Forster, Ashley and partnering with Sevco

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Congratulations to Fraser Forster on his international call-up, I am absolutely delighted for him.  It occurred to me that he left Sports Direct and Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley’s clutches on the cheap early this summer, while Ashley had other matters in Glasgow under consideration – partnering with Sevco.

It was with customary bombast that Sir David Murray announced the deal Rangers struck with JJB Sports in 2006 to offload the club’s retail and merchandise operations to the sports retailer.  At a stroke the club banked £18m although subsequent dilapidation and redundancy costs ate into this figure.  Celtic had previously rejected a similar deal, believing that securitising future revenue streams in this manner would only swap short-term for long-term problems.

That deal perished when Rangers liquidation was announced but the Newco acquired only one retail store (outside Ibrox) and no infrastructure in place.  Instead, six weeks ago, Newco handed over retail operations to Sports Direct, who now operate its retail company, Rangers Retail Limited, and its online operation at rangersdirect.co.uk.

This deal was covered in local and retail press but lacked the bombast Murray would have brought to the occasion, perhaps because Ashley was aware that Celtic fans no longer felt comfortable spending their cash with JJB after the 2006 link-up.  Better to keep this one low-profile so as not to cannibalise sales to Celtic fans.

Whether Ashley is part-owner of Newco or just their merchandising partner is moot, Sports Direct’s interests in the Scottish market are significantly entwined with The Rangers F.C.

It is unlikely the retailer had to pay as much as £18m up front to secure his new rights but their support will be absolutely critical in quickly building their partner club into a successful force.  If they can do this while continuing to milk Celtic supporters they have knocked it off.

Chances of me buying the 125th Anniversary Kit from Sevco’s partner company are approaching zero.  My Celtic budget is for the benefit of one club only, it will not help build The Rangers.

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951 Comments

  1. TBB thank you for directions. Think I will go with your first option seems easier and less likely to get myself lost.

     

     

    HH

  2. Morning bhoys, warm on the hun free mountain.

     

     

    Jobo Baldie

     

     

    If you are going to anywhere in Spain where there are shops :>) there is a chain called Dynos, you can pick up quality cameras there, I bought a 16 mp Fuji the other week for 69 euros, about 50 quid.

  3. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    I said earlier that it must be illegal, tax evasion, to sell assets worth millions for £1. …….. wonder what Hector would say if I sold my house to someone for £1 …… The liquidator is going to say “AYE, RIGHT”

  4. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    Off for a wee swim / sauna now ……. Naebodie’s listening tae me anyway …..LOL

  5. Thought for a Saturday morning……

     

     

    Zeus Capital are the main shareholders in Chuckles Green’s new football club. Zeus are largely owned by on man. Richard Hughes.

     

     

    Mr Hughes was interviewed by a business magazine in Manchester in 2005, where he boasted of a great future for Zeus. He spoke of clients who’s worth ranged in value from £35 million to £31 billion.

     

     

    He said what a great year it was , and that he was busy investing in the Spanish Property market ( I wonder how that turned out for his investors)

     

     

    Anyway……and much more to follow later……you would think Zeus Capital ( why do I keep thinking Liberty Capital) , would have a business that was now fit to sit beside Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan …..

     

     

    You might think that, but you would be wrong. The most recent accounts show a business with an annual turnover of £1.6 million which has made a loss for 3 of the last 4 years. The year they made a profit it was a whopping £10,000.

     

     

    The balance sheet shows that Directors do not take enormous salaries, and that the business appears to have around a dozen employees in total

     

     

    Mr Hughes has had an interesting career. I haven’t seen anyone who has had so many directorships in a long time. Most of these business’s no longer exist and many have incredibly similar names.

     

     

    Well actually I have seen someone similar, I wonder what happened to him

  6. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    yorkbhoy

     

    10:17 on 6 October, 2012

     

     

    Thanks,pal.

     

    I appreciate your advice.

