Good Morning,
In the last week, we have seen a number of strange occurrences in Scottish Football, which if taken together might just point to a very different land than the one we were lead to believe we live in just two short years ago.
First of all there was the report from a firm of well known accountants which pronounced that a significant number of Scottish Football Clubs had, in fact, sold more season tickets for this coming season than they had in the course of the last several years.
Then we had the spectacle of the National team travelling to Wembley and playing very well AND being cheered on by a very large travelling support who appear to have been full of fun and who acquitted themselves well in the big smoke.
This morning I read that today’s match at Pittodrie is a sell out — with the old stadium being packed to the rafters for the visit of Celtic. This is the first time that Aberdeen have been able to sell out the fixture for some 6 years!
Not only that, various Celtic supporting websites have lead with articles saying that the return of a strong Aberdeen and Dundee United are to be welcomed– in fact not only welcomed but positively wished for.
In contrast, stories abound about the in fighting on the Ibrox Board. There are surreptitious share dealings and all sorts of company jockeying being deployed by the rival factions who are trying to gain control of The Rangers. Further, there is the suggestion from some well informed parties that not only will Ibrox and the Albion be sold and leased back to the club to generate much needed immediate cash, but that Murray Park has been sold off completely and will no longer be available to The Rangers for any purpose whatsoever!
Clearly, there are big troubles at the club which will not assist in the stated intention of rising to the very top in Scottish Football.
In between all of this, the debate goes on about Campbell Ogilvie, Press manipulation, the correspondence between Media House and the SFA, and between The SFA and Ibrox re the relationship between Charlie Green and Craig Whyte and so on.
Standing with my business hat on, I looked at all of this and wondered what it all meant, and pretty quickly reached the conclusion that we are now in a time of supreme opportunity for some of the clubs in Scottish Football—- particularly Aberdeen FC.
There is a view abroad, that in the absence of the “Strong Rangers” that Celtic Football Club will win the SPFL title for almost evermore — or at least until they are toppled from the top spot by the rise of a strong Rangers club somewhere towards the end of this decade or early in the next– because we are assured that they will be back– in one form or another– in a rather Arnold Schwarzenegger like fashion.
That return or initial rise if you like– its timing and its manner— is dependent on a number of things– not least the exit strategy of Charlie Green and his cohorts.
If it is true that The Rangers are going to part company with Ibrox and the Albion, that they have taken on a loan of funds which attract a rate of interest that amounts to 15% per annum, and that there are set figures for buying the old ( and decaying ) stadium back any time soon, and that they have yet again hawked the season ticket money, then the already flawed Ibrox business plan is burdened even more by interest and rent payments of an additional £3M per annum and rising!
It should also be noted that the accounts for old co from the mid naughties onwards boasted that season ticket sales, merchandising, corporate hospitality and so on had reached unprecedented levels—- but—- the club still did not make an operating profit without strange internals transactions such as the repurchase of media rights which added £15M on to the P&L’s AND the sale of Jean Alain Boomsong!
Accordingly, the current position will not make for good financial reading.
So– let’s presume that in the current climate Celtic are out of sight and will always be champions for ever and a day. What do the rest of the clubs say in the absence of the Ibrox club without whom they have been told they will perish?
Well, If I were in charge of Aberdeen FC I would look out across a city with an inherent population of some 220,000 souls sitting in a county which takes the population up by another 40,000 or so. I would note that the compact city also houses two universities and a number of colleges — all of which attract visitors to the city— and that its position as the oil capital of Europe also draws in a substantial number of itinerant workers.
Further, personal knowledge shows that many who studied at Aberdeen University or Robert Gordon’s in the 80’s left the city as Aberdeen FC fans and no matter where they have ended up in life they still make the journey back to Pittodrie when they can– especially in good times!
Alas, however, Aberdeen has not enjoyed ” Good Times” of late— in fact not really since ……….. the arrival of David Murray at Ibrox!
If you cast your mind back to the pre Murray era, Aberdeen were a force not only in Scotland but Europe as the recent nostalgia re Gothenburg has reminded us.
The city has an economic micro climate which suggests that it can ride economic hardship better than most and so all things considered this current period provides a great opportunity for the Dons.
Unlike Dundee United, Hearts, and Hibs, Aberdeen FC sits in a large one team conurbation and should be on the doorstep of a populace which can fill Pittodrie every single week …… IF that fan base can be motivated.
And there lies the rub– how do you get a notoriously fickle fan base out of the armchair and into the stadium?
The late Bob Crampsey once described Pittodrie by saying ” And there are the masses of Aberdeen fans, masquerading as rows and rows of Empty seats!” yet in their heydey an Aberdeen crowd on a visit to Glasgow were among the noisiest– and to this football fans eyes — the scariest ( in a good sense ) supports to be seen.
Well, at this juncture, Derek McInnes and team need only look at every other football club in the land ( bar Celtic ) and determine that come next May those others will be below them in the league. If Aberdeen maintain a strong league run keeping everyone behind them then there is the possibility of a huge revenue swing in favour of the Dons– such a swing that would put them in an even stronger position for the following year.
Further, Aberdeen are a European name. Perhaps a European name from yesteryear and not the recent past, but the pedigree is there and as such there will be those who remember the heady European Nights both home and away. Reviving those memories and that reputation– at least to an extent– is not beyond the club, and with no disrespect to Motherwell and St Johnstone both of whom are liable to lose key players or even a manager between seasons, Aberdeen may just be of a size to consolidate each year rather than scramble to maintain the momentum of one good season which comes along every now and then.
Financial management and football rewards can go hand in hand when combined properly, and of all the clubs in Scotland who can benefit from a level playing field in terms of proper football governance, Aberdeen FC are uniquely placed in my opinion.
That is not so say that The Arabs, or the Hibees or anyone else cannot benefit– on the contrary— but the Dons are the most obvious candidates in terms of potential structure to really motor forward and regain a by gone status.
Such a situation, and the recognition of that potential, should be borne in mind by all at Celtic Football Club, as last year they struggled for a period in the league while they concentrated on their European exploits. If Celtic want to go further and further in Europe ( and why shouldn’t they ) they will have to be wary of any club which is capable of reigniting its fortunes from a lowly position or a position of having to look back at glory and potential glory rather than looking forward.
Further, with the way things are being organised at Ibrox, there is absolutely no guarantee ( some would say likelihood ) that an eventual challenge to a perceived dominance by Celtic will come from that quarter, and life in the top flight for any returning Rangers could prove very difficult if the likes of Aberdeen get their act together and start to produce the type of home grown team of old.
