Tannochsidebear 2,315 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Our whole model will work better in the top flight, so not getting promotion is not an option for me. If our "billionaire" operator (cant call him owner with only 9%) could not see that and would not pay off the outgoing management team to bring in a new team to challenge for the title, then he has no defence against the charge of mismanagement. I accept that is hardly the worst charge to be levied against Ashley in his period of operating our club! Our first and singularly most important decision to be made by the incoming board is to appoint a new manager. Talk of interim positions and short-term fixes are nonsense. We need to nail down a good appointment to see us through the play-offs and into the top flight with a 2nd place finish in his first season the usual minimum requirement. We will have the second highest wage budget of all Scottish teams again next season so not to finish at least second would be a disgrace. I cant understand bears talking about fighting relegation next season, or preferring to stay another year in the wilderness of the second tier, absolute nonsense. The fans will return under new ownership and new management in huge numbers as we have always done when things are right off the field and with the right manager, and our income will grow with the new Directors working hard to bring in sponsorship, corporate box income etc that I know is already in motion and waiting to happen. We cannot maximise this income in the second tier, so it has to be the top flight for us, and to achieve this we have to make the right management appointment. What confidence does it bring to the players if another temporary fix is in place, knowing they are mostly out of contract in a few months and even bursting a gut for the interim manager might not get them a new deal when a new permanent manager is put in place in the summer. No, a new permanent manager needs to be appointed within a couple of weeks of the new regime taking over to give time for the confidence to build towards the play-offs, and into next season. We can take comfort from the fact that this is the weakest celtic team and manager of many years, and they are light years ahead of any other team in the top flight, so the bar is set no so much at Olympic high jump level, but at primary school practice level, as seen in our matches against top flight opposition this season where sides in the top half of the league were easily brushed aside. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,416 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Battle for Rangers: Investor Kieran Prior rounds on Mike Ashley and his minions accusing them of laying down booby traps. PRIOR rounded on the Cockney businessman and his associates and called on King to hold firm and challenge recent Ashley moves in court if necessary. MIKE ASHLEY and his minions stood accused last night of laying booby traps from the Blue Room down the marble staircase as they beat their retreat from Rangers. Directors Derek Llambias and Barry Leach, on annual salaries of £150,000 and £140,000 respectively, put a price on their boardroom surrender of around £300,000 as they faced up to being routed at Friday’s general meeting. Dave King refused to enrich them after less than four months in their jobs, unleashing a furious response as Ashley moved to sanction the release of the £5million emergency funding he made available to the club at the end of January. It remains to be seen what, if any, hitherto unknown clauses can now be enforced but his move at the end of another day of drama has hardened attitudes against the Sports Direct tycoon among Rangers fans and shareholders still further. Ashley’s move will have no impact in terms of regime change at the club, with King and allies Paul Murray and John Gilligan ready to sweep into power within 48 hours. Even if Ashley’s move gives him the power to appoint two new directors they are likely to be marginalised, ostracised and outvoted by King and Co. Any immediate hopes of a peaceful accord between the Newcastle owner and the South-Africa based businessman have been shattered, with sources close to King revealing he is ready to take him on, lucrative retail deals and all. Ashley’s move, revealed via a Stock Exchange announcement at 5pm, dampened the joy of many supporters after King bullishly declared victory in the general meeting just four hours earlier. Investor Kieran Prior, one of the biggest individual shareholders in the club, rounded on the Cockney businessman and his associates and called on King to hold firm and challenge recent Ashley moves in court if necessary. Prior said: “Clearly, unlike others who have worked for Ashley, Llambias and Leach are not advocates of the zero hours contract or else they would have left without a penny. “I don’t know how they have the gall to make this move. They are lower than snake oil salesmen and acting out of spite and self-interest. Their behaviour is abhorrent. “They have clearly given up the fight for boardroom control and this move smacks of them poisoning the wells as they make their retreat. “We don’t know the terms and conditions of the £5m to be drawn down but it clearly entrenches Ashley’s position as a lender and you have to wonder if there are certain clauses included, such as an early repayment charge to be met by the new board. “They are trying to scaremonger fans into believing this is cash the club needs but that’s insulting. “Llambias and Leach’s actions suggest they are working on behalf of Ashley, their boss, rather than the greater good of Rangers. I have sympathy for King. He must hold his ground and I urge him to rip up all the contracts signed with Sports Direct and Ashley and fight the Rangers corner in court. It’s time for Ashley to get his nose out of the Rangers trough.” The board