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  1. Not going myself so am hoping a few lads I trust to tweet accurately will keep us informed through the meeting. The Rangers board have already arrived ahead of the 10.30am start.
  2. http://news.stv.tv/west-central/256830-rangers-supporters-trust-suspend-spokesperson-over-improper-conduct/
  3. @scotDMsport: Ally McCoist sides with Rangers fans ahead of crucial vote. See tomorrow's Scottish Daily Mail
  4. http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/match-analysis/208-final-mock-agm-results-and-analysis Within this article, you can find the final results of our mock AGM which concentrated on the meeting resolutions related to the appointment of various directors – both existing and potential. While I’d like to reiterate that the poll was not a serious piece of scientific analysis, the results are nonetheless very interesting. In many ways, the outcome is actually broadly along the lines I expected – showing uncertainty for elements of the current board and reasonable support for those nominated to join it. However, it’s especially thought provoking to note a lack of genuine support for the new chairman (possibly as a result of an unnecessarily petty ‘open letter’ of earlier this month). If you compare this with the results for Graham Wallace (whose comments have been much more measured) then it does show how important it is to retain a positive outlook in the media. By way of balance, there appears to be a distinct lack of backing for previous chairman Malcolm Murray with four out of ten voters unimpressed with his nomination. Was it a mistake to offer himself back up for election? Generally though, the incumbents have a lack of obvious support from our voters with Brian Stockbridge especially having only one in ten people able to vote in favour of his reappointment as Finance Director. Even the so-far anonymous Norman Crighton struggles to poll convincingly as voters remain undecided on his contribution. On the other hand, the requisitioners appear to have a solid base to approach Thursday’s AGM with most of their nominations having clear backing from the 1300-1500 total voters. It certainly appears that many fans appreciated their efforts to communicate directly with them in Glasgow last month. That has resulted in around three quarters of voters supporting Paul Murray, Scott Murdoch and Alex Wilson’s nominations. It should also be noted that a similar private poll of RST members has results consonant with this open one, though even more in favour of boardroom change. Thus, I think it’s fair to say many Rangers fans remain cynical about those in charge of the club. However, clearly a fair number of people appear less than enthused about Murray et al. Of course, while these polls are worth exploring, fans only make up for around 12% of the whole when it comes to the actual AGM vote with institutional and major individual investors holding the real power for Thursday’s vote. Indeed, yesterday’s Times suggested this was a foregone conclusion with the existing regime likely to be supported by the majority; although the article was unclear with respect to specific nominees so some change may still happen. Whatever does transpire it’s clear from this poll and recent protests that large numbers of Rangers fans (and indeed investors) remain far from convinced the club is being run well enough to secure its future. That should be worthy of serious consideration by all and I’m glad this AGM is being belatedly held to ensure some democratic process in that sense. However, this also means, no matter the result, the club needs some respite going forward to consolidate its position. With that in mind, I think it’s reliant on all involved to consider a minimum three month moratorium on the issue of boardroom change. For example, we’re told that April will be a low point in the club’s finances so any attempt to destabilise the club further ahead of this period would be extremely detrimental to its future viability. Tacit threats of non-engagement such as boycotts of merchandise and/or season tickets are unlikely to be widely supported so should not be made lightly. Instead, the fan groups discussing such actions would be much better served concentrating on how they can lobby more effectively rather than considering suicidal scare tactics. There’s no doubt genuine change in our supporters organisations is as desperately needed as anything else. On the other hand, neither should any moratorium be seen as an opportunity for the club to continue to hide from its responsibilities. No matter how the board is constituted after Thursday, all involved have to openly discuss the club’s short, medium and long-term future with the fans and potential investors. Both Paul Murray and Sandy Easdale claim they have finance ready to be invested once stability is achieved but how can fans/investors be assured they’re not throwing good money after bad with the share price already halved from last year’s IPO? All in all, lots of rhetoric and spin aside, I don’t know any Rangers fan not concerned about the club’s future. It doesn’t matter if you want to give the Somers administration support or want Paul Murray to ‘cleanse’ the club; fans just want the chance to talk about football again. Indeed, apathy and fatigue may actually present the biggest barrier to all going forward – the team may be winning on the park but unless we see a dramatic change in the way the club approaches a range of issues, we may just be stumbling towards mediocrity instead of climbing purposely back to the pinnacle of the Scottish game. In that sense, Thursday’s AGM may provide some short term relief from all the pain of the last few months but the only way the club (and the fans) can really move forward is via leadership, communication and mutual trust. Can we construct a recognisable path forward in 2014 or will we continue to dig our own grave? Mock AGM Results Somers 1417 votes cast Yes 20% No 75% Undecided 5% Wallace 1370 votes cast Yes 62% No 16% Undecided 22% Stockbridge 1413 votes cast Yes 12% No 86% Undecided 2% Crighton 1347 votes cast Yes 18% No 40% Undecided 42% Easdale 1203 votes cast Yes 21% No 72% Undecided 7% P Murray 1373 votes cast Yes 71% No 27% Undecided 3% M Murray 1361 votes cast Yes 59% No 34% Undecided 7% Murdoch 1338 votes cast Yes 76% No 17% Undecided 7% Wilson 1331 votes cast Yes 76% No 17% Undecided 7%
