So what did you make of Dave King’s “compete with some of the bigger clubs, particularly Celtic” news conference?
He’s hoping to make a managerial appointment “within a week” which, despite the need to rebuild the squad, is a little ahead of where I expected him to be based on the feedback I know he received from those who were sounded out.
Punters and media seem convinced Warburton will be appointed. I know nothing about the man, but I’ve assumed Stuart McCall would get the job due to all other candidates having a real job, or better prospects. As McCall said in his TV interview following his Fir Park capitulation, he knows what is required and has experience at shopping for free transfers in the English lower leagues. Anyone else is an unnecessary risk so I’m still inclined to think McCall will get it.
A 5% increase in season ticket costs is on the lower end of what I expected, but there’s a subtext with this one (there often is). A key aim of whoever has been in charge at Ibrox over the last three years is to get season ticket prices back to the level they were when Ticketus “over-invested” (caveat over-investors).
Charles Green planned to do this from the off. The script was to read: “I’ve saved your club. Now I’m going to put a £50k p.a. pay cap on and I need you to buy 40,000 season tickets at full price, to ensure we glide up the leagues with ease and arrive in the SPL with money in the bank”. The players and manager would have had a choice, show you’re here for the badge, not the money, or move on.
But, within a week, King and the Blue Knights wanted the assets off Green. McCoist and others were mobilised into destabilising Charlie, who was forced to cut prices, over-promise and ultimately under-deliver.
If I was King yesterday, I’d have looked the camera in the eye and told fans “This is your time, your club needs every last one of you to step forward and pay £600 per ticket”. I’m sure he wanted to do this, but he seemed riddled self-doubt, contrasting starkly with the effusive confidence he radiated before the last EGM. It made me think of the Woody Allen line, “Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem”.
One thing I am sure of is, if he was about to splash the kind of cash he talked about while trying to remove the old board, he would have put his money on the table and asked fans to do the same.
The trade-off King referred to: the more money fans put in the less he (and other investors) need to put in, is not actually a trade-off at all. In reality, the more money he puts in now, the more fans will buy season tickets; the less he invests, the less fans will spend. Momentum, or the lack thereof, is at play.
This matter was King’s biggest failure. Charles Green and the master, David Murray, knew how to use show-biz to put bums on seats at Ibrox. Yesterday the stage was set for a bit of showmanship: “Here’s the colour of my money, now roll-up, roll-up, get your tickets before they’re all gone”. Say it confidently, convince the thousands desperate to be convinced, and you give yourself the best chance of success.
My focus would have been different from King’s too. Forget about catching Celtic, fans know this is a pipe dream. What they want most of all is a solvent, top-flight, football team. Don’t even reference football targets, instead, talk about filling the stadium, paying the bills, building a trading history good enough to earn proper facilities, and never again signing-off an unsustainable business plan. The fans are Not. All. Daft. Educate them the value of living within your means and they would buy into the project.
Talk about catching Celtic with an unsustainable business plan is astonishing, after all these people have come through, simply astonishing.
I could never quite figure how, for years, Rangers directors knew HMRC were contesting their EBTs, knew a legal challenge lay ahead, but made no provisions whatsoever for that challenge. Win or lose the case, they needed a plan to cope with each scenario. It turned out they didn’t even have a plan to cope with a partial win.
King’s ‘someone will step in and pay if we over-invest’ outlook on life explains a lot. It will be for others to judge his contribution to the lives of Rangers Football Clubs, as far as I’m concerned, it’s impossible to overestimate what he’s done to them. You could say, it’s off the radar!
Spirit of Compassion – Whisky Tasting
On the 25th April, Nepal was rocked by a destructive earthquake which has claimed the lives of over 8,000 people. Many of those affected by death and destruction are children. Glasgow the Caring City is our city’s charity for children in crisis, in times of disaster. Together with House With A Heart, Nepal, we will bring stability and comfort to children left orphaned by this tragedy.
On Thursday 18th June Glasgow the Caring City are hosting a Whisky Tasting event, fun and educational, at the Trades Hall of Glasgow. Tickets are £30 and can be bought here.
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I was talking to a snide and typically sarcastic Arsenal Sassenach in the pub last night innit.
After letting him mouth off, I replied to him that Celtic are run within their means operating, with a fraction of the funds of any EPL club. Despite that how many gold stars do his club sport above their badge?
Silence ensued.
Ugliville under FBI investigation regarding FIFA corruption?
burghbhoy
19:31 on 9 June, 2015
Join the club, Bhoy….HH
ron bacardi
19:37 on 9 June, 2015
He’s probably joined agent Whyte in the safe-house….
http://www.condoomoutlet.nl/condooms/billy-boy.html?limit=15&gclid=CPGTybagg8YCFcXLtAodNmsATg
Billy boy condoms ,apparently for dicks and fannies
https://twitter.com/pnot888/status/608326353923010562
Auldheid
You more than most know the game is rigged, you more than most know who is responsible for said corruption.
I have said it many many times, till the msm use their megaphone, nobody gives a bollix, till the msm grow a pair and tell the truth, it will be the same old.
I agree re the other clubs, it took the support of in the main Aberdeen & D Utd to stop them starting in the PL, our support did feck all apart from stuffing themselfs with jelly and ice cream.
It’s a bit late to start bitching now, that should have been done three years ago.
We have a reprieve of another year, who knows if they will survive, but being a betting man, I say they will somehow.
They have had help from every dept, the police, who’s lack of investigation has afforded the likes of minty to evade justice, the courts, HMRC, BDO, D & P, the sfa, uefa, fifa, political pressure from on high to stop certain investigation etc, etc.
No way will they be allowed to do a Third lanark, too much money involved, too much of tradishun to uphold.
The msm need to start to tell the truth, or as I said, same old, same old.
