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  1. Lifted from FF: From the Sun website: SFA boss in Savile twitter bust-up Beast's victim blasts Regan Exclusive By PAUL THORNTON Published: 10 hrs ago A SICKENED victim of Jimmy Savile last night slammed footie blazer Stewart Regan for comparing the Rangers saga to the scandal over the TV pervert. The SFA chief executive’s shocking Twitter gaffe came after a fan asked him about the Ibrox spat between former club supremos Craig Whyte and Charles Green. Regan, 49, bizarrely replied: “Over four decades, many people believed Jimmy Savile was a paedophile. Yet he still walked free. Actionable evidence was necessary to provide the proof. “The same is true in any democratic judicial process.” It sparked an immediate storm of online protest from stunned followers. And Caroline Moore, 54 — molested by Savile as a helpless 13-year-old — branded Regan an insensitive “idiot”. She said: “He’s a prat, an absolute idiot and should think before he says something. “Nobody would say the Savile thing is anything like the same as a row at a football club.” Wheelchair-bound Caroline, of Paisley, was attacked by Savile in 1971 at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Bucks, following an operation to fuse her spine. And she is furious that Regan used the monster’s name to debate sport. Caroline added: “He’s made himself look stupid and I would imagine he’ll regret it.” Twitter users were also horrified, and one message from ‘Sharpie’ simply read: “Embarrassing.” Liz Corkhill also slammed him for “pursuing that tasteless analogy.” Former Top of the Pops host Savile was exposed as a serial sex predator following his death, aged 84, in October 2011. Last night, the SFA refused to comment on the Regan row. But it’s not the first time the footie chief has had problems with Twitter. Regan called in cops and closed his account in July 2012 after it was flooded with abusive comments. These related to his handling of league reconstruction and the financial collapse of Rangers. At the time, he said: “When you get threatening messages on Twitter and you get emails and letters that are uncomfortable, you have to listen seriously to what the police are saying.” Whyte and Green were infamously locked in a battle over the ownership of Rangers. Yorkshireman Green claimed he duped his rival to get his hands on the club. Former brewing executive Regan replaced Gordon Smith at the SFA in 2010.
  2. 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.
  3. I have just read that our former player has motor neurone disease
  4. ......................if shareholder factions can't reach compromise Dave King has been unable to strike a compromise agreement with the various shareholder factions at Rangers, but the former Ibrox director has insisted that he will not give up on the club. King has held a series of discussions with the principal individuals involved with the situation at Rangers International Football Club, including Sandy Easdale and Paul Murray, but consensus proved out of reach and the forthcoming Annual General Meeting is likely to be a stormy event. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/dave-king-administration-is-distinct-possibility-at-rangers-if-shareholder-factions-c.1383303046 Lifted from FF: Dave King has been unable to strike a compromise agreement with the various shareholder factions at Rangers, but the former Ibrox director has insisted that he will not give up on the club. King has held a series of discussions with the principal individuals involved with the situation at Rangers International Football Club, including Sandy Easdale and Paul Murray, but consensus proved out of reach and the forthcoming Annual General Meeting is likely to be a stormy event. King had hoped to strike an agreement with the two main blocks of shareholders to appoint new directors to the board, including taking on the role of chairman himself, and begin the process of raising additional funding. Speaking exclusively to The Herald before releasing an official statement, King said that administration is "not an imminent threat", but he does believe it "is a distinct possibility if the AGM results in a continuing lack of continuity on one side or the other". As it currently stands, the shareholders represented by Sandy Easdale and his brother James, who is a non-executive director at Ibrox, account for around 25% of the company. This grouping includes Blue Pitch Holdings, Margartia Holdings and Charles Green, who has an agreement with the Easdales over the sale of his shares. The lock-in period for these shareholdings ends in December, when the AGM is going to be held. It is unclear what the terms of their agreements are with the Easdales. King will continue to closely monitor events, and would act swiftly if there was a possibility of re-visiting his consensus plans even at the last minute before the AGM. He believes talks with Easdale and Murray were constructive, and he praised both individuals, however not all shareholders were willing to compromise. King's current stance is that he is not prepared to buy shares in the market when his investment would be better spent going directly to the club, although this could change. "I'm not walking away, I'm going to continue looking for opportunities between now and the AGM to get a compromise situation," King said. "I will reassess my position depending on the outcome of the AGM, particularly if I believe short-termism remains. I will be prepared to reconsider my current position, and could possibly intervene in the market. "I don't believe the shareholder base will be so conflicted after the AGM, since there will be a shake up regardless of the outcome. In a year's time, it will be possible for a block of shares to be held by right-minded people, but we will have to get through a lot to get to that stage. I have never gone into a board meeting in my life to vote on issues, the board must work by consensus and discussion, but that has been a reflection of the way the business has been run recently." Paul Murray is one of four directors who will be nominated for election to the board at the AGM by the institutional shareholders who hold around 28% of the company. A former Ibrox director, and associate of King's, Murray has long campaigned for experienced corporate governance figures to be on the board. King will not, however, take sides ahead of the AGM, and will remain the outlet for any possible last-minute compromise. The South African-based businessman believes that the current situation - James Easdale and Brian Stockbridge, the finance director, are the only two individuals sitting on the plc board, and the club has no chief executive - is unsustainable even in the short-term. "The board desperately needs governance, and I'm sure Sandy Easdale would acknowledge that they've ended up in an uncomfortable position," King said. "It's very important that the board gets professional governance involved, with financial and business plans that take into account the need for fresh investment to take into account the funding shortfall that will come if the team is to compete again in the top flight, which is what we all want. In my view, there will be a need to two rounds of additional funding between now and then. "During the last week I engaged a number of stakeholders, both in Glasgow and London, to seek a compromise to the current imbroglio that is restricting the operational capability and the governance at the club. I have also had follow up telephone conversations since my return to South Africa. "Unfortunately, I have been unable to reach a consensus agreement at this time despite the constructive manner in which everyone approached the discussions with me. Certain influential shareholders are unwilling to compromise at this time and it seems inevitable, unless there is a change of heart, that an acrimonious AGM lies ahead. In my view, the AGM will not be decisive irrespective of its outcome. A continued polarisation is what I was desperately trying to avoid. For the avoidance of doubt and to avoid speculation I advise that Paul Murray and Sandy Easdale both displayed a constructive and flexible attitude during my discussions with them." King has long maintained that personal enmities and rivalries have held back the progress of the club. He has attempted to override those issues, but some shareholders are entrenched. Murray and Jim McColl, who is backing the institutional shareholders with his expertise and contacts, hope to be able to reveal the beneficial shareholders behind Blue Pitch Holdings and Margarita Holdings, having made a legal request to the club for the information. Sandy Easdale currently holds the proxy for their votes. Despite briefings to the contrary, King would also not encounter any difficulties with being approved as a director of a publicly listed company. He has settled his dispute with the South African Revenue Service, having agreed to pay £45m in tax arrears, and fines totalling around £700,000 after he was convicted of 41 breaches of the Income Tax Act. All fraud charges were dropped by the state. King continues to be executive chairman of Micromega, his investment firm that is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, which is a competent jurisdiction. Any board appointment needs to be ratified by the nominated advisor - Daniel Stewart - that managers RIFC's