maineflyer 0 Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Graham Spiers Ibrox chairman takes aim at ââ?¬Ë?trial balloonistsââ?¬â?¢ wasting clubââ?¬â?¢s time Alastair Johnston, the Rangers chairman, aimed a not-so-veiled barb yesterday at Andrew Ellis, whose doomed takeover of the Ibrox club consumed months of media coverage, by referring to the ââ?¬Å?trial balloonistsââ?¬Â who had wasted the clubââ?¬â?¢s time with what appeared to be a lot of hot air about taking over Sir David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s 90 per cent stake. Ellis, a London property developer, was eventually unable to put up the money required to buy Rangers this year. Johnston had long been a sceptic of the Ellis bid and reminded the Rangers AGM in Glasgow yesterday of his doubts about that and other rumoured bids. ââ?¬Å?All the expressions of interest in buying the club during this period have proved to be frivolous,ââ?¬Â the Rangers chairman said tartly. ââ?¬Å?However, this does not preclude any prospective buyer from pursuing a takeover of Rangers, although the current economic climate would temper our expectations. ââ?¬Å?We will remain receptive to any genuine and substantive overtures, but, as we have already demonstrated, we will be sceptical of any trial balloonists in this regard.ââ?¬Â The comment was a clear dig at Ellis, who frustrated the Rangers board last spring with an offer that did not stand up to scrutiny. Johnston also warned that, while relations between Rangers and Lloyds Bank had ââ?¬Å?improved significantlyââ?¬Â over the handling of the clubââ?¬â?¢s debt, there was no imminent sight of a fresh investor in the club. ââ?¬Å?Supporters have to be realistic about this,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?There are not a lot of potential buyers on the market suitable to buy Rangers Football Club. We cannot see a change in ownership in the forseeable future which will release investment which will underwrite our ambitions.ââ?¬Â How can this be when Northampton Loyalist had personal assurances to the contrary? Chortle snort snigger:fish: 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aweebluesoandso 290 Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Graham Spiers Ibrox chairman takes aim at ââ?¬Ë?trial balloonistsââ?¬â?¢ wasting clubââ?¬â?¢s time Alastair Johnston, the Rangers chairman, aimed a not-so-veiled barb yesterday at Andrew Ellis, whose doomed takeover of the Ibrox club consumed months of media coverage, by referring to the ââ?¬Å?trial balloonistsââ?¬Â who had wasted the clubââ?¬â?¢s time with what appeared to be a lot of hot air about taking over Sir David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s 90 per cent stake. Ellis, a London property developer, was eventually unable to put up the money required to buy Rangers this year. Johnston had long been a sceptic of the Ellis bid and reminded the Rangers AGM in Glasgow yesterday of his doubts about that and other rumoured bids. ââ?¬Å?All the expressions of interest in buying the club during this period have proved to be frivolous,ââ?¬Â the Rangers chairman said tartly. ââ?¬Å?However, this does not preclude any prospective buyer from pursuing a takeover of Rangers, although the current economic climate would temper our expectations. ââ?¬Å?We will remain receptive to any genuine and substantive overtures, but, as we have already demonstrated, we will be sceptical of any trial balloonists in this regard.ââ?¬Â The comment was a clear dig at Ellis, who frustrated the Rangers board last spring with an offer that did not stand up to scrutiny. Johnston also warned that, while relations between Rangers and Lloyds Bank had ââ?¬Å?improved significantlyââ?¬Â over the handling of the clubââ?¬â?¢s debt, there was no imminent sight of a fresh investor in the club. ââ?¬Å?Supporters have to be realistic about this,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?There are not a lot of potential buyers on the market suitable to buy Rangers Football Club. We cannot see a change in ownership in the forseeable future which will release investment which will underwrite our ambitions.ââ?¬Â How can this be when Northampton Loyalist had personal assurances to the contrary? Chortle snort snigger:fish: I think in the end history will show it was Mr Murray who burst that particular Balloon. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maineflyer 0 Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I think in the end history will show it was Mr Murray who burst that particular Balloon. Balloon being the operative word of course. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
calscot 0 Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I naively thought that with the Times now charging for access that we'd heard the end of Spiers. It's not such a bad article this time but can't we just ignore this irrelevant hack in future and condemn him to the darkest recesses of the back of the 'net? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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