  5. For those unfamiliar with Harper Lee’s classic “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Boo Radley is a mysterious and reclusive figure introduced early in the book by the author. Her fear of Boo often stems from the author’s overactive imagination and is compounded by a fear of the unknown. It is only at the end of the book the true nature and character of Boo Radley is revealed. As some of you know I have access to the Vanguard Bears forums, I’m not a member but am allowed full and unrestricted access to their online discussions. As a certain Fanzine editor described in his Christmas Fanzine this type of membership could be described as Vanguard Bears (Soft Toys Section) – [Copyright No.1 Fanzine] But more on this later. Form the reading of WATP magazine more of you will be aware of my recent article which insists on the Rangers support having access to information which allows us to ensure correct governance at our club. I think it is untenable that in this day and age, after all we as a support have been through and given back to this club – that we are totally disenfranchised and disempowered from the processes and systems which allow us to be vigilant regarding our club, or for that matter to make informed choices. In the very same article I praised the rise of militancy within our support – far more digestible than dignified silence. I also added that such militancy came with certain caveats. I was deeply encouraged by reports in the Evening Times that the Sons Of Struth had narrowed the target of their protest to Brian Stockbridge and Jack Irvine. My belief and hope was this would be a cause of unity amongst our support as I was of the opinion it reflected what many of us felt. I was so encouraged in fact; I wrote an article about it, having confirmed this was the case with SOS via Twitter. http://immortalrange…acquires-focus/ This did not go down particularly well with everyone, but as I said to someone privately who wrote to me following its publication – I don’t write to be popular. Part of the criticism of this article argued that this was not the correct position of the SOS. This caused me to seek further clarification from SOS that this in fact was their position, and this was duly forthcoming. http://i41.tinypic.com/zo8cjt.jpg It came as a surprise to me therefore that on Saturday en route to the ground I was stopped by a young lady who offered me a red card explaining it to be a protest against the board. On receipt of same and perusal of its contents I was dismayed. Its contents were clearly at odds with the assurances I had been given from SOS via Twitter. It’s a pity that much of the discussion about Saturday’s card display has de-generated, particularly by the anti-requisitoners factions, into ridiculous computer generated percentages or suggestions that some were fooled into thinking it was an anti-racism display. The message on the card was clear and unequivocal. The problem from my perspective however was that it was contrary to what SOS had informed me, or claimed in the Evening Times. I know some Bears, some of whom will be known to many of you, who participated in the display whilst not agreeing with the card’s content in their entirety. I sought clarification via Twitter with SOS, and even provided them with a screenshot of our conversation for clarification – to date no explanation has been offered as you can see by my Twitter timeline. Some may not think this is important but for a campaign demanding clarity and transparency is it really too much to ask that the SOS would lead by example ? I doubt there will have been many Bears, irrespective of which side of the fence (or even on it) you sit, who has not been impressed by Jim McColl throughout this process. He has spoken and conducted himself in exemplary fashion, when he has made attacks he has always sought to substantiate or justify his reasoning. For many, I suspect his endorsement of Graham Wallace was a watershed moment in this campaign, as well as admitting that Colin Kingsnorth was no-body’s fool. Are we as a support going to go against the judgement of those who sought change, and if so where do we eventually draw the line ? Furthermore in terms of judging business acumen what are the qualifications of those who are suggesting we do not draw a line in the sand ? Which brings me back to the Vanguard Bears. I’m not here to defend them, as they are more than capable of doing that for themselves. Given my propensity for speaking out, via my blog and also on their forums, I’ve little doubt I have pissed some of them off along the way, we don’t agree on everything, but that’s life – it’s all about opinions. But I will not allow them to misrepresented as has happened in recent weeks. Their position on the current boardroom battle remains as per their statement – they remain neutral. I fully accept that some of their members have expressed different views as those held by admin on behalf of their organisation, but is that any different from any other organisation ? Given some of the voting patterns in yesterdays RST poll – apparently not. It’s perhaps significant that some of those responsible for the aforesaid misrepresentation of Vanguard Bears are named on material which has come into their possession. One is left to question not only the wisdom but also the propriety of Paul Murray writing directly to a group, let alone issuing instructions, knowing such a group are involved in protesting and campaigning for the removal of the current board, a campaign which if successful would likely be of considerable benefit to him in his own aspirations. Perhaps in the course of time, and without reading To Kill a Mocking Bird, some of you will learn for yourselves that sometimes the Boo Radleys of this world are not necessarily the bad guys.
