Souness Fancies Rangers Boardroom Role
- Thread starter Wokster
- Start date
Div1872
Well-Known Member
There was definitely a poster on here back in mid February saying he’d heard a rumour about Souness coming back for a seat on the board
Can’t remember who said it mind you on here
I’d think he would be good as an advisor but he would definitely need to be briefed on the current landscape in Scotland
David Graham would be a good guy for him to get up to speed with the haters as I don’t think Souness will have a handle on how we are treated up here
It’s much worse when the SFA were banning Souness from the dugout etc back in the early 80’s
Can’t remember who said it mind you on here
I’d think he would be good as an advisor but he would definitely need to be briefed on the current landscape in Scotland
David Graham would be a good guy for him to get up to speed with the haters as I don’t think Souness will have a handle on how we are treated up here
It’s much worse when the SFA were banning Souness from the dugout etc back in the early 80’s
Struths Canary
Well-Known Member
I'd love to see him back at the club in some respect, but let's not just be creating jobs just for the sake of it. He'd have to be able to make a difference.
The Lone Sniper
Well-Known Member
I love Souness but he's now a man in his late 60's and not one of the world's most gifted midfielders.
Feels like nostalgia.
Feels like nostalgia.
Ted the Bear
Active Member
Would take him in that role in a second
Broxi Bear 1873
Well-Known Member
^^^^ This for me too!
1288Bear
Well-Known Member
When he left I was very much of the opinion that, although he wanted to see the season out, he should go there and then as no individual, no matter who he is or what he has achieved in the game, is bigger than our club.
I had also become a bit disillusioned with his treatment of some of our best and most influential players - McCoist, Roberts and Butcher in particular.
He does, however, appear to recognise the mistakes of his past, he understands the club and what we are up against up here, and would undoubtedly take no sh1t from the SFA, the MSM or the fat Japanese.
With him and Gerrard on board we would have a degree of power and influence in the wider footballing sphere that others can only dream of. We would attract a higher calibre of player, generate huge interest in the club and, with that increased interest, attract sponsors/investors into our Club at a level never seen previously in Scottish Football.
So yes I'm willing to forgive and forget, to let bygones be bygones and to say "welcome home Graeme".
Lets do it!
I had also become a bit disillusioned with his treatment of some of our best and most influential players - McCoist, Roberts and Butcher in particular.
He does, however, appear to recognise the mistakes of his past, he understands the club and what we are up against up here, and would undoubtedly take no sh1t from the SFA, the MSM or the fat Japanese.
With him and Gerrard on board we would have a degree of power and influence in the wider footballing sphere that others can only dream of. We would attract a higher calibre of player, generate huge interest in the club and, with that increased interest, attract sponsors/investors into our Club at a level never seen previously in Scottish Football.
So yes I'm willing to forgive and forget, to let bygones be bygones and to say "welcome home Graeme".
Lets do it!
Can I just ask, what role is it that people think he would be ideal for.
Non-elected board members are normally employed for a specific purpose or skill-set they have.
Much as it would be a great nostalgic move, what is it that people see him doing. Other than "putting liewell back in his box"
Non-elected board members are normally employed for a specific purpose or skill-set they have.
Much as it would be a great nostalgic move, what is it that people see him doing. Other than "putting liewell back in his box"
Kaiserweiss
Well-Known Member
Maybe the op is Tanner
kebabloyal
Well-Known Member
think we all agree on this one.....souness would treat that rat lawell with the contempt he deserves
temperance
Well-Known Member
Souness and Gerrard; the dream team
I have the t shirt; the disnae move one not the Gif. Was nearly stabbed one night in the wrong London eatery.
Eddie Doc
Well-Known Member
I'm not liking the fact you nearly got plugged. Just saying.
johnkp
Well-Known Member
Having a hero is great. And there's no doubt that Souness was exactly what we needed, at exactly that time.
With David Holmes' vision and foresight as Chairman and Chief Executive, Souness' world-class status as a player, and the ban on English clubs from all European competitions, it was a perfect storm that projected Rangers to national prominence. Suddenly, we were able to pick and choose from the top players in England. We were winning trophies again and were on the way to 9-in-a-row.
But there is another side to that coin. Given his comments in the Scotsman article below, how confident could we be that he would 100% fight our corner as Rangers Chairman?
Rangers Had To ‘Take Their Medicine’
The Scotsman - 25 July 2013
Graeme Souness helped launch the new Scottish Professional Football league yesterday and revealed that he would have been involved in this new era in the Scottish game with Rangers had events worked out differently last year. He also urged the Ibrox club to move on after the ill-will generated by various sanctions imposed by the Scottish football authorities following their financial collapse last year. He hoped that the new set-up might help heal the rifts that developed after Rangers entered administration in 2012. The old company was then liquidated and the club forced to re-apply to enter the Scottish Football League.
