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McDowell giving nothing away on our style of play. I think we know.

It is now a fortnight since Dave King submitted his call to stage a shareholder summit that could see the removal of chairman David Somers, chief executive Derek Llambias and directors Barry Leach and James Easdale. The South Africa-based businessman is seeking election to the board alongside Paul Murray and John Gilligan, but the Gers hierarchy have yet to set a date for the crunch vote. Their only response to King's call came 11 days ago when they stated they were checking that the notice was 'properly constituted' and valid, but they now have just a week left to comply. A deadline of a further 21 days then comes into play, and Sons of Struth chief Craig Houston told SportTimes: "I, like all fans, want this situation resolved as quickly as possible, so the sooner the General Meeting is called the sooner it can be held and, hopefully, the board will be removed. "The majority of Rangers fans want to see change on the board. "The expectation is that they will spin it out for as long as they can and then look to hold off actually holding the General Meeting for as long as possible. "I don't want any compromise because that could wrangle on for years. The outcome the fans want is for this regime to be removed and we can then start rebuilding our club. "If it goes the right way, it should be a line in the sand and we can move forward. If it doesn't I can see more unrest from the fans and more financial difficulties at Rangers." As revealed in SportTimes yesterday, a petition from the London RFCSA has attracted huge interest from fans in the aftermath of Mike Ashley's latest Ibrox power grab. The Association will hand the document to Nominated Advisor WH Ireland next week as they urge Paul Shackleton, who previously handled Rangers' Stock Exchange affairs while on the books of Daniel Stewart before the firm lost its licence, to accept the King EGM call. Houston said: "For the London branch to get more than 7,000 fans signing their petition in such a short space of time is great and it shows that Rangers fans are united in their views and opinions. "All we can do now is hope that the Nomad take it on board. Unfortunately, we have past experience and know that might not happen. "Everything seems to be done for the benefit of some shareholders and not the majority of shareholders." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/clock-is-ticking-for-rangers-board-egm-decision-as-fans-call-for-ibrox-195863n.117321739 That last sentence . . how do they get away with this ?

Can any bears tell me a good pub/club to watch the old firm game on Sunday down for chelsea Man City game on Saturday need a good atmosphere for old firm game cheers

From the Record. And what is allowed.

Even on the Gersnet we may have spies.

Rangers keeper Steve Simonsen to learn his fate next month after allegedly placing 55 bets on football matches 20:16, 29 January 2015 By David McCarthy IT is unknown whether Simonsen pleaded guilty when he contacted the SFA in relation to the accusation. Keeper faces ban if found guilty of betting on football RANGERS keeper Steve Simonsen has responded to betting charges brought against him by the SFA and will now learn his fate next month. The ruling body confirmed last night that the Ibrox goalie , who is alleged to have placed 55 bets on football matches , had contacted the association in relation to the accusation by yesterday's deadline – but refused to say if he had pleaded guilty. Simonsen's case will be heard by the Judicial Panel on February 12. Panel members will decide if there is a case to answer if the 35-year-old Englishman has denied the charges or the scale of punishment if he has admitted to placing the bets. An SFA spokesman said: "Mr Simonsen has responded and that will be factored into the judicial panel hearing when they meet. That's all we can say as this is a live case." Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record RANGERS midfielder Ian Black arrives the SFA headquarters at Hampden Park to hear the outcome of a fine for breaching betting rules. pictured with Barry Hughs Photo Tony Nicoletti Ian Black (right) leaves Hampden with agent, Barry Hughes, after being banned for breaching betting rules In September 2013, Simonsen’s team-mate Ian Black was fined £7,500 and handed a 10-game ban, seven of which were suspended, when he admitted placing 160 football bets over a seven-year period. Three of those included betting against his own team to win.

