I’ve read yesterday’s statement from prospective Rangers owner, Charles Green, a few times now, without really understanding what the point was. When someone issues an unexpected statement the reason is usually obvious. Not on this occasion.
Published on the official Rangers web site it once and for all confirmed that Duff and Phelps were acting with the approval of Green when they took the SFA to the Court of Session, thereby bringing the entire Scottish game into a potential disrepute situation with Fifa.
Mr Green will now be fully aware of the ramifications of Rangers court action. They failed in their attempt to have the matter referred back for consideration to the Judicial Panel and, as Paul McConville pointed out yesterday, cannot be ejected from the Scottish Cup. They are not currently participating in the Scottish Cup, and suspension from a future season’s Cup is not an available punishment.
His legal advice is now likely to conclude that his actions will soon lead to suspension from the Scottish FA. There is, however, an interesting theme through Green’s short statement that might indicate why his statement was issued:
“I nor my investors wish to see an outcome that would be to the detriment of Scottish Football”.
“….suspension or termination of Rangers Football Club membership of the SFA. That in our view would be a disaster for Scottish football”.
“Expulsion from the Scottish Cup is itself a very serious punishment which would also have a severe impact on Scottish football”.
We are heartened to hear the interests of Scottish football are so core to Mr Green’s heart. This being the case, he will possibly protect Scottish football by asking the SFA to impose the now-illegal player registration ban on Rangers and beg them not to refer the matter back to the Appellate Panel. The horse has bolted on this one but it’s possibly worth a punt.
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Morning All, I’m no legal expert but the Scotsman article this morning seems as close to libeling Neil Lennon as you can get. Shameless rag.
HH.
Fassreifen on 5 June, 2012 at 06:37 said:
Dead right.
How about this for a comment.
27haggis scoffer
Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 06:22 AM tommo to see a back specialist after his dealings with lennon
fassreifen,macjay1
Just read Bathgate’s article,thanks to your good selves.
It strikes me that he either has an axe to grind,or he has no intention of developing any form of professional relationship with Celtic anytime soon.
It’s a poisonous piece which must have caused the paper’s lawyers a good couple of hours in trying to make it presentable.
They would have been better binning it,IMO.
macjay, BMCW, I would hope it would be brought to the attention of Celtic’s lawyers. It might be worth letting the LL know – through the courts – that they can’t be allowed to take out their bitterness at the club’s demise on us and our manager.
“their club’s”, sorry.
An alternative view…
Rangers: The Sheer Brassneckery Of Administration
Posted by Mark on Jun 4, 2012 in Clubs in Crisis, Latest, Scottish Football
The rural west of Ireland is quiet at its noisiest. And two weeks away from the noise of the Rangers saga was blissfully quiet. I knew I was returning to something major, however, as I was aware that the BBC’s Mark Daly had fronted another Ibrox insolvency-related documentary and that administrators Duff and Phelps had finally published their “best-and-final” CVA. But nothing prepared me for the revelation that Kevin Muscat had an Employee Benefit Trust, that somebody paid money into it and that somebody paid one million pounds into it.
And nothing prepared me for the sheer brassneckery of Charles Green’s largely “to be confirmed” (TBC) proposals to pay Rangers’ creditors with borrowed money. Meet the new Rangers, same as the old Rangers. In debt. On top of that, there has been a successful appeal against severe punishment for non-payment of £13m tax – an appeal which could lead to severer punishment. There have been documentary-evidenced allegations of systematic wrongdoing over nearly a decade (Rangers’ “abuse” of Employee Benefit Trusts – EBTs). And the CVA details? TBC.
The systematic, decade-long abuse of EBTs was the main focus of Daly’s documentary. But considerable efforts have been made to shift attention onto potential conflicts of interest concerning Rangers’ administrators – a side-issue of considerable proportions, but a side-issue nonetheless. Daly’s documentary was as respectful as you could be to any adult with THAT many teddy bears. Genuine Rangers “fanatic” Sammy Patterson even deflected attention from his inordinate number of tattoos and garish jewellery with an impassioned, articulate representation of fans’ despair.
The dozen-or-so minutes at the end, on Duff and Phelps’ “intriguing” role throughout Craig Whyte’s Rangers tenure, contained the sexier stuff of investigative journalism – leaked documents directly contradicting public pronouncements. And amid the on-going arguments, it is intriguing to note that Duff and Phelps admit they knew last August that owner Craig Whyte had lied about his source of takeover deal funding, yet waited until they were well-remunerated administrators before letting anyone else know. But it was Daly’s “data room” stuff – less sexy, despite the sultriest efforts of the female voiceover – which laid bare the enormity of what Rangers are accused of. Before Whyte, Rangers’ problems were large, if decreasing, bank debts, and accusations of years of financial ‘cheating.’
Daly brought us back to those simpler times. The now-famous rangerstaxcase blog states: “I will…provide the details of what Rangers have done (and) why it was illegal.” This is precisely what Daly’s doc did (possibly not co-incidentally). And if the First Tier Tribunal (Tax) (FTT(T)) has Daly’s documentation-based insight, it would take a weighty revelation to demonstrate Rangers’ innocence. There may be innocent reasons why Rangers felt Kevin Muscat was due a million pounds for non-football-related activities during his one Ibrox season (ignoring the obvious joke that most of Muscat’s displays could be defined as “non-football”). Barry Ferguson may have earned two and a half million pounds for “image rights.” No. Really. But if there aren’t and he hasn’t, then Rangers FC will have been exposed as systematic cheats for years. And there isn’t a punishment on Planet Football which would be too harsh for that.
