SFM – The Next Steps

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.

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Tom Byrne

About Trisidium

Trisidium is a Dunblane businessman with a keen interest in Scottish Football. He is a Celtic fan, although the demands of modern-day parenting have seen him less at games and more as a taxi service for his kids.

3,023 thoughts on “SFM – The Next Steps


  1. gwared says:

    June 14, 2015 at 1:46 pm

    Good afternoon, can anyone remember an incident possibly in RTC times when there was supposed to be a meeting in Switzerland? Including Whyte, Green, King and possibly more? If so a link would be greatly appreciated.

    Is this what you mean?

    corsica says:

    20/07/2012 at 11:07 pm

    Well that’s that, I have now officially retired and all thanks to this blog!

    Right, enough moping‚ Wee question for you all: what do Charles Green, Craig Whyte, Dave King and Andrew Ellis all have in common?
    That’s right they all own property and have investments in the Republic of South Africa. What a coincidence, eh?

    What’s that I hear? You would like another coincidence? Well, okay, how about they have all at various times threatened to sue each other and other players in this farce but curiously not a single writ has been delivered. Ask your uncle Max (Clifford) about that little deflection trick.

    Another coincidence? How about they were all in Switzerland this week? As my grandson’s favourite comedian would say ”what are the chances of that?”


  2. All the risk is on Warbuton, [best thing since sliced bread ?], and Weir.
    But in the absence of any interest from other clubs, [what happened to Fulham ? 🙄 ], I suppose it’s worth a punt – and it keeps their profiles high.

    But, IMO, they will both have to prove to be good man managers/motivators to achieve promotion with the likely, much more limited playing resources available.

    And that good work might count for nothing if/when they get access to the SPL, playing against better, full-time teams.

    But, if their strategy is to focus on selecting and developing youngsters from the TRFC Academy – then I do hope they do well, as that will be good for Scottish football – and possibly for the national team in future.


  3. The Cat NR1 says:
    Member: (460 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    Anyway, that three year deal is a bargain compared to how much their gardening staff are getting.
    ===================

    I don’t know about that, if it all goes pear shaped,as well it might, then you have two well-paid guys on three year contracts, and that makes a change of manager very expensive indeed. This is a very high risk strategy, in my opinion.

    Even Superally couldn’t squeeze more than a one year rolling contract out of Green. Just think if he’d had a three year deal- he would have been impossible to sack.


  4. neepheid says:
    Member: (621 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 3:37 pm
    The Cat NR1 says:
    Member: (460 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    Anyway, that three year deal is a bargain compared to how much their gardening staff are getting.
    ===================

    I don’t know about that, if it all goes pear shaped,as well it might, then you have two well-paid guys on three year contracts, and that makes a change of manager very expensive indeed. This is a very high risk strategy, in my opinion…
    ===================
    With all due respect neepheid, if they have both got ‘proper’ 3 year contracts, then my name is Zico !

    It might be a 12 month rolling contract, for an initial period up to 3 years max.
    Or why not a simple, temporary contract, for the next 12 months with a month’s notice ?

    Having had their fingers burned at TRFC with the expansion of their gardening department, IMO, the Board will be/should be much more sensitive to the potential liability for future payoffs.


  5. StevieBC says:
    Member: (725 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 3:47 pm
    .
    With all due respect neepheid, if they have both got ‘proper’ 3 year contracts, then my name is Zico !

    ==================
    But, but, but, please sir, I read it in the papers, and it was on the BBC too. They all said 3 years, no qualification. And I’m sure that was after the usual forensic questioning 🙄 🙄 🙄


  6. neepheid says:
    Member: (622 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 3:52 pm

    StevieBC says:
    Member: (725 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 3:47 pm
    .
    With all due respect neepheid, if they have both got ‘proper’ 3 year contracts, then my name is Zico !

    ==================
    But, but, but, please sir, I read it in the papers, and it was on the BBC too. They all said 3 years, no qualification. And I’m sure that was after the usual forensic questioning 🙄 🙄 🙄
    =========================
    Is Warburton taking too much of a risk, though?