said it would require the loan “in order to meet its cash requirements for the third week of March” even though payday is more than three weeks away. Llambias and Leach defended their position in a second statement to the Stock Exchange and denied they are putting their interests ahead of the club. It said: “The directors have at all times sought to act in the best interests of Rangers for the benefit of its shareholders as a whole and refute any suggestion this is not the case. The board have reached out to King to seek a resolution in the best interests of the club but regrettably this has not yet proved possible. “If control of the board changes as a result of the general meeting the directors will do their utmost to work with the new board in Rangers’ interests.” King made it clear to Llambias and Leach on Monday he would not give them a pay-off to quit ahead of the general meeting. He released details of his email to them yesterday as he anticipated a “landslide” victory later this week. He even threatened to sue them for the £60,000 it will cost to host the egm at Ibrox. King said: “You have now engineered an outcome whereby I require your co-operation to implement the requisitioned changes without the need for wasted costs and are using this in an attempt to extract a profitable exit. “I made it clear yesterday I am not amenable to that. I call on you to immediately implement the appointment of directors followed by your resignations. “If you fail to do so, and costs are incurred on the now unnecessary general meeting, you will be jointly responsible for such wasted costs.” King added: “All the directors subject to my requisition have now accepted that my resolutions have been successful and there is no need for the general meeting. Mr Llambias put it best by advising me I had achieved a ‘landslide’ victory.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/battle-rangers-investor-kieran-prior-5269117 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,247 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 That bit will not endear Prior to Llambias, Ashley and Co.. Too bad that this chap only comes up every now and then, saying a lot but doing not much. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I think the same squad bar one player have shown they have the ability to get promoted after beating Kilmarnock, St Johnstone, ICT and Hibs (once). It seems obvious that we're more recently seeing how much a team can be affected by off-field strife, fans revolt and a lack of leadership. The first two should be cured soon, and bringing in a new manager should help cure the third. There is still the problem of lack of motivation for those whose contracts are running out or who don't think they are in future plans, but as has been said, we could bring in a couple of players on freedom of contract, and we already have some loanees and a couple of promising youths. At the moment I can't see us not getting to the playoffs, but getting through them won't be easy. I'd make us the favourites - we're doing better than Hibs in the league despite all our massive problems which they don't have to bear, but would put our chances at about 50-50 to win both ties. However, bring in a decent manager and get the fans back, and we should be a totally different side in no time. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anchorman 0 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I wouldn't bet against Rangers, Hibs and Hearts all being up next year, with some kind of reconstruction to pave the way. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I wouldn't bet against Rangers, Hibs and Hearts all being up next year, with some kind of reconstruction to pave the way. Sounds far too sensible, and although it would give Scottish football a shot in the arm, there will be too many dissenters playing the "sporting integrity" card. For me, I wouldn't want it as it would be stick to beat us with for a long time to come by you know who. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,259 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I wouldn't bet against Rangers, Hibs and Hearts all being up next year, with some kind of reconstruction to pave the way. We need promotion by whatever means to the top division next season for financial reasons alone.It's costing us too much money not being there. Ask King, Murray & Gilligan what division they want Rangers in next season. It's a no-brainer 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoodyBlue 0 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I'm resigned to another season in the Championship. This group of players haven't got it in them to win 2 two-legged play off's. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anchorman 0 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 (edited) Sounds far too sensible, and although it would give Scottish football a shot in the arm, there will be too many dissenters playing the "sporting integrity" card.For me, I wouldn't want it as it would be stick to beat us with for a long time to come by you know who. I agree to a large extent, but this time I think Lawell might see a 'win-win' situation in backing it. He will still canter the league, so no danger to them on that front re CL etc, but his gate receipts go back up again. They will also struggle with another year without us, and he knows it. Edited March 4, 2015 by Anchorman 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,259 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I'm resigned to another season in the Championship. This group of players haven't got it in them to win 2 two-legged play off's. We have to hope the Newcastle5(when all fit) can improve the team & get us promoted. It is our only hope unfortunately 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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