p murray on radio scotland

[TheTinMan99 0]

Sake, quoted the wrong post. Meant to quote STB's post about his maw.

[simplythebest 0]

Your poor maw. "guess whit charles said the day maw? we're aw gon tae englund tae play, and he'll be here till he hears CL music at Ibrox, an he says he's goat Rangersitis, maw"

 

I can appreciate good humour

[Stimpy 0]

Blin walked story is he couldn't fault the figures or information he had made available to him.

 

Our neighboring universe is closer mate. No dig at you, but I guess we're now seeing the desperation of folk.

[Stimpy 0]

You're comparing apples with oranges.

 

I drive to the game with five lads in my car - ranging from mid 30s to almost 70. Only three are overly interested in the off-field stuff - a slight majority but only because we're the three that go online. The other two pretty much don't care - or certainly don't know enough about the personalities involved to come to any sort of judgement.

 

Why do you think the Record, Sun and BBC Scotland are being used? Because that's where the battle will be won - not on this forum, FF or RM.

 

It'd be a sad day for all if RM are ever credited with anything to do with thinking. Tims will never do the job those lads do the support. Devise doesn't the forum justice.

[ian1964 10,761]

Paul Murray has told BBC Scotland the current board at Rangers needs to demonstrate financial transparency.

Murray was part of a group of shareholders who have withdrawn demands for an extraordinary meeting and the removal of certain board members.

"This is a board - by their own admission - raised about £50m or £60m pounds and there's only £10m left," said Murray.

"You can see why investors who put £17m into the club are concerned."

The group, which includes businessman Jim McColl, had demanded that directors Brian Stockbridge and Bryan Smart should stand down at Ibrox and wanted accountant Frank Blin and Murray appointed to the company's board.

Murray was previously a non-executive director on the board of The Rangers Football Club PLC - which is currently undergoing liquidation proceedings - from September 2007 until May 2011.

On Friday, Rangers chief executive Craig Mather accused the shareholders of lacking vision, investment or a plan, saying he hoped their decision to withdraw their demands would lead to "a period of calm and stability" to "continue the progress" of the club.

However, McColl warned that the battle for control of Rangers has only been postponed and Murray insists the group has always had the best interests of the club at heart.

“

There's more financial transparency and corporate governance in my golf club than there is at Rangers

”

Paul Murray

Ex-Rangers director

"I spoke to Jim McColl and we're both very disappointed by Craig's statement," said Murray. "There's a lot of personal insults in there and I don't want to get involved in tit-for-tat.

"There's a lot of inaccuracies in Craig's statement. The first one is that people have to understand that this wasn't myself, Frank Blin and Jim McColl on some sort of wild goose chase trying to cause trouble.

"We were asked by shareholders representing almost a third of the shares to come forward. They had concerns about corporate governance and financial transparency at the club.

"This isn't about the three of us, it's about he investors who helped Rangers to go forward.

"There's more financial transparency and corporate governance in my golf club than there is at Rangers."

Murray also insisted that he was not concerned about any suggestions about his suitability to operate on the board of the club's parent company.

His bid to return to the club could face scrutiny under the Scottish FA's Articles of Association rules regarding fit and proper office bearers, as he was a director in the five-year period preceding the insolvency event suffered by the Rangers Football Club Plc in 2012.

The Scottish businessman was also part of the board that issued almost £50m in tax-free employee Benefit Trust loans to players and staff, which was subject to a First Tier tax Tribunal, and is currently undergoing appeal proceedings.

However, he claimed he had helped reduce the debts at Ibrox during his time there - and could do so again - encouraging Rangers shareholders to vote at the forthcoming annual meeting to affect change at boardroom level.

"I joined the board in 2007 and debt at that point in time was £35m," said Murray. "When I left four years later, the debt was £18m - it halved in those four years.

"We had won three SPL trophies and reached our first European trophy in 36 years.