    At the moment the RIFC group is a basket case, and it’s more likely that he’ll end up being a creditor in a liquidation than the recipient of a CL appearance bonus. I would guess that he’ll be on more money at Ibrox than he was at Griffin Park, so he may have a small financial risk if the group collapses, but would his reputational risk be that high? To try and fail in difficult circumstances seems to be less of a career damager than failing in a stable but pressured environment. I did my best, but…., is far easier to explain in the former rather than latter circumstances.

    However, if he does succeed in very trying circumstances, he’ll be able to negotiate an off the radar new contract or have the alternative of returning to England to take on another project.


  7. Someone Needs To Say It

    English Championship to Scottish Championship is a big step down. If Warburton gets The Rangers promoted first time he might be considered for another English Championship gig – otherwise he’ll be looking at League One at best, maybe League Two. If he has no money considerations and his 10 year experiment is coming to a close then no big deal. But for most ambitious managers, this is definitely a move in the wrong direction.


  8. Chris Jack in the Evening Times states that Warburton arrives with, “the off-field picture better than it has been for many years”. The mind boggles…


  9. Are they still counting the EGM votes – or did I miss the results ?

    Even those who move their lips when counting should not have too much difficulty since 9 voters represent 83.44% of total shareholdings.

    http://www.rangersinternationalfootballclub.com/share-information

    Is it possible the wrong outcome was achieved ?

    After all Easdale and Ashley have 34.99% between them – compared to 34.06% combined for King and the Three Bears. That leaves the balance of power with those with unknown and potentially complex (non-obvious) motivations. Has King done enough to convince the Unknown Third of his shareholders that he acts in their best interests ?

    A loss at this stage could be costly – and I don’t just mean the £5mil King would need to produce.


  10. mcfc says:
    Member: (1382 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 4:50 pm

    Someone Needs To Say It

    English Championship to Scottish Championship is a big step down. If Warburton gets The Rangers promoted first time he might be considered for another English Championship gig – otherwise he’ll be looking at League One at best, maybe League Two. If he has no money considerations and his 10 year experiment is coming to a close then no big deal. But for most ambitious managers, this is definitely a move in the wrong direction.
    ===========================
    I’m surprised that the Fulham link didn’t come to pass.
    Even on Saturday, we were discussing the situation in the pub during the match and I was not convinced that the Ibrox link would be the final destination.
    He’d have been an ideal fit at Fulham, as they need to completely rebuild now that they are just another ex-EPL club in the Championship. His style of football would have gone down well with the fans too, and he may even have been able to get Alex Pritchard to join on loan from Tottenham for another spell.


  11. The Cat NR1 says:
    Member: (462 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 5:17 pm

    I’m surprised that the Fulham link didn’t come to pass.

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

    Yeah, he must have had better options – don’t know much about the guy- but he seems to have done a respectable job at Brentford. King must have charmed him into it 🙂


  12. The Cat NR1 says:
    Member: (462 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    To try and fail in difficult circumstances seems to be less of a career damager than failing in a stable but pressured environment. I did my best, but…., is far easier to explain in the former rather than latter circumstances.

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

    That line didn’t work for poor old McCall, sadly. Personally, I thought he made a good fist of it in the circumstances, especially the Superally legacy of a load of overpaid duff budgies fast running out of playing years, never mind contract.

    I hope he gets a decent job soon, I think he’s been shabbily treated.


  13. What Ashley Knows

    Thinking more about the EGM vote. Aahley must be one of the few who knows the real identities of Margarita and Blue Pitch via Llambia and Leach. While King was making official announcements to appeal to the fans – is it possible Ashley was talking to the mysterious shareholders in a language they understand. Surely nothing King said for the fans would have carried much weight with hard-nosed spivs – even assuming they share his vision of over investing.


  14. “MARK Warburton made a considerable personal fortune in his days as a trader on the London Stock Exchange…”

    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mark-warburton-made-personal-fortune-5887580
    =================================
    OK, it’s in the DR, so his ‘fortune’ might not be off-the-radar, but I would appreciate it if any sports journalist :slamb: could ask King;

    “So Dave, what first attracted you to the wealthy, ex-Brentford manager…?”


