BEARGER

http://www.thegallantpioneers.co.uk

Some more good news?

Is The Gallant Pioneers website still available? Abroad at moment and cannot get it to load, long time since I last looked so could be guys have closed it for some reason.

Thanks for that, I’ll share my winnings with you.

Qatar 0 - 3 Ecuador England 1 - 1 Iran Senegal 1 - 2 Netherlands USA 1 - 2 Wales Argentina 4 - 0 Saudi Arabia - JOKER Denmark 2 - 0 Tunisia Mexico 1 - 1 Poland France 3 - 1 Australia Morocco 0 - 2 Croatia Germany 3 - 0 Japan Spain 2 - 0 Costa Rica Belgium 3 - 0 Canada Switzerland 1 - 1 Cameroon Uruguay 2 - 2 South Korea Portugal 2 - 1 Ghana Brazil 3 - 0 Serbia

Contributor Blog – Rangers Accounts Review FY22 Club 1872 is pleased to present an expert review of the latest Rangers accounts from one of our Contributors. Rangers accounts, released last week, finally reached an inflexion point in the club’s recovery from the impact of 2012, with record revenue and an operating profit for this first time, driven by on-field success as the team reached a European final and the much-vaunted player trading model which kicked into gear with the sale of Nathan Patterson to Everton in January 2022. Revenue Rangers recorded its highest-ever revenue (£86.8m) in the year. It is worth noting that this does not include the sale of Nathan Patterson, which is treated elsewhere. Revenue increased 82% versus FY21 (Covid-19 impacted) and 47% versus FY20. This year’s revenue growth has come in all the club’s revenue streams. The fans continue to be the primary source of revenue, with matchday revenue accounting for 48% of the club’s turnover at a quite an incredible £41.9m – £17.4m, of which was season ticket money. The Europa League prize money increased from £11.2m in FY21 to £17.3m. A modest increase given we reached the final. However, it is partly driven by poorer group stage performance (two wins and two draws versus four wins and two draws in FY21). Commercial revenue was £27.7m in total, which is split as follows: Commercial Partnerships and Sponsors – £7.3m Broadcasting (Sky + RTV) – £7.2m Retail – £5.5m Other Commercial Activities (typically uplifts for on-field performance) – £4.7m Other revenue – £3.3m Interestingly, much of the above commercial revenue comes from the Rangers support rather than 3rd party agreements. James Bisgrove’s recent interview with Heart & Hand suggested that around 70% of commercial revenue comes from fan spending including RTV, MyGers and merchandise. Other Income Other income relates to the sale of Nathan Patterson. A gain of £11.2m was recognised regarding the disposal of player registrations, of which Patterson will account for the vast majority, if not all. It should be noted that the company’s cash flow statement shows that cash received in respect of player sales was £5.2m, a significant departure from the amounts that were briefed at the time to various outlets, including fan media, that most of the initial fee was to be paid upfront. Expenditure The club’s most significant expenditure is salary costs. We have seen a considerable increase in first-team wages in recent years, peaking at £37.8m this year, a 13% year-on-year increase. John Bennett also confirmed in his recent interview on RTV that the first team wage bill had further increased this year. Given the significant revenue increase, first-team wages were 44% of revenue. There does remain a risk that a poor European season could put this under severe strain. Non-first team wages were £17.0m giving a total salary cost for the year of £54.8m (63% of turnover), a year-on-year increase of 15%. Player Acquisitions and Amortisation Rangers have again invested in the playing squad. FY21 player acquisitions were lower than the previous five years at £7.5m. FY20 purchases were £16.8m as an example. The accounts note a further £15m being spent this summer; therefore, total investment in the playing squad has reached £60m in the last five seasons. As a result of the continued investment in the playing squad, player amortisation has also increased. In layman’s terms, when a football club sign a player, they do not expense the full transfer fee to the profit or loss account. Instead, it is included on the balance sheet and released over the length of the player’s contract. For example, the £3m transfer fee for Rabbi Matondo will be expensed at £0.75m per year of the four years of his contract. The accounts also note that a further £15m was spent on players post year-end, i.e. the summer transfer window, taking the spend across the last five windows to £40m. Operating Profit The headline figure of a £5.9m operating profit is hugely encouraging and our first for some considerable time. The operating profit is driven mainly by the £5.2m of ‘Other Income’, primarily the £4.25m compensation received from Aston Villa for our previous management team and an insurance claim (presumably related to Covid-19 support). The payment to Sports Direct (more on this later) is not included in this figure as it is deemed a one-off cost. Infrastructure/Capex As John Bennet pointed out in his RTV interview, the club spends considerable resources on Capital Expenditure. A total of £5.8m was spent in FY22, taking total Capex since 2015 to £20.4m – with over half of this in the last two financial years alone. It should also be noted that the accounts state that the club has committed to spending a further £9.6m – presumably related to completing Edmiston House and the Blue Sky Lounge. Investors There was a significant movement within the club’s funding during the period. The debt that the club carries has been rationalised and now remains relatively simple, with John Bennet (£10.3m) and Julian Woldhardt (£1.9m) remaining the only shareholders with loans in the company with additional facilities with an unnamed high street bank (£1.4m) and the Scottish Government Covid-19 support loan (£3.2m). Contrary to some speculation, the club is not debt free as can be seen from the table below. Debt Amount John Bennett £10.3m Julian Woldhardt £1.9m Bank Loan £1.4m Scottish Government £3.2m £16.8m The shareholder loans accrue interest at 6%, are secured against Edmiston House and are being repaid quarterly through to July-28. The loans can be repaid early and it remains to be seen if that is the case following the end of this accounting period using the funds received from the sales of Bassey. Aribo and from Champions League qualification. However, if it is in place through to its term, the interest payment on the loan will be a not insignificant £2.3m – mainly going to John Bennett. John Bennett had his existing facility repaid in the year (£6.55m); however, the above facility was put in place after this repayment. Dave King had his loan facility (£5m) repaid in the year, as did George Letham (£2m). The latest facility from investors takes the total loans provided since the regime change in 2015 to £101m. Of this, £22.7m has been repaid, £66.1m has been converted to equity, and the remaining £12.2m is outstanding. It is now clear that the period of board members and investors providing loans to be converted to equity (shares) ended around the start of this calendar year. The club is having to repay funds out its own revenue to those investors, rather than releasing shares (which is essentially free to the club). It is worth noting that Chairman, Douglas Park has not provided any loans during the period despite indications at the last AGM that this may be the case. In fact Park has not provided any loans or taken any equity for over 18 months. Parks of Hamilton (Holdings) Ltd have however entered into a commercial agreement with Rangers which appears to be worth £500k a year for 10 years. It is not clear what the terms of this agreement are or what Parks receive in return. The agreement was mentioned in the recent cinch court case and was put in place around the same time as the SPFL entered into their own commercial agreement with cinch. Cashflow The club generated £9.7m of cash in the year. As shown below, the strong day-to-day trading performance yielded £15.3m cash. Player acquisition and Capex remain significant outlays (£22.6m) being supported by the sale of Nathan Patterson and additional investor loans. Legal Disputes A common feature of Rangers over the last few years has been very public court battles. This financial year was no different, with several disputes (old and new) playing out. Firstly, the prolonged battle with Sports Direct. The announcement in May that the dispute had been resolved was met well but with some degree of nervousness about the cost. Unfortunately, those fears have been well founded, with the disagreement costing the club £8.25m, of which £1.5m has so far been paid. The payment terms of the balance is unknown. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the end of the matter, with Sports Direct or affiliated brands releasing Rangers strips before the club and Castore suggesting there may be more to the settlement than just a financial matter. A further cost of £1.25m is recognised for ‘other legal disputes’; however, these are not described. The club also acknowledges that it “is involved in a number of other legal disputes”. It is unclear what these relate to but one obvious possibility is the Sydney Cup debacle. Interestingly, the previously mentioned legal proceeding initiated by Rangers against Elite for a sum of £2.3m, which the club believes is owed from previous retail operations, is no longer mentioned. Summary FY23 accounts will likely look similar, with Champions League qualification resulting in similar prize money figures as the run to Seville, given our dismal performance on the park, plus the sales of Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo which were not included in these accounts. Unfortunately, whilst one side of the player trading model has started to bring results in the form of transfer fees arriving with the club, it is difficult to argue that the buying side has. Close to £40m has been spent in the last five windows, and it is difficult to see that value on the park as the club languishes 7 points off the pace in the league and had an abysmal Champions League campaign. Indeed, just John Lundstram and Antonio Colak of those signed across those windows have played more than 50% of available minutes. The average age of the squad has also increased and starting a Champions League game with nine players who played in Gerrard’s first season would not have been expected by the support coming into the season. It is essential that the club capitalises on its current financial stability and does not stand still. Investor loans are now at an end with the club looking self sufficient for the first time in a long time. That is clearly a positive but there is a worry that some of the European and transfer income has at best not been used wisely and at worst has been wasted. Views expressed in contributor blogs are those of the individuals who submit them and don’t necessarily reflect the views of Club 1872 or its representatives.

Marcel Van Der Kraan (Dutch sports editor) on SSN “Gio aware or unrest among the fans but injuries are playing a big part. Gio on the understanding that he will be there after the world cup and knows he needs to work hard with the players.” FFS.

Is it £5M for Sands and £6M for Tillman, with BM having a buy back on Tillman.

Roofe is injured again, out for a couple of weeks.

Just in case we need them! The tie-break rules are as follows: 1. Highest number of points. 2. The best goal difference from the group matches played between teams level on points. 3. The highest number of goals scored between teams that are level. 4. The highest number of goals scored away from home between the teams that are level. 5. If two teams are still level after applying steps 1-4, repeat the steps and apply the above criteria exclusively to the two teams concerned. If the two teams still remain level, criteria 6 and 7 should be applied. 6. The best goal difference from all group matches played. 7. Highest number of goals scored from all group matches played.