     

    Might even take it.

     

    :-)

  7. lionroars67

     

     

    09:05 on 6 October, 2012

     

     

     

     

    ”Now we can put our leader’s DD comments”

     

     

     

     

    The Great Desmondo is the de facto owner of Celtic plc.

     

     

    He is not my leader, never has been, never will be.

  8. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    ernie lynch

     

    10:37 on 6 October, 2012

     

     

    Is Lenny not the leader referred to?

  9. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    bournesouprecipe

     

    10:49 on 6 October, 2012

     

    Sevconia

     

     

    Now,that`s an absolute cracker.

  10. Zombiefication is real….

     

    …any sevcovian hun could tell you that..

     

    ….except they are incapable of speech, rational thought, or the ability to spell.

     

    I wonder what they’ll be like when Chunky pulls the plug on them and they realise they are NOT going to the promsed land.

     

    I predict in-house cannibalism.

  11. The Battered Bunnet on

    The Shabby Chapeau and I sneaked off from work yesterday morning and headed to the Trossachs to enjoy the beautiful yellow autumn sunshine, perchance to stumble across some elusive Chanterelles amongst the fallen leaves.

     

     

    We stopped off to get a bite to eat at the restaurant of a well known beauty spot. The menu was fairly typical, a range of rolls, sandwiches, main courses and cakes.

     

     

    The missus order the soup de jour and a sandwich, while I fancied just a couple of bacon rolls and a coffee.

     

     

    “Sorry Sir, we stop serving rolls at 11.30.”

     

     

    “but it’s only 11.40” says I. “You surely still have some rolls, some bacon, and the grill’s on for lunch service.”

     

     

    “Sorry Sir, but you’ll need to order from the rest of the menu.”

     

     

    Hmmmm….

     

     

    “OK” says I, “I’ll have the bacon and brie baguette. Hold the brie.”

     

     

    To be fair to them, the baguette was a fair size, and the bacon smoked and crispy. However, they got just £3.95 for the baguette and a bad customer review for the service, when the two rolls would have been £5.

     

     

    As hospitable as we Scots often are, our notion of Hospitality and good business is still stuck in the 1950s.

     

     

    Still, mustn’t grumble, mushroom risotto tonight.

  12. oldtim

     

     

    looking forward to it..

     

     

    was in the Celtic shop on Sauchiehall St yesterday, new strip looks fab. can’t get it minus the T crap though…

  13. Snake Plissken on

    Barcabhoy

     

     

    interesting stuff.

     

     

    The big questions for me are how long can they keep Sevco afloat and how long can Green continue to get them to roll up roll up to the circus before the balloon bursts?

  14. Bt.

     

     

    You can’t see the T? unless your close up.I’m thinking about getting one tomorrow,for Barcelona,

  15. oldtim

     

     

    you will need to take a CQN golf day T shirt for going into the pub, then the bhoys will know who you are….

  16. Andrew67 – you state that DD is a Celtic Ghod – why is that?

     

     

    Most Celtic supporters have contributed more of their wealth to Celtic without looking for a return on their investment than DD. It appears that DD is more contemptious of the Celtic Supporters as he is of the huns.

     

     

    Please explain why that makes him a Celtic Ghod?

  17. The Battered bunnet

     

     

    Stick to square slice :-)

     

     

    PS : Scots don’t really do customer service

  18. NegAnon2

     

     

    11:13 on 6 October, 2012

     

     

    ‘Andrew67 – you state that DD is a Celtic Ghod – why is that?’

     

     

     

    Money.

     

     

    Lots and lots of money.

     

     

    We’ve come (or gone) a long way since the days of Brother Walfrid.

  19. bsr

     

     

    That ‘photo of the ‘Lennon Touch’ should be reproduced, enlarged and put on the wall of the Celtic dressing room, the main entrance to the stadium and up at Lennoxtown.

     

     

    HH!!