Thoroughly enjoying yesterday’s coordinated effort by Newco fans who have rushed to the coattails of Dave King. To be fair to the fans, the time for them to act was years ago, before Sir David Murray set Oldco on a path to destruction, there is little positive that can be done now. Still, that’s no reason to dive headlong into destruction.
After the debacle of 2012, when Oldco were liquidated, the assets were scooped up by people who wanted to make a lot of money. The moment Charles Green and his consortium owned the assets, this reality should have been acknowledged. No amount of 13th hour Blue Knight revisionism was going to change things.
Green made off with his money a year ago, but as a consequence of that, there are newer investors, with exactly the same objectives. There are also local investors in the form of the Easdale brothers. Neither of these groups will be bullied into submission.
King’s escrow plan, which hopes to gain security of the stadium and Murray Park, cannot be accommodated by the club. How many fans do you think they will convince to hand their season ticket money over, 1000? As many as 3000? Whatever your guess figure, this does not have the look of a high participation endeavour.
With many more fans likely to renew, and more still likely to be completely turned off by the nonsense, the The Rangers Football Club Ltd have a legal duty to their shareholders (Rangers International PLC) and creditors (coincidentally, also Rangers International PLC) to retain security of company assets. Placing them beyond the reach of creditors would be a remarkably brave and self-defeating act.
It now suits the club for King’s plan to appear to be effective, or at the very least, reduce season ticket renewals to a trickle. They can cite this as the action which tips The Rangers Football Club Ltd into administration. As the overwhelmingly major creditor, Rangers International would control this administration and their agents will set about reducing costs.
I would expect to see Newco to continue trading as a youth team for the foreseeable future, with Rangers International taking security of Ibrox and Murray Park, to satisfy their unresolved debt. This will be sold to the masses as ‘securing the stadium’, but it would be the key separation of club and stadium which King as sought to prevent.
Going forward, The Rangers Football Club Ltd will have no significant assets, no playing assets to speak of, and a substantial rental to pay to Rangers International, whose shareholders will still require their financial return. Don’t lose sight of this, the Piper Always Needs to be Paid. Always.
I haven’t revisited the RIPLC accounts which drew comment last week (might be worth an update later), but the important information to glean from them is the cost of running a football operation at a stadium which can occasionally host >40,000 people. You’re looking at circa £19m annually, before you employ a footballer.
I don’t see a way forward. This is a dead multi-club football franchise, killed by 1,000 reckless acts. Even the youth team scenario is unaffordable.
The hedge funds will know this already. Remember what John Brown claims Charles Green told him he would do to Ibrox if he was messed with? Raze it to the ground, apparently. After Newco Youth Team has spent a year-or-so bouncing around, we’ll hear that Ibrox is unsustainable as a football stadium (which I could believe). It will be razed and re-designated as an industrial area.
Celtic better have their plans in place now, as should the rest of Scottish football. There was a notion that there would be a three year hiatus before it was business as usual. This will not be the case.
We need to stand together, as a club, and with other clubs, wherever possible. We need to support the game, primarily through season ticket purchases, but we must find common ground with other clubs and fans.
Leppings Lane
Everything was wrong about football back then. Stadiums were not so much designed, they were built to fit the space and available materials. The lower Leppings Lane end of Hillsborough will be remembered as the worst terracing in football but, in truth, it was just where the next big disaster happened. It could have been anywhere.
After a decade or so of football hooliganism in England, fans were penned in, 8’ fences blocked entrance to the field, some topped with barbed wire. If you were at the fence, you were staying there until the thousands behind you headed home. Hampden Park had these fences, a legacy of the 1980 Cup Final, but they were absent from other grounds in Scotland. The Jungle had some high fencing but with regular breaks. If you wanted to get onto the field, you could do so.
Leppings Lane had further chronic safety violations. As well as a fence at the front the terrace was divided into four pens with fences running back to front. Once through the turnstile, fans were free to choose which pens to join; most would choose the central two. Of course they would.
The central two pens were accessed via a tunnel running under the upper stand. On That Day, fans entering at the rear of the tunnel had no inclination of the crush ahead. By the time they were part of the crush, others had gathered behind them. Space to retreat was quickly lost.
The outer pens were empty, the central two, death-traps. Fans piling into the tunnel knew nothing of the crisis ahead.
For some minutes it was possible for the police to burst open the pens and allow fans to flood free onto the pitch but they were still in crowd control mode. By the time they realised there was a disaster underway, it was too late.
