ian1964

I don't know how to post links from newspapers so if someone could do that with Tom English's article on Dave King in Scotland on Sunday I'd be grateful. Here you go mate: By Tom English A YEAR ago, almost to the day, Dave King called a press conference at a posh Johannesburg country club and promised to lift the lid on those investigating him for tax avoidance. This session, he said, would be gloves-off and no-holds-barred. He was going to blast his accusers at the South African Revenue Service (SARS) right out of the water with proof of hypocrisy and cataclysmic errors. He said he was being bullied and likened them to a terrorist organisation. He was a wronged man and he was going to prove it. King delivered on his promise and dynamited SARS. And then the government responded. SARS issued a statement of eye-water ADVERTISEMENT ing intensity, levelling a bewildering series of counter-allegations. They accused him of fabricating and distorting facts. They said he was desperate because the authorities were closing in on him. They said he was not the victim he portrayed himself to be, rather a man who lied and lied about his tax affairs. And that was just for starters. "He attempts to erode the culture of growing tax compliance in South Africa," said the statement. Also: "He has acted fraudulently, evaded tax and lied about his income and profits generated since 1990." Next: "He faces a variety of very serious criminal charges. If convicted he could be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of no less than 15 years." And then: "This is the reason for his constant filibustering. The 322 charges include fraud, money laundering, racketeering and tax evasion for period 1990 to 2001 (and for non-rendition of tax returns for 2002 to 2005]." And if that wasn't enough: "Additional charges of fraud, forgery and/or corruption have been registered and are being investigated against King." He faces a bill of over 900m rand in personal tax and 1.4bn rand in business tax. Lumped together, it equates to more than Ã?£180m. SARS have a dossier on him numbering 200,000 pages and say they have up to100 witnesses for the prosecution. It is a story that has been rumbling for eight years. It has become an epic battle, the most bitter and, financially, the largest tax stand-off in the history of South Africa. It is not just about the money, it's personal. SARS and King have made it so. Last week, a source close to SARS told us that there is an icy determination to see this through. They also described as laughable the notion that King might stump up the millions required to take Rangers off Sir David Murray's hands. They say that it is not true that the government has seized King's passport, but it is true that they have frozen some of his assets. "If Mr King comes out now and suddenly produces tens of millions of pounds to buy a football club then SARS are going to be wondering where that money came from," said a source. "I can't see him doing it. It's just not going to happen." Little of this has been reported in Scotland. Sure, there have been things written about the 322 charges against him but the scale of the case against King has been played down and instead he has been depicted as a potential Rangers Messiah. The boy's own story has been trotted out. He's the son of a policeman who left for South Africa 30 years ago with just a few quid in his pocket. He's the Rangers supporter made good. Made very good, in fact. His business prowess brought him a fortune and a lifestyle that befitted one of South Africa's wealthiest people. He lives in the elite Sandhurst suburb of Johannesburg. He bought three houses there, razed them to the ground and then put a Ã?£7m mansion on the site. Outside the door is his Ferrari and other expensive vehicles. His wealth is estimated at Ã?£300m. A chunk of that wealth can be traced back to a windfall he made on a company called Specialised Outsourcing. In 1997, he sold his shareholding for 1.2bn rand, more than Ã?£110m. In 2000, an elderly SARS investigator called Charles Chipps was reading an article on King when he noticed a picture of the Glaswegian, taken at his plush Sandhurst home. Chipps spotted a painting by Irma Stern, the internationally recognised South African painter. The Stern painting, Chipps discovered, had been bought by King at auction for a record 1.76m rand or about Ã?£130,000. Chipps wondered how King could afford it given that he'd been claiming that his annual income was a fraction of what he'd given for the piece of art. In fact, King had applied to be deregistered for tax, such was the trifling amount he claimed he was earning. King was arrested in 2002 and soon he had 322 charges against his name. The Scot has stated that, yes, he does owe some tax and he's put a figure on it of just over Ã?£3m. He says he has offered to settle but that his approaches have been rebuked. SARS, he has said, are conducting a witch hunt against him. It has to be said that SARS are not exactly water-tight in their prosecution of such cases. There is a list of high fliers in the business world in South Africa who have come in for similar treatment – but arguably not as aggressive – as King has and some of the cases against some of these people just could not be proven. In May last year, SARS took a case to trial and lost it and in the summing-up the judge was heavily critical of their shoddy investigation. King claims that their work in investigating his affairs is every bit as slapdash. The hostility between SARS and King cranked up a level a year ago when the revenue service brought a new charge against him for allegedly attempting to bribe one of its committee members, a man called Leonard Radebe. "Our claim," said SARS spokesman, Adrian Lackay, " is that King submitted a fraudulent document to court, and tried to corrupt one of our general managers." The allegation is that King was willing to pay Radebe more than Ã?£1m to bring an end to the dispute. King's version is altogether different. He claims that Radebe approached him on behalf of SARS and that an offer was made of a full and final settlement in the region of Ã?£25m. If King handed over the money, all charges would be dropped. When Radebe's actions were discovered, he was suspended. King says that he thought Radebe was a credible representative of SARS, that he checked him out and believed him to be in a position of power to offer such a deal. The Scot was convinced that Radebe had a mandate to act. SARS counter that all the documentation was faked and there was corruption afoot. "It defies logic that I'd fight this for eight years and then resort to petty bribery," said King, later. SARS have had to go to the supreme court of appeal seven times since 2002 to fight King. "We have to follow the legal process to the letter," says Lackay. "This is the unique case of a very wealthy taxpayer who is able to frustrate this. But we have to apply the law equally to everyone." Judgment is pending on one of the cases against King, but trying to predict when all of this will finally be settled is an impossible business. King is convinced that he is being picked on and refuses to bow down in front of the authorities. SARS say that he amassed a fortune without adhering to the same tax rules as everybody else in South Africa. Neither of them look like they are going to back down, so a battle that has raged for many years already looks set to continue. And Rangers? Those at Ibrox would be better off looking elsewhere for a great redeemer. It would appear that King has his hands full elsewhere. http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/vb/showthread.php?t=14391

