ian1964

Do you ever have anything positive to say

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssss!!!!

Spoil sport

Exclusive By Darryl Broadfoot WALTER SMITH has reacted furiously to the Lloyds Banking Group statement released yesterday that implies the Rangers' manager lied about the bank's control of the club. The Evening Times understands Smith was apoplectic at the wording of the bank's response to our exclusive revelations yesterday. They outlined the critical condition of the club, the growing influence of the bank in its affairs and the split that has emerged within the boardroom. advertisement Smith feels he has now been left in an impossible position and conveyed his deep unhappiness to the hierarchy. Indeed, he is now so fed-up with the internal politics and deception at play he could leave as soon as a new owner is found, even if it means leaving before the end of the season or before his contract ends in January. He has also received the unanimous support of the fans after Lloyds statement elicited an angry response across fans' websites and phone-ins. The statement, released last night, included the incendiary phrase: "Given the recent press coverage, we would therefore like to be clear Rangers FC is neither operated nor run by Lloyds Banking Group." Smith, 61, is so disenchanted with life at Ibrox he felt compelled to speak out publicly after the 1-1 draw against Hibernian on Saturday. In a further twist, the Evening Times understands chief executive Martin Bain will not walk away from the club despite growing speculation the bank is keen to remove the man who has steadfastly refused to agree with the swingeing programme of cuts mooted at the last board meeting. Gordon McKie, the chief executive of the Scottish Rugby Union, has been linked as a possible replacement but if Bain is sacked, he will be followed out the door by Smith and Alastair Johnston, the chairman, in protest at the bank's decision. This would effectively leave Donald Muir, the Lloyds-employed turnaround specialist appointed to the board, as the man effectively in charge of the club, which is around �£30m in debt. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/display.var.2533280.0.0.php

DAVID Murray jnr last night insisted his father's company are still in charge of operations at Rangers and claimed "frustration" prompted Walter Smith's observation that Lloyds Banking Group are now running the financially-troubled Ibrox club. Smith yesterday refused to elaborate on his weekend comments, the manager even threatening to walk out of his broadcast media conference at Murray Park unless questions were restricted to tonight's Co-operative Insurance Cup quarter-final against Dundee at Dens Park. Lloyds later issued a statement denying they are in control of Rangers, who are currently �£30 million in debt, and firmly refuting one newspaper report which stated they had forced Sir David Murray's decision to step down as chairman of the club in August this year. Murray's son, managing director of the Murray Capital investment arm of Murray International Holdings who own almost 90 per cent of Rangers, told The Scotsman the club and Lloyds Banking Group are united in their search for a new owner. "The bank are going to continue to support the club until such time as we find somebody to buy the club," said Murray. "That is what we are trying to do. What they are trying to get towards is a sustainable business plan and so are we, if we can find someone who wants to buy the club. We have said that for a long time. Walter's comment came from a little bit of frustration. "My father doesn't have anything to add to what has been said. As we stand, there are no firm offers for the club. It is business as normal." In their most recent accounts, Murray International had a net debt of �£760 million, of which �£704 million was from bank loans, with �£432 million payable within one to two years. Lloyds now own an 11.4 per cent stake in Murray International, but Murray jnr says that has no bearing on the situation at Rangers. "They are separate issues," he added. "This is a separate matter to do with Rangers, there is nothing to say at this stage about Murray International. There is no direct correlation." Speculation surrounding the level of influence of Lloyds Banking Group at the club has been intense since the appointment of Donald Muir, a 50-year-old "business transformation specialist", as their representative on the Ibrox board of directors. Among Muir's assignments during the current recession was the rescue of the Northern Rock building society. But a Lloyds spokesman again insisted yesterday that they are working in tandem with the existing Rangers management team, rather than directing operations. "Lloyds Banking Group is a bank which provides finance to many companies and households across the country," said the spokesman. "Our interest is in helping those customers grow and prosper. We do not run or manage the companies that we bank. That is, quite properly, the responsibility of the management. "Given the recent press coverage, we would therefore like to be clear that Rangers FC is neither operated or run by Lloyds Banking Group. We would also like to be clear that Sir David Murray's decision to step down as Chairman was a personal decision and not at the behest of Lloyds Banking Group. "The Board of Rangers FC is developing and implementing a sustainable business plan and we have agreed to support this plan. The Group is aware of the unique position that football occupies across many Scottish communities and has been working with Scottish football clubs, including Rangers, for many years." But Smith's appreciation of the circumstances he is working under at Rangers, where he has been unable to buy a player since August 2008 and forced to radically cut the size of his squad, make it plain his concerns are valid. Clearly mindful of the reaction provoked by his weekend comments, Smith was unwilling to engage in further discussion on the issue with the media yesterday. "They (the club] issued a statement and that's it," was his response to the opening question on the financial position. The next enquiry received a similar answer, Smith saying: "I said the club issued a statement last night and that's it as far as I'm concerned, that is it finished with." He did, however, stress again that the speculation surrounding the club and the future of both its management and playing staff, is having an impact. "If there is a level of negativity around the place, it affects everyone, not just the players," he said. "The thing that we have to concentrate on is the results of the games. "We had an extremely poor result in the Champions League last week and we had a decent game with Hibs, and both teams deserve a bit of credit for the way they played. "Now we have a difficult cup tie coming up and, while there may be levels of negativity around the place, we don't and can't allow it to affect us. You've got to overcome that aspect of it." http://sport.scotsman.com/sport/Rangers-still-being-run-by.5767861.jp

