From the TSFM Manifesto 🙂
A spectre is haunting Scottish Football — the spectre of Sporting Integrity. All the powers of the old firms have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Billy and Dan, Blazer and Cassock, Record and Sun, Balance Sheet and P&L.
Where is the football fan in opposition to these that has not been decried as a “sporting integrity bampot” by his opponents in power?Two things result from this fact:
I. Sporting Integrity is already widely acknowledged to be itself a power for good.
II. It is high time that Lovers of Sport should openly, in the face of the whole world, publish their views, their aims, and meet this nursery tale of the Spectre of Sporting Integrity with a manifesto of fair play.
To this end, Lovers of Sport of various partisanship have assembled on TSFM and sketched their manifesto, to be published on tsfm.scot.
Those who love sport though are challenged not just by the taunts of the monosyllabic automatons in the MSM, but by the owners of our football clubs who have displayed an almost total disregard to our wish to have a fair competition played out in the spirit of friendly rivalry. In fact the clubs, who speak those fine words, are not nearly as outraged as we are by the damage done to the integrity of the sport in the past few years .
In fact the term Sporting Integrity has become, since the latter stages of the Rangers era, a term of abuse; a mocking soubriquet attached to those who want sport to be just that – sport.
Sporting integrity now lives in the same media pigeon-hole as words like Islam, left-wing, militant, Muslim – and a host of others; words which are threats to the established order now set up as in-jokes, in order to reduce the effectiveness of the idea.
In fact, a new terminology has evolved in the reporting of football by both club officials and The Succulent Lamb Chapel alike;
“.. Sporting Integrity but …”.
For example
“We all want sporting integrity, but finance is more important”
Says who exactly?
Stated in such a matter of fact way that the obvious question is headed off at the pass, it is sometimes difficult to re-frame the discussion – perhaps because crayon is so hard to erase?
This is the backdrop to The Scottish Football Monitor and the world in which we live. Often the levels of scrutiny employed by our contributors are far in excess of any scrutiny employed by the MSM. Indeed our ideas and theories are regularly plagiarised by those very same lazy journalists who lurk here, and cherry-pick material to suit their own agendas; regularly claiming exclusives for stories that TSFM and RTC before us had placed in the public domain weeks earlier.
This was going to lead into a discourse about the love of money versus the love of sport – of how the sacred cows of acquisitiveness, gate- retention and turnstile spinning is far more important to the heads of our football clubs (the Billys, Dans and Blazers of the intro) than maintaining the traditions of our sport.
However events of Friday 14th November have given me cause to leave that for another day. The biggest squirrel of all in this sorry saga has always been the sleight of hand employed instil a siege mentality in the Rangers fans. The press have time and again assisted people (with no love of football in general or Rangers in particular) to enrich themselves – legally or otherwise – and feed on the loyalty of Rangers fans.
A matter for Rangers fans may also be the identity of some of those who had their trust, but who also assisted the Whytes and Greens by their public statements of support.
Our contention has been that rules have been bent twisted or broken to accommodate those people, the real enemies of the Rangers fans – and fans everywhere.
Through our collective research and group-analysis of events, we have also wondered out loud about the legality of many aspects of the operating style of some of the main players in the affair. That suspicion has been shared most notably by Mark Daly and Alex Thompson, but crucially now appears to be shared by Law Enforcement.
I confess I am fed up with the self-styled “bampot” epithet. For the avoidance of doubt, the “bampots” in this affair are those who have greater resources than us, and access to the truth, but who have lacked either the will or the courage or the imagination to follow it through.
We are anything but bampots. Rather, we have demonstrated that the wisdom of the crowd is more effective by far than any remnants of wisdom in the press.
I have no doubt that the police investigation into this matter is proceeding in spite of great opposition in the MSM and the Scottish Football Authorities – all of whom conspired to expose Rangers to the custodianship of those for whom football is a foreign language.
I have no doubt that the constant exposition of wrong-doing on this blog, in particular the questions we have constantly raised, and anomalies we have pointed out, has assisted and enabled the law enforcement agencies in this process.
If we are to be consistent in this, our enabling of the authorities, we MUST show restraint at all times as this process is followed through. People who are charged with a crime deserve to be given a fair trial in the absence of rumour or innuendo. We must also, if we are to continue as the spectre which haunts the avaricious – and the real bampots – be seen to be better than they, and give them no cause to accuse us of irresponsibility.
This affair has now evolved way beyond one club gaining unfair advantage over others. For all the understandable Schadenfreude of many among us, the real enemy is not Rangers, it is about those who enabled and continue to enable the farce at Ibrox.
This is now about systematic cheating at the heart of the Scottish game (in the name of cash and in spite of lip service to sporting integrity), and how the greed of a bunch of ethically challenged officials allowed another group of ethically challenged businessmen free rein to enrich themselves at the expense of the fans.
Whether laws were broken or not, the players at Rangers have come and gone and are variables, but the malignant constant at the SFA and SPFL are still there. Last night, even after the news that four men had been arrested in connection with the takeover at Ibrox in 2011, they were gathered together at Celtic Park with their Irish counterparts, tucking into succulent lamb (perhaps) and fine wines, doing some back slapping, making jokes about the vulgarities of their fans, bragging about the ST money they have banked.
The revolution won’t be over until they are gone, and if they remain, it is Scottish Football that will be over.
I happen to believe that there are plenty of people with integrity in our police and prosecution services who are not Establishment lackeys and would find ways to blow the whistle should there be any substance to your claims.
