Search the Community

(Tom English – The Scotsman 25.11.2012) (Tom English - Twitter 21.08.2014) Its good to know that Tom English has found some sort of journalistic morality of late, however it may present a conflict of interests with his new employer, BBC Scotland. Or does the morality of source over story only apply in certain circumstances ? After all, Tom is now working for an employer who were happy to utilise not just stolen property, but stolen evidence from the Rangers Tax Tribunal, if Lord Nimmo Smith's conclusions are correct. But in his new found morality Tom has excluded himself from the knowledge that Vanguard Bears appear to have successfully cultivated a mole, perhaps within the SFA itself, as previous revelations, including documentary evidence, suggest. And could this latest expose, while perhaps lacking in documentary evidence, be a clear signpost to of a course of unedifying, unprofessional and negligent conduct involving our footballs higher echelons of administration ? Especially when viewed in the context of previous disclosed e-mails and agreements. Nope of course not – nothing to see here – move along please. But should we really be surprised ? After all there seems little excitement in journalistic circles that those in charge of Scottish Football were prepared to find Rangers guilty prior to trial as well as inflict draconian type punishments on a club which had yet to be found guilty. Morality ? Perhaps some of those journalists, and there have been many of late, who remind us of the impoverished state of our game via their daily columns, care to consider if perhaps they have a role to play. After all if the head of our game is more worried about being on time for a dinner date rather than what was probably one of the most critical meetings in the history of our game, is there not something fundamentally wrong ? What is particularly alarming in this whole episode are those gleefully re tweeting Tom English's original tweet. It does not matter that journalists will ignore story over source, it does not matter that it contains allegations of incompetence, of lack of prioritisation, of utter disdain for the game of football in Scotland (ironically affecting their own clubs) – so long as Rangers or Rangers fans get it in the neck - then that makes it okay. But let's not be too harsh on Stewart Regan – I’m told there is a certain restaurant in Leeds which does a succulent lamb to die for. It looks like football in Scotland will be the sacrificial lamb.

If this can be corroborated then Regan must go ... http://vanguardbears.co.uk/stewart-regans-succulent-lamb.html Stewart Regan's Succulent Lamb Written by: Admin Thursday, 21st of August 2014 The date was 27th of July 2012 and Scotland's biggest and most successful football club faced oblivion. Just two days before the club were due to face Brechin City in the Angus town, Rangers FC had no licence to play football. This doomsday scenario had been created by twisted individuals representing the SFA, SPL and others. Their determination to see Rangers punished to the full for an as yet unproven "charge" (a charge which the club was subsequently found not guilty) was matched only by an underlying driven agenda to see Rangers damaged as much as possible, perhaps beyond repair. The club had been given a stark choice - accept sanctions and trophy stripping or be granted no licence to play football, in any league, anywhere. Rangers, with Ally McCoist and Charles Green representing, had fought bravely to retain the clubs' history, heritage and sporting record in the face of those determined to steal it away at any cost. In defiance of the Scottish Football authorities equivalent of a firing squad they fought valiantly for a club that had already lost most of its first team squad following SPFA and agent interference allied to greedy individuals who saw a fast buck. The future of the Scottish game lay in the hands of those men sat round a table. Their dirty game of chess had reached stalemate; their attempted "Five-Way Agreement" had morphed into a carefully contrived monster that included: •stripping of 5 SPL titles •stripping of 6 Scottish Cups •a signing embargo The message delivered was loud and clear. Accept "guilt", and accept our punishments or we put you out of the game. We feel it's necessary to repeat this; no ruling had yet been made on EBTs from Lord Nimmo Smith, and two years and two appeals later, the EBTs are still judged in law to be loans that did not give Rangers any footballing advantage in the years the scheme was in use. Whilst SPL Chief Ralph Topping was regaling anyone who'd listen with tales of Armageddon and insisting the SFL accept a club the SPL had thrown to the wolves, the SPL looked to maximise revenue from that same club they had just kicked out. So, on that day 27th of July 2012, the last possible day that agreement could be reached, the SFA's lawyers Levy & Macrae hosted all senior stakeholders in the Rangers issue to their office in St Vincent Street, Glasgow. By this stage, Rangers had forced the title stripping off the agenda, however, they were not to be meekly handed a punishment free passage in to the SFL. Other measures were being quickly discussed. The determination of some to punish the club as much as possible at a late stage where desperation saw them more likely to accept to get the licence and keep the club alive hadn't waned. The presence of Duff and Phelps could not help the Rangers cause; they were now bystanders only interested that the business entity they were representing wouldn't have any financial liability thrown in its direction. With a draft agreement on paper and separate signature pages at the back (to be signed upon all attendees reaching agreement on the conditions of Rangers re-entry in to the SFL and SFA), talks got underway. All in attendance agreed that a conclusion had to be reached and papers signed off that day, no matter what. The future of Scottish Football and that of its biggest member club was at stake. Reaching agreement on any issue was difficult, and the meeting was interrupted several times as Stewart Regan answered his mobile phone and left the room. An expectant wife was calling from Yorkshire. Mr. Regan was reminded he had a dinner date that evening. With no indication that middle ground could be found regards the many sticking points and Scottish football facing disaster the SFA Chief Executive took a remarkable and shocking decision that reinforced the belief of many that he is inept and has zero interest in the welfare of the beautiful game here. At 5pm, with the document far from finalised and even further from being agreed, he took the SFA signature page from the table and signed it, informing all of those present that he would put his name to whatever was agreed, had a dinner engagement with his wife and friends in Leeds, and wasn't going to cancel. In essence, Regan signed a blank piece of paper. The Chief Executive of the SFA, with overall responsibility for the game in Scotland, was more interested in having dinner, than leading the decision makers to reach an agreement to safeguard the future of both Rangers, and Scottish Football. The meeting lasted approximately another four hours before a conclusion was reached. Rangers were forced to accept their second transfer embargo in 4 months, and various other financial penalties including the signing over of television rights, and the payment of football debts, on the agreement that they wouldn't have rights to SPL prize money, or debts owed to the club. There were a number of revisions to the draft document in Regan's absence which already had his signature, as he travelled to Leeds and made his way out to dinner. To the best of our knowledge Regan didn't phone anyone in attendance after his departure for a progress update. Regan's signature page was simply inserted into the final document and issued as the Five-Way Agreement. This absolute disdain for the future of Rangers and Scottish football has never left that room, until now. One month earlier, Mr Regan had shown a similar lack of interest when an email written by him had been leaked to the press. In his email, amongst a bunch of 'decisions' he had pre-determined, Regan revealed that while Scottish Football was in disarray, he was off on holiday. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/Regan-controversial What would Regan have done the following day if any of the people in the room had simply scribbled 'I, Stewart Regan, knowing that I am unfit to hold the position of Chief Executive of the SFA, hereby tender my immediate resignation.' Vanguard Bears henceforth ask that members of the SFA, SPFL and SFL demand Stewart Regan's resignation. This man should not be heading up Scottish Football, especially at this very crucial time where attendances are dwindling and sponsorship is drying up. The phrase "NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE" has never been more apt.