listing on the Alternative Investment Market, and also by the SFA. As part of his disclosure to the nomad, King included a letter from SARS stating that they consider him a fit and proper person to hold a directorship in a plc, and supporting his bid to become a director of Rangers. This letter would also be part of any future submission to the SFA, who have their own fit and proper person criteria, which is reviewed by the professional game board. King would also argue that his time spent on the board under Craig Whyte's ownership, leading up to administration, was spent trying to hold the owner to account, for which he has a lengthy and instructive paper trail. King also stressed that he did not believe that Peter Lawwell, the Celtic chief executive who sits on the PGB, would not unduly influence the decision. "I also take the opportunity to disassociate myself from the speculative and misinformed press coverage around my fit and proper status," King said. "Let me make my position clear. The settlement of my legal disputes in South Africa was concluded on a basis that has no effect whatsoever on my ability to serve as a director of companies. I presently sit on the board of many companies, including serving as Executive Chairman of a main board stock exchange listed company in South Africa. I have confirmed with my UK attorneys that the legal position is no different in the UK. That leaves only the subjective elements that would apply to any person joining a public company board or becoming involved in a football club under the auspices of the SFA. "I am fully alert to key questions that are likely to be put to me and I am confident that my responses will be persuasive. However, at this point I have not approached the SFA other than my discussion in 2012 to establish what the elements of the fit and proper test would be. The SFA is clearly not in a position to consider an application that I have not yet made. Such an application would only happen if I am able to reach an in principle agreement to become actively involved in the club's affairs - as is my continued stated intention. At the request of the NOMAD, I have supplied a letter from the South African Revenue Services confirming that they see no difficulty with me continuing to sit on the board of companies. Again, however, due to my inability to make immediate progress it is not necessary to engage further with the NOMAD at this time. When the time arises there may be other questions I have to respond to. I will do so on request. "I further do not believe that the CEO of Celtic FC attempted to negatively pre-empt any application that I might make to the SFA. I have complete confidence that the SFA will judge any future application on its merits as would be done for any person." King will now watch events in and around Ibrox with interest. As the one figure who unites the fans and has almost unanimous backing, King's temporary withdrawal is likely to fuel further protests at tonight's Scottish Cup tie against Airdrie at Ibrox. Fans are growing increasingly angry with the board, and the realisation that certain shareholders are preventing consensus will further infuriate them. King will continue to offer that alternative, though. "I thank every person that I met for maintaining confidentiality about the details of each meeting," King said. "I thank the media for their patience when being met with a repeated 'no comment' from me. I appreciate the importance to the community of what is happening at Rangers but I believe that the best interests of the club will not be facilitated by playing it out in the media. Over the last two years we have all witnessed the destructive value when individuals, who should be putting the club first, advance personal agendas through the media in an attempt to influence the most important stakeholder in Rangers Football Club - the fans. The result is the polarisation of interests that we are experiencing and the loss of valuable time and money in preparing the club to be competitive with our Glasgow neighbours, and other teams, when we return to the top flight of Scottish football - as we surely will. Thankfully the manager continues to make progress through the leagues despite the distractions he has had to deal with."
  5. Ringing fugitive on Interpol wanted list not unusual in new world of Rangers KEITH tells how trying to make contact with a man on Interpol's most wanted list is hardly unusual in the weird world which Rangers now inhabit. IT’S not every week you speak to someone on Interpol’s most wanted list. In fact, after 20-odd years writing about football for a living, this was something of a first. Not that it was actually much of a conversation. “Hello, Mr Rizvi,” “Hello, who is this?” “Keith Jackson from the Daily Record newspaper in Glasgow, I want to speak to you about your involvement in Blue Pitch Holdings.” “I think you have the wrong number my friend, I would ahem (click)...” “Mr Rizvi? Rafat? Hello?” “BEEEEEEEEEEEP!” That was about the size of it. Hardly earth-shattering stuff. In fact, the only truly remarkable thing about this conversation is that it needed to take place at all. But this is the way of it at Rangers in 2013 – this club has long since disappeared through the looking glass. Vanished into a world which is as much about the fugitives as it is about the football. I phoned straight back but Rafat Rizvi, or whatever this plummy-voiced gentleman calls himself these days, didn’t answer. So I followed up with a text message, offering to speak on or off the record and pointing out that the identities of those anonymous investors behind Blue Pitch and Margarita Holdings were likely to be made public soon. Again, no response. Perhaps he was just busy. Then again, perhaps men who are on the run from the authorities over a £600million bank fraud, facing a potential death penalty in Indonesia, don’t do protracted conversations. Not with press men at any rate. Which would be fair enough were it not for the fact the future of Rangers hangs in the balance all over again and that there are many thousands of supporters out there who are beside themselves with worry and who are asking for one simple thing from their club, the truth. Remember that? It’s not easy where Rangers are concerned. This is a club which currently employs more spin doctors than it does directors, a business which is engulfed in a cloud of its own toxicity. A company which attempts to confuse its own customers with an unrelenting barrage of spin and counter-spin. The truth? So many lies and so much misinformation has been spread in the name of Rangers that the truth has become a complete stranger. It has been twisted and distorted to such an extent that it has become almost unrecognisable. And it has to stop, for the sake of the fans and for the greater good of the Scottish game in general. It is time for Rangers to reconnect with the truth. Which is why it would have been nice had Rizvi stayed on the phone for a longer chat. He might have been able to clear up many of the issues which continue to distress these supporters and cause them sleepless nights. Just who are Blue Pitch for example? These mysterious offshore backers of Charles Green, who financed the Yorkshireman’s takeover, buying up Ibrox and Murray Park for a £5.5m snip thanks to the stupendous generosity of administrators Duff and Phelps. It would also have been of interest to ask Mr Rizvi, a long-standing associate of Green and shamed former commercial director Imran Ahmad, if he could shed any light on some of the names of those behind the equally mysterious Margarita. Between them, Blue Pitch and Margarita hold a 15 per cent stake in the club and their voting power – which has been handed over by proxy to the Easdale Brothers – could swing the balance whenever this club finally allows its shareholders to vote on the make-up of the boardroom at its long awaited agm. Could it be that Brian Stockbridge, for example, is to be found standing behind Margarita’s door? Just asking because if the financial director was to be among these penny-a-share investors then it’s no wonder they are attempting to block the changes that would ultimately lead to Stockbridge’s removal from power. Right? Here’s another thing. Did you know Stockbridge and James Easdale last week signed off on a robustly worded warning to the club’s entire workforce, making it clear that information leaks from inside Ibrox will not be tolerated? That’s right. Stockbridge, who infamously filmed former chairman Malcolm Murray worse for wear at the end of a long night out, and Easdale, who endorsed the return of a certain spin doctor to the club. The hypocrisy is mind boggling. In fact, it smacks of yet another hamfisted and ever so slightly sinister attempt to suppress the truth. The fact that their internal memo has already been leaked out on to the internet is a delicious irony. Much has gone on behind the scenes of this club in recent times which defies belief. Senior, trusted and hugely respected figures have been horribly intimidated. These people too have a story to tell. Just like Rizvi. It would do Rangers a world of good if one day the whole truth emerges from this distasteful debacle, no matter how unpleasant or even inconvenient that truth might be. The truth is all that can pull Rangers back from this world through the looking glass and allow it to look at itself in the mirror once again.
