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The Union of Fans is calling on Rangers fans to stage a "mass demonstration" outside Ibrox 45 minutes before kick-off tomorrow night.
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http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/rangers/306606-mike-ashley-posts-intent-to-take-out-security-over-rangers-ibrox-stadium/ -
masochists I'm switching off everything for 3 days at least
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Noticed in the Metro this morning that all of the Murray Group of Companies are being wound up, notice served on 5th January 2015. Seems rather strange to me that this was not front page news?
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...as they hold advanced talks with club bosses. Jan 12, 2015 07:32 By Keith Jackson RECORD SPORT understands the Lanarkshire-based businessman and his allies are on the brink of agreeing a deal in return for two seats on the board. DOUGLAS PARK and his consortium were locked in advanced talks with the Rangers hierarchy last night as they edged closer to winning the battle for control of Ibrox. Record Sport understands the Lanarkshire-based businessman and his allies, George Letham and George Taylor, are on the brink of agreeing a deal to plough over £6million of emergency money into the club to spare it from insolvency – in return for two seats on the board. An announcement is expected early this week as the current regime scrambles to secure fresh funding. And last night, with Park and his group on the cusp of forcing their way into a position of power, directors James and Sandy Easdale appeared to pave the way for their imminent arrival by insisting they will be welcomed into the boardroom. In a statement the Easdale family adviser Jack Irvine said: “Sandy and James repeat again that they will willingly work with Douglas Park’s group for the benefit of the club.” Between them, Park, Letham and Taylor already have control of 20 per cent of the troubled Ibrox club’s shares. They are pushing for regime change and plan to invest further in a new share issue but realise the club’s cash flow position is critical and needs to be addressed immediately. In fact, Hong Kong-based banker Taylor believes, in the longer term, Rangers fans should eventually have control over their own club. The Morgan Stanley managing director has now signed up to a life-time membership with fan-ownership group Rangers First and said last night: “My hope is that direct fan ownership would become the biggest individual owner of the club.” Rangers First director Ricki Neill said: “With our monthly contributors donating amounts from £5 upwards, Rangers First have the income to buy an increasing number of shares every month. “The more members we get to join Rangers First the faster we grow and the bigger our shareholding becomes. “We also have the Club 1872 membership – which George Taylor has recently joined. “This costs £500 and was designed originally to help us reach our target in as short a period as possible. “George Taylor is one of many true Rangers fans that have joined Club 1872 and we look forward to meeting up with him in the near future.” Phoenix Knight Robert Sarver has also offered Rangers a crisis loan based on the condition that he underwrites a share issue to the tune of £20m and buys control of the club. But, crucially, the American’s plan needs the support of 75 per cent of the club’s current shareholders for it to get off the ground and so is viewed as a non-starter. This has left Park in the driving seat although the board are refusing to engage in similar talks with like-minded Rangers supporter Dave King, the club’s biggest single shareholder with a 15 per cent stake. As the crisis deepens, the South African-based businessman is expected by many to call for an egm later this week in a bid to rout the current board at a shareholders’ vote. Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, meanwhile, may yet be prepared to make a rival offer after previously handing over £3m to keep the club afloat through November and December. A close source said last night: “The cash situation remains critical and because of this a decision had been expected over the weekend. “The club is now days away from running out of money completely so there is an urgent necessity to get this funding in place. “However, the talks with the Douglas Park group are at a very advanced stage and it is expected that an announcement will be made soon.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-boardroom-battle-douglas-park-4962945 -
