Trending
Celtic News Now
Celtic Quick News on News Now
Celtic Quick News
You are at:»»Ashley fait accompli

Ashley fait accompli

2054
By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Tuesday’s Telegraph suggested Mike Ashley is about to increase his shareholding in newco to 29.9% via a share issue, in contravention of his agreement with the SFA on multiple ownership.  This morning the club informed the stock market the Ashely’s appointee, Derek Llambias, is now chief executive.

The key passage in the Telegraph article is:

“There is no certainty of anything like unanimous approval, but many in the higher reaches of the Scottish game acknowledge that a revived Rangers, capable of resuming the Old Firm rivalry and renewing the club’s presence in Europe would make Scotland more attractive to broadcasters and league sponsors, with general benefits.”

This has almost certainly come from the same kind of club source which in another lifetime were assuring journalists that HMRC would agree to a CVA; I know for sure the SFA are far from ready to rubber-stamp an Ashley land grab.

There are a few points which, despite blanket coverage of this issue, are not getting a proper hearing:

At current trading levels, Ashley is earning around £4m p.a. from newco as their retail ‘partner’.  He is also their exclusive wholesaler, so the club is worth even more to him, let’s say £5m p.a. in total.

Anyone who tells you his financial pay-off is through having newco wear his branding on a European stage is either wholly compliant in an attempt to mislead newco fans, or is simply regurgitating information handed to them by PR agents, without the wherewithal to digest the information correctly.

He’s making £5m per year and he therefore has an interest in ensuring the club continues in its current condition.

The second issue is around the legality of multiple-ownership.  It is not against Uefa rules (you can simply comply by one club not competing) but does breach rules in Scotland and England.  I recommend not getting too hung-up on this point.  In the event he was asked to disinvest from one of his clubs, Ashley could with pull a Blue Pitch Holdings/Margarita stroke.

For all you know about those two newco investors, I could own them.  It’s a paper exercise for Ashley to move his ownership beyond the reaches of oversight, and there is nothing in the rules to prevent this.

The question for the SFA, and eventually the FA, is what level of Ashley’s influence, not ownership, they are comfortable with.  There are no guidelines on this point.

A further consideration is that whoever briefed the Telegraph at the start of the week is likely to have painted a scenario that without Ashley’s next bung, newco is likely to go the way of oldco.  This is far from certain.

If all newco need to survive another season is circa £8m it’s not a figure beyond the realms of possibility for some of the blowhards who have been trying to disrupt Ashley’s strategy in recent months.

My hunch is that the SFA and newco’s fans will be presented with a fait accomply – it’s Ashley or bust.  What is certain is that the club will be vastly more inhibited by Ashley milking it dry than with a unifying figure.  He has the makings of a memorable Ibrox owner, a true heir to Sir David Murray.

Still time to order Caesar & the Assassin, the 2015 CQN Annual, with or without bundle, or anything else from the vast array of Celtic books and DVDs in time for Christmas post, but you don’t have long……

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Magners ticket competition yesterday – and who donated to Mary’s Meals. The answer to the question, who do we play on 27 December, is Ross County, which proved to be trickier than I thought. Draw will be made this afternoon and winner informed thereafter.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

2,054 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. ...
  5. 44
  6. 45
  7. 46
  8. 47
  9. 48
  10. 49
  11. 50
  12. ...
  13. 55

  11. Tricoloured Ribbon on

    roy croppie

     

     

    01:42 on 21 December, 2014

     

    TR

     

     

    I kid you not; he verbally abused Mrs RC and I had to have a word:)

     

     

    bawbagCSC.

     

    …….

     

    Fecken fat bellend.

     

    You should have knocked him fecken out.

  20. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    Tricoloured, i am a former resident of lower beatsden, 1963 to 1976. Kinfauns drive directly opposite st laurence’s church.

     

     

    We moved onto knightswood after that.

     

     

    I’m aff oot to collect the christmas night oot wan & her merry band. That will be fun.

     

     

    Sleep well all and let’s hope the players do thieir jobs later today.

  21. Tricoloured Ribbon on

    hamiltontim

     

     

    01:50 on 21 December, 2014

     

    Tri

     

     

    Does a wooden horse have a wooden wullie:-)

     

    ………….