  15. Obviously much talk about bringing back Lewis McLeod so if it was on the cards, while he avoided the question at the presser, how does Warburton see that.

    He seems to have liked the player but McLeod is only currently worth under £1m.

    To bring McLeod back you will need to pay out around the same amount Brentford paid and sort out his contract from down south and probably have to put him on more money than he was on when previously at Ibrox.

    From an economics/political point of view is it worth bringing McLeod back as a GIRUY to the old board and maybe bring in a few more season ticket holders and does Warburton believe he can turn him into a £5m player to be sold on in a few years time.

    Or is it just SMSM p1sh?


  16. Mr Warburton aka Marty McFly, he’s taking them back to where they belong ! Must be back to the future then as this lot have never been in the top league of Scottish football. 🙂


  17. I’ve been wondering about DCK’s use of the word “overinvest”. An odd thing to say, I thought.

    Then I realised that he had actually wanted to use the more normal “frontload” in connection with the planned investment but someone had beaten him to it :

    http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/sport-editors-picks/sir-david-murray-sells-stake-in-rangers-for-one-pound.13574129

    “On top of that, Craig has guaranteed £25m for squad strengthening. He is fully aware that might need to be front-loaded this summer, and is keen to talk to Ally McCoist as quickly as possible about the plans for bringing in new players.”

    Deja vu all over again?

    Scottish Football wonders when the closing date is for the Manager of the Year award….


  18. wottpi says: June 15, 2015 at 6:51 pm

    Are we past results o’clock?
    =======================
    Perhaps they believe that the injunction/interdict prevents them from announcing the results as it relates to the contractual arrangements with SD. 😆


  19. Whilst fully supportive of SFM attempts to bring in extra revenue, I am a little concerned at the choice of advertisers, is it not slightly ironic that the child of RTC, is seen to be supportive of a known tax evader, not to mention it,s well known anti trade union stance. If the majority of members are happy with this turn of events, so be it, I will continue to subscribe and make the occasional donation, it is just that, IMHO, we make strange bedfellows.


  20. Madbhoy24941 says:
    Member: (75 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 7:59 pm
    _____________________________________

    Where do I even begin 😡


  21. jean7brodie says:
    Member: (311 comments)

    June 15, 2015 at 8:03 pm

    Madbhoy24941 says:
    Member: (75 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 7:59 pm
    _____________________________________

    Where do I even begin ?

    ————————–

    Sorry Jean, I removed that comment as to not offend.


  22. Good Evening.

    I must admit that notwithstanding
    * the lack of any news about a plan or levels of ‘investment’ available;
    * the absence (again) of King; and
    * the soft ball ‘questioning’ from our esteemed media…

    …I thought that Warburton came across quite well at the press conference. There was a refreshing lack of RRM swagger about his utterances.

    In fact, he pretty much came across like a middle-of-the-road English league manager doing one of those oh-so-ordinary pre-match press conferences you see on Sky Sports News.

    I quite liked the guy.

    He said the right kinds of things about building the squad, playing youth and a decent brand of football.

    It wasn’t revolutionary and it was *certainly* the kind of approach and attitude they could have done with when they set out in SFL3.

    But will it be enough to secure promotion?

    As we knew before Warburton was even appointed, that largely depends on whether the new manager is backed with enough resources to do the job.

    Oh, and whether Mike Ashley decides to makes life very difficult!

    Interesting times. Here are some more thoughts on the press conference.

    https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/06/15/fifteen-is-the-magic-number/

    Enjoy the rest of the evening.


  23. neepheid says:
    Member: (623 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    The Cat NR1 says:
    Member: (462 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    To try and fail in difficult circumstances seems to be less of a career damager than failing in a stable but pressured environment. I did my best, but…., is far easier to explain in the former rather than latter circumstances.

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

    That line didn’t work for poor old McCall, sadly. Personally, I thought he made a good fist of it in the circumstances, especially the Superally legacy of a load of overpaid duff budgies fast running out of playing years, never mind contract.

    I hope he gets a decent job soon, I think he’s been shabbily treated.
    =============================================
    I’m sure Stuart McCall will get a job soon, hopefully one that allows him to continue what seems to be a good working relationship with Gordon Strachan.

