Shared business plan? Not in a million years

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I see comment in today’s Telegraph about a shortage of staff to facilitate a club which occasionally hosts circa 50,000 fans at Ibrox.  Let me put some meat on the financial bones of that particular project.

During 2010-11, the last season Paul Murray and Dave King were directors at Ibrox, Rangers spent £27.7m on wages with the bulk of that, some £21.5m, going on players and football management, while £6.2m went on non-football related wages.

That same season 37,599 season ticket sales were bought, all at ‘full price’, of course, which brought in £12.9m (this is net of vat, remember).  That was a bumper European season for Rangers.  They qualified for the Champions League, where they faced Manchester United, Bursaspor and Valencia.  They then dropped to the Europa League, where they beat Sporting Lisbon before going out to PSV Eindhoven.  Total ticket sales, including all cup, European, away support and individual match sales, came to £19.9m.

Newco’s revenue from all ticket sales and hospitality sales last season was £12.4m.  They also paid £1.629 in equipment hire and plant depreciation, this figure is not coming down, while costs for police, insurance, rates, water, electricity, gas, IT, office consumables, cleaning and the odd onerous contract was £16.4m

So consider: the last non-football wages at oldco was £6.2m and total ticket and hospitality sales last season at newco was £12.4m, while a recent peak for season ticket sales at oldco was £12.9m.

The only way modern football is a viable business at a stadium which regularly holds circa 50,000 people is with the support of healthy retail and merchandise deals, and with regular group stage European football.

Newco don’t have access to Europe, as they are a newco, and they don’t have healthy retail and merchandise deals.

If they eventually qualify for Europe they will need to eliminate seeded teams at every round to progress to group stage football.  They are not in as healthy a position as they were when Charles Green took over.  Green and his cronies had their business plan spiked, before those onerous contracts kicked in, by way of compensation, ironically, leaving the new regime with the prize they planned for, but it’s a battered looking trophy.

Now they have as much money as tub thumping can generate and Sugar Daddies are prepared to pony up.  No one has yet explained how this club is a viable entity.

For the record, we don’t share a business plan.  Not in a million years.

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  1. Lyrics to a wee song for SDM and hunny bears everywhere:-

     

     

    “My Lady Anne your champion’s depressed

     

    I’m not in shape to carry on the quest

     

    I have to keep my speed down to a trot

     

    Or lose what little armour plate I’ve got

     

     

    My screws are loose, my clamps are hanging off

     

    My helmet topples every time I cough

     

    I topple with it every time I charge

     

    I’ve gotta get this suit to a garage

     

     

    Oh do you wonder I feel so uptight

     

    Times were never tougher for an errant knight

     

     

    My faithful steed is the joke of Joyous Gard

     

    And sensitive withal he takes it hard

     

    His forward gears are shot, and what is worse

     

    He’s too slow for my safety in reverse

     

     

    So there we go, my faithful steed and me

     

    No third party, tax or M.O.T.

     

    And there beside me rides my faithful squire

     

    His card’s unstamped, his trumpet fixed with wire

     

     

    Oh do you wonder I feel so uptight

     

    Times were never tougher for an errant knight

     

     

    For tomorrow I must fight Sir Valentine

     

    Thy hateful ravisher, the prancing swine

     

    The time has come for him to meet his fate

     

    From me, Sir Sagramore the second-rate

     

     

    The joust is in the morning, Lady Anne

     

    And you not there? My one and only fan

     

    This time I pray that I may stay the course

     

    And not fall from the crane and miss my horse

     

     

    Oh do you wonder I feel so uptight

     

    Times were never tougher for an errant knight

     

     

    But Justice, God and Truth watch over me

     

    At half a sovereign ringside, children free

     

    Sir Valentine the Violent is through

     

    Providing God comes up with something new

     

     

    ‘Cause his drop-forged armour and his tungsten axe

     

    His horse that runs on caterpillar tracks

     

    That showy stuff is strictly for parades

     

    Like his rocket launcher, radar and grenades

     

     

    Oh do you wonder I feel so uptight

     

    Times were never tougher for an errant knight

     

     

    Sir Valentine the Violent, supersword

     

    Tilts with me tomorrow on the sward

     

    Thy just revenge lies in my hand and eye

     

    My faithful squire has bade me do or die

     

    And put all his money on the other guy

     

     

    So dost thou wonder I feel so uptight

     

    Times were never tougher for an errant knight

     

     

    Oh do you wonder I feel so uptight

     

    Times were never tougher

     

    Like rugged, man, and rougher

     

    Times were never tougher for an errant knight “

  2. skyisalandfill on

    Shredded bits of paper

     

    That once were evidence

     

    War chests that were mirage

     

    By feck you lot are dense.

