Nice one, Old Crust.

Fuck Neil Lennon and his 'financial doping' nonsense. The Celtic minded SPL and their kangaroo courts.

Rangers did nothing wrong. HMRC practically destroyed Rangers for this. If only that crook Craig Whyte hadn't appeared...

Front page news of every paper in Scotland today. Rangers won.


Triumphant Tuesday

“Where were you when you heard Rangers had won the Big tax Case?”

I am sure that will become a question that bears ask each other down through the years.

http://billmcmurdo.wordpress.com/201...phant-tuesday/


:beautiful:

Great article from Jim Traynor in the Daily Record.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/f...er-win-1447935

RANGERS have had many massive triumphs in their time, especially the 3-2 win over Moscow Dynamo in the 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup final.

But yesterday’s result will surely go down as the most significant in their history. It wasn’t even played out on a pitch.

This victory came inside a stuffy office somewhere along Edinburgh’s George Street.

But even though no one kicked a ball, Rangers’ 2-1 win in the First Tier Tax Tribunal represents one of their greatest successes.

And it should bring an end to one of the longest and, given the behaviour of so many mean spirited and malicious individuals, certainly one of the most shameful tax cases in Scottish history.

Murray Group Holdings and Others were contesting a potential tax liability of £87million (made up mostly of penalties) and if there is to be a bill it will come to no more than £2m but probably even less.

This will be in combined penalties against individuals who may be guilty of minor breaches of technicalities.

But the point is Rangers were brought to their knees by a debt which was never real.

And they became victims of a case which should not have been allowed to run in the first place. Long and complex, it has cost something like £5m in legal fees. But at the end of it all there remains one unanswered question: Why?

What was the point and what were the real motives behind the zeal with which some in HMRC, and the media, tackled this case? This is not to say the Revenue shouldn’t try to reclaim money when they believe it’s due. It must be stressed they should but there are aspects of this case which deserve to be scrutinised closely and perhaps they will, if some of them people denigrated and wronged decide to take legal action.

This case has been about money but there has been a greater cost.

There has been a heavy human cost, too. Innocents, Rangers fans, for instance, have been damaged and so have former directors, especially Martin Bain.

And what was his crime? He inherited the EBT controversy but managed to hold his club together at a time when it seemed the entire country was pounding at the red facade of Ibrox. But there was no gratitude. Bain, and others, were wrongly accused of malpractice. They, Rangers, were all guilty. Fact.

Their persecutors, an alarming number of other clubs and their fans, should be hiding in shame this morning, or breaking cover only to apologise. Fat chance.

Blind hatred and poison has saturated this case which could actually have paid off for HMRC. They were offered £10m two years ago to settle but refused, probably because they wanted a trophy win to set a precedent which would allow them to pursue hundreds of other companies for untold millions.

But they failed. Yesterday two of the three judges ruled Rangers’ EBT system was a form of loans and not taxable after all.

And yet, because the tax man insisted Rangers owed them £50m, a catastrophic chain of events then unfolded.

No one wanted to touch a club with a potential bill of that size hanging over them and eventually Rangers fell into the wrong hands, the hands of a man who really didn’t pay tax and who then caused one of Europe’s biggest clubs to slide into liquidation.

But let’s be clear on this, the Revenue’s demand for payment, which it has now been declared invalid, started Rangers’ slide towards the precipice. Companies who sell cups of coffee and mobile phones can escape payments for hundreds of millions but Rangers?

No chance. They were chased and backed into a corner for piddling amounts by comparison. Amounts they didn’t even owe. Of course David Murray is responsible for selling but he was being pressed by a bank, who wanted rid of the club. They didn’t like the bad publicity their squeezing of Rangers attracted and Donald Muir, their man on the Ibrox board, wasn’t about to let Craig Whyte’s offer pass by.

The rest is history but it is a bitter and twisted chapter in a story which shines a light on a side of this country which should embarrass us. So many people wanted Rangers shut, or at least cut down and now they know there was nothing illegal in what was done with EBT payments they should take a good look at themselves.

