BMC

Umbro have been sold to ICONIX who mainly relicense stuff to chains like Wal-Mart etc..Nothing related to Ashley about that surely?

There´s also the case of our SFA membership..It was transferred to the newco meaning that it can be claimed that Rangers de facto is the same Rangers as before with titles and punishments

I think Uefa are more ready to endorse regional leagues now in the hope that they would be more able to compete with the bigger ones, not creating a super league at all.

Since Lerner bought Aston Villa, the club has made cumulative losses of £148 million with the vast majority of that (£138 million) being made in the last three years.. Yeah, I do read the Swiss Rambler

Aston Villa income 2011 = £92m

Article 12 2 The membership and the contractual relationship (if any) must have lasted – at the start of the licence season – for at least three consecutive years. Any alteration to the club’s legal form or company structure (including, for example, changing its headquarters, name or club colours, or transferring stakeholdings between different clubs) during this period in order to facilitate its qualification on sporting merit and/or its receipt of a licence to the detriment of the integrity of a competition is deemed as an interruption of membership or contractual relationship (if any) within the meaning of this provision.

The former states of Yugoslavia are considering forming a regional Balkan League, starting in 2015, with UEFA believed to be prepared to grant approval to the cross-border competition. According to a report in Croatia's Globus newspaper, the topic was raised at a meeting organised by European football's governing body, and is being seriously considered by eight countries. The league would involve teams from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Macedonia and Montenegro, along with Hungary and Bulgaria. Michel Platini, the UEFA president, has expressed his support for cross-border competitions, even though the governing body has previously held reservations. The meeting discussing the proposed Balkan League was held last month, and chaired by the deputy secretary-general, Theodore Theodoridis, and, if the competition was to be established, it would set a precedent. The Old Firm were once involved in discussion about forming an Atlantic league with teams from the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Portugal and Belgium. UEFA were against the proposal at the time, but that was 10 years ago and attitudes have changed. UEFA recently set a precedent by agreeing to clubs competing in a cross-border women's football league in Belgium and the Netherlands being allowed to contest European tournaments. That development would allow for clubs in a Balkan or Atlantic League being granted access to the Champions League.

A bit more about the proposed "Balkan league" The former states of Yugoslavia are considering forming a regional Balkan League, starting in 2015, with UEFA believed to be prepared to grant approval to the cross-border competition. According to a report in Croatia's Globus newspaper, the topic was raised at a meeting organised by European football's governing body, and is being seriously considered by eight countries. The league would involve teams from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Macedonia and Montenegro, along with Hungary and Bulgaria. Michel Platini, the UEFA president, has expressed his support for cross-border competitions, even though the governing body has previously held reservations. The meeting discussing the proposed Balkan League was held last month, and chaired by the deputy secretary-general, Theodore Theodoridis, and, if the competition was to be established, it would set a precedent. The Old Firm were once involved in discussion about forming an Atlantic league with teams from the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Portugal and Belgium. UEFA were against the proposal at the time, but that was 10 years ago and attitudes have changed. UEFA recently set a precedent by agreeing to clubs competing in a cross-border women's football league in Belgium and the Netherlands being allowed to contest European tournaments. That development would allow for clubs in a Balkan or Atlantic League being granted access to the Champions League.

Uefa have already had a meeting with countries willing to set up a Balkan regional league, so far all ex-yugoslavian countries, Hungary and Bulgaria. Edit/ No way that Aston Villa got a £250m revenue

A good read, a bit of vision based on hard business facts... The developments suggested around Ibrox follows the trends we see all over Europe right now, Manchester or Paris, Gelsenkirchen or Istanbul doesn´t matter as all clubs that can are building an improved commercial base that hopefully makes them less reliant on stuff like TV-money and such.

