Despite Walter Smith urging “Rangers fans to get fully behind the resolutions which last week were presented to the Board and shareholders”, which include sacking chief executive, Craig Mather, he added, “Craig Mather, as I have said before is doing a good job. It is unfortunate that this has happened but when change does come I hope he’ll be allowed to continue the job he has started”.
Smith is clearly close to, but not in tandem with, those who requested an Emergency General Meeting.
As well as support for the chief exec, on the manager, Smith says, “As for Alistair McCoist, it is important that we all appreciate that no other Rangers manager has had to work with poorer or more trying circumstances. It is my fervent hope that when the dust settles and Rangers have a clearer path and future he is given the chance to manage under conditions similar to those which were afforded his predecessors.”
Here we get to the crux of the problem. Rangers International face enormous financial challenges. With a half decent football manager, they would be able to win promotion from the third tier of Scottish football with a football budget of around £1m, or several times that of their nearest rivals. If, as the Herald suggested this week, there is not enough money to finish the season, the most immediate responsibility of the directors is to cut costs accordingly.
Cutting costs is not the reason anyone gets into football, and it is certainly not what Walter Smith knew in his time at the Rangers group of clubs, but at times it is absolutely necessary. The non-executive directors of Rangers International would serve their fans interests best by telling this unpalatable truth.
Failure to do this will pale in comparison to some other potential consequences. In setting his stall behind McCoist, Mather’s team building exercise and the EGM protagonists, Smith has almost ensured collapse if those demanding change cannot command the support of 51% of shareholders. To succeed, Paul Murray will need to demonstrate the leadership and deal management skills which were lacking a year ago.
Meanwhile, John Brown’s warning about Green turning Ibrox to dust hangs over the place, a bit like dust.
There is one overarching concern, however. Green is critical to fending off any impending action by Craig Whyte. His evidence will be necessary to explain how Sevco Scotland Ltd assumed the irrevocable entitlement of Sevco 5088 Ltd. Even with Green on-side, this looks like a challenge, but if the main protagonists in this action are separated from those who will have to defend any action, you suspect Whyte will be enormously encouraged.
When Whyte believed he was double-crossed he went nuclear. All Green would need to do is corroborate a sliver of Whyte’s evidence to bring Whyte’s legal challenge into sharp focus. For this reason, Green has to be part of the picture going forward. Demonising him is tempting, and may be deserved, but it’s self-defeating – and these people know all about self-defeating.
Section 111
Two weeks ago I said “place your bets” on what would happen after Celtic issued their “final warning” over a number ongoing issues in section 111. No one was in control of the situation, not Celtic, and not members the Green Brigade, who I believe had nothing to do with several of the issues.
Since then I’ve watched the debate. Some, like Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, attempted to inform on the debate, interviewing handicapped supporters and independent safety experts. Anticipating this day would come, I thought about interviewing the Council, but decided against, not wanting to draw them into making a public stance they would be unable to back down from.
Yesterday felt as inevitable as what’s going to happen next in Govan. Can the situation be rescued? Of course. Will it? Place your bets, people…
I’m not a regular newspaper buyer but the front page of one of today’s is a keeper. Celtic have a lateral movement issue, which dominates the front page, when the utter implosion at Ibrox is relegated to a side column. It’s a testament to our age. We will survive. I can’t say that with any certainty about the other lot.
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Till later all
Hospital appointment time .
Be good when i’m ott csc
Doooooooooooooooooo
oot
Like many on CQN I think tomorrows game is huge for Celtic if we manage to reach the 3rd CL play off I think we may well go out and spend reasonable money on a striker or two.However, if we are knocked out of the CL and that is possible we will look for lesser players for the striking role I also think whatever happens Kelvin Wilson is likely to move on but wither we can allow Ambrose to move on im very doubtful as there is a limit to how many players you can sell and still expect to do well in Europe as if we dont do well tomorrow we drop down to a play-off for the Europa League.H.H.
Cheers WGS.
Challs will pop his head above the parapet later in the week by possibly agreeing to meet a delegation of Sevco’s idiotic fans groups.
He has previous experience of dealing with these dimwits and will comfortably address their concerns in the same way Craigy did.
Those old chestnuts; ‘our wonderful fans’, ‘integrity’, ‘dignity’, ‘140 years’, ‘our enemies’ and that perennial favourite ‘no surrender’ will all be used to get them onside again.
#GroundhogDay
Any pubs in Inverness where my mate can watch the match tomorrow evening?
South of Tunis:
My mistake, (did I say Morton) it was St. Mirren. Got to give me a wee bit of slack though I’ve been trying to watch this movie, Blind Flight, and look after two sick kids while trying to keep up with all the posts on here.
I’d watch that link to that movie when you get a moment, it got to me, but then all movies about people being denied their freedom and their rights gets to me.
LEFTCLICKTIC
You seeing one of the nurses,or summat?!
Good luck,bud. Not the most pleasant of illnesses to have.
