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Following another messiah

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

“I say you are [The Messiah] Lord, and I should know. I’ve followed a few.”  This line is from The Life of Brian; John Cleese character insists he knows who The Messiah is, more than anyone, because he’s “followed a few”.  Monty Python cut to the chase, some people never learn from following false messiahs.  Never more true that at Ibrox.

A generation there lived through David Murray’s messianic reign.  A messiah was the way to make life good, so after Murray, they followed a series of chancers with no loss of faith.  From the outside, it looks like a manifestation of religious practice.

Conversely, Celtic’s Fergus McCann, who gave Murray his first bloody nose, was anything but a messiah.  He lacked all such tendencies, delivered what he promised and left with the league trophy in the boardroom and a cold draft.  Fergus set the Celtic support up for clinical analysis, or cynical analysis from some.

What do we know about the new messiahs at Ibrox?  They are not “Rangers fans”, they are straightforward investors, here for the return.  Nothing wrong with that, but it does mean no one should fantasise about investment beyond an achievable level of return.

We know they are restricted by Uefa’s Financial Sustainability Regulations (FSR).  Newco are superstar money losers.  The last year we have information on (2023-24), they lost over £17m.  They need to reach the Champions League on a regular basis, buy players cheap and sell at significant profits, or cut costs.  Reports from the US suggest they want to develop their own youth talent; a few weeks on the ground will dissuade them of that.

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Money will not be the change factor many think it will be.  The proposed £20m share issue looks like the right size to keep the lights on until the end of next season.  What will change is the professionalism of the club.  Celtic have delivered vastly better commercial deals throughout this century, for no reason other than they are well run and Oldco/Newco were shambolic.

Recruitment will improve, there will be no more Michael Beale summers, instead, expect Newco to follow Celtic’s model: find value markets, get close to them, buy and showcase in European competition.  A few seasons of good management, solid recruitment and stable finances, and they will be a vastly improved operation.

Getting it right is not easy, no matter what you read in the comments section.  Clever and experienced people try and fail more often than they succeed.  You need to be prepared for failure and in Glasgow, than means be especially prepared.

Dave King’s comment this week deserves a response:   ““[The new investors] are coming in with a commitment not to win a league title, but to make Rangers [sic.] the dominant force in Scotland. That is what this project is about. It’s not about winning one or two titles. It’s about the next ten, 20 years and I think that’s why I’m excited about it, because I think they are the right people.”

Dave should know if they are the right people, he’s followed a few.  If you think US investors are in Glasgow to dominate Scottish football you really need to revise your meds.  They are here to achieve a return on capital, thoughts of being the top dog in town is frankly demeaning to them.  Suggesting they have talked about being here for 20 years, jeez!

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They will (eventually) present a greater challenge than Celtic have faced since peak Murray Madness.  The gap in resources, experience and even the platform we start next season on is significant, but that does not guarantee anything.  There is always work to do.

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115 Comments
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  2. itscalledthemalvinas on

    I’m starting to get worried,why no white smoke from Snake Mountain ? Is this dumpling getting the job or not.

  4. McPhail Bhoy on

    Simone Inzaghi leaves Inter Milan, Sevco have still to announce a new manager….. you heard it here first

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  7. Saint Stivs on

    reading the fsr rules, categories and rational from uefa,

     

     

    those asking the merits of an academy, uefas directives for spending allows investment to academy and womans teams to be set aside. no doubt uefa wants these as the growth engines for the future

  10. An Tearmann on

    A wee repost

     

     

    Saint Stivs on 3rd June 2025 11:11 am

     

    uefa definition of football operations income – notes a share issue is not football revenue.

     

    ——————–

     

    J.2 Relevant income

     

     

    J.2.1 Definitions for the calculation of relevant income are as follows:

     

     

    Revenue – Gate receipts

     

     

    Revenue derived from general admission and corporate match attendance, from both season tickets and matchday tickets, in relation to the club’s matches. Gate receipts also include membership fees.

     

     

    Revenue – Sponsorship and advertising

     

     

    Revenue derived from the main sponsor, other sponsors, pitch-perimeter and other board advertising, and other sponsorship and advertising.

