As most of you will be aware, the Guardian recently agreed to and accepted payment from CQN for an advertisement which was intended to raise awareness of the Resolution 12 issue, an issue pursued determinedly by Celtic shareholders for the last three years. Subsequently, and citing the thinnest of excuses, they decided not to run the ad. This developed hard on the heels of the Herald actually soliciting the business from the advertisers for their own paper, and then without even seeing the copy, refusing to move forward. (See CQN story here)
A troubling aspect of GuardianGate is that CQN were lied to. They were initially advised that the ad was to be removed after editorial scrutiny. Subsequently they were advised that the decision came from an intervention by senior officials.
We are now focused on a media conspiracy to impose censorship in favour of a multi-million pound industry – to the detriment of its small investors and paying customers.
So which was true – and which was the lie?
Here’s a thing about the truth; it is seldom complicated, which is why the failure by the Guardian and the Herald to deliver a straightforward answer implies that there may be more to this nonsense than any of us first imagined.
At this point, it is worth noting that the Guardian is currently running an ad campaign by Toyota, a company who have admitted lying to environmental regulatory bodies for years about emissions from their cars (the Guardian professes to be a major campaigner on environmental issues), but won’t accept a paying ad that asks some polite and important questions about the conduct of a multi-million pound industry.
The denial of the Res 12 guys’ right to ask questions (no accusations – just bloody questions) via the once assumed to be pluralist and free press, should be ringing alarm bells all over the country, and the substantive issue has become largely irrelevant as a consequence. We are now focused on a media conspiracy to impose censorship in favour of a multi-million pound industry – to the detriment of its small investors and paying customers.
Two so-called quality newspapers, have mysteriously, after touting for advertising business, refused that very same business, and have given no good reason for doing so. If the Guardian refuse to accept an ad, I don’t believe that is censorship in itself, but when the dwindling number of newspaper proprietors in this country conspire to arrange an effective blackout of ideas, that is quite clearly censorship.
And for something so relatively inconsequential as football, I can only assume that we have all stumbled on to something far more serious.
Given the recent media rhetoric about Russia Today and their forthright coverage of Chilcot and Tory Election Fraud, it seems that like so many of the players in this saga, the irony circuit in the collective press brain is now as devolved as a human tail.
There are dark forces at work in our country, and they are running riot with basic freedoms. However it is important to put the football issue into the proper perspective; if the media can go to these corrupt lengths for a game of football, what will they do to protect the capital interests of arms manufacturers, food producers and media dictatorships?
They may have lost the war, but through fix after fix at the SFA and the SPL, in the press and in the media, the authorities are winning the peace – basically by denying that any peace is possible until we all accept the notion that black is white, right is left, and wrong is right
Migrant fruit-pickers
© Scotsman
Back in soccer La-La-Land’s Mount Florida Fruit Factory, the football authorities most definitely lost the recent war. RFC went out of business and failed the fundamental task of any football club – to sustain itself. In allowing that to happen on their watch, the authorities failed in their most fundamental role – to keep RFC alive.
However through fix after fix, at the SFA and the SPL, in the press and in the media, they are winning the peace – basically by denying that any peace is possible until we all accept the notion that black is white, right is left, and wrong is right.
And still, even in this atmosphere, the major shareholders at all of our clubs sit and do nothing. Are they part of the problem, an integral part of the conspiracy? Or are they scared witless of the forces that may line up against them if they dare to grow a pair, like the Resolution 12 guys?
Sporting integrity has taken a back seat recently. Season ticket sales are up all over the place; Celtic provided a marquee manager; the red tops are ablaze about the ‘return’ of the Rangers; Hearts and Aberdeen are newly emerged from financial difficulty, and now enjoy the realistic prospect of new eras of success; and another competitive and exciting year beckons in the Championship.
In normal circumstances this would be fantastic news. But all of it is based on a Lie – the Lie that the game is run according to the rules, and for the benefit of all clubs. When the euphoria at Parkhead dies down; when TRFC are reinstalled (actually it will need to be with a shoehorn, but it will be done) as part of the old duopoly that sees the vital contribution made by the likes of Hearts and Aberdeen and others as insignificant; when the next major ‘bending’ of the regulations becomes necessary; all we will be left with is that Big Lie.
The clubs will eventually have to deal with that – and the complicit roles they played in ramming it down each and every one of our throats.
I hope we make them pay.
Another thing about the truth though is this;
Everyone with skin in this game, with the exception of the mentally deficient, know exactly what the truth is;
- RFC cheated;
- RFC evaded, avoided, and deliberately withheld payment of tax;
- RFC failed to register players properly over (at least) a decade;
- RFC lied to the SFA, the SPL and LNS;
- Whilst all the above was happening, RFC won over a dozen on-field prizes;
- The SFA rewrote the terms of LNS to better tailor their preferred outcome;
- RFC were punished by way of a £250k fine. No other penalties were suffered by RFC;
- RFC entered liquidation and a new club, which co-existed with RFC, began playing in competition BEFORE RFC’s SFA/SPL membership lapsed;
- That club (TRFC for differentiation purposes) just achieved promotion to the Premiership;
As long as we keep reminding everyone of those truths, as long as we continue to give them a voice, they won’t go away.
And what if, next time, it is Hearts or Aberdeen or Celtic, who make a desperate attempt to get an edge over their rivals (an emergent TRFC perhaps)?
The irony (and I exclude the TRFC fans who frequent this site) is that TRFC, despite having the weight of the football and press establishments behind them, are being done no favours at all.
The increasing pariah status of their club is a sad but inevitable consequence of the wrong-doing by the old club, because the fans (understandably to be fair) seek to side with their own partisan interests in the face of outside hostility.
But think of this. If the initial-ism ‘RFC’ above was replaced by the name of any other club in the country, wouldn’t TRFC fans be complaining as loudly as the rest of us?
And what if, next time, it is Hearts or Aberdeen or Celtic, who make a desperate attempt to get an edge over their rivals (an emergent TRFC perhaps)?
What if they run roughshod over the same rules that were broken before but remain unfixed? What if, as a consequence, a compliant TRFC are denied an opportunity to play in Europe, or compete in a final, or win a league?
Will we then still be ‘Rangers haters’ if we protest about that or merely Hearts or Dons or Celtic haters?