  6. RANGERS’ surviving directors were last night linked with a dramatic move to bring former Scottish Football League chief executive David Longmuir on board in a bid to stem the tide of support swelling behind Jim McColl and Paul Murray’s attempt to take charge at Ibrox. McColl, a millionaire businessman, and former Rangers director Murray last night hosted a meeting with representatives of three leading supporters’ groups where the plans they outlined were positively received. Now it is understood the current directors at the club – finance director Brian Stockbridge and non-executive James Easdale, along with the latter’s brother Sandy who sits on the separate football board – are considering Longmuir as a potential new chief executive. Longmuir has been out of work since July when he lost out to former Scottish Premier League chief executive Neil Doncaster for the role in charge of the new Scottish Professional Football League. The 48-year-old had been at the helm of the SFL since 2007, having previously spent 20 years working for multinational drinks firm Diageo. During his final two years at the SFL, which saw the fallout from Rangers’ financial collapse land in his lap when the SPL refused the liquidated club a place in the top flight, Longmuir was perceived by Ibrox supporters as more sympathetic to their plight than either Doncaster or SFA chief executive Stewart Regan. However, it is unclear if Longmuir would be interested in discussing a move to Rangers in the current circumstances. Last night’s meeting, held at McColl’s Clyde Blowers offices in East Kilbride, took place on the day Rangers had been due to hold their first annual general meeting since the club plunged into administration and liquidation last year. But the agm had to be postponed when McColl and Murray won a Court of Session ruling last week which declared the current board had been wrong to prevent them requisitioning for the removal of existing directors and appointment of new ones at the meeting. That prompted the resignation of Craig Mather as chief executive and departure of non-executive director Bryan Smart. Last night’s meeting lasted around three hours with members of the Rangers Supporters Trust, Rangers Supporters Assembly and Rangers Supporters Association quizzing McColl and Murray. Full details of the meeting will be released today but Andy Kerr, president of the Assembly, made it clear there was backing for McColl and Murray. “I think the majority of fans are behind this,” said Kerr. “It was a very successful meeting. The main purpose was to gather information and we have done that and we will share that in a meaningful format with the fans. We were quite happy with what we heard from Jim McColl and Paul Murray and the key now is to communicate that information. We will put it together in a Q and A format. “The AGM is going to be the pivot for all of this. We heard that a board is ready to go in and that a CEO and financial director are lined up and that was good to hear because it was something that was causing us anxiety. We have some level of assurance and heard nothing that has given us any concerns.” No new date has yet been set for the agm. Dave King, the South African-based former Rangers director, is expected in Glasgow this weekend as he looks to return to the club. It remains to be seen whether he will do so with the existing board or lend his support to the McColl-Murray group. http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl-lower-divisions/rangers-board-linked-with-bid-to-recruit-longmuir-1-3156598
  7. We are under investigation from glasgows finest as to armed forces day daily record page seven the police report is now complete amazing the speed of the investigation when you think that the same police are dragging their heels into those who wronged our club .
