Ashley ups his Stake

[der Berliner 3,744]

Can't stay away from this liquidated club garbage, no does he know about SFA rules, but here are his thoughts anyway ...

 

Neil Cameron: Just why is Mike Ashley putting so much money into Glasgow Rangers?

 

Why is he doing this? Can he do this? What does it all mean?

 

Some estimate his personal fortune to be close to £4billion, so to be perfectly honest he can do what he wants.

 

But why is the Magpies’ owner becoming more involved with the Glasgow club? Here we look at the reasons for the Newcastle United owner getting so involved with a club fallen on hard times that plays in country whose football wealth is a faction of that in the Premier League.

 

What has Mike Ashley actually done at Rangers?

 

A text came through from a pal in Glasgow that simply read: “Ashley’s tanks are on the Ibrox lawns.”

 

That’s a good summary of the situation.

 

Before the latest revelations, brought to the public domain courtesy of the Daily Record’s Keith Jackson, we knew Ashley invested £30,000 into the club and that was estimated to be 9% of that company’s share capital. Or three million shares at one pence, 5.2% of its issued share capital.

 

He has already thought to have made a £700,000 profit on that. Not bad business, that.

 

Ashley has now taken full control of the club’s retail stores. That’s a lot of store room for Sports Direct. He got all of this for a song.

 

It has also transpired that he bought the naming rights to Ibrox for, wait for it, £1. Yes, Rangers who not so long ago were paying more money on wages and transfers than just about every club in Britain are that desperate.

 

He doesn’t own Rangers. Not yet. But he is by far now the most important man at the club. Ashley was also asked to underwrite a £4m share issue, but for the moment that has not happened, as far as we know.

 

So why is he interested at all in a Scottish club that are still not in a top flight?

Rangers are in massive trouble. There is no money and a club that size cannot afford to even limp along with all their staff and a massive stadium to look after with the revenue that is coming in.

 

But don’t think for a moment that Rangers are a bad deal. If someone had the money, they could go in there a buy a football institution for a bargain.

 

Then they could pump a bit of cash in to get them to the SPL with the aim of heading to the Champions League in the not-too-distant future . . .

 

And then sell the club for a massive profit some time down the road.

 

Don’t be fooled by the fact Scottish football is struggling a bit at the moment. Rangers are a club with millions of supporters all around the world. That’s a lot of people walking around with tops with the Sports Direct logo on them.

 

Long-term plan?

 

Your guess is as good as mine. Ashley can still own Newcastle and have an interest in Rangers, something we will look at in a moment.

 

If I had to take a punt, I would say he isn’t going anywhere, not in the near future, and yet has worked out a way to increase his company’s profile in Scotland. The Albion Car Park, situated beside Ibrox itself, is a Steven Taylor clearance away from the M8 and owned by the club.

 

It would make a cracking spot for a massive sports equipment store of some description. Just a thought.

 

Do the Rangers fans want him?

 

Not particularly. They certainly don’t want Ibrox being renamed as the Sports Direct Arena.

 

The fact is that the club wouldn’t actually earn any money from such a change. Sound familiar?

 

But they are struggling to pay the bills. A second administration (the club was also liquidated in 2012) is far from an impossibility, so they need someone to help out.

 

And Ashley has the money.

 

A South African-based businessman called Dave King has talked a lot about investing. He’s not done it yet.

 

Rangers are running out of cash and options. He might be their best choice.

 

Can he own two clubs?

 

Ashley can’t own two clubs in the Premier League. But theoretically he could own one in Scotland and also Newcastle.

 

The clubs play in different competitions, but could meet in Europe and this is a problem because clubs owned by the same man cannot play each other in the Champions League or Europa League.

 

But here’s the thing.

 

Uefa’s rules say he could own less than 50.1% of a club and not be considered an owner. They see an owner as being the man who has the majority of voting rights and the power to remove directors.

 

Or to put it another way, the big boss.

 

So Ashley could own a lot of Rangers if he was seen not to be pulling the strings.

 

This means he could rename the stadium, run all the outlets, own a load of shares, as long as he doesn’t have any say in club matters.

 

And does this mean he is positioning himself to sell Newcastle United?

 

Ah, this is the big question.

 

Personally, I can’t see it. First of all, who is going to pay the several hundred million that Ashley would want?

 

The guy is brilliant at making money. According to Forbes he is the 252nd richest person on the planet.

 

And if Sports Direct can benefit from his owning Newcastle, having a stake in Rangers and also Oldham, then that’s what he will do.

 

There may be some obstacles in his way.

 

However, mega-rich, powerful, business men tend to get what they want.

[RANGERRAB 3,664]

Neither me or Rab said anything to that line of thought. Quite bizarre a thing to say if people looking for answers ...

 

BTW, while it makes good noises, this 1 pound stuff, I actually believe that Ashley pays quite a bit more than that cometh the time.

 

I believe the one pound was for exclusivity I.e. Rangers couldn't go elsewhere and negotiate a deal with another company and rename the stadium. It certainly didn't mean it could be renamed the Sports Direct Arena(or something similar) and Rangers got £1. But hey never mind let's just twist the story to make things look as bad as we can eh?

[craig 5,199]

At the last AGM the reqs got 30 percent of the vote. I was amazed at how high they got. Why couldn't King(or someone) have acquired 20 percent shareholding? They'd certainly be able to influence the club then would they not?

