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Showing results for tags 'fighting fund'.
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Thought it might be a good idea to start a thread where we actually list who owns what as disclosed to the LSE , or at least those over 1% . River& Mercantile- 5.77% ,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12205385.html Kieran Prior- 1.35% ,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12205407.html Dave King - 14.75% ,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12202893.html (Not including possible rumoured further purchase from R&M ). George Leatham -4.05% , http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12202893.html George Taylor -9.3%, http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12202187.html Douglas Park?-6.14%, http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12201386.html BNP Parabis - 5% ,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12107289.html Richard Hughes -3% ,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/11834364.html Mike Ashley ,8.92%,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12104057.html Sandy Easdale, 5.21% total inc proxies 26.15%,http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12093157.html Please feel free to add when the rest are released
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12241662.html
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Following detailed legal advice, the Rangers Supporters Trust (RST), with the financial backing of the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund (RFFF), submitted a petition to the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Monday 26th January, seeking an interim interdict to stop the Rangers board from granting security over Ibrox in favour of Sports Direct. Discussions between our lawyers and the board’s lawyers continued over the past three days. The conclusion of these discussions was the that board has agreed not to grant security over Ibrox for a period up until the 17th February covered by the advance notice they submitted. We are disappointed that we were not able to secure the extension of this commitment until the date of the upcoming EGM, as this now leaves a short period of time in which the board could grant security over Ibrox before they are hopefully removed. This is particularly concerning given the announcement yesterday that a further period of due diligence is required for the second £5m tranche of debt that the board has decided to saddle the club with. We believe our actions had a material impact in stopping the board from granting security over Ibrox. The revised deal with Sports Direct was agreed late on Monday night according to Paul Shackleton, the club’s AIM nomad. This was immediately following the petition submitted to the court, the announcement of which delayed what would have been a necessary interdict hearing in the Court of Session on Tuesday. We do not believe that the filing of a notice of intention to grant security over Ibrox was an error and we believe that a fixed security over Ibrox would most likely have been granted to Sports Direct had it not been challenged. We would like to register our disappointment that it was necessary to take legal action to hold this board to their public promises to shareholders and fans. Whilst we are pleased that the immediate danger posed to Ibrox has been averted, we share the anger of other fans at the latest act of corporate piracy perpetrated by the current Rangers directors. By accepting this deal with Sports Direct, they have plunged our club into unnecessary debt and, by pawning off further revenue streams including shirt sponsorship, have limited our ability to repay that debt. They have done this in their own interests and those of Mike Ashley. David Somers, Derek Llambias, James Easdale and Barry Leach have, in our opinion, neglected their duties to the PLC they are meant to represent. Our fans have one chance to remove these directors before they cause even more damage. We urge them to sign up at http://www.therst.co.uk/buyrangers and ensure that this board is removed at the upcoming EGM and replaced with directors who put Rangers Football Club above their own personal positions and the financial betterment of their masters. We will continue to liaise with our lawyers, the RFFF and other major shareholders regarding the actions of the Easdale brothers, David Somers, Derek Llambias and Barry Leach. We look forward to a forensic examination of their conduct following the EGM. We would like to thank the RFFF for their continued support, without which it would have been very difficult to challenge the actions of this discredited board. - See more at: http://www.therst.co.uk/news/ibrox-court-action-statement/#sthash.GhlaIbzq.dpuf
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Chris Graham @ChrisGraham76 24m24 minutes ago WH Ireland Limited: Accept the Legitimate Request for the Rangers EGM https://www.change.org/p/wh-ireland-limited-accept-the-legitimate-request-for-the-rangers-egm?recruiter=216314766&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_twitter_responsive … -
The Rangers Supporters Trust (RST) is delighted to announce that, following a successful meeting yesterday, the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund (RFFF) has thrown its considerable finances and influence behind the RST's continuing fight to ensure Ibrox remains under the control of the club. We are delighted that the RFFF has taken this decision and would like to thank them for doing so. There is now a substantial legal fund available, should it be required, to fight any attempt by this board to pass security over Ibrox to Mike Ashley. We will work closely with the RFFF going forward to ensure every avenue is explored. http://www.therst.co.uk/news/rst-gains-rfff-support-for-ibrox-legal-fight/
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Who gives the lowest dealing charges. Decide to do my wee bit and up my share holding. Halifax £12:50 per trade.
