We all know Craig Whyte doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the wonderful job he is doing for Scottish football but his cause was not helped by rookie manager, Ally McCoist, who when asked today if Nikica Jelavic asked to leave Rangers said, “No he didn’t, not at all. I have a wonderful relationship with Nikica. He never said that.”
The Rangers manager then passed the buck onto the unfairly beleaguered club owner, telling STV, “We received a bid from Everton which Craig [Whyte] found acceptable. Therefore business was done.”
McCoist refused to take a manager’s responsibility for deciding who leaves the football club. Craig Whyte made it clear to all concerned yesterday that Nikica Jelavic wanted to leave Rangers and there was no point keeping a player who didn’t want to be there. Whyte needs the backing of everyone with the best interests of Scottish football at heart, including his manager. The intrusive scrutiny he has been placed under in recent months will not help him achieve his objectives.
Whyte hasn’t put a foot wrong so far, we should all mind our own business and let him get on with his job. Eye on the prize, Craig.
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BT
Get my picture message?
HH
Giggs
Just arrived at The Admiral and it wasn’t open yet :-)
Kelvin Wilson!!!
Why??
Gordon_J
I’d guess Commons on right, Sammi on left and Hoops up top on own. Not sure Commons best position is out right but time will tell.
Mort
jist in fae the jiggin..No goin’ tae bed..
It’s Four O’clock in the Mornin’… Ah danced the whole night
thru!
Is that the Team?
Hate it..
Terrible…
Are ye SURE.. that’ s Lenny’s Selection fur the day.
Ughhhhhhhh.
Kojo
NO Forrest??
Whit?
Nuts.
First pint :-)
pauloantony says:
4 February, 2012 at 12:00
Neil Lennon says NO to BESNA!! says:
4 February, 2012 at 11:52
The reason why Cardigan is not on the list is because the Orc love him !
share
When the hun finally go under, because of the massive part he has played in it…..so will i ( just a little bit )
Tell me it’s no True.. Lenny.
Are ye crazy??
Kojo
Bt,
Cheers
Auldheid:
I thought so, best wishes, and my wee support, to the proposal and happy holidays too.
Kit I am no racist. Quite the opposite
I dont Believe in splitting people up
Because of race, whether it’s towns buses trains or sports teams
To split people up during a rugby match due to race is abhorrent to me
Another team in a city we used to live in does that
One skin and colorless and raceless
Take a step back take a deep breath and Think
About it
What next
African Americans v white Americans
Irish scots v highlanders
.
Nothing has Changed at Rangers..Jellylegs wont Score Again..GroundHogDay..
Sammi to Star today..FACT..
Summa
Happy with the team Neil has picked
Big game for Kelvin been out a long time
Good to see Kris back giving James a rest
Hopefully Sammi left side running at them
Let’s do them 4-0 to the bhoys
CRC enjoy your pint
I have a cup of tea :(
Not the team I’d have picked, but that’s why I’m not Celtic’s manager….
My concern over K Wilson is that he is far too casual. I hope Lenny has told him he’ll get no time to look up and knock passes around the back four this afternoon. Apart from that, I’m ok with the side. Sami is there for his physical presence, and we saw against St Mirren the other week that we’ve got players on the bench who can come on and change the game if needs be.
I doubt very much if we will finish the game with the same XI who start it.
Four changes with Cha, Izzy, James Forrest and Stokesy left out. Kelvin Wilson and Kris Commons back.
Really surprised that Kelvin’s first game back is this one. Is Rogne injured?
Live updates poted………….
Hoping for a vastly improved performance from Wanyama.
He’s a good, strong, big player but was dire at Paisley and the same at Hampden last week.
Posted even…….
