Nile Ranger done deal

[Chris Powell's mate]

I can see the temptation to bring Ranger in and I get the principle that he has done his time and deserves another chance, but personally I would rather that we were relegated to the National League than stay in L2 on the strength of his goals. It's just an ethical issue for me, and I ain't perfect by any means, which of us is? But I believe that there have to be limits to what behaviour (repeated again and again) can be tolerated. The National League Premier is a competitive and compelling division and it won't be the end of the world if we are relegated but at least we will be able to keep some modicum of decency. Of course this is my personal opinion and I respect the differing opinions of others provided their motivation is to genuinely give Ranger another chance rather than simply "I don't care if Lucifer plays for us provided we stay up". That way madness lies.

Just this.

 

[kentblues]

In the interests of accuracy I looked back at the details - my memory was not very accurate
This covers the detail although not making a great deal of difference

Nile Ranger hit with prison sentence for online bank fraud

Nile Ranger has been jailed after admitting online banking fraud. He was sentenced to eight months in jail after taking more than £2,000 from a woman.

www.google.co.uk

 

[telmernatorx]

Disagree.
You're right others have committed bad crimes.
But most of the examples weren't deliberate. I doubt, for example, Hughes set out to kill anyone with his car.
As for Evans, I wouldn't want him at Southend either.
'Far from the worst'? Only Evans is equal bearing in mind intent, as opposed to consequences.
'Less scrutiny'? Yes, he has because most of the others made big, big headlines.
In some ways, Ranger has been let off the hook.
His character over 10-plus years has always let him down, and if you're implying a racist slant, that's never ever been mentioned here.

How do you not deliberately drive while coked or smashed out of your mind on booze? If you are blind drunk or coked out of your mind and get in a car and drive it that is deliberate and pretty meditated. No one made them do it. The plethora of footballers stopped drunk wayvover the limit all just got lucky that never killed anyone

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

I’m afraid if you drive dangerously and/or whilst drunk you are making the conscious decision to do something that puts the lives of others at risk. You might minimise these these crimes based on intent (something I am not sure all would accept for the above reason).

At the same time I think, just perhaps, The same level of forgiveness and understanding is not being applied for 6 years ago allowing a bank account to be used to launder the proceeds of an online fraud?

Of course since the beginning.of time the first excuse we all learned as a child was “but I didn’t mean to do it”.

Seems to me like Brexit people are completely entrenched in their views - and that makes these threads interminable and with the arguments just going around in circles.

He is back. We need to judge him now on what he does on and off the pitch going forward. And for that he gets no free pass.

I can’t speak for others but I don’t think anyone’s judging Nile just on this one crime (and if they are that’s harsh). The worry is that he’s let himself and the club down lots of times in the past, something he’d admit freely. The main concern for me is his fitness and his professionalism, only Nile can control that.
Would I love it if NR came back fully firing, turning up for training on time, performing consistently? Yes, I would of course. He hasn’t yet done that at any club he’s been at but not to say it couldn’t ever happen.

 

[rigsby]

The reason why Ranger fails every time is his behaviour as a player and how he treats each club he has been to.

Its pointless trying to have a which crime is worse competition. Most of those examples are one offence but the players have made the most of their "Give him another chance" opportunity.

Nile went to prison for second time and couldn't stick to the rules so lost his privileges in the gym etc. Of course being Nile Ranger he couldn't be arsed to even try and keep fit with a cell workout....Which was probably the difference in the disastrous decision to curfew him in Tottenham rather than Southend.

From then on and unlike others he treated the whole club with utter contempt and caused a horrendous split in the camp. if he turned up late and was rightly called out he wouldn't turn up at all the next day.....He was asked to play in the Essex senior cup for the simple reason his fitness was behind. Kevin Mayer was clearly beneath him and he limped off after 15 because with Nile even if he cant get away with it, he will still do it.....That is where any one worth their salt has to draw the line.

