thelegendthatis

Jim could be the man. This is him appealing to a pensioner to help bale out the Rangers using just some of his 'out of this world' wealth. For those not of a religious persuasion, 'out of this world' wealth is the same as wealth 'off the radar'. .

Yes it is. Available on the first 50 pages of this thread. The only people surprised by how Rangers getting to where it is today are the stupidly optimistic Rangers fans.

"should have acted quicker" ??? But they haven't acted even yet. They are still shouting and bawling but doing nothing of any consequence. Other than getting up the noses of normal people for their inability to understand the world has moved on from their Champions League days. .

I think doing a risk assessment on Rangers as it stands and all that has happened since its formation is one hell of a job. That is why MA saw it so important to get Llambias and Leach in the door. They will still be digging their way through all the crap finding out what is there and especially what could jump up and bite them on the bum. Would guess they will have a squad working on the detail down in Sports Direct HO or wherever. Perhaps?? Take Ashley on at your peril. Must be a few skeletons to unearth at castle Ibrox. WhistleblowerAshley turned whistleblower on industry rivals in 2000, handing the Office of Fair Trading evidence of business meetings held by sports retailers to fix the price of football shirts. Ashley attended a meeting at the Cheshire home of David Hughes, the chairman of now bankrupt rival Allsports. At the meeting Dave Whelan, the founder of JJB Sports, reportedly told Ashley: "There's a club in the north son, and you're not part of it." Assuming Ashley provides money and gets security over any assets against that loan, you can be totally sure that as long as a single pound remains outstanding on the loan, the assets will remain in Ashley's hands. If Ashley is handing over money he won't be keen on a company that burns money having it. The culls must happen soon, with staff going out the door to reduce running costs. That must include players as they will be at the top of the payroll spreadsheet!

What a bunch of clowns. What is legalised theft? I note the Rangers Supporters Trust has contacted MPs. Was Rangers FC a responsibility devolved to the Scottish Government? No doubt won't stop Ian Davidson getting his nib in, with TV opportunities to show what a man of the people he is, especially as he scrambles to try to hang on to his seat come the election.

I think they missed their chance with Prince Andrew. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30759303 £13million would have done the business. Andrew, being such a party animal and general up himself sort of person, would have fitted in well with some of the Rangers fans, and Sarah would have been a hit with those of the fans with higher IQs.

The £8 million transfer fee raised eyebrows,[3] as the player, being out of contract, had joined Rangers for free just months before, at which point Newcastle showed no interest in signing him. This transfer is one of those about which the Stevens inquiry report in June 2007 expressed concerns: "There remains inconsistencies in evidence provided by Graeme Souness – a former manager of the club – and Freddy Shepherd – apparently acting in an undefined role but not as a club official – as to their respective roles in transfer negotiations." "The inquiry is still awaiting clarification from agent Willie McKay" McKay was one of the agents investigated by the Quest team, led by Lord Stevens, which looked into allegations of "bungs" and fraud in transfers That Willie Mackay is a good friend of Souness, ally to Walter Smith when manager at Everton and Rangers, and confidant of Gravy Boat Ally (remember in the dying stages of Rangers 1, Ally was wanting to buy 35 year old Cousin. Cousin's agent? Correct!) Also worked closely with Harry (I can't count beyond 2) Redknapp. Remind me again, when did Souness get his EBT at Rangers setup? It was long after he departed Ibrox.

Ashley is some class act. There he is now sitting with all the keys to Ibrox and Murray Park as well as the merchandise. At the same time he has lifted the drawbridge to any attempted infiltrators, only letting it down when he decides. Best of all he has done it in a steady professional way without feeding the media as is the usual Rangers way. Getting the control of the key parts of the overall business into his personal hands. Meanwhile creating an ever increasing influence on what is happening in the boardroom. Meanwhile the boys who would be Kings or the King who would be King go round and round, getting nosier, ducking and diving which is the usual Rangers way. Achieving nothing. Where to now guys? And the bleating fans like that Graham guy, the fat clown Dingwall, the sons of struth, the followers of william, John Brown, the fat Big Hoose guy can just go and crawl back under their stones. (Sorry Tedi, nearly forgot you , but you are now on a one man boycott anyway .) I do really like the link (posted earlier) to the article saying Ashley is looking at getting Rangers into the EPL. Now that would be fun. And a money making machine compared with what Rangers could achieve just operating within Scotland. Even if Rangers had to start in the English Championship (or lower) it would still be financially better then where they are at present. And surely the Rangers fans would lap it up. They after all see themselves as English with Scottish accents and have talked for years about being too big for Scottish football. Would take the SFA/SPFL out of the game in one fell swoop. The EPL wont be worried about Ashley's double ownership. And if Swansea, Cardiff, Derry City, Berwick Rangers can play in leagues in foreign countries then the precedence has been set.

