Now that we are at the end of the league season, and with respect to the job still to be done at Tannadice and McDiarmid Park, it seems like a good time for a post holocaust report.
Fig 1 Average Weekly Attendances SPL 2011-2014
Peppered around this page are three charts and a table* showing the attendance figures for the SPL in the last three seasons. A school kid could tell you that there is a positive trend in those charts and figures, but the people who run our national sport will look you straight in the eye and tell you “that can’t be right – Armageddon is coming!”
It is one of the most ridiculous and mendacious situations I have ever come across. The people who run our national game, aided and abetted by those in the MSM (sans the eye contact though) are actually trying to persuade us of how awful our game is and how unsustainable it will be in the absence of one, just one, club.
Think about that. The SFA and the SPFL trying to talk us out of supporting the game unless we all recognise the unique importance of one, just one, club. That is what has happened, no matter how they try to spin it. And despite evidence to the contrary contained in these figures, not one of them has admitted to an error, never mind the downright lies that they told to support the position they held, the one where anyone speaking of sporting integrity was mocked and ridiculed.
Whilst growing up as football supporter in the 60s, one of things I was constantly bombarded with via the medium of the tabloid newspapers was that football clubs should be grateful for the publicity afforded them via their back pages. These were probably reasonable claims, especially in the light of the relative lack of access to players and officials conceded to the hacks in those days, and the pre-eminent cultural position in which they helped to place football. Alongside that, the broadcast media, particularly Archie Macpherson’s Sportscene and Arthur Montford’s Scotsport could be relied on to talk the game up. Of course, there was something in it for the papers – sales. The more column inches devoted to the national sport, the further northward their sales, and consequently advertising revenues travelled.
Fig 2 Avg. Attendances excl Celtic & Rangers
The situation was further cemented by the fact that the press in that ante-interweb era held a monopoly over the exchange and dissemination of information. That symbiotic, win-win relationship between football and the press was as much a part of football reality as the Hampden Roar. It also endured for decades. The press would talk up the game to such an extent that folk often remarked that they hadn’t realised how much they had enjoyed a particular match until they had read Malky Munro or Hughie Taylor’s report the next day. Archie Macpherson is on record as having said the same thing about legendary commentator David Francey, “It was a much better game to listen to than to see!”
Today that symbiosis is broken. The press themselves, in print and in front of microphones consistently belittle the product, talk of crises and Armageddon, of our own version of the Eisenhower domino effect of clubs going to the wall one after another.
Aided and abetted by the two chief bureaucrats in charge of Scottish football, Stuart Regan and Neil Doncaster, who have consistently helped to hammer home the message that Scottish football is not good enough, and cannot sustain itself financially without Rangers, a club that could not itself sustain itself financially to the extent that it is being liquidated.
At a time when Scottish football was clearly in crisis, and badly in need of sponsorship which could mitigate the effects of that crisis, the press and the authorities sought to strengthen their own negotiating hand by making negative claims about the state of the game which never came to pass, and for which they have never apologised. The actual situation, which would not have been hard to predict had anyone actually bothered to analyse the business of Scottish football, is summarised quite easily by saying this;
- Since Rangers’ liquidation and subsequent absence from the top league, the average home attendance of the other clubs has INCREASED overall (See Fig 2).
- In this season, the other clubs have added 50,000 fans to home attendances compared to 2011-12 (the last year Rangers were in competition).
- In that time the league has been won (twice) by Celtic, and the other honours have been claimed by St, Mirren, Aberdeen, Celtic and (either) Dundee United or St Johnstone.
- In that time, both Dunfermline Athletic and Hearts (who both had historical financial problems) entered – and exited – administration after fan-led buyouts.
- Dundee United have cleared off their bank debt.
- Kilmarnock have restructured their bank debt, freeing the club from a precarious long-term situation.
- League reconstruction has allowed some money to trickle down to the second tier clubs in an attempt to mitigate the immediate effects of relegation and to reward ambitious clubs.
