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Green's Rangers Pledge


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RANGERS chief Charles Green today pledged to give Ibrox fans the chance to own up to 50% of the club.

 

Green also acted to quash speculation that former chairman Craig Whyte is involved in his Sevco consortium.

 

The new Ibrox chief executive has come under intense scrutiny from the Light Blue legions since completing his purchase of Rangers' assets and moving them to his newco, Sevco Scotland Ltd, but the Englishman feels he is starting to win over the doubters.

 

Craig Mathers, a Nottingham-based businessman, has become the latest investor to pledge money to Green's project after ploughing more than £1 million into Rangers, and the Ibrox chief is keen for fans to come on board and control their club.

 

Green said: "We want fans to own part of this. This is not Charles Green, I do not own the club.

 

"I keep being misquoted in the newspapers as 'Charles Green owner', I am not the owner, I am the CEO. I am trying to do a job and rescue Rangers for the fans and for the people who own this club.

 

"We have got people who have got shares but they are not the owners. The owners of Rangers are the fans.

 

"I have said they can own up to 50% of this. If fans choose not to buy the shares that is their right.

 

"We cannot force them to do that. I have said all along, the opportunity is there.

 

"The next step is that we need to get the season tickets sorted, we need to get Alistair [McCoist] playing football because there is a cup game in less than 14 days and then, following that, we want to move on with the share issue."

 

Green has proven a divisive figure since arriving at Ibrox, with former Gers hero John Brown urging supporters not to buy season tickets for the coming campaign as he makes his own move to gain control of the club.

 

Sevco chairman Malcom Murray will lead a three-man delegation to Hampden today as the newco attempts to gain an SFA licence to allow them to play in the Irn-Bru Third Division next season.

 

Green knows he still has some way to go to win over disillusioned fans but he hopes the tide is now turning in his favour as Rangers' future takes shape.

 

He said: "I think over the last few weeks there has definitely been a movement.

 

"The fact that I am now living in a flat in Glasgow, as opposed to moving from safehouse to safehouse, is vindication of it.

 

"Indeed, I had my first meal out in the city since May 13, where a lady was having a 16th birthday and invited me across to join her group.

 

"That was, to me, the first Glasgow welcome and says to me that fans now are understanding better.

 

"We knew this wouldn't be an overnight thing. We knew fans had been let down. There is huge mistrust because of the history of Craig Whyte and to some extent David Murray. We haven't tried to push people where they didn't feel comfortable."

 

In a bid to move on, Green added: "I think the sensible fans now see through this rubbish that has been fed to them over the last three months and see that we have delivered everything we said."

 

Key to Murray's Hampden remit today will be to prove to the governing body who owns and runs Rangers, allowing the SFA to see all of Green's investors and his plans for the club.

 

Fans' fears have grown that disgraced former owner Craig Whyte is involved in the new regime but Green has shot down those claims.

 

He said: "I have met Craig Whyte four times. The last time I spoke to him he called me to say 'well done', after we had done the deal.

 

"Craig is a guy who, I think, had the right intentions but didn't have the resource to deliver. Unfortunately for Rangers fans, the club got into a mess.

 

"I don't speak to Craig and he is not part of the consortium, which is what my board colleagues will be telling and showing and proving to the SFA today."

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/g...ledge.18176850

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SFA chiefs today demanded detailed information over Charles Green's plans for Rangers and those backing his newco.

 

New club chairman Malcolm Murray and Rangers finance directors Imran Khan and Brian Stockbridge held discussions with the Hampden hierarchy at the National Stadium.

 

And SportTimes understands they were told to come clean over the businessmen who have helped fund the £5.5million Green take-over deal, what his intentions are for the club and also ordered to produce documentation proving shamed former owner Craig Whyte is not involved in any way.

 

Green had already submitted information as he tries to gain SFA membership, but it is understood it was not detailed enough for the SFA – and he has been ordered to furnish them with more facts.

 

Green confirmed: "Three of our board members, Malcolm, Imran and Brian are meeting with the SFA and will be answering all the questions for our application relating to the funding and ownership.

