Thetownend.com

Town hold talks with ex-Magpie Ranger
           
           


  SWINDON Town have met with Nile Ranger regarding the possibility of a switch to Wiltshire, as the Robins continue their search for a new striker.

           

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/headlines/10607513.Town_hold_talks_with_ex_Magpie_Ranger/?ref=rss
           
           
           

This is a disaster waiting to happen

Scraping the barrel. 

He doesn't deserve a professional contract.
Think the tweets to Jed won't be good

I don't know anything about him but it sounds like he would be about as popular as Luke McCormick.

His footballing talent shouldn't even be taking into consideration.
Horrible excuse for a human.

Jed knows how to spot a bargain doesn't he!

(http://i.imgur.com/DNCtFOu.gif)

(http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/179341/mj-thriller-popcorn-o.gif)

I think the incessant moaning of late has numbed my 'give a shit' receptors.

I feel like I should be bothered, but man just don't care fam.

N’Guessan sounds like the more plausible target, but if Millwall want a fee for him they can f*ck off.

Not sure either player is what we're looking for, but the board's judgement on players so far has been pretty good so will give them the benefit of the doubt.

Nile Ranger seems very unlikely to happen since 1. he'll probably go to prison and 2. Championship clubs are interested if he doesn't, so let's not have a pointless Luke Mcormick style meltdown on this subject until something actually happens.

The thing with Nile Ranger is that he has ALREADY been to prison (well young offenders institute) for armed robbery back in 2008 and stealing the first teams kit while at Southampton so he is a convicted criminal already whatever the outcome of the trial next week.

It's at least one step to becoming a community club. The only problem is Ranger's work won't be so voluntary. We've made such a positive start. Please don't sign this cretin.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BQL3surCUAAvrFS.jpg:large)

Sign him up i say.

Weve not had a mad cunt since Gurney

[devils advocate] Was there this much fuss when Timlin got out and went back to Southend? [/devils advocate]

I had to look up his Wikipedia page to find out what it was he was supposed to have done.  Bit of a wrong 'un.  Please avoid.

And I knew there was a reason his name rang a bell:
'He was offered terms by Swindon Town after a successful trial before Newcastle signed him.'

I'm not the quickest out of the blocks sometimes.

He's got his own name tattooed on his face.

HIS OWN NAME.

ON HIS FACE.

 :no:

Would have worked so much better if his name was Nile Wazzock.

Didn't he stay with Nathan Thompson whilst he was here before? Maybe he's the calming influence.... like Nolan and Andy Carroll.

I would suggest it is somewhat easier to give people a second chance for Theft or Speeding than it is for Murder, Manslaughter or Rape.

He aint been found guilty yet, i get your point though

Always looked a bit shit anyway, even if that was at a higher level im not convinced he would be anything great at this level.

Oh yea and as standard he is a right cunt.

Ranger hasn't been convicted of any of those either and if he is, we wont be signing him anyway.

At least McCormick showed a willingness to rehabilitate himself having oaid a debt to society. Ranger doesn't give a fuck.

Hopefully Ranger will get banged up for a goodly stretch.

Is he actually any good at this football malarky?

Similarly, did anyone care when we signed Pericard after his stint in prison? Innocent until proven guilty. If he's found guilty of rape we won't be signing him.

Ranger's been convicted a number of times, broken his bail conditions, ran into trouble with the FA over homophobic tweets and is awaiting trial on a rape charge. The article states that Jed is considering offering him a contract before the trial.

If he's convicted and gets a jail sentence, we'll be stuck with him.

There are second chances of course but looking at this guy, more baggage than Heathrow.