  8. By Keith Jackson Keith Jackson: One phrase clings to the ever dwindling bunch of Rangers directors.. not fit for purpose KEITH looks back on the figures who have come and gone at Ibrox over the last 10 months and calls for some honesty from the last men standing. 17 Oct 2013 08:25 Craig Mather IT was labelled, in a parting shot from former chairman Walter Smith, as already dysfunctional. But other words spring readily to mind when trying to describe the car crash that resides at the top of the marble staircase inside Ibrox Stadium. Disgraced. Shamed. Incompetent. Scandalised. All of the above have at one time or other been applicable to the broken board of Rangers Football Club in the last 10 months. Most of all, though, one phrase has clung to this increasingly dwindling bunch of executive and non-executive directors. Not fit for purpose. And never more so than yesterday morning when it was announced to the stock exchange that chief executive Craig Mather – a man shoe-horned into the position in the first place in a typically ill-thought out emergency measure – had become the latest victim of the civil war that continues to rage inside this club. Another day, another announcement to the stock exchange. They might have set some kind of record by now. Was it really only last week Ian Hart started this latest boardroom exodus, which is starting to look like the directorial desertion of a sinking ship? This time they wrote to confirm Mather has now left the building along with Bryan Smart, who has been – albeit in a less high profile manner – another major contributor to the governmental distress inside the Bluehouse. Smart has come and gone from it all without hardly being noticed. He can leave it all behind but his part in the chaos will be remembered by those he let down most. Men like Smith who could hardly win a vote in his own boardroom because of the pacts and deals being hatched around the table. Alliances that sickened him to such an extent he could no longer remain part of a club he has lived and breathed most of his life. Mather, on the other hand, had no problem whatsoever in striding into the thick of this toxic mess and, indeed, claiming centre stage. It did not seem to bother him at all that there was nothing on his CV that seemed even remotely to suggest he was worthy of the position or capable of holding it down. In fact, unlike Smith, who could take no more, Mather appeared to believe his role was some sort of entitlement. It may have escaped your notice (after all he only mentioned it in just about every single one of his rambling official statements) but Mather ploughed £1million of his own cash into this debacle. And for that, he would not walk away without his pound of flesh. Rangers did not reveal yesterday if Mather had been paid to fall on his sword, although the words “by mutual consent” are often a bit of a give-away in such situations. In fact, he walked away with a year’s full pay and that amounts to a cool £300,000. It would be unwise to refer to Mather as any sort of victim until the full facts are made public about his exit. It could be he has recouped almost all the money he invested in the club, without having to cash in any of his shares. The writing had been on the wall for him since Monday afternoon when former director Paul Murray humiliated the board in the Court of Session. Murray’s team proved the board had illegally attempted to block a move by rebel shareholders to nominate their own candidates for directorial roles. In doing so, they denied Rangers’ fans and financial backers a democratic right to vote on the make-up of the men in charge. QC Richard Keen stated each member of the board had committed an offence by refusing to add the names of Paul and Malcolm Murray, Alex Wilson and Scott Murdoch to the business at the upcoming agm (it’s coming at some point, right?). From that moment, Mather was toast. Only the speed of his demise was in question but it came more quickly than could have been predicted. Are you keeping count? That’s two CEO’s. Two chairmen too. A commercial director. Three non-execs, including Phil Cartmell who was Smith’s rock. And three NOMADS appointed in less than a year? So now, or at least as of last night (these things do tend to change quickly), the current regime is made up of just two men, financial director Brian Stockbridge and bus brother, James Easdale. Stockbridge, in case anyone needs reminding, is the money man with a flair for capturing video recordings, especially if they involve embarrassing a colleague at the end of a boozy dinner. It was incredible Stockbridge was not sacked on the spot for gross misconduct after the Daily Record exposed his part in that tawdry little episode. Or it would have been incredible, had this been any other director of any other board, in any other business. Only in a place as toxic as the Ibrox boardroom could such behaviour be excused or ignored. Stockbridge, an old ally of Charles Green and Imran Ahmad, also just might possess the worst head for figures in the history of financial directing. This is the man who predicted Rangers would turn a loss of around £7m when they posted their first set of accounts. In fact, six months later the deficit was in excess of £14m. So just the £7m out? Gross misconduct, gross incompetence? You do the maths. The cash Mather walked away with yesterday will have been signed off by Stockbridge as the club’s only remaining executive. He is also the man who handed Green a small fortune as a pay-off when the Ibrox board had a stonewall case to dismiss the Yorkshireman for free. He left with £1m in his big Yorkshire hands. Incredible? That doesn’t quite cover some of what has gone on as this club has burned through £22m of IPO (share issue) cash since January. In fact, it doesn’t come close to explaining how Rangers have been ripped apart by the intruders who have presided in the top office since Craig Whyte’s takeover in May 2011. Now Stockbridge is left on the inside manning the barricades. There is little choice for him as, should Rangers lose one of their two remaining directors, then under stock exchange rules the club will be suspended from trading on the AIM market. In other words, Stockbridge must stay, even though eventually he must go if this club’s credibility is to be fixed. What happens in the short term is now the more pressing question. Would-be saviour Dave King – who had been courted by Mather in a rather shameless and self-preserving way – may have already had his own concerns about being used as a tool to validate the current regime. He would be off his head to even consider returning as chairman now or at any time before the dust settles after what will be an explosive agm. Meanwhile, Jim McColl and Paul Murray will press ahead with their proposals for an open, democratic vote when shareholders get their showdown. In the interests of openness and transparency, however, they may first wish to take this board to task one last time and demand to be given details of those who may still be of a mind to re-elect Stockbridge and Easdale, despite the mountain of evidence which damns their tainted leadership. Murray has expressed his desire to know exactly whose cash is behind the mysterious investor groups Blue Pitch Holdings and Margarita Holdings, who got in on the ground floor with Green and who hold around 15 per cent of the club’s shares. This board might be down to its last two directors, broken, dysfunctional and disgraced. But it would be a belated act of decency if, now the game is almost up, it finally discloses its last big secret. After all the damage that has been done to this club and all the dishonesty which has besmirched it, this seems like the least that should be done.
  9. By the always readable Richard Wilson: http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/new-board-must-take-their-seats-first-before-rangers-can-be-comfortable.22446513
  10. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5288-chief-executive-steps-down CRAIG MATHER has today left his position as Chief Executive of Rangers International Football Club Plc by mutual consent. Mr Mather has agreed to stand down in an attempt to help calm speculation over the governance and executive management of Rangers. Mr Mather said: “The interests of the Club are of paramount importance and I believe these are best served by me leaving the Club. “Despite recent events and speculation, the facts of the matter are that the Club is financially secure and in a far better place than it was a year ago. “Unlike most football clubs Rangers has money in the bank, no borrowings and this season we have assembled a squad which is capable of progressing through the leagues. “I have enjoyed a very constructive relationship with Ally McCoist and wish him and the team every success. “My short tenure as chief executive has been beset by incessant attempts to destabilise the operations of the Club, all done supposedly in the interests of Rangers. “I had real faith in the rebuilding of Rangers and invested significantly in the Club. Sadly, those who have been most active in upsetting the very good progress we have been making were not willing to do the same. “I leave with my head held high and will remain as a shareholder and a supporter of Ally and his team. “I would also like to pay tribute to the outstanding commitment and loyalty of Rangers supporters. “No individual is more important than Rangers and my departure will hopefully alleviate some of the pressure surrounding the Club and herald an end to the current hysteria, which I believe most fans desperately want to see. “I have always tried to do my best for the Club and the fans and I will continue my support of what is a fantastic Club. “There are a great many good and thoroughly decent people working with Rangers and I am proud to say that I was able to stand alongside them for a time. “It is often forgotten that I put in £1m of my own money but I can assure everyone that it was never about the money for me. “I consider it to have been my privilege and I am certain that once the Board is settled Rangers will be restored to the top of Scottish football. “I wish Rangers and the fans every success in the weeks, months and years ahead. I will continue to follow the Club’s fortunes and support the team which is playing an exciting style of football. In fact, I hope to return to Ibrox and take in as many matches as my time will allow.”
