The purpose of The Scottish Football Monitor is to pay homage to, and carry on the work of the groundbreaking RangersTaxCase blog (RTC). The aim of the Scottish Football Monitor is to cast a questioning and watchful eye on Scottish Football officialdom and the compliant mainstream media (MSM).
Scottish football, in the immediate wake of the Rangers FC liquidation, faces great challenges. The MSM have provided no sensible checks or balances on the actions of the authorities. The Scottish Football Monitor aims to provide those checks and balance.
The cosy relationship that has existed between the media and people at the top of Scottish Football has dissuaded those who may otherwise be moved to blow the whistle on wrongdoing. The Scottish Football Monitor aims, through time, and by winning the trust of ordinary fans, to fill a gap in the football media in Scotland that has been up to now filled only by RTC.
The Rangers FC saga, its consequences, and consequences of the accompanying stream of untruths and misdirection fed to us by the MSM is far from over. RTC was successful in getting the previously buried truth of the Rangers tax case into the mainstream despite a hostile MSM reaction. The Scottish Football Monitor hopes to use the skills and expertise of those in our community to a cast light on matters that those in authority would have concealed, or at least present alternative arguments to those being presented as having none.
Scottish Football Monitor asks contributors to remember only a few things;
1. The site is not the domain of any one club and is open to fans of all clubs.
2. Absolutely no discussion with regard to religion should take place.
3. Posters should refrain from using foul or abusive language.
Welcome to The Scottish Football Monitor
Lord Wobbly
complete lines of seperation will be hard to achieve in such a small country with two giant clubs and distinct cultures. We can only hope that any findings are made public, incontrovertible evidence will be the end of any accusations of agendas. If Donald Findlay produced all evidence and it showed no wrongdoing, i would accept that. Do you know if HM will publicise their findings.
campsiejoe says:
August 5, 2012 at 22:17
‘I could be wrong, but I seem to remember reading somewhere, that Harper McLeod were in actual fact the SPL’s lawyers..’
Can anyone confirm this ‘
—
Would this do, CJ? Last sentence refers.
“Established in 1988, Harper Macleod is widely recognised for partnering with clients to deliver commercially-focused legal advice. With 48 Partners, 170 fee-earners and a total complement of over 280 staff based in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness. The firm is noted for its expertise in key industry sectors, including Banks & Financial Institutions; Energy & Natural Resources; Food, Leisure & Hospitality; Insurance; Property & Construction; Public Sector (including Housing); Retail; Sport; and Family-owned Businesses. Clients include Clydesdale Bank, SSE Renewable Developments, William Hill, E.ON, RBS Insurance, Glasgow 2014 Limited,The Forestry Commission Scotland, The Department for Work & Pensions, The Scottish Government, HEROtsc, HSBC, The Scottish Premier League and Optical Express.”
We could ask if the CEO of the main rival to the club under investigation has any influence in the law firm ?
The placement of his daughter (law student) suggests that he does.
—————————————————————
that’ll be ex rival as very shortly, and long before anyone prints anything, Rangers will be an ex club.
The Rangers main rivals appear to be Elgin, or maybe Queens if they can all stay fit.
Harper Macleod did hee haw for months, at the behest of the game’s administrators, and to the benefit of Rangers, so it’s a bit rich to be coming out now and saying feck me now that things are moving we don’t like these people, let’s start again with a bit of integrity.
HM were appointed because they have advised SFA in the past and have a fair bit of expertise in sport. One guy in particular, who no doubt will now be taking that sabbatical, as far away from Govan as the polis instruct him to.
My post of 22.43:
my source for that extract is Harper MacLeod’s own blog
http://www.harpermacleod.co.uk/Communications-/Entry/press-releases/southside-girl-joins-top-scottish-firm
justafan says:
August 5, 2012 at 22:23
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Just watching sportscene, so much for sell out saturday, after all the bluster and wanting to save our game, new season same old story, so called supporters not going to games, diddy team fans have hurt their teams much more that we ever did.
Get a grip and get to games and support our game, if fans go
things will change and your team will be better off with more
money and better teams.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not sure what point you are trying to make here. Are you suggesting that attendances would have been better if Sevco had been allowed to begin life in the SPL? If so, I very much doubt it. In fact, I’m pretty confident that the opposite would have been true.
My apologies for getting the sell out saturday wrong, i’ll do my homework before shouthing my mouth off next time.
Campsiejoe.
Thanks for the heads up. Do you know from which bodies the independant panel are made up from.
I seem to remember reading something about foreign personnel but i get lost sometimes keeping track of the links on here.
john clarke @ 22:43
John
Thank you
As usual, certain people are trying to cherry pick facts, and then tailor them to suit their own agenda
I also wish everyone would stop saying that HML are carrying out the investigation
They are not
Lord Wobbly says:
August 5, 2012 at 22:47
====================
Even if it was true, so what.