Three Bears investor George Taylor believes Rangers should eventually be controlled by the Ibrox support. Along with partners Douglas Park and George Letham - as well as oldco director Dave King - the Hong Kong-based banker is among three factions battling for control of the Glasgow giants. But while the Three Bears' most immediate threat comes from US financier Robert Sarver - who has launched a £20million takeover bid - and the current board and their ally Mike Ashley, Taylor believes the club should eventually be governed by the Light Blues faithful. The Morgan Stanley managing director has now signed up to a life-time membership with fan-ownership group Rangers First. In a statement given to Press Association Sport, he said: "My hope is that direct fan ownership would become the biggest individual owner of Rangers." Rangers First have made a number of significant strides in recent days. Wealthy supporter Jim McColl recently handed the group his 10,000-share Ibrox stake last week, while they have signed up around 700 new members since the Three Bears and King bought up around 34 per cent of the club in two surprise transactions just before the new year. The scheme - which is similar to the one used to rescue Hearts from administration - is now collecting thousands of pounds a month from contributors and using that to buy up shares. On Saturday night, they announced another 60,000 shares had been purchased, giving them control of 0.8 per cent of the club. The Rangers Supporters Trust has also recently increased its stake to just over one per cent. With the fight for power set to come down to which faction can get to 51 per cent, the fans could yet play a vital role for the Three Bears and King in the coming days. The board urgently needs to raise cash to keep the club afloat and an announcement on Sarver's revised takeover bid and possible news of another emergency loan is expected early next week. A general meeting may also be called if King and the Three Bears can find the support to force boardroom change. Rangers First director Ricki Neill said: "With our monthly contributors donating amounts from 5 upwards, Rangers First have the income to buy an increasing number of shares every month. "The more members we get the faster we grow and the bigger our shareholding becomes. We also have the Club 1872 membership which George Taylor has recently joined, this costs £500 and was designed originally to help us reach our target in as short a period as possible. "George Taylor is one of many true Rangers fans that have joined Club 1872, we look forward to meeting up with George in the near future." Meanwhile, midfielder Nicky Law believes a win against Hearts next Friday could kick-start Rangers' Scottish Championship title push. The Ibrox side host the Jambos but cannot afford to let Robbie Neilson's men add to their already huge 13 point lead at the top of the table. Law, who scored a first-half winner as the Light Blues finally beat Alloa at the fourth time of asking on Saturday with a 1-0 success at the Indodrill Stadium, said: "The quality of player we have got, we know we should be doing a lot better than we have been doing. "There is no way we should be 13 points behind Hearts but we are. Unfortunately that is a huge gap to claw back but we will do our best to try and rein them in, starting on Friday night. "It's a must-win game. If we can get it back to 10, you never know." -
...ahead of return to Ibrox for Fernando Ricksen testimonial. MARCO Negri's time at Rangers was plagued with mystery and controversy. The Italian striker opens up on what will be an emotional return to Glasgow later this month as he gets set to play in Fernando Ricksen's testimonial match. MARCO NEGRI was an enigma. An international man of mystery who came to these shores burning as brightly as a Roman candle before fizzling out just as quickly. It was 1997 and Negri was the £3.5million worth of Italian striking talent bought by Walter Smith to fire Rangers to the Holy Grail of 10 in a row. For five months the long-haired Negri scored goals as if they were going out of fashion. Five against Dundee United, four against Dunfermline, three against Kilmarnock – 30 goals plundered before ’97 turned to ’98. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was over. A game of squash with team-mate Sergio Porrini ended in horrific injury and everything changed. Negri suffered a detached retina after being smacked in the eye with the squash ball and when he came back he wasn’t the same player. He scored only three more goals for Rangers and when Smith left, to be replaced by Dick Advocaat, Negri played just three games in two seasons until he was loaned and finally sold back to Italy. In all that time he hardly uttered a word in public. He made Howard Hughes look like Harry Redknapp. So when Negri picks up his phone in Bologna and speaks with enthusiasm and exuberance, in perfect English, about his time in Glasgow the listener is a little taken aback. Now 44, he hasn’t returned to Glasgow since leaving in November 2001 but that will change when Negri pulls on a Rangers jersey again in the testimonial match that has been