rbr

Craig Whyte remains hopeful of concluding his proposed takeover of Rangers before the end of January. Whyte has been in negotiations with the current owner Sir David Murray since the middle of November. He had initially hoped to complete a �£33m deal before Christmas, but due diligence has taken longer than the Scottish businessman expected. However, if that can be concluded soon, Whyte aims to take over in time to help Walter Smith strengthen his squad. On Thursday, Smith bemoaned the current financial constraints at the club, stating that he would be unable to bring in new players unless he sold first. As of September 2010 Rangers' debt stood at �£27m. While Smith was allowed to conduct some transfer business in the summer - including the purchase of Nikica Jelavic for �£4m - his hands have been largely tied on that front for the past three seasons. The Scottish champions trail league leaders Celtic by four points, although they have two games in hand. However, as things stand, Smith will have to challenge in all domestic competitions, as well as in the Europa League, with the same small squad of players. Meanwhile, across Glasgow, rivals Celtic appear likely to bring in more players during the January transfer window. Champions League participation over the last two seasons has helped Rangers go some way to alleviating their financial problems. But failure to win the Scottish Premier League again this term, and thereby miss out on the lucrative Champions League, would reverse that trend and make things even more restrictive for whoever succeeds Smith as Rangers manager next season. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version see also Whyte holds further Rangers talks 03 Dec 10 | Rangers Gers boss pleads for investment 24 Nov 10 | Rangers Ibrox changes will not sway Smith 19 Nov 10 | Rangers Duo hold Rangers takeover talks 18 Nov 10 | Rangers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- related bbc links: Rangers fans' views on My Sport BBC Where I Live - Scotland Glasgow weather BBC Sport SPL related internet links:

Absolute shambles , and Wattie has to take a smuch of the blame as anyone , he is very apt at these rants , cue AJ coming out to calm the waters later on

Sorry but that's absolute dross , all those figures have been costed by the SPL , and now we are getting lectured because Dunfermline aren't getting their oar in , no wonder we are screwed

If you look at coefficients you will understand they are very cyclical , ie the better you do the more clubs you get therefore your points are divided by more , also the smaller natuions that are doing well by and large gain most of their points from the Europa league . I have be studying the coefficients for years , league sizes have nothing to do with it ,it's the smaller teams ability to get approx 3 points from the Europa league that makes the difference , what would make a difference to us is an earlier start to our league .

If anyone seriously expects a bigger league with less games , less Tv exposure and less revenue is the way ahead , and also lower crowds , as the future then batter on , you are as well going to see Pollok or Beith as very soon that is what Scottish football will be reduced to .

HEY english footies brilliant , I just watched a team that cost over �£170 million fail to have a single shot on target and they are delighted

Brilliant , move to 16 teams and before you know it Raith Rovers will be playing like Benfica , or Anderlecht , right on brother pass the spliff

The issue of 10 team leagues is not only a matter only for the SPL – it applies just as much to the SFL – its not just that St Johnstone don’t want to play St Mirren four times, but that Annan don’t want to play East Stirling four times. I cant see any reason why the sense of boredom that has been identified from the comments left by respondents wont come from SFL just as much as SPL (just for the record, it would be possible to link specific comments to specific respondents and who they support, but it would be quite complex as well) So there we have it the tail wagging the dog again , sorry but I dont give a 4x for Annan or East Stirling , you cannot please everyone , and by going to a 16 team league every team would be just over Ã?£1million down , great start not , if this extended league get,s even a hint of approval we are as well just switching the lights off

The last thing we need is another striker , midfield and wide midfield definetly , unfortunately I see this as a possibility as the radio , Levein , stated he was offski last week . Sorry dont mean unfortunately in that I dont rate him , more that it's not the position we need filled first , sort of thing ......

Cheers guys , christ was it really mid february for the half yearly accounts , I am definetly getting senile

I realise this will probably piss people off , oh no here's another financial thread , however when are our half yearly's due .I know the full accounts were late so does that mean that forever more the accounts run late , or are the half yearly ones not overdue ...