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BBCBMcLauchlin @BBCBMcLauchlin 1m1 minute ago George Letham, George Taylor and Douglas Park offer Rangers £6.5million alternative to Mike Ashley investment#bbcsportscot
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A COMBINATION of on-field failure and off-field drama contributed to Rangers fans heckling boss Ally McCoist. That is the view of an Ibrox fans chief as the dust continues to settle on another day to forget for the Light Blues. Manager McCoist came in for abuse in the closing stages of a 2-0 defeat to Hearts that saw his side fall nine points adrift in the Championship. A spokesman for the Rangers Supporters' Trust said: "The fans were frustrated at the result and the wider condition of the club. "The club is a shambles. The vast majority of the fans' frustration has been directed at the board but Ally knows he has to take responsibility for results. "You have to look at the minimum requirement this season, which is to get promoted. "Obviously we would we want to go up to the Premiership as winners of the league but that is looking less likely after the Hearts result. "We have got to make the play-off at the very least and we have got to go up. "Fans expected to win this league even though it is more difficult with Hearts and Hibs in it and Rangers supporters are making comparisons with Hearts. "Hearts are rebuilding their club with young players and they play decent football and although they are not great, the bottom line is they have beaten us twice this season. "So there was a huge amount of frustration directed at Ally although he is long enough in the tooth to know that." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/fan-chief-reveals-why-rangers-boss-mccoist-got-stick-189831n.25957179
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I was “invited” to attend a meeting at Ibrox today with Rangers’ Director of Communications, Irene Munro and Jim Hannah, Supporters’ Liaison Officer. I had to ask three times by email about the nature of the meeting and eventually was told only that it was “to discuss complaints raised against you by other fans board members”. I asked to be supplied with the details of the complaints before the meeting but this was denied. At the meeting I was told that as a result of two complaints by colleagues on the Fans Board and one complaint from a member of the public, I was being removed from the Fans Board. The complaint from the member of the public was in connection with or as a result of information that I posted about the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund. I was not told the nature of the complaints by members of the Fans Board. These are the relevant sections of the Constitution: 17.Conduct of members of the RFB 17.1 The Elected Representatives shall, in exercising his/her functions as a member of RFB, act in the interests of the Club and RFB; and, in particular, must (a) seek, in good faith, to ensure that RFB acts in a manner which is in accordance with its objects (as set out in clause 3 this constitution); (b) act with the care and diligence which it is reasonable to expect of a person who is managing the affairs of another person; and © in circumstances giving rise to the possibility of a conflict of interest between RFB or the Club and any other party (i) put the interests of the RFB and the Club before that of the other party, in taking decisions as a member of the RFB; or (ii) where any other duty prevents him/her from doing so, disclose the conflicting interest to the RFB and the Club and refrain from participating in any discussions or decisions involving the other Elected Representatives with regard to the matter in question. (d) If, in the opinion of the Club, any Elected Representative is in breach of paragraphs (a), (b) and © above, or in the opinion of the Club, brings the Club into disrepute, the Club shall have the power to terminate that individuals Membership and remove them as an Elected Representative with immediate effect and without notice. There is no right of Appeal. The Fans Board had agreed an interim Code of Conduct which includes up to three warnings but this was not applied because it provides for complaints to be referred to the Office Bearers and there are no Office Bearers in place at this time. I was told that in the opinion of the Club I have not been acting in the interests of the Fans Board and that my position was not tenable, so I was being removed. I was given the opportunity to resign, which I declined. I was then told that Rangers would issue a statement saying that I had “left the Fans Board” but I asked that if they were removing me they issue a statement accordingly.
