0:00:08 > 0:00:12can engage abroad. Wet look at what On Newsnet Scotland, the future of
0:00:12 > 0:00:16several Rangers players hangs in the balance after an eleventh-hour
0:00:16 > 0:00:19offer to defer wages. Administrators say they will take a
0:00:19 > 0:00:24decision on redundancies in the morning after meetings today ended
0:00:24 > 0:00:29without agreement. Will the players offer be enough to prevent any
0:00:29 > 0:00:35sackings? Outspoken and often controversial -
0:00:35 > 0:00:41we look back on a life of one of Scotland's top QCs, Paul McBride.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Good evening. After a day of talks at the club's training ground, a
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Rangers player has emerged this evening after a last ditch effort
0:00:46 > 0:00:50to save their jobs. They will have to wait until tomorrow morning to
0:00:50 > 0:00:54see whether they have a future at the club after administrators
0:00:54 > 0:00:57agreed to sleep on the offer. This on the day that the SPL announced
0:00:58 > 0:01:04it had launched its own investigation into alleged non-
0:01:04 > 0:01:09disclosure of payments to players that the Club 18-1998.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13For those arriving at Murray Park today, there was not much training
0:01:13 > 0:01:17going on. Instead, players and administrators spent the day trying
0:01:18 > 0:01:21to hammer out a voluntary one month's pay cut of up to 75% for
0:01:21 > 0:01:26the most expensive signings to try to save �1 million by the end of
0:01:26 > 0:01:31the month. Players made a counter- offer which the administrators
0:01:31 > 0:01:34agreed to consider over night. The administrators say they have had a
0:01:34 > 0:01:39number of expressions of interest from potential buyers and have set
0:01:39 > 0:01:45Friday of next week as the deadline. For that to work, the clock's
0:01:45 > 0:01:49liabilities need to be clarified and minimised. Fans would like to
0:01:49 > 0:01:53fast forward to a day when this is all behind them.
0:01:53 > 0:02:02Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Hearts is a clear demonstration that it is
0:02:02 > 0:02:06not just the financial rules which have affected Rangers. The dreary
0:02:06 > 0:02:09rain at the end of the game summed up the mood including news that
0:02:09 > 0:02:13administrators had rejected the offer by players to defer wages
0:02:13 > 0:02:20because it would simply add to the debt and not make Rangers more
0:02:20 > 0:02:24attractive to potential buyers. this stage, nothing surprises or
0:02:24 > 0:02:28disappoints me. You just have to face the facts and based what is on
0:02:28 > 0:02:32the table and deal with it. reality is that complete
0:02:32 > 0:02:38liquidation remains a possibility and the rules say that would mean
0:02:38 > 0:02:41starting again from the bottom of the Third Division. At Hampden, an
0:02:42 > 0:02:48SPL meeting on financial fair play with the club chairmen discussed
0:02:48 > 0:02:54potential outcomes. We're looking at what should happen when a club
0:02:54 > 0:02:58goes into administration or if a club cannot exit administration, if
0:02:58 > 0:03:04it needs to potentially transferor at its share in the SPL. All of
0:03:04 > 0:03:08those areas were included in the debate. What was the consensus?
0:03:08 > 0:03:12is not fair to say there was any consensus on any one issue. The
0:03:12 > 0:03:18board will have to glean what changes are most favourable and
0:03:18 > 0:03:24what clubs would most like to see and bring forward rule changes that
0:03:24 > 0:03:31will take effect going forward. There was news regarding �85,000
0:03:31 > 0:03:34worth of tickets sales on the by Rangers to Dunfermline. We have
0:03:34 > 0:03:39come to an arrangement with them and we're happy with that and
0:03:39 > 0:03:44they're happy with it. Is there a feeling of sympathy towards Rangers
0:03:44 > 0:03:49at this moment? I think everyone has sympathy with the club, not
0:03:49 > 0:03:56necessarily with the individuals who caused it. As one problem
0:03:56 > 0:04:00appeared to be solved, another erupted. Former Rangers director
0:04:00 > 0:04:05Hugh Adam has alleged that official contracts registered with the SPL
0:04:05 > 0:04:10did not match the actual deals struck with players, something
0:04:10 > 0:04:18ongoing for 40 years and throughout the day that my right here. The SPL
0:04:18 > 0:04:21has lodged an investigation. -- David Murray either. We will
0:04:21 > 0:04:27investigate whether any payments were made that were undisclosed at
0:04:27 > 0:04:32that time and pursue that. How long will that process: for? I will not
0:04:32 > 0:04:36make any predictions about the future. Any process will take the
0:04:36 > 0:04:42appropriate amount of time. Rather than predictions about how long it
