Rangers securing deals with Elior and Kindred Group is positive for the club’s accounts, according to Four Lads Had a Dream’s Stevie Clifford.

Elior, the club’s catering partner at Ibrox, returned with a record deal while Kindred’s agreement is also a record for a front-of-shirt deal.

It’s understood that the club can make around £3million a year if the conditions are met with regard to the agreement with Kindred. [Four Lads]

Clifford wrote in the Rangers Review on 20 September: “We had more positive news commercially in recent days.

“Elior have returned in a record deal and now another record deal for front-of-shirt sponsorship with the Kindred Group. These are the moments and bits of news we want to champion.

“We don’t want to be worrying about statements, words like ‘crisis’ on national radio and what is going to go wrong next.”

Rangers making the right moves on the financial side of things

Continuing their agreement with Kindred was important as they’re a trusted name that offered quality products to the club.

It’s understood that Gers had more lucrative offers on the table but opted to stick with them.

According to Rangers Review, that’s because they saw the likes of Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace facing issues due to involvement with betting companies.

Even the Elior deal is a lucrative one for the club and hopefully, it pays dividends in the mid to long term.

Stevie Clifford claims that it could be worth £2million per year – which is a significantly substantial amount.

This shows that the people behind the scenes are doing their work efficiently to ensure cash is flowing in through the door.

Hopefully, the right structure is soon in place which can see the managers and players thrive and give the fans something to celebrate about.

‘Gerrard didn’t want to leave Rangers for Villa and was booted out,’ said Dave King.

Although it was believed that Gerrard couldn’t compete in the Premier League, it is said that he wanted Ibrox to stay.

Steven Gerrard didn’t want to to leave Rangers for Aston Villa when he did and was “kicked out”, according to Dave King.

The former Gers chairman had a great relationship with the Englishman during their times in key positions at the club. But the South African had already stepped down from his post when Gerrard finally delivered title 55 during the 2020/21 season, his own third campaign as boss.

Months later, he was on the move too. Villa came calling and it appeared the lure of a return to the Premier League had proved too strong as he was quickly on his way, taking his Gers backroom team with him. But King claims that while Gerrard did ultimately want a move back to England at some point, at that time he would have preferred to stay at Ibrox for longer.

He said: “Let’s be absolutely clear, Steven was not ready to go when he went. Steven wanted to defend the title and I’d extended his contract at his request.

“He still says Anfield can’t compare to Ibrox on a European night. We had our understanding that we’d respect each other and he came to me and said, ‘Look, I’d like to extend’.

“He was happy at the club. His ambition was to defend the title. In the process of defending the title and having a nice European run, he could then move on to the balance of his career having used Rangers as a basis to gain some very valuable first-hand experience.

“Steven was absolutely kicked out. I have no doubts about that. He did not want to leave at that point in time. He would have left, but not at that point in time. It wasn’t what he wanted to do.

“It’s absolutely true that we went backwards because it wasn’t just Steven who left. It was support staff and it was the very structures that he had put in place. It was the ethos, the standards, everything about the club. Then we started to go down from there. He got the spine, he got the club, he got all of that.

“I’m not saying Philippe Clement doesn’t because I’ve never met him. But if I look at the team and I look at the shape and I look at the players they’ve signed, I see nothing that inspires me and makes me think we’re going to be close and have a good January window and possibly kick on. In fact, I don’t even see anything that will get us close next year.”

King has been critical of the way the club has been run since he left and has already challenged the board to an EGM. He’s now doubled down on what he feels has been mismanagement since title 55.

He added: “It’s extraordinary that we got to this position from winning title No 55. It really is extraordinary. I’ll go to the point it’s disturbing. As a fan, it’s disturbing because I felt that after 55, we were on the right trajectory. We were doing well and the value of the club was going up. Of course, the value of the club going up helps you attract investment.

“Now, I think the value has gone down quite dramatically and it has to be restored. It’s not been lost, but it has to be restored and it has to be marketed positively. There’s not a single person in the club I can think of who I would get any inspiration from, who I thought could lead this club out of its existing predicament. And make no mistake, it is a predicament.”

Alan Brazil describes what he learnt about Dave King and the Rangers live on TV as “shocking.”

Dave King has no support on the Rangers board after pitching his return to Ibrox, Alan Brazil was told.

Speaking on TalkSPORT with Ally McCoist (17 September, 6:09am), the host admitted he thought King had been banned from being a director.

King threw his name into the ring to become chairman again following John Bennett’s resignation for health reasons, but Brazil doubted if he’d be able to take the job.

He said: “There’s a problem there again, isn’t there – it’s shocking, isn’t it?

“From what I gather, and I might be wrong, but I thought he was banned from being a director. So, I don’t know how he’s going to go back.

“He said he’d support the board – I don’t know Dave King, but I was told there is no support on the board for him.

“He said it’s chaos from the team up to the board, meaning the team – the manager – is chaos, so I don’t know if he’s doing him any favours, to be honest.”

Will Dave King become the new chairman of Rangers?

