Imagining the Saudi Takeover of Newcastle United at Rangers

[Graemeh89]

Just look at what’s happened to clubs like Malaga when not foreign backers pull the plug , best avoiding this type of thing.

 

[Gersfromthefuture]

Not for me, let’s always hold on to the heart and soul of our club, it’s not for sale ,ever

 

[Scotstounbluenose]

I wonder if there would be a lot less negative stories in the media about us, if you catch my drift.

 

[vinnie]

Could we do it for like 10 years and agree that they leave us with Bears in charge and the club not screwed by huge wages when they go?

Without that I wouldn’t want it.

But I’d love to do it just to watch everyone else implode.

 

[DonDraper]

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.

It would sicken me

 

[sheddensbear]

So the tims would hate the Jews AND the Arabs ?

 

[g/hillger]

nope not for me. 50/50 fans/investors would be my ideal.

 

[Fernando1872]

I've had enough of cunts with blood on their hands in charge of us to last all our lifetimes

This says it.

 

[tottie beck]

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

My point was we need to find an alternative to Scottish football to maximize our potential. The EPL is the obvious choice, but if we can’t persuade them then perhaps we need to think about an entirely new venture. It might mean challenging SFA authority in order to create It, but if we have TV and commercial backing along with a potential audience of 100,000 plus, it could be a difficult proposition to ignore. We’ve thought for too long that we can’t do anything without the traditional footballing authorities permission, but I think we’ve reached the point where television and commercial deals are where the real power lies. Of course it would be difficult at first but we are rapidly approaching the point where we have little to lose by trying.

 

[Aaritalo]

I'm happy with what we're building at the moment. We're on the brink of seriously challenging again, we've got a good squad filled with players who could make us good money, and by all accounts we're starting to develop talented youngsters. Plus we're looking very good in Europe. I'll take an Ajax model any day of the week, the EPL has been ruined.