Desperate people tend to do desperate things.
Moreover, the Convict Chairman is famously capricious.
You may recall the occasion when the Admirable Warburton switched on the TV to find out that he had resigned.
On Sunday night Mr David Cunningham King was faced with an inconvenient truth.
Of course, we know from Judge Southwood in South Africa that Mr King doesn’t like the truth and tries to avoid it when he can.
My information as of one hour ago is that the Johannesburg based chairman got into conclave with the Conveyancing Consigliere and a stateside colleague.
The latter was needed for his business connections to Liverpool.
The Convict Chairman had seen his side bested by the champions and one of his wide players injure himself in the dying moments of the game.
You may recall that Mr Gerrard had stated that there would be no more players coming into Sevco and that a few might be leaving.
Indeed, the signing of Brand Parker was sanctioned because there was no chance of bringing in Kent.
Although Sevco has had well-publicised problems with their retail operation they can now boast a fully stocked winger shop.
At that point, Liverpool was asking for the entire transfer fee upfront.
Then they changed their stance and would accept the fee in two tranches.
Now, the normal football transfer is paid over three tranches on percentage split of 40/30/30.
My information, at the moment, is that the Anfield club asked for a 60/40 split.
Now if the leaked figure of £7m then this week Sevco have to find £4.2m for Liverpool.
£4.2m…
If the headline figure is accurate then Sevco has just taken on the equivalent of another loan to Close Brothers.
I’m told that the Serious Professional was not in the loop about the move for Kent.
Moreover, neither were the more rational members of the Sevco High Command.
Interestingly Mr King’s inter-galactic PR guru and his young protégé, peace be upon him, were tasked with briefing the usual suspects in the Stenography Corps that the deal was on again.
The stark reality so that a full-strength Sevco side could only register two attempts on goal against a makeshift Celtic defence.
That’s rather remarkable when you consider the hype going into the match where the home side was heavily tipped by the Stenography Corps.
The visitors had six attempts on goal and scored with two of them,
Where it not for the reflexes of Allan McGregor then a 4-0 scoreline would not have flattered the champions.
If it is a bad idea to train to fight the last war then it is also a tactical error to set your team up to counteract the previous manager.
A coach that I spoke to yesterday said that Mr Gerrard’s team selection on Sunday was set up to counteract a Brendan Rodgers Celtic team.
When the Hoops came out of the traps under orders from the Lurgan fella it was clearly the wrong choice in the rock, paper, scissors game of football formations and tactics.
It is worth noting that this is only Mr Gerrard’s second season in senior football management.
That may explain his bad in-game calls once it was apparent that his cunning plan wasn’t working.
Contrast his dugout decisions with his vastly more experienced opponent.
If the vents of Sunday are not taken on board then the 11th-hour move for the Liverpool fringe player is inexplicable.
Of course, the precise details of the Kent transfer is something that should be exercising the chaps on the sports desks.
However, as they tend to prefer supplication to interrogation when it comes to matters Ibrox.
What we do know is what young Master Kent actually achieved in Scotland last season.
He scored one goal against Celtic and punched Scott Brown and…err… that’s it.
For the record, his solitary strike against the champions was not decisive as Sevco lost 2-1.
However, the capture of this Poundland Jelavić says so much of how Sevco operates and how they see themselves.
They know that they are dwarfed by their larger, richer neighbour, but yet they cannot admit it.
The Catalan analogy is apposite.
Of course, if Financial Fair Play was in operation on Planet Fitba then the Serious Professional would be summoned to Hampden this week to explain this apparently ruinous acquisition for Espanyol Glasgow.
As you were…
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I notice that Kyle Lafferty has given support to Bazza’s notion that Rangers are now favourites for the SPFL title, having added Kent to their roster.
I would have thought that the twice ex Ranger might have known better as he’s no stranger to a wee flutter here and there.
Come on Kyle give us one bookmaker who is marking up the Ibrox club as title favourites, just one!
Not long to the day of reckoning with Ashley and SDI.
I wonder if the annual report will be presented a tad earlier than expected. Ie. before the Sports Direct bill is quantified and thus the narrative can be included in the notes to the accounts as a post balance sheet item, as yet unquantified?
Naa, far too dignified for a move like that, surely?
,having added Kent to their roasters.’
Fixed that for you bud 👍🏼
Reading on the Beeb about Barca had to take out a six-month unsecured loan for £31.6m to sign Griezman and then tried to sign Neymer for over £100m, while being £543m in debt!
Perhaps we need to start talking about the Rangersification of Barcelona!
I notice that Barry Ferguson added himself to the number of so called pundits sure that the Ibrox club would put Celtic away at the weekend.
Specifically he named Morelos, Aribo and Tavernier as the main men to see Celtic off.
Morelos can’t be trusted by his manager and only arrived on the field as a late substitute.
Tavernier brought nothing to the game in an attacking sense and both goals originated on his side of the park, not for the first time.
Aribo might get away with stepovers against the likes of East Fife but was way out of his depth against the Champions.