Sadly, they just wanted to believe Rangers were guilty and it became popular belief that this lot really did owe almost £90m in tax. People spoke matter of factly about Rangers being tax cheats and there was such a groundswell against the club few were willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

The facts were trampled as the crowds rushed to dance on Rangers’ grave.

Even people who should have known better were swept along in the rush to accuse and condemn Rangers or anyone who dared say, ‘hold on, shouldn’t we wait until the real financial experts rule.’

But now we all know the truth, although we haven’t a clue as to the identities of those at the centre of this sorry saga.

Bizarrely an anonymised form of the tribunal’s ruling was published yesterday revealing that evidence had been delivered by Mr Red, Mr Purple, Mr Turquoise, Mr Yellow, Mrs Scarlet and other colourful people.

Neither Quentin Tarantino nor the makers of Cluedo could have done a better job of disguising characters yet the identities of those who had received loans in the form of EBT while at Rangers were leaked routinely to
journalists and bloggers.

But the Revenue didn’t want the names of any of their people out in there in the public domain. Why? Because we’d then know who had rejected the £10m? Or was it felt they had to be protected for other reasons?

But there are names on various emails and documents in circulation and maybe one day soon there will be greater transparency as a case which has brought so much strife to the game is finally put to rest.

We can argue until the end of time about whether the Rangers in question still exist or whether the history with all its glories, defeats, highs and lows remains intact. But one crucial truth cannot and should not be lost.

Rangers, we know, were stricken, taken down by a fantasy tax bill. They were declared guilty before trial.

Rangers, as a brand, was tarnished because HMRC said they owed tax on EBT payments which the club had always argued were loans. Yesterday two of the three judges agreed. So HMRC, who had insisted an initial tax and National Insurance bill of £37m, which climbed to £87m, be paid, were left with nothing. They say they’ll appeal but it could be argued they’ve caused more than enough damage.

Besides, even if they’d won their case yesterday they still wouldn’t have got anything out of the Rangers they had pursued. They were forced into liquidation, remember.

And the real bottom line in all of this? Rangers’ closure was all so unnecessary and the turmoil and upheaval caused could have been avoided. Despite accusations Rangers did nothing wrong. Pity the same can’t be said of all those self-proclaimed experts, bloggers and journalists.

Rangers will be clobbered they had said. The verdict will be damning. Rangers will be shown up as cheats, they squealed.

It’s clear now who the guilty parties are and Rangers are not among them.

Isn't there an appeal by the taxman going on so maybe a 2-1 win may yet be shafted in injury time ?

I think this is a saga that may go on and on for years.

Thing is ROLAND, Rangers 'oldco' are finished. If the taxman was to appeal then they would get nothing.

In some ways this is a hollow victory. HMRC have already destroyed Rangers with the case making them unsellable and the threats of however many millions of fines. The only good thing is that as Rangers have done nothing illegal, the allegations of cheating have to stop.

If that crook Craig Whyte hadn't bought Rangers we could have been playing Champions League football this week.

That's true, maybe if they hadn't have panicked and sold up to the shyster then they wouldn't be in the mess now and neither would the SPL.

I suppose all they can do is look forwards now and not back.

It was Llyods Bank that forced David Murray to sell. I feel sorry for him to a degree in all of this. His reputation has taken a battering. While he was responsible for some of the spending excesses of the past. He had no choice but to sell and with the uncertainty of the outcome of the tax case hanging over Rangers, only Craig Whyte was prepared to make an offer. What an incredible mess !

good news even if the pill leaves a bitter taste upwards and onwards gers

Hi

Quite probably in the club or general news but happened to read this in a newsletter I receive ( AIM stands for Alternative Investment Market, a junior division of the London Stock Exchange)





"Rangers International Football Club (RFC) listed on AIM, raising 22.2 million pounds before expenses. The firm issued 65,096,056 shares at 70p, giving an initial market capitalisation of 45.6 million pounds. The proceeds of the placing will be used to upgrade the club's Ibrox Stadium and to fund the acquisition of land around the ground. It is hoped that the admission will act as a springboard for the club to return to its glory days of dominating Scottish football after being demoted to the third division following administration earlier in the year. The shares closed at 76p."