     

    A- pissed

     

    B- in Dundee

     

    C-both of the above

     

    D- ready to go but pissed..

  23. The Singing Detective Demands The Resignation Of Campbell Ogilvie on

    —

     

     

    Sack Delia..!

     

     

    Play Oor Quicksilver SuperGriff..!

     

     

    Bring Back Oor MegaWattie !

     

     

    Sorted…

     

     

    —-

     

     

    Kudos To The Indomitable KevJ….

     

     

    For Slapping Down The Unwashed Marxist Clique….

     

     

    And The Obtuse Tom McMultiposters..

     

     

    While Ah’ve Been Busy….

     

     

     

    You Are …. LEGHEND!

     

     

    —–

     

     

    It’s Pink Floyd,Mr Spock….

     

     

    But Not As We Know It..

     

     

     

     

    Easy Star All-Stars : Time

     

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6mzAGRY7uo

     

     

     

    Easy Star All-Stars : Money

     

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_aYli_1iqs

     

     

     

    —

     

     

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=VJEZWsnIECo

     

     

    Easy Star All-Stars – Dub Side of The Moon (2003)

     

     

    42:37min (Full Album)

     

     

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=c0r511_QZJc

     

     

    Easy Star All-Stars- Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band

     

     

    50min (Full Album)

     

     

     

     

     

    Pablophanque says….GOSH !!

     

     

     

    —-

     

     

    God Bless Oor Kojo & The Snow Bunnies..

     

     

    —-

  32. Margaret McGill on

    On the twelfth day of Christmas,

     

    my true love sent to me

     

    Twelve huns a drumming

     

    Eleven pipers piping

     

    Ten goats a leaping

     

    Nine laddies wanking

     

    Eight shareholders milking

     

    seven swansongs swimming

     

    Six geeza a break now

     

    Five golden handshakes

     

    Four pies from Greggs

     

    Three french le guens

     

    Two purile turds

     

    and an Ashley fait accompli

  33. Tricoloured Ribbon on

    Would love to see the rampaging Henderson in midfield and Griffiths upfront to destroy Dundee United tomorrow.

     

    Aberdeens pace done them last week.So come on Ronny.Get them on.

  35. Hamiltontim on

    Tony Donnelly

     

     

    I’ve tried for months not to get embroiled in vitriol with you for one reason, the good of the blog.

     

     

    Today you spoke to kitalba about how his comments could result in him getting a slap in a pub. You’re probably right.

     

     

    However, what you’ve not taken account of is the effect that online posts effect others.

     

     

    In the midst of you slagging me and others, Jeanette Findlay in particular on here, I was approached by someone who was going to batter you. Your comments were so personal that the person who spoke to me felt that this was an appropriate response especially considering that her father was dying at the time.

     

     

    I stuck up for you. Effectively I stopped him ‘visiting you’. I pointed out that you couldn’t have known Jeanette’s personal circumstances and that you were merely being loyal to Celtic.

     

     

    I then went to the forum meeting at Parkhead where only a few were invited. So few that everyone was given a particular seat in the room.

     

     

    You’d said that day on CQN that you were going to the meeting and I must admit I was surprised.

     

     

    When I got there that night I was handed a table setting and couldn’t see a Tony Donnelly but I did see a Tam Donnelly.

     

     

    When John Paul introduced everyone, including the reps from the north and south of Ireland he said that credit must go to Tam who’d travelled all the way from Canada.

     

     

    He was talking about you.

     

     

    I was confused, I thought your name was Tony and that you’d got a 37 bus fae Castlemilk.

     

     

    I watched JPT’s face when you spoke about your bus being attacked at Brigton Cross, he looked completely bemused.

     

     

    Like JP I’m confused. Who are you Tam?

     

     

    By the way I slso know your connections to Mr Lawell. You may well think I’m a dick but at least im an honest dick and my motives are only driven by my devotion to Celtic and not because I’m sooky sooky with any board member.

     

     

    Get it right up ye ya snake.

  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. ...
  5. 44
  6. 45
  7. 46
  8. 47
  9. 48
  10. 49
  11. 50
  12. ...
  13. 55