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Can't afford to sack him and can't afford to keep him. Mcoists performance as manager has dragged us down every bit as much as the boardroom has over the last 3 seasons and if the current vein of form continues then things will come to a head very quickly. Attendances can only plummet from here on in. No doubt the board will have a fantastic new vision for the club at the minute followed by plans for a new share issue, if the fans aren't coming through the turn styles then the board might find this very difficult to achieve. Don't think Ashley could even bale us out either. How can you take a loan that you can't pay back? I can't see any way out other than admin. We're back to where we started when Craig Whyte showed up, only this time the fans aren't buying into it. The McCoist predicament is about to force everyone's hand and the board don't have any answers. That's why they are so silent, they don't know what to do?

ALLY McCoist has asked Rangers fans to continue with their exceptional support this weekend as the Light Blues take on the Blue Brazil. The manager asked the Light Blues faithful to get behind the team to try and lift them to a crucial league win over Cowdenbeath. Rangers meet Jimmy Nichol’s men tomorrow, who have lost four out of their last five league games. The last time Cowden came to Ibrox was back in 1991, in the Scottish Cup, with Gers winning 5-0 – a result fans would welcome again. McCoist thinks those fans support has been unrivalled and wants them to continue to get behind the team at an important time of the season. McCoist said: “I ask the fans for a continued support for the team, that’s all we can ask for. “The club has gone through a very difficult period in the last three or four years and their support has been invaluable and fantastic. All I would ask is that they look at the bigger picture and the bigger picture is that the team definitely needs their continued support. “I can assure the supporters I will be doing my level best to turn Wednesday’s performance around and get back into winning habits and get three points against Cowdenbeath. “There has been a lot of discontent and unhappiness particularly with Wednesday’s result. I totally understand and respect that but you always get a reaction, particularly from poorer results. “It’s up to ourselves to get the balance right, we got a good result on Sunday beating Kilmarnock 3-0, and we can’t get carried away. “We’re extremely disappointed and shocked at the last 20 minutes on Wednesday. But we have to find a middle ground on both results and not lose the focus.” The manager has demanded focus from his men and despite a poor result against Alloa on Wednesday night he insists he won’t make wholesale changes to his starting up. He will stick with a similar team to the one that beat top flight Kilmarnock only five days ago. Injuries to Lewis Macleod and Lee Wallace mean they will be missing for the Championship clash. Speaking of his team McCoist said: “I wouldn’t have thought I’ll make big changes to my team tomorrow - there will be no knee jerk reactions to a really disappointing result. “We’ll train today and see how people perform in training and see how the lads have come through training tomorrow and they make a decision on the team. “We’ve got a job to do, the job is to get the team back to the topflight and back to where we think we belong. “That hasn’t altered at all and nor has my focus, we’re always aware that it would certainly be a bumpy ride with a lot of hiccups along the way – that would still be the case. “We can’t allow ourselves to get away from the focus of getting back to the top flight." http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/8213-back-the-team

Thought this deserved its own thread. Hopefully further proof on the way of fraud committed against Rangers. https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/court-lists/list-chancery-judges

Some unnamed reporter from the Telegraph tells it how it is ... or rather, how he sees it: Telegraph While we all know who is pulling the strings, nigh everything that the Telegraph claims can be shot down in flames by the Ashley crew. As for their previous article, methinks they claimed a bit more than UEFA are not allowing "dual-ownership", which caused certain replies from Newcastle et al. Be that as it may, you'd wish that our club / board would have even a tenth of the balls that Ashley shows when dealing with the media.

http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/296-competition-win-an-official-2015-rangers-calendar It's competition again at Gersnet and we have another chance for our subscribers to win an excellent prize! This time you can win one of three superb official Rangers calendars for 2015. Made from Danilo - Europe's Number One publisher of licenced merchandise - these quality calendars are always the idea Christmas present for your loved one ahead of the New Year. The new 12 month calendar with incredible images of your favourite players including captain Lee McCulloch, Cammy Bell, Lewis Macleod and Darren McGregor. There is plenty of space to note all those important dates and Rangers football fixtures. The Gers will be again be aiming to win the Scottish Championship to get them eventually back to the Premiership where they belong and are missed. To be in with a chance of winning one of the three prizes, please email us with the name of the current Rangers captain by midnight on Friday 28th November. Please note the site administrator's decision is final. For more information on Danilo and to engage with them on social media please use the following links: Danilo website, Danilo on Facebook and Danilo on Twitter!

