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Since their season draws to a close, here's a reminder about their fixtures and current standing: You can keep up to date with our Rangers Ladies prime fan over at twitter: Rangers Ladies FC or Facebook SQUAD (inlcuding some Rangers Girls players) GOALKEEPERS - Khym Ramsey - Kelsey Brown (27 years) - Lauren Hinds (17 years) - Murrin Stevenson (15 years) DEFENDERS - Lesley Condie (24 years) - Kathryn Hill (18 years) - Stephanie Knox (17 years) - Aimie McGill (18 years) - Megan Foley (19 years) - Jill Paterson (25 years) - Tammi Kerr (25 years) - Sophie Riley Natalie Lowe (19 years) Stacey Williamson (22 years) - (Girls 17s) Amanda Traynor (16 years) MIDFIELDERS - Jennifer Condie - Rebecca Blair Paige Cartwright (17 years) Clare Docherty (24 years) Jade Williamson (17 years) - Leanne Hughes - (Girls 17s) Rachel Halliday (17 years) - (Girls 17s) Megan Karagiozis ( - ) STRIKERS - Lisa Swanson (21 years) - Suzanne MacTaggart Lucy Clark (19 years) Cheryl Gallagher (21 years) Jade Lindsay (18 years) COACH - John Joyce Peter Kennedy (Scott Allison) (Foster Douglas) Next Match - Sunday (Today!) - August 19th (Petershill Park, Glasgow, 3 p.m.) Henson Scottish Cup Rangers Ladies vs. Inverness City Last Match - Sunday - August 12th (Petershill Park, Glasgow) Scottish Women's Premier League Rangers Ladies 3 - Falkirk 0 (Knox, Swanson, MacTaggart) -> Picture gallery from that game Upcoming games Su 02/09/12 SPL - Rangers vs Kilmarnock (Petershill, 2 p.m.) Su 09/09/12 SPL - Hutchison Vale vs Rangers (Saughton Enclosure, Edinburgh ,2 p.m.) Su 23/09/12 SPL - Rangers vs Hamilton Academical (Petershill, 2 p.m.) The Rangers Ladies play their home games at ... Petershill Park / Petershill Juniors Football Ground (Firefox - Google Maps Link) Petershill Road, Springburn Glasgow G21 4AH Opened: 2007 Capacity: 2,000
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A few months ago rbr suggested that likeminded Gersnet members could donate towards a lifetime membership of Rangers First. There was reasonable level of interest at the time, but for whatever reason it didn't translate into action. A lot has happened since then in the struggle for control of Rangers and the recent requisition for an EGM has galvanised supporter opinion, leading to large numbers of new sign-ups for both RangersFirst and the RST's BuyRangers scheme. The Gers Forum were among those signing up this week, having raised £1000 in 24 hours to buy 2 Rangers First Lifetime Memberships (these are available to groups, whereas BuyRangers requires an individual membership). I'd like to organise a similar effort on Gersnet if there is enough interest. I'm aware that many of us already support RF and/or BuyRangers, while others do not share my enthusiasm for fan ownership. It's also January, so not everyone will have spare cash to donate at this time of year. However, a potentially close vote at the forthcoming EGM will be sufficient incentive for many Gersnetters. A RangersFirst Club 1872 membership costs £500, so if we can get 50 interested Bears together @ £10 each, we can make it happen. If you want to donate more than that, then great. So, my suggestion is this: 1. PM me with your forum name and the amount you'd be willing to commit to as a one off donation. 2. I'll keep a tally of the total. As and when we reach £500, I'll pass everyone's details to Bluedell, who has very kindly offered to help collect the funds. 3. Bluedell can then provide you with details (also via PM) of how he plans to collect the funds and once the full £500 has been received, we'll purchase a Lifetime Membership in the name of Gersnet. Any excess funds received will be donated to RF. 4. As RF operates a one-member-one-vote decision making process, the easiest option would be to hold a brief poll of members prior to any future RF votes. Obviously, such polls are open to members and visitors alike, but for one vote among thousands, it wouldn't be worth creating a more complicated process. If anyone has spotted a fatal flaw in the process, or has any suggestions which would make it easier, please let me know. Finally, I'd just like to make it clear that there's absolutely no compulsion to take part, but it's up to those who do to look into the details of RF if they are not already familiar with it. Cheers. -
NICKY CLARK and Rangers legend Mark Hateley today helped launch Follow We Will: The Fall and Rise of Rangers at Ibrox Stadium. An incisive, thoughtful analysis of the causes and legacy from Rangers financial collapse Follow We Will counters the biases, failures and apathy attached to the club in an uncompromising analysis that promotes scrutiny and activism. Follow We Will features an exclusive interview with Lee Wallace and forewords by Walter Smith and Professor Graham Walker. It was written by leading commentators, journalists, university lecturers, and, most importantly, fans. Its contents are radical, powerful and take a swipe at the mediaâ??s outdated image of Rangers fans. All author proceeds arising from sales of the book will be donated to the Rangers Charity Foundation. Fans can buy a copy at Amazon by clicking here. Read more on the official site...
