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RIFC plc accounts to June 30 released. AGM December 22 at Ibrox http://www.rangers.co.uk/images/staticcontent/documents/164581RangersAnnualReport.pdf -
Along with a few trialists:
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Newcastle and Rangers will not be able to play in Europe together next season because Uefa have confirmed Newcastle United and Rangers will not be allowed to play in Europe together, even if they qualify for different competitions, because of Mike Ashley’s involvement in the running of both clubs. Ashley’s seizure of power at Ibrox means Newcastle may never play in Europe again while he remains the club’s owner, a depressing prospect for supporters who believe the team should be challenging for European qualification every year. Although Ashley responded to a story by Telegraph Sport back in September, that revealed he wanted to take control of Rangers, with a statement denying he intended to sell Newcastle, the billionaire has got himself into a tricky situation by expanding his football interests north of the border. Ashley insisted he will not sell Newcastle for “any price” until the end of next season, which is also, unless they win the Scottish Cup this season, the earliest Rangers can qualify for Europe again. Given Ashley has repeatedly failed to find a buyer for Newcastle, though, it is far from certain he will be able to sever ties at St James’ Park. It is understood Ashley misjudged Uefa’s strict rules ensuring the integrity of their competitions. Although he only holds around nine per cent of Rangers shares, he has appointed his own people, including former Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias, to the Rangers board in return for financial assistance. Uefa have told Telegraph Sport that means Ashley has enough power in the Rangers boardroom to ensure they cannot be allowed to play in Europe at the same time as Newcastle. Should one team qualify for the Champions League, the other would be prevented from playing in the Europa League as they could meet in the knockout phase of the competition. If both teams qualify for the same competition, the one with the higher Uefa co-efficient ranking would be allowed to enter at the expense of the other. As things stand, Newcastle are ranked 65 and Rangers are down at 101. In the short term, it is Rangers who will suffer as they have the lower ranking. In the long term, Rangers have a far greater chance of playing in the Champions League than Newcastle, which would mean the Magpies would not be allowed to compete in the Europa League, even if they won a domestic cup competition or finished fifth or sixth in the Premier League. Newcastle are currently fifth in the Premier League following six successive victories by Alan Pardew’s side and a top-six finish would secure them a place in the Europa League for next season. It could be the last time they play in Europe until Ashley finds a buyer. Given Ashley’s interest in Rangers was largely sparked by the possibility he could, with a relatively small investment, gain access to the Champions League and increase the European exposure for his Sports Direct Retail chain, it means Newcastle face an uncertain future. The billionaire has already been widely accused of paralysing Newcastle with his lack of ambition. Most supporters believe he is only interested in keeping the club in the Premier League in order to access the television money it brings, rather than challenge for silverware. The idea that Newcastle will also be denied access to European competitions once Rangers have regained their former status in Scotland will incense many on Tyneside. Both Rangers and Newcastle responded with a “no comment” when asked by Telegraph Sport for a reaction to Uefa’s stance. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...ke-Ashley.html -
Only too true, sadly enough: Express IMHO, overall Miller's done okay thus far.
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FUGITIVE Craig Whyte has been arrested in Mexico, prosecutors said last night. The former Rangers owner was held when scores of police swooped to execute an arrest warrant. Whyte, 43, is understood to have been living in the central American country for a number of months. A Crown Office spokesman said they would now take the necessary steps to secure his appearance at Glasgow Sheriff Court. A police warrant was issued two weeks ago in connection with Whyte’s purchase of the Ibrox club for £1 from Sir David Murray in 2011. A second warrant was issued by a High Court judge last week when Motherwell-born Whyte failed to appear for a trial at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Walter Smith and David Murray lead star witnesses called to give evidence at Rangers fraud case Crown Office officials will now examine the UK’s extradition treaty with Mexico. But it is possible the shamed entrepreneur could waive his right to challenge the proceedings and agree to the extradition. In recent days, Whyte said he would return voluntarily to assist police with their probe into the takeover. He said: “I will return to Britain at the beginning of December and hand myself in for questioning.” The SFA are also determined to see Whyte brought to justice over more than £200,000 in unpaid fines, although privately they admit they do not expect he will be in a position to pay. Three men who worked for Rangers’ administrators Duff & Phelps – Paul Clark, David Whitehouse and David Greer – appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court last week along with solicitor Gary Withey, who worked for Whyte’s law firm. They made no plea or declaration. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/fugitive-craig-whyte-arrested-major-4703408
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On Whyte's takeover. In the online DR edition