For now, I sense a degree of optimism about the Dons– not just on the playing front either. They have a fan base, they have a business model and a good young manager, and any comparative business exercise must conclude that they have every chance of rising above most of their rivals in the league, in terms of revenue, in terms of brand development and business expansion.
If I were an Aberdeen fan I would like to think positive and be ambitious in this climate, whilst at the same time casting an eye back to the days when they were top of the tree.
As one Aberdeen supporting ( but now Edinburgh based ) friend put it to me:
” Ah, those were the days my friend, those were the days……………”
Re the trialist rules check out @STVGrant twitter timeline.He says rules were amended on 12/8/13 & that 3 League games + 1 cup game is allowed.
paulonotini says:
August 24, 2013 at 10:00 am
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Re the trialist rules check out @STVgrant twitter timeline.He says rules were amended on 12/8/13 & that 3 League games + 1 cup game is allowed.
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Just like the Ramsden Cup rules were amended at the last minute last year to allow trialists in the first round. Corrupt to the core.
paulonotini says:
August 24, 2013 at 10:00 am
Re the trialist rules check out @STVgrant twitter timeline.He says rules were amended on 12/8/13 & that 3 League games + 1 cup game is allowed.
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Have to check dates but that was only 12 days ago.Were the rules changed after the competition started?.
paulonotini says:
August 24, 2013 at 10:00 am
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Re the trialist rules check out @STVGrant twitter timeline.He says rules were amended on 12/8/13 & that 3 League games + 1 cup game is allowed.
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When were the gambling rules amended?
All this talk of match fixing and players betting on results such as number of goals scored in matches, penalty kicks etc etc….
Makes me wonder about those Helicopter Saturday results at end of season
Grant Russell (@STVGrant) tweeted at 9:44 AM on Sat, Aug 24, 2013:
SPFL say trialist rules are “competition specific”. Ambiguity in rules raised and amended at board meeting on Aug 12.
Grant Russell (@STVGrant) tweeted at 9:43 AM on Sat, Aug 24, 2013:
Lots asking about SPFL trialist rules. Amended on Aug 12 to make clear a trialist can play three times in league and once in Challenge Cup.
(https://twitter.com/STVGrant/status/371191087400251392)
Cheating?? 😳
Grant Russell (@STVGrant) tweeted at 9:45 AM on Sat, Aug 24, 2013:
Believe that was this the same rule last season. Merger of rulebooks created conflict which was identified and amended.
(https://twitter.com/STVGrant/status/371191619128930304)
upthehoops says:
August 24, 2013 at 7:50 am
A scenario is being constructed where if the SFA try and take severe action there will be complete outrage and no doubt threats from the usual sources. The clear campaign to muddy the waters surrounding the rules on gambling is for one reason only IMO. Sevco will not want to pay anyone £7K a week who might be banned for a few months and can’t play. A scenario is being constructed where if the SFA try and take severe action there will be complete outrage and no doubt threats from the usual sources. If Black still played for Hearts or ICT the media would not be giving a toss about what happened to him.
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Agree with you, upthehoops, but must correct your last sentence:
If Black still played for Hearts or ICT the media would have him strung from the highest tree by now, showing moral outrage that anyone could blacken the good name of Scottish football, probably with quotes from a Mr McCoist saying he’s never known the likes in his whole career.
Jleehooker
That is the absurd conclusion of “Bryson’s Law”.
The SFA have twisted the meaning of rules to such an extent that what was once a covered Milk Flake is now a Curlywurly.
If for example proof of sporting advantage is required in order to say a club has had it, then logically and absurdly why have Hearts got a 15 points penalty?
There is a rules that allows it but what proof was required before football put that rule in place that a club encountering an insolvency event/ administration had gained a sporting advantage that the points deduction is intended to counter?
The answer of course is that it is self evidently so and has been a matter of football practice for long enough not to require proof on each occasion.
But LNS and the SPL undermined the sporting advantage principle by not taking into account the self evident nature of the belief within the football industry.
The folk at UEFA and FIFA are asleep at the wheel, either that or it is irrelevant to them if national associations prefer a curlywurly to a covered flake.
jimlarkin says:
August 23, 2013 at 9:22 pm
18 1 Rate This
Professor of journalism and Guardian media blogger Roy Greenslade has accused the Scottish mainstream media of “turning a blind eye” to leaked material relating to the financial crisis at Rangers through the @CharlotteFakes Twitter account.
Read more at http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/08/23/guardian-writer-and-journalism-professor-roy-greenslade-accuses-scottish-media#jiBw8kzEBMMqsUow.99
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The Drum article above has been linked to a few times over the last couple of days but the comments below it are worth a look. Professional looking attempts deploying legalistic arguments to argue that old club continues by a blogger “Oshiseven” being dealt with impressively by “macbloscaidh” whose comments/analysis are worthy of support
So that means on average ‘trialists’ could play 4 times in the time between the start of the season and the signing embargo being lifted and the ‘trialists’ being registered players for Scotland’s youngest team ? How many ‘ official ‘ games have sevco played?? ( 4 by any chance? ) do they have a licence and what about that safety certificate? Liars and cheats eventually do get their comeuppance but jeezo it’s taking it’s time 😉
Folks
There are going to be a few rule changes because of reconstruction not yet applied.
Looking at the SFA web site on club licensing it still says UEFA licensing applies to SPL clubs.
Now perhaps it only needs to say SPFL clubs but perhaps there has to be a rethink about what standard should apply at what level to make the game more professional.
I read something the other day about a lower tier club having to comply with licensing requirements for the first time. I think it was a result of restructuring. Rule amendments are a natural consequence so I would not jump to any conclusions bias is at play.
Did any on Ally’s list play on those Helicopter Saturday’s !
briggsbhoy says:
August 24, 2013 at 10:12 am
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I’m sure there are plenty of rotten things in Scottish football; but when Rangers won the league in 2005 though, that wasn’t down to any dirty dealing. Celtic had it in the palm of their hands, within their control, 1-0 up at Motherwell and squandering myriad chances to kill the game off.
Nope that one was down to bottle crashing, pure and simple.
However as for 2003, knowing who the referee was at Ibrox that day when it was likely to come down to goal difference, and knowing now what we didn’t know then – that David Murray appointed Jimmy Calderwood to the job at Dunfermline – then it is clear that no matter how many goals Celtic scored that day, they were never going to win the league.
For all those complaining about rule changes though, I have only one thing to say; you can’t fake money and Sevco don’t have enough of the real stuff to see out the season. That is it in a nutshell
Rangers are dead, remember this and it all makes sense.
