The Daily Record has published the first claim that all isn’t well behind the scenes at Ibrox.
Keith Jackson has an unfortunate Track Record when it comes to covering what is happening out of view, behind results on the park as the different clubs try to make ends meet.
Over less than a month four updates were recorded at Companies House of fresh share issues. There has been no gushing media reports of fresh investment and millions being pumped in to build the club.
In the year to 30 June 2020 the company lost £15.9m despite increasing turnover. This year they have missed out on the gate money from nine Europa League ties and four friendlies while adding Cedric Itten, Kemar Roofe and Ianis Hagi to the wage bill and committing to around £10m in transfer fees.
New contracts have been given to Steve Davis, Allan McGregor and James Tavernier.
Losses for this season should be heading towards £30m which requires a lot of ‘mystery investors’ to cover with no guarantee of reaching the group stage of the Champions League or full houses returning to Ibrox.
In today’s Record Jackson covers some of the playing issues facing Steven Gerrard after his side’s Scottish Cup defeat then signs off with:
He has worked diligently to restore a sense of professionalism to a club which was run like amateur hour before his arrival on the scene. In many ways, Gerrard and his backroom team might still be the only properly functioning unit in the building.
Given some of the baffling decisions which continue to take place around the periphery of his first team bubble either at the club’s training base in Auchenhowie or at the top of the old marble staircase, it’s possible Gerrard and his hand-picked crew might be holding the whole club together.
If he suspects some of his own squad may not be taking this whole business of winning trophies just as seriously as they are, then he’s unlikely to tolerate them for too much longer.
Fortunately, with no worthwhile form of Financial Fair Play in Scottish football no questions will be asked by the SFA about the ‘mystery investors’ as they nominate the Ibrox club for next season’s Champions League qualifiers.