HH
I see the Scottish Junior Cup final took place last week.
The headline was “Pope scores winner for Talbot”.
They might be conflicted about dancing in the streets of Auchinleck if that is the case.
What’s happened to RC O’Gilvie?!
Whit’s going on?
Woman’s World Cup, that French centre back Wendy Renard I think her name was, like a female Virgil.
Roberttressel,
Looking at pictures of the proposed safe standing area, it looks like it is one seat/standing place per supporter, therefore it shouldn’t make any difference to the capacity.
Although it has been stated that the seats will be locked in the down position for Euro games, will they be locked in the up position for other games?
Re RCO,
Was he not re-elected in 2013 for another two years? If so, then his time is up, although it is time he should be doing!
TET,
You called it spot on.
Our jelly and ice cream brigade were silently acquiescent in Sevco and friends attempt to join the SPL or Div.1
It took other clubs fans to put pressure on their Boards to stop the scam.
We have/had the muscle to embarrass the SFA in the many Hampden occasions over the last few years, but, self interest won the days.
MSM will continue with tales of how the new club won a record 9-in-row titles forgetting that Celtic were first, how they hold the world record of winning most national trophies, how they were cheated in the semi-final (sic)of the champions league, etc. All to comfort the filthy hordes in their zombie state.
I talk about them cos I miss them
Hugh. Clydebank
Ronnie Hawthorne stated on TV this evening that our capacity would decrease slightly, when the new standing area is introduced.
Thomthetim and Roberttressell.
Ronnie Hawthorne was on news earlier.
He said safe standing would mean a slight reduction in capacity but he wasn’t anymore specific than that.
ttt
Aye, that saddens me big time.
It wouldn’t even take a boycott to make the other clubs pay heed, the threat would be enough, but as you say, the self interest takes over.
I would imagine the players would be all for a fair refereeing system, I would also imagine that a boycott on the grounds of fairness and transparencey would make the msm take notice, no in scotland, but further afield.
Can you really see our players not being up for a game where we only had a token support there, the bigger picture has to come to the fore, but as I don’t attend games due to location, the self interest supporters won’t pay any notice, but I firmly believe that one game, or just the threat would be enough, the other clubs would kack themselfs.
We know our suits won’t rock the boat, so it will have to be up to the support, and our money, or the lack of it is what will bring about change.
HH
He said it was one standing position for one seat.
HH
Did non-conformity work ?
““The introduction of rail seating at Celtic Park represents an investment in spectator safety. Across football globally, the reality is that some supporters are choosing to stand at matches. This is something we must accept and manage and also understand the positive effect which these areas have on atmosphere at matches”.”
jimmynotpaul
20:06 on 9 June, 2015
Thomthetim and Roberttressell.
Ronnie Hawthorne was on news earlier.
He said safe standing would mean a slight reduction in capacity but he wasn’t anymore specific than that.
*****
When you look at the pictures again, it would suggest a reduced capacity.
Each row has the width of a seat, also a standing space, which make for fewer rows, perhaps even only by one.
Safe standing – I can’t see other clubs taking this news sitting down.
First a season ticket – now I need a pre season ticket.
Heidache CSC
:o)
SETTINGFREETHEBEARS 1947
Astonishing foresight from Dyslexia Scotland to sponsor the trophy.
Sports fans all over the country read the reports on the final and asked themselves-
‘Did I read that right?’
astonishing plan maybe paul but not astonishing they’ve said we’ll catch up with celtic, it’s all they’ve got
The Plan: We will match Celtic
Strategy : Not specified
Resources: Not known
Finances: Not mentioned
Milestones : ya fu**ing wah?
Stakeholders: they’ve all fu!”ed off
missingusonthetellyalreadycsc
☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
acquiescent
☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
CQN word of the day
bournesouprecipe
20:24 on
9 June, 2015
☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
acquiescent
☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
CQN word of the day
—————————————
Disappointed it’s not “boson” or even “bosun”!
bournesouprecipe
20:24 on 9 June, 2015
☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
acquiescent
☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
CQN word of the day
*****
Where do I claim my prize?
Natknow
:-)
Sevco make ‘Marquee Signing’
BMCUW
Dyslexia Scotland are prod to sponsur the Scodddish Junyor Cup
I used to have dyslexia- now I have dailysex
They died chasing the big cup, now their bastard incarnation will hopefully die a slow agonising chasing us again.
You are the man Dave, you go for it.
HH
SETTINGFREETHEBEARS
Other way round for me!
Good evening all.
sftb@2033.
Shocking post. Very bad taste. Night night Timland.
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
Watching Celtic v Barca from 2012. Phenomenal crowd noise… Started quite well.
LAST SEASON’S REVIEW
Close season and we struggle with missing the daily fix of discussing the games.
Being a bit of a magpie, I relocated a posting from another site.
I can’t remember the poster, but I hope I thanked home for his efforts.
So I am going to do an occasional post of each month.
Some of the links may have been displaced but the YouTube ones I just checked were sound.
So if you want to experience the ups and downs of last season, check back daily.
If you don’t just scroll on past.
JULY
Only two games and you will be forgiven for body swerving them
KR – Home (Champions League)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDXLRFzkTxE
Legia Warsaw – Away (Champions League)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsd-DX2_Q
August will be in two parts tomorrow, hopefully.
King and his cronies only plan is to rob Peter to pay Paul in a frantic effort to keep the new club limping along until their hoped for but as yet unknown real billionaire benefactor turns up at Ibrox with real money.
Today’s CQN word of the day?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIQg1ZP3lqE
HH!!
The SFA Presidency is a two year term. Ogilvie was re-elected in 2013 when he was ‘heavily conflicted’, seems he chose not to stand this time. #ispyforthefbi