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Ecobhoy…thanks for your sentiments…otherwise we can all pack it in and let this sunami of moral, cultural and sporting sewage sweep us away!
I wonder what the odds are on Whyte pleading guilty, and thus saving the need for a trial – with all the revelations that that might bring!
A short time in an open prison then off to a sunny haven with, perhaps, his final dividend (but no tapes)!
In fact, though not a betting man, if there was a bookmaker giving odds on it, I might have a little flutter myself 😉
Jake Cantona says:
November 30, 2014 at 10:03 am
this is the best summary that I’ve found, particularly as it puts the use of insolvency by football clubs into a historical context:
http://twohundredpercent.net/?p=14955
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You’re right – interesting seeing how insolvency law developed and in particular how this affected football clubs. Like you I have no interest in reigniting an OCNC debate but the link IMO shows little, if any, parallels that can be drawn wrt to Middlesborough and Rangers quite simply because of the changes in insolvency law.
Worth noting the new club and company had to meet various Football League registration conditions on finances, bonds and debt repayment and there’s also a change of crest to a circular one with the lion in the middle and the words “Middlesbrough Football Club 1986” around the circle, as well as a change of name to Middlesbrough Football and Athletic Club (1986) Ltd.
Daily Record
http://t.co/nbSuXJMvQ4
Thank goodness nobody took that club into liquidation all hell would have broken loose and someone would have to brought to justice.
Scotland need a strong dictionary that contains the word L……….
Christmas Cracker Quiz
Mike did not extend another secured loan to RIFC/TRFC because:
a) it would underline the dire financial mess they are in
b) the bricks and mortar security is insufficient
c) he needs evidence that they can respond to their austerity medicine before risking real money
Mike permitted early payment of Rangers Retail dividend to RIFC/TRFC because:
a) it can keep the lights on until the New Year at zero cost to himself
b) it gets them to the transfer window and he plans a fire sale
c) it’s a bit technical so the fans don’t see what a desperate step it is
d) it avoids disrupting the Christmas merchandise sales bubble
e) he hopes the New Firm match will kick start shirt sales
valentinesclown says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:36 am
Well, what does that fish wrapper article tell us about Craig Whyte? It does let us all know that he likes to travel – very strange 🙄 , but I think we already knew that. We also learned that the newspaper?? has an employee who can find someone who says he’s a friend of Craig Whyte, I wonder if they’d pay me if I said I was a friend too, and could name one or two bars he visited on his jaunts! If they printed that the public would know no more, but no less, about the man than they do as a result of that piece – absolutely nothing!
Still, it does fill a space in a struggling rag and keeps Scotland’s greatest ever criminal in the spotlight, while, I’m sure, sparking the breakfast conversation that begins with, ‘See that B’stard (look alike) Craig Whyte, he’s been spendin’ Rangers’ money aw ower the place! See if A could get ma hauns oan him!’
Yes, churnalism at it’s very best 😯
All this talk of the establishment. I love conspiracy theories as much as anyone, and I am in no doubt the establishment acts in a shocking way at times. However, there would need to be an awful lot of people involved for the establishment to ensure their own are somehow protected from adverse exposure during the Whyte trial. It’s a non starter for me.
What is worrying for me though is that in the minds of many angry and in some cases not very intelligent people, Whyte is already 100% guilty. Having been on Jury duty I am well aware of having to declare an interest in the case you may have to sit on. It’s not going to be easy to get a Jury in Scotland for this one.
Just a wee thought for people who think Craig Whyte defrauded Rangers, or David Murray, of over £20m. He didn’t! If found guilty, he defrauded Ticketus, as they are the ones, along with the other creditors, who lost money – loadsa money. Money that kept Rangers going just a little bit longer. Perhaps the DR should print something along those lines, you know, the truth while also informing the public (those who don’t read TSFM or similar blogs), rather than printing such inflammatory pap.
upthehoops says:
November 30, 2014 at 12:23 pm
uth,
While agreeing with much of what you say, I’m still betting on a guilty plea, and therefor no trial to bring the involved establishment figures’ dirty linen into public gaze. We have already witnessed, and made much comment on, the public pressure being heaped upon one of the accused, the one most likely to have the goods on those ‘Scottish Society’ would most likely seek to protect. The ‘establishment’ won’t need to get it’s hands dirty at all, just let the rags continue to wind up the bears, while keeping everyone else mis-informed, and then they can tut tut at the antics of the ‘football thugs’. A few words in the ear of Whyte from some real thugs, and, ‘guilty as charged m’lud!’
I really do hope I am wrong on this, and, despite it not being anywhere near the crime of the century, we might well have a trial like we’ve never had in 100 years or more!
upthehoops says:
November 30, 2014 at 12:23 pm
All this talk of the establishment. I love conspiracy theories as much as anyone, and I am in no doubt the establishment acts in a shocking way at times. However, there would need to be an awful lot of people involved for the establishment to ensure their own are somehow protected from adverse exposure during the Whyte trial. It’s a non starter for me.
================================================
The first rule of assassination is to kill the assassin. Break the chain of evidence, if the assassin’s name becomes known, portray him as a lone nutter motivated by personal love/hate/greed/ideology/insanity. Craig finds himself in a very difficult corner. Will be roll-over or fight tooth and nail. Only time will tell. But the one thing he should not expect is a fair crack of the whip from anyone involved.
