Mr Green and Opportunity Knocks— For Aberdeen?

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……………”

2,310 thoughts on “Mr Green and Opportunity Knocks— For Aberdeen?


  1. 😆 Gambling & possible match fixing ! Nothing new there then as Oldco gambled and lost and tried to fix the results of games by gambling on the purchase of players they couldn’t afford.


  2. slimshady61 says:
    August 20, 2013 at 7:13 am

    Keith Jackson’s throwaway remark “the Record knows that, in order for Scottish football to be returned to a fit state, Rangers will first have to be fixed”…
    —————————————————–
    Given that Rangers have (as noted above) been held to have acted in a manner where only match fixing would have been a more serious breach of the rules, Keith Jackson’s choice of words seems alarmingly in the right area, except perhaps what he meant was that the rest of Scottish football would have to be fixed in order for Rangers to be returned to a fit state.


  3. ecobhoy

    Please can you correct your post as below which is inaccurate.
    This was TallBoy Poppy who posted content incl the link which is very relevant.

    Thanks

    ——————————————————————————————
    ecobhoy says:
    August 17, 2013 at 6:14 pm

    14

    0

    Rate This

    Sam says:
    August 17, 2013 at 4:28 pm
    ==================================================
    Yea but your link doesn’t say that Easdale’s are selling McGills. I’m afraid that false or unattributed info has to be knocked on the head otherwise people start to take it as ‘fact’ and sometimes it even becomes an urban myth


  4. Absolute shocker of an error in Richard Wilson’s Herald piece this morning at: http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/green-staring-at-exit-for-the-second-time-in-four-months.21922560 in which he states: ‘ Mather has no prior links to Green’.

    Not only is is factually nonsense but comes at a very sensitive time on a day when huge decisions will be made on the future of Rangers.

    I have always had a fair degree of respect for Wilson’s ability as a journo but this piece verges towards the succulent lamb diet and an obvious pandering to support Mather by casting him as not being a creature of Green with further supportive comments such as: ‘Mather is increasingly seen as an independent and significant figure to the outcome’.

    However the truth of the matter is that Green brought Mather to Ibrox and sold him on the idea of investing. That is common knowledge and Mr Wilson is displaying an amazing gap in his knowledge with his false statement. However I am sure that being the professional journalist that he is he will ensure that a correction is printed on such a glaring error that has the ability to influence events and casts the journalist’s motivation into doubt unless corrected. We all make mistakes and perhaps a PR or anonymous source gave the information which sadly doesn’t appear to have been subjected to the simplest scrutiny to check its veracity.

    Perhaps he should read Chris McLaughlin’s piece http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18893159 dated 18 July 2012 yes that’s right more than a year ago ❗

    In it Mather states: “I met Charles Green a while ago and we have a few common contacts,” said Mather. “He put the idea to me, and I’ve always been a lover of football. I’ve been to a number of the Old Firm clashes and I remember going there as a younger boy and having goosebumps listening to the roar, and I couldn’t imagine that it would never happen again.

    “That was how it started. I had various meeting with Charles and the team and had a look at the facilities at Murray Park – and it went from there.”

    If Richard has the time he might even research a crossover point with Green through their shared love of racing horses and Middle East business interests. But as I have already said Mather was brought to Rangers as an investor by Green and handed a title by Green of Director at Murray Park or somesuch and a specific remit to be involved in the youth side.

    I have previously done a piece on Mather and some of his business interests at: http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/craig-mather-froths-over-rangers-job-guest-post-by-ecojon/


  5. ecobhoy says:
    August 20, 2013 at 8:35 am

    ———————————————

    Can he REALLY have made such a glaring error?

    Does he think we are all stupid?

    This is very strange behaviour, even for a Scottish sports hack.


  6. To pick up on Keef Jackson’s “Scottish Football will just have to wait until we’ve fixed the Rangers” (oops, did I misquote slightly) it is indeed a sad day, not that the conspicuously timely Ian Black story breaks to cover other shenanigans, but that there are at least four different threads of shenanigans to choose from!

    They couldn’t cover this up with a 1980 Mack Bulldozer.

    Drip drip drip goes the dam, and the rumours, and the sand under CO’s seat, and the bank account……


  7. Morning all.
    Interesting day ahead.Have the spivs enough votes to win the day?.(probably).
    Phils tweet yesterday that Green may not be voted out but could actually end up on the board should,but won’t concentrate the fans minds as to the future.This act alone would cement the spivs in place until such times as they decide to depart.No doubt with bulging pockets.
    Anyone else think the timing of the board meeting was deliberately set to coincide with the Celtic game tonight.A good time to release bad news?.


  8. ecobhoy says:
    August 20, 2013 at 8:35 am
    22 0 Rate This

    … he states: ‘ Mather has no prior links to Green’.
    ———

    Perhaps he just meant no previous business dealings … that have been recorded and placed on the Internet!

    Has Mather the kind of historic links to Green that Stockbridge and Imran ‘av?


