Boyd Deal In Doubt ?

[ian1964 10,761]

Published on 13 Jan 2010

 

For 12 months, the picture has been painted of a club laid bare.

 

A world-famous institution where every meagre pound has become a prisoner.

 

Fed-up Rangers fans haven�t sniffed an A-list signing for a year and a half.

 

And Ibrox manager Walter Smith has claimed the men in suits from Lloyds Banking Group have tightened their fingers round the purse strings in a bid to ease debts totalling �£31million.

 

The only light to pierce the gloom has been the form of Kris Boyd, whose goals have made him the hero of the Ibrox terracings ââ?¬â?? and helped Rangers open up a seven- point gap over Celtic in the SPL title race.

 

But now even Boyd�s Rangers future has been thrown back into the financial melting pot.

 

For we can exclusively reveal today the �£18,000-a-week deal Boyd is keen to sign has still to be agreed by the clubâ��s financial controllers.

 

That means the bid to keep the SPL�s record goalscorer at his boyhood idols could yet be scuppered.

 

Chief executive Martin Bain met Boyd�s representative at the end of last week and extended an offer which would bring the 26-year-old into line with the top earners at Ibrox and out of the clutches of English raiders.

 

Smith has urged Bain to do everything possible in his power to keep the player, who yesterday underwent a double hernia operation in Manchester, at the club.

 

However, the terms on offer have not been given the green light by certain individuals on the board.

 

And it now remains to be seen whether the offer will stand if, as expected, Boyd confirms he wants to put pen to paper on the deal.

 

Business turnaround specialist Donald Muir, who was appointed in October with a remit to remedy the financial fortunes of the Scottish champions, has been handed the task of trying to reduce the club�s debts.

 

Cost-cutting measures have bitten so deep that, it is understood, even the number of groundstaff at Ibrox and Murray Park was looked at before Christmas.

 

When this was raised as a possible area to save cash, the idea was met with swift resistance from the football operation who realise the groundstaff�s crucial role.

 

This time last year, it emerged the club might be forced to sell a leading player to help ease the financial burden.

 

Owner and majority shareholder Sir David Murray stepped down as chairman in August and was replaced by Alastair Johnston who has spent the last three months trying to find a new owner.

 

The financial crisis that has engulfed Rangers came to a head shortly after Muir�s appointment to the board when Smith claimed after a home match against Hibs the bank were running the club.

 

This was denied by the bank, much to Smith�s fury.

 

Lloyds have consistently denied Muir is their man and insist he is a paid employee of the Murray Group, and was not placed on Rangers board at their behest.

 

But, as we exclusively revealed in October two days after Smith�s startling statement, the bank threatened Rangers with administration if the club didn�t sign up for a business plan based upon swingeing cuts, many of which will only take full effect in the summer if a new buyer is not found.

 

And it is the architects of this plan ââ?¬â?? the same plan that has frozen Rangersââ?¬â?¢ spending for three transfer windows ââ?¬â?? who hold the key to Boydââ?¬â?¢s Ibrox future.

 

The pressure was only slightly lifted when the loan move for PSG�s Jerome Rothen was signed off.

 

Rangers, however, are only picking up part of his wages and that deal will be torn up if the Frenchman can fix up another club for the rest of the season.

 

But this is the first time the cash cuts could hold the key to whether a player is offered a new contract. Boyd is the first player to be offered a new deal since Muir was appointed to the board.

 

Other players, such as Nacho Novo and Kirk Broadfoot, are nearing the end of their current deals, but the sums involved to keep them are not even close to the Boyd figures.

 

Novo is believed to be on around �£5000 a week, with Broadfoot on �£3000 a week. Neither is likely to stay if their offers donâ��t show a decent increase, but itâ��s believed the current business plan does not have much flexibility.

 

But Boyd, who will be in line for a Ã?£8,000-a-week increase, has sparked a major stand-off as the offer made to him could force the bank to honour a deal that they would prefer not to ââ?¬â?? or face the wrath of the clubââ?¬â?¢s support, sections of which have already threatened to boycott Lloyds Banking Group services.

 

 

Questions that remain unanswered

 

Comment by Thomas Jordan

 

It used to be as straightforward as the manager inviting the player into his office, telling him what he would be earning and waving him on his way.

 

That was the way new contracts and transfers were conducted in the past.

 

Nowadays, agents and chief executives are involved. It is a far more complex business now than it was then. But even by present-day standards, the background to Kris Boyd�s contract negotiations with Rangers could take things to a new level entirely.

 

On the instruction of Rangers manager Walter Smith, the club�s chief executive Martin Bain met with the striker�s representative at the end of last week and tabled a new contract offer in a bid to retain the services of their leading goalscorer.

 

Normally, that would have been the end of the matter. The player would either say he was taking them up on their offer or reject it in favour of an opportunity elsewhere. There would usually be some room for negotiation.

 

But SportTimes� revelation that the Lloyds Banking Group are yet to approve the new deal and will have the final say on whether it will go through or not brings a host of questions Rangers fans will want answered as the true extent of the bank�s role is revealed.