arranged for the benefit of Motor Neuron Disease victim Fernando Ricksen at Ibrox on Sunday, January 25. The fact he was willing to drop everything and come to the aid of his stricken former team-mate is an indication there was far more to Negri than the public perception. But he believes the reputation he got for being mean and moody stemmed from the day that earmarked him as something special – a 5-1 demolition of Dundee United a month after joining Rangers. He said: “People saying I was unhappy came from what I call my perfect game – the day I scored five goals against Dundee United. “But before that game there was an incident with a member of the Rangers staff that I was very unhappy about. I can’t say any more than that but I was not happy going out on to the pitch. “If you look at the goals I scored against Kilmarnock or Celtic or anybody else you will see me laughing and smiling. “But everyone just looks at the Dundee United match and they think I should be over the moon because I scored five goals – but I was upset before that game.” He doesn’t say any more because he is keeping the juicy stuff for a book he has coming out in Scotland in April about his controversial life and times. But he does admit he is excited at the prospect of returning to Ibrox, although he wishes the circumstances were happier. He added: “I have to be honest and say there are many emotions. Of course it will be wonderful to play in front of the Rangers fans again. It’s a long time since I’ve played and I don’t want to let myself down. “But on the other side is the reason for the match – we are doing something for a team-mate who has a terrible illness and is putting up such a brave fight. “Fernando is struggling and we will do what we can to help. I am bringing my 10-year-old-son Christian to Glasgow for the first time and it will be a chance for him to watch me playing with the blue jersey. “I am already a little under pressure because he is telling me I have to score a goal! “A lot of feelings I have will be unlocked when I come to Glasgow. We are coming over for a few days and I want to show my son the city and the stadium. “We will act as tourists and of course there is the game and I am doing a question and answer session for Fernando’s charity.” Ask if he regrets the manner in which his Rangers career ended and his answer is instant. “Of course,” he said. “I have regrets that my story with Rangers is not complete. “I know my time there was seen by others as being mysterious and controversial. I am bringing out a book in April and those issues will be dealt with at that time but there were injuries and many misunderstandings. And of course there was a squash ball...” The physical pain may have long gone but 17 years on the emotional scars remain. He said: “For me, my career ended the day I was hit in the eye with that squash ball on the fifth of January. “I tried to come back. Rangers were struggling a little bit as they tried to win 10 in a row and the pressure was huge for everyone. I had to rest for two months because the pressure on my eye was very high. I couldn’t train properly, I couldn’t do anything. “I was a striker, a penalty box player, and my game was all about sharpness. “That’s why I played squash – it helped my footwork and movement. “But although I got playing again it wasn’t the same. The eye wasn’t right but I wanted to play my part. “Absolutely, I regret it. It started so well. I was winning the race for the European Golden Boot and waiting for a call-up to the Italy squad ahead of the World Cup in France. “I was on top of the world and then something terrible happened. “As a player you can expect to injure your knee or your ankle or something. But believe me, I did not expect to go to a squash court with Sergio Porrini on my day off and come back without a retina in my eye. “It was terrible luck and although I am relaxed about speaking about it now, at the time it was so hard to live with.” Negri is happy now, though. And after the Ricksen match he is looking forward to representing Rangers in Australia at a summer coaching school. He said: “I’ve been doing soccer camps with a big society in Milan with players like Fabio Cannavaro, Massimo Ambrosini and Alessandro Costacurta. “Last season I did it in Portland in the USA and the year before in Seattle. “This June I am going to Darwin in Australia with Rangers to become involved in some soccer schools being run by the club. That will help me give something back to the club. “I was contacted by Andrew Power, a Rangers fan, who runs the biggest soccer school in Australia. He saw what I had done for the Milan Society in the USA and Italy and asked if I’d be interested. I said yes immediately.” Doesn’t sound much like Moody Marco, does he? Maybe in reality he never was. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/rangers-legend-marco-negri-opens-4952619?