Looking at the table of attendances above, it is pretty clear that immediately upon Rangers exit, the overall figures took a dip. However there was little difference the in the figures if you leave Rangers out of the equation (Fig 3) – despite Celtic’s attendance taking a hit that year (down by around 5,000 per home match).
Taking Celtic out of the calculations, it is clear that there is a 6,000 uplift in this average (Fig 2).
It is still undeniable that less people overall are watching football (Fig 1), but the trend is upward if one leaves the Ibrox club out of the picture.
Furthermore, this statistic exposes the double edged sword that is retention of home gates. The fact that gates are not shared is predicated upon the notion that the bigger clubs do not depend on the smaller clubs for income. And since the smaller clubs are no longer recipients of big club largesse, their fortunes are not affected, at least not as much as was suggested by the Regans, Doncasters and Traynors of this parish. The “Trickle-Down” theory of Reganomics said otherwise – but clearly and demonstrably it was wrong.
The abandonment of gate sharing has made Scottish football less interdependent than it once was, but the irony is that it works both ways. There is hardly a club in the country that depends on Rangers for their own existence, and here is the news; small clubs are no longer financially dependent on the former Old Firm.
Fig 3 Excluding Celtic
The fact, that is F-A-C-T, is that Scottish Football attendances in the top division are on the increase. The absence of Rangers has made no appreciably negative difference to any other club, far less caused a catastrophe of biblical proportions.
Even if the fools who were the harbingers of our doom were simply guilty of making an honest mistake, it is clear that they are uncontaminated with the slightest notion of how the game in this country operates. The Old Firm may be dead, but the OF prism is still being peered through by Stuart Regan, Neil Doncaster and the vast majority of print journalists. The latter who failed to honour that age-old football/press symbiosis because they believed, erroneously that David Murray’s dinner table was the hand that has fed them for over a century.
The irony is that as job opportunities diminish in the print sector, so too will the fine dining and patronage. I think they call that evolution.
Two years ago, in the wake of the fans’ season ticket revolt which saw the new Rangers forced to apply for membership of the league and begin at the bottom, those same MSM hacks taunted fans about putting their money where their mouths were. The fans responded splendidly as our statistics demonstrate, but typically there has been no recognition of this either at Hampden or in the media.
And the message from those fans is this: Scottish football is not dying. Not any more. At least not as surely as it was when David Murray started to choke the life out of it in the late 80s. The supporters are returning in numbers to see a competition untainted by the outrageous liberty-taking and rule-breaking of the last couple of decades, and all but one club has emerged from the mire of the Moonbeam Millennium looking forward to a new era.
If authorities allow the new era to thrive by restoring sporting integrity to the agenda, then the numbers, like the opportunities available to more and more clubs, will grow. The question is … will they?
Admittedly, these figures, like any set of statistics, can be cherry-picked to suit almost any argument that you care to construct. The fact remains though, that whilst it would be fanciful and ridiculously over-optimistic to claim that they bear witness to a burgeoning industry, it is utterly dishonest to conclude that they represent financial Armageddon. Armageddon? Aye right!
Suggestion for a future podcast:
Someone who the media couldn’t ignore.
Someone who has kept their own counsel within the upper echelons of Scottish football.
Someone who was directly effected through the non-registration issues by the loss of honours.
Someone who couldn’t speak up because the SFA would have hammered him and his club.
Someone who is no longer under their jurisdiction.
Someone who said he would give his response to the SPL investigation at a future date.
Step forward Neil Lennon.
Now that would put the cat amongst the pigeons.
justshatered says:
May 22, 2014 at 11:04 pm
…
Step forward Neil Lennon.
Now that would put the cat amongst the pigeons.
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That would indeed !
I’m guessing the SMSM will be tripping over themselves to bag the ‘Exclusive’ from NL.
But it would be Karma – absolutely – if he declined their offers and chose to give his story to a wesbite, [any website] – which would be some validation for the Internet Bampots – and which would really antagonise the local churnalists !
[But then Keef would still lift the content for his own ‘Exclusive’ though, and with no credit given.]