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...until assurances over club's direction are given. The Rangers Fans Fighting Fund set up in 2012 after administration Group has raised more than £600,000 in donations to date RFFF will only give £500,000 to Rangers if assurances are given Ibrox board must be able to prove they have long-term project set up The Rangers Fans Fighting Fund will not pass on their £500,000 kitty to the Ibrox board until they receive assurances about the club’s future direction. The organisation was set up in the wake of the descent into administration in 2012 and raked in more than £600,000 in donations. Money was used to settle football debts owed to Falkirk and Dunfermline, as well as helping pay for the relaying of the Ibrox pitch. The Fighting Fund is now ready to disband and it’s thought they would prefer the money still in their account to be used for a long-term project at Rangers, such as youth development or the establishment of a club museum. Chairman Andrew McCormick wrote a recent letter to chief executive Graham Wallace detailing 13 questions about current and future policy within the club. Wallace responded by asking to postpone any further discussions until after the completion of the share issue which last week raised £3.13million to stave off an immediate financial crisis. The Fighting Fund have grown increasingly frustrated about the lack of progress in terms of communication and released a statement on Wednesday evening to confirm their position. ‘Mindful of its obligations to the Rangers Family and the money we hold in trust, the RFFF has sought information from the board of Rangers International Football Club plc to enable us to make decisions regarding the future of the RFFF and the disbursement of funds,’ it said. ‘We had a meeting on May 5 this year with Graham Wallace, chief executive of the club. Unfortunately, as he was not accompanied by another member of the board, he felt unable to make any statement on areas of policy which we could communicate to supporters. ‘Since then, we have attempted to engage in dialogue but this has run its course and no further meetings have taken place or have been scheduled. ‘With the passage of time, our chairman, Andrew McCormick, wrote to Mr Wallace on August 28 and received a reply on September 2. ‘Having considered the content of Mr Wallace’s reply at our most recent meeting, the RFFF has decided to retain the funds donated to our safekeeping until we are satisfied that the club is financially stable.’ The stop-gap share issue has removed any doubt about Rangers meeting this month’s payroll and will also enable the repayment of £1.5m in loans to shareholders George Letham and Sandy Easdale. However, the club will need to raise further significant funds to make it through this season, most likely via a wider share issue. The distrust that exists between fans and the current regime has caused damaging falls in matchday income, with just 15,208 turning out for Tuesday night’s League Cup win over Inverness. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2760388/Rangers-Fans-Fighting-Fund-not-500-000-Ibrox-assurances-given.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490 -
Some thoughts on yesterday's HMRC appeal result: http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/256-rangers-v-hmrc-a-pyrrhic-victory
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http://www.redandblackshirt.com/
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Here is my plan complete with gaping holes for a velvet rangers revolution. I believe currently the rangers support is too fragmented to be effective in achieving fan ownership in 2014, and efforts should be turned to season 2015-2016 by the end of the year if 'angel investors' have failed to remove the current board. Goal - To create a consensus within the rangers support and eliminate economic uncertainty. To buy the club for fan ownership. To rebuild Rangers as a global player Method - Conference to create united body Use fans' season ticket money to buy shares This is Plan Z - it assumes that any investor angels with normal sized hands predictably as usual have failed to walk the walk, and the support are totally on their own with no outside assistance. I think fan ownership could be achieved by dangling this carrot in front of the 17,000 - from 2015 to 2016, a season ticket will entitle the purchaser to a full share in Rangers, and run for 3 years. I would expect around 100,000 tickets at £500= £50 million. I would invite the permanently disappointing millionaires to invest, up to £50 million, and offer a seat on the board for such investment, (and most importantly for their contacts and business acumen) but weight supporter owned shares 2:1 over investor shares. So to recap £100,000,000 investment inwards in 3 years, but with season ticket revenue being used to buy out ****s, and with supporters owning 66.66% of club. If the ****s won't sell, then they must be made aware that any plans they have for Ibrox RE sale leaseback, will not be acceptable. They must be made aware that rangers are willing to move to Hampden and possibly rebuild it with the SFA, if the conditions for Ibrox are not right. If this happens and the ****s sell Ibrox to property developers, they must be made aware that there will be continual harassment and civil disobedience on the site of Ibrox with the sole purpose of reducing the value and profit of the site. Any investors who refuse to sell at fair market value must be made aware that there will be a price to pay for this, and offices in London etc will be no protection from picketing supporters and economic pressure exerted form any avenue possible. There should be however, no ned behaviour like the hounding of BBC reporters, smashing windows at Pacific Quay for example. This needs perfect PR. And no neds. Pre conference 1- Decide on chairman and decide on speakers. You'll need a couple of keynote speakers speaking for half an hour each, and say, 20 speakers speaking for 2 minutes each. The speakers must be representative of the support and include representatives for season ticket holders, supporters clubs and busses, international supporter clubs, websites (of which Gersnet must be one), and board members of the club, if they want to put their point of view across. 