As we all know, this site emerged from the ashes of RTC. The wish of the original administrator of the site, one which I wholeheartedly share, was to keep together the wonderful community RTC had built, in terms of both personnel and spirit. There are still many individuals around who were also part of RTC, and regrettably many who are no longer with us. The RTC spirit however, that of a cross-party football site where issues can be discussed in a respectful and insightful manner remains. The “wisdom of the crowd” phenomenon is also with us to perhaps an even greater extent than before, and consequently SFM’s credentials as a formidable alternative to the print media have grown.
In recent times, many contributors have expressed frustration that we are pretty much a talking shop and little else; characterised as “a lot of gum bashing and no teeth”. I think that is fair comment up to a point, but then again our aim – up to now – has been to simply present an alternative view – a view that has increasingly become the fan view as opposed to the industry view (the industry being made up of club officials, players, and press).
In fact the way I see it personally, SFM has evolved to a point where it has become the watchdog (monitor if you will) of an industry which is subject to very little oversight. The Rangers situation will eventually be done with (no laughing at the back please), and like everything else will be consigned to history (albeit more than one). The same self-interest and lack of regard for sporting integrity though will still remain, and the need for oversight will remain also.
Having arrived at those conclusions, we have two alternatives; the first is to remain as we are (which is not a bad place to be), and the second is that SFM has to expand its role.
In recent weeks, the mods have met to discuss this, and we think that we ought to give the latter option a try. As to how we want to achieve that, and we have come up with a skeleton plan as follows;
1. We need to move into the area of gathering news content as well as commenting on what appears elsewhere;
2. We should act as a cross-club portal to get good fan site content from all clubs to a wider audience;
3. We need to highlight the positives in the game as well as the negatives;
4. We should become an actively campaigning body, aligning with fan groups to lobby for the changes we think important.
In order to achieve these objectives, more time will need to be spent on communication like podcasts, adding news content, expanding membership and building links with other fan groups. Time will also need to be spent setting up features, attending press conferences etc. Later in the year, one of the mods will have much more time on his hands to help achieve this.
Podcasts, premium content, labour, organisation and all of the above costs money, and ultimately a subscription based model backed by sponsorship seems to be our best way of achieving that. In order to give us a head start, we will in the next few months be putting together a business-plan and a pitch for Crowd Funding investment.
This is not to say that our existing model has been a failure. We have successfully managed to keep ourselves afloat through the ad-hoc generosity of people in our community, although the inability to keep the podcasts going has been a bit frustrating. Finding income streams which are more solid will allow us to respond to events more quickly (for example mounting an ad campaign to respond to some event or other, or buying new equipment), and hopefully achieve all of our objectives – and build a bigger audience base for our message.
Of course a move of this nature will require that, in the interests of transparency, anonymity of SFM will have to be set aside. That will not affect any of our contributors, and our practice of using (sometimes) imaginative names on the blog will remain. However, for crowd funding to be successful, we will require to have a board in place, and there is no hiding place from Companies House. The make up of the board is also crucial, and in addition to consideration of blog members for that role, we will be looking to have respected people from without.
I imagine there may be a consequent subtle effect on moderation policy to take into account.
The reason I have made this post is to keep the community up to speed with events. Although we have decided to move forward to see if we can get support for our business plan, that plan is by no means finished. As I said earlier, the “wisdom of crowds” has made our community unique and given it its credibility. There’s a lot more wisdom out there we hope to tap into before we go ahead with our initiative.
We already had someone in mind for chairman of the new board, but events have conspired tragically to rob us of that – and had the effect of postponing this announcement. However we would like to hear suggestions for suitable outside candidates for board and committee places.
We also want to hear from you if you have a suggestion to be added to our wish list of SFM function above – or even if you think it is a mistake to embark on this course.
This is a very big move for SFM, so we don’t want to rush into anything. We need to listen to what you folks have to say, because if the merging SFM is not considered a better SFM by our community there is very little point in looking to fund it.
“MARK Warburton has reportedly all but been named as the new Rangers manager with Dave Weir, his deputy at Brentford, set to join him.
Warburton had reportedly agreed in principle to take the hot seat at Ibrox and the club were working to seal the deal last night.
The duo have already drafted a list of potential signings as they look to rebuild a depleted squad.”
Last sentence looks like it might be the thing that prevents them from sealing the deal 😉
Will Warbutton have the dough to make his loaf rise?
Will the product he offers be plain or pan?
Or, more likely, will he find that whatever promises were made, his flour is really sweepings from the bakery floor, with no yeast at all?
So I wonder if Warburton will put his coaching trip tomorrow on hold if the BBC is to be believed?
Or will his first 9 days in the Ibrox job entail him being absent?
“Mark Warburton will travel to the European Under-21 Championship later this month as he considers his next move in football.