Some more chat here ( IPO stands for Initial Public Offering) :


"Fans of Rangers’ IPO trot out that old million pound chestnut: it is different. The fat has been cut out and what remains is pure protein. Rangers’ die-hard supporters regularly turn up to fill the Ibrox stadium close to its 51,000 capacity. There is no debt, the expensive players have gone, leaving a team still well able to beat its rivals. Imagine, say followers, what Rangers could earn in sales of tickets and football shirts when it takes its rightful place in Scotland’s top league in a year or so.



At this point, the group’s backers become all misty-eyed and talk about cup wins, playing in Europe’s lucrative Champions League, selling TV rights for millions and juicy sponsorship deals.



Charles Green, Rangers’ far from dewy-eyed chief executive and a veteran of Sheffield United, reckons he can raise Rangers up without borrowing or overpaying for new talent. He has promised to cap the payroll at a third of revenues. That will be easy for the next year while Rangers is banned by the Scottish Football Association from transferring players.



However, it will be hard to hold the wage bill back once Rangers starts playing top-tier football where pay averages two-thirds of revenues. Soccer’s governing bodies may be pushing for greater financial discipline and player fees may come down, but it will take time.


Mr Green can only be sure of keeping his promise if he makes more of Rangers’ brand and revenues soar. Fans should brace themselves for a rise in ticket prices. The new merchandising deal signed with Sports Direct – whose owner, Mike Ashley, owns 8 per cent of Rangers – could really spice up revenues."




Someone else, obviously a Rangers fan was very quick to point out that Rangers market capitalisation( one measure of value) was already higher than Celtic`s.

:kid:

Good trivia fact I will make sure and drop that into conversations with twisted up Celtic fans at the gym. :goldtooth:

The club have put a good spin on events. Less fans bought shares than it was hoped. But more corporate investors bought in. So the logic follows - big business thinks Rangers are going to do well.

Is Ashley allowed to own that sort of percemtage of a second Club ?

8% may not seem a lot to some people but actually it is

Seems to be Jake. Maybe because it's not another English club it's ok ?

They are not allowed to be in the same UEFA competition I think, other than that, no restrictions.

There was talk of league reconstruction to speed up Rangers return to the SPL but now in a bizarre turn of events. A new convoluted league format has been proposed. That will see Rangers stay in the bottom tier should they win the league. You couldn't make this up....

http://m.stv.tv/sport/football/clubs...-within-weeks/

The plan is to implement a top flight "Premiership" of 12 clubs, a 12-club "Championship" beneath and a third tier "National League" of 18 clubs.

After two rounds of games, the top two tiers would split into three sub-leagues of eight teams. The top eight would contest the league title and European places with the middle eight settling promotion and relegation.

That middle league of eight, made up of SPL1's bottom four teams and SPL2's top four, would see their points reset. They would then play 14 matches, facing each other both home and away, with the four highest placed sides at the end of the campaign playing in the subsequent season's top division.

Supporters have voiced their unhappiness at the plans, which were unsuccessfully experimented with in both Austria and Switzerland in the late 80s and early 90s.

:shs:

Three leagues each splitting up and merging top and bottom clubs... total madness, no country in Europe does this. Another nail in the coffin of Scottish football. Lets hope Sky can influence things.... because as it stands Rangers would be in the new larger bottom tier of 18, playing all the same clubs again for another year !

'Gers should quit Scotland'
 

http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headli...-quit-scotland


CHARLES GREEN will recommend to the Board that Rangers try to find an escape route from Scottish football if the 12-12-18 reconstruction plans are pushed through.

The Chief Executive knows that in the current political climate it is difficult to play anywhere else, but he firmly believes that Rangers should explore all options as he is firmly against the proposals being hurried through.

