The Real Battle Begins?

The increasing attacks on social media by the main stream press, fuelled in some respect by David Murray’s vague threats of litigation against bloggers, has brought into sharp focus the challenges facing the Blogosphere. It also brings into even sharper focus the prescience of Stuart Cosgrove’s assertion that this summer’s ‘epistemological break’  had begun to marginalize the Scottish sporting wing of the MSM.

The reality of that assertion is embedded in the misreporting of the FTT decision as a victory for RFC, falsely alleging that those who operated the EBT scheme had been exonerated, that RFC had ‘done nothing wrong’, and consequently accusing ‘vindictive anti-Rangers bloggers’ of playing a part in the downfall of that once great Scottish institution. It is also evident in Tom English’s rather bitter and one-dimensional anti-RTC polemic today in the Scotland on Sunday. Had it been entitled “Self Preservation”, it may have rung a few more truth bells.

I am not of the belief that the MSM is an instinctively pro-Rangers estate, but I do think that their reportage of the FTT is more geared towards discrediting the newly emergent forces in the social media area than it is towards rehabilitating the public image of RFC or David Murray.

However despite the contempt in which many people here hold the MSM and Murray, English does have a point that we would be foolish to ignore. No-one can deny that we do have a duty to ensure that we are responsible in how we present ourselves to the public. Now that our (and others’) success as a real and creative alternative has spurred the MSM into action, we are subject to greater scrutiny than at any time in the past. Our view is that we have to be pro-actively engaged in setting a standard for ourselves that is above those that the MSM have set for themselves.

We have on TSFM an audience exponentially greater than the number of posts. That presents us with a great opportunity to get our message across, but it also burdens us with an increased responsibility not to fall into the trap which has besought the Succulent Lamb Brigade.

We are a very different animal from RTC. RTC him or herself had information and insight to bring to the table that the administrators of this site do not. The founder and former admin of TSFM had the idea that the talent available from posters on the RTC – not just RTC himself – should continue to have a forum in a post-RTC world, and that those talents could be used to challenge the myths regularly represented as facts by lazy journalists in the MSM.

We have at our disposal on this blog forensic analysis of legal, media and corporate matters. We have an abundance of creative minds, all passionate about the game of football AS WELL AS a partisan love for their chosen club. With all that talent and expertise, we can make an impact on the agenda by challenging the misinformation and substandard journalism of the MSM, and our finest moments are when we do that. We lose authority and influence when the debate is impeded by bald accusation or innuendo backed up with little more than an historical view of our country.

Our biggest impact (and largest audience) is to be found when when our experts have collectively torn apart those myths presented as truths by the MSM, and when we have asked the questions that the MSM either can’t or won’t ask or answer. Those are the things that have driven the traffic to this site, and many of the emails we get congratulate us on that.

Our credibility plummets though when we go down the partisan path. We also get literally hundreds of emails from fans who ask that we cut down on the comments of those who are merely venting outrage at how they see the game being mismanaged (mainly so they can access the important stuff more quickly), and from fans who are just fed up with the constant name-calling – almost exclusively aimed at Ally McCoist and other Rangers figures.

If we claim to be an intellectual and journalistic rung or two above the likes of the Red Tops (not to mention to be decent and respectful of others), we need to refrain from the name calling and accusatory culture. We can ask questions, put items for debate on the public agenda, point out apparent irregularities and anomalies. In rushing to judgement of others from the comfort of the glow of our own laptop screens, we are guilty of the same lazy journalism we see in others. Name calling (all good fun of course on a fan site) is just a lazy thought process and as English says, comes across as “nasty”.

We never saw RTC as a fan-site. The original administrator of this blog never saw TSFM as one either, and nor do we. In order to succeed properly, we need sensible fans of ALL clubs to be comfortable and feel secure in our midst. Of course we are not breaking any laws, but can anyone honestly say that we have evolved into a welcoming place for Rangers fans?

TSFM is not about hounding any one club out of existence or into shame or infamy. In the Rangers saga we have sought to ensure that the football authorities play fair with everyone and stick to their own rules. One well kent RTC contributor, and no friend of Rangers, often said that if the FTT found in favour of Rangers we should move along and accept it. Well they did find in favour of Rangers in the majority of cases. That may not suit many of us, but we are the Scottish Football Monitor, not a Judicial Watchdog. We can say why we disagree with the decision, but criticism of the process through which the decision was arrived at is beyond our purview.

Since the accusation is often made in the MSM, we should state, unequivocally and unreservedly, that we are NOT anti-Rangers. Their fans face the same issues as the rest of us and they are welcome here. We are however, equally unequivocally against the gravy train journalism of the Scottish Football Wing of the MSM (with one or two honourable exceptions).

If the Anti-Blogateers in the press are correct, the popularity of the TSFM will recede as the Rangers Tax case reverts to the back pages before disappearing for good. However I do not believe that they are correct. I don’t believe that Scottish football fans are only motivated by either hatred – or even dislike – of one club. I believe we are more concerned with the game itself than the pot-stirrers in the MSM would have us believe, because we understand the interdependence of football clubs.

But we also understand that the people who run football clubs do not always run their clubs for the benefit of the fans. In the business world, that may not be out of the ordinary, since businesses are run for the benefit of shareholders.
However football reserves for itself a special place in the hearts of people in this country. If the people who run football clubs want to retain that favourable status, they have to be accountable to the fans.

The difficulty in holding them to account though, is that the cosy relationship cultivated between club directors, managers and players and the press renders the access to information a closed shop, and the information itself is heavily filtered and spun.

As long as we keep asking questions in response to the fruit of that cosy relationship, we will be providing people with an alternative angle and viewpoint, allowing them to come to their own conclusions, and not the one the MSM post-presser huddle delivers to us wrapped up in a bow.

For the SFM specifically, we believe that to have any influence, we need to enable the expertise at our disposal to flourish. It is also vital to our project that Rangers fans are included in our dialogue. We just can’t call ourselves the Scottish Football Monitor if they are largely excluded from participation because they feel they are being treated disrespectfully.

We can’t tolerate the accusations and name calling. We need to stick to what we have done best; factual analysis, conjecture based on known facts and on-line discourse leading to searching questions being asked.

One of the things we are looking at for the near future is to set up some kind of formal and transparent channel of communication between the SFM and the football authorities. Being truly representative of fans will make that easier to achieve.

