It was an unfamiliar Celtic starting line-up at Pittodrie this afternoon which resulted in the visitors dropping league points for the first time in four months. Andre Blackman and Mikael Lustig made their Celtic debuts at left and right back respectively, while Charlie Mulgrew played central midfield alongside Joe Ledley.
Neither full back got forward as often as we are accustomed to see Celtic play, which perhaps contributed to the disjointed performance.
Charlie Mulgrew almost opened the scoring on 5 minutes when his swerving free kick rebounded back off the inside of Jason Brown’s far post in Celtic’s only genuine chance before the 28th minute goal. Mulgrew was key again in the move that counted, controlling a difficult ball before twisting his marker and knocking the ball forward to Kris Commons. Commons spun before playing a perfectly weighted pass into space inside the box for Anthony Stokes to run onto. Stokes first touch took the ball past Brown in the Aberdeen goal before he slotted his shot into the net.
Aberdeen were well out of the contest in the first half and had to wait until near the end of the half before they managed an attempt at goal, a Fyvie shot which was blocked. Then, only seconds from the break, a long ball forward to Fallon brought Aberdeen level. Fallon turned and his forward run drew Blackman, Wilson and Rogne, leaving the right back space unattended. Gavin Rae ran 70 yards to fill that space and fired a shot which was going narrowly wide before Blackman’s block bounced over Forster into the net.
A minute into the second half Ryan Jack almost reached a cross from the right as Aberdeen seemed to take encouragement from their goal.
Anthony Stokes looked Celtic’s best player but whenever he linked with strike partner, Gary Hooper, the ball invariably bounced out of play or to an Aberdeen player, most notably on the 55th minute when Hooper failed to control on the edge of the six yard box.
Aberdeen’s best chance to win the game arrived on 63 minutes when Meganson evaded Lustig but shot wide when clean through inside the box.
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Hey Maggie,
How’s trtix?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tiaIuH3oj0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVUZuVZWHkk
Hearing wee Nailegs greeting in the sun, I expect Monday to be a busy day down Ayebrokes way.
Finish them off Hector
HH
@ JF
Pure Class..
HH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIuAiCEGEKg&feature=related
Tim Pat Coogan once said;that the Glasgow Irish were the “Cinderella’s” of the diaspora.The most impoverished,the most downtrodden,the poorest of the poor,the most put upon of them all.
Fair enough,but there were none so faithful,through words,and deeds.And I mean this – in every liberation struggle,the Glasgow Irish,played their part,and even more so than any other branch of the Irish diaspora,throughout the world.No disrespect to London,New York,Sydney blah,blah,blah…they moved on,and were accepted…but the Glasgow Irish,to this day,are still persecuted and discriminated against.
Yet,what did they give back? I do not wish to even talk about arms,finances,support or even volunteers.
They gave us The Celtic Football Club,the greatest single achievement that the Irish diaspora has ever produced,a gift to the world,and to Irish folk,all around the world.
JFK was the second greatest achievement of the diaspora,and fair play to Boston/New York and Chicago…but the Celtic Football Club,to this day,remains the embodiment of all things Irish…it is the essential Irish experience.
There are no Manchester United shirts up on the walls in the Bronx NYC…ya may see the odd picture of JFK,but sure..there is only one team!!
jimbob71 on 4 March, 2012 at 04:02 said:
Pure class! Would never be one to argue,however(as kojo would say)…Paddy Reilly had the best voice,Gary Og was outstanding as well.No dis-respect to Luke Kelly!
Different songs,different singers – horses for courses so to speak.
Sound like a politician,but ya know what a mean!
Shoot the crow now.
I would love to see a Glasgow side compete in an All-Ireland Championship – hurling or football.How good would that be? London and New York are there,so why not Glasgow? Picture the support that team would have,once yer own county got knocked out – yer automatically gonna support Glasgow.
Anyway,every county in Ireland has their own song…not my own county…but this one is the best,by far.
One for the Rebels:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-i8ljrcu8w
Celtic still comes 1st though!
