The downfall of the house of Leggo

Admiral Pure · Feb 4, 2012

Saturday, 4 February 2012
ADVOCAAT AND THE RANGERS CRISIS

DAVID MURRAY may be at the crux of all Rangers current problems, but there are others who share responsibility. One of them is Dick Advocaat.

Though the man from Holland is unlikely to ever admit to sharing any responsibility. The Dutch are like that.

Now I am well aware there are many Rangers supporters who still revere Advocaat and who claim the team he built played the best football of any Ibrox side they have ever watched.

Such a stance is only open to debate if it is taken by those who were not around to be thrilled, delighted and regally entertained by the sixties team put together by Scot Symon. The outfit orchestrated by Jim Baxter, which contained Ian McMillan, Willie Henderson, Millar, Brand and Wilson, plus John Greig.

But there was another Rangers team which dazzled, if not quite to the standard of the Baxter team, then at least with as much glitter as anything wee Dicky Dutchy ever put together.

That was the Walter Smith side during the nine-in-a-row era which included Gazza and Brian Laudrup, along with Ally McCoist, Mark Hateley and Stuart McCall.

It was also, a team – or a series of teams – put together by Smith which dominated for a long, long time domestically and went within a whisker of reaching the final of the Champions League.

When the golden age ended with Smith’s departure in the summer of 1998, Rangers were in financial clover, boasting a bank balance which was an astonishing Â£21M in the BLACK.

Did I say astonishing? Nine in a row, all those Scottish and League Cups, plus the brink of a Champions League Final AND twenty one million quid in the bank. Astonishing and astounding.

But that was pre Advocaat.

He arrived in the summer of 1998 with the sort of reckless spend-spend-spend policy of a demented lottery winner who would soon end up broke. Only it wasn’t wee Dicky Dutchy who was left on his uppers. It was Rangers.

In three years he had turned that Â£21Million in the black into Rangers being in hock to the bank… almost Â£22Million in the RED!

And what did Advocaat's Rangers achieve? A treble in Advocaat’s first season, similar to the one Smith hoisted, and a title and Scottish Cup Double, again the same as Smith managed Rangers to. His third season ended trophyless, as Smith’s last campaign had, and halfway through his fourth, with it increasingly obvious he could not cope with Martin O’Neill’s Celtic, Advocaat ran up the white flag and surrendered control of the team to Alex McLeish.

Students of Holland’s history in the 20th Century were not surprised. Advocaat was behaving in national character.

Of course, through all of wee Dicky Dutchy’s spend-spend-spend years, David Murray remained at the crux of creating the current crisis for Rangers by allowing the manager free access to the cheque book.

Murray made the mistake of chosing the wrong man to chase his dream of making Rangers regular qualifiers for the knock out stages of the Champions League, with a view to the last eight being a realistic target.

Advocaat however, despite all his drunken sailor style spending, never achieved that. It was left to Alex McLeish to become the first manager to take a Scottish team to the knock out stages of the Champions League. And he did it, comparatively, on three half crowns.

Perhaps the danger signals about Advocaat should have started flashing within weeks of his arrival at Ibrox when he declared that he had inherited a mess and promptly cleared out Andy Goram, Ian Durrant, Stewart McCall and Ally McCoist.

Yet Goram was far from finished as his subsequent spell at Motherwell showed. He was good for another couple of seasons. Durrant went to Kilmarnock, won plaudits and actually played more games for Scotland than he had as a Rangers player. McCall went on to play in the English Premiership, while McCoist showed enough at Kilmarnock to suggest he could still have made a contribution to Rangers, albeit as a bit-part player.

Advocaat’s arrogance, a Dutch trait for which I can find little basis, would not allow him to do anything other than fill the Ibrox dressing room with his own players, gambling the club’s long term future on success in Europe.

But the success in Europe, which such as Artur Numan(Â£5M), Ronald de Boer(Â£4.5M), Gio Van Bronckhorst(Â£5M), Stephane Guivarc’h(Â£3.75M) and Bert Konterman(Â£4M) had been bought to achieve, remained as elusive as it had under Smith.

There was also the strange case of the Â£4.2M Rangers spent on centre half Colin Hendry, at the time Scotland’s skipper and a man who oozed the qualities Ibrox fans demand of a Rangers captain.

Yet Advocaat insisted on making the erratic Lorenzo Amoruso his captain, while showing a marked reluctance to even play Hendry. This led to speculation that Hendry was Murray’s man and that Advocaat had not sanctioned the deal, something denied by both chairman and manager.

