A Guest blog by redlichtie for TSFM
From what I can see Mike Ashley is likely to be the only game in town for RIFC/TRFC fans unless they want to see another of their clubs go through administration/liquidation.
That particular scenario potentially allows for a phoenix to arise from the ashes but on past evidence it is probably going to be an underfunded operation with overly grandiose pretensions taking them right back into the vicious circle they seem condemned to repeat ad nauseam.
Ashley has the muscle to strongarm the various spivs to give up or greatly dilute their onerous contracts and I suspect that is what has been happening behind the scenes.
From Ashley’s point of view I believe that what is being sought is a stable, self-financing operation that he can then sell on whilst retaining income streams of importance to SD.
I also suspect that he will come to some arrangement with the SFA to dispose of his interest once he has stabilised the club.
The problem for RIFC/TRFC fans is that Ashley is not going to fund some mythical “return to where they belong”, though that is beginning to appear to be the second division of the SPFL where they are heading to have a regular gig.
Like at Newcastle, Ashley will cut their coat according to their cloth. This will mean, again like at Newcastle, a mid-table team with good runs every so often. If the finances can be fixed then they will have an advantage over most other Scottish clubs but in the main we will be back to actual footballing skills and good management being what is important (pace “honest mistakes”).
With recent results and footballing style clearly those are issues that will require attention and McCoist seems likely to present RIFC/TRFC with an early opportunity to address at least one aspect of that if he continues with his current “I’m a good guy” press campaign. It may take just one unguarded comment or action and he will be out.
But will the Bears go for Ashley’s plan? So far they seem antagonistic and still cling to their belief that the world owes them a top football club regardless of cost.
If the fans don’t get behind the current entity I can see Ashley deciding the game’s not worth it and cashing in his chips. Some ‘Rangers Men’ will probably turn up and create a new entity for The People to believe in and Ashley will continue to draw in income from shirt sales and, most likely, charging fans at the world famous Albion car park which he will then own.
The upcoming AGM is crucial and from what we have seen of Ashley so far he gets what he wants.
The crushing reality about to descend on The People is that there really is no Santa Claus. A Sanity Clause, perhaps but no Santa Claus.
ecobhoy says:
December 30, 2014 at 3:15 pm
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Eco – good summary – which is why Mr Doleman’s justification for not reporting the biggest story in British sporting history is so unconvincing and depressing.
James Doleman says:
December 30, 2014 at 2:12 pm
Latest from BBC. Suggesting three bears deal may go ahead
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers
_________________________________-
‘Rangers could be close to securing fresh investment from a consortium which includes Douglas Park.
Businessman Park, George Letham and current shareholder George Taylor offered the club £6.5m in return for shares and representation on the board.
BBC Sport has learned Rangers directors have responded to the offer with investment options including buying in through a share issue or secured loan.
It is understood the board is open to negotiations regarding representation.’
So, another puff piece from our national broadcaster. Big on headlines and small on substance. ‘Learned’ and ‘understood’, probably two of the most used words in the MSM’s reporting of the ‘Rangers Saga’. What I’ve copied over above, is the total coverage of what’s supposedly ‘news’, while, I’d guess, double the number of words are used to fill out the article with old ‘news’.
The first line of the blurd – ‘Rangers could be close to securing fresh investment…’, could just as easily, and probably as accurately, read ‘The Rangers (instantly more accurate) could be close to liquidation…’ as the all telling word is ‘could’! Telling, that is, in terms of the veracity of the piece. There is not one word in the whole blurb that suggests the writer, Chris McLaughlin, has any actual knowledge of what he writes, and definitely no hint of close to the action his ‘belief’ comes from. It’s not even clear whether or not the ‘investment’ is by way of an actual investment or further secured loans.
Still, if it comes to pass, then he can claim he was the first to break the news, and he has maybe improved the New Year celebrations for a good few bears!
My own thoughts on the ‘3 bears’ emergence is:
The ‘quantum’ from the real Rangers men has gone down from £16m to £6.5m, quite a worrying drop for any thinking bear!
This would appear to be the first sight of ‘real money’ available for investment by RRMs (Real Rangers Men) in almost 3 years, so we can make a reasonable guess that it’s all they’ve managed to cobble together, and there’s no more on the horizon! There can be no doubt, it’s not enough!
So what would the smart money do? Buy in now to keep the lights on long enough to fail to achieve promotion; or stay out of it until the ‘club’ is available sans assets and start up again with £6.5m in the kitty?
With Mike on his hols in Barbados, Lewis savouring the potential delights of Brentford, Ian on an imposed 14 day sabbatical away from Ibrox and Alistair still digging, most bears must be reassured that minding the shop is David Sommers, the night editor. If only Derek were to take a few days off, the club could slip into liquidation and nobody would notice.
OK as we are all having a go at it how about this.
Get the £6.5m in the bank in the form of a loan. Offer the real Rangers men security over Ibrox and Murray Park (acceptable to the fans). Run the well dry, tighten the screw on the onerous contracts and then abandon ship (nothing to be lost by Somers and Llambias moving on by that time). Let the ship hit the rocks leaving the Rangers men with an empty vessel in the hope King or anyone else comes in with more cash that can again be siphoned off via the onerous contracts.
Why not, more daft things have happened down Govan way.
mcfc says:
December 30, 2014 at 2:42 pm
James Doleman says:
December 30, 2014 at 2:32 pm
For print: story gets noticed, picked up by other publications, you get a few follow up pieces about it.
Online: Gets lots of the right kind of page impressions, attracts advertisers
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So to deter journalists from reporting all my misdemeanours, I don’t need Carter Ruck, I just need to round up a few neanderthals to make life less “rewarding” for the press. I guess the difference between a committed journalist and a journey man is how hard they will work and how long they will wait for their “reward”.
The priorities you describe would have deterred Nick Davies from following the News International story from day one.
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I think you are missing the point mcfc. Nick Davies is basically a traditional old-style trained reporter. There is still a bit of room down south for that kind of reporter but in Scotland I don’t think there is.