 

* Once again, on a point that has never been satisfactorily answered, they want to know who really is calling the shots at Rangers?

* Why have the bank said they are not running Rangers when they have approval on contracts?

* The man appointed to the board by the Murray Group in October, Donald Muir, has said he has no influence on football matters. Does he still maintain that is the case?

* When will the chairman Alastair Johnston tell everyone what is really happening within the constraints of a business plan that he himself has said is not good for the club?

* What would the consequences have been had the Rangers board NOT agreed to the bank�s business plans?

* And what exactly will happen in the summer when the full extent of the financial cuts are expected to be implemented if a new buyer is not found?

 

These are questions the Rangers supporters would like answered. And it is probably the same for Walter Smith.

 

How many managers would be willing to work for a club without any sort of contract in place?

 

It would be unlikely many, if any at all, would agree to such a situation.

 

But the Rangers manager appears to be on a mission to do everything within his power to save the club.

 

When Smith came out and publicly announced the bank were running the club, it was immediately denied.

 

He is now fighting tooth and nail, it would seem, to prevent his current squad of players from being ripped apart.

 

By managing to win the SPL title last season, the Rangers manager secured some much- needed funds for the cash-strapped club.

 

His team are now seven points clear in the title race again, despite the fact they squad is basically down to the bare bones.

 

But at what point will he decide enough is enough?

 

At what point will he decide he is fighting a losing battle against the moneymen?

 

That, without doubt, is something that really would bring this situation to a head.

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks-ignore/moneymen-hold-the-key-to-kris-boyd-deal-and-they-haven-t-said-yes-1.998370

[ascender 352]

I don't for one second believe that Bain would be allowed to officially offer any sort of contract to Boyd unless it had been authorised by whoever is running things. There's been so many stories over the last week or so about Boyd, mainly from "sources" or the "we understand" type that its boring. I know as a support, we're inclined to believe certain stories if they suit how we're feeling at the time, but the papers are loving this mess we're in and revelling in it.

 

 

Mike.

[rbr 1,270]

But we are constantly told on here the banks aren't running the club and that murray is a brilliant business man DOHHHHHHHHH !!! , but that we should definetly resign Boyd , DOHHHHHHHHH again

[Frankie 8,665]

Even these shady money-men (or not so shady if you buy Jordan's innuendo about Muir) would surely acknowledge Boyd's value to the club and is worth a new contract. Sanctioning this contract would increase his value, increase confidence amongst the support and increase our chances of winning the SPL. Not doing so would only bring the opposite which is no good for anyone - least of all Lloyds Bank.

 

[craig 5,199]

If the bank refuse on this one then there should be full scale revolt - and not because they are tinkering and allowing our prolific scorer to leave.

 

By giving the guy an 8k a week pay raise that will cost the club an additional 400k a year in wages. Assuming that no-one else leaves that is the additional cost to the club.

 

Now, whilst it is a team game it is difficult to see us retain the title without Boyd's goals and, obviously, the CL cash that goes with that scenario.

 

Also, the fact he can sign a pre-contract now and walk in the summer for ZERO means that the 400k is, literally, chicken feed by comparison.

 

We were offered 3.8 mill by Birmingham last January when he was 25. Now 26, if he signs a 3 yr contract but leaves us when 28 (hopefully not) he should be in his prime at that juncture. Given the significant improvements in his overall play since last January allied to the fact that he has still not lost his goal touch and is as prolific as ever - even with little improvement over the next couple of years he is still worth AT LEAST 3.8 million (pending what happens with the transfer markets obviously). So they are refusing to sanction a cost of, say 1 million, in order to quite possibly lose out on 3.8 million in a couple of years time - so lose out on 2.8 million profit. MADNESS.

 

If he went we surely would also have to replace him given our squad isnt that big anyway. A replacement, you would have to assume, would be on AT LEAST 2k a week (and we are obviously talking about an inferior player here at those prices) so the actual additional cost to the club would be in the region of 300k a year.

 

Obviously I am making some broad assumptions here but they are certainly plausible. Utter, utter MADNESS.

[wabashcannonball 0]

This is the paper who along with the Herald insisted Duffy was riding to the rescue... ??

[ian1964 10,761]

Paper talk indeed, IMO Boyd will sign his new contract,possibly this week

[Frankie 8,665]

If the bank refuse on this one then there should be full scale revolt - and not because they are tinkering and allowing our prolific scorer to leave.

 

.

 

Of course, one would say the puppeteers behind this piece are looking to play on such understandable emotions.

[wabashcannonball 0]

This is what the times said yesterday. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/editor-s-picks-ignore/kris-boyd-set-to-sign-new-rangers-contract-1.998054

[Frankie 8,665]

This is the paper who along with the Herald insisted Duffy was riding to the rescue... ??

 

Newsquest is certainly allowing itself to be a key part of the media battle for supporter opinion with regard to the club's future.

 

Although the status quo is hardly agreeable, time will tell if this coverage is to our (or the club's) benefit over the coming weeks and months.

 

If it means Boyd is re-signed quickly then that is good news for all of us.