Campbellsmoney 10.25
We not only do not know enough about the contract itself but the comments criticising reflect a lack of appreciation of the interdependent nature of the football industry which dictates the clubs having to act as one via committees but also the nature of the TV rights bargaining environment.
For that reason I would be loath to criticise the individuals involved even in cases where I have a poor opinion of the personality or honesty of them.
Sometimes that inner belief causes us to look for evidence to reinforce it and not put the evidence itself under unbiased scrutiny.
Ecobhoy
I take a different view. Many of the opinions expressed whilst honestly and passionately held are a reflection of each individual’s understanding or appreciation of any given situation.
The blog, in enabling all those perceptions to be expressed offers the opportunity to enlighten.
If it wasn’t dark we would not need a torch. 🙂
You could be right that milne got upset over the knockback for sevco into div 1, it was definitely stewart milne who lost the plot after one of the votes though, I remember seeing him on tv and thought he was going to burst a blood vessel.
Matty Roth says:
May 22, 2014 at 8:55 pm
‘..I suspect a few regular posters may be skipping past much of the debate at the moment. There’s not nearly as much scandal in this story as is being suggested IMO…’
————–
Personally, it’s not a case of me skipping past the debate, as of the debate whizzing past my befuddled mind!
My starting point is quite basic. The Football Authorities betrayed Scottish Football by:
first, their negligence over many years in exercising even the most rudimentary control of an overly powerful club ( possibly because of personnel links with that club)
second, by actively engineering and conniving in a monumental act of destruction of the very rationale of ‘Sport’ in an attempt to save that club from the full and proper consequences of a decade or more of systematic ‘sporting’ cheating
third, by their current paralysis in the face of yet another financial basket-case of a football club which may well bugger up the fixtures programme for next season,as well as bring even more contumely upon the Scottish game and its Authorities.
I have learned to be extremely distrustful of anything and everything said or done by those Football Authorities that in any way involves either the club put shamefully and hideously to death by the overreaching greed and ambition of a knight of the realm (still protected and unpunished) in his prideful and vanity-kick driven to spend ten when others spent five, or the new club they illegitimately fathered.
If there is any evidence that the TV broadcasting contracts that implies a readiness on the part of the SPL/SPFL to agree to further cheating or rigging of the game, I would not be surprised.
As others have said, of course, without sight of contracts, it’s hard to know the facts.
Giovanni says:
May 22, 2014 at 12:52 pm
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Whilst perusing information about FFW I came across this puff piece in The Lawyer” on-line magazine from January 2013.
…
Her work will make her popular with at least half of Glasgow.
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Did they say which half? 😈 (wry smile)
JimBhoy says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:12 am
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Craig Bellamy retiring at just turned 34 is bad..
___________________________________________________
Pacey wingers have a short shelf life. Bellamy was forever being flagged offside incorrectly when at the Toon, because of his ability to burst from a standing start to a speed that was in excess of what the average Premier League linesman’s eyeballs were capable off. That type of accelaration doesn’t last into the late 30s. And when that edge is gone, its game over. C’est la vie.
Don’t know if anyone else spotted this little gem:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-27371000
So Mr Dawson says he was the sole bidder.
Yet the administrator’s progress report says that the sale price – at c10% of book value (£2.625m) “was significantly higher than any other offer”. https://web.archive.org/web/20101229003605/http://www.mcr.uk.com/assets/_files/documents/jun_09/mcr_uk__1246349140_progess_report.pdf
I am sure that there was absolutely nothing untoward in the valuation and sale of stock; but it does seem that the purchaser got an absolute bargain, while the administrator appeared to think that the deal was the best they could do.
Incidentally, the unsecured creditors got NIL.
HirsutePursuit says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:28 am
‘..So Mr Dawson says he was the sole bidder..’
—————
We all enjoyed ‘Only Fools and Horses’, but a Del boy is a b.stard.
None of us would enjoy being ripped off by a loathsome liar such as smart-ass Dawson seems to have been. Another vainglorious creep exulting in his chicanery and ‘smart’ business practice. Can’t think who in Scotland in recent time he reminds me of.