Perhaps surprisingly, Souness agreed Rangers had to “take their medicine. Those were the rules. There was no witch-hunt,” he added, with reference to the vote by SPL clubs that condemned Rangers to the SFL.
He was happy to describe the SPFL as a “new start” yesterday, while he confirmed he would have been part of the new era in Scottish football had his friend Brian Kennedy succeeded in taking control at Ibrox last year. The former Rangers manager revealed he was prepared to work for free in a role similar to the one Walter Smith, who he brought to Ibrox as his assistant in 1986, occupies now. Souness stressed that he was not interested in coming back as manager. Rather, he was willing to return in an advisory role to current manager Ally McCoist.
However, Kennedy’s bid, after the Edinburgh-born businessman had joined forces with the Paul Murray-led Blue Knights group, was rejected by the club’s then administrators, Duff & Phelps, who conferred preferred bidder status on Charles Green’s consortium instead. Green’s stewardship of the club was controversial to say the least. Souness could not hide his dismay at Kennedy’s bid being overlooked in favour of the Yorkshire businessman, who was forced to step down as Chief Executive last season after allegations emerged of covert dealings with previous owner Craig Whyte and following controversial comments he made in the press.
“It’s not a case of holding regrets,” Souness said. “The administrator thought Charles Green was a better bet than Brian Kennedy, for whatever reason. And it didn’t happen. So I can’t have regrets. But I would only have been prepared to do it for Rangers. I would have done it for nothing. And I wouldn’t have done it for any other football club.”
Souness was keen to come in to act a bridge between the board and McCoist, someone who the former Ibrox manager had a sometimes troubled relationship with during their time together at the club in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “I would have been there to help Ally - a bit like Walter is doing now,” he said. “I would have enjoyed that. Would I have made a difference? You have to believe in your own ability and it’s a club I know. I was never going back as the manager. I would never have gone back as the manager. But that’s all water under the bridge now.”
However, Souness does believe Rangers would be in a far better position with Kennedy and himself involved than they are now, with ructions at boardroom level continuing to destabilise the club. There has been further disquiet among the supporters at reports that new chief executive Craig Mather is being paid an annual salary of £500,000. Souness said the club’s fortunes would “definitely” have been improved had Kennedy gained control. “The right people would have been there,” he said.
“Brian Kennedy would have been the right person. He understands sporting clubs, though his experience has been in rugby. Yes, he would have wanted to make a few bob at the end of the day. But that could have been in 25 or 30 years. It could have been money his kids got in 50 years. He would have been there for the right reasons - there were no quick tricks with him,” Souness added. “This was a long-term project and he knew how difficult a road it was going to be. The club would have been filled with the right people at that time.”
Asked whether the right people were assembled at the club just now, he replied: “I don’t know them. I only know one [Smith]. I know he is right and I like to think he is having a big influence on what happens there. He is the best man you could possibly get.”
Souness described the new league set-up - where the four divisions will be known as the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Championship, Scottish League 1 and Scottish League 2, and play-offs will be introduced - as a “brave” move. “You now have fewer people making decisions and, in my experience of football, that’s good,” he said, of the merging of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League. “I think there have been some bold moves and I really hope this works out. We couldn’t just sit back on our laurels and wait for things to change.”
Meanwhile, Souness dismissed a suggestion that he might have got involved with Hearts, after Kennedy was also linked with a consortium who were considering making an offer for the administration-hit club. “I wouldn’t rule out going back to a football club in some capacity,” he said. “But not in Scotland. It would only have been Rangers I would have been interested in getting involved in.”
'CyberTed' responded, two days later -
"Former Rangers manager and Sky pundit Graeme Souness has thrown support behind the newly founded Scottish Professional Football League. In an interview in which Souness says he thinks that the new set up will be good for the game in Scotland, he states that Rangers should take their medicine and that there was no witch hunt.
During the interview, Souness fails to explain what it was exactly that Rangers did wrong and why they need to take their medicine. Time will show that Rangers were the victims of a crime. Rangers fans have a long memory and Souness walking out on the club at a vital part of the season almost cost the club the championship in 1991 and the support have never fully forgiven or forgotten.
Perhaps Souness can explain why his other team Hearts, the team he claimed to support as a boy and a team who have failed to pay tax, NI and players’ wages through the actions of Vladimir Romanov, are not facing the condemnation that Rangers faced when entering administration.
