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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Auldheid
Sorry I didn’t reply but I’d left work by the time you posted.
I fully support Paul67’s point about buying Celtic merchandise from Sport’s Direct being an indirect financial support of the huns. It would be foolish in the extreme and short sighted at least.
However, in times of austerity, such as now, I think that you’ll find many Celtic supporters will purchase from the cheapest option, ignoring the implications that this would entail.
Ach, but not playing here. No error message, just no response when clicking play :(
BRT&H
How long did it take you to count the 11,000 ish words? Especially after having written them!!!!
Neat n tidy as is the norm.
Paddy t
•-:¦:-•** -:¦:- sparkleghirl :¦:-.•**• -:¦:-•
At the bottom of the address bar there will be an option to install the plugin to get it working.
thanks for pointing this out Paul67 and for continuing the strong journalistic strand of the blog , you is clever (or are many clever people in one, my favoured hypothesis).
Let me be the first jackie mac to welcome any rangers fans who want to defect to a great club. it’s a dreadful taboo but it must be happening: F.A season ticket sales, games against Annan, Tickets which cost nuffink – welcome new celtic fans !
I’d deliberately ignored hearing the comments of DD during the interview on Shortbread the other day and subsequently avoided most of the comments on here relating to it.
However, I heard fat Sally referring to them on the news tonight.
How could such an intelligent man state such incredibly stupid things?!
Phyllis Dietrichson & Paddy Mc, many thanks for the support yesterday. Really appreciated.
Marti
Absolutely brilliant BRTH, how long can this farce continue.
ht
God only knows!
A few agreed with my incredulity at DD’s comments, but more slaughtered me!
I still think he’s a choob.
At some things anyway.
Excuse my French but this is F***ing Priceless from SevcoMedia.
GREEN discussed several issues,
including how he came about being
involved in the consortium.
Ahmad approached Green in February
as Zeus were thinking about putting a
deal together. Initially Green said no,
but then looked at it and between them
and they started putting a team
together to takeover Rangers. They
asked some investors to put some
money in with very little details, and
they showed this money to Duff &
Phelp who then started to take them
seriously. Over the next few months and
the consortium paid £250k deposit, a
total of £5.5M for the club and gave
D&P another £500k to help pay the
wages for May.
It was also made clear that the club
owns the Ibrox and the training
complex at Auchenhowie 100%, again
threw out allegations of Whyte’s
involvement.
Green mentioned the treatment from
other clubs and the Scottish Football
Association:
UEFA meeting and no club could believe
what had happened to us and
treatment by SFA. One club commented
that they had been bribing referees and
did not get treated that badly.
Green said only 5 clubs wanted to kick
us out of SPL, with another 5 wanting to
abstain. We asked them to stop passing
buck and make a decision, and the
other 5 reluctantly voted against.
Green then went onto outline his future
plans for the club. These included:
The owners want to get more non-exec
directors on board for good
governance. No single investor will be
allowed more than 10%.
Over 5 million worldwide fan base:
wants to include them all much better
than before.
Green has agreed a deal to buy
Edmiston House from Murray. This will
see the Ticket office moving to where
superstore is now. The Megastore will
move to bottom 2 floors of Edmiston
House. The upper floors are to be
converted into a sports bar.
The club is committed to ensuring our
merchandise is readily available in USA.
Former Ibrox favourite Reyna is going to
help us create academies in USA, and
Bocanegra will join him once he hangs
up his boots. The club believes the
American market to be massive.
The Asian Market is well known to our
investors. This Market is seen as the
biggest upcoming market, Rangers are
going to get involved in a big way. The
club is currently looking at partners to
develop brand/ tours etc.
As previously known the JJB deal
terminated has been terminated and
replaced by Sports Direct. Green wants
to get back to 2005 levels of retail sales
of £20M and profit of £5.6M per
annum. The new deal with Sports Direct
will help us do this. The club has been
talking to Adidas, Puma and Nike about
taking over Umbro deal which has been
terminated, an announcement is
expected soon! Puma are probably the
favourites due to connections with
Sports Direct.
The club believes media rights are going
to be huge over next decade, i.e TV
migrating to web. Rangers are in talks
with TV and tech companies. It is
expected that media income alone will
reach £100M within 10 years. Looks at
example of the Champions League final
which generated £1.7B.
Green believes there will be a Euro
league of sorts within a few years and
that RFC will be a part of it, citing that
the global fan base is too big to exclude
us. Green also alluded to The
Champions League which would be
worth £20M income to club per season.
The Club are going to revalue property
assets at more realistic £30-40M in next
balance sheet. The players are worth
£2M on the balance sheet.
We have a strong youth player base, in 3
years we will have 6 under 22 players
with over 100 appearancess, this
experience will stand club in good
stead.
In January 2012 the wage bill was £30M
per annum. It is now £6M per annum.
Policy to bring in players on good wages
(£20k pw) but not pay large fees we
don’t get back. Looking to bring in 10
players like that between now and top
league return, making max wage bill of
£16M per annum. Ally McCoist believes
title winning squad achievable under
that budget.
It seemed to be a very productive
meeting for all concerned. A proper,
21st century football business model
has been created, in my opinion it will
put Rangers light-years ahead of every
other Scottish club and closer to the
“Global” football brands such as Man
United, Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Thanks all, got Clyde via that link now – just tried Forefox instead of Chrome or Opera :-)
Fire. Firefox.