This was a problem facing the SFA’s disciplinary and appellate tribunals as they sought an appropriate sanction for Rangers’ non-payment of taxes and national insurance last season – and, more importantly, the use of that money to bolster Rangers’ playing resources. Lord Glennie ruled, last Tuesday, that the SFA could not impose a punishment that wasn’t specified in their Judicial Panel rules. They had to choose one, or a combination, of the punishments in the rules. The misinterpretations of that judgement have been legion, however. Glennie simply sent the SFA’s decision back to the SFA’s appellate tribunal for reconsideration, directing them to restrict themselves as above.
There was no dispute in his court that the sanction was appropriately severe. The Disciplinary Tribunal’s view, that Rangers had committed “as serious offences against the ordinary standards of corporate governance as one could imagine,” still stands. Severe punishment is still due Rangers for gaining £13m worth of sporting advantage through Whyte’s non-payment of taxes. A fine was deemed insufficient by the original tribunal – hence the perceived need for an additional penalty. So the tribunal look likely to “revisit” the other punishments available to them – suspension, ejection from the Scottish Cup, expulsion from football or termination of SFA membership.
Mark Dingwall of Rangers’ Supporters Trust, still believes Rangers were unfairly punished, as it was all Craig Whyte’s fault. Rangers’ website even said the club had given the SFA’s Appellate Tribunal “a compelling case that the…non-payment of (tax) was down to…Craig Whyte and not the club”. But the ORIGINAL tribunal established that Scottish case law said different – citing an early 70s spat involving Tesco Supermarkets. And Rangers’ representative, Michael McLaughlin, accepted that very fact during the original hearings, that Whyte was the “controlling mind” of the company and was, therefore, for the purposes of this case, the company. Rangers fans should remember that – in case a particularly miffed tribunal are in a less generous mood when they revisit the issue this coming Friday.
If nothing prepared me for Kevin Muscat’s millionaire status, nothing could possibly have prepared me for the Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) proposals which eventually emerged – one week after the final, final deadline for them. The enormity of the proposals’ flaws may never sink in. “TBC” appears almost as often in the 60-page document as “CVA”, for goodness sake. And Paul Clark’s revelation that creditors don’t need the key detail of the proposals in order to accept them was almost a new law of physics. I accept that this convoluted administration has turned Clark this way and that upon his return to normal life he will again be a decent man. But his responses to genuine questioning of the process have become those of an ignorant, rude pig of a man.
Asked how creditors could accept a financial arrangement without knowing the…er… finances, he snapped: “They don’t have to know. You show me the rule where they have to know.” But if a creditor is prepared to accept £1,000 it would surely help to know if the offer is £1,500 or £500. The unknowns are large enough for currently speculated levels of repayment to be more than halved. Clark also claimed it was “very rare that creditors know a strict number of pence-in-the-pound,” despite recent (and not-so-recent in the case of my own team Kingstonian) football club administrations ALL including that figure. Creditors will have to wait until various legal processes are completed before receiving payment. The administrators have proposed that whatever tax the FTT(T) decides Rangers have avoided will be included in the CVA – whenever that ruling emerges (and after the required separate hearing on penalties for late payment). And the administrators’ case against Whyte’s former lawyers Collyer Bristow, which they seem sure will bring £25m to creditors, only STARTS in October. Creditors could be accepting a “cent-in-the-euro” deal in an independent Scotland if that case gets complicated.
Meanwhile, even my cynicism levels can’t cope with the administrators letting Green merely LEND Rangers the money to pay creditors. Green says he has already attracted huge investment into the club – though doubts have unsurprisingly emerged about this. But the administrators are prepared to let him pay NONE of that to creditors and to effectively purchase the club with its own money – just as Whyte did. I REALLY don’t understand that. There are other gems in the proposal. HMRC’s claim for tax and national insurance owed has leapt by all but four million pounds since the administrators last reported in April. This has been (mis?)interpreted as Duff and Phelps maintaining Whyte’s ‘laissez-faire’ attitude to taxation obligations.
Their April report included tax of £595,953 to the end of March in the “receipts and payments” account. But there is no indication in the CVA proposal as to the source this extra £4m. A £3m claim has arisen from Rangers’ “small tax case” – a liability the club accepted long ago. But this is a separate amount in the proposals, hence HMRC’s overall claim advancing beyond £21m. Oh… and if the CVA fails, Green can obtain a property portfolio (Ibrox Stadium, Murray Park training ground et al), which he recently boasted was worth £113m, for four and a half millions pounds. Now, I know property values and “realisable” values can vary wildly. But if I didn’t know better, I’d say the administrators’ valuation was designed to ensure that creditors could not benefit from Rangers’ liquidation, thereby forcing them to accept the CVA.