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Folks, We're looking for some provisional names and numbers for the Gersnet Prediction League ahead of the start of the new season. The winner at the end of the season will get the sought after 'GPL Champion' custom forum rank won by Whosthedado last season and a wee prize as well. So, if you fancy your chances at predicting the results of our games in the SPFL Championship and our games in Cup competitions, then please put your name down by posting "I'm in" (or something like that) on the thread here. Cheers! PS - The exact competition format and rules will be announced within the next week to 10 ten days, but might well follow follow the excellent system put in place and run by Bluebear54 last season. -
Folks, Here's the new Gersnet match preview writing schedule for our pre-season games and the forthcoming 2014/15 season up till Christmas. As always, the match previews will be written by volunteers from the forum here on a first come, first served basis. If any of you fancy writing the preview for a certain match just say which one and we'll put your name down for it. _____________________________________________________________ Upcoming: May 20 - Rangers v Hibernian - Premiership Play-Off SF leg 1 - pete May 23 - Hibernian v Rangers - Premiership Play-Off SF leg 2 - ??? _____________________________________________________________ Completed: Aug 05 - Rangers v Hibernian - Challenge Cup - Zappa (done) Aug 10 - Rangers v Hearts - SPFL Championship - 26th of foot (done) Aug 15 - Falkirk v Rangers - SPFL Championship - shorerdbear (done) Aug 18 - Rangers v Clyde - Challenge Cup - Super Cooper (done) Aug 23 - Rangers v Dumbarton - SPFL Championship - Zappa (done) Aug 26 - Queen's Park v Rangers - League Cup R1 - forlanssister (done) Aug 30 - Rangers v Queen of the South - SPFL Championship - Frankie (done) Sep 12 - Raith Rovers v Rangers - SPFL Championship - shorerdbear (done) Sep 16 - Rangers v Inverness CT - League Cup R2 - BrahimHemdani (done) Sep 20 - Alloa Athletic v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Bearman (done) Sep 23 - Falkirk v Rangers - League Cup R3 - no volunteer (done by Zappa) Sep 29 - Rangers v Hibernian - SPFL Championship - Hildy (done) Oct 04 - Livingston v Rangers - SPFL Championship - blueflag (done) Oct 18 - Rangers v Raith Rovers - SPFL Championship - Super Cooper (done) Oct 21 - East Fife v Rangers - Challenge Cup QF - Little General (done) Oct 25 - Dumbarton v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Bearman (done) Oct 28 - Rangers v St Johnstone - League Cup QF - no volunteer Nov 01 - Dumbarton v Rangers - Scottish Cup R3 - no volunteer (done by Frankie) Nov 04 - Cowdenbeath v Rangers - SPFL Championship - SteveC (done) Nov 08 - Rangers v Falkirk - SPFL Championship - shorerdbear (done) Nov 15 - Rangers v Alloa Athletic - SPFL Championship - Zappa (done) Nov 22 - Hearts v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Hildy (done) Nov 30 - Rangers v Kilmarnock - Scottish Cup R4 - 26th of foot (done) Dec 03 - Alloa v Rangers - Challenge Cup SF - no volunteer Dec 06 - Rangers v Cowdenbeath - SPFL Championship - SteveC (done) Dec 12 - Queen of the South v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Hildy (done) Dec 20 - Rangers v Livingston - SPFL Championship - Frankie (done) Dec 27 - Hibernian v Rangers - SPFL Championship - JohnMc (done) Jan 03 - Rangers v Dumbarton - SPFL Championship - no volunteer (done by Andy Steel) Jan 10 - Alloa Athletic v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Zappa (done) Jan 16 - Rangers v Hearts - SPFL Championship - 26th of foot (done) Jan 24 - Cowdenbeath v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Frankie (done) Feb 01 - Rangers v Celtic - League Cup SF - JohnMc (done) Feb 08 - Rangers v Raith Rovers - Scottish Cup R5 - Pete (done) Feb 13 - Rangers v Hibernian - SPFL Championship - Laudbertz (done) Feb 20 - Raith Rovers v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Frankie (done) Feb 27 - Falkirk v Rangers - SPFL Championship - pete Mar 07 - Cowdenbeath v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Laudbertz (done) Mar 10 - Rangers v QotS - SPFL Championship - Stewarty Mar 14 - Rangers v Livingston - SPFL Championship - shorerdbear (done) Mar 17 - Rangers v Alloa Athletic - SPFL Championship - no volunteer (done by Zappa) Mar 22 - Hibernian v Rangers - SPFL Championship - pete (done) Mar 28 - Rangers v Cowdenbeath - SPFL Championship - Laudbertz (done) Apr 05 - Rangers v Hearts - SPFL Championship - 26th of foot (done) Apr 09 - QotS v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Pete (done) Apr 12 - Rangers v Raith Rovers - SPFL Championship - no volunteer (done by Zappa) Apr 15 - Livingston v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Frankie (done) Apr 18 - Dumbarton v Rangers - SPFL Championship - andy steel (done) Apr 25 - Rangers v Falkirk - SPFL Championship - Rousseau (done) May 02 - Hearts v Rangers - SPFL Championship - Laudbertz (done) May 09 - QoS v Rangers - Premiership Play-Off QF leg 1 - Frankie (done) May 17 - Rangers v QoS - Premiership Play-Off QF leg 2 - Zappa (done) _____________________________________________________________
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https://www.facebook.com/rangersfansboard
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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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Sorry for the closed forums tonight. We were upgrading our back-end software vbulletin to help further enhance background work done to make the site a bit more efficient We may in the future release some of the added features of vbulletin, however for the majority of you there shouldn't be much visable difference. Please drop us a email if you have any issues with php errors or database related to the forum . Thanks for your patience. Work was completed successfully and our database was closed at the time of upgrade to allow us to keep all posts made until I closed the forums tonight. Over and Out! BF
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http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/king-maps-out-plan-for-the-future.117959899 The suspicion is that if the existing directors are unable to muster the votes required to hold on to power by conventional means they will attempt to do so unconventionally. The savage personal attack on King contained in the statement to the AIM Stock Exchange on Friday underlined what many had long suspected; the power battle at Rangers is going to be a dirty one. Nevertheless, King and his associates are already looking further ahead and formulating plans which they believe will enable the Glasgow club to return to the forefront of Scottish football if they do take control. Appointing a permanent replacement for Ally McCoist by bringing in a manager who can rebuild the side and secure on-field success is at the top of their list of priorities. Luring Rangers stalwarts back into the club to work behind-the-scenes in a variety of roles is also seen as important so the identity of the institution can be restored. The fact no fewer than 12 members of the first team squad are out of contract in the summer is seen as an opportunity to substantially reduce a crippling wage bill that Charles Green, Brian Stockbridge and Craig Mather are largely to blame for. "There is obviously an opportunity to have contracts terminated," said King. "We have to make some fairly significant changes to the footballing side. But before that it is critical that we get the right manager in because we are bringing a manager into a team that is obviously not equipped to compete in the Premier League and is really struggling. "You would have thought that when Rangers were demoted they would have fairly comfortably come through the lower leagues into the Premiership and then maybe struggled for a season or two. "But right now we are struggling to get out of the Championship. Given the need to balance budgets and just be more sensible about the way the money is spent, we are going to have to get a manager who has the capacity to identify and manage players. "So I would imagine that the single most important decision will be identifying the right manager, who has all of these qualities. It really is someone who is more of a coach." King revealed he would be willing to pay compensation to another club for their manager if the best candidate they identify is in employment. He said: "If it was within reason, then paying compensation would be considered. I think