Players refuse 15% pay cut

[pollok-loyal 0]

One of the reasons why I said contracts for players must be paid in full, otherwise in future others might think a year into my deal the board might decide to change the goalposts.

Get rid of deadwood, Stockbridge,Irvine advisors who do nothing but fleece the club of money.

[andy steel 0]

Good points, and once again I'm left wondering why we have chosen the option which does the most damage for the least amount of gain. <paranoid loyal>

[chilledbear 16]

If even I can see starting at the top is the sensible way to get fans etc on board, surely those at Ibrox can see this as well.

[BlueMazza 0]

Meanwhile back at the ranch

 

http://www.rangers.co.uk/club/recruitment/jobs/item/5977-match-day-staff-%E2%80%93-ticket-centre-zero-hours-x6

 

We are currently seeking six dynamic and professional Match Day Ticket Operation Administrators to join the Ticket Centre Team based at Ibrox Stadium, reporting to the Ticket Operations Manager on a zero hours basis.

 

The purpose of this role is to provide an all-round administration and customer service to assist the smooth running of the Ticket Operations Department during match days.

 

The successful candidate will have strong customer service skills along with proven experience within a similar role would be desirable. A sound knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Outlook) along with Talent ticketing system knowledge would be an advantage.

 

Commitment, flexibility, trustworthy and enthusiasm are also a must.

 

Please note that as this role is zero hours, there is no guarantee of shifts.

 

Disappointed to see this. I thought better of Rangers. I still do, but I believe we have the wrong people at the top making these decisions. Zero hours contracts are a disgrace and not fit and proper for Rangers.

[BlueMazza 0]

As for McCoist leaving the meeting, I'm assuming as Jig is captain and McCoist is not a player, he left to allow them time to discuss their options as players. It's not right for the manager to be involved in that discussion, it's about the players.

[Tom Davison 0]

Wallace in seemingly coming up with a reduction in player's salaries, as his first cost cutting initiative indicates poor judgement. Any decent leader would have surely announced actions to reduce costs related to the board. It may be that he is just doing what he is told. Presumably, those on the board are being financially rewarded for their "work." Yet, they need to hire this bloke, Philip Nash. While I have reservations re. Paul Murray, at least he and his two colleagues gave a pledge to serve on the board on an unpaid basis. It would be nice to hear some of our existing board members making a similar pledge.

[Waltersgotstyle 307]

One man who really impressed was Garry Ralston last night on Clyde.

 

He was asking pertinent questions and his reasoning was fantastic.

 

He rubbished the opinion that Rangers were paying players more than they should, he pointed out regardless of the league Rangers are in they are attracting over 40,000 fans a week and deserve to have quality on the park.

 

He also pointed out that having a wage bill of only 30% of the turnover is a fantastic ratio for a club our size - the real question that we need answered is - where has all the money gone?

 

We should be looking to streamline other areas of the business, one thing that continues to impress me is the official Rangers website that was brought in house this should be used as an example. We should be looking at other sections of the Business that can be brought in house (first thing I would do is get rid of Media House).

 

Another thing we should be looking at is extending the opening hours of the Ibrox bar on Matchdays and applying for a license to open for other sporting events or away matches.

 

I really hope Mr Wallace is exploring all avenues and not just taking the easy option in trying to cut the playing staff as that will not help us long term.

[SteveC 150]

Wallace says that: " you have to remember that, all things going to plan, we will have a successful season next year and then we will be back into the top flight. We have two summer transfer windows before then so there is plenty of time to make sure we have the right footballing capability, relevant to the competition we are in."

 

So, at best, after 3 years in lower leagues we will go back to the top (crap though that is) with a thrown together squad who won't know each other, many of whom won't be able to settle at Ibrox, some of whom will simply be too poor to play (we managed to sign players not good enough for the bottom leagues after all) . Whatever is left will have to "gel" immediately and someone somewhere will have to teach them how to take throw ins, corners and free kicks, how to defend and maybe even how to pass the ball. "Plenty of time", ffs......