On 27 August 2011 he was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a man in Newcastle city centre leaving the victim unconscious in the street, but was found not guilty of this in trial in October 2012.[15]

In October 2011 he was charged with being drunk and disorderly in Newcastle's Cathedral Square. The charge came only days after Ranger had been reinstated to Newcastle United's first-team training after a three-month exile in the club's reserves.[16] In March 2012 he was convicted of being drunk and disorderly and was given a six-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £135 costs.[17][better source needed] Prior to this, in May 2011 Ranger was questioned by Newcastle after posing with a replica gun in a photograph.[18][19] The gun was later handed in.[20][better source needed]

In March 2012, he was fined by The FA for making homophobic comments on social networking website Twitter.[21] Later in the month he was arrested once more, this time for breaching terms of his bail whilst awaiting trial on four assault charges.[17]

In the early hours of 23 September 2012, police were called to a house in Enfield, north London after reports of a disturbance. The front door of the property was badly damaged and Ranger was arrested at the scene and later charged with criminal damage.[22] The charge against Ranger was dropped in November 2012 after the court accepted his explanation that he had damaged the door after fearing his girlfriend was being kidnapped.[23]

On 25 January 2013, Ranger was arrested on suspicion of rape in a Newcastle hotel room.[24] In connection with the same alleged offence, Ranger was charged with rape on 8 July 2013.[25]

On 14 March 2013, Ranger was arrested on suspicion of assault.[26]

In July 2013, Ranger once again hit the headlines after getting a tattoo of his own surname on his forehead.[27]

Really don't think its worth it, there is no guarantee he is going to grow up, get his head down and prove everyone wrong. If Jed is willing to offer him a contract before his trial, then I think he's insane.

Surely any contract would have a clause in it so we wont be stuck with him.

Thats only his recent history, he has been in trouble since 2006 and was sent to YOI in 2008 for armed robbery, he has convictions for mugging and assault before that as well.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Nile-Ranger-is-an-example-of-how-football-can-change-lives-says-Newcastle-boss-Chris-Hughton-article252645.html

That article is 4 years old now and I guess it proves exactly the opposite of the title.

Would he score goals though?

Why on earth are we even considering a "player" with an off field track record like his? Fine to give people the benefit of the doubt regarding past and future court cases, but we have a relatively young side all trying to make their way in the game and I do not think for one moment he would add anything that other players out there could not add, and a strong possibility that he could even be a very disruptive influence.

 :no:

I realise that he's been convicted before, but people are labelling him as a rapist before he's even been found guilty, rape being a far more serious crime than his previous offences.

Brilliant!

Seeing as you can't commit a more serious crime without killing someone that's true, but armed robbery isn't exactly parking on a double yellow line…

Niall really isn't as cool a name as this guy would like us to think

Been waiting for this.

Nile, it's Nile!

this is bad news if we sign him, other people we have been linked with have carried out serious bad tragic things but have been one offs.
This bloke has a track record better than Mo farah

Anger n rile  :sherlock:

Out of curiosity, if we actually signed him, would anyone boo? It's one thing being outraged on an internet forum, but I'm curious as to whether he'd actually be received negatively if his name was read out at the CG?

No I wouldn't boo him*. I wouldn't applaud him either.

* this assumes he is not guilty of pending cases and you don't mean if we signed after he served time should he be found guilty.

Would you rise in celebration to cheer his goals!

I wouldn't boo him - I'll leave that to the opposing supporters - but I would certainly be very unimpressed if we were to sign him.

Anyone who has to tatoo their surname on their face should be an automatic NO.

Exactly..... I am ni-curious :D

:clap:

I like the mother-fucker!

Is his name the same as Frazier's brother?

Cry me a river

Barry Corr was a good old fashioned lunatic

He's a cunt of the highest order. Given chance after chance after chance. Doesn't deserve another regardless if he's guilty or not for the rape.

Look we all know he's gonna sign so lets stop being in denile

Sign him up, we need a wrong un

Guilty of rape or not, this bloke is a prize bell end and should be avoided like the plague. Say he is innocent of the rape charge, why was he a target for a false accusation anyway? Because he's a grade A tool who seems to be a magnet for this type of shit.

But hey, if he scores a few goals?  :crash:

(http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Nile.jpg)

 :suicide: :no:

I like this one.

(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/05/10/article-2322380-19B52913000005DC-861_634x475.jpg)

What does that say on his hand?

Please use other side?

I see he was in court today about his punishment from a previous crime.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/league-one-troubled-striker-ranger-assault-punishment-changed-114346176.html

 :gay: At least he's not Bent.