Aye but Monkeyheid says the refs are picking on poor wee Aiden

Noticed that myself mate......................what has happened ?, someone,anyone !!!

It's great to see the SHEEP getting humped any day,regardless of our result

Published on 1 Nov 2009 Talks have been held about inviting thousands of Rangers supporters to help fund a rescue package for the financially-stricken club. South Africa-based millionaire Dave King remains the leading contender to buy out current owner Sir David Murray, with his intentions expected to be revealed this month. Scotland-based businessmen Douglas Park and Paul Murray have also been linked to a joint bid with Mr King to rescue Rangers, who are Ã?£30million in debt, but no moves have yet been made. But the Sunday Herald can reveal that tentative talks have taken place involving parties interested in taking over Rangers about creating a revolutionised club answerable to "members", who would pay an annual fee on top of their season ticket costs. This is the successful and popular model of "social ownership" found at leading clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain. Essentially, this could be ââ?¬Ë?Plan Bââ?¬â?¢ if Mr King, or others, donââ?¬â?¢t emerge and firm up their interest in the club. The proposal would mean thousands of rank-and-file Rangers fans investing to lend financial muscle to some of the parties interested in taking Turn to page 2 Rangers out of the grip of Lloyds Banking Group, which has stepped in after the club fell into heavy debt under Sir David Murray. In return, the fans could have perhaps 33% or more of the shareholding as well as a couple of representatives on an entirely new board of directors. With money being poured in by thousands of fans, as per the Barcelona model, Rangers could become the first major members-owned club in British football, albeit that a handful of significant investors would have large individual stakes and would occupy some of the office-bearing positions. The extent of Rangersââ?¬â?¢ financial crisis was revealed last weekend when manager Walter Smith claimed the bank was running the club. Lloyds subsequently denied that but the bankââ?¬â?¢s interests are now represented on the board by new director Donald Muir. Rangers will not sign any new players in the January transfer window and may have to sell a senior one such as Steven Davis if Lloyds is determined to claw back Ã?£3m of the Ã?£30m owed to it. Sir David still owns 92% of the shareholding, but essentially Lloyds is dictating the terms of any eventual takeover. Mr King is uncomfortable about the current asking price and is now involved in a game of poker with the bank, which is believed to have been left reeling by the reaction from the Rangers support at large after our sister paper, The Herald, revealed the extent of their influence, the threat of administration and plans for swingeing cuts. Mr King is worth up to Ã?£300m but he is reluctant to meet the asking price of Ã?£1 for every Ã?£1 of debt ââ?¬â?? Lloyds is holding out for Ã?£30m ââ?¬â?? in the hope that it will eventually drop. Nothing will happen until Lloyds or Mr King change their stance. But if Mr King eventually walks away from a potential deal, others could step in and then ask fans to become fee-paying "members" in order to build a serious reserve of cash. The success of the venture would rely on the businessmen demonstrating that they were answerable to the fans who pay to become members. Fans spokesman David Edgar last night told the Sunday Herald that opening the club to ownership by members was an exciting, innovative idea. He claimed supporters would answer the call. "We have been exploring various avenues towards this with some of the potential investors," said Mr Edgar, of the Rangers Supporters Trust. "I think there is an interest and a desire in a sort of joint initiative, where you would have a major shareholder and also the fans playing a significant role in the club. I know this is something people are investigating. "Any new regime coming in has to understand that the fans do want to work with them. "But I would say that from the people we have been speaking to there are positive noises about that. "They understand that having the fans onside ââ?¬â?? via a membership scheme where people can invest and contribute to the football club, and have a say in the football club ââ?¬â?? works well abroad." Rangers fans could, for example, be asked to pay Ã?£1,000 each to become members, with payments spread over five years. At that level 30,000 fans buying membership would raise Ã?£30m. Sir David tried a share flotation in 2004, when Rangersââ?¬â?¢ debt soared to almost Ã?£74m, but it was snubbed by supporters. Of the Ã?£51m raised at the time, Sir David himself contributed Ã?£50m. "That was effectively a referendum on David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s performance," said Mr Edgar. "That was the fans saying ââ?¬Ë?you got us into this, you have to do something about itââ?¬â?¢. "If there was a new, dynamic, go-ahead regime coming into Rangers the fans would want to get involved and theyââ?¬â?¢d want to back it." Meanwhile, supporters upset by how Lloyds has introduced an unforgiving budgetary plan at Ibrox will protest with banners during todayââ?¬â?¢s SPL match against Dundee United at Tannadice. The banners will refer to new director Donald Muir as "the enemy within". http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/rangers-rescue-plan-b-ask-fans-to-help-buy-the-club-1.929642

Great to see the SHEEP getting humped

No, Paddy McCourts ****** army

mmmmmmmmmmmm, what's the score Jim ?,TWAT

HT - 2-0 Arsenal

Hypocrites !!!! Green Brigade vs. Hearts - 28/10/09 [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6UatxuYzqk&feature=related]YouTube - Green Brigade vs. Hearts - 28/10/09[/ame]

DUTD 1 Rangers 2 Boyd,Papac :spl:

No surprise there, if it was Algeria he was to be playing for he would be fit

Anybody tried to watch this yet ?, after I have watched something, Rangers v PSV & Lovenkrands interview, I'm then being asked to subscribe ????, I thought we had two weeks free ?????? Feckin shite, lying barstewards it's not two weeks free, you keep being asked to subscribe and when you decline it just goes onto some other shite

Already posted mate http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/vb/showthread.php?t=14377

It's no on yet !!!

Why ???................don't you believe Jeffries ??????????

No class...............nobody involve with that club has any class

The Rangers family????????????????, once a Ranger always a Ranger???????????????

