Stadium, please, CQN11 launched today!

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Before you start on the subject of the breaking news at the top of the page, we have a VERY important message lower down the page, so make sure you read the whole blog!

Since Rangers first went into administration on St Valentine’s Day 2012 those seeking to phoenix the club have kept their eyes on the critical item – ownership of Ibrox Stadium.  Ultimately it doesn’t really matter who owns intellectual property like the badge or crest design or domain name, if you own Ibrox, you decide who can play football in your stadium, or not, as the case may be.

With wages day approaching, and with creditors having taken recovery steps earlier this month, Rangers International are in urgent need of cash to stave off an insolvency event.  Two groups of potential new investors have failed to come up with the cash necessary to secure control of the club, and the SFA stopped the club from issuing more shares to Mike Ashley, so, as many predicted, Ashley has lodged papers to gain security over Ibrox and Murray Park.  A loan from the affable cockney now seems the club’s only viable option.

The first thing to point out is that this security does not mean Ashley will acquire Ibrox, such an eventuality would only happen if newco Rangers failed to adhere to the terms of any loan secured against it, or both parties agreed to forgive the loan in return for Ibrox being passed to Ashley, with a tenancy agreement being struck.

CQN reported Heads of Terms drawn up in 2012 for the sale of Ibrox and Murray Park, with the leaseback of Ibrox at a rate of £5.4m a year.  It’s worth refreshing some of the options which could be on the table.

An annual rent of £5.4m is a bit steep in return for the estimated £10m-or-so cash necessary to finish the season, but newco may consider living month-to-month like this is unsatisfactory and instead take the opportunity to borrow enough money to see them through the next 18 months, a figure well north of £20m.

With no Hearts (and possibly Hibs) to compete against next season, newco would have an excellent chance of promotion into top-flight football for season 2016-17, with commensurate access to additional revenues.  They would have to pay rent, and learn to survive without profitable merchandising revenue streams, which have already been sold-off, but at least there is a chance they could muster a football budget almost double the size of that oldco had in 1876, their fourth year of business.

Remember what we covered a few weeks ago.  A football club is actually a collection of businesses: merchandising, hospitality, publishing, broadcasting, advertising, property rental, and football.  In business terms, the ‘football’ part is rubbish.  It always loses money and attracts incessant complaints from fans, who are both necessary to keep the venture afloat but always want to see budgets expanded to allow them to live vicariously by reaching whatever ‘next level’ floats their boat.

Merchandising and advertising are hugely profitable, publishing and broadcasting less so, while hospitality is hugely dependent on the vagaries of sporting fortune.  Ashley has merchandising, stadium and possibly shirt advertising.  If he picks up stadium rental income, newco have reached the logical conclusion of where a distressed club ends up- someone will come in and strip away all the profitable revenue streams, leaving some other mug to take flak from fans.

This is the template, more clubs will follow.

Tickets go on sale TODAY for CQN 11, our St Patrick’s Day Dinner event, which this year celebrates the 50Years since Stein, the 50th anniversary of Jock Stein becoming Celtic manager will occur a few days before the event, which takes place in the Kerrydale Suite on Friday 13 March.

Last year, CQteN raised enough money to build three school kitchens in Malawi for Mary’s Meals.  It was a stunning achievement, attendance at the schools has increased by over 30% since the kitchens were built, over 2000 kids are being fed each day, often their only meal of the day.  We’ve told Mary’s Meals we’re going to fund another school kitchen this year, and they have asked us to build at Chibwata Primary School, which has 909 pupils, without any kitchen facility.  The UN regard Malawi as the 17th poorest country in the world, but it is making progress and is fertile territory for targeted aid like this.

We’re going to change the mix from last year but as well as your dinner, there will still be a dance with great singers, you will hear from some former players, and Jock’s biographer, Archie Macpherson, will say a few words on the man.

You can book individual tickets or tables on CQNBookstore (at the bottom of the page).  Any problems, let me know, celticquicknews@gmail.com

It will be another fantastic event, look forward to seeing you there.

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1,145 Comments

  1. Suarez / Inter.

     

     

    Quick Google.He is cup tied.No official announcement re which of their signings has been registered to play in the Europa League but I did see an interview with Podolski who claimed the place was his.

  2. Call_of_Juarez

     

     

     

    10:42 on 16 January, 2015

     

     

     

    What is the Sevconians beef with Tesco?