Apparently, this was actually recorded during the last series of "Have I Got News For You" when Jimmy Saville was a guest on Paul Merton's team. Incredibly, it didn't make our screens. (It seems that Mr. Merton doesn't like Mr. Saville very much) Out-take 3:09'36 During the headline round: DEAYTON: You used to be a wrestler didn't you? SAVILLE: I still am. DEAYTON: Are you? SAVILLE: I'm feared in every girls' school in the country. (Audience laugh) DEAYTON: Yeah, I've heard about that. SAVILLE: What have you heard? DEAYTON: I've... MERTON: Something about a cunt with a rancid, pus-filled cock. (Huge audience laugh; Awkward pause) SAVILLE: I advise you to wash your mouth out, my friend... MERTON: That's what she had to do! (Audience laughs) HISLOP: Weren't you leaving money in phone boxes or something? (Saville glares at him) Or have I got completely the wrong end of the... SAVILLE: (To Deayton, heavily) The question you asked was about wrestling. DEAYTON: Yes. And then you mentioned girls' schools. I don't know whe... SAVILLE: Well I understood this was a comedy programme. I realise now how wrong I was. (Audience laugh) DEAYTON: So were you a professional wrestler? SAVILLE: Yes I was. DEAYTON: (To audience) Glad we got that cleared up.(Pulls face; audience giggles) HISLOP: Feared by every girls' school in the country... SAVILLE: That's right. MERTON: Due to having a rancid, pus-filled cock.(Huge audience laugh) DEAYTON: Erm... HISLOP: You're on top form tonight, Paul... SAVILLE: (Strangely) I'm...this is not what I... FLOOR MANAGER: (OOV) OK, do you...(inaudible section)...shall we, for pick-ups... MERTON: I'm terribly sorry. I don't know what came over me. SAVILLE: A pus-filled cock, I imagine. (Shocked audience laugh) MERTON: Oh, it's nice to see you joining in. We'd been waiting for you, you sad senile old shitter. (Audience appears to do double-take) DEAYTON: I think we...d-d-you you want to apologise to our guest, Paul? MERTON: Sorry, I do apologise. Sir senile old shitter, is what I meant to say. (Audience laugh; pause) Sir senile old shitter...who fucks minors. (Audience unrest) HISLOP: Sorry, I'm just looking at our lawyer again. (Waves) Hello! (Audience laughs) DEAYTON: Shall we get back on course with this, or sha... SAVILLE: I do fuck miners, that's quite correct. I have always done so. They can do the most wonderful things with cigars. The coal... MERTON: What, they stick them up your senile, pus-filled arse? (Audience laughs) FLOOR MANAGER: (OOV): Come on...I'm getting an ear-bashing here. It's... MERTON: Oh they want to continue. Sorry, I'll contain myself. Carry on... DEAYTON: Right (Pause) You used to be a professional wrestler didn't you? (Huge audience laugh) SAVILLE: (Calmly) I did. DEAYTON: You didn't have a nickname or anything? SAVILLE: Yes - 'Loser'. (Audience laughs) ___________________________________ Out-take 4: 21'20 Following a discussion about caravans: DEAYTON: Last month, Roger Moore sold his luxury caravan in Malta. Asked by the... MERTON: I visited your caravan the other week, Jimmy. SAVILLE: Did you really? MERTON: Oh yes. Interesting what you can find, if you have a bit of a poke. (Audience laugh) HISLOP: He just told you, it was twelve years ago... SAVILLE: No, I lived in it for twelve years. MERTON: And fucked twelve year olds. (Audience laugh) DEAYTON: Here we go again...I'll be backstage if anyone wants me. MERTON: (Indicating Saville) That's what you said to the kids on your show, wasn't it? (Audience laugh) SAVILLE: No, they never did want me. HISLOP: Not even Sarah Cornley? SAVILLE: She was an exception. DEAYTON: Who's Sarah Cornley? SAVILLE: Sarah Cornley is... HISLOP: About fifteen grand in damages, wasn't she? (Uncertain audience laugh) SAVILLE: That's right. HISLOP: So if I was going to mention that you threatened to break her arm if she said anything... SAVILLE: You'd be very wrong. (Pause) I said I'd break both her arms. (Audience unease) MERTON: Fucking hell. I mean, you're just sitting there, all shell suit and cigar wearing those fucking...I don't know what they are. SAVILLE: Chrome-plated SC-700 sun-visors, these are. Sent to me by... MERTON: We don't give a shit. Ladies and gentlemen, Sir James Saville OBE. Jim has fixed it for me to have my arms broken. Meet this depressing old fucked up cunt of a fucker on television who's riddled with cancer and fucking pubic lice. HISLOP: (To lawyer again) Hello! (Audience laughs) MERTON: Christ, I mean ha ha, big fucking joke - the fucking lawyers are involved, tee hee. It doesn't change anything. DEAYTON: (Visibly out of character) Do you wanna stop, or...? MERTON: No I don't fucking want to stop. It's all shit! You'll expect a comedy walkout in a minute, won't you? I mean, big bloody joke - I'm going to quote Shakespeare in a minute, how fucking out of character. And Ian knows about football - oh my fucking sides. SAVILLE: You've never fucked anyone in your life, boy. MERTON: Oh fuck off... FLOOR MANAGER: (OOV) ...About five minutes, just to...(Phil Davey enters) PHIL DAVEY: OK, well top that as they say. You're looking troubled by that, aren't you mate? I tell you, I came back from Amsterdam recently... RECORDING PLACED ON STAND-BY; CUTS BACK TO CLOSE-UP OF DEAYTON AWAITING HIS CUE DEAYTON: OK. Second time lucky. (Pause) Last month, Roger Moore sold his luxury caravan in Malta. Asked by the New York Times about his relaxed acting style...

It´s a commercial tie up in regards to matters like say merchandise and such we are talking about with Linfield, nothing sinister or hare-brained...

The tickets are sold out though, not that QPR brought many

It´s a bit funny reading a Spanish paper, apparently we just had some financial difficulties hence playing in a lower league. But nothing serious..

Got a soft spot for Man City myself, might be because of Roy Keane used to play for United..

It was a bit embarrassing I must confess, not the result but the fact that they had us under the cosh at times. But in the long run it might be beneficial to us, these kind of games you want early in the season.

Feels like the media is putting two and two together and getting five..This is surely more about Sports Direct than Newcastle for Ashley

I tend to agree, the buzz right now among bears are incredible..

NIKE want to sell Umbro, they never managed to get Umbro profitable. That´s also why Man City are being moved to NIKE instead (in return for cash of course). So basically I feel that Umbro might be on its way out.

You are allowed to own 10% of another club despite owning another I read somewhere

Bob Marley is listed as a Spurs fan..

This is where we as fans start to fight back, standing by the club, filling the stadium..

A turning point in so many ways..God willing

At last a game, even a win..It´s a relief to get back to something football related