The MSM will continue to attack the social media outlets. In one way you can understand it. Their jobs are at stake. The business model of the print media in particular has changed massively over the last five years, manifesting itself mainly in increasingly under-resourced newsrooms. Consequently it is besought by increasingly unreliable and under-researched journalism, even to the point where much of it is no longer journalism at all.

By comparison the Blogosphere has access to greater human and time resources, is able to react to unfolding events in real time, and crucially (because it has been eschewed instead of embraced by print media proprietors) has been occupied by ordinary folk with little or no vested interest.

We are still in position to provide a service in our small niche of the on-line world. We have rights to publish and speak freely about our passion, but we also have to live up to the attendant responsibilities, and thus the appeal for discretion on posting comments.

Where Tom English got it completely wrong (in the uniquely ironic way the MSM have about them), is that his industry has mistaken the rights others have earned for them as entitlement, and ignored almost completely the responsibility they had to act on behalf of those who pay their wages.

This entry was posted in General by Trisidium. Bookmark the permalink.
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.

3,018 thoughts on “The Real Battle Begins?


  1. theglen2012 says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 21:36
    1 0 Rate This
    If there is a story in tomorrows papers and it is pro-Rangers then Rangers fans will be proclaiming that at last the media is taking their side. Meanwhile the supporters of every other team will proclaim it as the usual garbage from the MSM.

    The exact opposite will be the case should any story be anti-Rangers.

    In my humble opinion, obviously.
    ———

    If it’s the truth though happens to benefit TRFC, it’s still the truth 🙂


  2. maybe the details of the 5 way agreement will be published 🙂


  3. Danish Pastry says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 21:48

    We should put a bet on that – I’ve kept some money aside as I didn’t fancy a recent share offering.

    If you know what I mean!


  4. blu says:

    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 21:12
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    With all due respect, any man who in his not-so-distant youth called for:
    a. the restoration of the death penalty in this country,
    b. the hanging of Nelson Mandela during his membership of the Federation of Conservative Students, an organisation so ferally right-wing that even then-Tory party chairman Norman Tebbit found them repulsive and closed them down,
    and in later years, c. supported any and all efforts to hound Neil Lennon out of Scottish football,
    deserves any and all abuse, petty or otherwise, aimed his way.

    The fact that STV have seen fit on several occasions to give this fascist oaf a platform says more to me about what they believe is the true voice of the Rangers support. The fact also that this has gone virtually unchallenged within the whole Rangers support indicates to me that STV were right.


  5. Concerning Sevco and the attempt to give it several aliasis. As Angela stated in her article.
    “Sevco is not demoted Rangers. Rangers went out of business. The club went bust!….!
    The above would be s great banner for all fans to display without fear or favour. It would sent a message to SFA and MSM. Tell the truth. End this farce.


  6. I think if there’s a story in the papers that is bad news for any club(s) and doesn’t involve The Rangers, it will be seen as good news, or vindication, for The Rangers. The level of condemnation for clubs, or people, involved will be interesting, too, when compared to that of the MSM’s coverage/coverup of Rangers’ own offences.


  7. allyjambo says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 21:59

    I agree. For Rangers fans it is about deflecting from what is happening within their own club and will be seen as welcome news, regardless of what it is. If, indeed, it is anything.

    I’ll await emails from my Rangers and non Rangers supporting friends tomorrow before I make my mind up to take the middle ground. I’m not a Papers man.


  8. theglen2012 says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 21:36

    If there is a story in tomorrows papers and it is pro-Rangers then Rangers fans will be proclaiming that at last the media is taking their side. Meanwhile the supporters of every other team will proclaim it as the usual garbage from the MSM.

    The exact opposite will be the case should any story be anti-Rangers.
    ——

    Entirely correct.

    In other words, unless there’s a story which exposes something particularly underhand or nasty, and it’s accompanied by irrefutable evidence – to the extent of confessions of guilt – then it’ll be business as usual.


  9. theglen2012 says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 21:50
    2 0 Rate This
    Danish Pastry says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 21:48

    We should put a bet on that – I’ve kept some money aside as I didn’t fancy a recent share offering.

    If you know what I mean!
    ————

    Well, it’s all still speculation. There was the nuclear stuff being quoted for a long time, which may or may not have been true. In the end though, all you’ve got is what is out in the public domain.

    I would like to think that this blog is objective enough to follow the truth no matter where it leads.


  10. There does seem to be a lot of whataboutery on here tonight, with defensive positions already taken before anything has been published.
    Remember, this is THE SCOTTISH FOOTBALL MONITOR. If there’s hard evidence of corruption in the game, then it should come to light, even if it doesn’t concern TRFC. To ignore it would make us as bad as those who turned a blind eye, and continue to turn a blind eye to the goings on of TRFC – or worse, actually support TRFC in their attempts to kill the game in this country.


  11. theglen2012 says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 21:36

    A bit like politics in that it doesn’t matter how good the oppositions argument is you have got to critize it. 🙂

    Re: politics I was talking to someone who was at the Montrose match and there was apparently some Sevco fan cracking up because there was an SNP poster in the grounds, he wanted it taken down and approached the polis about it. I wasn’t aware that Sevco not only hated all those in the SPL but the SNP as well, watch oot Alex


  12. Thanks for the feedback – always grateful. Blu, i know it’s a wee bit juvenile – but there are far worse things said about the fellow to be found – I was being quite civil – for me anyways – but do look past it – would be a shame to miss the point otherwise. It wasn’t intended as a insult to all – just a wee dig at a man so infamously associated with an even more infamous website – but a bigger dig at whatever moron organises studio guests for STV news.

    Allyjambo – thanks – it is chilling too. I honestly envisage mayhem at various SPL grounds, their car parks and surrounding areas should Sevco survive long enough to actually end up back there in the not-too-distant future – the perma-rage of many Sevconians is legendary and is being driven into overdrive as Charlie ramps up the sentiment – in order to keep the ££ coming in.

    Everything relating to last summers antics – that is relevant to the SFA/SPL/SFL actions and all else simply has to be put in the public domain – if nothing more than to remove the millstone currently keeping Regan et-al from the living. Yes we know there was pathetic attempts to have the 5088’s in the SPL and SFL1 – We also know it probably involved quite a few chairman too but things have to move on regardless – and it starts with telling the public why Sevco are exempt from current rules and regulations – and exactly what was going on during the summer.

    The SFA have quite clearly gone into hiding. Why?