To force a brand new club into the SFL was bad enough, to force them into the SPL would have been even worse.
Whether it would have increased attendances is irrelevant.
rab @ 22:51
I don’t remember any mention of foreign panel members, and I doubt this would be the case
I can’t recall Donkey’s exact words, but I got the impression it would be made up from the members of the SFA’s “cab” list
Lord wobbly, not in the slightest, under no circumstances should we have been allowed to start in the spl, My point is for the betterment of our game we should be making a monumentus effort to support our teams. In my opinion the more fans that get to games the more money goes into clubs and therfore more money can be spent on youth which in turn should produce better players in future and the standard will increase to a point where we will compete again on a global stage.
I should maybe point out that I coach an under ten team in central Scotland and would like to point out that the standard at my age group is outstanding, these kids can do things with a ball i never dreamed of at their age and if things keep going the way i hope we will deffinately be back on the world stage in the near future. so keep calm and enjoy whats comming .
rab says:
August 5, 2012 at 22:41
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Lord Wobbly
complete lines of seperation will be hard to achieve in such a
small country with two giant clubs and distinct cultures. We can only hope that any findings are made public, incontrovertible evidence will be the end of any accusations of agendas. If Donald Findlay produced all evidence and it showed no wrongdoing, i would accept that. Do you know if HM will publicise their findings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Probably true about lines of separation. I have no inside knowledge of Harper MacLeod but, as I said in my earlier post, I do not doubt their professionalism. I agree transparency is key. Whatever the findings, they should be made public so that the reasons for their conclusions are beyond reproach.
Bicho 22.45
If that is true, then the SPL probably do need to review matters.The placement might well have been secured on merit, but if there is even a whiff of it being a favour then the SPL need to think again. It’s not that the relevant partner of HM wouldn’t do things fairly – it’s about things being seen to be done fairly. (The same applies Ogilvie, but in that situation you would be asking a man to walk out of his job, not asking a firm of lawyers to just turn down one commission )
To be honest, a fair few of the big glasgow-based lawyers will have worked for Celtic or Rangers or their current or previous owners so finding a firm with no previous links – and the relevant expertise – will not be as easy as you would think.And it will entail delay.But we have waited so long, let’s not allow our impatience tarnish the investigation
justafan says:
August 5, 2012 at 22:23
thanks for your good wishes justafan………my wee diddy club are top of the SPL and have Celtic so scared they have arranged to play Real Madrid in Philly next week rather than play us in Glasgow 🙂
How did Rangers FC (IA) get on this weekend by the way? All the best for the season ahead whoever you will be supporting…..
Lord Wobbly @ 23:05
Your Lordship, at the risk of repeating myself, HML are not carrying out the investigation
This will be carried out by an Independent Panel
The SPL will responsible for publishing the panel’s findings
Couple of questions for our RFC minded posters
Given the negative reaction of many RFC fans to the work done by the RTC blog in uncovering the shenanigans of SDM, CW (including work done by your goodselves)
Do you think it appropriate that our new blog attempts to uncover what Green & Co are up to ?
Do you think exploring this issue ( with the inevitable side swipes that brings) might drive away potential contributors to the blog from RFC minded fans ?
justafan says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:03
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Lord wobbly, not in the slightest, under no circumstances should we have been allowed to start in the spl, My point is for the betterment of our game we should be making a monumentus effort to support our teams. In my opinion the more fans that get to games the more money goes into clubs and therfore more money can be spent on youth which in turn should produce better players in future and the standard will increase to a point where we will compete again on a global stage.
I should maybe point out that I coach an under ten team in
central Scotland and would like to point out that the standard at my age group is outstanding, these kids can do things with a ball i never dreamed of at their age and if things keep going the way i hope we will deffinately be back on the world stage in the near future. so keep calm and enjoy whats comming .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So what’s your take on The Rangers current recruitment policy?
And how do you think they will finance the salaries for the players that TUPE’d over from Rangers together with the reported salaries of their more recent acquisitions?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19137624
Campsiejoe.
This is from Lord Wobblys link.
The SPL has stated that, once Harper MacLeod submits its evidence, an independent commission, likely to be made up of foreign nationals, will determine what sanctions, if any, are appropriate.
nowoldandgrumpy says:
August 5, 2012 at 21:22
‘…..Where do we draw the line…?
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Grumpy
Depends on what colour it is
If its long and yellow it should be drawn down the back of Regan and Donkey
campsiejoe says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:16
Lord Wobbly @ 23:05
Your Lordship, at the risk of repeating myself, HML are not
carrying out the investigation
This will be carried out by an Independent Panel
The SPL will responsible for publishing the panel’s findings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok. Maybe it’s just the lateness of the hour, but I’m now officially confused. Where do Harper MacLeod fit in then?
Schneeb says:
August 5, 2012 at 20:43
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Kilgore Trout says: August 5, 2012 at 20:
Lord Wobbly @ 20:0
_______________________________________
So the SFL think Rangers and The Rangers are the same thing.
