The DA

That's where it starts to get complicated - for me, at least. Who is it has to meet the FFP rules? Is it RIFC (the parent company) or TRFCL (the club)? If it's the club, I'm not sure they can claim for Auchenhowie - isn't that owned an operated by the parent company? But, you're right - they've probably not overspent by FFP-testing amounts. If it's the parent company (my guess), haven't they lost more than 30M euros over the last 3 years? They may not owe anyone that much but they must have come close to over-spending by that much - can the share issue money be counted as income in this context? I almost hope they do win the Cup, just to see the answer to these questions.

Haven't had my first coffee yet. Getting back on track, how do you think those FFP rules would be interpreted in Rangers' case?

Oi! I've got the attention span of a goldfish, right? Who remembers who wrote what more than seven hours before? Anyway, there's nothing new under the sun - or under the BRALT. It's all been asked before. Not answered, just asked.

To answer my own question, I took a look at UEFA's website. I think the following extract is interesting and it would seem to suggest that it's going to be close-run. Have Rangers lost more than €30M over the last 3 years? Would they be allowed to discount the running costs of Murray Park? 3) Are clubs no longer allowed to have losses? To be exact, clubs can spend up to €5million more than they earn per assessment period (three years). However it can exceed this level to a certain limit, if it is entirely covered by a direct contribution/payment from the club owner(s) or a related party. This prevents the build-up of unsustainable debt. The limits are: • €45m for assessment periods 2013/14 and 2014/15 • €30m for assessment periods 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 In order to promote investment in stadiums, training facilities, youth development and women’s football (from 2015), all such costs are excluded from the break-even calculation.

Honest question - furra change. If Rangers do win the Cup (20% chance according to Ladbrokes) does anyone think the FFP rules will prevent them being put into the 2nd Qualifying Round of the Europa League? Who decides whether they do or don't meet the rules? Is it the SFA or UEFA?

That's according to an unaudited 'Consolidated Income Statement'. It doesn't tell you how they're moving financial amounts around behind the scenes. I don't even see an accountant's name on it, never mind an auditor's.

I forgot about that intermediate step.

I'm assuming the argument is that, if I steal a thousand quid and use it to buy a new laptop, it's the person who I stole the money from that gets the money back, not the guy that sold me the laptop.

History repeating itself. Employing players you can't afford... Every season, the crunch point gets earlier and earlier. I hate to repeat that trope, but... tick, tock.

Agreed. Not sure I see it either. However, chucking Chuckie to the wolves like this could be a HUGE mistake. They'll save money in the short term but the long term impact of a few home truths could be enormous.

I'm not sure whether the day can't get any better or can't get any worse.

The joke was sort of undermined by kfm deleting his duplicate post. Absolute bassa.

That's worth repeating.

Q. When did Rangers Football Club plc 'unincorporate'?

I'll let them off with the pints - I'd have had those anyway. And I quite enjoyed most of them.

I was thinking about this recently. Why do clubs select their managers from such a shallow pool? It's all ex-players and, to be fair, football players aren't always the sharpest tools in the box. There's reasonably good money in football so I wonder why we don't have more non-footballing types going into football management. Lots of folk will have good man-management skills, good organizational skills, good planning skills and a reasonable knowledge of football tactics. Leave the coaching to the ex-players and bring in someone capable of stringing two thoughts together? A couple of months of intensive training and Bob's yer auntie's husband. Maybe Warburton really is the start of a revolution in Scottish football management. Arsenal haven't done badly and Mourinho seems to have done OK in most of his jobs. [edited just feckin because.]

He's an average but unproven manager who has brought a bit of order to the chaos of the previous incumbents. I can understand why he looks like a star manager to you but you're comparing him to a pretty low baseline.

So, if and when the money runs out again, which one goes bust? Is it RIFC or RFC or both? And if RFC die, would that be them dead for good this time? I just wonder how often you can try to separate club from company.

And when was the holding company for the previous club/company set up? You know? The one that went bust in 2012. Incorporated in 1899. Unincorporated when?

You can always rely on shull to remind you of what matters - back to basics.

a) I suspect this isn't what they think - it's what they say. b) How do you know your debt is only to shareholders? I didn't think King had revealed the source of the £6M loan-for-a-loan. c) One out of three isn't bad. But it all goes back to fielding a team that is outwith your financial means.

The only place they can go 'back' to is the 1st division but I can't see the points deduction for another admin event pulling them down into the relegation battle.

Literate folk, bennett. [edited because I can't read a name]

IKEA-n what you mean.

Is the whole world just one big RC/Protestant divide to some people on here? Is that the lens they see everything through?