But it was and remains a curious episode. Especially when Advocaat had cause to regret his obstinacy when, in a rare admission of his wrong headedness, he stripped the captain’s armband from the irate Italian.

Of course Advocaat signed some superb players. He could hardly fail to, given the fees and English Premiership style wages Rangers were stumping up.

De Boer was outstanding. When fit. He did spend long spells out injured and probably had his best sustained spell in 2002-03, not under Advocaat, but when Alex McLeish conjured a Treble against the Celtic of O’Neill, Larsson, Sutton, Hartson and Thompson, a long way from the Dr Jo Venglos Celtic, Advocaat won his Treble against.

Numan was another who was skilful and silky, but all too often out for long spells with a succession of injuries.

Against that there were those who stayed fit, but were far from the standard expected. Bert Konterman falls in that category.

Not to mention the Â£12M desperation signing from Chelsea of Tore Andre Flo. Ouch! Advocaat could have got Sutton from the same club for half of that. Ouch again!

And, going back to his first months in charge and putting them under the microscope, there was the strange case of Goram out and Lionel Charbonnier in. The Frenchman flattered to deceive and was soon replaced by possibly the only good German ever, in Advocaat’s eyes, Stefan Klos.

Which leads us on nicely to Advocaat’s treatment of another son of the Fatherland, Jorge Albertz, a languid skill with a special left foot, a fans’ favourite and also a Smith signing. Perhaps it was that last aspect which caused Advocaat to have such a down on him.

Then there was another Smith signing who Advocaat couldn’t wait to get out of the door. And we all know what Rino Gattuso went on to as a World Cup and Champions League winner.

During all of this I often watched and listened as Advocaat laid flattery on with a trowel, lavishing praise on Murray. In fact, it was wee Dicky Dutchy who was behind the Rangers training complex being named Murray Park.

No wonder Murray, a man with more than just a guid conceit of himself, a man with a towering ego, allowed Advocaat, another man whose ego soared, what amounted to his rubber stamped signature on the Rangers cheque book.

All of Advocaat’s spending would have been fine had the players he bought taken Rangers on to a higher level. Had they ensured that Rangers became regulars in the last sixteen of the Champions League and even gatecrashed the quarter finals, then, the income generated would have more than offset such spending.

But it didn’t. Advocaat – with five trophies and no Euro advancement in three and a half years, against McLeish’s seven trophies and the last sixteen of the Champions League in four and a half years – failed in his mission.

He was responsible for an over Â£40MILLION DOWNTURN in Rangers fortunes in a short time. And the man who picked him, backed him and gave him carte blanche is even more culpable.

David Murray was taken for a ride and Rangers were taken to the cleaners. The bill for the pair’s folly is the debt which Rangers are saddled with today.

……AND…..

THERE are others whose actions and motives remain to be questioned in their dealings with Rangers.

Are they guilty too?

I will name names again.

HERE!

TOMORROW!

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Quite splendidly xenophobic.

Cossy · Feb 4, 2012

"There was also the strange case of the Â£4.2M Rangers spent on centre half Colin Hendry, at the time Scotland’s skipper and a man who oozed the qualities Ibrox fans demand of a Rangers captain."

What, gambling pisshead who went to a non-denominational school?

RebelBhoy · Feb 4, 2012

Leggo in Oranje bastard shocker.

That is such a **** article. A directionless pish stained rant. I cannot wait till tomorrow.

RebelBhoy · Feb 4, 2012

Cossy said: ↑

"There was also the strange case of the Â£4.2M Rangers spent on centre half Colin Hendry, at the time Scotland’s skipper and a man who oozed the qualities Ibrox fans demand of a Rangers captain."

What, gambling pisshead who went to a non-denominational school?
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silly timmy....

please log in to view this image

A born ****in winner.

Admiral Pure · Feb 4, 2012

RebelBhoy said: ↑

silly timmy....

please log in to view this image

A born ****in winner.
Click to expand...

.

Go G YellowScreen · Feb 4, 2012

I've never understood Rangers fans who blame Advocaat. He, like any manager, was simply spending the money he was given by the owner. Also, Smith spent millions first time round (some of whom were injured before they even kicked a ball) and spent (in relative terms) a fortune during his second stint. And this at a time when they were in financial crisis.

Yet he's revered by the slabbering masses.

It's no wonder they're in so much trouble.