  6. A couple of nights ago i was sitting with a friend and commented that season ticket prices had been frozen for two years and next year season ticket prices would inevitably go up in price, When i purchased my season tickets last year i paid £358 per ticket for my seats in the Govan front and i purchased two tickets costing me £716, Now here is where my idea comes in and before i get kicked from pillar to post i know that what i am suggesting will be a lot to ask of most fans but i am leaving my idea open to suggestions. I read somewhere that to gain a majority shareholding of Rangers thus gaining control of the club someone would need to purchase shares to the value of £13 or £14 million pounds, My idea is this next year if i buy the same season tickets i am going to pay upwards of £400 pounds per ticket per seat, Now say i pay £700 pound per ticket per seat this would generate income of just under £26 million pounds based on the current 37000 season ticket holders. £26 million pounds now look at that figure £26 million pounds what could the supporters do with £26 millon pounds well £14 million pounds buys you a controling interest in the football club leaving £12 million pounds in the bank before sponsorship merchandise and other revenue streams which i know little about. There are lots of issues around this idea, Like who would control the shares, Who would make up the board, how would the board be elected etc etc etc i would like input from others on these subjects but i would also like to remind people that supporters already own 12% of the shares meaning if these shareholders would proxy their shares and back this idea we would only need another 39% of shares to gain majority control of the club meaning it wouldn't cost £14 million for the majority shareholding leaving more money in the bank to go towards running the club for the season. Also it would be an idea to talk to influential Rangers supporters in the business world to gain knowledge in how to go about setting this up and looking for investment and we could also approach ex players that contributed to the save the Rangers fund and would hopefully be willing to contribute again towards a fan ownership model. Pie in the sky maybe but its an idea!
  7. Dear Mr King, This is a particularly difficult letter to write, despite it being penned from one Bear to another. It is difficult because I don’t necessarily believe the model of ownership you would bring to our club – a sole owner – has been particularly successful for Rangers, and if I’m honest I would much rather see the transparency and clarity which I would hope could be afforded by some measure of fan representation on our board. In short, in writing such a letter I am foregoing many of the dreams and aspirations I hoped would be achieved in my lifetime for our club. I mention the foregoing for one reason – to highlight how desperate and concerned I am and the circumstances which gave rise to this letter. Our support is literally ripping itself asunder in the current boardroom battle, the very heart and soul of this club are trading blows with each other and causing rifts, some of which I fear may prove irreparable. For a club such as ours, which attracts so much hatred from others, and whose strength and very survival has often relied upon our unity as a support, this presents a bleak and ominous outlook. Further more I am not convinced that either side emerging victorious from the AGM on the 19th December, will result in a cessation of hostilities, merely a lull in the fighting, which will be renewed, perhaps with greater vigour and further damage to our already fragmented support in the future. But I do not write to you as Dave King the financial saviour of our club. I write to you as the only man on this planet who can bring the much needed unity to our support, whose commitment to this club is without question, and who can capture, inspire and unite our support behind our club. As one. The English writer William Hazlitt once wrote : “No man is truly great who is great only in his lifetime. The test of greatness is the page of history.” I, and thousands like me, would implore you now to write your page in the history of our club. Yours in Rangers D’Artagnan
  8. ............on group's bid to cleanse the Ibrox boardroom 11 Dec 2013 09:06 CRAIG Houston instigated the supporters' group and was behind Saturday's red card message to those in power at Ibrox - now he speaks out for the first time about why he feels it’s imperative those figures are removed at the agm. HE’S the sole trader who owns his own cleaning business. And now Rangers renegade Craig Houston wants to cleanse the Ibrox boardroom for good. Until now he’s been the faceless crusader who has somehow managed to galvanise and unify the Gers support like no other time in their history. Almost single-handedly this ordinary punter from Linwood instigated The Sons of Struth movement and Houston was behind Saturday’s defiant red-card message aimed at the Ibrox hierarchy. But who is he? And what is his end game? Those are the questions being aimed at the 40-year-old who insists he couldn’t live with the guilt if the club endured another financial meltdown. So for the first time he’s spoken out about how The Sons of Struth were formed and why he feels it’s imperative the incumbents of the Rangers board are removed at the agm on