 

No, they wouldn't. Even super majority votes need 75% to pass. So with 20% holding King could STILL have little say in how the Club is run if he couldn't gain a further 5% voting support. That 5% becomes 30% for regular shareholder votes

[craig 5,199]

The idea that Ibrox would get renamed the Sports Direct Arena(or something similar) and Rangers would get nothing is ridiculous. Also do you know the terms of the retail contract to Sports Direct?

 

You are, of course, correct. Rangers would get ONE quid for the naming rights..... As confirmed by Sandy Easdale

[craig 5,199]

Neither me or Rab said anything to that line of thought. Quite bizarre a thing to say if people looking for answers ...

 

BTW, while it makes good noises, this 1 pound stuff, I actually believe that Ashley pays quite a bit more than that cometh the time.

 

Why would he pay more if he has, by Sandy Easdale's own admission, a watertight contract ?

[compo 7,039]

maybe Ashley will pay for the shares and put them in easdales name and tell easedale what he wants doing

[the gunslinger 3,366]

I believe the one pound was for exclusivity I.e. Rangers couldn't go elsewhere and negotiate a deal with another company and rename the stadium. It certainly didn't mean it could be renamed the Sports Direct Arena(or something similar) and Rangers got £1. But hey never mind let's just twist the story to make things look as bad as we can eh?

 

Can you prove that.

[Rangersitis 0]

Can you prove that.

 

Aye, it's on the same bit of paper that shows Dave King has no money.

[der Berliner 3,744]

No, they wouldn't. Even super majority votes need 75% to pass. So with 20% holding King could STILL have little say in how the Club is run if he couldn't gain a further 5% voting support. That 5% becomes 30% for regular shareholder votes

 

How much power does Laxey hold then? They bought their shares after King got his oversea's money back in March 2013. We are told Laxey are calling quite some shots now, are they not? Assuming that King had taken the place of Laxey and adding other pro-Req shareholders, don't you think that the votes would not be far more equally split, if not swing towards the Reqs?

 

Why would he pay more if he has, by Sandy Easdale's own admission, a watertight contract ?

 

Perhaps we wait till we know more details of that contract.

[der Berliner 3,744]

Newcastle United blog

 

Ashley May Buy Rangers But He Wont Sell Newcastle

 

8:10 am, Saturday, September 6th, 2014 by Dr. Ed Harrison · 9 Comments

 

Mike Ashley already owns some of Rangers football club, and the Newcastle owner seems to be investing more into Rangers all the time, and in the last day or two it’s been revealed that Rangers Chief Executive, Charles Green, has already sold the naming rights to Ibrox to the English Billionaire – who is now worth around £3.5B in the latest Forbes Billionaire list.

 

And not surprisingly there has been speculation from both Rangers fans and Newcastle fans as to what Mike’s end game is at Rangers, and one theory is that he will eventually buy Rangers, but to do that he will have to sell Newcastle.

 

Technically it’s possible for an owner to own two football club, if they don’t compete together in any one competition, but the rules are murky at best, and if it ever happened that Mike became the majority owner of Rangers by owning more than 50% of the great Scottish club, while still owning Newcastle, whether that was legal or not would probably have to be decided in the courts.

 

Mike owns Newcastle for the money, or be more accurate as a showcase – a world advertising vehicle if you like – for his company Sports Direct, and with the popularity of the Premier League around the world, we don’t think he would want to sell Newcastle United.

 

And when you see the home games of Newcastle on TV – all you seen on the screens are Sports Direct signs all over the place – Sr. James’ Park may as well still be called Sports Direct Arena.

 

It looks like Rangers’ home ground could eventually be the next one to be called the Sports Direct Arena, and have similar signs all over the place – and we’re sure Rangers fans will think that’s just great.

 

Not!

 

Mike Ashley is a savvy businessman, and he has invested well in Rangers while they were down the leagues, but on their way back to the Scottish Premier League and the Champions League – and of course that initial investment will be a terrific one for the Newcastle owner – it already has been.

 

Maybe what Mike wants is his company to be seen more during the Champions League in Europe and maybe he thinks he can own both clubs because they will never compete in the same competition.

 

That’s because Newcastle will always find it very difficult to get a top six position in England or win any local cups under Ashley, without a lot more investment and a lot more ambition.

 

Sound familiar?

 

Ashley wouldn’t have to try much harder for that to continue to happen – from what we’ve seen at Newcastle over the last seven years - let’s face it.

 

So maybe he looks at Rangers as the second vehicle for advertising his company, and they would always compete in the Champions League every season – oh and we’d play Rangers every pre-season too.

 

It’s just a thought, but Rangers is an iconic club going through some very difficult times right now – but who doesn’t think they will not be fighting Celtic again tooth and nail for the SPL title very soon, and be back in the Champions League in the next couple of seasons?

 

You mightn’t like Mike Ashley but he’s a creative and very good businessman.

 

So perhaps that’s his end game – and we wouldn’t ever have to worry about Newcastle and Rangers competing in the same competitions because Newcastle would never be in Europe.

 

That may be what Mike is up to – and it’s not too far from the truth already at Newcastle - we are nowhere near the top six in England anymore.

 

It’s a little tongue in cheek, but after writing this I’m now concerned it could even be the truth!

 

But to get our hopes up that Mike will eventually sell Newcastle United may a setup for a disappointment – and a big disappointment at that.

 

What do you think?