    That may limit his options though, particularly south of the border.


  24. Giovanni,
    Thank you very much, I could not find it anywhere.


  25. So no news of the EGM vote. What ever happened to transparency?


  26. McCall was engaged on an interim basis, and has not been selected as the TRFC manager on a permanent basis…

    I presume then that he did not receive a pay-off, and is therefore not subject to any gagging clause ?

    He must have some very interesting, and valuable behind-the-scenes stories to tell / sell ?

    McCall doesn’t owe Ibrox / the Board anything.

    Will the SMSM approach McCall for an ‘Exclusive’, or will they avoid jeopardising their access to the Ibrox PR puff pieces ?

    I know. :slamb:


  27. Good Evening All.
    So RIFC miss another self imposed deadline wrt the result of the EGM votes,a result they could easily have announced on Friday afternoon.This follows set deadlines wrt Nomads,managers(although they’ve now sorted that)market listings etc.
    What I don’t get is why guys like John Gilligan,who as far as I know,has no history of bad business management,unlike King,Murray & co,allow themselves to be associated with the shambles that is RIFC.
    Does he not go to King,Murray tonight and ask where the promised results are?.
    I’d be resigning.He’s obviously not going to be a major investor but is being put up as part of the public face of RIFC/TRFC whilst the so called saviour is nowhere to be seen.He’s either party to something we don’t know or happy to get a blazer.
    I can’t,sorry,remember the name of the guy from,was it Henderson Inv who supposedly joined the board during March.I’ll try and dig out the info tomorrow.Point is,why do guys with supposedly good reputations in the city get involved with this basketcase and seem to be happy to stay,no matter what,only leaving when forced out.
    Why has a man who has made a “fortune” in the city accept a job at a club where,if he was only half decent at his city job he’d know he’s walking into a minefield?.
    Why,if he was that good at his city job(typical MSM hyperbole)did he chuck it?.
    Has anyone asked if the city chucked him?.
    I don’t know.All I know is why do people with supposedly good history,qualified city guys,allow themselves to be associated with a business as dodgy as this?.


  28. Big Pink,

    Looking (listening) forward to the Radio show, Best of Luck. 🙂
    Is it 7.30 am or pm? I realise 19.30 is pm, but 7.30 is used when pm is presumed.


  29. Is the King going to jet in, any time soon?

    Has he got any outstanding bills for his aviation fuel, don’t pay, can’t fly!

    Are the Ted’s as excited with the failed City guy as the MSN are?

    C’mon the Hibbee’s.


  30. A lateral thought
    Could frequent visits to the UK be a cover story for something more important?
    Like formal legal discussions over what was actually agreed at a 2012 meeting in Zurich ?
    Or put another way
    Is there an upcoming Defendant with lots of tapes trying to strongarm legal support from a reluctant Spiv ?


  31. Wrt the EGM result…maybe the numbers don’t add up?…which is why they have not been released… that would make sense as nothing has added up there for the last 3 years… 😕


  32. An interesting comment from Roddy Forsyth on 5 Live as I was driving along this evening.

    Asked about MW fitting into Rangers as an English manager he replied that Rangers had previously looked overseas for managers in the form of Paul le Guen and Dick Advocaat adding that, “whilst Advocaat was the much more successful that success was expensive and ultimately set in train the financial ruin of Rangers”

    Still much denial to be overcome but I don’t think I’ve heard the SDM years referred to in these terms before by the MSM


  33. Was also looking for the EGM vote result but it’s wall-to-wall Warburton. There was actually this warning of a ‘delay’ (I hadn’t noticed it before) so maybe it was never going to be published on the day they were hoping to turnover huge amounts of STs on the back of ‘the new dawn’ or whatever it’s billed as.

    …The vote will take place by way of a card vote with polling cards being issued on arrival. There will then be a manual count which means that there will be a delay before the results of the vote are able to be announced.


  34. Big Pink….

    I started reading your post and thought for a moment you meant to say “show trial” instead of “trial show”.

    My mind went racing – who was this to be? SDM? CW? CG? AMcC? DCK? MA? SMSM?

    Alas, the truth was much more prosaic.

    A thought though for future broadcasts?