HE is the prophet who was depicted as a pariah. Yesterday, as the extent of Rangersââ?¬â?¢ financial frailties and boardroom politics were graphically exposed in these pages, the warnings of Hugh Adam, the former chairman and managing director of Rangers Development, were re-released for public consumption. The man who brought Ã?£18m of new investment to the club through the Rangers Pools since 1971 ââ?¬â?? that equates to around Ã?£70m in todayââ?¬â?¢s money ââ?¬â?? has been a consistent, if reluctant, critic of Sir David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s bold business strategy. Seven years ago, Adam sounded a dire warning that raised questions over the very existence of one of Scottish footballââ?¬â?¢s ââ?¬â?? and Scottish societyââ?¬â?¢s ââ?¬â?? apparently indestructible institutions. He did so while unloading 
his 59,000 shares in the club, on 
the basis that, under Murrayââ?¬â?¢s methods, they were heading towards worthlessness. As Rangersââ?¬â?¢ debts mounted at the height of the excess of the Dick Advocaat era, Adam described bankruptcy as ââ?¬Å?the logical conclusionââ?¬Â for a team in financial free-fall. ââ?¬Å?The banks are well-known for being a bit more tolerant of companies whose core business is a popular pursuit like football but there is a limit to how far backwards they can bend to accommodate you,ââ?¬Â he said back then, not quite to universal approval. His stance was ridiculed by some within Ibrox as the haverings of a bitter and doddery former director, while his decision to sell his shares and spill the beans in public was regarded as treasonable among Murrayââ?¬â?¢s most fervent supporters. Seven years on, and in spite of Murray dipping in to his funds to take a massive bite out of the clubââ?¬â?¢s debts a few years ago, Adamââ?¬â?¢s predictions have gained a new-found credibility since Lloyds Banking Group began to exert significantly greater pressure on the club to recoup the current Ã?£30m overdraft. Yesterday, from his home in Burnbank, Lanarkshire, the 
84-year-old stressed that he derived no satisfaction from this belated vindication and instead spoke with sadness at Rangersââ?¬â?¢, and Murrayââ?¬â?¢s, plight. He remained adamant, though, that Rangersââ?¬â?¢ perilous position is not simply as a consequence of the depressed football climate. ââ?¬Å?When I made those comments seven years ago I was ridiculed by some,ââ?¬Â said Adam. ââ?¬Å?We [David Murray and he] got on fine in the beginning, but, with David, it gets to the stage that if you do not agree with him he casts you aside. ââ?¬Å?I did not agree with the way 
he operated and I told him that. 
It doesnââ?¬â?¢t give me any satisfaction to see the situation as it is but I did raise concerns at the time and was ridiculed for raising them.ââ?¬Â Yesterday, the Lloyds Banking Group released a statement stressing they were not in control of the club, despite Walter Smith, the increasingly exasperated manager, stating categorically that they were. Adam believes the entrepreneurial instincts that served Murray well, both in the salad days of his steel empire and as the driving force of the Rangers revolution, ultimately became his undoing. ââ?¬Å?David was a salesman, a super-salesman. I have enormous respect for him for the adversity he overcame but when I would express my concerns to him ââ?¬â?? as I did various times ââ?¬â?? he would nod, but I knew he wasnââ?¬â?¢t listening to me. He was entitled to ignore me but I wasnââ?¬â?¢t for sitting about like a dummy.ââ?¬Â Adam is keen to ensure that his updated remarks are not viewed as
a gleeful ââ?¬Ë?I told you soââ?¬â?¢ at a vulnerable former chairman. If anything, he believes that Murray deserves to leave with a fanfare and not a whimper after 20 years in control and having financed the nine in a row era and a bold ââ?¬â?? if, in retrospect, ill-advised ââ?¬â?? assault on sustained Champions League credibility. Rangersââ?¬â?¢ new challenge ââ?¬â?? along with the bank ââ?¬â?? is to attract a new buyer. Adam is not convinced that Dave King, the South Africa-based businessmen, is a certainty to throw his undisclosed wealth down Scottish footballââ?¬â?¢s black hole. ââ?¬Å?Even if I had the money I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t buy Rangers just now. Would you?ââ?¬Â he asks. ââ?¬Å?If anything, I would rather buy Celtic now because they are run more prudently by good, strong people. Television revenue is not going to increase, fans are not buying into it any more and there is no prospect of England on the horizon. For guys like Abramovich at Chelsea, the television money is there, while his own commitment is relatively loose change.ââ?¬Â ââ?¬Å?I am 84, so it is a bit late in the day for me to come up with a business plan but what I would do is lobby the Dutch, Portuguese and Scandinavians regularly to champion the cause for an Atlantic League.ââ?¬Â Adamââ?¬â?¢s warnings from seven years ago now command greater credibility than that fabled competition. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/interview-hugh-adam-seven-years-after-sounding-a-dire-warning-over-rangers-future-1.928796