This is not about revenge – it never has been – and no amount of wishful thinking will make it so. For most of us on SFM, there is no RFC to have our revenge on anyway, so the accusation makes no sense.
What we are about, what we are all about, is weeding out the clucken wort in Scotland’s football garden on level six at Hampden.
And it appears that some extraordinarily powerful individual or group, with enough muscle to bend the fourth estate to their will, wants to keep us all away from that garden..
David Murray, Craig Whyte, Charles Green & David King have all been in charge of ‘Rangers’ these past five years. Each and every one of them is, or has been at some point, more respected by the media than any other person in charge of any other Scottish club. Seriously, why is that? We simply can’t ever move on while this deference towards Ibrox exists. Worse still, King is portrayed as being a ‘real Rangers man’, apparently with qualities the others didn’t have. Lunatics, takeovers and asylums spring to mind!
RIP Dick Donnelly. I’m sure his voice on the radio was very familiar to many of us throughout the decades.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-36856082
INCREDIBLEADAMSPARK
JULY 21, 2016 at 16:03
======================================
There’s the point, if he is indeed “calling the shots at Ibrox and therefore ‘in charge’ of things” then why is he not on the board.
I have attached a list of every director, past and present. King is not on the board, never has been, but as you say is “calling the shots”.
Simplest answer, if he actually directly involved him in the company then “fit and proper” would have to be addressed. As it is just now he only owns shares in a PLC which owns shares in the club.
We were all led to believe that the sfa had passed king however that was what we were supposed to assume a bit of sleight of hand by the sfa and media.The fact that he wasn’t passed at all is what came out when Ashley brought that last case to court.The sfa kept quiet right up until just before the case was to be heard that’s why Ashley dropped the case as he had the answer to how the sfa passed king fit and proper and the answer was they didn’t.
Just a wee observation. Where is Phil with his impeccable sources on the impending doom for RIFC? And DD’s fury re Res 12?? I could list the unfulfilled predictions but you should all know them DEAR READERS.
I don’t post often, but I am somewhat stunned that Adamspark (whatever that means!) does not appreciate the difference between the two completely false alliterations of the team which was liquidated.
What a night for Scottish football.
Hearts get beaten by a Maltese team, Hibs go out after two legs and penalties and Aberdeen survive a few scares and make it through to a real tie against real opposition.
Another ridiculous series of tests at a time of year we should not be playing such important games.
I wonder what Mr Regan is saying about it all.
And
Brian McClair leaves arguably the most important post in Scottish Football under a cloud.
A square peg in an under defined hole?
An impossible job in an organisation lacking vision and commitment to the very thing that we just can’t get right.
Allegedly a really good guy at Man U but a suddenly an underachiever in an under defined role at SFA Towers.
Does that get you asking any questions?
Employed under Mr Regan’s watch -the same CEO who was great pals with Craig Levein (till they weren’t so pally any more having dropped his buddy from a great height).
The same CEO who once said his President was hopelessly conflicted but reelected him for another term (maybe because he was the world’s greatest football administrator)
The same CEO who in one staged interview nearly wore out the word “transparency” and then forgot or ignored what he said ( or had been briefed to say).
The self same well paid and bonusedCEO who was involved in the Hotel Du Vin secret meeting and who signed the 5 Way, very secret at the time, Agreement.
We are not in good hands.
Scottish Football needs a Strong Arbroath and new Leadership
Finloch July 21, 2016 at 22:50
‘……We are not in good hands.”
____________
Indeed we are not. And we have not been for an unconscionably long time.
Mr Regan says, in relation to McClair’s leaving, “…… being a performance director requires a different style of leadership and focus”
I would suggest that the SFA Board members might usefully now consider that the post of CEO also ‘requires a different style of leadership and focus’ than the current post-holder has been able to offer.
JOHN CLARKJULY 22, 2016 at 08:09 Finloch July 21, 2016 at 22:50‘……We are not in good hands.”____________Indeed we are not. And we have not been for an unconscionably long time.
Mr Regan says, in relation to McClair’s leaving, “…… being a performance director requires a different style of leadership and focus”
I would suggest that the SFA Board members might usefully now consider that the post of CEO also ‘requires a different style of leadership and focus’ than the current post-holder has been able to offer.
===================================
The fact that Stewart Regan can sit with a straight face and talk about McClair’s position having become untenable shows the SFA up for what it is. Regan should think himself lucky he works in a country where the media and the establishment in general are so focused on the success of one club. That is the club Regan and his associates have worked so hard to protect these past four years. If Regan had even attempted to protect Celtic, Hearts, Aberdeen, Kilmarnock, indeed any other club in the same way, he would have been toast years ago. Scottish society is the real problem I suppose. Regan just benefits from it.
BORDERSDON July21
Where’s Phil? Probably away working like a lot of us have to do. Your comment seemed a tad snide to me. Over the life of this blog and RTC before that,Phil has provided a wealth of information which has proved invaluable.Yes some of his ‘predictions’ have not been realised but by God I’d rather put my trust in him for information than most of the charlatans masquerading as journalists in this country.
We should not, but if we didn’t keep losing them, we wouldn’t be in this position. If I were some kind of evil Scottish football dictator, I would actually impose a league points deduction for being knocked out by an unseeded team, my rationale being that if you damage Scotland’s prospects in Europe, it should become less likely that you get the chance to do so again the following season. That might help focus attention.
Well at least the league winners from this wee country will soon not need to worry about the champions league qualifiers as it will be invite only and we wont be there.Champions league what a complete and utter joke of a competition when was the last time the epl had a 4 way tie for 1st place or any of these other countries who have 3 or 4 teams in it. Surely it needs to be renamed the champion and runners up league or the anybody but the teams from the wee diddy countries league.
Is there any chance of using BP’s CFC connections to get an interview with Brian McClair? I think there might be a real story there….and one that might not be anti-SFA necessarily.
Remember, this was a role vacated by the highly-rated Mark Wotte in somewhat dubious, non-transparent circumstances and the highly-rated (by ManU anyway) McClair’s leaving seems strange and non-transparent too. To lose one highly-rated employee is careless, but to lose two…?
The SFA employed McClair less than two years ago, so we must assume that they liked and shared his strategy for youth development.
McClair opted to join the SFA less than 2 years ago, so we must assume that he liked and shared their strategy (and presumably got confirmation that he would be allowed to do it/develop it in his own way).