  9. The new SPFL website seems to have inherited an error from the SFL’s website. There’s no mention of The Rangers. Something about a team with a remarkably similar name formed in 1872 with a fat list of “honours” though. Easy mistake to make I’m sure but it might be worth mentioning to the ASA just in case anyone’s conned by this into spending money on the “product” under false pretences.
    http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/rangers/

    On a (related?) note I’ve seen Keith Jackson referred to on a number of occasions as a “revisionist”. I wouldn’t give him the kudos. Revisionism generally has an “academic” element and applies to “historical events” (i.e. generally not events that have occurred within the last 3 years..), so that passage of time assists to lend weight to scholars who put forward alternative theories and views of what actually happened. According to the definition from Wikipedia below, I would be more inclined to call Mr Jackson a “denier”, and the opinions he publishes “denialist” (i.e. he is a “Rangers liquidation denialist”). This, as has been pointed out on numerous occasions, is an inexcusable (and dangerous) trait for a journalist who has been fortunate enough to have been given the platform of a national newspaper from which to air his views.

    ———————————————-
    Revisionism vs. denial; Wikipedia

    Deborah Lipstadt (1993), Michael Shermer, and Alex Grobman (2000), authors of critical studies of Holocaust denial, make a distinction between revisionism and denial. Lipstadt notes that Holocaust deniers such as Harry Elmer Barnes often refer to themselves as revisionists so as to obscure their denialism under a guise of academic revision. In the view of Lipstadt, Shermer, and Grobman, legitimate revisionism entails a refinement of existing knowledge about a historical event, not a denial of the event itself, a refinement that comes through the examination of new empirical evidence or a reexamination or reinterpretation of existing evidence. Legitimate historical revisionism acknowledges a ‘certain body of irrefutable evidence’ or a ‘convergence of evidence’ that suggest that an event — like the black plague, American slavery, or the Holocaust — did occur.[10] Denial, on the other hand, rejects the entire foundation of historical evidence….”[11]


  10. >>Keith Jackson’s throwaway remark “the Record knows that, in order for Scottish football to be returned to a fit state, Rangers will first have to be fixed”…

    Rangers will first have to be fixed odds?


  11. “the Record knows that, in order for Scottish football to be returned to a fit state, Rangers results will first have to be fixed”…


  12. Gym Trainer says:
    August 20, 2013 at 10:02 am (Edit)
    0 0 Rate This

    >>Keith Jackson’s throwaway remark “the Record knows that, in order for Scottish football to be returned to a fit state, Rangers will first have to be fixed”…

    Rangers will first have to be fixed odds?

    ———————————————————————————————————————————————-

    Unfortunate choice of words by Mr Jackson!

    There have been many things that have been “fixed” in the past perhaps– in the press, at the bank and goodness knows where else.

    Anyway, nice to see Mr Jackson tell all the clubs in the upper echelons of Scottish Football that they and the game they play are not ” in a fit state” despite the season ticket sales and attendances etc.

    Presumably St Johnstone nearly getting to the Europa Group stages makes them not in a fit state?

    ICT at the top of the league playing really good passing football means they are not in a fit state?

    Dunfermline coming out of Admin and being owned by their fans for once and not being robbed blind– are not in a fit state?

    If Celtic get into the Champions League Group stages or even if they were to win the Europa Cup– doesn’t amount to a fit state?

    Aberdeen selling out their ground is not in a fit state?

    A Scotland team performing better than they have in years– is not a fit state.

    The only thing that will ever ever ever put Scottish Football in a fit state is the potential supremacy of Rangers or The Rangers or something approaching Rangers– run by who cares, spending who cares, complying with rules or not– who cares, and doing whatever– who cares!

    There you are! The Daily Record KNOWS— doesn’t even think—- actually KNOWS—- that everyone and everything else in Scottish Football is a waste of time until we see a “fixed” Rangers!

    What complete and utter rubbish, arrogance and an apology for so called sports journalism.

    By the way– the only thing that will ever put Scottish Sports Journalism in a fit state is when crap like this never gets by the editors desk!


  13. Danish Pastry says:
    August 20, 2013 at 9:23 am
    ecobhoy says:
    August 20, 2013 at 8:35 am

    … he states: ‘ Mather has no prior links to Green’.
    ———
    Perhaps he just meant no previous business dealings … that have been recorded and placed on the Internet! Has Mather the kind of historic links to Green that Stockbridge and Imran ‘av?
    =========================================================
    I obviously don’t know what was in Mr Wilson’s mind when writing the piece but would suggest that there is a world of difference between ‘no prior links’ and say ‘no known business links’. We know from Mather that there were prior unspecified links with Green going back some time and also business links because Green sold Mather and his business partner on becoming initial investors in Green’s consortium.

    Mather was brought to Ibrox by Green and didn’t just arrive because he loved the club or thought it would be a good investment IMO.

    Both men have a shared interested in horse racing and owning race horses and both men have a shared background involving Middle East business interests and Mather claims they have mutual contacts. Indeed it may well be that there was more ‘history’ between Green and Mather than Green and Stockbridge.

