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.........and steer club into fan control 1 Feb 2014 07:56 PAUL GOODWIN believes the Light Blues legions could own the Ibrox club within 18 months following successful attempts by Hearts and Motherwell. SUPPORTERS DIRECT chief Paul Goodwin believes Rangers fans can assume control of their troubled club within 18 months. Goodwin, the head of SD in Scotland, has long championed the importance of community ownership within our national game. And he is convinced the Ibrox faithful can overthrow the current regime – providing they mobilise themselves into one powerful movement and start pulling in the same direction. At the moment there are four main fan organisations – The Rangers Supporters Trust, The Rangers Assembly, The Rangers Supporters Association and the Sons of Struth – with all groups battling for supremacy. But Goodwin, who helped oversee fan buy-outs at Stirling Albion, Clyde, Dunfermline and East Stirling has called for them to unite as one. Indeed, given the lack of trust in the current board, the lack of transparency, the current climate of financial uncertainty along Edmiston Drive and the plunging share price, he reckons this is an ideal opportunity to get the bandwagon rolling. Goodwin said: “I believe if the Rangers fans united, and that is the key, into one cohesive unit there is no reason why they can’t own the club within 18 months. “At the moment we have 8000 Hearts supporters paying £20 a month as they move towards fan ownership and if you have 20,000 Rangers fans doing the same you can go out and buy shares because it is a liquid market. “The simple maths say 20,000 fans paying £20 a month would give you £4.8million in a year. “It just needs the right type of people to pull that together and that is the hard part for Rangers. “I don’t have any doubt it can be done. SD have been working in conjunction with clubs right across Europe. “In Greece you have Olympiakos and Panathinaikos and there are plenty of clubs in Spain, Poland and France who are also going down this route. “Hearts are the biggest we know of in this country going down the route of fan ownership at the moment.” The Rangers share price has plummeted in recent months, from 70p to just 26p and for just over £4m, fans would be able to command a 25 per cent stake in the club. And Goodwin insists the Ibrox outfit’s supporters have nothing to lose pursuing the community ownership route having given their backing to the Craig Whyte and Charles Green regimes with catastrophic consequences. He said: “I believed that Rangers being placed into administration represented a significant window of opportunity to buy the club. “Of course, as we know, this didn’t happen for a variety of reasons; mostly because for many years the fans had been divided and ruled by previous owners of the club and had been left without a united voice, forced to pick sides in amongst political infighting. “Time has moved on and Rangers have unfortunately continued to be dogged by further challenges at the back end of the administration process. “It could have been so different if a credible fans’ bid had been used to galvanise the Ibrox faithful as we have seen at Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic, Portsmouth down in England and of course at Hearts. “Rangers supporters in the past have been used to following leaders whether it be Paul Murray, Craig Whyte or somebody else. “This is breaking the mould and now they don’t have to follow anybody. “What can the objection be? “It can give the fans the empowerment to pick exactly who they want to represent them. “We have four clubs in Scotland that are currently fan owned and we have another four waiting in the wings – Annan, Ayr, Motherwell and Hearts. It is the way forward because there is no other route.” Goodwin confirmed he has already spoken with supporters’ representatives from Rangers. He said: “I have been talking with them over the past 10 days and I will continue that dialogue to see whether there is something we can do. “There is a real opportunity here and I don’t think there is anything to lose. “We can advise and consult but it is ultimately up to them. “Some people have to emerge from the shadows and then we can give them all the support possible.” Goodwin was speaking at the launch of ‘The Colour of our Scarves’ initiative which has been organised by Supporters Direct to help highlight the issue of sectarianism. World renowned photographer Stuart Roy Clarke has been commissioned to produce a series of images captured at every senior ground in Scotland. The project has been funded by the Scottish government and Goodwin is hoping the sectarianism problem can be tackled through imagery rather than words. He said: “We wanted to try to demonstrate through Stuart’s amazing pictures that all fans are the same, apart from the scarves around their necks. “It is the same emotions that bind us all together and that was the reasons behind the project. “We are going round every single ground and also doing loads of workshops in schools and colleges. “It is becoming less of an issue but you need to keep working at it.” Clarke, who singled out Aberdeen as his favourite fans to photograph, has been amazed by the reaction to his pictures which will be on show at a touring exhibition around the country over the next 18 months. He said: “The response has been overwhelming. “While I like banter and edginess I don’t like hatred so hopefully this project can make a small difference to a big problem.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/supporters-direct-chief-calls-rangers-3100404
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As the draw is to be made after the Dundee Hibs v St Midden game, I just thought I'd start a thread on it. What will be the best draw for us?, I want Albion Rovers @ Ibrox:rfcbouncy:
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Neil Lennon was spat at, had coins thrown at him and was the subject of verbal abuse at Tynecastle, according to the Celtic manager's agent. Lennon was watching Aberdeen's League Cup semi-final victory over St Johnstone and had to leave the game early, Martin Reilly told BBC Scotland. He said: "I'm absolutely raging about the treatment of Neil, about the stewarding and the fans' behaviour. "It's scandalous that Neil is treated like this." Reilly said that Lennon and Celtic coach Gary Parker had to leave their seats in the main stand after 70 minutes of the game. During the match, which Aberdeen won 4-0, play was held up briefly as two young supporters ran on to the park and got to the technical area, where Lennon was infamously attacked by a Hearts fan in 2011, before being apprehended by police and stewards. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26002727
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http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/07/why-rangers-should-put-more-faith-in-youth-4293756/ Thoughts?