Warburton is out of work after leaving Brentford and has held informal discussions with several clubs including Rangers about a job.
While he thinks about his future, the 52-year-old will spend nine days in the Czech Republic as part of the FA UEFA Pro Licence coaching course.
“It will be a good experience,” he said. “I am looking forward to continuing my education, that is what the course is about. We will watch a number of games out there and there are a lot of people you can learn from and pick their brains.
“We get back from there on June 24, then if discussions go any further then very good. If they do not, then you have to put head down and hope opportunities come up.”
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/former-brentford-manager-mark-warburton-to-travel-to-european-under21-championship-as-he-ponders-next-move-10297700.html
If true.Warburton is mental. Or desperate. Best o luck as I said when McCall accepted the poisoned chalice. Won’t end well. They just picked someone who happened to be top o the pops thiis month (the previous top picks having gone elsewhere).
Englandshire says:
Member: (1 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 4:24 pm
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Jingso.Jimsie says:
Member: (55 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 4:36 pm
—
Thanks again
Hi,
Not posted for a while but keeping up to date. Had a strange one today. Thought I would log onto Traynors level 5 twitter account, despite never having tweeted them or read any of their tweets I found I was blocked!
I don’t post on any fan sites and my twitter user name is different to my username on here. Very strange. Anyone else had anything similar with our PR guru?
Kenny Macintyre @bbckennymac 3 mins3 minutes ago
.@RangersFC Mark Warburton has signed a three-year deal.He will be presented at a 2pm media conference tomorrow
Just as the results of the EGM are revealed no doubt
fara1968 says:
Member: (22 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 6:58 pm
=======================
Do you have the Level 5 Twitter address? Can’t find it by searching
Not sure why so many are questioning Mark Warburton, the guy appears to like a challenge, he is currently looking for employment and like it or not, to him and many others, Rangers are a very big Club.
He likes to develop young players which is exactly what the over-spenders need at this point, I think they are a perfect match.
If given time, he could be good for both Rangers and Scottish football as we need more managers willing to give youth a chance.
Good luck to Mark Warbutton, I wish him well, putting together not just a team, but also the scouting/training infrastructure required to support it, would be a mammoth task for any manager, let alone an inexperienced one.
Commiserations to Stuart McCall, he would have been a good choice in 2012 instead of McCoist, and is paying the price for McCoist’s serial failures as a manager.
Football is a rough trade for managers, though now, as in 2012, the need to sell Season Tickets is trumping all other considerations at RIFC.
Madbhoy24941 says:
Warburton is a developing talent, it would be a great pity if he is chewed up and spat out by RIFC
If Ashley continues with his claim I suppose the whole new management deal could fall through within weeks and the blame would be all MA’s. On the other hand, maybe there’s been an (unlikely) entente cordiale signed between the old and new boards?
Madbhoy24941 on June 14, 2015 at 7:59 pm
Not sure why so many are questioning Mark Warburton, the guy appears to like a challenge, he is currently looking for employment and like it or not, to him and many others, Rangers are a very big Club.
_______________________
I dont think people are questioning the suitability of Mark Warburton , I think it is more to do with the backing required.I hope his agent has negotiated a respectable signing on fee plus inserted certain guarantee clauses with regard to funding. It can work if the fanbase is now ready to accept that the journey will take quite a bit longer than first envisaged.
Madbhoy24941 says:
June 14, 2015 at 7:59 pm
I agree that this could be a very good appointment.
Mark Warburton seems to be an up and coming manager but already I’m hearing the phrase “young manager”; the man is 52. That is hardly young. He is young certainly in football managerial years and this job will be a big challenge for him.
Regardless of his age however this may still be a good appointment. He may be able to get more out of the current players. He will know the lower levels of English football well and could unearth a few good players that might be sold on for a profit in a year or two. However, as has been discussed here over the season, Scottish football can no longer compete financially with the Championship. So where does this leave “The Rangers” and how will they manage to compete?
This appointment, like most in football, will depend on the financial backing the manager receives from the board.
Now is the time for Dave King to show the colour of his money. Many on here believe he does not have any, or very little, so where will the money come from?
Season tickets? Possibly but, and I know this is a concept that has escaped previous boards, the money can only be spent once. Player trading? I doubt it as there is little of value in the current squad to generate income.
Ultimately then this comes back to the board and how much they are willing to plough in or this could be another gruelling season in the Championship.
Meanwhile on the horizon looms Mike Ashley. This is a problem that is simply going to go away. Depending on how Sports Direct play this could have a major impact on company/club finances.
Tomorrow, as always in this saga, could bring more news.
I do think Warburton could turn out to be a very good appointment.
I am, however, finding it hard to reconcile their current trial and tribulations (and cash flow) with making such an appointment right now. Warburton himself appears to be no mug and whilst I can see the attraction in the role of bringing a big club back to the top, I am surprised that they are in a position to give him the guarantees that he needs.
