Nice to start this off with a note of positivity from the recent six monthly financial figures. With a £5.2m profit posted it’s fair to say that’s a huge turnaround in recent results and show we are back on the right tracks.
The gamble taken in appointing the management team have returned significant dividends and the European performance justifying the outlay in appointment.
Revenue up 80% shows how vital that run was with income starting to normalise itself at around £50m
With debt conversion of £11m of Director loans, this was also a huge positive, further share issues will help dilute that even more
Definitely a more positive set of results and shows just how vital European football is.
The club will use Close Brothers once more to fund further stadium redevelopment and help the short fall till seasons end if it is required, papers lodged with companies house show we are renewing that option. It’s the same facility as last year, with the same securities and simply a funding option should we need it. Further showing the strength of the company that we can once again use this facility to our advantage, it wasn’t so long ago that nobody would touch us in the financial sector but the board are beginning to build that up once more.
Despite whatever fantasy is written and as predicted we’ve had lies written already, this facility is the exact same as last year. Last year the facility was £3m, used in part by the club and repaid early. I would foresee that the club will use it in the exact same way once more.
Of course we would hope that as we continue to grow and revenues increase that we don’t have to use such facilities, but how many teams don’t have an overdraft which they use? This situation is the exact same
Whilst ‘bloggers’ (I use that term extremely loosely, professional beggars probably more apt) were putting a negative spin on our results and inventing conversation with imaginary sources, they missed the biggest story in years at their ‘own’ club.
Definitely a case of ignore the nonsense…. when it comes to that lot!
Anyway to matters on the field and when I last blogged it was on the back of a rather disappointing Ibrox performance against St Johnstone and it’s fair to say that since that last blog our standards have dramatically improved. Three great results, fourteen goals scored, three clean sheets and a healthy spread of goal scorers has really given us reason to be enthusiastic
I also wrote that I thought and feared Glenn Kamara was a similar player to what we already had. I didn’t think he was a bad player, nor was it criticism of the player, I just worried we already had similar players. It’s fair to say he has dispelled that Worry and whilst it’s still very early, he has to sustain that level consistently, he looks a very classy player and a massive bargain at such a small outlay.
It’s very pleasing to have witnessed three very good performances from him and three games in which our midfield three have all thrived. Jack and Arfield have began to feed off the dynamics of Kamara and it’s also raised their own game that extra twenty percent. The first half last night a real indication of just how successful this three could be.
Kamara has the presence to sweep up the play, cleaning up second balls, leading the team to press and recycling the play quickly, a key dynamic we have been missing since the early performances of Lassana Coulibaly. This has allowed Jack and Arfield to get forward and link play to the front man, it has also allowed both to get on the scoresheet in recent games.
It’s that midfield push and drive the team have been missing
What has also been impressive about our midfield is the tempo in which we have shifted the ball. Kamara very much at the heart of it all, orchestrating some very good moves and pressing the opposition
Suddenly we have began to look once again like the team that impressed very early on in the managers tenure, we are passing well with purpose, the tempo is sharp and we are once again pressing high.
It has been very encouraging and whilst it’s fair to say it may have come sightly too late after the break, we still have a real opportunity in front of us.
What we can do is put a succession of results and performances behind us, strive for that consistency we are craving in both performance and results, then truly ready ourselves for a huge push next season.
We also have the small matter of the Scottish cup this season and a trip north to Aberdeen on Sunday. We must try to take the last three games into that performance and ensure we go into the next round. It will be a far tougher game but that should not downplay the standards of results we have saw in the recent games.
Hamilton’s result last night shows how good our performance was on Sunday for example, not too many teams will win so well in Hamilton, so huge credit is deserved.
But it was heartening to see our managers post match interview on Rangers TV last night. He wasn’t happy at the second half, indeed describing it as ‘not the Rangers standards’ and he was clearly frustrated by that. We had just destroyed Dundee 4-0 and still he was striving for more, I have a sneaky feeling that had it not been for Defoe’s late fourth goal he would have been extremely annoyed instead of just mildly!
That’s the standards we need and the standards he will strive to bring to the club.
This season can still be successful and still give us an opportunity to put down a huge marker for the future.
The Scottish cup, two huge matches against them and the opportunity to put a consistent run of performances and results together. Do that and we will be ready for next season, both the players and the support. The gap has closed this week through no doing of our own, the chance to push ‘them’ and put down markers is still most definitely there for us
Sunday is another huge game but we have absolutely nothing to fear. It will be a fast and furious game, but having put them to the sword weeks ago in their own pen, we go there with confidence
We also go there a team on form and a team that look exciting again
Still all to play for this season and still a huge opportunity to lay down some huge markers Rangers, let’s go and do it
Ignore the nonsense, the irrelevant and the noise
🔴⚪️🔵
A big thank you to those that have played our Rangers raffle so far. £1800 has been raised from the raffle (£1000 given to Rangers already), add that to the £875.00 raised before hand means we are on course to raise thousands of pounds for the youth department.
Every single penny raised will go to our youths. So if you haven’t played already please give it some thought, with over 40 prizes to win you can help our youths and win some prizes!
(Update 01/03 – we have now raised well over £2000 which has now been sent to the club, Colin Stewart confirming the RYDC has received the money. Still a few more weeks to play the raffle)
I was saddened to hear of the passing of young Mum Nicola McNee, a lifelong Rangers supporter. She leaves behind two young children after a brave battle with cancer. Ibrox stood in tribute to her on the twenty eighth minute last night, it was a beautiful moment which she deserved.
I dedicate this blog to her 💙
Four Lads Had A Dream 