GOOD RIDDANCE, MR ASHLEY
Rangers fans’ joy as tycoon sells shares
RANGERS fans have welcomed news that Mike Ashley has sold his shares in the club after a new deal was struck earlier this week.
The business tycoon’s 8.92 per cent share has been sold to supporter group Club 1872 and Julian Wolhardt, of Dehong Capital Partners.
Gers supporters outside Ibrox were ‘ecstatic’ and ‘delighted’, with many saying it heralded the start of a new era.
They said everyone wanted the new sell-out strip “now all the money is going to the club.”
RANGERS fans have welcomed news that Mike Ashley has sold his shares in the club after a new deal was struck earlier this week.
The business tycoon’s 8.92 per cent share has been sold to supporter group Club 1872 and Julian Wolhardt, of Dehong Capital Partners.
Gers supporters had been boycotting Ashley’s company Sports Direct for a number of years following a dispute which saw the club miss out on profits from the sale of merchandise. A new deal was struck on that earlier this week and fans were urged to lift the boycott.
Speaking outside Ibrox, Lawrie Theman, 65, from Forres, said: “I’m delighted. I’ve just bought my grandson his first strip, he’s four. I’m glad to see the back of Ashley, we can maybe move forward now.”
Joseph Gallacher, 41, from Linnwood, said: “I’m ecstatic. It can only get better now, onwards and upwards, with more money for the club itself.”
Jane Bowman, 46, and her eight year-old son Jamie Bowman said: “It will definitely change the atmosphere at games. We’re delighted. We went in to try and get the new Rangers strip today but it was sold out, everybody wants it now because all the money is going to the club.”
Grahame Stewart, 57 from Clydebank, said: “For somebody who is meant to be such a smart man, I’m actually very surprised at Ashley, to tell you the truth.
“But I’m glad he’s out, I’m glad to be back at Rangers and back at my football club.”
Greig Scott, 32 from Renfrew, said: “Good riddance to Mike Ashley. It’s great because we’ve just had so much uncertainty hanging over the club for so long and it seems as if we’re finally getting to the end of it.
“So hopefully the stuff off the park is sorted out and then we can get the stuff on the park sorted out.
“It would be good if we get more on the back pages as opposed to being on the front pages all the time.”
Jonny Malseed, a 35-year-old IT consultant, lives across the road from the Ibrox stadium yet said he had not set foot in the megastore for at least five years.
He said: “I’m delighted that Mike Ashley is gone. He’s not a stupid man and I think he got out at the right time for himself because his profile is plummeting, his name is mud especially here at Rangers.”
“I’m delighted that the shares have gone to Club 1872 I think they’re a fantastic club.”
DAVE KING is confident the Light Blue legions can play their part in taking Rangers back to the top of the game after they helped remove Mike Ashley from Ibrox.
The Sports Direct chief has sold 4.46 per cent of his Gers stake to Club 1872 as they become the second largest shareholders in RIFC plc. Businessman Julian Wolhardt has purchased the remainder of the 8.92 per cent shareholding that Ashley owns through MASH Holdings and King is pleased to see the supporters becoming key players at Ibrox. King said: “This is the partnership I want to see lead Rangers forward. Rangers
run by those who care for it most, not what has been dismissively described by some as “fans with calculators,” but a mature and structured organisation which can galvanise and represent our supporters and use their skills and talents to drive our Club back to the top of Scottish and European football.
“Julian’s decision to invest in Rangers is exciting for the club. His business background and acumen are exceptional and it is very pleasing that his scrutiny of the club and its strategy has convinced him of our financial prospects and the merits of our business plan.”
The departure of Ashley comes just days after King announced a new retail arrangement with Sports Direct that will significantly increase the cash Rangers receive through their merchandise streams.
And the seven-figure share purchase for Club 1872 is now another major boost for the supporters ahead of the new campaign.
A spokesperson for Club 1872 said: “We are delighted that our members’ support for Club 1872 has brought us to a point where we can acquire those shares and complete the process of restoring control of RIFC to those who view the footballing success of Rangers FC as being just as important as RIFC’s careful stewardship financially.
“Club 1872 allows Rangers supporters to help safeguard the future of our Club. Taking our shareholding above 10% puts us well on our way to that goal.”
Ashley has been a controversial figure since he first invested in Rangers during the Charles Green era and supporters boycotted his Sports Direct stores in recent years at protest at the retail deals in place.
Wolhardt, the CEO of a Hong Kong-based private equity firm, has clinched a £1million deal for the rest of Ashley’s shareholding and said: “I am delighted to become an RIFC shareholder. I have a long held love for Scotland and football and I am keen to see Rangers FC unlock its considerable commercial potential.
“With the successful restructuring of the retail operations, RIFC is now on a firm financial footing and I look forward to being a part of its exciting future.”