Stability is key at Ibrox in the wake of Bennett’s sudden, immediate resignation as chairman, but that’s something which will be hard to come by regardless of who enters the fray.

Only a matter of days after that announcement, King looks to have come and gone as a potential replacement in Govan.

It has been said that key investors are rallying around the club in the boardroom [Chris Jack], with the ex-chairman set to miss out on a seat back at the big table.

With the club finally returning to Ibrox on Saturday 21 September, that has to be the start of more positive news following a traumatic start to the season.

Missing out on Champions League football, sitting third in the Scottish Premiership as well as the Ibrox drama and exit of Bennett, things could not be worse right now.

These key investors are needed more than ever though, and hopefully, they make the right decision to turn things around quickly at Ibrox, it is needed more than they know.

Rangers supporters should be cautiously optimistic by the subtle Clement Q&A hint, but he’s still not off the hook because of the £8 million reason.

Clement came through the Q&A pretty unscathed but he’s not off the hook in the eyes of fans

It was one of those ideas that probably looked great at the time.

The planning for the audience Q&A with Philippe Clement the other night kicked off when the Belgian was top of the league. By the time it rolled around he was down in the dumps. Clement would have had the date circled in his calendar along with other dreaded appointments, like root canal treatment and a colonic. Yet the Rangers manager came through it pretty unscathed.

Let’s be honest, it was never going to be a Frost v Nixon job. These events never are. It’s more like a Donald Trump interview on Fox News, with questions heavily vetted. Even the ones that got through were never going to be stingers. It’s the same when it comes to AGMs, pretty much for every club. The stadium could be on fire but the punters who have the stones to stand up tend to complain about the pies being too cold. And that meant Clement could state his case without too much hassle and emerge without any further damage.

The real court of opinion is in the stands though. And there are tougher questions for him to deal with in the coming weeks. Clement has undoubtedly been handed a raw deal and the job probably wasn’t what it said on the tin when he pitched up a year or so ago.

Slashing the wage bill, emptying experienced performers and replacing them with young projects is not a gig most top gaffers would sign up for in a hurry. Not while their main rivals are rolling in dosh and not afraid to show it.

Chuck in the uncertainty off the field with the Ibrox carry-on and the lack of a chief exec or director of sport, and Clement has been kicked out on to the floor of the Coliseum armed with a teaspoon. That doesn’t get him off the hook though. Clement should still have the resources to take on most of what Scottish football has to offer.

He can hardly plead poverty when he got to spend £4.5million on Mo Diomande and £3.5m to snap up Nedim Bajrami. It’s okay admitting Celtic have a head start but he doesn’t need to face them in the league until January 2 – and there will be more than 20 games until then.

It’s those games that will decide whether he can regain the fans’ faith. It’s a tortuous path, with tricky trips to the likes of Pittodrie and a perilous Europa League draw too. Excuses are not going to cut it though. Talk about xG, possession or thumping wins over Ross County won’t wash.

It was interesting Clement hinted in a little aside on Friday he had the option to bail out in the summer but chose to stay and fight. That should encourage punters but let’s not be naive. He stayed but made sure there was a stiffer insurance policy in the form of an extended contract.

Clement isn’t going to quit, that’s for sure, no matter what happens and regardless of the heat coming from fans. Rangers need to build up a head of steam to reduce the overall temperature.

Clement might have had some answers at the Q&A but you get the feeling the tougher questions are to come.

Fans said Naismith deserved more time, so Hearts can still battle Rangers for second place.

Kevin Kyle insists struggling Hearts can STILL split the Old Firm this season.

The Jambos are second bottom of the table and out of the Premier Sports Cup after a dreadful start to the campaign. Fans went into the campaign with huge optimism as a number of exciting signings including Yan Dhanda, Blair Spittal and Gerald Taylor checked into Tynecastle over the summer.

But after kicking off their campaign with a goalless draw at home to Rangers, Steven Naismith’s side have crashed to SIX consecutive defeats across all competitions. The alarming form has sparked unrest amongst the demanding maroon support with many already calling for Naismith to go.

However, former striker Kyle believes Naisy has credit in the bank after leading the Jambos into Europe on the back of finishing third last term. And despite being a whopping 11 points adrift of joint-top Aberdeen, Kyle is adamant Hearts can still challenge for second spot.

He told STV: “They (Hearts) are off to a horrendous start, I was at the first game of the season, I took my youngest up to watch the game against Rangers. I thought Hearts were quite good that day, but since then they haven’t quite kicked on from that or performed as well, whether that is from having the games in Europe or whether it is the new bodies trying to bed in.

“There are a few fans starting to make noises and pressure is building on Steven Naismith, but it only takes one game to turn things around. I think this happened last season as well, when they had a run of three or four defeats, and they managed to turn that around and finish third, so hopefully it’s just a blip and a bump on the road and they can turn it around and get going again.

“Some of the fans just aren’t having him, it was the same with Robbie (Neilson). The fans pay their money and are entitled to their opinions, but you can’t always agree with their opinions and have to look at it from a wider aspect.