Excellent statement from The Blue Order. TBO Backs Rangers First and Buy Rangers. 29th Jan 2015 The Blue Order are pleased to confirm that the group has made a £500 contribution to both RST BuyRangers and Rangers First, to include life membership of both schemes. This outlay represents a very significant amount of our group funds but we felt that it was crucial that we played our part in committing to the current collective effort of the Rangers support to attain as many shares as possible ahead of the upcoming EGM. Within TBO, there is a strong appetite for significant and meaningful fan ownership and we wish to urge all our fellow fans to pursue this aspiration as much as possible. The journey to Fan Ownership will be a long and testing one, but the momentum currently carrying all fan share investment schemes is very encouraging to say the least and within our fanbase, is certainly unprecedented. TBO would like to think that the days of the Rangers support sitting idly by, whilst various self-serving custodians take advantage of the club are over. Rangers Football Club should be managed for the benefit of Rangers and the fans, not for anyone else. Given recent events and the latest disgraceful decision to hand more assets and revenue streams to asset strippers, we all know how difficult this will be, but we must campaign and organise for the fight and hope that a successful conclusion to the EGM issue will not be the end but instead will be a catalyst for real change toward significant fan ownership. Ahead of the League Cup Semi Final v Them, TBO had discussed putting funds toward a display as we have done previously at Hampden. Current group issues and logistics meant that this would be difficult to produce, to live up to the standards of previous efforts by ourselves and others. There was already talk of buying shares and we believe that our funds are better to be used at this current time on fan share schemes than a one-off display. Considering this, TBO would encourage all fans going to the game at Hampden to bring a flag or banner. A sea of red, white and blue in the Rangers end can look as good as any organised display. We ask those who have not already joined Buy Rangers or Rangers First to do so immediately, get yourself involved and ask your friends and family members too. This is something that all Rangers fans can be part of, from as little as £5 per month. This is not about TBO or any other group. This is about our Rangers which belongs to us all. This is about a collective effort that can make a difference if we all want it to. Two schemes, join either or both but do join! Are you in? #sharesforthebears www.therst.co.uk www.rangersfirst.org

American football remains a minority sport in the UK, and especially in Scotland, where the urban English fascination with US culture, especially those of minorities, is less firmly felt. Even so, some of you may have read about the 'inflategate' scandal which erupted after last week's semi-finals, in which Boston's New England Patriots were, apparently, found to have deliberately under inflated the footballs used, presumably giving them an advantage. Quite how it did so I can't explain: perhaps their players are more used to handling squishy balls than the firm-tested team they beat. But the comeback against the most successful side in recent years in the NFL has been swift and bitter. Patriots' owner, Robert Kraft (presumably of the atomic-orange 'Cheesey Pasta' and suspiciously mushy, not-very-cheesy Dairylea Triangles family) has angrily stepped up to the plate, to mix our American sports, and lashed out at the coverage his side has received. Get this: “I’m disappointed in the way this entire matter has been handled and reported upon,” Kraft said, pointing directly to reports citing anonymous sources. “We expect hard facts rather than circumstantial leaked evidence to drive the conclusion of this investigation.” Sounds mighty familiar. I doubt many folk in the Greater Boston area would be thrilled at a comparison with Rangers, the bastion not only of quintessential Britishness but the Protestant Ascendancy, Conservative Values, Stout Monarchism etc etc. Just the same, it does sound familiar to the bluenose ear (now there's an image), does it not? “I am confident that this investigation will uncover whatever the facts were that took place last Sunday and the science of how game balls react to changes in the environment,” Kraft added. “This would be in direct contrast to the public discourse, which has been driven by media leaks as opposed to actual data and facts. Because of this, many jumped to conclusions and made scarring accusations against our coach, quarterback and staff questioning the integrity of all involved.” At least throughout all Rangers' travails no-one accused them of under inflating their footballs. Balls of a different sort will be needed on Sunday, when probably the least anticipated Rangers - Celtic game of all time rolls around. The air has certainly gone from this fixture, and it would be appropriate if Rangers turned up on a series of old Raleigh bikes with flat tyres. Clown horns would not be amiss either, given the standard of play we've seen. I daresay Celtic fans can't wait for it. If I was in their shoes I'd be hoping for double figures. All very defeatist and in line with the mood of gloom which not only surrounds but suffocates anything and everything to do with the Ibrox side, but I don't apologise for that. On the pitch, in the boardroom, on the stands, can anyone see any light? As a long established handwringer, I'm split 3 ways between worrying about a total doing, the off field ramblings of various boards, and the potential for embarrassment from the stands. My wishy-washy attitude to this last has never been about being personally offended: as someone of no religion I shed few tears for sensitive clerical types of whatever stripe. It's always been about what hurts Rangers; but there's no sign of anyone else giving much of a toss. An afternoon long Sash Bash awaits, say some. Oh, the joy. I just felt it would show more balls, inflated to maximum, to call for decorum before the game, rather than wading in afterward. Who knows? Maybe it will all pass off in a manner which doesn't damage the club's image, what's left of it. Can't see it, though. And it's all such a waste of energy, anyway, shouting meaningless insults which don't insult the other side and bring harm to your own. I suppose everyone - and certainly, every club's fans - is guilty, from time to time, of saying things they don't mean. Only last night on the radio, Soviet Jim Spence, the Tayside Trotsky, suggested that the 80% of football fans who don't follow Rangers are bored with the saga. He might be more convincing if he didn't spend quite so much time talking about it, mostly in the manner chastised by Robert Kraft above. I doubt the US capitalist rotter, who seems more than a little aggrieved at being questioned at all - a sense of entitlement is rarely attractive - had the Couthy Commissar in his mind when he complained about 'circumstantial leaked evidence' but if the caps fits...and if 80% of fans don't care about Rangers, they've a funny way of showing it! Certainly, football worldwide is often the refuge of the unreconstructed, simple minded soul, and a sense of social awareness has never been a qualification for media work at all, let alone in sport. Last week's superb game in the FA Cup between Arsenal and Brighton, for example, was marred only by Robbie Savage's shrieked commentary, in which he not only encouraged Brighton players to put opponents into Row Z, play long balls into the channel and hoof it clear from defence, but persistently referred to co-host Ian Darke as 'darkey'. Even allowing for 'PC gone mad' considerations, this was brutal, throwback behaviour, as if the last 30 years on and off the field had never happened. I was ready for him to suggest Albion start the second half in flares before going on strike. But the game doesn't have to be so stupid: who in their right mind wants to use Robbie Savage as an exemplar? Maybe we can set an example for whatever future awaits our club by ignoring the existence of opposing fans and trying to lift the team. Well, there you have it, the depressing thoughts of a depressed handwringer on a depressingly wintry morning. We wait to see what happens on the pitch. I am sure the ground staff at Hampden will have the balls at the right pressure. I wonder what pressure mine will be come kick off.

