Prism of failure gives King chance to bring Newco down

680

After the failure to launch season ticket renewals at Ibrox in the wake of the Ramsdens Cup final last week, by Friday morning marketing staff, PR people, web designers and printers would all have been primed to press the button this morning, after the anticipated humbling of Dundee United in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

Things started to go wrong later Friday, when Dave King popped up with an intervention.  King, who was a director of Original Rangers in the years up to and including their liquidation, appears intent on sending the Newco Rangers to an equally liquidated state.  Should we erect a statue to this guy?

For those of you in doubt, his latest questions to Newco Rangers board are priceless:

“Does the board agree it is unfair to ask fans to buy season tickets before they consider the business review?”

No club in the country is asked to submit business plans to supporters before asking them to renew season tickets.  What’s more, there is an assumption by King that spending plans should be expansive, exactly as they were at Original Rangers, when King & co presided over the club’s failure.

Newco’s (even newer) management should be allowed to match expenditure with income.  This is the message that fans should be asked to back, the days of empire are over.  Anyone who tries to undermine a breakeven strategy at Newco is practically ensuring another failure.

“Does the board agree that, given the present financial position of the club, it is appropriate to provide Ibrox Park and Murray Park as security against season ticket advances?”

This is an interesting one.  King suggests Newco offers Ibrox up as security (Murray Park is largely irrelevant).  If they are boxed into a corner and concede this one, those in a position to utilise that security, which in Dave King’s plan would be Dave King, would have an incentive to see Newco liquidated.

“Does the board agree that in the latter half of December 2013 it was in discussions to obtain finance that would be needed prior to the end of the current season?

“Does the board agree that in the latter half of December 2013 it provided public assurances to the fans that the club had sufficient cash to last until the end of the current season?”

King has been there before and will know more than most how financial forecasting works; there is a clue in the name, it’s forecasting.  If a company seeks contingency borrowing for less than 5% of its expenditure (or 2 weeks costs), earlier projections could not have been that far off.

None of this matters right now.  Newco’s manager failed to win two hugely important games and that is the prism through which fans will evaluate the performance of their club.  King could accuse them of being responsible for his own role in Original Rangers liquidation and some would believe him.

Season ticket sales are the most fundamental aspect to the health and wellbeing of every Scottish football club.  This is true even at Celtic, with or without Champions League revenue.  Ticket sales will have a greater impact on Celtic’s season ahead than Champions League qualification.

Right now some hedge funds and the Easdales own Ibrox.  Ideas of bully them into submission will fail, although it will be enormously entertaining.  Go for it, Dave, we’re 100% behind you.

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680 Comments

  1. The song about John Hughes , Feed the bear, brought back many happy memories of the one and only Yogi. Never seen any player, including Jinky, destroy a defence like Yogi when he was on form. What a glorious sight, of defenders trailing in his wake, literally trying to hold on to him and being pulled along. Brilliant.

  2. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    tinytim

     

     

    10:30 on 15 April, 2014

     

     

    One step at a time, sweet Jesus …….. It’s a start, and we can only live and hope and pray ….. I just love approaching Celtic Park thinking good thoughts, and not watching my back…..”if paradise was half as nice, as heaven that Celtic take me to”……. :)

  3. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    LIVIBHOY

     

     

    I probably turned up at 745!

  4. Caught the ‘memories songs debate’ late last night – been enjoyable scrolling back. GCT’s list is very accurate!

     

     

    Songs (adapted) at Celtic Park probably took-off with the invention of the Tranny (a portable radio/ wireless for the younger reader) and the 45rpm singles that began hitting the charts from the early ’60s.

     

     

    Prior to my music education was down to my dear old Irish Mother who used to have the old 78rpm Irish favourites belting out on the radiogramme – her own boyzone; Fr. Sydney Devine (later Canon), Count John McCormack and Beniamino Gigli.

     

     

    Pop-music changed traditional singing to adapting the lyrics of whatever was popular in the Charts of the day – often with with cutting and humorous add-ons. None were better at it than the original Celtic choirs!

     

     

    Silver threads among the Gold CSC!