Plus:

When the golden age ended with Smithâs departure in the summer of 1998, Rangers were in financial clover, boasting a bank balance which was an astonishing Â£21M in the BLACK.

Did I say astonishing? Nine in a row, all those Scottish and League Cups, plus the brink of a Champions League Final AND twenty one million quid in the bank. Astonishing and astounding.

Click to expand...

Aye, with Dodgy Dave's devious accounting.

Null · Feb 4, 2012

RebelBhoy said: ↑

silly timmy....

please log in to view this image

A born ****in winner.
Click to expand...

.

RebelBhoy · Feb 4, 2012

This came fae wiki.....What was Murray at

Just transfers

1998

Expendure: Â£35,950,000
Income: Â£7,625,000
Total loss/gain: -Â£28,325,000

1999

Expendure: Â£5,600,000
Income: Â£9,050,000
Total loss/gain: +Â£3,450,000

2000

Expendure: Â£30,900,000
Income: Â£4,200,000
Total loss/gain: -Â£26,700,000

DevAdvocate · Feb 4, 2012

"The Frenchman flattered to deceive and was soon replaced by possibly the only good German ever, in Advocaat’s eyes, Stefan Klos".

Godwin's Law prevails again.

Bib Fortuna's Maw · Feb 4, 2012

Didn't Klos claim that Advocaat was anti-German?

DevAdvocate · Feb 4, 2012

Bib Fortuna's Maw said: ↑

Didn't Klos claim that Advocaat was anti-German?
Click to expand...

The Anti Nazi?

RebelBhoy · Feb 4, 2012

[video=youtube;7JI6nEXmHtY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JI6nEXmHtY&feature=player_embedded[/video]

Here's the incident he's on about.

[video=youtube;uDq2L6-I5P4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDq2L6-I5P4[/video]

EspaniaCelt · Feb 4, 2012

It seems obvious to me that it was Scott Brown who was elbowed on the back of his head. He was certainly not the aggressor and he didn't complain about it. He reacted slightly in the tustle but it was all right in front of the ref who ignored it as it was nothing at all to get over-excited about!

RebelBhoy · Feb 4, 2012

Yeah.....obvious to you Timmy.

EspaniaCelt · Feb 4, 2012

RebelBhoy said: ↑

Yeah.....obvious to you Timmy.
Click to expand...

In fact .....why the ref didn't book the ICT player is also obviously him being anti-Celtic - the usual conspiracy of refs doing all in their power to see Celtic defeated!

rogueleader · Feb 5, 2012

Leggo is just working up to his major revelation.

Who is truly to blame for the current rangers situation ?

HMRC

EspaniaCelt · Feb 5, 2012

rogueleader said: ↑

Leggo is just working up to his major revelation.

Who is truly to blame for the current rangers situation ?

HMRC
Click to expand...

When will we know the outcome of this fenian conspiracy?

RebelBhoy · Feb 5, 2012

I hope not for a good while yet. I am having too much fun.

EspaniaCelt · Feb 5, 2012

RebelBhoy said: ↑

I hope not for a good while yet. I am having too much fun.
Click to expand...

Where's my dinner? I want it now!!! (I Claudius)

Go G YellowScreen · Feb 5, 2012

Sunday, 5 February 2012

LLOYDS AND THE RANGERS CRISIS

DESPITE David Murray being at the heart of the Rangers’ crisis and despite Dick Advocaat’s responsibility, both men were trying to do their best for Rangers.

That their best was clearly not good enough is obvious to anyone who views the clear and present danger which engulfs the Ibrox club, a mess Craig Whyte is trying to clear up.

However, there are other people, other forces, which have been at work and which have most certainly contributed to the current crisis which threatens the very future of a venerable Scottish institution.

It is up to others to decide if the actions of Lloyds Bank and their senior employee, Manus Joseph Fullerton, contributed to the Rangers crisis and if so, whether their fault was incompetence, over zealousness, acting on instructions or something more dark and sinister.

For as well as being an eminent, extremely powerful and influence banker, Manus Joseph Fullerton, who was born and raised in the East End of Glasgow, is a rabid Celtic supporter whose commitment and dedication to Celtic saw him become a founder member of the Celtic Trust, an organisation where republican extremist Jeanette Findlay holds much sway.

To even try to begin to understand what went wrong between Rangers and their bankers you have to return to the late 1990s and the Â£21M Rangers had in the bank when Walter Smith departed in 1998, when the relationship between Rangers and their then bankers, the Bank of Scotland, was all sweetness and light.