[der Berliner 3,743]

Rangers pay cut shock: Exclusive Q&A with Ibrox chief executive Graham Wallace

 

17 Jan 2014 07:07

 

RECORD Sport's chief sports writer Keith Jackson puts the questions that matter to Ibrox chief Wallace after another turbulent day at Ibrox.

 

RANGERS fans reacted in dismay last night after it emerged chief executive Graham Wallace had asked players to consider a 15 per cent wage cut across the board – sparking fears of another imminent financial meltdown at Ibrox.

 

In a interview with Record Sport’s chief sports writer, Keith Jackson, Wallace responds to the growing sense of alarm among his club’s fans and insists that another financial collapse is not on the cards. Here he explains why…

 

KEITH JACKSON: When players are being asked to take wage cuts it suggests the need for some alarm. What message would you send to the Rangers supporters who will quite clearly be concerned by this development?

 

GRAHAM WALLACE: What I can say is we are conducting a thorough review of every area of our business and of every pound that we are spending and every opportunity to drive revenue. The players’ wages and cost of football operations are naturally the most significant areas of operation in a professional football club. That goes without saying.

 

All I am trying to do is look at options in order to move this club towards sustainability. That is my focus. This is not about a need for any immediate drastic action.

 

This is about building a structure that will allow us to move towards sustainability and I am exploring every possible option. I think that is fair.

 

The thing that is slightly disappointing is the way some people are looking at this as an offer which has been made by the club to the players – and that offer has been rejected. No offer has been made. This is more of a conceptual discussion about the possibility of some sort of reduction to see if such a plan would be supported by the players.

 

Everyone knows the magnitude of the challenge this club faces to reduce our costs. All I am doing is exploring options as to how best to do it.

 

KJ: You say football operations represent the most significant costs for any club. But the last set of accounts indicated that the player wage bill made up around an £8million portion of the club’s entire £18m wage bill. The perceived logic is that the player wage bill now stands at around £6m.

 

Supporters will want to know what you are doing about addressing the wages being paid to those outside the first-team dressing room?

 

GW : That is my focus. We are looking at all areas. You ran a story last week that I have brought in Philip Nash to help me have a look at this.

 

We have brought in his expertise on a short-term basis to help us identify what we can do to get this club back on the footing that it should be. I think that’s entirely to be expected.

 

KJ: But if an already sceptical support is to be placated, these fans will want to see some members of your board feeling the pinch. Is that going to be difficult for you to achieve?

 

GW : What I would say is I am looking at the entire business. I am looking at everything and as we go through it we will make some change, absolutely.

 

We will build a business structurally and financially that equips us for future success. I have no doubt about that.

 

I am continuing to investigate every opportunity. This one today (the player wage cuts) was one we were investigating and it’s maybe just unfortunate that it’s come out as some form of offer which has been rejected.

 

As I say, no offer has been made. It’s just part of my exploratory discussions which are being carried out right across the business. Hopefully that gives you a bit of perspective.

 

KJ: Your problem here is that fans see suggested wage cuts and – given everything this club has endured over the last couple of years – they will quite understandably fear the worst.

 

The last time players took wage cuts at Ibrox the club was being plunged into a financial trauma. The question they need answered by you is clear – is this the beginning of Administration II?

 

GW : My response would be that this is a pointer towards the action which needs to be taken at an overall level to get the cost base of the club under control in relation to our ability to generate income, to make the club sustainable, to make it stand on its own two feet as we move it forward.

 

There is no threat of Administration II. Categorically, there is no threat of Administration II.

 

This simply sits alongside everything else that we are doing here right now – reviewing the business to put it on a sound footing for the future. That is my focus.

 

KJ: But after what happened in 2012, do you understand why many fans might not be inclined to believe you?

 

GW : Yes, but you can also understand fans looking at this and saying this is entirely consistent with the message I delivered at the agm.

 

I said then that our cost base was too great for our income stream. We need to realign it, we need to look at what we’ve got and make changes.