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http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/rangers/263136-ally-mccoist-id-have-bet-on-ibrox-not-being-picked-for-league-cup-final/ -
..........with his sly dig at Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell HUGH believes the Rangers manager's gripes over the decision to host the League Cup final at Celtic Park were off the mark. IF Ally McCoist thinks Peter Lawwell was behind the decision to have Parkhead host the League Cup Final then he should have come right out and said it. It would be insulting your own intelligence not to believe the Rangers boss was making a veiled reference to Celtic’s chief executive when he said he’d have bet on Ibrox being snubbed and insinuated the decision was a carve up. Ally might feel battered from pillar to post as the second anniversary of the day Rangers went into administration approaches on Friday. But he’s coming across as someone who’s making noises for the benefit of the less discerning among his club’s supporters. The ones who believe the Ramsdens Cup would be part of a “Treble” if it’s won against Raith Rovers. Ally’s using diversionary tactics to deflect attention away from a team that has lately been getting stick for playing a brand of football that’s unattractive to a lot of the people who pack Ibrox. When Celtic Park was suggested as a possible venue for the Ramsdens Cup Final there were plenty of Rangers fans who objected to the idea. And their dissent was based on the fact they would have been uneasy about giving Celtic a substantial fee for the hire of their ground for the day. But they’d have thought it perfectly acceptable to make the Fife side play the final at Ibrox and surrender any semblance of equality they might have had going into the game. So in the interest of fair play Easter Road got that “Showpiece” while the SPFL then performed a balancing act forced on them by the need to maintain public order. Celtic Park gets two finals. Ibrox gets both Scottish Cup semi finals. No need for martial law to be introduced to keep protesters under control. What do we look like? Are we seriously to believe Lawwell walks into a meeting of the SPFL board and instructs the other members on how they’re to conduct their business over venue allocation? Dalmarnock’s Don Corleone tells the board their names will be on the contract to hire Celtic Park on March 16 or else their brains will. This isn’t the movies, it’s real life. I’m told the decision was taken by Neil Doncaster and SPFL secretary Ian Blair and was only communicated to Lawwell by telephone. Fergus McCann once attended a business meeting during his time at Celtic where he listened to one employee talk about the institutionalised bias against the club. The meeting was brought to an abrupt halt while Fergus instructed the paranoia sufferer in question that he didn’t ever want to hear the accusation repeated in his presence. He then admonished the guilty party by saying: “If you believe that, you’re 1-0 down in life, never mind football.” Rangers need someone with McCann’s vision, principle and integrity to lift them back to the top. There are lots of people with plenty to say about Rangers and their future but they’ve so far shown a marked reluctance to come forward and put their money where their mouths are. McCann knew it would cost him everything he had to stop Celtic being liquidated but he took on the club’s debt and saved them. There are people on the periphery where Rangers are concerned who give the impression they’re quite happy to wait and see if the club goes to the wall. At which point they’ll come in and pick up the pieces without straining themselves, financially speaking. The courage of your convictions, that’s what we’re talking about here. It could be argued Celtic needed McCann more than his money since he had a vision and a plan from which he never deviated. Rangers may wish they had someone like him as they curse the anniversary they’ll always have cause to regret. In the meantime, don’t sully your reputation with unfounded allegations, or else SFA compliance officer Vincent Lunny might construe your words as being injurious to a man’s reputation. Not that Lawwell enhanced his standing with his tit for tat response about betting on the biggest and the best stadium if you want to win. Petty point scoring does neither club any favour although I’m willing to bet such behaviour will never end as far as the Old Firm are concerned. DUNDEE chief executive Scot Gardiner says it was 100 per cent John Brown’s decision to quit as manager. Call me an old cynic, but the absence of any public comment by Bomber tells me two things. The first is the existence of a confidentiality clause. The second is that estimate of 100 per cent will remain irrefutable evidence in the absence of any chance to cross examine the witness. IF Eric Djemba-Djemba plays today it’ll be the start of a journey that has him passing through St Mirren’s history. Passing through as opposed to making a tangible contribution to it, and wrongly described as the club’s biggest signing. St Mirren have won four major trophies in 137 years. I’d argue Steven Thompson, who scored in the League Cup Final win last year, has made a lasting contribution to Saints’ history. And means more to them than a mercenary. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/hugh-keevins-rangers-boss-ally-3127340 -
Lifted from FF. No source given. At least it shows investigation is happening : Green fingerprinted by fraud cops re Whyte investigation EX-Rangers chief executive Charles Green was fingerprinted by fraud cops investigating the club's former owner Craig Whyte. Officers interviewed the businessman in an informal meeting at his lawyer's office in London. A source said last night: "They wanted Charles" fingerprints to prove he did not sign crucial documents on which his signature mysteriously appeared. "The detectives guaranteed this was the only purpose. They were at pains to confirm Charles was not under caution." Yorkshireman Green, 60 - who quit last year - led a consortium which bought Rangers in 2012 following the club?s plunge into administration after Whyte's disastrous nine months at the reins. Cops are looking into how Whyte, 43, borrowed millions to fund his purchase of Gers from Sir David Murray in 2011. They want to know whether Green's signature was scanned with a digital gadget and used to rubber-stamp the boardroom paperwork in question - as has been alleged by an internal club inquiry. Green met two officers last week at his solicitor?s office in Covent Garden, central London. The source added: "It was a friendly meeting, by appointment. There were sandwiches and coffee laid on and it lasted about an hour, including Charles giving his statement and his prints. He is happy to help with the police inquiry." Last night Green confirmed he'd been fingerprinted. He said: "I met with officers and provided them with elimination fingerprints but categorically confirm this was not under caution but to assist the police with their investigations into Mr Whyte." Whyte was banned from Scottish football for life in 2012 after an SFA panel ruled he was guilty of 'scandalous business activities' - including failing to stump up £13million in taxes. The forgery allegation emerged in a probe by lawyers Pinsent Masons, commissioned by Rangers, into his claims that he still has a legal stake in the club. Whyte insists he was involved with Green in the deal to buy Gers' assets from administrators in May 2012. But Green claims he hoodwinked the tycoon to gain his co-operation and the keys to Ibrox. Pinsent Masons considered Whyte had no claim. But his alleged stake was listed in Rangers annual accounts in November as a possible future debt. A source close to Whyte said: "Craig is aware police have been speaking to Green." A police spokesman said inquiries are ongoing. Rangers = no comment.
