Fenway Sports Group make shock Rangers approach

Steven Gerrard Rangers TEAMtalk

Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group have approached Scottish businessman Jim McColl about investing in Rangers.

McColl, who is believed to be worth around £800million, says John W Henry was interested in linking up with the Carmunnock-born businessman in a bid to roll out their success at Liverpool north of the border.

McColl, 68, says that Fenway are keen to replicate their success with the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool which has seen both clubs claim glory recently.

Henry is a firm believer in the analytics-based ‘Moneyball’ system which has served his baseball side and Jurgen Klopp so well and he has bee in touch with McColl about delivering the same success at Ibrox.

Talking about how he bought Rangers shares in 2012, in an interview with entrepreneur Rob Moore, McColl said: “At no time in my mind was I going to buy it.

“Although, although, I might think differently now because I was learning about this technique that was used in Moneyball.

“Do you know that’s what’s happening in Liverpool?

“It’s the same technique they’re using and you see they’re 22 points ahead over everyone else – using this technique – so that’s a thought.

“In fact, we were approached recently to say 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.”

McColl helped businessman Paul Murray wrestle control from Charles Green by buying Gers shares in 2012, before handing the shares over to the fans.

He added: “What happened was Rangers Football Club had been taken over by people who were exploiting it and who were out to asset strip it.

“People from outside of Scotland don’t understand how important both Celtic and Rangers are in Glasgow.

 

 

 

“I’m a Glaswegian and we couldn’t allow this to happen. It did a lot of damage.

“But myself, and one other, a chap named Paul Murray, who ended up on the board, decided we would get rid of the people that were in there.

“We held a special shareholders meeting, we managed to get them put out, and we ran up quite an expensive bill.

“I wasn’t a shareholder before all this happened but I bought shares so I could go to the AGM and the special meetings and, in fact, call them.

“Then we finished and I gave the shares to the supporters club.

“I gifted them and paid a hefty tax bill between me and Paul and we got it back to an even keel.”

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