What has changed that the SFA now say it’s not the job/skillset that we/McClair anticipated? That McClair now says “I am deeply disappointed I couldn’t make a significant difference”? Is one party holding the other back from improving youth development?
To me, the underlying hint seems to be that it is the clubs who are refusing to buy into what needs to be done, hence the need for McClair to ‘sell the SFA’s performance strategy around the boardrooms of Scottish football’ rather than on improving youth football. Are the clubs the problem rather than the SFA, or is it that the strategy – as usual with the SFA – fails to take any account of the needs of the clubs?
It would be great if we could speak to Brian McClair so we could understand the issues behind his departure and know where the blame sits.
Good call Nawlite.
nawliteJuly 22, 2016 at 11:56
‘..To me, the underlying hint seems to be that it is the clubs who are refusing to buy into what needs to be done, hence the need for McClair to ‘sell the SFA’s performance strategy .’
__________
I wouldn’t disagree with you on that,nawlite.
One would think that any ‘strategic plan’ would not be adopted without the prior agreement of a majority of the clubs, even if the initial planning and research and choice of implementation officer etc etc is initially left to the ‘Board and the CEO and his staff
The reference to McClair having to ‘sell’ the ‘SFA’ strategy is surely indicative of a structure that is almost guaranteed to lead to confusion and cross-purposes misunderstandings.
I’m no businessman, but I think that a Board that tries to implement any strategic plan without the broad, genuine consent of the ‘shareholders’ is needing to take a hard look at itself, and the real reasons why implementation of that plan is frustrated.
It surely would not have been part of McClair’s brief to try to get agreement for the strategy- he should have been able to take that as a given.
It would be very interesting indeed if he felt able to discuss the matter in a SFM podcast. Especially if a Board member (other than the CEO) participated.
Spot on, John Clark. It seems like the SFA has decided on a strategy WITHOUT seeking the support of those on whom it is to be ‘imposed’. That seems to be their standard modus operandi.
Of course, as usual they try to point the finger of blame at those on whom their decision/strategy was imposed, in this case the clubs.
Haha, all of the recent posts suggesting Brian McClair’s departure might be due to the SFA’s poor rollout of the Development strategy have attracted one wee TDer each.
Darryl, if that’s you don’t just TD, tell us why we’re wrong to think that!!
IncredibleAdamSpark: Romanov’s Lithuanian millions were used to buy a lot of Lithuanian players who were then loaned to Hearts, rather than Hearts owning them outright. That opens a whole lot of other questions regarding FFP but it was not the quite the same as the club being liquidated and reforming as a new company, run by a guy apparently not “fit and proper” to be involved in a subsidiary “football club”. But if the club is an effective subsidiary surely the person running the holding company is in de facto “charge” of it.
One for the SFA to cast a ruling on, oh, right. As you were then…BTW Symantec is a software company; semantic is relating to language; pedantic, that’d be me
The terrible state of our national team (and poor average quality of young players coming through) is a regular topic of conversation among football fans and more than occasional topic of sports articles. Yet no reporter has made the least attempt to find out what’s going on with the so-called attempts to improve our player development, seeing as it seems to have been a failure since, well, the days of Ernie Walker. Yep, it was way back then we first identified that we had a problem with developing top class players and a quarter of a century later we are still no further on. It should also be remembered that previous appointment Mark Wotte left under a cloud – how much Wotte was to blame or whether it was resistance to his methods we can’t know because no one will ever try to find out.
I do not post often.I have followed sfm since its inception,having jumped from rtc.
I have found the site informative,fair and reasonable.
I also follow on twitter,where I am now having some difficulties,to be honest.
Sfm are tweeting on what I would respectfully suggest is way beyond their raison d’etre.
The latest on Friday afternoon accusing an elected politician of being a “relentless”liar,whilst making clear at the same time the political viewpoint of the tweeter.
I am not saying I necessarily disagree with that point of view,but it is submitted by the sfm,whose followers and contributors(financial or otherwise) may not agree with these views,I feel that political posturing of this type is for another forum and is not what I and possibly others have bought into.
I would be a lot more comfortable if we can revert to what we set out to do.Please.
JOCKYBHOY, I appreciate a good pedant. Using Symantec is an in joke that me and some of my friends have. It’s not particularly funny and I didn’t realise I used it on here.
Not all of the millions were used on Lithuanian loans and I never said anywhere it was the same as Rangers liquidation. I make that distinction clearly at the end.
I believe the Lithuanian authorities think that circa £300m is missing and would like to talk to Romanov about this but can’t get him back from Russia. David Murray business also lost hundreds of millions.
I think both used their companies to help their clubs. That was the comparison I was making. Both terrible owners.
Re the SFA / Brian McClair. The suggestion to get McClair for an interview is a good one, although it might not be possible.
Overall though the SFA in my lifetime has never appeared to be a professional organisation, even way before their backward flips to accommodate Charles Green in 2012. How can someone like Jim Farry make it to the top of such an organisation, or indeed Ernie Walker, or Wilie Allan before him? What did any of these men contribute compared to what they took out? Even when they decide to go down the professional CEO route, with people like David Taylor and Stewart Regan, it is clear they are nothing other than a front for the many more Farrys, Walkers and Allans who inhabit the SFA. As for Gordon Smith getting the CEO role words absolutely fail me. The entire place needs complete root and branch reform, and to be reportable to a regulatory body. I can’t speak for the entire developed world, but I really do wonder if there is a more distrusted, suspicious, non-transparent national football association anywhere.
So lawwell off the sfa board and robertson on
Re Brian McClair’s departure.
Is it just me, or can you see the SMSM headlines..
MARK WARBURTON tells SFA. Keep your hands off Frank McParland,show some respect
A boyhood Liverpool fan, McParland enjoyed two spells on the red half of Merseyside. He worked firstly as Chief Scout between 2003 and 2007, and is credited with unearthing Raheem Sterling and Jordan Ibe in his second spell when working as Director of Academy and Player Development from 2009 to 2013.
————————–
And all just another excuse to try and sell the ibrox club as big news.
NAWLITEJULY 22, 2016 at 11:56 34 1 Rate This
Is there any chance of using BP’s CFC connections to get an interview with Brian McClair? I think there might be a real story there.
