Thought I'd give this a go!
Black, Whyte and in the Red - Rangers FC
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6th May 2011 – Sir David Murray sells his controlling stake in Rangers Football Club to local businessman, Craig Whyte, for £1. Rangers face a £9,000,000 unpaid tax bill and spiralling debts. Whyte, a life-long fan, promises to restructure these debts to guarantee the future of Rangers.
15th May 2011 – Rangers secure their 54th league title by beating Kilmarnock 5-1. Walter Smith’s side had won three successive league titles, but their financial position was still unstable. Smith retires from football, handing over to his assistant and club legend, Ally McCoist.
21st June 2011 - Rangers enter administration from their unpaid tax bill to HM Revenue & Customs, the club is seized by the administrators who begin to make major cuts in order to balance spending and enter a Company Voluntary Agreement in order to exit administration. Rangers are docked 10 points for the forthcoming season, but keep their place in the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League competiton.
Craig Whyte denies allegations of tax evasion and protests his innocence of adhering to the SFA’s ‘fit and proper persons’ profile. Supporters begin to protest against Whyte, calling for him to leave the club entirely. A group of local businessmen and fans known as the ‘Blue Knights’ step up a campaign to buy Whyte out of the club, but with no firm offer made, the future remains uncertain.
22nd June 2011 – Ally McCoist leaves the club in protest to Whyte’s ownership. Administrators save a reported £10,000 per week in wages due to McCoist’s descision. With the wage bill still stretched to capacity, unknown manger Will Gray steps up from the youth team to manage Rangers for free. (except £90 p/w for travel expenses).
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My first big descision as manager was to appoint the club captain and vice-captain. I went for Lee McCulloch as captain, and despite also earning £10k p/w, he has a huge amount of experience and leadership qualities, so I want to keep hold of him too.
The two highest earners at the club are Allan McGregor (£22k p/w) and Steven Davis (£20k p/w). I will listen to offers for McGregor as I have a decent second keeper in Neil Alexander but I am reluctant to sell Davis as I think he will very hard to replace from within the squad, Maurice Edu will feature, Jamie Ness looks very promising but Alejando Bedoya doesn’t look like he is ready to be a first team regular yet. The midfield looks a bit thin, but an enforced transfer embargo and zero available funds leave me with no choice but to reinforce from the youth academy. It is also extremely important that the club qualifies for the group stages of the champions league! The financial benefits of this could ultimatly save the future of Rangers. This is my absolute priority at the moment.
In order to satisfy the administrators, I transfer-list: Mervan Celik (AM R/L), Gregg Wylde (AM L) and Salim Kerkar (AM L). All these players are young and promising, but their wages don’t reflect their current ability and I’m hoping to add a little cash to the club through their sales. Plus, in a risky move, I am selling the out-and-out wide players at the club which leaves me with little choice on formation, but I hope it pays off.
Friendlies:
Middlesborough 0 – 0 Rangers
All in all, a fairly disappointing pre-season, with the players adjusting to the new formation. The stand out player was Jamie Ness, who is really showing why he should be first team at the start of the season. Steven Davis also picked up an injury during pre-season and will likely miss the opening fixture against Hearts, Ness will most likely get his chance then.
Transfer news: Gregg Wylde has moved to Watford (800k over 48 months) and Salim Kerkar was allowed to join MK Dons on a free transfer. After praising him in the press, Terry Connor has persuaded the Wolves board to launch a bid for my star full back Steven Whittaker. When the (£2.1 million) bid arrived, the administrators took matters into their own hands and accepted. This has provided a much needed cash injection and furthermore cut a total of £21.5k p/w off my wage bill.
More to follow soon..
Black, Whyte and in the Red - Rangers FC
View attachment 229593
6th May 2011 – Sir David Murray sells his controlling stake in Rangers Football Club to local businessman, Craig Whyte, for £1. Rangers face a £9,000,000 unpaid tax bill and spiralling debts. Whyte, a life-long fan, promises to restructure these debts to guarantee the future of Rangers.