December 19. He also revealed how Ibrox directors have completely ignored the fans’ group’s pleas for dialogue and says they’re ready to carry the fight to London where the club’s institutional investors are based. Houston has been a season ticket- holder at Ibrox for 32 years, just like his father and grandfather before him. He’s not affiliated with either the Rangers Supporters Trust, Assembly or Association – and has no desire to turn the SoS into a formal organisation. For years the average Light Blues punter who turns up every Saturday to watch their team hasn’t had a voice. Until now. And that’s exactly why Houston got involved in the first place. He also spoke honestly amid suggestions reformed football hooligan Sandy Chugg is heavily involved with the Sons of Struth campaign. Houston said: “I thought, ‘If anything bad should happen to the club again we have to do something’. I couldn’t have handled the guilt second time around. “What we were trying to do was expose the truth at Ibrox. “Bill Struth is a legendary figure at the club, with loads of positive connotations, so we arrived at The Sons of Struth. “We put a page together on Facebook and it has grown arms and legs since then. We’re not a body or an organisation. We don’t have ‘members’ and we aren’t run by committee. “We’re just a group of guys who are worried about our club. At the moment social media is our only way of communicating with people so Facebook and Twitter have been crucial. “Between them we have around 10,000 people following us. But we know the vast majority of punters who go to Ibrox aren’t in the Rangers online community. “The leaflets spread our word better. People who I’ve sat with for 32 years in the main stand are now asking me questions. “These are guys in their 50s who aren’t on internet forums. So that has to be a good thing. And I think the show of unity at the red-card display on Saturday proves the vast majority of supporters are with us now. “There have been accusations about Sandy and his involvement with us but it’s simple. I’ve known him for five years through coaching in youth football. “He’s a big Rangers fan and, like the rest of us, he just wants the best for the club. “Everyone knows he has a colourful past but those days are behind him. “He’s a reformed character and was a huge help to The Sons of Struth in the beginning. “However, he accepts that for us to prosper and gain positive coverage it’s better he takes more of a back seat.” For years now the Rangers fans have been labelled as fractious. But Houston is adamant that’s no longer the case – and insists the ordinary supporter in the street now has a voice. With three simple aims, The SoS have outlined what they believe has to happen to safeguard the club’s future. And that means ousting the current board through a democratic vote at the agm where the likes of Paul Murray, Malcolm Murray, Scott Murdoch and Alex Wilson hope to be appointed directors. Houston said: “The majority of fans at our meetings are, like me, unaffiliated fans. So that told me the Rangers fans really didn’t have a voice. “All the guys you see with banners now aren’t a member of any fans’ group. They are just ordinary supporters who until now haven’t been able to have their say. That’s why we’ve attracted so many people. “The Sons of Struth have three main aims. “The first is to keep the stadium in the club’s name, which we believe is vitally important to the financial stability of Rangers. “The second is to have a clear and clean set of accounts. “And the last aim is to have a board to be proud of. “For too many years now we’ve had more stories on the front pages than on the back. And that has to change – we want to talk about football now. “We believe the Jim McColl and Paul Murray movement has many positives. But when it comes to appointing directors it should be the same as when Ally McCoist is looking for new players. “If there is a better right-back alternative to the one we already have we should look at it. It’s the same with the board members. “Are they better than the existing lot? Like them or loath them, I believe the four nominees are, yes. They won’t be there forever but those potential custodians are a better option to what we have at the moment. I challenge any Rangers supporter to prove me wrong.” Houston believes it’s shameful the club’s board has refused pointblank to engage with any fans’ group ahead of the agm. But having united the RST, Assembly and Association, along with other groups, the SoS spokesman has vowed to lobby the club’s investors – even if it means heading to England – to ensure they appreciate the strength of feeling among fans. Houston said: “I have been contacting Rangers FC for some dialogue with the board. I had an instant reply saying they would look into it. “That was months ago and I haven’t heard anything since. “I’ve had meetings with all of the fans’ groups and we’ll be working together moving forward. We’ve managed to bring everyone together with the one aim. That unity will be key to what we’re trying to achieve. “It’s not a popularity contest. We need help and don’t want people behind us. We want them shoulder to shoulder with us. “The directors know what our message is. But they won’t budge no matter how many banners I hold up in the main stand. “Our target audience between now and December 19 is the Rangers shareholders. We will do everything in our power to let them know what we believe. “We need to petition these people before the agm and if that means going outwith Glasgow, so be it. Most of the major investors in Rangers now are based around Canary Wharf. “And if we need to take the battle down to London we’re willing to mobilise.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/battle-rangers-fan-behind-sons-2913943