everyone would accept that Rangers have to completely rebuild the squad. So the manager's role is so critical. "One wouldn't easily take the second choice when a little bit of money would have got you your first choice. I think we have just got to get it right. There's too much money being spent around it that is key to that individual to not get that appointment right." McCoist is currently on gardening leave while he serves out his 12-month notice period and could theoretically return in some capacity if King, Paul Murray and John Gilligan are appointed directors. But King said: "My understanding is that Ally has expressed no interest in coming back even with regime change. The indications I've had from those who have spoken to him more recently than I have is that he thinks he is done and he really doesn't see himself as part of the future." John Greig, Sandy Jardine and Walter Smith have all worked behind the scenes at Ibrox in a number of different roles in recent years and King would like to see a return to the days when Rangers men were involved in the running of the club. Greig declined to take to the pitch along with the other members of the European Cup-Winners' Cup winning team when the Govan Stand was renamed in honour of his former team-mate Jardine back in August. King said: "For me personally somebody like John Greig would be very important. I spoke to John when I was over here in November - just phoned him up and asked him how he was doing. "There are individuals who are not welcome - because they are not supportive of the existing regime. But what we would like to do is connect with the past. "Despite the difficult times, the history hasn't been lost. We already have Richard Gough showing support and to have people like John Grieg and Graeme Souness is going to be very, very important." The Glasgow-born financier, who once ploughed £20 million of his personal fortune into his boyhood heroes, is hopeful there will be no nasty surprises lurking in the books if he does take over. He said: "I think the circumstances of the club are such that there is a limit to how bad it can be. I can't imagine there will be a huge amount of creditors building up. I can't imagine that anyone has been lending money that we don't know about. "The stadium we know hasn't been used as security. "So while I think there will be some surprises, I think they might run into a couple of million, I don't think we are going to find a hole of £15 million to £20 million."
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Given that we have a RF club1872 membership and 6 community shares , are we going to have one poll on how we vote for both schemes or individual polls for both RF and buyrangers , sorry if this has already been covered .
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/12241662.html
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https://www.facebook.com/rangersfansboard
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According to Ronnie Esplin on Twitter, Kenny McDowall says he has been told to play 5 loan players. Wow!
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http://www.rangersfirst.org/egm-update-important/ Rangers First – latest update: The keenly awaited EGM is to be held in a hotel in London on the 4th of March. Rangers First spokesman said this afternoon, ” The board of Rangers FC and the NOMAD WH Ireland appear to have set this up to make voting as awkward as possible especially for the small share holders, many of who are Rangers Fans. Rangers First are pleased to announce that we will have a number of drop in centres available for people who need help in completing voting forms or if they would like to proxy their shares to Rangers First. We will be delighted to help any shareholders be they Rangers First members or not as it is important that as many votes are cast in this process as possible, you can also email shares@rangersfirst.com for info” Drop in centres will be available in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirlingshire & North West England with other venues to be announced. If any member is struggling to attend then we will do our best to arrange a home visit. This is a critical vote for the future of our club and we encourage everyone to find a way to exercise their vote.”