There were lies and cover-ups. Fans were blamed, and accused of atrocious acts, all untrue. The government were complicit. The Sun were the worst media offenders but by no means the only one.
Two weeks ago a fresh inquiry into the events of that day opened in Warrington. At long last, the truth, which we’ve all known for years, will out. Too late for many campaigners and bereaved, who died fighting the combined weight of the establishment, but welcome nonetheless.
Tomorrow, CQN’er, Iain McGovern, sets off on a 232 mile walk from Celtic Park to Anfield, where he hopes to arrive 11 days later, in aid of the Lola Commons Fund for SiMBA. It’s his way of commemorating Hillsborough. Supporting him could be yours.
I’m delighted (actually excited) to confirm John Hughes will be on the blog on Thursday morning. John is Celtic’s seventh highest goal scorer in our 126 year history. He has remarkable insights into some of the great times and characters of our history. Tune in and ask him questions online.
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bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers ………praying for our wee hero!
12:46 on 15 April, 2014
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Yeah its good, digs and food provided so dont really spend much over the 4weeks.
Ha if i was prodbhoy id be henry joy mccracken the 2nd :-)
leftclicktic – Cheers. I have actually had to start doing work whilst at work. It’s very crap.
King has just opened the door for huns fed up with the quality of football on show at ipox.
They will not renew in their droves. There’s six in the work that share two season cards and from what I here they argue who’s turn it is to go.
sipsini
12:44 on 15 April, 2014
estorilbhoy
12:36 on 15 April, 2014,
So only 13% of monies raised is going to charity…sad and should be highlighted with smsm…as if.
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Didn’t see that, is it on the charity link?
Feed the bear! Looking forward to Thursday.
Must say it was a pleasure to read the blog today. The stories and the songs on the last article were brilliant. Someone I think Roy Croppie posted a link to the Garngad Song. Had a listen and found connecting links to Garngad Street Party after MON led the Celts to the Title in his first year. Really enjoyed it, a Celtic Blog celebrating what it means to be a Celt. I know a blog has to be varied but I wish CQN could be more like this, more often.
PROUDBHOY
Enjoy the money,bud. It seems like a pretty harsh place but well-rewarded if you can deal with the downside.
When yer a millionaire,don’t become Prodbhoy and buy the huns,there’s a good lad….
Paul67
An insightful and interesting article.
I’d be genuinely interested how we as a club and support should go about this,
“we must find common ground with other clubs and fans.”
And also what purpose it would serve?
ESTORILBHOY
Blinkin’ flip,all that money spent on a charity do?
Hunbelievable…
Of course,Meatloaf McCoist likes his five-star treatment. Amazing-not-that the MSM didn’t cover this abuse of funding.
And,since the trip was barely mentioned,you have to think they were aware of what had happened. Otherwise they would have been falling over each other to tell us what a swell chap Ally is.
Ally and his breakwater?
https://twitter.com/cohcfc/status/456028251748855808
TAMRABAM
I’ve got the 4B2’s one.
Still give it an airing every so often.
Big Mike, Jinky and Simple Minds on YouTube. Ran across it a few days ago. Forget the URL …
Phills up
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/the-unplanned-journey/
Estriolbhoy.
Total raised
£11,794.42
Gift Aid
£1,437.50
I might be taking the wrong slant on the above.
Aye the wee man could sing kingsnake, and hey what a player. Could hit the ball like a rocket and they balls weighed a ton!
HAMILTON TIM
That is hilarious,mate. Cheers.
BMCUW
I particularly liked the danny danny mcgrain, danny danny mcgrain, with the fullah imitating a machine gun in the background. A true celtic classic for true afficiandos, unfortunately i have moved country a few times in my life and lost my record, you wouldnt have the technical know how to make a mp3 file would you? It would sure brighten up my I pod collection and make that early morning 5am session in the gym just a wee bit more tolerable
when music was music! if you havent heard it then get it now!
sorry to interrupt the bad news about the sevconians, carry on, i just cant get enough!
TONY DONNELLY
How you feeling these days?
Chest injury any better?
bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers ………praying for our wee hero!
12:53 on 15 April, 2014
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No millions needed for this bhoy.
Ordinary man nothing special nothing grand.
Enjoy your day buddy
TAMRABAM
Technical know-how?
Me?
Mwahahahahaha!
It’s on vinyl,12″. If you know anyone who is attending the May 10 shindig,I’ll pass it on to him.
I feel certain it will be going to a good home,somehow….
Excellent article Paul. The kind of thing that got me tuned in to CQN in the first place almost ten years ago.