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http://www.ibroxnoise.co.uk/2014/11/why-rangers-fans-need-ally-to-go.html When Rangers dropped a diabolical two points at home to fourth-bottom Alloa, the majority of fans reacted with bedlam and horror. The overriding sense was that manager Ally McCoist had put out a team with absolutely no spark or passion, and that the display was a pathetic, meagre, and unacceptable performance worthy of scathing criticism. I felt like I was about the only fan willing to cut McCoist a little slack, which was in itself bizarre given my general stance of willingly providing a torrent of negatives about his credentials. My case was essentially that one draw in ten matches was itself not the end of the world; that two goals conceded in 600 minutes and a run of victories including one over St Johnstone had been rather prematurely and unfairly dismissed because of this one bad result and display. Fast-forward to Saturday and once again, another bad result had fans overwhelmingly asking for Ally’s head. This time I had to agree. It was the head-to-head title decider v Hearts, the top-of-the-table clash which had been described as ‘must-win’ given the Ibrox men’s 6 point deficit in the race for first place. The hype about this match had been tempered somewhat with the usual off-field shenanigans which surround the Club these days, but once match day arrived it was all (temporarily) forgotten and fans waited with baited breath for McCoist’s team selection. The reaction to its release was abject misery. Mohsni, the flamboyant, eccentric and slightly temperamental defender had been brought in from the cold to replace a ‘not-quite match fit’ Richard Foster, with McGregor shifted out to his less favoured RB position to accommodate the Tunisian. Once again, absolutely no sign of Lithuanian stopper Marius Zaliukas, and Foster was curiously enough on the bench. The other decision which had fans scratching their heads was the inclusion of Ireland’s Jon Daly at the expense of Boyd. Yes, he had had major impact as a sub in recent matches, and Boyd’s form was not sparkling, but it was a curious change to make for such a big match. ‘Freshening things up’ was how Ally put it, and it was certainly a gamble. And, in total truth, on the pitch Rangers showed a side of their game rarely seen this season – passion. It was a high-octane dominant display, with the defence rarely tested as the likes of Nicky Law (his best display since September last year) pressed high and constantly caused trouble at Neil Alexander’s goal. Indeed, even beyond Steven Smith’s unfortunate red card (I have definitely seen worse tackles than that) 10-man Rangers still held their own, and even continued to threaten to take the lead. The problem was no goal came, and Daly was the one player having a really bad day, committing foul after foul and failing to get anything on target. Then the opening goal came, but unfortunately it was for the hosts, and fine goal though it was, it was not scored on merit. But these things happen – and this moment was where McCoist was truly tested. And just like his failure in 2011 to compensate for losing Steven Naismith and the subsequent loss of a 15-point lead in the SPL, he was unable to make the right changes here to fix what remained a promising situation. Yes, Hearts had scored, but they were not the best team, and a few tweaks to 10-man Rangers and the visitors could at least have accrued a point out of this fixture. The first change was completely understandable – Miller, having been booked, was vulnerable to a second yellow, so got hauled. Problem was it was Foster who replaced him. This left Daly as Rangers’ only striker in a match where a goal was desperately needed. Yes, there was quite a ‘stramash’ as the visitors came agonisingly close to getting the equaliser, but the fact is luck was not there and neither were the tactics. Why Miller did not get replaced with Clark (like for like) is beyond me – McCoist was completely unwilling to take the risk of going two strikers when down to ten men, despite the fact that a risk was essential to try to glean something from this match. Instead McCoist appeared to be going damage limitation, then committed his second ludicrous sin. He brought on a striker – for Rangers’ best player, Lewis Macleod. Yes, it is fair to say young Macleod was not having one of his better matches, but you quite simply do not take off your finest asset when you desperately need a spark of inspiration. It seemed to suggest that Ally does not trust Macleod when the chips are down, and even stranger was his choice of bringing in out-of-form Boyd to replace him. So now we had Daly and Boyd – one having a wretched match, one with no form at all. Then on 80 minutes Clark finally made his entrance, at the expense of Daly. It was just too late for the former QotS man to make a difference. In fact, thanks to a clumsy challenge from Ian Black in the box after all the subs had been made, a conceded penalty (albeit a slightly harsh one) compounded matters worse and made the match completely irretrievable. The fact is no one blames Ally for Smith’s red card – it was a bad call from referee Thomson, especially as he only booked Miller for a near-identical tackle. What McCoist does hold responsibility for is not making the right changes at the right time. The biggest ‘joke’ was fans’ reaction to his constant arm-folding. If arm-folding was the only thing needed to be a manager, McCoist might just be the finest around. His unfortunate expressions of cluelessness and procrastination in times of need seems to sum his management up. This match was there for the taking, but negative substitutions at the wrong time was not the way to clutch it. A poll after the match found 72% of Rangers fans would like McCoist to end his tenure as boss. It has been likened to the dark days of John Grieg’s time at the helm, when 5 years elapsed before the Greatest Ranger knew the game was up and admirably stepped down. 9 points adrift of Hearts and the league title now out of Rangers’ hands would force the conclusion that McCoist is not the man to close the gap. Posted by Ibrox Noise at 10:33