2- Decide on format - At start, conference should recap how rangers came to be an omnishambles, and why it is an omnishambles. After this, a keynote address laying out the options for the supporters, and how the conference will progress through the day. Then move onto numerous quick addresses from supporters' representatives, outlining the views of the support. 3- Lunch, then voting. Conference 1- Hire the SECC or EICC. 2- Book a full AV package including projectors, screen, and digital voting system 3- Have prepared motions for conference. These will include: a) Do you agree that today we create one organisation who's authority to speak for all supporters will be granted on achieving 50%+ majority, and the results of any majority votes will be respected and adhered to by the minority? YES/NO b) Do you agree the supporters are the club, and we should own the club? YES/NO c) Do you agree to offer to buy the shares of the current incumbents at fair market value? YES/NO d) If they do not sell out their shares, do you agree to take a course of action which will potentially liquidate the 'company'? YES/NO e) Are you prepared to start again in Division 2 if necessary? YES/NO Vote on all of these and your own crafted (no pun intended) questions. Appoint a permanent 'manager' for your new organisation. he must be of outstanding flawless character, liquid, and without any legal impediments. Appoint a PR person untainted by Scottish nonsense. Try England for a robust PR professional. An attractive woman would be my sexist standpoint here, not some fat guy from Dennistoun. I don't know how to finance PR people, permanent positions, hiring SECC etc - maybe DK could help. Give your angel investors until November1st to provide a viable roadmap to fan ownership. After this it is closed to them and they must come through the fan's organisation in the future. Book SECC/EICC for Jan 31st. 2015. The results must be made available via a press release, and the current shareholder left in NO DOUBT, the consequences of their (in)actions. Note - fair market value should be just above the asset value. The current board will try to manipulate the share price to gain a better position. -
Anyone heard where Mr King is and what hes up to? He seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.
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Seems that the bros or one of them are suing for £200K. In tomorrow's Record.
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Thread on FF saying Sandy has passed away! So so sad if true Been confirmed by Mark Dingwall on FF RIP Sandy, a true Rangers legend.
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Statement from NARSA regarding recent events involving the RFFF: "The RFFF voted today that in the event of litigation against Craig Houston, arising from content on the Sons Of Struth Facebook page, a proposal to provide financial support will be taken to a general meeting of fans." Below is the NARSA (North American Rangers Supporters Association) response to the above statement by the RFFF (Rangers Fans Fighting Fund) from Wednesday March 26, 2014. NARSA hereby demands that the seven members of the RFFF who voted in favor of the motion to support the above proposal resign their positions on the RFFF Committee by Friday, April 4th. NARSA feels these seven persons have failed in their duty to use the funds in the manner befitting the original purpose or in the best interests of Rangers FC and the RFFF. Should any of these seven individuals remain on the RFFF Committee by end of day Friday, April 4th, 2014, NARSA and its Member Clubs will demand the immediate return of all monies donated. In addition, we propose that, as NARSA raised and donated funds in excess of $80,000 USD, we have official representation on the RFFF Committee going forward. Our representative would be the sitting President of NARSA, by default.
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http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/easdale-drops-fans-chief-legal-threat-158213n.23868497?utm_source=headlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign Mr Easdale, a member of the Rangers football board, had threatened to sue season ticket holder Craig Houston. Mr Houston is the founder and public face of the Sons of Struth protest group that has campaigned for boardroom change this season. He received a summons and a claim for £200,000 of damages for comments that were made by third parties on the Sons of Struth Facebook page. The 41-year-old, who runs his own cleaning company, had refused to sign a gagging order that would have ended the action. And the father-of-two *admitted that he could have lost his business, his home and been declared bankrupt if he had lost the case. Houston had said: "The claims relate to things posted on our Facebook page by other people. "There is nothing I can do about that. "The only way I could guarantee having no *further problem would be to close the Sons of Struth Facebook page. "But in spite of the threat I am not tempted to do that. This is about what is right and wrong. Morally and *legally I believe I have a strong case. "But I can't be certain of victory and as a *father with two children the consequences of losing are terrifying. I stand to lose everything. I'd be ruined." There was a possibility that money that remained in the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund, set up during the Glasgow club's financial difficulties two years ago, could have been used to provide financial support. But a post on the Sons of Struth Facebook page last night read: "I have this evening received written confirmation that no *further action will be taken against me by Alexander Easdale." Greenock businessman Easdale, who runs McGill's bus company along with his brother James, a non-executive *director at Rangers, *instructed his lawyers to act after "libelous" online remarks and "personal slurs". He had said: "I don't want to go to court but I can't *allow this stuff to continue. He's not being picked on. This is an action I must take. "If any libelous comments are made on any website and are brought to my attention they are acted upon by lawyers."