 

"Who are members of the trust who have invested up to date? They will provide all the answers."

 

An SFA insider revealed: "The information provided so far is, at best, vague. A lot more information is required before everything can be completed, and Green has been made aware of this.

 

"After what happened during Craig Whyte's reign, it is imperative all background checks are carried out to ensure the same thing does not happen again. The Rangers supporters would expect and demand such checks are carried out.

 

"That is one of the issues being discussed today, along with the proposed transfer embargo and the payment of all football-related debts."

 

Green is currently unwilling to accept the existing terms of a 12-month signing embargo, originally placed on the club by the governing body on May 11 for bringing the game into disrepute.

 

But with the SFA making it clear it will only transfer Rangers' membership to the new company if it either agrees to the imposition of the registration ban – which was subsequently ruled unlawful by Lord Glennie at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on appeal – or elects to again go before the governing body's appellate tribunal, it would appear they are on yet another bitter collision course unless a deal is struck.

 

There have been suggestions that a season- long transfer ban, if accepted, could come into play on September 1, which would at least allow Ally McCoist the opportunity to bring in players to his decimated squad.

 

Rangers would then be unable to sign any new players until the transfer window that opens on January 1, 2014.

 

If the newco owners refuse to accept any kind of transfer embargo, the governing body will be left one further option involving the transfer of membership.

 

It could agree the transfer, but allow its appellate tribunal to reconvene, leaving open the possibility of Rangers either being suspended from the game for an indefinite period, being thrown out of football altogether or facing a season- long expulsion from the Scottish Cup.

 

Green added: "The follow- on question after the discussion on membership with the SFA has to be to try and agree this level of package in terms of sanctions, when we feel enough is enough but understand that there has to be a final settlement so we can all move on.

 

"We are now accepted as a member of the SFL but we are unable to even play a friendly and the first cup game is now in less than two weeks."

 

McCoist suffered another blow yesterday with the news that Dorin Goian, Carlos Bocanegra and Maurice Edu are all set to leave after they were placed in the Third Division.

 

And Green admits those who have already committed themselves to the club, like Lee Wallace and Neil Alexander, could also consider their Gers futures.

 

He said: "The news yesterday that we are definitely in the Third Division means that some of the key players who have come back, people like Goian, Bocanegra and Edu will rethink their futures, quite understandably.

 

"Indeed, some of the main Scots players will always have to look at their future.

 

"Nevertheless, Alistair is resounding in his support going forward.

 

"He has got players, should the SFA allow him to bring players in, he will have a squad there."

 

"It does increase the pressure on Ally even further. We're asking him to manage a club where the SFA still want to put some transfer embargo on us and we haven't got any players."

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/...ckers.18176889

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CHARLES GREEN will ask Uefa for help in reducing the oldco Rangers transfer fee debts of around £3million owed to European clubs.

 

Green flew to Switzerland today for a meeting to see if cash owed to the likes of Rapid Vienna, Palermo and St Etienne can somehow be reduced.

 

"There are oldco debts to certain clubs and it's about £3m," Green said. "They're oldco debts that newco has got to face up to. This is the frustration that we have had as a group where, at times we're a newco so we have to sit in this particular box.

 

"However, when it's convenient we're still oldco and have to suffer the sins of the fathers.We are people who face up to responsibilities – but we'd like some help in meeting these debts.

 

"We don't want them to be waived or expect them to be waived... but I'd like for clubs and Uefa to recognise these are not my debts. This is a gesture and we'd like them to work with us so we can agree a settlement.

 

"When Rangers do get back to Europe, be that five years, 10 years or 20 years, we want to walk back with heads held high."

 

Meantime, Rangers' first match against Brechin in the Ramsdens Cup on Saturday week is set to be switched to Dens Park, Dundee.

 

Glebe Park has a 1500 capacity and sources say the club has not go enough time to prepare for the neccesary arrangement with interest set to be huge.

 

Brechin have already approached Dundee and the SFL will facilitate the request.

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/gers-uefa-plea-over-oldco-debt.18177973

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