"People go on about how bad the old board was and the EBT case, which pre-dated me joining the board and was signed off by Grant Thornton for 10 years.

"The last time I checked, Rangers won the case against HMRC.

"I'd like to ask Rangers fans the question: would they like to have the four years when I was on the board or the last two years of utter chaos?

"Let me diplomatically say this: I have no doubt that I am a fit and proper person to join the Rangers board, put it that way.

"I would encourage everyone who has shares to go along to the AGM, listen to the debate and vote for what they want and who they want on the board."

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24095962

[chilledbear 16]

We have to remember about Paul Murray using the BBC.

 

One side has Irvine talking for them who will use whatever media is handy [McLaughlan in a bus depot]'

 

Murray does the talking himself [same media] yet gets abuse for it.

[ian1964 10,761]

PAUL MURRAY came out swinging in the battle for power at Ibrox last night and claimed: My golf clubs run better than Rangers.

 

The former Ibrox director’s bid, along with businessmen Jim McColl and Frank Blin, to wrestle power away from the board has seen all-out war erupt between the two parties.

 

But after an incredible statement from Gers chief executive Craig Mather on Friday night questioning the groups credentials and motives – and a burst of abusive tweets from the club’s PR guru Jack Irvine – Murray hit back in spectacular fashion.

 

He said: “I spoke to Jim McColl and we’re both very disappointed.

 

“There are a lot of personal insults and I don’t want to get involved in tit for tat but some of Jack Irvine’s tweets on Jim were astonishing.

 

“If that’s the level we’ve got to now, things are pretty bad.

 

“There are a lot of inaccuracies in his (Mather’s) statement.

 

“This wasn’t just the three of us on some wild goose chase trying to cause trouble.

 

“We were asked by shareholders representing almost a third of the shares to come forward. They had extreme concerns about corporate governance and financial transparency at the club.

 

“Why? This is a board in the last 12 months who have lost one chief executive and two chairmen including Walter Smith.

 

“By their own admission they’ve raised about £60m and by their own admission there’s only £10m left.

 

“And we have a finance director in the shape of Brian Stockbridge videoing the chairman Malcolm Murray whilst drunk and that tape arriving on YouTube.

 

“You can see why the investors who put £17m in are concerned.

 

“Quite frankly, there’s more corporate governance and financial transparency in my golf club than there is at Rangers.”

 

The double-dealing behind the scenes which saw a deal to put Blin and Murray on the board reneged on has already driven Blin to withdraw his interest in a directorship. And Murray insists that’s Rangers’ loss.

 

He also revealed members of the board were trying to bombproof themselves against re-election at the club’s agm.

 

Speaking to the BBC’s Sportsound, he said: “The fact we’ve got to this point is quite good because the agm has to be held by October 31.

 

“Because it’s the first agm of a new company all the directors must put themselves up for re-election.

 

“We had a compromise agreement in place which was well documented. From nowhere there was a blockage from the nominated adviser Strand Hanson for reasons they still haven’t told us.

 

“One of our key conditions was that there could be no guarantees on any board members, including us.

 

“Certain board members asked us for guarantees on a number of occasions but we said we couldn’t give them.

 

“I’d encourage every person who has shares to go to the agm, listen to the debate and vote for what they want.”

 

Mather claimed in his statement that the rebel group were only interested in a seat in the director’s box – and that they had no plan.

 

But Murray said: “He said I want a tie and a blazer – I have one in my cupboard. I have two in fact But if we get the right people on this board I’ll walk away tomorrow.

 

“People like Frank Blin and Jim McColl don’t go into things without plans.

 

“What’s clear is the current plan can’t continue. They will run out of money.

 

“And the investors who did put money up won’t put up more because they’ve lost

confidence in the board.

 

“Our plan is to rebuild the board, we’ve said the chief exec and finance director should step down. We’ll replace them with interim appointments and then set about a proper permanent solution.

