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Although I've written the joint award winning story with Raptor, and the one about the Old Firm in the Conference, and have dabbled the occasional manager at Ibrox, I've never really done a proper Rangers story imo. The reason for that is, its too easy and I get bored.
However, this time I've edited the DB a little, as the following few intro passages will show you. I've re-financed the debt to make it harsher, I've freed all the top name stars, and a few other things that will become clear as the story unfolds. I've also added myself as Chairman, as well as addding a manager, and what this means is that when the manager gets sacked, I'll just add another one. This story will be about the Club, and Chairman as a direct manager story, if you see what I mean.
12-04-2004, 08:32 PM
Every Other Saturday – The Definitive Glasgow Rangers Story Post #3
Murray Quits Ibrox Rangers Chairman Accused of ‘Financial Irregularities’
Business Tycoon David Murray yesterday held a sensational press conference at his Edinburgh HQ, and announced that due to certain financial irregularities in association with his ownership of Glasgow Rangers Football Club, he was stepping down as Chairman of the club with immediate effect, and would be selling his shareholding. Murray was accused last week of using Rangers to fill his pockets, a charge the multi-millionaire steelman denied vehemently. Yesterday however, the 53 year old owner of The Murray Group admitted that things had gotten out of hand, and he had no choice but to step down and sell up.
Fans gathered outside Ibrox late last night in a state of disbelief, with rumours circulating that the Royal Bank of Scotland were about to foreclose on the massive Ibrox debts, which have been estimated at around £75M. Without Murray’s financial backing, many people believe that Rangers will be unable to secure such a huge amount and will go out of business unless a buyer is found in the very near future.
A spokesman for the Rangers playing staff issued a statement to the effect that the players had not been paid for over three months, and many of the big name stars would be looking to use a clause in their contracts that allows them to be released on a free transfer should payment of wages not be forthcoming. SPFA Chairman Fraser Wishart told the ****** that the Ibrox players would be well within their rights to rip up their contracts, and walk out on the club, a move the players union would fully support.
The SPL and SFA will both be launching enquiries into the financial situation at Ibrox, and insiders say the club could be fined, docked points or even be faced with relegation to the First Division. The Royal Bank of Scotland have so far refused to comment on the situation, but it would seem unlikely they would be willing to continue to allow the club such a large amount of credit, when they would seem to have no way of raising it.
Murray has announced that he has three offers on the table for his shares, but it has to be wondered just who would be prepared to pour that amount of money into the club, with the current harsh climate of the game.
12-04-2004, 08:33 PM
Every Other Saturday – The Definitive Glasgow Rangers Story Post #4
The Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Premier League yesterday issued a joint statement concerning the current enquiry into alleged financial irregularities with Glasgow Rangers Football Club, and announced that their findings have shown that SPL and SFA rules were broken, and it was decided to relegate the club to the Scottish First Division. The decision means that Partick Thistle have been saved from relegation, and ends any need they might have of taking legal action of their own.
Rangers, who were founded in 1873, were founder members of the Scottish Football League, sharing the first title with Dumbarton, and have never played outside the top division. Indeed, they have never finished lower than 6th place, and the decision announced today has been met with utter disbelief by the Rangers support, who feel the club is being victimized by the footballing authorities. Many supporters fail to see why the club should be punished, believing that the root cause of any problems lies with former owner and chairman David Murray, who refused to comment on yesterday’s ruling.
The decision to relegate the club, who are alleged to have debts of around £75M, is sure to be met gravely by their bankers, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and there are fears that this might just be the end of Scotland’s greatest club side. Rangers have still not found a buyer, and fears are that no-one wanted to take a risk on such a huge debt, although there were also rumours that potential buyers were waiting to see the outcome of the enquiry, The ruling has done little to tempt them to put their money into the club.
Rangers are not the only top class side to be relegated by their associations, with Italy’s AC Milan and Marseille of France just two of the big names who have suffered such a fate. The ruling is bound to upset the balance of Scottish Football, with many fearing that the league will no longer be a contest as Celtic will have an easy ride to the title. Many Celtic fans have laughed that they already did. Some supporters of other clubs, notably Aberdeen and Hearts though, believe that their teams can fill the gap left by the Glasgow giants demise. Some Rangers players are now believed to be looking to take up options in their contracts that will see them leave Ibrox, with the club gaining no transfer fees, although midfielder Stephen Hughes has stated that he will see out his contract no matter what.
A spokesman for the Ibrox club has stated that Rangers will appeal the decision, but declined to comment on whether they would be seeking to take legal action against the SFA and SPL.
12-04-2004, 10:06 PM
Every Other Saturday – The Definitive Glasgow Rangers Story Post #7
Scottish Daily R-etard – 15th June 2004 Lottery Millionaire Buys Out Murray New Rangers Owner Defiant About Clubs Future.
Stuart Redmond, who two months ago won the biggest Lottery payout in its history, picking up the first ever quadruple roll-over, has announced that he will be using some of his £44.2M windfall to buy David Murray out of Ibrox, and take over the running of the club. Redmond - whose winning numbers were 1, 7, 13, 14, 23, 26 - stated at the time that he had only entered the lottery for a laugh, as he believed it was fraudulently corrupt. It was the first time the unemployed would-be writer had ever bought a lottery ticket, making his success even more remarkable.
Redmond said yesterday that although he could not wipe out the Rangers debt, he would seek to come to an agreement with the Royal Bank of Scotland to refinance the debt, and keep the club afloat. He further announced that the actual club debt was £93M, and that he had himself put in a further £10M in as a guarantee to the bank, and to help pay the players wages. The move though has come too late for the top stars, most of whom have already left the club, stating that their contracts had been breached. The new Rangers chairman stated that if that was how the players felt, then he was glad to see the back of them as it was clear they were just mercenaries holding the club to ransom.
The new owner was greeted with a mute response by the Rangers support, who were waiting to see if he could convince the bank to not to foreclose, and they were eagerly waiting to see if the Chairman would be appealing the decision of the footballing authorities to relegate the club. Redmond stated that he would be speaking to the clubs legal advisers in the next few days, and it was only then that they would decide how to move into the future. He denied that the bank was about to foreclose, and stated that the future of the club was secure, even though insiders believe that the debt now needs £1M a month to finance, and that kind of money would not be forthcoming in the First Division.
The other major decision for Redmond will be the appointment of a new manager, as Alex McLeish was amongst those who decided to leave the club. McLeish, who had tried to be fairly low profile during the past few weeks, stated that he felt he needed to make sure he was financially secure, and he wasn’t convinced that Rangers could offer him that anymore. The new chairman stated he was not in the position to appoint a new manager right now, but would be looking towards that in the coming days. It is unclear whether Rangers will be allowed to take their place in the Champions League, although a UEFA spokesman told us there was no reason for them not to, but that ultimately was for the Scottish authorities to decide.
12-05-2004, 11:21 AM
Every Other Saturday – The Definitive Glasgow Rangers Story Post #9
Every Other Saturday – The Definitive Glasgow Rangers Story 
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