Michael Gannon Article In The Daily Rebel

[K.A.I 36,183]

Probably won't be popular on here but I think there's a lot of truths in it. If it belongs more in the boardroom section obviously feel free to move.

Copy and paste too so there's no hits.

MICHAEL says Gers are moving in the right direction again but it’s going to take some serious money to get the club to the level the fans will be demanding.

• Shares
• 40 comments

Rangers FC

Rangers manager Mark Warburton with new signing Harry Forrester

IT'S January. It’s miserable outside, the Christmas decorations are in the loft and the belly’s offering the belt buckle a square go.

But for most of us it’s the walk up to the ATM that gives us the heebie jeebies. That horrible feeling of sticking in the card and wondering if it will come back out again.

Too scared to check the balance beforehand, it’s that agonising wait to find out if the dosh you requested spurts out.

It’s no wonder that this month folk do more tapping than Fred Astaire and shudder when loans are mentioned. Especially when it’s a loan to pay another loan.

Perhaps it was the timing but Rangers announcing they had sorted out the dosh for Mike Ashley with another bout of borrowing set off some alarm bells.

New Year’s Day is for steak pie – not for releasing statements.

Sticking one out when most folk are hungover or still blootered raises a suspicious eyebrow or two.

The upshot was Dave King, Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor stuck their hands in their pockets again along with director John Bennett and Hong-Kong-based fans Barry Scott and Andy Ross.

Do you agree with Michael Gannon?

500+ VOTES SO FAR

• YES
• NO

It’s nice the club have people willing to help but no one can say it’s not a concern Rangers need to keep topping up the loan deals just to keep plodding along.

The £6.5m deal done covers the Sports Direct £5m with £1.5m to spare for “working capital”.

At the moment that means keeping the lights on and keeping the lawyers in cashmere. Spending more time in court than Ally McBeal isn’t helping, that’s for sure.

It’s still early days for this Rangers board but it shows the fires have not yet been put out, let alone the rebuilding started.

(L/R) Rangers manager Mark Warburton, Chairman Dave King and Vice-Chairman Paul Murray, John Gilligan, John Bennett and Graeme Park at the club's AGM

The AGM ended in a standing ovation in November but critical issues still need to be addressed.

The amount of money the club is losing each month has come down but it’s still happening.

King admitted he needed to find £2.5m to see out the season.

Then what? Rangers have been revitalised on the park. Fans are packing the place out most weeks.

The punters have stumped up fortunes in the last 18 months and will continue to do so.

But there is a limit.

In truth, there’s not an awful lot more dosh to be made from that sector. Ashley’s got the merchandise deal locked down until 2022 and that means Rangers are waving goodbye to around £6m a year.

PA

Mike Ashley

That’s huge. It’s a noose around the neck and a millstone tied to the waist.

There’s not going to be much more to be made from ticket sales or TV even if Gers do go up so the club need a major cash injection.

Rangers fans are purring about their team on the pitch. But the brutal reality is they still have the second-highest wage bill in the country but don’t yet have the second-best team.

It might be the fourth or fifth but there is still a fair bit to go to catch up with Aberdeen and Hearts let alone Celtic. Mark Warburton has worked wonders by scraping around the bargain basement but he will know more than anyone the Rangers squad needs investment.

They can’t be doing the short-term loan stuff over the next 12 months. They need to end the funding gap chat that creates uncertainty for fans and has rival punters gleefully predicting another catastrophe.

It needs King to come up with this £30m or £20m that was all the patter 12 months ago.

Because that’s what it’s going to take if Rangers are going to have any hope of winning the top flight in the next three to five years.

Double it if you fancy the Champions League groups.

You only need to look to Celtic. They have more than enough to win the Premiership but fall short in Europe.

The Parkhead wage bill is about £16m higher than the one at Ibrox.

Rangers are running at a loss of £7m a year while across the city they are pretty much breaking even, with a business that us pulling in double the dough.

That’s not a gulf – it’s a chasm. And to think a couple of players from the likes of Doncaster Rovers is going to bridge it is steak pie in the sky.

Gers are moving in the right direction again, on and off the pitch, but if it’s going to take some serious gravy to get the club to the level the fans will be demanding.

Until then, every month will feel like January at the ATM.

[tannerall 25,935]

Just don't buy the Record, simples, then you won't need to read that wind up nonsense. I for one have no need of seeing that obviously wind-up amateurish tosh in here.

They don't like us, we know that, no point in helping them by spreading that nonsensical type of journalism on here.

[K.A.I 36,183]

Just don't buy the Record, simples, then you won't need to read that wind up nonsense. I for one have no need of seeing that obviouly wind-up amateurish tosh in here.

They don't like us, we know that, no point in helping them by spreading that nonsensical type of journalism on here.

I don't buy the Record. Haven't in almost 15 years.

If you have no will to see it, why did you click on the thread?

I thought it has a lot of valid points - even if some on here won't like hearing it. That's all. Thought it was worth debating the content of it.

[Getstiffed 8,863]

breaking even.