Because they don't have SDM running them

It was a poor result yes, but I thought we were unlucky not to win the game, we played well and created enough chances to win the game.If we can keep playing like that then I will be more optimistic for the season ahead.

That's what I was thinking BD, �£30m doesn't seem that bad when you look at it like that

If the club went into administration, will we also get points deducted ?????

Just seen it so thought I'd post it

Martin Bain will today be replaced as CEO of Rangers by Scottish Rugby Union chief Gordon McKie. It appears that the Lloyds Banking Group, who are looking to make further savings across the business, have realised that Bain's exorbitant �£650,000 annual salary is not good value for money, something many supporters have thought for a long time. It appears Walter Smith's quotes about the bank running the club was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the upcoming changes at the club. As we reported earlier, several reliable sources seem certain that current shareholder Dave King will launch a take-over bid as early as this week, with rumours of a meeting between the club and an interested party holding talks on Tuesday doing the rounds. Keep it on Vital Rangers and the Vital Rangers forums for all the latest information. http://www.rangers.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=516474

Aye...........very good chico.............but who actually gives a fuck about the MOPES????

RANGERS manager Walter Smith last night admitted bankers are now running the club as the full extent of its financial predicament began to career into view. Donald Muir's appointment to the club's board as a non-executive director at the behest of HBOS, now owned by Lloyds Banking Group, nine days ago appears to have been the point when control of Rangers' affairs was removed from the club's hands. Muir is a specialist in assisting ailing companies and officially joined the Rangers board to help them in their "strategic business interests". Both chairman Alastair Johnston and chief executive Martin Bain had previously denied the banks were closing in since owner David Murray stepped down as chairman on 26 August, but Smith spoke freely last night of the new reality he described as "obvious to everyone". It comes at the end of a week in which Murray's company, Murray International Holdings, announced it would be delaying publishing of its accounts for six months. This has been interpreted by some in the business community as a step taken to prevent scrutiny of just how incapable it is of propping up Rangers with the club's debts rising above the Ã?£30 million mark. And it comes at the end of a week in which Rangers suffered their most humiliating defeat in 53 years competing in Europe with their 4-1 thumping by Romanians Unirea Urziceni in the Champions League "As far as I am aware that is the situation," said Smith when asked about reports the bank was in control of the club at his post-match conference following his side's 1-1 draw with Hibernian. "David Murray stepped down and they've placed a representative of the bank on the board. "It is obviously not a good situation. It is not a situation anybody wants the club to be in. It's been up for sale for a while. It's not the bank's fault. If the bank had to take over in the circumstances they have, they are not going to invest in a football club. I think Rangers have been fairly honest about their situation. The players at the club have been on sale since January. We haven't bought a player for... in this transfer window, that will be 18 months. I'm very surprised anyone can't work out the situation. These circumstances have been here for quite a while now. And, despite some headlines, I've never complained about it and I'm not complaining about it now. I'm just saying it is a fact, and a fact of life that a lot of companies throughout the world are having a struggle at the present minute. When David Murray stepped away from the club I felt that was a bad thing for Rangers in the sense that he's tried as hard as he could over 20 years to invest in the club. Now we don't have that situation. So the quicker that gets cleared up, the better it will be." It is Murray who is responsible for running up liabilities he patently now cannot meet ââ?¬â?? a fact some have blamed on the economic downturn. Yet there were plenty of alarm bells when he allowed Smith to become the country's biggest spending manager on his return in 2007, before reacting to the 2008 Champions League qualifying exit by sanctioning an Ã?£8m spend on players that produced a Ã?