Rangers think Rangers and The Rangers are the same thing.
MSM think Rangers and The Rangers are the same thing.
Now it just needs BDO and HMRC to think Rangers and The Rangers are the same thing !!
Possibly could happen, from HMRC:-
INS45005 – Successor companies: Background: What is a successor company?
For the purposes of this guidance successor companies (often called ‘phoenix companies’) are companies set up to continue the trade of the previous failed company with the same directors or company secretaries, often trading from the same business premises with the same assets and employees.
The previous liquidated company and the successor company can be linked in several ways, but the following links are ones which may give a reason to consider whether the successor company and the previous company **deserve further consideration:**
• Are the directors the same *or is there evidence that the directors of the previous company are connected with those of the successor company, or involved in its management * Mibbies aye mibbies naw
• Is the successor company carrying on the same trade as the previous company? check
• Are the employees the same? check
• Is the trading or company name the same or similar? check
• Are the trading premises the same? check
• Did the successor company acquire assets from the previous company? check
Nearly check mate.
“Maybe Mr Green could clarify who holds the shares and how many they hold, as that paperwork does not seem to accord with what has been made public already”.Posted by Paul McConville
Charlie Oscar
Campbell Ogilvie is current president of the sfa. He seems to be carrying on Gordon Smiths good work. Totally unconflicted of course.
Could any of the legals give an opinion on the type of company HM are, do they have a policy of celtic mindedness hiring and promotion, or are they a long established, professional reputable company.
============================
I am not associated with HM in any way but have some professional knowledge of them and am prepared to venture a purely personal opinion.
They were formed in the mid or late 80s by the commercial partners of the old Ross Harper who were, I believe, fed up with subsidising the rather less remunerative legal aid work of other partners. (This was at least the view of one of those partners, I don’t know if that was truly the financial position.)
Anyway, it is a firm which was regarded as an “up-start” by the old established commercial firms. It is my impression that heavy weight commercial guys elsewhere still view HM as a bit of a second division outfit. That is, in my experience, both untrue and unfair. Nobody under-estimates Rod McKenzie or Lorne Crerar. There have been some others who have caught the eye in their particular fields and have been head-hvnted by larger corporate firms.
HM have some very good practices and policies. They push their young partners very hard and try to encourage them to become known in their field as much as possible, with mixed results.
Guys like Lorne Crerar and Rod McKenzie are very hard-working and slavishly devoted to the firm. They retain the equity I believe, and employ a lot of young salaried partners who are also expected to put in long hours. They have built a well-regarded law firm with a good client base. They have a good reputation in corporate and commercial work, property, employment, pensions, energy and insolvency.
The young partners become used to (relatively) good salaries given their age and experience and have usually had to borrow money to become partners; they are therefore somewhat tied to the firm. Hence the retention levels at HM tend to be good but maybe there are questions around how happy their young salaried partners are.
The firm has made a specialism of tendering for government and public sector work on the basis that come fair economic weather or foul, the government will not run out of money. (This particular business strategy is currently being rather severely tested.) It is also not without an ironic aspect that a firm formed out of the need to escape the strictures of the public purse has so focused its energies on public sector tendering.
Recent years have been tough for HM as public sector and bank spending has shrunk. To be fair it has been tough for all commercial firms who depended on bank driven work or property work. Some big commercial firms have recently merged with English or international firms in what has been seen as a life-support strategy.
HM have developed regional offices in Scotland and are part of a European network of law firms which are supposed to refer one another business. They do not appear to be going down the merger route, or if they are it is a well-kept secret.
To answer the question, the two senior partners I mentioned have no interest in football that I know of.
As far as professionalism goes, they are entirely professional and ethical. It is absurd to believe that a firm as a whole could have a leaning in any direction in terms of football. I know and have known partners of HM over the years some who have been season ticket holders at Ibrox and some at Celtic Park.
I make no comment on the issue of conflict of interest which has been raised.
My perception of HM may be wide of the mark in some respects and I am sure others will have their view, but I have not knowingly said anything which I have not heard from people at HM or happen to know first hand, and my view is intended to be entirely fair and honest.
Lord Wobbly says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:32
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campsiejoe says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:16
Lord Wobbly @ 23:05
Your Lordship, at the risk of repeating myself, HML are not
carrying out the investigation
This will be carried out by an Independent Panel
The SPL will responsible for publishing the panel’s findings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok. Maybe it’s just the lateness of the hour, but I’m now officially
confused. Where do Harper MacLeod fit in then?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry Campsie. I missed your post at 22:34.
Time for bed I think.