https://www.facebook.com/rangersfansboard

Following detailed legal advice, the Rangers Supporters Trust (RST), with the financial backing of the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund (RFFF), submitted a petition to the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Monday 26th January, seeking an interim interdict to stop the Rangers board from granting security over Ibrox in favour of Sports Direct. Discussions between our lawyers and the board’s lawyers continued over the past three days. The conclusion of these discussions was the that board has agreed not to grant security over Ibrox for a period up until the 17th February covered by the advance notice they submitted. We are disappointed that we were not able to secure the extension of this commitment until the date of the upcoming EGM, as this now leaves a short period of time in which the board could grant security over Ibrox before they are hopefully removed. This is particularly concerning given the announcement yesterday that a further period of due diligence is required for the second £5m tranche of debt that the board has decided to saddle the club with. We believe our actions had a material impact in stopping the board from granting security over Ibrox. The revised deal with Sports Direct was agreed late on Monday night according to Paul Shackleton, the club’s AIM nomad. This was immediately following the petition submitted to the court, the announcement of which delayed what would have been a necessary interdict hearing in the Court of Session on Tuesday. We do not believe that the filing of a notice of intention to grant security over Ibrox was an error and we believe that a fixed security over Ibrox would most likely have been granted to Sports Direct had it not been challenged. We would like to register our disappointment that it was necessary to take legal action to hold this board to their public promises to shareholders and fans. Whilst we are pleased that the immediate danger posed to Ibrox has been averted, we share the anger of other fans at the latest act of corporate piracy perpetrated by the current Rangers directors. By accepting this deal with Sports Direct, they have plunged our club into unnecessary debt and, by pawning off further revenue streams including shirt sponsorship, have limited our ability to repay that debt. They have done this in their own interests and those of Mike Ashley. David Somers, Derek Llambias, James Easdale and Barry Leach have, in our opinion, neglected their duties to the PLC they are meant to represent. Our fans have one chance to remove these directors before they cause even more damage. We urge them to sign up at http://www.therst.co.uk/buyrangers and ensure that this board is removed at the upcoming EGM and replaced with directors who put Rangers Football Club above their own personal positions and the financial betterment of their masters. We will continue to liaise with our lawyers, the RFFF and other major shareholders regarding the actions of the Easdale brothers, David Somers, Derek Llambias and Barry Leach. We look forward to a forensic examination of their conduct following the EGM. We would like to thank the RFFF for their continued support, without which it would have been very difficult to challenge the actions of this discredited board. - See more at: http://www.therst.co.uk/news/ibrox-court-action-statement/#sthash.GhlaIbzq.dpuf