So congrats Bazza, not for the first time you got it all wrong.
The facts now are that one more slip up from his former club before the away fixture to Celtic in December will see them looking at a 7 or 9 points gap going into the new year.
well said.
HH
It’s desperation spending. They are now so financially committed to stopping the run this year there is no turning back. It’s all or bust. Bust I suspect.
It’s a bit like a nineteenth century gambler when every penny he has is already on the table. “I’ll throw in my plantation in Africa!!” OOPS!!! Possibly a bad comparison.
How about, “I’ll throw in my wine collection!!”
Ach fuck it! I give up! They’re screwed is what I mean!!
King could throw in his Art collection?
It’s desperation spending. They are now so financially committed to stopping the run this year there is no turning back. It’s all or bust. Bust I suspect.
It’s a bit like a nineteenth century gambler when every penny he has is already on the table. “I’ll throw in my plantation in Africa!!” OOPS!!! Possibly a bad comparison.
How about, “I’ll throw in my wine collection!!”
Ach fuck it! I give up! They’re screwed is what I mean!!
If anyone wants a good laugh(yes yet again) check out Peak Zombie Rage on twitter. You will literally piss yourself. You have to give the lad some credit, good old fashioned honest rage.
Phil,
I think the time has come for Tina Turner to re-appropriate and update her 1992 hit single, “Simply The Best”, to reflect more accurately the current state of affairs at Ibroke.
I’ve taken the liberty of tweaking the chorus and would welcome your regular readers to chip in…..
“You’re simply second-best, no better than all the rest.
Bitter than ‘Everyone Anyone’ I ever met”
“Wur simply depressed” works just as well 👍🏼
“Rangers thug banned for life after taunting Celtic ace Scott Brown about his sister” declare the papers proudly. How can they ban him if they haven’t bothered to find out who he is?
EVERY PENNY that goes out of the Crumbledome door now, lessens their chances of going through this season without an insolvency event. If the bill from MA is in the £15-20m region, which I fully expect, AND Close Brothers decide to call in the chips, they simply CAN’T continue!! End of!! If they had guaranteed CL money coming in, THIS SEASON, which they don’t, it’s still unlikely they could continue in those circumstances.
The Sports Direct bill will not be as high as that.
More likely to be half of what you estimate.
That dry humour is wonderful Phil, the omittance of the word ‘only’ before “half of what you estimate” made me chuckle.
Really can’t see it being that low Phil. MA will be due last season’s entire profits to both Hummel and Elite and although he gave permission for them to continue to sell this season, I suspect this was entirely for logistical reasons and I fully expect him to be due the same again.
All of the above is basically “loss of earnings” to the SD group. I would expect that substantial punitive damages are also likely to be awarded. Plus the legal bill which will involve another million at least on top of the down payment already made.
There may also be action taken against individuals involved in the case. Lying in evidence, in other words perjury, springs to mind.
£8M – £10M Phil, sure about this?
Following this story closely, I was under the impression the bill was nearer £20m – £25m.
also, when is it due down the shite-pipe to them?
LOL moment this morning as Simon Jordan on Talksport praised the improved financial situation at Ibrox, using the fag packet, unaudited numbers released a few months back showing a £4m profit.
Hang about Simon and let’s here your opinion on how those rosy numbers almost certainly turn red in the audited year end accounts due to be published soon.
FYI Simon there is an outstanding loan from Close Bros, secured against anything at Ibrox not nailed down, that has to be repaid plus there’s a bill on the way from SDI which could run into several millions.
Let’s see what the financial situation looks like taking the above issues into account.
The keyword is “unaudited”.
You have really pissed them off this weekend Phil! FF full of talk about you!
About 2 years ago…Sevco admitted that their future book balancing was based on CL qualification…and I said….” WTF…?”
Now they have gambled huge money, by their standards, on one player turning everything around …and once again I have to say…
“WTF …?”
Irrespective of where this money comes from….this is another ill thought out move and smacks of desperation.
Naturally the Bears are ecstatic….but they never see the big picture.
This could come back to haunt them.
Believe you me, it WILL!!!
Call me a cynic, but could this (https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-reveal-europa-league-ticket-19360618#ICID=Android_DailyRecordNewsApp_AppShare) explain how they can afford Kent?
His wages will be covered as they let go Dorrans and one other yesterday. Lastly, I read that the first trench was £2million with the rest paid over several payments.
“Trench”?
Well, they are fixated on the military…
The Ibrox club reverting to type.
Their football playing efforts were substandard to the extent that they managed only two efforts on target. One of which was an effort that trundled along the ground straight into the hands of big Fraser.
Arfield was reduced to searching Ollie’s back pocket for his midfield partners and Jordan Jones demonstrated his bitterness, his cowardice (for the cheap shot) and his ineptitude when he managed to injure himself in his attempt to maim Moritz Bauer. Did he influence the game? . . . Not one iota!