Lord Wobbly @ 23:32
Right, Harper McLeod were asked by the SPL, to examine the documents provided by the Double Ds, regarding Dual Contracts and report their findings to the SPL
Their report concluded that there was a prima facie case to answer
On the 2nd August, the SPL released the following statement
“The Scottish Premier League today announced that it has appointed an independent Commission to inquire into alleged EBT payments and arrangements made by Rangers in relation to players during the period from 2000 until 2011.
The Commission will determine whether during that period in relation to alleged EBT payments and arrangements for players, Rangers was in breach of the relevant SPL Rules.
In the event that the independent Commission decides that such breach or breaches occurred the independent Commission will have powers to determine what sanctions, if any, are appropriate.”
What has happened tonight is another attempt to smear Lawwell, HML and the SPL, deflect blame, and muddy the waters
It is no more than another attempt to whip up the horde
The various supporters groups are either very stupid, or very devious
I know which one my money is on
As you can see from the SPL statement, HML have nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the investigation
Lord Wobbly says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:16
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justafan says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:03
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Lord wobbly, not in the slightest, under no circumstances should we have been allowed to start in the spl, My point is for the betterment of our game we should be making a monumentus effort to support our teams. In my opinion the more fans that get to games the more money goes into clubs and therfore more money can be spent on youth which in turn should produce better players in future and the standard will increase to a point where we will compete again on a global stage.
I should maybe point out that I coach an under ten team in
central Scotland and would like to point out that the standard at my age group is outstanding, these kids can do things with a ball i never dreamed of at their age and if things keep going the way i hope we will deffinately be back on the world stage in the near future. so keep calm and enjoy whats comming .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So what’s your take on The Rangers current recruitment policy?
And how do you think they will finance the salaries for the players that TUPE’d over from Rangers together with the reported salaries of their more recent acquisitions?
———————————————————————————————————————–
To be honest, i’m not very impressed, we seem to be buying players to take us straight back up, when i’d prefer us playing lots of younger players so they gain experience in the lower leagues(which should serve our manager well, because if we weren’t in this much trouble he’d be out of a job), i don’t like Black but i can see why we signed him, he is there to protect the younger players from the harsh realities of lower league football.
So to sum up, we have missed the glorious chance to kickstart our youth development and the superb chance to change our policy of recent years to play actual football thats pleasing to the eye(which i crave for).
As for how we will finance these players, I don’t honestly know, as i said (as still the only Rangers supporter to write an article for Celtic quick news) QUICK PLUG FOR MY MATES MAG THERE lol, issue 4 or 5 if I recall between page 18 and 25, sorry can’t remember) i’m not the smartest when it comes to that sort of thing, so i just concentrate on what I know, and I have a high opinion of myself, I stick to the football side of things. Sorry if thats not what you where looking for.
Lord Wobbly, i am honestly a Rangers fan(and it is Rangers not sevco), although i have been told occasionally been told I don’t write or speak if you will, like one 🙂 oh and i’m not on RM or FF.
rab @ 23:29
Nowhere in the SPL statement does it say foreign nationals (see my post at 23:49)
I mean, the BBC wouldn’t make something up, would they ?
campsiejoe says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:49
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks Campsie. I obviously missed a step somewhere along the way and then I picked up on nowoldandgrumpy’s quote from the BBC re The Rangers fans protest. Note to self. Must do better.
justafan says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:52
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wasn’t looking for anything other than an honest opinion. I agree that its a missed opportunity to go with youth. Now would have been the perfect time to do so.
Lord Wobbly @ 00:02
What we have seen tonight is another example of the MSM repeating a story, parrot like, that has no foundation in fact
This is the operation that we are fighting against, an operation Goebbels himself would have been proud of
The MSM in this country are disgusting when they publish stories like this without question
Unless you are prepared to back your words with actions nothing will change. Revelations are all very well but the season has started and people are beginning to lose interest in the whole saga.
I bet if you revealed that Charles Green and Walter Smith were involved in drug trafficking and they were using the money to fund The Rangers no one would bat an eyelid. We do after all live in a world where we allow corporations to commit fraud, start horrendous wars while tracking our every move and removing our freedoms.
The general population are on facebook playing farmville or internet chat rooms getting their bits out. They couldn’t care less.
Lord Wobbly says:
August 6, 2012 at 00:06
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justafan says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:52
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wasn’t looking for anything other than an honest opinion. I agree that its a missed opportunity to go with youth. Now would have been the perfect time to do so.
———————————————————————————————————————–
same kind of halfwits running my club that have been there for the last 20 years, insanity thinking the same thing will produce a different outcome.(yes stole that and changed parts lol)
justafan says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:59
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Lord Wobbly, i am honestly a Rangers fan(and it is Rangers not
sevco), although i have been told occasionally been told I don’t
write or speak if you will, like oneoh and i’m not on RM or FF.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry. Are you saying that you’re a fan of Rangers but not Sevco? In which case, do you have any plans to follow football going forward?
Or are you simply saying that Rangers is not Sevco? In which case, I think we are in complete accord.