Highland_Bhoy says:
Member: (22 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 9:57 pm
____________________________________
“He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone…”
Famous song commented at 12.08pm above about doubts over Dave King’s status as a director of RIFC. I noted that an article in the D Record, reporting on the EGM the other day, said;
“Thousands of supporters had their questions unanswered as interim chairman Paul Murray along with board members, John Gilligan and James Blair,…….”
Note “interim chairman Paul Murray”. Now this may just be a slip, possibly pasted from a previous article, but it does further cast doubt on the issue. It was reported King was meant to be confirmed as chairman at a Friday board meeting some time ago but I don’t recall hearing any further confirmation it actually happened. And it seems unlike King not to want to bask in the publicity of his coronation. Could Paul Murray actually still be interim chairman?
Highland_Bhoy says:
Member: (22 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 9:57 pm
The morality of the erstwhile clubs action in relation to its fan base is the source of their betrayal.
————————————————————————-
But if the financial needs justify the means I don’t think most supporters would give a monkeys … that’s the problem with playing the morality card …_____________________________________________
Some would feel that way.
But I think the majority of decent fans – TRFC fans incuded – want their clubs players to pay the same tax that they themselves have to, and to win fairly by abiding by the same rules that apply to every one else.
Q.If there was no cheating, and no betrayal, why the secrecy?
A. The secrecy existed because it was cheating.
And that cheating was a betrayal of the fans. Those fans were cheated the same as the rest of us.
Worse, in many regards, because it was THEIR OWN CLUB that cheated them.
so the lion king lives up to his whatever it takes kings speech…..
warburton and weir will surely deliver…….. the petrofac at the fourth time of asking……
its a pretty impressive appointment all the same …. now dave just a nomad and some players to go…… oh and £5m for ‘ the mob’……surely your kids inheritance can knock that off before breakfast…..
Horses, horses, we don’t need no stinking horses ❗ Plus smiley thing.
Listened on and off to Kenny McIntyre this afternoon-Sunday Sportsound, mainly to hear McIlvanney interview (I think the first of a series of 6, and it may have been on earlier in the week). It did not disappoint.
But there was also a reasonable discussion on summer football and the manifold difficulties that lie in the way of introducing it.
And somehow this seemed to morph into a discussion on league restructuring, and the benefits of a 16-team premier league..
I suspect that Kenny and his programme editors are maybe a wee bit anxious that Warburton ( I think the pundits were pretty sure that Warburton would be the man)might not work the oracle,and that TRFC might not be capable of getting out of the championship at the end of the coming season, either!
BBC Radio Scotland seems to feel the need to continue to talk up TRFC, and brush aside if not ignore the stark realities that will face Warburton.
Highland_Bhoy says:
Member: (23 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 9:57 pm
‘..But if the financial needs justify the means I don’t think most supporters would give a monkeys … that’s the problem with playing the morality card..’
______
With an attitude like that, Highland_B,you might have fitted well in the Ibrox boardroom when SDM, with a pornographer-struck-off-lawyer advising him, was hatching his scheme to cheat his league counterparts and Scottish Football generally.
But, as I have said often enough, what Murray and RFC did in the cheating line is as nothing compared to the wickedness of those who govern our sport.
And your individual attitude to ‘morality’ is of little consequence when compared to the attitude of the SMSM, which sedulously fosters the big lie that the cheating club did not die, and has resisted every suggestion that the SFA needs to be looked at as critically as FIFA is now being looked at.
Major cheating was nodded and winked at for years, by people in the SFA who were personally indebted to the cheating club, and there are grave suspicions that evidence about that cheating was withheld to prevent the cheating club being expelled from Scottish football.
Madbhoy24941 says:
Member: (74 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 7:59 pm
Not sure why so many are questioning Mark Warburton, the guy appears to like a challenge, he is currently looking for employment and like it or not, to him and many others, Rangers are a very big Club.
He likes to develop young players which is exactly what the over-spenders need at this point, I think they are a perfect match.
If given time, he could be good for both Rangers and Scottish football as we need more managers willing to give youth a chance.
==========================================================================
I’ve copied below a previous post of mine about Mark Warburton from June 2, which saves me having to type out a similar piece again. My main concerns are that he is inheriting a shambles (just ask Stuart McCall) and he will have less insight than McCall into the league and players. There will be pressure for an immediate upturn in results and performances, but just how much support will he get from the dysfunctional boardroom to enable that to take place. Given what Alex Neil did at Norwich since his move from Hamilton, it is possible to have instant success after a cross border move, although joining a stable and well-run club with the best squad of players in the division does help. I’m not enirely convinced that Mark Warburton is walking into a similar situation, despite what the chairman-in-waiting may have said on the matter.
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Reposted comment below.