  9. Next Thursday morning will see the club's AGM held at Ibrox Stadium. Clearly the business of the meeting is a hot topic for many Rangers fans and the event itself will prove fascinating as each resolution is voted upon. Within this article, I've included some of the business related primarily to the appointment of both existing and potential Directors of the company. Why not cast your vote now - you don't even need to be a shareholder! http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/204-mock-online-agm-cast-your-vote-now
  10. How to register and vote Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Members yet to register their username and password Earlier in the year we asked all members to register with the new website by choosing a username and password. This was so members can control their own account like change of home address, or email address. It is also important so members can vote on important matters like the Club’s AGM. If you haven’t already done so then you need tor register a username and password now on the home page. Steps: 1. Enter your name and email address at http://www.therst.co.uk 2. Choose username and password 3. Once you hit submit an email will bounce straight to your inbox with a link to log in with. Ignore the system generated password and use your chosen password when you registered. 4. Follow the link and enter some more details. If you’ve still to renew then follow payment method. (Don't renew through here if you wish to participate in BuyRangers monthly direct debit, as you automatically renew via the direct debit) 5. If you don’t need to renew (life members, BuyRangers monthly DD or renewed back in April) then after four days your account will activate and you can now vote in the voting section. 6. You can also ‘update your profile’ on this page. This is where you can change email address or home address. Furthermore, you can add in any relevant skills you have which you might find useful to the RST. You are now registered and you should be able to vote in the members section of the RST website. Please wait four days at most before your account fully activates. Log in section is at the top right hand side of the page. Should you forget your password then at the bottom of the website there is a link ‘reset account password’ which is simple to use. Enter your email address and submit. You will then get an email, addressed to you by the username you picked and link to enter a new password. Members area sections are along the top of the website once you have logged in. To vote follow 'official voting' and click on the drop down bar once the page loads, and choose topic to vote on. Or go to 'raise topic' where you can create your own topic for members to vote on, and vote on members' topics already there. After all you have been through in the past year, you now have the opportunity to collectively invest in Rangers and create a community around the club you love. – Rangers F.C. For a minimum of £125 the opportunity to have a meaningful stake in Rangers is here. Simple steps on how to proxy your vote if you are unable to attend the Club's AGM. Make sure your vote is used. Partners Take a look round our partners area and see what benefits you're entitled to as a member of the RST http://www.therst.co.uk/partners/
  11. Market News alert Rangers Int. Football Club PLC Read the London Stock Exchange announcement...
  12. I know I will get Pelter's for posting this, but thought I may get the other side of the coins thoughts. It was taken from RM and put together by a poster called TheLawMan "I recently posted about the Murray myths around debt reduction and Break even Domestic policy however i see today he is still claiming he helped reduce debt. His fans appear to believe him as well, despite the facts disputing what he says. Anyway, i thought i would take things a little further and look at the facts and figures of the people we are being asked to vote for. I know this type of thing normally bores people but I would urge you to read through Murrays CV. First an in-depth look at Paul Murrays Directorships – Past and present. Source : http://companycheck....ector/907102823 Lets start with his current active Directorships: Delamore Holdings (2007 to present) ( -£5m Net worth) – A flower and plant wholesaler – Assets of £1.68m and Liabilities of £1.78m. Cash in bank depleted from £652k in 2008 to £184k in 2012 year end accounts. Points to note. 2012 was a £973k loss following on from a £733k loss in 2011 and a long term loan was taken out to repay short term commitments. R.Delamore Limited (2007 to present) (£1.4m Net Worth) – A flower and plant wholesaler – Assets of £1.5m and Liabilities of £1.45m. Cash in bank depleted from £652k in 2008 to £0.8k in 2012 year end accounts. – Points to note. Due to cash depletion and a Going Concern issue, the company took out a new £2.25m loan to repay other loans and made a £628k loss last year. MGI Investments Limited (2004 to