[edgie]

For everyone following the case, it wont have come as a shock that Mr Whyte has been found NOT GUILTY of fraud.
We have heard about the trouble Murray international holdings were in prior to the sale to Whyte, Probably trading insolvently.
We heard about Sir Daves desperation to get rid of a loss making Rangers.
We heard how Sir Dave was being incentivised to dump rangers to anyone, he was being allowed to buy back half of MIM for one pound which he had sold to the bank for 118m only 18 months prior.
We heard about the dysfunctional board who couldn't or wouldn't accept that the bank had turned off the free money tree, with various directors still wanting cash to spend on the team, while letting a tax bill grow by 500k because there wasn't the money to pay it.
We heard about members of staff being possibly illegally offered huge new contracts as the company was in trouble.
We constantly heard , " I don't recall" "I cant remember" even when shown documentation signed by them
The fraud was specifically that whyte broke his agreement and used money the Murray don't know was from tickitus.
Findlay showed that whyte spent millions following the agreement and that Murray should have know that was from tickitus as his staff defiantly did.
We where told that 2 other offers to buy dead co where turned down, that Whyte was the only game in town and Murray was desperate to sell 59 million in assets desperate.
We where told that the Big Tax Case was going to kill the club regardless and discussions at board level in 2010 show that administration was considered.
So it wasn't Whyte that killed Rangers, I suggest the culprit is Sir David Edward Murray, he and his hubris left rangers at one time 80m in debt, and when sold to Whyte 18m to the bank, 6 to tickitus and 10m to others including the wee tax case.
Over all this the BTC and its EBTs hung like a sword of Damocles, stopping any financially savy, able person saving the club.
Fergus told us in 1997 that rangers business plan was unsustainable, with tax evasion they manage to limp on for 14 years before it collapsed.

To any rangers fans have a long hard think about this and its causes, Whyte is innocent...so who is the guilty partys??

[0762]

I think Murray's interview all these years ago, assuring Rangers fans that he'd personally ensure Rangers would be 'left in good hands', is as damning to Murray's reputation as it gets. Whyte was the 'fall guy' while other 'main players'/offenders walked away untouched and that huge list of owed creditors was 'thrown in the bin' - an absolute shocker!

[hibeejim21]

400k of taxpayers money spunked on this nonsense.

Everyone with a brain (that rules out cooper and the cock of the north from here) knew murray had thrown rangers to the wolves to save his own business interests,whyte being a convenient patsy in the mix to do what he does best ....make a few quid from it going under. Murray was in no way duped ffs.

The lying,cheating vipers nest that was rangers fc fully exposed in court. Incredibly the same people who were in charge then are still in situ today. Thats going to end well eh ?

If you listen carefully you can hear the broadband bears teeth grinding with rage. Hope they have good dentists in worthing too.

Donald findlay delivering the GIRFUY is a beautiful irony as well. Roll on the court of appeals verdict.

[edgie]

Everyone with a brain (that rules out cooper and the cock of the north from here) knew murray had thrown rangers to the wolves to save his own business interests,whyte being a convenient patsy in the mix to do what he does best ....make a few quid from it going under. Murray was in no way duped ffs.

Jim have a wee look at the hun boards they are honestly shocked that Whyte got away with it.
he is still the person to blame.
To quote Allister Johnstone "Whyte should be charged with murder"

Whyte is a parasite, he has always worked on the edges of the law, and should not in any way be seen as a hero, he did cheat the tax man out of 14m in unpaid PAYE, NI and VAT to keep rangers trading, he has been correctly banned for 15 years from being a director in the UK.

[hibeejim21]

Whyte killed off rangers FC,that by default makes him a hero.

Johnstone doesn't seem to understand what a "not guilty" verdict means. But that's no surprise given how dense he was made to look during the trial.

Murray should be under investigation for his antics with the MIH pension fund alone,never mind his shenanigans with Lloyds........an utter xxxx of man.

[Fredstersafool]

Murray is the culprit no one else I was going to say he should stand up and be accountable for that but he can't even if he could he wouldn't.