 

“Then we will present a business plan to investors, who have said they would back us with more capital.”

 

Murray then turned his ire on Irvine and said: “As for his tweets? It’s one of the reasons Frank has walked away – and it’s really sad because Rangers have lost one of Scotland’s top financial figures.

 

“He has been left sickened by the constantly changing position of the board and the stirring in the media by the PR people Rangers have.

 

“Then we had all these threats from Jack that they were going to smear us.”

 

In another twist over the weekend, Sandy Easdale was appointed to the club’s football board. He follows brother James – who was appointed to the main plc board in July – into an official role.

 

Sandy Easdale served 27 months in prison from 1997 for VAT fraud but his conviction is time-spent in terms of the SFA’s Fit and Proper Person guidelines. It’s understood Hampden chiefs were made aware of his appointment.

 

Murray said: “We met the Easdales because they have control of a significant minority of shares.

 

“They need to have representation on the board because of that.”

[chilledbear 16]

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/sport/gordon-waddell-rangers-accounts-talking-2275610?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

ANOTHER week, another glut of he said, she said statements, another cringeworthy

embarrassment for a once-proud club.

 

Tell you what. If Rangers ever do get round to holding an agm, the fans and shareholders who still care for their club need to turn it into a bloodbath.

 

A night of the long knives.

 

Anything short of that, anything other than a unified attempt at wholesale evictions from the vipers’ nest they call a boardroom, and they’re knackered forever.

 

In a perverse way, you have to admire those in there for their staying power.

 

Every time anyone appearing to possess even a modicum of decency and integrity tries to make it over the threshold, they get the buckets of boiling oil over the ramparts of the old red brick facade.

 

They could make a movie out of the attempts. A kind of Indiana Jones and The Blue Room of Doom.

 

Paul Murray trying to pass a series of challenges to make it up the marble staircase only for the old St Etienne racing bike to fly out of the trophy room and scythe him in half.

 

It’s no wonder guys like Frank Blin have had enough of trying.

 

The problem they face is that those in power are clearly only prepared to relinquish it if they’re paid to. They were only ever in it for what they could get out of it.

 

Which makes it laughable for Craig Mather to come out and say those wanting in are only in it for as little as a club tie and the seat in the directors’ box.

 

He also claims they have no vision, no plan and no money – a corset-bursting pots-and-kettles line from a board whose governance has sploshed away tens of millions to move them the square root of nowhere.

 

But when you’ve got skin thicker than a rhinoceros’ backside– and that skin is in the game – no one is going to embarrass you into doing the right thing.

 

McColl has said he won’t pay to be involved because he doesn’t think the people who have driven the club right back to the edge of a cliff deserve it. What Murray’s group wanted – maybe naively – was simply to shed the boardroom of its incompetence and run the club the right way.

 

Easier said than done, though. And the fact nominated advisers Strand Hanson refused to approve him for nomination to the board – yet appeared happy to see one or even both of the Easdale brothers in there – may have raised eyebrows.

 

But anyone who thinks board-appointed brokers won’t do what the people who appointed them want must be dreaming.

 

There’s also the matter of the club’s accounts to consider. As in what accounts?

 

Once again they’re left waiting and drumming their fingers for audited books. Once again the suspicion is the shareholders will be left with an unaudited set and to read between the lines and wonder.

 

Forgetting the fact that if they do keep going the way they are on the park, they could potentially qualify for Europe in 2015 – but they wouldn’t be allowed to play because they would fail the compliance test as UEFA demand three years of audited accounts.

 

Which shows you how big a rudderless ship they actually are.

 

As does their lack of leadership on the Ian Black scenario this week.

 

Any chairman or chief executive with a backbone would have emptied him out on to Edmiston Drive on a point of principle, irrespective of his manager’s bizarre show of faith. They were quick enough to hatchet Fran Sandaza for a far lesser offence when Charles Green was there, admittedly to get him off the wage bill.