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http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/309-seconds-out-dave-king-v-mike-ashley-the-big-fight-continues Ding Ding! As the bell rings out for another round of a fight that appears to have been ongoing for at least two years, one can’t help shake the feeling we’re now reaching the closing stages of this ceaseless contest. With Mike Ashley now having played all his secured loan cards and Dave King finally putting his money where his mouth is, surely the next three weeks will see this hitherto open-ended bout be won by one or the other? Certainly an EGM in early March looks as if it will, for the short term at least, decide the winner. In the Blue corner we have Dave King: a Rangers fan, wealthy South African businessman and carrying the backing of other high net worth ‘Rangers minded’ individuals (as well as the main fan groups) on his side. In the Red corner, sits the heavyweight Mike Ashley: an admired billionaire entrepreneur, a no-nonsense negotiator and with the advantage of having his backers already directly involved with the club. It would take a brave man to try and separate these successful prize-fighters. But with no knock-out blow in sight, the decision will be made by the three judges: Mr AIM from Fit-and-Proper Street, London; Mr Regan from Puppet Place, Hampden; and thousands of Rangers shareholders – all of whom have their own specific interest in this bout. Who will prevail? Certainly, the press conference of Dave King yesterday was one of a confident man. Open, transparent, knowledgeable and with just the right amount of sincerity; there weren’t many Rangers fans complaining about his performance. Yes, many of us have held doubts over King’s less than impressive historic ownership efforts but in recent times, he has clearly upped his game. Firstly by buying shares himself, secondly by cleverly (apparently) working in tandem (though not concert) with other financially independent bears and, finally, unlike Ashley’s camp, coming to Scotland to show he’s not afraid of meeting the media (and his critics) on their terms. No-one can deny today’s subsequent press coverage is impressive. However, while some may swoon at the promises he makes; his opponents (plural) will not. To begin with, Mike Ashley has not made his fortune through weakness. Throughout his business career, he’s faced many a negative period. From risky investments losing their worth, to media and political pressure on his activities; despite his success and contribution to British business, Ashley has never been an immediately popular figure. Not amongst his peers, not amongst Newcastle supporters and certainly not revered by Rangers fans. As such, while Dave King’s poise yesterday may have impressed you or me, Ashley will be equally assured in his position and determined to defend his Rangers interests. Dave King may feel the EGM is already won but there will be no throwing in of the towel by Ashley – that’s for sure. Indeed, if we delve deeper into King’s comments, although he spoke of an ‘indifference’ to Ashley’s involvement and tried to play down the significance of the Englishman’s stake in Rangers, there was tentative evidence of an olive branch being offered. Yes, King may not want to do a boardroom deal ahead of next month’s general meeting but there has to be (and appeared to be) an acknowledgement Rangers’ ties to Ashley won’t be so easily cut. In that sense, it’s interesting to note that King (on the face of it at least) hasn’t written off working with him in the future. And why would he? After all, in many ways they’re kindred spirits. Both are less than popular with the SFA, both are less than popular with the Establishment and both are as stubborn as business people can get. Perhaps (probably?) that obdurateness may mean an obvious partnership is impossible but a short-to-medium term truce may well benefit both them and the club going forward. I can’t be the only Rangers fan intrigued in that possibility. I’d also imagine investors – both at supporter and institutional level may be attracted to such. In point of fact, it’s that very attraction that will prove key to Rangers going forward. Not only do we need the investment King and his associated are offering but we need share issues, contracts and external agreements to ensure the club is financially viable. Most importantly, we need an engaged fan-base; not just in terms of buying season tickets at pre-2014/15 levels or ordering various pieces of merchandise but via actual investment in the club – both emotionally and objectively as part of an increased say for supporters. Recent years have shown us how important it is for fans to be involved in the decision-making process and recent months has seen an agreeable upsurge in regard for fan/share ownership schemes. If we juxtapose that with events at Hearts and Motherwell then fan ownership in conjunction with philanthropic, affluent supporters is now a very real possibility. Further, if we consider the problems the Scottish game faces with its rapidly decreasing reputation and sponsorship reputation some would argue it will be a necessity. Ergo, the quicker we and all involved with the club realise that, the better. We need not be ever-reliant on bank loans, unfavourable contracts and greedy players – let’s now belatedly take the opportunity to build a sustainable club with its foundations built in the Govan community and beyond. Yes, this wouldn’t happen overnight and Paul Murray is correct to caution us in that regard. However, nurturing the seed of something better, more durable and more resilient is surely something worth waiting for. With that in mind, the coming weeks and months shouldn’t just be about cheering Dave King, Mike Ashley or anyone else to victory in their efforts. Yes, one or both or none may be worth backing at some point but the truth is, in the fight for Rangers’ future, it is the club and the fans that have been on the ropes and punch drunk for almost four years now. Therefore, it’s now time for us to take control of our own destiny and we have to realise we have the strongest punch when it comes to the future. We just need to use that power wisely. The rumoured March 6th EGM will be our first test. However, the fight will go on and we must take ownership of our own fate. Let’s get ready to rumble. -
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/rangers-boardroom-battle-dave-king-5100588 DAVE KING will outline his vision for the future tomorrow as the Battle for the Blue Room gathers pace. King has called a press conference in Glasgow city centre where he is set to confront the challenges facing the club, now under the grip of Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley.