Auldheid
I heard £4m and rising.
Charlie Boy running around the Americas drumming up support for a share issue. A strategy which needs Alastair McCoist to stay in charge to keep the fans on board.
And if he keeps turning in away performances like he has at away grounds which resemble ploughed fields, all the way through October and November?
500 million supporter base…
U
Now you have read above I would ask you, What Uefa meeting? They are not in any Uefa competitions.
True what they say about being able to fool a bare all if the time…
5 million fans and they could not even raise £500,000 between them for the fighting fund…
Puma are favourites. I thought chuck announced Adidas was begging to plough millions into Sevco…
Sparkleghirl
I am in the US and this is what I use,
http://www.radiomaps.co.uk/
Philbhoy
Agreed. Even worse to see the pie man using the words against us.
Thanks weeman, I’ll bookmark all of these for future use.
ht
Why give them ammunition or a possible life line?
Let them die in shame, alone.
They deserve it.
They really do.
All these kit suppliers must be about to enter an auction – they are all desperate to supply a ‘club’ (sic) who play in the 4th tier, but have a global fanbase of half a billion!
That’s a helluva lot of XXXXL tops to be shifted!
HH!!
waltermittycsc
ASonOfDan @ 19:28 – OMFG!!
Can there be a more gullible set of football supporters anywhere on the planet?!!
T4
Tallybhoy
And that’s just their wimmin.
Mind you I’ve seen some really fat burds with ra**ers tops on.
They suited them.
Is this for real?
500 Million worldwide fans?
5 clubs in the SPL wanted to keep them?
They’ll be lightyears ahead of other teams thanks to the internet?
Excuse me while I kiss the sky.
1. If they had 500 Million fans or the potential for 500 million fans worldwide, there wouldn’t have been any liquidation.
2. 5 clubs wanted to keep them? Kilmarnock run by an obvious one of them and………….
3. There is no worldwide TV audience for them and dodgy illegal streams don’t count. If they’ve been getting big viewing figures on sky it’s because our fans and fans of other Scottish have been tuning in to laugh at them or it’s the limited appeal of the curiosity factor (which has a finite amount of lifetime).
They live on another planet and their money clearly comes from that unknown club from an unknown universe PL laughed at them for inventing.
Sparkle
I used radiofeeds all the time and recently they have been pulling the plug on all sorts of live stuff – no longer can i spend the saturday afternoon in Oslo happily cooking stuff and listening to the goals going in on 5Live.
They say it s “due to rights restrictions” so they must be tightening up.
Oh – just read back – will try weeman’s link. :)
HT,
likewise a pleasure mate.
Despite what the rest of those imbeciles say, that’ll be MWD, CRC, Bundoran Bhoy etc btw ;-) I do try and make as many night/day oots as possible. Unfortunately the job and family get in the way……all too often!
Typically im heading out to Singapore on the night of 17th Nov, so yet another good night i shall be in absentia.
As for the pint, that swine of an elder brother of BJMacs must have swallied it, as I definitely gave him one to pass onto you…… ;-)
Or given the nick I ended up in, i plain forgot!
Will get it the next time though……..now I’m sounding like Dick Byrne :-)
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Oban Loyal R.S.C@ObanLoyalRSC
Serious rumours that Charles Green has”leased”back Ibrox to RFC,sold Murray Park, & Borrowed against Season Tickets.If true-Worse than Whyte
Oh Dear looks like chucks been rumbled
Auldheid,
Re Celtic’s buying power vs. the other big sports chains.
My experience in this area suggests that football clubs tend to buy products from partnership manufacturers at favourable prices, and thus make a very nice profit per unit.
I can however understand the point made by ( i think ) Hamilton Tim ,to the effect that often the official stores are more expensive, and thus people will go elsewhere.
Personally, I think football and all the kit, is vastly overpriced, and I won’t on the one hand compliain about pricing, but then pay 15% more for my kit ( in dart player size) at an official outlet. If Celtic want my cash, they need to be competitive.
Philbhoy…
Fat burds wearing hun tops – one of the most ludicrous, and hilarious, sights to behold!
Especially if they have tattoes!
As well as assorted ‘jewellry’ as accessories!
HH!!
Evening troops
I bought these today out of yes Sports Direct
http://www.sportsdirect.com/nike-ctr360-libretto-iii-fg-childrens-football-boots-081083
1-0 Inverness if anyone is interested.
Real mad atmosphere and a kicking match for sure.
Bundesliga 2 – just finished.
St Pauli 2 – 1st FC Union Berlin 2.
Mohr and Bartels scored for St Pauli. Equaliser for Union 5 minutes from time.
Good match – great atmosphere – watched it on Front Row (Internet).
ASOD
Addidas v. Puma – its called competition – the basis of capitalism
Beware Timmy beware!
Please stop asking awkward ..er any questions
HH
PS Chucky has more front than Blackpool
He cannot believe his luck getting this gig
Its like shooting fish in a barrel – except the fish would be harder to catch than the zoombies!
The ‘Cold Firm’ derby looks a wee bit tasty – plenty of boots flying in!!!!!
So, no JJB for years, now certainly no Sports direct. Where is a guy to get his trainers?
ConfusedCSCno1
2-0 INverness