54 to 0 (as the ASA now seem to be coming to round to)
Who were the officials on Ally’s list?
With regards to the current scandal within Scottish Football regarding players gambling on matches. The SFA have backed themselves into a corner here. If they use the Sandy Bryson rule interpretation then they cannot find Ian Black guilty of rule breaking as they were not aware it was taking place at the time. Now that they know what has been going on then Ian Black would be in real trouble if he decided to continue with his betting on football matches. If they administer the rules in the appropriate manner in the way they were intended to be administered in this instance should this not lead to calls to re open the disgraceful players registration enquiry as there would be evidence of rule breaking by the very people who are paid handsomely to Govern the sport in Scotland.?
It was always going to happen. The SFA were always going to trip themselves up sooner or later with their lies, deceit and rule breaking. With revelations from various parties across the country that not only players but officials partake in betting on football matches and even accusations and revelations of match fixing by professional footballers then surely the SFA cannot be allowed to look into these allegations themselves. This has to be investigated by Scotlands Finest and/or UEFA.
Scottish Football needs a strong odds on favourite.
Carfins Finest says:
August 24, 2013 at 11:16 am
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If they administer the rules in the appropriate manner in the way they were intended to be administered in this instance should this not lead to calls to re open the disgraceful players registration enquiry as there would be evidence of rule breaking by the very people who are paid handsomely to Govern the sport in Scotland.?
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Don’t you mean “Govan the sport in Scotland”…boom boom
Wrt trialist status,if Daly,law etc are only being evaluated at this time,as per the rules,then why did they appear months ago in the press,on Rtv and other media announcing they would be signing.Seems to me this doesn’t meet the requirements laid down and is therefore a deliberate breaking of the rules.
The match fixing and betting allegations, are not Celtic V Rangers, nor the world v Rangers issues. They are issues that should unite football fans, from all backgrounds and all clubs. Using them as clubs to beat each other, simply plays into the hands of the SFA.
Brenda
The suggestion earlier to throw away your clocks ,it might be time ,no pun intended,to create a new clock for some of the events we are waiting on unfolding,this would be a clockalender,where instead of hours on the face it would be months and maybe one with years as some of the material will take an age to come out if we are to wait on the media to do the job thet are paid for.
torrejohnbhoy(@johnbhoy1958) says:
August 24, 2013 at 11:27 am
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Wrt trialist status,if Daly,law etc are only being evaluated at this time,as per the rules,then why did they appear months ago in the press,on Rtv and other media announcing they would be signing.Seems to me this doesn’t meet the requirements laid down and is therefore a deliberate breaking of the rules.
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The rules were changed, as with every other regulation, law, standard and custom, to accommodate sevco’s desire to sign players before Sept 1.
I realise a lot of interest has been generated as to when the audited interim accounts for RIFCL Plc will be issued. However I have become more intrigued by the delay in the Annual Return for TRFCL being submitted to Companies House.
It should have been filed with Companies House by 26 June 2013 but despite a reminder the directors of TRFCL have failed to do so. The directors of TRFCL currently are: James Easdale; Craig Mather and Brian Stockbridge (also company secretary).
Curiously, and I am unclear as to what if any connection this has, Sevco 5088 Ltd is also failing to meet company legislation as its Annual Return due on 26 April 2013 is also overdue. The current directors are Charles Green, Aidan Earley and Craig Whyte. In April 2013 there was a declaration to the effect that Sevco 5088 Ltd was a subsidiary company of RIFC Plc and that Charles Green had failed to list his directorship of it on the Rangers AIM flotation prospectus. So we have Whyte and Earley as directors of a subsidiary of the Rangers Holding Company – I wonder why the silence on this issue from Ibrox?
However let’s return to the general issue of Annual Returns and why there is a delay by Rangers’ directors in filling these for the operator of the Rangers club and another subsidiary company.
Firstly is this a serious matter? Well according to Companies House: ‘ . . . where a company is in operation, the company’s officers could be prosecuted because they are personally responsible for ensuring that they submit company information on time. Failing to do so is a criminal offence.’ Further: ‘It is a criminal offence not to deliver the company’s annual return within 28 days of the made-up date, for which Companies House may prosecute the company and its officers.’ (The made-up date is 25 June 2013 the incorporation date anniversary of TRFCL)
So why are Rangers running such risks by not submitting Annual Returns on time? It could be that they know how toothless Compoanies House is but in such a sensitive and well-publicised situation can they really afford to turn a blatant blind-eye?
So why haven’t Rangers met their legal requirements? Let’s look at what info is required: ‘An annual return is a snapshot of general information about a company’s directors, secretary (where one has been appointed), registered office address, shareholders and share capital.’
From my knowledge of the Rangers mystery a few things jump out at me that could cause problems viz: Shareholders; share capital; and company director info. Does Rangers accept that Whyte and Earley are directors of one of their companies – Sevco 5088 Ltd and, if so, are they shareholders in it?
WRT TRFCL there has always been a mystery over the identity of some shareholders so would an Annual Return create some kind of problem in this regard by revealing identities?
The key IMO seems to be the requirement: ‘A private company or a non-traded public company with share capital must provide a ‘full list’ of all shareholders on its first annual return following incorporation; and every third annual return after it has provided a full list.’
So as this is the first Annual Return for TRFCL and Sevco 5088 Ltd then a ‘full list’ of shareholders is required which entails:
A company whose shares have not been admitted to trading on a relevant market must provide:
* The name of the shareholder (or joint-shareholders) at the made-up date
* The name of every shareholder (or joint-shareholders) who has ceased to be a shareholder since the made-up date of the previous annual return (or in the case of a first return, since the incorporation of the company)
* The number of shares of each class held by each shareholder of the company at the made-up date of the annual return
* The date of registration and the number of shares of each class transferred by each shareholder or past shareholder since the made-up date of the previous annual return (or in the case of a first return, since the incorporation of the company)
In the case of TRFCL I recognise a possible ‘grey area’ because of the fact that TRFCL shares – which were not publicly traded – were subsequently swapped for RIFC Plc shares which are and I don’t know enough about the legislation to state how this effects the reporting requirements which differ according to whether the shares are publicly traded or not and it all gets a bit technical.
