'I'll remember it forever': Rangers fans get engaged at Ibrox on takeover day
A HAPPY couple got engaged at Ibrox and were 'over the moon' on the 'perfect' day as the club was taken over.
The Rangers-daft pair were on a tour of the club's stadium today, Friday, May 30, as the news broke that the San Francisco 49ers Enterprise-led consortium was taking a 51% share in the club.
The Glasgow Times was outside the Ibrox today to hear fans' reactions to the news and bumped into the pair who shared the happy news.
Emma Nicoll, 28, got down on one knee to propose to her now fiancé, Lynsey Downs, 34, next to the Ibrox pitch.
Lynsey, from Renfrew, said: "So, I've now got a fiancé - we got engaged today!
"Just at the tunnel and next to the pitch, so I'm pretty over the moon about that.
Lynsey, left, and Emma, right, were over the moon (Image: Newsquest) READ MORE: 'We can go forward from here': Rangers fans at Ibrox 'excited' over takeover
"It's been 3 years and 9 months coming, and I could not be happier right now."
Emma, from Cardonald, said: "Rangers is our life. So I just felt it was the perfect setting to propose to my now-fiancé at our favourite place.
"So yeah, it's been the perfect day."
Lynsey added: "I'll remember it forever.
"So hopefully, things will change for the club, and things will change for us now as well. So it's fantastic news."
The pair's friend, Ryan Gormley, joined them on the tour (Image: Newsquest) The pair's friend, Ryan Gormley, 30, from Paisley, was on the tour with them.
Ryan had some warning but was still surprised by the proposal. He said: "I kind of knew it was happening, but it was still such a shock to see it actually happening.
"I'm so happy for the two of them, it's been such a great day all round."
They showed off the stunning engagement ring (Image: Newsquest) The trio also shared their thoughts on the news that the 49er-led group had taken over the club.
Lynsey said: "Yeah, I think it's great news. I think it will bring in a lot of new players.
"Hopefully, a great manager and things will start looking up for us because at the moment it's kind of a bit dreich, so hopefully it will get better."
READ MORE: Cost of Rangers takeover deal 'revealed' as US consortium lead new regime
Ryan said: "It will bring major investment to the team, whoever comes in and whoever comes out.
"Very positive, and here's hoping we can go forward from here."
Other fans had also flocked to the stadium and shared their thoughts.
Richard McKenzie, 62, from Kelvindale, said: "Oh, it's been a long time coming, but it's going to be a great thing for the club.
"I think the club's got to move forward, and I think this is a great opportunity for them to move forward, and I think they can build on some of the success they've had in the past and perhaps maybe catch up with other teams."
READ MORE: San Francisco 49ers message after Rangers takeover deal announced
Speaking about the £ 20million investment that's been pledged, Richard added: "Well, it's probably not enough, but we probably need to try and get some of that into the youth as well to try and bring our own players through. I think that's a good place to start."
Young fan from Govan, John Ferguson, 6, just came out of the shop with a new scarf. He said, "I'm excited."
When asked what he hopes to see the club do going forward, he said: "Score goals."
Alan Kennedy, 63, is originally from Possilpark but now lives in Canada. His four children all have Rangers tattoos and are big supporters of the club.
Alan said: "Very excited about it. Hopefully, a lot more investment in the club, get us some better players and start winning some trophies."
A statement from the club confirmed that the consortium was seeking a controlling stake, with sources close to the deal suggesting it would be finalised by June.
Key figures in the takeover include Paraag Marathe, president of 49ers Enterprises and chairman of Leeds United, and American health tycoon Andrew Cavenagh, who has been a frequent visitor to Ibrox.
The completion of the deal, announced today, marks a new era for the club.
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The spending plan, which was passed by lawmakers on Saturday shortly before a midnight deadline and awaits Pritzker's signature before the state's fiscal year begins July 1, makes nearly $400 million in spending cuts, including $193 million in operational cuts across state agencies beyond what Pritzker proposed in February, according to budget negotiators. It also relies on increased taxes on tobacco products, online sportsbooks, and overseas and out-of-state corporate earnings as well as one-time revenue measures, which together total more than $800 million. Pritzker's efforts to blame Trump for Illinois' latest budget woes and contrast the state's spending decisions with those of neighboring Republican-led states came at the end of a spring legislative session during which the governor continued efforts to raise his national profile. 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But rather than expending political capital on broader revenue-generating efforts such as a renewed push for a graduated-rate income tax or an attempt to expand the sales tax to cover more services, both common practices in other states, Pritzker's answer on Sunday for state budget stability is 'more stability out of Washington, D.C.' 'We would not have suffered this problem had we not had the Trump slump affecting us,' Pritzker said. 'There are $500 million of reduced revenues to the state of Illinois as a result of what Donald Trump has done to a booming economy.' Throughout the closing days of the legislative session, which adjourned in the early morning hours Sunday, Democrats repeatedly pointed the finger at Trump and congressional Republicans for the difficulties the General Assembly faced in crafting the upcoming year's budget. 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They characterized the move as a pause to allow for a study of whether the program is working as intended. The overall spending plan followed Pritzker's recommendation to pause one of his key priorities: a $75 million annual increase to boost the number of seats in state-funded preschool programs. The budget would keep the spending level with the current year. The budget also cuts back on another Pritzker priority, suspending monthly contributions to the state's 'rainy day' fund for a year. Instead, about $45 million would be held in the general fund, which pays for day-to-day operations. Funding for a program that provides Medicaid-style health insurance for noncitizens ages 42 to 64 also was zeroed out, a savings the governor's office estimated at $330 million, though the budget includes $110 million to continue coverage for those 65 and older. During the House debate, Rep. Dagmara Avelar, a Democrat from Bolingbrook and member of the legislative Latino Caucus, said she was supporting the overall spending plan even though it was 'not a perfect budget.' 