present) ( -£64k Net Worth) – A Management Consultancy firm – Assets of £23k and liabilities of £90k. Cash in bank depleted from £91k in 2008 to £3.6k in 2012 year end accounts. Vicast Limited (2013 to present) – A Business and Domestic Software Company – No information as no accounts filed but should be noted that fellow Directors are Martin Bain, John McLelland and Jacqueline Gourlay. St Marys School, Melrose (2009 to present) – (£2.85m net worth) – Education – Assets of £99.6k and Liabilities of £91.2k. Cash in bank depleted from £85k in 2008 to £6.7k in 2012 year end accounts. In summary, he holds 5 active directorships(there is a duplicate listing for MGI on the website) with a total Net Worth of Minus £814,000. Assets of £3.3m and liabilities of £3.4m. Total Cash of £189k. Now lets look at Past Directorships. Urban Life Properties Limited (2003 to 2009) – Dissolved in 2009 RFC 2012 PLC (2007 to 2011) – In Liquidation Wireless Systems International (2000 – 2002 ) – Dissolved in 2004 Martin Currie European Partners and Martin Currie Investment Management Limited (2003 – 2004) – Dissolved in 2007. Paul Murray was brought on board as MD of this business to launch a new £200m private equity fund. He only managed to raise 10% of target and left the business in 2004 after Currie suspended the launch of the fund. 3i PLC (September 1999 to April 2000) – Still active and a huge business with a £80m deficit of Liabilities v Assets Scientia Ferovia Limited + Scientifics Group Service Limited + Harwell Scientifics + Atesta Trustees Limited + Atesta Holding Limited + Scientifics Limited (all 2005 to 2006) – All non trading. It isn’t rocket science but looking at the above list, his Executive Directorships have been an absolute failure. 3 Dissolved, 1 liquidated, 6 non trading and the only 1 of any note, he only lasted less than 7 months in, and that was 13 years ago. Add that to his current directorships and we really need to ask...... WHY PAUL MURRAY ?? Anyway, lets now look at the total current directorships of Paul Murray, Malcolm Murray, Scott Murdoch and Alex Wilson from the above source. 10 COMPANIES NET WORTH = Minus £27.3m ASSETS = £29.4m LIABILITES = £86.3m CASH in bank = £2.23 million Now lets look at the other half which is principally Somers and Easdale. 13 COMPANIES NET WORTH = £294.9m ASSETS = £3.5 billion LIABILITIES = £3.4 billion CASH in bank = £1.3 billion SUMMARY The current record of Paul Murray, Malcolm Murray and Scott Murdoch is dreadful. Liabilities running at 300% to assets, dissolved companies, liquidations, cash only going one way over last 5 years in all of their companies yet we are expected to believe they are the team to take us forward. Contrast that with Somers companies whose cash has multiplied by millions and hundreds of millions in his companies. Huge assets, huge network, just huge all round."
  13. I will be attending the agm. Its states on RST proxy guidelines that "you cannot attend the meeting if you have proxied your shares to them(RST)". On the attendance card note 7 it states "Completion and return of this proxy will not prevent you attending and voting at the agm if you wish" Does this mean that to attend I must fill in proxy form and send to Capita? Have the RST got it wrong? If the Form of Proxy is not completed before the agm will my vote(s) not count if a card vote is called?
  14. I have been asked by a friend in work to join this, for £12.80 approx per month. Anyone know anything about it and if it is a good thing and worth it or not. Thanks in advance guys. SC.
  15. For those interested. http://www.therst.co.uk/how-to-proxy-your-vote/
  16. Fire up the rolls & slice, pour a cuppa and enjoy/suffer the latest epistle from your local Handwringer in Chief. Liberal democracy is a good thing. It certainly has its faults, but overall a system which allows you to disagree with it without consequence is always preferable to one which imposes penalty on speech or thought. You might think, given the experience of the 20th century, that this is a lesson humanity has finally learned, but alas the lesson of history is that mistakes are seldom, if ever, absorbed. These thoughts came to mind last week as I re-read my copy of Clive James's wonderful 'Cultural Amnesia', a collection of essays on the effects of totalitarianism on humanity and the humanities in the last century. As always with Mr James, it is genius written with the lightest of touches: the best kind of teaching. You can pick up a copy for about £3 on Amazon and I'd heartily recommend it: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cultural-Amnesia-Necessary-Memories-History/dp/039333354X The defence of freedom of speech was quite the hot potato this week, with some idiot celtc fans feeling the need to compare a 14th century bandido with a 20th century murderer. As if the 700 years in between hadn't taught the Irish anything; no, they were fit to be subjected to medieval methods of warfare. If only they could see how insulting they are to the people they stupidly profess to defend! And in fairness, loud had been the opprobrium from on high within Parkhead. Mr Lawwell don't like it, Mr Lennon don't like it, and surely the final nail for celtc fans, even Mr Spiers, he don't like it. But what is it they don't like, exactly? Well, the timing and the place. Not the picture of a mentally unbalanced killer with