In an exclusive interview with RangersTV, Green pulls no punches as he criticises a set-up which he feels most supporters don’t want.
He says the new set-up will render the remainder of the season meaningless and he insists it is only cash that is driving the adoption of the plan.

He said: “If this does happen what is the point of us finishing the season? Why should we send players out to get broken noses – like Ross Perry last week – or have players getting surgery when no-one can get promoted and no-one can get relegated.

“We might as well have a winter break now til next August. I can’t see any point in carrying on with meaningless matches.
“In what league do you win a division and then end up playing the same teams again the following season? There is no meaning to it, in reality.

“I haven’t read anything other than what is in the press and if that is what we have sat here eagerly awaiting to transform Scottish football, my advice to the board of Rangers is the quicker we can leave Scottish football the better.

“I can’t see anything that is going to transform the finances, the status or the excitement.”

Green knows that there is resistance by the European and World authorities to clubs playing in other countries, but there is strong feeling for a ‘Beneliga’ involving the top 12 teams in Holland the top eight in Belgium.

And Standard Liege have threatened to try to join Ligue 1 in France if permission for the Beneliga is not granted.

Green added: “On first glance, of course, there is nowhere for us to go because FIFA have made their feelings known on cross-border leagues.

“However, we have noted the comments of Standard Liege recently and what Peter Lawwell said at his AGM a few weeks ago when he discussed the changes in Europe.

“Hand on heart today there isn’t an option but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t start looking for an option.

“If all we have to look forward to over the next four years is more madness then we would be failing as directors not to explore the alternatives.”

Agree with the point about the leagues, what is the point of winning League 3 and knowing next season you start in League 3 and also must be a doubt on the legality of changing the rules halfway through the season.

I also see a Bosman ruling coming up here and one of the clubs taking UEFA/FIFA to the European Courts citing free trade and movement and how the present rules prevent this.

I think they should take over Colwyn Bay FC and enter the English leagues. It would be difficult to ban them because they are not based in England.

Wodger you make two good points here. Both touched on today in interviews by manager Ally McCoist and chairman Charles Green.


http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/r...d-be-promoted/

Ally McCoist believes Rangers will be denied promotion under plans to restructure the Scottish football league which he says "lack sporting integrity".

The Ibrox boss believes the "small minded" proposal, which would see the current four-tier format change to three leagues, would unfairly penalise his side and render the current season meaningless.

Under the plans, Rangers would take up a place in the third tier of the league, a step up from their current position in tier four.

Although they would move up if they can clinch the Third Division title this campaign, they would be joined by every other team currently plying their trade in the bottom tier.

McCoist instead believes a way should be found for his team to be advanced out of the proposed new bottom tier.

"I don't think reconstruction can go through," he said. "It lacks sporting integrity. I don't think you can change during a season.

"All we are looking for is continued fair play. If we win the league then we should be promoted, in my opinion."

Speaking at his traditional Friday news conference, McCoist said he believed a combination of "time, legality and sporting integrity" should hamper plans to push through the planned change for the start of the 2013/14 campaign.

The manager also expressed his unhappiness at Rangers having no vote on the proposals, a circumstance of their admission to the Scottish Football League as associate members in the summer, saying it was a "slap in the coupon" to supporters.

Chief executive Charles Green had spoken earlier in the week of finding a way out of the Scottish league structure if reconstruction plans went ahead.

"Ideally the top league in this country would perfect," added McCoist. "There has been a lot of information coming out in the last week or so but all we want to do is get back to the top league in this country.

"I know Rangers and Celtic have explored avenues to play in different leagues and I would think they would continue to do that.

"But where I'm sitting at the moment, I'd settle for the top league in Scotland.

"Charles is doing his job in the respect that he's exploring avenues for other leagues.

"I can totally understand his dislike for the potential new set-up. If it goes ahead, I would imagine the biggest sufferers again, in my opinion, would be the Rangers supporters."

http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/r...iscrimination/

Rangers chief executive Charles Green has claimed that he could take UEFA to court under sex-discrimination laws and says Cardiff and Swansea shouldn’t be in the EPL if Rangers aren’t.