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Our boys have been hard at it; rest and reflection, no less LEE McCULLOCH is determined Rangers will react in the right way after suffering a barrage of abuse for their Capital collapse on Saturday. Ally McCoist's side crashed to a 2-0 defeat to title rivals Hearts, to fall nine points off the pace at the top of the Championship table. The Ibrox boss was the target of chants from a section of the travelling support, with many fans calling for the Light Blue legend to be sacked. Rangers are in action against Kilmarnock on Sunday as they look to book their place in the Scottish Cup fifth round and silence the doubters. Skipper McCulloch said: "There is definitely a sense of determination among the boys to make up the nine point gap. "We're not even half way through the season yet, so to say that we've lost the league now is a wee bit premature. "Obviously there is a bit of a gap there but it's one we need to look at and be positive that we can try and close it. "There has been a lot of criticism flying about for the team and rightly so. We need to use that as motivation to get back and close that gap. "There is still a lot of football to be played. We know that gap is big but it is not mathematically impossible and everyone in this team believes we can do it. "There has to be a fresh start from now. Sunday was a day of rest for everybody and then Monday was a day of reflection at Murray Park. "That is out of the way now and the best way to look at it is that this is a new chapter." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/ranger...917n.25878782? -
Scottish FA chief executive Stewart Regan has expressed concern over Rangers' financial position, saying it is "concerning for the Scottish game". The Ibrox club have admitted they may not have enough cash to meet costs between now and the end of the year, having taken £3m in secured loans from Mike Ashley for short-term working capital. "Well obviously it is concerning for the Scottish game," Regan told STV. "We would all like to see Rangers improve their financial position in order to bring money to the game of football in Scotland. "Rangers have got a strong economic impact, not just for Glasgow but for Scotland generally. "In that regard I know the fans are desperate to see success again. They are desperate for stability. "They've had a number of years of ups and downs now and I think they are hopeful they will get some certainty and stability in the future." In a statement to the Stock Exchange earlier this month, Rangers made clear their dire financial situation. "During the autumn, the club has suffered from lower than expected match attendance which has exacerbated the financial condition of the business. "The directors have begun a cost cutting exercise, but further working capital in addition to the facility will be needed before the end of the year." http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/rangers/301050-regan-rangers-financial-position-is-concerning-for-scottish-game/ -
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/club-news/item/8144-tickets-on-sale-for-killie Tuesday, 25 November 2014 12:00 Tickets On Sale For Killie Written by Rangers Football Club RANGERS will host SPFL Premiership side Kilmarnock this Sunday in the William Hill Scottish Cup Fourth Round at Ibrox and there are still tickets remaining. The Gers are still competing in all three domestic Cup competitions this season, with Alloa and Celtic awaiting in the next rounds of the Petrofac Training Cup and League Cup respectively. However, attention turns to the Scottish Cup this weekend and once again the Light Blues take on Premiership opposition, this time in the shape of Kilmarnock. Rangers have played Premiership opposition twice this season already in the League Cup, defeating Inverness Caley Thistle and St Johnstone both by a single goal at Ibrox and the squad will be aiming to make it three in a row on Sunday. Midfield starlet Lewis Macleod was the difference scoring the Rangers goals in against Inverness and St Johnstone and he will be key for the Gers yet again this weekend as they look to shake off the disappointment of defeat to Hearts with ten men last weekend. Allan Johnston's Killie side are currently in seventh position in the SPFL Premiership and are on a run of four straight defeats, so they too will want to bounce back in the Cup. The last posting date for Kilmarnock tickets is Thursday at 4pm. After this time all tickets purchased via online or hotline will be for collection only. Ticket Information: William Hill Scottish Cup 4th Round | Rangers v Kilmarnock | Sunday 30 November – 12.45pm kick off | Season Ticket Holder price – Adult £17, Concession £12 and Juniors £4 | General sale prices – Adult £18, Concession £13 and Juniors £5 (More info here) Click here to buy tickets online
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A COMBINATION of on-field failure and off-field drama contributed to Rangers fans heckling boss Ally McCoist. That is the view of an Ibrox fans chief as the dust continues to settle on another day to forget for the Light Blues. Manager McCoist came in for abuse in the closing stages of a 2-0 defeat to Hearts that saw his side fall nine points adrift in the Championship. A spokesman for the Rangers Supporters' Trust said: "The fans were frustrated at the result and the wider condition of the club. "The club is a shambles. The vast majority of the fans' frustration has been directed at the board but Ally knows he has to take responsibility for results. "You have to look at the minimum requirement this season, which is to get promoted. "Obviously we would we want to go up to the Premiership as winners of the league but that is looking less likely after the Hearts result. "We have got to make the play-off at the very least and we have got to go up. "Fans expected to win this league even though it is more difficult with Hearts and Hibs in it and Rangers supporters are making comparisons with Hearts. "Hearts are rebuilding their club with young players and they play decent football and although they are not great, the bottom line is they have beaten us twice this season. "So there was a huge amount of frustration directed at Ally although he is long enough in the tooth to know that." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/fan-chief-reveals-why-rangers-boss-mccoist-got-stick-189831n.25957179