LEAGUE bosses could rake in over £1million if Rangers finish in the Championship play-off zone, it has emerged. Ally McCoist's side are nine points adrift of league leaders Hearts and, while they still have their sights set on the title and guaranteed promotion, the Light Blues may have to settle for a second shot at securing a step-up. But under a controversial SPFL rule, half of the gate money from play-off ties is retained by the league body. And that could prove very lucrative for the Hampden hierarchy if Rangers fans flock to see their team's bid to win a top-flight place. Should the Gers finish in second spot in the Championship, they'd have to play home-and-away ties against the winner of the match-up between the third and fourth-placed teams. If successful, they would face another two-legged tie against the side that finishes second-bottom in the Premiership. That would mean half of the proceeds from what could be two 50,000 crowds going to the SPFL, rather than the home teams keeping the full amount. Potentially, that would give a £1m boost to the Hampden coffers rather than those of cash-strapped Rangers. And should McCoist's men finish in third or fourth place, another tranche of money would require to be handed over from the first round of play-off games, which could take the total to over £1.5m. Queen of the South, Falkirk, Hamilton and Hibernian were victims of the rule last season but the biggest gate was the 18,031 crowd at Easter Road when Accies relegated the Edinburgh side. The other five games in the play-offs attracted an average of just over 4100 fans. A source at one of the clubs said: "We tried to raise issues surrounding this rule last season but nobody was interested. "It will be interesting to see what the reaction will be if the funds involved become far more substantial." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/spfl-could-get-1m-boost-if-rangers-are-in-play-offs-190976n.26017800

Alloa were missing 9 senior players due to illness and injuries, some of their players were late in turning up due to work and traffic. Leading by two goals (despite how poorly we had played) with 25 minutes left and we go on to lose the game to a bunch of part timers. Add the fact that Macleod pulled out of the warm up but McCoist elected to play him just rubs salt into the wound (McCoist should be made to explain this decision).... all in all it all adds up to the most humiliating game in our history IMO. I'd love to wrap up the post by offering a soundbite that "at least it can't get any worse" but I'd be fibbing.

Our club is on a trip to extinction under this moron,when does our waring fan groups unite,and demand his firing? he is killing us,and this is an actual fact.

Ok, so it's silly season again! Post the latest transfer rumours in here please! OUT: Emilson Cribari - Out of contract. Andy Little - Out of contract. Signed for English League One side Preston North End. Chris Hegarty - Contract terminated by mutual consent - signed immediately for Linfield. Charlie Telfer - Contract extension rejected - signed immediately for Dundee Utd. Ross Perry - Contract terminated by mutual consent. Scott Gallacher - Contract terminated by mutual consent - signed for Hearts. IN: Kenny Miller - signed 1 year deal (with optional 1 year extension) on 4 June 2014. Darren McGregor - signed 1 year deal (with optional 1 year extension) on 11 June 2014. Kris Boyd - signed 1 year deal on 27 June 2014. Marius Zaliukas - signed 2 year deal on 11 July 2014 Lee Robinson - signed 1 year deal on 25 August 2014

I think we all know the answer to that.

all done with the test............

Rangers Youth @RFC_Youth · 37m 37 minutes ago #Rangers under-20's are in action against Celtic tonight at Murray Park (KO 6pm). Team news to follow then goal updates as they happen. Rangers Youth @RFC_Youth · 35m 35 minutes ago #Rangers U20's to face Celtic: Kelly, Sinnamon, Ross McCrorie, Pascazio, Gasparotto, Dykes, Roberts, Murdoch, Hardie, Stoney, Walsh. Rangers Youth @RFC_Youth · 35m 35 minutes ago #Rangers U20 Subs: Robbie McCrorie, Gibson, Finnie, Brownlie, Whiteside, Wilson, Ogen. Kick off is at 6pm. Come on the Gers! Rangers Youth @RFC_Youth · 6m 6 minutes ago '20 - GOAL: #Rangers take the lead through Ryan Hardie! Sensational chip from the Gers youngster from distance. 1:0 to the Gers. Rangers Youth @RFC_Youth · 6m 6 minutes ago '20 - GOAL: Ball down the right channel by Roberts in behind the back four and Hardie took a touch before audaciously chipping the keeper. Rangers Youth @RFC_Youth · now 23 seconds ago '33 - GOAL: After a period of pressure, Twardzik equalises with an excellent left footed shot from the edge of the box into the top corner.