In the light of Green’s CVA brassneckery, his “mixed” business past should be examined more thoroughly. We’ve luckily been spared rehashes of 2011’s appalling Whyte hagiographies – Daily Record newspaper journalist Exclusive By Keith Jackson is not a Green devotee. But proper insight seems likely again to be the preserve of bloggers and London-based satirical magazines – the latest Private Eye offers ‘interesting’ insight into his involvement in construction company Panceltica Holdings and (Rangers fans, look away now) its 2009… liquidation. Rangers fans’ groups have raised concerns about the numerical ebb-and-flow of Green’s investor base and his Whyte-esque club acquisition strategy, which is hugely to their credit. But for most of the Scottish football and financial press to fail to follow suit yet again is unforgivable.
There is increasing outrage among anti-Rangers factions (Celtic fans mostly but not exclusively) that the Ibrox club are “getting away” with so much – that so much smoke is producing so little fire. This anger has some foundation in “traditional” anti-Rangers mentalities. And I know many readers of this website would ascribe that mentality to me. But my anger at what is – and isn’t – happening to Rangers is based on a general view that football clubs get away with ignoring principles of financial sense and fair play. It isn’t a “traditional” anti-Rangers mentality. I know my own mind on that. Until I returned from the rural West of Ireland, I simply viewed Rangers as an extreme example of financial recklessness in financially-reckless times, and a victim of venture-capitalist Craig Whyte’s venture-capitalism.
However, the conduct of Rangers’ administration, fans’ misplaced sense of injustice over their club’s proven wrongdoings (Celtic were bad – but really…) and the insistence that any Rangers criticism is ranting from the bigoted wing of Celtic’s support has all heightened my outrage. I believe that Rangers abused their EBT scheme to gain an unfair sporting advantage. I believe they have underpaid millions of pounds in tax over a decade – up to and including this February. I believe they failed to declare all the payments they should have declared to football’s authorities. I believe that the administrators have acted in the best interests of Rangers, rather than Rangers’ creditors. And I believe that their full role at Ibrox since December 2010 has far from emerged. And you CERTAINLY don’t have to be a Celtic fan to believe none of that is right.
Morning,
I see the MSM are using the Thompson sacking as an opportunity to throw mud at Celtic and Lennon in particular.
Right, busy day ahead fence & shed painting, so I avoid as much bunting/union jacks as possible.
HH
Excellent post Kitalba, have to say with all that is going on, the time it is all taking etc I am starting to worry that this shower are going to get off with it lightly. Just wish someone in power would show balls and throw them out of football.
James Forrest 00.50
James, you mention many great shows and I’d go along with many of your selections. I agree its a golden age, perhaps a golden age of box sets! Find it very hard to access all these great shows when they are actually on and/or are shown over here if you don’t have Sky.
Do you now watch scandanavian noir? The Killing set me off. Since then me and the mrs have both really enjoyed The Bridge and Those Who Kill. Borgen was pretty good too. Headhunters the movie was fantastic and of the course that other brilliant Larsson guy’s books. Anyone reading, please don’t be put off by subtitles, you manage to read CQN easy enough. What’s the problem with words on a tv screen? These are fantastic crime thrillers, really superb dramas.
Lastly, series 2 of the French cop show Sprial is being shown on BBC4 this Saturday and would heartily recommend this too. Guarantee you’ll want series 1 and 3 box sets after you’ve watched episode 1 far less the entire series. Series 4 out on box set in the summer, won’t be on UK tv till the autumn.
Morning all. Not such a great day here in north Ayrshire. Wall to wall nonsense on the TV about the Jubilee. Pathetic.
Anyone know where I can download following box sets of the sopranos , the wire , only fools and horses, entourage. Just been introduced to these hard drive things.. Amazing stuff. Especially when stuck in outback Australia working.
Thanks in advance
Cellllltic
Big Mike
Twas a copy and paste from twohundredpercent and I too thought it was a good read.
This is also a good read that appears to be getting a second airing on some enlightened sites…
Ibrox takes a gamble on casino to restore fortunes
Published on Wednesday 24 March 2004 00:00
RANGERS Football Club has unveiled an ambitious £120 million plan to transform Ibrox and the surrounding area in Govan into an entertainment complex complete with casino.
The Scottish champions confirmed the development will include a casino, private flats, a community sports facility, a health care centre and hotel and conference facilities.
The club chairman, John McClelland, said the proposals, which have been drafted with Glasgow City Council, should generate substantial profits for the debt-ridden club and create more than 2,000 jobs.
The entertainment complex, in partnership with the US-company Las Vegas Sands Inc, is worth an estimated 80 million alone.
Launching the plans, Mr McClelland said: “The development of this campus is a key demonstration of our strategy of diversifying the Rangers brand into a wide range of leisure and entertainment complex orientated activities and franchises.
“The financial return to the club from these initiatives will be substantial and will make an important contribution to our annual income.”
The club is riddled with financial woes, with debts of 68 million. Last week, the market value of Rangers slumped to its lowest level for level for four years.
David Murray, the honorary chairman’s 66 per cent stake is worth just 29 million, which is a full 105 million less than the same shareholding enjoyed at the height of Rangers’ stock market success in the summer of 2000.
The other half of the Old Firm, despite recent European success, has experienced similar financial problems and in January, Celtic made 30 staff redundant in an attempt to cut its 18 million debt.
It is expected that Rangers’ financial concerns will continue with the club’s season effectively over and moves to jettison a number of highly-paid, but underperforming, players have already been put in place.