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The Cat NR1 says:
Member: (461 comments)
June 2, 2015 at 2:35 pm
I like Warburton a lot, as he comes over as being someone who tells it the way it is, as well as trying to get his team to play decent football.
The Ibrox link came as a shock, but with the likes of Nigel Adkins only just getting back in after six months, he may see a blank canvas in the Scottish Championship as being a project worth pursuing rather than waiting for another Championship job in England. I imagine that Watford will look abroad again, although there are other EPL vacancies further north that require filling.
Given boardroom support, he would do a decent job, but it wouldn’t happen overnight.
GoosyGoosy says:
Member: (416 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 11:12 pm
_______
Warburton says he was good at what he did in the “City”, trading in sums in the billions.
It’s extremely unlikely that he has not come across guys like DCK before and can read him like a book.
He will not have believed any crap about mega-millions being available soon, but will have ensured that he has a cast-iron contract which stipulates that his player budget will be not less than ‘£x’, etcetera etcetera and, crucially, that he will not be required to use the fitness training techniques of the late Jock Wallace !(See his Wikipedia entry)
@ upthehoops
Hi, the Jim Traynor PR company twitter account is
@Level5PR
Good luck 🙂
John Clark says:
Member: (898 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 11:49 pm
John, I know nothing about Mark Warburton, as a football manager or City whiz kid, but being a City whiz kid does not indicate the ability to spot a Dave King in a cesspit of spivs, anymore than the banking world was able to spot the multitude of Nick Leesons who made it to the very top, within that City that Warburton apparently excelled in.
They are all Nick Leesons, and they all admire themselves. It’s not so long ago that Dave King was admired by all the City slickers, and do we know he no longer is?
Cluster One says:
Member: (185 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 7:29 pm
Kenny Macintyre @bbckennymac 3 mins3 minutes ago
@RangersFC Mark Warburton has signed a three-year deal…
===========================================================
Well that’s a whopper to start with !
Whoever the manager is, he will get a 12 month, rolling contract at best.
And McCall should have got a full season, IMO.
New manager, no budget, not his team/squad ?
High risk strategy for TRFC.
Oh well… 🙄
zerotolerance1903 says:
Member: (16 comments)
June 14, 2015 at 9:28 pm
I do think Warburton could turn out to be a very good appointment.
I am, however, finding it hard to reconcile their current trial and tribulations (and cash flow) with making such an appointment right now.
—————
Agreed.
I would love to know what assurances he asked for, and was given about funds and plans for transfers. The Record today said “They have already identified a list of signing targets and hope to hit the ground running this week”. But TBH that just sounded like spin.
There is an enormous financial and logistical challenge ahead to find and buy enough players before the start of the season. And a big managerial challenge to mould them into a team.
The lack of a scouting network will make the task even more difficult.
Still, at least the Warburton appointment will give the fans a boost. And the media can run with an upbeat Sevco story. So all will be well in the world. For a few hours at least…
Here are some further thoughts on the imminent unveiling of manager Warburton.
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/06/14/the-great-self-parody-circus-of-2015
Enjoy the rest of the night/ morning!
RE:DCK’s directorships of TRFC/RIFC
On Thursday morning I checked to see if AP01’s had been submitted to companies house.
Neither company record showed him as a director at that time. However, on Friday (12th June) form AP01 was submitted/published – showing that DCK became a director of RIFC on 18th May. Which is quite strange since the SFA did not give him FPP status until the 19th. I will leave that discrepancy parked for the moment.
Still nothing in regards to TRFC. The interesting thing for me is that Friday’s EGM was in relation to the parent company – so, DCK’s absence is certainly noteworthy.
For some reason, this brought to mind the strange dynamic created by the ethereal club fiction.
There is, at the very least, a potential conflict of interest for a director of a company which operates a football club of which he is a supporter.
In general terms, someone who is a director of a company has a legal duty to make decisions that are in the best interest (financially) of the shareholders of that company.
Imagine there is a situation where the best interest of the ethereal club would be best served by crashing the company of which you are a director. A fresh start for the club might seem attractive if the company’s assets could be transferred to another entity free of the onerous contracts that restrict the club’s ability to compete.
Imagine you have reason to believe the league in which you operate will sanction the transfer of your company’s membership to a new, unconnected, company that purchases your company’s assets out of an insolvency event.
In these circumstances, as a supporter, a pre-pack administration sale may seem to be the least worse option.
As a director, insolvency is absolutely avoidable if on-field ambitions are scaled down considerably.
What do you do?
This potential conflict may make your financiers and suppliers a little skittish.
For example, if I was a beneficiary of a particularly lucrative contract with a company that operated a football club, I would want to take some action that would prevent a pre-pack sale. Something like, oh I don’t know… lending them some money and taking security over the company’s assets.
Now an insolvency event suits me. A default on the loan gives me control of the assets. Whoever buys the assets from me will take them on with the same onerous contracts as the existing company.