...Celtic and Rangers fans ridicule police safety warning ahead of Old Firm clash. FANS who take flags to Sunday's League Cup semi final will be asked to prove they are fireproof by showing safety certificates to police. FOOTBALL fans taking flags to Sunday’s Old Firm clash at Hampden will have to show safety certificates proving they are fireproof, it was revealed yesterday. Celtic and Rangers fans have also been told all banners will be inspected before being allowed into the stadium. Any banners or flags judged to have provocative, sectarian or objectionable messages or images will be confiscated. It’s understood police will return the banners to their owners after the powder keg League Cup semi-final. Celtic tweeted the warning to their fans and also told them that canes supporting flags must be a certain size or come with a safety certificate. Celtic fan liasion officer John Paul Taylor said: “All banners will be subject to inspection and must be fire retardant material. Take a certificate if you have one.” An insider said: “This is not a new requirement but it’s being enforced due to the background of the teams playing. Police are being extra cautious.” Fans took to social media to mock the rules for attending the sell-out match, which will see the bitter rivals meet for the first time in three years. Chaznoon tweeted: “Fireproof? Really?! In a non-smoking stadium? It’ll be no shell suits next!” Another user, Croppybhoy69, said: “I take two flags to home games. No certificate ever asked for. Police are ridiculous.” And Rodfather67 mocked the conditions imposed by Police, saying: “Obviously they are all proper militia fire retardant issue.” Celtic have advised fans to attend their local fire station with their flags and firefighters will be able to check them and issue a safety certificate. Police refused to comment. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/prove-your-flags-wont-burn-5062138