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Rangers fans want the club to provide a facility by which they can pay extra monies to the club. That is the overwhelming message I am hearing from supporters who want to counter any shortfall from season ticket boycotts next season. Whilst the general perception is that any withholding of season ticket revenue will only actually be carried out by a small hardcore of rebels, loyal supporters are keen to make sure that there is no negative impact on club finances. I already know of bears who intend to buy extra season tickets and many more who might not go that far are still motivated to pay an extra sum on top of their season ticket money. In essence, fans want a fund set up whereby they can donate monies to the club. This would mean that when purchasing season tickets, they could donate an extra £25, £50 or £100 to the club. Another possibility is that when supporters buy merchandise at the Megastore, they are given the facility to pay change towards the fund. Similarly, collection cans could be placed in the food kiosks for bluenoses to stick their change into after buying grub. A donation button could be placed on the club website and events could be held by supporters club with the fund benefitting. I have not spoken to one Rangers fan who is not excited by the prospect of being able to chip in and help the club. This is not a begging bowl mentality by any manner of means – it is fans doing what they can to keep Rangers prosperous. The fund could, of course, be ringfenced for the playing pool or specific projects. It would be easily accounted for in the club accounts and could be monitored by an independent body. Far from it being a stopgap method to help the club through a difficult period, this fund could become an important method of non-equity financing over time. It also gives genuine supporters a chance to contribute to the club’s progress and gives them a say in the club’s destiny. If the money is used for the playing pool, it also helps fans feel good that the players they watch have been brought to the club partly by their own contributions. I think another benefit would be to help unite the divided support and give a focus to bluenoses. It also helps fans become proactive in a positive way. Many fans want to help the club at this moment in time but feel they have no outlet. At this critical point in history, the creation of a fund that fans can pay into purely for the benefit of Rangers Football Club is a great way to keep the wolf from the door and is another buffer against financial disaster. All those people who keep telling us that being the fan of a football team is far more than just being a consumer now have the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is and prove their argument. The principle is simple: If you love your team, step up and pay! Would you happily pay extra money to keep Rangers strong financially? If so, let me know in the Comments below or contact the club direct. http://www.rangers.co.uk
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Supporting Rangers has never been quite so difficult. Doesn’t matter if it’s new beneficial club owners from one year to the next, executive directors that are replaced quarter by quarter or turgid on-the-field performances which would struggle to excite the most positive of football fans, it’s not easy to find a bear without a sore head nowadays. This headache soon becomes even worse when you try to examine the minefield that forms our supporter group landscape. Let’s go through them for clarity – take a deep breath: a) The Rangers Supporters Association – the oldest group which represent a range of RSCs all over the world. Nowadays, pretty small, perhaps old fashioned and primarily scoped to deal with ticketing issues you’ll nevertheless find their latest secretary Drew Roberton commenting in the media on a regular basis. b) The Rangers Supporters Trust – an independent group formed in 2003 mainly working towards fan ownership via share purchasing; the RST account for up to 2000 members. Their chair Gordon Dinnie is also often credited in the media on their behalf. c) NARSA and ORSA – two foreign associations which look after the interests of the North American and Oceanic RSCs respectively. It’s not often they’ll be quoted in the media but they do have lots of members with a fair amount of clout behind the scenes. NARSA especially have a solid historic relationship with the club. d) The Rangers Supporters Assembly – the original umbrella group which encompasses all of the above (and more) and was setup around ten years ago. Since then they’ve really struggled to capture the imagination of those they insist they represent (including season book holders). President Andy Kerr remains vocal in the media and usually aligned with a) and b) above. The future of the organisation within the club since the 2012 administration is unclear. e) Sons of Struth (SoS) – a more recent phenomenon is two fans that have been at the forefront of various protests against figures at the club. Most controversially, their spokesperson Craig Houston was threatened with legal action by club director Sandy Easdale for defamatory comments on a social network page. This has prompted much comment which we’ll explore further below. f) Union of Fans – even more recent is this new umbrella group which is made up of a), b), d), e) and the two Ibrox singing sections. Again, this group appear most concerned with the short-term future of club and their statements are geared towards this political aim. Spokesman Chris Graham is a keen blogger on the club and is featured regularly on two popular websites. g) Buy Rangers and Rangers First – not to be outdone, we now have two share vehicles specifically interested in achieving fan ownership via the purchase of shares as part of government backed schemes. The former is organised by the RST while the latter is a new development also promoted by Supporters Direct. At first glance both appear attractive to the interested supporter. h) Rangers Fans Fighting Fund (RFFF) – set up in 2012 this fund was put together to raise money for the club post-administration. Despite having Assembly