I know the league will accept whoever buys the assets as the same “Club”, so the assets will retain their value. I have absolutely nothing to fear from the company’s insolvency.
Hypothetically speaking… and, of course, only if sufficient number of fans subscribe to the ethereal club fiction.
HirsutePursuit says:
Member: (88 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 12:59 am
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
💡 BOOM! And there it is, all laid out. Brilliant analysis HP! 💡
HirsutePursuit says:
June 15, 2015 at 12:59 am
—————————————
How does that square with MA pushing the Ibroxians to repay the loan / get their security over assets back? Unless he is 100% certain that they can’t do that because they need the money elsewhere too much?
So today Mark Warburton will be welcomed to Scottish football. If he takes a glance at the headlines today he will be wondering if he has just won the X-Factor. Time will tell if he is the right man for Rangers and he may well be. As ever though, media sycophancy is already clouding the issue. The more things change, the more they stay the same!
HirsutePursuit says:
June 15, 2015 at 12:59 am
—————————————
And, if that is the plan, why does King not take the hit and pay back Ashley’s £5m thus unecumbering the assets so he can proceed? Is £5m too much to lose en route to his goal or perhaps he and his cohorts just simply can’t come up with that amount of cash?
Perhaps the small print in the loan agreement says that in a default position, which we might now be in, means that the club/company can’t get the assets back even if they pay the loan off.
TheClumpany says:
Member: (61 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 12:52 am
————
Naive as I am I still find it hard to believe the continuing brassneckery. I’m guessing your amusing piece about the upcoming appointment/coronation will turn out to be accurate — more puff pastry than solid breed. I reckon some fans would prefer news of an Ashley loan repayment than yet another new manager, though. Perhaps the plan is to create the illusion of boardroom stability by making sure the number of managers always exceeds the list of CEOs?
Expect a full on PR blitz this week.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mark-warburton-new-rangers-manager-5884130
And so the nonsense begins
There are so many holes in this story I don’t know were to begin
Probably the most laughable is that
TRFC apparently Released 11 players at the end of the season
I thought they left because they were out of contract and no longer employed?
Also the so called list of signing targets
Would that be the Brentford starting 11 ?
Good Morning!
I see from this that Paul Murray administered the bullet to McCall.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stuart-mccall-im-not-bitter-5884193
Another development that leaves you wondering “what is Dave King for?”.
Maybe Murray is currently the de facto Chief Executive so it ‘naturally’ fell to him to give McCall the bad news…
But if he is the de facto Chief Executive, maybe the shareholders should be told…?
Enjoy the rest of the day!
Tartanwulver on June 15, 2015 at 6:49 am
HirsutePursuit says:
June 15, 2015 at 12:59 am
—————————————
How does that square with MA pushing the Ibroxians to repay the loan / get their security over assets back? Unless he is 100% certain that they can’t do that because they need the money elsewhere too much
=============================
Hypothetically speaking, if MA thought that there is a danger of insolvency I’m sure he’d want to control the outcome. He probably wouldn’t want to be seen to be the direct cause though – at least not without showing that the current board do not have the financial strength to get the ‘Club’ back to its rightful place.
Hypothetically, if a default event occurred when the last board was ousted, MA could have already served the company with notice. Theoretically, he could be days or weeks from taking possession. If so, it says volumes that the loan remains outstanding.
To be clear, I have no direct knowledge of the details of the loan nor if a breach of the conditions has been alleged or acted upon .
cup 2012 says:
Member: (237 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 8:06 am
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mark-warburton-new-rangers-manager-5884130
———-
Hmm, horses for courses, perhaps
‘He was also one of the founders of the respected NextGen tournament for European elite youth teams before its financial collapse.’
Incredibly, the Record includes this snipet with an air of reverence! Has Scottish football really gone so low that experience in failled business is considered an asset for a football club’s manager?
tcup 2012 says:
Member: (237 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 8:06 am
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mark-warburton-new-rangers-manager-5884130
And so the nonsense begins
There are so many holes in this story I don’t know were to begin
Probably the most laughable is that
TRFC apparently Released 11 players at the end of the season
I thought they left because they were out of contract and no longer employed?
Also the so called list of signing targets
Would that be the Brentford starting 11 ?
_____________________________________________________________________
Could they realistically actually afford any of the Brentford starting XI?
When did the affordability ever stop them in the past? Just take out a loan from HMRC, the face painter,…
zerotolerance1903 says:
Member: (17 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 8:55 am
Could they realistically actually afford any of the Brentford starting XI?
////////////////////
Nope but that won’t stop the SMSM flinging out names to sell season tickets
zerotolerance1903 says:
Member: (17 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 8:55 am
tcup 2012 says:
Member: (237 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 8:06 am
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mark-warburton-new-rangers-manager-5884130
And so the nonsense begins
There are so many holes in this story I don’t know were to begin
Probably the most laughable is that
TRFC apparently Released 11 players at the end of the season
I thought they left because they were out of contract and no longer employed?