—————
He may have a confidentiality clause and he can’t say anything.But then he may not.
It would still be a good interview and we could find out how some things work behind the doors of Hampden.
Cluster One, I doubt BP would have a confidentiality clause, but you never know!
Seriously though, if McClair was forced to have a cc, what inference can we draw from that? It can only mean that the SFA is worried that he could make them look incompetent, no?
nawliteJuly 22, 2016 at 18:57
I doubt that the SFA would be worried about somebody making them look incompetent ,given the diligence they give to that themselves .
BORDERSDON July21 Where’s Phil? Probably away working like a lot of us have to do. Your comment seemed a tad snide to me. Over the life of this blog and RTC before that,Phil has provided a wealth of information which has proved invaluable.Yes some of his ‘predictions’ have not been realised but by God I’d rather put my trust in him for information than most of the charlatans masquerading as journalists in this country.
—————————————————————————————————–
No not snide at all. An observation on his absence and also on the “non development” of most of his “well informed” statements. If you disagree let me know how many have materialised?? Loved his book by the way!
nawliteJuly 22, 2016 at 18:57
Cluster One, I doubt BP would have a confidentiality clause, but you never know! Seriously though, if McClair was forced to have a cc, what inference can we draw from that? It can only mean that the SFA is worried that he could make them look incompetent, no?
____________________________________________________
In my experience, if the parting of the ways, in a professional environment, is not really mutual them it is not uncommon for there to be a Confidentiality Clause as a condition of the pay off.
I doubt he’ll be saying much about his time at the SFA but reading between the lines something is clearly not right betwen the SFA and the clubs and their respective “visions” for the advancement of the game in Scotlandshire.
In the meantime short of a plan for improvement our national teams and clubs continue to get battered in Europe. There must be a way out of this. Please, someone tell me there is.
Borders don
“No not snide at all. An observation on his absence and also on the “non development” of most of his “well informed” statements. If you disagree let me know how many have materialised?? Loved his book by the way!”
Even in Phil’s absence it is true that The Rangers “is a loss-making business without a credit line from a bank”
This may well have been under-reported or even acknowledged.
BOGS DOLLOXJULY 22, 2016 at 22:44
In the meantime short of a plan for improvement our national teams and clubs continue to get battered in Europe. There must be a way out of this. Please, someone tell me there is.
===================================
The ‘way out’ that seems to be hoped for is a return to the days when a Rangers team win the league almost every season. It seems to be the only way the world is at one. There were no complaints about overall standards when that was previously the case.
Sometimes things take time to develop unless of course people have selective memory pmgb has said quite a lot of things in the last year and most have come to pass. However for the more gullible reader there are plenty of nice puff stories the the daily rags.
BOGS DOLLOXJULY 22, 2016 at 22:44 In the meantime short of a plan for improvement our national teams and clubs continue to get battered in Europe. There must be a way out of this. Please, someone tell me there is. =================================== For the governing bodies of Scottish football the most important thing is a thriving successful Sevco. ALL of the other clubs, in their failure to comment on the propagation of the BIG LIE are as guilty as the SFA/SPFL and the SMSM in deceiving the public. As an ex-fan of CFC and the national team I couldn’t care less if they win games or not! The SFA/SPFL/SMSM and the CLUBS killed it for me. I don’t watch, listen to or read about it. I visit here and other blogs in the hope that the lies and corruption of all the guilty will be exposed and that they are held to account. The actual on the field stuff is dead to me.
LADBROKES CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE
POS TEAM PLD GD PTS
1 Ayr United 0 0 0
2 Dumbarton 0 0 0
3 Dundee United 0 0 0
4 Dunfermline 0 0 0
5 Falkirk 0 0 0
6 Hibernian 0 0 0
7 Morton 0 0 0
8 Queen of South 0 0 0
9 Raith Rovers 0 0 0
10 St Mirren 0 0 0
Updated 17/06/2016 at 11:27
So we are told the ‘show business’ is back.
The last two years the championship for some reason has received a lot of tv exposure, i would hope that it continues. But of course we will return to…. i don’t need to spell it out. I am not buying it. The opportunity to ‘heal’ fitba has been missed. if you look at the participants for this season, all have been in premier division, had periods of success, ALL with a chance of going up, and down. In a word sport. I’m surprised that season tickets sales at Celtic & Hearts are through the roof. For me the championship is where the interest should be but alas in ‘Hollywood’ its all about TIAR and #going for 55. Wall to wall, alternative cheek tv coverage.
sad, it really is. Anyway back to TMS.
What you not like?
tamjartmarquezJuly 23, 2016 at 13:34
Mention of the cricket on a football blog (especially when Le Tour is on live ) ?
Says it all really .
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/
thanks Padmal, yeah le tour, good viewing too. I suspect there are similarities between Russian athletes, chinese swimmers & cycling. All of these sports have been found to be include cheats. Punishments have been administered to the transgressors, and history rightly rewritten. Fitba wants a return to the failed model, with history rewritten for the benefit of the transgressors! only in Scotia
tamjartmarquezJuly 23, 2016 at 17:27
A bit more widespread than the countries and sports you name . Steroid abuse was/is rampant across the sporting vista in USA , It used to be excused as part of Cold War competition with the Soviets . There’s also a huge drug problem throughout the European football leagues, hidden by the lack of an effective testing regime .Track and field stars taking supplements that are on the cusp of illegality .Tennis players taking banned substances in drinks and supplements provided by their own governing body .Skiers and others with their inhalers .The abuse is now out of the professional arena and into amateur sports . The genie is out of the bottle .
What surprised me was that there were no “Battle of Britain” screaming headlines about today’s game at Parkhead . Did that die with Rangers ?
theredpillJuly 23, 2016 at 15:48
‘…Says it all really ‘
___________________
Thank you for posting that piece by ‘The Clumpany’, which includes the Tweet from Jackson which condemns him out of his own mouth as a guttersnipe hack who would print anything as long it made money.
“It sells!” is his cry.
This suggests to me an attitude of “Never mind facts, or truth: print what sells”
Sporting Integrity? In my view, the man has no understanding of the words.
Journalistic Integrity? In my view, his is on a par with that of others of whom we have spoken on this blog.
Personal Integrity? I don’t know if he is a golfer, but I personally wouldn’t …..