    Scottish Football needs a strong Arbroath.


  35. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mark-warburton-says-bossing-rangers-5889783

    This is the best yet 😆

    Gary Ralston.
    Take a bow 😀
    Their is no one on the planet more sickofantic than this

    This small extract from your politser prize winning piece is comic genius 😀

    A 50cc motorbike revved noisily on the street outside at the very moment Warburton appeared from the door of the manager’s office with assistant Davie Weir and stepped into the glare of the UK media.

    However, as it sped towards the Paisley Road West it wasn’t in half as much of a hurry as the former Brentford boss to take Rangers back to the top end of the Premiership, challenging Celtic again for major honours.

    Now Gary are you sure it wasn’t the hand drier in the toilet you heard ?
    Probably more chance than hearing a 50cc Roaring down the rd lol

    Oh and BTW Gary they have been challenging for major honours for the past 3 years

    Every team is n Scotland does

    Oh and one more small thing Gary

    Was it not the holy Grail of bettering Celtic that killed the old club that played out of ibrox?


  36. I’ve always said that if NewGers do things right: live within the rules and within their means, then I’m happy enough to see them in the top flight. Warburton, if he’s as good a “lower league” manager as he seems to be, might be the guy to start them on a better, more sustainable, path.

    However, even allowing for the perceived SMSM blue tinted specs, Warburton will be under scrutiny like nothing he has ever experienced. He said it’ll take time for the team to gel, well he will get that in a league that Rangers should’ve walked last season, but he’d better know a) 2 draws is a crisis and b) Rangers “academy” hasn’t had the best “pass marks”‘ over the years. Why? Because the pressure the manager and the players are under meant, when the money was available, they went with experience. Now Warburton has experience of playing young players but not under the Scottish microscope or with the expectations of Ra Peepul – pretty sure Brentford fans aren’t as demanding- I’ll be interested to see how this one plays out…


  37. The delay in the RIFC EGM results is understandable in that it’s basic PR to try to maximise a ‘good news’ story and not contaminate it with a ‘bad news one’, more so when it’s the first positive one for months. Presumably the board also didn’t want to risk the scenario, put forward here last week, that the announcement of the results will be the starting pistol to Ashley Round 2, and if that had happened before the press conference, even the dimmest journalist might have had to mention it.

    Meanwhile, in a marquee somewhere nearby, some poor unfortunate is recounting ballot papers for the 1001st time, just to be sure. (“Could you just count them one more time for us, Mr McCoist?”)


  38. upthehoops on June 16, 2015 at 7:19 am
    ———-

    Jim Traynor’s voice is heard at these events calling time on questioning, and so on. Are those present intimidated by him? I remember Paper Call on Monday nights on BBC Scotland. I liked the show but JT did come across as a bit of an ogre with put downs on those who voiced a dissenting opinion. I also remember his attempted ticking off of the excellent Peter Smith of STV outside Ibrox a few years ago. And didn’t he have a run-in with Alex Thomson? (Or was that someone else?) JT must be earning a few bob as the new blue media guru and part-time bouncer :irony:


  39. 1. claim bestinterestsoftheclubatheart as RRM chairman
    2. get decent manager in
    3. use all seasonticket £££ on new squad
    4. keep shopping around for mug investors who are dazzled by talk of potential/UCL; find some
    5. win promotion and talk incessantly about ‘challenging ra sellick’, generally using seasonticket & mug investor £££

    it’s a gamble but it’s probably less insane than what Craig Whyte tried to do; it does hinge on three things though: seasonticket sales, warburton’s ability in the circumstances as dictated, King & Murray finding some otherpeoplesmoney

    another interesting season ahoy

    edit: and depends on Ashley


  40. Following up on the Freedom of Information consultation being conducted by the Scottish Government, I’ve included links relating to the review if anyone wishes to comment on what or more to the point WHO, should be included in future FOI requests e.g. Scottish Football Association

    “Dear Mr Loompa

    As earlier agreed, I am contacting you to make you aware that consultation on extension of coverage of Scotland’s FoI legislation is now underway.

    The consultation is accessible at both

    http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/06/5112

    and

    https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/freedom-of-information/foi-consultation.

