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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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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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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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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 -
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/rangers-blazers-war-dave-king-4670042
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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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...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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https://twitter.com/Herald_Editor/status/535213375333359618/photo/1
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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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There was an interesting footnote to the Daily Record’s coverage of Ed Miliband’s attack on Mike Ashley over the latter’s penchant for zero hour contracts; commenting on the recent flurry of Police activity regarding the acquisition of Rangers by Craig Whyte, it read : “The warrant was issued on the day four men – David Grier, Paul Clark and David Whitehouse, who worked for Rangers administrators Duff & Phelps, and Gary Withey, who represented Whyte – were all detained by police in England acting on behalf of Police Scotland. They are due to appear in court tomorrow. Police Scotland, who are leading a joint operation with HMRC, said “inquires are ongoing” in to the whereabouts of Whyte.” What makes that footnote particularly interesting is that Police Scotland’s Specialist Economic Crime Unit are once again working jointly with HMRC. Some will remember that until recently the former were investigating the latter with regard to leaks of confidential information in the Rangers Tax Case although “they found no evidence that the leaks came from within HMRC”. Perhaps it’s unavoidable given the scope of the enquiry and the limitations on resources but does it not strike anyone else as peculiar that we now have a former suspect at the forefront of an investigation into our club? An agency which itself has been open to considerable criticism over their handling of the whole sorry mess, with serious questions being asked about their professional competency. We don’t need to do “conspiracy theories” when it comes to HMRC – the facts themselves suggest that there are considerable grounds for a government enquiry into their handling of the matter. The latest criminal developments only serve to add fuel to an already highly flammable topic. This after all is the same government agency whom:- 1. As per Keith Jackson’s Daily record expose` allowed Craig Whyte, a man they were already pursuing for tax related matters to the tune of £4 million, to assume control of a company and then fail to contribute PAYE for a period of 9 months and as a consequence forced the company into administration. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ex-rangers-owner-craig-whyte-being-3992415 2. Treated complaints from Rangers shareholders regarding breaches of confidentiality in the Rangers Tax Case as “speculation about alleged breaches of confidentiality” whilst the platforms for the foregoing breaches, The Rangers Tax Case Blog and the BBC Scotland documentary – “The Men Who Sold The Jerseys” were picking up various awards courtesy of the confidential information they had broadcast. 3. Despite the investigation aforementioned by Police Scotland, have failed to explain how evidence in the Rangers Tax case, of which they were custodians, ended up in the hands of BBC Scotland. The remarks and summation by Lord Nimmo Smith in his SPL Commission Report have not been forgotten by the Rangers support, nor will the matter be allowed to rest until a sufficient explanation is provided as to how or who was responsible for such leaks. The Rangers support will welcome the latest flexing of the long arm of the law, not only from the sense of seeing some modicum of justice, but also a means of providing answers, long overdue answers to some of the questions this particularly dark period has caused. I doubt all will welcome such developments. The latest actions by the law enforcement agencies confirm what many of us have suspected for a considerable time – that our club has been used as the vehicle for a fairly elaborate and complex fraudulent scheme and in every sense is itself the victim of the perpetrators. It will be interesting to see whether there is a determination within our club to seek recompense, financial or otherwise, in respect of those who sought to punish the crime’s victim. The tale which will unfold if only half the story however. The decision making process at HMRC and their conduct into the investigation of our club is the untold story. The latter is a story which needs to be told and only a full public enquiry will suffice.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30106866
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Being reported that first ten employees are going.
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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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After 3pm apparently for those on Sky Go or in the house! He's going to be explaining the Ashley loans... Comments: - David Somers claims Dave King consortium investment offer was breaching regulatory requirements so rejected them at 'Stage One'. - Somers claims 8 people were in King consortium but SA businessman refused to provide names and proof of funds. - Somers said that King was prepared to offer up 3 names before giving the rest if agreement made in principle. - Stage Two represented comparing Ashley and Kennedy bids whereby former was approved due to better deal on interest and security - Somers also claims Rangers make a lot of money from existing retail deal with Mike Ashley.
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At a RFC plc Board meeting the matter of a repayment of funds to Ticketus came up in relation to the transfer of Jelavic. Donald Muir took a great interest in the deal and spent a lot of time to ensure he fully understood it. Subsequently Whyte's interest stepped up.
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Keith Jackson saying that Brian Kennedy will reply to Somers interview comments tomorrow.