...bring back memories of administration at Ibrox. AFTER Mike Ashley stepped up his Ibrox power grab with another huge loan this week KEITH asks; is the Sports Direct supremo actually asset-stripping Rangers or is he preparing to negotiate with a new board? IS Mike Ashley asset-stripping Rangers ? That’s the question asked under parliamentary privilege at the House of Commons on Tuesday and one the Newcastle owner will have to answer if, as expected, he is summoned to attend a Westminster enquiry . On the face of it, there seems a strong case for the prosecution. In the last few days, and without even stepping foot in Glasgow, Ashley has managed to sweep through Ibrox, scooping up just about everything of value that wasn’t nailed down. Had he bothered to turn up in person he might have made his way home on the famous old St Etienne bike, testing the integrity of its 37-year-old frame to the full. Integrity. Now there’s a word that might cause Ashley more discomfort than half an hour on a racer’s saddle. There are 7.125billion people on the planet. Only 292 of them have more money than Ashley. And yet this champion of the zero hours contracts dumped 200 workers from his high street fashion store USC on to the dole just after Christmas without so much as a lump of coal for a thank you. Integrity? In Big Mike’s world that’s for wimps. Little wonder then that he has acted so brazenly in his Ibrox power grab. With one hand he has fed Rangers with a succession of life-saving drip-feed loans while with the other he’s throttled it into submission. His latest £10million handout was his way of parcelling up an entire institution into one of those vulgar, oversized Sports Direct carrier bags. As bargains go, this one takes some beating. For the price of a fully repayable loan (or in other words for not a single penny) Ashley controls every last bit of Rangers FC, from the old boardroom to the dressing rooms inside Murray Park. His commercial contract has been massively beefed up – Sports Direct now own 75 per cent of the club’s own retail company – which means the badges and crests are now in Ashley’s name too. Also as part of the new agreement, if Rangers should strike a multi-million shirt sponsorship deal, the vast majority of that money will go straight into Ashley’s back pocket. So, in summary, a business already teetering on the verge of insolvency has now taken on a mountain of new debt, while giving up huge chunks of its only existing revenue. Now I’m no Lord Sugar but even so, the logic being applied here seems so flawed that it’s bordering on insane. This business now has its bare toes curled around the summit of Everest, having pawned off its safety harness. With one puff of his chubby red cheeks, Ashley could blow the whole thing into oblivion. In fact, this latest decision by a board which is itself not fit for purpose has a very familiar and nasty whiff of madness to it. And the similarities don’t end there because another red flag was raised in Tuesday’s Stock Exchange statement and it came in the form of two words that became part of the Rangers discussion during Craig Whyte’s chaotic end of days – floating charge. Now Ashley too has placed a floating charge over the club’s assets and although this may be purely coincidental, while his motives and strategy remain a complete mystery, it ought to raise the general level of alarm. So is Ashley actually asset-stripping Rangers right in front of the eyes of its supporters? Or is this latest move the latest part of some other plan for the Ibrox club? Those who study Ashley’s dealings closely describe him as the ultimate high-roller poker player. They are quick to point out too that, deliberately inserted into Tuesday’s statement, was a line about all of these agreements being reversible upon repayment. It could be, in tieing up all of the above, Ashley is merely about to spread them down like a massive pile of casino chips. That he is preparing for defeat at an egm in the knowledge that Dave King’s requisition already has majority support among the club’s shareholders. Certainly, if any of these city types were previously undecided as to which way to cast their votes, the terms of Tuesday’s £10m loan shark deal would have helped make up their minds. If anything, by accepting Ashley’s deal over a rival offer from Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor, the board may have significantly bolstered the mood for regime change. Where the numbers are concerned, King’s hand has just been strengthened. Even so, Ashley heads into this showdown holding all the aces. Even if the board is obliterated, King will still have to deal with the man who controls the club’s assets. And Ashley will call the shots. What he will not do is roll over. He’s had serious skin in this Rangers game for too long to fold now. Ashley has been at the table for more than two years, ever since he handed £1m to Charles Green in advance of the £22m IPO of December 2012. Sports Direct has been stuffing its tills with blue pounds ever since courtesy of Green’s incredible generosity. His old pal Derek Llambias was even invited into Ibrox around the same time to strike a deal which saw Ashley buy the stadium’s naming rights for a pound. Llambias now sits at the head of the board in his role as CEO but he too has been around this saga for longer than most will have realised. He owns 51 per cent of a PR firm called Keith Bishop Associates who, around the time of that IPO, were invoicing former Finance Director Brian Stockbridge for all manner of sums without ever appearing to engage in any actual PR for the club. Stranger still, these payments were being signed off at a time when Green was hiring his own PR guru. Ironically, Llambias was appointed to the Rangers board late in 2014, not long after the Keith Bishop contract had been terminated by his predecessor Graham Wallace. Intriguing isn’t it? So on Monday afternoon I contacted Keith Bishop, who acts as Ashley’s official spokesperson, by phone earlier to ask him about some of this mysterious stuff. He requested I submit any questions via an email. That email landed in his inbox less than half an hour later. It took him until last night to respond in an email which read: “This company’s relationship with its clients are, and remain, confidential and not open to be discussed in the public domain.” All of which just goes to prove that it’s getting harder and harder to get a straight answer to anything Rangers related these days. So is Ashley really asset-stripping Rangers? Or is he gearing up for a massive game of negotiation poker with King and a new board? That would certainly seem the more logical view. But then again, this is Rangers. Logic left the building some time ago. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/keith-jackson-mike-ashleys-rangers-5062140

The Sun saying he has been banned because he joined RF. Someone asking if Foster has joined yet.