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R&M are now the third largest shareholders in Rangers with 7.37% of the issued share capital. As stated in the other thread they are "long only" investors i.e. they do not operate hedge funds which might bet on the price of a share going up or down. The shares are held in their World Recovery and UK Equity Long Term Recovery Funds. The objectives of these Funds are as follows: UK Equity Long Term Recovery Fund The objective of the strategy is to outperform a target of LIBOR + 4% per annum. In seeking to achieve the objective the portfolio will primarily consist of UK equities that meet the manager’s recovery criteria of a turnaround in company profitability over the longer term. The manager does not operate within relative risk constraints, but sets absolute limits on the amount of capital allocated to any particular company or sector. World Recovery The objective of the strategy is to achieve capital growth, through investing in a portfolio which will primarily consist of international equities that the investment manager believes will benefit from a recovery in company profitability over the medium and longer term. The Fund will not be restricted by reference to a benchmark, territory, sector constraints or company size. I have a connection with one of the most senior people in the organisation who has invited me to send a list of questions which will be answered by him and/or the Fund Manager, Hugh Sergeant. Hugh Sergeant graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in Economics. Hugh began his investment career at Gartmore in 1987 as a UK Equities graduate trainee and moved to Phillips & Drew in 1990, managing UK equities throughout his twelve years there. He became Head of Smaller Companies in 1997, establishing a new team and launching the UBS Smaller Companies Fund. In March 2000 Hugh was promoted to Head of UK Equities at UBS Global Asset Management and Chairman of the UK Equities Committee. He joined SGAM in 2002 where he was Head of UK Equities, manager of the Growth strategy and co-manager of the Special Opportunities Fund. Hugh joined R&M in August 2006 and currently manages the UK Equity Long Term Recovery, World Recovery and UK Equity High Alpha Funds. Hugh is Head of the UK Equities team at R&M with overall responsibility for managing and developing the team. (Source - Citywire). He is AA rated by Citywire; having outperformed the average manager in the UK Equity Sector by more than 80% over the past 5 years. I have some fairly obvious ones to start with: Can they chart the build up of the holding to the current 7.37%? Why were they not listed as having a notifiable holding on Rangers Investor Relations Website when they had 4.7%? (Zappa) Do they intend buying more shares Who did they support at the AGM and why? If they supported the requisitioners what is their view and position on the current Board? What is their objective /target price for the shares? (unlikely they'll reveal that publicly of course) Are they looking for a seat on the Board? Can they get me tickets for the Directors Box? I will keep this open until about 9.00pm tonight for additional questions and then pull it together for an email (and I would appreciate it if no one hacks into my account).
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.......for his own good but Graham Wallace will sort club out 6 Feb 2014 07:37 RAE says he is still raging at the antics of Charles Green during his short term in charge at Ibrox claiming he was all about soundbites but with no substance. ALEX RAE could see right through Charles Green’s bluff and bluster from day one at Rangers. But the Ibrox stalwart reckons Graham Wallace’s silence speaks volumes for his ability to do the job as chief executive. From joining in at Brechin when fans chanted “if you hate Stewart Regan, clap your hands” to the numerous outlandish statements, Rae knew Green wasn’t the man for his club. And it still riles the former Light Blues title winner there is talk of his old club being on the brink again financially while the outspoken Yorkshireman lives it up in his French chateau. Rae isn’t surprised – just gutted his suspicion about Green turned out to be right. And like so many other Gers fans he’s now pinning his hopes on the former Manchester City chief operating officer to sort out the mess. Lifelong fan Rae – recently axed as Blackpool’s assistant boss – said of the current cash situation: “I’ve been alarmed for a while. “Even going back to the early days of Green, it never really sat right with me. You could see it coming. There were good soundbites but never any direction. “There was no plan in place and unfortunately he’s walked away with a fortune. “I’m a member of Sandyhills golf club and I used to play with my mates in the medal. “My best mate is a Celtic man and he used to get me about the third or fourth hole when he told me they were going to put statues up for Green. “My head would go. I used to post terrible scores because I would start arguing with him on the course and he was just loving it. It’s been a shambles. There is no legacy. “There is no doubt he was in it for himself. I didn’t buy into all the soundbites and rubbish he came out with. “The future looks much better as Wallace has come in and seems to have taken a step back. Previous chief executives made wild statements they never backed up. “The fact this guy is silent and taking stock of the operation bodes well for us. He seems to have a plan and this is something that’s been lacking since Martin Bain’s days. “There was a period where we didn’t even have a chief executive. You look at all the departments within Ibrox, there was no guidance, no direction and everyone was on their own. “But Wallace has come in and started to direct things right down to the management and hopefully the club will prosper. “Wallace seems to know where he wants to go. It might only be a case of assessing in the short term and then implementing things for the betterment of the company. “I wouldn’t like to see him going. There are elements of the board some people aren’t quite sure of and that’s worrying but if Wallace tells the fans what’s happening they will be inclined to follow him.” Rae likes the way Wallace quietly conducts his business as he bids to bring much-needed stability to Ibrox – in sharp contrast to Green. His attention-seeking antics started in Gers’ first game following liquidation at Glebe Park when he applauded as the fans chanted against SFA supremo Regan. Rae said: “I remember Green’s behaviour just a couple of days after Rangers got their membership. I couldn’t believe what he was doing. “I consider Rangers to have been class throughout my time and he wasn’t someone I thought to be flying the flag for Rangers or representing the club in the manner that role demands. “Even prior to that I could see things. I just thought it was a case of doing what had to be done but there was no conviction there. “It was a mad ego trip for him. He was great for the media. “You heard stories about money going out left, right and centre and pay-offs for guys who were there five minutes. “A couple of weeks