    We are being governed by a bunch of chancers who have managed to be compromised and consequently manipulated by Charles Green – his coach and quite possibly, sections of the support. Whether it be fear or favour – it has to end – it’s just a bit too obvious also now – which makes it even more difficult to accept but the way the rhetoric is stirring up sections of Scottish society is disgraceful – even more so that it’s going completely unchallenged by the authorities.

    Was it Neil Doncaster that prophesised social unrest – should Sevco be denied top league billing?

    Whoever it was – they were spot on – as now the Ibrox ‘loyal’ have been brainwashed, in such a way Joseph Goebbels himself would envy – brainwashed into believing Craig Whyte is to blame, brainwashed into believing the SPL voted them out of anything and brainwashed into believing all manner of utter madness – they don’t even realise the toadying and ever-complicit MSM work as their clubs PR for the most and they still don’t realise what it means to operate within financial reality.

    But they do realise one thing – the SPL doesnt need them and that is what hurts most I suspect.

    Not so much a spurned lover – but rather a bunch of crazed stalkers and Charlie is their clown prince – with particular emphasis on clown.


  13. I’m fairly sure Motherwell have had an SNP pitchside board for the best part of 20 years. Strange the bears never noticed it during their many visits over the years or is it just in 2012 that they decide to be permanently raging?


  14. Briggsbhoy, I’d have thought he’d have felt a connection with the SNP. Inelligible for Europe but claiming they’re the same entity that was in it before.


  15. Blu

    I remember reading a newspaper report about a bank robbery in England. Two robbers grabbed the loot, there getaway car wasn’t where it was supposed to be, so they took off up the main street on foot.

    A policeman gave chase. One of the robbers turned around and shot the policeman in the stomach. The policeman fell to the ground and screamed, “Oh ya fvckin b@stard!”

    A lady who was standing at the bus stop and witnessed it all, reported the policeman to his superior officer for his disgraceful language.

    Tommythehat

    Well done!


  16. easyJambo says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 17:51
    ——————————————————–

    Well…I have to be honest and say those figures are lower than I expected EJ…

    However I did say in a post earlier today…the major story tomorrow suggests the reason it is appearing now could be the share numbers are not looking good…

    Again it does seem that the timing of this so called story in the middle of this flotation is rather odd…as was the statement from the private members club the ECA..

    On another point…if all the papers have been aware of the story and only 1 is prepared to run it…it strikes me that a certain ex journalist may have had an influence on the timing…if indeed it points an accusing finger at others….and who better to know where some of the old skeletons might be…

    Still I’m sure that whatever is printed tomorrow…the veracity of the story will be thoroughly checked and accepted as correct or not by us internet bampots…


  17. paulmac2 says:

    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 23:19

    Exactly, whatever is printed, I’m sure the truth will come out at some point. To be honest, I’ll just be amazed if a sports journalist has actually done some proper investigation – although, my expectation is that the story will be a non-story built up into something it’s not.


  18. The story about the SNP poster is 110% factual, apparently the guy was so obsessed about the poster he hardly saw the game, constantly at the Polis. Sad but funny that that is where they are at.
    Flocculent Apoidea, I can see Nicola visting Ibrokes to sort things out. Bob I would suggest this poster at Fir Park needs to be put in a more prominent position. I understand the psoter at Montrose had been up for quick a while


  19. The reaction of many Rfc* fans to those who are not prepared to play along with their
    delusions of continuity are most telling. Why should they care what others think ?
    Its almost as if they need others to believe the lies they are fed in order that they
    can believe them themselves.
    they doth protest too much, methinks


  20. Carfins Finest. (@edunne58) says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 16:41
    44 1 Rate This
    Worthwhile read from Angela Haggerty.

    http://angelahaggerty.com/why-the-word-sevco-matters/
    ===================================
    In the comments on this blog, there is a comment posted by, I assume, a sevco fan. he pointed to the Uefa website where rfc were listed as 88th in list of seedings based on coefficient. Had to point out to him that all of the club badge logos were a link to the teams’ specific page. The only one which had no link was rfc. Also, at http://www.uefa.com/search/index.html#Rangers FC&c=50121&ob=c, shows rfc’s last match was v St Johnstone in May 2012!!


  21. The Sun>>>>

    Meanwhile, McCoist has urged the ruling bodies to make a quick decision on league reconstruction.
    A series of options are on the table and he does not want the issue to drag on into the New Year.
    Coisty said: “Effectively we’re in the same position as last year — we don’t know where we will be.
    “It looks like it will be SFL2 if we get promoted, fingers crossed, which will be great. But the way things are shaping up, we would have to prepare for either SFL2 or 3.
    “It’s incredibly difficult.
    “I was reading Rod Petrie — and maybe I’m reading too much into it — but I think from Rod’s point of view we would be in the 18 (remaining SFL clubs), so effectively everybody would benefit from that apart from us.
    “In an ideal world we’d know at the turn of the year so we can prepare.”
    ________________________

    Now who can argue with that? I think we’re all indebted to Gabby McCoist for clearly stating what needed to be said. I’m particularly glad that these lovely children were here today to hear that speech. Not only was it authentic frontier gibberish, it expressed a courage little seen in this day and age.


  22. Bunion says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 00:38
    ‘BTW, did I say he was an odious hypocrite?’

    I missed that, Bunion. Say again?:)


  23. Lord Wobbly says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 20:39

    Angela Haggerty @AngelaHaggerty 9m
    Overwhelmed at the response to my article, thanks for all the
    tweets. It was something that needed to be said and we need
    to keep saying it.
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Why?


  24. bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 00:53

    Why?

    ————————————————————————————

    Because Jackson, Wilson, Spiers, Young, etc. are avoiding that simple, unavoidable, incontrovertible, truth.


  25. goosygoosy says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 21:05

    As for having a say in the running of TRFC

    They have no shares in TRFC and therefore zero voting ability in TRFC Board decisions
    In the event of Ibrox being sold to Tesco the fans would need to take to the streets to exert any influence
    Which is probably what they would do given their track record
    ==========================================================================

    To be fair isn’t the RST trying to pool the fans buying power by getting them to put their money into that vehicle and then buying shares in the club. I think the RST are some of the sensible Rangers Fans and if so shouldn’t we be supporting them?


  26. briggsbhoy says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 22:39
    ‘… I wasn’t aware that Sevco not only hated all those in the SPL but the SNP as well..’

