Sales pitch seals deal! Whyte convinces Ibrox board he is the man for Gers takeover

[ian1964 10,780]

A Murray Park sales pitch in the wake of Sunday�s Old Firm game has taken Craig Whyte to within touching distance of completing his Rangers takeover.

 

Whyte met with board members at the club�s training ground immediately after the 0-0 draw at Ibrox � the prospective owner using the summit to again lay out his plans for the reigning SPL champions.

 

And he appears to have won over the doubters who blocked his hopes of finalising the buy-out of Sir David Murray�s huge controlling interest early last week � including, crucially, chairman Alastair Johnston.

 

Last night Johnston, who had previously questioned Whyteââ?¬â?¢s ability to finance the clubââ?¬â?¢s future, told BBC Scotland: ââ?¬Ë?The (vetting) committee are now much closer to viewing Craig Whyteââ?¬â?¢s bid as the right one for Rangers.ââ?¬â?¢

 

Sir David himself has been doing the diplomatic rounds urging directors to ââ?¬Ë?Back the Bidââ?¬â?¢, having dismissed the alternative consortium proposal floated by Dave King and Paul Murray.

 

Sportsmail understands that at least two members of the vetting committee set up to oversee the takeover � former chairman John McClelland and club legend John Greig � were immediately won over.

 

Asked about Johnston coming onside, a source close to the Whyte camp said: ââ?¬Ë?If this is true, then obviously itââ?¬â?¢s very good news. With a bit of luck, the deal can now proceed to completion.ââ?¬â?¢

 

Sir David can sell his shareholding without board approval, but does not want his last official act to be an acrimonious sale forced through against the wishes of the directors. He spent much of the weekend trying to convince directors that Whyte is the club�s best bet.

 

Lloyds Banking Group, who will recoup their �£20million once Whyte takes control and pays off the club debt, have also been putting pressure on the board to rubber stamp the deal.

 

One of the new man�s first tasks could be to finalise a six-year contract offer to star asset Allan McGregor � keeping him at Ibrox until he is 35.

 

The Scotland keeper has told the club he would be keen to stay in Glasgow if the deal is right but Sportsmail understands the new contract offers McGregor a small increase on his basic weekly wage of around �£12,000.

 

A number of English and foreign clubs are keeping a close eye on the outstanding Ibrox No 1 and former Scotland keeper Alan Rough told Sportsmail yesterday that Premiership clubs should be queuing up with inquiries.

 

The 29-year-old has two years left on his current deal and any summer sale would probably be at no more than �£5m.

 

The future of a number of the current Rangers squad remains uncertain and striker Nikica Jelavic has told his team-mates they must stick together in the summer to help Ally McCoist bring silverware to Ibrox.

 

Skipper David Weir and left-back Sasa Papac look bound for exits at the end of their contracts.

 

Madjid Bougherra has again publicly declared he would prefer a summer transfer while McGregor�s future may well depend on how he reacts to the contract offer while Steven Davis and Steven Whittaker also have only 12 months left.

 

ââ?¬Ë?If we can stay together and remain focused then I am convinced we can win a lot of trophies together,ââ?¬â?¢ said Jelavic.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1380574/Sales-pitch-seals-deal-Whyte-convinces-Ibrox-board-man-Gers-takeover.html#ixzz1KaJ49uL6

[pete 2,499]

The future of a number of the current Rangers squad remains uncertain and striker Nikica Jelavic has told his team-mates they must stick together in the summer to help Ally McCoist bring silverware to Ibrox.

 

ââ?¬Ë?If we can stay together and remain focused then I am convinced we can win a lot of trophies together,ââ?¬â?¢ said Jelavic.

 

 

The big man is starting to become an Ibrox Legend.

 

Sorry to hear that Papac will be leaving but to be honest I would prefer a more attacking full-back.

[craig 5,199]

The big man is starting to become an Ibrox Legend.

 

Sorry to hear that Papac will be leaving but to be honest I would prefer a more attacking full-back.

 

It takes a lot more than half a season and some positive quotes about the club to become a legend, surely ?.

[pete 2,499]

It takes a lot more than half a season and some positive quotes about the club to become a legend, surely ?.

 

His play and his attitude have all the makings of. I did say starting. Obviously to be a real legend will take more but you have to start somewhere and he is doing it more with his play than with his mouth. All the makings are there imo.

[craig 5,199]

His play and his attitude have all the makings of. I did say starting. Obviously to be a real legend will take more but you have to start somewhere and he is doing it more with his play than with his mouth. All the makings are there imo.

 

There is also as much likelihood that he will only have another season with us before moving onto the EPL.... would you really consider him a legend after two seasons ?

 

Far, far too early to be talking about "legend" status in my opinion.

[pete 2,499]

There is also as much likelihood that he will only have another season with us before moving onto the EPL.... would you really consider him a legend after two seasons ?

 

Far, far too early to be talking about "legend" status in my opinion.

 

Everyone considers Laudrup as a legend while he was actually just a mediocre player that ran away to Chelsea after four or five years. I rate Jelavic far higher than Laudrup.

[Gribz 966]

I rate Jelavic far higher than Laudrup.

 

Seriously???

 

Laudrup was world class. He was quality in his bundesliga days and 1 of Denmarks best players at Euro 92 and WC 98. It didnt work out for him at Chelsea but they were buying players left right and centre at the time. Look at Tore Andre Flo, he was good a Chelsea but awful for Rangers.

[pete 2,499]

Seriously???

 

Laudrup was world class. He was quality in his bundesliga days and 1 of Denmarks best players at Euro 92 and WC 98. It didnt work out for him at Chelsea but they were buying players left right and centre at the time. Look at Tore Andre Flo, he was good a Chelsea but awful for Rangers.

 

Gribz he was not a success at Bayern and not a success in Italy, not a success at Chelsea and not a success for Ajax. He was a success in Govan and not the world. He really was a mediocre player that was on the better side of normal Scottish players. Plus he played in a team that was far better than the nearly bankrupt Celtic team. I am afraid your world class is world class in Scotland.

[Gribz 966]

Gribz he was not a success at Bayern and not a success in Italy, not a success at Chelsea and not a success for Ajax. He was a success in Govan and not the world. He really was a mediocre player that was on the better side of normal Scottish players. Plus he played in a team that was far better than the nearly bankrupt Celtic team. I am afraid your world class is world class in Scotland.

 

Pete we will have to agree to disagree. Essentially your saying a player can only be world class if he performs in more league than one?? Im not one who likes to brand the word 'legend' or 'world class' about, even the word 'great' gets used too often, but Laudrup goes into the list for me. Even Pele has Laudrup in the FIFA 100 list.

 

The best player to compare Laudrup with would be Gascoigne as they played in the same teams and era. Yet Gascoigne WAS world class in a footballing sense, but for me Laudrup was the better player between the two at Rangers - just.

[Frankie 8,687]

Everyone considers Laudrup as a legend while he was actually just a mediocre player that ran away to Chelsea after four or five years. I rate Jelavic far higher than Laudrup.

 

Are you fishing?

 

Laudrup had a poor final season granted but before that he was a fine, fine player - though perhaps not as good as we'd have liked in Europe. Jelavic has a long way to go before bettering the Dane's contribution.