Slan. :o)
For as long as I can remember, and that goes back a few decades, I have always loved beating the huns. I’m not ashamed to admit that I look forward to the Rangers games in anticipation of a result.
There is no other game, whether it be domestic or European, that gives me the same buzz I get when we beat the huns; Nothing comes close.
I find the carnival of hate presented by the damned legions that often follow Rangers to be repugnant, but even as a kid I learned to ignore that for what it was, filth.
Everybody to their own and I do enjoy some of the banter that surrounds their trials and tribulations but I find some of the things that are written in Celtic and Celtic supporters names to be a little offensive and unbecoming of what we so often purport to be. That is my perception of some of it anyway, I may be srong but I often get the feeling of a latent hate that could easily be construed equal to anything the huns could serve up. As I say though, everybody to their own.
I’m not writing this for attention seeking and if nobody responds I won’t be upset but I am one Celtic Supporter who does not want to see them going out of business just because I ‘hate’ them. (whisper this in your heart in a darkened room, there are some good and caring Rangers Supporters, they need to be encouraged)
Sometimes when I read of peoples reasons to deny Rangers an existence I wonder what motivates their words, it certainly is not compassion and forgiveness, cornerstone fundamentals of any Christian religion.
I was not taught to hate for hatred’s sake and I was never encouraged to take pleasure from the ills of others. Neither was I schooled to deny others the right of existence and collect badges in the Celtic Apartheid Army that does not exist.
I want the huns to survive. I want them to redress every wrong they’ve done. I want the authorities to bulldoze a level playing field and enforce equality with a passion fuelled of nuclear shame.
If they abide by the rules and play by the rules then I wish them a long life because I really do enjoy humping them that much.
Still as it stands I am yet to hear a single person from Ibrox utter a single word of culpability, you can never heal if you don’t first admit there is a problem.
Fans will find a way to save day
Billy Dodds The Herald
I never thought I would see the day when there would be supporters outside Ibrox collecting money in buckets to ensure Rangers’ survival, but that is what it has come to.
Administrators Duff & Phelps admitted on Friday that the club need to cover a shortfall of £1 million a month just to see out the season.
Whether it is through having “Save Rangers” buckets outside the ground or whatever else, the fans can be relied on to rally round. They would go to the end of the earth for their club.
All football fans are the same, not just Rangers ones. You would not believe the kind of thing they will do to raise money. It was fans and local businesses who raised the cash that saw Dundee through the creditors voluntary arrangement (CVA) that got them out of administration.
Apart from turning up at games in numbers, they had fundraising nights, and even a calendar of female fans, and it may be Rangers fans have to go down the same sort of road.
I know supporters might be wary about contributing in case the money feeds its way through to Craig Whyte, but that wouldn’t happen. It would go straight to the administrators to help pay wages. It would not be frittered away.
I have seen some administrators in the past go in and liaise with owners, but in this case they are distancing themselves from Whyte, so I don’t think the fans need to worry about that. These guys are fighting to keep the club alive.
I know Sir David Murray largely had to underwrite his own share issue a few years back, while Celtic fans raised tens of millions of pounds in 1994. But if it is to save their club, the Rangers fans will come up with the money. There is no doubt in my mind.
It can be difficult to mobilise such a large support but one fans’ website has at least gathered pledges totalling millions of pounds. The various Rangers supporters’ bodies out there need to get together and amalgamate and the fans have to realise an instant reaction is required. They need to organise themselves and start collecting money now. They can’t afford to wait about for even another week or so.
Some might argue it would be best for the club to be liquidated and come back debt-free and playing under a different name. But fans don’t think along those lines. They don’t want the club to come back under a new name. It is about identity and history.
People might also say the money the fans could raise would be a drop in the ocean with a potential £50m tax bill possibly round the corner. But that bridge can be crossed if we come to it; for now it is about taking every step possible to ensure ongoing survival.
Perhaps the ideal solution from the fans’ point of view would be if Rangers ended up with some kind of supporter ownership. After saving Dundee, the fans there now effectively run the club.