Nick has also been adept at switching to film as well and IIRC was he not a Guardian reporter when he did the NoW hacking story. That helps a bit.
From what I know about JD – which isn’t a lot – he is much more of the modern generation of journalists and it isn’t as easy as the old days as far as I can see.
Back then you could make a good living as a freelance supplying the print media – that’s no longer the case. Btw I speak about journalism in Scotland as that’s what I have some knowledge of.
But the new breed of journos who are good enought to succeed will get noticed and build their reputation. And another area for them is the relative ease and minimal capital with which they can create E-books.
They can also move into internet TV and there’s lots of openings there by gaining some film and photographic abilities.
The industry is simply moving in a different direction and new skills are required to do well in it.
As to ‘committed journalist’ and ‘journeyman’ – I would never tell a journalist what they should be committed about or even write about. That’s their personal choice. But if they write about things I’m not interested in then I won’t read their stuff.
In the old days that probably wouldn’t affect them financially if they had a secure billet on a newspaper. But these days they are probably more dependent on page clicks and footfall on their blogs.
As to neanderthals – it’s always been the firdst choice for criminals trying to deter a nosy reporter.
The Carter Ruck’s of this world can do nothing to deter a determined journalist whose story is accurate and factual. In the old days the journo needed a paper to run it and that paper might well have been susceptible to pressure.
These days a modern journo can publish themself in ways that a lawyer could never keep up with. Times are a changing and probably for the better.
“The priorities you describe would have deterred Nick Davies from following the News International story from day one.”
Funnily enough I know Nick Davies pretty well, he would be first to admit (and he does so in his book) that no other paper but the Guardian would have given him the time, space and support to stay with the hacking story.
All I was attempting to point out was that amongst the reasons people steered away from the RFC story was the abuse and hassle they and their publication would get. No conspiracy, just the reality that most journalists, just like you, would rather not to be worrying about their safety, and their families safety just for doing their jobs.
So think a little before you leap on that high horse chaps. I’m not even going to try and compare the risks Angela Haggerty, Phil, Mark Daley and Jim Spence took to anything I’ve done during this saga, never mind posting anonymous comments on a blog.
Sorry to rant but amongst the blanket criticism of the “MSM” we shouldn’t forget the good work a lot of people did in exposing this scandal.
/rant 🙂
Allyjambo says:
December 30, 2014 at 3:35 pm
…
So what would the smart money do? Buy in now to keep the lights on long enough to fail to achieve promotion; or stay out of it until the ‘club’ is available sans assets and start up again with £6.5m in the kitty?
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I’m not a spiv, fortunately, so I could be talking mince here…
but, I honestly can’t see a new source of significant ‘fresh’ money into TRFC, [MA drip feeding aside].
If I had GBP6.5M burning a hole in my pocket I would sit patiently until TRFC went bust and then pick up only what I wanted at a distressed price – like big hands did.
There doesn’t seem to be a queue of people interested in spending money on Ibrox related assets either.
In my non-spiv outlook I would currently be cosying up to the Hampden bunker dwellers to establish if I had their support to start up a new ‘Govan RFC’ club – and possibly have a Rangers legned like ‘Walter’ onside.
As per, no idea what is really going on though… 🙄
mcfc says:
December 30, 2014 at 3:27 pm
ecobhoy says:
December 30, 2014 at 3:15 pm
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Eco – good summary – which is why Mr Doleman’s justification for not reporting the biggest story in British sporting history is so unconvincing and depressing.
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I think you are being more than a little hard on JD. The ‘English’ Media has never seen The Rangers story as being worthy of UK-wide attention until very recently.
Afaik JD doesn’t come from the dying print media industry but is a relative newcomer who seems to be finding a bit of a niche online. Indeed it could be argued he is one of those responsible for the killing of the golden goose 😆
However I won’t do that. He and many others like him are feeling their way and testing the limits – often legally imposed – in a new brand of journalism.
They are actually the main hope we have for the future of investigative journalism in the UK because in time the print media in England IMO will collapse just as it already has in Scotland.
It takes a helluva lot of energy, courage and ability to be a good self-employed journalist and these days the money is lousy. Those who go down this road are often driven by deep personal commitment that few others are prepared to match.
Pete Lambie says:
December 30, 2014 at 11:09 am
‘..John you also believe it’s editors getting to shape the news then, rather than report on it?’
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In relation to the ‘saga’, undoubtedly.
Nothing appears in a newspaper that has not been okayed by an editor.
And much that does NOT appear has been ‘spiked’ by editors ( and their authors perhaps warned off), whether on their own initiative or under instruction from whoever works them from the back.
Of that, sadly, I have no doubt.
PmcG, as a freelance, has been able to discover things and make connections and ask awkward questions! Now, it is pretty unlikely that the general run of hacks ( except perhaps, Chick!)are not sharp enough to ask questions..
The fact that they haven’t,and don’t, speaks volumes.
In my opinion.
StevieBC says:
December 30, 2014 at 4:01 pm
If I had GBP6.5M burning a hole in my pocket I would sit patiently until TRFC went bust and then pick up only what I wanted at a distressed price – like big hands did.
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That would be the sensible business decision to take. If the consortium members are infected with rangeritis then they will be duly ‘fleeced’.
However if they are as good businessmen as they would appear to be at least on the surface then what are they about.
Surely before they part with their cash they will do due diligence and require a full disclosure of the onerous contracts. And if they do why would they do anything other than you suggest?
I think we’re missing something here. They have acted at this time for a reason IMO. It’s easy to couple it with the STA move but it might not be related.
Is it simply putting themself on the horizon for a forthcoming admin to be the preferred purchaser. If that’s the case then no Rangers Men will be answering the 4am emails.
I think they might be staking their claim for the post-admin musical chairs and be the standard bearers for others to follow and back with investment.
I simply don’t know if there is enough money left in the Blue Camp to save Rangers or even the will to do so.
I do know that £6.5 million isn’t enough to buy the club or even keep the lights on until the end of the season. It might be a sacrificial pawn – but why? Of course it might also be the Last Hurrah.