Also the so called list of signing targets
Would that be the Brentford starting 11 ?
_____________________________________________________________________
Could they realistically actually afford any of the Brentford starting XI?
………………………….
Two things to consider regarding Sevco/Brentford/Warburton
1 – Lewis McLeod left Sevco to go to Brentford to further his
career
2 – Sevco were so desperate for the money, they ‘forced’ McLeod
to move on
(however, according to SMSM, Lewis didn’t want to leave the
Biggest and best team in Scotland as he was forced to
sacrifice future Champions League appearances for Sevco)
Still, Mark Warburton is the most exciting choice of manager as ‘investment in outsider with potential’ seen at Ibrox since Paul le Guen! What could go wrong?
Any managerial appointment is a risk, but this is certainly a saner choice than some mentioned. It’s the type of manager they should have engaged 4 years ago, but so it goes.
Brentford are undergoing a ‘moneyball’ type experiment which is the brainchild of their ambitious (but possibly mad) owner Matthew Benham. Warburton’s reluctance to take part in the new approach is why his contract was not renewed.
I’ll watch both his and Brentford’s progress with interest. I’ve mentioned before that Brentford were highly reliant on Alex Pritchard, a loanee from Spurs, last season. He’s 22 now and has a year left on his contract: I can’t see him being sent to the Scottish Championship on loan, and any transfer fee would be in the low millions rather than hundreds of thousands.
y4rmy says:
Member: (71 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 10:27 am
Brentford are undergoing a ‘moneyball’ type experiment which is the brainchild of their ambitious (but possibly mad) owner Matthew Benham. Warburton’s reluctance to take part in the new approach is why his contract was not renewed.
===============
It will be slow on here until Ashley’s legal team make their next move, so here is an interesting article which goes into Benham’s approach at Brentford, and his parting of the ways with Warburton.
http://atthematch.com/site/article/388
However this bit caught my eye, and made me wonder exactly what King has told Warburton about his “warchest”-
Also interesting to note that Benham is majority shareholder of FC Midtjylland, who have applied his “moneyball” methods, and have just won the Danish title for the first time.
So maybe he’s just very different from the football “old school”, rather than mad.
The first three paragraphs of Graham Bean’s article in the Scotsman:
“MARK Warburton is poised to be confirmed as the 15th permanent manager of Rangers today and will immediately set about rebuilding a team shorn of personnel and confidence.
The former Brentford boss is expected to be unveiled at a press conference at Ibrox this afternoon where he will set out his plans for rehabilitating a club diminished by years of financial mismanagement. David Weir, a former Rangers captain, is likely to be his assistant with the pair set to sign three-year contracts.
Their immediate goal will be to re-establish Rangers as a top-flight club after four seasons in the lower divisions. Promotion next season is imperative for the new management team, who will also be expected to bridge the considerable gap between themselves and Celtic.”
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl-lower-divisions/mark-warburton-set-to-be-unveiled-as-rangers-boss-1-3802150
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Words fail me…
y4rmy says:
Member: (71 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 10:27 am
After revealing himself as the ‘mystery investor’ that bailed the club out of a £500,000 hole, Benham became the owner of the West London side in 2012 and has so far pumped over £90 million into the first team and the infrastructure
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So Warburton doesn’t like over investment at his club so he left Brentford for Ibrox. Well I suppose it makes sense, but don’t tell your new boss Mark – you might confuse him into under investing.
Tell them what you are going to tell them
Tell them what you want to tell them
Tell them what you told them
I learned that on a presentation course about a million years ago. It seems the MSM are following a similar approach. How many column inches can they fill with one manager moving from an English Championship club to a Scottish Championship club?
We seem to be in the “Tell them what you are going to tell them” phase at the moment or in MSMland “absolutely nothing has changed but we’re really lazy so let’s talk about bookie odds and then talk about something that might be news soon – then we can fill some more space later if it does happen or analyse why the thing that might have happened hasn’t happened”
neepheid on June 15, 2015 at 10:55 am
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I wonder how long the Benham chap has been involved in FC Midtjylland? They are another amalgamation club of two otherwise successful teams (Herning & Ikast). With FC Copenhagen becoming a bit of a powerhouse in the ’90s others have since copied the template. FC Midtjylland trace their history to 1999 while Ikast and Herning trace theirs to 1918 & 1935. Both clubs continue in the lower leagues as feeder/talent clubs. Oddly enough, Bobby Moore had a spell at Herning when attempts were being made to start full-time professional fitba.
Similar project up near me called FC Øresund which includes Helsingør and other smaller regional clubs working together to create a single mother club with more of a chance of success. Not doing too well so far. Hard to believe Benhem spent £90m on Brentford. Jings.