     

     

    http://youtu.be/CWsf0Aj0cPc

  5. I'm Neil Lennon (tamrabam) on

    hullo, hullo eight in a row, eight in a row

     

     

    getting beat 3-0 (mibbes 4-0) at aberdeen and staying behind after the game chanting we want Celtic from the old paddock!

     

     

    Whatabout the Celtic Rally – do they still hold them?

  6. If my Poll carried out this morning is anything to go by.

     

     

    Tonight could see the plucky Division one team so unlucky in Scottish

     

    Cup semi at weekend create a new world record.

     

     

    The number of fans doing walking away.

  7. I remember our trips back home home after a seemingly usual defeat or draw at Pittodrie or Tannadice in the 80’s or 90’s, it was party time all the way home. The favourite was usually after a stop over in the Central Hotel in Forfar (thanks for the hospitality Mr Grant) and it was one singer one song from Forfar to Airdrie. After the rebel/folk jukebox was exhausted hymns were the order of the day even from the ‘Celtic Proddies!’

     

     

    rareauldtimesCSC

  8. Good morning CQNers

     

     

    Some great memories from yesteryear with the song recollections.

     

     

    One of my very earliest memories of going to watch Celtic with my old man was a friendly against Man Utd, The Busby Babes, in 1956. The only music I can remember in those very early years was Jimmy Shand and his Band belting out the “Bluebell Polka”. Fantastic.

     

     

    I can certainly relate to all the other songs sung by the best supporters in the world throughout the 50s, 60s (in particular) and onwards.

     

     

    Faith of Our Fathers and Hail Glorious St Patrick were my old man’s favourites and therefore became mine. Great memories.

     

     

    Thank you CQN for stimulating memories of those happy times with the people who mattered most to me……..my old man and my brothers who have all gone now.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  9. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    ROY CROPPIE

     

     

    Our bus would stop at Forfar on the way up,strangely I canny remember where it stopped on the way back…

  10. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    HAMILTON TIM

     

     

    Alloa.

  11. The night Celtic played Vojvodina, I couldn’t make it and my brother and I sat at home biting our nails.

     

     

    For the younger Tims on CQN, would you believe the European Cup quarter-final second leg was not even on the radio, never mind live TV. We had to wait for the highlights later on Scotsport.

     

     

    At about 10pm, just as Scotsport was starting, my dad came home from the game. He was very excited and animated – a few post-match swallies in the Burns Tavern no doubt – and kept telling us “What a game Thomas!” and “What a game Brian!”

     

     

    We sat down full of excitement and watched the highlights. I’ll never forget Billy McNeill’s last minute winner. Brian and I were dancing around like crazy and my dad was hanging out the window waving a tricolour and shouting “Celtic”.

  12. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    roy croppie

     

     

    10:48 on 15 April, 2014

     

    I remember our trips back home home after a seemingly usual defeat or draw at Pittodrie or Tannadice in the 80′s or 90′s, it was party time all the way home. The favourite was usually after a stop over in the Central Hotel in Forfar (thanks for the hospitality Mr Grant) and it was one singer one song from Forfar to Airdrie. After the rebel/folk jukebox was exhausted hymns were the order of the day even from the ‘Celtic Proddies!’

     

     

    ——–

     

     

    Sadly, the great days of stopping off for a wee drink on the way back from Pittodrie are pretty much gone, even getting a carry out is extremely difficult.

     

     

    On the last two visits there, every exit from Aberdeen to Dundee was blocked to supporters’ buses by the police.

  13. BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS ………Praying for our WEE HERO!

     

     

    Much the same as me,;they auld ghuys got me into some bad habits. The police would sometimes stop the buses going in on the way back but we’d been going for years and the hotel owner vouched for us.

     

     

    Soup, Steak-Pie, Haufs and Haufs…Carnage!

     

     

    WillieGormanCSC

  14. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    GOLD COAST TOM

     

     

    So you and yer bro weren’t The Likely Lads,desperately avoiding the result?

  15. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    ROY CROPPIE

     

     

    Willie Gorman?

     

     

    Same one as on The Garryowen and later Irvine No1?