    My memory fails me but for the moment I can’t remember when Green and Ahmad first had business dealings prior to Rangers but again there is a possibility that Green knew Mather before he knew Ahmad. No doubt if someone can remember the initial Green/Ahmad connection they will chip-in.

    However on a day like today these issues are mere bagatelles :mrgreen:


  14. I sent an email to info@spfl.co.uk
    with the following text (feel free to reuse / improve as you see fit):
    “”
    Could you please correct this error, where you mistakenly attribute the honours won by Rangers FC to the new club called “The Rangers FC”?
    http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/rangers/
    I look forward to reading your response and to seeing the modified webpage.
    “”
    Best Regards


  15. cowanpete says:
    August 20, 2013 at 10:25 am

    Thanks for that. Just sent them an email requesting same truth be published.


  16. cowanpete says:
    August 20, 2013 at 10:25 am

    ——————————————

    Good luck wi that mate. I hope you have more joy getting a response with that e-mail address than I have with the SFA/SPL versions.

    Not one reply have I had to ANY questions to these bodies that are supposed to be running the show. It would appear to me that ANY questioning of their plan to massage a recogniseable form of Rangers up the system as fast as possible is ignored.

    I really hope HMRC and/or BDO see that justice is seen to be done……………cause thje Scottish press won’t.

    I’ve also sent an e-mail to them though.


  17. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/green-staring-at-exit-for-the-second-time-in-four-months.21922560

    Well good to see that someone at The Herald must be reading what us bampots are up to as I see the line that Mather ‘had no previous links’ to Green has been removed.

    As Danish Pastry said perhaps Mr Wilson meant no previous recorded business links so I won’t hold the slip against him now that it has been corrected which in itself justifies the work that posters do here.


  18. On the question of the new SPFL website I have been trying to find the news archive of the SPL and SFL for a little project I am working on but can’t find them. I might be being thick but I can’t see the linkage and wonder if anyone else can point me in the right direction. Cheers.


  19. “RANGERS Football Club is aware of wildly inaccurate stories circulating on various websites and would like fans to know that these flights of fantasy will be monitored by our lawyers.…If Rangers fans want the truth they will find it only on the Club’s official platforms.”

    The SFA statement on Ian Black was issued yesterday. It’s now 11.00 am on Tuesday 20 August.

    Can someone point me to the statement on the Pravda website dealing with the Ian Black issue? I’m having trouble finding it.

    If there is no such statement should the claim “If Rangers fans want the truth they will find it only on the Club’s official platforms.” now be referred to the ASA?

    Scottish football needs a strong ASA.


  20. y4rmy says:
    August 20, 2013 at 11:02 am

    Green goes. Again.
    “Agrees to sell his shareholding”. To whom, though?
    ————————————-
    And when? Not before his lock-in period expires surely?


  21. @ecobhoy 10:56

    You can use http://web.archive.org …..the last capture for the sfl site (www.scottishfootballleague.com) was 12th Aug 2013….for some reason the spl site (www.scotprem.com), which was archived last on 1st Aug 2013, is just showing gobbledygook….


  22. Basically Green is getting what he wanted all along, to sell up his shares at a massive profit and to walk away. He has contrived the whole scenario and played the fans like cheap fiddles.

    Even at current market value those shares are worth around £2m to him, to add to any money he has already made through salaries, bonuses, expenses and his arrangement fee for the IPO, said to be around £2m.

    If the stories are accurate Green will walk away with something around £5m one would have thought. Basically all of the money the fans put in.

    The sad thing is, there will be rejoicing amongst the loyal. They will see this as some sort of victory for “the people”.

    As I said before, what price another share issue.


  23. redlichtie says:
    August 20, 2013 at 11:00 am
    ——————————————————-
    “RANGERS Football Club is aware of wildly inaccurate stories circulating on various websites and would like fans to know that these flights of fantasy will be monitored by our lawyers.…If Rangers fans want the truth they will find it only on the Club’s official platforms.”

    😆

    http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/FRM.L/key-developments


  24. Sam says:
    August 20, 2013 at 8:24 am

    ecobhoy

    Please can you correct your post as below which is inaccurate. This was TallBoy Poppy who posted content incl the link which is very relevant. Thanks
    ===========================================
    Please supply me with the TallBoy Poppy post date and time and the link details and I will check.

    My understanding of the undernoted post was that you made the post and included the link which was not relevant to the question I was asking which was where was the source of the McGill for sale story. There have been a lot of posts on this issue for a reason which escapes me but there you are. However if you didn’t post the undernoted link then let me know. Cheers.