Allyjambo says:
November 30, 2014 at 12:25 pm
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Just a wee thought for people who think Craig Whyte defrauded Rangers, or David Murray, of over £20m. He didn’t! If found guilty, he defrauded Ticketus, as they are the ones, along with the other creditors, who lost money – loadsa money. Money that kept Rangers going just a little bit longer. Perhaps the DR should print something along those lines, you know, the truth while also informing the public (those who don’t read TSFM or similar blogs), rather than printing such inflammatory pap.
…………………
I can’t remember the intricacies, but was it not by virtue of mistaking or misinterpreting the law (Scots -v- English) that Ticketus lost so much.
Was there not a specific court case which dealt with the Ticketus issue (Jurisdiction) alone ?
I often wondered (at the time), why in the great scheme of things
circa (£100,000,000), WHY bother with this – the costs for the court case .
I don’t know why, but it didn’t, make sense (to me)
but who am I ?
There’s a lot of talk about Craig, but there are 5 accused.
Someone has to go down.
Is there anyone who could go down without collateral damage?
I wasn’t try to be clever in earlier post re Middlesbrough.
I had an arguement with an English BBC employee this week regarding Scottish football and the Rangers situation.
He merely reminded me how ‘Boro had survived liquidation . 🙄
It probably helped that they didn’t have any honours pre 86 anyway.
jimlarkin says:
November 30, 2014 at 2:09 pm
My point wasn’t to make out Ticketus to be somewhat innocent, just that they, apart from HMRC, lost out most money and were directly involved through Whyte (and perhaps others at Ibrox). It could be argued that it was their own fault they lost so much money, but, in reality, RFC weren’t defrauded because the club was paid for and it’s debt cleared (to the bank). If Whyte had walked away with the £20m, or a part of it, leaving RFC still owing the bank, then he would have defrauded the club.
Of course, that is very much a simplification and I suspect the prosecution have evidence that Whyte was up to some illegal dealings, but not AGAINST RFC, he just made a mess (perhaps in an effort to make himself rich ‘off the radar’)of running the club in a dishonest manner (we know this because of the tax and NIC non-payments).
I also suspect that, if the case includes allegations of misrepresentation in his purchase of the club, his defence will be that the vendor (Murray) knew all about his position, and business history, and was in no way duped.
Whyte’s purchasing of RFC using the Ticketus money, could well prove to be fraudulent and it is here that others, not yet being castigated by the media, might well have had knowledge of his financing or even an active part in it.
Anyway, whatever his plans, or his actions, Rangers got their £20m and Whyte took the basket case and, though he may have made it a bigger basket case, kept it going for a bit longer than might otherwise have been the case if he’d kept it as a small basket case 😯 .
There is the other side of it where charges possibly involve the administration episode and he could well be involved in wrongdoings there. It will depend on whether or not it was a part of the ‘long game’ from before Whyte took over, just how much any establishment figures might be involved in this part of the case.
As we’ve seen with the LNS enquiry (I know it’s not a ‘legal’ case) what is uncovered very much depends on what charges are brought and how they are framed. If the police and prosecution are only after those in the dock (currently) then we may see fairly quick proceedings with everyone happy to do deals and get a ‘result’. I think it will only be if they are after larger fry that any trial might go ‘all the way’. That larger fry might well join them in the dock if, once presented with the defence evidence, the police decide they have enough to go after them with.
AJ
Whyte’s purchasing of RFC using the Ticketus money, could well prove to be fraudulent and it is here that others, not yet being castigated by the media, might well have had knowledge of his financing or even an active part in it.
—–
Would that mean that Lloyds would have to hand back the £18m they got from White? Who would they chase for the money then?
fair do’s to The Rangers, 3-0 against SPFL opposition to get to the last 16 of the Scottish Cup. But the real issue is does a cup run actually help? Did today’s match make money or cost money with official attendance of 14,412?
In reference to the attendance, what has to be paid to Killie?
Do they need to be paid face value for season ticket holders?
If so, it could be quite a big cheque.
Circa 20% of the Ibrox Gate will be deducted for overheads and the balance split 50-50 between TRFC and Killie. Each team will receive £50-60K I reckon.
Cygnus X2 says:
November 30, 2014 at 4:01 pm
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The game wasn’t on their season ticket.
Top Cat 1874 says:
November 30, 2014 at 4:15 pm
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Circa 20% of the Ibrox Gate will be deducted for overheads and the balance split 50-50 between TRFC and Killie. Each team will receive £50-60K I reckon.
What about this as an idea
The clumpany at ibrox speaks to their ‘charity’ wing
– the clumpany and the charity wing make an agreement
– the clumpany gives out ‘free’ tickets, but the charity wing agrees to ‘fund’ the ‘free’ ticket bonanza ??
That way, some real cash can be channelled into the Clumpany and the SFA can sleep soundly for a wee bit longer?
I don’t know if this has been flagged up, found this in an online Scotsman article by Ewing Grahame:
“A Scottish Cup run is essential for Rangers. The current version of the club is in dire financial straits and any extra revenue could help stave off a second insolvency event in four seasons, triggering a calamitous 25-point penalty.
The fact that Rangers manager Ally McCoist is working with a budget roughly five times the size of Johnston’s only partially explains why the new club continues to haemorrhage money but the fact is that McCoist literally cannot afford yet another early exit from a knock-out tournament.”
I don’t think Ewing has had the memo saying don’t poke the Bears. Terms such as “current version of the club” and “new club”, me must be new.
rougvielovesthejungle says:
November 29, 2014 at 9:22 am
rougvie – thanks for the kind words. regarding another dittie, i think given the way events have transpired these past few years some form of algorithm would be more apropos – any mathematicians/computer scientists out there with an ear for rhyme?
posmill says:
November 30, 2014 at 7:00 pm
…any mathematicians/computer scientists out there with an ear for rhyme?