Souness also still has close connections to former owner Sir David Murray and in the eyes of much of the support is tainted by association. It is sad to see someone like Souness parroting support on behalf of a corrupt league such as the SPFL. There is nothing new or exciting about the SPFL set up. It will be won by Celtic and will continue to be so as long as the status quo continues. It is the same power behind the throne that has brought Scottish football to its knees."
With David Holmes' vision and foresight as Chairman and Chief Executive, Souness' world-class status as a player, and the ban on English clubs from all European competitions, it was a perfect storm that projected Rangers to national prominence. Suddenly, we were able to pick and choose from the top players in England. We were winning trophies again and were on the way to 9-in-a-row.
But there is another side to that coin. Given his comments in the Scotsman article below, how confident could we be that he would 100% fight our corner as Rangers Chairman?
Rangers Had To ‘Take Their Medicine’
The Scotsman - 25 July 2013
Graeme Souness helped launch the new Scottish Professional Football league yesterday and revealed that he would have been involved in this new era in the Scottish game with Rangers had events worked out differently last year. He also urged the Ibrox club to move on after the ill-will generated by various sanctions imposed by the Scottish football authorities following their financial collapse last year. He hoped that the new set-up might help heal the rifts that developed after Rangers entered administration in 2012. The old company was then liquidated and the club forced to re-apply to enter the Scottish Football League.
Perhaps surprisingly, Souness agreed Rangers had to “take their medicine. Those were the rules. There was no witch-hunt,” he added, with reference to the vote by SPL clubs that condemned Rangers to the SFL.
He was happy to describe the SPFL as a “new start” yesterday, while he confirmed he would have been part of the new era in Scottish football had his friend Brian Kennedy succeeded in taking control at Ibrox last year. The former Rangers manager revealed he was prepared to work for free in a role similar to the one Walter Smith, who he brought to Ibrox as his assistant in 1986, occupies now. Souness stressed that he was not interested in coming back as manager. Rather, he was willing to return in an advisory role to current manager Ally McCoist.
However, Kennedy’s bid, after the Edinburgh-born businessman had joined forces with the Paul Murray-led Blue Knights group, was rejected by the club’s then administrators, Duff & Phelps, who conferred preferred bidder status on Charles Green’s consortium instead. Green’s stewardship of the club was controversial to say the least. Souness could not hide his dismay at Kennedy’s bid being overlooked in favour of the Yorkshire businessman, who was forced to step down as Chief Executive last season after allegations emerged of covert dealings with previous owner Craig Whyte and following controversial comments he made in the press.
“It’s not a case of holding regrets,” Souness said. “The administrator thought Charles Green was a better bet than Brian Kennedy, for whatever reason. And it didn’t happen. So I can’t have regrets. But I would only have been prepared to do it for Rangers. I would have done it for nothing. And I wouldn’t have done it for any other football club.”
Souness was keen to come in to act a bridge between the board and McCoist, someone who the former Ibrox manager had a sometimes troubled relationship with during their time together at the club in the late 1980s and early 1990s. “I would have been there to help Ally - a bit like Walter is doing now,” he said. “I would have enjoyed that. Would I have made a difference? You have to believe in your own ability and it’s a club I know. I was never going back as the manager. I would never have gone back as the manager. But that’s all water under the bridge now.”
However, Souness does believe Rangers would be in a far better position with Kennedy and himself involved than they are now, with ructions at boardroom level continuing to destabilise the club. There has been further disquiet among the supporters at reports that new chief executive Craig Mather is being paid an annual salary of £500,000. Souness said the club’s fortunes would “definitely” have been improved had Kennedy gained control. “The right people would have been there,” he said.
“Brian Kennedy would have been the right person. He understands sporting clubs, though his experience has been in rugby. Yes, he would have wanted to make a few bob at the end of the day. But that could have been in 25 or 30 years. It could have been money his kids got in 50 years. He would have been there for the right reasons - there were no quick tricks with him,” Souness added. “This was a long-term project and he knew how difficult a road it was going to be. The club would have been filled with the right people at that time.”
Asked whether the right people were assembled at the club just now, he replied: “I don’t know them. I only know one [Smith]. I know he is right and I like to think he is having a big influence on what happens there. He is the best man you could possibly get.”
Souness described the new league set-up - where the four divisions will be known as the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Championship, Scottish League 1 and Scottish League 2, and play-offs will be introduced - as a “brave” move. “You now have fewer people making decisions and, in my experience of football, that’s good,” he said, of the merging of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League. “I think there have been some bold moves and I really hope this works out. We couldn’t just sit back on our laurels and wait for things to change.”
