Is our potential new owner whiter than Whyte?

[Frankie 8,145]

First of all, I'd like to make clear I'm as excited as any other bear about today's news about a hitherto unknown Scottish millionaire supposedly being in the final stages of buying our football club. To have the debt cleared and a fresh new regime in charge of our future is intriguing and it's no wonder our fans are keen to find out more. And that is the key to judging this front page 'exclusive' - we must know more.

 

It's all very well the James Traynor's and Darrell King's of this world bagging themselves a few more readers today but while the hyperbole sounds good, we need some meat added to the bones.

 

Despite the public protestations of the club in recent months, private negotiations have been ongoing regarding the sale of it to a consortium of interested parties - some of whom may have pulled out, some not. These include the new face, 'turnaround specialist' Craig Whyte along with the previously named Andrew Ellis and Vladimir Antonov. Others such as current Rangers director Dave King may well be involved further down the line.

 

Certainly, speculation in the background has been rife and, as always, it is difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. Even in the newspaper reports of today we have no official club comment and can only take the word of 'sources' and 'insiders' amongst the usual sound-bites about debts, tax queries and war-chests.

 

This is where our support must then ask themselves a few questions. The last decade has seen dramatic downsizing occur at our great club. From the extravagance of Dutch international signings and 5* training grounds, to the paucity of broken Jumbotrons and loan swaps with Aberdeen; never has our future been so worrying. Indeed, if it were not for the best efforts of Walter Smith and his players in delivering a UEFA Cup Final run and two SPL titles on the trot, the current debt of around �£25million would be much higher.

 

Therefore, any removal of this debt and the associated inflexibility of the bank who hold it is definitely something to be happy about. The question is how does any new owner stop the same situation happening again? Does he invest more money into the squad and hope that this brings continued domestic success - as well as the crucial CL monies? Or does he maintain prudence and gamble on the qualities of the existing manager and players?

 

Risk-taking is something that has been at the forefront of our club's strategy since Sir David Murray bought the club over 20 years ago. Some have come off [Walter Smith (twice), Mo Johnston and stadium improvements], some have not [Paul Le Guen, Tore Andre Flo and over-investment in the Advocaat era]. We don't have the luxury of such mistakes now so any new club administration must be aware of the risks involved. �£20million 'war-chests' make for good newspaper sales but I doubt Craig Whyte (or his associates) will be gifting this cash, so how do we eventually pay for it? Wouldn't we just be swapping one �£20million+ debt for another?

 

If one positive has come out of the decade of downsizing it is that surely Rangers fans are more savvy than ever before. While we're all ambitious and have high expectations, we must accept that our future isn't one which can be gambled away on a whim. After all, we can all argue for or against the Murray era but one of the few consensuses between these camps is that it lacked vision, lacked planning and lacked supporter involvement.

 

As such, before we back any new owner we must know more about their plans. Rangers supporters are the lifeblood of the club and our financial contribution has never been more important. Our loyalty and commitment should not be taken for granted and for our backing we're entitled to be treated with respect and worked with (instead of against) as we enter any new ownership era.

 

Yes, we cautiously welcome the news of Craig Whyte's interest but there is much more to be done before we can accurately judge the merits of his intentions. This should not be done on the pages of tabloids but in direct consultation with a support eager for positive change.

 

Actions speak louder than words.

[Danny 0]

Actions speak indeed much louder than words which is why we should ignore the words and wait for any action. I'm sick of these soap operas.

[rbr 1,247]

There is not a millionaire / billionaire out there who doesn't have skeletons in their closet , to think otherwise is very nieve , just look at Murray

[Frankie 8,145]

There is not a millionaire / billionaire out there who doesn't have skeletons in their closet , to think otherwise is very nieve , just look at Murray

 

I don't expect the guy to be Mother Teresa - to be successful in business you need a ruthless streak and not everything will be done as St Peter would prefer.

 

However, I do expect him to be a bit more saintly now that he's dealing with our club and you and me. Sure, stockmarket rules notwithstanding, information may be difficult to divulge but if he's the real deal he will come to us sooner rather than later and I hope his plans are exciting, innovative and prudent given the very trying financial circumstances Scottish football (and British society) are in.

 

Similarly, I urge the Rangers support to be cautious in their opinions as we've been here before with little joy.

[rbr 1,247]

so good you posted it twice lol

[Frankie 8,145]

Server blip - as per notice...

[rbr 1,247]

fat fingers more like

[Frankie 8,145]

Pleasantly plump if you don't mind...

[Zappa 0]

I'm not going get pulled into the drama this time. Gets a big fat yawn from me until something actually happens. The fans can't sway or influence a buyout anyway if one is actually going to happen.

 

Wake me up when something actually happens.

[Totti 0]

One point, you say we are more savvy than ever, yet not so long ago appeared on the brink of financial destruction, as has been the case more than once in the last 10 years.

 

We go in cycles of being too prudent then over exuberant, which is bad management and all the more reason for change.

Edited November 18, 2010 by Totti