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STEVEN NAISMITH reckons Rangers fans have been treated 'appallingly' as they have been put through the wringer in recent years. The Light Blue legions have had to contend with a mixture of emotions as their club has fallen from grace, but they have backed Ally McCoist's side in huge numbers throughout their recovery from financial meltdown. Naismith joined the likes of Steven Whittaker, Allan McGregor and Kyle Lafferty in quitting Ibrox two years ago. He has never been forgiven by many supporters for his controversial Ibrox departure. But the Scotland star still has sympathy with the plight of his former club as they look to complete the last stage of their journey back to Scotland's top tier this term. Naismith said: "Looking back, I would definitely have done some things differently. None of us wanted to leave that way. It wasn't nice at all. We did all we could. "It wasn't deferred wages (we had). It was wage cuts, in the hope that we came out of administration and could move on. It didn't happen. "It got to the point where there was not much else the players could do. "People would have liked us to have stayed and transferred over, but it wasn't just as easy as doing that. "In years to come people will understand it a bit more and understand it from the players' point of view a bit more. "The fans always have their opinion and they are right to because they pay good money to come and watch. They are the backbone, especially of a club like Rangers. "Over the last two or three years they have been treated appallingly. "For everyone's sake, hopefully it gets better and they can get back in the division they deserve to be in challenging for trophies." It is almost three years since financial problems hit home at Ibrox during Craig Whyte's disastrous reign, but Rangers remain in the money mire. Cash problems continue to hold the club back and 10 members of staff were last week made redundant as huge losses look to be stemmed once again. Fans are still furious at the state the Light Blues are in and have launched a series of attacks against the under-fire board as attendances have plummeted this term. And Naismith is upset at the devastating series of events at his boyhood heroes. He said: "It is disappointing and sad because it is the club I grew up supporting. I had some of my best memories in football there, but a situation arose that was out of everybody's hands. "I think the fans and the good people at the club are still suffering. I hope they will come out of this situation they are in soon. "It was a horrible decision for everyone involved to make. The biggest thing for us, as players, was that no-one was made redundant and we did that part of it. Over time, I am sure the truth will come out." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/naismith-rangers-fans-have-been-treated-appallingly-189852n.25960234
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Whilst woes are patiently queuing to take their turn to overwhelm our club, I thought I would provide my fellow Gersnetters with an observational distraction. BBC Scotland has spent the last year expressing faux concern for the stability of Bears. Often, the usual suspects' conclusion to the latest disaster to befall Rangers is to exclaim, "whatever must the Rangers supporters be thinking"? The perturbed and distressed then proceed to tell us what we are thinking. I am sure there will be a psychological term for such behaviour, 'false empathy syndrome' maybe ; I prefer to think they are ripping the piss. On Saturday evening, after shooting ourselves in both feet and head at Tynecastle, highlighting our ill discipline was not enough. Cosgrove and Cowan were hosting the phone-in and three, four Bears availed themselves of the given opportunity and told the listenership 'what' they were thinking.. One Bear took the conspiracy theory bait, the referee, Craig Thomson is a well known Hearts supporter and everybody knew Rangers would suffer both a red card and a penalty. Cosgrove guffawed and hit back with the ref' over compensating, "he should have red carded three Rangers players". I continued to drive home and was lost in thought about the game, three thirty-something players lost the plot, the bizarre team selection, and irrational substitutions was what I was thinking. Interrupting my chain of thought was Cosgrove announcing the next caller, Gordon the Jambo from Glasgow. Possessing a rather gruff, exaggerated Edinburgh accent, Gordon from Glasgow told of attending the game and already returned was currently watching Queen of the South/Falkirk on BBC Alba. Gordon was anxious to confirm, "the agricultural nature of the team from Ibrox", and, "the brutality on display". The stench of upcoming triumphalism was overpowering. Cosgrove agreed it had been a week of agricultural football and asked Gordon the Jambo for his opinion on the worst example? Gordon hesitated, but offered, "the sight of Eckersley being stretchered round the track was a black mark in Sevco's book". Obviously, Hearts were not Gordon's strong suit, I am positive it was McHattie being carted. Warming to the theme and reading from the same script, big Stu' prompted, "any good chants today, you know wind-ups"? Gordon obliged by singing, "you let your club die, Glasgow Rangers you let your club die". Jum, Big Stu', Tom, Rheinhart, ..... et al can no longer directly crank the snigger-meter, but evoking the medium of proxy tells us what they are continually thinking. As if we didn't know. One question, what was the name of the BBC Scotland Producer that played the part of Gordon the Jambo?