    Regards”


  41. Ffs…sport news on radio Scotland this morning… Ex gers boss Alex mcleish says he’s impressed by how positive Mark Warburton sounds about taking over at ibrox. ..How’s that for non news . .Albeit that he is taking over a total basket case of a company


  42. I say good luck to Warburton, because he’s going to need it. He seems like a level headed, likeable guy – not prone to ‘Who are these people?’ or, indeed, ‘We are the people!’ type outbursts.

    He also seems to get that it is a major rebuilding job that is on his hands, and isn’t prepared to come out with the usual ‘Chivalric Order’ type platitudes that are usually dispensed in the direction of the Ibrox Denizens.

    Whether he actually gets the chance to complete the work required is another matter. The last progressive coach (PLG) that they had at Ibrox was hounded out for daring to expect footballers to behave like, well, y’know, athletes, and for trying to develop players rather than splurge money all over the place. If he’s given the chance, then he might do well, but it’s more likely that a couple of draws against part-time teams, even if his team is full of young players with potential, and he’ll end up crushed by the sense of entitlement not being satisfied.


  43. The Scotsman reviews the announcement of the new manager at Ibrox…and manages to make a highlight of which door he used to enter the press conference.

    Staggering lack of self-awareness.

    “You watch,” said the most senior football scribe present, “he’ll come through the Maurice Johnston door.” And indeed Warburton did. It wasn’t just the signing of Mo-Jo all those years ago which had been sensational. So was the protocol-flouting route he’d taken for his unveiling. “I’d never seen anyone use that door before,” added the scribe.


  44. Has Warburton won something already? You’d think so from the breathless hysteria of the MSM


  45. Anyone know the rules about publishing EGM vote results for a non-listed plc? Guess they don’t want to interrupt the flow of the ST sales campaign with tedious financial survival issues.


  46. Hiring Warburton and Weir with three year contracts was a smart move by the management team at Ibrox.

    It ticks a lot of boxes and in particular buys time for the club.
    They now have the fans thinking three years into the future – not staring at the abyss.

    It will help too with the season ticket campaign and will therefore bring some welcome and needed revenues.
    I don’t know if they’ll get the “war chest” to sign players and create a scouting pyramid in fact I guess after a couple of over-hyped banner “signings” things will dry up.
    Entertaining and sold to us via a parade of press releases.
    But.
    None of this changes the dynamics of the Ibrox Football business model with the need to constantly attract a special type of non-returning or returnable “investments”.

    The abyss won’t go away and words like “barge-pole” and “Wouldn’t touch with” will be freely heard from the financial communities.

    So a smart signing move but not a game changer.


  47. ‘Today is the day when the club goes back to normal,’ stated director John Gilligan. ‘I’m looking forward to that, looking forward to seeing the kind of football we want to see.”

    Quite remarkable from one of the Three Bears who are regarded by many as the serious, sensible business influence to balance the dodginess of King and Murray (P).

    It goes to show that just because you have a million quid or so to “invest” in a football club basket case, it does not make you immune to Ibrox bollox thinking.

    Gilligan’s comments make me think RIFC are in a worse place than before I heard this comment. Warburton may be a good signing – but unless he has £30mil – £50mil to “invest” there is still no “normal” at Ibrox.


  48. mcfc says:
    Member: (1387 comments)
    June 15, 2015 at 4:50 pm

    Someone Needs To Say It

    English Championship to Scottish Championship is a big step down. If Warburton gets The Rangers promoted first time he might be considered for another English Championship gig – otherwise he’ll be looking at League One at best, maybe League Two. If he has no money considerations and his 10 year experiment is coming to a close then no big deal. But for most ambitious managers, this is definitely a move in the wrong direction.
    ======================================
    When Alex Neil left Hamilton Accies to come down to NR1, Mark Warburton’s Brentford were above Norwich City in the league table, and Hamilton were sat in a Europa League qualifying spot in the SPFL Premier. However, at that point the Ibrox club were still looking ahead to the League Cup semi-final three weeks later, so even last season they were “challenging for major honours” despite being miles behind Hearts in the league standings.