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...to the Light at the End of the Tunnel. 08 January 2015 By Alex Mooney At some point in the near future a fledgling genius will be tasked with writing the definitive story of Rangers since Craig Whyte bought the club for a pound. It will be an act of folly. No one even remotely sane would dream of trying to separate fact from the fiction. That brilliant brain will eventually flounder and fry in the process. The problems are many. For a start, a trillion words have already been written on the subject. And that's just from thousands of Celtic fans who took crash courses and became lawyers, forensic accountants, tax experts (specialising in EBTs and Sporting Integrity), and insolvency practitioners. Meticulously sifting through that vast body of 'research' alone will be a Herculean effort. If this sorry tale has taught us anything it is that the obsessed only believe what they want to believe. Objectivity is non-existent in the Old Firm battleground where agendas, conspiracy theories and paranoia rule. There is only one truth for fanatics - theirs. Any book that attempts a dispassionate account would have to substantially include the shameful witch-hunt against Rangers which I wrote about on this site two years ago. Also of interest would be the Rangers Tax Case blog that acted as a hanging judge in the EBT tribunal then vanished into the night like a skulking dog when the taxman lost. Yet, astonishingly, it won an Orwell award. Panel members who thought a blog consisting of anonymous posters peddling bile, character assassination and using Stalinist censorship was worthy of a prize should be ashamed. The great man of letters who railed against totalitarianism so brilliantly can never have been so insulted and demeaned. What a travesty in his name. Of course, the bampots are still out there on the net toiling away 24/7 in pursuit of their obsession - killing Rangers. Isn't that odd, given they insist their great rival is already dead? Even some of the more prominent Scottish indy blogs are foolishly getting in on the act. In the run-up to the referendum their mantra was inclusion - we're all in it together and together as one the new Scotland will thrive. Apart from Rangers, it now seems, and the 'corrupt' SFA and mainstream media who are in cahoots in a masterplan to covertly run the country. This is unhinged nonsense and a pitiful attempt to suck people in to a divisive and vengeful agenda that has nothing to do with integrity. Or fair play. Or the state of Scottish football. It is simply a vindictive campaign against one club. Bigots masquerading as defenders of justice fool only themselves. It is also cowardly. The Ibrox club is on its knees and struggling for life after being pick-pocketed by a bunch of chancers and incompetents. It needs the support of everyone in Scottish football - especially Celtic fans whose team have been badly affected by Rangers' absence in the top flight. Yet the keyboard warriors are not only kicking a man when he's down, they are revelling in it. The handful of mainstream journalists who egg the obsessed on - and make a shilling from it - should take a serious look at what they are condoning. This poisonous agenda has no place in our lives and they have a professional responsibility not to feed it. So good luck to any aspiring authors out there - your book on Rangers will be howled down by the haters who, I fear, will bore us to death for many long years to come. What is important now is looking ahead and charting a path out of the shambles at Ibrox rather than endlessly analysing the past three years - history, and the courts, will take care of the charlatans who bled the club dry. The only consolation for fleeced fans is knowing that the snake-oil salesmen will go to their graves, their characters forever stained. The last AGM, conducted from a gazebo on a bitterly cold December day in Govan, was utter pantomime as the bumbling board members entered stage left to boos and vicious name-calling. Dignity was conspicuous by its absence as the grey clouds gathered ominously over that theatre of screams. Onlookers around the football world must have been shocked by what they witnessed as this once mighty institution washed its dirty linen in public. How many times has it been said the club had reached its lowest ebb - only for new depths to be plumbed? Surely that grim day was as bad as it can get? With Dave King and the Three Bears entering the fray, with others perhaps, I will take the risk of this coming back to haunt me and say the club really has bottomed out - and can now find a realistic way back to the top. Mike Ashley's involvement is puzzling. Did he ever have a genuine strategy for the club apart from selling the merchandise for a quick buck? The billionaire recluse could easily have bankrolled a recovery with loose change from his back pocket but chose not to. So why get involved at all? Perhaps he doesn't know either. Maybe all that money has gone to this head and made him a stranger to himself. What he must also do now is make himself a stranger to the club. Rangers returning to rude health is conditional, of course, on the new investors and board members being up to the task unlike their inept predecessors. But that shouldn't be a problem if they follow basic business rules. A plan to revive a football club isn't that difficult to understand - you reduce expenditure and increase income. That's it. It's called, dare I say it, Doing a Fergus. There can't be a Gers fan anywhere in the world who wouldn't welcome such a character coming into their club right now with a five-year plan. All it needs is an honest