On his hand it says "You'll find your surname on your head. Your head is on top of a soft furry piece of anatomy"

Like what you did there!!

Junior?

'Adver sources' ffs.  :soapy tit wank:

I wonder is it's the same sources that said we were after Clayton Donaldson?

Darren?

Left?

I wouldn't be surprised if the girl he allegedly raped was some northern slag on benefits trying to get some extra cash

I would be.

Why we are even considering him is beyond me and possibly offering a contract before he goes to trial is utterly ridiculous.  Jed really needs to use his brain a bit carefully here.

Wot brain?

He is the Tin Man of the CG

I did nearly put 'what little bit of brain he appears to have', but didn't want to offend  :)

Not condoning this but there has always been a culture amongst groups of footballers to take girls back to hotel rooms and subject them to sexual abuse whilst being filmed etc which isn't much better than rape itself. I doubt there are many teams out there where some of their players haven't done this sort of thing, they seem to think they have some sort of right to do so. I Don't think Ranger is That good as to ignore his shady passed even before being accused of rape. Far to much of a gamble.

Scarecrow.

"But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?"

Have a heart  :)

I prefer your inside knowledge, Chang, to "Adver sources"

Jesus wept. What a cunt.

What the fuck!?!?!?!? I skipped to the last page, and maybe I'm easily offended, but shit.

Why be offended at the suggestion somebody might be lying for personal gain?

Because victim blaiming like that is a horrible thing to presume. Victim blaming is rife in rape cases. Conviction rates are insanely low. And it's really fucking horrible.

Victim blaming?

If Ollie is right and she is lying then she's no victim is she? Is it wrong to suggest that Ranger might just be innocent?

*For the record, I'm not trying to say he is innocent or a good bloke or anyhting.

There's a big difference between innocent before proven guilty and any girl who accuses a man of rape being a "northern slag on benefits trying to get some extra cash".

What  a fucked up place to start from.

And where are you starting from?

You've already called her 'the victim'.

Where I started from, and have stayed at, is saying that describing the girl accusing Nile Ranger of Rape as a "northern slag on benefits trying to get some extra cash" is fucking wrong.

He said 'I wouldn't be surprised if'. To be frank I agree with him. I'm not saying she is but if it transpired to be the case then I would not be surprised.

Would you have been so indignant had he said 'It wouldn't surprise me if she is lying'? Or.. 'I would not be surprised if Ranger is innocent'?

To be fair, the Crown Prosecution Service would probably be surprised.

The CPS will have carried out an objective assessment of the evidence which I somehow suspect the "northern slag on benefits" theorists have not.

The former yep. The latter not so much

We live in a world where loads of rape victims don't come forwards. And normalising sexual assault is commonplace. And it shouldn't be.

Rape is a horrible horrible thing.

The latter and the former likely amount to the same thing.

Rape is a horrible thing and it is sad that so many victims are afraid to come forward. It is also sad that some use it against innocent people for personal gain. Perhaps Ollie could have been more tactful but I agree with his premise. (Again I'm not trying to defend Ranger). The courts will decide in a few days.

You "agree with the premise"?

Do you think every girl who accuses someone in the public eye of rape as the same. Isn't that why people like Hall and Saville got away with it for so long? "Oh they just wanted it!"

What would you say if you had a friend, girlfriend, daughter, who claimed to have been raped. "Oh they can call you a slag until he's proven guity!"?

Yeah Ben that's exactly what I'm saying.

It's blatantly clear I'm saying every girl that accuses somebody of raping them is a lying slag aren't I?

What a load of fucking shite!

Bore off

So you're agreeing with the premise that this girl is probably a slag on the basis that we might sign the accused?

What a fucking warped sense of judgement. Really really warped.

Would she be a slag if Ranger was signing for Oxford.

You're being an obtuse prick mate.

No I'm really not. You're just trying to jump through hoops to defend a player we might sign. Much like you jumped through hoops to defend fascism as soon as Di Canio turned up.

I know you've been living in Thailand for 20 years and don't get to watch games so much, but you don't have to try so hard. There are people on here who don't watch games and do it better.

I think that bloke's a fucking cock and have not defended him once. I went out of my way to say that I am not defending him.  I just can't be bothered to get all indignant about it.