  11. Our happy go-lucky, main site correspondent Andy Steel asks if Rangers starting afresh was ever a realistic possibility: http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/177-myths-of-rangers
  12. From Sons of Struth Facebook page. OPEN LETTER TO THE ONLINE KEYBOARD WARRIORS AND KNOW IT ALLS This page started 7-8 weeks ago by 2 friends who knew things were not right within the confines of the Ibrox boardroom and like many we were riddled with guilt when OUR club went in to administration and eventual liquidation as we felt the Rangers support as a whole and us as individuals had sat back and let it happen before our eyes. We made a promise that we would not sit back and let anyone ruin our club again In a short space of time we have attracted numerous fellow bears and other fans groups who had similar feelings to ourselves. We have stood in the streets handing out leaflets at a number of games, organised production of banners, arranged and held open meetings, been continuously on the phone and internet answering questions and stating our point, tried to unite the support and supporters groups and we have done all this for one reason, to protect our club from a clear and present danger in the board room. We have always stated that not every Rangers fan would agree with us and we expect and respect that but expected the same respect back. We have received help and support from numerous sources and their help, advise and financial help in forms of suppliers giving their time and products has been priceless and very much appreciated. We could not have taken this from two pals and a facebook page to the front pages of the national press with out this massive support from many others and your assistance will never be forgotten. The board room has been shaken and the institutional investors have heard our voice. What have we received in return? On a personal level I have lost a considerable income as i am a sole trader, missed out on the limited time I have with my children and put stresses on my relationship due to this page growing arms and legs in a short period and the amount of time it has taken out of my life. I have to accept that this has happened through my own doing. What I cant accept is the verbal abuse handed out not only online but also while handing out leaflets on the street by the minority. I have been accused of being in the pocket of others and the mouthpiece for organisations i am not even a member of. I have been told I am scum, a ****, a jacobite and even most recently by a professional blogger and probably the most bizarre, a socialist. I am continually told I have a hidden agenda and not the best interests of the club at heart. I get berated online by individuals who appear to follow the party line of their forum of choice and then send me personal message saying in private that they actually don’t mind what we are saying. I get accused of not answering questions when i have answered the same questions a hundred times before but the poster cant be bothered to scan our page for the answer they demand. I have been told never to return to Ibrox. I have been accused of using youths to distribute my message on my behalf. I appear to also have been reported to the police by the board of directors in Ibrox. Why does all this happen? Because i have a different opinion to the minority who wish to destabilise our movement and leave the current proven liars in power at our club? Allow me my voice as i allow you yours. The rangers online community must be the most fragmented place in the world and thankfully doesn’t represent the fans as a whole. It is a place where the easily lead and lazy form opinions based on the forum of their choice or even based purely as the opposite of the forums and personalities they dislike. It is full of closed shop forums and secret facebook pages where they all decide who they can hate or love, agree or disagree with as a collective. Its a place where statistics are made up then passed off as fact. It is a place for hatred and bile between Rangers fans. It is a place where people can assume strange nicknames and abuse others in secret. It is a place i do not like. This community really must sort its act out and stop fighting each other because of old differences and lies about each other. There are no winners only losers in this and if you could stop this nonsense then the outside enemies and distracters could be blown away by the power of a defragmented unified support. Do you all realise the effect you could have if you ALL united against outside forces instead of the continued in fight you all seem to thrive on? GIVE YOUR HEADS A SHAKE Agree or disagree with me on the aims of our group but allow me my opinion without threat and insult please. I will no longer get involved with debate on line as the minority waste it for the majority. I will still post when I need to and will leave this page open to allow others their opinion but I will continue to delete offensive posts and will start to ban users who continue to abuse others. Thank you again to the vast majority who conduct themselves in the correct manner but no thanks to the keyboard warriors and know it alls. CRAIG SONS OF STRUTH
  13. "I can confirm our talks with Mr King were extremely positive and Mr King made it clear he wishes to join the current Board to help us ensure Rangers are ready and fully equipped to move up to the next levels. "We would be delighted to have Mr King, with his knowledge of the Club and business acumen on board and as can be seen from his own statement he is happy to join us right now in the quest to take Rangers back to the very top. "I am well aware this will not sit comfortably with those who have sought to derail our progress and who have fed out lies and misinformation about the Club and its Directors but I am confident we will overcome every obstacle in our way. "Rangers will be back at the top sooner rather than later and Mr King, who has made it abundantly clear that he is willing and happy to work with the current directors of both the plc and ltd - myself, Brian Stockbridge, Bryan Smart and James and Sandy Easdale - would be a great asset. "We have stuck to our task and programmes because we believe we are on the correct course and I would urge every Rangers fan not to give credence to the many lies and rumours that are circulated by people with other agendas and who perhaps cannot admit we are getting it right. "Too many are trying to distort the truth but it is this: Rangers is not a business in distress. Rangers is in a good position and it is healthy and robust. "I cannot stress that forcibly enough but it is the reality of the situation. Mr King has made it clear he took time and his discussions with us were intensive and detailed and he is happy with what he has discovered about http://t.co/oW9XvGV6Li
