Some Rangers fans have been reacting on social media after Jim McColl suggested Fenway Sports Group are interested in investing in the Scottish giants.
McColl, who is one of Scotland’s richest men with an estimated personal fortune of £1.1billion, claims the US group approached him on the prospect of taking over at Ibrox and using Moneyball techniques to turn the Gers into a dominant force again.
John Henry, one of the founders of Fenway Sports Group, is said to have been fascinated by the Moneyball approach after the 2003 book by Michael Lewis on the Oakland Athletics baseball team’s general manager Billie Beane was published.
“At no time in my mind was I going to buy it,” McColl said in an interview with author and entrepreneur Rob Moore, as quoted by the Glasgow Times, when discussing his attempt to purchase Rangers from liquidators BDO back in 2012.
“Although, I might think differently now because I was learning about this technique that was used in Moneyball. That is what’s happening in Liverpool. It is the same technique they’re using. You see them 22 points ahead of everybody else [now 25 points] using this technique. So that’s a thought.
“In fact, we were approached recently to see if we were interested in looking at it again. The people who have invested in Liverpool would be interested in looking at it with us and applying the same techniques. Not that I’ll ever do it, but it’s nice to think about them being 22 points ahead of Celtic.”
Rangers have been subject to watching bitter rivals Celtic dominate the Scottish game in recent years as they clawed their way back up the divisions, and appear set to see the Hoops named champions for a ninth time in a row having already won their tenth consecutive domestic trophy earlier this term.
A Moneyball approach could see the tides in Glasgow start to turn back in the Gers favour like FSG were able to do with Liverpool.
Fenway Sports Group, then known as New England Sports Ventures, purchased the Anfield outfit in 2010 as part of a £300million takeover, and have since spent heavily with the £35m capture of Andy Carroll, £34m Sadio Mane, £34m Mohamed Salah, £75m Virgil van Dijk, £39m Fabinho and £72.5m Alisson Becker.
Most of those investments helped to improve the Reds, who have since reached two Champions League Finals, winning one, and appeared on course to win their first top-flight league title since 1990 before the season was postponed sitting 25 points clear of second place.
Here are some of the messages shared as fans reacted to McColl appearing to suggest Fenway Sports Group are interested in investing in Rangers…
— Rangers FC (@RangersFC_ESP) March 29, 2020
Nah, pass.
— Ashley (@spuckwolf) March 29, 2020
It’s based off the interview posted on here earlier today from McColl who talks about it.The interview didn’t come across as if McColl was serious about it happening, and if he was, why he would be announcing it to the Evening Times.
— David Taylor (@Big_Hamish) March 29, 2020
Looks like FSG are very keen on doing it with McColl but he’s not bothered. Would be unbelievable but wouldn’t get hopes up
— Jarrod Lendrum (@jarrodlendrum) March 29, 2020
How good are they as a company to deal with? Cautious side of me dreads a deal like this that spends big and eventually exposes the club as abd when they walk away, saddling us with crippling debt.
— Alan Murdoch (@alanmurdoch70) March 29, 2020
Heard this when Gerrard was 1st appointed that this would be the plan all along but was waiting for it to come to fruition before making comment but it seems to be gathering some pace now so hopefully it does come to something positive to take us forward and become a major force
— True Blues Loyal®️™️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@TrueBluesLoyal) March 29, 2020
People in there on the board or part of the group
— fraser M 54 (@mckay_fraser) March 29, 2020