Green is opposed to current plans that would see Scottish league football reshaped into a 12-12-18 structure. He said that he would be recommending to the Rangers board that options to quit Scottish football should be explored.

In a radio interview, he claimed that there was a precedent for cross-border leagues in the women’s game and that he would pursue equality in court.

"As the structures stand now, there are not many options [to leave the Scottish league],” Green told Talksport. “But I'm not one for hiding my light behind a bushel.

"People say you can't go into England because you are not allowed cross-borders (leagues).

"Well there is now a cross-border (league). You have a UEFA-sanctioned professional women's league in Belgium and Holland, so we have a precedent there.

"If there was an opportunity to join a cross-border league and that was challenged by UEFA, I would go to Strasbourg and challenge the sexual equality."

UEFA’s Executive Committee did sanction a cross-border league in Belgium and Holland, beginning in 2012. However, the competition was only permitted on a trial basis and will be reviewed after three years.

The European governing body told STV that there are no plans for other regional leagues until that trial is finished and none would be sanctioned until its outcome has been evaluated.

Green also said that a route into the English league set-up should be available to Rangers. Citing Swansea City and Cardiff City as examples, he said they should be removed from the English league if Scottish sides aren’t permitted to join.

"People say you are not allowed in the English league - well let's then kick Cardiff and Swansea out, because they are playing in a different country,” he said.

"People are saying Wales is fine but Scotland is not.

“We cannot have a situation where one of the Union is annexed by the football bodies but Wales can join.

“It's rubbish."

Was reading that Wales is a principality like Monaco so their clubs are allowed to compete in their parent countries league whilst Scotland is a country.

That said I can see a new league set up with Scandinavian teams, Scottish and maybe Irish and then would be a legal fight with UEFA if they didn't sanction it.

Berwick Rangers play in Scotland, and I remember Gretna being in the English leagues. I hope a way can be found to help Rangers play down here.

I don't , prefer them to play in Kazakstan

As much chance of playing in Kazakstan as in England it seems. Talk of an escape bid from Scottish football is wishful thinking I'm afraid.

For a long time now Scottish football has been dying a death with the old firm games being the only meaningful fixtures and then for the SFA to exact that type of punishment on Rangers was a massive faux pas IMO.
I know the principle was correct and if it was any other team outside of the two Glasgow giants no one would have battered an eyelid but to destroy any outside/International interest in the Scottish game and eliminate a vital stream of substantial income was just so wrong.

With the latest restructure hopefully Rangers shall push hard to resign from the SFA & join one of the English lower leagues with its long term ambition being a place in the Premier League south of the border, that would create some mouth wartering fixtures with Celtic certain to join them within a few years.

Sad to see complaints about Remembrance Day events at Rangers, what a strange country we live in, where something like this generates complaints...

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/sc...randed-1558062

MILITARY chiefs have criticised Remembrance Day events organised by Rangers.

Top brass branded the half-time parade during a match against Peterhead in November as inappropriate.

Fans watched Royal Marines abseil from the stadium roof and a howitzer was fired from the trackside to signal a minute’s silence.

But following complaints, Major General Nick Eeles, General Officer Commanding Scotland, met Navy and RAF chiefs and they agreed to ban a repeat.

Instead, he has said just a minute’s silence would be a more appropriate way to mark the contribution of those who served in the two world wars and other conflicts.

In a letter to one person who complained, the Army secretariat wrote: “The General Officer Commanding Scotland has now had the opportunity to review the events that took place at Ibrox Park with the other service heads in Scotland.

"They share your view that the format of the half-time event and the conduct of those taking part in it was inappropriate for Remembrance weekend and will take steps to ensure that such events are conducted with appropriate solemnity in the future.

“They believe that the minute’s silence before the match was the correct way to mark the occasion and Army commanders will be directed to restrict future Remembrance events to this type of activity in the future.

“The focus of Remembrance activities must be on the fallen, not on those who are serving in the Armed Forces today.”