After all, you would think, following the most turbulent week experienced at Ibrox since Mo Johnston turned up in a blue jersey 20 years ago, that the club was on its uppers and the bailiffs at the door. In fact Rangers' debt ââ?¬â?? even allowing for the absence of current trading figures ââ?¬â?? is only a fraction of their turnover. A large fraction, to be sure ââ?¬â?? somewhere between a third to a half of annual revenue ââ?¬â?? but where does that put the club? The answer is, on the one hand, well behind Celtic, whose near-elimination of the need for an overdraft suddenly looks a lot less like penny pinching and much more like prudent fiscal stewardship, as I am sure nobody will make a point of saying at the Parkhead annual general meeting today. Celtic might be a little more sombre about this season's home record, which was dented yet again on Wednesday, this time by Hearts. That would be Hearts who, like Kilmarnock ââ?¬â?? just to pluck another example from the SPL ââ?¬â?? are in hock to the tune of multiples of their turnover, something like three or four times what they can earn in a year. In fact, the last figures available for Hearts show that the Tynecastle club was Ã?£30.47 million in debt ââ?¬â?? and that was after a debt-for-equity transfer agreement with its parent company, UBIG, worth Ã?£22 million. Mind you, Vladimir Romanov was basically rearranging the piles of money he owed to himself, as Sir David Murray used to do at Ibrox when Rangers were much, much deeper in the red than they are now. Which brings us back to the basic question ââ?¬â?? why have Lloyds waded into a situation which invites exactly the sort of adverse publicity ââ?¬â?? reaction from angry supporters ââ?¬â?? that sober-sided financial institutions traditionally shun? Well, you and I are partly responsible, assuming that we are both UK taxpayers. We own 43 per cent of the bank, which has cost us a tidy Ã?£17 billion. Lloyds has actually repaid Ã?£3 billion, but may need another Ã?£25 billion, which would involve a rights issue ââ?¬â?? the same wheeze Murray used to reduce Rangers' debt when it went stratospheric a few years ago. Why does Lloyds need more money? To keep it out of the government's toxic debt insurance scheme. Wot's dat, you ask. It's a plan to make the biggest banks identify their stinky loans, so that a safety net can be set up in case all the bad debt falls due at once, causing another economic crisis, exactly like the one we just had. And why does Lloyds not want to be insured against its rubbish debts? At this stage, I must turn the issue over to our esteemed colleagues on the business pages ââ?¬â?? or Bremner, Bird & Fortune. But the upshot is that Lloyds' banking hit-teams have been crawling over the accounts of everybody who owes them a rusty penny. Rangers, as I say, are not particularly culpable in this respect, but nor are the very many businesses who have been shell-shocked by the bank's urgency to claw back whatever cash in hand might be available and hawk off anything else that might raise a quid or two. One Scottish newspaper this week asked if Rangers have breached the terms of the club's banking covenants. A leading Scottish entrepreneur provided this column with the answer when he said: "The bank has come into hundreds ââ?¬â?? maybe thousands ââ?¬â?? of boardrooms, looked at the books, ripped up the existing covenants and slapped down new pieces of paper with very tough demands on them. It's not just Rangers." No, it's not. Murray's stake in Rangers is operated through Murray International Holdings. Four years ago, MIH funded its biggest ever period of growth with bank loans of over Ã?