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So says Keith Jackson: http://t.co/auDoxxHRJp Not a lot of meat on the bones but not a surprise either.
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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
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A few of our members and subscribers over the last year or so will remember that an English production company were aiming to put together a feature-length documentary into the experiences of the fans over the last few years coupled with help from various supporters, players and RSCs. I'm pleased to say that after around nine month's work, these efforts are about to be published by way of a 90minute cinema film (and DVD release) over the next month or so. SDMC Productions kindly gave me an opportunity to put together a short review of an early edit of the documentary ahead of the final release which now follows. At the outset I think it's important to note that the budget for this film was partially crowd-funded and, thus, quite small so I certainly didn't expect a Hollywood standard production. As such, if the viewer can tune their expectations to that level then they'll get more out of the experience. With that in mind, it's fair to say I enjoyed some aspects of the film whilst being slightly disappointed in others. Basically, the documentary follows and interviews a number of fans in their Rangers supporting rituals and experiences - some related to events since 2011/12, some of a more general nature. While it can be said that a few of the interviews are perhaps somewhat repetitive and occasionally bland, the viewer can't fail to feel the love these fans have for their club. As much as every Rangers fan supports/views the club in a different way, I could definitely feel an affinity in which the passion these guys follow follow. That passion is certainly aided by some of the (apparently expensive) archive footage contained in the video. Whether it's the goals from our Cup Winners' Cup win in Barcelona '72 or Lee McCulloch grabbing another winner against lower league opposition, I'll never tire of cheering them in. That glimpse of our continuing history should evoke pride in all of us. In addition to the footage, interviews with Dave Smith and Dave McPherson show just what the club means to former players as well. My edit didn't have the interviews with Gordon Smith and Alex Rae but I'm sure the final version will emphasise that player/fan relationship. Unfortunately, where the producers missed a trick was perhaps not concentrating a little bit more on not only where the club is now but why. In that sense, some of the fan interviews only very lightly touched on the events of 2-3 years ago and I feel a more in-depth examination of Rangers troubles may have been appreciated. However, on our forum, the film director did say they weren't overly interested in an exposé of what happened but I do believe more should have been made of why we are where we are now. Similarly, while the untimely death of Sandy Jardine and the Ibrox Disaster of 1971 are understandably juxtaposed later in the film, this felt rather clumsy. Taking these comments on board, while I certainly enjoyed parts of the documentary, for some, the content may be seen as superficial or overly sentimental. However, that's not necessarily a major criticism as supporting Rangers nowadays - be it the daily financial or legal analysis - can be a complicated and stressful process so perhaps a more simple study will provide a welcome antidote to the constant headache many bears have nowadays. All things considered SDMC have clearly worked hard to independently produce something our fans will appreciate and I thank them and all involved for their efforts. You can judge for yourselves when the DVD is released and you can pre-order this below on Amazon. Furthermore, we'll have an opportunity on this site to win a copy of the full-length release next month. Glasgow Rangers FC - The Blue Bear Rises (SDMC Productions) £14 - Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Glasgow-Rangers-FC-Blue-Rises/dp/B00O7QL29G
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http://www.rangers.co.uk/images/FansBoard/Minutes/RFB_Minutes_061014.pdf -
http://news.stv.tv/west-central/299623-four-men-detained-after-police-probe-into-sale-of-rangers-in-2012/ I'd like to remind people of their legal obligations in speculating over individuals and alleged criminal behaviour. -
Have we really spent more than £20M on players wages over these three seasons? And for what, two minor league titles? Our manager is a disgrace, will leave it at that.