  14. Posed by the RST on Facebook, if this is in the wrong place or it's already been started... feel free to move or delete. Minutes of meeting with C Mather and B Stockbridge Minute of meeting between the Rangers Supporters Association, Rangers Supporters Assembly and the Rangers Supporters Trust had a meeting with club Chief Executive Craig Mather, Finance Director Brian Stockbridge and Director of Communications James Traynor. Ibrox Stadium 10 October 2013. SEDERUNT C Mather, B Stockbridge, J Traynor and J Hannah (Rangers FC). Fans reps - D Roberton, J Kirk, T Green, M Dingwall, R Johnston, A Sheppard and G Letham. INTRODUCTIONS CM - Introduced himself, keen to be open with the fans. Brief introduction of fan groups and rationale. IPO ISSUES GL - Queried the excessive £5.6m costs from fundraising, can we get a breakdown. BS - pre-IPO fees are high. Large cost to secure the club - at time of acquisition there was no license to play football and it was risky private investment and that attracts high costs. GL - normally fees would be 5% - why are these as high as 25% BS - fees paid were commensurate with normal legal and professional fees but the other costs were high. I came in on 14th June by which time these costs were already fixed. Payments agreed by the club prior to my joining were only paid if I considered they were properly incurred and constituted proper commercial contracts. Intends putting together a more informative analysis of historic costs ref the IPO before the AGM - this sort of information is not normally in the public domain. Will have to liaise with investors and advisors that they are happy to have fees disclosed. Hope to be as transparent as I can be. You must remember there were Inherited costs - in terms of wages these were around the £30m mark for example and will not remain at that level. GL - £450,000 arrangement payment to Zeus - is this transaction included in the cost of the IPO? What about refunds to investors such as Laxey, Eurovestech and Alan Mackenzie? BS - Yes, it is included. But there were no illegal returns of capital. CM - as far as fees are concerned I'm happy to state a £50k - 5% commission was paid on my introduction regarding investing in the company. GL - why have the costs of finance raising been so high? Charles Green assured Rangers fans that fundraising would be easy. BS - can't be responsible for CG statements or contracts. Only invoices club pays out are those which are contractual, reasonable and binding. We have cut costs considerably going forward. STAFF REMUNERATION The staff costs appear massive and should not have been incurred for the level of football or the amount of work undertaken. CM - certain salaries are in the Annual Report and some scrutiny is valid. My own salary is £300k and the major institutional investors are aware of that and happy with it. The structure of my bonus has been discussed but it will not be linked just to winning the league. Lots of other factors will have to come into play, meeting player and financial budgets. Both McCoist and myself are content to work together to ensure that we reach a balance on incentives regarding the PLC budget for players and saving money so that one part of the club is not working against the other. We're looking at reducing the historic level of professional costs - for instance, we are considering an in-house legal department to cap the level of expenditure there. We need to restructure and define cost centres. We are looking at the efficiency for example of Murray Park and wish to make that measurable in setting remuneration/bonuses. BS - the terms of my contract are public - £200k bonus for each of the next three years. I voluntarily agreed to remove my bonus payment that had been agreed for those years. It's about delivering financial performance, I'm not taking an automatic bonus. Expect that post-AGM my remuneration and bonus will be announced. I joined the company on 14th June and wasn't salaried until September. Paid a £50k electric bill form my own resources. Banners and chants do not reflect the reality of the situation. I have no outside interest and I have no 1p shares. BS paid 70p per share at the IPO. TG - why give up bonuses now? BS - with hindsight I should have been rewarded for financial performance not football basis. CM - I want Brian looking over my shoulder as finance director controlling spending. BS - the club is financially secure. We have a completely clear audit from Deloittes. We have no debt. CM - McCoist package - we've almost got it signed off. An agreed reduced package will be put in place soon. GL - termination payments appear very generous - for example Charles Green. BS - Green's package was decided by the Remuneration Committee. I sacked Imran for gross misconduct, he received no compensation. DR - I thought Green had resigned? CM - it was a compromise agreement to protect the club. Employees have rights they can exercise. BS - The Remuneration Committee contains no executives - it contained Malcolm Murray, Phil Cartmell and Ian Hart. CLUB ACCOUNTS GL - We don't want to dwell too much on the historical numbers, we would rather focus on the future. We would however record that the accounts just released were an appalling set of figures. CM - We recognise the losses. These were predicted and investors knew there would be a substantial loss in the first year. GL - pre-IPO research note issued by the broker Cenkos predicted a £1m loss compared with a £14m actual loss. Half-year forecast predicted a £7m loss. BS - We've seen leaks of price-sensitive information from illegal leaks. It's difficult to form an accurate opinion on partial information. We've removed £2m costs off operational expenditure. GL - your December management accounts predicted a £6.8m loss but the loss was £14m. BS - we've had problems with the retail division - the JJB contract going and the Puma deal being late. A lot of one-off costs - £1m for the Pinsents investigation. Pay-off for Green, etc. GL - do you have a monthly phased plan for the current year and are actual results reviewed against this plan by the Board on a monthly basis? CM - yes, and regular Senior Management meetings. GL - can you tell us what the budget revenue and operating profit/loss figures are for the current year 2013/2014? BS - I can't give price-sensitive info and hence can't give profit forecast numbers. However, Daniel Stewart are working on a research note for insitutionals. We do things by the book - we'll note non-recurring items and will break them down. RJ - what about provision for similar costs for next year? BS - difficult to predict as we did have a lot of non-recurring fees this year. RJ - but we keep losing executive and non executive board members on an almost regular basis and incurring associated costs. CM - unusual year of change. For instance we had season ticket sales on course as of 1st August but then the requisition for the EGM came in and killed confidence. Sales went from 174 a day to 6. But that's based on perception not reality. We're ahead of budget in many areas. I want to sort the club - the Board have to be able to look at themselves and if I am not the right man I will go. If I haven't performed then I deserve to be voted off at the AGM. I have successfully bought businesses out of administration before - I know what I am doing. What happens if we are voted out at the AGM and there is no alternative? BS - the Stock Exchange will suspend the company from the market.
  15. http://immortalrangers.wordpress.com/ Due to the size of this article I have deviated from the usual reproduction and only posted the link.