Bad cess to him and his ilk, and may all such liars and cheats never ultimately prosper, but wither away under the coldly contemptuous eye of those that they damage. The b.st.rds!!
PS. Who was the administrator?
John Clark says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:43 am
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HirsutePursuit says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:28 am
‘..So Mr Dawson says he was the sole bidder..’
—————
We all enjoyed ‘Only Fools and Horses’, but a Del boy is a b.stard.
None of us would enjoy being ripped off by a loathsome liar such as smart-ass Dawson seems to have been. Another vainglorious creep exulting in his chicanery and ‘smart’ business practice. Can’t think who in Scotland in recent time he reminds me of.
Bad cess to him and his ilk, and may all such liars and cheats never ultimately prosper, but wither away under the coldly contemptuous eye of those that they damage. The b.st.rds!!
PS. Who was the administrator?
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MCR – later to become part of Duff & Phelps – including one Paul Clark
HirsutePursuit says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:49 am
‘…MCR – later to become part of Duff & Phelps – including one Paul Clark’
———-
Ha! In the words of a young chap named Hamlet ” O, my prophetic soul.!” ( sorry, EB, but a man’s gotta say what a man’s gotta say!)
ParaHandy 1.04
No need to wait for AGM. Questions already being raised for answers at the 2nd Supporters Forum in early June.
John Clark says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:54 am
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HirsutePursuit says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:49 am
‘…MCR – later to become part of Duff & Phelps – including one Paul Clark’
———-
Ha! In the words of a young chap named Hamlet ” O, my prophetic soul.!” ( sorry, EB, but a man’s gotta say what a man’s gotta say!)
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Though this be madness, yet there is method in it 🙂
Resin_lab_dog says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:20 am
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JimBhoy says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:12 am
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Pacey wingers have a short shelf life. Bellamy was forever being flagged offside incorrectly when at the Toon, because of his ability to burst from a standing start to a speed that was in excess of what the average Premier League linesman’s eyeballs were capable off. That type of accelaration doesn’t last into the late 30s. And when that edge is gone, its game over. C’est la vie.
———
Try telling that to Bobby Lennox…..
Another, other police investigation asked for — yet again, again. Reported in the DR:
Stewart Milne was angry about the vote that St Mirren and Ross County opposed (I think it was the first go at reorganisation). The mini-leagues of 8 thingy.
DP re Police Investigations !
Could this be another World Record for a Club
Resin_lab_dog says:
Pacey wingers have a short shelf life. Bellamy was forever being flagged offside incorrectly when at the Toon, because of his ability to burst from a standing start to a speed that was in excess of what the average Premier League linesman’s eyeballs were capable off. That type of accelaration doesn’t last into the late 30s. And when that edge is gone, its game over. C’est la vie
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…reminds me of a guy called Lennox…”too quick for the linesman’s eyeballs”… (lovely expression!)
John Clark says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:54 am
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HirsutePursuit says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:49 am
‘…MCR – later to become part of Duff & Phelps – including one Paul Clark’
———-
Ha! In the words of a young chap named Hamlet ” O, my prophetic soul.!” ( sorry, EB, but a man’s gotta say what a man’s gotta say!)
====================================================
JC…you have almost made me a “convert to the cause” by your sheer persistence with your erudite and appropriate quotes.
However, on a serious note, I do note from your postings that we must never forget what the SFA have got up to, and that the game will never progress until there is a root and branch clearout.
I think one poster used the phrase…”stay vigilant”.
…sorry Palacio67…had not read down the posts…I am the “early morning shift”..bleary eyed!
John Clark says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:11 am
If there is any evidence that the TV broadcasting contracts that implies a readiness on the part of the SPL/SPFL to agree to further cheating or rigging of the game, I would not be surprised.
As others have said, of course, without sight of contracts, it’s hard to know the facts.
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The main issue IMO wrt the contracts is the actual wording of the clause dealing with the number of Rangers and Celtic games that would be covered. I doubt if the wording would have anticipated either club going into liquidation or not playing in the same league but I can only guess at that.