............over 'sexist, racist and homophobic' text messages during time at Cardiff. In July 2012, Cardiff signed South Korean international Kim Bo-kyung, but when Moody informed Mackay on July 12 that ‘five of the b******s including the player’ were arriving for talks, the reply from Mackay’s phone was: ‘Fkn chinkys.’ A further message says: ‘Fk it. There’s enough dogs in Cardiff for us all to go around.’ In reference to the prominent football agent, Phil Smith, a text states: ‘Go on, fat Phil. Nothing like a Jew that sees money slipping through his fingers’. The Israeli club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, are also referred to simply as ‘the Jews’. A football official at another club is referred to as ‘a gay snake’ and ‘the homo’ and someone who is ‘not to be trusted’, while a French player is someone ‘who struck me as an independently minded young homo’. An exchange with a young player who has a female agent makes reference to a sex act and states: ‘I hope she’s looking after your needs,’ the player is then told. ‘I bet you’d love a bounce on her falsies.’ On August 16, 2012, a list of players proposed by a French agent is forwarded, stating to Mackay that ‘he needs to rename his agency the All Blacks’. A separate text in reference to a list of French players states: ‘Not many white faces amongst that lot but worth considering.’ In a separate exchange a picture entitled ‘Black Monopoly’ is sent, with every square a ‘Go To Jail’ square. Of one African player, it is stated: ‘Doesn’t look like a good cv. And he’s Nigerian.’ Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2730307/Malky-Mackay-Iain-Moody-investigated-FA-sexist-racist-homophobic-text-messages-time-Cardiff.html#ixzz3AyfNRTqk Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

According to The Sun, Bell dislocated his shoulder against Falkirk and could be out for up to three months.

As many of you will already know, Frankie published an obituary this morning following the extremely sad news of the recent passing of Gordon Young who was a regular contributor to the site and very well known to Gersnet forum members as Bluebear54. Tragically, Gordon finally lost a year long battle with cancer on Thursday night, but he goes with our love and best wishes as a knowledgeable, passionate and witty Bear who we will all remember very fondly indeed. Back in October 2013 I asked Gordon to write the article for our very first regular Gersnet magazine column, which at that time was for Seventy2 magazine. They were running a Dutch themed special and published below is the full 2500 word article Gordon submitted as an initial draft before he cut it down to the final 1400 word piece for the magazine submission and before the news of Ricksen's illness broke causing some slight changes to the wording. Gordon knew that his full article draft would be published at some point because we discussed what a shame it was that he had to cut it almost in half to meet the word count requirements for the column and that once a period of time had lapsed where it would no longer affect magazine sales, we could put the whole article out on Gersnet. So in remembrance of Bluebear54, here is his article 'A Glimpse of Glamour': A Glimpse of Glamour Written by Gordon Young (Bluebear54) The Early Years Although born and raised on the East Coast of Scotland, a maternal grandfather and a father, both passionate Rangers supporters, ensured that I was destined to follow follow in their footsteps when pursuing my lifelong passionate affair with football - an affair which has been split into three distinct phases due to the dice that life has spit out at me. The Rangers teams of that first phase of my love affair were epitomised by hardy, athletic, spirited Scottish players, such as Caldow, Shearer, Greig, MacDonald and Jardine. That’s not to say there wasn’t any skill around. Those guys had enough to go along with their other skills, but the Rangers of that era were also blessed with superbly gifted players such as Baxter, Wilson, Henderson and Johnson. Not mentioning any further names is a severe disservice to many great Rangers players of those generations. But they were Scottish, and the style was undeniably Scottish. We didn’t expect any fancy possession football, we hadn’t heard of the beautiful game, and “totally mental” was more often on our lips than “total football.” We preferred tanner ba’ wingers belting it down the wings, bruisers of centre forwards giving it more elbow than they took, and defenders who didn’t ever take prisoners. On the terraces, like some latter-day Colosseum crowd, we bayed for blood and actively encouraged our heroes to bury or waste opponents. It was expected, it was part of the game and it made for an entertaining spectacle. In 1972, not long after Rangers had finally won – at their third attempt - the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972, I ventured out again into the world, this time not to return to Scotland until well over a score of countries had worn out my shoes and nigh on thirty years had etched their lines on my face. In my travels, I have found that there are not many better things to bring two different nationalities together than a pint and a talk about football. I thus unknowingly set out on what in retrospect was further education in the art of football. It was clear that most fans I spoke to had scant regard for Scottish football and saw it as kick and rush and a tad barbaric. Fine I thought, youse lot are a bunch of pansies. In those days, most I spoke to were drooling about the Dutch style. And to be honest, from going to games with other fans, I started to see their point. I really did. It took its time, I didn’t initially find it entertaining, but I eventually saw another beauty and another excitement in the game. Now, when I look back through an old man’s eyes, Rangers were to eventually produce a true glimpse of the beautiful game and that glimpse would be Dutch inspired. In the course of their 141 year history, Rangers are reckoned to have provided a footballing home for more than 50 nationalities of footballers. With a total of 11 players having played first team football for the Gers, Holland tops that table. And their inspiration topped the table in how we played. The Early Birds The first ever first team appearance at Rangers by a Dutch player first team was Peter Huistra in 1990. He was a speedy winger, not far removed from the Henderson/Johnson mould and, as such, he became a firm favourite of the fans. Signed by Souness, he didn’t score barrowloads, but he certainly scored some vital goals for the Club, and won in all five League medals, two League Cup medals and a Scottish Cup medal, including a Treble in 1992-93. Despite a lack of goals, he was superb at making openings, and in my mind he’s still up there with the best we’ve ever had at taking corners. Shortly after the departure of Huistra for Japan in 1995, two Dutch players arrived almost simultaneously at Ibrox from quite different destinations. In 1996, Theo Snelders arrived at Queen Street from Aberdeen, and Peter Van Vossen arrived at Glasgow Airport from Turkey. It always says something to me about Rangers that Snelders is held in such high regard by Aberdeen fans, yet many Rangers fans have extremely vague memories of him. Of course, he was a back up to our very own special legend – the Flying Pig – and also Antti Niemi, so he certainly had a job on his hands. Despite this, or probably more to do with injuries to the other two, Theo Snelders managed to make a fair few first team appearances for Rangers between 1996 and 1999 without ever setting the heather on fire. So, while one of those arrivals in ’96 was destined to be fairly anonymous, the other was destined for almost total notoriety and guaranteed an indelible place in Scottish football folklore. Yes folks! Roll up! I give you the man who taught us all how “to do the Van Vossen.” Don’t get me wrong now, Peter came to Rangers with a great track record. Ex-Ajax, ex- European Cup winner, a fair number of international caps. It all looked good. And we were also getting shot of Salenko, whom many fans thought was yet one more momentous waste of money. Which in fact, he was. Couldn’t be better, so Van Vossen was part of the master plan to punt Oleg Salenko to Istanbulspor. Sneaky. Looking back, I can imagine simultaneous moments at either end of Europe when Walter Smith was sitting down in Glasgow with a whisky and Cem Uzan was sitting down in Istanbul with his coffee, both of them laughing like hyenas and thinking “Yes, I got rid of him.” That moment Albertz unselfishly laid off a pass opening up an empty goal for Van Vossen lives with everyone who witnessed the match. It was the striker’s Old Firm debut, he skied it from all of 7 yards, and his only saving grace was that we were winning 1-0. Peter didn’t last too long needless to say, and after 22 appearances he was on his travels again. In time, in 1998, like some kind of expectant grandfather, I returned to Scotland, having been kept up to date on a Rangers-rich diet of SKY television, and fully anticipating a bright new future for Rangers where Dick Advocaat had bulldozed in and begun what has been referred to as the Dutch revolution. And if the truth be known, coinciding with my return, those two seasons of 1998-99 and 1999-00 (and also partly 2000-01) showed a real glimpse of glamour. Here we finally had a Rangers team who were not being routinely dismissed by the European hoi polloi. This was a Rangers team who would win a treble followed by a double and who would go on to demolish a top class PSV Eindhoven side and other noteworthy continental sides such as Parma, Monaco and the best that Germany could offer. Not so much in a Scottish style, but in an entertaining continental style. I could have been forgiven for thinking I had arrived in Heaven. The Orange Invasion – A Glimpse of Glamour Advocaat’s first Dutch signings were Arthur Numan and Giovanni van Bronckhorst followed later by Michael Mols, and they were a class apart indeed. Of all the Dutch players to have played for Rangers, Gio van Bronckhorst is arguably the one that fans have been most fortunate to have seen grace Ibrox’s turf. He was a true thoroughbred, and it didn’t take such a long time for fans to realise that he was maybe a wee bit too good for us to hope to hold on to. Gio ended up being sold to Arsenal in 2001 for close on £9m after winning a treble and a double for Rangers. Gio went on to score went on to score 22 goals for us, 13 in the league, 3in the Scottish Cup, 1 in the League Cup, 3 in the Champions League and 2 in the UEFA Cup. However, these statistics still belie the fact that this player was an essential cog in the machine that Advocaat was assembling, and he very much made that Rangers team tick with his guile, finesse and vision. As confirmation of van Bronckhorst’s quality, he went on to become a Barcelona stalwart while also playing well over 100 internationals for Holland and becoming the Dutch international captain. In much the same way as van Bronckhorst, Arthur Numan oozed class in the left back position, and after initial problems with injuries, he settled down to become a key part of both Advocaat’s and latterly McLeish’s teams. Signed from PSV Eindhoven, Numan had a respectable international career and became a very welcome sight for fans whenever his name appeared on the team sheet. As with almost any Rangers player, a cracker of a goal against Celtic, especially when it either wins a game or saves one, ensures legendary status, and Numan’s 25 yard stunner at Ibrox to earn a 1-1 draw was no different in cementing his name into Ibrox folklore. Of Advocaat’s first batch of signings, Michael Mols probably promised least and I must admit to not being aware of him before he signed for Rangers, but superb goalmouth turning skills and goals against FC Haka, Hearts and then a memorable four against Motherwell followed by two against Aberdeen soon ensured that – like most fans – I wanted to see his name in the starting eleven every week. Another two goals in the 4-1 roasting that Rangers gave a top class PSV side seemed to promise a Rangers career to remember. Unfortunately, in a Champions League match which Bayern were fortunate to win, he suffered a horrific injury in a collision with Oliver Khan. The injury was to keep him out for a season and a half, and unfortunately for both Mols and Rangers, common opinion has it that he was never quite the same player again. Tragic.

The Second Official Semi-Annual Gersnet Dinner (with Special Guest Star Dave Smith) will be held at Malaga Tapas, 213-215 St Andrew's Rd, Glasgow G41 1PD http://malagatapas.co.uk/ at 5.30pm on Saturday, 6 December 2014 (subject to alteration if the Rangers v Cowdenbeath fixture is moved). Rangers Hall of Fame Legend, Dave Smith, who played in our second and third Cup Winners Cup Finals, has kindly agreed to give a short talk on THE ROAD FROM NUREMBERG TO BARCELONA and will answer questions thereafter. (Edit 21/11/2014. Now that we have exceeded 20 persons we will have private use of the new café next door to the original restaurant. The owner, Cristobal has obtained a special licence for the event.) All the other arrangements will be the same as last time. The price of the dinner itself will remain at £18.00. However, in order to cover the cost of Dave’s dinner, the final price will be £19.50. The sharp mathematicians amongst you will note that this is based on a “minimum” of 12 people attending i.e. the same as last time. If we get less than 12, then those present will have to make up the difference; if more than 12, then the balance will go into the drinks kitty. The dinner price really only covers the standard Malaga Tapas deal, which is for 3 tapas per person and a dessert of your choice; however, in our case it will include a primer plato of meats and bread and choice of paellas after the tapas. Again, as last time there will be at least 6 different tapas, x3 per person and three different paellas. If anyone has any particular favourites on the menu http://malagatapas.co.uk/menu/ please post and Cristobal will do his best to oblige. I don’t think anyone will go hungry. To quote GS “Never seen so much food as was at Malaga” Deposit & Payment Whilst it would be easier if everyone paid the full amount up front, I am happy to take a £10 deposit p/p by the end of this month and the balance whenever it suits before the event. For those who were there last time, the bank details are the same. Newcomers pleased PM me and I will supply the bank details. When making any payments please use your Gersnet nom de plume as a reference and PM me a confirmation with your full name and a contact telephone number. (I lost most of the details I had when my phone went into sick bay.) I am very confident that with your support we will build on the success of the first dinner.

He did a decent job last season.

The rumour is that Brighton are in for Wallace and are close to matching our valuation.

http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk/ More revelations

Here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in November 2010: "Financial whizzkid Craig Whyte stands on the brink of pulling off the biggest deal of his life... Record Sport understands self-made billionaire Whyte has entered into the final stages of negotiations to buy control of the club he loves from Sir David Murray... A deal worth around £30million is now believed to have reached such an advanced stage that sources say Whyte, a high-roller who splits his time between a home in London and the idyllic Castle Grant in Grantown-on-Spey, could even have the keys to Ibrox in time to fund a major refurbishment of Walter Smith's top-team squad in January... By the age of 26, Whyte was already Scotland's youngest self-made millionaire. Now, 13 years on, and in charge of a vast business empire, his wealth is off the radar." Here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in October 2012: "A private investigation commissioned for Rangers showed Craig Whyte had a record of tax avoidance, failed companies and double dealings – before he was sold Sir David Murray's majority shareholding... The report, prepared by private investigators Titon, described Monaco-based Whyte as a 'fuyant' – French slang for an evader or manipulator. It warned there was no evidence to back claims circulated by Whyte's spin doctors that he was a billionaire with plenty of cash to finance Rangers. In fact, it said, there was no evidence he was even a multi-millionaire. The report talks of "the questionable source and extent of his reported wealth". And here's the Daily Record on Craig Whyte in August 2014: "The taxman was chasing Craig Whyte for £3.7million before he took over Rangers. HMRC focused on Whyte's personal finances and made several failed attempts to get him to pay his dues before, during and after his catastrophic reign at Ibrox... Documents seen by the Record show: * The authorities instructed debt enforcers to chase Whyte with a bill for almost £4million and threaten him with bankruptcy in May 2011, the same month that he bought Rangers... * Yet when he struck the notorious deal with Ticketus for funds to finance his Rangers takeover, he gave the firm a personal guarantee he was worth nearly £33million... At the same time he was able to run up a further £15million in unpaid taxes and penalties during his nine months in charge of Rangers. Whyte had bought Rangers for £1 from Sir David Murray in May 2011, while agreeing to wipe out the club's £18million debts... A sizeable proportion of Rangers fans still hold Murray at least partly responsible for the club's demise, arguing he should not have sold to Whyte, whose reputation had already been questioned." Perhaps the fans should be holding the Record to blame as well. When the paper was reporting on Whyte's hyped wealth it failed to mention the fact that serious questions were being asked in the blogosphere about the veracity of his claims. How could the Record know that Whyte was a billionaire with "a vast business empire" and wealth "off the radar"? And when it did know otherwise, why did it take so long to inform Rangers' fans? And why no apology to its readers? Note that 2012 reference to spin-doctors, as if it was all their fault rather than that of the paper's journalists for accepting what they were told without checking. The age-old problem of sports reporting was the willingness of journalists to act like "fans with typewriters" (or, nowadays, fans with laptops). The reporting of the Rangers' saga over the past five years has been a classic example of reporters being no more than stenographers for PRs offering them stories they didn't care to verify. http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/aug/06/daily-record-rangers

Am I alone in wondering where our keeper is? When did you last see Cammy Bell come out and make clean catch? What does our £180k p.a goalkeeping coach think ? I think teams now realise this and deliberately try to put the ball into our six yard box knowing he won't get it

I'm not clear on what is classed as repetition so perhaps we can have 1 topic where we can say what we like (within reason) and let off steam. Also, certain people can just stay away from this thread and then they won't be offended.

Can anyone confirm?

Dear Mr Fitzpatrick, SUBJECT : RANGERS TAX CASE I refer to my previous correspondence to you regarding this matter and the various concerns I raised with you. I appreciate to date there has still been no conclusion to the ongoing Police Investigation into the criminal Breaches of Confidentiality which so characterised this HMRC investigation. Since we last exchanged correspondence the only significant development has been the dismissal by Lord Doherty at the Upper Tier Tribunal, of HMRC's appeal against the decision of the First Tier Tax Tribunal. It is as yet unknown whether HMRC intend to escalate this matter and launch a further appeal, despite the previous decisions of the First and Upper Tier Tribunals. However it is the conduct of HMRC during the course of this investigation which is a source of considerable anger and ongoing concern. As I previously informed you, many Rangers supporters and shareholders wrote to both HMRC and Government Minister's with ministerial responsibility regarding breaches of confidentiality regarding the Rangers Tax Case, only to receive responses from both HMRC and the HMRC Ministerial Correspondence Unit that they would not comment on “alleged breaches of confidential information”. The source of such “alleged breaches” was an award winning web blog – The Rangers Tax Case Blog- which ran for numerous months and regularly published confidential information which it sought to interpret courtesy of it's anonymous operator. BBC Scotland also produced an award winning documentary “The Men Who Sold The Jersey's” which was a consequence of numerous items of confidential information they had received, by as yet, unknown means. BBC Scotland also published on their website numerous items of confidential information pertaining to the Rangers Tax Case. An independent commission chaired by Lord Nimmo Smith subsequently concluded as follows : Meanwhile, BBC Scotland came, by unknown means, into possession of what they described as “dozens of secret emails, letters and documents”, which we understand were the productions before the Tax Tribunal. These formed the basis of a programme entitled “Rangers – The Men Who Sold the Jerseys”, which was broadcast on 23 May 2012. BBC Scotland also published copious material on its website. The published material included a table containing the names of Rangers players, coaches and staff who were beneficiaries of the MGMRT, and how much they received through that trust. It also listed the names of people where the BBC had seen evidence that they received side-letters. This event appears to have been the trigger for more activity in response to the SPL’s request. [section 98] Not only does Lord Nimmo Smith highlight the impact of these breaches of confidentiality and their subsequent exposure, but as can be seen, he suggests that the material passed to BBC Scotland was in actual fact evidence before the Tax Tribunal. Whilst it is dangerous to make any presumptions, I do not think it is unreasonable to presume that evidence removed from an evidential storage area, can only have been appropriated by theft. Furthermore as the Police Enquiry into the breaches of confidentiality only commenced after the conclusion of the First Tax Tribunal, following a complaint by Sir David Murray, it would suggest that this appropriation of evidence had up till that point gone unreported.. Whilst there are considerable parts of the jigsaw missing, based on the information which is available I would highlight the following areas of concern to you :- HMRC having seized evidence, in order to progress an investigation, totally ignored repeated concerns and complaints pertaining to breaches of confidentially. To suggest that documentaries produced by BBC Scotland and broadcast on national television equate to “alleged breaches of confidentiality” is simply unacceptable. One is left to speculate if they even bothered to cross reference the evidence they had seized and catalogued with the information which that was being released into the public domain. I would respectfully suggest to you if they have failed to do so – that would be tantamount to gross negligence. There is a considerable feeling amongst many shareholders that having highlighted breaches of confidentiality on numerous occasions, the response of HMRC was both dismissive and misleading, and displayed a complete abdication of their legal responsibility. Lord Nimmo Smith's conclusion that the material passed and subsequently used by BBC Scotland was evidence before the Tax Tribunal raises serious questions about the safe handling and storage of productions by HMRC. If the security of these productions was violated, on how many occasions did this happen ? How was this possible and what steps did HMRC take to report this apparent criminality ? Did they in fact report this appropriation of evidence and what was their legal responsibility to do so ? I’m sure you will appreciate the above concerns are only the tip of the iceberg and there are numerous other areas of concern as well as questions shareholders and supporters have. HMRC's failure to deal with previous complaints has resulted in an erosion of confidence in this organisation's ability to respond to concerns. The apparent, and further possible failings within a government investigative body should be a concern to everyone, even those outside the Rangers community. The concerns I have highlighted are particularly grave and warrant considerable in depth investigation and clarification, not only for the Rangers community, but to ensure all persons dealing with HMRC in the future can so with confidence. I would therefore ask you to raise these concerns amongst your peers within the Scottish Parliament, and for consideration to be given to a full government enquiry in order that these concerns can be investigated fully.

SO that was North America, a place which brought the touring Rangers squad mixed results and mixed fortunes during its stay in the United States and Canada over the last two weeks. Was the trip perfect? With over 14,000 miles flown, a few injuries picked up on the way and goals conceded in three games out of four – one of those a defeat – it’s hard to argue it was. But did it serve a purpose? Absolutely. Scorelines from across the Atlantic might not have been convincing but being there has allowed Gers to keep building well ahead of 2014/15. Despite what the world might think at present following the unrelenting happiness of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, Scottish people are naturally quite pessimistic. The old phrase which claims some are only happy if there’s something to complain about springs to mind and that’s certainly the case with certain Light Blues fans I know. While there are undoubtedly things Ally McCoist will wish had gone differently, he has more positives to reflect on than you might think. Following the intense schedule in Brora at the start of the month, further double sessions abroad – particularly in California – have helped increase fitness levels again. As the pool settles into a more regular training programme after the weekend, any lingering weariness will go and the players will get sharper as they freshen up. Although the team itself still has to click into gear, individuals within it gave enough food for thought during our fortnight away. Kenny Miller’s finishing might not be as consistent as he’s hoping it will become yet but his running and intelligence will help Rangers a lot this season. Nicky Law produced a fine finish to win the game in the final match against Ottawa Fury – Gers’ best display of their four – and he looks alert and hungry too. Ian Black falls into that category as well while Stevie Smith has continued his good form from the end of last term and looks as fast and direct as ever. Lee Wallace has made a strong recovery from the hip problem which ended his campaign early in April as he limped out of the Challenge Cup final defeat to Raith Rovers. But the biggest plus of all isn’t just Lewis Macleod’s return to action but the way he has come in and stamped his mark on the team already off the back of nearly six months out. Few were left in any doubt of how seriously under threat the 20-year-old’s career was when he took unwell at the start of the year. A bad reaction to a virus left him in real danger of having to think of hanging up his boots and there was a genuine chance he’d never have the chance to fulfil his very clear potential. Thankfully Macleod has made a full recovery and so far it looks like he has never been out of the side. Against Sacramento Republic, he grew in stature the more the game went on and I was impressed by his temperament as he kept his cool despite one heavy challenge after another. Four days later at Ottawa, his footwork at times was sublime and you’ll already be hard pushed to find a better piece of skill this season than his turn to set up Law’s goal. The way he stood on the ball then turned away from two men was so elegant and it was the type of move you simply don’t tire of watching. Already there’s a clamour once again in some quarters for McCoist to move Macleod inside and give him a more central role in his midfield. Over time, I fully expect him to take a place there and he’ll both flourish and relish the responsibility such a position entails. But for now, I don’t think it’s a bad thing for him to continue on the left side for the simple reason it’s an area he and the team profits from. Sitting narrower than a natural winger would, he allows Wallace to get forward with good effect and the two combine very well down that side. It’s worth remembering that when Rangers played their best football of last season in the early part of the campaign, those two players got a lot of joy together on the left. I’m not sure having someone else in Macleod’s present position would bear the same fruit and if he was central in a 4-4-2 shape, Wallace certainly wouldn’t get upfield as much. I look forward to seeing Macleod take command and dictate from the middle over time but for now he’s doing a lot for Gers where he is. And as McCoist’s team gets stronger in the weeks ahead, I’ve every faith the club’s most outstanding emerging talent can influence games just as much from slightly wider out. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/opinion/item/7321-best-left-where-he-is An unusually critical piece from Andrew Dickson and he makes a very good point about McLeod playing LMF allowing Wallace more freedom to attack. He may well have been prompted to write this but it is true nonetheless.

A ‘vile’ internet troll has been blasted for insulting former Blackburn Rovers legend Colin Hendry’s late wife. The former central defender, who played more than 300 times for the club, was sent a sick message by a supporter of Glasgow Celtic on Twitter. The message, from an account named Liam McDonald on social networking site Twitter, said: “Remember when Colin Hendry’s wife snuffed it? Great times.” The former Glasgow Rangers star responded by taking to his Twitter account and posting a picture of the tweet with the message: “This is the vile world we live in.” Yesterday the tweet, which was sent at 11.33pm on Tuesday, was deleted, and later the account itself also appeared to have been removed. The Hendry family said they have reported the incident to Scottish police. Mr Hendry’s wife, Denise, died in 2009, seven years after undergoing a botched liposuction operation. The 43-year-old underwent 20 operations after the routine treatment and died after picking up an infection following a corrective operation after being on life support for weeks. Mr Hendry’s daughter Rheagan, launched the charity The Denise Hendry Foundation to help people suffering from clinical negligence in her mum’s memory. Ads by Google British Expat In Germany? Avoid Losing 55% of Your UK Pension Download a Free Expat Pension Guide your.qropschoices.com/HMRC-listed http://www.Auto-Europe.de Die beste Preise verhandelt + Top Vermieter = Günstige Mietwagen http://www.autoeurope.de/Auto-Europe Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph yesterday on behalf of her dad, she said: “This is what we deal with all the time and it is disgusting. “This is not just Colin Hendry, it is a mum and a daughter. “I am sure he would not feel comfortable if someone said that about his parents. “Dad has been in the football world and up at Rangers and he can deal with this sort of thing but when you start bringing in people’s relatives it is just not on. “It is just not nice. We just want to move on with our lives and we are always reminded about how insensitive people can be. “This is a totally random act of stupidity, but it is not the first time something like this has happened. “People should not take social media lightly. “He thinks he can write what he wants and Colin Hendry and his daughter and grandchildren won‘t see it but he is wrong.” Colin Hendry had two spells for Rovers, from 1987 to 1989 and 1991 to 1998. He was sold to Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers, who have a legendary rivalry with Glasgow Celtic. Former teammate Kevin Gallacher, who played with Hendry for Rovers and Scotland, said he too had experienced abuse on Twitter. He said: “When I got involved in Team GB at the Olympics I had abuse on Twitter. “I had times where every time I wrote something I was getting snide comments. “Unfortunately with social media people are going to do that because they can hide behind it. “Comments like that are not nice but you just have to brush it off and ignore it. “But it gets worse when people’s children are involved. “People just think they are throwing abuse at Colin and this is the disappointing thing. “I think these people tend to be loners who are sat in rooms on their own sending these messages.” Rovers legend Simon Garner said: “It is stupid. That is an awful thing to say and the person should get in trouble for it. “I think people believe they can get away with things like this but they can’t. “I have never personally had anything serious on Twitter, just the odd bit of banter that I take with a pinch of salt, but if I did I would certainly report it to the police.” Former Rovers player and current chairman of the Professional Footballers Association Gordon Taylor said: “I think it is a sad world. “There seems to be a vindictive side to society where people hide behind these sites and think they can say what they want to people. “We have advised our younger players to be careful with what they are posting.” Hyndburn MP and Rovers fan Graham Jones said he was ‘sick and fed up of internet trolls’. He said: “When you are in the public life you get trolls who think they can just go round abusing who they want to. “I feel sorry for Colin and all the other victims of what appears to be a growing trend of abuse and bullying on social media. “It is Colin this time but it could be children and vulnerable people next time. “I blocked one constituent who thought it was clever to be abusive on Twitter. “People do not seem to realise you have friends and family and children.” Darwen councillor Dave Smith, a Blackburn Rovers season ticket-holder, said: “It is absolutely appalling. “I just hope the police get involved and this clown is punished. http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/blackburn/11362709._/

With the Pre-season trip over and Hibs coming up a week on Tuesday I hope Ally has a good idea of his best XI and knows he needs to drop certain players. Having watched 3 out 4 games Id say around 9 positions are certain (IMO). The 2 areas of concern is centre half partner for Zaliukas and right wing / midfield. In defence Mohsni and McGregor have both looked shaky more so the latter. Faure hasn't been tried there so he is likely to play RB. Various players played right side - Aird, Gallagher and MacLeod with the latter being the best although he should be in the middle. Upfront it looks like Ally will play Miller and Boyd but Id be reluctant. Kyle Hutton and Lee McCulloch seem favourites of Ally's but they cant be starters IMO. Templeton hasn't done much on this trip but I still have high hopes. My preferred XI would be along the lines of the following with Gallagher the only one possibly changing: ________________________Bell________________________ Faure________Zaliukas_________Mohsni_______Wallace ______________________Black_________________________ ___________MacLeod__________Law_________________ __Gallagher__________Miller___________Templeton

BRIAN LAUDRUP today appealed to Rangers chiefs to patch up their differences with supporters - and work together to restore the Ibrox club to its former glory. Laudrup revealed he had been saddened to see the Glasgow giants continue to be plagued by off-field problems since dropping down to the fourth tier of Scottish football. The legendary winger had hoped the Light Blues would go from strength to strength after they emerged from their financial difficulties two years ago. However, unhappiness with a succession of directors and executives has steadily escalated as tens of millions of pounds of income has been squandered. Matters came to a head this summer when many fans decided not to renew their season tickets - until they received assurances over the future of the stadium and training ground. The bitter stand-off has resulted in vastly reduced numbers of supporters signing up to watch Ally McCoist's side in action at home in the SPFL Championship in the 2014/15 campaign. The club has now admitted that additional funding will have to be found to meet running costs in the coming season and another share issue will be held for existing shareholders later in the year. And at the weekend around 3,000 disgruntled fans marched on Ibrox in a rally organised by the Sons of Struth protest group to demand guarantees over the stadium. Laudrup still takes a keen interest in the fortunes of the Glasgow club, where he spent four years during a glorious spell in the 1990s, from his homeland in Denmark. He stressed he would like to see senior Rangers officials to do everything in their power to mend their fractured relationship with a sizeable section of their followers. Because he feels they need to work as one if the 54-times Scottish champions are to become a dominant force again in football in this country AND get back into European competition. His appeal came as Rangers announced they had set up a nominations committee whose job will be to draw up a shortlist of supporters to be elected to an official fans' board. He said: "I just hope Rangers supporters can look forward to watching the club playing at the level they deserve to be at in the top flight and in Europe once again soon. "I hope they will be back where they once were soon. That is what the supporters deserve. They love the club so much. I am keeping my fingers crossed that that is what is going to happen. "But I know there have been more setbacks along the way. I have read online there are still problems off the park and there are still issues between the club and the supporters. "I hope that these can be sorted out soon. The club need to have the supporters behind them if they are to get Rangers back to the level they should be playing at in Scotland and in Europe. "I think whatever concerns the fans have about the club and the direction it is heading in need to be looked at because Rangers need to have them firmly behind them." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-legend-laudrup-in-plea-to-ibrox-board-172466n.24818886

RFC Maybe we can talk about this without any unecessary snyde remarks about the board?

RANGERS legend Brian Laudrup today revealed how his transfer to the Ibrox club 20 years ago today rescued his foundering career. Danish internationalist Laudrup put pen to paper with the Glasgow giants in a £2.5million deal back on July 21, 1994. The winger went on to enjoy enormous success over the next four years and helped Walter Smith's side to complete nine-in-a-row. He won the Scottish title three times, the League Cup once and the Scottish Cup once, and was also named SFWA Player of the Year twice. The skilful attacker is now widely considered by supporters to be one of the greatest-ever players in the 142-year history of Rangers. But the 45-year-old has recalled how his playing days were in freefall over in Italy where he had endured unhappy spells with Fiorentina and then AC Milan. And he has told how his father - former Denmark star Finn - had warned him that the transfer to Scotland HAD to work out if he was to revive his career. In an exclusive interview with SportTimes, he said: "I can remember a conversation I had with my father at the time I was going to sign for Rangers. "He said to me: 'Brian, this is going to be the most important switch in your career. This move has got to be a success for you'. "Up until then, I had been at Bayern Uerdingen in Germany for one year, Bayern Munich for two years, Fiorentina for one year and AC Milan for one year. "My father told me: 'If you want to be a successful player then you can't be finding a new club every season. You need to find a club and stay there'. "Rangers was that club. Joining Rangers turned out to be the best move of my career. I enjoyed every minute of it. It was very successful for me and very successful for my family. "It was the best four years of my career in terms of playing and the best in terms of my private life. I was happy in Scotland on the park and my family and I were very happy off it." This week in SportTimes Laudrup looks back on the circumstances that resulted in him agreeing to sign for Rangers 20 years ago. He reveals how he realised it would be the correct decision just a few minutes after meeting manager Smith for talks at Cameron House Hotel. And the Scandinavian, now a television pundit in his homeland, also tells of his distress at the off-field difficulties the 54-times Scottish champions have experienced in the last two years. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/laudrup-my-lifetime-debt-to-rangers-172216n.24803808?

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-rangers-chairman-malcolm-murray-3886142 MALCOLM Murray last night broke his silence on the current Rangers board and accused them of failing the club’s fans by not granting them security over Ibrox. The former chairman hasn’t spoken out since the AGM in December when he and his fellow requisitioners, Paul Murray, Alex Wilson and Scott Murdoch failed to oust the under-fire regime. But Murray is now fully behind fans’ group Sons of Struth who marched to Ibrox in protest yesterday at the board’s refusal to give legally-binding assurances that Ibrox will not be sold or leased. Murray believes Gers chief executive Graham Wallace is powerless due to a split at the top of the marble staircase. After the 3000-strong rally yesterday, Murray told MailSport in a statement endorsed by Wilson: “It is now seven months since the AGM. “We have maintained a dignified silence to give Wallace a chance but he is being hamstrung by a board that is neither culturally or corporately equipped for the challenge at Gers. “Fans have been treated with a level of disrespect that would be unprecedented in any other consumer industry. “Why will the board not give legally-binding assurances over Murray Park and Ibrox? “We support the SoS march. We are also fearful over potentially distressing sale and leasebacks of both the stadium and the training ground. “New investment is required urgently. The incumbent board said they had new investors waiting pre-AGM but it hasn’t materialised. “The so-called corporate governance has seen the club lurch from one disaster to the next – and it appears unprecedented that such poor performance would not result in resignations. “This regime appear to be be backed by the original Charles Green and Imran Ahmad investors, desite claiming that they are new. “The fans clearly don’t want them as illustrated by the march and numerous red card protests in recent months. “I’m convinced that the blue chip institutions will not ‘reload’ without a new board in place.” Sons of Struth chief Craig Houston was delighted with the turnout of fans for the protest march between Kinning Park and Ibrox. He’s convinced there are now serious cracks within the Rangers board – and claimed they will never win the battle with the disgruntled fans. He said: “We had around 3000 people on the march which was terrific considering the severe weather. It was also the Fair Friday holiday so it was fantastic support. “John Brown joined us at the start and Nacho Novo met us at the end, a real boost for supporters. It’s great to see ex-players, legends at the club, supporting the fans’ efforts. “The board have said there have been 17,000 season-ticket renewals but having spoken to many of those people I’ve found it difficult to find any of them who trust this board. “So buying a season-ticket isn’t an endorsement of this board. “There is still a huge chunk of supporters who feel disengaged and want security given over Ibrox. We’re asking for legal assurances.”

All That Glitters... Written by: D'Artagnan Saturday, 19th of July 2014 After penning my recent articles for WATP magazine, I didn't expect to be writing about HMRC again so soon. But of course as Rangers fans, if the last few years has taught us anything, is to always expect the unexpected. Except of course where BBC Scotland is concerned. Their decision to feature Angela Haggerty in a programme discussing Rangers and the big tax case was, disappointingly, completely in character for an organisation which appears to be unable to exercise any of the standards of journalistic integrity, it was once renowned for. Ms Haggerty's apparent inability to understand the anger of Rangers fans towards HMRC is an illuminating reflection of a wider journalistic community in Scotland who have comprehensively failed to grasp some of the golden nuggets the Rangers Tax Case has unearthed, and instead, for a variety of reasons, their attention has been drawn to that which may very well glitter, but alas, is not gold. Firstly though allow me to separate some of the wheat from the chaff, and attempt to qualify the anger of the Rangers support towards HMRC. It does not stem from their investigation and attempts to close the tax loophole which are EBT's, I think most Bears realise the blame for our club finding itself on the wrong side of an HMRC investigation lies with Sir David Murray and his willingness to involve our club in a scheme which had all the hallmarks of risqué, written all over it. Perhaps many, myself included, would be interested in the decision making process which caused HMRC to single out Rangers as the "test case" for EBT's, but that in itself is more about curiosity than anger. Furthermore HMRC's action over Whyte's failure with regards PAYE is perfectly understandable, the only caveat to that being why it took them so long to take action? The anger of the Rangers support stems from conduct by HMRC which suggests they have been negligent during the course of this enquiry, that they have deliberately prevaricated in their responses to concerns about breaches of confidentiality and have failed on a number of professional levels to both safeguard and implement the standards they set for themselves during the course of an investigation. Section 98 of Lord Nimmo Smith's SPL Commission Report makes reference to the confidential information obtained by BBC Scotland. The phraseology used in the report "which we understand were the productions before the tax tribunal" suggests that evidence from the tax tribunal has somehow been removed from its safe storage and passed onto a media organisation. Responsibility for the safe storage and handling of productions normally lies with the prosecuting authority. We therefore have the possible scenario of a professional investigative body seizing evidence in the course of their investigation, failing to secure that evidence properly thus allowing it to be removed and subsequently used by others to infer a presumption of guilt against the accused party whilst meanwhile, that same investigative body dismiss concerns reported to them about such leaks with the phrase "HMRC don't respond to speculation about alleged breaches of confidentiality". Perhaps the question needs to be asked of HMRC – "What exactly do you respond to?" But of course, none of the above offer any insight as to the source of the leaks which allowed another award winner, The Rangers Tax Case Blog, to captivate readers and the wider journalistic community with its regular exposures of sensitive and confidential information. Was the security of the tax tribunal evidence, for which HMRC were responsible, breached on a number of occasions or in one "grand heist" which subsequently fed this web blog with the information it so regularly shared? Or did the material come from another, as yet unknown source? Like many Rangers supporters I am struggling to understand why award winning documentaries broadcast on national television by national media organisations and award winning web blogs, both featuring appropriated confidential information concerning the Rangers Tax was met with the following response when concerned Rangers fans and shareholders highlighted them to HMRC: "HMRC don't respond to speculation about alleged breaches of confidentiality". Speculation and allegation? Quite simply this is totally unacceptable and it is incumbent on our politicians to seek an explanation from HMRC on what is increasingly looking like gross negligence by them concerning this episode. Furthermore it is not only those of us within the Rangers community who are struggling with this concept. At some point in the future, probably at the conclusion of the Police investigation into this matter, HMRC are going to have to provide answers to people who they cannot dismiss in the manner and with the contempt they showed for the Rangers support. This is where we must channel our anger - towards ensuring that a full and thorough investigation is undertaken and that answers are provided which explain the apparent failings of HMRC and makes those responsible accountable for their actions; or lack of action as the case may be. Do not let the Ms Haggerty's of this world tell you that your anger and moral indignation towards HMRC is somehow "unjustified" let us instead use that anger to press for a full government investigation into this matter. When the unknown becomes known, then and only then will we decide if our anger is justified or not.

5000 tickets already purchased by Rangers fans for the game against Derby, can we sell out the stadium before the season starts? #dcfc