  16. As regular readers will know, I strongly oppose the “Requisition Party” in their attempts to bring boardroom change at Ibrox. Although I have been critical of Paul Murray and others, I would never knowingly or intentionally say something I knew to be untrue about them in order to make a point or make them look bad. Recently I blogged that Scott Murdoch was being proposed by the Requisitioners to be appointed to the board with the purpose of implementing a sale and lease back of Ibrox Stadium and Auchenhowie. I also stated another proposed new board member – Alex Wilson – was being brought in to effect a staff cull at Ibrox. I have received a legal letter informing me these statements are false. As a result I offered these gentlemen a right to reply on this blog and I am delighted to say this was accepted. This right of reply now follows:- FROM PAUL MURRAY, MALCOLM MURRAY, SCOTT MURDOCH AND ALEX WILSON “The suggestion that Scott Murdoch and Alex Wilson were being proposed to the Rangers Board in order that they would implement a sale and leaseback and a staff cull was entirely false and we welcome the opportunity of setting the record straight. For the avoidance of doubt we have no intentions of selling Ibrox or Auchenhowie. Indeed we would be proposing that Ibrox is “ring-fenced” so that it is legally protected for future generations of fans.” ENDS
  17. http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/289-terminological-inexactitude
  18. BBC Scotland presenter Jim Spence has been provisionally cleared of breaching accuracy guidelines after being accused of referring to Rangers as "the old club that died". Mr Spence provoked the ire of hundreds of fans after making the "old club" comment while discussing attempts to end a boardroom civil war at Ibrox on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound programme. Rangers fans are to contest the initial ruling by the BBC Editorial Complaints Unit (ECU) which indicated the comments were justified as the Sportsound discussion had centred around the new company which was controlling club affairs after oldco headed for liquidation. Three months ago the BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee (ESC) ruled that BBC Scotland breached its guidelines on accuracy in reports about the financial collapse of the company running Rangers saying it was wrong to use the terms "new" and "old" club. The ECU, which launched a standards investigation, said the ESC found that "distinguishing between the 'old' and 'new' company" was appropriate when discussing matters off the field. Complainants now have an opportunity to respond to the ECU decision before it is finalised on October 17, but it is expected the matter will head to the BBC Trust's Editorial Standards Committee which previously ruled on inaccuracy issues regarding reporting of the club's affairs. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/sportsound-presenter-spence-cleared-over-rangers-row.22328592
  19. Board Statement Written by Rangers Football Club Thursday, 03 October 2013 16:45 THE Board of Rangers Football Club takes serious issue with grossly misleading statements made to The Scotsman newspaper by the club’s former chairman Mr Malcolm Murray. Mr Murray claimed in an interview that Ibrox Chief Executive Craig Mather’s assertion that he (Murray) decided the controversial levels of executive salaries at the club was “misleading and vexatious.” Mr Murray also claimed he “joined the Board on the recommendation of the institutions to instil a high level of corporate governance at Rangers.” These are the facts: Mr Murray was appointed by Charles Green on June 14 2012 to Sevco Scotland (now Rangers Football Club Ltd). There were no institutions in the Club then. The Club IPO was on December 19 2012 so it is grossly inaccurate to say Mr Murray was put there by said institutions to oversee corporate governance. Mr Murray proposed Craig Mather to the board. Mr Murray agreed Brian Stockbridge’s salary and bonus. Mr Murray agreed Mr Green’s salary and bonus. Mr Murray negotiated Mr Green’s compromise agreement and signed it off. Mr Murray was removed from the Pinsent Masons investigation by the board after leaking information to a third party. The Board of Rangers Football Club are appalled and saddened at the current demeanour of Mr Malcolm Murray and the damage that he is causing to the Club and regard his behaviour as totally unbefitting a once respected practitioner in the City of London’s financial community. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5213-board-statement
  20. Posted by Roy Greenslade It will be interesting to see if any newspaper covers the fact that members of Britain's armed forces appeared to join in with Scottish football fans as they sang sectarian songs at a match yesterday. Initial reports suggest not. Some 400 uniformed soldiers, seamen and air force personnel attended an armed forces day at Ibrox, the Rangers ground. After a formal march and band music, a group of soldiers (they were in khaki) were filmed dancing, clapping and singing along with the crowd. Although it is difficult to make out the exact words on the video posted on YouTube, people have identified sectarian songs and chants celebrating the death of the IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands. Rival Celtic fans were quick to point to songs that are supposed to be banned from all Scottish football grounds under a new law passed by the Scottish parliament. One commenter to the YouTube site wrote of it being a "disgusting vile and tawdry spectacle". Another wrote: "Shocking stuff. I hope this vid is forwarded to the footballing and army authorities." Two media reports about the events that have been published - one here on the STV site and another here on the Daily Record site - make no reference to the soldiers' antics. The STV report mentioned that an army band "entertained fans" and quoted Major General Nick Eeles, general officer commanding Scotland, as saying it was hoped to make it into an annual event. The Record did write that "the match-day experience began in dramatic circumstances" but only because two marines "abseiled down the Govan stand ahead of kick-off, before delivering the match ball to the referee." How odd that both outlets missed the story? Or do their reporters think soldiers chanting jingoistic sectarian songs in unison with football fans is unworthy of comment? Incidentally, Saturday was not the official armed forces celebration day in Britain (that falls in the close season). The club, with the full approval of the military, decided to stage its own separate event. http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade
  21. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5195-rangers-announce-annual-results
  22. In the teeth of fierce fan dissent - and a continued campaign to dislodge existing Rangers directors by a group of investors including the former chairman, Malcolm Murray - the Ibrox chief executive, Craig Mather, mounted a forceful defence of the accounts issued on Tuesday which posted an operating loss of £14 million for the 13 months to June this year. The results were in vivid contrast to those of Celtic, revealed last month, which showed a pre-tax profit of £9.74 million on a group turnover of £75.82 million. Rangers’ turnover to June was £19.1 million, most of which was derived from gate receipts and hospitality income. Playing squad salaries fell during the period but so too did earnings from sponsorship and the media. Throughout the accounting period and also subsequently there has been a persistent concern amongst supporters and some investors that the cash burn at Ibrox has been out of control. Asked why the costs associated with the public share offer last December were as high as £6.1 million, Mather replied: “There are the physical IPO costs, the costs of raising money and what we would deem non-reoccurring costs - for example, exceptional costs in excess of £4 million. “Nobody can shy away from the fact that the IPO cost was high and the cost of raising money was high but if you go into the detail of that – and the devil is in the detail, without fear of contradiction – at the time, when I wasn’t CEO, just for clarity - there was no football security. What I mean by that is the club didn’t know what league they would be playing in. “It was never ever going to be cheap to raise money against that backdrop but Rangers had to be saved. For me, and to five million fans looking at it around the world, it was imperative that this club was saved. “Under normal circumstances, people in the City would take a view of somewhere up to 7.5 per cent is a normal cost of raising funds. This wasn’t normal and I’m not trying to defend the people involved - I wasn’t there, I wasn’t party to it - but it’s obvious that you have to look at what you can offer the investor in return for the investment. “If you can’t tell them if you’re going to be able to kick a football, or if you’re going to be able to play in a certain division or get membership of the SFA it’s not an easy sell.” Another bone of contention is that the directors have set their own remuneration, to which Mather replied: “It was a decision taken by the remunerations committee and the chairman at the time, which was Malcolm Murray. “So Malcolm Murray decided the remunerations for Charles Green and Brian Stockbridge and unfortunately the directors are duty bound to honour those scenarios historically. I can assure you on my watch that won’t be happening. “If you look at my pay, there was talk about £500,000 but the actual amount I agreed to in the end was £300,000. Brian Stockbridge was on £200,000 plus a contractual bonus. Again, quite openly he’s agreed to waive that contractual bonus of his own accord.” The accounts reveal that £6.75 million was used to purchase trade and assets. Some critics have suggested that Charles Green’s consortium did not buy Rangers, but rather that the club itself did. “That’s categorically untrue,” said Mather. “It’s just mischief making. The club was bought by the Green consortium and I wasn’t part of it at that juncture. Monies were paid in good faith for those trading assets, full stop.” As to the Ally McCoist’s wages, Mather said: “I’m not suggesting Alistair become the lowest paid manager but he’s very happy to take a pay cut of his own volition. It’s a substantial pay cut.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/10348112/Malcolm-Murray-to-blame-for-Rangers-directors-high-wages-claims-Craig-Mather.html
  23. I've had two legal letters sent to me via email by Biggart Baillie on behalf of the Rangers board and Brian Stockbridge over comments I made about him lying. They are threatening a civil defamation action. One came on Friday and one today. Meanwhile, Macgiollabhain, Galloway, Haggerty, Greenslade and CQN can say whatever they like about the club and the fans without any risk of the board lifting a finger to defend either. They are an absolute disgrace. Their attempts to silence dissension both through the action against FF and me is a clear attempt to bully, using the fans ST money to pay for it. I'll be making more detailed comment on it over the next couple of days.