The Ibrox chairman, however, said the success of the masterplan and its financial benefit to the club would depend on being able to attract business partners.
He welcomed the backing of a major US gaming company which will bring its expertise to Scotland and with it a touch of the world’s most famous gambling mecca.
William Weidner, the president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands, said the proposals were highly significant for the Scottish Premierleague club.
“This announcement marks a milestone in the regeneration of the area around Ibrox,” he said. “We are excited by the prospect of assisting Rangers in building a first class leisure facility and community centre close to the ground.
“The Rangers project aims to bring fun, increased employment and enhanced public facilities to the area and we will help them in any way we can, including working closely with the local council to ensure that this development is in keeping with the needs of the city and the people.”
The plans also involve the relocation of the current Ibrox Community Astroturf facilities and the construction of a new community sports facility, a club ticket centre and a cafe.
The centrepiece of the development will be the 168,000sq ft leisure complex.
Rangers said the plans, which involve the land next to Ibrox and the nearby Albion car park, should be formally submitted to the city council by late spring.
The city council is keen to see the development go ahead to assist the regeneration of the deprived Govan area.
Charles Gordon, the council leader, said: “Glasgow City Council encouraged Rangers Football Club to develop proposals for the enhancement of the area bordering their immediate stadium environment in line with the Ibrox regeneration plan.”
Glasgow-based managers and cost consultants, Cyrill Sweet Ltd and Young & Gault Architects have been appointed to drive the project forward.
If the project is given the green light it is expected to be completed by autumn 2007.
proudbhoy on 5 June, 2012 at 08:09 said:
try isohunt
Good morning CQN from a cloudy Clydebank
James (Succulent Bam) Traynor
SFA need solution that punishes Gers but DOESN’T
Kick them out of football
Dry your eyes Traynor and get into the real
World
If this had been Celtic breaking all the rules
You would have them
Hung, drawn and quartered by now
Keep the Faith
Hail Hail
And this too may cause you to lose sleep…
The Herald
Darryl Broadfoot, 29 July 2005
BARGAIN HUNT ALEX McLEISH’S CANNY EXPLOITATION OF THE TRANSFER MARKET HAS MADE RANGERS TITLE FAVOURITES
THIS summer’s shopping has cemented Alex McLeish’s reputation as one of British football’s most prolific and prudent Bosman customers. With the possible exception of Sam Allardyce at cosmopolitan Bolton Wanderers, few have negotiated the market as adeptly as the Rangers manager.
Rangers begin the Bank of Scotland Premier League season as favourites for the first time under McLeish’s stewardship and he has wasted little time equipping his squad for such heightened expectation. Brahim Hemdani, Jose-Karl PierreFanfan and Ian Murray, established defenders at Marseille, Paris SaintGermain and Hibernian respectively, have galvanised the club for a title defence and improved challenge in the ultimate proving ground, the Champions League.
With SPL transfer budgets now regarded as a luxury, McLeish has again painstakingly pored over the Bosman directory and been rewarded for his diligence. Indeed, this season’s Rangers starting XI could comprise seven players recruited for free. Ronald Waterreus, should he retain his place despite the return of Stefan Klos, Marvin Andrews, PierreFanfan, Murray, Alex Rae, Hemdani and Dado Prso are all ideal examples of McLeish’s astute policy.
Darrell King, Evening Times 10 February 2006
FOR a man who likes to think of Rangers as his family, clearly being attacked from those within his inner circle was just too much. The 300 fans who protested outside Ibrox after last week’s Scottish Cup defeat to Hibs, and the dozen or so who unfurled a ‘Murray Out’ banner at Pittodrie before Wednesday night’s defeat, may have been small in number.
But David Murray sensed a major fall-out was on the way – something that may even have ended in damaging feuding or even acrimonious divorce. When the final whistle blew in Aberdeen, Rangers yet again on the end of a defeat, the Ibrox owner and chairman knew it was time to act.
Today he has called for unity behind his decision to reveal that his embattled manager Alex McLeish will go at the end of the season. In his own inimitable style, Murray also rolled out the big guns – a new manager is more or less in place, huge investment is on the way to fund his rebuilding of this pitiful Rangers line-up and the club is making record amounts of cash.
Like the head of the family calling everyone around the table, he has spoken.
Now, he wants the Rangers support to prepare themselves for what he will bring to that very table – and if they are not pleased, he says they can protest all they like.
Murray said: “I will leave no stone unturned. I am working very hard with Martin Bain to bring all these deals together and bring the direction this club needs. “That (protests) is not Rangers’ way. I understand people have the right to stand outside and protest. But Rangers do things another way, not like that. That’s why I meet the Trust, the Assembly, we do it by talking.
“It is people’s entitlement. It does not sway me, nor does it put me off – I will still do my job to the very best. I can understand 300 people getting bloody annoyed if they felt there wasn’t a light at the end of the tunnel – but there is a massive moonbeam of success waiting for us.
“People must accept there are legal issues, stock exchange issues, timing factors – but this will happen.
And when we make the changes, and if people are not happy then protest all you want – but big plans are on the way for Rangers. There is a massive moonbeam of success coming to us”
——————————————————————————–
Ah emmm! Who won the league that year with what gap and who came third?
Is it safe to come in yet?
Have they stopped talking about the Queen’s Jubilee?