...with a new horse called Ibrox. GREEN says he's named a few horses Rangers names but he doesn't have one called 'Super Ally' as he said: "I’ve not got any regard for Mr McCoist.” EX-Rangers chief executive Charles Green is hoping he’s on to a winner with a new horse called Ibrox. Green, who now breeds horses named the two-year-old thoroughbred after his old club’s stadium. And he even kitted out the jockey in red, white and blue for its first race in France. Green, 60 , said the horse was one of several named after the Light Blues to remind him of his spell in charge. But he added none will be named after Ally McCoist — whom he famously did not get on with. He said: “The colours are red, white and blue — be in no doubt. “I called the horse Ibrox to keep the memory of Rangers in my mind. They are close to my heart. “I’ve named a few other horses with Rangers names but I’m keeping that secret for now. “There’s not one called Super Ally though. I’ve not got any regard for Mr McCoist .” But Ibrox returned to haunt him — by only managing eighth in Monday’s race at outsider’s odds of 281. Green quit Gers for a “new life” at an 18th century chateau in Normandy for himself and 30 horses. He said at the time: “I have always been fascinated by the thoroughbred. Normandy is the epicentre of the horse world. This is where I decided to start a new life.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ex-rangers-chief-executive-charles-green-4737228

http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/r...ys-kris-boyd/? "for me; it goes in one ear and out the other.” Rangers striker Kris Boyd has claimed that John Brown's criticism of him and senior players at the club has fallen on deaf ears. The former Rangers and Aberdeen defender recently stated that Ally McCoist had been let down by Boyd and other experienced players at the club. Yet Boyd showed little interest in such feedback ahead of his club's Petrofac Training Cup clash with Alloa on Wednesday. “You can judge us on May and if we’re still in that position come May then you’re right to say it," stated the Ibrox striker. "Right now, as I said for me; it goes in one ear and out the other.” He added: “For me, before people open their mouth they should find out what is going on before they have a go at people. But as I said it’s pretty easy to have a go at people when you want recognition yourself. “At the end of the day we know we can do better, but as I said we don’t need anyone telling us we can do better. "We know inside ourselves we can do better.” Boyd, along with teammates Kenny Miller and Lee McCulloch, was labelled as “shocking”, as Brown stated that the squad was underachieving in their attempt to win promotion to the Premiership. Yet the former Kilmarnock striker took little surprise in the former Rangers star's comments. “It’s not the first time, it’ll not be the last. For me, when the manager tells you that you’re not doing well, then you can listen," added the striker. “I’ve got a good relationship with him(Brown), every time I see him I speak to him, so it’s fine. "I know the way Brown works and I know he likes to open his mouth and have a go. "But be rest assured it doesn’t take for him to come out and have a go for us to raise our game."

LEE Wallace will miss out again when Rangers travel to Alloa tomorrow evening, in the Challenge Cup semi-final. The left back is still struggling with an ankle injury he sustained in training last Wednesday - had had been an ever present member of the side this season until he picked up this current knock. The 27-year old missed Gers Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock on Sunday and has failed to recover in time for their cup clash at Recreation Park. Richard Foster replaced Wallace in the backline against Killie, switching from his usual right back role, with Darren McGregor slotting in on the right. Wallace has returned to light training but failed to recover enough to be part of Ally McCoist’s squad. McCoist said: “Waldo is still struggling but he is a lot better than he was at the weekend. “He could possibly have been involved tomorrow night but we don’t really want to take a risk over one or two things with him. “Apart from him we came through the weekend unscathed and everybody else is absolutely fine and ready to be selected for tomorrow evening.” Stevie Smith will serve the second game of his two match ban for violent conduct against Alloa. The defender was sent off against Hearts at Tynecastle but will be available for the Light Blues league game with Cowdenbeath on Saturday. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/8186-wallace-out-for-alloa