and official club connotations, the Fund has been blighted by a lack of communication and transparency. Indeed, its website is no longer available and uncertainty remains with respect to the £500,000 surplus in its account. i) The Rest – as well as the TEN groups above, there are a variety of other clusters of fans which one may or may not perceive as ‘formal’ groups. These are often backed up with websites/blogs and can be made up of thousands of shared members; though usually these can be concentrated down into smaller lobbies of key opinion formers from group to group. It’s difficult to recognise all such bodies in a formal sense but there’s no doubting their contribution can be worthy. The above really is quite incredible when put down on paper – even with what I’d concede is a very superficial outline of each group. Quite simply, there’s no wonder confusion and division exists when we have so many groups all competing against each other. Despite regular assurances to the contrary (and so-called umbrella groups speaking for all), the chances of genuine fan unity and convincing representation remain as far away as ever. This is confirmed by the most recent issue which has caused further splits in the support. As touched on above, the Sons of Struth has been one of the most prominent groups of late. Despite only being made up of two individual supporters with no formal constitution, their stadium protests and media profile have resulted in much debate over recent months. Undoubtedly in my view their lobbying of Rangers and its support has contributed to the decision-making of the club hierarchy – even if I may also disagree with their methods and words from time to time. This is especially disappointing when using (or allowing) derogatory language to make their point. As someone who has experienced legal contact in such matters previously, there’s a fine line between fair criticism, unfair falsehoods and petty name-calling. Therefore, it was no surprise to see the main SoS figure Craig Houston served with a legal notice by Sandy Easdale to desist from such alleged behaviour or face a £200,000 court action. At this point the debate became polarised with those generally supportive of the SoS eager to source funds from the hitherto inactive RFFF to help Mr Houston in his defence against Mr Easdale. However, this suggestion seemed at best unlikely and at worst flawed given the RFFF monies were primarily setup to be used for the club only (despite some cash being used to pay small oldco debts such as Dunfermline Football Club in 2012). With that in mind, even those who had sympathy with the SoS predicament felt it was best a separate fund was setup should legal action go ahead. Hence, it was a great surprise to many bears when the RFFF subsequently voted to put the decision to a general vote of fans rather than immediately reject the suggestion. Despite this curiosity it could be argued this was perhaps the most reasonable course of action. After all, while many fans didn’t agree with this non-club appropriation of funds, what should happen if another more popular non-club opportunity arose: should it be declined automatically or debated by the fund contributors? Furthermore, the volunteer RFFF committee were put in place to act on our behalf so it’s difficult to argue with the democratic process being followed – even if the lack of clarity surrounding the decision (and RFFF work generally) is of valid concern. In any case, no matter our thoughts, the reaction has been furious from some quarters with one website and NARSA both calling for the resignation of those who voted for the issue to be decided via a ‘general meeting of fans’. Suffice to say the response to that has been equally negative with all sorts of insults permitted in some online communities. Once again the fan-base is split – often based on their website or group of choice rather than actually examining the issue without prejudice. Indeed it’s this kind of division that is now becoming very difficult to ignore when looking at most issues related to the club. Rather than such subjects being analysed with balance and in unison, we have some coming to most debates with a pre-determined opinion already in place. Quite simply if person/site/group A says one thing, you can be sure person/site/group B will say another and vice-versa. Such disagreement may actually be healthy in some respects but when it is increasingly accompanied by the kind of nonsense we usually see for those hostile to our club then such puerile debate just becomes counter-productive. Is it any wonder our club and fan-base have been taken advantage of in recent years when we can’t agree on the most basic of issues? Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution to this ongoing tribal warfare. Existing ‘umbrella’ groups have tried and failed for many years to capture the imagination of the widespread support while those not already interested in such ‘political’ matters won’t be swayed by a long list of fan organisations they may struggle to identify with. In addition, resignations, fall-outs and abuse appear to tarnish any good work such groups do. Meanwhile, a club fighting with itself on a month-to-month basis appears to have neither the will nor the way (not to mention the funds) to put in place a new scheme which can accommodate fans of every possible background. Yet, in my opinion, if such a group is to be successful, from the club it must come. It needs that formal official status, along with the backing of high-profile relevant figures, to take fan representation from social clubs and websites to the boardroom. However the only certainty is that when such a proposal does see the light of day, it may be strangled at birth by a minority of people who will always insist upon throwing out the baby with the bathwater for the most ridiculous of arguments. In the meantime, the moderate (and usually silent) majority can only hope for better. And until we concentrate ten bizarrely disparate groups into one then that day may be a long time coming. What part will you play in achieving that positive change: are you part of the problem or the solution? Will the real Rangers support please stand up?