£500 million ââ?¬â?? but, hey, turnover was Ã?£600 million and the good times were rolling. At the last publicly available count, MIH owed Ã?£751 million, ââ?¬â?? some observers believe the next figures will be even higher ââ?¬â?? but the turnover was down and the profit negligible. So what are the options for Rangers now? A prospective owner (or owners) could buy Murray out and service the debt ââ?¬â?? or even increase it, as the Glazers have done at Manchester United. Or the new owner could acquire Murray's stock and pay off the overdraft. There are other options, too, but whatever happens, there is a complex web of relationships to unravel ââ?¬â?? Lloyds own a stake in MIH, for example. As for who runs the club, the bank is, of course, correct to say that it is not in the business of conducting the day-to-day affairs of the business it funds. But hard-nosed interrogations about business plans, turnover and cash flow have become routine in boardrooms, as have heated exchanges with the bank's representatives about how companies are supposed to conduct their business under such pressure. Rangers have not been an exception. If you doubt that, consider the utterances of another bloke called Johnston who arrived at Ibrox with a fanfare last month. Alastair Johnston, the new chairman, said: "I want to give the current management team new contracts. That is not reliant on outside finance." Then he added: "We are not run and operated by the bank but we do rely on the bank for finance. If Rangers were run by the bank, I would not be here." Uh, OK. Which leaves us with one other keynote statement from the incoming chairman, one in which he set out how the club would identify a suitable buyer. I leave you to judge it for yourself. "Rangers are going to do this in the manner you would expect of ââ?¬â?? Rangers; subtly and with class and without putting ourselves up for sale. I'm not interested in bottom feeders." How Smith managed the news One reads that Walter Smith has been, according to your pundit of choice, ââ?¬Å?embarrassedââ?¬â?¢Ã¢â?¬â?¢, ââ?¬Å?incensedââ?¬â?¢Ã¢â?¬â?¢ or ââ?¬Å?humiliatedââ?¬â?¢Ã¢â?¬â?¢ by Lloyds Bank issuing a statement to say that they do not run Rangers, after the Ibrox manager declared on Saturday that they did. Well, Walter might have been all of those things, but surely that was last week, when Unirea thumped Rangers 4-1 in what, by common consent, was the worst European result in the clubââ?¬â?¢s history. You remember ââ?¬â?? the Champions League game after which the incandescent punters roaming the streets outside the stadium jostled to deliver their verdicts to the TV news cameras. Much of the footage, being couched in terms of extreme profanity, could not be used. However, the gist of what was salvageable was clear enough ââ?¬â?? ââ?¬Å?Smith must go! Now!ââ?¬Â Four days later the manager issued his state of the nation address about the plight of the club, taking care to issue separate briefings to Sunday newspapers, the dailies and the broadcast media. At once the phone-ins and online chat rooms were deluged with messages of support from Rangers fans standing four-square with the gaffer. I do not know whether this qualifies him for the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism, but for services to the entertainment industry one might suggest another accolade. Arise, Sir Walter! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/scottishpremier/rangers/6463025/Rangers-debt-is-only-a-fraction-of-their-turnover-so-why-is-there-all-this-fuss.html

