Imagining the Saudi Takeover of Newcastle United at Rangers

ClockworkOrange

ClockworkOrange

Well-Known Member
Last night on Match of the Day I watched Steve Bruce have a go at the Premier League for their lack of action in finalising the takeover of Newcastle by Saudi Media City. It's been such a while since there was any movement on it that I had forgotten about it as well.

I got thinking, though: how would you feel if the exact same group wanted to take over at Rangers?

Pluses: an endless pot of money. Better quality of player. Global exposure. Certain success.

Negatives: your club being used as a pawn in a sportwashing programme by a regime with a history including, but not limited to, murder, famine, human rights abuses, hacking, and military interventions.

How would you react to that as a football fan, a Rangers fan, and a citizen? Would you feel okay in allowing the club - which means more to many of us than anything else - being used so blatantly and brazenly as a propaganda tool if it meant having a better chance of winning the league? Or would such an association of a club that means so much culturally, politically and socially with what amounts to a dictatorship with blood on its hands prove too much?

I imagine I'd be in a minority in this, but it'd absolutely sicken me to see Rangers associated with such a group, regardless of the success that'd no doubt follow, but I'd be interested in knowing if people feel similarly.
 
All businessmen have shady sides to their characters. Granted this is extreme. But they all got where they are by treating people like shit and taking advantage of others.

That being said, I'd be against it more from the view of the club losing its soul. I like Scottish football and how it's more like proper football rather than England which I think is moving towards being more WWE and franchised rather than football.

I often wonder what old Man City fans think.. obviously happy with the titles etc but do they still have the same feelings going to the games?
 
It's good until they get bored and %^*& off with their money and leave the team with players on fortunes with no money to pay them
 
As much as i wouldn't want Saudis to take over the club I think its important we get an investment in the next share issue and someone who could take us to next level. The progress the board is night and day and the project 2022 will be huge for us and the work James Bisgrove is doing is monumental
 
Wouldnt be allowed. The Scottish government and the people running Scottish football would block it.
 
Would be good for the first couple of year’s.

We would quickly lose our identity though as we have seen with Man City.
 
I'd be one of the lounges hated "Virtue signallers" as I'd be anti-Saudi while wearing my Rangers kit.

I'd also wank myself silly the night of our champions league win despite having sulked when Chelsea won it.
 
Fergie90 said:
Avoid.

Be great for a while but once they get bored and you are stuck with epl dross on £150k a week on 4 year deals you are fucked.
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you wouldn't be fucked though, as these guys have so much money 150k a week is like 15k a week normal money.
I would love it just to see how raging Celtic fans would be.
 
I would welcome any investment that can take us to another level as long as there are guarantees and they weren't solely running the club.

Hopefully the rumoured investment pre covid comes back to the table soon.
 
Would be taking no moral high ground over ownership when football is already a money laundering operation. If others are allowed, so should we. Good luck to Newcastle if/when their takeover goes through. Hope their takeover has them pumping the other oil clubs.
 
Football used to be about 11 from a local area vs 11 from another area.

Now clubs are just brands and rich men’s toys
 
personally I'd be against it in a realistic sense because it's not a real club when those sort of people get involved, even if Man City are trying to develop their future with the facilities they have and stuff like that

although if it could just be a short term dream, it would be hilarious to hear all of the Scottish media screaming about it as we unveil signing after signing to hammer their favourite team into the ground
 
Neilston Unionist said:
Would be taking no moral high ground over ownership when football is already a money laundering operation. If others are allowed, so should we. Good luck to Newcastle if/when their takeover goes through. Hope their takeover has them pumping the other oil clubs.
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That's an interesting point - do you forego your morals because everyone else has? Surely someone would need to take a stand at some point?
 
ClockworkOrange said:
That's an interesting point - do you forego your morals because everyone else has? Surely someone would need to take a stand at some point?
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Considering the UK and the West routinely sell weapons to the Saudis and are very much considered our allies so benefit in even more ways with military assistance and intelligence, I think the moral stand should begin somewhere else other than football.
 
Neilston Unionist said:
Considering the UK and the West routinely sell weapons to the Saudis and are very much considered our allies so benefit in even more ways with military assistance and intelligence, I think the moral stand should begin somewhere else other than football.
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True - but the takeover of much loved, cherished and historical community assets mobilises the average punter into action far more than the routine buying and selling of arms.
 
Clicker said:
The campaigning against it in the Scottish media would be relentless, not because of any regard for human rights but because of the prospect of a highly successful Rangers.
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You would only have to watch the so called Intelligenceia Green Brigade crawl out from under their stones to throw the bricks
 
I would run a mile. If we are willing to accept Saudi money to gain success then we’re a lot more desperate than I thought. It would be the end of the road for me I’m afraid. The Rangers I’ve loved for close to 60 years would have sold its soul.

Let’s pray it never happens.
 
cooprfc said:
All businessmen have shady sides to their characters. Granted this is extreme. But they all got where they are by treating people like shit and taking advantage of others.

That being said, I'd be against it more from the view of the club losing its soul. I like Scottish football and how it's more like proper football rather than England which I think is moving towards being more WWE and franchised rather than football.