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I note from Bill McMurdo that the fans group he's involved with are now asking for up to £15 from Rangers fans to be members of the Rangers Supporters Loyal: http://www.rangerssupportersloyal.co.uk/membership/ Other than the difficult to understand McMurdo, who else is involved with this group and handling our fans money?
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Rangers: Jon Daly urges team-mates to help manager out Rangers striker Jon Daly insists the players must raise their game to ease the pressure on manager Ally McCoist. The Ibrox outfit lost 2-0 to Hearts at the weekend, leaving them nine points behind the Tynecastle side in the Championship title race. McCoist received flak from some Rangers fans during the game and Daly said: "The players must take responsibility, once we cross the white line there's nothing the manager can do. "It's up to us to get results." The abuse aimed at McCoist was heard when he took off midfielder Lewis Macleod in the 80th minute, with Rangers 1-0 down, although the chants were quickly drowned out by support for the Ibrox boss. Hearts had taken the lead through Jamie Holt's strike, after Steven Smith was sent off for Rangers in 21 minutes for a reckless challenge on Callum Paterson. Rangers manager Ally McCoist Rangers manager Ally McCoist saw his side lose out in Saturday's massive match at Tynecastle Jamie Walker sealed the win with a late penalty to leave the league leaders in a strong position to secure the title. And Daly reckons the Rangers players need to step up as they look to close the gap on the Tynecastle side. "The manager can't do anything about the sending-off, it's something you have to adapt to," the Irishman added. "It's up to the players to make sure we win games for him and at the moment we are not doing that." Hearts remain unbeaten in the league but Daly retains hope that they can be caught. "It's going to be tough, no doubt about it," he added. "That's nine points and we only have two games against Hearts left, so it's out of our hands. "It's Hearts' to lose but we need to concentrate on ourselves. We have lost points we shouldn't have and we need to make sure that stops. "But I think there's still plenty of twists and turns to come and we need to try and close that gap as soon as possible. Hopefully if we do that they will feel a bit of pressure and drop a few points." Do you really think Ally will do the same for you if his job is on the line??
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A sneering piece that seems to relish in denigrating us. I can't say it is wrong though. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/sport/keith-jackson-cold-hard-cash-4683056? Keith Jackson: Cold hard cash will determine Ally McCoist's future at Rangers Nov 24, 2014 08:03 OPINION BY KEITHJACKSON KEITH says that cash has always been the answer to Rangers' woes but asks, will the club be able to fork out to the cash needed to axe Ally? IN the end it will all come down to money. That is the Rangers way after all. This is a club which through the years has gorged on a diet of hubris and largesse and which bloated itself with mantras such as, “For every fiver Celtic spend we’ll spend a tenner”. It might just be the only business in the history of insolvency events to have allowed this spend-at-all-costs mentality to survive the catastrophe of liquidation. It’s drilled down so deep into the club’s DNA that it has become the answer to almost every problem it encounters. Whenever Rangers are in trouble the default position is to spend more and buy their way out of it with another fistful of Aye Readies. Few have been so steeped in this tradition as manager Ally McCoist, who earned stripes as a homegrown hero at Ibrox in the days when money really did seem like no object. A £185,000 legacy of more austere times, McCoist not only survived the Graeme Souness revolution but went on to thrive in this new environment and whose phenomenal goalscoring exploits made him a priceless commodity throughout an era unrelenting cheque signing. Back then, McCoist was the exception to the rule. Today his fate is governed by it. Because the only bottom line that counts right now as far as the position of the Rangers manager is concerned is the huge sum it will cost to remove him and his backroom staff from the dugout. Even going by the most conservative of estimates, the costs involved in the bagging of the management team would run a long way north of £1m and right now that’s money this ravaged club simply does not have. The very notion that such vast sums could be ring-fenced for severance payments would certainly cause further distress to auditors Deloitte – who have still not signed off the club’s latest accounts and are fast running out of days in which to so do. In fact, in order for an agm to be held before the year end as Stock Market rules dictate, Deloitte really ought to publish these latest numbers by no later than Friday of this week. The under-fire regime would then have a further three working weeks before being shoved out in front of shareholders just days before Christmas. It is already a damning indictment of the state of the club’s financial affairs that Deloitte have so far failed to put their name to these accounts and the longer they dither the more reason there is for concern. The truth is, Rangers are right back on the brink even though many supporters took comfort from watching Mike Ashley muscle his way into total control of the board room earlier this month. Recent history shows that in times of Ibrox panic there is nothing like a billionaire – radar detectable or not – to settle a few nerves but now Ashley has powered his way into the box seat there are serious decisions for him to make. What Ashley’s minions, Derek Llambias and Barry Leach, have discovered since they were dispatched to Glasgow and placed on the board may well have horrified them. The Sports Direct man did not become a billionaire by funding lost causes and yet that’s what he is now being asked to do in order to satisfy Deloitte the club is able to continue trading. If Ashley is not willing to offer up guarantees for several millions of pounds Deloitte may have to “qualify” these accounts – a development