Today's Record Q&A with Green.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Q & A with Green from todays Record

 

Your reaction to HMRC blocking CVA?

It is very disappointing. I hadn’t spoken to HMRC directly but what I do know is Duff and Phelps had various discussions with them over the past few months and I had no reason to doubt what they told me.

To read in Paul Clark’s statement today that HMRC are saying this is a policy decision – is it a policy from HMRC that came out this morning?

If this has always been their policy why didn’t they tell us this in February or March and save a lot of money and time?

 

And you are saying they didn’t tell you that?

There was a meeting set up for Monday at 2 o’clock, between Deloitte and HMRC. It was cancelled.

 

By whom?

By HMRC.

Are you saying you didn’t see this coming today?

Not at all. If we had known this in March – and forget about the effect that it’s had on Duff & Phelps – then the minute Bill Miller withdrew and we became preferred bidder we would’ve gone down the newco route. I spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on fees for professionals for a deal that could never happen.

 

But people have said that this was always HMRC’s policy. Are you really saying you never got that feedback?

No. Not at all.

 

You are now being seen as the guy who took Rangers into liquidation or who didn’t do enough to keep them out?

Neither of those things are fair. What I’ve said consistently is that the approval of the CVA would be purely down to HMRC and Ticketus.

What I have said throughout the process – because information fed back to me has always been that we’re talking to HMRC, they haven’t turned it down, so I had to be encouraged – was that I was not in control of that. HMRC have confirmed to Duff & Phelps they would vote in favour.

 

You can’t downplay the significance of today, it’s a momentous day for Rangers?

I said last week I thought next Thursday, ie this Thursday, was the most important day in Rangers’ history.

 

But you didn’t even make it to Thursday?

No. Could HMRC change their mind again and at the CVA meeting on Thursday? I would urge everyone to lobby to see if we can get this ridiculous decision overturned because it cannot be in the best interest of taxpayers. Cannot be.

HMRC statement talks about them pursuing previous owners?

My understanding, and I’m not a lawyer, is that going down this route preserves the position they can go after previous owners. But if pursuing previous owners by this mechanism destroys a lot of the hopes and aspirations of the fans, the club and the people associated with it, then my answer would be pursue them through the courts in a different manner, not force this on them.

I understand the logic of not doing deals with people who have failed to pay tax and have made these problems but that is not my group.

We haven’t failed to pay tax. I would understand this decision if Whyte was here or if Murray was here, who initiated the original problem.

 

Some of your weekend comments about signing targets and a £30million share issue could have antagonised HMRC and blown any chances of delivering CVA?

Then HMRC are stupid if they think that. If I wanted to go and sign Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and pay them the salaries they get paid, 50 per cent of what I pay them goes back on PAYE so that could be the best news HMRC could have.

They would recoup PAYE and NIC at huge levels. Or we can play non-league football paying £300 every week to players who don’t pay 60 per cent tax.

 

You are certain you have a binding agreement for an asset sale?

We said consistently throughout that in the event of the CVA being rejected the contract would automatically default into an asset purchase.

Nothing has changed as far as we are concerned. The contract is a binding contract between both parties and this is not a situation where someone can come in now and do another deal. As far as we are concerned we have a binding contract.

 

So others can’t come in and challenge that?

If someone wants to challenge then my answer is I was criticised weeks ago because no one had ever heard of me, I came in at the last minute, I had appeared from nowhere. Well now people are saying have I got the chance to bid.

But everyone had the chance to bid for this company from February 14 until May 13 when I was given exclusivity, whether it was Blue Knights, Bill Miller, Uncle Tom Cobley or a host of other people who had approached the administrator and no one had put out a credible deal.

Some smart guy might want to come along but all that does is put the fans in limbo again. As far as we’re concerned we have a binding contract with Duff & Phelps.

 

Three-year European ban as a newco – what does that do for your projections?

We knew what the consequences were and what the opportunities were. If the CVA does fail on Thursday, and it is looking as if it will on HMRC’s current position, then we are not even in the SPL. Forget about playing in Europe we might not even be playing in Glasgow!

 

When will you start the moves to get into the SFA and SPL?

I have spoken to the SPL and the SFA today and meetings have been set up so those talks are ongoing.

 

People say the club should take its punishment and accept a drop to Division Three – is that an option or will you apply to SPL?

