The official "Takeover Completed" thread

[50ShadesofBlue 667]

Deal is apparently on hold:

http://www.<No links to this website>/2011/04/15/craig-whyte-puts-brakes-on-rangers-takeover-deal-as-ibrox-club-is-hit-with-second-sectarian-ban-by-uefa-86908-23062553/

Craig Whyte puts brakes on Rangers takeover deal as Ibrox club is hit with second sectarian ban by UEFA

Apr 15 2011 By James Traynor

FEARS were growing last night that Craig Whyte's takeover bid could be delayed even further after Rangers were hit with a second UEFA ban which could cost them £1.5million.

The governing body have ordered the Ibrox club to play their next two European games behind closed doors as punishment for sectarian singing.

And UEFA have also slapped a fine in the region of £80,000 on them. Rangers have 14 days to appeal but were in a state of shock last night when they heard the news they'll be forced to play their next two home matches in Europe behind closed doors.

UEFA are determined to silence the sectarian chants and songs belted out by a section of Rangers' support.

Chief executive Martin Bain has always feared this would happen and has appealed for better behaviour but now it may be too late.

The closed-doors order - punishment for chants heard during the second leg of Rangers' Europa League tie against PSV Eindhoven at Ibrox on March 17 - will cost Rangers £1.5m in lost ticket sales at a time when they need every penny they can get.

Condemned Whyte's attempt to buy out Sir David Murray has already been dragged out but the Scottish millionaire's team will this morning demand answers from Rangers and it is thought this will slow progress even further.

To make matters worse the club have also been told they will be hit with a second fine, in the region of £80,000.

UEFA sent in monitors to report on fans during the matches against PSV.

Rangers had been given favourable reports by UEFA's own delegates but additional reports, submitted by the European-wide fans' group FARE (Fans Against Racism in Europe) condemned their fans. The Ibrox club were stunned to learn of the penalty last night, especially as they had just submitted their appeal against an earlier UEFA ban and fine.

Record Sport revealed exclusively last week that Rangers' support would be banned from the next two away matches and the club were also looking at a fine of up to £100,000.

That was for sectarian singing in Eindhoven on March 10. Rangers' appeal will be heard on April 28 and they have 14 days to prepare a challenge to the new penalty.

But the club fear the worst and believe they are being deliberately targeted.

Bain said: "We are absolutely astounded by this latest development and will defend our club's position very, very vigorously.

"We have never said sectarian singing is not a problem but this now has all the hallmarks of a deliberate and targeted campaign against the club.

"What else are we expected to believe when UEFA officials give us favourable reports at our matches only to indict us later on the evidence of an outside unaccountable body? "We could not have done more to eradicate sectarian behaviour. We will be seeking urgent meetings with UEFA at the highest level.

"It would appear yet again UEFA have acted on a report from the FARE organisation when their own match delegate, this time from Northern Ireland, gave us a very favourable report."

[whytes3 254]

RFC should pull the plug on this guy, We nor SDM should be left waiting this long. GTF whyte we dont need him we can get through this as a club.

This is probably the single-most retarded statement I have ever read on this forum.

To say we don't need Whyte when our own chairman, manager, manager in waiting and others are all looking at a domsday scenario if the takeover doesn't go ahead is astounding.

We DO need this takeover and Whyte is the only man who has shown an interest and appears to have the money behind him. The club needs to get out of the hands of Murray as soon as possible as we will be destroyed otherwise so to suggest that Murray or the club shoudl be tellign this guy to GTF is suicide

[WilliamMunny 3,242]

He is having second thoughts me thinks

[SirWalterSmithLegend 206]

No we can't. We don't need why're personally but we do need somebody and he is the only person interested

Yes we can, dont be so dramatic. Weve got through the worst period without a takeover, were now healthier, with or without the takeover we will be fine.

[spangles 7]

This is probably the single-most retarded statement I have ever read on this forum.

To say we don't need Whyte when our own chairman, manager, manager in waiting and others are all looking at a domsday scenario if the takeover doesn't go ahead is astounding.

We DO need this takeover and Whyte is the only man who has shown an interest and appears to have the money behind him. The club needs to get out of the hands of Murray as soon as possible as we will be destroyed otherwise so to suggest that Murray or the club shoudl be tellign this guy to GTF is suicide

Doomsday scenario :lol: bit dramatic that, you've been reading to much of spunKing daryll's shit.

[caseyjones 3,009]

This is probably the single-most retarded statement I have ever read on this forum.

To say we don't need Whyte when our own chairman, manager, manager in waiting and others are all looking at a domsday scenario if the takeover doesn't go ahead is astounding.

We DO need this takeover and Whyte is the only man who has shown an interest and appears to have the money behind him. The club needs to get out of the hands of Murray as soon as possible as we will be destroyed otherwise so to suggest that Murray or the club shoudl be tellign this guy to GTF is suicide

Scaremongering. The club will still be here, with or without Whyte.