0:04:42 > 0:04:44will last, we will conduct the investigations as quickly as we can.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49Saturday's rainbow over Ibrox did not pave the way to a pot of gold
0:04:49 > 0:04:58to solve Rangers wars, but Ally McCoist insists there will somehow
0:04:58 > 0:05:04always be at Rangers. I am 100% confident that our football club
0:05:04 > 0:05:11will absolutely continue. I am not sure yet what she performed it will
0:05:11 > 0:05:16continue in, but it will continue and every supporter to a man will
0:05:16 > 0:05:21continue following as and whatever she perform we are. As players and
0:05:21 > 0:05:25staff at screened out of the club's training ground tonight, Rangers'
0:05:25 > 0:05:30difficulties remained not just unresolved but mounting due to the
0:05:30 > 0:05:34new allegations. I am joined now by Tom English who
0:05:34 > 0:05:41writes for the Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday and in Edinburgh,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45football finance expert Neil Patey. Wet start with you, Tom. We're told
0:05:45 > 0:05:50the players have been made this final offer tonight. At -- have
0:05:50 > 0:05:56made. Any idea what is in this offer? We're in the realm of pay
0:05:56 > 0:06:03deferrals. The administrators have made it clear they are not
0:06:03 > 0:06:08interested in payment deferrals so they seem to be at loggerheads. We
0:06:08 > 0:06:12talked about a decision on this on Thursday then Friday. Today was
0:06:12 > 0:06:16supposed to be the day and now it is tomorrow. I suspect they will
0:06:16 > 0:06:21not be agreement between the players and the administrators.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25be clear, as we understand it, the administrators want a mixture of
0:06:25 > 0:06:30redundancies and pay cuts or with the cuts varying depending on how
0:06:30 > 0:06:36much the players earn? There are some big earners and smaller
0:06:36 > 0:06:41earner's. There is a big debate on what the administrators want. It
0:06:41 > 0:06:47seems obvious to me there are a lot of players - I could name five or
0:06:47 > 0:06:52six of the top of my head - that you could cut. I do not want to be
0:06:52 > 0:06:57heartless but players that are not contributing a huge amount. My
0:06:57 > 0:07:03example is Neil Alexander, a top bloke, the reserve goalkeeper. He
0:07:03 > 0:07:10is on about �12,000 a week and has played 13 games in two years'. Per
0:07:10 > 0:07:17game, he is on a �96,000 a match. That is ridiculous for a club like
0:07:17 > 0:07:23Rangers. Let's bring in Neil Patey. Why won't the administrators have
0:07:23 > 0:07:28taken the decision to cut loose some players who are perhaps not
0:07:28 > 0:07:33contributing as much as they might? I think some will ultimately be cut
0:07:33 > 0:07:37loose. The ideal situation for the administrators as some kind of pay
0:07:37 > 0:07:42cut which will minimise the players let go but they would like to do
0:07:42 > 0:07:46that as a package. I would have thought unless the administrators
0:07:46 > 0:07:54are very lucky, there will have to be some element of job cuts in the
0:07:54 > 0:07:59next 24 or 48 hours. Redundancies are not cost-free.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02administrators can let them call and can break a contract. That is
0:08:02 > 0:08:06part of the administration process so it is effectively for the for
0:08:06 > 0:08:12the administrators. We have heard from the administrators that they
0:08:12 > 0:08:19will sleep on this proposal. In the words of Paul Clark, a very
0:08:19 > 0:08:26realistic option was being explored. -- of Paris. Is it realistic to
0:08:26 > 0:08:29defer wages? I think they will have to remove some players out of the
0:08:29 > 0:08:35club and they do not think defending wages as an option. They
0:08:35 > 0:08:40have said clearly they do not want defending wages. A lot of people
0:08:40 > 0:08:46out there are wondering what the delay has. We do not want bloodlust
0:08:46 > 0:08:51but this club, as we have been told constantly, need to save �1 million
0:08:51 > 0:08:57per month. It seems to me that the longer the delay taking their
0:08:57 > 0:09:03medicine, the greater the likelihood of liquidation. How do
0:09:03 > 0:09:07you assess the chances of liquidation at this stage? I think
0:09:07 > 0:09:11it is still a real possibility it and by liquidation, I mean where
0:09:12 > 0:09:21they liquidate their assets. They will sell the club, the squat,
0:09:22 > 0:09:23
0:09:23 > 0:09:28Murray Park to a new owner. -- squad. The process of liquidating
0:09:28 > 0:09:33the assets has to be a real possibility. Any sign of interested
0:09:33 > 0:09:36buyers? I think the deadline is still a couple of weeks.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40administrators say they have had a couple of notices of interest and