     

    —————————————————————–

     

    It’s horse

  3. Hebcelt – I use ‘inverted commas’ as a tool to grab attention, nothing more, nothing less – I am glad it works.

     

     

    Now if this ‘tool’ annony you, could I suggest that you start reading the Bible, in which there are none, not ‘one’, neither single, nor, double.

  4. pedrocaravanachio67 on

    BMCUWP’s

     

     

    It’s all down to time and timing….

     

    The best ones are the ones that get missed by others.

  5. Paddy Gallagher on

    Sky sports reports: Fish to boycott Tesco? Andy Murray pledges 50k used tennis balls to the protest committee if he can get in on the racket.

  6. Alfie Noakes

     

     

    10:18 on 16 January, 2015

     

     

    When we look at the shambles in Govan, oh how we should rejoice that we have had people like Fergus, Desmond, Brian Quinn, John Reid, Ian Bankier and Peter Lawwell as custodians of our beloved club.

     

    _________________________

     

    Hmmmmm?

     

    Fergus got rid of the 1st Celtic manager in 9 years to win a League title for the Celtic fans coz – he was a wee tyrant bassa.

     

     

    Desmond wants the cheating, pillaging, raping, devotees of ‘black & tanism’ back in the same league as Celtic as soon as possible coz – he’s an Irish version of ‘Thatcherism’ that dizny get the folks who stood in the Jungle then, went to the front doors to get rid of the previous merchants who dished oot the cauld-erse treatment to the only folk who put money into the club.

     

     

    Brian Quinn sabotaged the handover of ‘gifts’ between Celtic and Villa Real fans on the CP pitch coz, his nose was out of joint after he was ‘found-out’ dissing MO’N with his daftie text-messages, rubbishing the 1 and only, Celtic manager who’s team, allowed the likes of Quinn and other, boardroom sheep to savour a European final.

     

     

    Reid – His back of the bus statement was the biggest load if not, a bigger load of p#sh than David Murrays ‘moonbeams’ p#sh – an arse of a chairman.

     

     

    Bankier – He always reminds me of when I was being brought up by my granny and she said to me – “Kevin, when you grow up…always remember that you should – never – trust a man with snake-eyes.”

     

     

    Liewwell – Only the fools who canny see through this charlatan are, preserving this ‘bored’ at a kow-towing level and guess what?….Pete-the-piss-ripper gets paid £1-million a year by all of the suckers who cant find it within themselves to do what is right and, just….

     

    …Sack The Kow-Towing Celtic ‘Bored’

     

     

    Have a nice day ya sticky.

     

     

    Bye.

  7. Paddy Gallagher

     

     

     

    10:51 on 16 January, 2015

     

     

     

    Sky sports reports: Fish to boycott Tesco? Andy Murray pledges 50k used tennis balls to the protest committee if he can get in on the racket.

     

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    :-))))

     

     

    I feel a CQN punfest coming on…!

  8. just had a mental image….

     

     

    wee sammy at the big blue gates ,thinks i’ll never get this ball over them big gates..

     

    so he aims to throw through the bars ,it hits a bar and bounces back and hits the big

     

    hoose must stay open guy ,who bursts into tears again ..wailing “It’s just no fair”

  9. Natknow, maybe he just looked bigger because he lived in an upstairs flat from you :)

     

     

    Hail Hail,

     

    KevinBhoy.

  10. I am told that those who do enter the ‘Cary Grant’ arena tonight, will sit completely still and silent with their arms folded throughout proceedings.

     

     

    It is to be known as ‘Forced Arms Day’

     

     

    Furthermore on leaving, doors will not be used – all ‘real’ fans will absail down the buildings, before heading off to their local Tesco with a dead fish hidden down their trousers – any McGills buses passed along the way will be pelted with tennis balls.

  11. What is endless love?

     

     

    Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder playing tennis.

     

     

    Becker go- breakfast is served.

  12. “By the looks of things, we’re going to have to replace Virgil with Andy Murray for this Hampden game.”

     

     

    Ffm

     

     

    Vg :)

  13. KevinBhoy

     

     

     

    10:57 on 16 January, 2015

     

     

     

    Natknow, maybe he just looked bigger because he lived in an upstairs flat from you :)

     

     

    Hail Hail,

     

    KevinBhoy.

     

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    :-)))

     

     

    Only saw him a few times in the 12 months I was there. Very pleasant young man. Always held the door open when my wife was coming in with the pram.

  14. geordie munro

     

     

    10:53 on 16 January, 2015

     

    Sell Vvd and use February to bed in the new guy?