  16. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers ………praying for our wee hero!

     

     

    10:55 on 15 April, 2014

     

    HAMILTON TIM

     

     

    Alloa.

     

     

    ——-

     

     

    You Hawaiian?

  17. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar

     

     

    some great days mate. The bridies bought by the ‘women at the front of the bus’ never, ever made it to Airdrie.

     

     

    The polis are far too heavy-handed now, bloody ridiculous.

     

     

    HH

  18. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    HAMILTON TIM

     

     

    I was only one syllable away from a red card from the site!

  19. BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS ………Praying for our WEE HERO!

     

     

    Airdrie CELTIC legend.

     

     

    A wee story: Willie and his brother Robert were canvassing for support to run a bus from Airdrie (late 1950’S) and they went round the doors in Thrashbush…dressed in their Sunday suits. A wee wuman opens a door and asks: “Are yous the Mormans?” Willie sharp as ever replied “Naw hen we’re the Gormans!”

     

     

    HH

  20. BMCUW –

     

     

    Even if we wanted to, there was nowhere to get the result until someone told us or we watched the highlights.

     

     

    For the semi-final v Dukla Prague, I was again at home, fiddling with my knob.

     

     

    The knob on the radiogram that is. I eventually managed to get the game in Czech and actually heard Johnstone score, although I had no idea what the score was. I quickly lost the connection and could not find it again.

     

     

    Once again my dad came home raving about what a game it was and again, my brother and I watched the 3-1 victory without knowing the score.

     

     

    The second leg was live on the BBC.

     

     

    In those days there was no BBC Scotland and we only saw live games if they were broadcast in England. Being 3-1 up and with a chance of reaching the final, BBC England decided it was worth a watch and as we all know, 0-0 saw us safely on the road to Lisbon. Kenneth Wolstenholme was the commentator, as he was in Lisbon.

  21. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    GOLD COAST TOM

     

     

    I recall STV showing us live v Ujpest Dozsa. Early 70s.

     

     

    Or not,as they couldn’t get the connection to work!

  22. Slattery’s Mountain Fit……….blasting over the tannoy…….

     

     

    Anyhow…..The Jungle…..people seem to speak of this in awe………whereas in my time it was, at best, a double barn, with the “terrace” filled with a gravel type compost, retained in place with wooden straps…………….no toilets, roof full of holes…….you never knew if what soaked you was water or urine…….

     

     

    Beer cans were pre-ring pull; you younger ones will need this explained….where a “can opener” was a certainty to be found in your pocket……cans were fully opened & used for toiletry (if you get the drift)…….remember a Celtic game at Love St where a guy was passed over the crowd on the terraces, c/w beer can attached to penis, with blood dripping from said penis (Gordon McQueen was only a youngster that day)…….wonder how he explained that to his wife….

     

     

    I always wondered why the Celtic end was only partially covered, whilst in later years the Rangers end received full coverage……so much for looking after your own first…..

     

     

     

    Paddy T on a run the day……

  23. In the spirit of nostalgia just received my replica 1988 shirt this very morning and wearing it now. To my mind the best designed Celtic top of all.

  24. I really feel old now that the Cetenary top is now a classic… I love the Celtic Cross as a badge..

  25. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    BIG MIKE

     

     

    No shamrock on the badge,as I recall. Always wondered why that was.

  26. Aberdeen, then, was a once a season visit……………this was before your dual carriageway, never mind your motorway.

     

     

    For a 3.00pm KO, bus left at 07.00 hours promp……with stops arranged enroute. the last one being Stonehaven…..then on to Pittodrie.

     

     

    Overnight B&B accommodation was booked well in advance, with names taken & monies collected for payment. Usually it was a free-bus to Aberdeen……

     

     

    Beach Ballroom was always a favourite, with a few wee skirmishes along the way.

     

     

    Stop coming home from either Dundee / Aberdeen was Milnathorp…….braw……

     

     

    Paddy T who kens the words of the Northern Lights!!

  27. Praecepta

     

     

    Was it not Canon Sydney Mc Ewan that you meant to print earlier?. Divine, yes, but not Devine.