Rangers International Football Club plc - Is it breaching the Companies Act? Is its Nomad a cretin or worse? http://www.shareprophets.com/views/10306/rangers-international-football-club-plc-is-it-breaching-the-companies-act-is-its-nomad-a-cretin-or-worse

We have considered the views of many fans regarding action against Sports Direct. After to today's announcement we would be surprised if any self respecting Rangers fans spent money in his shops. Stopping him taking others money is a priority and as such we shall be starting a series of action to do this very soon. To hit his pocket via a series of actions nationally would not go amiss and as should be possible. What i suggest we do is set up a national network of Sons of Struth branches to coordinate future actions and as such would request as many as possible join us and those willing to coordinate from a local level can contact us to offer their services. sosnofstruth@aol.com As usual any action from SoS will be legal and non threatening to any staff or customers JOIN US http://www.sonsofstruth.co.uk/join-sos.html Craig

http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=1961&newsCategoryID=3&newsID=14129

We are f----d. 27 January 2015 Rangers International Football Club plc ("Rangers" or the "Company") £10m Credit Facility and associated transfer of 26% of Rangers Retail Limited The Board of Rangers announces that Rangers Football Club Limited ("the Club") has entered in to agreements with independent.co.uk/news/business/news/sports-direct-stops-20000-staff-taking-other-work-by-using-zero-hour-contracts-9661746.html Retail Limited and associated companies ("SD"), to provide a long term on-going credit facility of up to £10m (the "Facility"). The Company's financial condition has been perilous for a number of months exacerbated by lower than expected match attendances. The Directors have implemented a cost cutting program with which they have made significant progress. There is however an immediate need for a substantial injection of capital, and the Directors have considered a number of options. The terms negotiated with SD (which are reversible in respect of the Facility) represent the optimum combination of quantum and duration of funding, allowing the Company time to arrange permanent capital which can be used for strengthening the playing squad. The Facility is structured in two separate interest free tranches. GBP 5million will be available immediately for working capital purposes and for the repayment of the credit facilities with MASH Holdings Limited which was entered into on 27 October 2014. All rights and security associated with the MASH facility will be cancelled. The Club will transfer 26% of the share capital in Rangers Retail Limited ("RRL") to SD for the duration of the Facility (the "Transfer"), which will be transferred back, at no cost, upon repayment of all outstanding sums owed by Rangers and its subsidiaries to SD. There is no specified repayment period for the first tranche of the Facility. The Facility is to be secured by (1) a floating charge over the Club's assets and (2) fixed charges over Murray Park, Edmiston House, Albion Car Park, and the Club's registered trademarks. None of the security that is being given to SD covers Ibrox Stadium, which is specifically excluded and remains in the full ownership of the Club, free from any security. SD will also have the right to nominate two directors to the board of Rangers for the duration of the Facility, any such nomination will be subject to regulatory consent pursuant to the AIM Rules and other regulatory bodies. If the entire sum drawn down is repaid, the Facility will be deemed to be terminated, all security will be released, the 26% of RRL will revert to the Company and all rights of SD to nominate Directors to the Board of the Company will cease. The second tranche of GBP5 million, which repayable 5 years after drawdown, will be used, if required, for working capital purposes and is subject to due diligence by SD prior to drawn down. The Company has also agreed that from the 2017/8 season, for the duration of the Facility, any future shirt sponsorship proceeds will be for the benefit of RRL. RRL will declare a dividend of a total of GBP 1,610,000 prior to the Transfer. The Club will use the proceeds of its share of this dividend, inter alia, to repay sums owing to SD in respect of the cessation of onerous leases on unprofitable stores entered into by a previous Rangers management team. RRL is a joint venture between the Club and SD whose business is selling merchandise both on-line and in stores. In the period ending 27 April 2014, RRL made a profit before tax of GBP 1,172,893. SD is a Related Party under the AIM Rules and accordingly the Facility is a Related Party Transaction pursuant to AIM Rule 13. The Independent Directors, consider, having consulted with WH Ireland its nominated adviser, that the terms of the Facility are fair and reasonable insofar as shareholders of the Company are concerned. The Directors would like to thank all the Rangers Stakeholders who showed an interest in helping the Company. Commenting on the Facility, David Somers said: " The Board has sought for some time to establish a long term funding solution for the Company in order to create a platform of stability to build for the future. This Facility begins this process and we very much hope that it will be augmented with further permanent capital in due course. In addition, the executive team have made strides in addressing the cost base of the Company in order to improve our financial condition and working capital profile. We very much hope that we can now move away from having to seek short term funding solutions and can focus our efforts towards investing in the first team playing squad, a return to profitability and to re-establishing Rangers in the top league in Scottish Football and in due course, to European competition. The Board now calls upon all shareholders to rally together to achieve this goal."