Are we likely to see the SFA accommodate their favourite team at Hampden at a pittance?
sipsini
13:01 on 15 April, 2014
Estriolbhoy.
Total raised
£11,794.42
Gift Aid
£1,437.50
I might be taking the wrong slant on the above.
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Gift aid is the tax ( don’t laugh ) contributions made by the donors which can be reclaimed by the charity LOL, couldn’t make it up :)))
Hail! Hail!
If ibrox is demolished huns will play at hampden.
Sfa will charge rent of 50p per annum.
BMCW
I go to the Vicky tomorrow for more x rays to see what damage has been done, because I waited to long to go there the last time there was to much swelling for him to see the damage, so I’ll find out tomorrow, it’s a wee bit better, still very painfull but, to be honest I don’t think it’s broke but I’ll find out tomorrow one way or another, fingers crossed ;) .
#1
Today, 12:51 PM
crafty1
Official CelticMinded Poster Of The Month (June 2010)
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: cambuslang
Midfielder opts for Celtic
Hull look set to miss out on the signing of Cameroon midfielder Raoul Loe after he expressed a desire to sign for Celtic instead. The Tigers and a host of other Premier League clubs have been linked with a move for the 6ft 4in star, who is set to star for Cameroon in the World Cup this summer, but the player is leaning towards Celtic. The chance to play in the Champions League is the reason Loe could opt for Parkhead, although there is a possibility the Tigers could offer him the Europa League if they win the FA Cup next month. “It has always been my dream to play in the Champions League,” he said. “If a club like Celtic wants me to play for them then i would be very honoured to play for them and wear that special jersey. “The club has such a great history with one of the best football fans in the whole footballing world.” The 25-year-old is available for around £2million from Spanish club Osasuna and Swansea, along with West Brom and Burnley, have also been linked.
BMCUW
unfortunately im out of UK for a while
would anyone who is attending and knows how to make a MP3 out of a 12 inch vinyl be so kind as to get this record and digitalise it and passit around
Especially good for any old punk rocker types from the Grey Brigade and folk who generally like a laff!
Estorilbhoy.
Thanks for educating me:)
Must say, I’ve really enjoyed reading the memories of the past sing songs at CP.
Paul’s header put the icing on the cake…bedtime for me. HH
.
Good Article..Bit confused by last 2 Paragraphs..
Celtic better have their plans in place now, as should the rest of Scottish football. There was a notion that there would be a three year hiatus before it was business as usual. This will not be the case.
We need to stand together, as a club, and with other clubs, wherever possible. We need to support the game, primarily through season ticket purchases, but we must find common ground with other clubs and fans.
l doubt Celtic FC returning to 60K SB’s for the Next few Year will have Any Impact on Rangers following Celtic’s path with Fergus and Rebuilding Ibrox or Building on a New Site..Especially when Celtic FC are Not going to break the Bank in the Transfer market to beat a Rangers reserve Team..
The Only way for Celtic FC to Sell more Season Books is to Buy Players that would Excite Fans on and Off the Park..
Not telling Fans..The Bogeyman is Coming to Get them..
it’s Not SB renewal Time is It..:-)
Summa of TouchTheScreenCSC
BMCW
I was also at the Vicky today as I had a wee cut in my head that wasent healing, so I saw the specialist and he said it was a Rodent Ulcer? It’s a form of cancer he said, no big deal (gulp) what we do is give you a local shot in the napper dig it out from the root, and you’ll be on yer way…Eh! So I go in for that on may 16th, :( I got off the bus walking along the road home an I just managed to dodge a dugs sheet on the pavement, they say it’s luck if you stand in one, Ffs the way my lucks going right now there would prob. Be a nail in the middle of it, ah well, could be worse, imagine bein a Hun these days ;)
Magnificent post livibhoy echoing my sentiments exactly.
Will NEVER forget that harrowing distressing day and hope to never ever see it again.
JUSTICE FOR THE 96 RIP
Hail hail NSNO and YNWA !!!
Paul fine fine piece old son !
…………………………..whither walter?
Paul67,
Happy days. Thank you. I hope we have the nous to tick together and see this through, joined by every other club and supporter in Scotland.
WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED.
Italics anyone??
estorilbhoy
Excellent work. Did you factor in meals? :-)
Oh happy fault: stick not tick (‘tic, however, might be best), especially italicised.
Justice for the 96 – May perpetual light shine upon them
YNWA
Hail Hail
The italics back?
HH!!
Paul67
Been waiting on that article. Thanks.
Care to hazard a guess at what happens next?