ago I saw another guy from Zeus Capital pocket around £500,000 when he sold his shares. “One thing about football fans is they want to believe in the people in charge. They want to believe they are going to take the club forward. Unfortunately, this guy has duped everyone.” The turmoil off the park has left boss Ally McCoist working under tough circumstances in his first managerial job. And Rae said: “The dynamic Ally has had to work within has been a nightmare compared to every other manager. “Last year they couldn’t have any pre-season friendlies and there was a transfer embargo. It’s been pretty poor. It’s probably been more than a year now since they had a chief scout. For an organisation such as Rangers, that baffles me. “If you’re trying to put things in place you need a chief scout to oversee a network and find the right targets. Infrastructures needs to be restored to the level Rangers are used to.” Despite all this Rae believes his old club are strong enough to mount a Scottish Cup challenge this season with Dunfermline standing between them and the last eight tomorrow night. He said: “Rangers have as good a chance as anyone of winning the Scottish Cup. “They beat Motherwell last season and are a lot stronger now. I watched them at the weekend and they had Dean Shiels and Jon Daly who, less than 18 months ago, were up for Scotland’s Player of the Year. “In terms of firepower the pair of them could hurt anyone. They’re littered with top flight-standard players so could turn anyone over on any given day.” And Rae would love to see the Old Firm paired together before the tournament ends in May. The former hardman midfielder said: “I’m missing it like everyone else. Celtic will be favourites – but cups always have major upsets.”
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PUBLISHED 19:22 4th February 2014 . . . manager leaves the Liberty Swansea City and manager Michael Laudrup have tonight parted company. Garry Monk will take up the reigns as head coach alongside current first team coach Alan Curtis for the foreseeable future. “It is a decision we have taken reluctantly,’’ confirmed Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins. “But it’s a decision made in the best interests of Swansea City Football Club and our supporters. “It is the first time in nearly 10 years that the club has parted with a manager in this way, but we had to remove the constant uncertainty surrounding the club and Michael’s long-term future with us. “I had a meeting with Michael today in a final attempt to support him and establish a way to improve the work of the backroom team to secure the results we need over the final 14 Premier League games. “However, after thinking long and hard about the best way forward, I felt it was unlikely we would achieve a stable environment at the club to allow us to get back to basics and produce the performance levels that have served Swansea City so well over the last few years. “Now we need to put that uncertainty behind us and move forward as a united football club on all fronts, while placing on record our gratitude to Michael for the work he has done over the last 18 months and wish him well for the future.’’ The Swansea chairman concluded: “I hope all our supporters can fully understand how difficult this period has been for us and I would urge everyone connected to the football club to get behind Garry Monk, the staff and players.’’ The club will be making no further comment at this stage, but will endeavour to keep our supporters updated with any future development. Read more at http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/ml-leaves-1340293.aspx#d9ePG40rqxbWHkFl.99
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Bigotry towards John Daly from GERS fans! A Threat We Must Not Ignore Two incidents featuring two people I don?t have much time for are red flags that we should be taking seriously this weekend. I watched last night?s game between Cardiff and Norwich and observed Craig Bellamy mouthing off at a section of the crowd after scoring the leveller for Cardiff. I wondered what had been said to him as he was clearly reacting to abuse and also wondered whether or not it was his own fans he was bickering with. The post-match interview provided the answer. Bellamy was clearly upset by the treatment he and his team mates had been receiving from their own support. ?That?s not like them. That?s not what happens here.? Bellamy ? who has been the rounds at many clubs and is well-used to dishing out and getting stick ? was visibly shocked at the level of abuse being meted out by his own team?s fans. This is a growing and worrying trend in football. Many fans are becoming increasingly loutish and thuggish toward players and officials of their own teams. The recent Ibrox boardroom crisis saw Rangers directors being verbally abused in front of their own children and fans talking about torching directors? cars. Celtic have also experienced hooliganism which was carried out at other grounds by the uber faction of their support as a protest against the Celtic board. I have personally witnessed and been informed of incidents throughout the game where club directors have been abused, vilified and intimidated by their own so-called supporters. It all points to a culture of abuse and frankly, it is not about sectarianism. Which means the religious and racial legislation recently brought out is not an adequate legal mechanism to deal with the problem. The second incident was the disgraceful treatment of Neil Lennon yesterday at Tynecastle. By all accounts, the Celtic manager had to leave the game between Aberdeen and St Johnstone early because he was being pelted with coins, bottles and generally abused. Herein lies the rub. You can?t really claim that there was any religious or racial element to this type of behaviour. I seriously doubt the perpetrators were attacking Lennon because he is a Roman Catholic or because he is an Irish nationalist. Neil Lennon was attacked because he is hated. It might not have been racist or religious but it was bigotry in one sense i.e. if you believe that blind hatred is bigotry, then if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck? Hatred of a person is not a crime. Depending on how one goes about expressing that hatred, it could become something criminal. Throwing objects intended to hurt is certainly criminal and hurling abuse is definitely a breach of the peace. But that?s just legalese. The real problem in football is not sectarianism or racism. These are expressions of hate. No, the real problem is hate itself. Football in the 21st century is a breeding ground for hate but that hate is now turning inward and becoming self-cannibalistic. Sadly, Rangers is a perfect example where open hatred of the board and pro-board fans is clearly demonstrated by the rebels. I get messages of the vilest abuse constantly from these people, far more than from Celtic fans. Most Rangers fans have taken well to Jon Daly but there is an undercurrent of bigotry toward him. Celtic fans are not much different. Much has been made recently of the abuse dished out to Angela Haggerty but, as has been pointed