Still Ashley still has the problem of how he gets Bears onside and as all the old Rangers Men are being cleared-out of Ibrox does he have plans to bring in a new Blue Group who are business first and foremost but who will again keep the fans happy and flocking through the gates.
There are red flags all over the place for any professional investor. ( which makes Laxey’s involvement all the more puzzling) As an aside Laxey have come out of this dreadfully. They are tasked to achieve a return for their investors and for themselves.
They now look unprofessional , gullible and lazy. Not exactly the traits you want to be portraying when you are trying to retain investors or win new ones.
The current list of red flags include.
1 Onerous contracts
2 Dissatisfied clients
3 Contingent liability
4 Uncompetitive core business
5 No short to medium term prospects of profitability
6 Significant negative cashflow
7 Going concern warning from auditors
Investing in RIFC isn’t just stupid , it’s certifiably stupid.
Unless : You have a vested interest in an onerous contract, and even then investment will be limited by the return you get from your onerous contract.
Anyone else is lining up lose all or almost all of their investment. What makes this investment even more suicidal is the certain knowledge that more good money will be required after the intial investment goes bad.
All to what end ? More overpaid journeyman players, a continuing uncompetitive team .
This is a business crying out to be put into administration , and then liquidation if thats the only way to be rid of the burden of onerous contracts and the uncertainty of contingent liabilities ( and in that case even liquidation may not remove it)
The only other option is for huge investment to buy out shareholders controlling the onerous contracts. There is ( virtually) no chance of that happening . The £6.5 million from the 3 bears just allows the circus to survive in the very short term. It doesn’t fix the core problems
Pete Lambie says:
December 30, 2014 at 10:51 am
8 0 Rate This
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Yes it is in Downfall.
The hearse stunt was the brainchild of Jim Cassidy-then editor of the Sunday Mail.
He intended it as a wake up call it Celtic supporters that the club could die.
It was not in anyway a gleeful gesture at the state Celtic were in at the time.
Cassidy is a Celtic supporter.
He was, in that role, being a good newspaper man.
It created a splash.
However it became part of Celtic FC folklore that this was another example of a hostile media.
In fact it was the opposite.
ecobhoy says:
December 30, 2014 at 4:25 pm
Surely before they part with their cash they will do due diligence and require a full disclosure of the onerous contracts.
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Could the offer of “investment” simply be a ploy to look at the books and establish the true cost of the onerous contracts?
Then perhaps they’ll use them as an excuse not to invest? Something along the lines of the RRM stating they can’t be part of something which fleeces the Rangers support and rewards Spivs might be enough to break the loyalty of the remaining fans and enable Third Rangers to take off.
Appreciate this might sound far fetched, but I can’t see any possible reason why anyone, infected with Rangersitus or not, would simply burn £6.5m.
@ModgePKR says:
December 30, 2014 at 5:03 pm
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ecobhoy says:
December 30, 2014 at 4:25 pm
Surely before they part with their cash they will do due diligence and require a full disclosure of the onerous contracts.
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Could the offer of “investment” simply be a ploy to look at the books and establish the true cost of the onerous contracts?
Then perhaps they’ll use them as an excuse not to invest? Something along the lines of the RRM stating they can’t be part of something which fleeces the Rangers support and rewards Spivs might be enough to break the loyalty of the remaining fans and enable Third Rangers to take off.
Appreciate this might sound far fetched, but I can’t see any possible reason why anyone, infected with Rangersitus or not, would simply burn £6.5m.
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Not at all far fetched.
The Board’s less than enthusiastic response to this bid suggests that they don’t want the “real Rangers men” looking under the hood.
Barcabhoy says:
December 30, 2014 at 4:38 pm
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It really shouldn’t puzzle you…
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/the-iceman-cometh/
PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
December 30, 2014 at 5:24 pm
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Barcabhoy says:
December 30, 2014 at 4:38 pm
12 0 Rate This
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It really shouldn’t puzzle you…
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/the-iceman-cometh/
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Stable doors and horses comes to mind. Reputational damage due to emotional investment decisions , using clients money, usually always results in the Investment firm being fired.
I suspect Laxey would be under pressure to make good client losses due . If it is only Laxey’s own money they invested , they deserve what has come their way.
Either way they have been damaged significantly and wouldn’t be on any short list to manage money for me
PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
December 30, 2014 at 4:48 pm
I think I will disagree here Phil.
The gentleman in question may have been a Celtic fan but in this instance he was being a newspaper man to create a massive headline.
Just look at the sales for that particular edition.
Why warn a support through a publication that, even pre internet days, not many trusted anyway?
It is always easy after the fact to say “it was a warning from a fellow fan” but I’m afraid, very much like the paper itself, I’m not buying it!!
If that was the case you would think that there would be at least one publication, during this whole fiasco, that would attempt to warn ‘The Rangers’ fans but no one has. No it is ‘The Blue Knights’, ‘The Three Bears’, or George Soros. Nonsense, piled on nonsense, layered on stupidity, iced with arrogance and sprinkled with threats.
It is a layer cake whose ingredients most find hard to digest.
justshatered says:
December 30, 2014 at 6:06 pm
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With respect.
I think I may have the advantage over you on this.
I interviewed Mr Cassidy several times during the research for Downfall (July 2012).
He was quite clear to me what his motivations were in hiring the hearse and sending it to Celtic Park.
I was certainly satisfied with his answers.
PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
December 30, 2014 at 6:28 pm
Respect back to you, and I’m sure you have spoken to him, but what else would you expect him to say.
I mean it really wouldn’t be like a journalist in Scotland to be ‘economical with the truth’.
He could also have used the discredited ‘I was only following orders’.
From twitter- yet another Charlotte, so please take with a large pinch of salt. These are allegedly the members of the latest “Bears” consortium.
neepheid says:
December 30, 2014 at 6:58 pm
‘From twitter- yet another Charlotte, so please take with a large pinch of salt. These are allegedly the members of the latest “Bears” consortium.’
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Haven’t the HSBC guys been named previously in some ‘saga’ connection? I remember looking some of them up, particularly Green(to see if there was any possible connection with Charles of that Ilk) and Gulliver, whose physog makes those of the Easdale boys look angelic).