    And for the First Minister to have thought for a minute that his intervention on behalf of the dead club might secure a few votes shows, to my very, very annoyed mind (as someone who has been puzzled all his life why a people should have given up the political independence that every other people in the whole of recorded history fight and die for) that Salmond had begun to lose the plot.

    I am most annoyed, because I had expected better.


  27. Bunion says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 00:55

    bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 00:53

    Why?

    ————————————————————————————

    Because Jackson, Wilson, Spiers, Young, etc. are avoiding that simple, unavoidable, incontrovertible, truth.
    ==========================================================================

    Well they are Rangers fans and are in pain and for them it seems “their” team is up and running again, which for them is probably true. Why is it such a problem for others? What is to be gained by constantly referring to them as “Sevco” other than to add to the bad atmosphere in Scottish football that so far Rangers have thrived on?


  28. bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:03

    Supporting them?

    Support would have been merited had they collected enough to help the club pay it’s debts and save the club from liquidation.

    For a club with a supposed fan base of 5 million worldwide, a collection of approx. £750,000.00 equates to a pitiful average of 15p per fan for a club that was in death’s door.

    We’ve already witnessed the result of one share issue put to this ‘global fanbase’. I for one, am truly intrigued as to the response of this ‘global fanbase’ with regard to this latest issue.

    If as successful as the last, it will confirm Hugh Adams claims regarding this ‘global fanbase/support’.


  29. bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:03
    1 0 Rate This
    goosygoosy says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 21:05

    As for having a say in the running of TRFC

    They have no shares in TRFC and therefore zero voting ability in TRFC Board decisions
    In the event of Ibrox being sold to Tesco the fans would need to take to the streets to exert any influence
    Which is probably what they would do given their track record
    ==========================================================================
    To be fair isn’t the RST trying to pool the fans buying power by getting them to put their money into that vehicle and then buying shares in the club. I think the RST are some of the sensible Rangers Fans and if so shouldn’t we be supporting them?
    ————————————————————————————————————–

    I believe this was covered previously by another poster regards the RST collecting money to buy shares….I think you will find there is a legal issue with them trying to do this.


  30. bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:11

    “Well they are Rangers fans and are in pain”

    1. They hold a position of public interest and should report without bias to their favoured team.

    2. Is their pain any greater than that of the hundreds or organisations who have gone unpaid?

    3. Is their pain of more merit than the fans of clubs deceived and cheated by their favoured club?

    4. In what way is their protection/promotion of this fallacy good for the Scottish game or Scottish society.

    5. Is it really fair or just that the majority of the support of Scottish football is countermanded/negated in favour of a club that that promotes itself under a falsehood?


  31. areyouaccusingmeofmendacity says:
    Sunday, December 16, 2012 at 22:24

    There does seem to be a lot of whataboutery on here tonight, with defensive positions already taken before anything has been published.
    Remember, this is THE SCOTTISH FOOTBALL MONITOR. If there’s hard evidence of corruption in the game, then it should come to light, even if it doesn’t concern TRFC. To ignore it would make us as bad as those who turned a blind eye, and continue to turn a blind eye to the goings on of TRFC – or worse, actually support TRFC in their attempts to kill the game in this country.
    ===========================================================================

    Agreed.


  32. bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:11
    0 0 Rate This
    Bunion says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 00:55

    bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 00:53

    Why?

    ————————————————————————————

    Because Jackson, Wilson, Spiers, Young, etc. are avoiding that simple, unavoidable, incontrovertible, truth.
    ==========================================================================

    Well they are Rangers fans and are in pain and for them it seems “their” team is up and running again, which for them is probably true. Why is it such a problem for others? What is to be gained by constantly referring to them as “Sevco” other than to add to the bad atmosphere in Scottish football that so far Rangers have thrived on?
    —————————————————————————————————

    If you are saying that we should avoid the truth or just accept their version of events…just in case it upsets the Sevconians (bad atmosphere) then were do we stop…

    If they are willing to lie to shape the situation…then why should we accept that?

    Everytime they claim…’we are the same Rangers’…then I believe anyone has the right to say..’no you’re not’..

    As soon as we accept lies as part and parcel of Scottish Football…then we might as well pack up and allow corruption and cheating to run scottish football.

    At what point to do we say…that lie is fine…but that lie is not?

    A lie is a lie is a lie!


  33. Bunion says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:13

    bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:03

    Supporting them?

    Support would have been merited had they collected enough to help the club pay it’s debts and save the club from liquidation.

    For a club with a supposed fan base of 5 million worldwide, a collection of approx. £750,000.00 equates to a pitiful average of 15p per fan for a club that was in death’s door.

    We’ve already witnessed the result of one share issue put to this ‘global fanbase’. I for one, am truly intrigued as to the response of this ‘global fanbase’ with regard to this latest issue.

    If as successful as the last, it will confirm Hugh Adams claims regarding this ‘global fanbase/support’.

    We all know that.

    What I’m saying is that if the RST are the sensible ones then why shouldn’t other clubs fans be supporting them?

    Maybe my point is a bit wider in that many fans are happy to turn up but leave the “finances” to those who know about these things.


  34. paulmac2 says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:18
    ==========================================================================
    To be fair isn’t the RST trying to pool the fans buying power by getting them to put their money into that vehicle and then buying shares in the club. I think the RST are some of the sensible Rangers Fans and if so shouldn’t we be supporting them?
    ————————————————————————————————————–

    I believe this was covered previously by another poster regards the RST collecting money to buy shares….I think you will find there is a legal issue with them trying to do this.
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Fine. But if they are the sensible ones should fans of other clubs not try and support them?


  35. bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:38

    “What I’m saying is that if the RST are the sensible ones then why shouldn’t other clubs fans be supporting them?”

    For the very simple reason that the first priority of a club and it’s support should be to meet it’s social and commercial dues – not …… I repeat NOT! ……. give the bird to all others in the pursuit of trophies and championships.

    If you don’t pay your dues you’re nothing more than a leech on those that do.