HH&KTF
If the meeja is to be believed, Celtic will struggle to complete their fixtures this season.
We have already lost Wanyama, Hooper and the Derry Pele, as well as a few other peripheral squad members. But according to recent reports in the rags we are also due to lose Forster, Ambrose, Wilson, Lustig, Matthews, Forrest, Ledley and Samaras. Oh, and don’t forget that Stokes has “refused” to sign a new contract too…
The only thing that surproses me is that I haven’t seen any reports about Commons being tempted to head to some English “giant”, like Leeds United or Middlesbrough.
At this rate we’re going to be lining up as follows by September 1st:
Zaluska
Mouyokolo Van Dijk Mulgrew Izaguirre
Brown Rogic Kayal Boerrigter
Commons Balde
Subs: Fasan, Fraser, Toshney, Herron, Irvine, Watt, Twardzik
WGS @ 13 33 .
Probably —but Napoli are rumored to be in the hunt for another striker ..
Pre season stuff indicates that Napoli are still much better at attacking than they are at defending .
Pre season stuff also indicates that they still have the habit of really firing in the first half and then failing to show in the second..
Benitez has made a lot of noise re defensive frailties and an overall lack of core fitness.
John Oneill
I agree with you on the DR issue. They should have been booted out of CP after the thugs and thieves stitch up. And if not for that they, their demonisation of NL which was shockingly irresponsible journalism.
Paul 67, the principle of your point is fine but this is Scotland. The DR rely heavily on a hun readership and the above are only two of many hundreds of examples where they have tried to undermine the club and brainwash our support, just to sell to their main demographic.This paper stops at nothing and we are seen as easy game.
The greatest manager in modern times AF, would have sorted them out long before now, as would the greatest of another era, Jock Stein.
The further Celtic PLC distance themselves from the ordinary fan
The futher the ordinary fan will distance themselves from Celtic PLC
I wish the PLC had shown such robust decisive actions in many other matters
Failure to resolve this situation will have major consequences over time
Celtic fans’ lateral movement grabs headlines.
Boardroom bust ups in Govan relegated to minor issue.
Charitable malfeasance, (stealing?) ignored.
Financial meltdown buried.
Club spokesman refuses to address reporter.
Scottish press at its most transparent.
A STOR MO CHROI
Ian Hart and Linus Roache are two very good but underrated actors.
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon
12:27 on
6 August, 2013
We have lateral movement. Looks like the Rangers only have backwards motion, And fast too.
I suspect they will also be having rectal movement. Lots of rectal movement…
Re the newspaper headlines, the problem is Celtic want to use the written press when it suits them. There will also be contractual issues also.
Therefore yesterday they had to do the pre match presser but used it to punt the new away strip and presumably get those pictures in the paper. (I don’t buy them so not sure).
Every time there is a Sky / BT game I think they need to put up players for interview to publicise it.
My only wish is that we would stop usingour tops to publicise these things, the back of a strip is not for a sales message to be ironed onto!! Infuriates me.
On another note, it would be naive of anyone to think that Sevco were / are the only team who drip feed info to certain journalists in return for favours a la Charlotte posts. It happens in every business with suppliers, backhanmders, golf outings etc.
South of Tunis,
That’s what make Napoli though. Players they have they can only play one way and it’s magic to watch. That’s where i think Rafa will spoil it.
Who have Inter signed as Mazzani will have to work wonders with those players he inherited. Too many South Americans in that team and pretty mediocre IMO.
Ricky being one.
I remember being in Werder Bremen’s ground for our visit in the late 80s. We set the stadium bouncing quite litterally. Let’s say it caused me some concern. It was an upper stand so possibly more prone than I would imagine section 111 is. I always took the health and safety issue to be much more small scale. I don’t know how the guys on the end of the rows aren’t braking their ankles, unless the stairs are totally different from the area I sit in.
quonno
09:09 on 6 August, 2013
Sir Dignity (he who scuttled out of Hampden when SDM crooked his finger) is calling on THEM to support integrity.
Integrity! THEY wouldn’t recognise the word even if came across on the radio in big print.
*Lord Kardigan of Kirkmichael:
1975 walked out on the Arabs tae Dumbarton
1977 walked out of Boghead and back tae Tannadice
1986 walked out again on the Arabs only this time as well as being a coach he’s also a Director.
1998 retired fae the huns, aye that’ll be right
2002 pumped by Everton
2004 Lord Faitfield of Govan throws him a lifeline as assistant manager
6 months later and he walks out of Old Trafford as “his country needs him”
2007 he walks out of Hunden as “his team needs him”
2011 he walks out on deidco after taking them tae the brink with irrational spending
2013 he again walks out on sevco as they are once again on the brink.
Bit of a pattern here and it’s no loyalty.
lionroars67
13:24 on 6 August, 2013
Magnus
13:13 on
6 August, 2013
If you are a season ticket holder and if a couple of GB lads are relocated near you
Focus may be on you
And that would a problem how? Wouldn’t be the first time I was in a position to testify. And their resources would be stretched rather than concentrated.
