ian1964 10,409 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 ...as yet the debt remains unsettled. Why? AS Gers chief Dave King gets set to face a contempt of court case in London this week our man Jacko looks at some of the burning issues surrounding the Ibrox club. WHEN Dave King arrives back in Britain this week his first priority will be staying out of prison over the festive period. On Wednesday at London’s High Court the Rangers chairman will face a contempt of court rap and let’s be absolutely clear here, Mike Ashley’s lawyers will show him less mercy than they will afford to the Christmas turkey. Already they have stated their case against King in written submission which calls for him to be banged up for breaching the terms of a gagging order relating to the club’s retail deals with Sports Direct. Granted, that may seem like a ridiculous overreaction to what was a wholly unremarkable interview with Sky Sports in the summer – the truth of the matter is the contents of his wine cellar were of far more interest than the substance of his words – but it’s there in black and white nonetheless. So, yes, the long haul flight in from South Africa will undoubtedly provide King with some time to ponder on how best to tackle this blatant act of aggression from Ashley’s team without winding up watching the Queen’s speech on one of Her Majesty’s spare tellies. The smart money says King will escape with nothing more serious than a slap on the wrists for inviting Jim White though the keyhole and, after spending so many years in legal battles with the authorities, he is unlikely to be overly fazed at the prospect of this latest courtroom appearance. Who knows? A part of him may even relish the combat. But it takes 11 hours and 15 minutes to fly from Johannesburg to London. And that means King will have time to chew over a few other pressing issues while his head is in the clouds. If he wasted any of his weekend loitering in the darker corners of the internet he’ll have seen all manner of imaginary crises building up on his club’s horizon, almost all of which can be ignored. It was even being suggested that some members of his own board might be plotting against him and scrambling emergency meetings over the decision to disenfranchise a chunk of the Easdale bloc at last week’s AGM – the votes which belonged to those old mystery men from Blue Pitch Holdings and Margarita. Drink in too much of this demented drivel and you’d think these directors were running around the boardroom with their brogues on fire on Saturday afternoon after the game against Raith Rovers was called off. The true picture is a lot less intriguing although one of them did spend his afternoon off catching up with the first five episodes of the outstanding crime drama Narcos on Netflix. For the uninitiated, Narcos is an American TV series centered around the Colombian drug cartels of the 1970s and 80s. Trust me on this, it’s real ‘must watch’ sort of stuff. Absolutely gripping. But I digress. Suffice to say the mind of one man who was supposed to be at the heart of this latest rammy was more concentrated on Pablo Escobar than it was on Sandy Easdale. Indeed, the Rangers regime appear perfectly happy with what they believe to be ‘cast iron’ legal advice they received ahead of that shareholders’ meeting. No, King won’t have been greatly troubled by this either but he may well be wondering what else Ashley has planned for him and his regime. And that really is worth dwelling on. Since announcing with much gusto that he and his co-directors have clubbed together to pay back an emergency loan of £5million to Sports Direct, it has all gone strangely quiet on that front. As yet the debt remains unsettled. Why is that? What exactly is going on here? It could be that discussions between both camps are ongoing behind the scenes as Ashley will have to hand back all manner of securities over the likes of Murray Park, the Albion carpark and the club’s crests and badges. But the longer this exchange drags out the more bizarre it all becomes, especially given Ashley’s determination to get his money back in the first instance. Is there something else going on here, something strategic? Is Ashley about to call King’s bluff all over again? And then there are the questions surrounding manager Mark Warburton and last week’s badly handled issue of his link with the Fulham job. That really did blow up into something of a circus when, in fact, it ought to have been fairly routinely batted away. If Warburton has no intention of leaving Rangers then this story should have been kicked into the long grass long before the Englishman took to Twitter to make his feelings public last Wednesday night. King may well be wondering why something so seemingly straightforward got tangled up into such a mess and the chairman should ensure that lessons are learned before the next time. Because there will be a next time. In fact, over the weekend, Warburton was being priced up for a move to Swansea by the bookies who were quick to install him among the front runners to replace the apparently doomed Gary Monk. By yesterday tea time Davie Moyes was the new favourite but the word in the south of Wales is that, in fact, neither man is the board’s preferred candidate. On the contrary, there is a strong belief that Swansea’s priority target has a much more authentic Spanish connection than a year at Real Sociedad or an all inclusive fortnight in Puerto Pollensa. If that is indeed the case then Rangers and Warburton are likely to be spared from another week like the last one, when tempers were fraying behind the scenes as the Fulham situation simmered on. But if it’s not Swansea then it will be some other club who are said to be sniffing around. And it will probably be soon, given that this is now December and, all across the land, chairmen and their chief execs are feeling the first stages of seasonally adjusted panic setting in. So when the next time does arrive, Rangers and Warburton himself for that matter, really ought to be better prepared to handle it. King must surely be giving some thought as to how best he can make sure of it. And while he’s thinking about Warburton he’ll also have to come up with the cash the manger needs to beef up his squad during the January sales. Having said he will find the funds to help his manager bring in mid-season reinforcements, he must now deliver on that promise. King must surely be giving some thought as to how best he can make sure of it. Perhaps, once he’s got Wednesday’s jail threat out of the way, he can get back to dealing with these more mundane matters. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/sport/keith-jackson-rangers-its-gone-6965516 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Keith admitted on a blog that getting news was harder than writing. I guess this proves his point. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aweebluesoandso 290 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Talk about over egging a pudding, in this case Keech is the big pudding. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calgacus 8 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Like any legal process - repaying a loan and getting the various securities discharged takes time. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calgacus 8 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 As regards King's interview...it took place in South Africa. I don't imagine the English Courts have much authority there. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluedell 5,329 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 As regards King's interview...it took place in South Africa. I don't imagine the English Courts have much authority there. A gagging order would apply anywhere. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
boabie 230 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 As regards King's interview...it took place in South Africa. I don't imagine the English Courts have much authority there. While Kings case was going through the courts in SA he was banned from being a director of any company in the UK so I would think the laws are multi national mate. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buster. 4,808 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 The only part that makes you wonder is........ ------------------------ "No, King won’t have been greatly troubled by this either but he may well be wondering what else Ashley has planned for him and his regime. And that really is worth dwelling on. Since announcing with much gusto that he and his co-directors have clubbed together to pay back an emergency loan of £5million to Sports Direct, it has all gone strangely quiet on that front. As yet the debt remains unsettled. Why is that? What exactly is going on here? It could be that discussions between both camps are ongoing behind the scenes as Ashley will have to hand back all manner of securities over the likes of Murray Park, the Albion carpark and the club’s crests and badges. But the longer this exchange drags out the more bizarre it all becomes, especially given Ashley’s determination to get his money back in the first instance. Is there something else going on here, something strategic? Is Ashley about to call King’s bluff all over again?" ------------------------------ But KJ doesn't have access to MASH strategy and would seem to be taking a half hearted and vague punt, perhaps after a word with some of the better guys. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacK1950 2,230 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 No Old Firm games at weekend so he has to write something to earn his wages pity it's just his usual anti Rangers drivel. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 No Old Firm games at weekend so he has to write something to earn his wages pity it's just his usual anti Rangers drivel. Easiest hit. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.