  36. Bunion says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:23

    bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:11

    “Well they are Rangers fans and are in pain”

    1. They hold a position of public interest and should report without bias to their favoured team.

    2. Is their pain any greater than that of the hundreds or organisations who have gone unpaid?

    3. Is their pain of more merit than the fans of clubs deceived and cheated by their favoured club?

    4. In what way is their protection/promotion of this fallacy good for the Scottish game or Scottish society.

    5. Is it really fair or just that the majority of the support of Scottish football is countermanded/negated in favour of a club that that promotes itself under a falsehood?
    =======================================================================

    My replies:

    1. If you expect this then you need to ignore the capiltalist press.

    2. Irrelevant. There was nothing Rangers fans could do about the recklessness of Murray.

    3. Dunno. How do you measure it?

    4. Other way round. Obsessing on it is a waste of energy.

    5. No. Where did I say that?


  37. Was offered tickets for the sevco v Annan game on Tuesday …….. Free tickets!!! As many as I could use??? I declined the offer 🙂 full houses my ass.


  38. bogsdollox says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:51

    1. If you expect this then you need to ignore the capiltalist press.

    Oh! Such naivety. 🙂

    2. Irrelevant. There was nothing Rangers fans could do about the recklessness of Murray.

    What? No protestations at AGMs? No boycotts? 😉

    3. Dunno. How do you measure it?

    At least you don’t deny it exists.

    4. Other way round. Obsessing on it is a waste of energy.

    So a concern for the good of Scottish society is a waste of energy when compared to the promotion of a particular football club? Mmmm??

    5. No. Where did I say that?

    You didn’t say it but you imply that it should be so.


  39. What the heck!

    If you can’t call an obviously odious hypocrite an odious hypocrite then this is not the forum I hoped it was.

    Adios amigos!


  40. Bunion says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 02:03
    1. If you expect this then you need to ignore the capiltalist press.

    Oh! Such naivety. 🙂 Not much of a reply.

    2. Irrelevant. There was nothing Rangers fans could do about the recklessness of Murray.

    What? No protestations at AGMs? No boycotts? 😉

    Why would they when it was all Tickety Boo.

    3. Dunno. How do you measure it?

    At least you don’t deny it exists.

    Yeah. And you never answered the question.

    4. Other way round. Obsessing on it is a waste of energy.

    So a concern for the good of Scottish society is a waste of energy when compared to the promotion of a particular football club? Mmmm?

    Another thing I didn’t say.

    5. No. Where did I say that?

    You didn’t say it but you imply that it should be so.

    I’m not implying anything. What I think would better on this blog(which won’t last much longer) is a discussion about how to improve Scottish Football instead of it feasting on the carcass of Rangers/Sevco or whatever their name is this week.


  41. Brenda on Monday, December 17, 2012 at 02:00 14 1 Rate This

    Was offered tickets for the sevco v Annan game on Tuesday …….. Free tickets!!! As many as I could use??? I declined the offer

    full houses my ass

    I wonder how many free tickets have been handed out this season. I am assuming this is to maintain the facade to ensure a healthy subscription to the share issue.

    Out of interest how were you offered, had you registered your details with The Rangers?


  42. Carfins Finest. (@edunne58) says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 07:16
    0 0 Rate This
    Seems like a non story then.

    Agent 86‏@Agent_868

    Don’t know why everyone is getting abusive. I said the story might be blocked, and it looks like it has been.
    ————

    Aye nowt in Le Soliel, but one of his followers will be posting it later today, though he might not 🙂

    Yawn.

    Perhaps it’s time for a new blog post?


  43. It feels like the site is becalmed.

    Are we seeing posts for the sake of posting (is that what this is?), while we wait for the next act?


  44. layman00

    No registration….. The big man forbid!! No somebody at work had about 100? Take the kids along have fun???


  45. readcelt says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 07:30
    1 0 Rate This
    It feels like the site is becalmed.

    Are we seeing posts for the sake of posting (is that what this is?), while we wait for the next act?
    ————

    Not totally in the doldrums readcelt, judging by the restless natives! There are other subjects worth monitoring but it is as though TRFC is blocking everything else.


  46. Quick points::
    Both corsica and I have posted before on Supporters Direct having had conversations with both board members and senior staff. They are a waste of space and have failed spectacularly to live up to their public obligations.
    The RST still hold £650,000 of RFFF monies, is this going to shares? Where is the public accountability for these funds which have been collected illegally?
    Normally I would support a supporters trust but RST is merely a personal vehicle for a repugnant and sectarian individual. The RST are not the decent fans; the decent fans are the ones who humbly accept the club they supported cheated and are embarrassed by it and in all likelihood are staying away from Ibrox.


  47. I am reading estimates on Kerrydale Street that the share flotation thus far has raised 1.6m.

    Noting that CG said that the flotation was necessary in part to create additional working capital for the Club, if the final monies raised are there or there about will TRFC have enough cash to see out the season?

    Given that the SFA granted a licence on the basis have having approved the business plan that was submitted to them – should the SFA revisit the Club’s ability to meet its financial commitments between now and the end of the season?

    In terms of moving forward – should the SFA if they require to review and approve a business plan before granting a licence ask for financial projections on a quarterly basis?


  48. Danish Pastry says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 07:38

    ———————————————————

    To continue with the maritime theme, this ship needs to dock for new supplies.

    Without sustenance I fear an outbreak of cannibalism. The fresh water has already run out and we have resorted to drinking their own urine.

    Fingers crossed we get back on track before everyone goes a bit Billy Zane.


  49. Financial Times take on IPO, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1e685aea-4768-11e2-a899-00144feab49a.html#axzz2FGdOB1GS

    However triumphant on the field, soccer has rarely been a sporting investment. Yet Glasgow Rangers Football Club is floating on Aim this week. The shares are being served up at 70p each to loyal fans and professional investors.
    This is the club that went into administration in February, having racked up debt and a tax bill of epic proportions, and was

    [B] relegated [/B]

    to Scotland’s third division. It was just another case of a football company with poor financial controls paying players 10 times more in a week than most people earn in a year. Research by insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor suggests 32 Scottish clubs are in financial distress.

