One for the foreign bears

[scottjf82 104]

how is our plight been reported in the foreign media if indeed it is. just interested if its our "own" media that's reporting the goings on. cheers

[RFC55 110,241]

Irish herald

"The H*** are deed and the Jelly is out"

Ps thanks for the money Britain

[cstamomusa 3,811]

Fox news here had a story about Boca's positive message on Twitter yesterday and went on to explain we are in administration.

[cstamomusa 3,811]

UPDATED FEB 16, 2012 12:36 PM ET Rangers' administrators say they have received "several expressions of interest from parties not connected to the club" since taking over the running of the Scottish league champions.

Paul Clark, of administrators Duff and Phelps, made the announcement during a press conference in Glasgow.

Duff and Phelps were appointed on Tuesday after Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) forced the issue in the Court of Session in a bid to secure payment of £9million in PAYE and VAT, accrued since Craig Whyte's takeover of Rangers in May last year.

Rangers were immediately deducted 10 points by the Scottish Premier League, leaving them 14 points adrift of Celtic and with little hope of winning a fourth successive title.

Clark said that interest in the cash-strapped club will be given due consideration.

"As administrators we have to look at all other expressions of interest in the club and to date we have received several expressions of interest from parties not connected to the club," Clark said.

"These will be subject to ongoing discussions and examined in the forthcoming days."

Clark said he had spoken with Rangers boss Ally McCoist and the players but was unable to confirm if any club staff, including the players, would be made redundant.

"This morning I spoke to the club's manager Ally McCoist and the playing staff at the club's training at Murray Park.

"I told them a review of staffing, including playing staff, would be necessary as part of the process and that it would be next week at least prior to any decisions being taken in this area.

"I'm not going to speculate what this review will entail. I am delighted to confirm that we will be making the February payroll obligations in full."

Rangers are awaiting the verdict of a tax tribunal which could cost £75million but Clark said that he does not believe there is any danger of liquidation.

"There has been widespread comment and speculation about the finances of Rangers," Clark said.

"At this moment it is not possible to give a detailed financial report but we can assure everyone that as part of the process there will be a full account of the club's financial affairs and this will be published in due course and become a public document.

"Looking to the future we are hopeful that a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) can be achieved and these are measures that are put in place and deal with all of the club's liabilities.

"As a result of our preliminary assessment we are wholly confident that Rangers will continue as a football club.

"We do not think that liquidation and the closure of the club is a likely outcome at all.

"We need to stabilise the financial position and ensure from now on income exceeds expenditure.

"We fully understand the 140 years history of Rangers football club and are taking steps to ensure this history will endure."

Meanwhile, Celtic boss Neil Lennon indicated that he was less than impressed with the words coming out of the press conference, writing on his Twitter account: "Well that press conference was clear as mud. Every question body swerved."

[Maxou 66]

In l'Equipe, they mentioned us through the signing of Cousin. French journalists like Cousin as he has played in Lens and was a fans'favourite.

They said we were in administration, and that the club was facing a tough economic crisis. They have also mentioned a few minutes ago that we had received the support of Cameron.

That's not much but you have to bear in mind that in France we don't give a fuck about Scottish football, so that's not bad at all actually

I expect a good tv report on Rangers on sunday during a sports show, Stade2.

[4MenHadADream 122]

In l'Equipe, they mentioned us through the signing of Cousin. French journalists like Cousin as he has played in Lens and was a fans'favourite.

They said we were in administration, and that the club was facing a tough economic crisis. They have also mentioned a few minutes ago that we had received the support of Cameron.

That's not much but you have to bear in mind that in France we don't give a fuck about Scottish football, so that's not bad at all actually

I expect a good tv report on Rangers on sunday during a sports show, Stade2.

I thought the Lens fans hated Cousin, was there not some kind of arrangement when he was there that he would only play away games. Sure I heard that when he signed here the first time? Could be wrong though

[Edmiston Drive 3,846]

A mate of mine is in Accra Ghana and has just skyped me to say the main story on Ghana TV was about Rangers, and the opening item when they said

Those f****n bastards are pig sick after hearing what the administrators had to say at the Ibrox Press Conference. They also had an interview with the head of the Orange Order in Ghana , who said quite simply ......................