The names are certainly familiar.
John Clark says:
December 30, 2014 at 7:33 pm
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I personally find it hard to believe that Park and Letham would get into bed with Ritzvi- his background is no secret now. But in this never ending saga, who knows?
I look back over the last 3 years, and reprise the cast of characters, and the chain of events, and I wonder whether any scenario, no matter how unlikely, can be dismissed. Could anyone have invented Charles Green? Is Craig Whyte a real person? Has it all been a dream, and I’ll wake up soon?
You certainly couldn’t make it up.
neepheid says:
December 30, 2014 at 6:58 pm
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From twitter- yet another Charlotte, so please take with a large pinch of salt. These are allegedly the members of the latest “Bears” consortium.
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If Lord Stephen Green (ex-HSBC, and more recently UK government Trade Minister) is working in concert with convicted criminal Rafat Rizvi, he would have some serious questions to answer.
Someone, I think, is having a laugh.
http://www.channel4.com/news/what-did-lord-green-know-about-hsbc-money-laundering
neepheid says:
December 30, 2014 at 6:58 pm
Possible source:
http://www.lse.co.uk/SharePrice.asp?shareprice=RFC
HirsutePursuit says:
December 30, 2014 at 8:10 pm
‘.If Lord Stephen Green (ex-HSBC, and more recently UK government Trade Minister) is working in concert with convicted criminal Rafat Rizvi, he would have some serious questions to answer.’
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If we were to depend on journalists like our SMSM sports hacks, we would never find out if he was! 🙂
Casting no aspersions of ANY of our noble Lords (God almighty! 21st century and we still have the absolute nonsense of ‘Royalty’ ‘ennobling’ people!), lots of government ministers in governments of whatever country and political persuasion have been foun’ oot lining their personal pockets -and guilty of much worse things.
When real journalists get on the job.
Its not only Referees that make “honest mistakes” when it comes to Rangers
Wikipedia has some too in its section on the ownership history of Rangers F.C.
Fancy some dedicated Bear sitting down to write a correct history and getting it wrong
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ownership_of_Rangers_F.C.&oldid=639058711#cite_note-30
When it comes to the events of June 2012 the piece has this little gem
“Sevco Scotland Ltd was formed on 29 March 2012 [30] as a means for Charles Green to acquire the assets of Rangers FC.
Sevco Scotland Ltd (subsequently renamed The Rangers Football Club Ltd) was formed to ensure that if the formation of a new company was required in the event of a CVA being rejected, then the Club’s corporate entity would be a Scottish registered company as it has always been. When the CVA failed the assets of The Rangers Football Club Plc (subsequently renamed RFC 2012 plc) were then sold for £5.5 million.[31][32][33]”
The numbers in brackets refer to footnotes
Footnote30 concerning Sevco Scotland being founded on 29 March 2012 is a beauty
When you click on the link you get this
http://companycheck.co.uk/company/08011390
which is a Company Check record of Sevco5088
Sevco Scotland was not formed until 29 May 2012 a full two months after Sevco5088
And
When you click on Footnote 32 you get this quote from a “TRFC Spokeman “ on the STV website
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/105870-rangers-crisis-hmrc-look-to-investigate-those-responsible-for-meltdown/
“Sevco Scotland Limited, which was later renamed The Rangers Football Club Limited, was created by Mr Green and his consortium. Title deeds for the club’s property indicate that the assets were transferred to Sevco Scotland on June 15 last year, the day after the oldco failed to secure a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) route out of administration.”
To which STV have added
“Rangers previously stated that Sevco 5088 Limited, which administrators had identified as the pre-determined ‘newco’ for the club, transferred the assets to Sevco Scotland Limited to ensure that “the club’s corporate entity would be a Scottish registered company as it has always been.”
My post of 8.25 requires this edit :after ANY’ delete ‘of’ and insert ‘kind on’. Mind moving just a tad faster than fingers!
PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
December 30, 2014 at 6:28 pm
22 12 Rate This
justshatered says:
December 30, 2014 at 6:06 pm
I cannot be alone amongst other non Celtic and T’Rangers fans who find the continual moaning about which ‘side’ the SMSM is on is a bit tedious. Even when someone explains the situation from ‘the inside’ it is still not deemed enough.
While like many I do feel a tinge of ‘T’Rangers bias’ from time to time do people forget that the main aim, particularly of the red tops, is to sell papers to those of us that are daft enough to believe what they print is true.
They would tell you your Granny was playing centre forward for you club next saturday if they thought it would squeeze and extra 50p from your pocket.
Posts often have the disclaimer ‘I Know, I Know’ when referring to listening to SSB. Perhaps the same approach should be taken when referring to articles in the red tops?
I suppose like many I was somewhat surprised to read that Lewis Macleod appears to be heading for Brentford.
Not to a Liverpool, or an Aston Villa – but maybe Brentford have taken advantage of TRFC’s predicament and are ambitious to get promotion ?
Either way, I guess that Macleod’s salary will be multiplied, and even more so if promotion is attained.
Sounds like he is a decent player, so hope he flourishes there.
And I’m sure he’ll be relieved to get away from the daily mayhem around TRFC…
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-power-struggle-sandy-easdale-4896074
A nothing story, really- here’s a taste –
“PR guru Jack Irvine – who represents both Sandy and his brother James – said: “Sandy would welcome investment from Douglas Park and his friends. As regards board seats that is not his decision.”
wottpi says:
December 30, 2014 at 9:06 pm
I could not agree more about the truth behind any story and that is why I also would not believe any excuse for any story printed.
If you don’t believe the story why would you believe an attempt to excuse the story?
I think that is a reasonable question to ask.
As for any bias one way or another I’m afraid it is only speculation in the same way that fans outwith the Celtic RFC/’The Rangers’ believe there is a bias toward them. I mean according to the Daily Record today, Dundee United are ‘outraged’ with Celtic. What nonsense!
And here’s another-
http://www.winnersports.co.uk/lucrative-spfl-title-sponsorship-deal-on-the-cards-16705#.VKMRvW4Zv4c.twitter
I wonder if fruity is a relative of Dave?