    Fans of Rangers’ IPO trot out that old million pound chestnut: it is different. The fat has been cut out and what remains is pure protein. Rangers’ die-hard supporters regularly turn up to fill the Ibrox stadium close to its 51,000 capacity. There is no debt, the expensive players have gone, leaving a team still well able to beat its rivals. Imagine, say followers, what Rangers could earn in sales of tickets and football shirts when it takes its

    [B]rightful place in Scotland’s top league in a year or so.[/B]

    At this point, the group’s backers become all misty-eyed and talk about cup wins, playing in Europe’s lucrative Champions League, selling TV rights for millions and juicy sponsorship deals.
    Charles Green, Rangers’ far from dewy-eyed chief executive and a veteran of Sheffield United, reckons he can raise Rangers up without borrowing or overpaying for new talent. He has promised to cap the payroll at a third of revenues. That will be easy for the next year while Rangers is banned by the Scottish Football Association from transferring players.
    However, it will be hard to hold the wage bill back once Rangers starts playing top-tier football where pay averages two-thirds of revenues. Soccer’s governing bodies may be pushing for greater financial discipline and player fees may come down, but it will take time.
    Mr Green can only be sure of keeping his promise if he makes more of Rangers’ brand and revenues soar. Fans should brace themselves for a rise in ticket prices. The new merchandising deal signed with Sports Direct – whose owner, Mike Ashley, owns 8 per cent of Rangers – could really spice up revenues.
    Brokers expect total sales to rise 45 per cent in two years to £46m, lifting the club out of loss into £12m in pre-tax profits by 2015, as long as costs are stable.
    But all it needs is a couple of players paid £100,000 a week to derail those estimates. And history is not on Mr Green’s side. It is notoriously hard to scramble into revenue-generating leagues without destroying profitability by overpaying players.

    [B]Rangers’ IPO has the characteristics of a turkey with a short sell-by date. It may look delicious on Christmas day but will not smell so good in a few months.[/B]


  50. tommythehat says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 02:06

    Why are my posts being constantly removed? Either it gets reinstated or i will never post on the forum again. Over a hundred people agreed with it. This is becoming a fcking joke.

    Using the thumbcount as a guide of a post’s merits is foolish. Playing to the gallery is what Green has been doing shamelessly, getting lots of thumbs up from his constituency as a result.

    That doesn’t make him wise or beyond reproach, does it?


  51. The blog has always had periods of inactivity, usually when nothing very much was happening externally. The next event is likely to be the end of the Green Rangers share offer, and there will no doubt be a lot of posturing and harrumphing in the media about, however it goes, that will give a bit more meat for chewing on


  52. Acht, I’ve had posts deleted, and although a wee bit annoyed at that, I can accept that this blog isn’t my set up or responsibility, so it’s really up to those who moderate what they find acceptable. Re Tommy’s posts, perhaps he should have avoided the ‘name calling’ as, and this is an opinion, that detracted from some of the very fine points he made.

    The point of the blog is to ‘ask the questions the media won’t ask’, not to see who can devise the most witty names for folk we don’t particularly admire.


  53. readcelt says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 08:01
    5 0 Rate This
    Danish Pastry says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 07:38

    ———————————————————

    To continue with the maritime theme, this ship needs to dock for new supplies.

    Without sustenance I fear an outbreak of cannibalism. The fresh water has already run out and we have resorted to drinking their own urine.

    Fingers crossed we get back on track before everyone goes a bit Billy Zane.
    ————-

    Yes, don’t want to end up like Capain Redbeard Rum sailing round and round the Isle of Wight because he couldn’t navigate 🙂

    PS tommythehat, I had ear-marked your piece for a later read as I only managed to skim it. Nevertheless, I’m not sure effing and blinding the admins is the right response. We’ve probably all had posts removed. There’s a facility here to write privately to the admins. There might be a totally benign explanation.


  54. Night Terror says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 08:38

    NT are you suggesting the bloggers on here are as gullible as Charlies cheerleaders? 🙂


  55. From yesterday’s FT (don’t think already posted) with the usual ‘relegated’ error.

    Free-ranging pay could foul Rangers’ IPO

    By Kate Burgess

    However triumphant on the field, soccer has rarely been a sporting investment. Yet Glasgow Rangers Football Club is floating on Aim this week.

    The shares are being served up at 70p each to loyal fans and professional investors.

    This is the club that went into administration in February, having racked up debt and a tax bill of epic proportions, and was relegated to Scotland’s third division. It was just another case of a football company with poor financial controls paying players 10 times more in a week than most people earn in a year. Research by insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor suggests 32 Scottish clubs are in financial distress.

    Fans of Rangers’ IPO trot out that old million pound chestnut: it is different. The fat has been cut out and what remains is pure protein. Rangers’ die-hard supporters regularly turn up to fill the Ibrox stadium close to its 51,000 capacity. There is no debt, the expensive players have gone, leaving a team still well able to beat its rivals. Imagine, say followers, what Rangers could earn in sales of tickets and football shirts when it takes its rightful place in Scotland’s top league in a year or so.
    At this point, the group’s backers become all misty-eyed and talk about cup wins, playing in Europe’s lucrative Champions League, selling TV rights for millions and juicy sponsorship deals.

    Charles Green, Rangers’ far from dewy-eyed chief executive and a veteran of Sheffield United, reckons he can raise Rangers up without borrowing or overpaying for new talent. He has promised to cap the payroll at a third of revenues. That will be easy for the next year while Rangers is banned by the Scottish Football Association from transferring players.

    However, it will be hard to hold the wage bill back once Rangers starts playing top-tier football where pay averages two-thirds of revenues. Soccer’s governing bodies may be pushing for greater financial discipline and player fees may come down, but it will take time.

    Mr Green can only be sure of keeping his promise if he makes more of Rangers’ brand and revenues soar. Fans should brace themselves for a rise in ticket prices. The new merchandising deal signed with Sports Direct – whose owner, Mike Ashley, owns 8 per cent of Rangers – could really spice up revenues.

    Brokers expect total sales to rise 45 per cent in two years to £46m, lifting the club out of loss into £12m in pre-tax profits by 2015, as long as costs are stable.

    But all it needs is a couple of players paid £100,000 a week to derail those estimates. And history is not on Mr Green’s side. It is notoriously hard to scramble into revenue-generating leagues without destroying profitability by overpaying players.

    Rangers’ IPO has the characteristics of a turkey with a short sell-by date. It may look delicious on Christmas day but will not smell so good in a few months.


  56. Long Time Lurker says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 07:44
    13 1 Rate This

    I am reading estimates on Kerrydale Street that the share flotation thus far has raised 1.6m.

    ———

    That is an estimate of what the fans have purchased I take it? Any idea of the grand total? He’s got some expensive repairs and refurbishments lined up. The FT seem to think it’s a turkey.