However I am left with a feeling wrt TRFCL that there is an ‘issue’ over shareholding and it may be as to what residual shares are left in that company after their swap for the RIFC Plc shares and who owns them. Similarly there is the question over directorship and shareholding in Sevco 5088 Ltd.
slimshady61 says:
August 24, 2013 at 11:09 am
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Ah…the 2003 season, which was my last ever visit to Rugby Park. Like many Celtic fans that day I had a ticket for the home area. There was no trouble and Kilmarnock willingly sold us the the tickets. All we were told on purchase is that we couldn’t wear colours. When Celtic scored the first goal a couple of guys in my row stood up, and Kilmarnock fans immediately called on police to eject them. The police, to their credit, pointed out that no crime had been committed and that Kilmarnock had willingly sold them the tickets. It went on and on, and every goal from Ibrox was cheered with gusto, as their own team was losing. Their manager was telling them to waste time at the end while the two games sat neck and neck. Rangers of course got a highly dubious penalty and that was that. Every player in their team had an EBT. Ronald De Boer had also been paid illegally through another tax avoidance scheme.
Mods, I’ve got one in moderation, presumably because its got the Scottish parliament email addresses of the members of the health and sport committee members, these are official email addresses not personal ones.
[Scapa – see below – TSFM]
davythelotion says:
August 24, 2013 at 11:13 am
Who were the officials on Ally’s list?
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I think this is possibly the most serious aspect of an increasingly tawdry affair,
If there actually are officials who are gambling on games – whether they are officiating at them or not – then the potential for blackmail by a manager or director of another club is open-ended. And even if it was just a player who had the info – does that mean they are never ‘carded’ by the official or get ‘soft’ penalties or free -kick scoring opportunities.
The SFA has to act here and act decisively to either identify the gamblers and deal with them or expose possible fantasists who are making-up porkies to suit their own agenda.
Airdrie v The Rangers – strictly in-house and no need to bother with any rules.
Or the result.
Match fixing?
Would make you choke on your Sauvignon Blanc.
It seems that Mr Mather, Director and CEO has said that when the audited accounts come out people may “cast aspersions”. I didn’t see or hear the interview myself so I can’t say how accurate that is, or the context in which he said it. Perhaps someone here has more details.
In any case, if he did one wonders what he means. Presumably he is talking about where the money from the IPO has gone, perhaps out in bonuses, payments to other businesses, arrangement fees or whatever else.
Interestingly as far as I am led to believe he claims not to have actually seen them yet.
In possibly unrelated (to my last) news.
http://billmcmurdo.wordpress.com/2013/08/24/for-the-avoidance-of-doubt/
For The Avoidance Of Doubt
Posted on August 24, 2013 by billmcmurdo
The above words appeared as the title of a media statement by Jim Traynor on the official Rangers website recently.
The last sentence of this statement read: “Finally, Jack Irvine of Media House does not speak for this Club.”
I will bet that these are words JT wishes he had kept out of his release.
Because he certainly cannot say them now.
The good news is that Jack’s back.
Jack Irvine has been retained by the board of Rangers Football Club in their battle to maintain control of the club against the attempted coup by Messrs McColl, Murray and Blin.
The McColl group have been vocal in their determination to oust three Rangers directors and replace them with McColl’s own place men. Their attempt to effectively get control of Rangers on the cheap has angered many fans.
It will be good to see a robust PR defence of the present Rangers regime if only to counter the skewered accounts in media outlets that are hostile to Rangers.
The use of the Daily Record by the McColl group – a notoriously anti-Rangers paper despite protestations by Keith Jackson – has left many bluenoses cynical, particularly when the McColl coup has tried to paint itself as speaking for the fans.
When I first voiced my own opposition to Jim McColl based on his pro-Independence stance, I was pilloried by many, yet I see more and more Rangers fans are now saying the same thing. McColl’s politics DO matter and it is extremely disingenuous to suggest otherwise. They matter enough for him to use his position to beat the drum for Scotland’s separation from the UK so his very public stance on the matter invites scrutiny.
And it is perfectly reasonable to ask why Mr McColl is so interested in a club that is world-famous for its Unionist ethos, especially when that interest was not evident among work colleagues who knew him as a younger man.
Apparently Jim McColl contacted Craig Mather to tell him that he was misquoted in yesterday’s Daily Record concerning the intransigence of the McColl coup’s attitude to Mather’s job. Now we are led to believe that the nail on which the Rangers CEO’s jacket hangs might not be so shoogly after all.
Quite frankly, Mather doesn’t need that crap and neither do the Rangers support.
At a time when the team finally looks to be firing on all cylinders and everybody at Rangers needs to pull together, the destabilising antics of Magnum McColl and Mini Murray are as welcome as toothache.
The present Rangers board should be given time to prove their worth. That is my position and I know more and more are saying the same.
The club just doesn’t need the upset that the McColl group is bringing at this present moment.
Many are making wild speculations about the financial situation at Ibrox but we really won’t know till accounts are published. It’s interesting that Kieran Prior seems satisfied that Mather and Stockbridge are doing a good job.
I have no doubt that the accounts will be pored over and people will find stuff in there that they don’t like. Or rather, stuff that backs up their agenda.
But the accounts may also show that the club is being run prudently and is in rude health financially. This, of course, will not suit those who have a blind hatred of the current regime.
The good news is that lies, smears and agenda-driven propaganda that undermine the Rangers board and thus the club will now be countered in the media.
For the avoidance of doubt – Jack’s back.
And he does speak for the club.
UPDATE
Here is a statement from Jack Irvine on his appointment by the board:
“The board felt that they were not successfully articulating their defence against the vicious and , at times underhand, attacks of Jim McColl, Frank Blin and Paul Murray. The board also felt that there are huge public misconceptions about the financial realities of the club and once again this was a failure of communication.
“Interestingly I have known Jim, Frank and Paul for many, many years and have a huge respect for their abilities in their individual fields. Unfortunately I believe they have now stepped out of their comfort zones and are going to find that the everyday rules of business do not apply in the world of football and the media scrutiny they now face is like nothing they will ever have known in their professional lives. I, and many other observers, are also staggered at the arrogance of men who have invested nothing in the club yet feel they can dictate to directors who have sunk substantial sums into the venture. I am also reminded that some of these individuals had the chance to buy the club for a modest sum yet were repeatedly found wanting. Since then they have done little but damage the club they claim to love. That is reprehensible behaviour and needs to be recognised as such.”
http://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-south-africa/tax-rebel-dave-king-loses-sandhurst-and-plett-pala
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/david-conn-inside-sport-blog/2009/jul/02/football-clubs-money-laundering-report
http://www.ftadviser.com/2011/10/29/regulation/regulators/keydata-founder-in-m-bvi-deal-M22acqdsW86fQQIVy7m3gL/article.html
In almost certainly totally unrelated thoughts.
It’s interesting that Rangers sacked Jack Irvine’s Media House. They took on the PR job for the Easdale Brothers, and are now back doing the job for Rangers.