Pants, Fire, etc. From June 2014
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/sandy-easdale-jack-irvine-doesnt-speak-for-me.1402816144
Coming back to the discussion earlier about what the MSM chooses to cover – or not…
For the print MSM, we can choose to but the product – or not.
However, the taxpayer funded BBC should not be hindered by any commercial implications or negative public reactions – if the story is truthful.
And today we have another example of how the BBC can be cowed to do what it is told. Rather than being a neanderthal though, for this example it helps to be a royal… 🙄
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/bbc-shelves-princess-diana-documentary-4891508
#BrentfordFC have wrapped up deal for MacLeod. Personal terms agreed and medical passed. Should be announced tmo. A good signing #BFC
So if there is an administration event (first or second) imminent for The Rangers Football Club (club or incorporated entity) as recgnised by the SFA, how many points would be deducted and where would they be in the table?
Oh and another thing seeing as it’s nearly 2015: use of the word “demoted” really grinds my gears when media try to fudge a conversational continuity between the former SPL RFC (IL) and the TRFC that has only ever played outwith the top division. Which article in the rulebook provides the mechanism for such a demotion? Bah.
info from
@LyallThomas
Sports Journalist @SkySportsNewsHQ & @WestLondonSport
Very good piece by a Rangers supporter:
“Like all football clubs, it means the most to those who take the least from it. They protest the loudest and longest, yet they rarely get listened to. If they are, it’s only to reply, rather than to understand. The fans can’t be criticised for the business decisions the club’s owners have historically taken. Although undoubtedly the subject of good fun for the fans of other clubs, they also can’t be held accountable for viewing every apparent white knight as a potential saviour. Illogical thinking and irrational optimism, remember? They are the traditional life rafts beleaguered football fans the world over cling to in times of crisis.”
https://dfr10.wordpress.com/2014/12/27/rangers-nil/
Probably the most sensible, honest piece I’ve seen written by a Rangers fan in a long time.
https://dfr10.wordpress.com/2014/12/27/rangers-nil/
@ James and Yerevan – Alot of really good stuff in that article!
The big stand out for me was that although the guy comes from a family of Rangers fans, his Grandfather went to Lisbon in 1967 as he recognised what an acheivement it was for Scottish football. Fair play to the man. Not sure if I could do similar.
The only time I heard of such a rare event was in the old book, ‘On our way to Lisbon.’ There was a character called Dunky who kinda just tagged along for tha carry out and the craic. Brilliant! We all know someone like this.
Scottish football needs more Grandfathers like that!
yakutsuki says:
December 31, 2014 at 6:45 am
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@ James and Yerevan – Alot of really good stuff in that article!
The big stand out for me was that although the guy comes from a family of Rangers fans, his Grandfather went to Lisbon in 1967 as he recognised what an acheivement it was for Scottish football. Fair play to the man. Not sure if I could do similar.
The only time I heard of such a rare event was in the old book, ‘On our way to Lisbon.’ There was a character called Dunky who kinda just tagged along for tha carry out and the craic. Brilliant! We all know someone like this.
Scottish football needs more Grandfathers like that!
…………………
That was ‘on the whole’, a good personal article by the guy, but sadly the root of the problem IS in there
“. . . I now think it would have been preferable for the club to have ceased to exist before it entered the lower leagues.”
Yerevan says:
December 31, 2014 at 1:53 am
5 1 Rate This
Probably the most sensible, honest piece I’ve seen written by a Rangers fan in a long time.
https://dfr10.wordpress.com/2014/12/27/rangers-nil/
============================================================
That is indeed an excellent piece, and mirrors much of what people on this forum have been saying for a while. From what I read, see and hear though, both in the media and in life, the writer is very much part of a minority. Even to this very day, despite all that has happened, the desperate pleas continue for a very wealthy person to throw £50-100m of the money they worked so hard for down a black hole, just because it’s Rangers. When that £50-100m is gone then it would need to be replaced, and so it goes on and on.
I’m going to stop now, because I simply can’t find words to describe the absolute craziness of it all.
andygraham.66 says:
December 30, 2014 at 10:11 pm
9 0 Rate This
#BrentfordFC have wrapped up deal for MacLeod. Personal terms agreed and medical passed. Should be announced tmo. A good signing #BFC
==================================================================
I had to laugh at Keith Jackson on Twitter, describing the fee for MacLeod as ‘buttons’. The lad may turn out to be a great player, but it says much that a senior Scottish sportswriter thinks £1M is buttons for a player yet to prove himself in a full time league. That’s if £1M actually is the fee of course.
neepheid says:
December 30, 2014 at 9:27 pm
http://www.winnersports.co.uk/lucrative-spfl-title-sponsorship-deal-on-the-cards-16705#.VKMRvW4Zv4c.twitter
______________________________________
Well, that’s a first; no mention that the lack of a sponsor is entirely down to a lack of a ‘Rangers’ in the top flight! Of course, the publication is not exactly Mainstream Media, and isn’t Glasgow-centric, so is possibly unaware of the impact that the missing giant is having – within the SMSM! But interesting that there’s no quote, from anyone (including the SPFL, so are they getting a bit sick of the Govan outfit?), bemoaning the effect the lack of a team from it’s ‘rightful place’ is having.
Yerevan says:
December 31, 2014 at 1:53 am
Probably the most sensible, honest piece I’ve seen written by a Rangers fan in a long time.
https://dfr10.wordpress.com/2014/12/27/rangers-nil/
________________________________________
Certainly a very well written piece by a bear with a realistic view of what has happened, and continues to happen, to RFC/TRFC; until you reach this:
‘Rather than see Rangers eviscerated by a seemingly endless line of opportunists – playing AND non-playing – I now think it would have been preferable for the club to have ceased to exist before it entered the lower leagues.’
When even those who have a more balanced view of the realities since Green entered Ibrox can ignore the realities of the weeks before his arrival, there is very little chance of the other 99% becoming realistic enough to accept the situation and sort it out.