:~)
I see my favourite newsreader, the gorgeous Susannah Reid, is sporting a rather nice emerald green coat.
Happy diamond jubbly to ye all!
Got the day off and have got family and friends coming over for a bbq and a few swallies.
Hope you all have a good one.
Those of a nervous disposition should not read this…
The Herald, May 2000
KEN GALLACHER
Murray’s Blueprint
Just as promised, Rangers are moving on to another level from the rest of Scottish football, as chairman David Murray announced a new investment of £53m for the Ibrox club, with a further massive cash boost soon to follow. The eventual cash injection could soar as high as £80m as Murray guides the club into what he believes will be a new, golden era for the Scottish champions. The money involved, the biggest financial boost for any Scottish football club, will enable them to move into Europe’s elite over the next few years. Yesterday, however, Murray maintained, as always, that he will not turn his back on Scottish football to play in any other league, and that while he remains in charge of the club, he will retain a responsibility to the domestic game.”
It is clear from this latest move, however, that the Glasgow giants are setting an agenda that no other Scottish club can match – and that appears to include their Old Firm rivals, Celtic, who are trailing by 15 points in the Premier League championship and are now looking at a financial gap which the Parkhead club might not be able to bridge. There have been hints around Glasgow that Celtic could be ready to attempt a share flotation of their own, but it would seem unlikely they would be able to match the financial clout that Murray has put together. The Ibrox chairman promised his shareholders good news and a more prudent financial strategy at the last annual meeting of the club. He has now delivered this by taking on board several very heavy financial hitters, South African-based David King is worth around £300m – £20m of which he is investing in the club he followed as a young man in Glasgow.”
The Ibrox chairman has spent several months and many sleepless nights piecing together the plans which will eliminate Rangers’ debt, currently sitting at around £40m, provide finance for the new training centre and the soccer academy which will be housed there, and still allow cash to invest in new players. He said: ‘I want to make it clear from the outset that while our small shareholders, our supporters who have an interest in the club, will have the opportunity to invest again if they want, there is no pressure on them to do so. The bulk of the rights issue is being taken up by myself and David King and some other smaller investors, including Alastair Johnston, who is a long-time Rangers’ supporter.’
Darrell King, Evening Times, 9 March 2006
ON the day after their European dreams came to an agonising end, the Rangers support received the fillip their chairman had promised. As always, the timing from club owner David Murray was impeccable.
But this is no sweetener just to keep the legions happy after defeat in Villarreal consigned them to nothing more than 10 SPL games between now and the end of the season.
Murray wasn’t in at the start 20 years ago when Graeme Souness kick-started the Rangers revolution that reshaped the face of Scottish football. But the Edinburgh millionaire is at the very forefront this time, in direct response to a season from hell that has seen his club fall so far behind Celtic in the league championship that it is simply intolerable for the supporters.
In a momentous week for the Ibrox club, which included the brave end of their Champions League adventure, the Rangers fans have now witnessed the first shafts of light in the “moonbeam of success” that Murray said was lying in wait for the club. The outstanding French coach Paul Le Guen is expected to confirm this weekend that he will take charge of Rangers next season.
That news preceded the tie in Villarreal. But the announcement last night of the massive guaranteed £48m retail deal that Murray has brokered with sports chain JJB, proves to fans that Le Guen will be armed with the transfer cash he needs to rebuild the team. It is believed Le Guen will be handed upwards of £15m this summer to spend on new players, and that eight new faces have been earmarked.
For some time now the name of the £6m-rated French internationalist Sidney Govou has been circulating. Every manager has a player who follows him around the clubs he works at and, such is the relationship between Le Guen and Govou from their time at Lyon, the winger is said to be the incoming manager’s No.1 target.
His Easter Road team-mate Scott Brown, was the player McLeish wanted to sign for a year now and that is another move strongly being tipped in the Ibrox corridors. With eight new players expected, Le Guen will have to trim the squad but that can be done without too many problems.
(Skinny)PLG… motto – Jusqu’au bout. Quasiment mon ami, quasiment, pas de pot.
proudbhoy on 5 June, 2012 at 08:09 said:
The Pirate Bay is pretty good..
Just one more…
Ken Gallacher, The Herald 15 April 1996
Long, hot summer of superstar signings
THERE were those last week who tended to play down the notion that Gianluca Vialli could be tempted from Juventus to join Rangers. Now these doubters will have to re-assess their thinking to come into line with football’s new order. Rangers have done that, ahead of the game as they usually are when entrepreneurial skills are called into play, and they have held talks with the Italian, and they will not stop there.
In this potentially troublesome post-Bosman era, the Ibrox chairman, David Murray, is clearly setting out his stall. He senses the opportunity to add some new, glamorous, glittering names to those already at Ibrox, and at the same time impress upon the rest of European football that his ambitions for Rangers are without limit.
If Murray and his manager, Walter Smith, can put together a truly international team at Ibrox, they could perhaps force their way towards a place in the elite grouping which dominates the money-spinning Champions’ League. That is why a player of Vialli’s stature assumed enormous importance for Murray and Rangers. Last season, Paul Gascoigne heightened the Ibrox profile in England when the Champions’ League games took place. Vialli would do the same in his own country as Brian Laudrup and Erik Bo Andersen will do in Denmark.