out, nothing said to Miss Haggerty by David Limond was anywhere nearly as abusive as some things said to her by her fellow Celtic fans. This new culture of hate and abuse is no longer confined to tribal boundaries. There is no doubt that it is fuelled by the social media craze. Louts that no-one would listen to twenty years ago suddenly now have a platform to display their lack of breeding and intelligence ? and think this then gives them justification to continue their anti-social behaviour in the real world. I?m not a shrinking violet. I started watching Rangers in the late sixties/early seventies so I grew up in the heyday of hooliganism at the football. And I have been known to engage in drink-fuelled loutish behaviour myself as a younger man. But, like others, I sense an ugly new attitude rising in football that, if not confronted and dealt with, could threaten the game itself. One thing to consider is this: There are so many things that are now taboo to abuse ? homosexuality, religion, race etc. For those who happily vented hatred and abuse at stuff like this, it is now increasingly likely that they will get their collar felt or encounter the ire of other fans. In other words, the doors are closing on abuse of causes, faiths, races etc. So people who like to abuse are resorting to personal abuse more and more. What is even more scary is that this drive to abuse is so strong in others that, in the absence of a suitable other to abuse, they will happily abuse their own. Hating and abusing others or hating and abusing your own ? both are serious problems that are a threat to the future of football in particular and society in general.
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Rolling Stone magazine has an article this week entitled "Marx Was Right: Five Surprising Ways Karl Marx Predicted 2014". Being an American magazine Rolling Stone is taking a risk with this because for many in America being labeled a Marxist is career suicide, the phrase is so loaded as to be used purely as an insult now. Yet the article points out that for many people capitalism doesn't work very well and one of the 'people' it doesn't work for is us, the Rangers support. The opposition to 'fan ownership' puzzles me. I suppose for those under 30 brought up on a diet of Sir David's largesse, of the rise of the mega-clubs like Man Utd, Barca, Real Madrid and now Chelsea, Man city and PSG and the creation of the G14 organisation then money is everything, only those with the deepest pockets can succeed. That's how football works, isn't it? But I'm 43, I watched clubs like Nottingham Forest, Malmo, Red Star Belgrade and Brugge contest the European Cup Final, I know that football isn't all about money and the club with the most money doesn't have to always win. Football has changed though, and today the club with the most money usually does win, in every league we're now seeing that. TV rights, sponsorship, endorsements and countless other 'income streams' help fuel this. Add in megalomaniacs from Russia or Malaysia or much nearer to home and the clubs run with some sort of fiscal responsibility are left behind, derided even. But here's the thing, it's unsustainable, Marx predicted this and he was right. All of these business bubbles burst eventually and this one will too. They are "chaotic by nature" and one which is as unrestricted as football currently is will crash and burn eventually, nothing is surer. Have a look at some of the ticket prices being charged in the EPL this season. Have a look at the debt being carried by football clubs all around Europe. Tell me that's sustainable, tell me that someone bigger will come along and pick up the cheque. Yeah right, go read an economics book or two. We're the guys who'll be picking up the 'cheque'. I'm not a Marxist. Professionally, when I'm not wasting my time on football forums I help grow those capitalist bubbles and i've seen a few of them get too big and go pop now. Too many of us judge 'success' on how much profit a company makes, not on how good its product or services are, how well it treats its employees and customers and how well it's prepared for the future. Time and again we fall for this, short term gain over long term stability seems to be what we desire. So look at football clubs. History tells us they can disappear, no matter how unlikely that might seem, they can and do. It happens when people no longer care about them, so it is in the interests of all football clubs to ensure people keep caring. The best way to ensure that is to involve people in them. If football supporters become nothing more than 'customers' then eventually we'll start to behave like customers. As anathema as this might sound it is starting to happen now. Already English sides (and they and the already bankrupt Spanish sides are the driving force behind this) are seeing more and more of their tickets being sold to 'football tourists' rather than supporters. London clubs in particular are seeing this phenomenon but it is also happening in Manchester too. That's helping to drive the price of tickets up and force 'supporters' out. That the concept of fan involvement seems alien to us is puzzling to me. But then how many of us are actually involved in anything outside of our work or family these days? How many of us are on the PTA of their children's school, how many of us are involved in youth organisations on a voluntary basis, how many of are in trade unions or are members of political parties or help out at the local bowling club? Tell you what I bet it's a hell of a lot fewer than did in the 70s and 80s. The whole concept of taking responsibility for our community assets has been diluted now. My father was born in an Ayrshire mining village which consisted of three rows of houses, it was tiny. Yet it had a Junior football team an amateur football team, three Friendly Societies, a quoiting club, an ambulance corps, a juvenile football club, a brass band, a dramatic society, and a phonetics class. Today, in the Glasgow area I live in my daughter's Brownie group can't find enough volunteers to staff their troop. Don't get me wrong there's no shortage of parents who want their daughters to join, just a shortage of parents who are willing to give up any of their time to help out. This is the same. Too many of us want someone else to run Rangers. Too many of us want someone else to carry that burden, hopefully someone very rich too. We can blame factionalism in our support, unhappiness with how the RST has been run, personalities involved in various groups or find reasons to explain how fan ownership can't work. But then we can't complain when things go to hell. Can we really complain about the people running our club if we aren't willing to do it ourselves? How do we judge success? What do we want from Rangers? Do we care what the share price is? The football bubble will burst, nothing is surer, economics tell us this if we care to look. When it does there will be casualties, the clubs who are stable both fiscally and politically will be the most likely to survive that. So I'd argue it is in our best long term interests to own our club, to have a say in how it is run, to be keeping a watchful eye on things. Remember, no one else cares, nobody else gives a damn about our club, only us. Why entrust it to people who don't share our values or dreams? -