However it seems that this agreement was in place prior to Doncaster being employed and as it presumably was agreed by every or the required majority of SPL clubs then Doncaster when he arrived, as an employee, had no option other than to accept it as the status quo.
Of course we can’t be sure that when this clause initially surfaced what the attitude of clubs other than Rangers or Celtic was to it. That’s worth remembering but a bit of distraction at the moment when we can’t even find out what happened behind closed SPL doors less than two years ago.
Sadly the continuing failure of those on the TV negotiation committee to make any statement as to whether Doncaster acted unilaterally or with their agreement is deafening.
Doncaster was only one of four members on that committee – the others being: Peter Lawwell (Celtic); Duncan Fraser (Aberdeen); and Kenny Cameron (Inverness Caledonian Thistle) who were appointed by an SPL General Meeting of all clubs and presumably their recommendation was accepted by the SPL back in July 2012.
A target has been pinned on Doncaster’s back and I think it’s just part of a tidying-up exercise to bury the past and keep the fans in ignorance of what their clubs actually agreed to in order to ensure that a Rangers continued to play.
The utter silence on the issue leads me to the conclusion that every single SPL club agreed that the TV deal hammered-out was the best available.
It might well have been and the motivation might well have been on purely financial grounds and if that’s the case then Doncaster did nothing wrong and every SPL club seems to have backed that. If they didn’t let’s hear about it.
On similar issues fans have demanded answers from their club but it appears there is little appetite for that over this one.
I have no time for Doncaster and don’t think he is fit for the position he holds but that doesn’t mean that I use him as a punch-bag to blame all the ills of Scottish Football on. Who knows may’be he’s going shortly and he’s become a convenient carpet for those who remain in power.
Dutchmul says:
May 22, 2014 at 11:37 pm
You could be right that milne got upset over the knockback for sevco into div 1, it was definitely stewart milne who lost the plot after one of the votes though, I remember seeing him on tv and thought he was going to burst a blood vessel.
Campbellsmoney says:
May 23, 2014 at 6:48 am
Stewart Milne was angry about the vote that St Mirren and Ross County opposed (I think it was the first go at reorganisation). The mini-leagues of 8 thingy.
———————————————
Correct. His exact words (as close as I can recall them) though were odd. It was something like that they (St M & RC) didn’t like the Plan A but he added “and I didn’t think much of their plan B either.” Again if my recollective powers are to be trusted it was shortly after this that Milne voted with CFC on the 11-1 structure.
Now perhaps it was a sarky comment to say that they were blocking what Milne clearly thought was a done deal (and without getting into the merits of the triple-8 structure it seemed to be the late in the day timescale that particularly irked him) and that he was criticising the fact that they didn’t have a Plan B, but I always wondered if there was more to it than that.
My criticism of Neil Doncaster is not because he is to blame for the ills of Scottish Football. In fact I have often opined that he is a convenient scapegoat for clubs who tell their fans one thing (like their love of sporting integrity) whilst directing the likes of Doncaster and Regan 180 degrees away from that.
Where Doncaster is open to criticism is the part he played publicly in the spin exercise designed to keep a Rangers, firstly in the SPL, and subsequently in the first division. Things like – but not confined to;
1. His public assertion (a world first) that liquidation was no different from exiting administration.
2. His role as cheerleader for the campaign of fear designed to have the fans accept that the rule-book should be torn up.
3. His failure to renegotiate the TV deal in the best interests of the game – based on his public utterances which devalued the product and tied his hands at the negotiating table.
Forgetting his part in the TV contract debacle for the moment, he is still the public face of the cover-up.
I think it is perfectly fair to cast a light on his performance and on his sophistry. He may well be a scapegoat, but that is a role he accepted when he took the job (unless he really is an innocent abroad), and if he is just a barrier between the fans and the real villains, we need to get the scapegoat out of the way to get to them.
Doncaster could have been any one of a number of people looking for a well paid job to act as a patsy, and therefore he is not particularly special, nor deserving of personal vitriol. However my own anger is aimed not so much at him personally, but at his role.