broker. The first step on the long and winding road is getting the fans onside - all of them. Without their backing there is no future. The only way that can happen is for the new regime to be open and honest. Supporters know there are massive problems and tough times before things get better. They can take that. What they cannot bear is being kept out of the loop. Trying to fool them with clever soundbites won't work. There has to be truth. Even if it's bad news, fans will respect the board for that - and back them. But you can't just ask for trust - it has to be earned by not treating them as outsiders. They are all part of the Rangers family so must be viewed as such. The fans also have a massive role to play among themselves. Once an honest regime is in place it will be time to heal the splits and unite. Common cause has to be found to get the club back to where it should be. Filling the stadium and buying season tickets has to be a priority. A solid future for the club takes precedence over personality clashes and point scoring. Trying to say with any certainty when this saga will end is fraught with difficulty but pressure is building on the board. They are running out of time and money. And even the dumbest of them must realise there is no club without the fans - who have lost all patience with those whose tenure can only be regarded as a complete failure. They must step aside soon. Once that happens the real rebuilding will begin and everyone in Scottish football can get back to some sort of normality. Bring it on. http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/334-telling-the-rangers-story-from-whyte-to-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel
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Thought it might be a good idea to start a thread where we actually list who owns what as disclosed to the LSE , or at least those over 1% . River& Mercantile- 5.77% ,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12205385.html Kieran Prior- 1.35% ,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12205407.html Dave King - 14.75% ,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12202893.html (Not including possible rumoured further purchase from R&M ). George Leatham -4.05% , http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12202893.html George Taylor -9.3%, http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12202187.html Douglas Park?-6.14%, http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12201386.html BNP Parabis - 5% ,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12107289.html Richard Hughes -3% ,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/11834364.html Mike Ashley ,8.92%,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12104057.html Sandy Easdale, 5.21% total inc proxies 26.15%,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12093157.html Please feel free to add when the rest are released
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Just heard that one of them has loaned the club 500,000 pounds to keep things ticking over. Anyone else heard this
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30674489
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It was to become the stuff of legend, the type of story normally reserved for a Roy of the Rovers comic book sketch. Ranger’s manager Willie Waddell was to take the ultimate gamble, replacing his injured and iconic inspirational captain, John Greig, with a raw 16 year old youngster who had made his professional debut only weeks earlier against Cowdenbeath. It was a particularly brave decision given the setting was the 1970 Scottish League Cup Final and Rangers opponents were arch rivals, Celtic. 90 minutes later the manager’s decision was to be completely vindicated as the 16 year old Derek Johnstone scored the only goal of the game, sending the light blue legions amongst the 106,000 crowd into rapture and thus heralding the end of a 4 year trophy drought. Who would argue that fortune does indeed favour the brave? Today’s Rangers fans yearn for that kind of bravery amongst our current management. The highly publicised departure of young starlet Charlie Telfer and his criticism of the lack of opportunity for youngsters at Ibrox should set alarm bells ringing. Sour grapes or valid criticism? Well despite League One being done and dusted early doors, Telfer only featured once, coming on as a substitute in the 4-0 defeat of Stenhousemuir. Was completing a season undefeated in a lower league really more important than the continual development of our youngsters? Alarmingly, the Telfer story is not an isolated one. Last year, centre half Stuart Urquhart, a captain of the Scotland Under 17 side, having held his own at Dumbarton whilst on loan (2 divisions above Rangers at the time) chose to depart the club despite not having any clear destination. His subsequent snapping up by Steven Pressley at Coventry City, himself a product of the Rangers youth system, adds a touch of irony to a fast developing farce. That orchestra of irony reached a crescendo this week with the departure of Lewis Macleod, one of our few “blooded youngsters,” in order to keep our club afloat. Those of us at Ibrox yesterday, watching the toiling of Lee McCulloch, were left to wonder if a nurtured and blooded Gasparotto, may well have spared some of the raised blood pressure caused by the inadequacy of our failing captain. The same could be said of Sinnamon as an alternative to Foster or McKay instead of Smith. In an age of “gardening leave” it’s clear our club is in dire need of a bold, green fingered horticulturist with a proven aptitude for the development of young seedlings.