So how many games would we play in a 16 team league , we need to play everyone home and away , there's 30 games 8 less than at present so how do you make that up as the clubs couldn't lose that amount of revenue or are you prepared to pay the same for less games against inferior opposition.

So instead of Celtic , hearts Dundee Utd twice a season at Ibrox , you think crowds will increase to see Raith Rovers once a season , the only way to fix our game I agree is to get the teams in the league below stronger , the teams in the 2nd and 3rd sorry they are at the Juvenile level of football anyway . All you would do is drive people who matter namely SKY out of our game , what are we left with the BBC , bang goes your major sponsors and before you know it we are at the level of the conference in England , I will say this again Supporters Direct should bugger off somewhere else as they have absolutely no idea about fixing our game and their silly wee primary school survey's should go with them

The notion that you would improve an already poor product by further diluting it is absolute bonkers , if fans wont turn out just now , the thought of going to see cowdenbeath or Raith rovers or even Q of the S is just plain stupid .

To be honest I felt it was a very very poor survey , almost amateruish at best and as already pointed out is not representative

The only thing that rings true are the facts that at both clubs , both then and now he is and was strapped for cash , what exactly do you want him to do , it's easy to critisice , come on what exactly do you want him to do now and with no money to bring anyone in , and the minute you use �£�£ to back your arguement up your finished as afar as I am concerned , you would be better going on Kerrydale street , oh wait most of them are on �£�£

Sorry but that article has long been acknowqledged by many , even Smith's fierxcest crirics as a veri slewed and inaccurate article , this was at a time when Evertonm were lurching from one crisis to another , when players were being sold behind Smith's back and when money he was promised never arrived , many many Evertonians hold Smith in the highest regard for simply keeping them in the premiership

Those figures quoted are averages mate

Your the one missing the point mate , at this precise moment in time we have no other options , that was and is my entire point , something that some including yourself seem unable to grasp . If you knew my history then yiou would see that I am no lover of Walters tactics especially in Europe , however under these specific circumstances there is no other man I would want at the helm of our once great club. Until we get new owners and a new banking arrangement with which ever bank we move to then we are working with a handicap , changing managers just now will not change that no matter how many times you post the same point.

It's from an American sporting site , dont know about our wage info , but they seem pretty good on their own sports http://www.sportingintelligence.com/ To be honest I think they have used figures that are published either by the clubs or the figure Deloitte and Touche publish , could be wrong though