What you have clearly missed you fuck nugget is that if he is convicted then he wont be playing for us anyway so I have no fucking reason to defend him do I? If he's guilty he doesn't play as he's in prison. If he's not guilty........ then he's not guilty.

Oh and look here, Ben pops up again and has to mention fascism. Quelle surprise.

Oh look, Ben's not going to apologise for some things being more important than football.

I remember a post from you, claiming that you'd read wikipedia and fascism might not be so bad after all. It was the final straw for me so I can picture it vividly.

Claiming you never supported di canio is like the biggest re-write of history ever.

Stop it.

or what you silly bitch?

Your debate has descended into name calling and has become wildly off topic

Christ, what's it going to be like if he actually signs?

Well you're not helping?

you're right.

I'm happy for you to delete all of this

I'm not. (happy for you to delete it that is)

Hehe. I just de-admined both youth and bangkok, because I could. I apologise.

It was a fun bit of fun though.

I'll put you back if you both apologise.

(e: or barry does. I don't want to push my limits.)

random smattering of belly laughs

I'm going to ban every single fucking one of you mwahahahahahahah

Or just reinstate sonic and flash and forget this ever happened.

Ban everyone but sonic and br.

Then unban everyone a week later and see if they're still arguing.

They're both cowards. As soon as they don't have their admin powers anymore they go and hide in the corner.

(http://cdn.wl.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/grandpa-simpson-gif.gif)

That's it. I'm going to stab spacey.

And everyone take a breath.

We haven't signed the dumb shit yet
The alleged victim might not be a Northern slag on benefits but a liar
She might be the slag bit but telling the truth
Ranger might be guilty
He might not be

I think we can all agree that signing him is probably not the best idea, he's probably a bit of a cock at the very least and court cases are best left to the courts until they are finished with.  Then we can crack on and offend everyone and tell anyone offended to get over themselves because this is the fucking internet you soft twats and people can do what the fuck they like on it.

Or something like that.

carry on.

Ahahahahahahaha....yes, all hail the complete and utter fuckwits at the CPS.  I get your point though.

Rape in many instances is a case of he said/she said, and thus is incredibly hard to prove or disprove. I'd imagine a lot of guilty men get away with it even when brought to trial to be honest.  Even so, I think the accused should be allowed to remain anonymous in cases of rape also.

Am I the only person that genuinely couldn't give a fuck about any of this?
I couldn't give a shit if we have a fascist in charge, a rapist on the pitch or a drink driver in goal.
I go and watch a team play football for 90 minutes every 2 weeks, as long as they win I couldn't care who scored, who was the manager or who kept a clean sheet.

Yep, possibly.

Don't get me wrong, I understand everyone's concerns/opinions.
I realise a lot of you, like myself, will have your own sons, daughters, nephews, nieces etc who things like this could have happened to, and I hope they never do.
But all I have ever wanted from the football club I support is 3 points each week, it's never bothered me and I've never had the energy to give a shit who it is helping us get them points.

Having admin powers and making "jokes" about rape? On a football forum. A new low in my opinion.

Ben, post more please...

Oops

How come Flashheart resorted to personal insults once his opinion was consistently criticised / contradicted? Surely Ben had the right to disagree?

I disagree  :)

I don't appreciate people trying to twist what I am saying.

Anyway, that's enough on that. Any more and it would not surprise me if I was accused of condoning rape before long.

I'm actually a little surprised at the way everyone is looking at this. I'm trying to look at it a different way.

From what I can tell, Ranger is a Premier League footballer, who has been drummed out of Newcastle because of bad behaviour. Trouble has followed him all the way through his career, which has (until this point) continued to move in an upward direction. He has allegedly done some pretty crass things, but he has still reaped the rewards. Then, all of a sudden, he has lost it all. He's now on £30 per week and noone will touch him. Potentially, everything has changed for him. Could this be a light bulb moment for him?