Therefore a gamble of £6m spread over a three-year period could provide a massive pay-off for Rangers. Vialli cost Juventus £12m when they signed him from Sampdoria four years ago. Now, thanks to the Jean-Marc Bosman case, he will cost nothing. In fact, the budget which Murray hands manager Smith each close season will not be used on transfer fees this summer but on securing top players and having them under contract for as lengthy a period as possible.
In essence, the six or seven million pounds which was spent last summer bringing Gascoigne and Oleg Salenko to Glasgow could profitably land Rangers three or four players. Stars will be chosen from around Europe to stress the international quality of the Glasgow club. Smith has maintained that the essential heart of the team will remain Scottish but, at this moment, few of our native-born artisans attract attention from around the world.
Players such as Vialli do, and while Rangers await his reply to their offer, Murray has promised that if that deal does not stand up, another one will be put in place. I do not doubt that. Murray is once more raising the ante, just as he has done on a regular basis since taking over the reins at Rangers. His transfer fees over the past few years have beaten those of any other Scottish club. The salaries paid at Ibrox dwarf others in the premier division. Now he is pushing these salary limits even further, encouraged so to do by the abolition of the transfer fee.
It is a bold initiative and one which, if successful, will make Rangers even more powerful next season. And the season after that, and on and on and on as the wealthiest club in the country simply becomes stronger and stronger. At the moment the target is a bigger share of the cash on offer in the Champions’ League, and a team with top players from a clutch of countries can help provide that.
In the future the target is surely a place in any European League which seems certain to be formed. That may be several years away, but by that time Murray will have added to his international roster of stars and Rangers’ reputation will have been established at a continental level.That is what the present multi-million pounds negotiations are about. The pay-off Rangers hope for is that spot among Europe’s finest – in the meantime, their support will be entertained by some of the biggest names in the game.
How the rest of the clubs in Scotlan keep up is another matter and one which will no doubt be discussed in more than a few boardrooms over what will be a long, hot summer of superstar signings.
n which I:
Comment on the response of Duff & Phelps to the emails published by the BBC regarding the “fee agreement” with Craig Whyte;
Point out apparent differences between what D&P are saying now and what they said at the start of the administration process; and
Consider whether in fact Mr Daly could sue Mr Whitehouse for defamation, and thus leave D&P in court proving that they have acted properly, rather than having the BBC prove that D&P acted improperly (allegedly).
I also ask the following question:- What justified Mr Grier, in the summer of 2011, going to HMRC, a substantial creditor of his client, and telling them that he, they, the sellers of the business and the supporters and media have all been “duped”? Presumably Mr Grier got his client’s permission to breach confidentiality. If not, and he viewed this as such a fundamental breach of trust in the client-accountant relationship that he was justified in telling the major creditor that Mr Whyte was, to put it bluntly “at it” (allegedly), how could he, or his partners, continue to act for Rangers/Whyte/Wavetower/Liberty Capital?
http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/the-bbc-and-duff-phelps-emails-re-fees-quotation-and-questions-for-david-grier/
Okay just one more…
Daily Express
Andy McInnes and Gary Keown, 6 July 2005
FAN THE MAN FOR GERS
RANGERS last night completed the signing of Jose Karl Pierre-Fanfan on a three-year deal, leaving Old Firm rivals Celtic licking their wounds after failing in a bid earlier in the day to land the French defender. The 29-year-old Paris St Germain star completed his medical last night having been flown into Glasgow on chairman David Murray’s private jet to look around Murray Park and Ibrox.
However, while the French central defender was being welcomed to Govan Rangers were issuing an angry ultimatum to Sotirios Kyrgiakos to make his mind up now on a return to the club.
Gers chairman Murray slapped down the “sign it or beat it” demand after revealing it was the Greek defender who was holding up his permanent transfer to the Scottish Champions and not his previous club Panathinaikos. “We can’t wait for ever so we want an answer from Kyrgiakos about his future as soon as possible, ” declared Murray. “It is entirely up to him now. Neither Rangers nor Panathinaikos are holding up this move. It is him. He has said he loves Rangers and wants to play for us, so now he must prove it.”
a wee sneaky one…
Gers certs to beat Zizkov according to Scottish Press – September 2002
With the hacks desperate for a Rangers victory, McCoist, Hateley and McNee all warn against the danger of complacency in the light of the Rangers 2-0 defeat in the Czech Republic. Perhaps a bit late in the day for that now, considering the two goal gubbing just suffered. However all three seem to regard this as some kind of freak result and go on to totally disregard their own sentiments by confidently forecasting a resounding Rangers victory to take them into the next round. This despite the fact that Rangers have never overcome a two-goal deficit in any of their numerous forays into Europe over the years.
Ally McCoist has this to say in his News of the World column (22nd September)-
“For a start the Czechs looked as if they could crumble at Ibrox if Rangers put them under any sustained pressure”
I wonder what Coisty bases this on, as Rangers hardly managed over their own halfway line in the first leg, although they still managed to win yet another penalty.
“I’m not being blindly optimistic when I say Rangers are capable of scoring four goals at a packed Ibrox. They looked a very average side who could buckle under pressure”.
And Rangers look like a team of world-beaters??