     

     

    Revenue – Broadcasting rights

     

     

    Revenue derived from the sale of broadcasting rights to television, radio, new media and other broadcast media, in relation to national competitions and other matches, excluding UEFA club competitions.

     

     

    Revenue – Commercial activities

     

     

    Revenue derived from merchandising, food and beverage sales, conferencing, lottery and other commercial activities.

     

     

    Revenue – UEFA solidarity and prize money

     

     

    Revenue derived from UEFA in respect of participation in a UEFA club competition and/or solidarity distributions.

     

     

    Revenue – Other operating income

     

     

    All operating income not otherwise described above, including operating income derived from other sources such as grants and/or subsidies from a national football body or government of the territory of the licensee, rent, dividends and income from non-football operations.

     

     

    Profit on disposal of player registrations and/or income on disposal of player registrations

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  16. quadrophenian on

    He’s dating a former glamour model, is vegan and was a member of the Green Party, swims in the open sea most days and is a student of Buddhism.

     

     

    Actually think he sounds like a refreshing departure from the Brogue-sporting, badge-kissing boofheads.

     

     

    My fear was that the US shareholders would pluck a solid coach from the MLS who’d come in as a complete unknown and ambush their way to some solid results.

     

    The big baffler with the amenable Mr Martin is that he’s a former top defender with a glaring inability to fix/set out an organised backline.

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  21. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Good morning CQN.

     

     

    Second day running took me 6 for hoople.

     

     

    Short ones always tricky for me.

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  26. borgo67 on

    GENE

     

     

    I bought an electric car a while back , now that there’s no free charging I would make sure you can plug it in at home, it can be relatively cheap as energy companies will give a low rate at certain times of the day for charging.

     

    You can also charge it by plugging it in from an outside socket, takes much longer than an all singing and dancing designated charger but a lot cheaper to buy.

     

    As for a car I would get one with the longest range possible within your budget.

     

    Range anxiety is a very real phenomenon .

  27. Gene on

    borgo67

     

    Thanks – I’d be looking at 300+ range – I’ve got a driveway so no problem home charging. As long as I can get to North Wales and back on a single charge I’d be happy

  28. borgo67 on

    Gene

     

     

    Just remember it’s almost impossible to get the full range that is advertised as weather conditions and other factors reduce it.

     

    Not sure by what percentage off hand but if it was 300 plus you were needing I would look at 350 plus just to be on the safe side

  29. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    Gene – I believe the range stated by car companies and what how far you actually get on a single charge is overstated.

     

     

    We got an ID4 at the end of last year. It’s a great runaround but I wouldn’t be embarking on long trips in it.

     

     

    I’d be surprised if you can find an EV to get you to Wales and back on a single charge.

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  31. borgo67 on

    Gene

     

     

    They are more expensive so shop around as there are good deals to be had on new ones

  32. Gene on

    The blogger

     

    North Wales is about 160 miles round trip – think the real world range is about 70% of the range quoted

  34. Weebobbycollins on

    I seriously hope I live long enough to witness the punishment of these war criminals…

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  37. glendalystonsils on

    Weebobbycollins on 4th June 2025 12:32 pm

     

     

    This interviewer is excellent . I’ve started watching Channel 4 news instead of BBC and ITV because I’ve been so impressed by their coverage and this guy in particular .

  38. dessybhoy on

    The same happened on Sky News around 4pm yesterday , when the same spokesperson for the Israeli Government could not handle direct questioning from the journo whose name escapes me, b he tried his best to keep to the questions he wanted answered, instead it was deny deflect and denigrate from the Israeli spokesperson ,tactics used by regimes who do not want held to account and cant handle being confronted by facts.

  39. ziggydoc1 on

    glendalystonsils on 4th June 2025 12:41 pm

     

    Weebobbycollins on 4th June 2025 12:32 pm

     

     

     

    This interviewer is excellent . I’ve started watching Channel 4 news instead of BBC and ITV because I’ve been so impressed by their coverage and this guy in particular .

     

    —-

     

    The 7pm ch4 slot is good. Better than BBC, Sky or ITV.

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