Some brass neck these Rangers 'legends'. From the BBC website Former Rangers manager Walter Smith says he will never return to Ibrox in an official capacity and regrets joining the troubled club's board. Smith returned to Ibrox in November 2012 as a non-executive director under then-chief executive Charles Green and became chairman six months later. "I still go to the games now and again, but I would not go back on to the board again ," the 66-year-old said. "I learned it's an environment I'm not particularly comfortable in." Smith also believes he should have stood down as chairman much sooner than he did in August 2013. At the time, he accused Yorkshireman Green and former directors Brian Stockbridge and Bryan Smart of creating a "highly dysfunctional environment". "Not particularily comfortable in", means being totally out of his depth and useless. There were many who pointed that out at the time on P&B and elsewhere. You didn't have to be brain surgeon to know he was only there as a patsy for Green. His appointment was all about giving Green some credibility and keeping the great unwashed amongst the Rangers support on side. It worked. "At the time" when he accused Green etc of being rogues was said as he walked, but could have said the same at any time while he was still chairman. But cash in his pocket dictated his timing. Smith no doubt was well rewarded for turning up. It is amazing how wise he can be after the event, when his uselessness is confirmed by himself, but of course he does not apologise to the Rangers fans on how he assisted Green in hoodwinking them. Like so many other Rangers legends delighted to take the large amounts of money, but repeatedly show they are happy to treat the club and the fans with total contempt - as long as they are well paid for it.

I don't think Ashley cares a jot what league they are in, as long as they have a worldwide fanbase and a recognisable brand. Which they have. Despite boycotts organised by fans or by Kingy that is just local and with some common sense can be recovered pretty quickly. Think it is important to see Ashley's motives being totally different from the ambitions of the fans. So another year in the Championship will not be a show stopper for him. Below that? Not sure. The sort of investment needed to sort out Rangers (given he tackles the obscenely high running costs) is chickenfeed to Ashley.

If there was a significant minority (20%) who did not vote yes, then the directors must take their views into consideration. They are representing the company as opposed to even a majority of shareholders. There are many cases where minority shareholders took such decisions to court and won where decisions were made to benefit majority shareholders. Just found one I know from way back, action by someone with less than 25% of the shares. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19880125&id=XzpAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UlkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2377,5331402 He won, and won well!

Carver submitted a proper bid, as reported to the stock market. You may question his motives and who he was chumming up with, but it was a legitimate offer(s). With just a quick glance as what has been happening (unfortunately I don't have the time or inclination to monitor every dodgy move) you can see The Rangers est 2012 has a market value of just over £20mill. Some guy comes along makes an offer of £22mill for a majority share, plus £6.5m to help them continue trading. The directors of the company have legal obligations. A couple are below. The success of the company remains the paramount concern for directors. The legislation prompts the board to think about these different factors, but they must remain subsidiary to the over-arching requirement the directors have to act in the way they believe, in good faith, is most likely to promote the company’s success. A director is on the board to act in the best interests of the company as a whole, not to represent the interests of just one shareholder or even a group of like minded investors. That rule applies irrespective of the circumstances in which the director has been appointed. So to turn down Carver's offer which looks as if it would satisfy many of the above obligations, without some alternative would seem to run the risk of putting the directors at risk of not carrying out their obligations properly. Llambias and his MA sidekick would know what they have to do and what they can't do. Personal liability would be avoided at all costs. The one thing Llambias and his board mate know for sure is the thinking of Mike Ashley. Only conclusion I can draw is that Ashley will be able to move to saviour status at some point soon. Every day that goes by gets The Rangers (2012) closer to meltdown.

Fruity King Stadium? I assume the King bit is to acknowledge the role of Dave 'Dodgy' King in helping Rangers get to where they are today. The Fruity part I don't understand. I can only presume this must refer to Richard Gough, one time Rangers player, and no doubt Rangers legend. Hopefully Tedi and his mates can 'out' Fruity!

Thanks for your really useful reply . Looking at subsequent posts I see you are most concerned about the top tier of the Ibrox stand being closed. I think choosing to discuss such inconsequential nonsense goes some way to proving my point. However just clarify the point I was making. Rangers supporters are in general pretty thick. Many extremely. Because of this they have failed totally to see through smooth talkers who wear suits, telling the fans what they want to hear while they strip the club, starting with David Murray. It was after all non Rangers fans who have continually outed the crooks and cowboys who have robbed the club to within an inch of its very existence. In return they get abuse and accusations of being in league with Celtic or some similar long term enemy of which there are many to choose from. The most substantial contribution of attempted worth from a Rangers fan will comprise a cut and past about company law or SFA regulation. I am not saying all Rangers supporters are thick, but 99% behave as if they are. The other one percent who have the ability to play a positive role for the club are put off totally by the other 99%. .