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http://www.thesportbible.com/videos/newcastle-fans-create-new-chant-aimed-at-mike-ashley
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Dave King bought a massive chunk of Rangers last night and then told supporters of the long suffering Glasgow giants: I told you I wouldn’t let you down. South-Africa based tycoon King has snapped up a near 15 per cent stake in Gers, after spending £2.5million to purchase the shares held by Artemis and Miton. And King revealed: “Despite being rebuffed by the current board I have never given up and will continue to pursue the commitment I made to the Rangers fans. I said before that I am not going away and this shows I am not.” Castlemilk-born King’s powerplay comes less than a week after George Letham’s Three Bears consortium bought Laxey Partner’s 16 per cent holding. Factor in the ten per cent held by Gers fans — as well as the two per cent owned by previous bosses Walter Smith and Ally McCoist — and the group as whole now command a 45.8 per cent shareholding in Rangers. Both moves are understood to have caught the current Ibrox regime cold. Insiders believe it could spell the beginning of the end for a board of directors so despised by Gers fans, with thousands of supporters boycotting home matches to show their anger. King added: “The current board will never be accepted by the fans.” Johannesburg-based King now plans to return to Glasgow in the coming weeks when the stakeholders could call for an EGM at Ibrox. King said: “I am considering my next steps and must consult with all stakeholders. “I will be back in Scotland in a few weeks for meetings.” It’s believed Laxey, Artemis and Miton made their decision to bail out amid concerns over Rangers’ chairman David Somers conduct at last month’s explosive AGM. The Ibrox share price has been in freefall for months with King snapping up his shares for just 20p yesterday. Asked if he felt under-fire Somers should go, King said: “He should remove himself.” After three years of turmoil, King believes his purchase, coupled with the earlier move by the Three Bears, could prove hugely significant as the businessmen look to rebuild the Light Blues. King added: “I am, once again, hopeful about the future of Rangers. I have never given up and will continue to pursue the commitment I made to the Rangers fans. As I said before.” http://www.cfclatest.com/2012/01/03/king-tells-fans-i-said-id-be-back/
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The last few years have been a miserable experience. Truly depressing. Both on the park and off it. Today over 30% of the club is now owned by Rangers men. As such I feel we are saved and this really is a momentous day. Instead of having cantankerous leeches running us who treat us with utter contempt, we now have honourable bears running the club who will bring us back to where we belong. I said recently that competency was all I wanted in the board room. To have competency and Rangers fans controlling us is all the better. What has been most disparaging for me has been the rather disgusting and ignorant attitudes displayed by many of our fans. There are certain people being paid by the board to cause trouble, yet we have seen entire online communities buying into it out of their own free will. It has really been absolutely bizarre. It reminds me of Doublethink in George Orwell's 1984. We as a fan base have been persecuted but a repulsive element of our support has been exposed. I will not forget any of this but I'm just delighted my club has been resurrected. So farewell the Easdales, Llambias, Somers and all the rest of you rancid, repugnant individuals. We are Rangers, super Rangers.
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I am seeing a rumour that Dave King has purchased Artemis shares "Dave King has purchased just under 12 million shares from Artemis. Equates to 14.57% of club."
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God Bless the 66.