[hibeejim21]

The stupidity and ignorance of the rangers support remains breathtaking.

[edgie]

Jim its not their fault vanguard bears are blaming everyone else

All Aboard The Rangers Circus
Written by: 1972
Wednesday, 7th June 2017

Once again, the Rangers circus has rolled in to town, and while the football side of the business appears to be promising (more of that later), the Craig Whyte saga has exploded, with him being found Not Guilty of the fraud charges brought before him.

It would appear that the case failed not because Craig Whyte didn't use Ticketus money secured against Season Ticket income to fund his takeover but because the fraud charges were shambolic.

As Whyte's QC, Donald Findlay's defence was that in the transaction itself David Murray was not a victim of fraud, and essentially it was this argument that settled the case

Ultimately, while Rangers fans are angry at Whyte and his cronies, Murray, and Lloyds bank for an arrangement that benefited these parties, and set the business on the road to Administration, the real issue here is that corporate law across the UK is not fit for purpose.
The shenanigans before and after Administration, where Mike Ashley, Charles Green and co join in the shafting game just points to vulnerable businesses in the UK not being protected from the corporate vultures that inhabit this world.

There are a number of individuals who have raped and pillaged their way through the accounts of various businesses associated to the club, from those above to their associates and hangers on, but the real villains of the piece are David Murray, Ian Shanks at Lloyds Bank, and HMRC, who engineered the club to its position of vulnerability for Whyte, Green, Ashley and others to pillage.

Amidst all the noise we should remember;

- Rangers £18M debt to Lloyds Bank was not a large debt, and the club was already operating its own austerity measures from around 2007 in order to reduce that debt, which had been driven down from £30M to £18M 
- Rangers debt was manageable prior to the takeover
- The Murray International Debt to Lloyds was in the hundreds of millions, and Lloyds wished Murray to sell off several businesses to reduce his debt
- Lloyds had place-people on the Rangers board, as did Murray from his corporate business
- HMRC retrospectively ruled on EBTs in 2011, then hounded Rangers for a retrospective amount that amounted to a fine they had concocted, rather than the value of the tax the believed owed based upon the sums deposited in to the Trust. Of course that 'big tax case' is still rumbling on, with a Supreme Court judgement imminent on the last appeal against the First Tier Tribunal Judgement. This sum required by HMRC, which appeared to jump from £34M to £48M for no apparent reason ended up as a debt on the books of the operating business
- HMRC had been working on EBT Legislation since 2003, with former Celtic Chairman John Reid Home Secretary in 2006. Celtic's use of EBTs, from 2005, pre-dated Mr Reid becoming Home Secretary. Reid became Celtic Chairman in 2007, while still a serving Labour Cabinet Minister. Reid succeeded Brian Quinn, the former Governor of the Bank of England
- HMRC refused to do any deal for any sum with either Murray or Whyte, despite doing so with other firms
- Whyte appears to have believed that he would be able to enter the business in to Administration, with no impact to the football club, but didn't reckon on a] Charles Green (or whoever he was representing) shafting him, and b] the SPL and SFA trying to kill the club 
- The SFA and SPL colluded with each other to punish Rangers as a club, when the basis of that punishment was the club being ripped apart due to the factors above.
- The impact of all of the above, has cost
* 5 years European competition revenue (15-100M)
* Loss of Player Assets (30M)
* Loss of Commercial Revenue (Kit Manufacturer, Shirt Sponsor, TV Revenue, Retail Deal over 5 years) (40M)
* BDO on behalf of the Rangers operating business Oldco have already had a ruling in their favour that Whyte's law representative Collyer Bristow misrepresented Whyte's funds. The resulting fine of £24M went to BDO not the football club

- Ticketus were not strictly a creditor of Rangers as Whyte owed them the cash, which a court ruled in 2013 he should pay '“ not Rangers FC PLC
- As a direct result of Rangers demotion, our immediate rivals across the city have benefited to the tune of a clear run at the title for 5 years, increased earnings from European Competition, and an increased share in television revenue

All of these factors led Rangers towards the abyss, and it's only through loyalty and persistence of Rangers supporters, that we are still here.