How come McGready & Broon are worth a combined �£12m yet our Northern Ireland Captain is only worth �£3m ?????, if he wants to spend �£6m each for they two chunts, then he can pay �£6m for Davis.

Here we go again!!! by Matthew Lindsay FORMER Rangers boss Alex McLeish is lining up a �£3million bid to lure Ibrox midfielder Steven Davis to Birmingham City in the January transfer window. And if no new buyer is found for the crisis-hit Gers soon then McLeish, who has also been linked with moves for Celtic duo Scott Brown and Aiden McGeady, will definitely get his man. McLeish has been handed a bumper �£40m war chest by new Birmingham owner Carson Yeung in order to safeguard the St Andrews club's place in the lucrative Barclays Premier League. And Big Eck has identified Northern Ireland captain Davis as the perfect man to help boost his promoted team's bid for top-flight survival down in England. advertisement The Scot would like to reunite Davis with Barry Ferguson - the pair teamed up last season as Rangers landed the Scottish title - in the Birmingham boiler room. He would like them to replace his ageing duo Lee Bowyer and Lee Carsley. Despite claims that Lloyds Bank is not, as manager Walter Smith has suggested, running Rangers, no denial has been made of reports the entire first-team squad at Ibrox will be put up for sale if no new owner is found. And unless South Africa-based Scottish multi-millionaire Dave King, or another interested party, can seize control then Davis will go as part of a bid to drive down debts that are estimated at �£30 million. Former Aston Villa man Davis signed for Rangers from Fulham for �£3m at the start of last season after a successful loan spell in Glasgow. But Rangers could be forced to sell one of their prized assets to make a payment on their crippling debt unless a new investor rides to their rescue. Despite a spate of injuries at the moment, Gers manager Smith is well covered in Davis's position with Maurice Edu, Pedro Mendes and Kevin Thomson all at his disposal. McLeish is also reported to be eyeing a double raid on Celtic for Scotland central midfielder Brown and Republic of Ireland winger Aiden McGeady in the January transfer window for a joint fee of around �£12 million. Elsewhere, Smith has had his spirits lifted as he prepares for a difficult away game at Dundee United on Sunday with the return of Kirk Broadfoot to first-team training at Murray Park. The full-back cum centre-half has been sidelined with a foot injury since the League Cup Final against Celtic last March. His fellow long-term-crock Edu is set to join him in training next week. Rangers Player of the Year Madjid Bougherra will not be involved on Sunday, but could come back in the Champions League rematch with Unirea Urziceni in Romania on Wednesday. Lee McCulloch, who sustained a thigh injury in the 1-1 draw against Hibs last Saturday, is also making good progress. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/display.var.2533621.0.0.php