Everybody can see how successful Barcelona, a members’ club, are and there are clubs in Germany run in a similar way, so why not? It would be the safer option for the future of the club because I don’t think fans would overspend at put everything at risk.
There are too many clubs where things have gone wrong when a supposed benefactor has been involved – Calum Melville, Whyte, and you could probably throw David Murray into that mix.
Rangers in administration is like a wounded animal bleeding to death when a quick kill might be more merciful. Usually in such situations redundancies are announced quickly and while that may not be great for those involved – it certainly wasn’t for me at Dundee – leaving it hanging for the best part of three weeks is horrific.
I salute the players for voting for wage deferrals but apart from the young boys and maybe one or two older guys I think they will all get other clubs.
With every day that goes by I feel more pessimistic, not just about Rangers’ future, but the rest of Scottish football as well: look at Dunfermline, or Hearts.
I was brought up supporting Rangers and have worked for and with them, but the longer the current situation goes on, the more I fear for them. The only cause for optimism is the ongoing support of the fans. If they are asked to help save the club, they will find a way.
Rangers administration: ogilvie out of ibrox probe
By Tom English Published on Sunday 4 March 2012 05:16
STEWART Regan, chief executive of the SFA, has confirmed that Campbell Ogilvie, the president of the association, will play no active part in their investigation into alleged secret, untaxed payments by way of reputed hidden contracts at Rangers going back a decade and more.
Ogilvie was the Ibrox secretary throughout the period in question and though he sits on the board at Hampden and would normally be involved in all such business, he will be excluded when the SFA begins their examination.
“Campbell won’t play any part in any meeting, discussion or conclusion on any activities surrounding Rangers,” said Regan on Friday. “I think it’s pretty obvious that he’s heavily conflicted. We’ve been aware of the issue for a while. We’ve been aware that people have views and believe that pieces of evidence exist. What we’re trying to do at the moment is get hold of as much information as we can.
“The board will meet to discuss it within a week or maybe slightly longer. Very, very quickly the board will get together to consider the facts. This will be the Scottish FA’s main board. There are seven people on the board, but if you exclude Campbell it’s six. He’s not going to be able to take part.”
On Friday, former Ibrox director Hugh Adam claimed that secret payments were being made to Rangers players as far back as the mid-1990s. Employee benefit trusts (EBTs) were believed to have come into vogue at Ibrox in 2001 but Adam suggests they might have been in operation even earlier than that, a fact that has exercised the SFA and will, no doubt, have Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs looking on with interest at the outcome of the association’s investigation. HMRC have already fought an epic battle with Rangers over their use of EBTs, the findings of which are imminent. If the verdict goes against the club, they could be looking at a tax bill of around £49m.
It has been rumoured for some time that many Rangers players in the years from 2001 to 2010 operated with two contracts, one declared to the tax man and to the SFA and the other held privately. If Adam is right – and a tabloid newspaper claimed last week to have seen one of these redacted contracts – then the ramifications for Rangers could be immense. Secret contracts are in direct contravention of the SFA articles of association and would have rendered all players holding such a contract ineligible to play for their club.
“Without having any specialist knowledge, I’m pretty sure [that EBTs were being used in the mid-1990s],” Adam told the Daily Mail. “There was a lot of that going on at the time. You knew it was cheating but some of them (his fellow directors) not only hoped, but believed, it was above board… They were doing things they shouldn’t have been doing… They were getting away with it but nobody thought they’d get away with it for ever… You could dodge your taxes that way.”
Adam, now 86, was removed from the Rangers board by Sir David Murray in 2002. Adam was a vocal critic of Murray’s financial stewardship of the club and was forced out after a 30-year association with Rangers. Since speaking out on Friday, Adam has been criticised on supporters’ websites. He has been accused of merely having an axe to grind with Murray while his recollection of events has also been called into question given that it is believed that EBTs only came into force at Ibrox in 2001, not years earlier as he seems to suggest.
Sources said last night that the EBTs were not Ogilvie’s domain at Rangers and that they were handled instead by the Murray Group. Indeed, it is at Murray’s door that Adam lays the responsibility for whatever fallout comes from the club’s use of the controversial trusts.