£3m "hole" in the club's budget that effectively led to the entire squad being put up for sale only six months later. The club has, in effect, been for sale for four years but despite a number of reports of potential buyers, none has been found. Yesterday there were suggestions that board member Dave King, who invested Ã?£25m in the club in 2000, and another unnamed group were considering lodging an offer within the week but these were dismissed by sources at the club. Smith said he was unaware of any possible sale. "I'm not involved in that aspect, you'd need to ask others if there was anything like that," he said. The implications for Smith's bid to retain the title will only emerge over time, but the fact the bankers have decided to exert control can only increase the likelihood there will be a demand for Rangers to cash in on Madjid Bougherra, their most valuable playing asset, in January. Already, with injuries to the Algerian and to Pedro Mendes, Kevin Thomson and Lee McCulloch, who came off yesterday, Rangers are running low on senior players. Smith conceded this was a process that was likely to accelerate and could only be offset by promoting from within. "It is maybe not the proper time to be blooding these boys (such as Andrew Little and Danny Wilson] but I don't think we are going to have much option shortly," said Smith. Rangers' financial meltdown must also place question marks against Smith's own future. His present contract expires in only eight weeks, as does that of assistant Ally McCoist and first-team coach Kenny McDowall. As yet the three have not been offered extensions. However, it is believed that if a new buyer was found that wanted to retain his services he would be keen on staying. Failure to see eye-to-eye with new regime has Smith talking himself towards exit door LONG-suffering Rangers fans are seeing their beloved club up for sale and seemingly rudderless, with Sir David Murray gone from the scene and a chairman who resides in the USA. Now they may be about to lose their talismanic manager. Walter Smith may even be gone in the next week or two, after his comments last night which confirmed that he has no money to spend and no control over the purse strings at Ibrox. Instead, the bankers have taken over. In the world of football finance, banks do not expose themselves to customer dissatisfaction by placing directors on a board ââ?¬â?? new director Donald Muir has no formal links to Lloyds Banking Group, for instance. They do not need to do that. Lloyds ââ?¬â?? a group which has no great track record in football sponsorship ââ?¬â?? simply dictates how Rangers spend the bank's money. Or in this case, not spend it. And it is Lloyds' money that Rangers spend. When it took over the crippled HBOS, it inherited Rangers' debts, probably north of Ã?£30 million, and any potential buyer will be saddled with that debt right away. With the benefit of hindsight, everyone who thought the Murray era would end sweetly and that there would be a swift transfer to a rich new owner was looking at the situation through rose-tinted glasses. When a businessman as powerful as Murray moves out of any company, the reverberations are long and loud and highly transformational. Lots of players have gone as a side-effect of Murray's withdrawal. Now it may be Smith's turn. There is more than one coat on a shoogly nail at Ibrox. Persistent rumours have surrounded chief executive Martin Bain, with Gordon McKie, chief executive of the Scottish Rugby Union, touted as a possible replacement should Bain, too, decide that the end of the Murray era is time to pursue new opportunities. But Smith's departure would be colossal for the club. Alex McLeish admitted he left Ibrox in 2006 because Sir David Murray would not fund new signings. So could Smith do a McLeish? The trouble for Smith is that he eats, breathes and sleeps Rangers. Cut him and he would bleed royal blue. But how long can he go on in the humiliating position for a Rangers manager of not being able to decide who he can buy and sell? How long will a proud man take being told what to do by a bank manager? Smith may even now be planning his exit strategy ââ?¬â?? a term financiers understand ââ?¬â?? and indeed, it may even be under way. Or else why speak out as he did last night? The fans, who are always kept in the dark, may like to ask other questions. Exactly who is in the frame to buy Rangers? If there are no buyers, what happens next? What support will Lloyds continue to give? Will there be money to buy the new players the club desperately needs? It should make for an interesting AGM, and this time no one can call for Murray to go, because he already has. http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport/Uncertainty-grips-Ibrox.5764251.jp