At Anfield and again last night I thought he lost out when in 50/50 situations. You may well be correct about playing in a proper team, we need a manager for that though.

Sands - don’t see anything in this guy to be worth paying for at end of season. Last night his passing was poor, gave nothing going forward. If we have kept money back for him, purchase someone better in January. If there’s one available of course. Tillman - Nice touches but seems slow and easy brushed off ball in Europe. Also does not give enough in the defensive side of the game. At moment same as Sands, not worth paying for.

Rangers 2 - 0 Aberdeen FGS Colak

Been saying that for months. When did Kent last have a good game for us?

Kent is what the phrase “flatters to deceive” was coined for.

Kevin Thomson makes it sound even worse, such a boring voice.

So simple 1-0.

Don’t understand that team selection from GVB, then again it won’t be the first time. Looks more attacking than his team against Livingston.

Proposed Club 1872 Meetings Dear Contributor, In March 2022 the Club 1872 Board released a statement which was heavily critical of the Executive Management Team at Rangers and their running of the club. Our view has not changed and it is clear that concerns about the club’s current trajectory are growing within the Rangers support. Since our statement we have engaged privately and constructively with a number of other major shareholders regarding our concerns and those of our Contributors. As a major shareholder we have also attempted again to engage privately with the RIFC Board on behalf of our Contribtors. The RIFC Board continues to refuse to engage with Club 1872 as it has done since the moment Dave King departed as Chairman over two and half years ago. We would welcome a reversal of that policy. Club 1872 functions, in part, to facilitate dialogue between the custodians of Rangers Football Club and the support. We strive to seek answers on behalf of our Contributors and the wider support and will continue to do so. We recently met with Dave King, who has a number of concerns of his own about the way in which the club is being managed. He has articulated some of those concerns publicly but he has also informed us that they have increased following conversations he has had in recent weeks. He has indicated a willingness to speak directly to our Contributors, as he did last year, about those concerns, his insight into the running of the club and any other areas of interest to supporters. We believe it would be valuable for our Contributors to hear from Mr King and have the opportunity to question him directly on his views. 

In the interests of fairness, and to provide as many opportunities as possible for our Contributors to hear different perspectives on the current position, we have also extended an invitation to Rangers Chairman, Douglas Park to meet with our Contributors. We have informed Mr Park that we will hold a Contributor meeting at a time and date of his choosing between now and December, where he can engage with our Contributors on the same basis as Dave King. 

As soon as we have set a date, or dates, for these meetings we will inform Contributors. The meetings will be recorded and made publicly available to all of our Contributors and the wider support. We will also shortly be holding our Annual Contributor Meeting with details to follow. Club 1872

Money. Obviously she sees a way to make money from us, it certainly will not be for the clubs benefit.

Napoli 0 - 1 Rangers FGS Wright

Rangers to share SPFL cinch deal concerns with rival clubs at Hampden summit next month Ibrox managing director Stewart Robertson has warned club's that SPFL legal bill could get close to seven figures. All 12 Scottish Premiership clubs are set for a Hampden summit next month to discuss the SPFL’s sponsorship row with Rangers. They’ll all meet at Hampden on Monday, 28 November after the Ibrox club requested a meeting to go over the events that led up to the governing body agreeing its title sponsorship with car company cinch last June, according to the Daily Mail. All of the country’s 42 professional clubs were warned by Gers managing director Stewart Robertson that the £150,000 of lawyers costs racked up by the dispute are likely to rise even higher. Robertson claimed that figure only covered the period leading up to the end of last season. The final bill is set to come out of SPFL income and that the total cost could be approaching seven figures should Rangers and Parks of Hamilton receive an apology from the SPFL and be awarded their own legal costs. The Light Blues claimed last season that they were unable to honour the agreement with cinch due to an existing agreement with Parks of Hamilton, owned by Rangers chairman Douglas Park, who are cinch competitors in the used car market. A revised deal with cinch was reached earlier this year, which meant that Rangers were no longer obligated to display cinch’s branding, which they have been refusing to do either inside their stadium or on their kit. TV interviews are conducted in front of a blank background. Gio van Bronckhorst famously appeared at Fir Park in front of a cinch branded backing board that had been taped over. Rangers have previously slammed the SPFL’s governance publicly. The Ibrox club wanted chief executive Neil Doncaster and chairman Murdoch MacLennan out. They claim they have been “fully vindicated” by events and will meet their 11 top flight rivals to share their concerns over the cinch deal, while the SPFL are also confident they have done no wrong, but are bound by confidentiality agreements. A number of clubs are understood to be angry at Rangers’ attempt to use their vote for the recent £30million Sky TV deal as leverage in an attempt to force the league governing body.

Pedro signed a few duds, Matondo is certainly every bit as poor.

Should McGregor have done better at the goal?

Cannot think of a worst 30 mins for a Rangers player in recent history. No ball control, cannae beat a man. Cannot believe we actually paid money for this guy.