I see the D Record has lost no time in talking up the new incumbent. I particularly like this effort, referring to Warburton’s previous experience.
“He was also one of the founders of the respected NextGen tournament for European elite youth teams before its financial collapse.”
I almost admire the writer’s skill in managing to incude the terms “respected” and “financial collapse” in the same sentence without flinching.
It’s only one small step for Warburton – goodbye Bees, hello WASPs.
mcfc says:
Member: (1378 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 11:43 am
‘Tell them what you are going to tell them
Tell them what you want to tell them
Tell them what you told them’
___________
Perhaps, in the case of TRFC and their support, ‘Tell them what they want to hear’, should be added to that list. Heaven knows, that has long been the practice of the SMSM in all things Ibrox related!
The Warburton/Weir appointment is perhaps one of the first decent looking announcements coming out of Ibrox fro some time now.
Heard Warburton on the radio the other day and apart from smattering the interview with business BS like ‘adding value’ and ‘KPI’s’ etc he sounds like he knows what he wants to do in footballing terms and understands what may need to be done on a budget.
And it is that budget that is still the key point in this saga.
He could get a team together that walks the Championship a la Hearts but we have to remember Hearts got dumped out the two cups by Celtic. Okay there was a bit of luck in one game and Gomis had a rush of blood to the head in the other but that Celtic team won fairly comfortably and then became better as the season progressed. Therrefore a long way to go to get towards the top end of the Premiership if promotion was secured next season.
So once again, despite the squirrels, the cry is still.
‘Where is your money Mr King?’
Sincere apologies for this 😆
Warburton is, of course, an old Anglosaxon word – being a shortened amalgamation of the word ‘warchest’ and the phrase ‘gone for a burton’.
It’s true – or my name’s not Dave King.
I genuinely don’t know the answer, but how is Lewis MacLeod doing at Brentford? Is he progressing and did he get any first team games? That might be a good guide for the SMSM to guage Warburton’s credentials, Weir’s as well, as a coach at a club so clearly in need of a huge improvement in youth development!
Even under McCoist MacLeod looked promising, certainly impressed the Brentford duo, so, if MacLeod didn’t make notable proress (I know he went there just after a bad injury), either W&W are not all that good coaches, or they can’t tell a good player from an overhyped one.
On the other hand, if MacLeod has made good progress, then maybe it’s a sign that they are, indeed, the way forward for TRFC.
I suppose I should wish Mr Warburton luck in his new role; he’s going to need it!
Working for a boss who can’t be trusted and a support who have both an overinflated opinion of themselves and their ‘club’ and totally unrealistic expectations of the job he has ahead of him.
Rather him than me!
Jingso.Jimsie says:
Member: (55 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 11:26 am
The first three paragraphs of Graham Bean’s article in the Scotsman:
Their immediate goal will be to re-establish Rangers as a top-flight club after four seasons in the lower divisions,,,,,,,,
Well thats a pretty modest target
even McCoist could get them up by 2020
Wonder which will be announced first today: Warburton signing or EGM results. The juxtaposition may be informative.
What is King’s jetting status. Will he be there to present Warburton – or will he be busy elsewhere as usual.
Good Afternoon!
Matt Lindsay of the Herald: take a bow.
“But his [Warburton’s] highly impressive curriculum vitae certainly suggests he will handle the role with aplomb.
The arrival of one of English football’s hottest managerial properties in Scotland will add an element of intrigue to the forthcoming season”
Oh dear…
Have a good afternoon
Allyjambo says:
Member: (1030 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 12:51 pm
I genuinely don’t know the answer, but how is Lewis MacLeod doing at Brentford? Is he progressing and did he get any first team games?
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Lewis has played a total of 45 minutes in a development game. As well as this,http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/lewis-macleod-very-close-brentford-8780720 he apparently suffered another injury when he stepped in a rabbit hole.
As for the mighty white hope, a 3 year contract means, usually that if there is a breakdown, the employer will have to pony up the remainder of the contractual term. Why not a 3 month rolling contract?
Today’s Warburton appointment reminds one of London busses- none come along in years, then four arrive together.
mcfc says:
Member: (1380 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 1:11 pm
Wonder which will be announced first today: Warburton signing or EGM results. The juxtaposition may be informative
————————————————-
Wikipedia entry as of June 15, 2015 at 12:28 pm
“Mark Warburton (born 6 September 1962) is an English professional football, manager, coach and sporting director, who is the current manager of Scottish Championship club Rangers”
“On 14 June 2015, it was announced that Warburton signed a three-year contract with Scottish Championship side Rangers. He was joined by his former Brentford assistant and former Rangers captain David Weir”
Fast and furious?
The Clumpany
Keep going with the blogs – a great read and some wonderful photos.