that would prove disastrous for the reputation of almost any other company but which, given the state of all things Rangers, would merely add another layer to the farce. So far Ashley has agreed to drip feed Rangers with short-term loans in order to protect and strengthen his commercial contracts with the club. He has not just been saving Rangers with these handouts – he has been strangling them at the same time. Will he now be prepared to change strategy to fund them for the longer term because, if not, Rangers will be hurtling towards another insolvency. And, as major creditor, Ashley will be in complete control. But if, on the other hand, he opts to wade into this mess and bail it out for the long run what will that mean for McCoist? That’s the other question over which Ashley will have to chew this week because if he does decide to underpin this broken business he could also provide it with the cash needed to call time on McCoist. Ironically, that might buy him some goodwill among a growing group of Rangers fans who have lost patience with their manager and who, at Tynecastle on Saturday, voiced their desire for him to do walking away. Or a version thereof. That 2-0 defeat was the last straw for many and it might even be argued the majority of these fans have lost faith in McCoist now the football side of this business is finally getting serious and requiring urgent attention. They simply don’t believe McCoist can recover the nine points which separate his side from Hearts and some of them suspect he may not be capable either of gaining promotion to the top flight through the end-of-season play-offs. The single-minded McCoist, it must be said, will disagree entirely. Often over the past three years he has reacted angrily to any suggestion he is failing in his duties and I say that as someone who has felt his full wrath from the other end of a phone on many occasions. But, at the risk of another fall-out, I’ll say it all again. When Rangers first reappeared from insolvency in the lowest tier of the Scottish game, McCoist wasted an opportunity to reinvent his team and introduce it to a contemporary, passing style of football – much like the template Swansea used on their journey up through the various English leagues. Instead, in true Rangers tradition, he spent mind-boggling amounts of money on the recruitment of players who had no place operating at such a lowly level and who often looked as if they had no great wish to be there. But whether he stays or goes at this stage, with his journey not yet complete? That’s something only the money men will decide.
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According to Liewell at their agm. "Lawwell made his assertion after contextualising the Hoops' earning potential at the club's packed annual general meeting at Celtic Park on Friday. He claimed that the 40,000 season tickets sold for this campaign was only bettered in Britain by Manchester United and Arsenal, then told shareholders that winning the Scottish Premiership title brings in £1.8million while claiming that clubs relegated from the English top flight rake in £65million. At a press conference in the Celtic Park boardroom afterwards he expanded on the theme, claiming that, if the Scottish champions had access to the sort of broadcast monies available to the top clubs in England, Celtic would be peerless. "I believe that," he said. "If you go back 25-30 years and compare us to Manchester United before the media and TV boom, there probably wasn't much in it. "I think our story is unique, it is rich - it is the best. "We have a potential fan-base of Scots/Irish diaspora around the world to support that and we have fantastic, strong fan-base in Scotland. "I don't see any barrier if you compare Celtic to Manchester United or Arsenal, the top clubs down there. "I don't see any barriers if we were getting the same media values as they are getting regularly." Asked about comparisons with Real Madrid and Barcelona, Lawwell replied: "Similarly. The media values in England will outweigh the media values or be similar to the top in Spain or Germany. "Therefore if it is a level playing field with our strong fundamentals. I don't see any reason why we couldn't be." In a more cryptic way, Lawwell suggested that moves were afoot all across Europe for clubs in a similar situation to Celtic - essentially big fish in small ponds - to increase revenue potential, having earlier mentioned regional leagues or supranational leagues. "We are not alone," he said. "Other leagues and nations are suffering the same problems and there needs to be a solution, and I think more than ever UEFA are open to a solution . "There are no concrete plans, but it is getting to become more of a discussion item." Lawwell, who hopes to convince striker John Guidetti to make his loan move from Manchester City permanent, reiterated a previous assertion that the absence of traditional rivals Rangers from the top flight costs the Parkhead club £10million per season. However, he was unimpressed when reminded that former Hoops boss Gordon Strachan, currently the Scotland national team coach, had recently spoken about the need to get Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian - all battling to get out of the Championship - back into the top flight. Strachan said: "People say you can't manipulate it, but I think you have to get them back in." However, Lawwell said: "I love Gordon dearly. He is a pal, but he is way off the mark there. We would never support that. "It is sporting integrity. It is a football competition and above all else you have to apply the rules, and to manipulate those rules would be wrong and there would be clubs who would suffer, as well as clubs who would benefit." There were relatively few nods to Ibrox during the AGM, which lasted just over two hours, but Lawwell was later asked, in his capacity as member of the main board of the Scottish Football Association, whether there was a possible conflict of interest in the shape of Rangers shareholder Mike Ashley, who appears to be increasing his power-base at the Ibrox club while still the owner of Newcastle United. Lawwell said: "I think potentially there is, but I am sure the SFA and the other authorities will scrutinise, analyse and do the right thing.""
