Rangers: Newcastle's Mike Ashley ready to buy Ibrox share

By Chris McLaughlinSenior football reporter, BBC Scotland

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments239

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley

Rangers will be able to borrow as many as nine Newcastle players in a deal that will see Magpies owner Mike Ashley buy a share in the Ibrox club.

The Scottish FA is set ratify the move on the condition Ashley owns no more than 10% of Rangers and has no personal role in running the club.

Ashley's Sports Direct firm will then take over Rangers' replica kit merchandising operation.

Negotiations are under way with JJB Sports to end their retailing contract.

JJB Sports and Rangers entered a 10-year merchandising contract in 2006, when the Glasgow club received an initial payment of £18m with a guaranteed minimum annual royalty of £3m.

Any Newcastle players switching to Rangers on loan would need to do so before the end of this month, when a year-long signing embargo comes into place for the Scottish Division Three club.

In February, Rangers went into administration owing up to £134m to unsecured creditors. As a result, its registrations with the Scottish FA and Scottish Premier League were terminated.

Businessman Charles Green led a consortium to buy Rangers' assets for £5.5m and reformed the club as a new company.

But the 'newco' did not get the required votes for re-admittance to the SPL and instead, the new Rangers were relaunched in Division Three, drawing 2-2 with Peterhead in their opening game.

Under the terms of the agreement with Newcastle, Rangers are also likely to play the Magpies in a friendly.

Ashley spent £134m to assume control of Newcastle in 2007.

Green hopes to announce other new investors in the club shortly.

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239 comments

  • smartest football business move I have ever seen. He is no fool. Buy an underperforming business with huge brand equity and use your other asset (reserve premier players) to see it climb the football and financial leagues whilst giving the players experience. He will make fat money and rangers get to recover faster - its a win/win deal. Congratulations Mike Ashley.

  • The whole game has become a big joke... It has been forced down the red top readers' throats by the same company who broadcasts it. The people's sport it once was is no more as the players are paid lottery winners money week after week. People are starting to lose interest in it. More clubs will go bankrupt due to high wages. Wait and see...

  • Sounds like Rangers have become a feeder club for Newcastle.

    Ashley is a shrewd man, why not buy into a club like Rangers now and reap the benefits. I cant help but believe he will start taking his pick from the squad while sending his young players for game time.

    His company would also now have all rights over the Rangers kit manufacturing, which alone would make a pretty fortune for him.

  • BBC - why so few reports on the web site about Scottish football allow comments to be made? Also it seems comments cannot be made in relation to the more controversial subjects - of course that's perhaps subjective. Please provide more opportunities to leave comments and even better - how about a general open forum? Not all of us use twitter/facebook. Surely Chick Young must relate to that!!

  • Love Football.
    But.,agree with Ally.There are far too many bigots in this sport.
    Just wish Ally would admit that some of the idiots supporting his team,are just as bad,as some of the idiots supporting,you know who.
    No one can win.
    Not the Sport.
    Not Religion.
    Hate for a fellow human being...
    Makes for a very sad loser.

  • I would be very happy for players in the development squad to be loaned there for first team fitness. And with up to nine playing in the team they would be able to play together on a regular basis. Good move for both teams

  • Away to Peterhead is about as hard as it's going to get this season in the league for Rangers, relatively speaking.

    Rangers need to sign enough players to last at least 2 full seasons, they can't sign anyone next summer. After losing 20-25 players, with some players still to leave, they will need to bring in many players before the end of August. Not just for this season but mainly for the next.

  • EBTs (Employee Benefit Trusts) were entirely legal,
    ------------------
    EBTs are legal, the offence is not declaring the payments to the SFA as all clubs are requires to do.

  • This wasn't a calciopoli situation, I haven't heard anyone calling for Portsmouth to be stripped of their FA cup win.
    ----
    Portsmouth did not pay undeclared side contracts to their players. THIS is the offence that would lead to loss of titles, it has nothing to do with the liquidation

  • @ 44 Damian,have you problems reading or understanding english???Any Newcastle players switching to Rangers on loan would need to do so before the end of this month, when a year-long signing embargo comes into place for the Scottish Division Three club. it clearly states that,so their not bypassing anything the embargo hasnt started yet,english lessons for you?

  • Genghis26 - The only rule imposed is by UEFA and it states that no individual/group can own a 51% stake or more in two clubs playing in the same European competition.

    The rules haven't been changed. To suggest that UEFA are helping Rangers is quite frankly laughable. You must be afraid of Rangers return to dominance.

    What do Rangers and Celtic fans have in common? Both obsessed with Rangers.

  • Ashley can't harm rangers with this deal, he takes control of a current merchandising deal that existed prev, just means people have to go to a different shop to get their new kits, big deal. Some of his fringe players get some experience at another club without newcastle having to find clubs for each player, they all head out together. Plus a stake that's non controlling. stop crying already.

  • First of all: Newco stands for New Company, not new club. Look up the Newcastle website, or the Celtic website - they both say the COMPANY runs the CLUB (2 seperate entities). Rangers the club transferred to the Newco. If club and company were the same "The Celtic Football Club" wouldnt exist as the company is "Celtic PLC"

    As long as Ashley doesn't run the club we're ok. Ally picks the team.

  • clueless - 160 - no logic Scotland needs both Rangers and Celtic, albeit, Celtic think they are Irish......there is no point wiping out history - or is there?

  • The prospect of a Scottish 3rd division "feeder" club hardly excites me. Scotland used to have multiple decent players plying their trade north and south of the border. I cannot name more than five actively playing today, and none world class. Massive shame youth development went out of the window in scotland whilst the likes of Rangers threw around cash they didnt have on mediocre journeymen.

  • @63 Whyte Lightning

    the newco cannot be striped of titles since it has never won any.
    the oldco can quite easily be stripped of titles and the history books adjusted accordingly.

    I'm not saying runner up will be awarded the title but if won by cheating then the winner should be stripped of the title.

    Funny how you think some comments are ridiculous have in fact posted a very silly one yourself.

  • First of all I am a Newcastle fan. 12 months ago, we did not want to send Forster back to Celtic for a further 12 months, as SPL football was too poor quality. Now we are happy to send 9 players to League 3?

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/scotland/8530954/Peter-Houston-slams-Alan-Pardews-cricitism-of-Scottish-Premier-League-after-Fraser-Forster-jibe.html#

  • 27.
    liamC02
    9 Minutes ago

    Reminder to self; Never buy out of Sports Direct ever again.

    -------------------

    if you already but from there you'll be back when they have a sale on reebok classics and tracky bottoms

  • welcom to Rangers at sports direct arena Glasgow

  • Interesting to see what Newcastle players will be up for scrapping it out in Division 3 in Scotland..... After watching the game today its not going to be pretty that's for sure.

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