A cursory glance at the current SPL table would have you believe that everything is rosy for Rangers. After fourteen games, they are undefeated, and have dropped points in just two games (home draws against Hearts and St. Mirren). They have a healthy goal difference of plus 24, and have conceded just one goal away from home. Most importantly, they have a 12 point lead over rivals Celtic.
It hasn’t been an entirely perfect season for Rangers so far, with performances in cup games a particular concern. Poor defeats in Champions League and Europa League qualifying (against Malmo and Maribor respectively) put early pressure on rookie manager Ally McCoist, and Rangers were also shocked by First Division side Falkirk, who knocked them out of the League Cup. That pressure has eased as Rangers have won twelve of their fourteen league games, and Celtic have suffered from a poor start, having already lost three games. One of those games was the first Old Firm match of the season, with Rangers winning 4-2.
But problems are starting to mount for Rangers. The injury list is becoming a concern, with Steven Naismith, who had established himself as one of Rangers best players, suffering a season ending knee injury, and striker Kyle Lafferty suffered an injury before Saturday’s game against Dundee United. Summer signing Lee Wallace has struggled to stay fit, while captain David Weir and loan signing Kyle Bartley suffered injuries early in the campaign which they have only recently recovered from. Youngsters Jamie Ness and Kane Hemmings have also been kept out of the team due to injury, and Lee McCulloch has had fitness issues too.
Yet even those injury problems seem insignificant when compared with the off-field problems that could cast a major doubt over the future of the club. An on-going tax case could result with the club entering administration if the decision favours the HMRC over Rangers. The case revolves around Rangers use of an employee benefits trust, which allows money to be paid into offshore accounts to subsidise wages. Several English clubs have also used this in the past, but the HMRC has sought to close loopholes allowing it.
Although new owner Craig Whyte believes Rangers will win the case, this has not stopped the Scottish media from wild speculation about the future of the club. There is a possibility that Rangers would face a huge fine if the case went against them, upwards of £25million. That outcome would almost certainly result in the club entering administration. Various journalists have written articles online and in newspapers and offered doomsday scenarios on radio about the club’s future. These vary from the most likely outcome, a 10 point deduction, to the club being unable to enter European football for three years, and being deducted 25 points a season for three years. There’s also been talk that Rangers would have to start again, becoming a ‘new’ Rangers, with the almost 130 year old club being re-established as a brand new club.
Almost all of this speculation is utter nonsense, written and talked about in hope rather than expectation, and more often than not, discussed by journalists who are unable to be impartial when it comes to discussing Rangers and Celtic. But administration remains a threat, and a 10 point deduction mid-season would make the SPL race a lot tighter, especially with three Old Firm games remaining.
Receiving a large fine could also complication things for Rangers, and the sale of key players could be forced through. Nikica Jelavic is in fine form for Rangers this season, and has already attracted interest from England, and Allan McGregor has established himself as one of the better goalkeepers in Britain. Rangers have most of their better players on long term contracts, but English clubs may come calling if they are available more cheaply.
Ally McCoist is off to a decent start as Rangers manager, but he could face a tough winter if the injury problems continue to mount, and the HMRC case goes against Rangers, he might find himself in charge of a radically different squad after the January transfer window.
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chairman of rangers and chairman of hearts arguing in a dark room,10points and its west coast hearts no,no,no its 10 points and its east coast rangers…s.f.a boss chips in. oh just hurry up and make a decision so we can rubber stamp it.
“Almost all of this speculation is utter nonsense …”
Surely if you’re going to make such a statement you have to back it up with reasons/facts?
The only ‘nonsense’ theory is the 25 point deduction. All of the others are more than possible.
What you really meant was: “I hope almost all of this speculation is utter nonsense.”
“There’s also been talk that Rangers would have to start again, becoming a ‘new’ Rangers, with the almost 130 year old club being re-established as a brand new club.
Almost all of this speculation is utter nonsense”
How is this nonsense? They’re just possibilities, researched possibilities. You cant say its nonsense and then not back it up, as if what you say is how it is, bit lazy i would say. I believe they will probably become a new club, because the administrator will just not be able to fix the problem, its too massive. The sad thing is, when they do become a new club they will be voted through to parachute through to the SPL, almost certain of it, and the media will push for it, and it will be unjust.
??? This comment should be used as an example of hypocrisy in schools. Unbelievable!
Most of the likely out come most press paint is always was if rangers lose the tax case but where is the story if rangers where to win the case would it be years of domination, a great squad with money to invest we all look at the dark side should we not look into a bit in light side.
9 in a row bought, but not paid for. BYE BYE RANGERS.
All the trophies bought and not paid for should go to the write full owners who were cheated out of them, and Rangers should also be pursued for the lost revenue that these teams where due.
Cheats should never prosper.
There is no way the establishement will allow rangers to go to the wall or even be penalized in any way. These guys all take care of each other and from the shameful monarchy to the goat loving one trouser legged people, things won’t change.
At least you’re not bitter eh Joe?
Rangers , as they are currently known, are on the brink of destruction ..of that there is no doubt.
Will they survive?? Of course they will ..this is Scotland remember…
Whether it is Masonic influence or anti-Celtic agenda or self- preservation…by SPL Clubs….
one way..or another..they will survive…and what a disgrace that will be.
This is the club of Queen and Country …this is the club who invites Servicemen and Women to their stadium as their guests ..and this is the Club who have cheated their way to success ..because they didn’t pay their Taxes….
Now , it would seem, they merely have to go into administration…and all of their tawdry history
is forgotten.
Well ..not by me….
Watch this space.