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THE Crown Office will today issue a warrant for the arrest of disgraced former Rangers owner Craig Whyte, the Daily Record can exclusively reveal. Whyte is wanted in connection with alleged fraud over his purchase of the Ibrox club in 2011. The sensational news comes after it was revealed that police forces in England, acting on warrants from Police Scotland, made dawn arrests today in connection with a long-running inquiry into Rangers. Four men were arrested at addresses in Thames Valley, Surrey and Cheshire. The first of the four is Paul Clark, London managing director of former Rangers adminstrators Duff & Phelps. The other three are former Duff & Phelps north of England managing director David Whitehouse, David Greer, a former partner in the business, and Gary Withey, a solicitor who worked with Whyte’s law firm Collyer Bristow. The arrests came at 6am today. Whyte, who has a flat in Monaco, is believed to be out of the country. It is thought the allegations over which the men have been detained centre on claims that Grier and Whyte were known to each other before Duff & Phelps were appointed as Whyte’s choice of administrators for Rangers in 2012. HMRC had at first opposed Whyte’s choice of administrators. Whyte bought the club from Sir David Murray in 2011 for £1 promising to wipe Rangers’ £18 million debt to Lloyds Banking Group. It later emerged he had sold future season ticket sales to London firm Ticketus to finance the deal. In 2013 financial industry regulators cleared Duff & Phelps of wrongdoing over the Rangers’ administration, though they said the company had left itself open to criticism. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/sc...-crown-4628861
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Looks like 3.6 million shares were traded today or rather transferred , could this be in part payement for either outstanding loan
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Apparently voting is now open for your favoured candidate in each section's short leet. I'm not a member myself but I'm sure someone can post the full list here if possible. http://fansboard.rangers.co.uk/
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THE WAR is over. The retailer has won. This morning Graham Wallace will be fired from his position as Rangers chief executive and this crisis-ravaged club will belong lock, stock and smoking barrel to Mike Ashley. Quite what Ashley has planned for it is still a matter of conjecture but the ruthless manner in which he went about last week’s power grab certainly suggests he wants it badly and also sees a way to make a killing by rolling his tanks into Glasgow. He now has security over two of the club’s major assets, the Albion car park and Edmiston House, and when his placemen arrive in the boardroom this week he’ll have grabbed this club firmly by the throat. As with everything Rangers, Ashley’s arrival on the scene will be spun in a variety of ways. The dark arts were evidenced over the weekend when it was leaked that, without his intervention, this basketcase would have gone bust within 48 hours. There were even muffled whispers from the shadowy sidelines Ashley had in fact ‘saved the club’ but the very notion the Newcastle United chairman had ridden to Rangers rescue in some sort of philanthropic or heroic act is completely absurd. In many ways, what actually went on amid increasingly frantic discussions on Thursday and Friday was a throwback to May 2011 when Sir David Murray invited Craig Whyte to trigger this omnishambles and set in action the catastrophic chain of events that has now led to Ashley’s increased involvement. That deal was a great bit of business for Whyte and for Lloyds Bank in particular – the £18million they recouped from the sale remains the outstanding trade of the last three and a half chaotic years – but it was a spectacularly awful one for the Ibrox club. Similarly, by taking control of Rangers for the price of a £2m loan, every penny of which will be paid back, Ashley has pulled off a serious coup in more ways than one. This is why he is known as the biggest beast in the jungle but even the Newcastle owner must be laughing up the sleeve of his safari suit at the way in which he managed to pull this one off. It was typically bold and eye poppingly aggressive and it included issuing the remnants of the Rangers board with threats of legal action both collectively and individually, should they turn him down in favour of a £3m loan from Brian Kennedy. Each of these directors was warned of potentially devastating repercussions should Ashley not get his way and as a result Rangers is his now to do with as he wishes. And all for less than the cost of a Sports Direct poly bag. It was an extraordinary stunt and it’s no wonder Sale Sharks owner Kennedy left Glasgow on Saturday still unsure as to how on earth the dysfunctional Rangers board – a collection of directors who have run the business into the ground – could allow it to happen in spite of his impassioned pleas. The farce began with the rejection of Dave King’s £16m bailout offer by the mysterious bloc of shareholders whose 26 per cent voting rights are represented by Sandy Easdale. On Thursday CEO Wallace, who knew his £300,000-a-year neck was now well and truly on the line, reached out to Kennedy and pleaded with him to make a counter offer. Kennedy worked through the night with his legal team to come up with his £3m offer, dependent only on him being allowed to place one man on the current board. He flew to Glasgow at lunchtime on Friday in the hope of getting the deal done. Kennedy was wasting his jet fuel. Not one of these directors was even at Ibrox on the day it was determined Ashley should be handed the keys. The fact all these discussions were held via conference call, underlines how little feel for the club these men have. Wallace headed for a beach in Greece despite being urged by at least two key protagonists to postpone his holiday for 24 hours. Finance director Philip Nash went one better by resigning and washing his hands of the entire Ashley v Kennedy showdown. That Nash threw in the towel is an indication he suspected the game was up and that another director, Laxey’s lackey Norman Crighton, had jumped camps at the last minute. Crighton had