Following the news yesterday that Kyle McAusland had gone out on loan to Brechin City until the end of the year I decided today to have a look at who from the bunch of our reserve & youth players currently out on loan were playing for their teams today, so here's some brief news about them following today's games: Calum Gallagher - Calum played the full 90+5 minutes and scored the second goal after 41 minutes for Cowdenbeath today in their 2-1 home victory over Queen of the South. Gallagher's goal was a right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. He also had an earlier attempt on goal saved following a corner kick 20 minutes into the game when his left footed shot from the centre of the box was saved at the bottom left corner. Luca Gasparotto - Luca played the full 90+6 minutes for Airdrieonians today in their 2-3 victory over Ayr United away from home. Just before the 53 minute mark Luca hit the bar with a right footed shot from the centre of the box. Just after the 86 minute mark Luca scored a header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner to get his side back on level terms. The goal was mistakenly awarded to David Proctor, but later given to Gasparotto. He only conceded one foul and one corner in what was an excellent away win for Airdrieonians. Craig Halkett - Craig played the full 90+3 minutes for Clyde today in their 1-1 home draw with Annan Athletic. The goal Clyde conceded was a penalty following a foul in the box by Craig's teammate Brian McQueen. Barrie McKay - Barrie played the full 90+2 minutes for Raith Rovers today in their 0-0 home draw with Falkirk. Not sure how well he played yet, but he did have one attempt on goal midway through the second half where he put his left footed shot from outside the box over the bar. Robbie Crawford - Robbie played 73 minutes for Morton today in their 2-1 defeat away from home to Stenhousemuir before being replaced by Jon Scullion. Morton dominated the game and created far more chances than Stenny, but a close range header early in the second half gave the home side all 3 points. Kyle McAusland - Kyle made a substitute appearance for Brechin today in their 3-1 away defeat in Forfor. He came on for Gary Fusco after 58 minutes when Brechin were already getting beat 2-1. Not much info to report yet apart from him giving away a foul shortly after coming on, but quickly making amends by winning a free kick in the attacking half only 5 minutes after his introduction, then winning another in stoppage time. Danny Stoney - Danny got a substitute appearance for Stranraer today in their 2-0 home victory over Stirling when he came on after 73 minutes. He was only on the pitch for about 90 seconds before forcing the Stirling keeper into a save when his right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left was saved at the bottom left corner. So, it was a reasonably good day for our young lads out on loan with four of them getting the full match under their belt and really good days for Calum Gallagher and Luca Gasparotto in particular, with both of their teams recording excellent victories against very tough opposition in their respective leagues. Keep up the good work lads!!