SAD WHINGING MOPES ,, it`s still a conspiracy HAHAHAHAHA get an education you twisted people !
joe get a grip you are one bitter man with a massive chip on your shoulder without rangers your team [obviously celtic] would be in a lot worse place thats why if even the worse case senario happens the puppets lawell etc will be the first to vote in rangers favour! for re-entry to top division. ps shameful monarchy you need to look closer to home to see the real shameful establishment you know who i mean!!!!!!!!
Maybe Rangers and Hearts have stumbled onto the masterplan all SPL clubs should follow…just don’t pay any bills or tax or anything. Spend millions on players you can’t afford and tell their creditors to whistle for it. Brilliant.
Hope they go to the fuckin wall.
Joe do your self a favour go read up on the masons before you talk through your rear end ….are you reading wait for it ……..THERES CATHOLICS IN THE MASONS there you go now son really in this day and age heres you sitting with your laptop all be it out of brighthouse and you dont know how to google answers, its all out there matey now be a good boy and come back when your learn the truth about things instead of listening to idle gossip thats been bred into u lot
answer for true blue..See also: Papal ban of Freemasonry
The Roman Catholic Church has been the most persistent critic of Freemasonry. The Church has prohibited its members from being Freemasons since In Eminenti Apostolatus in 1738. Since then, the Vatican has issued several papal bulls banning membership of Catholics from Freemasonry under threat of excommunication. Currently, as reiterated in 1983, Catholics who become Masons are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion;[1] the penalty of excommunication is not formally declared in the current code of canon law, but membership remains forbidden.[2]
The Catholic Church argues that Freemasonry’s philosophy is antithetical to Christian doctrine and that it is at many times and places anti-clerical in intent.[3] The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia argued that some of the ceremonial in the Scottish Rite is anti-Catholic.[4] However this claim does not appear in subsequent editions[5].
The Masonic use of Biblical imagery was seen in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia as being done in such a way as to deny the revelation of Christianity.[6] However this complaint was not included in subsequent editions.[5]
if rangers win the taxcase or if it was settled on say half the 49MILLION ,this would be craig whytes biggest nightmare instead of blaming the previous board and selling off the family silverware he would be expected by the fans to run the club and put some investment in.im afraid not in the script of a guy like whyte and his backers just look at his previous this leopard cant change his spots.WAKE UP its over.
The current suggestion is that is the wee tax case (2.3m) and not the big one that will put the stake in the heart of Rangers. Though it may not even get THAT far.
The courts agreed with two ousted directors who claimed that Rangers may go bust before their employment tribunal cases were even heard is indicative of the trouble rangers are in – especially when you think those two guys were the chief exec and finance director!
If anyone is relly interested in this issue i suggest the visit the excellent rangerstaxcase.com/ blog. Posters there from all sides – mostly accountants, lawyers and tax specialists so the debate is very well informed.
why did mr whyte get a loan from close brother last month to pay the wages ?,why no writ against the bbc for their “lies” in rangers the inside story ?,why are rangers i court more often than andy murray with people/company looking for money ?-why mr whyte because your team supporters have their head in the sand (it wont happen to us we r ra people)any other team the fans would be marching on the stadium.This wont go away wake up and smell the coffee
Surely all Whyte needs to do when administration is imminent is to put Rankers into administration,appoint himself as the main creditor and he agrees to accept say 10p in the pound as opposed to the full amount. The other creditors either acept that or they get nothing and Rankers stay afloat in a new name. Im no financial expert just my opinion which I hope is wrong and they go to the wall forever. hail hail
As this tribunal has approached the way that rangers have handled themselves in the press give the distinct and clear message that even they dont believe they will win this case.
If you doubt my resoning for this then simply go to google and type in “craig whyte” and look at all the previous tax case articles published. Especially the quotes coming from rangers and whyte himself. Of course from the get-go when whyte first came he had to be bullish about the possibility of winning the tax case, (he would have to have been, otherwise their would be a lynch mob heading to ibrox believing that the new chairman was a spinless entity).
As time has passed more details have been published by the media (as its now judged by them to be newsworthy and can shift sizable amounts of copies) and they view coming from rangers now is that they want this to end as quickly as possible (this in business is a clear sign of lack of capital in which to run business at its current expenditure) why else would we have such a change of heart or view coming from rangers and whyte.
Furthermore on a seperate note this whole bbc bias “muckraking” exercise has done wonders for whyte’s reputation amongst the rangers fans. Unfortunatly years of the WATP and “everone hates us and we don’t care mentality” has given whyte an easy emotional leverage within the rangers support. In which to exploit and direct anger not onto the current board handling of rangers (i.e. where are all the millions you promised mr whyte) but to point a finger at an organisation and accuse it of bias? Now take yourself out of the west of scotland for a minute and imaging if chelsea or arsenal or even newcastle did that in the premiership its a laughable notion isn’t it?
And at the same time the man is telling the press he wants to quit the spl and go to the premiership…. By calling the bbc biased what do you think the chairmen of the premiership will be thinking when they have their next board meeting all together and laugh about the notion of rangers and celtic joining the premiership?
Lastly i personally think this privacy issue with the media with whyte is because if this goes completely tits up (and there is a small chance that it could happen). He would want to disappear into the sunset quietly with his money to some tax haven where the average bear cannot throttle him for the handling of the club.
But it is quite apparent that “everybody hates us and we DO care” is now the message bellowing out from ibrox nowadays.
What if two building companies have 11 men each , one company has a scam to cheat the inland revenue out off taxes , meaning company pays out less cash per job so can tender cheaper and cheat there rivals to win contracts , it’s same thing if rangers are found guilty off buying good players cause there not paying proper money then all trophies won in that time should be given to 2nd Place , how can any clowns not understand that