___________________________________________
I think there’s an oxymoron in there somewhere posmill 🙂
After last weeks woeful display by one of our “top” referees (Craig Thompson) another shocker, this time frpm Willie Column.
The penalty awarded to Celtic was shocking.
And in (i assume) an effort to even things up he disallows a perfectly good goal for celtic.
(no bias here, ive chosen one for each side, column wasn’t to blame for our defeat
What is it exactly that makes these guys our top referees.
England seems to have the same problem. Most of the baffling and controversial decisions seem to be made by their “top” 4.
crawford says:
November 30, 2014 at 8:06 pm
================================
I’m happy to agree Celtic should not have had a penalty today. The delay in it being awarded suggests to me the assistant had a say in it, who knows. With the disallowed goal Collum would no doubt believe the keeper had the ball kicked from his grasp. I get as hacked off as you at the standard of officials at times.
crawford says:
November 30, 2014 at 8:06 pm
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After last weeks woeful display by one of our “top” referees (Craig Thompson) another shocker, this time frpm Willie Colum
What is it exactly that makes these guys our top referees.
The fact that amazingly the others are even worse!!!!!
One thing (possibly the only thing) he got right was correctly bringing the play back for a free kick after waiting to see if any real advantage would accrue
For some obscure reason 99% of football refs are unable/unwilling to apply this rule correctly
jean7brodie says:
November 30, 2014 at 7:04 pm
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posmill says:
November 30, 2014 at 7:00 pm
…any mathematicians/computer scientists out there with an ear for rhyme?
___________________________________________
I think there’s an oxymoron in there somewhere posmill 🙂
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A rhyming Mathematician Computer scientist ?
Well it pushing it a bit there may be but is he on here?
Folks Professional expertise if you please?
Mine:
Planning Logistics Airlines Shipping Railways
Next
Obviously James D and Phil Journalists the bean counters well known, Various Legals IT types. But Id be v proud to find we had one of the above.
A rhyming Mathematician Computer scientist ?
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This I can remember from circa 1964 3rd year?
Dividing fractions is easy as pie,
Just invert and multiply.
Twinkle, twinkle little star, circumf’rence is 2 pi r;
I didn’t really know you cared, area is pi r squared.
Half the sum of the parallel sides,
Times the distance between ’em
That’s how we calculate
The area of a trapezium
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee,
Say round the circle’s pi times d.
But if the area’s to be declared,
The formula is pi r-squared.
These were the “Rhymes” of my maths teacher at secondary school.
Just goes to show I can remember the rhymes /maths but, not his full name, his surname was MacIntyre and his first name was Mister? 😳
woodstein says:
November 30, 2014 at 10:48 pm
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A rhyming Mathematician Computer scientist ?
————————————————————–
This I can remember from circa 1967.
Dividing fractions is easy as pie,
Just invert and multiply.
Twinkle, twinkle little star, circumf’rence is 2 pi r;
I didn’t really know you cared, area is pi r squared.
Half the sum of the parallel sides,
Times the distance between ‘em
That’s how we calculate
The area of a trapezium
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee,
Say round the circle’s pi times d.
But if the area’s to be declared,
The formula is pi r-squared.
These were the “Rhymes” of my maths teacher at secondary school.
Just goes to show I can remember the maths but, not his full name, his surname was MacIntyre and his first name was Mister? 😳
===============================
You’ve won
Obviously rhyming.
You’ve got a computer
And your poems mathematical.
I’m impressed Job done.
Oh sh*t I lost 😉
Jean
Did you enter?
jean7brodie says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:02 pm
jean there are no losers on TSFM. 😛
Plus a whole load of memories returned for me thanks 😆 😆
woodstein says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:16 pm
jean there are no losers on TSFM.
_________________________
That’s me been banned then 😥 and I thought the site was open to all…
beatipacificiscotia says:
November 30, 2014 at 5:40 pm
‘..an online Scotsman article by Ewing Graham’
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An interesting article, and your man Ewing sounds as if he is breaking ranks…and beginning to tell it as it is! [ I don’t think I can at the moment remember anything else he has written on the subject so I don’t know whether he has always acknowledged the truth that we all know.)
—
It’s an extraordinarily quiet night on the blog,so I can maybe mention a wee thing that struck me the other day ( yesterday, was it?).
It was the ‘speculation’ made by Stuart and Tam ,in that clever, nod nod, wink wink way that they have, that the outcome of the TRFC v Killie game today would be a draw, contrived if need be by an ‘own goal’, to ensure another shared gate from a replay, to give TRFC a few extra shillings.
(They did not follow up and say that TRFC would of course win the replay! [and God forbid that I should have thought that, either]).
I laughed, of course, when I heard them.
But then I thought: it is one thing for me, as just me, with no high,publicly funded public broadcasting profile,to have become unco cynical and therefore to express a degree of cynicism.
It is quite something else for that general air of cynicism to be so publicly expressed in a radio prog with what, I suppose, is still a ‘mass audience’ as measured by the BBC.
I mention this to make the point [not at all in criticism of the said Stuart and Tam!] as a marker perhaps of the now readiness of the general football fan in Scotland to view ANYTHING relating to TRFC – any fixture, any refereeing decisions, any postponements of games, any ‘ground rental’ opportunities, perhaps any “more than 10%” shareholding, as being aimed expressly at helping, by cheating, a dying club to live, by the Football Authorities.