M
Paul67
That statement by Smith on McCoist re the conditions required to assess him proves Einstein right. You cannot fix a problem with the mind that created it.
And as to who created the problem here is Walter Smith’s transfer dealings, the second part of which took place with a £24M tax bill presented by HMRC.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aq2m3ggkEX2RdDZsUlEzQkg5U0NUZ08xajhtbUJWcXc&usp=drive_web#gid=0
If the Scottish media were not so far up the great mans rear end you can see Chicks bald pate through Smith’s nostrils, then this sort of info might put a different mindset to work, But then again the smsm are part of the mind that created the problem…..
It really does not augur well for a mind trapped in and by its own history.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
It was a good movie. Very simplistic but good, and yes, both fine actors.
harpsbhoy
13:31 on
6 August, 2013
thanks obviously got name wrong…good to hear about the reputation, an unsettling period for the old man (who was one of the 137 thousand against aberdeen in the 1937 cup final !
HH
BBhoy
Afternoon from my sick bed, full of the cold, summer colds bah.
Anyway I was thinking about interlopers on here and in S111. If the board want to ensure that only GB guys are in that area then locate then in the now empty 418/419 that would ensure that its only GB bhoys in there and should anything untoward occur then they only have themselves to blame.
Moreover to Paul67 any chance that new posters have delayed first post i.e. 24 hours which would stop our non-celtic reactive posters coming on here annoying folk when something at CFC happens!
I reckon Stephane Mbia would be a cracking replacement for Wanyama, wages permitting.
A Stor Mo Chroi .
Blind Flight .
I thought it was a very good film .
On being denied freedom —— I highly recommend this ——-
One Hundred Steps .
An excellent film re the life and death of Peppino Impasto . A young guy who stood up to the Mafia and resisted their attempts to control his life . He did that by taking the piss out of the Men with Honor. He paid for saying things like ” The Mafia is a pile of shit ” with his life .
He lives on —— The Mafia is a pile of shit —-is written on walls all over Sicily.
El Cardo has walked away mair often than the Four Tops.
The DR is down to the bare bones on editorial staff these days as well.
Basic errors routinely appear – and not in the manner we have become accustomed to – I mean captions describing pictures wrongly and sloppy spelling mistakes.
It is a sure sign that major redundancies are not far off at that paper.
The record approach to both yesterday’s stories is A typical, the greatest scandal in British sport has been unravelling in front of their eyes for around 2 years now and for the most part they’ve done or reported nothing, the alleged fear of being sued due to lack of evidence no longer stands up, today’s revelations as regards the rangers charity groups decision to siphon off cash to their club is further evidence that this group overall has absolutely no respect for any legal or accepted procedure, they are a law unto themselves, they are in my opinion out of control. Yesterday’s decision by Celtic PLC to make public the Section 111 debacle was an own goal (whatever the rights and wrongs of it) and only provided the media with the half excuse required to deflect attention from ibrox.
Davidopolous, yes they have to play with a higher line & pressus more which will leave them vulnerable & going by their recent results they havn’t been too god defensively in their domestic game – & I don’t believe they will have time to try kicking us off the park this time. Concentration & composure are the key to victory; if we can be show good mental strenth then I got no doubt we can score a couple of goals tomorrow night.
Ps I firmly believe that Efe Ambrose is just a few good performances away from becoming a consistant performer for the Bhoys in Green.
WGS —–
I have fantasies re Celtic reaching the CL group stage and being drawn with Napoli .. A wee trip to a mad mental fitba city .
Inter — they have signed Andreolli/ Icardi / Botta/ Campagnaro and Belfodil . Rumored to be chasing -Isla/ Wallace/ Wellington/ Nainggolan etc..
Inter look very messy .. Indonesian businessman wants to buy them. .. Poor pre season .. Mazzarri has made a lot of noise about the players lacking focus and fitnesss.
401 is too close to my seat and why would people in 401 many who have been there since the north stand opened be forced to move,let the GB into 111 put up barriers and controls to stop the hangers on getting in to their section
Che – ole Green Brigade were goin’ public with decision long before Celtic said anything.
However it has been clear for too many years that our fair and fearless MSM need little motivation to turn Celtic’s motes into beams.
see the cardigan want fat sally to operate under the circumstances of his predecessors
does he mean tax avoidance,ebt,s,favourable treatment from authorities(that has not changed),loans from friendly hun supporting bankers never paid back,failing to pay monies owed to clubs at home and abroad etc etc etc (too many etc’s)
WGS
Is it Avihai Yadin you’re talking about mate?
His name has been around for a few weeks but haven’t seen anything in recent days.
HH
/Bishop B
Len Brennan
LB what was the name of the striker whose clip you posted last night??
Hx2
so its ok for 50 to 60k fans to jump up and down doing the huddle but not for a few hundred to sway side to side??…………….lateral movement!..the biggest red herring since …….the £1 SALE!!
why am I not surprised deryshirejack is posting today