  57. Palacio67 says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 09:24

    Night Terror says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 08:38

    NT are you suggesting the bloggers on here are as gullible as Charlies cheerleaders? 🙂

    Dunno, but I’m naturally suspicious of being told what I want to hear and the potential anasthesia of comforting groupthink.

    That’s a danger in any community and I don’t see here as any exception.


  58. Is Kate Burgess’s home address published on a Rangers website yet?


  59. Re the removal/deletion of posts.

    I think it’s probably happened to everyone.

    I’ve had a few go walk about. On reflection it was probably a good thing. Especially on a Friday night when red wine has affected the critical faculties.

    Not something to go f’ing and blinding about.


  60. paulmac2 says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 01:33

    That’s a lie! 🙂 is it no just a fib


  61. Bunion says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 00:55
    ——————————–

    Uhmm … it’s surely not unavoidable if they keep avoiding it??

    incontrovertible perhaps?? 🙂


  62. Danish Pastry says:

    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 09:38

    The grand total might remain one of the known unknowns, for some time at least. We will know from the AIM market listings how many shares have been issued but I doubt the total cash raised figures will be available until the audited accounts are published, and we all know the record of companies with the name Rangers FC in their title of producing these! If Green does buy up the unsold shares we can be sure it won’t be at 70p a pop and we are still unsure of just how much the institutional investors are paying, so unless there is some mechanism to provide this info, or someone from the financial sections of the MSM with the guts to investigate, we, and more importantly The Rangers fans, might never know. Do we actually know for certain that these institutional investors have bought any, or as many as claimed, of the shares, or are, at least, contracted to buy? Still, they only have to raise in excess of £5.5m to ensure Green’s consortium make a profit when RIFC buy TRFC from them 😉


  63. Allyjambo

    all the shares are sold, it’s over subscribed, the institutional investors and charlie have snapped them all up and are delighted to have only paid 70p for them….a bargain

    poor bears and their poor uptake will mean they’ll miss out on the windfall in a few years time.

    when will we find out how much was raised? November 30th 2013 when RFC have to have audited accounts submitted and an AGM held within 4 weeks (before 31st december)

    That is, of course, if they submit the accounts or haven’t entered admin before then…….


  64. The following is my response to the Financial Times piece

    “Kate Burgess, before writing on such matters you might find it helpful to research the facts, especially when discussing an IPO details. For a start there is no such club as Glasgow Rangers Football Club. There used to be a club called Rangers Football Club, (RFC) which became RFC Ltd, then RFC PLC. This club went into admin in Feb this year and is now in the process of liquidation. A new company called Sevco Scotland Ltd was set up and purchased some of the assets of RFC PLC. This company changed their name to The Rangers Football Club Ltd.

    Rangers Football Club PLC, (now called RFC2012PLC) were never relegated, they are in liquidation and ceased to operate as a football club, relinquishing their “share” in the Scottish Premier League. The new club was shoehorned into the Scottish Football League third division, (despite not having the SFA requiremet of three years accounts) after disgraceful attempts using bullying and blackmail, to have them placed in the SPL and SFL Division 1 failed.

    The new IPO is actually for Rangers International Football Club Ltd, (a company approx 1 month old). The intention is for this company to aquire The Rangers Football Club Ltd, (a club and company with a 6 month history).

    I hope this clears things up for you. As regards the merit of investing, I’ll let you make your own mind up. However we are being asked to invest in a one month old company, with no accounts, who plan to buy a 6 month old company operating as a brand new club in the lowest tier of Scottish professional football. This club’s predecessor was running at massive losses despite being in Scotland’s top tier and having regular European football.

    As Duncan Bannantyne might say “I’m out”


  65. allyjambo says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 10:14
    4 1 Rate This
    Danish Pastry says:

    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 09:38

    The grand total might remain one of the known unknowns, for some time at least. We will know from the AIM market listings how many shares have been issued but I doubt the total cash raised figures will be available until the audited accounts are published, and we all know the record of companies with the name Rangers FC in their title of producing these! If Green does buy up the unsold shares we can be sure it won’t be at 70p a pop and we are still unsure of just how much the institutional investors are paying, so unless there is some mechanism to provide this info, or someone from the financial sections of the MSM with the guts to investigate, we, and more importantly The Rangers fans, might never know. Do we actually know for certain that these institutional investors have bought any, or as many as claimed, of the shares, or are, at least, contracted to buy? Still, they only have to raise in excess of £5.5m to ensure Green’s consortium make a profit when RIFC buy TRFC from them
    ——–

    Thanks allyjambo. How is the Hearts’ situation by comparison? The director doesn’t seem shy about admitting the tough financial plight. Obviously he wants more investment, you’d think Green would too, if it wasn’t going well.


  66. Charles Green on the backfoot for first time as fans are slow on uptake of Gers shares
    17 Dec 2012 00:01

    ByKeith Jackson

    DESPITE claims he could earn the club up to £22m buy selling shares to Rangers fans, Charles Green may have to amend his target as many supporters struggle – or refuse – to stump up the cash.

    Charles Green waves to the Rangers fans ahead of their game against Montrose.
    THERE’S a touch of the Boycotts about Charles Green. And it has nothing to do with not taking tickets for Tannadice.
    For six months this eccentric, torn-faced Yorkshireman has been strutting around Scottish football, smashing almost everything and everyone for six.
    His aggressive, sleeves-rolled-up batting style has been fun to watch and, at times, pretty spectacular too.
    Somehow, and in almost no time at all, Green has won over the hearts and minds of a support which at first could not have been more suspicious of him had he pitched up at Ibrox wearing Craig Whyte’s old pointy shoes.
    His straight-talking charm offensive has been a thing of beauty and those same fans now have no problem at all with the fact that, by tomorrow, Green will have earned himself a small fortune from their club. Maybe even as much as £3.5million. That’s his reward for riding to their rescue.
    Also, it must be said, when it was announced only 10 or so days ago that he had secured £17m worth of reasonably blue chip institutional investment in his planned flotation, many a flat cap was doffed in Green’s direction. This was arguably an even more impressive success than his snake charming act on the masses.

    But – and you knew there was a “but” coming – at some point in the next 24 hours Green may be forced on to the back foot for the first time. A lot less bullish than before. Maybe even a little sheepish, depending on the extent of the damage.
    Those same supporters now eating out of the palm of his hand have only until 1pm tomorrow to make good on their promises to buy shares in Green’s Rangers. To put their money where their mouths were a few months ago when around £22m was pledged in the online land of lah-de-dah.