I do not wish to be too harsh on him,of course: I have to allow for the possibility that his moral compass needle has deviated from magnetic north because it is locked on the MIM hulk of SS RFC , irrecoverably lost in the Liquidation deep!
Andrew Smith uses words that signal that he thinks TRFC is a new club and that RFC were not ‘relegated’,but he seems to be afraid actually to come out unamibiguously, or to follow through with the logical conclusion:that TRFC are not entitled to any of even the legitimately won honours and titles of the liquidated club.
Worse than that, he is now, in his latest piece at
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/rangers/doncaster-game-coped-remarkably-well-with-rangers-plight-1-4184928
acting as apologist and PR man for Doncaster’s self-promotingly unapologetic crap about the state of Scottish Football.
Never a serious question about his part in the dirty 5-Way agreement, or about how his silence on the allegations that the SFA lied to or at least deliberately misled UEFA.
Is Andrew Smith really no better than,say, Keith ‘It sells!’ Jackson?
He really should be ashamed of himself.
I noted with interest a side story re Hearts new signing Bjorn Johnsen.
It would appear Johnsen has come as a free agent from Bulgarian Club Litex Lovech as they no longer exist, having merged with others to form a new CSKA Sofia.
A new CSKA was formed due to the old club having some financial difficulties!!!
The new club says he is their player and want a fee. While their is no comment from Tynecastle I assume they believe it is a oldco TUPE situation.
Looking into the CSKA thing there are many parallels with our own ‘ most successful club’ and the attempts to keep some entity holding that name where they belong.
Oldco administratorseems to be challenging if the old club name, badge etc can be used by the newco.
It is not only in Scotland that jiggery pokery goes on. Maybe there is a sister Bulgarian Football Monitor site out there?
http://futbolgrad.com/long-sad-demise-cska-sofia/http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-cska-sofia-reinstated-bulgarian-top-flight-says-201819793–sow.htmlhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFC_CSKA_Sofia
On 24 June one of the most powerful Bulgarian businessmen Grisha Ganchev announced that he will be the new owner of CSKA, intending to bring the club to its former glory.[citation needed] Club legends Plamen Markov and Hristo Yanev were appointed as sports director and head coach.[43] Yanev claimed he wants to form a squad consisting entirely of Bulgarian players. On May 25 CSKA Sofia won the Bulgarian Cup. They did it ranked as amateurs and were the first 3rd division team making such an achievement. CSKA beat the team of Montana 1-0 and lifted the cup for the 20th time in the club’s history.[44]On 27 May 2016 Chavdar (Etropole) is renamed and relocated to CSKA 1948 (Sofia). On 2 July 2016 the club becomes the sole owner of PFC Litex (Lovech) and as of the same date Litex is renamed and relocated to CSKA – Sofia (Sofia). The club has expressed an intent to acquire all sporting assets, logos and history from CSKA (Sofia), which is currently undergoing bankruptcy procedure; with both clubs also having the same ownership.
It is important to remember that what Jackson writes is mostly opinion pieces or commentary. The tool of choice for all opinion writers is hyperbole.
Opinion writers are not journalists, they are not bound by the same rules especially regarding facts or fact checking.
I remember when the papers had designated Opinion pages. Thing is, papers don’t employ Journalists anymore, the employ Commentators. Hyperbole is the natural enemy of facts and it works.
The Brexit campaign was succesfull because of hyperbole. Evidenced by the fact that none of them that campaigned for it have stuck around to implement it.
So in 10 years time when newspapers have died it will be the day that hyperbole ate itself.
FA accused by minister of poor governance and threatened with funding being withheld
Unfortunately its not the SFA the minister is talking about http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36877406
WOTTPI was the football club named after a female punk rocker?
I note with interest this BBC headline from daan sarf;
“FA must reform or face losing funding, says Sports Minister Tracey Crouch”
Preaching to the converted here but I’m envious that the English press and public run with this whilst we get shafted. Some thoughts.
Firstly, the £20-30m taxpayers money given to the FA is a bit ridiculous given the amount of cash sloshing around the English leagues; well players, managers and agents to be exact. Different organisations but you’d think the EPL would step up to the plate. Corporate socialism rules.
Secondly, what are the reasons driving this? Presumably we’re talking about a perceived lack of performance at international level, shortage of English players in the EPL etc or do they have other issues?
Thirdly, so what about Scotland? Strict liability, performance and corruption. There has been a rumble from the Scottish government about strict liability which I hope will come to fruition, but we also have the SFA corruption (they can call it incompetence if they’d rather?) and, of course, our own failures at International and club level. On the latter we’re hearing a wee rumble around the Wotte/McLair shambles and I hope some journo or other chases this through. We need to start again with the SFA and SPFL for the performance issue alone although, as I’ve said on here before and been severely TD’d for it, my experience of regional associations (under the auspices of the SFA) at amateur and Junior level is that they do a not bad job. The issue is at the each end of the process: coaching youngsters and the performance of the seniors and national team. The biggest problem is now that whatever the SFA/Spfl do to address these and any other issues is, in my opinion , completely dismissed by most of us punters given the shafting they have given the sport over the last few years. Don’t get me wrong, this corruption has been going on for a long time but this last farce (SDM onwards) has opened a few eyes.
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JOHN CLARKJULY 23, 2016 at 22:41 Thank you for posting that piece by ‘The Clumpany’, which includes the Tweet from Jackson which condemns him out of his own mouth as a guttersnipe hack who would print anything as long it made money.
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I notice a frequently aired Daily Record TV advert excitedly stating ‘the O*d F*rm are back’. As a follow on to what I said a few days back I have STILL to speak to a single Celtic fan who missed Rangers these past four years. When newspapers have to tell people what they think despite people actually knowing they think differently it is surely only further evidence of their decline.
I wonder if anyone in the newspaper industry or wider media has ever thought what positive impact on sales there might have been since 2012 if they had just told the truth.
I would imagine that if the FA gets £30-40 million per annum, then the SFA would be in receipt of £3-4 million from the public purse . Would this be true and, if so , where does it go ?
UPTHEHOOPSJULY 24, 2016 at 13:42
I wonder if anyone in the newspaper industry or wider media has ever thought what positive impact on sales there might have been since 2012 if they had just told the truth.