Meanwhile, Souness dismissed a suggestion that he might have got involved with Hearts, after Kennedy was also linked with a consortium who were considering making an offer for the administration-hit club. “I wouldn’t rule out going back to a football club in some capacity,” he said. “But not in Scotland. It would only have been Rangers I would have been interested in getting involved in.”
'CyberTed' responded, two days later -
"Former Rangers manager and Sky pundit Graeme Souness has thrown support behind the newly founded Scottish Professional Football League. In an interview in which Souness says he thinks that the new set up will be good for the game in Scotland, he states that Rangers should take their medicine and that there was no witch hunt.
During the interview, Souness fails to explain what it was exactly that Rangers did wrong and why they need to take their medicine. Time will show that Rangers were the victims of a crime. Rangers fans have a long memory and Souness walking out on the club at a vital part of the season almost cost the club the championship in 1991 and the support have never fully forgiven or forgotten.
Perhaps Souness can explain why his other team Hearts, the team he claimed to support as a boy and a team who have failed to pay tax, NI and players’ wages through the actions of Vladimir Romanov, are not facing the condemnation that Rangers faced when entering administration.
Souness also still has close connections to former owner Sir David Murray and in the eyes of much of the support is tainted by association. It is sad to see someone like Souness parroting support on behalf of a corrupt league such as the SPFL. There is nothing new or exciting about the SPFL set up. It will be won by Celtic and will continue to be so as long as the status quo continues. It is the same power behind the throne that has brought Scottish football to its knees."
Jack Regan
Active Member
Take no shit bring him back
RW&B
Well-Known Member
What I meant, apologies for being vague, if so.
Is that we need someone to put Liewell back in his box, I'm not sure GS is the right person, if we take his medical history into account, he doesn't need the stress.
Midfield General
Well-Known Member
I would welcome Souness back in some form of spokesman role,but remember he jumped ship as soon as Liverpool came calling,yet he is treated as a hero.I don't carry grudges around so if it benefits the Club I am happy.
Then you have the likes of Naismith who gets pilloried for not tupeing over to Charles Greens company.I don't see the difference they both did what they thought was right for them at the time.
Then you have the likes of Naismith who gets pilloried for not tupeing over to Charles Greens company.I don't see the difference they both did what they thought was right for them at the time.
Pontoon blue
Active Member
It’s a yes from me
archimedes
Well-Known Member
I'd welcome him back, as long as he didn't invite his old pal back into the fold as well like he did last time.
RFC_Champions
I Make Stuff Up
What board room experience has he got?
Matt-the-bear
Active Member
Would love this to be true!
I think this would be key. If he was on message he would definitely add gravitas to our PR but I would only use him sparingly. Less is more at times and a straight to the point comment to a situation could really hit the mark. Eg the nonsense coming from the Scottish media and usual suspects about awarding titles could be nailed by him without getting into a debate and would get a bigger audience.
What do you think his feeling are re the current situation with Liverpool.
I ask because I haven't read his thoughts on the matter anywhere.
Wugs
Well-Known Member
Danger Zone
Just the tip...
It really can’t hurt can it? A guy who walked off the pitch and immediately binned his runners up medal stating that they were worthless and he wasn’t interested in collecting second placed trinkets. That’s the sort of personality I want around the club and around our players where possible.
Airdrieblue
Well-Known Member
Would know a lot in the “pr game” sky etc so I think be good
I have a lot of luck at such establishments; I was at a very respectable birthday party in Central London one night when one of my mates informed me Tugay had signed. The waiter had a real go at me in Turkish and was working himself up into one. The more enraged he got made me realise what a class player we'd got. one of his mates had to drag him away, never saw him again though I was keeping a wary eye for the fckr.
I'm not going for third time unlucky; Asians from the local Just Eat do my Kebabs now.
bucephalus
Well-Known Member
I'd love him attached to the club in some official capacity. The man reeks of class and is a winner.
Robert Marshall
Well-Known Member
Souness has another two years contract at Sky, no chance he will be involved with us at least until then
Beaujolais
Well-Known Member
I’d have him back. A winnner, understands our standards and takes no prisoners.
The Underfaker
Well-Known Member
Let’s assess this.
Season ticket holder at Bournemouth.
Lives in a cracking part of England.
Great gig with Sky.
Numerous health issues.
Really don’t see it
Season ticket holder at Bournemouth.
Lives in a cracking part of England.
Great gig with Sky.
Numerous health issues.
Really don’t see it
