Paul Simon wrote about ‘a loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires’ but if you want to raise money to rescue a company you need more than a loose affiliation. ‘The rebels’ at Celtic managed this in 1994 (somehow), but Paul Murray’s Blue Knights affiliation unravelled over a few days.
While Duff and Phelps were casting aspersions on the SPL for spiking their plans to announce a preferred bidder last week, the Blue Knights were already struggling to pull £0.5m together as a covenant to secure a period of exclusive rights to buy the club.
18 years ago a Celtic supporter walked into a branch of Bank of Scotland and paid £1m into Celtic’s bank account to bring it back under agreed limits and prevent the club going into administration – without any security or negotiating rights. A discrete but hugely important act by a man still on our board. No one from the Rangers consortium was prepared to gamble half as much last week, they even asked Ticketus, finance provider for Craig Whyte’s doomed venture, to stump up the non-refundable cash! The ticket agency declined.
The Celtic consortium soon fell apart with a modest degree of acrimony but personal issues were put to the side until the job of securing the club was complete. Paul Murray’s group was less fortunate. As a chartered accountant Murray would have been fully aware of the Employee Benefit Trusts which brought the club to its knees. What he knew and whether he benefited are likely to be some of the questions other consortium members were asking. He was not best placed to lead the recovery.
Murray also tried to keep a broad church together, from wealthy but detached Rangers fans to various elements of the support. This sounded ambitious from the off.
The most important comment from the Blue Knights yesterday was “The consortium believes that the whole deal process has become incredibly complex and it is critical that a preferred bidder is appointed this week.”
If it’s possible for the words “incredibly complex” and “critical” to be an understatement this is the occasion. The Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League announce their fixtures in the middle of June. If Rangers are to phoenix before then they better hurry up and die. The liquidation process will take weeks (if it goes smoothly) and can be open to legal challenge. Stadium ownership has also to be secured and the claims of Ticketus and Andrew Ellis have to be satisfied.
Add to the mix creditors, the big tax case, punishments from the SFA for their on-going inquiry into the last takeover, potential punishments from the SPL inquiry into improperly registered players, increasingly widespread opposition from within the SPL and the rest of Scottish football to a place being created for a phoenix and you get the picture.
The last few years reads like a lesson in how to destroy a huge football club. Chances of SPL football at Ibrox next season? No more than 50%.
Bids for the original canvass painting of Neil Lennon by US based artist, Joseph Gormley, have hit an incredible £500. Keep an eye on the auction, which ends on Thursday, here.
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Bada BiNg
Did anyone go to the Cup Final at Mordor, last night?? I’m hearing from my brother that the people representing the green brigade last night were a disgrace, flares, setting fires to some flags that they had liberated from the possession of some Orc’s, wrecking the chairs. Now my bro and I aren’t the closest in the world but I have no reason to disbelieve him, if this indeed did happen at an Under 17’s game it’s a scandal and we can and must do better!!!!
RogueLeader on 17 April, 2012 at 15:57 said:
Trust spokesman Mark Dingwall said: “We are surprised and disappointed if this is indeed the course of action Ticketus have decided to take.
“It would appear they are more interested in money going into their own coffers, than staying in Rangers.”
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Sums up the intellectual stature of this slug.
He is berating a finance company, that is an arm of an investment company, for looking after their own interests before that of The Rangers.
Utterly incredible quote
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I wonder how the like of Dingwall came to be a spokesperson for Rangers fans. I have met plenty of reasonably intelligent and decent rangers minded people. Surely there are some among them capable of leading the support in straightened times, capable of voicing the concerns of the clubs support and not sounding like a Primary 7 child when discussing football, looking for some Roy of the Rovers end game for their club of choice.
If there are such people (and there must be) then they either don’t really care all that deeply about Rangers OR they don’t want to be publicly associated with the rest of the follow followers or be seen as a ‘figurehead’ for them. There are of course obvious dangers for rangers people of a decent nature ending up speaking for the ‘average’ bear. But surely one of them must have enough love for their club to do something?
It says a great deal about their psyche that they do not.
It would be interesting to read the thoughts of a rangers version of our host here. Someone ‘reasonable’ who is capable of getting past the worst elements of the tribal enmity that is involved in being a Celtic or Rangers supporter and now and again tackling head on those elements of your own support that you feel are damaging. Rangers would benefit enormously from such a voice among their support.