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WOULD-BE Rangers saviour Dave King held court in Glasgow earlier today as he outlined his vision for the future of the crisis club. He sat alongside John Gilligan and Paul Murray, the men he hopes will join him on a new-look Rangers board before the end of the month. King is convinced he has won more than 50 per cent shareholder approval to remove the current incumbents, with Rangers expected to confirm the date of the general meeting by Friday. King, Murray and Gilligan answered questions for an hour from daily newspaper reporters at the offices of PR company Level Five. We publish part one of the full question and answer session below - all 4,000 words of it. Are you going to win the EGM? Dave King: “Yes. We have enough support. I am absolutely certain we have more than 50 percent even if every single shareholder votes, which is unlikely. We are well over 50 percent. We will win.” There has been a history of flip-flopping by institutional investors – are you certain there are no surprises coming? DK: “It has happened previously. Well, in some senses it has and it hasn't. Previously - and Paul (Murray) may be better able to answer than me because he was more directly involved - you can get a sense from institutional investors they are supporting you and then you interpret that as they will vote for you. However, when it comes to the vote their view is: ‘we’re not active supporters therefore we’re not voting, so we’re kinda with you intellectually and mentally and we agree with you but we’re not willing to vote’. “That has been taken out of the mix. The key event was the removal, the very non-strategic removal, by the board or the powers-that-be behind the board, of Norman Crighton. That was the single biggest tactical error that the board made because once he was gone the institutions said: ‘Look, that’s enough now, this is not being run on a proper basis’. That was the basis for the Three Bears being able to acquire their shares from Laxey and it was the basis for me acquiring shares. That became a turning point and if you look at it now, really other than River & Mercantile there is no real institution in there. So I feel very, very strong and solid about the current shareholder mix. If that hadn't happened I would have been in the same situation perhaps Paul was in (previously), where I certainly wouldn't have called the meeting with the same level of confidence.” No date has been called yet, do you expect them to stall or trip you up? DK: “I don’t expect it. It could still happen. The reason I don’t expect is that they have had almost 21 days and if there were any concerns about the technical aspect, whether the Is were dotted and the Ts were crossed, I would have thought I would have had some communication by now. It’s almost three weeks. I have had no indication of the board at all that there are any concerns with the requisition itself, therefore I expect that by the deadline on Friday they will announce the general meeting. “I have had no communication in fact whatsoever, directly or indirectly, with any of the board members at all since the requisition. There was just a request from (NOMAD) Paul Shackleton yesterday. He phoned me, and he asked if I was willing to negotiate a compromise and he made an attempt to suggest what he thought might be a way forward without calling a general meeting. But the alternative was far from being acceptable.” What was his compromise? DK: “It was about the existing four directors remaining and me getting a couple of appointments and a couple of independents, and ‘given that Llambias and Leach are really independents the board would be balanced’. It was really, quite frankly, a nonsense, a nonsense suggestion. It would just have created further impasse. We have had enough uncertainty I think. We really have to go forward with a different structure.” Did that phone call indicate they are hugely concerned? DK: “Well yeah. I said: ‘Look if you want to save the money you know what to do to save money. You have had long enough to look at the shareholders’ register, you know you’re going to lose, therefore I think the right thing for the board to do is make the appointments and resign, that’s the way to save the money, we don’t have to have the general meeting where it will cost £50,000-£60,000-£70,000, whatever, that’s money the club doesn't have to spend and the outcome I believe is a foregone conclusion’. So that is what I would hope they would do on Friday. I would be surprised if they would do it but I think it could be a responsible thing to do.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/part-one-every-question-every-5106662
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Exclusive interview: Ibrox director reveals why he believes he will oust the board – and why his tax evasion conviction is no barrier – as he lifts the lid on the battle for power By Roddy Forsyth 10:33PM GMT 04 Feb 2015 The extraordinary general meeting at which Rangers’ fate will be decided for the immediate future will be held on March 6, Telegraph Sport can reveal, but although the predicted propaganda battle began on Wednesday with a bravura performance by former Ibrox director, Dave King, he is certain to meet resistance from the current boardroom regime to his takeover attempt. The Rangers plc directors must respond to King’s requisition of an EGM by close of business on Friday, but it is understood that they will not attempt to block the meeting. King spent three hours answering questions from broadcast and written media in Glasgow