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They're worried, make no mistake about it, not one single positive thing in Merlin's latest propaganda, which fills me with yet more confidence for our future - Transparency Required January 1, 2015 / billmcmurdo The remarks of Colin Kingsnorth upon Laxey’s sale of their shareholding in RIFC do not bode well for the future of the club. Kingsnorth seems to have a personal issue with Mike Ashley and hopes that the group he sold to will ramp up the opposition to Ashley in their new position as shareholders. With these intemperate comments, Kingsnorth has thrown petrol on an already ravaging fire and possibly kicked off a whole new era of turmoil at the club. Ashley’s position as Rangers’ major creditor, coupled with his having Derek Llambias in place, means that he still wields considerable power in the Ibrox boardroom, despite having a lesser shareholding than the Three Amigos. The problem for Rangers fans is what happens if the incoming group decides to go to war with the other factions for control of the club. This would make the boardroom battles of recent times look like an infant spat. If Ashley decides to fight for control of Rangers then things could get very nasty indeed. The Amigos as predicted took advantage of the plummeting price of Rangers’ shares to secure their stake. This has left a bitter taste in the mouth of many Rangers supporters considering it is the actions of those activist groups like the UoF and SoS who support Amigoco that have driven the share price down. It also doesn’t help that Taylor, Letham and Park have bought shares from an existing shareholder and that the monies do not go directly toward the club at a time when RFC is screaming for income. Let’s be fair – if people like Mike Ashley can be criticised for buying shares this way, so can the Amigos. Good for the goose, good for the gander and all that. There are also many fans who question the concept of chasing away a billionaire for people whose combined net worth comes nowhere close to his. The possibility that further bitter infighting could rip Rangers apart cannot be discounted. Imagine, for example, if Mike Ashley chose to take on the pointless rules of the SFA regarding his own shareholding with the Three Amigos supporting the SFA and conspiring against Ashley. An unthinkable prospect as there isn’t a Rangers fan alive who thinks that the SFA will act in Rangers’ best interests. Questions must be asked of the new shareholders – again, in the interests of parity with Ashley. Some of mine would be:- What are their plans – if they have any – to help raise revenues in the future? Short, mid and longer term would be great. What are their intentions in respect of control of the club? Do they intend to oust other factions and wrest control? What are their plans for the management, coaching and playing side of the club? How do they intend to take on the club’s many detractors in the media and elsewhere? These are broad stroke questions but more pointed ones would be how would they propose to deal with the present gardening leave situation of the manager and who specifically do they want on the board? It would also help if we could get a definite answer on whether or not George Letham is on the RST board. All in the interests of transparency, of course. The new shareholders will surely be willing to have exacted upon them the same demands for transparency and openness they expected of others. Mile Ashley’s seeming reticence to share his own plans has not served him well and only breeds suspicion. The Three Amigos would do well to heed this because they can definitely expect to be grilled repeatedly should they fail to be transparent in their own dealings. After all, we have been taught to expect much better from real Rangers men… -
Hi to all Rangers fans and a happy new year! Well. I've woken up today to find that we've signed one of your lads, Lewis McCloud and I think I'm delighted. But I know little about him and so wondered if you could give us a few pointers on what to expect? I understand he plays midfield which is a little strange as that is one area I would say we don't need to strengthen. I'm guessing we've bought him as cover with a view to developing him for the future. But if called upon, is he ready for the Championship in your opinion? I've read that a couple of lower league clubs (namely Shrewsbury Town and Leyton Orient) were in for him but were put off by the asking price (reported here as around £400k). Interested to hear your views on Lewis. Brentford is a progressive club and a good place for up and coming players so it seems a shrewd move by McCloud, the Reds seem to have signed a promising young player for the future and Rangers have a few bob in the bank so hopefully this will prove to be a good move for all concerned. Good luck for the rest of the season!
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Going to keep this quick , All the very best to all gersnetters , heres to a royal blue 2015 , and absent friends
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Great day for the Rangers first schemem , now sitting at over 2170 members , superb , hopefully this is just the start , I know there is an off line campaign starting soon which has been funded by separate donations.