Is them now trying to redefine that term?

5 million loss after pyoor mulyins in CL money and selling their best players

Fucken hell

[K.A.I 36,183]

breaking even.

Is them now trying to redefine that term?

5 million loss after pyoor mulyins in CL money and selling their best players

Fucken hell

They can't keep selling a player for 10 million after failing to qualify for the Champions League. I think they are seriously up shit street just now - apparently their wage bill is the same as it was during Martin O'Neill's Seville era.

Any idea when the Co-Op are meant to be calling in their loan?

[plumbGER 24,518]

breaking even.

Is them now trying to redefine that term?

5 million loss after PYOOR MULYINS in CL money and selling their best players

Fucken hell

PYOOR MULYINS??

[Getstiffed 8,863]

They can't keep selling a player for 10 million after failing to qualify for the Champions League. I think they are seriously up shit street just now - apparently their wage bill is the same as it was during Martin O'Neill's Seville era.

Any idea when the Co-Op are meant to be calling in their loan?

Their accounts show that the loan repayments are scheduled to begin in May of this year.

[tannerall 25,935]

I don't buy the Record. Haven't in almost 15 years.

If you have no will to see it, why did you click on the thread?

I thought it has a lot of valid points - even if some on here won't like hearing it. That's all. Thought it was worth debating the content of it.

To see if you had any worthwhile thoughts on it, and then decide if it was worth reading. It wasn't.

[K.A.I 36,183]

To see if you had any worthwhile thoughts on it, and then decide if it was worth reading. It wasn't.

Aw well maybe next time you will learn from it and decide to stay out then.

[lutonblue 1,974]

Aw well maybe next time you will learn from it and decide to stay out then.

[loyalfollower 1,543]

If a manager needs 20-30 million to catch Celtic and Aberdeen then he's the wrong man for the job. Adam Rooney? Kris commons? Leigh griffiths? Osman sow? You are having a fucking laugh

[Bristoe1872 2,585]

Gannon's tripe here and Waddell's yesterday = not been any negative Rangers stories recently so with two excellent results,players signed and Cashley paid off it's time to regurgitate the same old shite. YAWNS.

[Blue Avenger 22,567]

You ain't but who gives a fuck?

IMO the article is not so accurate on the scum side, as they ain't that well run, but they do have significantly more cash than us, but he made a few valid points on our situation, albeit it was probably said with bad intentions, rather than factual journalism

Sad fact is, in today's modern game you need cash and plenty of it if you have aspirations of doing anything, because the gap between our game the EPL and so on is massive.

We first have to overtake the scum to get to the CL qualifiers and to get through them, you need a few tasty players. We also need a tidy sum just to keep the infrastructure and admin going, far less bringing in players

Now I think MW is just the man to do it, but give him a break, he will need some decent cash to get the players of the calibre needed to get there. Have the current board got the cash to get us there, or generate income streams to do so? Firstly, it is obvious they don't and secondly in this backwater, decent income streams are hard to come by. TV revenue is rank and the prize money winning anything domestically is pish. Then there is the retail deal and fuck knows what we will get out of that.

MW will have to work his magic for some time longer, but given the cash, I think we would be tremendous and no one in this shit hole will be able to touch us.

As said on another thread, maybe the Chinese will take an interest in us and I would truly welcome that or any other suitor who has plenty to invest, because without, we will need to curtail our aspirations and expectations somewhat for Europe.

Next season our ST sales will soar as we make our return to the top tier and I predict we will be sold out, so a bit of cash injection there, but still not enough for what we need on the player front, as Europe has got to be our goal, even in the short term and I expect many will be of that mind.

BTW, looking forward to our first game against the scum. They will be getting up to their tried and tested shenanigans to outdo us by foul means as only they know how (I'll make an exception for ManU). I expect to see the dirtiest game of all time as defeat for them is their nightmare scenario.There will be Oscar performances for the best play acting outside of Hollywood to get our players sent off. Boots left in on tackles and more feigned injuries than you would see with the hypochondriacs attending the A&E at the Royal Infirmary.

I foresee riots as we hump them. The crime rate will rise across the city as a consequence and I will be bursting my sides.

Be Ready MW, as WE Are The People and THEY are nothing but malcontent pretenders!

[Smile 26,621]

The big investment has to come this window so this team guarantees we go up this season also the new players have a chance to gel so we go up and win the title or are at least able to compete.

The time for kidding everyone on is over now and its time for this board to invest decent money in the team.

[Laudrup1984 25,100]

I don't buy the Record. Haven't in almost 15 years.

If you have no will to see it, why did you click on the thread?

I thought it has a lot of valid points - even if some on here won't like hearing it. That's all. Thought it was worth debating the content of it.

I personally think it's yet another lazy, misleading and mischievous piece of journalism. All of our problems of the past few years were never going to just disappear overnight, and we were never going to build a SPFL/Champions League winning team in the Championship, throwing millions of pounds at players. It takes time, and a bit of patience to do things right. And that is the most important thing. Getting it right (as best we can).