    UNDERNOTE

    Sam says: August 17, 2013 at 4:28 pm
    TallBoy Poppy says: August 17, 2013 at 4:09 pm
    ecobhoy says: August 16, 2013 at 7:55 pm
    pilgrim1888 says: August 16, 2013 at 10:09 pm
    Drew Peacock says: August 16, 2013 at 10:20 pm
    auchinstarry says: August 16, 2013 at 10:34 pm
    fergusslayedtheblues says: August 16, 2013 at 10:37 pm
    ——————————————————-
    The deal was put together by Peter Cummings. All you need to know, really.
    http://www.ianfraser.org/sir-angus-jumps-the-bus/
    I wonder why Grossart was on “the Iraq-Syrian border looking at Crusader castles”? 👿


  25. Auch weel, adieu Charles. Really feel for him having to offload those shares. Must be heartbroken, didn’t even get to hear Champions League music. And now only the miserable life of a multi-millionaire in France to look forward to. It’s a tragedy.


  26. Tif Finn 1115hrs
    nail/head…
    Green may as well have been singing Flower of Scotland in Klingon over the last year for all the difference that would have made. The meaning of his utterances was always “give me your money”. And it worked. The The Rangers support has been played like a buttered fiddle.


  27. So if Green is walking as a consultant where does that leave the directorships of Mather, Stockbridge and Smart and their replacements in the shape of Murray and Blin?

    Does the Board Meeting go ahead and will there still be a vote on an EGM?

    And even if Green can’t sell his shares because of the lock-in who will have his 5+ million proxy vote or will he turn-up himself. Perhaps the date of the EGM could coincide with a Celtic European night so that he can here that tune that he promised he would hear before he finally left Rangers.

    And in the midst of all the spivvery let’s spare a thought for Green’s grandchildren – well I remember the day when he declared he would leave his Rangers shares to them as a legacy of his enduring love for the club.

    But it looks as though he has donned the Dunlop Green Stripes one last time to demonstrate just how speedily he can leave the green turf of Ibrox behind in a record-breaking smash and grab :mrgreen:

    Cue Max Bygrave and of course: You Need Hands 😆
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBslXprykHA

    Or perhaps the Sex Pistols version in the film: ‘The Great Rock and Roll Swindle’ might be more appropriate. However it has been blocked on youtube on copyright grounds – looks like JT has been busy again 🙄

    Couple of appropriate lines:

    When you feel
    Nobody wants to know you
    You need hands
    To brush away your tear

    You need hands
    To thank the Lord for living
    And for giving us this day


  28. garrymc73 says:
    August 20, 2013 at 11:13 am

    @ecobhoy 10:56

    You can use http://web.archive.org …..the last capture for the sfl site (www.scottishfootballleague.com) was 12th Aug 2013….for some reason the spl site (www.scotprem.com), which was archived last on 1st Aug 2013, is just showing gobbledygook….
    ================================================
    Cheers!


  29. Re The Herald
    I politely responded first thing this morning to the bit in this Ian Black article being ‘demoted after the club went into administration’
    http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/sfa-rangers-player-black-bet-against-his-own-teams.21916975
    Having reminded them that they weren’t demoted and that they were propelled into Div 3 it’s still in moderation, so if anyone from the Herald is lurking I’d love to know what is factually incorrect about my comment.

    I’m sure they thought we’d have given up by now but if you accept the small lies…. :slamb:


  30. Just a heads up that the shaktar karagandy match is on itv4 sky ch 120 this afternoon
    Scottish football needs a weak shaktar karagandy


  31. According to BBC Sports woman, Charles Green saved Rangers last year. Er, no he didn’t!


  32. Previous brokers replaced with acquaintances of Mr Green.
    Blatant share price manipulation to pump up their value since the new brokers took over.
    Now Mr Green appears to have been allowed to sell his shares before the original lock-in period has expired.
    Much rejoicing amongst the support at having ‘seen him off’.
    Some people really do deserve everything that comes their way.


  33. Just been for what I hope was a successful interview in Glasgow this morning. One of the two Directors who were interviewing me highlights that as a company and as Directors they were very much focussed on honestly, integrity, customer service and that whilst they are competitive they do like to make a profit and they don’t hide that. What seems like seconds later he asked me what my hobbies were outside of work and so I mention football etc and he pipes up with a smile on his face that he was a big fan of Glasgow Rangers. I held back from making any kind of quip (as would be my norm under normal circumstances) along the lines al well yir club know he haw aboot honesty and integrity but the spivs within know plenty on profiteering 😆


  34. timtim says:
    August 20, 2013 at 12:38 pm

    What time does it start ?


  35. Brenda – Stop the cluck Lunny has surfaced and now has John Brown in his sights after his outburst re Charles Green – we’ll need a silver bullet to put him down I’m afraid preferably from a melted-down Loving Cup.

    http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/john-brown-faces-rap-over-charles-green-outburst-1-3053758

    And the SFA could be thrown in to chaos with the revelation that Scottish Football is riddled with hundreds of professional footballers gambling on football.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23769011

    I can see the SFA demanding the names from Kevin Kyle shortly or is he taking one for the old badge?

    Among other things he stated: ” “You’ve got 42 senior teams in Scotland and you are looking at on average six or seven players per team (gambling on football). That’s nearly 300 odd players before you get to the junior level.”

    “It’s a huge problem in the game and something that needs to be looked at.”

