I wonder what it’s like supporting a football team that just coasts along in mid-table, with no worries about finance or qualifying for the Champions League, managers not being expected to win every game and no, never-ending, boardroom battles.
Rangers are reportedly at the centre of a takeover bid from American businesswoman Kyle Fox, to what extent she wants to invest and what her long-term plans are for the club we are not yet 100% sure, however, with claims that she is looking to attain a controlling interest, she will have to dig deep, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire talking to Football Insider:
“Rangers have over 400million shares in issue at present.
“The asking price was probably in the region of 25p per share, minimum. If someone wanted to acquire all of those, you’d have to offer a premium.
“Rangers’ market value is probably just over £100m at this point.
“If Fox wants to take control, it’s going to have to be a lucrative and persuasive offer to encourage shareholders to give up their investment in the club.
“Some of their connections to the club are based on finance and some of it is based on emotion.“
It’s safe to say that Rangers have now recovered financially in that we have commercial success, record-breaking revenues and a playing squad that has saleable assets, the training centre and Ibrox stadium are also now at the stage where they are being upgraded rather than repaired to an acceptable standard. Add this to the building of New Edmiston House and, off the field, we are heading in the right direction.
On paper, the obvious thing for Fox to do, if she wants to become the largest shareholder, is to make an offer to Dave King but, as Maguire says, the boardroom is full of individuals who aren’t in it to make money, they are Rangers fans at heart and want to see the club run correctly from a financial perspective.
There will, rightly, be reservations. After all, we’ve all seen what has happened at Manchester United and how other American and Far East investors have run clubs, we’ve only just managed to chase Mike Ashley from the club, the last thing we need is someone else bleeding us dry.