The SFA have taken Adam’s words extremely seriously. “It is one director’s take on things but as a board we have to examine it,” said Regan. Asked what the possible punishment might be if Rangers were found to be in breach of the regulations, the chief executive said it could be anything from Armageddon to a slap on the wrist. “If you look at our articles of association it shows a range of powers that the judicial panel has. What will happen is that the matter will go to the Scottish FA main board and will then pass through to the judicial panel. There’s a whole range of things from suspension and termination of membership at the extreme end to fines and ejection from Scottish Cup competition or other such penalties the panel deem appropriate.”
Regan did not rule out a more wide-ranging inquiry into the alleged double contracts saga. “That will depend on the board’s view of the facts and what information is there. The situation is changing daily and new information is emerging all the time. We’ve got our hands on certain pieces of information and we’re exploring it and we’re asking for further information. By the time the board meets we will have a fuller picture and if it’s the board’s opinion that they want a fuller investigation then that will be an option. If they feel they have enough facts to draw some conclusions then that will be their decision.”
In the next week or so, the SFA’s independent inquiry into Craig Whyte’s takeover of the club, headed by Lord Nimmo Smith, is due to report its findings. “The terms of reference cover primarily the Craig Whyte era but in digging into facts it has taken us into other areas, so it’s thrown up matters which are of interest to the committee. I’m there representing the board. We’ve got into the meat of what has been going on at Rangers now and the inquiry has gone in different directions, so I can’t really comment on any particular area of it. We call witnesses and speak to people. That’s what the inquiry has been doing. I’m not prepared to discuss who we’ve spoken to. People we think have got information that will be useful to the inquiry.
“The inquiry isn’t judge and jury. The process is one of investigation and presenting the facts. The board will consider the facts and if the board feels that the facts are compelling they will pass that to the compliance officer and it will go through the normal disciplinary process.”
Asked about the perception that the SFA will not impose the maximum penalty on Rangers – termination of membership – even if they are found to be in serious contravention of their articles of association, Regan said: “You’re asking me to make comment before the inquiry is concluded. That’s inappropriate.”
When contacted last week, UEFA declined to comment on the happenings at Ibrox. “If you think about it,” said Regan, “would FIFA get involved in a UEFA matter before the actual body itself had been allowed to conclude their investigation? You have got to let the governing body go through the facts and establish conclusions. UEFA don’t run Scottish football, they run European football. They’ll only get involved here if they feel that something has happened that hasn’t been addressed and it impacts on their competitions. The new UEFA licence will be considered on or around 31 March and at that stage the matter will clearly be of interest to them. They are aware of what is going on at the club, though.”
James Forrest @ 2 am ish I salute you sir, the most excellent and true post I have read on here
Isn’t it kind of ironic that a meteorite was reported flying over Scotland last night…
‘Orange flames’
Laura Yusuf, of Mitcham, in Surrey, said she saw the meteor while travelling on the M6.
“It was an amazing sight. Bright orange flames trailing behind it as it slowly burnt itself out,” she told the BBC.
Another witness, who called BBC Radio 5 live’s Stephen Nolan programme, said: “I looked up and saw these two huge tails of light coming off it and I thought it was a plane on fire going down into Edinburgh.
“It was massive, there was the red at the back of it, then these two huge white tails and then these blue bits at the very end.”
A red, white + blue meteor with orange flames – If I didn’t know any better I would suspect Awe Naw of working for the Beeb.
A couple of quick points from the articles and posts above.
A) James Forrest, brilliant as usual.
B)”Apart from turning up at games in numbers, they had fundraising nights, and even a calendar of female fans, and it may be Rangers fans have to go down the same sort of road.”
If the Huns go down the “Calendar Girls” route they should be reported to FIFA. God helps us!
C) “The new UEFA licence will be considered on or around 31 March and at that stage the matter will clearly be of interest to them. They are aware of what is going on at the club, though.”
Hehehe, stupid, non-UEFA Huns.