    “We all know we shouldn’t do it but it’s very easy for me to ask a friend to go and put a bet on for me. That bet can be put on by a third party with the money coming back to me and the betting company doesn’t know.”


  36. If CG is still in his lock-in period (I don’t know if he is or isn’t, depends on who’s point of view you believe/read) can he enter a contract with a buyer to sell the day after his lock-in period expires?


  37. ecobhoy,

    No need to check anything.
    The accurate data is recorded below [as per your msg];

    Note the time –

    Sam says: August 17, 2013 at 4:28 pm
    TallBoy Poppy says: August 17, 2013 at 4:09 pm

    ————————————————————————————

    ecobhoy says:
    August 20, 2013 at 11:36 am

    3

    1

    Rate This

    Sam says:
    August 20, 2013 at 8:24 am

    ecobhoy

    Please can you correct your post as below which is inaccurate. This was TallBoy Poppy who posted content incl the link which is very relevant. Thanks
    ===========================================
    Please supply me with the TallBoy Poppy post date and time and the link details and I will check.

    My understanding of the undernoted post was that you made the post and included the link which was not relevant to the question I was asking which was where was the source of the McGill for sale story. There have been a lot of posts on this issue for a reason which escapes me but there you are. However if you didn’t post the undernoted link then let me know. Cheers.

    UNDERNOTE

    Sam says: August 17, 2013 at 4:28 pm
    TallBoy Poppy says: August 17, 2013 at 4:09 pm
    ecobhoy says: August 16, 2013 at 7:55 pm
    pilgrim1888 says: August 16, 2013 at 10:09 pm
    Drew Peacock says: August 16, 2013 at 10:20 pm
    auchinstarry says: August 16, 2013 at 10:34 pm
    fergusslayedtheblues says: August 16, 2013 at 10:37 pm
    ——————————————————-
    The deal was put together by Peter Cummings. All you need to know, really.
    http://www.ianfraser.org/sir-angus-jumps-the-bus/
    I wonder why Grossart was on “the Iraq-Syrian border looking at Crusader castles”? 👿


  38. Kilgore Trout says:
    August 20, 2013 at 12:41 pm

    Thing is, it’s all so predictable.

    Now where is the money going to come from to actually run the club.


  39. My spidey senses tell me that this sudden announcement re Green is yet another squirrel. Light on actual detail (he was already selling his shares, there is a lock in) and released via the ever gullible and non-questioning Chris McLaughlin.

    I’ll keep an eye on Twitter later for some bad news being snuck out once the Celtic Euro game kicks off.


  40. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/charles-green-leave-rangers-second-2191267

    Charles Green to leave Rangers for a second time as he decides to stand down from role as consultant

    GREEN’S move comes ahead of a board meeting later today to discuss sacking the former Ibrox chief executive from the consultancy role he assumed just over two weeks ago.

    CHARLES Green is to stand down from his paid consultancy role at Rangers and plans to sell his shares in the club.

    The Glasgow side’s board was due to meet today to discuss sacking the Yorkshireman from the post which he was only appointed to on August 2.

    But he has now decided to go before he was pushed and has promised Rangers investor Sandy Easdale first refusal on the 7.7 per cent stake in the club he currently owns.

    In a statement, Jack Irvine – spokesman for The Easdale family – said: “Charles Green has given first refusal of his shares to Sandy Easdale as he promised. Sandy may take all or some of the shareholding depending on the strategic requirements of other potential investors.”

    Green’s move follows strong words from Rangers Supporters Groups urging the club to strip the former chief executive of his consultancy role.

    =============================

    That would give the Easdales something in the region of 14 – 15% if I remember correctly. I wonder if they will get the shares from Ahmad and Hughes as well.


  41. Araminta Moonbeam QC says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:04 pm

    I think we will find that the lock in isn’t worth the paper its written on. The new Green friendly brokers will wave through any request, the question is who if anyone will pay a premium for these shares?


  42. iamacant says:
    August 20, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    If CG is still in his lock-in period (I don’t know if he is or isn’t, depends on who’s point of view you believe/read) can he enter a contract with a buyer today to sell at any given price the day after his lock-in period expires?

    Edited as company firewall blocks out the existing edit functio


  43. Hello all
    I’m just off the phone to the AIM Press Office.
    There isn’t anything in Stock Market Rules that says that a Share Lock In can’t be “re-negotiated” before the due date.
    It would depend on the terms and conditions in the IPO.
    I have to go and have a rummage through that document….


  44. any news of green standing down on that bastion of truth and honesty – rangers.co.uk?

    or is it more timmy lies?


  45. PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:08 pm

    I’m sure that if all parties are agreeable then a way will be found.

    Why would anyone want to object to him being allowed to sell the shares when it is what everyone wants him to do.


  46. Dear Mr Kyle.

    The bit that causes the problem is not who actually enters the room (whether office or web platform) and places the bet. The problem is when he is playing for a team that is 1-0 up but he’s put £50 on the score draw. Similarly, the problem is if he sees the team lineup at 1.00, realises the three star players are being rested and sticks on £100 to lose before kick off.