THE fans group has hit out after details of the retail deal appeared to show the bulk of money generated would not go to the club but to Ashley's Sports Direct. RANGERS fans have taken a look at the annual accounts and ridiculed claims Mike Ashley is an Ibrox saviour. The Union of Fans have rounded on the board for trumpeting a 375 per cent rise in retail revenues from £1.6million to £7.6m. They told supporters not to be fooled as only around £1.5m will go directly to the club with the bulk of the cash heading to Sports Direct. And they even claim the club have been forced to buy more than £410,000 of club kit at recommended retail prices because they did not hit Sports Direct sales targets. The Rangers board admitted they’ll be forced to seek a fresh share issue after announcing an operating loss of £8.3m for the year to June 30. They’ll need a further bail-out as soon as January and have announced plans for a share issue aimed at raising £8m to keep the club operational in the medium term. Former Rangers owner Craig Whyte released on bail after appearing in court over his purchase of Ibrox club Union of Fans spokesman Chris Graham said: “The statement around retail revenues is disingenuous, to say the least. “The true picture is £7.6m was the total sum of money made from all merchandise sales through Rangers Retail. However, inventory costs are listed at more than £4m – effectively, the cost to Sports Direct of supply and distribution. “Under the terms of the deal between Sports Direct and Rangers Retail, the club receives only 50 per cent of profits, so that leaves only around £1.5m. This is approximately a third of the sum the club were making under the JJB deal. “A section of the accounts, provision of liabilities, even lists £411,000 payable by Rangers Retail to purchase stock at a higher cost than its resale value. “It appears Rangers had to purchase the stock at retail prices and sell it cheaper, presumably because they didn’t hit targets. Rangers are losing money from the sale of the shirts, yet Sports Direct are still being paid the full retail price. “The whole commercial deal with Ashley appears a shambles. Many fans will see the headline figure and conclude the commercial deal with Ashley isn’t bad at all. “Ashley’s plan is to make money for himself and he’s clearly a very successful businessman. However, he is no saviour of Rangers.” Auditors Deloitte again signed off on the accounts with the conclusion there is “material uncertainty” over the club as a going concern and “key assumptions” are being made by the board on future finance streams. Season ticket sales are down 15,000 and attendances are on the wane but chairman David Somers insists everyone is working together for the club’s long-term future. Graham added: “It’s complete rubbish to suggest this board have moved closer to the fan base. “The distance has grown even wider since last year’s agm. “They have appointed a completely pointless fan board. “Their relationship with supporters should be judged on the numbers turning their back on this regime and no longer going through the turnstiles. “Auditors Deloitte have again confirmed they cannot verify what directors are saying is accurate and the future of the club even in the short-term is bleak. “The accounts are only to the end of June, so the drop in attendances and season ticket sales has not yet fully hit the balance sheet.” Graham remains astonished the board turned down Dave King’s £16m investment offer for a £2m Ashley loan, upped by another £1m. He added: “The £8m sought is simply to keep the lights on for the next few months. It’s incredible to think they’re looking for £8m when they were offered twice that amount only a month ago by King.” Rangers declined to comment. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-union-fans-ridicule-claims-4716246

...for Rangers chairman David Somers. IBROX board have just three weeks to sort the mess ahead of another explosive agm. THREE weeks today the directors of Rangers International Football Club PLC will shuffle out on to a purpose built stage in the main stand at Ibrox and attempt to justify their existence to the club’s shareholders. It promises to be quite something. They’ll be instantly recognisable of course, not just by the colour of their brogues but also by the red necks which have become every bit as standard issue for those who make it their business to step through this boardroom’s relentlessly whirling revolving doors. If executive chairman David Somers and his cohorts – Derek Llambias, James Easdale and Norman Crighton – needed any reminding of the consequences of the current situation then they needed only to look up from the posh seats yesterday and take in the sights and echoey sounds of an eerily-deserted stadium. If they did, the first thing they’d have noticed was that Sports Direct has a sale on. Not just any sale either, a ‘Cyber Weekend Event’ offering 20 per cent off everything until midnight tonight. Yes, at a time when Rangers are crippled with uncertainty, one thing is absolutely sure – come hell or high water, Mike Ashley will get his money’s worth from these drip-feed loans which are just about covering the costs of keeping this ailing club on life support. Ashley may have relinquished the naming rights for Ibrox but this barrage of LCD screen advertising for his high street store shows it’s now the Sports Direct Arena in all but name in any case. But all that aside, behind those garish hoardings, the day’s real message could be found in the shape of thousands upon thousands of empty blue seats. Almost 38,000 of them in total. If Somers and his gang have any sense of common decency then they ought to have felt thoroughly ashamed of themselves for allowing such a vast disconnect to occur on their watch. Yes, there is Christmas shopping to be done, the game was beamed out live on Sky TV and Scottish Cup ties are not included on season books but even though there are some mitigating factors behind yesterday’s stayaways, the truth is huge sections of the support have had just about all they can stomach of their own club. And, in all honesty, who can really blame them? If they are not turning on their TV to see familiar faces from their recent past being frogmarched from court buildings they are picking up newspapers to read about the present state of the club’s accounts, which with losses north of £8million do not paint a pretty picture either. For many of these fans the football has become almost irrelevant although it should be noted there will also have been some who stayed at home yesterday because, on the park, Rangers haven’t been much to look at either. It was with a heavy sense of irony then that Ally McCoist’s players chose to turn in the kind of performance of which they ought to be capable of on a far more regular basis. McCoist badly needed yesterday’s result but it was the way in which Rangers went about their business in this 3-0 win which will have bought him the most respite. The same cannot be said of the directors who’ll be shoved out to face the music on December 22 and who will find themselves with some serious explaining to do after publishing their latest set of numbers. One year ago chairman Somers stood on that same platform and promised better times ahead for this club after seeing off an attempted boardroom coup. Graham Wallace, who had only just been appointed to the role of chief executive, also attempted to placate shareholders and reassure them the club was no longer in any imminent danger. Yet two weeks later he was scrimping around looking for emergency loans which were needed just to meet February’s payroll. Wallace also spoke disapprovingly of the grotesque bonus culture which had been allowed to thrive inside Ibrox before his arrival. He won’t be available to answer questions this time though, having recently departed from his office complete with a bulging £160,000 bonus and an equally impressive £100,000 pay-off which secured his silence. Last week’s accounts showed just less than £1.5m was paid out to directors in the past year which just goes to show that the more this mess changes, the more it stays the same. The difference, one year on, is that Rangers fans are now disengaging in substantial numbers. And yet there won’t be a spare seat in the house when the directors are rolled back out onto centre stage because there are a great many questions which will require answering, not least how exactly they plan to fill the £8m hole in next year’s accounts. With crowds dropping and Ashley in control of retail and trackside advertising, it’s difficult to see any reason for this board’s eternal optimism. Somers may well be sticking to his ‘it will all work out for the best’ mantra but auditors Delloite are so far from convinced that they marked off the latest accounts with yet another flashing red light over the club’s ability to continue trading as a going concern. A personal guarantee from Ashley would have gone a long way to soothing their concerns but there is no indication he has any intention of throwing any more of his millions into the Ibrox blackhole. And no suggestion he would be willing to underwrite the next share issue which will be scrambled into action as early as possible in the New Year. They need to raise £8m this time around having only just failed to hit a target of half that amount about 10 minutes ago – while turning down the offer of a £16m funding package from Dave King’s consortium and also blocking Brian Kennedy from lending them £3m in favour of £2m from Ashley, which quickly became £3m when the first handout was spent. On top of all this, the club’s financially troubled nominated adviser, brokers Daniel Stewart (brought to the club by Charles Green), announced last week that from December 12 they’ll no longer be licensed to operate, which means another Nomad will have to be engaged ahead of this month’s AGM. And all of this played out against a backdrop of criminal proceedings and fraud charges? This board has only three weeks to get a handle on it all and then to try to convince their own shareholders they are in control of it. It promises to be quite something all right. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/keith-jackson-empty-bank-account-4725548