“The reality is that Hearts need to be winning games and ultimately finishing third each year, then looking to challenge the top two. That’s always difficult, but I think looking at the way Rangers are just now there is no reason to say Hearts shouldn’t be up there challenging.

“They’ve got off to a bad start and puts more pressure on the club as a whole but I would like to see them give him (Naismith) time, he is a young manager and sometimes it isn’t straightforward for young managers who finish playing and then jump straight into management and there is a learning process.

“Whether he gets the time or not is up to him, if he starts getting results again he’ll be fine, but if he doesn’t then the Hearts board will have a decision to make.”

“Starving” Steve Clarke will meet with SFA representatives two hours after Scotland arrives from Lisbon.

 

A Rangers fan describes what Clement said to irate fans outside Ibrox following the Old Firm defeat.

Philippe Clement asked Rangers fans for patience after clashing outside Ibrox following the Old Firm loss to Celtic, one fan has revealed.

Supporters were left raging after a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Parkhead on Sunday 1 September against Celtic.

This saw groups wait for the players outside Ibrox as the players returned after the loss and demanded more from them, resulting in heated exchanges with Clement addressing the fans.

Calling into Clyde 1 Superscoreboard on 2 September, someone who witnessed the altercations up close has shared what was said.

The fan said: “I went up to Ibrox after the game, I wanted something, some form of reaction from them. We were shouting at the gaffer saying ‘This isn’t Rangers, this is a disgrace’ and he was saying to us ‘We just need time and patience’. It’s like, you’ve had all the time in the world.

“[James] Tavernier came out the bus and he called us a disgrace and said ‘you’re supposed to be supporters’. That just kicked off everything; I ripped my season ticket up right in front of him.”

Host Gordon Duncan responded, mocking the fan saying: “How do you rip your season ticket? I thought it was a wee card nowadays. I’ve not had a season ticket in a long time is it not a wee card? How do you rip it?”

The fan in question didn’t have a response to this, immediately hanging up.

Philippe Clement Rangers fan demand shared

The Gers haven’t endured the greatest start to the season, while beginning the campaign at Hampden Park only made the tentativeness from fans even worse.

Being dumped out of the Champions League at the hands of Dynamo Kyiv in controversial circumstances was the icing on the cake.

The cherry on the icing on the cake came as the Light Blues suffered a terrible defeat against Celtic in a terrible performance on the day.

It is always a bad sign for a manager when fans react to a defeat by confronting players and abusing them as they get on the team bus.

Pat Bonner explains why he was ‘surprised’ Viljami Sinisalo didn’t get his Celtic debut vs Hibernian

The reason behind Pat Bonner’s “surprisal” reaction when Viljami Sinisalo failed to make his Celtic debut against Hibs in the League Cup has been revealed.

After replicating their impressive start from Easter Road last week at Celtic Park yesterday, Brendan Rodgers’ team defeated Hibs 3-1 to secure their spot in the League Cup quarterfinals.

Daizen Maeda, the stand-in striker, scored twice, while Nicolas Kuhn added another goal as Celtic maintained their strong start to the new campaign.

But Viljami Sinisalo’s absence was what upset former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner, who reveals why he was taken aback that the youthful Finnish international didn’t play his first game against the capital club.

Bonner is looking for the Celtic “qualities” of Sinisalo.
After Kasper Schmeichel gave up his first goal of the year to David Gray’s squad, Brendan Rodgers decided to keep the big Dane in goal.

To see what the 22-year-old could offer, Bonner was eager to watch Sinisalo make his first appearances for the Hoops.

“I was surprised, actually, that he didn’t play the custodian, Sinisalo, the young man that he brought in,” Bonner stated on BBC Radio Scotland.

What a great position to be third choice at Celtic, Scott Bain. Scott Bain, when is he going to play? What will be the question now is when he will get a game.

However, I would have preferred to see the other young custodian to determine whether or not he had the skills and self-assurance necessary to succeed as Celtic’s starting custodian in the coming years.

“It would be wonderful if the young man entered and took action.”

Take your time with Sinisalo’s Celtic debut.
There is still plenty of time for Sinisalo to make his Celtic debut, even though it makes sense that Bonner wanted to see the young player make his debut.

On August 18, 2024, in Glasgow, during the Premier Sports Cup match between Celtic and Hibernian at Celtic Park, Celtic’s Kasper Schmeichel is spotted.
Ian MacNicol took the picture/Getty Images
Despite playing at Celtic Park, Rodgers would not have wanted to take the chance of another early cup exit like he did last season, hence the match against Hibs was not the right time to start Sinisalo.

Furthermore, as Bonner correctly notes, Schmeichel still has to develop and be tested in this Celtic club, so it may have been counterproductive to bench the Danish international so early in the campaign.

With so many games remaining in the season, Sinisalo will likely make his debut soon, and the Hoops manager may view the quarterfinal matchup at Celtic Park versus Falkirk as the perfect opportunity to do so.