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Even without telling the truth, it looks like there is a positive impact.in scottish football but not media sales.
pic.twitter.com/Nd5zCqLQqG
scottish football needs saved.
Thanks to @ AgentScotland
And now the IOC has chickened out of the blanket ban on the establishment-backed sports cheating of Russia.What sensible athlete would now go to Rio? To risk zika for the sake of honest sport is one thing: to risk it in the cause of any sport run by an organisation that jettisons principle out of fear and/or favour is just lunacy.
Just read James Forrest latest and maybe not so far from the truth regarding sevco’s Stewart Robertson being Celtic’s nominee the fix as they say was always in shysters the lot of them.
John Clark
July 23, 2016 at 22:41
JC, maybe this ‘It sells’ argument is the simple truth behind the MSM stance. Perhaps they’re printing the survival myth simply because ‘it sells’ and not because they believe it to be true. I mean we’ve said on here often enough that no sensible person could actually believe the survival myth, so perhaps they don’t, but print it because they know ‘it sells’. Some will be annoyed by it, others will be comforted by it but no matter, the creation of that conflict helps them sell papers/generate clicks.
Other stuff that sells that isn’t true……Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Walking Dead etc. Yeah, I know they’re not real, but wow ‘it sells’.
http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0050/00502435.pdf
This is a report on the consultation about supporter involvement in clubs. I think many points could have been clearer had they consulted about the report …
alexander276July 24, 2016 at 17:49
‘….This is a report on the consultation about supporter involvement in clubs. ‘
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I notice that the researcher, Linda Nicholson, seems not to have been very good at ‘researching.’ she has listed a liquidated club as having ‘responded’! (Perhaps she was taught by Professor what’s his name?)
She either clearly does not know that ‘Rangers Football Club’ died,or has simply chosen (or, perhaps, been ‘forced’) to go along with the myth that “The Rangers FC Ltd” founded by Charles Green is one and the same club that Craig Whyte bought from arch-sporting cheat Sir David Murray, and must always be referred to only as ‘Rangers Football Club’ to help perpetuate the myth?
In either case, shoddy work.
See Page 56 of the Report
Annex: List of RespondentsFootball Clubs and Representative BodiesCeltic PLCDunfermline Athletic Football Club LimitedFalkirk Football and Athletic Club LimitedMauchline UnitedRangers Football Club Scottish Professional Football League LimitedSt Mirren Youth Football Club
TYKEBHOY
JULY 24, 2016 at 11:02
Wottpi, surely for this forum, especially those of us who hate that money has made it business not sport yet still watch the money-raking channel, the lyric should be “Still I watch the SKY….still I wonder why”.
Better song too!
I have copied over from JJ site because of the additional comment I made there and another thought I would like a view on in the next post..
Casual Observer says: July 20, 2016 at 1:53 pm
“The SFA and SPFL can do as they please. If they choose to transfer licences and titles to Charles Green’s Sevco Scotland there is nothing we can do to stop them”
This is quite simply untrue. Thank you for the opportunity to comment upon it.
It has been established by the Court of Session that it has supervisory legislative powers over the SFA and SPFL. The court of Session, if petitioned to review SFA/ SPFL decisions and actions, can hold both organizations to act within their own rules and UEFA rules and Laws, enforced in Scotland, including Scots Law, UK Law and European Law.
Charles Green established this and won in court. Fergus McCann likewise.
In addition, as a UEFA member national association the SFA is required to govern the game strictly in accordance with UEFA rules.
‘The Rangers’ being passed off as old ‘Rangers’ breaks all of the above Laws and Rules. It cannot endure. It is unsustainable. The lie will crumble, they always do.
To which JJ replied
As no-one has the appetite or the means to challenge them, they can do as they please.
Casual Observer says: July 20, 2016 at 2:43 pm
That’s why it will not endure. It is extremely fragile and cannot survive the legal challenge of one individual, any one of millions of people, who wish to take it to court.
The cost involved is relatively small. A 10% remortgage of an ex council house would cover it. Making any council house fan hugely empowered. Two fans at 5% remortgaging? Spread the love.
Anyone could in theory be funded by other(s) to front the two day hearing. I’m sure there’s lots of people out there would like to be hailed as the individual that destroyed the same club lie. Just go to Celtic Park safe standing area and pick any individual for the honour. They’d jump at the chance.
Why don’t you do it JJ?
Green says it’s a lie. Five judges say it’s a lie. The law says it’s a lie. Willie Miller says it’s a lie. Graham Spiers says it’s a lie. UEFA says it’s a lie. Jim Spence, formerly BBC, says it’s a lie.
https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/2015/07/14/dundee-journalist-jim-spence-leaving-the-bbc/
Get Jim Spence back as the head of football reporting at BBC Scotland. Integrity in his DNA.
And a reply from Auldheid to JJ.
UEFA have stated their official position with regard to the status of the “new club/company” applying in future for a UEFA licence. It is in black and white signed by the Head of Club Licensing & FFP Andrea Traverso and the SFA are bound to UEFA and SPFL to SFA.
It is but a matter of time before it all comes crumbling down but like you I have no appetite to pursue this particular issue. It is a distraction from pursuit of an accountable SFA.
PS. It was the SFA Membership not Licence that was transferred under the discretionary powers of SFA Article 14 titled Prohibition of Transfer of Membership. Aye – the irony of it eh?
14. Prohibition on Transfer of Membership 14.1 It is not permissible for a member to transfer directly or indirectly its membership of the Scottish FA to another member or to any other entity, and any such transfer or attempt to effect such a transfer is prohibited, save as otherwise provided in this Article 14. Any member desirous of transferring its membership to another entity within its own administrative group for the purpose of internal solvent reconstruction must apply to the Board for permission to effect such transfer, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed. Any other application for transfer of membership will be reviewed by the Board, which will have complete discretion to reject or to grant such application on such terms and conditions as the Board may think fit.
A licence only last a year and is applied for annually.
Paradoxically UEFA do not recognise the transfer of SFA Membership as conferring continuity, they have the sporting integrity of UEFA competitions to consider, which is why their Article 12 requires a club to have three years MEMBERSHIP of their national association before that club/company can apply for a UEFA licence. (football clubs who apply can take both forms as defined in Article 12)
Without casting any doubts on what Casual Observer says is there any argument that this route is not open should the appetite exist amongst the Scottosh Football support at large?