Fast forward to 2001 and Dick Advocaat’s departure and Rangers owed the bank Â£22m, the bank by then being the Halifax Bank of Scotland, after a merger But still there were no problems.

In fact, even when that debt soared to Â£80M and David Murray underwrote a Â£50M share issue to get things down to a more manageable level, there was never a hint of a problem.

Then came the takeover of the Halifax Bank of Scotland by Lloyds and, as the Ibrox debt crept up again, despite the on the field success under Alex McLeish, things changed.

The change coincided with Lloyds taking over the Rangers business. Manus Joseph Fullerton, a founder member of the Celtic Trust, was the man in charge of all business banking in Scotland for Lloyds, something he made clear to the BBC in December 2008.

By which time Rangers had been told by Lloyds that they had to reduce their debt as it moved to beyond Â£50M, a clearly unsustainable level of debt for a business the size of Rangers.

It was during this spell Murray stood down as chairman, left the board and put Rangers up for sale.

It must also be recognised that at this time Manus Joseph Fullerton, as the man in charge of all business banking in Scotland for Lloyds, had responsibility for all the banking relating to all of David Murray’s other companies. Companies which have 3,000 people on the payroll.

Manus Joseph Fullerton is a name which keeps cropping up. It is a name I first put into the public domain in October 2010 when Lloyds were still putting the squeeze on Rangers and Murray was believed by many to having the squeeze put on him to sell Rangers as part of the bank’s agreement to back Murray’s plans to save the jobs of those 3,000 employees.

The Gordon Brown economy had bombed and Murray’s companies, in common with even bigger companies – Lloyds Bank among the most notable – were hit.

However, from the moment Murray was removed from the Ibrox boardroom, despite remaining as owner, Rangers bucked that trend. Under manager Walter Smith they reached the UEFA Cup Final, won three in a row, plus cups galore …AND slashed the Ibrox debt to Lloyds to Â£18M. Not bad.

Yet still Lloyds insisted that David Murray must sell Rangers. And must sell them to someone who was going to clear that relatively small sum right away.

Why?

Nobody I have spoken to, accountants, bankers, lawyers and wealthy, successful businessmen, can come up with an explanation as to what prompted Lloyds to act this way.

Craig Whyte was the only suitor to court David Murray and promise to clear the debt to Lloyds as soon as he took over, providing Murray let him have the club for a quid.

Why Lloyds demanded that debt be cleared in one fell swoop is a mystery, as Rangers had clearly demonstrated their ability to manage and reduce what they owed to the bank, while still being successful on the field and eclipsing Manus Joseph Fullerton’s beloved Celtic.

By that time Manus Joseph Fullerton had left the bank - no doubt with a Fred Goodwin style pension - to jump on the fat cat quango bandwagon. Among the many part time roles he has is on VisitScotland, something which pays him around ten grand for a couple of morning’s work every month.

Before that Manus Joseph Fullerton – date of birth 11th April 1949 (why is this relevant?)– had worked on for Lloyds Bank beyond his planned retirement date in 2009. The explanation was, to help Lloyds after its takeover of the Halifax Bank of Scotland.

The fact is, before Celtic Trust founding member Manus Joseph Fullerton took charge of the Lloyds business portfolio in Scotland, which included Rangers , the Ibrox club had consistently displayed an ability to meet its commitments and reduce its debts to, first, the Bank of Scotland, then the Halifax Bank of Scotland and finally Lloyds Bank, while continuing to be successful on the field at the expense of Celtic, the team Manus Joseph Fullerton supports with such commitment that he became a founding member of the Celtic Trust.

Among those accountants, bankers, lawyers and wealthy successful businessmen I have spoken to, who find it hard to understand what sound banking business practice drove Lloyds to act as they did, there is a recurring theme.

It is this.

Should Rangers be forced into administration or liquidation, then close public scrutiny will fall on the dealings between Rangers and Lloyds Bank, at the time when Manus Joseph Fullerton was, by his own admission to the BBC, in charge of all Lloyds business banking in Scotland, dealings which have so far hidden behind the cloak of customer confidentiality.

If that happens, then perhaps a new name may join David Murray and Dick Advocaat on the list of those guilty of forcing Rangers into their current crisis.
Click to expand...

There you have it ladies and gentleman. The ultimate Papish conspiracy.

Frankly, I'm surprised it took him this long to cite a connection between us and Ranger's dismal failure.

The downfall of the house of Leggo

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