More than 400 members of the Army, Navy and RAF were invited to Ibrox as guests of honour.

Veterans supported by Erskine Hospital were applauded by the 48,407 crowd.

Rangers players wore special poppy strips during the match and fans displayed a poppy mosaic before kick-off. Servicemen were given footballs by subs from both sides and took part in a half-time kick-about.

But in future, servicemen will only be allowed to participate in a minute’s silence during Remembrance weekend.

The Ibrox parade was organised by the Rangers Charity Foundation to raise cash for ex-servicemen and their families.

The club have regularly honoured the Armed Forces on match days over the years. In 2009, they welcomed marines from 45 Commando on to the pitch at half-time against Hearts after the troops finished a tour of Afghanistan.

Scots Guardsman Gary Jamieson, who lost both legs in Afghanistan, was guest of honour during a match in 2010.

A spokeswoman for the Army said: “Half-time events such as this one will no longer happen at Remembrance Day matches and we apologise if anyone was offended by what they felt was inappropriate behaviour.

“Those from the Army who attended the match were invited as a thank you from the club as they wanted to show support for the job they do and raise money for Poppy Scotland.”

A Rangers spokesman said the club have a close relationship with the services and will continue to mark Remembrance Day with proper respect.

He said: “No one from any of the Forces has been in contact with us other than to thank us for our support and help.

“Our Remembrance event proved to be the single largest memorial event in Scotland last year."

On a lighter note... Dundee United fans plan to wear Craig Whyte masks in the upcoming match that Rangers fans are boycotting.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/f...united-1552600

RANGERS fans have accused Dundee United supporters of trying to spark trouble by wearing Craig Whyte masks during their Scottish Cup clash next month.

An Arabs fan group have created replica faces of the shamed former Ibrox owner in a bid to poke fun at the Division Three club a week on Saturday.

But John McMillan, Rangers Supporters Association general secretary, slammed the stunt as provocative and liable to lead to violence.

The Ibrox club are boycotting the fixture but around 200 Gers fans are expected to defy the ban and attend the clash.

However, McMillan insists the masks are not funny and urged the Tayside club to ensure their is no goading of any Rangers fans who travel.

He said: “I was anticipating the United supporters doing something but I didn’t think they would stoop to this.

“It’s out of order and Dundee United as a club should do all they can to prevent their fans from carrying this threat through.

“The majority of Rangers fans will not be at the game and observe the boycott but unfortunately I’m certain some of them will go to Tannadice so this is a recipe for trouble.

“It’s inflammatory to wear these masks and it’s disgraceful to even be thinking about it.

“This game is already raised tensions and I fear any move to mock our support could have serious consequences.”

United supporters club the A90 Arab Society are behind the masks. They posted on their Facebook page: “In tribute to the nemesis of the now defunct Glasgow Rangers we want 10,000 Arabs wearing a Craig Whyte mask at the Sevco Scottish Cup game.”

The post has been removed and vice-chairman of the Federation of Dundee United Supporters Clubs Scott Innes insists it’s a bit of harmless fun.

He said: “It’s just a wee bit of jovial banter that’s just done as a wee bit of a wind-up to Rangers fans. I don’t think it’s intended to cause any problems.

“They are meant to be boycotting anyway and I think the ones that are coming are just making mountains out of molehills. I don’t think there’s any ulterior motive.”

United fan Billy Hoon insisted that wearing the masks would be in the name of good humour and hit out at Rangers supporters who are refusing to attend in protest as United’s stance of refusing their club to be voted into the SPL last summer.

He said: “Rangers are being a bit naive doing this boycott.

“If they were playing Celtic there would be no problems because they would want to go to that. The masks are just a laugh. I don’t see any harm in it.”

Dundee United director Derek Robertson distanced his club with the stunt but admitted it will be discussed during a pre-match meeting with police.

He said: “This page is unconnected to the club and we therefore have no control over the content.

“It does not appear to be a serious attempt to organise such a display or to deliberately cause a safety issue.