No for me,at this moment in time I think that would just make things worse, as I've already said if the club gets sold and we get some investment then a new manager would be looked at.

WALTER SMITH was wrong when he said that Scottish football is dying. You'd get a death certificate for it right now. Still, I know what he meant. There's more pain to come before we hit the bottom. By that time the national side will be seeded in pot four for major competitions and the Old Firm, denied automatic entry to the Champions League, won't be good enough to negotiate the qualifiers. That, my friends, is what awaits us. We'll be rubbing shoulder with San Marino and the Faroes before long. Let's take the Old Firm first before we get to the real dross. I wasn't shocked by Rangers' drubbing against Unirea, just saddened. The speed of the Ibrox club's demise has been frightening. From Gascoigne, Laudrup and De Boer to the abject poverty of the current side seems to have taken five minutes. Smith will have to carry the can for this latest embarrassment and that's the way it should be in this business. The Rangers gaffer knew what he was getting in to when he answered Sir David Murray's distress call, although God only knows why he retraced his steps. Those now demanding his removal are entitled to be heard, they pay good money into the club, but they should think this through. Without Smith's contribution recently there's every chance Rangers would have gone bust. As the London bankers continue to call the shots on Edmiston Drive ask yourself this. Where would the club be without the �£10million guarantee from this season's Champions League or the money banked from the run to the UEFA Cup Final? In the grubber, that's where. Along the way he's lost what little quality he had as Alan Hutton, Carlos Cuellar and Barry Ferguson, left, were all punted to help prop up the balance sheet, yet somehow he outwitted Gordon Strachan to land the title last summer. Smith will take no consolation from Celtic's woeful Europa League campaign. He and Tony Mowbray are both in the same place. By Friday it was Mowbray's turn to feel the heat after Hamburg exposed the deficiencies in his team. Mowbray must be asking himself why he left West Brom for a set-up that's in freefall. Still, the humbling of the big two has given the anti-Old Firm brigade a good giggle. At this rate we'll have to listen to the sniggering for some time. One scribe wrote that he wouldn't open the curtains if the Old Firm were playing in his back garden and he's probably right but if the Glasgow pair are really so bad where does that leave the other SPL clubs? You know who I mean, the clubs who organise an open-top bus parade every time they beat the Old Firm but who can't mount a real challenge for five minutes. Much was made of Unirea's modest resources, coming from a town of just 17,000 people, which begs one obvious question. If a two-bob outfit can finish ahead of Steaua Bucharest to win the title in Romania why can't anyone in the SPL give the Old Firm a run for their money? They're on their knees for heaven's sake. Is there any chance these super young SPL coaches we keep hearing about might put the frighteners up the Glasgow boys? A good look in the mirror wouldn't do the rest of the SPL any harm. It's 25 years since the championship flag flew outside of Glasgow. Pathetic. Let's not forget the humiliations of earlier this season. Aberdeen battered by Sigma Olomouc, Falkirk pumped in Liechtenstein and Motherwell losing at home to the Llanelli male voice choir. What little is left of our co-efficient ranking was earned by the Old Firm. Both clubs made it to the UEFA Cup Final, both reached the last 16 of the Champions League. Meanwhile our other Euro entrants were running up the white flag. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/scottish/scottish_sport/565521/Rangers-boss-knows-the-game-in-Scotland-cant-survive-as-it-stands.html