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Taken from FF The RFFF voted today that in the event of litigation against Craig Houston, arising from content on the Sons Of Struth Facebook page, a proposal to provide financial support will be taken to a general meeting of fans.
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Posted this on RM with no great response from anyone on committee either, so thought, why not try Gersnet. I asked a fair question yesterday about the RFFF accounts and what their intentions was! I thought i would look into it as it did seem a responsible question. Well, it was like hitting a brick wall, pass the parcel came to mind when asking guys who I thought would know something of the Funds, meetings, committee etc....Eventually i got through to one guy who asked me What i wanted to know, and also Why? My simple question was Did the RFFF offer RIFC funds when they were looking at short term loan that eventually went to Laxey/Easdales as they must have enough in the bank to have covered this loan (imo). I can honestly say the reply was not straightforward and prompted me to ask " Did you ask them?" Silence. All these calls for transparency should work both ways imo, so if anyone from RFFF reading my post can you explain to me......... How much Funds are left in the account? When is the next accounts due? Do you still hold committee meetings? What is the RFFF intentions with money left? Did Graham Wallace ask you? Did you offer RIFC money? At the end of the day, we fans put a lot of money into this fund, and it is only right we have transparency also.
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http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/318-take-the-power-back? By Ewan McQueen If you asked anyone who knows me well to tell you something I’m passionate about, it’s almost certain they would reply with the answer ‘Rangers Football Club’. It has been a huge part of my life since I started following the club in 1995. Like thousands of others, I live and breathe Rangers every single day and constantly check social media sites and forums to find out the latest developments inside Ibrox. And now it feels like a revolution is brewing amongst the fans. And for my mind it has been a long time coming. The horrors of administration just over two years ago are still raw and can never be understated. However, it should have been a watershed moment for us fans despite the shock we were in. It should never be forgotten that David Murray got us into a real mess before he sold us down the river to Craig Whyte. That has all been well documented and there’s no need to go over it again here. But Whyte’s reign at the club should have proven once and for all that there should be no more days of one man running the club. Like every Rangers fan, I was stunned on Valentine’s Day two years ago. But we missed an opportunity. To its credit, the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund was a superb scheme and raised a wonderful amount of money when there were huge fears Rangers would die. But the RFFF didn’t go far enough. It seemed as though fans were waiting for a saviour, whether it was the Blue Knights, Brian Kennedy, Jim McColl and Walter Smith or, as it transpired, Charles Green and his cronies. Administration should have provided the perfect opportunity for fans to mobilise to ensure it never happened again. After the simply astonishing squandering of money and obscene bonuses to board members under Green’s regime, Rangers can’t rule out admin mark two which is simply disgraceful. And that’s why it’s time to take the power back and create a situation where fans have proper representation in the club and control a significant amount of shares. Ask yourself this: would you rather see the club you love ran by fans that feel the same way as you or by men like the Easdale brothers, hedge fund managers and the continuously mysterious Blue Pitch and Margarita Holdings? For me it is a no brainer. This board aren’t fit for purpose and none of them have any idea what it is like to live and breathe Rangers. They are in it for themselves. And the fact they are now going to be using season ticket money to pay back a loan at a ludicrously high rate of interest just takes the biscuit. For many fans the loans have been the straw that has finally broken the camel’s back. Schemes like Buy Rangers and Rangers First are to be hugely welcomed. For far too long there have been divisions amongst the Rangers support that have held us back. Of course it is only natural that there are debates amongst any club’s support. I regularly have fierce debates about the manager, players and tactics with friends I go to games with. That’s natural. What isn’t natural is that until now Rangers fans haven’t grabbed the chance to gain real power at Ibrox. Look at what the Foundation of Hearts has done after the Gorgie club was run by shysters. They’ve just announced their 8,000th member while the Rangers Supporters Trust currently has 2,500 members. I am one of them and find that stat very depressing. Rangers First seems to have captured the imagination though. First up, the name is simple and extremely effective. For too long we have been run by men who have never put Rangers first. As fans, by selling 72,000 season tickets over the last two seasons to watch football which has been very poor at times, by raising £5.5m