Morning all.
kitalba on 4 March, 2012 at 04:53
I don’t hate them…., (but after staring at the keyboard for 10 mins or so) I have to admit, actually I do.
Sorry but your last paragraph is the only part I can agree with, they can never be wrong, it’s always someone elses fault. Did you hear RST’s Mark Dngwall’s interview outside ayebrokes, he finished off by telling rankers fans who are thinking of donating funds to
“Wait a bit, keep their powder dry, why should the fans pay someone elses debt” ?????
You couldn’t make this up.
I also looked forward to rankers games but I’m not going to selfishly cling on to these contests,
There are some genuine even, dare I say, decent rankers fans but they are an extremely small minority and they share culpability with the elitist, intolerant scum they are in bed with and our justice minister celebrated at the cup final, I couldn’t hear their voice!.
Can you point me in the direction of the decent rankers fan’s website where I can participate in some friendly footy banter?
Rankers in it’s current form has to die and I hope that a proper tolerant newco gradually rises from the third division with an owner who will be strong enough to cast out the zombie huns and their tired supremacist doctrine.
We can then look forward to healthy competition without the hate fostered by the current huns.
Tom English article:
“Sources said last night that the EBTs were not Ogilvie’s domain at Rangers and that they were handled instead by the Murray Group. ”
The article uses quotations but then reverts to ‘sources’ when trying to distance Ogilvie from any misdeeds.
It is one of those non-denial denials that are used when one is unable to come right out and tell a blatant lie.
The contracts were with Ragers and Ogilivie was General Secretary and I would be astonished if he was not aware of the contractual agreements made with players. In fact, I would be astonished if he was not one of the signatories.
Apologies,back again to bore the CQN crew.Not the most intelligent,but was thinking – why leave everything up to others?Do something about it yerself – it’s easy to sit back and shout and ball about this,that and the other.
I listened to that hun game the day,and that cant Begg was beyond the pale.
It’s a f**kin joke.
Professional,he is supposed to be,impartial.I pay my taxes,and i pay my tv license fee.Why should i have to listen to that tripe? If he wants a job,he should go and work for radio ranges or something,the cant.
E-mail to Richard Gordon,BBC Radio pish:
Dear Richard Gordon.
I have listened to your show for as long as I can remember.I am a Celtic supporter,and I live in Ireland.
Every time you speak,you are fair and impartial,even though,I have been told that you are an Aberdeen man.Well,if Aberdeen are your team,so what? Everybody supports a team.
The thing is this – you don’t commentate on the live games.And this is my gripe – the main commentator on every game,must be impartial,regardless of which team he/she supports.The main commentator,and I am sure that you will agree with this,must remain neutral,for the sake of the listeners.
It’s radio,the listener cannot see what is happening,so he/she must rely on the commentary of those that have the mic,the person that is relaying the events to the listener,without bias,or favour.
Richard…today’s commentary from David Begg was bad,really bad.Everything about it,the tones in his voice,terrible it was.When Hearts scored their winning goal,it took me about,at least a minute,before I could work out if they had scored,or not.
Now,I am not accusing David Begg of being anything,but I am telling you this – as a commentator – David Begg is unprofessional.David Begg is being paid,by me,the license payer,to be fair and impartial,and he is being everything but…
It’s your call Richard,you know the score…and if you don’t believe me,then listen to David’s commentary,when Hearts scored.Nobody could tell what was going on.
This blatant bias needs to be addressed,because there are people listening to Sportsound,all over the world.You cannot blame it on demographics.
Personally,I believe that you are a good spud,but this is getting beyond a joke.
I look forward to your reply.
Thanks.
Good Morning Bhoys, kids,breakfast and reading James Forrests great article,Awesome sir! top of the class. You are a very honest and astute man.
Other things from today.
Wee billy dodds is a hun. wow,we never knew billy. ; )
Ogilvie out. Nice one Regan, Just shows our emails do carry weight. But be cautious they are already protecting their own ” he wasn’t in charge of that part of the company it was Murry group” so Sfa have turned their guns on sir dodgy to protect one of their own.