Bitterly disappointed by the crowd though. 14.412 in a Cup game at Ibrox is - no matter of boycots and poor perfomances - appaling.

From main site... OUR first batch of supporters club bricks have now been placed on the wall at our training centre and we are confident you will agree they look great! Overlooking the youth pitches these bricks are placed on an exclusive panel dedicated to our loyal supporters clubs. Designed with a larger inscription allowance than our original stadium bricks, you will get 3 lines of 15 characters enabling you to have your clubs name along with an optional additional message. To make these bricks truly unique to each RSC we can now give you the opportunity to have your own club crest engraved in fine detail on to your brick. The training centre bricks are priced at £150 each, only a very limited number of these bricks will be available and as an added bonus each supporters club who orders a one will also receive a limited edition signed Ally McCoist print. So mark your Rangers Supporters Clubs name in history with one of our training centre wall bricks by calling us on 0141 427 4914 to order yours today. Certificates will be posted out within 5 working days of placing the order and bricks will take roughly 8 - 10 weeks to be engraved and placed. For those who are not involved in a supporters club but would still like the opportunity of a training centre brick you can order one for our 'Fans Panel' from http://www.rangerslotto.co.uk Remember all of the profits from our stadium bricks go directly towards the Rangers youth teams. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/club-news/item/8153-supporters-club-bricks-installed?

Noticed this amusing quote in the article by Michael Ballie earlier: Do elaborate Ally .

