I usually have to wait for a period of time before a story of mine is vindicated by events at Ibrox.
That was the case with Rangers (1872-2012) and that is also how it is with Sevco.
I recall in February 2014 I had been confidently asserting that Sevco had burned through the IPO cash pile.
Consequently, they would need to access external finance as a matter of urgency.
The chaps in the Blue Room were so rattled by this that they issued this statement.
“THE Club has received many calls in recent days from fans, shareholders and other interested parties with regard to the contents of an Irish-based internet blog which has published numerous allegations about the business affairs of Rangers Football Club.”
The statement worked and The People were soothed.
However, only three weeks later reality collided with their dignified narrative.
Sevco had indeed burned through the share issue money and they needed a crisis loan to limp on until the season ticket cash came in.
One year later I was able to share the backstory with my readers.
It was all rather amusing.
Since then I have been informed that the chaps in the Blue Room have discussed putting a statement out against this site on two occasions.
However, each time the debacle of February 2014 has been referenced in their Churchillian discussions and the idea was swiftly dropped.
Of course, the last thing they need is a journalist on their case who will not keep to an agreed script.
The poor dears.
So see, dear reader, the Sevco High Command does not have this sort of trouble with the local media in Glasgow.
Only yesterday I wrote that part of Dave’s cunning plan could be to sell players in January in order to settle the very large bill that is coming down the pipe from Sports Direct.
Then later that day Mr Gerrard stated to the media that he would “fall out with people” in order to hold onto Alfredo Morelos!
Whatever could the ex-Liverpool captain have meant?
Vindication once again?
I suppose we will have to wait and see…
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I just read Stewart Robertson’s response to a disabled fan at their AGM, where Robertson reckons that what happened was caused by the “thug-like” behaviour of the Celtic players. You couldn’t make this clown’s neck red with a flamethrower, never mind a blowtorch!! The disabled guy was injured because of the THUG-LIKE BEHAVIOUR of his own fellow “supporters”!
I sincerely hope that Lady Luck smiles upon my lottery tickets, so that I could personally fund the Res 12 guys and their legal team, to bring about this new entity’s downfall, as well as those criminals at the SFA HQ!
Years ago, as a small kid, I used to look forward to Dickie Davies introducing the likes of Jackie Pallo v Mick McManus, etc on World Of Sport on ITV. That, I believed, was proper fighting. As I grew older, I came to realise that what I was watching was in actual fact, a stage-managed charade. Right now, Scottish football is at that point where we all realise that we are paying to watch a similar charade… Now, do we go the full WWE, full of pantomime villains and pantomime dames – or do we clean up our game, and make it a proper sport? If we unanimously decide that we want a sport, then we must cleanse our game of the pantomime villains at both Hampden and Ibrox, and close down the Dave King’s Theatre on Edmiston Drive, PERMANENTLY!!
Laugh out loud moment with the Daily Ranger headline this morning.
‘Celtic and Rangers face lap of honour ban’.
I thought you had to win a match before setting off on a lap of honour, so why Rangers are included in the headline is anyone’s guess.
I suppose it’s the DR version of balanced reporting!
Having grown up through the fifties and early 60’s with trophies thin on the ground for Celtic I well remember what seemed like constant Rangers laps of honour around Hampden.
No drama, no pitch invasions as Rangers displayed the trophies to their fans.
Fast forward to 1965 as Celtic attempt a lap of honour with the newly won League Cup.
Cue Rangers fans invasion with the Celtic players having to run for their lives.
Wouldn’t be the last time that their fans reacted to a cup defeat at Hampden.
Taken to a new level with the destruction of Manchester city centre following the UEFA cup defeat and even in victory managed to blacken the 1972 ECWC win with a full scale riot in Barcelona. Geordies still talk about the late 60’s Fairs Cup clash with Rangers and subsequent riot.
Celtic have a duty of care to their fans, first and foremost. There is absolutely no way Police Scotland can guarantee the safety of fans in and out of the stadium on the day therefore Celtic should refuse the allocation.