15th May 2011 – Rangers secure their 54th league title by beating Kilmarnock 5-1. Walter Smith’s side had won three successive league titles, but their financial position was still unstable. Smith retires from football, handing over to his assistant and club legend, Ally McCoist.
21st June 2011 - Rangers enter administration from their unpaid tax bill to HM Revenue & Customs, the club is seized by the administrators who begin to make major cuts in order to balance spending and enter a Company Voluntary Agreement in order to exit administration. Rangers are docked 10 points for the forthcoming season, but keep their place in the 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League competiton.
Craig Whyte denies allegations of tax evasion and protests his innocence of adhering to the SFA’s ‘fit and proper persons’ profile. Supporters begin to protest against Whyte, calling for him to leave the club entirely. A group of local businessmen and fans known as the ‘Blue Knights’ step up a campaign to buy Whyte out of the club, but with no firm offer made, the future remains uncertain.
22nd June 2011 – Ally McCoist leaves the club in protest to Whyte’s ownership. Administrators save a reported £10,000 per week in wages due to McCoist’s descision. With the wage bill still stretched to capacity, unknown manger Will Gray steps up from the youth team to manage Rangers for free. (except £90 p/w for travel expenses).
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Pre-Season Update:
The Rangers squad is very strong, with stand-out players: Steven Naismith, Steven Davis, Allan McGregor, Carlos Bocanegra, Lee McCulloch and Steven Whittaker making up the core of the team. I decided to build around Naismith, who although earns £10k p/w, I really wanted to keep in order to have any success this season. My starting tactic would be a direct 4-1-2-1-2 formation in a rigid narrow diamond. I like teams to play with a fairly high tempo so stamina and natural fitness are important, and the squad seems to have a decent amount.
My first big descision as manager was to appoint the club captain and vice-captain. I went for Lee McCulloch as captain, and despite also earning £10k p/w, he has a huge amount of experience and leadership qualities, so I want to keep hold of him too.
The two highest earners at the club are Allan McGregor (£22k p/w) and Steven Davis (£20k p/w). I will listen to offers for McGregor as I have a decent second keeper in Neil Alexander but I am reluctant to sell Davis as I think he will very hard to replace from within the squad, Maurice Edu will feature, Jamie Ness looks very promising but Alejando Bedoya doesn’t look like he is ready to be a first team regular yet. The midfield looks a bit thin, but an enforced transfer embargo and zero available funds leave me with no choice but to reinforce from the youth academy. It is also extremely important that the club qualifies for the group stages of the champions league! The financial benefits of this could ultimatly save the future of Rangers. This is my absolute priority at the moment.
In order to satisfy the administrators, I transfer-list: Mervan Celik (AM R/L), Gregg Wylde (AM L) and Salim Kerkar (AM L). All these players are young and promising, but their wages don’t reflect their current ability and I’m hoping to add a little cash to the club through their sales. Plus, in a risky move, I am selling the out-and-out wide players at the club which leaves me with little choice on formation, but I hope it pays off.
Friendlies:
Peterhead 0 – 2 Rangers
Celik (6 ), Ness (45+3)
Rangers 0 – 1 Tigres
Edno (5)
QPR 2 – 1 Rangers
Zamora (7), Faurlin (33) / Goain (87)
Leicester 0 – 1 Rangers
Naismith (43)
Middlesborough 0 – 0 Rangers
All in all, a fairly disappointing pre-season, with the players adjusting to the new formation. The stand out player was Jamie Ness, who is really showing why he should be first team at the start of the season. Steven Davis also picked up an injury during pre-season and will likely miss the opening fixture against Hearts, Ness will most likely get his chance then.
Transfer news: Gregg Wylde has moved to Watford (800k over 48 months) and Salim Kerkar was allowed to join MK Dons on a free transfer. After praising him in the press, Terry Connor has persuaded the Wolves board to launch a bid for my star full back Steven Whittaker. When the (£2.1 million) bid arrived, the administrators took matters into their own hands and accepted. This has provided a much needed cash injection and furthermore cut a total of £21.5k p/w off my wage bill.
More to follow soon..