yesterday – accompanied by his allies, wealthy Rangers supporters, Paul Murray and John Gilligan – and while he was insistent throughout that he is confident of success, he did accept the possibility of defeat, although he declared in such circumstances he would buy more shares and try again. In an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport, King admits that his £16million takeover attempt in November failed because he had been “played” by the Rangers football board chairman, Sandy Easdale, but dismisses the possibility that the South African case in which he was convicted for tax evasion prevents him from passing the “fit and proper” test for company or football directors. The full text of the interview is revealed below. Roddy Forsyth – From your perspective, what state is the club in? Dave King – I think everyone would accept that the club is in serious trouble for two reasons. If one looks at the football team, in terms of the ambition to get back into the Scottish Premiership, it is very obvious that the quality is not there. It’s not as if the fans can have any reasonable prospect that next year the club will be competing in the Premiership – assuming they do get there – but even more importantly, if one looks at the financial side of the club, there is just no basis to change the current status. There are no funds, the club is in crisis and there is a board that is completely disconnected from the fan groups. The fans are still staying away from the games and unless there is a complete regime change where we are able to install a board that’s got the support of the fans and the capacity to introduce funds and get the support of investors then I just don’t see how the club can recover. And unfortunately it’s very close to the abyss. It’s gone on for almost four years now and if it continues much longer I fear the position could be irrecoverable. Read more:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/11391493/Rangers-Dave-King-Sandy-Easdale-played-me-but-I-will-succeed.html -
We asked the question last night about how much is being paid for the loan players from NUFC It turns out Rangers don't even know as Ashley hasn't decided yet. Must be the first club ever to sign five players without first agreeing how much they will cost. Discussion took place today and most likely outcome will be dependant on how many games they play. Wonder how they got that past the two Football Associations. Contacts claim the players were hawked around England first with no takers hence the reason we got them with half an hour to go in transfer window.
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Another record for Deadline Day? Five players to boost the squad, are you a happy Bear?
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Hi chaps and chapesses. Didn't get to see the game on Sunday due to TV not showing it here but after being out of touch for a long time how far away are we from the supposed measuring stick? TBH a 2-0 defeat is more than I would have expected. What is more gutting is that they are certainly no great shakes and if we had been managed rightly on our so called journey we could and should have won this and been a match for them. As such, anyone who was there can let me know far behind are we? And if we get promotion via the plays off this season where are we on par with the other sides.
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I see Frazer Fyvie for all the rave bullshit he got is back in Scotland at Hibs. Kyle Lafferty has moved to future European Champions Caykur Rizespor in Turkey.
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The Rangers Supporters Trust wishes to express its concern at what we consider to be a clear attempt by some online elements of the Celtic support to incite trouble ahead of an Old Firm game which already has the potential to be a powder keg fixture. We, along with the vast majority of the Rangers support, noted with some amusement the recent advert taken out by Celtic supporters in a once respected Sunday newspaper. However, what has followed makes us considerably more uneasy. There is now no question that a hardcore element of the Celtic support are not content with the troubles which have plagued our club over the past few years. For them, Rangers Football Club, and by extension its fans, must cease to exist. Whether this stems from an inferiority complex amongst part of a generation who had to live through Nine-In-A Row, or whether it is down to a more ingrained bigotry, a fierce football rivalry is not sufficient for these people. We are extremely concerned that the rhetoric and hatred spewed out by the likes of Phil MacGiollabhain, Angela Haggerty, Paul Brennan’s CQN website and others, is a deliberate attempt to try to stoke sectarian fires and incite violence at the upcoming fixture. One need only view the reaction of some Celtic fans to the recent blog by MacGiollabhain entitled “The ****** Blood Festival” to see how these people operate. MacGiollabhain himself has never challenged the assertion that he is “tarred with a sickening sectarian brush” and he has willing servants in Miss Haggerty, CQN and several other online Celtic sites. We urge all sane Celtic fans to ignore their bile. We hope the upcoming fixture will be fiercely contested. We hope, despite being clear underdogs, that Rangers will win. We also hope that fans of both teams will be able to travel to and watch the match safely. We hope that Police Scotland, as well as policing the day effectively, will take careful note of those who continue to try to incite violence at the upcoming fixture. It would be an odd legal system that arrested people for singing songs but ignored hate speech and incitement of violence. Should the worst happen, we hope the full force of the law will be brought to bear not only on the perpetrators of any trouble but also those who encourage it online. Rangers and our fans have many challenges to face in the months and years ahead. Challenges which are considerably more important to our long term future than this upcoming Old Firm game. We urge Rangers fans to stay safe, behave in a way which can make us all proud of our club and enjoy their day." - See more at: http://www.therst.co.uk/news/rst-concerns-over-upcoming-old-firm-game/#sthash.dvHYDWc2.dpuf