I wonder what event would have to occur for the writer’s club to ‘cease to exist’ if it continues to live after liquidation?
I’ve not written this to re-start the OC/NC debate, but rather to suggest that the acceptance of the ‘club can’t die’ mantra is behind the rather complacent way the support have sat back and waited for a sugar-daddy, content that whatever happens the club will survive! I also think this may well be complicated by the contrary, unacknowledged, deep feeling amongst the support, that it isn’t actually Rangers anyway!
Lewis No More
Just a few thoughts on young Macleod moving on at the very start of the window and the questions this raises with me.
We are led to believe he is heading off to high flying Brentford and this has been widely reported by red tops and Brentford sites (so lets assume it is likely to be true)
My instinct though is to ask “Why the big rush”?
January hasn’t started yet but we are led to believe the boy is away and the deal banked.
(But no news of other fine players at Ibrox moving on at such speed – just young Lewis)
If Lewis is as good a prospect as people say why not allow a wee bit of an auction now with other bigger clubs coming in and raising the price.
Is there a time pressing reason to get cash banked by someone who maybe owns the right to the incoming transfer revenue from this boy?
Or is this part of a coordinated final campaign from Mike’s camp with the sheer speed of this sale a brutal warning to others currently holding contracts who would prefer the club to avoid liquidation?
A warning that the fuse is now lit and a sequence of events about to happen with one particular outcome inevitable unless there are compromises or realignments.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-power-struggle-sandy-easdale-4896074
Something is puzzling me about Jackson’s piece in the Daily Record – why the explicit reference to PR guru Jack Irvine?
“PR guru Jack Irvine – who represents both Sandy and his brother James – said: “Sandy would welcome investment from Douglas Park and his friends. As regards board seats that is not his decision.”
Is Keith making a point of reminding readers that Jack Irvine/Media House still have skin in the Rangers game, and if so, why?
Finloch says:
December 31, 2014 at 8:45 am
Perhaps being rather cynical, but could it be the David Weir connection that’s fostering the haste to sign McLeod? McLeod hasn’t played for a few weeks and I wouldn’t be surprised if TRFC would rather sell him on reputation alone, so, with Rangersman Weir enhancing the player’s reputation, a quick deal might be best (for TRFC). Or perhaps, quite simply, Brentford want him in their squad immediately (if he is fit) and the offer is better than anyone else is likely to pay. The cynic in me still thinks it’s more than coincidental that a Rangers legend is in an influential position at the purchasing club!
It does seem strange to accept the first offer that comes along, especially with more than a month to go before any deals have to be done, so there can’t be a ‘good’ reason for such a quick deal, leaving only desperation on TRFC’s part. Pure speculation, but it does point to Ashley, after his SPFL rebuff, saying ‘I want my money, NOW!
Long Time Lurker says:
December 31, 2014 at 9:01 am
The Easdales are not popular amongst a large section of the TRFC support. Jack Irvine is not popular amongst a large section of the TRFC support. I would imagine KJ is very keen on the 3 bears getting involved. Heap more pressure on the brothers perhaps?
yakutsuki says:
December 31, 2014 at 6:45 am
5 0 Rate This
@ James and Yerevan – Alot of really good stuff in that article!
The big stand out for me was that although the guy comes from a family of Rangers fans, his Grandfather went to Lisbon in 1967 as he recognised what an acheivement it was for Scottish football. Fair play to the man. Not sure if I could do similar.
The only time I heard of such a rare event was in the old book, ‘On our way to Lisbon.’ There was a character called Dunky who kinda just tagged along for tha carry out and the craic. Brilliant! We all know someone like this.
Scottish football needs more Grandfathers like that!
———
Or brothers. My older brother (by 10 years) used to go to Celtic Park and Ibrox in the ’60s. He attended many a European tie during the Stein era. Took me down one dark night in ’67 season towards the end of a match so I could sense the atmosphere (or witness history?). We were probably listening on radio and he decided to catch the end through the open gates. In those days there was a huge exit gate (if memory serves me well). They opened those with about 10 minutes to go. The sight of the old floodlights on the pitch was brill. The roar of the packed crowd was special.
Anyone old enough to have followed the ’67 campaign knew what a momentous achievement it was for Scotland. Oddly enough, I never registered Moscow 1972 as I was completely switched off football by then. Many years later Gothenburg, another momentous achievement, revived my exile interest as did DU’s campaigns.
I suppose it’s a historic failure of governance that sporting rivalry has been allowed to develop an ugly side, especially in Glasgow. Zero tolerance needed, imo. One day, perhaps.
Allyjambo says:
December 31, 2014 at 9:08 am
Perhaps the use of Jack’s quote is a way of allowing a statement to be made by a person involved in the company, without any stock exchange rules getting broken?
John Clark says:
“And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn’t been for you meddling spivs!”
We wait in anticipation to find out whose line that will be …
WRT to the helpfully timed sale of Lewis McLeod will this result in Brentford’s assistant manager David Weir being given an EBT*?
* For the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever and without any adverse suggestions regarding Mr Weir I do of course refer to Extra Bear Thanks (EBT) in their hour of need.
Scottish Football needs a strong Arbroath.
Allyjambo says:
December 31, 2014 at 8:14 am
Certainly a very well written piece by a bear with a realistic view of what has happened, and continues to happen, to RFC/TRFC; until you reach this:
‘Rather than see Rangers eviscerated by a seemingly endless line of opportunists – playing AND non-playing – I now think it would have been preferable for the club to have ceased to exist before it entered the lower leagues.’
================================================================
As others have stated this is an extremely well-written piece revealing the thoughts of a Rangers supporter on what has happened to his club.
I have no wish to become involved in any OC/NC discussion which I have come to see as a road-block on both sides to understanding and eventual acceptance.
However I would observe that whatever the technical correctness of the OC/NC argument that it’s hardly surprising that a helluva lot of Rangers supporters cling to the belief that – despite everything collapsing round about them – the club they have in their hearts will survive.
I have previously been slated on here for my statements that I would have done the same if Fergus hadn’t arrived and somehow we managed to keep a continuation Celtic playing. For some a club is much more than a collection of assets which can be bought and sold and it’s easy to embrace the Cargo Cult of a Sugar Daddy.