It is utterly ridiculous that Rangers have not yet announced the full results of the RFB Office Bearers Election. This is not private or confidential information; it should have been made public at the first opportunity. In most any other election the results would have be announced immediately after the count. Failing to declare the results immediately can only lead to unnecessary suspicion and speculation. Rangers could and should have posted the full results around 7.00pm last Wednesday or at the very latest first thing on Thursday morning. The Election preceded the Meeting, so whilst the results might be included in the Minutes for completeness, strictly speaking they are not part of the Minutes of the Meeting; so there should be no need to wait for the Minutes to be published to announce the results. The Board members have been gagged and those I have spoken to are rightly concerned that if they spill the beans the same fate might befall them as befell me. Fortunately, however, I have other sources. So in addition to Gary Gillan being elected unopposed (by me or anyone else) as Secretary; I can now reveal that Tom Clements comfortably defeated Alan Fraser for Chair and Christine Murdoch won the 3-horse race for Vice Chair by a short head from Zia Islam and William Gillan.

...in yet another dramatic day for the club. Sports Direct owner seems certain to strengthen his grip on Rangers as club lurch from one crisis to another...on and off the field. By Roddy Forsyth If an hour passes without some new development in the Rangers story — the most lurid saga to emerge from any British football club, ever — it counts as a quiet day. Scarcely had Telegraph Sport spread the overnight news that disgraced former owner, Craig Whyte, had been detained after being on the run in Mexico than we revealed that Uefa will not permit Rangers and Newcastle United to play together in Europe next season or for as long as Mike Ashley is in a position of power in both boardrooms. Of Ashley’s position and ambitions, more later. Neither the Champions League nor Europa League is foremost in Rangers fans’ minds. Last weekend’s 2-0 defeat by Hearts not only saw Ally McCoist’s players trail by nine points in the chase for automatic promotion to the Scottish Premiership, but it also emphasised the contrast in form with their main divisional rivals. Hearts’ total of 38 points from their opening 14 games is their best start to a league campaign. Hibs, meanwhile, have run up five successive away league victories for the first time since September 1980. To say McCoist is under pressure is to say what? Unless he walks away — that loaded phrase in the context of Ibrox — there is not sufficient cash to pay him off. As matters stand, the club will have to rely on another bailout from Ashley just to keep them going beyond New Year. There is increasing talk around the Scottish game that Rangers are heading into administration again. Some discount the notion on the grounds that the consequent automatic points deduction would condemn Rangers to a fourth successive season of lower league football which, they believe, would run contrary to Ashley’s aim of increasing club merchandise sales though his Sports Direct retail chain. Related Articles A more arcane theory has it that Ashley would accept administration as a short-term hit because it would shake out other contracts and allow him, as a major creditor, to bid for the club on the cheap. There is a third, more plausible option. Ashley’s lawyers are engaged in a low-key, but crucial positional battle with the Scottish Football Association. Ashley’s people want to find a way for him to increase his shareholding at Ibrox and Telegraph readers will remember that the idea of him taking his stake up to almost 27 per cent was floated in September. The SFA signed a binding agreement with Ashley, anchored in their Articles of Association, designed to keep him at 10 per cent or below. However, as money repeatedly runs out at Ibrox, Ashley either gets to increase his grip through security on the assets, with the SFA watching impotently, or he holds back, knowing that Scottish football’s governing body could be put in the invidious position of taking the blame for another insolvency event. And all of this is played out against a background of dawn swoops by police in southern England, as they arrest the former Rangers company secretary and three managing directors of Duff & Phelps, the company that oversaw Rangers’ administration in 2012. How tempting it is to conjure the fantasy that a posse of gun-toting Federales bore down on Whyte at the Mexican airport, to be greeted with a demand to show their ID, only for them to yell the immortal misquote from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: “We don’t need no’ stinking badges!” Remember Ashley’s condition for advancing the soft loan that was rebuffed by the Rangers plc board in September? The club crest and trademark? Somebody does need the badges – and it looks unlikely that anybody can or will stop him now. Meanwhile, Rangers have confirmed Telegraph Sport's disclosure last month that the club would post losses of over £8 million in the accounts for the year to June 30, 2014. The figure given when the accounts were posted on the club’s website was £8.3 million. David Somers, the Rangers chairman, commented "…challenges still remain and despite additional financing having been secured over the year, further funding is necessary to ensure the club's ability to move forward successfully to achieve the goals we all seek and expect of Rangers Football Club. "To this end the board will be seeking shareholder approval at the forthcoming AGM to issue additional shares to ensure maximum flexibility for the company to raise equity finance and provide the financial capability required to develop the club in the longer term.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/11259511/Mike-Ashleys-Rangers-swoop-overshadows-Craig-Whyte-dawn-raids-in-yet-another-dramatic-day-for-the-club.html