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/exchange-insight/trade-data.html?fourWayKey=GB00B90T9Z75GBGBXASQ1 -
...if Ibrox board snubs Three Bears' £6.5m bail-out. THE Rangers board was today warned that even more fans could turn their backs on the Ibrox club if they block "The Three Bears" consortium. By Matthew Lindsay Gers fans George Letham, Douglas Park and George Taylor have offered £6.5 million to underwrite an equity issue early next year. The move comes after the SFA prevented Mike Ashley from increasing his stake in the Glasgow giants to 29.9% last week. Letham, Park and Taylor were part of an eight-strong group fronted by Dave King who had a £16 million rescue package turned down back in October. Rangers chairman David Somers said King and his associates failed to provide proof of funds and reveal the identity of the investors. But Letham, Park and Taylor have satisfied both of those criteria - and have impeccable business credentials as well as being bona fide fans. Crowds have plummeted at Ibrox this season amid growing dissatisfaction at the way the SPFL League One champions are being run. Their last two Championship games at home against Cowdenbeath and Livingston have attracted less than 20,000 spectators. And Drew Roberton, of the Rangers Supporters Association, reckons crowds could fall even further if "The Three Bears" were prevented from increasing their shareholdings. He said: "I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of some more people saying: 'Enough is enough'. "I think we are down to the hard core of Rangers fans on match days at Ibrox now. "I think we are down to the people who will go regardless of what is happening on or off the park. "If the board decline them then they will probably hide behind stock market rules or some such. "But they would have to come up with a very good reason why and try to convince people they have a long-term plan. "It is difficult to see what plan they have apart from self-preservation. "If the two Georges and Douglas fail then it wouldn't go down well with the fans - and I don't know how the guardians of Scottish sporting integrity (the SFA) would look upon it." Roberton added: "I know George Letham to say hello to. He is a nice guy. "I have no doubt the three gentlemen involved have the best interests of the club at heart. "My view, and the view of the Rangers Supporters Association, is that it's not important who runs the club it's how they run the club that matters. "And I have no doubt that George Letham, George Taylor and Douglas Park would help to run the club for the benefit of the club." Rangers expressed disappointment at the SFA refusing to allow Sports Direct owner Ashley to increase his stake above 10% in a brief statement on their website on Christmas Eve. They also revealed they would go away and consider all other options - and Roberton refused to rule out the billionaire businessman taking even greater control at Ibrox. He said: "I am kind of of the view that if Ashley wants to increase his stake in Rangers he will. "At the end of the day, I don't think there's a lot the SFA can do about it." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-fans-chief-fears-new-supporter-boycott-if-ibrox-board-snubs-192879n.115246847
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PANIC-stricken chairman David Somers pleaded for someone to save Rangers from financial meltdown in the New Year – by sending out begging letters at 4am on Boxing Day. Record Sport understands Somers sent the emails to a number of wealthy individuals in a bizarre early morning attempt to raise the millions needed to keep the Ibrox club in business in January. The cash appeal – which indicates the high level of boardroom concern at the club’s latest plight – was launched just two days after the SFA blocked Mike Ashley’s plan to plough around £8million into the club by taking his holding up to 29.9 per cent. And the apparent urgent nature of this latest move has shocked those potential saviours who woke on Boxing Day to discover they had been contacted by the man at the head of the crisis-hit regime. It’s understood Somers asked all the various parties, including Sales Sharks owner Brian Kennedy, if they would be prepared to step into Ashley’s shoes by underwriting a share issue and snapping up more than 40 million new shares. Failing that, Somers asked if any of them would be willing to lend large amounts of emergency cash to the club on a secured basis. As of last night, there was no indication that Somers had been successful with either request. Last night the Rangers chairman could not be contacted. The move came after a trio of wealthy Rangers fans, Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor, put together an offer of £6.5m to underwrite the anticipated emergency share issue in an attempt to win control of the club back from Sports Direct magnate Ashley. A separate offer of £16m in funding from South African-based businessman Dave King remains on the table despite being rejected by the Rangers board two months ago when they chose instead to accept a drip feed of crisis loans from Ashley. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-boxing-day-begging-letters-4891366 +++++++++++ Please give us money - someone who doesn't want to see the books, that is. Hic! No 50 million from BPH then No war chest from benevolent Billionaire MA then No money for wages unless they sell MacLeod then