The Bear who has written the piece knows that and surprisingly an increasing amount of posters on the Darkside increasingly echo the thought: ‘It isn’t the same club’.
We can’t force people to discard deep-seated emotional views no matter how much detached empirical evidence we line-up against them. They have to come to their own conclusion and if they don’t they will remain bitter at what has been taken from them.
It might be totally irrational but a lot of emotions are exactly that. I have always said that we can’t map-out what form any future Rangers might take as that is up to Bears and it might take them a few further attempts before they get there.
We can make our comments, repeat the truth as we see it but we can’t force them to listen and do as we tell them.
What we can do is be patient and understanding when the Bears come to try and pick-up the pieces as they inevitably will. Hopefully they will be wiser in the ways of spivvery and also in understanding they must live within their means. That transition IMO will go a long way to curing ‘Rightful Place’ and ‘World Domination’ fantasies.
I have always thought that our Big Guns should always be trained on the SFA and other footballing authorities and the Scottish Government. If we hadn’t had a corrupt system of football governance then the deep-seated cancer that almost destroyed our Game could have long been excised.
Rangers would never have got away with what they did – they almost bankrupted Scottish Football through financial madness over decades to a cheering and sycophantic SMSM.
That is where the real Rangers problem is embedded and it’s where a lot of the baggage accumulated.
Personally I think Rangers could well split into more than one entity depending on how the fans group. Of course perhaps Ashley will succeed and get a club running within its means or perhaps some Blue Knights will prolong the myth a bit longer and lose a packet in the process.
These are things way beyond everyone except Rangers fans to decide which road they want to go down.
The job of the rest of us IMO is to ensure that the SFA operates without fear or favour in treating all clubs equally under the rules and that sporting integrity is paramount which requires an almost immediate introduction of FFP.
It also requires absolute transparency and explanation whenever a rule is bent or seen to be applied for the benefit of one club. I personally think the SFA requires to be scrapped and a new fit-for-purpose modern organisation formed.
I honestly see that as a worthy end destination which in the process will also resolve many or all of the Rangers’ enigmas and help prevent future financial carnage in Scottish Football.
We must lift our vision beyond Rangers if we are to succeed and we also must not forget compassion as without it there will be no reconciliation.
That might not suit some whose focus on football is just another political battlefield to be fought over. However I’m sure the majority of Scots who are simply interested in the beautiful game and their ‘club’ will move on when the time is right with no more than the traditional football rivalry.
Allyjambo and others.
Whilst not wishing to extend the OC/NC thing in the sligthtest, I actually read that bit from the Rangers supporters article the other way. He is essentially talking about the ethereal thingy that the kids in the street follow as opposed to the legalistic perspective. I interpret (or at least I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt) the piece as saying that had the ethereal cloudy thing simply not played for a while, to let peepil see what they were missing then they might have been a bit more guarded about exactly how they (the ethereal cloudy thing remember) returned. The fact there was a lawyers tiff going on about company numbers etc is a separate detail in all that.
To be clear, my opinion on the company bit is unchanged. It is actually one of several ways of identifying a club. That is to everyone apart from the custodians of our game i.e. the beloved SFA. To them it was and is bloody important, however much they would wish to ignore it. And since I’m on my high horse anyway, the solution was equally simple. To be liquidated should have meant a name change on any future trophies, simples.
By not insisting on such a move they have opened the door to the possibility of such an occurrence happening again. Imagine that!
redlichtie says:
December 31, 2014 at 9:37 am
4 0 Rate This
WRT to the helpfully timed sale of Lewis McLeod will this result in Brentford’s assistant manager David Weir being given an EBT*?
* For the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever and without any adverse suggestions regarding Mr Weir I do of course refer to Extra Bear Thanks (EBT) in their hour of need.
Scottish Football needs a strong Arbroath.
———-
Nice one @Red 🙂
Who’s next for ‘exit stage left’ I wonder? Saw Nicky Law mentioned.
Allyjambo says:
December 31, 2014 at 8:14 am
13 0 Rate This
…I also think this may well be complicated by the contrary, unacknowledged, deep feeling amongst the support, that it isn’t actually Rangers anyway!
———-
@Ally that sentiment is certainly coming across on the phone-ins. One caller the other night found himself agreeing with the chants of, ‘You’re not Rangers anymore’.
Seems cruel to say, but best thing that could happen is for the current club to go bust mid-season — as in, now — and for some group to restart ‘a’ Rangers next season and seek entry at the bottom of the pyramid. End the nightmare existence by leaving Green, Ashley, Whyte, Ibrox, MP behind.
Which absolutely begs the question shirley, why would you plunge unsecured £6.5m into this one? With the calibre of the investors involved it cannot be unsecured. No chance!
Danish Pastry says:
December 31, 2014 at 10:19 am
7 0 Rate This
Allyjambo says:
December 31, 2014 at 8:14 am
13 0 Rate This
…I also think this may well be complicated by the contrary, unacknowledged, deep feeling amongst the support, that it isn’t actually Rangers anyway!
———-
@Ally that sentiment is certainly coming across on the phone-ins. One caller the other night found himself agreeing with the chants of, ‘You’re not Rangers anymore’.
……………….
DP, I heard that (SSB) caller, but he said he meant, it was “not Rangers anymore” – in the context that they are now at a level of
Being so pish, that teams such as QoS, Hibs, Hearts are now exppecting to get points or even beat ‘them’, thus causing embarrassing times [for the deluded hordes].
Long Time Lurker says:
December 31, 2014 at 9:22 am
Allyjambo says:
December 31, 2014 at 9:08 am
Perhaps the use of Jack’s quote is a way of allowing a statement to be made by a person involved in the company, without any stock exchange rules getting broken?
__________________________________
Perhaps, but is having your PR representative speak on your behalf (the quote would suggest he is speaking on behalf of Sandy rather than just giving his own opinion) not the same as speaking to a journalist who then publishes what you told him?
