It was all calm on the banks of the River Clyde when Rangers held their AGM in the Armadillo 12 months ago. But the waters are sure to be a bit choppier for the Ibrox board at the SEC when shareholders gather on Tuesday. A year ago a shiny trophy and a polished new manager sat on the stage and the Light Blues were looking good for a second Scottish Premiership crown as they boasted a four point lead over rivals Celtic.
But few in attendance that day could have predicted then what a turbulent 12 months lay ahead with a 13-point swing seeing Rangers trailing Celtic by nine points in the league. That, though, doesn’t even begin to tell the story of the last year. Giovanni van Bronckhorst, just in the door at that point and was a virtual spectator, has now gone to be replaced by Michael Beale. The Dutchman surrendered the advantage handed to him by Steven Gerrard as the title was relinquished. And then there is Europe. Rangers went from the high of reaching the Europa League Final where they lost on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt to becoming the worst performing Champions League group stage team in history. All of that in the space of six months having ended a 12-year wait to join the cream of the continent.
Off the park there were decisions that led to fan protests, court cases, American takeover talk and so much more. Here, ahead of Tuesday’s meeting of shareholders, Record Sport picks out some of the issues likely to be discussed at what many predict will be a heated meeting.
Manager hunt
Now that he is in position, Rangers fans are fully behind Michael Beale. But there can be no denying that a large section of the support didn’t feel he had enough experience of being a manager on his own to take on this job. Many felt that other names such as Sean Dyche in particular would have been better equipped. Dyche has already stated he feels he’s got an English Premier League job and might not have fancied moving north of the border. But was the question asked of Dyche, or anyone else for that matter?
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano says a conversation took place with Alanyaspor manager Francesco Farioli but how extensive was the search before arriving at Beale, someone who they were already familiar with and could have been seen as the so-called easy option?
Recruitment
This is the big one for fans who have been unhappy at Rangers’ regression. It has long been accepted that player trading is crucial for the club. Raking in big transfer fees was something that had been lacking during the club’s rebuild but they managed to cash in on Nathan Patterson, Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey. However, it’s one thing bringing in huge fees - it’s another replacing those players to fill the void and it’s fair to say that hasn’t really happened. The summer signings haven’t made nearly a big enough impact and none started the home Champions League defeat to Napoli which was telling.
Tom Lawrence can be put down to bad luck as he was showing good form before injury struck. But Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo and Malik Tillman haven’t shown enough and Ben Davies and John Souttar have been on the treatment table more than the pitch. Antonio Colak has been the biggest success but the signings record hasn't been good enough and must improve with Ross Wilson likely to be quizzed on that. Howver at Beale’s unveiling he was bullish and said: “Certainly from my perspective I know the mandate I was given on the day I walked in the door here and I am absolutely sure I have delivered on my part of the mandate so far.”
Contracts
It was at last year’s AGM that Ross Wilson explained Rangers’ strategy when it comes to dealing with new contracts at the club. He basically split the squad into three categories - veterans whose deals are reviewed at the end of the season, players who they want to keep and then the really interesting one - the ‘noncontributors’ as he described them. There has been constant will they/won’t they speculation over Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent since the start of the season.
The pair, free to sign pre-contracts next month, have been bracketed together as players who were so integral to Rangers and could have commanded huge fees but have been shadows of their former selves. Wilson, though, said they are very different situations. He said: “Two very, very different situations between the two of them. They are both private and personal situations for the two boys and their agents so I won’t go into any details there but they are two very, very different situations.” But it remains to be seen what category they fall into - along with Ryan Jack who shouldn’t forgotten - with Michael Beale warning the ball isn’t only in their court.
Transfer funds
Giovanni van Bronckhorst released a 227-word statement following his sacking but it was one line that the board could be questioned on. It was tucked away right at the end - just before he said “once a Rangers, always a Rangers.”. Fans would have enjoyed that but what about this: “I faced unique challenges and some very difficult circumstances to operate in”? There was always speculation over a lack of cash to spend and just how much support he was given in the transfer market. With Michael Beale facing a transfer window early in his reign, Ross Wilson said: “From the board’s point of view, we’ll try and back him as much as we possibly can.” But shareholders will want to know to what extent as they look to close a nine-point gap on Celtic.
Douglas Park re-election
There are seven ordinary resolutions but number two is the one that has earned so much attention. “That Douglas Park, who retires and offers himself for re-appointment in accordance with the Company’s Articles of Association, be re-appointed as a Director of the Company.” The reason that has grabbed so much attention is that Park’s predecessor Dave King said he will vote AGAINST the motor tycoon remaining in position. Despite his 15.45 percent stake - the largest single shareholder - he’s unlikely to get enough support to pull off a coup but it’s enough to ensure the 72-year-old will feel a bit more heat from the room.
Lawsuits
Rangers haven’t been strangers to a court battle in the last 12 months. It all started with that lengthy, messy battle with the SPFL over their refusal to display branding with league sponsor and online car dealer cinch due to a conflict with the club’s own deal with chairman Douglas Park’s motor group. It was a battle they eventually won as they were vindicated over their stance having said cited a rule in the SPFL rulebook that they didn’t have to oblige to a sponsorship contract “if to do so would result in that club being in breach of a contractual obligation entered into prior to the commercial contract concerned.”
But having won that, they now find themselves at the centre of two more battles. Elite Sports Ltd, who have since gone into administration, are the exclusive brand partner of Hummel sportswear, and are claiming breach of contract following the collapse of that agreement. And the second dispute is over Gers withdrawal from the Sydney Super Cup - the decision to take part alongside rivals Celtic in the first place will almost certainly come up - which led to fan protests. The club face a combined £11.1 million payout.
Disabled fans facilities
This was the one big issue last year in a fairly tame meeting as one support choked back tears as he labelled them a “disgrace” and managing director Stewart Robertson admitted the club “hadn’t covered themselves in glory”. But Robertson said in a recent interview that they will present a plan at the AGM which he described as “best in class” improvements. He said: “Our disabled facilities are not fit for purpose, not even close to it. We are now fixing it. We will be presenting the full plan of what we will be doing at this year’s AGM and that's to create best in class for disabled facilities in Scotland.” Supporters will be keen to hear those plans.
Champions League ticket prices
The performances on the park saw Rangers get the unwanted record of the worst performers in group stage history but the pain of that was compounded by the fact fans had to pay top dollar to witness it. A 7-1 thumping at home to Liverpool was the ultimate low point and some punters had to pay £71 to see that nightmare unfold. A three-match package was as high as £180 with the cheapest £150.
Fox in the Brox
US businesswoman Kyle Fox made a written pledge to pump £75million into Ibrox over a five-year period if successful in acquiring a 25 per cent stake in the club. The American was hit with a lawsuit by the club’s hierarchy after holding talks in London with vice chairman John Bennet about a potential takeover plan but that was later aborted. Bennett spoke recently about the speculation, saying: "It's not unusual for this football club, and perhaps other football clubs, to be approached by potential investors.
And when this said American group did approach us, I actually took that as an opportunity to sound out our big investors and ask 'where are you, what do you think of this?’They rightly said there is no harm in listening, and we do listen to a lot of proposals and that will happen again, I'm quite sure. There is no harm in listening, especially from a fiduciary point of view. We gave quite a lot of time to that situation. But what was very interesting was from John Halstead, to Julian Wolhardt, to people outside the boardroom and in the boardroom there was no interest in selling.”
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