You would need approval for Division Three and there wouldn’t even be a guarantee of that. My view is anyone who creates a crime like this club did has to have punishment. Whether it’s my backside that gets kicked or someone else’s is an issue but unfortunately it’s mine that’s here and the others have disappeared. So we have to take some punishment.

Will you now lobby other clubs ahead of newco vote?

It’s important that while we are competitors on the field we need to be unified in the product, because the value of the SPL in terms of its image and its marketing rights is not to have a disparate group of people who aren’t prepared to work together.

 

You could agree to do away with the 11-1 vote to get clubs onside with you?

If the CVA gets rejected then one minute later we won’t be a member of the SPL. And therefore there can’t be an 11-1 vote because they would only have 11 members of the club. So that vote would occur without us.

 

Player contracts – they can all leave for free under TUPE regulations?

We would expect that all of the employees including the players would transfer into newco.

 

Can you be sure of that?

No. You can’t be sure. Someone may decide they don’t want to be part of the newco. But at that point they would be in breach of contract.

Is it true you lost a major investor at the weekend and you don’t have money to fund the club once you get control?

Let’s stop these rumours running around. Last week it was said I didn’t have any money to buy the club, I was using season-ticket money. Then I explained I had paid the administrators the money required in the contract, how could I have done that when I haven’t even put season tickets up for sale? The next thing being said is that when I buy it I don’t have money to run the club. In a month’s time, when I’ve dealt with that myth, I’ll be accused of not having enough money to buy Lionel Messi. And when I buy Lionel Messi I won’t have enough money to put a rocket on the moon. Every time someone comes up with something it’s proved to be rubbish.

 

People see you as the villain of the piece today?

I didn’t expect to be getting it in the neck and I don’t accept that at any stage I’m the villain of the piece. If I wasn’t here there would be no one buying this club. All the bidders disappeared. But if there’s someone out there now who wants this club, then turn up, sign a cheque, we’ll go out the door and they can take over.

 

Sad day for Rangers?

“It’s a sad day for the club, for the fans … HMRC have got a lot to answer for.

Edited June 13, 2012 by Frankie

[GovanAllan 0]

Somebodies not telling the whole truth in all this mess and for me the finger keeps pointing to D&P they are the one constant in all this mess as others have come and gone. Time will tell I hope.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Somebodies not telling the whole truth in all this mess and for me the finger keeps pointing to D&P they are the one constant in all this mess as others have come and gone. Time will tell I hope.

 

got to agree. d&p have much to answer for.

 

if you add green to the list of people wrongly informed by them. it now encompases every bidder.

[pete 2,499]

Forget about playing in Europe we might not even be playing in Glasgow!

 

I wonder what that remark is about?

[Tumshie RFC 0]

Forget about playing in Europe we might not even be playing in Glasgow!

 

I wonder what that remark is about?

 

I would say it's a flippant remark from Green and not a smart one at that. I wouldn't read too much into it.

[Zappa 0]

If we had known this in March – and forget about the effect that it’s had on Duff & Phelps – then the minute Bill Miller withdrew and we became preferred bidder we would’ve gone down the newco route.

 

Yet another glaring contradiction regarding the suspicious "binding contract" between D&P & Green. They claimed at the original press conference that Green wasn't being put in a preferred bidder status with a period of exclusivity, but since then Green has referred to being in a period of exclusivity and in this interview he's referring to when they "became preferred bidder". So what's the story? Were they talking rubbish at the original/initial press conference or is Green talking rubbish now? It has to be one or the other because David Whitehouse was very specific about this when he said Green wasn't being made preferred bidder.

[Zappa 0]

But if there’s someone out there now who wants this club, then turn up, sign a cheque, we’ll go out the door and they can take over.

 

 

One minute in this interview he's saying there's no room for anyone else to come in and take over then the next minute he's saying if someone else wants the club they can have it. Which is it then?

[GovanAllan 0]

He's not the best when you stick a mic under his chin, he needs to get behind a desk and get a professional spokesman in for the press.

[Stimpy 0]

 

One minute in this interview he's saying there's no room for anyone else to come in and take over then the next minute he's saying if someone else wants the club they can have it. Which is it then?

 

Playing poker with any interested bidders or looking for a way out?

[Zappa 0]

Playing poker with any interested bidders or looking for a way out?

 

I don't know what to believe shorerd. The guy talks so much nonsense that I'm struggling to decipher and separate the wheat from the chaff.