PS I don’t think I was casting aspersions about you being on RM or FF. For what it’s worth, I don’t post on Celtic fan sites. In fact, I rarely even read Celtic fan sites.
thewestlight says:
August 6, 2012 at 00:14
I bet if you revealed that Charles Green and Walter Smith were involved in drug trafficking …
==========
Not so long ago, Chic Young referred to just such a thing ……. and gun running, too.
SparTicketus says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:13
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Bicho 22.45
———————————————————–
Were HM appointed before Lawwell’s daughter? Did HM declare a conflict when approached by the SPL? Did the SPL ever expect to have to refer to the ‘evidence’ HM were to gather? (Some contracts and payments and the SFA rulebook, must have taken at least say, 2 days work and a few weeks waiting for the post). Do the SPL now say, aye right enough, we should have run them through the timometer before appointing them, let’s start again.
Why did the SPL need a law firm to look at the evidence? Don’t they understand the rules of the SFA? I have little expectation of any definitive conclusions being drawn, further to where we are now, i.e. a prima facie case to answer, so I’m not particularly impatient, but I am curious to see how long and by what means this is kicked down the road. Questioning everyone’s potential conflict of interest in a place as tiny as the West of Scotland is tedious in the extreme.
Andypandymonium says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:15
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justafan says:
August 5, 2012 at 22:23
thanks for your good wishes justafan………my wee diddy club are top of the SPL and have Celtic so scared they have arranged to play Real Madrid in Philly next week rather than play us in Glasgow 🙂
How did Rangers FC (IA) get on this weekend by the way? All the best for the season ahead whoever you will be supporting
———————————————————————————————————————–
you have my best wishes my friend, i hope you stay there but in reality Celtic will wipe the floor with the spl clubs this season, and i wont answer your question because we both know we are where we deserve to be so no need to be pedantic, and Celtic are missing us so they are playing the opposte to barcelona just like we played lol, (calm down about celtic missing us)
DJ
Thanks for the summary on HM.
As regards this Harper McLeod storm in a teacup, does anyone seriously think that an established and respected high profile legal practice would put their reputation at risk, just to simply “have a kick©” (© Jardine & McCoist motivational speakers) at a dead business?
The peepil obviously do.
This illustrates the mindset of the peepil. The rangers is not a football club, it is a tangible cultural representation of their identity and it WILL be defended at all costs.
There are multiple identity crises within that support, and the only time they unify is when malovelence is on their minds.
If only they could harness this collective energy into something positive . . . . .
Btw, like the new site.
thewestlight says:
August 6, 2012 at 00:14
“The general population are on facebook playing farmville or internet chat rooms getting their bits out. They couldn’t care less.”
That’s where I think you’re wrong, in part.
It’s true to say folk are fed up but that’s only because there are so many of the strands of this tale still flailing in the wind.
The two most important facets of this epic will only fully evolve when the FTTT is announced and BDO complete their forensic investigation.
All we have done this summer is discuss the footballing aspects. All that “Rangers”/Sevco have experienced this summer is the consequences of original Rangers malfeasance. I mean let’s face it, it’s not as if the transfer embargo has kicked in yet or they’ve paid off the £160k fine.
When the full details of who received EBT payments and when is announced then the sentiment will pique again.
Furthermore, and thankfully, the SFA/SPL & MSM have no control over these crucial timings nor outcomes.
Let’s just say we’ve only just seen Part 1 of a 3 part play.
Then again, it could be 4 parts if the SFA/SPL are really serious about the EBT/dual contracts investigation?
Lord Wobbly says:
August 6, 2012 at 00:21
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justafan says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:59
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Lord Wobbly, i am honestly a Rangers fan(and it is Rangers not
sevco), although i have been told occasionally been told I don’t
write or speak if you will, like oneoh and i’m not on RM or FF.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry. Are you saying that you’re a fan of Rangers but not Sevco? In which case, do you have any plans to follow football going forward?
Or are you simply saying that Rangers is not Sevco? In which case, I think we are in complete accord.
PS I don’t think I was casting aspersions about you being on RM or FF. For what it’s worth, I don’t post on Celtic fan sites. In fact, I rarely even read Celtic fan sites.
———————————————————————————————————————-
On supporting the new club,I wasnt planning on it but after watching the Brechin game I couldn’t help supporting them, as my user name suggests I am just a fan. You cant help who you love. I’m sorry i didn’t mean for you to think i thought you thought that way, maybe i’m just trying too hard to convince I’m not one of my knuckle dragging friends. I have on occation read these sites and can’t be bothered with the pair of them (both sides) too many numpties spouting rubbish and the other crap!
Campsiejoe.
Thanks again. You’ve really got to study the articles for quotation marks and phrases like, a source said, or, we understand.
Sneaky bu&&@rs
In reply to: LW 20.01, CO 20.54, Sepia 21.43
John Clark says @ 22.10
But what a blessing it would it would have been for the ‘Authorities’ if an allegedly Celtic- oriented investigating firm had found nothing!