“However, as we have already organised a meeting between supporters’ groups, our safety officers and the police to discuss all aspects of this match, I expect the matter will be raised then.”

The MP for Bradford West... an IRA, PLO, Saddam Hussein lover... the one and only Mr George Galloway.. has tabled this :bigfinger

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2012-13/913

RANGERS TAX LIABILITIES

Session: 2012-13
Date tabled: 14.01.2013
Primary sponsor: Galloway, George
Sponsors: Campbell, Ronnie Hopkins, Kelvin McGovern,

That this House notes that the owners of the club now playing in the Scottish Third Division called Rangers claim that it is the same club with the same history as the liquidated club also known as Rangers; further notes that 14 million in VAT and PAYE was withheld in the run-up to administration by the previous Rangers; further notes that the club is now cash-rich through a share issue which raised in excess of 20 million; condemns the use of insolvency laws to avoid paying tax owed; and calls on the Government to take steps to reclaim the outstanding monies from Rangers and to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent clubs and companies sidestepping their liabilities through liquidation and then carrying on trading with effectively the same name and in exactly the same business.

Do the constituents of Bradford West give a fuck about a Scottish football club ?

Having watched Bradford City in their recent cup games on the tele', I didn't see any evidence from the crowd scenes that the locals of Bradford West give a fuck about their own club.

Rangers victory ! Lord Nimmo's verdict is in.

No titles stripped and still.... the most successful football club in the world. 54 league titles. :bigfinger


http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/r...ng-on-rangers/

Hi

This cuts from their Interim Results, which were out yesterday :




Season ticket sales in excess of 38,000, one of the highest levels of season ticket sales achieved by any UK club

· Average home league attendance of 45,363 during the period; fifth highest ranking UK football attendance

· New retail arrangement signed with the UK's largest sports retailer, Sports Direct

· New kit manufacturer agreement signed with one of the world's leading sport-lifestyle brands, Puma

· New shirt sponsor, Blackthorn Cider, for season 2013/14

· Acquisition of the Albion car park and Edmiston House for future ventures to enhance match day experience in January 2013"



"Charles Green, CEO of Rangers, commented "This has been a significant period in the Club's history, in which vital steps were taken to ensure the survival and rebuilding of one of the UK's most venerable football institutions. The priority for the Company to date has been to stabilise the business and put in place solid financial foundations for the future. To this end, revenue streams have been enhanced, and costs cut. In addition, important strategic steps have been taken, such as the agreements now in place with Sports Direct, Puma and Blackthorn Cider. These achievements have been made whilst retaining the important fabric and structure of the Club.



"We will continue to execute our growth plan, and investors and supporters can have confidence in the development of operations as the Club progresses. Undoubtedly, challenges lie ahead but the Club is now well equipped to meet them successfully. Above all, the Club and its supporters are resolute in the belief that, both on and off the pitch, Rangers can look to the future with confidence and pride."




I noticed investors who bought in 7 months or so ago have done OK.
Shares issued at 70p, now trading around the 79 p mark, after having touched 93p or so late Dec/early Jan.


:cheers:

"The MP for Bradford West... an IRA, PLO, Saddam Hussein lover... the one and only Mr George Galloway.. has tabled this..."




I guess there are no more pressing problems in Bradford for him to address than snipe at laws that Parliament itself passed.

They( politicians) don`t object when those same laws work in favour of their friends and supporters.

Chicken feed compared to :

"The final cost of the Scottish Parliament building was £414.4m."

When the London Houses of Parliament were refurbed, it seems that it was not possible to have trees and plants from the UK used, they had to be imported, at great expense.

More recently :
"Under one proposal, the Commons would abandon its Victorian premises and set up temporary home at the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre, about half a mile away, to enable a £3bn refurbishment."

£3 billion.

A more two faced bunch of tossers than politicians it would be almost impossible to find.

It had all gone a bit quiet on the Rangers front and now time for an all new crisis... hate figure Craig Whyte is back and demanding back ownership of Rangers. :suicidal:

http://local.stv.tv/glasgow/220306-c...ers-ownership/


Former Rangers owner Craig Whyte is believed to be planning to launch legal action to secure the club's assets from Charles Green's consortium.