That has has been the effect of the damaging and wholly nonsensical, self-contradictory and utterly unjustified position adopted by the
signatories to the 5-way agreement. The Football Authorities took money,almost as a bribe, from a new club for the sins committed by a dead, unrelated club,in order to let that new club pretend to be the old club. But they did not have the integrity to follow through and strip the dead club of its unearned ‘honours’, but instead interfered with their own ‘judicial’ process by not presenting all relevant evidence to LNS.
My ( and more importantly, Stuart’s and Tam’s)cynicism is well founded, I think.
Despite the fact that TRFC chose in the event to go for the win!
Allyjambo says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:20 pm
‘.That’s me been banned then.’
———
That post deserves a medal, AllyJ!
Allyjambo says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:20 pm
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woodstein says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:16 pm
jean there are no losers on TSFM.
_________________________
That’s me been banned then 😥 and I thought the site was open to all…
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You’re sharp tonight AJ 😆 😆
John Clark says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:21 pm
Despite the fact that TRFC chose in the event to go for the win!
______________________________________________
All part of the cunning plan, with Killie looking like they came expecting a goal-less draw 🙄 The big question is, though, were Stuart and Tam in on the big deception?
Crivens, this cynicism thingy doesn’t half lead us into conspiracy theories!
John Clark says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:27 pm
I think you mean the mod that banned me deserves one, JC 😯
woodstein says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:29 pm
Ouch, just cut myself 😥
And so to bed. Night all 😀
Allyjambo says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:30 pm
‘.Crivens, this cynicism thingy doesn’t half lead us into conspiracy theories!’
———-
Trust is an extremely fragile thing.
If a guy lies to me once ( in any kind of serious matter, of course), then,in effect, he has blown his credibility forever.
Nothing of any importance that he has to say will be accepted at face value.
I might of course ‘forgive’ him his/her deception, but I would always be wary in the future. Caught in a serious lie, like so many politicians and important people have learnt, you really have to work hard to regain lost trust. And probably you can’t.
And that is a universal truth. Between lovers, spouses, parents and children, teachers and pupils- once the big lie is there, there it lies…forever!
In relation to ‘personal’ lies, of course, there is always the actuality of personal forgiveness .. but the element of betrayal may still linger, even if only unconsciously.
‘Non-personal’ lying by governments, employers or by Football Authorities is not at all ‘forgiveable’. And the continuing suspicion of such bodies is entirely justified.
The onus of proof of integrity is upon such, rather than on those to whom they lied.
In, of course, my opinion.
woodstein says:
November 30, 2014 at 10:48 pm
cap duly doffed, ==| (:-)
Just a personal observation…
If I had had any dealings with Whyte wrt Rangers FC, and having subsequently learned that the Motherwell born chancer had a predeliction for covertly recording his conversations…
The last place I would want to see him is in a court of law…facing charges wrt Rangers FC.
And yet Craigie was promptly apprehended in Mexico – and apparently was happy to return to Glasgow without any protestation.
If I had had dealings with Craigie, I would be concerned.
Just saying… 🙄
John Clark says:
November 30, 2014 at 11:21 pm
==================================
John, the suspicion you describe is entirely of the SFA’s own making. Given the lengths they very publicly traveled to try and ensure the new Rangers got into one of the top two leagues was probably the game changer for many fans who had not previously bought into any notion of bias towards Ibrox. Once something of that magnitude happens then people don’t rule out anything, and who can blame them. Also, despite the SFA never publicly saying it, it appears to be beyond doubt now they have granted the new Rangers the history and honours of the old, now liquidated club. Fans of clubs which have been honestly managed within the confines of the law simply can’t grasp why the SFA were so desperate to show such preferential treatment to an entity born out of the taxpayer and others being cheated out of tens of millions.
The SFA will never gain anyone’s trust in its current form. As long as Regan and Ogilvie continue to darken the corridors the stench of conspiracy will surround everything we see, and everything they say and do surrounding the club from Ibrox.
I follow a wee blog that lists sport on TV and this isn’t a dig at them, it’s purely to show how people outwith the mainstream media and outside our own wee goldfish bowl here see the upcoming semi. I’d hazard a guess if you asked any Non Scottish based person (as this is) to write up two paragraphs on the game being on telly they would all be very close to this. In effect it proves that the telling of the great lie, repeatedly, time after time, in every available medium, can make it the perceived truth
———
BBC Sport Scotland has chosen to screen the eagerly-anticipated Old Firm clash between Celtic and Rangers in the semi-finals of the 2014/15 Scottish League Cup.
The semi-final will be the first meeting between the fierce Glasgow rivals since April 2012, when Celtic won 3-0, after which Rangers were consigned to liquidation and relegated to the bottom tier of the Scottish Football League.
Rangers won the pair’s last meeting in the Scottish League Cup back in 2011 when both teams made it to the final, which the Gers triumphed 2-1 courtesy of Nikica Jelavic winner in extra-time.
Did I see statistic from Sky last night that suggested that the average attendance for a league match at Ibrox is 33k yet whenever they have played Premiership opposition it has been 14k ! If I did then that is interesting as it may mean that there is a bitterness held towards these teams for what happened to the old Rangers. Anybody else pick up on this or did I dream it last night or not pick up the facts correctly
Briggsbhoy
It might be due to many thinking they would lose against a premiership side and dont want to see it?
briggsbhoy and bad capt madman.
The crowds for most cup games nowadays are sadly well down on past figures, this mainly due to a reticence on home supporters to part with cash for games no longer on season tickets.