I’ve read that SFA Article many a time as it is the one used to justify the transfer of the SFA Membership by the SFA.
14. Prohibition on Transfer of Membership
14.1 It is not permissible for a member to transfer directly or indirectly its membership of the Scottish FA to another member or to any other entity, and any such transfer or attempt to effect such a transfer is prohibited, save as otherwise provided in this Article 14. Any member desirous of transferring its membership to another entity within its own administrative group for the purpose of internal solvent reconstruction must apply to the Board for permission to effect such transfer, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed. Any other application for transfer of membership will be reviewed by the Board, which will have complete discretion to reject or to grant such application on such terms and conditions as the Board may think fit.
The question the sentence in bold poses in it that the SFA appear to recognise and cater for a solvent reconstruction but was the liquidation of RFC a solvent reconstruction? If it wasn’t then was there in fact a “live” SFA membership to transfer to any other applicant?
UEFA do not appear to think so for the reasons given previously.
Auldheid, your post brings back memories of long and detailed debates on here almost exactly 4 years ago.
The transfer of membership was not part of an internal solvent reconstruction, simply because, regardless of the solvency issue, RFC and Sevco Scotland were not, and never had been, part of the same group of companies.
This is the “get-out clause” under which the transfer of membership took place- it gives the SFA Board absolute discretion to approve any transfer of membership whatsoever.
The point which I got worked up about at the time was the intervention of Lord Hodge, who for no valid reason that I can discern,intervened to delay the entry of RFC into liquidation by 3 months or so, from the rejection of the CVA on 12 June. Normally a company would enter liquidation immediately after final rejection of a CVA proposal.
In my view, if RFC had entered liquidation holding the SFA membership, then that membership would have been extinguished at that point. That would, in my view, have left no route into the SFL/SFA for Sevco Scotland. As a brand new entity, Sevco Scotland could not meet the criteria for a new member.
So Lord Hodge’s intervention just happened to give the parties to the 5WA the time they required to cobble together their transfer of membership solution before the liquidation of RFC closed the door. What a happy coincidence, eh!
Neepheid 8.20
Thanks for that reminder. It suggest that but for Lord Hodges intervention the SFA Membership would not in fact exist to transfer.
There seems to be some fortunate events occurring in that time, like HMRC agreeing not to start collection proceedings in March 2011 on the wtc accepted liability until after the Takeover by CW.
Now why on tax owed since 2001 and evaded by illegal means would HMRC agree to any delay?
neepheidJuly 25, 2016 at 08:20
‘..So Lord Hodge’s intervention just happened to give the parties to the 5WA the time they required to cobble together their transfer of membership solution before the liquidation of RFC closed the door. ‘
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This was the essence of the BIG LIE, of course.The use of words like ‘transfer’ to mislead people into thinking that that somehow legitimated the new club as being a continuation of the old, rather than the granting of membership to a new club ,for the first time!
That deceitful manoeuvre cuts no ice. The new club was admitted to membership as a new club, and the whole of football knows that to be the case.
And it is an affront to everyone with any intelligence and understanding of ‘Sport’ that a new club should be permitted to lie about its sporting record, and in effect, steal the name and merits of a former club, now in Liquidation.
The SFA know this, and, of course , the 40 other Professional teams (and Queens Park ) know this ,too.
That they choose to live with that deceit makes them of the same scrambled mindset as the IOC: ready to countenance lies and deceit and cheating for fear of losing a few bob or of confronting the liars, deceivers and cheats.
I’ve just heard John Beattie on BBC Radio Scotland ask : if the Russians aren’t banned, have they got away with it?
I ask: is the SFA and CG’s new team to get away with it?
Not without my continued publicly expressed opposition for the remaining years of my allotted life-span.
Neepheid, when he was (always) on here a month or so back, The Lawman used the Lord Hodge delay as his main argument for same club too. He took the delay in formally entering liquidation to mean that the basket of assets (my view)/club (his view) was bought by Charles Green out of administration and NOT after formal liquidation. He used the Leeds example to propose that meant Rangers, like Leeds, was still the same club.
While I don’t agree with him at all, my view being that rejection of the CVA is the big difference in the scenarios, there is no doubt that Lord Hodge’s lengthening of the administration process gave a helpful straw to those looking for it to be the same club – helping support both the ‘transfer’ argument and the ‘purchased out of admin’ argument.
Was that deliberate or coincidental? I don’t know, but as Auldheid says, there were some ‘fortunate events’ for the new club around that time.
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/planning-the-sevco-way/
On the Brian McClair thing, I have no special ‘in’ with him. I am also advised that he is not doing media interviews, so my guess is that there probably is a confidentiality clause.
The Lord Hodge delay is a reminder of how contrived and stealthy the whole process in the immediate post-CVA period was. I still do not think that the OCNC debate is a particularly worthwhile one, since it is already a matter of fact that the old club was liquidated. I’m not so sure that any further justification is necessary on our part.
On the other hand, the immediate post-Res 12 period is turning out to be a damp squib of collective amnesia – and sadly, the same can be said of the TOG report on both Res 12 and the flawed LNS inquiry.
OCNC is a difficult thing to obtain traction because of the ‘black is white’ approach of the liquidation deniers, but LNS and Res 12 are both areas where the debate has managed to migrate from the parochial and escape to the notice of others. That is where we should be setting our focus I think.
Lang may yer lum reek JC
Not that I wish in any way to reopen OC/NC but it is worth remembering that the SFA’s condition (as I understand it) does not ban a club transferring its membership from a position of “in Liquidation,” it prevents it occurring from a position of insolvency for what, prior to 2012 at least, were fairly obvious reasons.
I agree though that Lord Hodge’s delay was still very convenient and I suspect had more to do with the perceived state of health of “The membership” if a club did enter liquidation (I’m certain I recall that a membership ‘disappeared’ if such conditions pertained), as opposed to the ability of the various parties to transfer it per se.
Just saying.
SmugasJuly 25, 2016 at 14:16
Not that I wish in any way to reopen OC/NC but it is worth remembering that the SFA’s condition (as I understand it) does not ban a club transferring its membership from a position of “in Liquidation,” it prevents it occurring from a position of insolvency for what, prior to 2012 at least, were fairly obvious reasons.