The former owner of the Ibrox club, who purchased an 85% stake in the 'oldco' from Sir David Murray for £1, has instructed London-based lawyers to serve Rangers with a writ demanding the assets are handed over in the coming weeks.

His legal action centres on the £5.5m deal which saw the club’s assets, including Ibrox stadium and the Murray Park, transferred from Rangers oldco to Sevco Scotland Limited.

Sevco Scotland Limited, which was later renamed The Rangers Football Club Limited, was created by Mr Green and his consortium. Title deeds for the club’s property indicate that the assets were transferred to Sevco Scotland on June 15 last year, the day after the oldco failed to secure a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) route out of administration.

Rangers previously stated that Sevco 5088 Limited, which administrators had identified as the pre-determined 'newco' for the club, transferred the assets to Sevco Scotland Limited to ensure that "the club’s corporate entity would be a Scottish registered company as it has always been."

However, it is believed Mr Whyte’s legal action is based on his claim to have been the man behind Sevco 5088 and in control of its assets.

His lawyers issued the current regime at Ibrox with a letter in December ahead of the £22m stock market flotation of new parent firm Rangers International Football Club plc, which warned that he would take Mr Green’s consortium to court over the deal as they had not received permission from him to the transfer of assets to Sevco Scotland from Sevco 5088.

The only director listed at Companies House for Sevco 5088 Ltd is Charles Green, while he signed off on a proposal to have the firm dissolved at the end of 2012, although it has not yet been struck off.

'Completely discredited'

In a strongly worded response, Mr Green branded Mr Whyte's claims as "delusional" and said the former Ibrox owner was "completely discredited".

Mr Green said: "Once again Craig Whyte has made serious allegations against the people who have committed themselves to rebuilding a Scottish institution which, almost single-handedly, he dragged towards the brink of oblivion.

"That he, after all he did to damage Rangers and the Club’s vast and loyal support, should attempt to denigrate those who stepped in to pick up the pieces and begin what will be a huge restructuring of the Club at all levels is deeply disappointing but predictable.

"We all need to be absolutely clear on what is happening. These are distorted and malicious allegations coming from a man who is completely discredited and now under police investigation."

Read the full text of Charles Green's statement in response to Craig Whyte's claims.

The Crown Office ordered Strathclyde Police last June to launch a criminal investigation into Mr Whyte's acquisition of Rangers in May 2011 and his financial management of the club.

Mr Green said there was no question of Mr Whyte being offered a route back into Ibrox or that he was in any way involved in the Sevco consortium.

"Mr Whyte wanted to be part of our group and wanted to invest £6m, which of course we would never have taken, but instead he went from that to demanding £1m in perpetuity from us plus six seats in the Directors’ Box and six in the Members’ area," Mr Green said.

"This was demanded in return from him giving us his shares. He was told in no uncertain terms that this was ludicrous and since then he has continued to try to derail our work at Ibrox which includes massive redevelopment plans."

He went on: "We cannot understand why Mr Whyte keeps going to the media rather than the court. He has threatened to take Duff & Phelps to court, the SFA to court and now Charles Green and Imran Ahmad. We suggest he gets on with it.

“If he wants to go to court we would be delighted to see him there. It is a shame Mr Whyte keeps trying to destabilise the Club he very nearly destroyed."

Previously, Mr Whyte issued a writ against BBC Scotland in February 2012 over a 2011 documentary in broadcast in which it was revealed that he had been banned as a director for seven years in 2000. However, no court hearings took place and his lawyers, Bannatyne Kirkwood France and Co, reached an out-of-court settlement with Mr Whyte over an alleged unpaid bill.

The Motherwell-born businessman also threatened to sue the Scottish FA after it banned him from any formal appointments in association football for life, although no legal action has occurred.

I'm surprised Whyte is still alive, he certainly seems to have a death wish.

Seems that way