voiced his concern at Ashley’s move and had even said the Cockney must be stopped ‘at all costs’ but he performed a 180-degree turn at the last minute to leave Kennedy’s proposal in tatters. Chairman David Somers is another who may have cause to be persecuted by his own conscience. At least Nash had the principle to resign from his £1,000-a-day post. While Wallace was clinging on for dear life for his pay-off, Nash wanted no part of it and this included telling Ashley’s people he was unwilling to work for their man in the event he was successful. Having previously called for the removal of Nash and Walllace, Ashley had a change of heart. It’s understood he wanted Nash on board after crediting him with making £5m worth of cuts since February. One of those cuts was to a contract worth in excess of £100,000-a-year to Ashley’s own PR firm Keith Bishop Associates. This agreement was done as part of the £1 stadium naming rights deal Ashley agreed with Charles Green and which was signed off by Imran Ahmad – who then sued Rangers for £300,000 in bonuses for all of his good work. Deals like these are precisely why Rangers should brace itself for the full impact of Ashley’s arrival. He already pockets 49 per cent of all income from merchandise sales but may think this arrangement can be tweaked and improved in his favour. With two of his men on the board, a compliant chairman and confirmed allies in James Easdale and Crighton, he can do pretty much as he pleases. The only comfort in any of this for the Rangers supporters is to be found in the depth of Ashley’s pockets. He will not allow this club to go under, that much is certain. But from here on in Rangers will be run his way and for his benefit. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/sport/keith-jackson-mike-ashleys-rangers-4515761
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edit It appears MASH Holdings loan us 2M, secured on our assets and gaining influence in the boardrooms of TRFC and RIFC, whilst Rangers Retail (under Sports Direct financial control) are not releasing greater sums of money supposedly due to us. For some reason Rangers Retail (under Sports Direct financial control) have withheld profits from Rangers (RIFC). The numbers below have appeared in the accounts. This money hasn't since been released to RIFC. 30 June 2013:............................................. ........... £946,000 31 December 2013:............................................. £1,669,000 30 June 2014:............................................................£2,720,000 Today: If pattern stays the same I'd estimate...... £3,000,000 Is Mike Ashely indirectly using our money to finance the loan he has agreed with the RIFC board ? I can't say without the current numbers but you have to ask why withhold the money in the first place if we are struggling. The two directors that represent RIFC on the Rangers Retail (RR) board are currently Wallace and Nash, so they might have lobbied for it to have been paid at the beginning of the year but it would have been, only if SD and it's directors on RRLtd both agreed. Update The figure for year end 30/06/14 is now inserted above. It shows that the total continues to accumulate and continues, at that date not to have been released. http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12067610.html Background In late July 2012, a joint venture was entered into by Sports Direct and Rangers, it became known as Rangers Retail Ltd. Charles Green and Brian Stockbridge represented Rangers on the RR board of directors. SD have 49% in 'A' class shares which count double in any votes regarding financial matters. RIFC have 51%, in 'B' class shares Effectively SD control the joint venture. Links to the accounts 30/6/13...http://www.rangers.co.uk/images/staticcontent/documents/AnnualReport2013.pdf 31/12/13....http://rangers.g3dhosting.com/regula...ws_article/375 -
DARREN McGREGOR has revealed he’s on course for an automatic contract extension after a solid start to his Rangers career. The defender signed a one-year deal with the club in the summer having left St Mirren at the end of his deal there. Ally McCoist had been a huge admirer of the stopper for some time but he was given only 12 months at Ibrox initially because of his injury history. McGregor suffered two cruciate knee ligament injuries during his four-year stay in Paisley but was fit enough to play 38 times for the Buddies last term. When he switched to the Light Blues, he had it written into his terms that he’d earn a second campaign with the club if he was fit enough for at least half of the games in 2014/15. Given he has been both available and involved in all of the 15 fixtures Gers have had to date, the 29-year-old is on track at this stage. McGregor said: “I think what a lot of people don’t know is I’ll get an extension if I’m available for 50 per cent of the first season. “Just because of the injuries I’ve had, the club has wanted me to be available that often but that’s not necessarily to say I have to play in them. “There is something in place whereby if I’m available, I’ll be here for a second year. Fingers crossed that happens because you can’t complain at working at Murray Park every day. “On the face on it, I just wanted to come in, do well and give the gaffer some food for thought. “To have been involved in every game so far, I’m pinching myself. I’m taking every day and every week as it comes though. “I don’t get too high or too low because it can change in an instant. I just need to focus on motoring on. “Getting a contract with Rangers was great but the hard work just started there. I have to keep showing what I’m all about and try to improve the squad. “Hopefully I’m helping the younger guys out and I’ll continue trying to do that as long as I’m here.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7904-on-course-for-deal-extension
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With the next 24 hours likely to be important in terms of this issue, this article from Richard Wilson is a good appraisal ahead of a new thread on boardroom events. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29717979
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http://www.chelseafc.com//news/latest-news/2014/10/club-statement.html Ron's a big Rangers man - let the rumours begin...!