    If ever there was proof of the dangers of taking the internet’s word for it, then this is surely it. Because, as things stood over the weekend, the total stumped up by these supporters was closer to £2m than £22m. Maybe not even that much.
    A total of £10m worth of shares was ring-fenced by Green for fans. But the word from those who know inside Ibrox yesterday was that the uptake has been slow.
    The exact numbers are blurry, not least because sales have picked up slightly over the last 72 hours but, even so, the best Green can hope for now is to shift half of the £10m he set aside.
    In fact, the truth is Rangers will be delighted to break through the £4m barrier in the final few hours of trading. So, unless there is a late stampede to hand over bundles of £500s – a week before Christmas – Green will be left with quite a significant hole in his plans. And someone, somewhere will have badly miscalculated.
    It’s too easy to blame the fans for failing to follow through with their cash pledges, which came in the form of registered interest. The suspicion is many pledges may have been made by cunning rival fans as a wind-up. You know the kind of thing.
    “Yes, the name’s Lennon.”
    “First name?”
    “Eh, Niall. And I’m good for 20 grand ma man.”
    “Yaldi!”
    Others may well have been genuine and full of good intentions at the time but baulked when it came to coughing up the cash. Or when it was time to tell the missus to buy a smaller turkey this year. Or a pack of chicken dippers.
    Yes, with hindsight, Green may well be wishing now that he had not chosen to launch this issue in December, in the middle of a recession. He may also be thinking he was asking for too much when he set the minimum asking price at a monkey. Now I’m no Lord Sugar but wasn’t that all rather bleeding obvious?
    These same supporters, remember, have already been paying hand over fist to keep their club alive since all its troubles began to crystallise at the start of a year that will go down in history as Rangers’ annus horribilis. That’s Latin for Craig Whyte.
    Also, Green may have blundered on TV last week by apparently stressing there was very little need for the club’s fans to dig deep. He said unsold shares would be quickly gobbled up by his institutional investors, who wanted to plough around £25m into the club but were scaled back to £17m to satisfy demand from fans. “If there’s any left over I’ll even buy ’em myself,” was how Green put it.
    But this may have backfired on him because, if anything, it allowed fans to feel as if their larger-than-life chief executive had it all covered.
    When 10,000 Celtic supporters raised £9m between them in 1995, they were doing it to save their club. That was the message from Fergus McCann and the response was quite staggering.
    If Rangers supporters fall way short of that kind of sum, they can expect to be told about it by their neighbours. Over and over.
    And no, Green won’t be there with his cheque book to make up the difference. He’s not here to spend his own money. He prefer others to spend for him.
    So now, barring a late and intense flurry of investment from supporters today and tomorrow, he’s going to be left with a whole load of unwanted shares on his office desk and a sizeable chunk missing from his budget.
    He had better hope his assembled squad of big-money backers in London are indeed prepared to pick up the slack to the tune of up to £7m or suddenly, what had been shaping up as a major success story could become a minor source of embarrassment.

    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/charles-green-on-the-backfoot-for-first-time-1493627


  67. K Jackson??? Was actually being quite honest in his piece about sevco share issue (surprised) but why bring Lennon’s name into it?? Totally pointless ……. More proof they are hurting, but it’s everyones fault but their own ….. Diddums 😉


  68. Has the chosen date of the 19th for the issue had anything to do with how little time the stock exchanges are actually trading at this time of year?
    Floated Thursday.
    Open Friday
    Closed Saturday
    Closed Sunday
    Closed 12.30 Monday
    Closed Tuesday
    Closed Wednesday
    Open Thursday
    Open Friday
    Closed Saturday
    Closed Sunday
    Closed 12.30 Monday
    Closed Tuesday
    Closed Wednesday

    There is very little trading done at this time of year with lots of traders on holiday right through
    the period.
    I would think the first full trading week in January after the New Years holidays will signal the downward spiral for these shares and by that time the initial investors will have completed their offload.


  69. Danish Pastry says:

    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 10:51

    No inside info on Hearts’ shares but they should have my application this morning so their troubles will be over 😉 It is, of course, a different situation to The Rangers, well I should say Rangers International, as I am buying shares in Hearts of Midlothian FC plc, and that is the name that will be on the certificate. Regardless of the merits of club=company issues, my club’s name will be on my certificate, which is, of course, all I will be getting from my ‘investment’.

    I have to admit I feel the decision to have the designation ‘International’ in the name of the holding company has me a little perplexed. Unless, of course, it’s so that every future player can justifiably call themselves a ‘Rangers’ Internationalist’.


  70. jw hardin says:
    Monday, December 17, 2012 at 11:06
    2 0 Rate This
    Charles Green on the backfoot for first time as fans are slow on uptake of Gers shares
    17 Dec 2012 00:01

    ByKeith Jackson

    DESPITE claims he could earn the club up to £22m buy selling shares to Rangers fans, Charles Green may have to amend his target as many supporters struggle – or refuse – to stump up the cash.
    ———

    Jings, post Traynor, a Record piece that is proper, critical journalism with a dash of humour. Bravo KJ.

    Another demand for an apology might be in the offing 🙂


  71. A few weeks ago TSFM stated that he/she believed that ‘The Rangers’ still had £7-8M working capital left so there was no possibility of them folding.
    Now that may be the case but, if true, then that means ‘The Rangers’ have not touched the season ticket money raised. If you take this further then where has the money come from?
    The £5.5M that bought the club was a loan, the players and staff are not being paid in smarties, and the tax and NI we presume is being paid. So where are the funds coming from?
    Possibly more importantly when is the loan going to be repaid?
    Is it coming from the share issue because if it is along with the £9M put aside for stadium repairs there is not going to be a lot left. I would also assume that there will be interest on the loan. So of the £21M raised (no laughing at the back) a minimum of £15M will to the consortium and stadium repairs.
    I’m sure Chas will tell us where the money has come from!!!


  72. Jangles….what a plum..

    His stomach churning admiration for a man who has threatened Scottish football…accused the SFA of being corrupt…stealing money that wasn’t theirs etc etc…and to top it off Jangles suggests there may have been a lot of Mr. Lennon’s making false applications for shares…

    Hold your hands up Jangles….the shares have bombed…as they should…the decent fans are not gonna fall for all that…’I’m yer best mate so I am…now gies yer cash’ p*sh from the Yorkshire spiveroonie!

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