New Article Posted
Surprised that Neil thinks Inverness in the bleak mid-winter is the best place to bring K.Wilson back. troubling
Forster; Matthews, K Wilson, Rogne, Mulgrew; Brown, Wanyama, Ledley, Commons; Hooper & Samaras
—————-forster—————-
———-rogne——-Wilson———
Matthews———————mulgrew
—————wanyama—————
——-brown————-Ledley ——
Samaras———————-commons
—————hooper——————-
Neil Lennon says NO to BESNA!!: 4 February, 2012 at 11:52
It is incredible how that former Huns manager escapes without criticism for the mess they are in. This is a guy who squandered untold millions during his failed attempt to win ten-in-a-row.
He then returns to a club in financial pearl and spends almost £40m. Responsible stuff right enough.
SydneyTim says:
4 February, 2012 at 12:05
What are you talking about?
Do you know anything about the game you commented on?
Do you know the colour of the skin of the players that were playing on each team, and how the colour of their skin meant nothing over their ability and skill?
Do you know what the Arthur Beetson trophy is about?
And yet, through innuendo, you label Australia racist?
It is not Australia that is 1812… it is the ignorant that are so.
Chic gets the ‘reel’ message out to the peepil…….
no way his beluv’d teddies would be put under pressure or scrutiny this is just about the patsy……
Ah expect Caley tae come oot Swingin’
at the Bell.
Nae quarter wull be gien, tae Us.
They wull kick the Bejabbers oota Us.
Kojo
burley
they dont need an orange ball ya arange bal yersef.
So we won….
Hnmmm
Well, pardners.. Ah am still Wearin’ Ma “Jerimiah” , Hat..Ah
must confess…
and, in wearin’ that kinda Heidgear…
It should no come as too much of a Surprise.
When Ah tellya..
Hey, You Guys..
Listen up!
This is the SECOND GAME in a Row.. where Ah wiz No at awe Pleased
wi oor Performance…
Na.. No at awe..
Again. we Lucked oot. when it came tae Managing tae turn
oor OVERWHELMING SUPERIORITY.. into .. actually
SCORING!
Last Game, we hid the benefit of.. Scoring fae A Penalty and a Free Kick.. tae help us Win…
Today?
It wiz from the Generosity o’ a Juvenile Mistake, being made, by a Caley Defender..and a.. Penalty. which wiz well deserved, Ah must admit!… that wance mair. that brought Hame the Bacon fur us..
If we Dinna straighten oot. whit is Wrang wi us..
The “Wrang” ,in this case..
Our Inability tae Do the Needful. when it is Required. .in Spite o’
us Hiving the Lions’, The Elephant’s and the Giraffe’s,overwhelming, share
o’ the ootfield Play.
In Short.. Though, in this Case.. The Long..
Our Strikers. Miss TOO MINY GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES tae Score!
Sammi,is a JOKE. as a STRIKER.. sure ,He Scored oor Only Ootfield Goal..
But, he took the Shine affy it. by managing tae scorn.. Ah say . THREE ither Easy Peasies… although, ma Pal,Lou.. . is convinced,Sammi MIISSED .. FIVE!
Gary, worked his Socks and his…Pants …aff!
but, Nevertheles…. at the end o the day..
‘
NADA!
and that is TWO GAMES.. where Gary, wiz the Provider Supreme. but..
He has come up EMPTY, in tryin tae fill… the Scoring Bucket.
This Wullnae dae..
Ah tell ye.. sooner or later.. oor Luck wull run oot.. and
We wull hivtae
Get Back tae SCORING .. Honest Tae Guidness. Genuine.. well worked,
Breed and Buttah Goals, fae Ootfield Play. .
Kojo
Still No Pleased.
Rangers fans must stand together
Richard Wilson Sports writer The Herald
There is a confusion of opinion around Rangers: is Craig Whyte a saviour or a danger?
Will Ally McCoist be a success or a failure? Do the manager and the chairman enjoy good relations? Will the tax case be won or lost? Did Nikica Jelavic ask to leave or not? It is in a time of such uncertainty that speculation becomes the prevailing mood, and every detail is contested as though it is the fundamental concern.