NO SURRENDER

[54andcounting 627]

1329425032' post='1059781567']

A mate of mine is in Accra Ghana and has just skyped me to say the main story on Ghana TV was about Rangers, and the opening item when they said

Those f****n bastards are pig sick after hearing what the administrators had to say at the Ibrox Press Conference. They also had an interview with the head of the Orange Order in Ghana , who said quite simply ......................

NO SURRENDER

Orange Order revival in AfricaYouth members of the Orange Order in GhanaThe Orange Order could have its biggest Twelfth celebrations in a long time - not in Belfast though but in west Africa.

The order is having something of a revival there, according to research conducted by a University of Ulster academic.

The Protestant order celebrates the 1690 Battle of the Boyne victory of Prince William over Catholic King James II every 12 July.

Dr Rachel Naylor, a lecturer in sociology at the Magee campus, says the level of interest and commitment to the Orange Order in parts of Ghana and Togo might come as a surprise to people living in Northern Ireland.

"Although numerically small, those involved are highly committed and the level of interest is certainly significant," she said.

There are currently about 20 Orange lodges in west Africa.

But membership at a number of youth lodges in Ghana is vibrant after years of relative decline during the 1980s.

Return of democracy

Most of Dr Naylor's research to date has been concentrated on Ghana where the revival of Orangeism has coincided with the return of democracy.

Several African members have travelled to the July celebrations in Northern Ireland but the majority of the Ghana lodges mark the Battle of the Boyne with a traditional church service and parade at home.

Like their counterparts in Northern Ireland, male lodge members in Ghana wear suits and collarettes and march behind their lodge's banner.

An Orange Order march in BelfastOrangewomen wear their collarettes over white dresses.

However, although they march and dress in much the same fashion as in Northern Ireland, it is nonetheless difficult to make comparisons, says Dr Naylor, who believes the political, ethnic and religious context is very different

"The current emphasis in Ghana is very much on the spiritual and social support elements of the Order," she said.

Dr Naylor says whilst there are several theories put forward as to why the Orange Order in the past managed to gain a foothold in Africa, none is yet proven.

They include the possibility that Orangeism was introduced by missionaries in Nigeria or else by members of the British military.

The wider sociological issues raised by Dr Naylor's study will form an element of a new sociology module at the University of Ulster to be launched in the next academic year.

[Maxou 66]

I thought the Lens fans hated Cousin, was there not some kind of arrangement when he was there that he would only play away games. Sure I heard that when he signed here the first time? Could be wrong though

There was some problems with him indeed, but overall he still has a good reputation among french fans. People are still interested with his career choices even if they are not related to any french club actually.

[Edmiston Drive 3,846]

Orange Order revival in AfricaYouth members of the Orange Order in GhanaThe Orange Order could have its biggest Twelfth celebrations in a long time - not in Belfast though but in west Africa.

The order is having something of a revival there, according to research conducted by a University of Ulster academic.

The Protestant order celebrates the 1690 Battle of the Boyne victory of Prince William over Catholic King James II every 12 July.

Dr Rachel Naylor, a lecturer in sociology at the Magee campus, says the level of interest and commitment to the Orange Order in parts of Ghana and Togo might come as a surprise to people living in Northern Ireland.

"Although numerically small, those involved are highly committed and the level of interest is certainly significant," she said.

There are currently about 20 Orange lodges in west Africa.

But membership at a number of youth lodges in Ghana is vibrant after years of relative decline during the 1980s.

Return of democracy

Most of Dr Naylor's research to date has been concentrated on Ghana where the revival of Orangeism has coincided with the return of democracy.

Several African members have travelled to the July celebrations in Northern Ireland but the majority of the Ghana lodges mark the Battle of the Boyne with a traditional church service and parade at home.

Like their counterparts in Northern Ireland, male lodge members in Ghana wear suits and collarettes and march behind their lodge's banner.

An Orange Order march in BelfastOrangewomen wear their collarettes over white dresses.

However, although they march and dress in much the same fashion as in Northern Ireland, it is nonetheless difficult to make comparisons, says Dr Naylor, who believes the political, ethnic and religious context is very different

"The current emphasis in Ghana is very much on the spiritual and social support elements of the Order," she said.

Dr Naylor says whilst there are several theories put forward as to why the Orange Order in the past managed to gain a foothold in Africa, none is yet proven.

They include the possibility that Orangeism was introduced by missionaries in Nigeria or else by members of the British military.

The wider sociological issues raised by Dr Naylor's study will form an element of a new sociology module at the University of Ulster to be launched in the next academic year.