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A super legend as a player but why is he allowed to still be manager....1 or 2 results could be swept under the carpet but the following shows he isn't the man. Peterhead 2-2 Rangers Berwick 1-1 Rangers Annan 0-0 Rangers Stirling 1-0 Rangers Rangers 1-1 Elgin Rangers 1-1 Montrose Stirling 1-1 Rangers Rangers 1-2 Annan Rangers 0-0 Stirling Montrose 0-0 Rangers Rangers 1-2 Peterhead Rangers 1-1 Stranraer Rangers 3-3 Stenhousemuir Raith 1-0 Rangers (cup final) Forfar 2-1 Rangers Rangers 1-1 Albion Rangers 1-3 Dundee Utd Brora Rangers 1-1 Rangers Ventura Fusion County (no laughing at the back please) 3-1 Rangers Rangers 1-2 Hearts Alloa 1-1 Rangers Rangers 1-3 Hibs Rangers 1-1 Alloa
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Some meat on the bones of yesterday's court appearance... http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/6101587/Cash-n-grab.html
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THE South African-based businessman brands Ibrox chairman "disingenuous" after being accused of failing to provide proof of funds. DAVE KING has tonight hit back at David Somers’ claims he failed to prove he had the finance to invest in Rangers – and accused the Ibrox chairman of being "disingenuous". Somers had earlier today insisted the South African-based businessman couldn’t provide proof of funds and that made it impossible for the board to accept King’s offer of investment last month. A proposal from King's consortium was considered along with another from former Blue Knight Brian Kennedy before Ibrox directors instead accepted a £2million loan from shareholder Mike Ashley last month. And in an interview with Sky Sports News, Somers said: "We had three people offering us funds and I felt it was very important we do proper due diligence on all three. "In the past Rangers has perhaps done deals it wouldn't have done if it had done proper due diligence. "Where (the King offer) fell down was really at stage one. When I said to all three of these people 'would you show me proof of funds?' two showed me proof of funds. The consortium did not. "The second question for the consortium was, 'I know there are eight of you, I only know three of you. Can I please have the other five names?' And the message I was getting all the time was 'if you agree to do deal, if you persuade 75 per cent of shareholders, then we'll show you funds and you can have the other names'. "When I said to all three of these people 'would you show me proof of funds?' two showed me proof of funds. The consortium did not. "It wasn't meeting the due diligence requirements – they were simple questions. I cannot go to shareholders when I don't know all the names, I can't check the names out and I can't put my hand on my heart and say, 'these guys have the money'. "In the end we had to move on to stage two which left two providers. "Then it was a simple case of which provider was offering the lowest interest rate – Mike Ashley was offering zero interest which is difficult to beat – and which provider wanted least security. Again Mike Ashley only wanted a small amount relative to the other deal. "Once we got to that stage it was a no-brainer which one we were going with." But King has claimed Sandy Easdale - chairman of Rangers' football board - agreed proof of funds and individual identities could be provided once the backing of shareholders was confirmed. He insisted Somers was "being disingenuous with his comments". A statement from King read: "We had private discussions with both (former chief executive) Graham Wallace and Sandy Easdale in which we told them that we would immediately provide proof of funding and details of the full make-up of the consortium following confirmation from Sandy Easdale that the shareholders whom he represents were prepared to support the terms of our investment proposal in principle. "Sandy Easdale agreed to proceed on this basis. Unfortunately he was not then able to provide the confirmation we asked for. There was no possibility of proceeding any further without the support of Sandy Easdale's group who had the power to block our proposed investment." http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/rangers-war-words-breaks-out-4650192?
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From last week: http://t.co/aNmKNADMKG (PDF file) Collyer Bristow settlement confirmed within this. Also, BDO suggest there are £168.7m of unsecured creditors (including £94m noted for the HMRC monies (including the BTC).
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http://news.stv.tv/west-central/299623-four-men-detained-after-police-probe-into-sale-of-rangers-in-2012/ I'd like to remind people of their legal obligations in speculating over individuals and alleged criminal behaviour. -
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/the-recovery-will-start-at-hearts-says-rangers-captain-mcculloch-188835n.25885771? McCulloch and his Gers team-mates were booed off the pitch by their own fans at Ibrox on Saturday after failing to beat the part-time Wasps. It was a terrible result ahead of the massive top-of-the-table showdown with the Jambos at Tynecastle this weekend It allowed Hearts, who beat Falkirk 2-1 away later that day, to pull six points clear at the top of the second-tier table. But skipper McCulloch, who thought he had snatched victory against Alloa with a second-half goal, is confident his side can beat the capital club. He was pleased with the way the League One champions responded to their 3-1 defeat at home at Hibs back in September. And the centre-half reckons Ally McCoist's side can get back to winning against Robbie Neilson's team despite Hearts being unbeaten in the Championship. McCulloch said: "We know the importance of the match. We were disappointed on Saturday and that has made it more important than it already was. "We are going to have to be ready. Tynecastle is always a hard place to go. But we are looking forward to it. "There is going to be a good atmosphere and we will be playing against a good Hearts team. They are very organised. "It is a chance to put right what we did wrong against Alloa on Saturday and I am sure we will be prepared. "We certainly responded to the defeat at home against Hibs in September. We managed to go on an eight-game winning run in all competitions. Hopefully we can do it again." McCulloch was at a loss to explain why Rangers failed for the second time in the campaign to beat Alloa, who equalised with a Liam Buchanan strike. "I honestly don't know what happened," he said. "We were scoring goals freely and keeping clean sheets at the back going into it. "We passed the ball all right at times and created some chances. But we didn't take them, simple as that. "We had a moment of madness after we scored our goal and we couldn't get back in the game." -
I speculated that this was worth a thread on its own. Apologies if not, admin....merge it with Whyte Arrest warrant. However, it is a different revelation (though it may be connected, of course): "In a further development, The Daily Telegraph understands that while Wallace and Nash were still in their posts, documents related to the 2012 share issue were passed to the Serious Fraud Office for investigation. The SFO had no comment to make." It is tagged on here; http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/11231964/Former-Rangers-owner-Craig-Whyte-issued-with-arrest-warrant-as-four-others-are-detained-by-police.html
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