Of course, the AIM regulators always appear uninterested in doing any regulating, and this might well be a way of getting the message out there without blatantly breaking the rules. But would anyone involved with TRFC be so underhand? 🙄
Some share movement today. 5M bought at 20p.
Now who would bet £1M on a share like this?
Danish Pastry says:
December 31, 2014 at 9:57 am
Who’s next for ‘exit stage left’ I wonder? Saw Nicky Law mentioned.
====================0
I’m guessing that Templeton and Wallace are the only ones good enough to match their current wages elsewhere. The rest will just sit on their hands and keep pulling their laughable wages while they can. Don’t blame them, either.
If that 4am Boxing Day begging email stuff is correct, then either Somers has emptied a bottle of 30 year old malt just before typing and sending, or things are in a truly desperate state at Ibrox, and keeping old Somers up all night worrying about it. Both may be true, of course.
What that email story tells me is that Ashley (he wasn’t Uncle Mike for long, was he?) is not prepared to chuck good money away on this project. Llambias has come out from under the bonnet and reported that the engine is missing. Ashley wants his loans back, which explains the rush to sell off players.
Lots of guff in the papers today about the 3 bears. I thought they wanted a look under the bonnet too, before throwing their £6.5m away. What I don’t understand is the mechanism by which this £6.5m is going to arrive at Ibrox from the 3 Bears in time to keep the lights on, and how the other shareholders are going to be frozen out to allow this to happen.
There has been no announcement of a share issue yet, and since every shareholder has to be notified, the process would take at least 14 days from the date of any announcement. If matters are so desperate, why hasn’t the share issue been announced? Could Ashley be blocking it? Or the Easdales? Is Ashley the type who might stick this lot into administration on the day of his disciplinary hearing, just to teach the SFA a lesson?
As always, so many questions. The services of Hercule Poirot are definitely required on this one.
Another trade for 5M just went through. £2M worth of shares changing hands.
http://www.lse.co.uk/SharePrice.asp?shareprice=RFC
easyJambo says:
December 31, 2014 at 10:39 am
Two lots of 5m now showing.
Someone on the move?
Another 5M trade now listed. It now looks like an agreed trade between buyer and seller at a fixed price of £1M for the 5M shares. That represents 6.14% so both parties should be notified to AIM at some point.
AIM actually showing two trades of 5m shares @ 20p in RIFC this morning. Would somebody market savvy please explain/speculate/pontificate on the significance of this? Where I come from, it’s a spicy meatball.
Eco@ 9.49
“We can’t force people to discard deep-seated emotional views no matter how much detached empirical evidence we line-up against them. They have to come to their own conclusion and if they don’t they will remain bitter at what has been taken from them.”
………………
Oh, Yes We Can !!!
It is only because of the Stance of the SMSM and the SFA
(whatever people want to believe)
Who have failed to say one way or the other, that thy myths are allowed to continue.
[Rangers* own Lawyer admitted to the FTTT that Rangers* had died]
Only four parties currently hold 5M or more shares: Laxey, Artemis, Mash and River & Mercantile, so you would expect one of them to be involved.
Ashley cashing out?
My bet would be a seller completely and utterly unconnected with any of that onerous contract nonsense (honest guv) and a buyer who definitely isn’t mike Ashley, no siree, never met the man.
But to be fair, if its someone trying to gain a bit of control (but not actually putting in any money to the club per se) to head off (undoubted, actualite, very much on the radar billionaire) Mike Ashley then fair play to them. Good luck with that one!
“Grant Russell @STVGrant 2 mins2 minutes ago
13,299,415 shares in Rangers International Football Club plc sold at 20p. Exactly the amount Laxey Partners, biggest shareholders, held.”
The new players buying in?
Another 3,299,415 gone
10:44:36 Price : 20.00 Number : 3,299,415 Buy £659.88k
10:24:45 Price : 20.00 Number : 5,000,000 Buy £1,000.00k
10:22:30 Price : 20.00 Number : 5,000,000 Buy £1,000.00k
Scottish Football needs some transparency!
Laxey out with tail firmly between legs. Interesting if its the new consortium buying in, in addition to what they’ve offered as a cash injection.
Put it this way. Can’t see any harm in it for sevco’s long term planning (ie beyond February) as such? Still means they’re skint of course.
ecobhoy says:
December 31, 2014 at 9:49 am
eco, My post wasn’t about the NC/OC debate but the effect it has had on the ability of the current club’s supporters to realise what is happening as they have been fed the line, in the way you describe, that their club cannot die. The writer of that very insightful piece says that it would have been better if the club had ceased to exist and I made the point how can a club ‘cease to exist’ if it continues to live after liquidation? What other way can a club ‘cease to exist’ other than liquidation (if it is a limited company)? It is this belief of immortality that makes it so easy for the supporters to wait, in inaction, for the next sugar-daddy, and the fact that so many have come forward with (unrealistic) ‘offers’ has convinced them that one is just around the corner. The fact that nobody from the MSM has said, ‘look, the reality is that rescue is extremely unlikely’, only lends to this belief of the coming saviour. I also think there will be a deeply hidden sense that ‘it’s not really Rangers’ within most, if not all, supporters, though very few will have recognised the feeling within themselves.
If I am correct then there have been the following blocks, within each supporter, to actually doing something to ‘save’ TRFC:
(a) They believe the club can’t die, so whatever happens there will always be a Rangers.
(b) They believe there’s someone with pots of money just waiting for the right moment to ride to the rescue.
(c) Maybe it isn’t Rangers after all, so why should I make the effort to save it? This last might go some way to explaining why the boycotts of Ibrox, and the general drop in crowds, have been so dramatic. Compare that to Hearts, where the constant defeats and inevitable relegation actually galvanised the supporters to rally round and support the club they loved.
Put it this way, I bought shares in Hearts even though it was clear it was only to keep the lights on until the end of the season. I am also a member of FOH. If Hearts had been liquidated, whatever was created afterwards, I would not have put one penny into it, because they would not have been the club that I, my uncles, and my grandfather all supported! (My dad wasn’t in the least interested in football and only ‘supported’ Hearts because I did 🙂 )