The open alliance between Sports Direct and the shadowy group with controls the club is and will continue to be disastrous - and now that Sports Direct are likely to operate the club themselves rather than by remote control the prospects are bleak.
Let’s be clear about this and strip away the hype - Sports Direct and Mike Ashley have been very bad for Newcastle United - a swift perusal of their fans websites and social media shows them to be in a state of open rejoicing at the prospect of Ashley leaving their club and heading to Glasgow. They are willing that to happen. Why? Just look at the performance of United on and off the pitch during his tenure.
Sports Directs’ current deal with Rangers is also ludicrous. Let’s even forget for a minute the hiving off of the Rangers shops, stadium naming rights and trademarks.
Rangers merchandising operation is run with the club providing the working capital and all the ancillary services needed to run a business but Sports Direct both get 49% of the profits and decide when the dividend to Rangers is paid. Also - in the event of deadlock there is a clause in the contract which allows Sports Direct to buy the club out of the contract at a very low value.
Don’t believe it? - it’s in the club prospectus - Item 12.1.3 Sports Direct joint venture.
TWO VERY OMINOUS SIGNS
1/During the dealings the club had with both the Dave King group and Brian Kennedy it became clear that the Green group and their 26% blocking vote would not tolerate any dilution of their power nor boardroom control at any price - even if both the King share issue deal and temporary loan or Kennedy’s loan (more money, better terms, only one director) was better for the club than what Ashley offered.
Their behaviour makes it clear that they wish untrammelled control of the club for their own betterment and to hang with the best long-term interests of the club.
2/The alliance between Sports Direct and the Green group is now sealed in blood. Despite the fact that they were prepared to cut the throats of both Graham Wallace and Philip Nash (the supposed clean pairs of hands who came in last year) when they favoured the King and Kennedy approaches above Ashley’s shows how confident they feel that they can do anything they wish with the club. Show weakness to people like this and you will pay for it. That is how they will carry on.
THE MYTH OF RANGERS HAVING TO DO WELL FOR ASHLEY TO MAKE MONEY
Well that didn’t prove to be true for Charles Green, Imran Ahmad, Richard Hughes, Brian Stockbridge or any of the others on the long line of stage villains who caught Rangersitis and depart with their pockets bulging when any normal company would have simply sacked them.
When you are in the position to control control the Board in it’s entirety and the operations of the club then there is no need to make a nominal profit for you and your friends to benefit extravagantly.
And where do you think this will be felt most of all? - on the pitch.
Rangers will only really prosper - will only return to where we have been and reach higher - when we cleanse our club of the named and the nameless, the faced and the faceless of the cabal which currently controls it.
If your accept this is how things are then you are condemning the club to decades of mediocrity.
ALTERNATIVES TO ASHLEY
You may care to invest in Black and Red shirts or scarves - the profits from which will be used to buy Rangers shares for fans.
http://www.redandblackshirt.com