Now, along comes Jed, possibly the only person willing to offer Ranger a final chance in the game (before the trial). The contract is nowhere near as much as he has been earning, but its a chance to get back onto the long term gravy train. Jed's contract has lots of clauses in it that mean that the club aren't liable should Ranger be found guilty, but enable Ranger to move on should a £500k (perhaps) bid be tabled. Its all signed before the court case to help Ranger's plea. And then:

Scenario 1: Ranger comes and plays for a few weeks until the trial, where he is found guilty and goes down. During that few weeks he scores a couple of goals and helps the team get some points. The club then loses a striker, but nothing more. Potentially the club keeps his registration which they can sell on when he comes out of prison?

Scenario 2: The same, but Ranger argues that his new move and new life in Swindon is part of his rehabilitation. He gets tagged and sentenced to community service. He continues to play for Town, scorers goals, reforms himself and is then sold on for a huge fee at some point in the future.

Scenario 3: He is found not guilty. He plays through until January and then is snapped up for a big fee by a Championship club. We can then afford a decent replacement.

Scenario 4: He comes to the club, continues to show the 'bad boy' attitude and Jed kicks him out of the club (at no cost, because the contract is loaded in the club's favour)

If any one of those scenarios happened, the club would benefit to a degree - Or would certainly not lose out.

I think Ranger would be a big gamble, but I think that Jed is a bit of a gambler. I think he sniffs an opportunity here and I wouldn't be surprised to see him go for it - under the terms I have alluded to. It might not be popular to begin with, but if Ranger was a prolific goal scorer or netted the Town megabucks in a quick transfer, I'm sure that much would be forgotten.

Now, I'm not making light of all of the stuff that was posted from the Wiki article, which showed all the bad stuff he has been involved in. Unfortunately, there are some really nasty people out there and it would appear that Ranger is one of them. But I'm looking at this purely as a business decision, rather than as a moral compass. I think Jed is too.

The guy is clearly an idiot. If he is found not guilty of the rape charge he's still an idiot. I think there are plenty of players out there we could sign so not sure the club needs the inevitable bad PR from signing this guy.

Until he's convicted or found innocent, I can't help but look at his poor goalscoring record

I love a good argument.

This has been fun!!

Mildly embarrassing, but fun nonetheless....thanks

xxx
 :clap: :wink:

2 in 51 for Newcastle according to wiki.

I know goal ratio doesn't always tell the whole story but fuck me, that is atrocious.

Hot Potato springs to mind on this one!

Unfortunately, he's already had his light bulb moment, and that was when he decided what he really needed was a tattoo of his name on his face.

Let's face it, you need a modicum of intelligence to realise the error of your ways.

I don't like it when mummy and Daddy fight...  :(

Nmh, I understand your viewpoint- if we look at it financially and on the pitch, Ranger could be a good signing- his stats aren't great, but he's had a shit career, particularly at Newcastle, primarily because he's been on a massive wedge for doing nothing - see the Kieron Dyer effect). But if we look at the bigger picture, the 'community club' that Jedco is trying to build, then it's a fucking awful idea. The guy is a cock. A massive one. The kind that need some serious psychological help. Signing him will only reflect badly on the club. UNLESS:

1. It is made public that we are signing him on a bunch of clauses- making it clear that his performance on the pitch and in training, not his mere presence at the club, is linked to his wage.
2. It is made public that any misbehaviour on his part, through whatever means (Twitter/Facebook/ going on a forum and calling someone a dirty northern slag on benefits) will be accompanied by a severe fine and disciplinary action.
3. Above all, make it known that the only way he can get back into football with us is by abiding by these rules and any disagreement/conviction for a criminal offence will lead to an immediate termination of his contract.

If we make it clear that we are attempting to rehabilitate him, then some of the negative PR can be avoided. I don't hold out much hope,  what with the clusterfuck the club's PR has been since the board took over. If another club tables a bid he'll go with them, but I don't see that as a loss really. We might as well be 'the better man' in this situation.

yup

I'd hate to think that if he is found guilty, an offer of a contract from STFC would lessen his sentence.

why would it???

Ha ha. Good read, love a tef tear up. Never knew flash was admin as his account never shows as online.

There's a 'log in as anonymous' thingamy. It's handy for lurking.

His name is in red on the list of threads, if he's last to reply