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http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7812-notice-under-section-303-of-the-companies-act-2006
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Troubles are mounting for the club and its financial adviser t is hard to know which company is closer to omnishambles – Rangers International Football Club or Daniel Stewart Securities, the club’s nominated financial adviser, or nomad. Just as the Ibrox club most needs its nomad’s help, Daniel Stewart’s best minds are desperately trying to find the cash to plug the hole in its own accounts. Neither company’s woes are surprising on their own. But together, they create a mess that only exposes the risks of the Alternative Investment Market as an unregulated market. Last week Daniel Stewart admitted it lacked the regulatory capital required by the Financial Conduct Authority, the top City watchdog. It turns out that is why the broker missed the deadline for filing its accounts and suspended its Aim-quoted shares this month. If Daniel Stewart can’t find a knight to rescue it and fails to publish accounts by March, the suspension from Aim will become expulsion. Almost simultaneously, Rangers received a notice from Mike Ashley, the billionaire founder of Sports Direct, who owns Newcastle United and for reasons known only to himself has built a 9 per cent stake in Rangers. Mr Ashley is calling for a meeting to throw out the club’s chief executive, Graham Wallace, and its director, Philip Nash, from the Ibrox board. Rangers must anyway hold its annual meeting by Christmas, when it will ask investors to stump up more cash to keep the club going. This is on top of last month’s £3m fundraising, which Mr Ashley refused to back. It won’t help that its nomad is caught in its own storm. The reaction of the FCA and the London Stock Exchange, the for-profit company that oversees Aim, is not comforting. It seems that even if the FCA were to withdraw its authorisation from Daniel Stewart, the Old Jewry business could still act as a nomad. The LSE’s rule book for nomads is a masterpiece in accommodation. It will consider whether a nomad endangers the reputation or integrity of Aim and review “whether the applicant is appropriately authorised and regulated and the applicant’s standing with its regulators”. But there is nothing prescriptive about a nomad being authorised by Britain’s chief watchdog. It highlights how loosely the junior market is regulated. If Daniel Stewart were to lose its nomad status, the clients would be handed over to other brokers swiftly, say regulators. That may not be so easy in Rangers’ case. The club has suffered persistent board spats and financial troubles and Daniel Stewart is its third nomad since it floated in December 2012. Brokers are not queueing for the job. But without a nomad, Rangers’ shares would be suspended. The departure of Daniel Stewart or Rangers from Aim may not be a cause for lament. But it should make Daniel Stewart’s other 25 or so clients think hard about the company they are keeping. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4173540c-4fbf-11e4-a0a4-00144feab7de.html#axzz3G0qrhEdz
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2789354/furious-rangers-fans-staged-angry-protest-against-mike-ashley-s-increasing-influence-sports-direct-stores.html
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Here's the latest from McMurdo.........
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http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...n-Rangers.html MIKE ASHLEY has doubled his stake in Rangers. The Newcastle owner now owns around nine per cent of the Scottish Championship club. Investment group Hargreave Hale confirmed it was behind the sale of £853,000 worth of shares in the fallen Glaswegian giants. Ashley’s purchase came hours after Gers fans threatened to boycott his Sports Direct stores over the cut-price deal he struck for the Ibrox naming rights. A spokesman for fans’ group Sons of Struth said: “We call on Mike Ashley to cancel his contract before the October 11. “If he still retains the naming rights after this point, we will instigate an immediate series of actions aimed at his Sports Direct stores.”