Tif Finn says:
August 24, 2013 at 12:52 pm
It seems that Mr Mather, Director and CEO has said that when the audited accounts come out people may “cast aspersions”. Interestingly as far as I am led to believe he claims not to have actually seen them yet.
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Hard to tell if this is the usual Ibrox playing with words so as to disguise the true position.
However, Mather should at the very minimum be getting supplied with monthly management accounts as CEO from Stockbridge. How else can he possibly run the company and make decisions?
Personally in view of the wafer-thin financial security blanket in place circa £7.5 million in the kitty IMO, excluding the draw-down ‘income’ from SportsDirect and ST Vat payment, then I would have thought it advisable and very prudent if he was being furnished with weekly management accounts.
I wonder when and what financial info Board members actually receive and just how detailed it is.
So Jack is back – doesn’t surprise me just like Green IMO hasn’t gone anywhere and, more importantly, neither have the people he ‘fronts’ for.
Tif Finn says:
August 24, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Here is a statement from Jack Irvine on his appointment by the board:
“The board felt that they were not successfully articulating their defence against the vicious and , at times underhand, attacks of Jim McColl, Frank Blin and Paul Murray. The board also felt that there are huge public misconceptions about the financial realities of the club and once again this was a failure of communication.
“Interestingly I have known Jim, Frank and Paul for many, many years and have a huge respect for their abilities in their individual fields. Unfortunately I believe they have now stepped out of their comfort zones and are going to find that the everyday rules of business do not apply in the world of football and the media scrutiny they now face is like nothing they will ever have known in their professional lives. I, and many other observers, are also staggered at the arrogance of men who have invested nothing in the club yet feel they can dictate to directors who have sunk substantial sums into the venture. I am also reminded that some of these individuals had the chance to buy the club for a modest sum yet were repeatedly found wanting. Since then they have done little but damage the club they claim to love. That is reprehensible behaviour and needs to be recognised as such.”
________________________________________________________________________________________
Well, Jack, you’re certainly back in action at Ibrokes in spite of Mr Traynor’s statement to the contrary.
Messrs McColl, Murray & Blin will feel that they’re getting a kicking as you have certainly put the boot in, Jack.
These three must represent a clear and present danger to the existing board to merit such a swift reinstatement of your good self right over the head of Mr Traynor, Head of Media & Communications at The New Rangers.
Poor Mr Traynor, to be humiliated so publicly by the Board. Still at £200,000 pa, I’m sure he’ll ‘suck it up’ as they say.
So, Jack, with you being restored to your rightful place, I expect we’ll be hearing a lot more about you as you go about your Ibrokes business of putting the boot in when instructed.
BTW, Jack, with your new job etc, how about a new title to better express your role at Sevco ?
How’s about ‘Jackboots ‘.
Try it on -see how it fits.
Personally, I think it suits you.
Tif Finn says:
August 24, 2013 at 1:20 pm
It’s interesting that Rangers sacked Jack Irvine’s Media House. They took on the PR job for the Easdale Brothers, and are not back doing the job for Rangers.
===================================================
I wonder if you have a typo and meant to say are NOW back? But you made me think – if MH are back what about the 5 year deal signed with the new PR company – Have they walked? Is it still in place? Are they happy working with MH especially in view of Greenslade’s Guardian piece?
ecobhoy says:
August 24, 2013 at 1:27 pm
==============================
I couldn’t agree more, the notion that the CEO doesn’t know what will be in the accounts of the PLC he runs is totally laughable.
As you say given the financial position they seem to be in he will be monitoring things very closely. If he isn’t then real questions need to be asked, for example why are you getting paid hundreds of thousands of pounds exactly.
ecobhoy says:
August 24, 2013 at 1:33 pm
=====================
Thanks, “now back”
I wish some would stop the moaning about 2003. Your team won 4-0 away from home and missed a penalty but that was never a dodgy award, was it? Sick fed up with this nonsense.
I will bet that these are words JT wishes he had kept out of his release.
good one bill, Jim can add that to his very long list of “things I wish I’d never said”
at least the licence payer didn’t pay for his wisdom this time though.
Who were they playing last night?
Bartin @SirBarold 2h
McCoist celebrating last night courtesy of @HenrikVegetable https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BSYgSbEIYAANF2n.jpg:large … #MrCustardMoment
bobferris says:
August 24, 2013 at 1:49 pm
How about the fact that Dunfermline manager was advised by David Murray to take the job to help out his mate Masterson, with the implied suggestion it could lead to the RFC gig. I’m sure that wasnt on the manager’s mind during his pre-match team talk! 🙄
on 2005, always remember Mr Davis contribution to the cause.
And Dallas got the top job after that.
That decision on its own should have ended his career.
paulsatim says:
August 24, 2013 at 1:56 pm
They beat Clydebank 6-0 apparently.
That must be a world record for 2 liquidated clubs playing each other.
Some strange ramblings over on the vanguard bears website re- BBC Scotland sports staff.
How do they get away with spouting their propaganda.
If I was Mr Spiers I would be having a word with my lawyer – ditto messrs Gordon, Cosgrove, McLaughlin and Spence.
It’s no wonder TRFC Supporters are the way they are being fed on this rubbish ! Websites like VB’s should be investigated and brought to account.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/jul/01/money-laundering-football-anti-corruption
Auldheid says:
———————————–
Check PM
My eye was drawn to the comment in the McMurdo piece claiming Rangers ‘is in rude health financially’ and I had the feeling I might have seen it in some of CF’s revelations re MH.
Of course it was also used by CG in October 2012 when he announced Rangers financially were ‘in rude health’. Ah those halcyon days when Green first revealed he was catching Rangeritis and stoutly declared: ‘I won’t leave before Champions League music’s playing at Ibrox’. Indeed the opinions of this man should always be taken seriously.
He also revealed back then: ‘The season ticket money this year came into the club and that’s sat in the bank. In our current financial year, which ends on 30 June, we will have had two seasons’ season tickets, because next year’s season tickets will go on sale in May. By the end of June we’ll have collected, so I’ll have another pile of cash before this [financial] year ends. Rangers is in such a fantastically strong position without the IPO.’
Just as well then that the IPO cash wasn’t actually needed considering it has disappeared into the deep murky sea of Ibrox.
I love the childlike hope expressed by an obviously immature McMurdo: ‘It will be good to see a robust PR defence of the present Rangers regime if only to counter the skewered accounts in media outlets that are hostile to Rangers.’