McCoist states that Rangers are capable of scoring four goals, when only three are actually necessary to progress providing they keep a clean sheet. I think this speaks volumes about McCoist’s confidence int he Rangers defence.
Sounds like a good impression of someone being blindly optimistic.
The Sunday Mail was doing it’s bit too, to keep up the morale of it’s readership (22nd September) –
“DANGER MAN MOLS COULD ROB US OF FAMOUS VIKTORY -Viktoria Zizkov players have revealed they are scared stiff of whatMichael Mols might do to them on the UEFA Cup return tie in Glasgow”
Maybe pull a few scary faces?
Back to the News of the World –
“WE’LL BE VIKTORS AT IBROX” – and Lovenkrands has more excuses for the woeful performance in the 1st leg (What does it take for the Rangers to admit they were beaten by a better team?). Kenny McDonald was only to happy to talk up the Gers’ chances –
“Peter Lovenkrands promised the Rangers fans they’ll never seeanother Euro surrender [nice choice of words Kenny] like the onei n Prague on Tuesday night”. Lovenkrands said ‘The Ibrox pitch will bebetter than the one we played on over there so hopefully we can take care of business’ ”
So it was the pitches fault.
“It was a horrible game and there’s no point dwelling on it”
“When they come here we can show them the performance was one-off”
“If we’d scored the penalty it would have been a different game. I hit the bar as well”.
Peter doesn’t mention that Zizkov also hit the bar, and if yer auntie had baws……
In a move that was in no way designed to provide any excuses in advance for defeat, Eck made the following emotional plea for fair play on behalf his players, such as Ronald “I was too smart for Khiznashvili” De Boer, Peter “Knock me over with a feather” Lovenkrands, Russell “vertically challenged” Latapy, Claudio “It is normal to go down in my country” Caniggia and the rest –
“I hope UEFA appoint a really strong referee. Although he awarded us a penalty the first leg official was very weak. Every time a Zizkov player was tackled there were screams from them. Any brush against them was totally embellished. I hope it doesn’t happen again”.
Rangers have clearly been cruelly hampered in Europe this year as the penalty awarded in the 1st leg was only their 3rd in three games, from this and the Feyenoord tie. In the SPL they could reasonably have expected to have been awarded double that number and with a few opponents in the early bath to boot.
However, space was given in Monday’s Sun (30th September) (not much mind you) to Kennedy Chilhuri of Zizkov, who had a slightly different perspective on things from Big Eck –
“Chilhuri jetted into Glasgow with memories of Moore’s tackle in the 1st leg fresh in the mind after revealing he was unable to walk. ‘I hope he won’t repeat what he did to me inPrague. It was serious for me after his tackle. I couldn’t even walk after it. He hit me in the ankle and I was very unhappy. The MINIMUM for him should’ve been a yellow card’ ”
Craig Moore getting away with injuring opponent’s? Never!
Seems like any diving by the Zizkov players will be to get out of the way of Rangers hatchet men.
Now with all this unseemly talk of diving and bad tackles out the way it was time for the tabloids to come up with more of their ‘Tenuous reasons why Rangers are gonny win’ specials’ –
“BEEN THERE DON THAT – I’LL SHOW GERS HOW TO BATTLE BACK FROM TWO GOALS DOWN” : News of the World (29th September)
When the bold Eck was a player with Aberdeen they beat Upjest Dosza of Hungary 3-2 on aggegrate in 1984 after being 2-0 down from the 1st leg.
Get a tenner on Rangers immediately!
HUNGARY FOR REPEAT – ECK INSPIRED BY DONS EURO GLORY NIGHTS” :Sunday Mail 29th September
The Sunday Mail joins them with the same guff.
Make it twenty!
“ARVO IS ALWAYS IN WITH A SHOTA – Rangers need three goals to get through against Viktoria Zizkov, but Shota Arveladze scored that many in one game in Europe! Arveladze helped himself to a hat-trick playing for Ajax in a 9-1 win against Slovenians Maribor Teatanic five seasons ago” – Daily Record (30th September)
This history lesson fails to mention that it was about “five seasons ago” that the same Ajax team were humping Rangers home and away in the Champions League.
However they’ve convinced me. Get your mortgage on Rangers to beat Zizkov!
This and those others were borrowed from Tony Hamilton’s Celtic Paranoia and his books.
kitalba on 5 June, 2012 at 08:53:
The old ‘private jet’ must be in the same scrapyard as Concorde.
Isn’t it funny how the MSM can take that statement from Celtic regarding the AT dismissal and reach conclusions which just aren’t there? Yet, they are unable to print the starkly evident facts about RFCia.
Sadly, it is a good many years since I came to realise that news doesn’t sell newspapers, stories sell newspapers and there is a vast difference between the two.
The news should be reporting of the facts with a touch of editorial licence to draw appropriate conclusions.
Stories tend to start with “once upon a time” and what follows is far from truth.
The MSM are interested in selling newspapers so they print what will sell.
An interesting wee thing they might like to ponder: perhaps if you printed the news, without the blatant bias you currently employ, you never know, perhaps those who find your current diatribe stomach wrenching might actually consider purchasing your paper in future.
Mind you, when you have already burned your bridges there’s no way back.
Hence why the MSM are so hell-bent on protecting RFCia. Once they are gone, the MSMs client base goes with it.
Bon voyage.