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It’s been quite an exercise in the art of survival. A board who have misled shareholders at AGM, hidden the identity of investors, stand accused by a section of the press of lying over the withdrawal of credit/debit card facilities for season tickets, who, in their “comprehensive” 120 day review hid/omitted to divulge details of “the sale of the century” regarding stadium naming rights, have failed to answer satisfactorily structured questions from fans groups pertaining to the long term plans for the club, who have by unethical and unedifying association with known fugitives embarrassed the name of the club, the aforesaid which sees them, again, accused of misleading supporters regarding the nature of that meeting, have found in the last few days that there is one aspect of the club that even the most resourceful or duplicitous cannot hide from the fans – the state of the product on the park. There is even perhaps a warped sense of irony, that in the battle for our football club the ammunition or language is no longer anonymous investors, percentages or proxied shares but rather tactical ineptitude, poor performance, ill-discipline and unexplainable team selection. The current board cannot on this occasion use the convenient “get out clause” of laying the blame on previous regimes – this time it’s their call, and as thousands of bears demonstrated on Monday night as our team capitulated to Hibs, they will be held to account. In fact they already have been by thousands, the empty seats providing ample supporting evidence on that one. I fear it will get worse, much worse before it gets better. There is nowhere, nowhere the board can hide from this one. Monday night was a culmination rather than a knee jerk, perhaps the saddest aspect of it all was that it came as no great surprise to anyone. The failings of management, signing policy, tactics and team selection have been the subject of message board forums, supporter’s bus conversations and pre-match blethers for months. It is not a time for emotive and unhelpful descriptive language, either positive or negative regarding Ally, but rather a regrettable acceptance and emotion free analysis that in the most important area – on the park – Ally is not capable of taking us to where we not only want, but also need to be. There was a moment on Monday night when the cacophony of anger from the Copland Road, directed towards Ally, saw him withdraw to the dugout. It was notable that Durranty was tasked with the verbal coaching from the touchline second half. The board should be thankful there was such a volume of noise, if they prevaricate any longer over what needs to be done, then perhaps next time we fail, it will be akin to the tree falling in the empty forest – there will only be an empty silence from the empty stands.
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http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/end-of-an-era-as-murray-closes-illustrious-charlotte-square-hq.25482419
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Looks to have been hacked by the filth. Guess that's a warning to other popular Gers Twitter accounts to be careful and maybe think about changing their passwords.
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....not to panic over wages fears in secret dressing room plea. WALLACE held a clear-the-air meeting with players yesterday to reassure them their wages and future were secure, claiming the £3million raised by the recent share issue had stabilised the Ibrox cash crisis. IBROX chief executive Graham Wallace has held a secret special briefing to reassure the Rangers squad that the future is secure. Wallace addressed the players in the home dressing-room at Ibrox on Friday and insisted there were no imminent financial worries. Ally McCoist’s side scraped a 1-1 draw with Alloa yesterday, with David Templeton hitting a late leveller. But at the clear-the-air meeting Wallace claimed the £3million raised by the recent share issue had stabilised the Ibrox cash crisis. One player said: “Wallace spoke to us on Friday and tried to assure us that the situation was under control. He spoke well and clearly, and told us not to worry about any speculation. “A lot of us don’t really know what is happening off the field. We just try to concentrate on winning games. He insisted the financial situation is under control.” Wallace claimed the picture is rosier than portrayedby worried fans in an attempt to ease fears the club may not be able to afford future wage payments. However, the chief executive’s comments clash with the feelings of supporters’ groups who worry that the club will run out of money by the turn of the year. Former chairman Alistair Johnston has also expressed grave reservations and has urged the Easdale brothers to sell their shares and get out of Ibrox. Revenue is drastically reduced at Rangers this season after only 23,000 season tickets were sold and corporate hospitality is also down. The club have had to borrow a total of £1.5m from wealthy fan George Letham and Sandy Easdale and sell almost 16 million new shares to provide working capital. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-chief-graham-wallace-urges-4297450