    Alex Neil is now an EPL manager (and the only Scot in there for now) and the ex-Brentford manager is looking in from the outside.


  49. sarantseville 03 says:
    Member: (10 comments)
    June 16, 2015 at 8:47 am

    Ffs…
    ———

    Well, since people usually describe it as the ‘establishment’ club the bigging up of anything Ibrox related fits the current agenda of BBC & other media outlets. Anything with a union jack on it, spouting unionist, orange order propaganda will be smiled on in the current climate. Everything that many if us find disturbing about the current and previous incarnations of ‘Rangers’ can be portrayed as positive. Printing lies about the actual age and history of the newco, as well as glossing over anything dodgy seem to be par for the course.


  50. As targeted ads go, I’m not sure how successful the big drive to sell fork lift trucks is gonna be 🙂


  51. mcfc says:
    Member: (1387 comments)

    June 16, 2015 at 10:05 am

    ‘Today is the day when the club goes back to normal,’ stated director John Gilligan. ‘I’m looking forward to that, looking forward to seeing the kind of football we want to see.”

    Quite remarkable from one of the Three Bears who are regarded by many as the serious, sensible business influence to balance the dodginess of King and Murray (P).

    __________________________________________________

    John G is not one of the 3Bs. His business experience is in brewery management and he has no cash. He is a genuine RRM with a good family history of connections with the club, but his qualifications for the role he finds himself in are not immediately apparent. He came as part of the Kingco invasion, but nobody has asked any questions about what he brings to the table. In fact it is incredible how little has been written about him. I conclude that is a deliberate policy. He can certainly communicate with the fans at a level King and Murray can’t. He is a placeman I think, but I have no idea for whom.


  52. Big Pink says:
    Moderator: (288 comments)
    June 16, 2015 at 11:11 am

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

    Big – thanks for putting me straight. I should have known that – or checked – but isn’t he there for his business experience rather than being a Chris Graham-lite?


  53. Big Pink says:
    June 16, 2015 at 11:11 am
    mcfc says:
    June 16, 2015 at 10:05 am

    Gilligan’s main role so far seems to have been a bit of cheering, a few jokes at pressers and yesterday opening the ‘Maurice Johnston’ door for the new manger.

    Seems a jovial character and have to assume under that merry exterior there is someone with some business acumen that may bring something to the table. But what that is, who knows? Plenty apparently sensible and competent people have gone bananas as soon as they have reached to top of the marble staircase.


  54. Is the EGM results delay beginning to smell a bit fishy. I’m guessing Ashley needs the official outcome before playing his next card, which is unlikely to be good for ST sales – so the more delay the better for the warchest. I’m thinking Ashley’s next card could be quite aggressive: L&L to the board, or ring fencing £5mil, or notification of default on several possible counts, or padlocking Murray Park and the Car Park.

    As a side thought, the first tranche agreement included a free licence for RIFC to continue using all the trademarks while they were held as security – that may not be the case in default – interesting?


  55. Mr Warburton is a different choice of manager that we have used to being wheeled out in Govan (usually RRM etc…). He as mentioned comes across very well in the media and may well be a really good manager at Ibrox. Let the fans of the Govan club decide over a period of time and all other fans can also comment/decide if he is successful in time. The approach from the smsm already is sickening in it’s positive spin on this appointment. Compare and contrast when Mr Deila became the Celtic manager and consider why the contrasting reporting. This is one of the reasons I never want to see this club ever being successful. This type of blatant bias is not good for the game and to be honest maybe the Govan club is not good for the game because of this NEED for them in the smsm and sfa’s eyes.


  56. From that ibrox noise article

    The 52-year old is here for the long haul, and there is yet to be a negative word said about his abilities; a very valid comparison is Alex Neil, Norwich’s outstanding boss. Neil got Accies promoted, then moved to Norwich and got them into the English Premier League at the first time of asking. A very similar kind of path to Warburton.

    Ha – the great Warburton promotion lie


  57. mcfc says:
    Member: (1391 comments) June 16, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    Who says turkeys don’t vote for xmas?

    I’m worried that the introduction of Rang3rs will be preceded by the worst dog whistling yet.


