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Fans threaten boycott over liquidation fears


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RANGERS fans last night vowed to boycott any new regime who plan to liquidate the club.

 

Four groups met yesterdayâ??s 5pm deadline to submit â??best and final bidsâ? to take control of Ibrox.

 

And administrators Duff and Phelps reckon they could be in a position to accept an offer next week.

 

However, worried supporters do not want to see the club end up in the wrong hands after the disastrous reign of disgraced Craig Whyte.

 

They are desperate to continue the 140-year history of Rangers and the leaders of two leading fansâ?? groups vowed any group planning to form a newco would be met with fierce resistance.

 

Paul Murrayâ??s Blue Knights were first to put their bid on the table yesterday and were followed by offers from the USA, Singapore and unexpected interest from Germany.

 

Sale Sharks owner Brian Kennedy has already said he will only revive his interest if he fears the winner plans to liquidate.

 

Rangers Assembly president Andy Kerr said: â??Weâ??ve always had in the back of our minds the liquidation scenario but itâ??s the worst by a long way. It would dispirit people and break connections and fans would believe the history and tradition had gone.

 

â??Weâ??ve danced around the boycott scenario under different banners. I do not think the appetite is there to do that. We always believed we would support the club no matter what but this one is too important.

 

â??I canâ??t think of a worse situation than someone being in pole position or almost confirmed as the new owner and weâ??re all saying â??Forget it, weâ??re not interestedâ??. That would be damaging for everyone and where would you go next?

 

â??I hope we donâ??t get into that situation but because we donâ??t know some of the underlying detail and the key principles of the bids outside of the Blue Knights, weâ??ve always got to be wary that is a possibility.

 

â??I know the administrators are focused on getting a CVA and securing a purchase that way. Because we donâ??t know a lot about the bids other than the Blue Knights then itâ??s difficult to be sure.â?

 

Mark Dingwall, of the Rangers Supportersâ?? Trust, said: â??Anyone who came in looking to liquidate the club would find the fans united in their opposition. They would receive no financial help from the fans and it would be done in the face of great opposition.

 

â??Anyone who expects to lead Rangers supporters into the black hole of liquidation will have another thing coming. And if people expect to have a feelgood factor within the club they really need to engage with the fans sooner rather than later.

 

â??Fans want a CVA as quickly as possible because it gives certainty and it also means you have time to ensure all playersâ?? contracts are renegotiated and the bulk of the playing staff are kept on the books for next season.

 

â??Anyone who chose voluntarily to go down the road of liquidation would be committing commercial suicide, not only on behalf of Rangers but also themselves because I donâ??t think fans would forgive anyone who chose that as their first port of call.

 

â??Paul Murray and the Blue Knights have been very open and honest about their plans. They have stated we all need to work together â?? theyâ??re not selling us some fantasy that everything is going to be rosy.

 

â??After the nightmare of Craig Whyte we need any potential owner to display the same level of openness and honesty as Paul Murray and the Blue Knights have shown. Anyone who doesnâ??t, simply arenâ??t credible.â?

 

Record Sport understands the offer from Germany is favourite to falter at the first hurdle which would leave a three-way battle.

 

The bid received from the USA is believed to be a splinter group from Chicago-based Club 9 Sports who backed out yesterday. Itâ??s understood individuals from that consortium have pressed ahead with a move.

 

There are fears the Americans want to go down the newco route but the Singapore consortium insist they do not plan to liquidate while the Blue Knights want to emerge from administration through a CVA.

 

Joint administrator David Whitehouse said: â??We cannot be precise in timescale but we estimate an exit from administration before the end of the season is achievable.

 

â??The bids are structured in various ways but are positive and constructive. We will now analyse these bids and hold discussions with relevant parties to gain further understanding of the details of their bids.

 

â??It will be our intention to accept an offer next week and this will be followed by a period of due diligence and exclusivity.

 

â??We appreciate the need to conclude this as quickly as possible But it is most important to secure the best possible outcome for creditors, Rangers and supporters.â?

 

A protest against liquidation is planned at Saturdayâ??s home game against St Mirren, with supporters holding up red cards. Dingwall said: â??Our message to anyone with that idea is that they are entirely unwelcome.

 

â??We believe it is possible to save the club and its history. We donâ??t think it should be bought and then put through the horror of liquidation. We want to know who the bidders are and what their intentions are.

 

â??What is vital for any bid is the goodwill of the fans and that can only be gained by openness and transparency before purchase. Some tough times are ahead but if we all pull together the future of the club can be secured.â?

 

●McBookie.com make Blue Knights 11-8 favourites to become the new owners with the Singapore bid 5-2, US 3-1 and German 9-2.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2012/04/05/rangers-in-crisis-fans-threaten-boycott-over-liquidation-fears-as-four-offers-roll-in-at-ibrox-86908-23813735/

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Rangers football club are not just a football club, they are an institution with a glorious 140 year history behind them and a proud history at that and like most of the posters on this forum have been followers of this club since birth :)

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It's a really toughy and i don;t know if i could give a newco the same support and love i do. I know people try and twist it to say "no it's still the same Rangers" That may be to you, i dunno?

 

 

One thing, ask yourself this. If it was the odd lot that were in this position and they did go into liquidation and came out a newco would we all still say,"yeah, it's still the same club with the same history"?

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It's a really toughy and i don;t know if i could give a newco the same support and love i do. I know people try and twist it to say "no it's still the same Rangers" That may be to you, i dunno?

 

 

One thing, ask yourself this. If it was the odd lot that were in this position and they did go into liquidation and came out a newco would we all still say,"yeah, it's still the same club with the same history"?

 

 

Did Leeds not become a newco? Do you look at them as a new team or still the same?

 

Leeds United offer the closest precedent. The club's member share in the Football League was transferred to a newco during the off-season. The newco inherited all of the previous company's playing records, and had a points sanction imposed on them, starting the season minus 15 points.
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I've got to say my support of Rangers goes well beyond any ownership, company status or financial jiggery pokery.

 

I'm not going to stop supporting Rangers just because of a couple of business guys who couldn't run the company in a proper manner.

 

A blip doesn't change the history and it doesn't change the spirit of the club. What is the entity anyway? None of the original players, manager or supporters are even alive today. So what actually makes up Rangers? The company only started about 30 years after the club, so what history are we talking about - so all this 1872 stuff is a load guff?

 

You know every seven years, all our cells in our body have been replaced by new ones - yet we see our selves as the same person. Who says a football club has to have the same company behind it?

 

Depends if you're more into finance than football...

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If Celtic were liquidated and reformed as Celtic 2012 would you still hate them just the same and take the same great pleasure in beating them? I would. Same as I'll continue to support the team that plays in blue, at Ibrox, known as Rangers, whatever the corporate structure. My support is UNCONDITIONAL. Sounds to me like some people are considering walking away. Disgraceful.

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I have no opinion on Leeds. Could care less about them.

 

No one is asking you to love Leeds Utd they were just an example in a debate. If you are only going to debate with blinkers on for things happening around you then you will only see what you want to see and that certainly won't be the big picture.

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