There would have been no serious possibility of anyone alleging that the investigators had covered their work and made everything all square, as would almost certainly have been the case if an ‘establishment’ firm had carried out the initial investigation and had reported ‘nothing to see here’.
Perhaps I was crediting people with more savvy and powers of perception than they’re actually capable of.
John C,
Of course! I hadn’t thought of that. These people are capable, that much is certain. The Prince has nothing on them.
Bayviewgold
In terms of putting on the pressure to make things happen the following that had reform of FIFA as its objective might contain elements that could be followed up using the SFA sponsors to insist the SFA listen to the sponsor’s customers.
What is needed is something that represents the feelings of football supporters in Scotland that the SFA simply cannot ignore.
An on line petition (like the one asking for input on supporters views on Rangers being allowed into the SPL) that asks if sponsors could do more to make the SFA listen to their joint customers might be worth considering.
Here is a suggestion for bringing pressure to bear on FIFA when England lost the WC bid.
1. Get a petition drafted that states football supporters globally have lost all confidence in FIFA
(SFA) to govern football with integrity and honesty.
2. That we want to see a timetable produced, within say 6 (?) months, for reform that makes FIFA (SFA) transparent to observers and accountable to an independent body appointed for that purpose, with the steps to reform set out for implementation over say 2 (?) years.
3. Get the backing of a national newspaper to get the message about the petition out and put it on Facebook and use every football forum in the UK and Europe (Scotland) and wider to spread the word.
4. Aim to get a million (50,000?) signatures at least to attach to a letter to all of FIFA’s (SFA’s) main sponsors.
5. Ask that the sponsors write into their sponsorship contract with FIFA (SFA) that any money given to FIFA (SFA) is dependent on first a reform timetable being provided and then on quarterly reports on progress that will be made public.
6. Say that if the sponsors do not take the initiative to force FIFA to reform, their products and services will be deemed tainted and the signatories will stop using or reduce their use of them but will encourage those who engage with the SFA..
7. Get the National paper to send the letter with the petition and signatures to each of FIFA’s (SFa’s) major sponsors on behalf of the signatories and for them to publish the replies.
Instead of a National paper we could get the broadcasters with sympathy to the cause (S Cosgrove, A Thomson, J Spence) to give the petition publicity?
If integrity is to get its rightful place in the scheme of things there has to be a hard commercial cost to the SFA of ignoring it. Sponsors will not ignore their customers if they make their feelings known in sufficient numbers and the SFA will not ignore their sponsors.
There is a list of SFA sponsors in 2010 at the end of this article.
.http://celticunderground.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=647:keep-playing-uphill-or-restoring-integrity-to-scottish-football&catid=45:season-2010-2011&Itemid=80
Goosy says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:16
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Couple of questions for our RFC minded posters
Given the negative reaction of many RFC fans to the work done by the RTC blog in uncovering the shenanigans of SDM, CW (including work done by your goodselves)
Do you think it appropriate that our new blog attempts to uncover what Green & Co are up to ?
Do you think exploring this issue ( with the inevitable side swipes that brings) might drive away potential contributors to the blog from RFC minded fans ?
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Goosy, any negative reaction will be by people that cant see by their blue tinted glasses, I for one thank rtc and have tweeted him/her/they saying as much, anybody giving me an insight into whats going on at my club has my upmost support whether it be good news or bad. I just want to know whats going on!
Is there a playback available of Cosgrove on Your Call? Can’t seem to locate it on the beeb interweb.
Domaine Jessiaume says:
August 5, 2012 at 23
“They push their young partners very hard and try to encourage them to become known in their field as much as possible, with mixed results.”
“Hence the retention levels at HM tend to be good but maybe there are questions around how happy their young salaried partners are.”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
LOL And LOL again
One of the more insane assumptions over this HM thing is that somehow Celtic (or any other club for that matter) will benefit from RFC being “stripped of titles”.
I don’t see how that can be a tangible benefit given the fact that no remuneration or benefit in kind is achievable by clubs who may have suffered by RFC employing unfair advantage.
If it is just about bragging rights (we’ve got more titles than you etc.), it seems a rather roundabout way to go, given the fact that if HM were in the pockets of Celtic – and Celtic wanted to do maximum damage to Rangers and their successor club – they might have prevailed upon HM to find a Prima Facie case for wrongdoing a bit sooner than they did, thus allowing for a quicker resolution of the matter and perhaps even derailing ANY attempts by the new club to get back into Scottish football.
That might have achieved a resolution of this matter had Celtic been predisposed to use the legendary influence that law students on a placement in top law firms wield.
This particular bout of trolling shows the scant resources available to Sevco in their attempt to frame the debate about the disciplinary process and registration issues.
I think that there is a more serious question to be asked about the SFA-commissioned report of an investigation into RFC by Lord Nimmo -Smith.