[Agoram1 42]

Yes we can, dont be so dramatic. Weve got through the worst period without a takeover, were now healthier, with or without the takeover we will be fine.

Maybe I didn't make myself clear. We won't go bust or into administration if the takeover doesn't go through...I meant without a takeover or a fresh cash injection our already depleted squad will become so thin we may struggle on the park for a few years....

If u or any other fan is happy for that to happen then

So be it but I'm not.

[whytes3 254]

Scaremongering. The club will still be here, with or without Whyte.

I'm not saying the club won't be here without Whyte however it will be a shadow of its current self with continued restrictions imposed by the bank. That is as good as a doomsday scenario as far as I am concerned as our current squad is nowhere near the size or quality that it should be.

Without a takeover going through it will be another round of sales in the summer with us only being able to use about half of the money we make to bring new faces in, meaning a ocntinual decline in quality and depth. This will be a continuing cycle until we are bought over.

[dj_blitze 1]

Yet another working week nearly past and not as much as a statement on the state of the takeover.. sorry guys ive now lost confidence on this now im sad to say i cant see it going through now its taking far too long imo. hope im wrong tho.

[spangles 7]

I'm not saying the club won't be here without Whyte however it will be a shadow of its current self with continued restrictions imposed by the bank. That is as good as a doomsday scenario as far as I am concerned as our current squad is nowhere near the size or quality that it should be.

Without a takeover going through it will be another round of sales in the summer with us only being able to use about half of the money we make to bring new faces in, meaning a ocntinual decline in quality and depth. This will be a continuing cycle until we are bought over.

Ah the bank bollox again, why doesn't someone at the club tell us exactly in what way the bank is "interfering" there are laws against restrictive practices even for banks.

[Maxou 66]

Whyte has to buy us. After so many weeks of negociations, he just cannot/must not give up. I think we will have more informations after the Easter Old Firm

[Ayrshirebear73 27]

I'm not so sure we are that desperate for the take over to go through. Do I want it to go through? Yes. What happens of it doesn't? We lose mcgregor bougherra and davis. And don't renew papac contract. If it does go through I fully expect us to lose two of them anyway.

We are a currently a profit making organisation. The profits will be allowed to be reinvested surely. The bank clearly don't want us to use our overdraft. But don't mind us having the loan. To me this isn't doomsday. It isn't plesant. But it isn't doomsday. We were sixty or eighty million in debt at one point. We are now down to twenty.

It just means we should expect players we sign to be younger. Less proven. Up and coming. Who will be moved on for profit after two years with a reliance on murry park to boost our squad. Do u know what. This is still what we will need to operate like even if the takeover goes through.

[whytes3 254]

Maybe I didn't make myself clear. We won't go bust or into administration if the takeover doesn't go through...I meant without a takeover or a fresh cash injection our already depleted squad will become so thin we may struggle on the park for a few years....

If u or any other fan is happy for that to happen then

So be it but I'm not.

I don't see how anyone can say with any certainty that we are through the worst of our financial troubles.

Yes, our debt is reducing but that is largely down to sale s of players and CL money over the past 2 years. CL entry this year is by no means a certainty even if we win the league and we are working with an ever decreasing squad so there are only a limited number of players we can cash in on.

Smith and Johnston have both said that the bank see us as a short term venture, meaning that their primary concern is the reduction of the debt regardless of the cost to the club's ability to compete on the field.

Added to that is the HMRC issue which is still an unknown comodity.

So I think any comment about us being through the worst of our financial problems is wrong as we are still very much up against it.

[dj_blitze 1]

every day for the last few weeks ive been logging in to this discusion full of hope that somethig has been done or someone has some positive information to whats going on but there has been nothing for a while now. fingers are still crossed that this will be done but its looking more unlikely as time fritters by.

[Agoram1 42]

I don't see how anyone can say with any certainty that we are through the worst of our financial troubles.

Yes, our debt is reducing but that is largely down to sale s of players and CL money over the past 2 years. CL entry this year is by no means a certainty even if we win the league and we are working with an ever decreasing squad

so there are only a limited number of players we can cash in on.

Smith and Johnston have both said that the bank see us as a short term venture, meaning that their primary concern is the reduction of the debt regardless of the cost to the club's ability to compete on the field.

Added to that is the HMRC issue which is still an unknown comodity.

So I think any comment about us being through the worst of our financial problems is wrong as we are still very much up against it.

I agree with u. I don't think we are through the worst of it. I was stating that without the takeover or cash injection from somewhere then success on the park may be limited as te squad will be cut again.

[whytes3 254]

Ah the bank bollox again, why doesn't someone at the club tell us exactly in what way the bank is "interfering" there are laws against restrictive practices even for banks.

Bank bollox?