I expect the Ibrox cup crowds have to be honestly reported to ensure the correct percentage is taken off for the away side, and that the larger figures for league games might be (slightly) inflated for PR purposes.
However, a concern generally is the way supporters throughout the country have turned their backs on early rounds of the cup competitions. Perhaps clubs should consider putting perhaps two home cup ties onto their season packages.
andygraham.66 says:
December 1, 2014 at 7:33 am
2 0 Rate This
I follow a wee blog that lists sport on TV and this isn’t a dig at them, it’s purely to show how people outwith the mainstream media and outside our own wee goldfish bowl here see the upcoming semi. I’d hazard a guess if you asked any Non Scottish based person (as this is) to write up two paragraphs on the game being on telly they would all be very close to this. In effect it proves that the telling of the great lie, repeatedly, time after time, in every available medium, can make it the perceived truth
———
BBC Sport Scotland has chosen to screen the eagerly-anticipated Old Firm clash between Celtic and Rangers in the semi-finals of the 2014/15 Scottish League Cup.
The semi-final will be the first meeting between the fierce Glasgow rivals since April 2012, when Celtic won 3-0, after which Rangers were consigned to liquidation and relegated to the bottom tier of the Scottish Football League.
Rangers won the pair’s last meeting in the Scottish League Cup back in 2011 when both teams made it to the final, which the Gers triumphed 2-1 courtesy of Nikica Jelavic winner in extra-time.
———-
I’d be interested to know how many actual match-going Celtic fans are happy to have the Dinosaur Derby back.
There’s a train of thought that bampots are armchair internet fans who rarely turn up at matches, whereas your signed-up loyal (can I use that word when talking about CFC fans ? 😮 ) are less interested in the politics and just want to get on with the game.
Mind you, the displays at Celtic Park during the Apocalyse Derby were a sight to behold. More of the same? Certainly would be difficult for even the state-controlled broadcaster to ignore a repeat of that unique performance art.
borussiabeefburg says:
December 1, 2014 at 8:59 am
However, a concern generally is the way supporters throughout the country have turned their backs on early rounds of the cup competitions. Perhaps clubs should consider putting perhaps two home cup ties onto their season packages.
============================================================
I think there are two major reasons for falling numbers in opening rounds – btw I haven’t done any historical research to confirm the percentage falls in recent years.
There is quite simply the choice of watching football from top European Leagues on the telly and many when faced with a miserable dreich day will opt for the pub with some mates.
There is also the fact that – despite government propaganda – the recession and its after effects are still hitting people’s pockets very hard so there are household decisions to be made about spending money on a football game or paying the bills.
I don’t know whether putting a couple of early cup rounds on the ST would actually be that effective. In many ways the cost of a ticket is the least of the match-day expenditure incurred by fans. The travels costs, something to eat, and of course a wee drink all adds up as well.
Perhaps a ‘reward’ scheme could be brought in where if an ST holder attends early rounds they get a discount or even freebie ticket for the quarters or semis. It’s a gamble and if the club doesn’t get through then there’s no cost but hopefully increased income from the easrlier stages.
Or buying an early round ticket could be ‘rewarded’ with say two free tickets for kids.
If people aren’t buying tickets for whatever reason then IMO it’s still better to get them into the stadium to buy food, hot drinks, merchandise and bring new young fans to the game.
All clubs really have to get more innovative. I doubt though if there’s one unique set of solutions and they will probably vary depending on individual clubs and the demographics of their support.
briggsbhoy says:
December 1, 2014 at 7:38 am
Did I see statistic from Sky last night that suggested that the average attendance for a league match at Ibrox is 33k yet whenever they have played Premiership opposition it has been 14k ! If I did then that is interesting as it may mean that there is a bitterness held towards these teams for what happened to the old Rangers.
=================================================
IIRC Kilmarnock supported Rangers in the vote and if that’s the case I don’t think the theory holds-up.
I also seriously doubt whether the average league attendance at Ibrox this season is 33k going from what I have seen on telly or photos.
Obviously in home League games it’ s easier to fudge attendance figures and there is the ST scam where even if a holder doesn’t attend they can be counted as if they had.
borussiabeefburg says:
December 1, 2014 at 8:59 am
briggsbhoy and bad capt madman.
The crowds for most cup games nowadays are sadly well down on past figures, this mainly due to a reticence on home supporters to part with cash for games no longer on season tickets.
===================
Too true – in addition, scheduling the cup games for the busiest shopping weekend of the year wasn’t an act of genius – I also wonder what the effect on clubs who exit at this stage will be as the cup always holds out some hope for your season and gives you something to look forward to – going out in November will make it a very long season for some.
woodstein says:
November 30, 2014 at 10:48 pm
18 1 Rate This
A rhyming Mathematician Computer scientist ?
————————————————————–
This I can remember from circa 1964 3rd year?
Dividing fractions is easy as pie,
Just invert and multiply.
Twinkle, twinkle little star, circumf’rence is 2 pi r;
I didn’t really know you cared, area is pi r squared.
Half the sum of the parallel sides,
Times the distance between ‘em
That’s how we calculate
The area of a trapezium
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee,
Say round the circle’s pi times d.
But if the area’s to be declared,
The formula is pi r-squared.
These were the “Rhymes” of my maths teacher at secondary school.
