requisitioners and their mouthpieces. Ironically, someone on the Requisitioner side is far closer to Whyte than anyone at Ibrox, being a former drinking buddy of the disgraced former owner. Although I expect the Whyte story to be hot news for quite some time, the reality is that he is now part of history as far as Rangers is concerned. Despite the pathetic and hypocritical attempts by some to spook the Rangers fans with “Whyte is still involved and pulling the strings” scare stories, the reality is that Whyte has left the scene. The vital thing now is for Rangers to build a board that is not only competent but beyond reproach. The appointment of a great CEO and good Non-Execs would be a giant step forward. The big problem for Rangers fans is the constant pressure to look back to things like the latter years of the SDM Years, the Big Tax Case and the Whyte fiasco, as well as liquidation. These things are referred to relentlessly by enemies of Rangers and a hostile media. The upshot of this is shown in the chronic suspicion that many Gers fans are gripped by in relation to the club’s governance. Yet the real need is to look forward and to be positive about both the present and the future. Fear and paranoia do not make for a healthy environment and Rangers need to eradicate this kind of mindset from the club. I am aware this is easier said than done but I do speak to many Gers fans who are far more upbeat about the club’s condition than the so-called spokesmen who are spreading fear and alarm at this present time. I have been approached very seriously about heading a new fans group and I think if I accept I will make one of the conditions of membership a positive mental attitude in relation to Rangers! As the song goes, “Don’t worry. Be happy. Cos every little things going to be all right.” Gers fans like to sing it. It’s about time we lived it.

Live now:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24737531 Not to mention this is actually completely wrong (it was 2011), this article is yet another example of BBC Scotland blowing a raspberry to their Trust and editorial guidelines.

Tax rebel’s astonishing financial come-back There cannot be many people in South Africa who are not aware of Dave King’s extraordinary 13 year-long fight with the South African Revenue Services (Sars) over a tax assessment in excess of R3.2 billion. Tax disputes do not normally make the front pages of Sunday newspapers, but when the numbers are so high and the fast-moving events so incredible that it could come straight out of the pages of a John Grisham or Dan Brown novel, it becomes a national talking point. And even after this thirteen-year battle, costing hundreds of millions of rands in legal fees, the attempted confiscation of King’s assets and court dramas all around the globe, one is still left with a sense of dissatisfaction, a kind of anti-climax as to whether King was guilty or not. The legal issue of revenue versus capital will not be dissected and delivered on by the highest court in the land. There was a lot of legal foreplay, an enormous amount of huffing and puffing on both sides but in the end the settlement reached between King and Sars in August this year - in terms of which King has paid Sars about R700m in outstanding taxes to settle all claims against him and his various family trusts - meant he could carry on with his life and his business career. So who actually came out on top in this extraordinary battle? Sars initially wanted R3.2 billion; it got R700 million. King remained steadfast that what he did was perfectly legal as the R1 billion or so profits he and his various family trusts made out of the sale of shares in Specialised Outsourcing during the 1997/98 stock market boom was well within his rights. He also maintains that the profits were not of a revenue nature but one of a capital nature. Many others, including some of the finest tax brains in this country, agree with this. If King was eventually found wanting by a court on this issue, it could possibly have been like a proverbial nuclear bomb for hundreds, if not thousands of wealthy estates who hold most if not all of their wealth in trusts, both locally and offshore. All these tax shelters, meticulously crafted and protected over many years and generations could have been blown wide open to scrutiny by Sars. There must have been a collective sigh of relief amongst SA’s truly wealthy that the issue of revenue versus capital did not end up for deliberation in the highest court in the land. So for the time being, the legal status quo remains. Arriving in South Africa I witnessed first-hand how Dave King, who arrived in SA with very little money from his native Scotland in 1976, first came up with the idea of starting Specialised Outsourcing (SO) in 1993/94. This was during one of several rounds of golf we enjoyed together with his lovely wife Ladina on the lush fairways of the Dainfern Country Club where we both were members in those days. I don’t play golf much any more and Dave now does his golfing at esteemed courses such as River Club in Sandton and Augusta in the USA. See what a billion or two does to your social acceptability levels? But I digress. Dave mentioned several times his idea and even at one stage invited me to join this new company of his. In a nutshell, SO was set up to handle the treasury functions on behalf of government and parastatals. These bodies, King always would say, were so bad at handling the billions that were sloshing around in their accounts, that he offered to manage these funds in exchange for a percentage of the profits. And it turned out to be a great success story and SO soon became the darling amongst mainly small-cap fund managers in the country. So it was with a great deal of interest that I watched from afar how he went ahead, set up the company and eventually listed Specialised Outsourcing in 1995 at a price of, if my memory serves me, R1.20 a share. The share price of SO eventually peaked at R80 a share before it came crashing down in 1998/99 when the market got wind of the fact that King had sold most of his shares. Irma Stern painting King’s problems really started, I was told first hand, when he bought an Irma Stern painting at an auction for R1.7 million in 2000. This was the first time that a Stern painting achieved a price of more than R1 million and this fact obviously caught the attention of the media, and ultimately also that of nuggety Mr Charles Chipps, a special investigator at Sars who, quite simply, read about the Stern-sale in a newspaper and decided to check up on the tax status of the buyer. To his astonishment he found that King declared a taxable income of a mere R60 000. And thus was born what is today known as the King-versus-Sars battle which has raged for more than 13 years, on several continents costing, as I indicated earlier, hundreds of millions of rands in legal fees on both sides. I understand that the legal fraternity in the Sandton area declared a national week of mourning when the final agreements were signed and accepted by the various parties to this extraordinary battle. I say first hand, as I heard it from Charles Chipps himself who, at about the same time, was sniffing around my own tax affairs. Nought came of this investigation but it was done on the basis of rumours of untold wealth hidden away in some secret location. This taught me two things about the tax man. Don’t flaunt your wealth in a conspicuous manner and second, don’t be surprised if your best pal/ex-wife/ex-girlfriend makes Sars their first port of call. “Jealous people,” Chipps told me, “are often the best source of information for the tax man”. Chipps passed away a year or so ago and was therefore not around to collect his commission cheque from Sars for his hard work and diligence. One of the reasons for settling with Sars and paying the R700 million fine was, as King said at the time, in order to move on with his life and to get stuck into more productive things, like building up the JSE-listed company MICROmega (MMG), of which he still is chairman and major shareholder. So it is again with more than a passing interest that I have been following the performance of MICROmega on the JSE this year, especially since the settlement in August. In July this year the share was still trading at R2 a share with very few trades. The news of the settlement set this share price free and since then it has rocketed by almost 500%, at one stage reaching almost R20 per share but trading at around R12.30 this week. Profit of R860 million Now here comes the most astonishing fact. King, via his family trusts owns about 83 million shares in MMG, which means King has made a gain of R830 million in three months, all due to the almost vertical increase in the share price of MMG. On paper therefore King has made back all of the money he handed over to Sars earlier this year –and more. “There is a difference between R700m in cash and a paper profit,” King noted wryly this week, “ but it does feel good,” he said when I made contact to check these facts - he at least still taking my calls. As I put the phone down to end the call, I realised there was still one question that remains unanswered. Who today owns the Stern painting in question? Dave King or Sars? Whoever owns it has the most expensive painting ever by a South African artist hanging somewhere on a wall. http://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-the-money-whisperer/dave-king-and-i?sn=2009%20Detail&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed