Russians in �£75m Rangers takeover

[maineflyer 0]

When your club has been owned by David Murray for the last 20 years, even Russians of highly dubious repute seem strangely attractive. As someone who has watched Murray's deceit closely, I'd welcome the devil's ambassador himself rather than watch the current neglect another minute longer.

 

It may not come to anything but the provo-lovers will be shitting themselves at the possibility.

 

I wonder if there are any other Russians out there who want to take over the RST - another aimless organization in dire need of radical change.

 

EDIT - hope this isn't just more Northampton Loyalist imaginings:)

Edited August 15, 2010 by maineflyer

[Guest Northampton_loyalist]

Leave me the fuck out of it

 

I am not the most prideful person, but even I wouldnt lower myself to scribble for the NOTW

[pete 2,499]

Don't see this as a goer at all, another spoiler from News International, don't forget the same "mob" employs that wee nyaff Speirs (sic). On another recent thread there was talk of what Rangers stood for. I didn't contribute, although I subscribe to the "Wabash" school of thought. Rangers stand for integrity, both on a personal and corporate level. This would be a step back into the Dark Ages, I don't care how much money this guy is supposed to have. The suspicion I have is that we may be looking at a "laundering exercise" please feel free to rip this post apart, but, I hae ma doubts.

 

In that thread no one suggested that Rangers should not stand for integrity and have high moral values. If you thought that then you have not understood the discussion. The discussion was that could morals and values from the Bill Struth period be practised on modern day football players. I don't want to open up the same discussion in another thread but i do want to say i have never said Rangers should not have high moral and cultural values. On the contrary we should have. Do i think the, "you play for the jumper son" morals of the past have a place in today's world then unfortunately no i don't. Let us not forget that many players were also financially abused in the years that clubs had an iron fist.

 

Do i want Russian owners? I want any owners that will take rangers forward. There are bad and good British business men so i would imagine it is the same in Russia. Unfortunately you never know what you get until you have got them and then it is normally too late to change things. If you never gamble on changing things then things will probably never change. What i will say is i hope we don't go back to forgetting to produce our own youth players and bring in Russian second rate players.

[maineflyer 0]

Leave me the fuck out of it

 

I am not the most prideful person, but even I wouldnt lower myself to scribble for the NOTW

 

Sorry mate, couldn't resist it. Excellent comeback though.

[Frankie 8,186]

There were murmurings on the grapevine about the ownership saga last week but I think this story has about as much legs as James Beattie.

[ian1964 10,461]

Sources at Rangers were bemused yesterday at reports claiming that a Russian banker is about to take over the club in a �£75m deal, while supporters reacted with a weary shrug at the latest speculation.

 

A tabloid yesterday quoted an anonymous source close to Vladimir Antonov as saying “the takeover is 99% certain” and that “the money is there, it’s real and the deal can be done”.

 

But Ibrox insiders yesterday said they knew nothing about any proposed deal, and Rangers and their owner Sir David Murray have yet to be approached. When directors met before Saturday’s game against Kilmarnock, no Russian deal was mentioned.

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/rangers-deny-talk-of-antonov-takeover-1.1048406

[rbr 1,247]

Taken from RM .

 

Today insiders from the corridors of power of Ibrox have "laughed off" and quashed Sunday reports that Andrew Ellis and Chris Ackers' bid for Rangers was back on with a bankroll provided by Russians Vladimir Antonov and Roman Dubov. But is that the end of the story? Why is Ellis' company still linked to the club on the Takeover Panel?

 

Reports in an exclusive story by the News of the World's Graham McKendry linked the two Russian corporate banking players to being the men that would solve Andrew Ellis' problems of sourcing the finance to buy out Sir David Murray.

 

Despite McHendry principally writing for the News of the World on crime, he has written previously on Hearts owner Romanov's bank being investigated, the divorice proceedings of Celtic director Chris Trainor and on Allan McGregor's quashed police woes.

 

So there is certainly previous with McHendry and it seems that he must have some insider connections that he might have gained when investigating the Romanov story considering that Antonov also has banking interests in Lithuania.

 

One wonders if he has just listened to whispers from the wrong person, or whether there is indeed a gathering tide of another bid being put together by Ellis and Ackers.

 

The English duo have not spoken out since their bid for the club was rebuffed by Murray in June when a statement was released from his company indicating that they were no longer actively marketing their controlling interest in the club. Something that is of course very different to a statement saying that the club is not for sale, as announcing such would have meant that the club would not be able to be sold for a specified period of time. The language used in such an announcement by a company is very important.

 

Of course Rangers Football Club is still up for sale, if the right man or men came in for the club, with the right offer then Murray would happily sell on the club as he knows that he can't and won't take the club any further than where it currently stands, irrespective of how you may view the clubs current situation.

 

One thing does still flicker in the back of the head though regarding the Ellis deal, the Englishmen's company, RFC Holdings Ltd is still linked to an impending takeover on the Takeover Panel, even today.

 

Is this an merely an oversight? Is it normal for a company to be quoted on the panel this long after an offer has been rejected? It will take some of the more business minded Rangers fans out there to answer that question.

 

One thing is for sure, Andrew Ellis' name is not going away. We can but ponder for how much longer we will have to look at those same few pictures of him that are available. Unless of course he pulls his head above the precipice and gives an interview to someone in the media. Perhaps the telling thing is that if he didn't still harbour aspirations of buying the club then he would have done so already?

 

Until then we're left with conjecture and whisper.

[stewarty 1,878]

A quick google search can sometimes prove useful...

 

http://www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk/disclosure/disclosure-table

 

Maybe just the way I read this, but it seems to me that the Rangers/RFC Holdings disclosure is a deletion, thus will no longer be listed on the takeover panel.

 

THE TAKEOVER PANEL ââ?¬â?? DISCLOSURE TABLE

16 August 2010

 

The following are today�s changes to the Disclosure Table:

 

ADDITIONS

None

 

DELETIONS

...

(then further below)

 

OFFEREE: Rangers Football Club Plc

Offer period commenced: 18:16 26-Oct-2009

10p ordinaryISIN: GB0007237380NSI: 108,791,499

 

OFFEROR: RFC Holdings (Guernsey) Limited (Andrew Ellis)

Offeror identified: 09:27 08-Mar-2010

Disclosure of dealings and positions in this offeror is not required

[Frankie 8,186]

I think you're right Stewarty...

[Guest Northampton_loyalist]

Im not so sure, not because I think different, just because it is all greek to me

 

Interestingly enough, the Plus market still has us listed as under a bid situation. Might mean something, might mean hee haw.