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I think we all know the answer to that.
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Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has accused politicians of using Celtic for their own political agenda over the living wage. At the club's AGM the club announced they are prepared to offer permanent staff £7.85 an hour, but will not implement the living wage to all. However, Lawwell feels Celtic have been unfairly targeted by others. "We've been used," he said. "Our club has been used over this campaign by politicians and by others." He added: "There's more and more evidence there's poverty in society, there is inequality, and we would urge them - the people who've got the power, who've got the opportunity to change it - to change it, and not hitch their wagon to Celtic's wagon for their own political purposes. "We're a football club. We'll do all we can in the community. We do so much, but we can't change government policy. "We have a very satisfied, highly motivated workforce who are content with their lot. Not just my words, but we're the only football club in Scotland that's got Investors in People [accreditation] and [there are] only three in the UK, so we look after our people." Hearts last month became the first club to implement the living wage , but Lawwell insists their decision has had no bearing on Celtic. "Hearts are a different business," he said. "It's a small business in comparison, they won't have as many people. "If that's what they want to do, then good on them and they've done it. But we have to look after ourselves here and do the right thing. "At the moment we're looking at our permanent employees that includes everybody apart from match-day staff, who are primarily second income. "The 180 of them are mainly in retail, which is a very competitive business. Ironically our competitor is Sports Direct, and we're getting the spotlight." Celtic chairman Ian Bankier revealed the move to increase the wage for permanent staff will cost the club £350,000. He said: "We responded to the many people who have made approaches to us since this became a live issue and we understand what they're saying, and we understand the sentiment of what they're saying. "So what we've said today is we will speak to the people that matter in all of this, who are the employees. "We will talk to our permanent workforce, and those who are in that zone of pay policy, and we will seek to get their wages up to £7.85 an hour, which happens to be the rate of the living wage." Celtic also admitted at the AGM that the loss of Rangers from the Scottish Premiership has cost the club around £10m a year. However, responding to the recent comments by Scotland manager Gordon Strachan that the leagues should be manipulated to get their Old Firm rivals in the top flight along with Hibernian and Hearts, Lawwell was adamant there has been no discussion regarding league reconstruction. He said: "I love Gordon dearly, he's a pal, but he's way off the mark there and we would never support that." http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30150594
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http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/rangers-blazers-war-dave-king-4670042
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...and says manager Ally McCoist is being 'hung out to dry' by the board. THE former boss gave a withering assessment of the men at the top of the marble staircase and claimed they’ve hung McCoist out to dry. WALTER Smith last night accused the Rangers board of making Ally McCoist the worst prepared manager in their history. The former boss gave a withering assessment of the men at the top of the marble staircase and claimed they’ve hung McCoist out to dry. Smith spoke out in strong support of McCoist in Glasgow in front of an audience of 750 at a question and answer session during a charity dinner. The ex-chairman accused the current regime of failing to back the boss and said boardroom instability is also hampering the team. Asked to reflect on the work of McCoist, who was at the event, Smith said: “Ally will need a little help – in the last three years he has had none whatsoever. “I was fortunate enough to be given great support by the likes of David Murray with the signings I was allowed to make. “People are casting aspersions on Ally’s ability but if I ever had doubts about him I would never have recommended him for the job. “No club can be successful until it is well run from the top, it’s the single determining factor in how well the team plays. “I wish Ally could be given that opportunity but it isn’t being afforded him. Ally is bearing up well under the worst circumstances under which any Rangers manager has had to work.” Smith also turned on former owner Craig Whyte when asked if he was still happy with his decision to step away from the club three years ago. He said sarcastically: “I was quite happy to leave Rangers in the hands of Craig Whyte – well, he was a billionaire, after all. “Where is he now? Costa Rica or somewhere? The wee b******.” Meanwhile, Dave King claims Sandy Easdale was as concerned with his seat on the board as investment in the cash-strapped club. Easdale has labelled the South African-based tycoon’s plan to invest £16million a phantom bid driven by self-promotion. The bus boss and Rangers board snubbed King’s offer and a £3m loan from Brian Kennedy, instead taking a £2m bailout from Mike Ashley. Now King has hit back and said: “When I spoke to Sandy on my recent trip to Scotland his main concern was whether, after investment by our consortium, he would still be involved with the club. “I confirmed we had no immediate intention to remove him or his brother from board involvement. This was clearly not enough to gain his support.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/craig-whyte-wee-b-walter-4665444