I am sure not all are idiots, but it is really difficult to find the ones who aren't. You can use the current goings on at Rangers and how those Rangers fans react as a basis of deciding where the non idiots are. Just now we have batches of shares changing hands, various groups coming and going. Challenges from various directions such as HMRC, people like Dave King "a glib and shameless liar" getting involved, the SFA/SPFL blustering around. The club running out of money a few weeks at a time. I would say these activities are important to understand so those outside the doors of Ibrox can make some judgement about what out of all this might be best for the club. Add to that the management of the club (the business that is). After years of definitely dodgy and often incompetent management we now have people with personal reputations to protect, and proven ability of running businesses successfully. Is this ever mentioned by the Rangers fans as a benefit or otherwise to their club. I don't care what your conclusion is, but at least debate it. Because of their ability (intellectually) to discuss,understand or interpret these things, we end up with a mish mash of verbiage of what player they should buy,how good is the coach, who is a legend or which club is more bigoted than they are. All totally and utterly irrelevant to the pressing issues at hand. Unfortunately when I see the tirades of Tedi and his mates I just see people who don't know how to cope with the important things in their club, in football or in life. Sad.

You say Ashley can't increase his shareholding above 10%. Well he can. But of course what will happen if he does is to get the SFA on his case. The SFA can't stop him buying more shares. That would create all sorts of significant legal problems for the SFA. What they can do is respond in some way through the club licence. But what would the SFA do? Ban Ashley? Fine him? Disqualify him? Revoke the Rangers licence? There are no options that are easy for them. And any of them would be vigorously challenged I would guess. Some by Ashley, some by the Rangers fans. If it ends up the SFA against Ashley it would be the SFA that would bottle it.

There is an old saying "Don't sh*t on people on the way up, you might meet them on the way down". Rangers sh*t on people as they rose through the ranks right from the days of utter crap they were under John Greig From their lofty perch they continued to sh*t at every opportunity on everyone below them. Even after they were found out to be frauds, they continued to try to crap on everyone else without realising the perch had plummeted to the bottom of Scottish football. OK? Got the idea?

Oh aye, Ally being one of the good guys what luvs Rangers at any cost. He loves them so much he would work for Rangers for a pittance. Only if you think a million quid payoff is a pittance that is.

What trouble? He seems to be sitting back, relaxing, letting everyone else get worked up.

There have been a lot of strange goings on recently. Mike Ashley provides secured loans. His long stop defence? Dave King tries to destabilise the club and its finances with boycotts etc. Plan to get share price down to a level he could afford to buy in? The 3 Bears appear. Why now? Where were they when they were needed? Or were they just scared of Chuckie? Institutional investors sell their shareholdings at pretty much the same time. At a loss. Unusual timing. Do coincidences like this just happen to happen? The man from Phoenix appears out of the woodwork, sends an email or tow and then gets bumped. Ashley gets his men in place as chief exec and finance director. The printed media become the mouthpiece for King. Doncaster engineers an 'interview' so he can get some statements out into the open about Rangers as an entity, club and company. Why now? Was Doncaster aware of the potential share deals in Rangers prior to his BBC interview? Had the SFA been consulted by any current or potential shareholders before his interview? Somebody needs to ask him (and Campbell Ogilvie). So lots going on and we can't really understand what is going on from outside the Big Hoose. But as long as Ashley and the bus boys stick together Ashley holds on to the security for his loans Ashley's men stay in key positions and Ashley has deep pockets then all the rest can bluster all they want, but it will achieve nothing.

You are probably right . Until the next time. Shame the payroll bill is so high. Too many staff, paid too much = high NI and tax due to HMRC. But the situation Rangers is in now was just so predictable. Do they not pay attention at the Big House?

Tedi my son, you obviously have never 'negotiated' with HMRC about paying what they say is owed. It is tough enough for any company to cope with HMRC demands, but if you have a track record of avoidance and ducking and diving they will not mess around. If they say 7 days, you damned well make sure they have the cash within 7 days. And the sad part is that HMRC will view Rangers as the same company that has mucked them around for years. So as far as they are concerned the Rangers they are dealing with is the same bunch of spivs and crooks they have been trying to nail down since Murray's day. Presume you will be happy with that approach? (Must tell you someday about the Rangers director who furnished his house and put the invoices (and the VAT) through the business. The fellow directors were ok with it but the VAT people were not.)

Answers to your 2 questions. 1. NO. 2. NO.

Think Tedi is of the opinion that Rangers run a "teapot" accounting system. When they get some cash in the door it goes into a teapot on the mantelpiece. One teapot for wages, one for travel and hotels for away games, one for HMRC. And if one teapot doesn't have enough in it when you have to pay something, then you don't pay that bill. As Tedi says, it is not that complicated.

You can count shareholdings all day long, or who would win what vote, but the reality is Ashley holds all the cards. He has his loan money sitting then, and if something happens, or is threatened to happen, that he doesn't like he can squeeze the board for repayment. He has Llambias as chief executive and Barry Leach with his feet under the table and you can be sure that they are calling ALL the shots. They are the ones who dumped the 10 staff, got Ally out of harms way, dictated to Mcdowall what he should do, found out Durrant and chased him. I would be amazed if they couldn't cut the payroll in half by the summertime. The players will whimper, their agents will scream, and the fans will as ever shout from the sidelines. But all pointless and quite irrelevant. The path ahead is clear. What the 3 Bears could add beyond what Team Ashley could do is not clear.