That report has been hidden from public view by the SFA, whose President was a member of the EBT scheme at the heart of the financial quagmire that was its subject. That seems like an actual, and more pertinent “conflict of interest” candidate to me.
CE says:
August 6, 2012 at 01:17
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Is there a playback available of Cosgrove on Your Call? Can’t seem to locate it on the beeb interweb.
There was a link on here earlier courtesy of KDS I think, had a quick scan but can’t locate,hopefully someone else will post the link for you.
test
On behalf of the Rangers Supporters Assembly, The Rangers Supporters Trust and The Rangers Supporters Association, we would like to make the following statement about the investigation into so called “dual-contracts” by the SPL.
We are full of the most miserable shit imaginable. Seriously..
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/sfl-division-three/rangers-newco-investigation-firm-upsets-rangers-fans-1-2452233
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/rangers-fans-groups-call-for-justice-and-fairness-for-all.18376044
I apologise in advance if I am reading this whole Harper MacLeod furore incorrectly.
Perhaps I’m confused but I understood that Harper MacLeod were asked, by the SPL, to get involved as long ago as March this year. As I recall, they were thwarted in their ability to complete any assessment by Duff & Phelps who did not, or would not, provide the necessary documentation. Around June or July it was confirmed, by the SPL, that D&P were indeed guilty of delaying the process, but also that the subsequent report presented by Harper MacLeod showed that there was a prima facie case.
I’m also sure that it was around this time (June/July) that it was announced that an Independent panel would be formed to establish what sanctions/penalties are or are not appropriate.
Can anyone explain to me why, given the above, this is being presented as “new” news and also why it’s continually being reported that Harper MacLeod are to be judge & jury?
The joint statement from the RFC (IA) supporters groups reads as if they think this all just happened yesterday. Call me cynical, but is this just another ploy to rally “ra peepul” at a time when their ST’s are in desperate need of renewal.
I would be grateful for any thoughts on this as I feel as if I’m missing something.
“The SPL launched an investigation on 5 March into the scheme Rangers used in an attempt to reduce their tax bill, with the probe covering the period stretching back to the competition’s inception in 1998.
The league instructed lawyers, Glasgow firm Harper Macleod, to investigate the allegations of dual contracts.”
Conflict of interest? Imagine that!!! Campbell Ogilvie 🙂
Stunney
Those articles are exactly what we are fighting against
The supporters groups have issued a statement, which does not reflect the true situation
I posted last night regarding this, and quoted the SPL statement in full
This is a deliberate and malicious attempt to muddy the waters, and stir up the hordes, whilst at the same time throwing mud at what they perceive to be Celtic minded people
These are the lengths they will go to, in an attempt to bury the truth of their wrongdoing
Of more immediate concern to Rangers / Sevco fans should be that Lord Hodge doesn’t read the Duff n Phelps report and consider them to be heavily conflicted and decide the take the extreme action of reversing or suspending all administration decisions or actions or else send in BDO immediately to unwind Duff n Phelps activities at Ibrox.
That conflict of interest case is a far more pressing and potentially serious matter for them than Harper McLeod giving PL’d daughter a placement – did they ever consider she might have won the placement on her own merits or does their world revolve and special favours?
I agree that we should endeavour to see that all potential & prima facie conflicts of interest are removed from Scottish football decision making as swiftly as possible.
Time to step aside Mr Ogilvie, Mr Clark & Mr Whitehouse, Mr Topping (should a major financial sponsor also have one of it’s staff members as League President?)
‘The Rangers Supporters Assembly, the Rangers Supporters Trust and the Rangers Supporters Association…conflict of interest……justice and fairness for all.’
Wow, just wow!
The relevant rule: ‘All payments made to a player relating to his playing activities must be clearly recorded upon the relevant contract and/or agreement….
‘No payment for his playing activities may be made to the player through a third party.’
This is not a dual contract investigation, it is not an EBT investigation. A player receiving any payment not recorded on the contract is in breach of this registration regulation. There won’t be any second contracts and the tax liability on the payment is irrelevant.
It is as simple as that.
CE
Thanks to
Paulsatim on August 4, 2012 at 20:58 7 0 Rate This
nil sin labore says: August 4, 2012 at 19:25
http://www.4shared.com/mp3/I8gXm6Bk/Your_call.html , courtesy MK Ultra on CM
I’m sure CO will be thanking the supporter groups representing his former club for bringing the focus straight back on the conflict of interest debate.
Would love to post here but seem to be in moderation the whole time
And then I’m not, sorry
I used to post very early days on RTC but became aware fairly quickly to leave it to the experts, would just like to say thanks to you all.