Win, lose or draw it’s not going to be a nice place for a Celtic fan to be and the sooner the decision is taken out of the fans hands the better.
Oh and the SFA reaction to the 1965 pitch invasion……a 10 year lap of honour ban at Hampden for all teams!
Do you think that they knew we were about to embark on 9 in a row. I was there in 65 just as I had been in 64 and had to watch Baxter cavorting around Hampden throwing the league cup up in the air as he danced around. We stayed because my old man always waited until any crush was over before leaving with his kid.
A big group of Rangers fans attacked the Celtic fans in the bus park (currently Asda) smashing coach windows with stones and bottles. Our bus went home via the royal infirmary because one of our members had his jaw broken as he walked beside our bus.
Some things never change.
Can’t wait for wee Leigh to tie a scarf to the iBrokes goal at end of December!
(After a 0-5 drubbing puts daylight between both points and goal difference )
They’ll be banning that next!
They already have….Two of their fattest…..Sorry(not),two of their staunchest stewards have been posted(is that the right word)to defend the goalframe at the Broomloan Road end to deter The Griff from upsetting the delicate snowflakes for the last couple of encounters at the Stade de Bigot.HH
Selling Morelos will generate revenue but the question is ‘how much money and will it be enough?’ What is he actually worth?
He looks a decent player although his discipline is questionable. I can’t see any team parting with any more than £3m, bearing in mind his contract runs out in June 2020. More realistically I think £1.5 – £2m, unless he were to sign a contract extension. He can only be judged by his performances in the national leagues of Finland and Scotland. For me he needs to gain a few more caps and shows his worth on the international stage against top quality opposition.
Tavernier is another some commentators claim has a high transfer value but I disagree. He is a decent player but at 27 and with more clubs than Tiger Woods, I think he has found his level.
Rangers will not be able to trade their way out of debt like Hibs did with Brown, Fletcher, Murphy, O’Connor, Thompson etc. There is no Golden Generation at Ibrox, alas!
Rangers AGM this week. Can we expect King to pull a rabbit from the hat and blind his audience.
Can’t wait to here him talk up the recent positive financials, even Level 5 would find that a mite difficult.
With further losses, albeit reduced, forecast for the next two financial years will a shareholder stand up and ask when the club/company/thingy will actually become profitable as the losses, including the forecasts, will soon be approaching £50m which for a Scottish club with annual income just north of £30m is unsustainable.
Close Bros came to the rescue last year when Kingco failed to make good on the funding promises made to the auditors.
Whose the mug, oops sorry ‘investor’ whose going to appear from the mist this time around to save the day?
Slippy is either threatening King or setting Morelos up for a departure, either way not good for sevco.
If Morelos leaving is such a big deal they are as screwed on the park as off….I hope we show up at Ibrox and leather the crap team they are in front of a full house of their own KlanBase. They’ll be fighting each other.
I think it’s a certainty that Celtic WILL spend some serious money this winter window….
….Not without some income from outgoings though as well as the accompanying reduction in wage bill.
It’s not as if the money isn’t there… it just needs spent , and in the right way – no Kompper – Mussonda esque signings please!
Brendan will be making sure Peter L is despatched to the Celtic FC money pile to get the required funds. I don’t quite see a time-locked biscuit tin.. more a Harry Potter style vault in the bowels of the earth beneath Celtic Park that can only be accessed via magic and deposit of an IOU for Champions League Group Stage qualification next season.
Meanwhile….. over the other side of Glasgow – they are already in hock to the devil…
DCK Dastardly will be in full iBrokes financial bipolarity mode.. He will be promising the earth to the gullibillies and chief gullible (Mr Gerrard) about bringing in quality players while plotting to offset his ‘operating costs’ through sale of ‘El Buffoonalo’ , top defender Tavernier, and any other player they can get an offer for.
I expect some ‘bear appeasement’ in the form of such stellar names as Adam, Naismith etc.. as Mr King slowly rebuilds sevco to the starting lineup that Mr McCoist had the day the Daily Rancid announced that 140 years of history was over..