I don’t know if he meant ‘skewed’ or ‘stewed’ accounts but they should be very tasty considering how long they have been simmering in the slow cooker – perhaps there’s been a problem in paying for the leccie of course.
Has the boy McMurdo forgotten the recent dismal failure of Mather and Stockbridge to prove to fans that they actually were in charge of unfolding events at Ibrox. It would appear the pair proved there will be little spare straw for MH to build PR bricks-bats to attack McColl with.
The most enlightening thing for me in McMurdo’s piece is that if you aren’t a staunch Unionist then you can’t be a Real Rangers Man – how sad and how myopic but what a lot it reveals about the amount of excess baggage that Rangers has to shed just to be a football team like any other.
BTW young William a little history record wrt to Green and his fondness for the Olde French tongue as evidenced by his unique definition of ‘bigoterie’ in Scotland. ‘Rude’ is defined as approximate or imprecise as in a rude estimate [via Old French from Latin rudis – coarse, unformed].
I trust if the audited accounts are ever produced then they most certainly won’t be approximate or imprecise because should any of those underlying conditions be revealed following examination then the newly-born, body corporate is likely to become a corpse once again. I think even zombification this time is way beyond Jack Irvine’s undoubted skills as a mortician renowned for creating the illusion that a corpse still liveth after all vital organs have been liquified.
On Sportsound, Chick says SFA rules are wrong, because SFA accepts sponsorship from betting companies.
I agree that accepting sponsorship from betting companies is wrong (personal opinion) but the current rules are the rules, regarding betting.
I wonder if Mr Ogilvie has fallen asleep again during another major crisis? Can someone please wake him up?
Just noticed this on KDS – seems that some people know when action is required and don’t shirk their responsibility. They were probably on Ally’s list although they would probably have retired before the info was useful to Rangers 😉
Might be worth passing on all the Scottish info, including Ally’s list, as I’m sure the UEFA betting fraud detection system (BFDS) – which monitors over 32,000 matches across Europe – will be delighted for the heads-up. Ally’s quite right – it’s time for a cleansing!
Published: Wednesday 7 August 2013, 16.50CET
Referee Andranik Arsenyan and assistant Hovhannes Avagyan, who oversaw a UEFA Europa League match last month between FC Inter Turku and Víkingur, have been suspended.
UEFA yesterday took note of the decision of the Executive Committee of the Football Federation of Armenia (HFF) with regard to the referee and assistant referee who officiated at the UEFA Europa League first qualifying round match between FC Inter Turku and Víkingur on 11 July 2013.
In a hearing at the HFF, referee Andranik Arsenyan and assistant referee Hovhannes Avagyan admitted having tried to manipulate the outcome of the second-leg game, which ended 1-0 in favour of Víkingur.
The UEFA betting fraud detection system (BFDS) – which monitors over 32,000 matches across Europe, including all first-division and UEFA competition games – had detected suspicious betting patterns around this fixture, and this prompted the start of an investigation by UEFA to which the HFF contributed closely.
UEFA is pleased with the excellent cooperation of the HFF, the local authorities and the betting operators during the investigation process.
Today, the chairman of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body has decided to suspend with immediate effect, and for any football-related activities, both match officials. At the same time, a disciplinary proceeding has been opened in accordance with Article 12 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (integrity of matches and competitions, and match-fixing).
The case will be dealt with by the Control and Disciplinary Body on Thursday 22 August at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.
I am actually mortified Gordon Dalziel has just made fun of a special needs school on SSB 😕 and yes the rest of the panel laughed along with him 😳 totally unacceptable they are pathetic.
Below is a truly outstanding post from “Macbloscaidh” earlier today in response to the Drum article below. I am copying this link again as the post deserves as wide an audience as possible, as do two earlier posts by “macbloscaidh” on the same thread.
http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/08/23/guardian-writer-and-journalism-professor-roy-greenslade-accuses-scottish-media#88KJ0fkwfjXHrA6b.99
—————————————————————————————————
@Oshiseven At the end of the day, Rangers FC, founded in 1872 and incorporated in 1899, went into liquidation in 2012. No amount of spin, propaganda or silence from the SFA will ever change that.
For a “club” to be a recognizable entity it must have its own committee, constitution, office bearers and accounts. To suggest your “club” was separate from the “company”, it would be required to have all these things.
That means there would have to be a constitution for company & club and as we both know, that is simply not true. Rangers Football Club PLC was not a “holding company”. It never was. It was the club. It began as an amateur club in 1872 and became a company in 1899. For a “club” to have copyright and branding “bound to it” it must first have a legal presence otherwise “branding” and “copyright” are bound to nothing. So your notion of a separate club with legally binding copyright yet without a committee or a constitution is delusion, bordering on the comical. You keep on saying that “every governing body recognizes Rangers ….” but if that was true, the current Rangers would be eligible for a Euro licence and it would’ve never have left the SPL. I have also pointed out the rules and regulations set out by UEFA – a club must be a legal entity and it must have 3 years membership with its national association to be eligible to play in Europe. Of course you want to ignore all that and concentrate on the fact that you have 5 stars on your shirt and as long as UEFA don’t say anything, that is OK. You weren’t relegated or demoted. You weren’t kicked out. Your club went bust. Not the holding company, the club. It left a trail of debt up to £50m which will never get paid. The taxpayer, hospitals, schools, armed forces & local businesses et al are all owed money from Rangers. Before liquidation the reality was clear – get a CVA or the history is gone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k0IkDTPQWU What has happened since has been the re-writing of history; tell a lie often enough and hopefully it will become fact. The current “Rangers” are “regarded” as old Rangers by some. This is due mostly to the new club claiming to the the old one (Charles Green with an almighty u-turn on that one) whilst the SFA turn a blind eye. But perception is not reality. The club founded by the McNeil brothers, which incorporated in 1899 is now gone. There was no separation of club from company at the time of liquidation. The “club” with the constitution / committee is currently being dissolved. And no amount of spin from you or anyone else will ever change that, despite how you are “perceived” by some. There are those who talk a good game and those who play a good game. Those who talk a good game want to bask in glory but aren’t prepared to pay for it. You want to be recognized as a club that has all these trophies but don’t want to pay the debt that was accrued trying to win them. There are other clubs who play a good game, who live within their means, who look after their clubs finances with honesty and who pay their bills. They might not have many trophies but they have one thing – respect.
They pay their way in life. “Perception v Reality”
Read more at http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/08/23/guardian-writer-and-journalism-professor-roy-greenslade-accuses-scottish-media#88KJ0fkwfjXHrA6b.99
Tif Finn says:
August 24, 2013 at 1:35 pm
ecobhoy says:
August 24, 2013 at 1:27 pm
==============================
I couldn’t agree more, the notion that the CEO doesn’t know what will be in the accounts of the PLC he runs is totally laughable.