    I trust you can get your footballing brain around this conundrum.

    Yours etc

    The Dept of Common Sense


  47. iamacant says:
    August 20, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    If CG is still in his lock-in period (I don’t know if he is or isn’t, depends on who’s point of view you believe/read) can he enter a contract with a buyer to sell the day after his lock-in period expires?
    ===============================================================

    I believe the new Nomad and also the stockbroker will have no problem in renegotiating.

    And if not then he can do a deal in advance. That’s exactly what he did with the Laxey shares on 7/12/2012 and didn’t even inform AIM until relatively recently.

    I think they will be sold soon but either way he can assign his proxy vote right now so they will count in the EGM.


  48. Tomithy Jellington @JellyTim
    So Karagandy sacraficed a sheep for luck? That’s nothing, we killed an entire football club


  49. Green hasn’t gone anyway 😈

    He’s still a director of key companies Rangers Retail Ltd and Garrion Security. I wonder what advantage he has by sitting there and why hasn’t Mather booted him off these Boards as I thought these were subsidiaries of TRFCL and therefore, in turn, RIFC Plc.

    Is he still sitting on any other Rangers’ companies?


  50. I’m well aware that the hokey-cokey that was played with brokers seemed to be geared towards getting someone to sort out the movement of big numbers of shares before December. So, here we are – is this the ‘take the money and run’ phase? Worrying times for TRFC fans who can see past the ‘Charles Green’s gone – yay!’ headline on the Evening Times – where are the assets going? The money will be siphoned away asap by the carpetbaggers and then what?

    Don’t worry, Mr and Mr Easdale are in charge now…


  51. In other considerations, it will be interesting to see how Mr Green is paid for his shares and more importantly where that transaction takes place.

    I’m not suggesting for a second that the money may move from one anonymous swiss bank account to another and that the new owner has nice shiny shares in a Scottish football club, as opposed to money lying in a foreign bank account (however it got there). Or that by having those shares the new holder would also have a say in what was done with a sporting stadium, bringing in nice clean money.

    Just that it would be interesting to know how and where any transaction took place. I’m sure the Scottish football authorities will be given full details. They were provided with a list of all the original shareholders after all.


  52. PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:08 pm

    I’m just off the phone to the AIM Press Office. There isn’t anything in Stock Market Rules that says that a Share Lock In can’t be “re-negotiated” before the due date. It would depend on the terms and conditions in the IPO. I have to go and have a rummage through that document….
    =======================================================
    From memory there isn’t a copy of the Cenkos lock-in letter in the AIM prospectus.


  53. On Green, there is actually no quote from anyone on this matter, not Craig Mather and not Charles Green

    We are expected to rely on Chris McLaughlin who appears to be 4,000 miles away in Astana.

    Let’s wait and see what actually happens; the only quote so far has been from Jack about the Easdales getting first refusal (“C’mon, get aff”?)

    If Green is leaving as a consultant, who’s to say he won’t come back as CEO? Playing the fans like a fiddle? More like a flute in my opinion

    54 to 0


  54. What a bag of snake’s and charlatan’s Scottish football really is. It would be really interesting to know how many page’s of print have been dedicated to the scandal’s of the last 10-15 year’s. Dallasgate, Cadete registration, Dallasgate #2, illegal betting (match fixing cannot be ruled out), treatment of Neil Lennon, EBT’s, non-compliance with tax numerous club’s, media company’s planting stories, bung’s paid to SFL director’s, pay rise for director’s for doing nothing, registration ban’s not enforced, media threatened if digging too deep, succulent lamb dishes and that’s just the stuff off the top of my head. I long for the day’s of just plain football, but this will never happen until the SFA is cleansed inside out. By cleansed I don’t mean the way they do it down Govan way of course that would be foolhardy. At some point though surely all this has to end, entertaining as it can be I’m surely not the only one tired with the Eastender’s omnibus that Scottish football has become?


  55. Tif Finn says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:18 pm

    In other considerations, it will be interesting to see how Mr Green is paid for his shares and more importantly where that transaction takes place. I’m not suggesting for a second that the money may move from one anonymous swiss bank account to another and that the new owner has nice shiny shares in a Scottish football club, as opposed to money lying in a foreign bank account (however it got there). Or that by having those shares the new holder would also have a say in what was done with a sporting stadium, bringing in nice clean money.

    Just that it would be interesting to know how and where any transaction took place. I’m sure the Scottish football authorities will be given full details. They were provided with a list of all the original shareholders after all.
    ===================================================
    The SFA I trust are also pushing Rangers for info following the exchange revealed by CF between them and Green with supplementary questions sent to Malcolm Murray who has now gone.

    Perhaps if Rangers get a chairman or even if the CEO isn’t booted out tonight they should be pressing for an answer.