Its like pass the parcel expect the prize is prison.lol
Hail Hail!! and a draw aint the end of the world was it?lol
KLV
I don’ listen to the radio but the sadist in me did do a drive by of all the objective stations when the minis got the pen. Begg will be in the hospital just now getting his anti’s upped. At least Rick Gordon keeps the same tone. Good man for sending the complaint. Also iki spot on that was my take on the article as well.
Oh well another week and other revelation then excuse then a lie and repeat.
The truth will out.
KLV
tomcourtney on 4 March, 2012 at 06:34
Do me a favour, read your post to me but only read the first and the last sentence.
BBC Sport Scotland & The Record – Have to be next on the list.They have been a law unto themselves,for far too long.
I mean,is there a connection here? They are supposed to be two independent bodies?
What’s the story with all these so-called “journalists” that hold positions within both organisations?
Football is supposed to be a sport,fair and square.It’s not boxing ffs! How did it come to this,the corruption,the cheating,the lying?
There must be an investigation into all this skullduggery,not by the SFA,but by UEFA themselves.No point in letting the wrongdoers investigate the wrongdoers.
They chose to go to war with our club,they won a few battles,through corruption and cheating,but sure…as Tom Barry himself once said: “The only way to fight fire,is with fire”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQu4WYT1fdA
.
Good morning to all.
James Forrest is The Emperor of Ice Cream on 4 March, 2012 at 02:34 said:
Whilst reading your post James I was struck by emotion that bubbled just underneath each sentence as it resonated with me and at the same time I had a deep foreboding.
Ally McCoist and others are rousing deep primeval stirrings in the Rangers support and there is absolutely no way those Neanderthals will sit on their hands when Celtic visit Ibroke on the 25th.
I really have grave reservations about the possible consequences.
My concern caused me to search out some information on the last match in Belfast Celtic’s glorious, but brief history and it was there that I came across the following quote :
Significantly, the Celtic statement on the night of the attack focused blame, not on the Linfield club, but on the Royal Ulster Constabulary (the local police) present in force at the ground.
The statement asserted: “During the whole of this concerted attack the protection afforded to the unfortunate players may be fairly described as quite inadequate. In the circumstances the directors wish to make the strongest possible protest against the conduct of those responsible for the protection of the players in failing to take measures either to prevent the brutal attack or to deal with it with any degree of effectiveness after it developed.”
Link to the rest of the piece: http://www.thewildgeese.com/pages/belfcelt.html
Let’s pray the Scottish constabulary police this game in a professional manner.
All media outlets cater to their democratic and we’re not it gents. So the list would grow and grow. we need to pick our battles carefully. I’d settle for the monsters and the SFA, i just want a fair and level playing ground they can keep the anti celtic stories as i neither read or listen to them. If it annoys people i suggest they do the same as it will never change because more of them are daft enough to buy papers than we are. Just a fact. But we have CQN.
CQN is My Radio, My paper and my news. I don’t need anything else.
I may print T shirts.
KLV
kevinlasvegas on 4 March, 2012 at 06:55 said:
What else can i do? Do ye want me to crack his skull with a spanner?
We are a peaceful support.
That was the only thing i could think of,a know it sounds like hittin’ a Kerry Blue with a piece bit of straw,but we can only be diplomatic – not sink to their low levels.
Violence is never the answer.
Peace out.(as they say in Birmingham).
Kitalba
I do hate Rangers. I hate the club and everything it stands for and fosters in human beings.
I have friends who are decent Rangers supporters. In fact my best friend from my youth is a Rangers supporter. I do not hate them nor do I hate any particular Rangers supporter (not even the one who attempted to take my life). I don’t have it in me to hate people not matter the depths of their evil.
But that club. The club that fosters and breeds hatred. The club that is a focal point for the celebration of hatred.
Be gone Rangers. Be gone.
If something rises from the ashes without the baggage of hatred (however unlikely) I will welcome it and I will be happy for my freinds who will have something decent to support.
MWD
Very good piece by James Forrest and an equally good and valid post by Kitalba. Thank you both for your passion.