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My Rangers memories book is finally finished, now titled “It’s a Glasgow Rangers story” The book looks at 75 years of Rangers history, from the countries dark days of World War 2 up to the club’s dark days of 2014. Fortunately there are a few highlights in between. With over one hundred contributions from the general Rangers support, it tells the story of Scotland’s # 1 football club. Not the full story of course, one book could never do that, that’s why it’s just “a Glasgow Rangers Story” The release date is planned as the 8th of December, though that may move backwards of forwards by a couple of days. If anyone fancies a copy as Christmas stocking filler, let me know on here, or PM and I’ll reserve a copy to guarantee delivery before Xmas. All proceeds of the book, after expenses, will be split between the Rangers Charity Foundation and the Scottish War Blind. The book will be available from myself, either at Ibrox, or by post, I’ll be setting up a website soon with all the details. It will also be available on Amazon, but in order that the charities benefit, it would be better to order direct. The economics of publishing means that a book sold direct will give £5 or so to the charities, a book sold through Amazon only £1. More details soon. I’ll be messaging or e-mailing all contributors soon with details of their submissions.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30134269 Sandy Easdale, chairman of the Rangers football board, sought assurances that boardroom changes would not force him out of Ibrox, Dave King has revealed. During discussions about a proposed £16m investment by King and a Rangers fans' consortium, he wanted reassurance that his position was safe. He was advised there was "no immediate intention to remove him or his brother [James] from the board". Sandy Easdale subsequently supported Mike Ashley's offer of a £2m loan. James Easdale is a non-executive director of Rangers International Football Club. A series of disagreements has broken out following the RIFC chairman David Somers' attempt to justify why the board accepted Ashley's offer ahead of the proposed investment from King and the consortium, and a £3m loan offered by Brian Kennedy. The latter has revealed that he was prepared to provide the loan at nominal or zero interest, and wanted Ibrox protected in a trust. Somers explained that the board opted for Ashley's loan, which has since been increased by an additional £1m, because it involved less interest and less security, Sandy Easdale also insisted in a strongly worded statement that he never agreed with the King consortium that they could provide proof of funding and the identity of all of the investors after shareholders agreed in principle to support the investment, which would have seen the group receive an equity share of RIFC and take control of the board. "I have grown tired of Mr King's antics," Easdale said, after offering his support to Somers' stance. This prompted a further response from King, who had already urged supporters to withdraw their financial support from the club on match days and in terms of merchandise. Ashley's Sports Direct already had a commercial arrangement with Rangers through the joint venture Rangers Retail Ltd. The terms of that have since been "normalised" and Sports Direct have entered a "partnership marketing agreement". Sports Direct have also given up the naming rights to Ibrox, but the company still retains "certain advertising rights". Around 10 administrative staff have been made redundant at Ibrox, including commercial and marketing employees. "It remains interesting that Sandy continues to take the lead on public company affairs," King said. "The truth is, when I spoke to Sandy on my recent trip to Scotland his main concern was whether, after investment by our consortium, he would still be able to stay involved with the club. "He indicated that Mike Ashley would look after him if he assisted Ashley in protecting his commercial rights. The new investment proposed by Paul [Murray], George [Letham] and I was seen as a threat to Sports Direct's desire to extend its influence over the Rangers brand in all its forms. "After discussion with Paul and George, I confirmed by email to Sandy that we had no immediate intention to remove him or his brother from board involvement at Rangers. "This concession was clearly not enough to gain his support and the board approved the inferior offer presented by Ashley. "Furthermore, in my meeting with the Rangers board I confirmed that I could give proof of funds within 24 hours of the board accepting our proposal in principle. I was never asked to do this."
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http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30114815 Was one of my favourite players while at Ibrox and scored some big goals in big games.
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https://twitter.com/Herald_Editor/status/535213375333359618/photo/1