    Strangely enough that reasonable person who seems to have taken over leggoland last week is more or less asking the same thing and it’s a reasonable enquiry. I wonder where they’ve locked the mad inky up ❓


  56. slimshady61 says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:23 pm

    On Green, there is actually no quote from anyone on this matter, not Craig Mather and not Charles Green. We are expected to rely on Chris McLaughlin who appears to be 4,000 miles away in Astana.
    =====================================================================
    Maybe the Darkside have called it correctly – the Master Manipulator might indeed be PL 😉


  57. Tif Finn says:
    August 20, 2013 at 11:15 am
    48 0 Rate This

    —-

    Green should be applauded (not by Sevco fans as he has just embarrassed, disgraced and made their club their club a laughing stock and they paid him well for doing so) for having such a brass neck for his role at Sevco. As mentioned he played them in my opinion like cheap flutes, he knew or was told what to say (the word bigot as I recall), where to visit (NI) and what to wear (tight fitting orange top springs to mind) to appease a large element of their support.
    This will be reported by SMSM as a victory and a step forward to help fix Sevco and benefit Scottish football (they have no shame, they are all Jack Irvine’s). The fans of the Govan club will rejoice but not as much as Charlie, he will laugh all the way to the bank with their money.
    Well done Charlie easy money if you can get it. Will be sad to see you go, but are you really away??
    I could say that you have done nothing for the progress of Scottish football but why single you out when you are just a novice in the grand scale of corruption within the Govan club and all it’s employees, the SMSM and the SFA and on and on.


  58. Thanks Ecobhoy
    I was told by an excellent source that the change of NOMAD was a major event.
    Perhaps the Share Lock In being changed/ re-negotiated is part of that.


  59. ecobhoy says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:20 pm

    From memory there isn’t a copy of the Cenkos lock-in letter in the AIM prospectus.
    ———————————————————————————————————————-

    All I can see in is –
    12.2.2 Nomad and broker agreement with Cenkos Securities
    On 7 December 2012 the Company entered into an agreement with Cenkos Securities,
    pursuant to which the Company appointed Cenkos Securities to act as nominated adviser
    and broker to the Company from the date of the agreement and thereafter subject to
    termination on the giving of 3 months’ notice by either party. In consideration of its services,
    the Company will pay Cenkos Securities an annual retainer of £70,000.


  60. ecobhoy says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    Do you think the board meeting will go ahead. As I understand it the sole purpose was to decide whether to bump Green, which was really just a con to allow him to walk away, whilst at the same time making his people still on the board look like they were doing what the fans wanted.

    They may still have it to decide whether Mather / Stockbridge / Smart should walk or whether to go ahead with the EGM. My money would be on the latter, why walk when you can be pushed and seek six figure compensation. Picking up a tidy salary in the intervening period.


  61. PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:38 pm

    In all honesty the number of major events (or what would be considered as such for a proper business) has been quite amazing. They have gone through Chairmen and CEOs as if they were going out of fashion. To say nothing of all the boardroom battles, changes of shareholders, videos of the Chairman released to the papers by the FD, changes of broker and advisor, changes of PR people. It has been quite amazing to watch.


  62. I really do believe that JI is losing the plot. How will a Bear feel when he sees his beloved club reduced to a ‘strategic requirement’ for an investor? And will he wonder what the Easdales longer term ‘strategic requirements’ are?’

    Jack Irvine – Easdale family PR said: “Charles Green has given first refusal of his shares to Sandy Easdale as he promised. Sandy may take all or some of the shareholding depending on the strategic requirements of other potential investors.”


  63. Has Green been given any compensation for the loss of his consultancy contract?

    Has it been paid up?

    Is anyone asking any questions?

    Scottish football needs some – any – journalists with an ability to think beyond the press releases they are given.


  64. From the Prospectus

    ===========================

    E.5

    Not applicable; there are no selling shareholders.

    The Directors have each entered into lock-in periods, pursuant to AIM Rule
    7, pursuant to which they will not dispose of their Ordinary Shares for a
    minimum of 12 months from Admission and they will be subject to orderly
    marketing agreements for the following 6 months. The Company and Cenkos
    Securities have entered into orderly market agreements with certain other
    Shareholders for a period of 6 months from Admission.

    ===================================

    Subject to certain limited exceptions, the Locked in Shareholders will be prevented from selling Ordinary
    Shares held by them for a period of 12 months, respectively, following Admission certain other
    Shareholders will be prevented from selling Ordinary Shares held by them without the prior consent of
    Cenkos Securities for a period of 6 months following Admission. On the expiry of these periods, the
    Company may issue Ordinary Shares and the Directors and relevant Shareholders will be free (subject
    to applicable law) to sell the Ordinary Shares held by them. The potentially increased supply of Ordinary
    Shares on the market may have an adverse effect on the market price of the Ordinary Shares. Similarly, Directors or significant Shareholders selling additional Ordinary Shares, or the Company issuing
    additional Ordinary Shares, may affect the confidence of the market in the Ordinary Shares and cause
    the market price of the Ordinary Shares to fall.