a persecution complex added to a natural penchant for psychosis on banners, but the doing of it in such a way as to embarrass celtc fc. In what was probably a throwaway but nonetheless revealing comment last week, Mr Spiers was of the opinion that 'there are rights and wrongs about the IRA but the football is not the place' to discuss them. I have spend a few days trying to think what the 'rights ' of the IRA were and have drawn a blank. Perhaps some other readers can write in with their solutions to this problem. A free bus ride around Belfast town centre, loudly setting out your thesis, will be the prize. On the rare occasions I think about Ireland, I guess that in the long run of history, it will probably end up as the one country. Not exactly plan 'A' to make you popular in amongst the Vanguard Bears, but there it is. But if it happens, it will be through democracy, not violence. Terrorism is always wrong. So here's where poor Clive James is roped in to educate the wretched Mr Spiers and his pals in the east. Terrorism is always wrong. Whether it be Bobby Sands or, as we discovered last week, some madmen in the British Army running about acting like an Argentine death squad, it is always wrong. And using it to score cheap points is always wrong, and not just on the grounds of timing - on the grounds that rehabilitating terrorists in the way that celtc fans and the BBC have done this week ('IRA hunger striker' is so much less aggressive than 'terrorist murderer', isn't it?) is dangerous to democracy. As the lessons of the 20th century showed us, we need to be on our guard against those who would deny free speech. It may seem hypocritcal to ask for free speech and then deny it for the Green Brigade, but with the freedom to speak comes the need to speak with responsibility. No more throwaway remarks about 'rights and wrongs', some things are always wrong. You don't have to be a cynic to wonder where the Scottish Journalist's Book of Adjectives to Describe Current Buns went this week: no 'vile', no 'songs of hate', no 'embarrassment to Scotland in the 21st century', 'no sectarian bitterness', no quotes from Peter Kearney about how awful it all is. Just 'rights and wrongs' and 'maybe the wrong time and place'. We can only hope that such lunatics as Bobby Sands never return to our shores to demonstrate to the likes of Mr Spiers just how thin the divide between liberal democracy and terror in our society is. Hopefully he will get 'Cultural Amnesia' for his Christmas - one way or another, he, and the celtc fans, need to get the message: terrorism is always wrong. But, as always, there's a but. And while it has been lovely to bask in the reflected inglory of the other mob this week, we must be careful what we wish for. For should the amazing happen and Vincent Lunny actually dare chib celtc for once, you can bet he will be on uber-Orange alert for something to even up the score. And we will give him the ammo he needs, I fear. 'What's the handwringer moaning about now?' I hear you ask. Well... 'Super Rangers' for a start. It is going to have to go, and it would be better if we did it rather than had another war. But even that is a bit old hat, and I'm not keen to have that same argument over again. What's bugging me is maybe something that Lunny wouldn't notice, but a super sensitive handwringer such as myself does. When big Daly got us off the mark against Arbroath, about 50 Bears chose to express their happiness with a burst of The Sash. You may think that a coincidence: I don't. I think it was a classless and tasteless riposte, along the lines of 'Aye, well, you may have scored, but don't think we're going anywhere!' At least they left out the add on, which about 10 Bears didn't at kick off. Nevertheless, what a nice touch to thank a model professional. I hope they get over it, and soon. Now, I actually think that reducing the idiot rump of our fan base to about 70 or 80 away fans is something pretty amazing, and the club and most of the fans ought to be congratulated for it. But they won't, you know they won't. In a society which falls over itself to avoid offending the sensibilities of IRA supporters you know that as long as one Bluenose yells FTP we will be hauled up. We could easily lose the musical two fingers to Jon Daly, and we should lose the forbidden line in Super Rangers. It will make them look worse, and that's always good! And especially, we could lose the UVF tribute lines....terrorism is ALWAYS wrong, remember. Weirdly, in Scotland support for terrorism seems to be considered slightly less offensive than what I stubbornly believe is meaningless yells from football fans with a drink in them. You'll never persuade me that the Green Brigade were all steaming when they rattled up what must have been the least catchy slogan last week, and you'll never persuade me that the vast majority of 'sectarian' events in Scotland are little more than Rangers-Celtic tittle tattle. But that's how the chips are falling, thanks in part to liberal consciences like Mr Spiers'. We can't let distaste for the like of him push us away from defending liberal democracy, but there are one or two things we could do to make it better. It may make you feel slightly sick to actually have to tell people this is 2013: it should do. But Mr Lawwell, Mr Lennon, Mr Spiers, and our own hero-worshippers: terrorism is always wrong.
