All we need is for the "Murray to the rescue " HEADLINE to appear once again

[rbr 1,247]

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/michael-grant-on-monday-1.1082711

 

The first suggestion was that Craig Whyte might be able to rush through a takeover and own Rangers in time for Christmas.

 

Then he supposedly wanted to have the reins in time for the January transfer window so he could plough in some funds for signings and an enhanced contract offer to Kenny Miller. Christmas is over, Miller is away, the window closes at 11pm tonight, and still there is no Whyte. Not a peep has been heard and sources have said nothing is likely to change. It is now 74 days since the story broke that he wanted to buy the Ibrox club.

 

It wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that the most pressing matter on Whyte’s mind now is how best to spin his retreat from the Ibrox doorstep. Not much is clear about Rangers’ ownership and information remains contradictory about whether or not the club will end up in Whyte’s hands, but there has been absolutely nothing in their January activity to suggest this is a club on the brink of new ownership.

 

They submitted a bid for David Goodwillie which Dundee United rejected, and that was that. No increase, no bargaining, just a withdrawal from the table. They effectively agreed a fee with Derby County for Kris Commons only to realise they weren’t able to follow it through when he asked for Ã?£20,000-per-week. Whatever impact David Healy may go on to have for them, the fact remains that he wasn’t the first or even second forward on their wanted list.

 

The Commons move said it all. The best Rangers could manage was several thousand pounds per week less than he was able to get from Celtic. If the most Rangers can offer now is about �£14,000-per-week, they risk being outbid by their rivals for any player they might want in the foreseeable future. Agents routinely offer the same player to both clubs (same city, same league, same status of club) and their obligation to do the best they can for a client means they would naturally try to play one club off against the other if it might hike up the wages on offer. The Commons deal might not be the last time Rangers are gazzumped by Celtic.

 

Rangers also risk not being able to keep hold of Madjid Bougherra, Steven Davis and Steven Whittaker, who are all out of contract at the end of next season. All three will believe they can get more money by leaving than re-signing. It’s easy to see all three of them going the way of Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller, departing for little or nothing.

 

Lloyds Banking Group’s aggressive clawing back of the debts accumulated under Sir David Murray have been cold and clinical and still it goes on, relentlessly. Around Ã?£22m of the Ã?£27m debt is owed to Lloyds and they continue to be voracious in trying to get it back. “Whether we think it’s fair or not, it doesn’t really matter because we are not getting any kind of reaction any time we ask about it,” said Walter Smith recently.

 

Lloyds don’t look at the football implications of anything. They aren’t interested in speculating to accumulate, which is why they were unmoved by the case for keeping top goalscorer Miller and increasing the likelihood of winning the league and reaching the Champions League. To Lloyds, Ã?£400,000 for Miller sounded a whole lot sweeter than nothing for him in the summer. They don’t give any ground, no matter how often or how passionately the case is made by Smith or chief executive Martin Bain. Those two must feel they are banging their heads against a brick wall. It isn’t going to change.

 

Lloyds want another cut to the wage bill for next season, another Ã?£1m off the players’ salaries. They see themselves owed a big pile by a club facing reduced television income, the possibility of no Champions League money, and even some reduction in season-ticket sales. They see a possible Ã?£36m bill, plus penalties, from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs tax investigation which might hang over the club for another 18 months or so. They aren’t sitting back, waiting for Whyte or anyone else to pay back the money they’re owed. They’re working to get it back through a thousand cuts.

 

Others won’t shed tears for Rangers. Even Ã?£14,000-per-week is way above what any Scottish club except Celtic can pay. Even after Miller’s departure they have four strikers on the books who cost Ã?£11m in transfer fees alone. They aren’t in this mess because of Lloyds, but because Murray allowed the debt to soar in the first place. It’s just their misfortune that Lloyds are being as brutal as a loan shark when it comes to claiming the money back.

 

If it’s exasperating for Smith and Bain, then what must another central figure be making of it all? What kind of job is Ally McCoist going to inherit in four months’ time? Celtic appointed an inexperienced manager last summer, but crucially they backed him with the money to buy his way out of trouble. Rangers will not be able to do that. McCoist will swell with pride when he becomes manager, but there has never been a worse time to inherit the job he has always wanted.

Edited January 31, 2011 by Frankie

[maineflyer 0]

Thankfully, the effect of Murray showing his fat arse at Ibrox would be hugely negative, something Dirty Dave would find too hard to swallow. He's a complete shite bag and the chances of him riding into town unchallenged are very much reduced, as are his chances of making the slightest difference to our situation.

[rbr 1,247]

What do you think about the above article , Maineflyer , more regurgitated rubbish

[maineflyer 0]

What do you think about the above article , Maineflyer , more regurgitated rubbish

 

Exactly. Milking our misery for the benefit of their target audience "others won't shed tears for Ramgers". When your teeth fall out in the jungle you're going to get attacked.

[CumbernauldGers 0]

Thankfully, the effect of Murray showing his fat arse at Ibrox would be hugely negative, something Dirty Dave would find too hard to swallow. He's a complete shite bag and the chances of him riding into town unchallenged are very much reduced, as are his chances of making the slightest difference to our situation.

 

Spot on mate. For once we agree.

[Totti 0]

Noticed in the article Davis, Bougherra and Whittaker are all out of contract next year. They should be offered extended deals soon or else sold. We can't allow another Boyd/Millr fiasco.

 

btw - what's so wrong with the article

Edited February 1, 2011 by Totti

[rbr 1,247]

Noticed in the article Davis, Bougherra and Whittaker are all out of contract next year. They should be offered extended deals soon or else sold. We can't allow another Boyd/Millr fiasco.

 

btw - what's so wrong with the article

 

Nothing so long as you buy into the , it's all lloyds doing , personally this has Murray's paw prints all over it .

[Totti 0]

"They aren�t in this mess because of Lloyds, but because Murray allowed the debt to soar in the first place."

[rbr 1,247]

"They aren’t in this mess because of Lloyds, but because Murray allowed the debt to soar in the first place."

 

 

And what exactly has that to do with the way we are getting treated by him now , in fact it actually backs up my point , it's not lloyds that are instigating this it's Murray IMHO , the debt gets reduced the asking price , if there is such a thing stays the same , and all the while Lloyds take the blame.

 

The important thing IMHO to remember is that we are making every payement due to lloyds , there is money coming in from just about every game at the moment , this transfer window has just shed another �£1.5 million annually from the wage bill , HMRC haven't even decided if in fact we are due anything at all ,never mind reached any conclusions re an amount .