    ===================================

    13. Shareholdings of Directors and Key Employees

    On Admission, the Directors and Key Employees will be interested in an aggregate of 9,247,345 Ordinary
    Shares, representing 12.76 per cent. of the Enlarged Share Capital. Details of the Directors’ holdings of
    Ordinary Shares are set out in paragraph 4.2 of Part XII of this document.
    The Locked In Shareholders, who, on Admission, are the holders of 9,247,345 Ordinary Shares in
    aggregate, representing 12.76 per cent. of the Enlarged Share Capital (assuming subscription in full of
    the Offer Shares), have undertaken to the Company and to Cenkos Securities not to dispose of any interests in Ordinary Shares (except in certain limited circumstances) for a period of 12 months from
    Admission. The Locked In Shareholders have entered into an orderly marketing agreement for a further
    six months thereafter to deal in their Ordinary Shares only with the prior consent of the Company’s broker.
    The Company and Cenkos Securities have entered into orderly market agreements with certain other
    Shareholders holding, upon Admission, 16,375,000 Ordinary Shares (representing 22.60 per cent. of the
    Enlarged Share Capital (assuming subscription in full of the Offer Shares) for a period of six months
    from Admission.
    Further details of these arrangements, which are set out in the Placing Agreement and the Lock-In
    Agreements, are summarised in paragraph 12 of Part XIII.

    =======================================

    12.2.4 Lock in agreements
    Lock-in agreements entered into between each of the Locked-in Shareholders, the Company
    and Cenkos Securities dated 7 December 2012 pursuant to which the Locked-in Shareholders
    have agreed not to dispose of any interest in Ordinary Shares for the period of 12 months
    following Admission, except pursuant to acceptance of a general, partial or tender offer made
    to acquire the whole or part of the issued share capital of the Company, an intervening court
    order or in the event of the death of the shareholder. The Locked-in Shareholders have also
    agreed for a further period of 6 months to only dispose of an interest in Ordinary Shares
    following consultation with the Company’s broker and provided such disposal is effected
    through the Company’s broker and in such manner as the broker may reasonably require with
    a view to maintenance of an orderly market in the Ordinary Shares. The Company and
    Cenkos have entered into orderly market agreements dated 7 December 2012 with certain of
    the Shareholders holding upon Admission, 16,375,000 Ordinary Shares (representing
    22.60 per cent. of the Enlarged Share Capital), which provide that a shareholder shall for a
    period of 6 months following Admission only dispose of an interest in Ordinary Shares
    following consultation with the Company’s broker and in such manner as the broker may
    reasonably require with a view to maintaining an orderly market in the Ordinary Shares.


  65. Tif Finn says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:40 pm
    ecobhoy says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    Do you think the board meeting will go ahead. As I understand it the sole purpose was to decide whether to bump Green, which was really just a con to allow him to walk away, whilst at the same time making his people still on the board look like they were doing what the fans wanted.

    They may still have it to decide whether Mather / Stockbridge / Smart should walk or whether to go ahead with the EGM. My money would be on the latter, why walk when you can be pushed and seek six figure compensation. Picking up a tidy salary in the intervening period.
    ===============================================================
    I think Smart will go as he’s on pennies re compensation. I reckon the McColl camp want rid of Stockbridge as a priority asap so Blin can not only get under the hood but strip the engine to see if there are any pistons left or just the con rods 😆

    Mather might survive as CEO for a while but may have to give up his Board seat to do so. I think he’s the only one with a chance of surviving the egm if McColl’s mob have the votes.

    PS: I think the Board Meeting has to go ahead to actually decide how to react to the resolutions – they are running out of time to respond – Friday possibly?


  66. Tif Finn says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:08 pm

    I’m sure that if all parties are agreeable then a way will be found.

    Why would anyone want to object to him being allowed to sell the shares when it is what everyone wants him to do.
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    CG came back to tie up the final loose ends for the exit. He banked on his behaviour as CEO being seen as destabilising to the club and affecting it’s financial performance and because of that I’m sure an argument was advanced to Cenkos that it was really in the best interests of RIFC for this disruptive shareholder to be allowed to sell his shares and go.

    At that time the Board were trying to remove Cenkos and it was almost a certainty they would go but something happened (blocked by AIM other Directors ?) and they stayed on board and the lock in remained in place.

    But this time around, just before CG returned, Murray was forced out and Walter walked away, Strand Hanson were appointed as Nomad/Broker to replace Cenkos and almost immediately CG started a new bun fight with the manager and supported Imrans action to sue for compensation – more disruptive behaviour . I reckon his lock in will be lifted and the Easdales will buy his shares. Word is their busco is very profitable these days, so the cash is there. Cash is King.


  67. First blood to the Green Consortium.
    He has lined up his ducks like the pro he is or rather they have lined up the ducks like the pros they are.

    A clue to the MSM about the surety of what is coming next is that Green did not appoint himself recently as a consultant on his £12K pa package.
    Someone working for the club had the authority to bring Charlie back and agreed his “employment” package.

    Its just the start of a coordinated cashing-in process.


  68. ecobhoy says:
    August 20, 2013 at 1:51 pm

    That all makes sense.

Comments are closed.