0:09:40 > 0:09:44have put the deadline down to see if it is a real interest and
0:09:44 > 0:09:47interest with backing. I think the administrators are hoping they have
0:09:47 > 0:09:52at least one or two prospective buyers that they can have a
0:09:53 > 0:09:56discussion with. Let's talk about the decision by
0:09:56 > 0:10:02the SPL today to launch its own investigation. How do you assess
0:10:02 > 0:10:05that? I welcome it but I am slightly surprised that the SPL
0:10:05 > 0:10:09have launched themselves into it. They have not known as an
0:10:09 > 0:10:12organisation that get their hands dirty when it comes to the other
0:10:12 > 0:10:17side of football. There non- confrontational and do not like
0:10:17 > 0:10:22doing this kind of stuff. Well done to him for calling this much-needed
0:10:22 > 0:10:26inquiry. Now they have jumped one step they should jump another and
0:10:26 > 0:10:31make it fully independent. They currently have a six-man board
0:10:31 > 0:10:34investigating one of their own clubs. I think to get proper
0:10:34 > 0:10:37transparency on this you need a totally independent group looking
0:10:37 > 0:10:44at the financial behaviour of this football club going back to the
0:10:44 > 0:10:49mid- Nineties. And the issue at stake here? The issue at stake is
0:10:49 > 0:10:58last Friday, you had you Adam, a former director, talking about the
0:10:58 > 0:11:02possible existence of double contracts. -- Hugh Adam. The
0:11:02 > 0:11:05players have won contract with the SPL and another contract on which
0:11:05 > 0:11:11they are taxed. That is the allegation from a former Rangers
0:11:11 > 0:11:16director of 30 years' standing. proved, that is pretty serious.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20true, it is absolutely devastating. It would be the bigger story ever
0:11:20 > 0:11:30to happen in Scottish football. You could not underestimate how huge
0:11:30 > 0:11:32
0:11:32 > 0:11:39Mrs. Thanks very much for coming to topless. -- topless.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44Tributes continue to be paid today to Paul McBride who was found in
0:11:44 > 0:11:48his hotel room and a whole were up after a complaining of being unwell.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52The trial of two men accused of attempting to murder him was paused
0:11:52 > 0:11:58in Glasgow today as a mark of respect.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Charm, intelligence, generosity. The qualities mentioned most
0:12:01 > 0:12:06frequently introduced the poll McBride. The adjournment of the
0:12:06 > 0:12:12trial of two men accused of sending parcel bombs to him, the Celtic
0:12:12 > 0:12:18manager Neil Lennon and others, was due to the degree of respect and
0:12:18 > 0:12:24affection in which he was held by colleagues. It is an extremely
0:12:24 > 0:12:30subdued place today. I have seen a number of people in tears today. He
0:12:30 > 0:12:35was greatly loved in that building and will be sadly missed. He is
0:12:35 > 0:12:41someone who because he has perhaps become a bit more of a media star
0:12:41 > 0:12:45over the last 18 months or so, his ability in court has sometimes
0:12:45 > 0:12:50perhaps been overlooked. He was an exceptional lawyer and an
0:12:50 > 0:12:56incredibly intelligent man. His ability in court was not in
0:12:56 > 0:13:01doubt. He became Scotland's youngest he see at the age of 35.
0:13:01 > 0:13:08He was involved in many high- profile cases. He represented Tommy
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Sheridan's life when she stood trial for perjury. He was also
0:13:12 > 0:13:17never afraid to be outspoken and often controversial of his
0:13:17 > 0:13:23political views. He was a passionate supporter of the
0:13:23 > 0:13:26government's and the sectarian legislation. It is not calling
0:13:26 > 0:13:31somebody a big Jessie. It is using the vilest of language on the
0:13:31 > 0:13:35terraces. He was a controversial figure from time to time but he
0:13:35 > 0:13:39never fell out with anybody. Those who had difficulties with him in
0:13:39 > 0:13:46the past will be the first to say that - he never fell out with
0:13:46 > 0:13:51anyone or lost any friendships. Efforts are continuing to get his
0:13:52 > 0:13:55body repatriated from Pakistan. In the meantime, Scotland's legal
0:13:55 > 0:14:05community is mourning the death of a man who always seemed larger than
0:14:05 > 0:14:06
0:14:06 > 0:14:16I'm joined now by Paul McBride's friend and colleague, Derek Ogg.
0:14:16 > 0:14:16
0:14:16 > 0:14:22How would you so mop your thoughts -- how would you sum up your
0:14:22 > 0:14:27thoughts about this? One of the things that struck me, not just
0:14:27 > 0:14:31that we were all shocked at, we're all pretty tough and hard and
0:14:31 > 0:14:35personalities, but that we were all their emotional about the news.