'In fact, it's painful. It eliminates a program that has been a lifeline for many, including people that I have fought alongside for years,' she said. 'But I'm voting 'yes' because leadership requires hard choices. And this budget protects more than it cuts.' To that end, the budget includes an 80-cent-per-hour wage increase for direct support professionals who work with people with developmental disabilities. But it reduces the hours the state would pay for by 35%, which Gabel, the House majority leader, characterized as 'rightsizing.' Advocates and unions have said wages needed to be raised by $2 an hour to meet recommendations that those workers be paid 150% of minimum wage. At a Senate committee hearing on the plan Saturday afternoon, Sen. Chapin Rose of Mahomet, a GOP budget negotiator, called the reduction in hours a 'cynical sleight of hand.' Safety-net hospitals serving low-income patients and communities are set to receive $118 million in grant funding, less than the roughly $160 million some lawmakers were hoping for. The Monetary Award Program, which provides grants to lower-income college students, will see a $10 million boost to a total of nearly $722 million. The budget also will devote $75 million to help ensure pensions for newer state employees meet a federal requirement to be on par with Social Security benefits, and it sets aside $100 million for a 'bridge fund' to cover unexpected shortfalls in the coming year. Despite the fiscal challenges, the Democratic plan includes $8.2 billion in new spending on infrastructure projects, which are separate from the operating budget and funded by dedicated taxes and borrowing. Republicans accused the majority party of once again hoarding that money for projects in their own districts. 'Let's hide this stuff. Let's hide it so that the public doesn't see it until it's too late. Let's blame everybody but ourselves. The Trump administration did this. The Trump administration did that. I call BS,' GOP Rep. John Cabello of Machesney Park, who was a Trump delegate during last year's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, said during the House debate late Saturday. Cabello also said Republicans weren't given a chance to fund projects on behalf of taxpayers in their districts. On the revenue side, a tax amnesty program that would allow delinquent filers to pay off their tax debt without penalties is expected to generate $228 million in one-time money for the state. The plan also includes a set of tax law changes that would give the state the ability to tax more offshore and out-of-state corporate income. 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Republicans criticized the use of one-time revenue streams to fill shortfalls, including the diversion of money from road projects by again delaying a shift of revenue from the sales tax on gasoline from the state's general fund to the road fund, freeing up $171 million to spend on operations. Pritzker defended the practice, saying Democrats crafting the budget tried to ensure 'any one-time revenues … really matched up with or … were diminishing of the one-time expenditures that we have to make.' Even without a substantial overhaul of the state's income or sales taxes, Pritzker said, the state has 'gotten really much closer than ever before' to erasing a structural budget deficit his administration pegged at $3.2 billion shortly after he took office in 2019. Still, some other Democrats, especially members of the party's progressive wing, believe there needs to be a deeper look at how services for residents across the state are funded, particularly given the uncertain economic times. Guzzardi, the House budget negotiator, was a co-sponsor of legislation that put the graduated income tax question on the 2020 ballot and 'fought really hard' in the unsuccessful campaign for its passage. 'I still think it's the kind of change that our state is going to need, the systemic change to our tax structure, to ease the burden on working families and to generate the revenue we need to fund vital services by asking the folks at the top to pay,' Guzzardi said Sunday. 'We have to make a more convincing case to the voters, that much is really clear.' More immediately, though, lawmakers are under pressure to address the dire financial situation facing Chicago-area mass transit with the impending expiration of federal coronavirus relief money. In the closing hours of the spring session, Senate Democrats introduced and passed a plan to address mass transit governance and funding, including a new $1.50 fee on retail deliveries. Sen. Ram Villivalam, a Chicago Democrat and point person on transit issues, called the plan 'unprecedented' and said it would create 'the world-class, safe, reliable, accessible, integrated public transit system we need for our northeastern Illinois region.' But key House Democrats said their chamber didn't take up the Senate proposal before adjourning for the spring because they wanted to focus first on overhauling the way the various transit agencies operate before allocating taxpayer money to those changes. 'I would say that the commitment has always been to do reform first. And then talk about doing revenue,' Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, a Chicago Democrat, said. 'We worked really hard along with the Senate on putting together that reform. Unfortunately, we had different approaches to how to get that across the finish line.' Rep. Kam Buckner, another Chicago Democrat involved in transit negotiations, said it would've been 'irresponsible' for House members to vote on the Senate plan without being thoroughly familiar with its funding proposal. The measure came over from the Senate after midnight Sunday, when the threshold to pass legislation taking effect before June 2026 increased from a simple majority to three-fifths. That didn't allow enough time for House Democrats to review the proposed tax and round up the votes needed to pass it, Buckner said. Pritzker likewise said Sunday that he hadn't had much time to review the delivery tax proposal, which was met with stiff opposition from business groups and others. 'I obviously want to make sure we're lowering, not raising, taxes whenever we can,' the governor said, adding that he looks forward to reviewing future proposals in the coming months. It's important for there to be 'significant work that'll need to be done over the summer and in the fall' on governance and funding the Chicago-area and downstate transit systems, Pritzker said.