No one on the board is ogign to come out and give us chapter and verse on exactly what the bank has said at any given time but you only have ot look at the way that contract renewal discussions have been put on hold and the % of transfer fees we have received that have been reinvested in the playing staff to see that decisions are being made to save/raise funds at the expennse of the quality and depth of the squad.

Additionally, it is not so much a case of the bank interfering, but more a case of the board being bound by the terms of the business plan/ageement which they have entered into with the bank, which will be the basis of their continued funding of our debt facilities

[ronniemca 479]

i think they know if they tell us the deal is dead thousands will not renew season tickets .they are trying to milk as much out of the fans as possible before declaring the deal dead

[Ayrshirebear73 27]

Continuing on from saying we could lose mcgregor bougherra Davis and papac with no take over. We could then sign. Cammy bell. Prince buaben. Gomes. Conway. And the hearts defender who's name escapes me on bosmans and probably on less net wages. This is not doomsday. It's just gonna be longer till we get out of it.

If we sell those players we could be looking at around 15-20 million. 8-10 for mcgregor. 3-5 each for the other two. U could almost pay off the debt. But would need bosmans as replacements. It might be worth taking the hit for one or two seasons.

[SirWalterSmithLegend 206]

Maybe I didn't make myself clear. We won't go bust or into administration if the takeover doesn't go through...I meant without a takeover or a fresh cash injection our already depleted squad will become so thin we may struggle on the park for a few years....

If u or any other fan is happy for that to happen then

So be it but I'm not.

Thankfully im not a glory hunter mate. ;-)

Casey and Spangles know the score, we are not fooled by the scaremongering.

Off topic - wee Vlad is back on twitter now hes left the club

[spangles 7]

Bank bollox?

No one on the board is ogign to come out and give us chapter and verse on exactly what the bank has said at any given time but you only have ot look at the way that contract renewal discussions have been put on hold and the % of transfer fees we have received that have been reinvested in the playing staff to see that decisions are being made to save/raise funds at the expennse of the quality and depth of the squad.

Additionally, it is not so much a case of the bank interfering, but more a case of the board being bound by the terms of the business plan/ageement which they have entered into with the bank, which will be the basis of their continued funding of our debt facilities

Which was agreed overdraft £15 million, of which we have 80% headroom, no change in terms of historical long term debt repayments.

So refresh my memory or give some factual evidence to the bank "interfering" in the running of the club, after all AJ did say,

"If Rangers were run by the bank, their representatives would be sitting here next to me. In fact, they would not — because I wouldn't be here." ...

[WadeWilson 4,670]

I feel for Ally if this does not go through.

I only hope that our fans see that it will be almost Mission: Impossible and do not turn against the wee man.

[bilko89 507]

I honestly think that this thread should be closed and not reopened until theres more news, I keep getting my hopes up every time it gets back to the top of the front page

[Agoram1 42]

Thankfully im not a glory hunter mate. ;-)

Casey and Spangles know the score, we are not fooled by the scaremongering.

Off topic - wee Vlad is back on twitter now hes left the club

I'm not scaremongering mate it's just my opinion. A year or so Without trophies would be hard but acceptable if there was a decent plan in place meaning these days would never be seen again.

[whytes3 254]

Which was agreed overdraft £15 million, of which we have 80% headroom, no change in terms of historical long term debt repayments.

So refresh my memory or give some factual evidence to the bank "interfering" in the running of the club, after all AJ did say,

"If Rangers were run by the bank, their representatives would be sitting here next to me. In fact, they would not — because I wouldn't be here." ...

AJ quoted on relationship with the bank:

"They look on us as a short-term project. We've been asking them if we sell players is there any certainty that we would get all the money back to spend. Or even 80 per cent of it. It makes our management very difficult. How can we plan for selling players when we don't know how much we will get to keep?

"The management are reluctant to sell players because they don't know if they'll get money to replace them.

"The bank haven't grasped we should have started dealing with Madjid Bougherra's contract a year ago to extract value in the transfer market. So they are compromising our ability to plan."

..and on Muir being put on the board:

"A condition of our credit facility agreement has him as a representative of the bank on the board. It's been terribly compromising.

In addition, read any of Smith's recent interviews where he has mnetioned the bank and the restrictions that have been placed on him. The man is at the end of this tether with the constraints he has worked within, particularly over the past couple of years.

Don't think we are oging to agree on this one however so feel free to carry on thinking that all in the garden is rosey while the club's best assets continue to be sold off and the quality of our squad continues ot decline.

[Bears r us 30,810]

I honestly think that this thread should be closed and not reopened until theres more news, I keep getting my hopes up every time it gets back to the top of the front page

I am starting to think the same, every time I come on the site I look for this thread and if there is a new post then I look to see if it is good news, and so far no new news. The possible fans ban in Europe was being discussed in here last night. I am sure my opinion is different from most, so I will just have to hope that some day soon we get the news most of us are waiting for.