in a share issue before Christmas and by simply continuing to follow the team the length and breadth of Scotland, we have always put Rangers First. Modern football offers far too many opportunities for businessmen and ‘spivs’ to make a quick buck at the expense of the people that truly matter at a football club – the fans. You only need to look at the way Vincent Tan is running Cardiff if you want an example. The next few years need to see a massive increase in clubs becoming fan owned or run as a community interest company. As Richard Atkinson of Supporters Direct says, fan ownership isn’t just about owning shares. It is about getting what you want from the club. There is simply no chance of getting that under this board. In simple maths terms, Rangers fans can easily out do what Hearts supporters have achieved. Say only 20,000 of our fanbase paid £15 a month in direct debits. That would equate to income of £3.6m per year and, at current market levels, 5% of shares could be purchased in three months. Both the Rangers First and Buy Rangers options are very reasonably priced as well. The Rangers First option gives you the option of signing up for as little as £5 per month. The price of a fish supper per month to try and reclaim the club I love? Count me in. And I’ve also signed up to the Buy Rangers scheme of purchasing shares in the club from as little as £11.25 per month. Both schemes are simple and I would urge every fan to do something. It is time to show you REALLY care about your favourite club. The Rangers support can be found in corners all over the world. Quite simply, if we don’t do it this time through these projects, then it can be argued we deserve what we get as a support. It feels like the right time. The financial crisis has reached breaking point again. Whilst there might be criticism of performances on the park, we have strolled to the League One title. We have now completed the first two stages of our journey back to the top but we simply can’t afford to be cut adrift when we return there. Hanging over these schemes is of course Dave King. Now, King’s tax issues in South Africa have been gone over more times than I have had hot dinners but what can’t be denied is that he is a Rangers man. It seems baffling that the board call him disruptive when he is a lifelong fan willing to put money into a club he loves. His idea of a season ticket trust is to be welcomed. Let’s get one thing straight, it isn’t a boycott. It is about, as King says himself, getting transparency from the board over the state of the club. At the time of writing, over 5,600 supporters have signed up to the call from the Union of Fans to back King. Again, that is real and decisive action from a significant section of the support. Key to all this is engaging those fans who aren’t online or those who are perhaps switched off from the turmoil. Indeed, I have friends and relatives in this position. Fan ownership remains a long term dream, but it can be driven forward quickly with the right marketing and information that is delivered to the fanbase. Legendary US rock band Rage Against the Machine once sang a ferocious song which shares the title of this article. When the revolution is led by the people (or in this case, fans), the men at the top can find it nigh on impossible to fight back against it. This particular Rangers revolution has only just started but I’m excited what I see on Twitter, Facebook and various forums. We have woken up big time as a support and credit to everyone who has got involved already. It will take a while and it will require patience but we simply must get rid of this board once and for all. We have a voice and it’s the most powerful inside Ibrox- more powerful than Graham Wallace or Sandy Easdale or even Ally McCoist. It’s time to take the power back.
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http://www.rangersfirst.org/
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Hi All,: As many of you may have heard, SDMC Productions is producing a Feature Length Documentary charting the Extraordinary story of Rangers Football Club - Still the most Successful Domestic Club in the World ! This was originally to be a SDMC & BBC project; however, due to the relationship between Rangers/The Fans and the BBC we have decided to fund this ourselves. We are now opening a project to include the Fans and Supporters in this feature and will then screen in Cinemas around Scotland. Please check out the link below to our project page and support if possible - Please also pass to Friends, Family and fellow supporters and help us get this project completed! Link: Thanks guys! Niraj. -- Niraj Dave |Researcher SDMC Productions Limited Email: niraj.dave@sdmcproductions.com Office: http://www.sdmcproductions.com [IMG] Disclaimer: The contents of this e-mail are confidential to the recipient to which addressed. It may not be disclosed or used by anyone other than addressee, nor may it be copied in any way. If received in error, please contact SDMC Productions Ltd @ mail@sdmcproductions.com quoting name of sender and addressee. PLEASE DELETE FROM SYSTEM Please note that neither SDMC Productions nor any Employees or associates accept any responsibility for viruses and it is your responsibility to scan the e-mail and attachments (if any). No contracts may be concluded on behalf of SDMC Productions Ltd by means of e-mail communication.