As you say given the financial position they seem to be in he will be monitoring things very closely. If he isn’t then real questions need to be asked, for example why are you getting paid hundreds of thousands of pounds exactly.
=================================
A CEO who doesn’t know what his accounts are saying should be fired immediately. How can he possibly manage his business?
A second point – we are talking at the moment about league rules for the use of trialists. We have been deflected. These are not ‘trialists’ – these guys are or will be under agreed contracts. These contracts may have been postdated but they still exist.
The authorities cannot be unaware of the status of these players and should take action.
Bearing in mind the circumstances that have brought us to this point TRFC are effectively bringing the game into disrepute by their actions in fielding these so-called ‘trialists’.
Scottish football needs a strong Arbroath.
With regard to Media House coming back ‘onside’ for The Rangers – is this
(a) because it’s better to have them inside the tent p***ing out than outside p***ing in on a day to day basis? Or
(b) just a case that knowing where the bodies are buried (metaphorically, I assume) was always going to lead to someone calculating that they couldn’t take the risk of what might be published?
Or
(c) both of the above?
McMurdo:
A bit too disrespectful for here 🙂
But credit where credit is due. Made me smile 😈
Moron Jack Irvine (do you see what I did there).
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/football-irvines-warning-rangers-battle-150616224.html
Scottish Football – Irvine’s warning in Rangers battle
The battle for control of the Ibrox boardroom has taken a new twist after Rangers chief executive Craig Mather hired PR guru Jack Irvine to launch a fightback against the investors seeking to oust him – just a week after the club released a statement claiming he did not speak for them.
The Media House spokesman signed a one-year agreement with Mather ahead of Friday night’s Scottish League One meeting with Airdrie.
He has been brought in to fight off attempts by Clyde Blowers chairman Jim McColl to have Mather, Brian Stockbridge and Bryan Smart removed from the board.
Billonaire businessman McColl wants to replace them with former Blue Knight Paul Murray and ex-PricewaterhouseCoopers accountancy expert Frank Blin.
The development comes seven days after the club issued a statement entitled “For the Avoidance of Doubt” which went on to state: “Finally, Jack Irvine of Media House does not speak for this club.”
A club insider has told Press Association Sport that Irvine is prepared to “go to war” with McColl’s faction.
In a statement issued to Press Association Sport, Irvine – who already represents club investors Sandy and James Easdale – warned McColl and his partners that he would expose their “reprehensible behaviour” of the past few weeks.
He claimed: “The board felt that they were not successfully articulating their defence against the vicious and at times underhand attacks of Jim McColl, Frank Blin and Paul Murray.
“The board also felt that there are huge public misconceptions about the financial realities of the club and once again this was a failure of communication.
“Interestingly I have known Jim, Frank and Paul for many, many years and have a huge respect for their abilities in their individual fields.
“Unfortunately I believe they have now stepped out of their comfort zones and are going to find that the everyday rules of business do not apply in the world of football and the media scrutiny they now face is like nothing they will ever have known in their professional lives.
“I, and many other observers, are also staggered at the arrogance of men who have invested nothing in the club yet feel they can dictate to directors who have sunk substantial sums into the venture. I am also reminded that some of these individuals had the chance to buy the club for a modest sum yet were repeatedly found wanting.
“Since then they have done little but damage the club they claim to love. That is reprehensible behaviour and needs to be recognised as such.”
Rangers announced on Thursday that an extraordinary general meeting demanded by McColl to discuss the removal of Mather, Stockbridge and Smart had been averted and that the motion would be considered at their annual general meeting, set to be held some time in October.
Press Association Sport contacted Rangers and McColl for a response.
Jim Traynor, the club’s head of communications, admitted Irvine’s appointment was a surprise to him.
He said: “I have not spoken to Jack Irvine and I have not had any dealings with him. As far as I’m concerned that is the way it will stay.”
=========================================
Maybe that explains the images of Mather and Traynor posted by Vass, apparently from the Rangers v Clydebank game on Friday night.
http://willievass.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/230813-Airdrie-v-Rangers/G0000IpdQqjGg9kA/I0000dyqZSMH1XSs/C0000fKmWUmT9Awk
Word association time :
Jaiket, shoogly peg, Traynor, deserved.
Scottish football needs a strong ICT, Dundee United, Hearts, ……..
redlichtie says:
August 24, 2013 at 5:44 pm
Do you think he would then have yet another epiphanic moment and remember that Rangers did in fact die at the point the CVA was refused. As he reported it at the time.
Jack Irvine: “the everyday rules of business do not apply” 🙄
http://news.stv.tv/west-central/237215-rangers-hire-jack-irvine-week-after-denying-he-spoke-for-club/
… Jack Irvine says that McColl, Murray and the other bloke – (ex head of PCW)
Had the chance in the past…to buy the CLUB, but didn’t put their hands in their pockets.
Is it possible to buy – A CLUB ?
TW says: August 24, 2013 at 5:02 pm
With regard to Media House coming back ‘onside’ for The Rangers – is this
….
(b) just a case that knowing where the bodies are buried (metaphorically, I assume) was always going to lead to someone calculating that they couldn’t take the risk of what might be published?
———————————————————————————————————————–
I had to read this again (very carefully) ….. initially I mistakingly thought you were referring to Jack’s statement (also in the plural) in the infamous (CF) email swiftly pulled by his laywers ……. phew ! ….. 😯
What a nest of vipers that one would have opened …………
Sorry TW
Hi-Jack 😀
Govan club does not recognise any rules as we know it they also do not understand what liquidation means
It is simple your club is gone that surely is easy to take in
In facts the word deid should do it.
You do not rule anymore and watp means nothing absolutely nothing.
Rip
Danish Pastry says:
August 24, 2013 at 2:55 pm
On Sportsound, Chick says SFA rules are wrong, because SFA accepts sponsorship from betting companies.
===========================================
Unfortunately for Chick he wasn’t blessed for much of an intelligence quotient but the up-side is he has provided the rest of us with much hilarity over the years.
What he is failing to see is that betting sponsorship is out in the open and isn’t secret. I would agree to a rule change as long as players had to declare when they voted against their own team – transparency is a great thing and I’m sure your player friends will love your intervention chick 😆
Tif Finn says:
August 24, 2013 at 5:23 pm
Moron Jack Irvine (do you see what I did there).