Spot on bud, hence the reason I chose Ghana

[OzGers 425]

I'm getting alot of people questioning me, it seems the Sydney morning herald is running with it. Even my mother in law heard it in the radio!

[4MenHadADream 122]

There was some problems with him indeed, but overall he still has a good reputation among french fans. People are still interested with his career choices even if they are not related to any french club actually.

Thanks. What was the problem, was it just his general attitude or something else?

[18DerGoalie72 26]

If ever the sports fraternity thought that it had immunity from the financial turmoil that is all around us, particularly in Europe, then it should read the news from Glasgow.

Rangers FC, one of the world’s top 20 commercial clubs just five years ago, was placed into financial administration Tuesday. It will be penalized 10 points in the Scottish league, and there are discussions whether it can even afford to pay for policing a scheduled fixture this Saturday.

This does not, yet, indicate the end of a team that has been a giant in its community for 140 years. But, facing debts of £49 million, or $77 million, to the tax man alone, it does look like the beginning of the end of life as Scots have known it.

And it does, or it should, cast fear across the continent, where UEFA, Europe’s governing body for soccer, has been warning for years that the biggest names carrying the sport around the globe are overspending at their peril.

Simultaneous to Rangers’ woe, an English club, F.C. Portsmouth, is days away from filing for administration for a second time in two years. Proud Portsmouth was the F.A. Cup winner in 2008, and played European soccer the following season.

Rangers remains one of the world’s best-supported teams in terms of stadium attendance and its far-flung fan following. But it has willfully overspent.

Portsmouth is a different matter. It is victim to unregulated ownerships that allowed any foreign suitor promising riches to pretend that they had the money and the know-how to own a British team.

What happens now in Great Britain, the home of soccer, is also a threat to all but the big two clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, in Spain. And it also is a threat to clubs across the once-rich continent of Europe.

Yet UEFA, particularly its president Michel Platini, has been vilified for at least attempting to impose licensing and financial control across the region. Platini’s plan is basic. In essence, it is that clubs that spend more than they earn could be barred from the Champions League or the Europa League, starting with the 2013-2014 season.

This threat has been sneered at. Platini has been cast as a jealous Frenchman because clubs in his homeland have fallen behind the spend-and-dominate culture.

But Rangers and Portsmouth are likely to be just the start of the story. There are simply not enough oligarchs, not enough sheiks, not enough American billionaires to sustain the madness of player salaries that have outgrown what Hollywood pays its film stars, and what nations pay heads of government.

Manchester City, A.C. Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Barcelona all say they will comply and balance the books from here on out. They just don’t say how, and they don’t say what will restrain them from outbidding one another when the next potential match winner comes onto the market.

Rangers, in truth, was never in that league, and certainly Portsmouth only dreamed about being in it.

The debt that the ’Gers admit to, not counting the penalties that the Inland Revenue will seek once the court cases begin to bite, amounts to half the going rate for one big star.

You couldn’t get a Lionel Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo for double that sum. But you might, if ever you would want to take the risk, buy Carlos Tévez, the Manchester City property who has been in dispute with the club since last September and has not kicked a ball since he had a falling-out with the coach.

In contrast, Rangers sold its top striker, the Croat Nikica Jelavic, to Everton for £6 million in the January transfer window. Rangers’ owner, Craig Whyte, blames previous overspending for the mess he bought into just nine months ago.

Whyte paid £1 to take on the team, the real estate on which it plays, and the debts that he thought he could manage.

The NY Times on Tuesday

[lgr1991 303]

I screamed 'fuck up you cunt' at Andrew Saville, the TV1 Sports Reporter, because he had us going bust on Monday over here.

We're hated by sheep shaggers so im not surprised.

[nelsonRFC82 305]

Haven't seen any TV coverage in Spain...although tend to give Spanish TV a body swerve! Marca has ran with the story even stating on it's website "Our future is not in danger!". I think that is a bit premature, but it is in response to the press conference today.

Fans comments vary; seems to be actually quite a few displaying loyalty to either Rangers or Celtic and obviously opinion varies accordingly. The neutrals seem sympathetic, Spanish football is not without it's clubs facing financial difficulties, so many fans can empathise with our situation.

[dafloppyone 0]

Nothing really mentioned in the netherlands

[Maxou 66]

Thanks. What was the problem, was it just his general attitude or something else?

There was something with his attitude, but I can't tell you what exactly as I simply don't remember clearly what happened lol