IBROX manager Walter Smith last night admitted: "The banks are running Rangers." Smith finally spoke out as reports spread that the club will be sold in the next week. Rangers quickly denied that such an immediate sale was likely but they didn't reject the claim that a sale IS on the horizon. The appointment of Donald Muir as a non-executive director of the club in a low-key announcement made nine days ago is seen as the key to recent developments at the club following Sir David Murray's decision to step down at the end of August. After the draw with Hibs Smith said: "As far as I'm aware the bank is running the club. David Murray stood down and I felt at the time that would be a bad thing for the club. "He tried for 20 years to invest in the club. Since then there's been a representative of the bank on the board. Obviously it's not a good situation and it's not one that anyone wants the club to be in. "The club has been up for sale for a while and if a bank has to take over it's not going to invest in a football club. "I think Rangers have been honest about the situation. "The players have been up for sale since January and we haven't bought a player in the transfer window. I'm not complaining about it. It's a fact of life. There are a lot of companies struggling in the present market but obviously the quicker this is cleared up the better it will be for Rangers. "At the moment it's just a case of trying to get through it and hoping that things will change sooner rather than later." Mystery man Muir, 50, is described as a lifelong Gers fan whose role will to 'assist the club in meeting its strategic business objectives'. Smith's outspoken comments overshadowed an excellent match with Hibs, the result of which means Celtic will return to the top of the SPL if they win at Hamilton today. Kris Boyd put Rangers in front early on but Anthony Stokes fired a deserved leveller for the visitors after the interval. Hibs boss John Hughes revealed player power forced him into playing a positive formation. He said: "We had a chat on Friday morning and the players said they wanted a formation like the one we used. "They all wanted to come here and have a go. I've described Anthony Stokes as a maverick and I think his goal demonstrated that. The way he juggled the ball before scoring was terrific but he should have shot later on because it was his kind of position." Stokes revealed: "We told the gaffer we didn't think there was much point coming here and trying to get men behind the ball. We gave them a good game and were maybe unlucky we didn't get more out of it. "I thought I took a good second touch at the goal but by the time of the second chance there wasn't much left in the tank. "Both teams played some good football and that's what fans want. You don't want them coming to games and watching boring football. "It's the same for players. If you're just getting men behind the ball, it's not enjoyable to play in. You have to come here believing you're good enough to get a result or you're going to end up losing by four or five goals and we don't want to go back to those days. We are disappointed at only getting a draw at Ibrox, which tells its own story about just how we are making progress." Rangers winger Stevie Naismith said: "In any home game you look upon it as two points dropped but to be fair we played much better today than we have of late. After Tuesday, when we couldn't string two passes together and we ended up getting a bit of a thrashing, we needed to show a lot of improvement. "With the number of chances we had, we should have won the game but credit to Hibs. "They play good football, they are prepared to have a go and in John Hughes they have a good manager." http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/scottish/scottish_sport/566751/Walter-Smith-has-revealed-depth-of-the-financial-crisis-at-Ibrox.html

Aye and no , seriously Gribz the club is in such a mess that I am reluctant to say Aye he should go because I can't think of anyone that would want to come in and manage Rangers at this precise time so on that basis I would say no. If we were to have some knight in shining armour come in and buy the club,which isn't going to happen,and produce some serious cash for a new manager then yes. There is of course the possibility that a new manager would come in and get a reaction from the players, but TBH, I still think Walter Smith will win the title for us this season,mainly due to the fact that C****c are worse than us and all the other teams in the SPL will not push either of us for the title despite all the shit you here in the mhedia

I'm one of the few on here that are '' accepting this result '', because that was the result, and yes it was a good game to watch, but I'm not happy with the result

On Frankies behalf, what is it you drink

Agreed, out of all the names being put forward by Rangers fans Levein is possibly the worst, the man has done absolutely zero and is a Rangers hater,why would any sane Rangers fan even consider this clown to manage Rangers FC ????

Anyone else hear the Hamburg fans singing '' the famine song '' ?

Lot of BOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSS there from TGFITW

Ours was a CL game though

Caldwell diving as well now..............cheating MOPES