The Summer 2013 Transfers and Rumours Thread

[pete 2,499]

Really hope we get Berra. A natural centre half who is tried and trusted. He isnt Richard Gough but will certainly be more than sufficent for the next 3 years.

 

Richard Gough is also not Christophe Berra for that fact.

[chilledbear 16]

Todays Herald.... Berra.

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/mccoist-still-hopes-he-can-bring-berra-to-rangers.21509832

[der Berliner 3,716]

...

 

Finance is a potential stumbling block, though, with Berra having earned a substantial wage in England that Rangers are unlikely to currently match.

 

I seem to remember (and that article might well be linked somewhere above) that Berra said that he's earned his money and that wages would not be a driving force. He wants to get his family back to Scotland was the chime back then ... and there are not many clubs up here who can match our wages offer.

[craig 5,199]

...

 

 

 

I seem to remember (and that article might well be linked somewhere above) that Berra said that he's earned his money and that wages would not be a driving force. He wants to get his family back to Scotland was the chime back then ... and there are not many clubs up here who can match our wages offer.

 

Yeah, I recall seeing that article too dB.

[ascender 352]

Also a couple of papers today including a quote from Mather saying that we need to move players on before bringing anyone else in to balance the books. That sort of common fiscal sense won't go down well with some...

[calscot 0]

Also a couple of papers today including a quote from Mather saying that we need to move players on before bringing anyone else in to balance the books. That sort of common fiscal sense won't go down well with some...

 

Won't go down well with whom?

 

I think everyone wants fiscal prudence, the problem is that some seem to want extreme parsimony.

[der Berliner 3,716]

Yep, as I pointed out above, that's all taken from the club's HP ... and with a bit of journalistic gloss on it.

[RANGERRAB 3,612]

the fact is we've got few players anyone would want to give them the salaries they get at Rangers. That's why we'll struggle to move players out the door

Edited July 3, 2013 by RANGERRAB

[calscot 0]

Is there any real reason to think that the boards medium to long term plan is NOT to balance the books?

 

I realise a lot of the IPO is probably spent but paying off directors and top earning players is not going to happen every year, and some of the investments will not need repeating for a while, if ever (real estate, stadium investment etc).

 

However, many of our investors are in it for a financial return - at least in share capital, and we have successful businessmen at the heart of the club, who although are eminently capable of making mistakes, surely they at least have the financial competence and common sense of your average fan?

 

Actually I'd guess most fans don't really understand a balance sheet and the concept of pre-payments and accruals, and even though they'll understand the reality of it in their own life without the jargon, they get spooked when they see capital investment in the club and bank balance being depleted.

 

But I'm sure our board at least realise that to avoid a loss: expenditure <= income, and that 1:3 is a reasonable ratio for wages to income. We used to run about 60 to 70% and cut that down to about 50% in the later years. It seem to me that it's our other expenditures we have to keep an eye on, while increasing our income as much as we can - without alienating our "customers".

 

I do agree that a modest rise in ticket prices (8%?) would have generally have been acceptable and brought in another 1m but also agree the fans also deserve to be treated with respect and their loyalty returned.

 

Our biggest shortfall at the moment will be TV income which, if we could negotiate our own deals could probably bring in 10m or more - but we should really be earning at least £5m from that sector while sharing the other half with the rest of the leagues.

 

The SPL have killed any chance of that kind of numbers with their destruction of the brand, even though it is peanuts compare to the 70m your BOTTOM EPL teams receive - and I'd guess about 10% of that is funded by Scots. Trouble is that Scots will pay Sky whether Scottish football is on it or not so there is no significant increase in subscription sales for the Scottish leagues to exploit.

 

Scottish love of the EPL (or golf, boxing etc) is killing us.

 

For me, I can't see the justification for paying £12 for a land line, plus about £45 a month for Sky with sports and then another £7 or something for ESPN - for 10 games. That's about £80 a game! (unless my numbers are wrong).

 

Give me 20 + games on setanta plus Rangers TV and a few Scotland games for £120 again. The coverage may be shit but at a fiver a game, a sixteenth of Sky, I can handle that.

 

I suppose I could go to BT but would that not be about £35 a month including land-line? That's still over £40 a game.

 

Season tickets are looking very cheap in comparison.

[RANGERRAB 3,612]

Is there any real reason to think that the boards medium to long term plan is NOT to balance the books?

 

I realise a lot of the IPO is probably spent but paying off directors and top earning players is not going to happen every year, and some of the investments will not need repeating for a while, if ever (real estate, stadium investment etc).

 

However, many of our investors are in it for a financial return - at least in share capital, and we have successful businessmen at the heart of the club, who although are eminently capable of making mistakes, surely they at least have the financial competence and common sense of your average fan?

 

Actually I'd guess most fans don't really understand a balance sheet and the concept of pre-payments and accruals, and even though they'll understand the reality of it in their own life without the jargon, they get spooked when they see capital investment in the club and bank balance being depleted.

 

But I'm sure our board at least realise that to avoid a loss: expenditure <= income, and that 1:3 is a reasonable ratio for wages to income. We used to run about 60 to 70% and cut that down to about 50% in the later years. It seem to me that it's our other expenditures we have to keep an eye on, while increasing our income as much as we can - without alienating our "customers".

 

I do agree that a modest rise in ticket prices (8%?) would have generally have been acceptable and brought in another 1m but also agree the fans also deserve to be treated with respect and their loyalty returned.

 

Our biggest shortfall at the moment will be TV income which, if we could negotiate our own deals could probably bring in 10m or more - but we should really be earning at least £5m from that sector while sharing the other half with the rest of the leagues.

 

The SPL have killed any chance of that kind of numbers with their destruction of the brand, even though it is peanuts compare to the 70m your BOTTOM EPL teams receive - and I'd guess about 10% of that is funded by Scots. Trouble is that Scots will pay Sky whether Scottish football is on it or not so there is no significant increase in subscription sales for the Scottish leagues to exploit.

 

Scottish love of the EPL (or golf, boxing etc) is killing us.

 

For me, I can't see the justification for paying £12 for a land line, plus about £45 a month for Sky with sports and then another £7 or something for ESPN - for 10 games. That's about £80 a game! (unless my numbers are wrong).

 

Give me 20 + games on setanta plus Rangers TV and a few Scotland games for £120 again. The coverage may be shit but at a fiver a game, a sixteenth of Sky, I can handle that.

 

I suppose I could go to BT but would that not be about £35 a month including land-line? That's still over £40 a game.

 

Season tickets are looking very cheap in comparison.

 

The club needs to increase its revenues wherever it can. I don't understand for example why the Albion Car Park isn't used to earn extra revenue outside matchdays. Why not build some sort of events arena next to it which could use the car park ?