     

     

    You swallowed all the bullshit

     

    You bought up every lie

     

    Pretended you were Rangers

     

    when we all know you died.

     

    If only you hd listened in the living years.

     

     

    So say it loud.

     

    Say it clear

     

    tinfoil heads on the board it appears

     

    It’s too late

     

    Sealed’s your fate

     

    should have listened the that posh cvvt Graame Spiers.

     

     

     

    Sorry, I’m floundering now.

     

     

    Nae fish jokes.

     

     

    HH

  3. A Ceiler Gonof Rust on

    Everybody, stop getting on neg2’s case. He might be a repetitive boring basturt and a serial let down but lFFS et’s cut him some slack,

     

     

    He’s promised a thousand pounds behind the bar for Gerrinthebrig’s tables on Friday.

     

     

     

    To my pal Neg wiff kisses.

  4. Neganon2

     

     

    Just waiting for this to be banned,

     

     

    Ha Ha ! Ha Ha ! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !

     

    Ha Ha ! Ha Ha ! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !

     

    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !

     

    Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !

     

     

    #alwayslookonthebrightsideoflife

  5. West of Ireland

     

    I remember reading an article / hearing interview which drew a parallel between rugby and Rangers in Scotland.

     

    The basic hypothesis was that a relatively successful period for Scottish rugby in mid 70s to mid 80s was linked to Celtic’s success in 1967 – 1974. It went along lines of our success, resulted in many of the more affluent young people who would have supported Rangers, turning away from football to rugby etcetera

     

    I have no idea whether the correlation holds up.

     

     

    I would also suggest that if some of the more affluent Hearts supporters put a fraction of cash into football that they put into rugby, then Hearts would be playing in a 30k modern all seated stadium, watching SPFL football, with occasional decent runs in Europe.

  6. skyisalandfill

     

    23:05 on

     

    10 March, 2015

     

    I see that the Brittish Transport Police ( the only ‘service” operating in Scotland who didnt mangage to lose the stats pertaining to cultural division in terms of religiously aggravated offences) are being brought under the umbrella, bowler hat and brogues of Police Scotland.

     

     

    Voted Yes, but seriously concerned about the centralised, politicised nature of this.

     

    ==============================

     

     

    Nationalists like their polis mate, they give them all the powers they need to control the threats to their……………well, it’s going well so far eh?………..I bet you thought a kettle was for making tea, till you went to a Celtic game in Nationalist Scotland?

     

     

    Anyways, bed time, I hope polis Scotland have Erskine Bridge well policed the night, canny have fat poisoned fish in oor waters.

  7. Captain Beefheart on

    Poor old Winston from UKIP got the heave ho. Pity. Fabricant is one of the few flamboyant politicians left.

  8. neganon2

     

     

    20:29 on 10 March, 2015

     

    BCW too late :)

     

     

    Owen I would gladly scroll by but am only able to do so if you talk sense. I leave that challenge up to you.

     

     

    Read that 2 hours ago and I’ve just stopped laughing……..brilliant

  9. Ok, now that it’s quiet…..am looking fur a ticket fur Sunday…..just so there’s no confusion…..a Celtic ticket…..;-))

     

     

    H.H.

  10. Just been looking at google translate…..how come Scottish or Gaelic arne’t an option ;-((

     

     

    H.H.

  11. kevin hughes

     

     

    23:15 on 10 March, 2015

     

     

    jurgen matthieuj from excelsior for next season to replace VVd.

     

     

    —————————————————————

     

     

    Sounds like we’re tracking a guy out of a fantasy novel…

  12. Capt Haddock (formerly known as tomcourtney) on

    ***CONTINUED***

     

     

    How f###in p@sh are we?

     

    Mohsni or mulan just gtf u impersonator of a player