Just goes to show I can remember the rhymes /maths but, not his full name, his surname was MacIntyre and his first name was Mister? 😳
======================================
Our maths teacher used to suffer from terrible constipation but he worked it out with a pencil 😛
Thank you. I’m here ’til Thursday, try the fish.
briggsbhoy says:
December 1, 2014 at 7:38 am
I think it’s more to do with the fact they only play top tier clubs in cup ties, when season tickets don’t count. A similar scenario can be seen with Hearts, who recorded their second lowest home crowd of the season yesterday against Celtic, their lowest being 6,700 against Annan.
That said, Heart’s crowd was proportionately higher, even allowing for the size of the away support, compared to league attendances, than at Ibrox.
I doubt, therefor, that the low attendance at Ibrox point to bitterness towards the top clubs, though it undoubtedly exists. I suspect the crowd being so much less than their average league crowd points more to the supporters disaffection with their own club than anything else. There is also the fact that the game was on TV and there was a reasonable chance they might get well stuffed (but Kilmarnock were poor), and we know they don’t like watching their team lose!
I think they will be saving their ‘stay away’ protests until they return (probably only in their minds) to the top league, when, by staying away from away matches, they will show us all how much we’ve missed them financially 🙄 🙄 🙄
keith jackson @tedermeatballs · 7m7 minutes ago
Rangers new Nomad i understand will be WH Ireland.
http://wh-ireland.co.uk/wh-ireland
easyJambo says:
December 1, 2014 at 10:40 am
1 0 Rate This
keith jackson @tedermeatballs · 7m7 minutes ago
Rangers new Nomad i understand will be WH Ireland.
http://wh-ireland.co.uk/wh-ireland
———–
Humour is not dead, unlike … 😮
Danish Pastry says: December 1, 2014 at 11:00 am
Humour is not dead, unlike … 😮
======================
Yup. Green Whyte and now Ireland…..whatever next? 😮
The Sons of Struth will be planning their next boycott amid claims of their traditions being eroded once more.
Noticed an interesting post on KDS about putting together a timeline of Rangers’ financial demise to show that it actually pre-dates Whyte’s arrival which is the opposite of the PR line currently being peddled by the revisionists hell-bent on burying the truth.
There was a link to an article by Glen Gibbons RIP in 2002 which never ceases to amaze me. Glen was a fearless journo with integrity and I doubt if the SMSM is capable of ever producing his likes again.
I have undernoted the 2002 article featuring Hugh Adam – an honest Rangers Man – and although long it’s a great read for setting the scene of what was to follow.
easyJambo says:
December 1, 2014 at 11:04 am
1 0 Rate This
Danish Pastry says: December 1, 2014 at 11:00 am
Humour is not dead, unlike … 😮
======================
Yup. Green Whyte and now Ireland…..whatever next? 😮
The Sons of Struth will be planning their next boycott amid claims of their traditions being eroded once more.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I note the new Nomad was established in 1872.
Good or bad omen??????
Probably bad as like the died club they claim 140 years of history when it is now getting close to 143 or is that 3 😛
ecobhoy says: December 1, 2014 at 11:09 am
——————-
I was actually thinking along similar lines myself whether any of the legal teams involved in a future trial will ask SDM in court (if called as a witness) about the historical financial record at RFC and the reasons for him (or Lloyds) putting the club up for sale.
Only three weeks until the AGM of RIFC. The Board are proposing a share offer to raise the £8m required to get them through to the end of the season. Ashley wouldn’t take part in the last offer, so I wonder what he’ll do this time around? Will he even vote for the AGM resolution to disapply pre-emption rights? I don’t see why he would.
It seems to me that he is exercising a lot of control as things stand by the drip feed method of financing. The issue of a load of new shares can only weaken his position, especially since he is restricted to a 10% holding.
The question is whether Ashley has enough shareholder allies to block the motion to disapply pre-emption. I believe the motion requires 75% to vote in favour.
But even if the motion passes, how much appetite would there be for another issue of shares in RIFC? Not a lot, would be my guess. In which case the Ashley life support drip continues, for as long as it suits Ashley.
woodstein says:
November 30, 2014 at 10:48 pm
18 1 Rate This
A rhyming Mathematician Computer scientist ?
————————————————————–
The following are the lyrics of a track called Mathematics from the latest Van der Graaf Generator album (album?…sorry CD).
The writer, Peter Hammill, was a computer programmer with IBM before a career in music.
Here be numbers transcendental,
on an imaginary axis spun,
decimal places without limit
and zero and one.
Mathematics, simply pure beyond belief.
e to the power of i times pi plus 1 is 0.
e to the power of i times pi is -1.
A single function, exponential,
just one addition must be done…
multiplication in completion
of zero, of one.
Mathematics, just so “wow” it brooks belief.
(You’d better believe, you’d better believe it.)
Who are Van der Graaf Generator? Ask your dad.
Someone, @VidmarFF no less, pointing out that WH Ireland bought a former Craig Whyte business? Surely not? #Pritchard Stockbrokers.
The Hokey-Cokey anyone?
crawford says:
December 1, 2014 at 11:39 am
1 0 Rate This
Who are Van der Graaf Generator? Ask your dad.
———
I sense a current running through that shocking question.
Neepheid,
Only advantage to Ashley in approving the share issue is in somehow ring fencing cash whereby its the late arrivals to the party’s cash that gets fired up the lavvy wall first thereby keeping the show (and the shirt sales) on the road, and only once that runs out, should they come back to Mike asking for more.
Security position is also crucial. Sevco needs 12m minimum and that is Mike leaving his 3 in. Sevco don’t have 12m of security to offer.