  24. MICHAEL Johnston and Craig Mather must do the honourable thing and leave their clubs. BEHIND every battle lies a reason to fight. In every fighter, burns a cause. But eventually, in the heat of conflict there comes a defining moment when cool heads and a sense of perspective are required. When the price of continuing to fight is no longer worth the prize on offer – when even victory would be rendered pointless – it is time to walk away. That’s the smart and honourable thing to do, to realise when the game is up and to disengage from it. The men at the top of the stairs of both Ibrox and Rugby Park may not yet have reached this point. But they are getting damn close. Close enough to suspect it’s only a matter of time until both of these increasingly befuddled regimes are dismantled and replaced. There is no point clinging to power when most of your own customer base wants you gone and, over the weekend, Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston and the Rangers board may have felt the ground moving beneath their feet. Soon they will become the Gerald Ratners of Scottish football and when that happens – when their presence alone is enough to close the business down – further squabbling is futile. Let’s start with Johnston who shot himself in both feet last week with a horribly-botched attempt to flog cut-price tickets to Celtic fans. Who then tried to stand his ground, with an all-guns blazing radio interview on Saturday, ahead of his team’s latest thumping from Neil Lennon’s side. This was a chance for Johnston to confess to getting it badly wrong and maybe even admit to feeling forced into it by the fear of insolvency. A bit of contrition and humility might have gone a very long way. But instead Johnston bristled with the indignity of it all, while blaming just about everybody bar himself for his own mistakes and for his club’s frail financial health. He also came out with a faintly ridiculous story to explain why Kilmarnock’s fans were offered an inducement only as an after-thought. The more he spoke, the more sympathy he lost until it became blindingly obvious just why there is such a disconnect between this man and Kilmarnock’s supporters. When he should have been trying to win some hearts and minds he chose to boot some a**e instead. Johnston came across as arrogant, patronising and hard to like. He spoke about his club’s supporters in the kind of condescending tones which will drive more of them from the middle ground to the car park, where a small band were stood demanding he hands over his controlling interest. A controlling interest which was handed to him, for free, by the Moffat family. The danger for Johnston and Kilmarnock is clear. If he stays and yet continues to alienate his own supporters, eventually the club will become unable to continue trading. Johnston is quickly losing this war and he should ask himself today: What is to be gained even by winning it? It’s time for soul searching and honesty. It’s a similar scenario up at Ibrox, where Rangers fans may at last be about to put on a unified front. Honestly, this might be the board’s only notable achievement, to unite and energise a support which in parts is riddled with political splits and in others, is too full of apathy to be bothered making a fuss. Like Johnston, the men in charge at Ibrox have taken to turning their guns on their own fans. Lawyers letters and police complaints seem to be the new weapons of choice for chief executive Craig Mather as this turmoil rages. If Mather thinks intimidating his club’s supporters is a good idea ahead of next month’s agm, he’s dimmer than his brylcreemed locks make him look. These bully-boy tactics may even have helped raise the temperature in the stands on Saturday, when many thousands joined in protests organised by a group called the Sons of Struth and loudly demanded the board be sacked. It could be that Mather is still trying to work out the significance of the timing of the chanting – the fans opened fire after 18 and 72 minutes of the 8-0 win over Stenhousemuir – but, if he’s stuck, he only needs to ask one of his many highly-paid spin doctors. One of them is bound to know, right? Hold on though. Let’s think this one through as there’s fresh evidence to suggest whoever is giving this board its advice, and dishing out the ammo, may not always be armed with the facts. Look, it can’t be easy to defend the indefensible but it would seem unwise to be caught being economical with the truth. Wouldn’t it? Last Monday the Rangers board issued a statement castigating the BBC for “inaccurate reports” suggesting an issue had arisen between the club and Companies House, following the recent filing of an Annual Return. The statement went on to state very robustly that: “Companies House has not raised any issues or questions with them in relation to the Annual Return,’ before stressing again that: “Companies House have confirmed to the Company that they have accepted and filed the Annual Return for Rangers Football Club Limited and have not raised any queries in relation to it.” And so it went on: “Indeed, it was confirmed by Companies House to Rangers’ lawyers that the Annual Return has been accepted for filing and that Companies House had not contacted and did not expect to be contacting the Company in relation to the Annual Return.” It’s all fairly unambiguous. Nothing to see here. No issues. No discussions. No questions. No problem. Got it? And yet, in the past few days I’ve received emails from Companies House which appear to suggest something very different. After asking for clarification of their position, Companies House responded with the following: “When we receive a complaint or query relating to company filings these are passed to the relevant department in Companies House to pursue. “This normally consists of writing to the company outlining the concern and asking them to clarify whether the complaint is justified. “If so, they will be asked to submit amended documentation at the earliest opportunity.” All of which seemed a little bit vague. So I tried again. And this is what came back: “Our correspondence with the company is still ongoing and so at this stage we have nothing further to add.” Wait a minute. Still ongoing? How can something be still ongoing if it never started in the first place? Just who are we expected to believe? The truth is almost always the first casualty of any war. But seldom the only one.
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