They really are taking this ‘same club’ thing too far! I wonder if Sandasa is available?
The Sevco AGM should be a great event – I do hope there’s reportage available. No doubt the above mentioned ailing rag will be hanging on every word.
I expect a staunchly positive spin on everything from crippling monthly losses to ‘off the radar’ incoming legal costs.
I expect important and pointed questions from the floor on topics such as …
“When can we buy an orange tap?”
“We need a safe (aye!) standing area!’
“Where can we buy an orange tap?”
“How many players are we buying in January?”
“Can we huv a forces day every home game?”
“Let’s make poppy wearing compulsory at iBrokes!”
Etc etc etc
Mr King will respond in his usual dignified way and with the onlooking/listening mugs soaking up every word…
…. all the time with Thursdays contempt appearance looming closer !
The man must have a sore neck from permanently looking over his shoulder.
Lucky for him ! He can look over both shoulders at the same time.
Personally, I don’t think he’ll turn up. For either the AGM OR ANY FUTURE court cases.
Not going by his usual form… he thinks he’s untouchable. The fact he is still free to come and go would suggest he is correct.
Apparently Dave sets of airport metal detectors every time he travels. It’s a bit like people with metal pins or joint replacements….
…. except in Daves case it’s his brass neck setting it off every time!
Not sure where the money could be best spent.
Christie has been fantastic since he came in from the cold. Goals from midfield and an unbelievable work rate more than compensates for the loss of Armstrong.
Boyata will be off in January, we need to maximise his sale value.
Benkovic is a class act and should be around till the summer. I doubt whether we can afford either his transfer fee or EPL wages. Ajer and Hendry will get their chance when Boyata goes.
Short of a striker for sure and probably a right back as well.
The passing on Saturday was excellent, surface et al. McGregor, Christie and Ntcham were all first class, Broonie is going to have a fight on his hands to get back in the team.
I’m thinking that at January’s window the power could have shifted at Ibrox. Gerrard has done better than expected as a rookie manager – so far – so could be off to better prospects next summer anyway. IMO he can absolutely have a very public spat with King via the media about player sales / signings. Gerrard might choose to gripe to his English media contacts. Gerrard has nothing to lose.
Rangers will have to cash in on Morelos. Anyone can see that. His sale will raise a healthy and respectable amount of profit. Irrespective of what bills may or may not be coming, this will represent an unusually shrewd piece of business by rangers.
Their desperation to sell is plain to see so it will be a buyer’s market. HH
You don’t often hear the words ”shrewd ” and ” business” used in any communication regarding Rangers !
Back when sevco first signed More or Less I did a bit of internet research on him because frankly I’d never heard of him. Looking at the bare stats I wondered why we hadn’t had a wee look at him. In hindsight someone should have taken me out side and slapped some sense into me. The stats revealed nothing about his personality or attitude. He’s a wee gob shite who has clearly bought into the sevco mantra of being allowed to kick everything above ground level. He has something in common with another wee South American gob shite, Neymar. They both have a face as twisted as a Shih Tzu licking cat piss off a nettle.
As I posted earlier the sale of Morelos is inevitable.
Running cost bills have to be met and the fall out from the merchandising and TOP fiascos isn’t going away.
Remember back in the day when the Old Firm mantra was the daily meat and drink of the media, look how things have changed.
The days of sharing the same sponsors or having the same company logo on the shirts has gone forever.
Whilst Celtic have built up long time professional and lucrative relationships with sponsors and negotiate the best deals for merchandising providing a steady income stream for the club, compare and contrast with the omnishambles at Ibrox.
It’s night and day. Instead of bringing in unheralded revenue on the back of Stevie G’s arrival, it’s much more likely that by the time SD is finished with Kingco the Ibrox merchandising income will be dwarfed by legal fees and damages claims.
In any other business that would result in those responsible falling on their swords.
Fortunately that’s not the Rangers way and no doubt those currently steering the ship will continue on their current route, put the SD business behind them and move on to the next project with the same result.