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The SFA “get-out” clause allowed it to transfer membership from any member to any other entity, regardless of the status of the transferor or transferee, so long as the membership existed at the point of transfer.
However I believe that the liquidation of a member would have extinguished its membership of the SFA. So if RFC had entered liquidation in early June 2012, there would have been no SFA membership available to transfer to Sevco Scotland at the end of July 2012.
That is my view, and I believe there was a lot of collusion to get the fix in- and it was a fix.
With SIR Philip Green being on the news about losing his knighthood. Can anybody tell be the difference between him and SIR David Murray and why has there been no talk of SIR David Murray losing his knighthood on the six o’clock news.
NTDEAL
JULY 22, 2016 at 15:29
I do not post often.I have followed sfm since its inception,having jumped from rtc.I have found the site informative,fair and reasonable.I also follow on twitter,where I am now having some difficulties,to be honest.Sfm are tweeting on what I would respectfully suggest is way beyond their raison d’etre.
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Surprised no one else has picked up on this.
What is with the recent surge in political content on the sfm twitter feed?
I may or may not be interested in, for example, Labour Party infighting but why am I seeing regular tweets on the subject on the @TheSFMonitor timeline?
I’m struggling to see the link to Scottish football governance.
Kicker C, It’s the same on other blogs. I get fed up with politics.
It is always worth periodically reminding ourselves of just what the rest of Scottish football was up against in David Murray’s heyday. Below is an article from the Glasgow Herald written in 2000 by the late Ken Gallacher.
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Just as promised, Rangers are moving on to another level from the rest of Scottish football, as chairman David Murray announced a new investment of #53m for the Ibrox club, with a further massive cash boost soon to follow.
The eventual cash injection could soar as high as #80m as Murray guides the club into what he believes will be a new, golden era for the Scottish champions.
The money involved, the biggest financial boost for any Scottish football club, will enable them to move into Europe’s elite over the next few years.
Yesterday, however, Murray maintained, as always, that he will not turn his back on Scottish football to play in any other league, and that while he remains in charge of the club, he will retain a responsibility to the domestic game.
It is clear from this latest move, however, that the Glasgow giants are setting an agenda that no other Scottish club can match – and that appears to include their Old Firm rivals, Celtic, who are trailing by 15 points in the Premier League championship and are now looking at a financial gap which the Parkhead club might not be able to bridge.
There have been hints around Glasgow that Celtic could be ready to attempt a share flotation of their own, but it would seem unlikely they would be able to match the financial clout that Murray has put together.
The Ibrox chairman promised his shareholders good news and a more prudent financial strategy at the last annual meeting of the club.
He has now delivered this by taking on board several very heavy financial hitters, South African-based David King is worth around #300m – #20m of which he is investing in the club he followed as a young man in Glasgow.
Trevor Hemmings is worth even more – around #500m – and he is also on board. Tom Hunter, also worth several hundred millions, is liable to join up soon and Murray himself is investing in excess of #9m, which is more than he spent when he took control of the club.
Back then, Murray paid #6m to assume ownership and has seen the value of the club rise to #200m with a further hike in the estimate sure to come.
The Ibrox chairman has spent several months and many sleepless nights piecing together the plans which will eliminate Rangers’ debt, currently sitting at around #40m, provide finance for the new training centre and the soccer academy which will be housed there, and still allow cash to invest in new players.
Yesterday, as he saw the months of delicate negotiation culminate in the announcement of a one-for-three rights issue of more than 15m shares being valued at #3.45p and the further news that he and King, as well as Alastair Johnston, a senior vice-president with IMG, the giant sports’ management group, also taking up a number of shares, Murray was ready to talk about the new future for the club and his dreams for European success.
He said: ”I want to make it clear from the outset that while our small shareholders, our supporters who have an interest in the club, will have the opportunity to invest again if they want, there is no pressure on them to do so.
”The bulk of the rights issue is being taken up by myself and David King and some other smaller investors, including Alastair Johnston, who is a long-time Rangers’ supporter.
”We also have Trevor Hemmings coming in as an investor and Tom Hunter will join us some time in the future.
”Essentially, the investment we require is in place and we also have a major media deal in the pipeline which is very exciting and will bring in further serious investment to the club.
”I told you earlier this week that I had run the club up to now on a high-risk strategy which has involved carrying large debt.
”These days are over. The whole method of running the club is going to change, because we are in a situation right now where we do not need to take the risks we have had to take in the past.
”We don’t have to spend the same money on players, for example, as we have had to do over the past two years when we were restructuring the team after the arrival of Dick Advocaat.
”At the moment, we have two new players set for next season, Allan Johnston and Fernando Ricksen, and Dick is looking for another quality striker. He is working hard on that right now.
”Dick and myself know what we are aiming for. We want to be in the Champions League every season. This is what we want for the club and this is what we have been working towards.
”However, we shall not be going on any wild spending sprees in the transfer market.
”We have a player or two to add to the squad – a top-class international front player, as I said, but we don’t need to buy Numan, van Bronckhorst, Mols, Reyna, or McCann – because we have these lads in place already.
”Believe me when I tell you that we are going for it this time – we want to be successful in Europe, and the money we are raising now will take us there.
”This is the last part of the jigsaw for me, but we shall always be a part of Scottish football and we will take our domestic responsibilities seriously.
”We respect the other teams in the Premier League and we know this news will make them try even harder against us. But, so be it.
”Barcelona don’t win every week. Bayern Munich don’t win every week. Manchester United don’t win every week. Yet, our supporters expect us to do so and we shall always try to do that.
”What we do know is that to be in the Champions League, we have to win the Scottish title, and that is our aim every season.
”We shall always be here with our roots.”
However, the mega-deals Murray has been working on are sure to carry Rangers out of the reach of their rivals here at home and unless Celtic can somehow find the means to strengthen their own financial standing even the age-old rivalry between the Glasgow giants will be threatened as the Ibrox men grow ever stronger.
”We shall always be here with our roots.”
oops. He was doing so well too!
i also like (I paraphrase) “We’re going to use our unmatchable £50m to repay our £40m debt, build a £10m football academy AND buy international players. ”
Well with a robust business plan like that and critical press what could possibly go wrong?
i wonder if the follow up article the next week was the Lawell of his day saying don’t panic bhoys, we’ll borrow £160m, ignore the rules and stop them in their tracks that way.