 

When you have professional football players on long-term contracts at decent money, your ability to do anything contractually is restricted – short of moving people on.

 

One of the things which is at the core of everything we are trying to do is to maintain a squad and a team that is capable of winning, playing good football and capable of taking us back to the top division.

 

I am exploring every opportunity, every avenue. These exploratory discussions with the team were approached in exactly that way.

 

KJ: If I were Ally McCoist, I might have a real problem with this. I might reasonably point to the wage to turnover ratio of under 30 per cent and say you are squeezing me too hard. Has he?

 

GW : The relationship I have with the manager is good. We both share a similar objective. We want to have a winning team, playing good football.

 

The question is how best to do that within the financial envelope that we are operating.

 

We are building for the future. Right now we are well clear at the top of League One and that will take care of itself.

 

What we are looking into is next season and the season beyond that.

 

But you have to remember that, all things going to plan, we will have a successful season next year and then we will be back into the top flight.

 

We have two summer transfer windows before then so there is plenty of time to make sure we have the right footballing capability, relevant to the competition we are in.

 

But what I am trying to do right now is ensure we can build a sustainable business.

 

+ + +

 

DR

 

There we are. A storm in a bucket, helped by the supressed hysteria mode created by the media and some hyper-sensitive fans. Wallace does what he is expected to do. Checking the finances and getting the club back to a sustainable level. THAT is what all people on here want too, don't you? Mind you, reading some of the more drastical stuff on here about squad cuts and youngsters being good enough, you'd actually shake your head in disbelief. Obviously, people would rather see the end of hedge fund people buying shares and certain board members owning the club, or Stockbridge being sent packing. Fair enough, but one step at the time. I'm not sure what people are or were expecting Wallace would do? Wield the hatchet?

 

Who is to say that this was the first cuts he was looking at, or the only ones he invisages. So far, this story made the best headlines and thus is blasted out like there is no tomorrow.

 

Wonder who told the BBC ...

 

Anyway, unless proven otherwise, I for one don't think he's one of the mean and naughty cabal and am prepared, for the time being (sic!), to take his words on face value. (And no, forlanssister, Wallace is not another Craig Whyte-scenario.)

[chilledbear 16]

It was always going to happen. The only imponderables were when the ill-wind would finally whistle through the corridors again and how exactly the numbers crunched this time around.

Some 23 months after many of them gathered to hear Craig Whyte tell them that the club was going into administration, the Rangers players filed into a meeting room at Murray Park after training early on Thursday afternoon. If some were not already bracing themselves for the worst, the grim look on Ally McCoist’s face soon changed that.

Graham Wallace, the club’s chief executive, hardly attempted to gild the lily at the AGM on December 19 last year when he stated that current expenditure was too great for a top-flight club let alone one in the third tier of Scottish football. In that moment, the die was cast.

 

Wallace initially met McCoist last week and for all the manager maintained a positive outlook he knew that harsh decisions would soon be upon him.

On Wednesday the pair met again along with club captain Lee McCulloch. This time the tone was more sombre and it concluded with the idea of a 15 per cent wage reduction for playing staff being floated.

The deal might not have been chiselled into tablets of stone but any hope the manager had of delaying the taking of medicine until the end of Wallace’s 120-day business review ended there and then.

On Thursday, McCoist summoned the squad to a meeting room and once all were present he handed the floor to McCulloch to outline the proposed 15 per cent wage cut.

The initial response was predictably subdued. One source revealed: ‘The players were shocked when Jig (McCulloch) outlined what was being asked for. They were asked for a simple yes or no to the demands. Many of the younger players couldn’ t afford to take a hit like that.

 

 

‘They had been warned something was in the pipeline but no one expected a gun going to their heads.’

Once the penny had dropped and thoughts had been gathered, there was anger: Why were players – not all of whom earn anything like £6,000 per week – being asked to take a drop in their money when those who were asking the question had not led by example?

Contrary to some reports, the wage cut was not dismissed out of hand there and then. Only a fool would anticipate it being agreed, however, especially if there’s no similar gesture forthcoming from those on high.