  17. Good to see this - apparently the booked suite holds 500 people!
  18. http://www.therst.co.uk/buyrangers/ The Possible Dream: Fan Ownership http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/fan-culture/293-the-possible-dream-fan-ownership
  19. Former director Paul Murray chats with CRO's Ross McAdam about the current board, the pending AGM, moving forward and fan ownership. http://www.thecoplandroad.org/2013/11/exclusive-cro-talks-with-paul-murray.html
  20. [video=youtube;-dQxtqM83i0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dQxtqM83i0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
  21. or, Got those Puritan Blues again! Plenty of other titles by the MenInBlack come to mind this morning after another night of dispiriting Scottish drunkeness/loutishness/hooliganism/complete innocence punished by heavy handed policing (delete according to level of delusion). Get a Grip on Yourself, Straighten Out, Hanging Around and maybe some advice our hoopy cousins should have listened to, Walk on By. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohRbJJohv6Y But before we get any further on, I want to be clear that this is not a celtc-bashing piece. The target is Scottish people in general, although it may prove impossible not to let some shadenfreude through the editorial filter. When we went to Manchester, I was amazed, on my return, to discover I had been amongst not Bluenoses, as I had imagined, but thousands of undercover celtc fans, all secretly taking notes and making detailed reports on the goins-on. How else to explain the hordes who bombarded the phone lines and newspapers with denunciations of our bestiality, our anti-social behaviour, our boorishness? Having spent 8 hours in that dreary city as we lost the UEFA Final, I saw precisely no trouble. Zero. I did see loads and loads of steaming Bears, though, and I did have to pick my way through the ad hoc canals of pish which added a new, if not especially fragrant, item to the Mancunian tourist itinerary. It was just plain embarrassing. Like when you go on holiday and the wee dicks who are the most pished and the least able to handle it are always Jocks. When the Tartan Army visited Paris for the game in which James McFadden scored that wonder goal, Youtube was ablaze with many clips of boozed up fans celebrating before and after. It also showed the City of Lights ankle deep in empty cans and bottles...it was a clash between the free market, desperate to exploit visiting fans for their last Euro, and the freedom from responsibility, a trip abroad and the throwing off of any need to act like an adult. And now, when celtc descend upon Amsterdam, it looks (and probably smells) much the same. And no doubt tonight the phone ins will be hot with callers either berating the police for beating the fans or berating the panellists for not berating the celtc fans. I won't be listening, for there's nothing to be gained on that ground. Either putting the boot in (metaphorically) or absolving the celtc support of any blame is equally useless: what's needed is a collective, society wide frown upon people aged between 15-75 staggering around blind drunk just because they have travelled a few miles to a football game. I'm not calling for some Calvinistic temperance pledge here: I'm not teetotal. But I'm 42 and I know how much to have and when to stop. Anyone who likes football and doesn't know that, in 2013, if you are part of a big crowd which is pished up the cops are going to go in at some point is deluded. It always happens. The level of reporting may vary, but it always happens. Police forces, especially larger municipal forces, are conditioned to treat such crowds as the enemy and given the state various Scottish clubs and the national team's fans have left behind them, who can blame them? The bottom line is that if we carry on treating European away days as a gigantic piss up we have only ourselves to blame when the coppers wade in. Any media excuses over the next few days will do nothing other than guarantee it will happen again, and again, and again. But the day the likes of the desperately proletarian Keith Jackson come out and decry excessive drinking in a footballing context there will be two blue moons in the sky: despite not actually being a manual worker, he and his like for some reason feel a desperate need to come across as connected to the horny handed sons of the soil who attend the game in Scotland. Never mind that Scotland has been, for decades, a service economy. Let's play up to the hard working, hard drinking stereotype because that will make us more manly. Like some Bluenoses who automatically class anyone who doesn't buy the LUMP mentality as a handwringer, a wuss. It's pitiful and immature, no better than playground name calling, but when you have the power of the media behind you it is also dangerous. Sad to say, the only media person who might actually oppose such behaviour would be Graham Spiers, but he would be unlikely to risk his special pet status amongst the hooped fanbase to actually have the courage of his convictions and speak out. We shall see, I suppose. In the end, it's pretty black and white. You can go to Europe's famous footballing cities, get hammered on booze and then get hammered by the cops. Or, you can go, have a few drinks, and come home without a cracked skull. It's a simple, easy message and one which any media with an ounce of social responsibility would have been hammering home years ago. No it doesn't rule out being attacked by cops on the edge of a nervous breakdown but it does provide you with a hell of a better defence is you are actually able to stand up while being attacked. Outside of ourselves, who are as we know an irredeemable collection of neanderthal knuckle draggers who ought to be put out of our misery asap, Scotland likes to think of its' football fans as a jolly lot, welcome everywhere and ambassadors for the nation. Short of putting forward The Krankies, Kevin Bridges and Craig Whyte I can't think a less funny line up, and the sooner we start reinforcing this message the sooner scenes like last night will be a thing of the past. Something better change, indeed.
  22. A simple but effective message from this bear which I enjoyed reading earlier. http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/fan-culture/293-the-possible-dream-fan-ownership
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