The witterings of the Laptop Loyal could fill a book. How hollow does it all sound now?
To an extent, old hacks like Ken Gallacher can be partially excused. They were writing at a time when few questioned Murray’s financial background, and when he did indeed seem to be draweing significant amounts of investment into RFC.
But more recent articles, from 2003 onwards, really ought to reflect the growing signs that all was not well at Ibrox. It was round about this time that a simple look at the club’s books ought to have thrown up questions for even the laziest sports hack. How easily they were fobbed off with an interview with Minty, or a two-bit plan to turn Govan into Reno, Nevada…
The greatest irony of course is that this fawning coverage has hindered attempts to change course. With everything presented as so rosy for such a long time, is it any wonder fans of the Huns are dazed and in denial about their current situation.
I tell you, if we are going to build a statue to Craig Whyte, we should dedicate one to the Laptop Loyal as well…
Steinreignedsupreme:
Nah mate, Duff and Phelps are putting new tyres on it and getting a MOT as we speak.
KITALBA
Smashing stuff,mate. Thoroughly enjoyed those examples of fawning buffoonery.
Off to the boozer to raise a glass to all the MSM lickspittles who could-and should-have investigated and exposed Murray many moons,haha,ago.
But didnae………..
Kitalba. started my day off with a smile, moonbeams moonbeams moonbeams…
I’m glad you guys enjoyd it but remember I only swiped it from Tony Banannas over at Celtic Paranoia. I only have one of his books but I remember all the funny looks I used to get when reading it on my way to work. I used to crease up at some of the one liners.
When I get a moment I’ll need to get his other books.
BTW. Those who recommended ‘The Book Thief’ I got my copy on Sunday.
WW Whither the cash-strapped scrofulous Hillbillies the day?
Good morning friends from a dry and nearly bright-ish East Kilbride
positivespinCSC
Stopped reading newspapers years ago
you don’t read the news….it’s the news seen in in their eyes , big difference.
Have a go at guys in my work who come to me asking ‘what’s the news this morning’ then come out with what the MSM have written…. there is the problem… YOU READING NEWSPAPERS and believing what they write
HH
Morning all from gay Paree, cloudy with sunny spells (18C max.)
The Herald this morning says that the Appellate Tribunal under Lord Carloway won’t sit until the 18th June (which is also coincidently the date when next season’s SPL fixtures are due to be released).
So we won’t be seeing much action on that front anytime soon – or will we?
Tomorrow, the SFA hierchy meet to discuss the Ragers situation. Will we see the Ragers backing down at that meeting to accept the transfer embargo, in a desperate attempt to avoid a more severe punishment (suspension/expulsion) from the AT on the 18th?
I think this is a distinct possibility: they say they don’t do “walking away”, but may see them “crawling back” tomorrow.
RFC(ia): Time to Pay the Wages of Sin
Regarding the games at Tynecastle.
The American Pie game was a 3-1 defeat and we were leading at half time. It was on the terracing at the old Gorgie Road end.
I have never saw a support get so enraged by dancing. It was hilarious. Guys were swinging their jackets above their heads. The DJ ripped the song off pronto and played hello Mary Lou! Total fool. The lyrics hello Mary Lou goodbye Hearts were blasted out by Celtic fans much to the further annoyance of the Jambos. I think it was the next match that fireworks were thrown into the Celtic end from the Hearts shed.
The crosses game.
I was at this match with my sister and we stood next to the Scottish actor from Braveheart who played the Irishman! Crazy stuff
Anyway, the yellow plastic things were meant to keep your erse dry on the bucket seats they put on the terracing. It was lashing down tho. One of those days where the rain bounces 5 or 6 feet off the ground. The yellow cushion things were being thrown in the air most of the dire game and then someone managed to make a cross out of it and everyone started it. If I remember correctly it was a cup match and Robertson scored late on. It may have been in extra time.
Hearts 0 v Celtic 4
Played in the sunshine. I always remember Hearts had 4 club badges cut into the grass and it looked quite smart. Thom and PVH were injured and in front of me in the main stand. Celtic went with McLaughlin and walker and both scored 2 and we romped it!
EdinburghMemories CSC
LB
Morning Kitalba-CQNer’s
Let me say that, if, i upset anyone yesterday with my comments about possible ‘bored’ interference in the AT dismissal then, I apologise unreservedly.
I must also say that, the MSM/LL are now demonstrating, to me anyway, that they KNOW Celtic FC don’t have the ba##s upstairs to take them on!
The media, most of them, in this country have been anti – Celtic since, Brother Walfrid had his 1st pie ‘n’ bovril! imo.
I think that we as a club have nothing to lose if, we had to announce that the LL will no longer be allowed ‘press-facilities’ at CP.
I have to admit that, I still buy the DR because, I like to take counsel from what Murdo has to say about the Celtic. Just like Wim did!
Paul 67 and ‘Every’ CQNer
Please accept my apology for yesterday.
Hail Hail
KevJungle….
Naw!
:0)
Regardless of what spin the Laptop Loyal put on Alan Thompson’s departure from Celtic, the Huns are still going to be liquidated.
They know it. We know it. Hartley’s Jelly and Lyons Maid ice cream know it.
KevJungle….
If you have heard mcleod speak, do you really think he writes the article in the dr?
Do you really think he is bright enough?
Really?