Ally McCoist is the same age as me. I have watched him all my life and been astonished at the ‘luck’ this man has carried. He always seemed to be such a jammy wee so and so.
Then in more recent times, I watched him bounding down the steps outside Hampden after the SFA had stoned Rangers with popcorn for their outrageous display at Parkhead in the infamous 3-1 game. His smile that day stays with me. He was grinning from ear to ear while our manager was being publicly crucified in the Press, his life threatened and Celtic scoffed at.
The utter injustice of it – yet again – made me sick. It was around that time that I discovered CQN. Someone had to give voice to the voiceless and Paul67 provided that for this Celtic fan.
So James Forrest’s words resonate with me. But there is a truth in Kitalba’s words too. I have enjoyed immensely witnessing the public exposure of evil in the fabric of Scottish society. From Rangers, to the Press, to the SFA, SPL, The Judiciary, the Police and the politicians, to the ‘innocent’ Rangers fans who apparently only tap their feet to the catchy tunes, but dont sing the words. And dont even get me started on those pathetic, soul-less old men who gather in lodges every week to celebrate their ignorance and peddle in corruption and coercion.
But this collective, rancid malice DID affect me and made me hate. And if I am reading Kitalba’s thoughts correctly, he is pointing this out to all of us. I want to see justice done so that I can leave the antipathy behind.
Congratulations to both posters, both expressing truths that need to be aired.
By ANDREW SMITH (The hootsman)
Published on Sunday 4 March 2012 01:41
IN THE next 24 hours, Rangers administrators Duff & Phelps believe they will reach some form of “consensus” with the Ibrox playing staff on the job and wage cuts required to plug the £1m shortfall per month to allow the club to continue running for the final three months of the season.
And in the next few weeks, the administrators are optimistic they will have genuine expressions of interest from parties who want to buy Rangers, and create a future for the club in which they can see no place for current owner Craig Whyte.
These two developments could be presented as some sort of progress. Likewise, administrator Dave Whitehouse’s assertion yesterday that Rangers would avoid liquidation. Except he seemed to restrict himself to a narrow idea of the term’s meaning. To followers of the Ibrox club, liquidation amounts to the end of Rangers as constituted in 1872 and a new company formed to play out of the same stadium, with the same players but not the old history. Whitehouse wasn’t willing to give assurances on the avoidance of that.
“Let’s be clear here of definitions of liquidation,” he said. “If your view of liquidation is a process of cessation of the football club we are very hopeful and confident that will not happen. In terms of the way forward, we have never discounted the possibility [of a so-called ‘new-co’ Rangers replacing the current club].
“What we want to do throughout this process is minimise the effect it will have on the ability of the club to continue to operate in Europe. It is still very much our strategy to try to find a buyer for the business, which would be best achieved in terms of the ongoing financial position of the club if that [administration] could be exited through a CVA.”
Whitehouse as good as ruled out any possibility that the club will be able to meet the 31 March deadline for obtaining a licence to compete in Europe next year. Continental competition would be denied to a new-co Rangers for the first three years of their existence.
Whitehouse admitted he “didn’t know” if it would be possible for a CVA to be obtained – which requires 75 per cent of creditors to agree to accept a portion of the sums they are owed, which HMRC, as possibly major creditor, would be averse to doing – “because we don’t know what interested parties are going to come up with,” he said. “What we have done is set a deadline of 16 March for first indicative bids from interested parties and there is a level of momentum which has been created in terms of our discussions with those parties that leads us to think we will receive bids. HMRC would form a creditor of the company, so it will determine how big the creditor pot is. It could be that the creditor pot is, and I’m guessing here, £20m, or it could be £100m, but there will be a value for creditors that will then be distributed, pro-rata, to their claims. The size of the pot would frustrate the process.”
To boil it down, Whitehouse expects bidders despite there being no definitives about what liabilities these bidders could be committing themselves to cover. That is why, Whitehouse explained, the redundancies that will come on Monday along with wage cuts – eight players and a 35 per cent across the board salary reduction are believed to be likely – have to serve two functions. “We are looking to achieve cost savings of £1m a month to get through to the end of the season,” he said. “That’s to preserve the core business but, through any administration process, the ultimate objective is to secure the survival of the business. We have now got a significant level of interest in terms of potential purchasers.