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-football-star-ian-redford-3009308?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter FORMER Rangers and Dundee United star Ian Redford, who was once Scottish football's most expensive signing, has been found dead aged 53. Police today confirmed that they have recovered the body of the former midfielder in Irvine earlier today. Redford, whose autobiography was serialised in the Daily Record last year, signed for Rangers for a then-Scottish transfer record of £210,000 in 1980. Over the next five years at Ibrox he made over 200 appearances for the club, winning the Scottish Cup and playing his part in three League Cup victories. He then returned to his native Tayside to join Jim McLean at Dundee United in 1985 where he played in their UEFA Cup Final defeat. The talented goal-scoring midfielder, who was called up on several occasions but never played for the national team, played for Ipswich Town, St Johnstone and Brechin in his latter years before finishing his career as a League Cup winner with Raith Rovers in 1995. More news to follow at dailyrecord.co.uk and in tomorrow's paper.
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Should be unbelievable but is just expected nowadays. --- The Scottish Professional Football League has decided not to take action against Celtic for a banner shown by their supporters in a league match with Aberdeen. Since November, the league have been investigating the display of a giant H by a section of fans at Parkhead, which was accompanied by the message "they fought and died for their wee bit hill and glen." Complaints were subsequently made to the SPFL, who confirmed they would determine whether the banner breached their rules on unacceptable conduct. STV understands the league have ruled there is no evidence to suggest their rules were breached in the incident. SPFL regulations say action may be taken if a person present at a match uses "words or conduct or displaying any writing or other thing which indicates support for, or affiliation to, or celebration of, or opposition to an organisation or group proscribed in terms of the Terrorism Act 2000." However, a club is not automatically punished under SPFL rules if a potentially offensive banner is displayed. The league's regulations state action can be taken if a club has failed to take the necessary measures to prevent spectators from "engaging" in unacceptable conduct. They can then only be hit with sanctions if it can be proven the club failed to adopted and implement procedures to try to ensure such incidents do not take place. The onus is also placed on clubs to be seen to "effectively deal" with any incidents of unacceptable conduct. A failure to do so may also constitute a breach of league rules. Celtic condemned the display of the banners shortly after, saying they had not been approved by the club and were not welcome within the stadium. UEFA, who have different rules regarding the display of offensive banners at games under their jurisdiction, fined Celtic £42,000 following a display at the Champions League match with AC Milan last November. On the banner, unfurled before the match, images of William Wallace and Bobby Sands were shown alongside the message: "The terrorist or the dreamer? The savage or the brave? Depends whose vote you are trying to catch or whose face you're trying to save." -- Can you imagine what this will encourage them to display next? FFS, what a state..............
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......as cash boost could help save the club HUGH wants Tynecastle side to see off Inverness in semi-final as Jambos are not chasing silverware but a crucial payday that may secure their very survival. I DON'T expect big John Hughes to take this well but I wouldn’t mind seeing Hearts beat Inverness Caley Thistle today to reach the League Cup Final. Mind you, I don’t expect big Yogi to give a monkey’s what this old hack, or any other journalist, thinks about any subject you care to mention. The manager has a carefully cultivated disregard for the press. So he can hardly object when one of us takes an equally independent stance and states a personal opinion. It doesn’t matter to me who wins the Cup. But if Hearts get to the final it could have a significant bearing on the club’s survival fight. And that does interest me from a traditionalist’s point of view. The game in general will be much worse off if Gary Locke’s side are relegated. But Scottish football would be delivered an even more crushing, and lasting, blow if Hearts were to go out of business altogether. That’s why Tynecastle administrator Bryan Jackson will be at Easter Road today with eyes closed and fingers and toes crossed while praying for victory. After he’s counted the size of the crowd and Hearts’ share of the gate. Getting to the final can buy them time. It would ensure revenue, enough to take the club through a calendar month, and that could get them over the line to the end of the season. The club’s future is still so uncertain that Jackson will visit the Lithuanian ambassador in London next week to see if he can speed up the process of Hearts exiting administration. Whether a deal can be done at all, given two Lithuanian banks have Hearts’ fate in their hands and show no interest in looking snappy about it, is still a matter for conjecture. So today’s semi-final has added, possibly historic, significance. It could conceivably be the last big game Hearts play for years, or maybe for ever. Or else it could fund the struggle to fight another day. The old romantic in me wants to see a fairytale finish to the season – Hearts still battling to stay in the major league while preparing for a cup final. And being led on to the field at Celtic Park on March 16 by Billy Brown because he’s agreed to come back and work that day for nothing. Our game’s struggling when Celtic will play Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup next weekend in a stadium where the top tier’s shut due to lack of interest. But Hearts represent the tens of thousands who’d be at Celtic Park to support their side if they made the final. I’m not wishing ill on Caley Thistle because they only took 101 fans to Kilmarnock last weekend. And if they make it to their first final I’ll be the first to congratulate Yogi. But their time could come again as they don’t have any fear of closure. Hearts are on life-support. Consigning Rangers to the bottom tier, instead of looking for a compromise that punished them while protecting football as a business, was a bad idea. If Hearts can’t find their way out of the mess left by Vladimir Romanov the game will have suffered a fresh blow to its image. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/hugh-keevins-hope-hearts-make-3104525
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http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/02/why-rangers-loyal-lee-wallace-is-one-in-a-million-4287314/ Thoughts?