I can see Mike calling King’s bluff here.
ecobhoy says:
December 1, 2014 at 11:09 am
I have that Hugh Adam interview and a follow up interview (2009) in my bookmarks I was referring to them so often…
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/interview-hugh-adam-seven-years-after-sounding-a-dire-warning-over-rangers-future-1.928796
easyJambo says:
December 1, 2014 at 11:15 am
ecobhoy says:
December 1, 2014 at 11:09 am
——————-
I was actually thinking along similar lines myself whether any of the legal teams involved in a future trial will ask SDM in court (if called as a witness) about the historical financial record at RFC and the reasons for him (or Lloyds) putting the club up for sale.
=================================================================
In view of various ‘live’ proceedings I won’t refer to any specific case/s but merely in generalities which shouldn’t be taken to apply to a particulat case.
Unfortunately if you’re not at the heart of the prosection or defence teams in any court case it’s difficult to predict their strategies which they deliberately keep under wraps to keep the other side wrong-footed.
That difficulty is increased when the extent of the evidence held by either side is unknown and further compounded if of a complex nature.
However if I was facing prosecution involving various charges arising from my taking control of a business then – depending on the circumstances – I might believe it could be helpful to my defence to establish the state of the business before my involvement.
It might also be that the prosecution would want to set the scene – especially in a jury trial – by beginning the narrative with an explanation as to why the business was up for sale in the first place and the personal and professional interactions between seller/s and purchaser/s.
However these considerations are often resolved after the prosecution and defence have precognosed potential witnesses to determine what evidence they can provide and whether they should be called as witnesses.
Danish Pastry says:
December 1, 2014 at 11:48 am
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good grief Danish but you’re a bright spark today 💡
Smugas says:
December 1, 2014 at 11:58 am
2 0 Rate This
Neepheid,
Only advantage to Ashley in approving the share issue is in somehow ring fencing cash whereby its the late arrivals to the party’s cash that gets fired up the lavvy wall first thereby keeping the show (and the shirt sales) on the road, and only once that runs out, should they come back to Mike asking for more.
Security position is also crucial. Sevco needs 12m minimum and that is Mike leaving his 3 in. Sevco don’t have 12m of security to offer.
I can see Mike calling King’s bluff here.
———
DK money where his mouth is.
Still, if Ashley could euthanize the onerous contracts he could at least get it to run as a going concern. Where the stadium refit dosh comes from is another question though.
Does anyone know if the contracts are bound to TRFC alone? If so, some type of club metamorphosis might be in order via an ultra-secret agreement Mk. 2. The SFA seems happy that oldco RFC continued via Sevco, so their mind-bending rule-stretching could surely make way for Sevco continuing as Rangers 2014, and the pheonix rises with not a feather singed ❗
jockybhoy says:
December 1, 2014 at 12:09 pm
ecobhoy says:
December 1, 2014 at 11:09 am
I have that Hugh Adam interview and a follow up interview (2009) in my bookmarks I was referring to them so often…
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/interview-hugh-adam-seven-years-after-sounding-a-dire-warning-over-rangers-future-1.928796
======================================================
Sadly genuine prophets are seldom heeded in their own lifetime and much more likely to be mocked or ignored.
Just thinking through my earlier comment.
Notwithstanding that King now appears to have claimed back his previous 20m in the BDO creditors list, it is an interesting answer to the question re investment in a company more on its uppers than a two legged horse.
“Having lost 20m to the previous operating club/holding/stadium thingy thru investment with no security, what is your next step?”
a/ Tell them to do one.
b/ Insist on security over anything, anything at all.
c/ Do it again, its only money (and actually his this time) and it is rangers (apparently) after all!
I think we need Mr Patey to talk us through the options before inevitably concluding that c/ is the obvious and only choice.
TSFM
I see Supporters Direct are going to look at governance, not the SFA though but their own.
http://www.scottishfans.org/supporters-direct-to-examine-governance-and-membership-structure-in-scotland/
Not before time as supporters should have a stake in the governing of Scottish football to introduce an element of accountability but cannot do so under current funding arrangements.
Worth a look despite having the whiff of the curate’s egg about it 😆
https://sports.vice.com/article/how-frauds-and-con-artists-crippled-scotlands-greatest-soccer-club
I did Maths (yes, that’s an “s” on the end, my American aping friends!) and Computing Science at Uni. Don’t remember many couplets, but I do recall one of our lecturers telling a joke about an airliner where the pilots fall ill, and the stewards make a desperate plea for a pilot to come forward from the passengers. A Warsaw resident steps forward, although he warns that he’s only really flown single seaters. He looks at the myriad of dials and controls in the flight deck, and declares that there’s nothing he can do, as “I’m just a simple Pole in a complex plane.” Seriously, if you were a mathematician, you’d be wetting yourself at that. Or maybe not….
Anyway, maths based puns apart, I see that the old myth that the BTC stopped Rangers from getting a real buyer (with billions actually on the radar) has seemingly been resurrected, if twitter this weekend was anything to go by, in the wake of Craigie Boy’s return to Scotland. Correct me if I’m wrong, but
a) Didn’t Minty put Rangers up for sale at least as far back as 2006?
b) Didn’t the Big Tax Case only become common Knowledge in early 2010?
So despite Barge Poles being left leaning against the wall for 4 years prior, it was the BTC that scared them all off.
It seems that we can add the ‘HMRC responsible for the demise of Rangers’ whitewashing of history alongside the ‘Nobody warned us about him’ claim (Despite the Board report that told Murray not to sell to Whyte).
Cellino at Leeds has failed the fit and proper test from the Football League.
Re crossword clue.
Did anyone ever say ‘blue asbestos’ or was it too obvious…