Union Bears As you will know, the group took the very difficult decision back in May not to renew our season tickets due to the selfish, malicious and borderline illegal actions of our club’s current and previous incumbents. This was a decision echoed by nearly 15000 season ticket holders and the crowds at Ibrox so far this season have reflected the feeling of many Rangers supporters. We watched with hope and expectation as Dave King submitted his £16 million offer of funding in exchange for a majority stake in the club. We then watched with resignation but not shock as Mike Ashley and his friends within the Board room blocked this move and instead pushed through Ashley’s £2 million emergency loan secured against Rangers assets and on the premise of complete Board control. Like all other supporters, we wanted a clean break from people like Charles Green and his murky investors, but it is clear this isn't going to happen. It therefore brings us to a crossroads, as a group and as individuals. Mike Ashley has his grip firmly on the throat of our beloved club and nothing and nobody will make him remove it, as has been demonstrated in his time in charge of Newcastle Utd. It has thrown up a pertinent question which must be answered by not only us but every Rangers fan. Do we maintain our boycott for potentially years in the hope that someone saves us? Or do we elect to support the team on the park and explore other ways of enforcing change at Rangers? After much discussion we have elected to follow the latter path. As of 03/01/2015 we will be returning to the stands on a permanent basis. This is not a gesture of support for those now in charge of our club, nor is it an admission of defeat. It is simply a change of tactic. As a passionate group of supporters whose best attributes lie in what we achieve in and around the stadium on a matchday, we feel hamstrung by our absence and therefore the group needs to go back to being present within Ibrox. We have tried to boycott, to fall in line with other fan groups who have done their level best to encourage change within the club. But in reality all that has taken place over these past few months is a strengthening of Mike Ashley, Sandy and James Easdale, David Somers and many others’ positions within Rangers. It’s the sorry truth. We would like to make it clear that we will not be attending the League Cup semi final as a group, and feel it would be wrong to take tickets ahead of fans who have been attending games on a weekly basis. As we won't be attending as a group, it will make it impossible for us to pull off a display. We would therefore ask all Rangers fans to do their bit by making our end as colourful as possible, with flags, banners, streamers and anything else they can. We will however be planning more displays between now and the end of the season, and look forward to bringing some noise and colour back to Ibrox. Although we return to Ibrox on a permanent basis we won’t be doing so as supporters of the regime. Yes our money will be going towards their bonuses and onerous contracts in the short term, but the Union Bears will throw our weight behind another path towards long term change and that is fan ownership, and more specifically Rangers First. Rangers First is a Community Interest Company which was established at the beginning of this year with very simple goals; to gather together the financial clout of the Rangers support, purchase shares in the club and ultimately put it back in the hands of those who matter. Rangers First already owns over 500’000 shares in RIFC (roughly 0.6%) without any real offline publicising. As a group we hope to support them in the ways that we do best as they move forward towards greater awareness and support for fan representation and ownership. Of course we urge all those who stood with us in BF1 over the years to ask themselves the same question we did and decide what the future holds for you with regards to match attendance. But we will not try and influence your decision in any way. It’s an individual’s choice to make. What we do urge every singly Rangers supporter to do is visit http://www.rangersfirst.org, learn about the initiative and sign up. Put the money you used to spend on Rangers merchandise and funding Ashley's empire of zero hour contracts into something worthwhile. The strength of our support should not be measured or remembered by how many of us turn up at Ibrox or elect to stay away in protest, but rather by the lengths we will go to right the wrongs of those before us and stand shoulder to shoulder with one common goal; delivering the Rangers we all deserve. We owe it our children and grandchildren. If you would like to join the group in BF1 for the second half of the season then please send the following details to transfers@unionbears.co.uk or as a message to the Union Bears Facebook page: Full Name: Address: Date Of Birth: Contact Number (Mobile & Landline): Rangers Number: Do you have a season ticket already? (Yes/No): Union Bears

http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/rangerstv/item/5680-happy-birthday-vladimir-weiss