I dont know how accurate this report/story actually is , however read on. Freddie Ljungbergââ?¬â?¢s Celtic wage shows decline of Scottish football financesBy Nick Harris 2 January 2010 Celtic got off to a flyer in 2011 today by beating Rangers 2-0 in the Neââ?¬â?¢erday derby, but one sign of how dramatically Scottish football finances have continued to deteriorate in the past year is found in Celticââ?¬â?¢s deal to sign Freddie Ljungberg until the end of the season. Ljungberg, who did not play today because he has a virus, earned Ã?£16,000 per week in Major League Soccer in the USA, most recently with Chicago Fire, and Celtic put together a deal that effectively matches it to sign the Swede, 33, until the end of the season. That pay packet is understood to give Ljungberg the highest guaranteed basic wage per week in Scotland currently. While Ã?£16,000 a week is no small change in most walks of life, itââ?¬â?¢s not huge in elite football, and itââ?¬â?¢s just a quarter of the highest weekly salary being paid in the SPL a year ago, to Robbie Keane, also at Celtic. Keaneââ?¬â?¢s temporary contract at Parkhead was worth Ã?£65,000 per week. According to sportingintelligenceââ?¬â?¢s calculations for our inaugural review of global sports salaries, published earlier this year, the average first-team pay at Rangers in summer 2008 (the most recent data available when that report was compiled) was Ã?£17,121 per week, or Ã?£890,270 per year. The average first-team pay at Celtic was Ã?£16,309 a week, or Ã?£848,082 a year. Those two clubsââ?¬â?¢ wage bills totally overshadowed those at every other SPL club to the extent that the SPL has the least equality in wage distribution of any major sports league in the world considered in our report. (The NFL was the fairest league). Yet since summer 2008, wages in the SPL have gone down, including at the Old Firm, not just in relative terms but actual terms. This will be evident when our next report is published, showing 2009 numbers, and there are good grounds for believing the current seasonââ?¬â?¢s wages in the SPL are the lowest for several years in Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s top division. Ljungbergââ?¬â?¢s Ã?£16,000 per week can therefore be seen as Celtic pushing the boat out ââ?¬â?? and as an example of how far down the pecking order the SPL has fallen in global football terms. Official MLS Union wage data shows Ljungbergââ?¬â?¢s MLS contract was worth $1.3m in 2010, making him only the seventh best-paid player after David Beckham ($6.5m with LA Galaxy), Thierry Henry ($5.6m, NY Red Bulls), Rafael Marquez ($5.5m, NYRB), Landon Donovan ($2.1m, Galaxy), Juan Pablo Angel ($1.9m, NYRB), Nery Castillo ($1.79m, Chicago) and Julian de Guzman ($1.7m, Toronto). So Celtic have hired a man only seventh in the MLS wage stakes to become Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s best rewarded player, and at the same time have waved goodbye to plenty of others in the past year to clubs who can pay better money. In fact since last yearââ?¬â?¢s New Year Old Firm match, 11 players involved in that game ââ?¬â?? eight from Celtic and three from Rangers ââ?¬â?? have left Scotland. They are: Artur Boruc ââ?¬â?? left Celtic for Fiorentina (Serie A) in July 2010. Gary Caldwell - left Celtic for Wigan (EPL) later in January 2010. Danny Fox ââ?¬â?? left Celtic for Burnley (then EPL, now Championship) later in January 2010. Barry Robson ââ?¬â?? left Celtic for Middlesbrough (Championship) later in January 2010. Landry Nââ?¬â?¢Guemo ââ?¬â?? returned to Nancy (France, Ligue 1) in summer 2010 after one-year loan because Celtic could not agree (afford) a transfer fee. Aiden McGeady ââ?¬â?? left Celtic in August 2010 to sign for Spartak Moscow (Russian Premier League), for a fee of c.Ã?£12m, a no-brainer for a selling club as Celtic now are. Marc-Antoine Fortune ââ?¬â?? left Celtic in August 2010 to sign for West Brom (EPL). Scott McDonald ââ?¬â?? left Celtic later in January 2010 to join Middlesbrough (Championship). Danny Wilson ââ?¬â?? left Rangers for Liverpool (EPL) in July 2010. Nacho Novo ââ?¬â?? left Rangers in May 2010 for Sporting Gijon (La Liga). Kris Boyd - left Rangers in July 2010 for Middlesbrough (Championship). .

Why is everyone getting all in a fankle after today's humilliation , we have known since the start of the season the team isn't strong enough , we have been told continuosly since last season what was going to happen , ie downsizing of the squad , so we got stuffed , we got stuffed against Hibs , we haven't been playing well as soon as we go a few players down , the fact we have managed to still be in the hunt , and if we win our games in hand , lead the league even after C/L games is a near miracle . Unfortunately we have went to the well too many times with the same players and today was a game too far , yes they were poor , yes we all feel rightly let down , but what is our options .............frankly none , there is no money , unless players are shipped out , the injured players are still a couple of weeks away and they are in positions that wont directly fix our ills ie Midfield , we have tried to play young guys and that brings it's own problems in that they are not consistent . Changing the manager because you dont like Walter wont make any difference ,so what is our options .....none , get over it and stop moaning

Who knows , but it would have been much worse walking out halfway through

good to see you are back , you have been causing some amount of stushies over on �£�£ lately , It made me miss you all the more

Aye you win successive championships and get to a UEFA final by being a dud mamager , jesus h christ , you only miss something when its gone and if we dont get bought over soon the future certainly aint rosey