So there we have it: A proposed wage cut to stave off the very real threat of administration not two years after the club last fell into the centre of the earth. You could say it’s remarkable and, in one sense it is, but only the hard of thinking will not have seen it coming.

 

If the definition of insanity really is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, then Ibrox is indeed the mad house of world football.

It was bad enough that a combination of David Murray’s voodoo economics and Craig Whyte’s lies destroyed the oldco. For Charles Green and his gang of spivs to pull the rollercoaster back up the hill and to try and do it all again beggars belief.

After the initial demise, they re-started in the Third Division, not with a tight belt and a canny three-year plan, but like some 21st Century Loadsamoney character, snapping up some of the best players in the country on wages they could ill-afford with no regard for a ledger that showed a burn of £1m a month. Anyone who dared question the need to pay £7,000 per week to players in the fourth tier of Scottish football was looked upon like they had two heads.

Green, a man who said he wouldn’t leave Ibrox until he heard the Champions League music again, didn’t have any long-term considerations.

 

It was all about dressing the window ahead of a share flotation in December 2012 but, in reality, the club was a financial basket case yet again. The £22m that IPO raised – together with two years of season tickets - evaporated on running costs and immoral executive bonuses.

By the time Green left the club for a second time last August, his ‘big Yorkshire hands’ having taken over £1m out of the club, talk of another insolvency event was unavoidable.

Annual accounts showing a £14.4m trading loss up until June of last year provided an ample illustration of the financial vandalism the so-called saviour of the club had reeked upon it – not that it would be troubling him too much in his Normandy chateaux.

Paul Murray, the former director, hoped that he and three cohorts could take advantage of the worsening financial position by gaining seats on the board at the AGM but the growing influence of the Easdale brothers put paid to that – as well as Dave King’s immediate plans to becoming involved again.

There remains mounting frustration both among fans and within the Ibrox dressing room that, thus far, 2014 has brought no sighting of the ‘significant investment’ those who opposed Murray had promised was in the pipeline.

 

Ultimately, despite yesterday’s bombshell, players and management do see Wallace as an ally even though the chief executive could procrastinate no longer. Brian Stockbridge, the finance director, is on record as stating that the club will have just £1m in the bank come May, meaning savage cost-cutting is inevitable. Yesterday the whispers turned into cries of help from the rooftops.

Sportsmail revealed last week that upwards of £1m is to be trimmed across the board but there are fears that this is now the thin end of the wedge. The football department is braced to bear the brunt of any economies but all areas of the club are now under threat.

If McCoist’s players do eventually agree to the 15 per cent drop, the squad might just survive intact for the time being. If they don’t accede, the manager – and the club – have no obvious way out.

Paying up the bulk of the value of the contracts held by the likes of Emilson Cribari and Sebastien Faure is a non-starter. Money has already flown out of the door to square up the likes of Fran Sandaza and Dorin Goian and, besides, there is no credit line.

 

Loaning some players out might make a minimal difference but finding potential suitors is another matter considering the sky-high wages many players are on.

Similarly, selling a prized asset is easy in theory but not quite so in practice. Only Lee Wallace would command the kind of fee that would make it worth the bother but there is a fundamental stumbling block to that: The player doesn’t want to go anywhere.

Last night Wallace’s agent Gary Mackay told Sportsmail: ‘Lee Wallace wants to be a Rangers player at the end of his current contract and longer if possible.’

Footballers on good contracts not being willing to just up sticks and leave because it suits a club will come as nothing new to Graham Wallace – given his previous employment as CEO at Manchester City.

But that was a club swimming in cash. Rangers as a business is sinking and today it is hard to escape the mental image of the chief executive frantically trying to stop the ship plummeting beneath the waves of financial misadventure by spooning water off the decks. He’ll have to work phenomenally hard to succeed.

 

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2540928/Two-years-devastating-fall-financial-abyss-Glasgow-Rangers-face-painful-prospect-fight-survival.html#ixzz2qeBSyaQF

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