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Ignoring the usual sycophantic nonsense, I find the quote in bold crass in the extreme and I'm amazed both Easdale and his PR advisors found it appropriate.
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Aside from being someone I have no interest in ever reading, I recently realised he was Mo Johnston's agent. Did anyone else not realise this? Perhaps gives him a little more substance. Though I will continue to avoid reading the sort of nonsense his types put up online.
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RANGERS supporters will seek new assurances from chief executive Graham Wallace about the club's finances today - as Lee Wallace edged nearer the exit. Wallace will hold talks with representatives of the three main fans' organisations, the Assembly, the Association and the Trust. And officials at all three bodies hope this afternoon's talks will be the start of a long-term working relationship. But the former Manchester City chief operating officer is set to face tough questioning about the money situation at the SPFL League One leaders. Sky Bet Championship club Nottingham Forest have had two bids - the second believed to be for £1million - for Wallace turned down. But there is mounting speculation the Scotland left-back will be allowed to leave if an offer of £1.5million is received. The 26-year-old stayed loyal to the Light Blues when they dropped down to the bottom tier last season and it is uncertain if he would agree to go. But the first-team squad was asked to consider taking a 15% pay cut earlier this month to reduce significant monthly losses at the Ibrox club. And the former Hearts player could be put under pressure to leave in order to generate income and drive down the players' wage bill. Rangers Supporters Association spokesman Drew Roberton stressed that fans remain concerned about the future despite being told that administration is not a possibility. He said: "I definitely see these meetings as a positive step. I think it is important for the club to have a constructive relationship with the fans considering what has gone on in the last couple of years. "Whoever is in charge of the club has to establish some sort of working relationship with the supporters. Let's hope that these meetings are the start of some kind of regular dialogue between us in the future. "The club needs all the fans fully behind them if we are to get back to where we were before at the forefront of the Scottish game and hopefully this is Graham Wallace's way of ensuring that happens." Roberton added: "But in light of the recent requests for the players to take a pay cut, and given that our former financial director said that we would be down to just £1m by April, there is real concern among the fans that the club has the money to continue to the end of the season. "To be fair to Graham Wallace, he has stated on more than once occasion that he doesn't see a problem arising and he has access to information and facts and figures that we as ordinary fans do no have. "But if the club do sell Lee Wallace it wouldn't go down well at all with fans. It would certainly add fuel to the fire about fans' concerns over club finances. "If there is no risk of administration then why bother selling your best player? Selling Lee Wallace is not a move with the future of the footballing side of the club in mind. "I am sure Lee would be one of the highest earners at the club. But would selling him really be worth it in the long run? "It may be the chief executive's and board's thinking for the future in terms of finances. But it would be a concern from a playing point of view as we prepare to move up to the Championship next season." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-fans-seek-cash-vow-at-wallace-summit-150246n.23307892
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Ally "Lee Wallace will remain a Rangers player unless someone meets the clubs valuation". I'm sorry Ally but that is not what you should be saying here, how about: "Lee Wallace is one of the clubs best players and we discourage any bids for the player, I spoke to him yesterday and he loves it here and the fans love him" Or he could have said: "only a riduculous offer would tempt the club to sell" but we shot ourselves with that one and our quite scandalous £1.4M valuation. Transfer windows used to be exciting for us, who will we sign, will we sign anyone. Now it's all about will we lose our best players. Building for the future? Hmmmm
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http://www.sellsgoalkeeperproducts.com/news/rangers-on-the-rise Hi Steve, we haven’t spoken since you joined Rangers – how did the move come about? I was on loan at Dundee last season from Preston and the manager, John Brown, is a former Rangers player who still has a lot of contacts at the club. I’d heard they were looking for another keeper ahead of this season, so he kindly made a couple of calls on my behalf. Ally McCoist [Rangers manager] invited me to train for a couple of weeks and at the end of it I was handed a contract. You’ve played for some big clubs like Everton, Stoke and Sheffield United, but Rangers must be an amazing club to play for? If you put aside the league we are playing in at the moment, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world in terms of its stature and support. Despite everything that’s happened off the pitch it’s a fantastic club to play for; the facilities are top class and we have 36,000 season-ticket holders at Ibrox – and that’s for the third tier of Scottish football. The loyalty is incredible and there are many clubs in the top leagues in world football who would love that kind of backing. The size of the club is what entices players here, not the fact that we are playing in League One; Rangers have a worldwide status. It’s looking good for successive promotions, isn’t it? We’re 23 points clear at the top of the table, so hopefully we can get the title wrapped up by mid-February and then that takes us into the Championship – just one promotion from where the club was prior to our demotion. What’s happened off the pitch is not fault of the players, the management or most of the staff. It was taken out of their hands, but what we can do is work hard to get the club back to the highest level in Scottish football as soon as possible. Are away games tougher, given games against Rangers are like cup finals for these teams? You visit some of the grounds and they are like the equivalent of three leagues lower than the Conference in England. They have