0:14:35 > 0:14:41That made me think that he would be the only quiet that I can think of
0:14:41 > 0:14:45in Scotland to is not just eminent and leading and a respected, but is
0:14:46 > 0:14:49loved. I cannot think of any other side: there would -- who would
0:14:49 > 0:14:59provoke the skin of reaction amongst his colleagues, of a real
0:14:59 > 0:15:06personal sense of loss, not just to public life but to ourselves. He
0:15:06 > 0:15:13was his own man, though. Add so lightly. He could be his own man
0:15:13 > 0:15:20and the changes made an be a different person now one year later.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23It is one of the reasons I think he had difficult -- difficulty fitting
0:15:23 > 0:15:28into in the party political straitjacket. He switch to from the
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Labour to the Conservatives. He was a single issue man. If you put a
0:15:33 > 0:15:37problem in front of him, he would give you his reaction to it. It
0:15:37 > 0:15:41would be straightforward and he would shoot from the hat.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47Politicians in a political parties had the agendas and manifestos and
0:15:47 > 0:15:51you're supposed to sit -- signed up for the whole kettle of fish. He
0:15:51 > 0:15:56could only be honest and spontaneous. At fantastic advocacy
0:15:56 > 0:16:01ability he had been caught, winter and in politics could be
0:16:01 > 0:16:04devastating to his opponents. It made him hard to love with it in a
0:16:04 > 0:16:08party political sense, but all the more important in a public life
0:16:08 > 0:16:16since in Scotland. They d have political ambitions that you were
0:16:16 > 0:16:23aware of? No. I do not think he could fit into that box very well.
0:16:23 > 0:16:29A think he very much enjoyed being a shaker and an opinion former it,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33commentating, making interventions. He locked being involved in the
0:16:34 > 0:16:37stuff of national Scottish Life. It is on we're relatively recently
0:16:37 > 0:16:41that he has played a really prominent role, by making
0:16:41 > 0:16:51appearances on this and other programmes and making the sort of
0:16:51 > 0:16:51
0:16:51 > 0:16:55public interventions from which he That is the result of his growing
0:16:55 > 0:17:02confidence on camera. He was already doing that behind the
0:17:02 > 0:17:09scenes. He would meet people and organise things and do deals with
0:17:09 > 0:17:14people. He was a great fixer. In the nicest sense. He would soar to
0:17:14 > 0:17:19people's problems and he got to doing that. The deal work was so
0:17:19 > 0:17:23big that he came quite late to but thoroughly enjoyed. He loved that.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28Was there something of the maverick about him? At so what we. That was
0:17:28 > 0:17:34one of his most intriguing and frustrated the characteristics, to
0:17:34 > 0:17:41some people. To me, it was his most endearing characteristic. He said
0:17:41 > 0:17:45to me once, I'd do not fear any of them and I do not want anything but
0:17:45 > 0:17:51that they can give me, talking about the establishment. So, I can
0:17:51 > 0:17:59say what I like. What are they going to do? For some in the
0:17:59 > 0:18:05profession, did the sneer at them to what did he rob them up them --
0:18:05 > 0:18:13that he rob them up the wrong way? -- did he robbed them up the wrong
0:18:13 > 0:18:18way? Lawyer has a very involved in other countries in the political
0:18:18 > 0:18:21argument of the day, the social argument of the day. Scottish legal
0:18:21 > 0:18:27professionals have been pretty insular and I think Paul broke the
0:18:27 > 0:18:32mould with that. The idea of a QC making a comment on things in
0:18:32 > 0:18:35public life not to do with law had gained currency as the result of
0:18:35 > 0:18:43his intervention. Some people resented that. Some people, as
0:18:43 > 0:18:48always, in life, are just jealous. Predominately, the feeling was one
0:18:48 > 0:18:52of admiration. The efforts being made to return his body to this
0:18:52 > 0:18:58country, are those involved getting enough help from the British
0:18:58 > 0:19:08authorities? I do not load the detail of it. I did want to intrude
0:19:08 > 0:19:08
0:19:08 > 0:19:13on the family's private matters, but I spoke to someone tried to
0:19:13 > 0:19:20expedite matters today. Things in other countries move at a certain
0:19:20 > 0:19:28pace and in a certain way. He needs the support of consular authorities
0:19:28 > 0:19:32and that has to be given. I know that certain government steps are
0:19:32 > 0:19:36being put in place to try to assist as much as possible, so we can get
0:19:36 > 0:19:44him back and particularly the family, who need him back. Think he
0:19:44 > 0:19:51for coming in. Thank you for coming Now a quick look at tomorrow's
0:19:51 > 0:19:54front pages. The score at and front page, the Greek debt deal set to