But it doesn’t exist. The frontline, big hitter contributors to their ezines and blogs seem to be more representative of the lunatic fringe (perhaps majority might be better there) than of the decent minded and reasonable people that we have all met in every day life and who happen to ‘support’ rangers in some way.
My own theory is that there is some similar effect at work to that which afflicts Protestant communities in the North of Ireland, namely the underachievement of young working class Protestant males in education. This happened as Phil Mac was pointing out to us today in his blog, as a result of their reliance on the heavy industries being ‘theirs’. School was something to be endured until you started your apprenticeship with your Da, your uncles, you neighbours in the shipyards, the steel works or wherever else and where your kind would be king of the heap. Education was not a requirement.
Then it was swept away. But there was no value placed on education by large swathes of the community and the vicious cycle began – no education, no access to work, too few from that community being educated to third level and getting in to the professions to represent the interests of that community and an attitude of entitlement and that this was all someone elses fault. and so it goes on. You are then in to long term multi generational unemployment and underemployment and it is a cycle that is hard to stop.
And so I imagine it is among the natural rangers supporting constituency in Scotland. The most active and vocal element of the support seems to be drawn from the undereducated (perhaps I’m wrong but it seems to be worthy of closer study) and the only other section willing to speak out for them are the press who are so scared of offending their core market that they lead them down blind alleys instead of to the truth.
So those who should perhaps be the natural spokespeople for the ‘masses’ (ahem) might just want to distance themselves from the permanent embarrassment and occasional disgrace that is the rangers support.
Imagine the Celtic support regularly caused trouble abroad, rioted in manchester, sang sectarian songs – I know I would be less inclined to speak out on our own behalf and might just keep my head down. Instead we revel in good behaviour, become outraged when people exaggerate painted bed sheets with a four letter word on it, or one guy runs on to the park and pats a goalie on the face and equate us to the Hooligans from the Southside. Because we enjoy our good international reputation, we like being nice, we like to be a force for good. And the community from which the majority of us were drawn seemed to place a far greater emphasis on the need to be educated.
But then I blame the schools for all of this. And this time I mean it……..
KINGLUBO on 17 April, 2012 at 16:20 said:
I have a dream. That dream is that hun are liquidated ( I’d prefer if the were liquidised) and sent as newco to Division 3. I would be salivating at the thought that if they won the league that year would they play”We are the Champions” over the sound system at ibroke. Oh how I’d love that.
======================
aye and then taunt us about the trophy we never won :)
Did Murray and Whyte fall out because theyv’e got the same hair do?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17736718
Auldheid
I read your earlier proposals.
I cannot see how creditors get stuffed and Newco is allowed an environment to prosper in. And I dont just mean Ibrox and Murray Park.
Hail Hail
McTALL
Are you a hun?
McTALL on 17 April, 2012 at 16:33 said:
What and its not national news headlines ?
Hail Hail
Serge – I’m fine mate; taking a small sabatical from the old Don Revie due to the excessive consumtion since Feb 14:0) my internal organs were going to die before da huns. Take care amigo.
neillybhoy – No problem, you might want to consider Toronto as a location; there are plenty of rentals here too; otherwise you may be spending a lot of your day travelling to and from work. Anyhoo, i’ll exchange email adresses nearer the time of your arrival and we can have a day at our club; pretty good Guinness even if i say so myself:0)
slainte
tony
Son of Dan, no i’m not!!! What’s your point?
McTALL on 17 April, 2012 at 16:33 said:
Ooooh, that’s awfae.
Auldheid
above post should have ended with
So I do not see ANY solution that ticks all the boxes
Old Firm Scottish myopic singular minded boxes yes
Money going to Rapid Vienna and the St. John Ambulamce men Naw
Hail Hail
RobertTressell – excellent post. I have often wondered why they don’t have a Billy72 or an RCN. I cam to the same conclusions as you as to why. WHywould anyone want to be associated with that.
I cannot be forgotten that Minty actually banned FollowFollow and Dingwall due to the views they espouse.
The Blue Knights have given them credibility and a media platform.
2 things people who oversee that forum should not have, the debacle at the weekend on their official Facebook page proves that.
a McTall tale.