just the one stand with some terracing but when Rangers visit they have to erect two or three temporary stands to accommodate all the supporters. I’m using East Fife as an example, but when we play there twice a year, the finances raised will keep them going for two or three years. With the league wrapped up, does the Scottish Cup take on primary importance? It does. We’ve beaten Airdrie from our league, Falkirk – who are top of the Championship – and next week it’s Dunfermline. We’re then in the last eight with a real chance of playing a Premiership team. We need to play that type of opposition, to give us a better yardstick of where we are. Who knows, we might even get Celtic! You’ve come in as understudy to Cammy Bell – but made quite an impression on your debut, didn’t you? Yes, Cammy’s partner was giving birth, so I came in for the game at Forfar and kept a clean sheet in a 2-0 win. I also made what must be the best save of my career; a corner has come in, deflected off the side of Lee Wallace’s head and was heading for the top corner. I’ve pounced like a cat out of a tree and managed to claw the ball away with my left hand. I had nice comments on Twitter, people saying it was the best save they’d ever seen, and that – like the manager says – is why I’m here. I’m here to step in when needed and show my worth to the side. Finally, what does the future hold for you? I’m contracted until the end of the season, but would like to stay longer. At 34 I’ve still got a lot to offer and I’d like to think my experience is also rubbing off on the other keepers at the club. Along with our goalkeeper coach, Jim Stewart, we’re a tight-knit bunch of keepers and we’ve got a good working relationship with each other. Cammy is the club’s long-term prospect, but if I can keep pushing him and also do myself justice when I play, then that’s good news for the club. I’ve also started coaching the younger keepers here but as I’ve shown when I’ve played, there’s still plenty left in the tank!
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Thread removed due to lack of interest.
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Interested in views from fellow Bears about fan ownership at Rangers. I'm seeing a lot more chatter on the subject (especially on Twitter), but RST (the only vehicle at the moment) seem even quieter than normal. I've seem some good articles here: http://t.co/YEgcWYEeFe All the while Rangers market value sits at around £16-17 million. The opportunity to buy a decent collective stake in our club has never been bigger, but views seem divided. Why? Faceless investors sitting in London & elsewhere are buying into our club (at current prices I can see why), why aren't we? As I say interested to know views. I for one am puzzled.
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It seems like the succulent lamb has moved fields. I doubt there would be many Rangers supporters who, after what has transpired over the last three years, who would suggest some of the articles written about our club were merely “puff journalism”. Of course they didn’t have to dig too deep – after all the Rangers Tax Case Blog and BBC Scotland’s “The Men who Sold the Jerseys” had done all the work for them - all our media had to do was apply their own opinions to the information which was readily available – despite the questionable source and interpretation of that information. And apply their opinion they did, as we all know. Time and time again. They drooled, they dribbled, they salivated over questionable events surrounding our club. But what they didn’t do was dig. No small wonder then that Thomson is also on record as saying : And you know what ? He is right. It finally dawned on me when Lord Nimmo Smith’s SPL Commission report contained the startling revelation that the material used by BBC Scotland in the aforementioned documentary was actually evidence which had been stolen from the Rangers Tax Case. And the response from our media ? Not even a murmur. The fact that the evidence in a case they had milked, salivated, opinionated, discussed in such minute detail had been stolen, appears not to even have raised an eyebrow of curiosity. Imagine for a moment the OJ Simpson trial – and it was discovered the infamous glove had been stolen from the evidence cabinet and the media hadn’t raised a murmur ? Nope – I can’t imagine it either.. But of course this is Scotland land of lazy, sycophantic and incapable of asking awkward questions journalism. Perhaps no-one in the Scottish media wants to ask questions of their own – the journalists at BBC Scotland who received and retained the stolen evidence – a kind of “closing ranks” if you like. Or could it be that for a Scottish Print media in dire trouble, evidenced by the recent voluntary redundancies at The Scotsman, the occasional appearance on BBC Sportsound is a nice little earner in uncertain times ? When the Rangers Tax Case received the Orwellian Award it was hailed as :- It seems history may be on the verge of repeating itself. As the blogger behind Football Tax Havens, ably assisted by the tenacious PZJ, asks searching questions of land deals between Glasgow City Council and Celtic FC, one could be forgiven for thinking that this topic appears to be “off limits” for the Scottish media. Perhaps in the near future another blogger will win an award hailed as ““Displaying focused contempt for those who evade difficult truths, and beating almost every Scottish football journalist to the real story” And if he does – you can bet your bottom dollar there will be even more voluntary redundancies within the Scottish Print media.
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http://twitpic.com/dtp3jl According to the Daily Record. Bid of £900k rejected with club holding out for £1.4m. Don't grudge him a move tbh, he has earned it but the fee annoys me somewhat. A possible loss on such a good player is just typical of us. We are talking about a player in his prime, an international footballer and one who plays in a position where it is hard to find good ones. Of course we will survive and win the next two leagues without him but that doesn't mean i like it. If it was Celtic in our place, Lennon would be all over the media saying how priceless Lee is and how no one could afford him and Liewell would have his lapdogs writing the player is worth their standard £10m no matter the level he plays. As delusional as their tactics are, we need to take a leaf or two from their book. Why not tell the agents brokering the deal that the fee is £5m, we may get 3/4s of that. Who knows.