This blog/forum must continue or the msm will win and silence us fans, guys like spence, cosgrove know the importance of this field hopefully they can help us all going forward, exciting times ahead me thinks
http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/?p=9257
(written by Paul67 et al)
So let’s see. There’s a furore about Harper MacLeod investigating EBTs just now but said firm investigated oldco on behalf of the SFA 3 months ago and everyone was cool with that at the time? Did this supposed conflict of interest which only develop in the last few weeks? As my casting director would say: “Thank you. Next!”
TSFM 01.57
Excellent post TSFM.
Like I said before this saga has the potential to distroy Scottish football for many years.
All it will take is for a couple of legal challenges to disrupt the administration of the game in Scotland.
The other thing that baffles me is surely the SFA/ SFL/SPL are the instuments of the clubs and must do these clubs bidding. The SFA/SFL/SPL for the past few months seem to be an independent state and appear to be taking there instructions from one extinct club and a modern day shyster. How can the clubs act so helplessly?
The Rangers Supporters Assembly, the Rangers Supporters Trust and the Rangers Supporters Association,,,, would like clarity
with groups like these you can see why sdm/gef could empty the tills and do as they liked
Domaine Jessiaume says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:35
“Nobody under-estimates Rod McKenzie or Lorne Crerar. There have been some others who have caught the eye in their particular fields and have been head-hvnted by larger corporate firms………..
…………..To answer the question, the two senior partners I mentioned have no interest in football that I know of.”
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“No interest in football”? The name Rod McKenzie rings a bell surely?
http://www.harpermacleod.co.uk/70-mckenzie
– He is the legal adviser to the Scottish Premier League and has acted for them in numerous litigations, disputes and contractual matters.
Let’s make sure we research the facts before posting opinions.
redetin @ 09:30
Thanks for confirming what I said last night regarding HML and the SPL
Far from being Celtic minded lawyers, brought in solely to discredit RFC (IA), they are in actual fact legal advisers to the SPL
Nothing like twisting facts to suit the supporters groups agenda
Remember the SPL paper of Governance Structures and Voting? Harper McLeod’s Rod McKenzie’s name appears in the Properties of this document; you need to go into Document Properties/Advanced Properties.
The paper is linked here:
http://tinyurl.com/cx5rtpf
giving PL’d daughter a placement – did they ever consider she might have won the placement on her own merits or does their world revolve and special favours?
When that’s how the world works for the Masonic clique, it doesn’t require a change in mindset to think we all live by the same structures and opportunities. Mind you…….. it seems a reasonable proposition to suggest that daddy had a word in the approriate shell-like.
Those news articles (thanks stunney – tho u usually post the full article no?) are exactly why the RTC site was started and, despite my previous posts congratualting the site on “job done”, why perhaps he/she was premature in ending it. IMO it might have been more fatigue and time constraints than “mission accomplished”, but there you go…,
Gentlemen
In your ire at the hypocrisy of Rangers supporter groups asking for something they have never had to consider in the past because no one lifted the carpet to see what lies beneath, I think you may be missing the point – mainstream publicity for their agenda.
In that they are united against what they perceive as a common enemy they hold the advantage when it comes to that kind of action.
Unless SFM can galvanise our own groups to counter, public opinion will be won over.
Having read through many a post on RTC and continued here of people trying to make tenuous links between various people involved in Rangers, SDM Whyte Green etc no-one should be surprised in the Rangers fans now do the same thing.
The job of this site is surely to examine any claims of dubious links and connections, from both side of the discussion, and produce evidence to support or refute as necessary.
If tenuous or spurious links are repeated than posters can be directed back to previous well informed posts.
redetin says:
August 6, 2012 at 09:30
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Domaine Jessiaume says:
August 5, 2012 at 23:35
“Nobody under-estimates Rod McKenzie or Lorne Crerar. There have been some others who have caught the eye in their particular fields and have been head-hvnted by larger corporate firms………..
…………..To answer the question, the two senior partners I mentioned have no interest in football that I know of.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“No interest in football”? The name Rod McKenzie rings a bell surely?
http://www.harpermacleod.co.uk/70-mckenzie
– He is the legal adviser to the Scottish Premier League and has acted for them in numerous litigations, disputes and contractual matters.
Let’s make sure we research the facts before posting opinions.
=============================================
As a litigator I have acted for builders, bakers and even pole-dancers, but that did not generate a personal interest on my part in building, baking or pole-dancing.
I know Rod McKenzie professionally. He is a rugby man in his private life. The fact that as a litigator he has advised the SPL and football figures is not in doubt, the question was whether he has allegiances football-wise and my opinion is that he does not.
Nothing you have posted alters that view.
redetin says:
August 6, 2012 at 09:44
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Remember the SPL paper of Governance Structures and Voting? Harper McLeod’s Rod McKenzie’s name appears in the Properties of this document; you need to go into Document Properties/Advanced Properties.
The paper is linked here:
http://tinyurl.com/cx5rtpf
===================
It would be surprising if the document wasn’t created or revised by Rod McKenzie, given he is the SPL’s lawyer.
What’s your point?