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Celtic Fans Open to Ridicule Over Rangers “Old Firm” Claims – by Rob Atkinson. http://roblufc.org/2015/01/30/celtic-fans-open-to-ridicule-over-rangers-old-firm-claims-by-rob-atkinson/
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“The dark eleventh hour Draws on and sees us sold To every evil power We fought against of old. Rebellion, rapine hate Oppression, wrong and greed Are loosed to rule our fate” I don’t think regular readers of this blog would describe me as what the media refer to as a “pop-pom cheerleader” of the various factions vying for control of our club. I’ve never seen the attraction nor sense of writing a blog to further the endeavours of rich businessmen who can afford their own PR machines. I’ve been highly critical of Dave King’s strategy to gain control of our club, and I stand by such criticism to this day. When I wrote my open letter to him, I envisaged King riding in like the 7th cavalry, scooping up shares to gain control of our club. Thereby uniting a fractured support, and thus enabling us to get behind our club where together we could build a stable future for her. What we got of course was something completely different which has only served to exacerbate such fractures. Furthermore, contrary to some reports, Mike Ashley is not the devil incarnate. He is a powerful, ruthless and opportunistic businessman who appears to maximise to his full potential, the misfortune and weakness of others. Sentiment does not appear to come into it – just ask the employees of USC. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/mike-ashley-wields-his-iron-fist-once-more-at-usc-9994171.html Alarmingly, our football club appears to be the latest victim of Mr Ashley’s growing business empire and he has been assisted in this to the full by a thoroughly incompetent, self-serving and shambolic Rangers board. Having comprehensively failed to balance the housekeeping budget they have then compounded the problem by rejecting all offers of outside investment thus leaving our club on the equivalent of a life support machine – relying on short term cash infusions where only the good grace and will of the donors prevented us from going under, as this shambles of a board failed to meet the repayments within the agreed time period. While the Man who would be King issued sound bite statements to the press, Ashley continued to increase his powerbase within our club, but of course every power grab carried a considerable financial caveat. Our retail, our historical assets, even our very trademark were considered fair game. Where there were dissenting voices within our boardroom, people who dared to highlight that such deals were not in the best interests of our club – Ashley eradicated them. Messrs Wallace, Nash & Crighton – RIP. A number of leaked e-mails demonstrated that the remnants of the Rangers board appeared to be more concerned about preserving their places on the board rather than pursuing the best financial deal for the club. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/11247379/Sandy-Easdales-true-role-in-Rangers-takeover-talks-thrown-into-question-by-release-of-emails.html Further confirmation of this was provided courtesy of Colin Kingsnorth of Laxey, who clearly felt it was appropriate to call time on this acquiescing of power to the Ashley Empire. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11788/9626770/scottish-championship-laxey-partners-sell-rangers-shares The consequence of course, is that we now have a Rangers board dominated by Ashley men. These are the same men who control the destiny of our retail, our historical assets (with the exception of Ibrox – for now) our very trademark. I will ask you a simple question. When it comes to a crucial vote in our boardroom whose interests will these men move to protect – Rangers or Sports Direct? The situation is beyond dire but it is still salvageable. Dave King has called for an EGM which will present us with the opportunity to replace the current board. I’m not being melodramatic when I say the destiny and future of our club is in the hand of shareholders. Furthermore I will not mislead you. I’m convinced Dave King does not have the financial muscle which the Ashley Empire has at its disposal. If we vote to remove the current board and replace it with a Dave King one, I believe our club will be on its knees for a longer period. But I’d much rather be on my knees under my own strength, striving and aspiring to restore this club to its former glory with every part of the body working together to achieve that aim, than be on my knees bended in servitude and reliant on the quick fix solutions of others at a cost which threaten to take away my very soul, my very heritage and my identity, What answer from the North? A resounding “Thanks, but No thanks Mr Ashley”