I often wonder what old Man City fans think.. obviously happy with the titles etc but do they still have the same feelings going to the games?
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My girlfriends dad is a city fan as that’s where he grew up and had a season ticket at Maine road. He still looks out for the results but it doesn’t feel like the same club to him at all.
 
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EverGer said:
My girlfriends dad is a city fan as that’s where he grew up and had a season ticket at Maine road. He still looks out for the results but it doesn’t feel like the same club to him at all.
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I went down a few years ago. All the usual things you see outside Ibrox, guys selling flags, scarves etc had been moved on. You could only buy things from the clubs own store. Killed the soul of the place. Then we were sitting with a bunch of tourists, hard to spot anyone who looked like a life long city fan.
 
I don't think we'd ever be in any danger of the Oligarchs/Sheikhs of this world. As big as we are globally the limits of the Scottish game means we're probably not gonna make anyone much money.
 
I agree with the OP, as much as it would piss off the peados I would not want the club in the hands of any of the horrible mid eastern regimes.
They would make Craig White look like Ned Flanders with their blatant dishonesty, corruption, bribery, torture and murder.
The thought of Doncaster and pig eyed Pete invited in for a meeting at their polythene lined office to discuss administrative issues might seem attractive but not worth the price to sell out the soul of Rangers.
 
No thanks.

Once that kind of investment comes, they have a control which you cannot compete against. The Club could be pulled in any direction without a response.
 
Paisleybear30 said:
I don't think we'd ever be in any danger of the Oligarchs/Sheikhs of this world. As big as we are globally the limits of the Scottish game means we're probably not gonna make anyone much money.
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That’s where I think we are missing an opportunity. That is our selling point, not Scottish football. I believe this played a big factor in Castore choosing us over a lower end EPL side. I’m not privy to the actual figures but we must be able to bring at least 100,000 people globally as potential subscribers and customers. That might not compare with the Barcas and Man U’s of the world but it bigger than most. Surely such figure, which is a starting point, must be of interest to broadcasters and companies looking to expand their market. However, as long as our TV deal is tied to Scottish football we are hamstrung.

I don’t know if we need the sheiks of this world we just need to find a way to position ourselves better.
 
I would be unhappy with it. Basically blood money with all the harm they're doing in the world.
I prefer trying to earn our own money and remaining a real club other than a plastic club.
 
I wouldn’t be happy about it. I’d be more worried about how they’d change the club rather than be in moral outrage though.
 
tottie beck said:
That’s where I think we are missing an opportunity. That is our selling point, not Scottish football. I believe this played a big factor in Castore choosing us over a lower end EPL side. I’m not privy to the actual figures but we must be able to bring at least 100,000 people globally as potential subscribers and customers. That might not compare with the Barcas and Man U’s of the world but it bigger than most. Surely such figure, which is a starting point, must be of interest to broadcasters and companies looking to expand their market. However, as long as our TV deal is tied to Scottish football we are hamstrung.

I don’t know if we need the sheiks of this world we just need to find a way to position ourselves better.
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I did mean to continue and say that I believe we are ripe for investment into our existing infrastructure. If someone came along with some money to put into building what we already have then that could work wonders but there's little worth in someone coming in and throwing silly money on transfers and wages for a team in our position. We'd all have fun for 3 or 4 years but it would be completely unsustainable and we'd be ruined in the long run probably
 
On the plus side, I’m sure they could find some unique ways to deal with anti-Rangers journos that joined the team out in Saudi Arabia during pre-season or winter break training
 
ClockworkOrange said:
Last night on Match of the Day I watched Steve Bruce have a go at the Premier League for their lack of action in finalising the takeover of Newcastle by Saudi Media City. It's been such a while since there was any movement on it that I had forgotten about it as well.

I got thinking, though: how would you feel if the exact same group wanted to take over at Rangers?

Pluses: an endless pot of money. Better quality of player. Global exposure. Certain success.

Negatives: your club being used as a pawn in a sportwashing programme by a regime with a history including, but not limited to, murder, famine, human rights abuses, hacking, and military interventions.

How would you react to that as a football fan, a Rangers fan, and a citizen? Would you feel okay in allowing the club - which means more to many of us than anything else - being used so blatantly and brazenly as a propaganda tool if it meant having a better chance of winning the league? Or would such an association of a club that means so much culturally, politically and socially with what amounts to a dictatorship with blood on its hands prove too much?

I imagine I'd be in a minority in this, but it'd absolutely sicken me to see Rangers associated with such a group, regardless of the success that'd no doubt follow, but I'd be interested in knowing if people feel similarly.
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No I wouldn’t give a toss and be happy signing quality players and stuffing the scum.
 
Is the Newcastle takeover actually happening news of this kind usually conveniently appears so Ashley has an excuse not to spend money
 
Paisleybear30 said:
I don't think we'd ever be in any danger of the Oligarchs/Sheikhs of this world. As big as we are globally the limits of the Scottish game means we're probably not gonna make anyone much money.
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Oligarchs/Sheikhs aren't in it for the money. They're in it for the profile & prestige. It was some pundit on on Danny Baker's show summed it up quite well I thought.
Its the Dreadnought race of the new millenium for the gulf states. Every country needs one & the national standing is reflected in the success of the club.
 
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