  58. andygraham.66 says:
    Member: (262 comments)
    June 16, 2015 at 12:23 pm
    ………………

    As Mr Warburton himself said in an interview on the 7th of May this year…he was fearful that no club would be willing to take the risk on him based on his back ground and lack of experience…he also mentioned that regardless of how many people had said to him his phone would ring off the hook with offers…since it become public knowledge in February 2015 that he and Brentford would part Company…he had not received 1 single phone call from another club.

    This leads me to believe he has either been coaxed into joining by big Davie…or he has succombed to his fears and taken the offer of the first club to ask!

    You never know DCK may never have expected him to say yes?


  59. Lets not forget the first 1400 ST are needed to cover the gardeners wages for the remainder of his contract.


  60. Right, we’re all in trouble now. The LONDON manager of the year is now here to show us all how it’s done…..”He beat Mourinho and Wenger dontcha know”. Well he won’t have it easy up here winning the ….eh……GLASGOW manager of the year !!!!! Dearie dearie me….. Nurse!!!!!!!!


  61. mcfc says:
    June 16, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    delay conspiracy over – http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/9482-general-meeting-voting
    ———————————————————-
    I must have missed the bit in the statement where the board answered Mike Ashley’s questions…or is the argument seriously being put forward that they aren’t allowed to answer MA’s questions because MA took out an injunction?


  62. From James Doleman

    Looking to Rangers EGM vote is does not appear the board have the 75% support needed for a share issue to new investors.


  63. Interesting for the “what is normal” down govan way debate.

    I went to the Rangers site on the link above to read the GM result. At the side there’s a season ticket advert with player pictures under the banner headline “FOR GENERATIONS.” Player pictures include, predictably, Laudrup, Gough, Ferguson, Albertz, Ricksen, Cardigan. Players from outwith the 90’s? Cooper.

    So not really generations then.

    90’s 9-in-a-row = normal

    All other times = abnormal


  64. Smugas, when King and the five people off the street stood with the ad showing all the great Rangers players of the past, my first inclination was to look for the obvious addition of their all time top scorer

    He wasn’t there I don’t think


  65. From James Doleman

    Looking to Rangers EGM vote is does not appear the board have the 75% support needed for a share issue to new investors.

    Indeed, and while Resolution 1 was close (uncomfortably close for King and Murray), the really surprising result was Resolution 2 where only 62.5% of shareholders were in favour of renegotiating the contracts.


  66. Andy Graham

    I’d have thought their euro trophy winning skipper and life long president would have been a bit papped a’naw!


  67. Good Afternoon

    Fascinated to see what Mr Ashley does now. My money is on “decisive” and “involving lawyers”. It really does feel like he has tried to give Sevco ‘every chance’ of repaying the money before making a move…

    And of course, any legal action is going to start draining the ‘reserves’ of Sevco. Perhaps making it more difficult for Mr Warburton to put a decent team on the park.

    What chance of a statement from the Chairman following the shareholder vote?!

    Meanwhile, here’s a little story

    https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/06/16/an-epic-tale/

    Enjoy the rest of the afternoon


  68. Tartanwulver says:
    Member: (215 comments)
    June 16, 2015 at 12:53 pm

    I must have missed the bit in the statement where the board answered Mike Ashley’s questions…

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

    I assume the board will use the injunction excuse for providing zero information in reply to Ashley’s questions – but how does the injunction relate to the Nomad and the 3B loan – it doesn’t. They have just given Ashley some more shells for his tanks. Ashley seems to think his shareholding has been devalued and trapped by the New Regime – that’s Serious Fraud Offices stuff – and the New Regime have avoided the opportunity to formally defend themselves. I really despair trying to understand the levels of surrealism that prevail at Ibrox.


  69. GoosyGoosy says:
    Member: (414 comments)
    June 16, 2015 at 11:34 am

    It appears news about Celtic FC has vanished from the MSM

    Can`t be anything negative worth reporting
    ===============================
    At least it was there to vanish. :slamb:

    The Establishment/Glasgowcentric MSM seem to be a bit short of news about the next stage of Hearts’ “journey back to their rightful place” or Motherwell’s plans for “competing for major trophies” following their play-off victory.

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