Self evident but you only…
See NG when you’re wi’ Ng.
See Ng when you’re wi’ Ng
Awe No as I live overseas, I don’t get the Scottish rags and try and avoid even going onto their websites so if it’s been reported, my apologies only asking. But its the kind of behaviour we’re quick to highlight from other fans particularly the dark side and despite what the GB bring to the atmosphere and support of the club that kind of behaviour shouldn’t be tolerated.
Mc TALL
is your brother a pig ?
Hail Hail
McTALL
None, done it as a noise up and it worked. :)
Can anyone tell me what are the chances of ibrux being sold and Newco or Hun Tesco FC having to play at Hampden in the future?
Hats off to the Blue Knights.
Like traditional knights of old – they came, they saw, they ran away.
No doubt they were frightened by the charge Craig Whyte holds over the club.
The charge that floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee !
Hail Hail
McTALL
Just read your post of 16:41. I take it back, you are a hun…
RobertTressell on 17 April, 2012 at 16:34:
RogueLeader on 17 April, 2012 at 15:57:
“Trust spokesman Mark Dingwall said: “We are surprised and disappointed if this is indeed the course of action Ticketus have decided to take.
“It would appear they are more interested in money going into their own coffers, than staying in Rangers.”
Comedy gold from the biggest chancer in Glasgow.
No one has ripped off Rangers fans more than this joker in the last 25 years. Dingwall makes his living from fleecing fellow Huns, and he has just made another tidy sum from the bucket collections – money that will never be accounted for.
He doesn’t even have a season ticket for Ibrox and he is the official spokesman for their supporters. No wonder they are in such a mess.
RobertTressell on 17 April, 2012 at 16:34 said:
Back in 1980 I was doing interviews along with a Protestant guy. Decent enough fella. At the end of the week he said in all innocence and honesty that he was really impressed by the standaordof applicants from Catholic schools. I just nodded in agreement but thought “I’m Catholic educated and could buy and sell you pal.”
The very idea of a smart Catholic seems not to have entered his head.
McTALL on 17 April, 2012 at 16:33 said:
Was it them “Thugs & Thieves” wot did it!
Aw naw, no but I am so thanks for the compliment! Dan, call me anything you want but not that, please!!
Awe_Naw
That pop vox old queen Jabba would leave his skid marks on an nun’s simple
If he thought he could advance his position in the hun hierarchical pyramid of
Goat bothering.
He’s a busted flush.
Him,jangle and Flanders are will be fighting for space to sell their cheap trinket
words to the begGer waysiders, in scenes not seen since the Great Depression.
#HoboHacks
HH
This Bill Ng stuff is a lot of Honk Kong Phooey! :-)
HH
savo01 – NewCo will be playing at Ibrox.
Whyte is owed between £18m and £30m.
He has to be paid that before any deal is made with any other creditors.
He does not have to be paid it in cash. Assets to the value will do nicely.
How much do you think you could charge a football club to rent a sports stadium per annum?
Nun’s Simple = Nun’s Wimple
Cheers Tony, cryptic but i think i might already have your email just dropped you a note ;-)
McTALL
The GB cannot sneeze without it making it into the papers. I doubt they done flag/scarf/goat burning…
Torontony
I’ve still got a bot of Clynelish to send you, Was going to send it to your work address thats on your emails. I forgot all about it it’s been at my parents house since Jan, My head was all over the place with her being ill at the time, HH
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on 17 April, 2012 at 16:39 said:
And I should have said ticks all the football boxes, but I take your point of course.
Ng has £20 Million and not a penny more.
No a bad deal for ibrokes and Duped Park…
McTALL
A well with you being a legitimate target as well we can only presume that your brother is a lying shite. It probably runs in the family mate. Did Eddie Smiths video camera run out of battery power ?
Hail Hail
Savo01
They will be playing at Hampden, against Queens Park….twice ;-)
ASonOfDan – what makes you think he will be getting those and the club for £20m?
:)
McTall it was all over FF last night including pictures as I hunted for the latest on the BK it looked like flares to me.
I dont like flares smoke bombs at the football especially U17 game where a lot of kids would have been.
Right enough my kids would have loved it.
PS I had a text from Celtic FC today offering tickets for game on 29th April
told one of my mates who said they were all sold out last week he tried and got two.