Statement from the bears due at 6pm (approx) keep the faith guys please, from FF

Been trying to get my head round things for a while now..... Exactly what influence does Mike Ashley have over the current board??? Recently, we have seen investment proposals from King, Sarver & 3Bears all knocked back in favour of offerings from MA, which have been very heavily weighted in favour of the lender. What interest does MA have in the club??? Personally I think he wants to control the merchandise. However, if he turns the fans against him (as he has), no-one will buy the stuff he's selling, so where's the benefit??? MA has been told that he can't own any more shares by the SFA, therefore he can't invest directly into the club. Any money will come in the way of loans, therefore increasing debt - debt that will be more difficult to repay since SD now control 75% of the retail channel. Couple that with the reduced attendance etc & cash flow is severely impacted. Has MA been the one really pulling the strings all along??? Was he the main force behind Chuckles?? Could he be the Easdales true puppet-master??? To me nothing about MA's involvement makes sense. He is a very successful businessman - no-one can argue that - but the way things are being run @ Rangers, it's as if people want it to fail!!! The Board etc appear to be trying their best to drive the fans/customers away.

...in Westminster speech. Jan 27, 2015 17:07 By John Ferguson DONOHOE accused Ashley of showing "scant regard for his workers" in his retail firms referring to a move to plunge USC into administration before he bought it again through one of his other subsidiaries, leaving many workers out of a job. MIKE Ashley’s credentials to invest in Rangers have been questioned by a Scots MP during a speech in the Palace of Westminster. Brian Donohoe used parliamentary privilege to question whether the billionaire Newcastle United owner was a fit and proper person to take over at Ibrox. His criticism came after Ashley plunged his fashion retailer USC into administration, only to buy it again through one of his other subsidiaries, leaving many workers out of a job. Donohoe said: “Given the way Mike Ashley has behaved, is the Sports Direct supremo a fit and proper person to be buying shares in Ibrox and appointing his people to the board? ”He has shown scant regard for his workers and thrown many loyal people on the scrapheap. “It is wrong that this individual is allowed anywhere close to Rangers. “We need transparency into the affairs of Mike Ashley and the affairs of Glasgow Rangers.” The USC deal - brokered through former Rangers administrators Duff and Phelps - resulted in the loss of 88 jobs at the firm’s headquarters in Dundonald, South Ayrshire. Mr Donohoe says that USC staff were given no advance warning when they were made redundant just after Christmas. According to Forbes magazine, Ashley, who owns just under 8.9 per cent of Rangers shares but wields a massive amount of power at the club, is worth £3.3billion making him the 293rd richest person in the world. A motion has been lodged at the Scottish Parliament by local Adam Ingram MSP which condemns the actions of Mr Ashley and calls on him to ensure employees are paid what they are owed has so far attracted support from 26 other MSPs. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/not-fit-run-rangers-mp-5053298

Just sent a quick note to the RFB chair (tomclements@rangersfansboard.co.uk) to respectfully suggest his organisation discuss a vote of no confidence in the RIFC board asap. In the absence of any other organisation meeting with the club, I think the RFB should be forced to hold the club directors to account at the earliest opportunity. Feel free to join me...

Reading on FF. Won 3-1 Hardie hat-trick.

A SCOTS MP is to raise questions in the Commons about whether Mike Ashley is a fit and proper person to run Rangers and other clubs after he was accused of deplorable behaviour over his treatment of workers at his collapsed clothing firm. Central Ayrshire MP Brian Donohoe says he will use parliamentary privilege to question the credentials of the billionaire Newcastle United owner to run top flight sides. Business Minister Fergus Ewing has already expressed "extreme concern and disappointment" at the conduct of Mr Ashley's Sports Direct, which owns USC, after it went into administration this month with the loss of 88 jobs in Dundonald, South Ayrshire. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/mike-ashleys-credentials-to-run-football-clubs-to-be-questioned-in-parliament.116853857