     

     

    No thanks.

     

     

    ——-

     

     

    Keep VVD but sell him in the summer leaving us short for CL qualifiers?

     

     

    No thank you.

  15. FFM – I’m the only conspiracy theorist in the village)

     

     

     

    10:58 on 16 January, 2015

     

     

     

    By the looks of things, we’re going to have to replace Virgil with Andy Murray for this Hampden game.

     

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    :-) Or Jamie Oliver!

  16. beatbhoy

     

     

     

    11:02 on 16 January, 2015

     

     

     

    Natknow

     

     

    Unimpeachable source (Wiki)

     

     

    So could be the height of nonsense.

     

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    :-)) VG!

  17. KEV OUR LEADER

     

     

    Fergus got rid of the 1st Celtic manager in 9 years to win a League title for the Celtic fans coz – he was a wee tyrant bassa.

     

    ………………………………………………………………………………………….

     

     

    Whilst I will always be greatful to Wim what has he done since. Maybe Fergus should have looked after the three amigos better and with Wim at the helm we would be looking at 20 plus in a row – only if you had replaced DD of course.

  18. the long wait is over on

    No mater how many balls are on the pitch , tennis or otherwise, Big Jig won’t be going near any of them.

     

     

    He’s never been interested in getting the ball…

  19. Hamiltontim

     

    09:48

     

     

    We should be thinking ahead. VVD should have been sold this window and a suitable replacement already lined up, signed and off to Gran Canaria for the break. That would give the new acquisition the rest of this season and next season’s pre season training to bed in.

     

     

    ————

     

     

    As far as I’m aware there have been no offers for VVD. If we hawk him round English clubs, they know we want to sell and offer a few million less. If we say he’s not leaving in this window, then we force teams to offer a few million more than the asking price for the January premium.

     

     

    It was obvious in August we would only get 1 more season max out of him, so I’m just enjoying watching the big man play. If he stays he helps us to hopefully win the league and progress in Europe. If he goes now we get more money than the summer, which would hopefully go to putting towards getting a replacement in now, and as you say bed him in for CL qualifiers*.

     

     

    However, everyone at the club knows he is leaving, it may be that the player they want to replace him isn’t available until the summer anyway, so selling now may not make sense.

     

     

    The only thing I’m concerned about is the fee. Saw £8m banded about a few places, which makes me wonder if that is a release clause. If not, I don’t know why we think about selling for less than Wanyama(12.5), when VVD for me, is a far more accomplished player.

     

     

    £15m sounds about right. Arsenal paid £16m for Chambers, who only had 22 appearances for Southampton. They just got another bumper Tv deal. If they want him now, they should pony up above that price.

  20. the long wait is over on

    Scullybhoy 1108

     

     

    That’s a lot of if’s… :-)

     

     

     

     

    IfMyAuntieHadAPairShe’dBeMyUncleCSC

  21. “I must admit I like the dead fish hidden somewhere in the shop idea.

     

    In and out SAS style – job done”

     

     

    hahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha

     

     

    Their stupidity is off the ‘scales’

     

     

    B-)

  22. Kev – your predictability is matched only by how predictable your last post was – wish it was the last post for your posts.

     

     

    ” he that posts last, posts the longest”

  23. HT,

     

     

    Yeah but that’s not the same ( but different) to what I’m saying. Your suggestion leaves us a man down.

     

     

    Id rather bring in somebody now and keep Vvd. But I don’t see that happening.

     

     

    Bring in a player early (ha) in the summer and use preseason, a couply friendlies and the early round of clq’s to get him upto speed.

     

     

    Not all players need a long time to gel, the man in question certainly didn’t. I just feel February, is to important to be offloading arguably our best player.

  24. scullybhoy

     

     

    11:08 on 16 January, 2015

     

    ______________________

     

     

    KEV OUR LEADER? Eh?

     

     

    Anyway…has nay manager left Celtic and then went on to be success – ever?

     

     

    Way twist my point – instead of dealing with it? Lazy journalism?

     

     

    Hail Hail

  25. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    HEBCELT

     

     

    Speaking of posters who had a habit of annoying people on here-and relevant to the hellish weather you are all having-I was speaking to one of them yesterday.

     

     

    BILLYBHOY05,politically unsound but a real good guy,honest!

     

     

    Anyway,he said that a 114mph gust was recorded in Ardrosssan Harbour yesterday.

     

     

    So much for Arran sheltering the bay,it must be acting as a spoiler!