I think we can safely assume that none of the above will face any charges, or be found guilty, so the villains of the piece will all sleep soundly knowing they will not be held to account for corporate vandalism of an institution.

If Philip Green can walk after what he did to BHS, or Mike Ashley can walk after what he did to USC in this corporate jungle, then it would appear unlikely that their conduct with Rangers will see any justice

As the nation prepares for a General election tomorrow, it is worth noting that not one party has any remotely credible proposal as to how to stop the kind of chicanery that goes on every day in business in the UK.

I have in the past asked for a judicial enquiry as to the conduct of all of those who participated in the ritual kicking of Rangers from 2011 to now, but I will admit now that it looks as likely as Sands Casino opening on Edmiston Drive.

While some avenues may well have closed, we must look to salvage what we can from this situation:

- Depending on the outcome of the 'Big Tax Case' tribunal appeal, there may will be opportunities to come together and challenge the impacts that case has had
- The Actions of the SFA can still be challenged. Let's be clear. The Resolution 12 Headcases are at the wrong end of the spectrum as to how the authorities treated Rangers, when the club was being attacked by a pack of corporate wolves

The board of RIFC need to demonstrate that they can co-ordinate and fight for justice, and if they won't, we need to come together and do it.

They club though, should demonstrate that they have a full understanding of what to do, and how to do it, and someone needs a word in the shell like of Alistair Johnston on what language to use, as his initial foray on the topic on his return to the board was almost as cringeworthy as a Diane Abbott interview.

We as a support need to recognise that the club is still vulnerable to corporate attack, and we need to ensure that Club1872 is independent enough of the RIFC board to be able to scrutinise and influence what goes on behind closed doors.

Those of us who are Independent Shareholders too, need to challenge the board to ensure that our club is being run properly, and I would ask that all Shareholders take this very seriously

[hibeejim21]

Even when the tax case comes back with them guilty as xxxx they will deny it too.

They cheated.They died. End.

[hibeejim21]

Jim its not their fault vanguard bears are blaming everyone else

All Aboard The Rangers Circus
Written by: 1972
Wednesday, 7th June 2017

Once again, the Rangers circus has rolled in to town, and while the football side of the business appears to be promising (more of that later), the Craig Whyte saga has exploded, with him being found Not Guilty of the fraud charges brought before him.

It would appear that the case failed not because Craig Whyte didn't use Ticketus money secured against Season Ticket income to fund his takeover but because the fraud charges were shambolic.

As Whyte's QC, Donald Findlay's defence was that in the transaction itself David Murray was not a victim of fraud, and essentially it was this argument that settled the case

Ultimately, while Rangers fans are angry at Whyte and his cronies, Murray, and Lloyds bank for an arrangement that benefited these parties, and set the business on the road to Administration, the real issue here is that corporate law across the UK is not fit for purpose.
The shenanigans before and after Administration, where Mike Ashley, Charles Green and co join in the shafting game just points to vulnerable businesses in the UK not being protected from the corporate vultures that inhabit this world.

There are a number of individuals who have raped and pillaged their way through the accounts of various businesses associated to the club, from those above to their associates and hangers on, but the real villains of the piece are David Murray, Ian Shanks at Lloyds Bank, and HMRC, who engineered the club to its position of vulnerability for Whyte, Green, Ashley and others to pillage.

Amidst all the noise we should remember;