“The vast majority have expressed a desire that they would wish to formulate their plans to make a bid for the business based on a materially reduced cost structure from that which currently exists, so that they can approach the business with a cleaner sheet of paper in terms of new investment.”
For that reason, the administrators had no interest in the offer of wage deferrals made by the Ibrox squad and explained: “It would have created a scenario where the purchaser would inherit a large deferred cost element and the existing intact cost base, so they’d have to invest over and above that.”
It has emerged that a number of players have offered to play for free. Four of these, Lee McCulloch, Sasa Papac, Kirk Broadfoot and David Healy, are among those expected to have their contracts terminated on Monday, and the gesture may not be practical with issues of insurance cover.
The non-investor Rangers attracted in Whyte should become a non-person in any future dealings. There had been reports, which the administrators would not confirm, that they were to ask him to consider relinquishing his 85 per cent shareholding for no return.
The administrators continue to investigate Whyte’s preferred creditor status and, although he holds a security over Ibrox Park and Murray Park, there is belief that, if his security doesn’t hold because he bought Rangers with the club’s own season ticket money through the Ticketus deal, then the administrators could take steps to release his security over stadium and training ground.
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Lubo.
James:
Now please don’t get me wrong here. I like jelly and ice-cream as much as the next and I like my revenge served nicely chilled. Equally, I am not encumbered by faith and it’s implicit duties of forgiveness; in short, I with you all the way in terms of sentiment.
That said, I’m not too convinced about some of the metaphors. Take this example, I’m not convinced this represents your best literary moment mate;
“this is like humping a man’s missus after tying him up and sticking him in the corner where he can watch”
Nor this;
“we are nakedly, brazenly, openly celebrating and putting the old steel toecaps on your kidneys every time you shut your eyes”
I think you’re better than that James, a whole lot better…
James Forrest
The icing on the cake of your post,imo, would have been the inclusion of the video-clip of the battle of, Easter Rd on the beasts debut.
The bit of film I’m talking about concerns the, altercation on the half way line where, George McLuskey feels the fullest extent of Souness’s thuggery, during which, sneaky sally can be seen entering the corner of the picture and, hooking Hibs centre half Mark Fulton, FROM BEHIND!!!
I apologise as I can’t do the link-thing :¬(((
Hopefully sumdy else can help out :¬)))
Hail! Hail!
4th march. 18 years ago TODAY brian Dempsey stood on those steps and declared “the game is over, the rebels have won.
I’d spent most of the day there, often in driving rain. What I remember is not so much being wet, but being hungry. People kept nipping out to tell us it wouldn’t be long, so I didn’t dare go away for food.
And when it was all over and the cheers went up, I got a champagne cork in my eye for the privilege (thanks Peter Mccann, if you’re reading this).
We got Fergus McCann, a Good Businessman and more importantly, a Good Man.
They got Murray then Whyte.
James Forrest 02.34
Brilliant. A great read for 1st thing on a Sunday morning.
A bright, cloudy morning here in North Ayrshire.
James Forrest 02.34
James I just logged on to my favourite blog for a wee glance. Wise decision.
I am now running late for my Sunday morning golf with a huge smile on my boat.
Your post sir is hilarious.You sum up my thoughts perfectly.Hat doffed.HH.
Collecting buckets outside Ibrox
Bless.
(from the Herald – and by Billy Dodds no less).
Sorry, link above seems not to have worked.
Collecting buckets outside Ibrox
Bright, clear and cold in the Rebel County.
Snow on the distant mountains.
Just saw Neil’s retort to the ‘tainted title’ twisters………..
Good man, Neil.
(Never miss ’em)
After yesterday’s performance would give Samaras or McGeoch a start ahead of Forrest
And one other thing it’s time some Celtic fans laid off the early morning swally and learnt how to curb their aggressiveness towards fellow fans