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/football-irvines-warning-rangers-battle-150616224.html
===========================================================
I don’t think I have ever seen any PR Practitioner become ‘The Story’ as successfully and completely as JI.
I can’t help but wonder whether he has been finding difficulty sowing his acid drops with SMSM journos and now has to actually do his own ‘dirty’ work ❓
Interesting he is choosing to go to war on people well-regarded by the Scottish business community – I hope he is getting paid plenty by his disparate collection of Rangers associates because he might start to find revenue from other clients drying-up 😀
Brenda says:
August 24, 2013 at 3:03 pm
57 2 Rate This
I am actually mortified Gordon Dalziel has just made fun of a special needs school on SSB and yes the rest of the panel laughed along with him totally unacceptable they are pathetic.
….
Got a link?
If that is the case…G.D should be punted from SSB.
(Remember david Ike !)
ecobhoy says:
August 24, 2013 at 6:59 pm
================
Totally naïve of the English board at Sevco to think that they need the expense of Irvine to push their case.
Jabba knows this. Are The Scottish Sun really going to back up the Spivs ?
Once The Daily Record takes a side, and they clearly have taken the side of McColl, then what’s the point with paying money to Irvine.
The current regime are Dead Dog Pie
jimlarkin says:
August 24, 2013 at 7:19 pm
Absolutely Jim. Utterly horrified at this. I have been teaching pupils with Additional Support Needs for decades and will take this all the way. Could someone please supply the link.
Sorry no link but should be on the podcast unless it mysteriously disappears 😳 about 55 mins into programme ?
paulsatim says:
August 24, 2013 at 2:01 pm
bobferris says:
August 24, 2013 at 1:49 pm
How about the fact that Dunfermline manager was advised by David Murray to take the job to help out his mate Masterson, with the implied suggestion it could lead to the RFC gig. I’m sure that wasnt on the manager’s mind during his pre-match team talk! 🙄
————————————-
Utter nonsense and not fitting of this site. Are you seriously suggesting that Dunfermline’s eleven players on the day cared a jot about the nature of their manager’s appointment that’s if they were even aware of it. Jimmy Calderwood was a fine manager for Dunfermline and took them to fourth and Europe. Might I remind you that Celtic recently clinched a title with a 6-0 win at Rugby Park. But that was Celtic being majestic of course, nobody lay down that day or in 2003 when they won easily like Rangers! I think talk of lying down is an insult unless they all did an Ian Black!!!
IPO Prospectus
———————-
PART XII
DIRECTORS, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND EMPLOYEES
1.2 Interests of the Directors and Key Employees
1.4 None of the Directors has, or has had, any interest in any transaction which is or was unusual in its
nature or conditions or which is or was significant to the business of and which was effected by
during the current or immediately preceding financial year or which remains in any respect
outstanding or unperformed.
————————————–
I guess this one was a simple oversight …….
http://www.scribd.com/doc/160196162/Laxey-Shares
Oh,
Then there’s the SEVCO 5088 subsidiary oversight ….
oh yeh,
The Directorship of SEVCO 5088 oversight ….
Ooops ….
The LBA oversight in the Risk’s section …
All oversights attributable to just one person …
Still, not to worry, … the CENKOS link has been broken …… conveniently !
Any more oversights (eg Willow et al ..)
newtz says:
August 24, 2013 at 8:32 pm
IPO Prospectus
=====================================
Don’t forget the SportsDirect Joint Venture viz Rangers Retail Ltd where the prospectus states that Rangers has the controlling interest with 51% of the shareholding.
What this fails to explain is that although TRFCL holds 51% of the shareholding and a SportsDirect subsidiary holds 49% there are A shares and B shares. In practice this means that on any financial issues the SportsDirect shares count as double so the voting is Rangers 51 and SportsDirect 98.
Doesn’t sound like a controlling interest to me and any important decision will almost certainly involve a financial aspect. Also worth considering that Green is still a director of Rangers Retail Ltd and Garrion Security Services Ltd – Why ❓
Reilly1926 says:
August 24, 2013 at 7:37 pm
ecobhoy says:
August 24, 2013 at 6:59 pm
================
Totally naïve of the English board at Sevco to think that they need the expense of Irvine to push their case.
Jabba knows this. Are The Scottish Sun really going to back up the Spivs ? Once The Daily Record takes a side, and they clearly have taken the side of McColl, then what’s the point with paying money to Irvine.
The current regime are Dead Dog Pie.
==========================================
That is truly offal 🙄
Sorry, couldn’t resist this a-la the forthcoming TRFC PR’s (Plural) “Gunfight at High Noon at the O.K. Corral (aka Ibrox)”.
Ha Ha ! You couldn’t make this up in a million years !
Think “Stealers Wheel”, and the current thoughts of TRFC supporters:
Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right,
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,
JT to the left of me,
JI to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you.
Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
And I’m wondering what it is I should do,
It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I’m all over the place,
JT to the left of me, JI to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.
Well you started out with nothing,
And you’re proud that you’re a self made Team,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please…. Please…..
Trying to make some sense of it all,
But I can see that it makes no sense at all,
Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor,
‘Cause I don’t think that I can take anymore
JT to the left of me, JI to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.
(Me again) – They’ll probably look at this and see an opportunity to make a few quid ? What Odds on Ibrox being named “Tombstone” for a day ? I bet at least 45,000 would turn up at £20 a head to see which one had the biggest ego !
Scottish Football has become an absolute joke over the last 2 years thanks to one club who seem to be above any recourse, despite their protestations that they have been hard done by.
Anyway, The “PR” Cowboys and Sherrif’s from Tombstone (aka Ibrox) are now facing up to each other. Should be an interesting “Gunfight at The O.K. Corral” ! Comedy Genius ? I might even buy one of those £20 tickets, then again ?
On my way home from Celtic Park today (well played ICT by the way, excellent performance) I listened to Radio Scotland and had my ears assaulted by Chic Young in particular and to a lesser extent, Kenny Shiels. The latter reckons he introduced flair to Scottish Football – laughable and deluded but at least he is entitled to that opinion. I disagree but we’ll leave that for another time. The discussion continued and Chico, contrary to Kennys’ view, declared that on occasions, the result matters more than the performance. Of course, he is absolutely correct, if only he had shut up there. But no. Should Celtic win through on Wednesday it will be worth around £20M to the club, Chic says. He went on to state that should Celtic defend for 90 minutes and score three goals in extra time, all would be well as only the result matters….
And this on state funded radio. The mutterings of an idiot. Unchallenged. I texted the show to remind Chic that Celtic start the second half of the contest 0-2 ………..oh what’s the bloody point.