- Rangers £18M debt to Lloyds Bank was not a large debt, and the club was already operating its own austerity measures from around 2007 in order to reduce that debt, which had been driven down from £30M to £18M 
- Rangers debt was manageable prior to the takeover
- The Murray International Debt to Lloyds was in the hundreds of millions, and Lloyds wished Murray to sell off several businesses to reduce his debt
- Lloyds had place-people on the Rangers board, as did Murray from his corporate business
- HMRC retrospectively ruled on EBTs in 2011, then hounded Rangers for a retrospective amount that amounted to a fine they had concocted, rather than the value of the tax the believed owed based upon the sums deposited in to the Trust. Of course that 'big tax case' is still rumbling on, with a Supreme Court judgement imminent on the last appeal against the First Tier Tribunal Judgement. This sum required by HMRC, which appeared to jump from £34M to £48M for no apparent reason ended up as a debt on the books of the operating business
- HMRC had been working on EBT Legislation since 2003, with former Celtic Chairman John Reid Home Secretary in 2006. Celtic's use of EBTs, from 2005, pre-dated Mr Reid becoming Home Secretary. Reid became Celtic Chairman in 2007, while still a serving Labour Cabinet Minister. Reid succeeded Brian Quinn, the former Governor of the Bank of England
- HMRC refused to do any deal for any sum with either Murray or Whyte, despite doing so with other firms
- Whyte appears to have believed that he would be able to enter the business in to Administration, with no impact to the football club, but didn't reckon on a] Charles Green (or whoever he was representing) shafting him, and b] the SPL and SFA trying to kill the club 
- The SFA and SPL colluded with each other to punish Rangers as a club, when the basis of that punishment was the club being ripped apart due to the factors above.
- The impact of all of the above, has cost
* 5 years European competition revenue (15-100M)
* Loss of Player Assets (30M)
* Loss of Commercial Revenue (Kit Manufacturer, Shirt Sponsor, TV Revenue, Retail Deal over 5 years) (40M)
* BDO on behalf of the Rangers operating business Oldco have already had a ruling in their favour that Whyte's law representative Collyer Bristow misrepresented Whyte's funds. The resulting fine of £24M went to BDO not the football club

- Ticketus were not strictly a creditor of Rangers as Whyte owed them the cash, which a court ruled in 2013 he should pay '“ not Rangers FC PLC
- As a direct result of Rangers demotion, our immediate rivals across the city have benefited to the tune of a clear run at the title for 5 years, increased earnings from European Competition, and an increased share in television revenue

All of these factors led Rangers towards the abyss, and it's only through loyalty and persistence of Rangers supporters, that we are still here.

I think we can safely assume that none of the above will face any charges, or be found guilty, so the villains of the piece will all sleep soundly knowing they will not be held to account for corporate vandalism of an institution.

If Philip Green can walk after what he did to BHS, or Mike Ashley can walk after what he did to USC in this corporate jungle, then it would appear unlikely that their conduct with Rangers will see any justice

As the nation prepares for a General election tomorrow, it is worth noting that not one party has any remotely credible proposal as to how to stop the kind of chicanery that goes on every day in business in the UK.

I have in the past asked for a judicial enquiry as to the conduct of all of those who participated in the ritual kicking of Rangers from 2011 to now, but I will admit now that it looks as likely as Sands Casino opening on Edmiston Drive.

While some avenues may well have closed, we must look to salvage what we can from this situation:

- Depending on the outcome of the 'Big Tax Case' tribunal appeal, there may will be opportunities to come together and challenge the impacts that case has had
- The Actions of the SFA can still be challenged. Let's be clear. The Resolution 12 Headcases are at the wrong end of the spectrum as to how the authorities treated Rangers, when the club was being attacked by a pack of corporate wolves

The board of RIFC need to demonstrate that they can co-ordinate and fight for justice, and if they won't, we need to come together and do it.

They club though, should demonstrate that they have a full understanding of what to do, and how to do it, and someone needs a word in the shell like of Alistair Johnston on what language to use, as his initial foray on the topic on his return to the board was almost as cringeworthy as a Diane Abbott interview.

We as a support need to recognise that the club is still vulnerable to corporate attack, and we need to ensure that Club1872 is independent enough of the RIFC board to be able to scrutinise and influence what goes on behind closed doors.

Those of us who are Independent Shareholders too, need to challenge the board to ensure that our club is being run properly, and I would ask that all Shareholders take this very seriously

What a load of delusional shite.

Even with their austerity plan they were leaking money. Without the CL cash (which they shouldn't have got) they would have gone under sooner. Whyte couldn't pay the bills once CL money was gone.

The bank loan was not the only debt either. Something those morons conveniently ignore.