Posters on here claiming those of us who don't want him back as unforgiving 'Hang em high' type people are talking utter c***

If he had never even been charged with anything, or committed a single offence away from football. His behaviour still prevents him from any profession.....Even the worse of them all.....The one where the fans are so sad they will sell their own grandmother, or in Niles case someone else's grandmother if they think their team will gain a few points.

 

[The Dirty One]

Even the Sunday Times have picked up on our predicament. Ron really has reduced us the the joke of the football league.

He may be ‘Bin Laden of football’, but even Nile Ranger deserves shot at redemption

Southend United’s position is not hugely cheering. Relegated last season and then facing a winding-up order and now rooted to the bottom of League Two having sc

www.thetimes.co.uk

View attachment 14220

Good article. The increased media profile should get attendances up...... oh

 

[Streaky]

Nile Ranger
2007: Sentenced in 2007 to 11 weeks custody as a 15 year old for his part in a street robbery
2011: Apologised for causing outrage after being seen posing with a gun
March 2012: Fined £6,000 by the FA for making homophobic comments on Twitter
October 2012: Convicted of assaulting two police officers and given a conditional discharge
2014: Forced to pay costs and fined for criminal damage after kicking in his own front door
2017: Suspended by Southend for non-football related reasons
2017: Jailed for conspiracy to defraud by obtaining bank details and transferring money
4 January 2018 - Southend rip up his contract

Looks like he has played 2 games since 2018 - one for a Sunday league team & the other for Spalding United.

He has scored 26 goals in his career (160 odd games). In that he did have one decent 45 mins against Sheff Utd - however most people are forgetting how awful he was in front of goal (back when we actually created chances)

Anyone who thinks this guy is going to 'save our season' or 'fire us to safety' is in dreamland, if we do sign him then he'll play 40-60 mins get injured (due to lack of football fitness) and then will go back to his usual ways.


Pretty sure we wont win Family club of the year !

 

[Freedom for Tooting]

Is this the first time a rat has joined a sinking ship? Club is descending into a sewer. Wh8ch is appropriate if we have Ranger back.

 

[Chris Powell's mate]

How do you not deliberately drive while coked or smashed out of your mind on booze? If you are blind drunk or coked out of your mind and get in a car and drive it that is deliberate and pretty meditated. No one made them do it. The plethora of footballers stopped drunk wayvover the limit all just got lucky that never killed anyone

You're confusing intent with brainless thinking.
I agree, it was a poor decision to drink and drive.
Was Hughes thoughtless and reckless? For sure.
Was his intent to kill someone while driving?
Was Ranger's intent to defraud an old lady of her life savings?

 

[kentblues]

I can’t speak for others but I don’t think anyone’s judging Nile just on this one crime (and if they are that’s harsh). The worry is that he’s let himself and the club down lots of times in the past, something he’d admit freely. The main concern for me is his fitness and his professionalism, only Nile can control that.
Would I love it if NR came back fully firing, turning up for training on time, performing consistently? Yes, I would of course. He hasn’t yet done that at any club he’s been at but not to say it couldn’t ever happen.

Agree entirely. And as has been said 6 weeks of working hard, getting fit and doing what is asked of him, combined with an analysis of what he can bring compared to the slim pickings available otherwise, has made the decision. One that can only be proved the right one or not over the coming days, weeks or months.

 

[Blueeyedboy]

The trouble is, it’s Ranger or no one. He is undoubtedly a high risk, but I see no one else tearing up trees to be here.