Perhaps he thought he could become a fans hero a la Ryan Kent. A man who became an ibrox hero for punching Scott Brown while losing to the nation’s champions. Did he influence the game? . . . Not one iota! Instead, by the time JJ gets himself fit again he will find himself behind RK in the pecking order.
To appease the bears, King has dredged every penny of the season ticket money, every penny of the UEFA money, every penny he can lay his hands on to sign a player who never played a competitive game for Liverpool and at the age of 22 has won precisely nothing. Which is, I predict, precisely what RK will contribute in terms of trophies won during his stay at Ibrox.
His 4 year contract may come to a premature end because the the paucity of funds to pay for it while at the same time finding cash for all the other bills which accrue throughout the season. King is gambling, probably with other people’s money or, he is gambling on finding another “investor” (surely you mean “mug”?) to make up the shortfall.
The Ibrox club may well stagger on beyond this season but this panic buy means that they will be no nearer financial stability and will therefore continue to be unable to develop a strategic, long term plan. It could be said that the RK signing guarantees 10 in a row because the Ibrox club will be unable to fund a serious attempt to stop it.
That’s not how the bears see it. But it is what the evidence suggests. Their side is no match for the champions. Only Celtic can stop 10 in a row and the recent signings suggest that isn’t going to happen.
Slightly off-topic, but pretty-much fits in with your first line in this article…
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/twisted-rangers-fan-targets-celtic-19355625#ICID=Android_DailyRecordNewsApp_AppShare
That said, I applaud the sevvie off-camera who censured the mouthy moron. Now, let’s have him named and shamed. There is no place for that garbage!
I think the Jelavić reference is entirely spot on regards this move Phil.
Spending money they don’t have in order to maintain a pretence that they are genuine contenders.
His purchase was the beginning of the end for Oldco and as far as I can recall Rapid had to fight to get the rest of their money.
Hopefully a similar outcome may befall this current entity.
Two words (Scottish Colloquialism) Broon and Breed
What struck me on Sunday was how much they missed CandyAss. He worked really well with Tavernier, attacking and defending. They sell him for peanuts and then buy Kent whose stats are almost identical, in terms of goals and assists. I cannot figure that one out at all.
No, neither do I. In my opinion he was the only good footballer they had. The words of an old coach I had at college came back to me there. “Good players are ten a penny. Good FOOTBALLERS COME RARELY!”
I totally agree with you. I think he was a far more productive and effective player than Kent and I’m glad to see the back of him. Looking forward with relish though to the next Broony v Kent meeting.
Where on earth would they find £4.2m up front….haven’t they heard of BIg Mike’s incoming damages…? Unless Kent really isn’t a £7m player….🤔
That possibility is covered in the piece.
But do they have anything left to ‘pawn’ ?
If only there was some europa league ticket money due in the next 36 hours! £111 up front, with no option for installments or time to pay……even though games 2 and 3 arent till November and December. 36,000 fans will pick up Daves tab!
The desperation to derail the 10 in a row juggernaut as soon as possible seems to be the reason for those in charge of the Ibrox coffers to take leave of their senses. Such an irrational and extravagant spending spree surely comes with a genuine risk of insolvency. Borrowing even more money to fund a title challenge which at some point will have to be paid for. Could it be that this is Dave King’s last throw of the dice? A massive gamble that he hopes will bring silverware. He would love to be remembered in the same way as Fergus McCann, a legend who stopped 10 in a row. However it might be more realistic that he ends his tenure at Ibrox with a similar legacy to David Murray. Spending money they don’t have and leaving the mess to be cleared up by someone else.
In relation to Rangers attempt to get UEFA off their back by not taking tickets for the next Europa league game, Porto as it turns out, how does that tie in with the amount of fans already booked to visit Portugal and many others investigating the travelling options open to them.
Assuming that tickets are available from Porto then it’s likely that there will be Rangers fans scattered all over the stadium. Not ideal.
Rangers will have no control over the sale of tickets and therefore will have no idea of whose buying them. In fact even previously or currently ‘banned’ fans could be in the crowd.
I’ve not read or heard a statement from the Ibrox club urging their fans not to travel which seems strange in the circumstances.
The Klub wash their hands by refusing tickets or offering travel options.
They can’t be responsible for the idiots buying tickets by other routes.
Sadly I can see Celtic having to refuse a batch before the group games end.
There will be Celtic supporters who will find their way into the games also.
There is no doubt that Ryan Kent will improve the current “Rangers” but on the evidence of Sunday’s performance so would Wee Jimmy Krankie.
Phil,
Now please do not think for one second that I am scared of anything deadco can throw at us over a full season, but, I have a major problem that they are being allowed to spend money they simply do not have.
for me, this is a form of cheating. or am I wrong here?
Fred
Two words (Latin) – MODUS, and OPERANDI.
When the accounts are released, very soon, the extent of the Close Bros loan will be revealed.
More interestingly the auditors have to declare any major post balance sheet issue, that’s post 30th June 2019, so the narrative and the quantifiable amount sought by SDI should be revealed.
That in itself will ensure that the auditors will be attaching a future trading warning to the accounts.
Auditors??????????????