Supporters are torn between believing in Whyte since no-one else was prepared to buy the club at such a precarious time; worrying about the extent of his wealth and the decisions he might make in the coming months; and casting some rancour towards the previous boardroom regime. The importance of involvement in the title race and hostility towards Celtic will never be diminished, but they seem like empty gestures when administration – and the 10-point penalty that it triggers – seems increasingly likely.
Rangers are on the brink of a profound upheaval, but the critical issue has barely even registered. What happens next? What kind of club are Rangers to become? In the absence of any substantial evidence that Whyte and fellow director Andrew Ellis have the financial wherewithal to fund a resurrection at Ibrox, the widespread assumption is that, post-administration, they would sell the club and so make a profit from their involvement. There is nothing untoward about this, particularly if they are able to deliver a debt-free club, with the ownership of the stadium and the training ground intact, to a new owner.
Under different circumstances – his wealth and business background were established, and unquestionably provided the means for his takeover – Fergus McCann rescued Celtic and restored the club to a position of financial strength. Yet McCann was able to choose the moment to sell his shares on his own terms, and make a profit.
He left ordinary Celtic supporters owning a significant tranche of the club, with the single largest shareholder being Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond. Whyte and Ellis may choose a similar approach and launch a share issue but their other option would be to sell to single bidders. Either way, Rangers fans must be alert to the opportunity, and the perils, that lie ahead.
Leeds United and Portsmouth are the most high-profile English clubs to have entered administration, and afterwards both were vulnerable to the attention of businessmen whose interest was in stockpiling a quick fortune.
Further instability ensued. There is little protection against unscrupulous individuals, and football tends to offer the circumstances for greed and egotism to flourish, but supporters remain a powerful and influential presence.
This is a chance to draw together into a body of like-minded fans and use the power that comes with speaking for the club’s lifeblood. Supporters can affect events, or, under the auspices of a single body, such as the Rangers Supporters Trust, or the Assembly, become stakeholders in the future by pooling resources to buy shares. Mostly, though, fans need to use their voice smartly at a time when the club’s future is so baldly exposed.
Manchester United fans attempted to rail against the Glazer family, but could not compete with their wealth. Yet politicking, and corraling a mass of support, was still an effective tool. For now, the imperative is to maintain scrutiny of Whyte and his actions. The chairman once pledged that £25 million would be invested over five seasons, yet where is that money now? He once denied he had borrowed money against future season ticket sales, yet it turns out that he had. We can only speculate as to how the £24.4m borrowed from Ticketus has been utilised.
“Everybody has to appreciate the current situation within the club is very serious,” McCoist said. “I would hope circumstances, more than anything, dictated the fact that we accepted a bid for Jelavic and didn’t replace him because we can’t afford it. The welfare of the club is greater than getting results, believe it or not. I would never say we undersold [Jelavic]. We made a healthy profit.”
The team was downsized under Walter Smith and the same scenario has begun to unfold for McCoist. Beyond all his rhetoric about believing in his squad and having the means to overcome Celtic in the title race, the truth is McCoist’s work has been undermined by decisions taken in the boardroom. Yet he remains supportive of Whyte.
“We are in a serious predicament here, with this tax case coming up, whether we go into administration,” McCoist said. “Craig has received a good bit of stick this week, but I can only tell you, having met him three times in the last week and speaking on the phone every day, he’s of the same opinion as me. We both want what’s best for the club. I can understand that giving me all of the money for Jelavic is not in the best interests of the welfare of the club. I ain’t daft.”
For all that they communicate, though, McCoist does not know how Whyte plans to deal with the outcome of the tax case. The manager can only say, forcefully enough, that he knows the chairman has “a battle plan for every scenario” and will tell him what is happening when the time is right.
“He’s organised,” McCoist says. As should the Rangers fans be. This is a pivotal moment in the club’s long history. The current form of players, the merits of the manager, even the title race itself, are of little concern in comparison. Rangers are in a vulnerable state.