 

[bluesfansince1952]

I am not sure I know the full details of the case involving the old woman that saw Nile do his stretch but at the time I always thought it a bit strange that no offer of restitution was made (as far as I know). The sums involved were not huge and perhaps that may have spared him jail time or reduced it. Such an action may also have made protestations of remorse more credible.
No one should be thought of being beyond redemption or refused a helping hand. He has been training with us for a while so presumably a decision of whether to sing him or not has been heavily influenced by the way he has trained and the level of fitness he has attained.
We seem to be finding difficulty in signing any players let alone quality ones.
We all make mistakes, and, if someone has been convicted of a crime and served his time surely it is only right he should be seen as having paid his debt to society.
Why should not a reformed criminal play for Southend or any other club?
My objection to signing Ranger is not because he has a criminal past. My objection to signing him is based on my life experience which tells me that these sorts of 'last chances' are seldom taken.
I hope I am wrong but I suspect it will end badly.
And as for the Crystal Palace winger....if he is better than what we have and can do a job for us why not? As I remember George Best was a winger, and, if this one is good I am sure he will have every chance to make an impact.

 

[rigsby]

For me the offence where you have to draw the line is the attack on his girlfriend.

Baring in mind some and often impressionable young men idolise him. I have to say, any man who hits a girl 3 times and still doesn't put her down is a total embarrassment to the male species.

 

[in the know]

In my head currently is the fact these well known incidents\crimes are just the ones that got found out or surfaced in courts.
This ignores the many many incidents of turning up for training late and high. Being where he said he wasnt. Not being where he should have been, smashing up other people property, dodging samples, and general gang criminality.
It is worth noting there's been no noticeable crime headlines for quite a few years , so although I doubt he's now an angel, we all grow up at some point.
The gangland armed robbers and drug dealers that now help reoffenders and charities, shows people can grow up and realise their issues.
Whilst I don't expect everyone to help others there is the chance he's stopped being quite so blatant .
Time will tell

 

[Strykr]

We are a total farce.

 

[wiggy]

I don't know much about MM but starting to think he's a yes man.
RM should leave the football side down to the manager or employ a CEO as a go between.
This is becoming a joke!

...becoming a joke?

Perhaps Flavs can get a call up....?......Ron is using his expert judgement to bring these old crocks/conmen back as he liked them when he was learning about football years ago, what a joke this club is now!

 

[Special Blue]

...becoming a joke?

Perhaps Flavs can get a call up....?......Ron is using his expert judgement to bring these old crocks/conmen back as he liked them when he was learning about football years ago, what a joke this club is now!

TBF i'm not sure any learning has been done and i find what most chairman of football clubs know about football you could write on a postage stamp!

 

[Evening Echo]

PHIL Brown insists he enjoyed the challenge of managing Nile Ranger at Southend United.

Read more on this story


Help with Echo links

 

[shrimperjon]

The fact that we have already four pages on the possible signing of Ranger and pages on other threads shows how far we have sunk. We should be no where near this guy, he let us down before, he has wasted years of his life in not playing football yet here we are considering offering him a contract when he hasn't played for three years. This is a guy that some of fans made up a song about for stealing from an old women FFS, this is how desperate we are. As if we aren't desperate enough this just about scrapes the barrel. If and it's a big IF he shows commitment, scores a few and somehow manages to help us stay up I will eat my words, somehow I don't think that will happen. But as a player who is wearing the blue shirt he will have my support, but as a person, nope not having it.

 

[Special Blue]

The fact that we have already four pages on the possible signing of Ranger and pages on other threads shows how far we have sunk. We should be no where near this guy, he let us down before, he has wasted years of his life in not playing football yet here we are considering offering him a contract when he hasn't played for three years. This is a guy that some of fans made up a song about for stealing from an old women FFS, this is how desperate we are. As if we aren't desperate enough this just about scrapes the barrel. If and it's a big IF he shows commitment, scores a few and somehow manages to help us stay up I will eat my words, somehow I don't think that will happen. But as a player who is wearing the blue shirt he will have my support, but as a person, nope not having it.

I have to agree with what you've said and indeed not good times.
I'm not sure whether this is the right move or not and certainly surprised at the amount that would accept NR back (maybe not welcome).
I just hope if given this final chance we may all come out of this better off.
For me the fact Nile has been training to most under the radar since before the start of the year shows some intention.