We are laying and implementing essential, fundamental structures to ensure everything is in place ie staff, recruitment, scouting, youth teams, training, formation, ethos, infrastructure, historic contracts, PR etc. There have been mistakes and there will no doubt be more mistakes to come but things are progressing very nicely on and off the field given we are only about 7 months into the new regime. That said, I actually think our current squad could easily compete in the SPFL and with a few quality additions, which I believe will happen, we can win the SPFL at the first time of asking. Warburton will have done extensive homework on a higher calibre of player IMO and I think the Board will back him. The gap that some seem to see is simply not there IMO and there is no reason to fear anyone in the SPFL.

There is such a positivity around Ibrox right now that you could be forgiven for thinking that many journalists would be focusing on all the great things and changes we have made, but yet again, although there are some token compliments it is a very unnecessarily negative piece IMO.

Out of interest, what are the valid points you seen from the piece?

[Walking On Water 35]

If a manager needs 20-30 million to catch Celtic and Aberdeen then he's the wrong man for the job. Adam Rooney? Kris commons? Leigh griffiths? Osman sow? You are having a fucking laugh

Absolutely this.

[BridgeIsBlue 66,631]

Who?

[Pure_Quality 3,295]

I personally think it's yet another lazy, misleading and mischievous piece of journalism. All of our problems of the past few years were never going to just disappear overnight, and we were never going to build a SPFL/Champions League winning team in the Championship, throwing millions of pounds at players. It takes time, and a bit of patience to do things right. And that is the most important thing. Getting it right (as best we can).

We are laying and implementing essential, fundamental structures to ensure everything is in place ie staff, recruitment, scouting, youth teams, training, formation, ethos, infrastructure, historic contracts, PR etc. There have been mistakes and there will no doubt be more mistakes to come but things are progressing very nicely on and off the field given we are only about 7 months into the new regime. That said, I actually think our current squad could easily compete in the SPFL and with a few quality additions, which I believe will happen, we can win the SPFL at the first time of asking. Warburton will have done extensive homework on a higher calibre of player IMO and I think the Board will back him. The gap that some seem to see is simply not there IMO and there is no reason to fear anyone in the SPFL.

There is such a positivity around Ibrox right now that you could be forgiven for thinking that many journalists would be focusing on all the great things and changes we have made, but yet again, although there are some token compliments it is a very unnecessarily negative piece IMO.

Out of interest, what are the valid points you seen from the piece?

Nail. On. Head.

[Creampuff 22,628]

£60m to compete in the CL groups

Must have missed us spending that when McLeish was in charge. A well spent £5-£10m is more than enough for what we're aiming for.

[Sket 13,610]

Hmmmm.

[californiadreamin52 339]

Figures and assumptions don`t add up

[harlands plater 16,990]

"Michael Gannon" was as much as I needed to read.

[Hoosier Ranger 1,554]

I personally think it's yet another lazy, misleading and mischievous piece of journalism. All of our problems of the past few years were never going to just disappear overnight, and we were never going to build a SPFL/Champions League winning team in the Championship, throwing millions of pounds at players. It takes time, and a bit of patience to do things right. And that is the most important thing. Getting it right (as best we can).

We are laying and implementing essential, fundamental structures to ensure everything is in place ie staff, recruitment, scouting, youth teams, training, formation, ethos, infrastructure, historic contracts, PR etc. There have been mistakes and there will no doubt be more mistakes to come but things are progressing very nicely on and off the field given we are only about 7 months into the new regime. That said, I actually think our current squad could easily compete in the SPFL and with a few quality additions, which I believe will happen, we can win the SPFL at the first time of asking. Warburton will have done extensive homework on a higher calibre of player IMO and I think the Board will back him. The gap that some seem to see is simply not there IMO and there is no reason to fear anyone in the SPFL.

There is such a positivity around Ibrox right now that you could be forgiven for thinking that many journalists would be focusing on all the great things and changes we have made, but yet again, although there are some token compliments it is a very unnecessarily negative piece IMO.

Out of interest, what are the valid points you seen from the piece?

That is all great but the financial reality is that the club is currently running at a 7M quid loss per year and while revenue has increased with season ticket sales, so have expenses to cover the items you mention above. Unfortunately due to the overheads at Ibrox, Champions League money (being in the Group Stage of the CL) seems to be the way to get to a breakeven point. Its a catch 22....to get the higher money, you have to spend money on improved players that will not only win the SPL, but will advance to the CL Group stages.

[Hoosier Ranger 1,554]

£60m to compete in the CL groups

Must have missed us spending that when McLeish was in charge. A well spent £5-£10m is more than enough for what we're aiming for.

That's about right. A few difference-makers to add to the current squad of players.

[Bellshill_Bear 1,105]

Pile of shite the gulf is no gulf.

Next year we will be ready for the challenge with. A few additions in both windows.

Mark my words warbs and frank will unearth some gems for a fraction of the price in England's lower leagues that would run riot in the Scottish Premiership.

Tavers would walk into any team in scotland