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RANGERS still need to secure substantial additional investment to get them through to the end of the season - despite raising over £3million last week. And further off-field unrest at the Ibrox club, where disgruntled fans are considering a mass boycott, could impact greatly on dwindling resources. That was the stark message from financial expert Neil Patey today as he assessed the situation at the troubled Glasgow institution. The SPFL Championship club announced last Friday that £3.13m worth of shares had been purchased at a share offering. But Patey, a partner with accountancy firm Ernst and Young, believes Rangers will only be left with around £1m of that to use for running costs. And he stressed that Gers directors will have to bring in fresh funding to stave off the threat of a second administration in three years. Speculation is rife that Sports Direct magnate Mike Ashley will increase his involvement - or club assets like Murray Park will be sold off. Patey said: "The club themselves stated that if 15 million shares were taken up it would take them through to the end of the current year. "What they raised was just marginally over the minimum so it will probably see them up to just past Christmas. "Of the £3million they have raised, around £500,000 of it will go on expenses leaving them with £2.5million. "If they repay the loans to Sandy Easdale and George Letham in full, they will be left with about £1million. "If they are saying that £1million will get them to the end of the year, that suggests they have succeeded in getting the monthly cash burn down to a fairly low figure. "Broadly speaking, going on the figures the club has given, they will then need to bring in at least £2million to get them through to the end of the season. "Towards the end of the season, the club are going to start selling season tickets once again and money will be coming in." Patey added: "But, again, that is dependent on the fans coming out and buying season tickets. The big thing for the club is fan support. "The club may only have sold 23,000 season tickets, but they are still taking in money from ticket sales on match days. "But if the supporters stop turning up for matches then it will make the situation worse. Fans have a big say in how things go at Rangers." Patey stressed the financial situation at Rangers would improve significantly when they rejoin Old Firm rivals Celtic in the top flight. He said: "Getting back into the Premiership does two things. In the first instance, they get more money from games. "Secondly, it helps them to attract investors if they are a Premiership club." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/financial-experts-rangers-warning-180534n.25322293
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MIKE ASHLEY is preparing to become the front-runner in an effort to save Rangers from another financial collapse. The Newcastle United owner has made positive moves to sell the St James’ Park club and bring to an end a troubled seven-year reign on Tyneside as he turns his attention to Ibrox. There is already interest in United – even at the asking price of around £230million – and any quick deal would allow Ashley to immediately focus on the Gers. News of the Sports Direct chief’s enthusiasm for stepping up his involvement with Rangers comes on the day fans are expected to hear how successful the board’s latest share issue – aimed at raising £4m – has been. But, whatever happens, it appears Ashley is keen to switch his football and business from Tyneside to Clydeside. Gers fans are now of a mood where any transparent ownership of the club would be welcome, even if there would be reservations over precisely what Ashley has in mind. He has been notoriously reluctant to splash the cash at Newcastle during his time in charge of the Premier League club, although Rangers wouldn’t need anything like the investment in players the English club require to compete against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Ashley, of course, already has a stake in the Gers, along with the naming rights for Ibrox. But, until he sells Newcastle, he is pre- vented from increasing that to more than 10 per cent by SFA rules. UEFA regulations also stipulate the same person cannot own two clubs that might meet each other in European competition and, while neither Rangers nor Newcastle are playing in Europe, they could in the future. Now it seems Ashley wants to take charge of the Gers alone with, clearly, one eye on a potential return to the Champions League and the opportunities that would afford. But right now his focus is on selling the Magpies quickly – and the £230m asking price includes repayment of the £129m he is owed in the form of interest-free loans. Ashley paid just £134m to purchase Newcastle from Sir John Hall, above, and Freddie Shepherd in 2007. And, while the club has not officially been put up for sale as the uncertainty could destabilise the business and unsettle the team, there is interest from North America and the Far East in buying a club that posted a post-tax profit of £9.9m for the last financial year. That, however, has not been achieved without incurring the wrath of a lot of people concerned at his lack of investment in the team, a controversial shirt deal with payday loans company Wonga and a series of internal cost-cutting measures. The £40m spent on players this summer was paid for almost entirely by the sale of Yohan Cabaye to Paris Saint-Germain and Mathieu Debuchy to Arsenal. http://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/sport/football/509766/Newcastle-s-Mike-Ashley-set-to-bid-for-Rangers