As for the hacks, I don’t think anyone is going to change the PR spin. The SMSM are into the succulent lamb and will not want to waste any. However when looking at Warburton’s CV he seems to have been a trader, gave up the high life when house etc was paid for, got loads of dosh and life wasn’t going to change, so decided to get into football and give it 10 years.
Between 2006-10 he trained Watford Academy (9-16 and then 17-19 years old) but left as he had a falling out with a couple of people who treaded him shabbily (no danger of that happening again – not) and then a gap until 2013-15 when he was in charge of Brentford. End of CV(?)but remember only a year to go to finish the 10 year plan? Ask any bears today which clubs he has been at besides Brentford and they will probably give you a look from space.
Warburton seems to have been well thought of at Brentford but no doubt wanting to bring Davie Weir with him has been the key for the RRM given the need for season ticket sales to go well. However as everyone has said on here it is one thing being at a club with a rich owner, loads of money and a new ground being built, to another club north of the border with 3 years history, no money, no scouting network, insufficient players, no banking facility, no NOMAD and so on plus a ground that is crumbling.
I wondered why he took the job but to be honest if you are comfortable and [so it appears] don’t need to work again then if nobody south of the border is yet convinced, why not take the Rangers job and see what happens. One can only assume that he has done his homework, reads the SFM website, and ensured that he has a contract that is rock solid in case MA pulls the plug. Obviously the days of trading for HSBC have not made him risk averse!!
Burke says:
Member: (6 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 2:04 pm
Thanks for the info, Burke. I’m sorry to hear he’s been injured, never good to hear about any player having a bad time with injuries, especially a youngster. Not much help in guaging the management team’s abilities then.
If a similar appointment had been made at TUPE time, most people would have agreed that it would have given Rangers a chance to build something worthwhile. However they’ve ended up with two pretty inexperienced guys who worked in a well-resourced environment and have no previous exposure to the intense scrutiny and criticism that goes with the job (there’s only so much that cheerleaders like Lindsay Herron can do). All this while the financial challenges remain formidable. It would seem reasonable to assume that despite the great progress made by Brentford in recent years, English Championship and Premier League clubs weren’t prepared to take a gamble on Warburton. The two aren’t the standard football template and may just work out, but it’s a risk.
I’ve just seen on Twitter a photo of the new management team at Ibrox with Paul Murray and A N Other.
Yet again no sign of the elusive Mr King?
Maybe Mr King is just unaware that the EGM and now the manager unveiling are happening, if they still haven’t fixed him up with a phone / internet connection / Rangers TV subscription.
TheClumpany says:
Member: (63 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 1:32 pm
Good Afternoon!
Matt Lindsay of the Herald: take a bow.
“But his [Warburton’s] highly impressive curriculum vitae certainly suggests he will handle the role with aplomb.
The arrival of one of English football’s hottest managerial properties in Scotland will add an element of intrigue to the forthcoming season”
Oh dear…
Have a good afternoon
========================================
An interesting comparison could be drawn with the arrival of Alex Neil at Norwich earlier this year.
His arrival in NR1 as one of the hottest managerial properties in Scotland was met with equal measures of Alex Who? and general apathy, as Norwich City were only a Championship side and thus ignored by press and that Hamilton’s progress was seen as purely being a symptom of how poor Scottish was becoming without the “Old Firm”.
Haven’t the Ibrox club in fact just replaced a manager who failed to negotiate a two legged Championship play-off against a team that finished above them in the league structure with another manager who failed to negotiate a two legged Championship play-off against a team that finished above them in the league structure?
There’s a live press conference on BBC at http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/scotland/21808550
Warburton and Weir already showing themselves to be MUCH better at presenting an articulate face to the press than King / McCoist / Murray etc, if they can use those two rather than King’s ‘sucking on a mustard covered thistle’ act in front of the cameras, they’re worth a chunk of their wages already.
On more “club business”, no doubt. Don’t worry, the hounds in the Scottish press will be all over it.
Seriously though, this is characteristic of Dave King: long periods of radio silence punctuated by short intense bursts of mendacious drivel.
Burke says:
Member: (6 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 2:04 pm
As for the mighty white hope, a 3 year contract means, usually that if there is a breakdown, the employer will have to pony up the remainder of the contractual term. Why not a 3 month rolling contract?
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I expect that Warburton would have set out his vision for how to reboot the player recruitment/training/coaching side of things and said that it will be three year job.
Three years, take it or leave it.
Beggars can’t be choosers, and given that the shortlist was indeed very very short if the made-up names were removed….
Anyway, that three year deal is a bargain compared to how much their gardening staff are getting.
The Cat NR1 says:
Member: (460 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 3:04 pm
Burke says:
Member: (6 comments)
June 15, 2015 at 2:04 pm
______________________________________
Wonder what ‘get out’ clauses he has inserted:
e.g. 3 years – unless I get a better offer and walk away.