 

But they’re so busy defending themselves they’re not bothering their backside to defend the club’s morality or integrity.

 

So there’s a choice to be made. For once, can they garner enough unity amongst the shareholders and fans at an agm to kybosh the re-election of the current board?

 

If anyone’s stupid enough to sit on their hands, they’ll be left with the club they deserve.

 

Your club, your choice.

[ranger_syntax 4,422]

The point I keep making about this is that Paul Murray has had more than once chance with Rangers.

 

Why do many Rangers fans think that this is important while many investors do not?

[alexscottislegend 2,374]

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/sport/gordon-waddell-rangers-accounts-talking-2275610?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

ANOTHER week, another glut of he said, she said statements, another cringeworthy

embarrassment for a once-proud club.

 

Tell you what. If Rangers ever do get round to holding an agm, the fans and shareholders who still care for their club need to turn it into a bloodbath.

 

A night of the long knives.

 

Anything short of that, anything other than a unified attempt at wholesale evictions from the vipers’ nest they call a boardroom, and they’re knackered forever.

 

In a perverse way, you have to admire those in there for their staying power.

 

Every time anyone appearing to possess even a modicum of decency and integrity tries to make it over the threshold, they get the buckets of boiling oil over the ramparts of the old red brick facade.

 

They could make a movie out of the attempts. A kind of Indiana Jones and The Blue Room of Doom.

 

Paul Murray trying to pass a series of challenges to make it up the marble staircase only for the old St Etienne racing bike to fly out of the trophy room and scythe him in half.

 

It’s no wonder guys like Frank Blin have had enough of trying.

 

The problem they face is that those in power are clearly only prepared to relinquish it if they’re paid to. They were only ever in it for what they could get out of it.

 

Which makes it laughable for Craig Mather to come out and say those wanting in are only in it for as little as a club tie and the seat in the directors’ box.

 

He also claims they have no vision, no plan and no money – a corset-bursting pots-and-kettles line from a board whose governance has sploshed away tens of millions to move them the square root of nowhere.

 

But when you’ve got skin thicker than a rhinoceros’ backside– and that skin is in the game – no one is going to embarrass you into doing the right thing.

 

McColl has said he won’t pay to be involved because he doesn’t think the people who have driven the club right back to the edge of a cliff deserve it. What Murray’s group wanted – maybe naively – was simply to shed the boardroom of its incompetence and run the club the right way.

 

Easier said than done, though. And the fact nominated advisers Strand Hanson refused to approve him for nomination to the board – yet appeared happy to see one or even both of the Easdale brothers in there – may have raised eyebrows.

 

But anyone who thinks board-appointed brokers won’t do what the people who appointed them want must be dreaming.

 

There’s also the matter of the club’s accounts to consider. As in what accounts?

 

Once again they’re left waiting and drumming their fingers for audited books. Once again the suspicion is the shareholders will be left with an unaudited set and to read between the lines and wonder.

 

Forgetting the fact that if they do keep going the way they are on the park, they could potentially qualify for Europe in 2015 – but they wouldn’t be allowed to play because they would fail the compliance test as UEFA demand three years of audited accounts.Which shows you how big a rudderless ship they actually are.

 

As does their lack of leadership on the Ian Black scenario this week.

 

Any chairman or chief executive with a backbone would have emptied him out on to Edmiston Drive on a point of principle, irrespective of his manager’s bizarre show of faith. They were quick enough to hatchet Fran Sandaza for a far lesser offence when Charles Green was there, admittedly to get him off the wage bill.

 

But they’re so busy defending themselves they’re not bothering their backside to defend the club’s morality or integrity.

 

So there’s a choice to be made. For once, can they garner enough unity amongst the shareholders and fans at an agm to kybosh the re-election of the current board?

 

If anyone’s stupid enough to sit on their hands, they’ll be left with the club they deserve.

 

Your club, your choice.

That bit is chilling; much more important than fretting over Jim Spence.