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan says Marlon King will never play for the club again after he was jailed for 18 months. The striker, 29, was found guilty of sexual assault and actual bodily harm after he had been "cold-shouldered" by a female student in a London nightclub. The incident occurred last December while he was on loan at Hull. Whelan told BBC Radio 5 live: "We will now be in the process of severing his contract. To say the least I am really, really disappointed." Whelan, who only learned on Tuesday that King was on trial at Southwark Crown Court, must follow Premier League rules and pay the player's wages for 14 days before terminating his contract. The Latics chairman went on: "It's really upsetting and it just sets such a bad example for any youngster coming through who wants to be a professional footballer. "He was on loan at the time to Hull City but I don't blame Hull City. Marlon King has got to accept full responsibility for this." After groping and punching his victim at the Soho Revue Bar, breaking her nose, King briefly returned to Hull before spending a subsequent spell on loan at Middlesbrough in January. The father of three, born in Dulwich, south London, finally made his way back to Wigan in the summer, but is now left without a club. In 2002 King, who lives in Hertfordshire, served five months of a two-year prison sentence for handling a stolen car before being released on appeal. A year later, he was convicted for common assault on two women he chased through London with a belt wrapped round his fist. And in 2006 he was convicted of threatening behaviour after slapping another woman and then spitting at her when police arrived. Whelan explained how King had kept the club in the dark about the most recent, and most severe misdemeanour. "It's been kept quite secret by the player. We knew he did something but we didn't know exactly what it was. When you read how serious it was, I mean striking a girl and breaking her nose and messing about like that, we didn't realise the severity of what was happening here. Marlon King The jury returned a 10-2 majority guilty verdict against King "We knew he'd been charged with something but I was shocked by what he had actually done and I was shocked by the sentence. But if he deserves it then he's got to do it. "I sat down with Marlon at the start of the season and said 'Marlon, if you want to play for Wigan Athletic you've got to settle down, train hard and go on the field and give your best.' "He never mentioned anything about this case and he promised me that he was going to train hard and he actually has trained hard, I have to say that. "Once he's served his sentence, if he manages to get back into football, so be it, but he will never pull on the shirt of Wigan Athletic again." However, King's agent Tony Finnegan, the former Crystal Palace pro, said the player was certain to find employment with another club after serving his sentence. Finnegan told BBC Radio 5 live: "He has rights as a professional athlete. When you are a footballer you want to play football. Let's say he does his time and comes out afterwards. Do you expect him to work for McDonalds? Someone - you trust me on this - will sign him to score goals King's agent Tony Finnigan "Let's say he does his time and comes out afterwards. Do you expect him to work for McDonald's? Someone - you trust me on this - will sign him to score goals, because that's what he does best. "He'll be devastated sitting in a cell with someone tonight. This ain't a movie, this is real life. No-one expected this." Chris Powell, chairman of the Professional Footballers Association, told the BBC: "There is a process and Dave Whelan has made it clear that is a process he will follow, in that Marlon will be given formally 14 days' notice. "Like any other player he will be given the right of appeal. The grounds Wigan will probably be pursuing is bringing the club into disrepute and gross misconduct, and I think that will be seen to be the case." Bobby Barnes, deputy chief executive of the PFA, added: "The clubs rules would say that this constitutes gross misconduct. "He's been convicted of a criminal offence and most right-minded people would find it difficult not to constitute that as gross misconduct so I think they would be on firm ground to make that decision." King, a Jamaica international, started his professional career with Barnet, before moving to Gillingham. He next signed for Nottingham Forest, who briefly loaned him out to Leeds United, before making his Premier League debut with Watford in the 2006-07 season. In January 2008, he made his move to Wigan for an initial �£3m on a three-and-a-half year contract with a �£40,000-a-week salary. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/8332728.stm

Go on then Jeffries, show everybody how much '' the Old Firm are under threat '', Killie will win tomorrow then ?.

Yes, the gap seems to be closing between Rangers, C****c & the rest of the other SPL teams, but that is due to the fact that Rangers & C****c are getting worse rather than the other teams are getting better.

I don't think he will walk away just now,although wouldn't blame him,he could be asked to leave, but even that I can't see happening until this mess gets sorted,if it ever does get sorted, but no I don't think he'll wlak