Campbellsmoney says:
May 22, 2014 at 10:25 pm
As others have posted, its a bit rough to criticise when we don’t have all the facts about the TV contract. We just don’t know enough.
==============================
Often the label of derision we hang on the SMSM when they produce a poorly researched article on what are either non-existant ‘facts’ or ones horribly skewed to suit an agenda. And the more sensational the story the less it usually reflects the truth which is often not actually a story.
But the targeting of Doncaster has been useful – not sure that he would agree mind you – because it has made us look at who negotiated the deal and its subsequent apparent acceptance by all SPL clubs in July 2012.
And more importantly IMO it raises the main issue as to whether the deal was done solely on commercial criteria or whether there was a darker motive as many posters have ascribed to.
Personally I tend to think it was done on commercial grounds albeit a lousy deal although we were holding few cards IMO and the Rangers downfall was the factor which caused the house of cards to collapse and allow broadcasters to cut costs at the expense of Scottish Football.
We also are left with the issue of the Celtic/Rangers number of games which appears to have been historical. We don’t know for certain IMO what form of words, if any, were on the contract or whether it was an unwritten agreement known only to a few.
Obviously questions need to be asked and answers provided and more importantly there has to be transparency on this issue for the future and I am realistic enough to recognise that hard-headed commercialism probably dictates – if Rangers survive and retain a significant level of support – that a side-deal on games with Celtic will require to be included.
I just hope that the wordng is better constructed so that it doesn’t allow broadcasters to walk away from a contract – but we live and learn or at least hopefully we do.
Derek Johnston reckons rangers should give Murray Park over to the fans… The big guy has had one too many headers…
I read a quote this morning (it related to Indian cricket).
“Power plus monopoly minus transparency equals corruption”.
Pretty appropriate to describe the governance of Scottish footbalI thought.
TSFM says:
May 23, 2014 at 9:46 am
Don’t know why, but your post, re Doncaster’s role in life reminded me of a Yorkshire comedian Mike Harding, most recently of Radio 2 country fame. His stage show used to feature various interlude stories about his uncle and jobs that he’d had – my particular favourite being to follow after Mrs Thatcher into the toilet to make sure the seat was back down!!!
On a not dissimilar theme your post reminded me of his uncle, who’s job it was to follow round the Queen and (in best Yorkshire drawl) “When she trumps, it’s his job to own up and say it were ‘im!”
As a complete aside and apologies for off topic, Mike is also a brilliant musician. If a sombre moment is required you could do far worse than look up on You tube the song “Bomber’s Moon” a tribute to all bomber crews flying out of the east coast in WW11 including his own Dad who was lost.
Anyway, as you were…
TSFM says:
May 23, 2014 at 9:46 am
In my recent postings on the TV issue I have obviously referred to Doncaster and have not dealt with his wider role in the story other than to frequently express that he shouldn’t be holding down the job he does.
However the longer this affair has run the more I have come to the conclusion that he is performing the role his employer requires of him and a large part of that is to be a scapegoat to soak-up any flak generated by the behind closed-doors decisions of Scottish football clubs.
Once he’s outlived his usefulness and his deflector shield has all but been destroyed he will be replaced and his successor will be unveiled in a fanfare of the new transparent era.
However it will just be another dose of: ‘Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose’.
I doubt if he was an innocent abroad when he arrived but I think it suited the authorities to bring in an outsider both for PR purposes and for the simple reason that they would be more malleable in terms of accepting things they were told to do because not to do so would not only rais the ire of the pitchfork brigade but have them storming Hampden.
My partner is English and has been in Scotland for a decade now and I would say that only recently has she finally begun to have any real understanding on the roots and depths of the differences which raddle the country.
She has lived abroad and still puzzles over how she felt more at home and part of society in those countries – even with the comprehension barrier created by foreign languages no matter how well you speak them – and yet still finds bits of the Scottish culture inexplicable. She has worked with many Scots down south and finds it hard to equate them with the real deal she comes across here 🙄
So maybe Doncaster thought he knew what he was coing into – I think few outsiders actually have a scoobie about what makes Scots tick in footballing terms especially when it comes to a helluva lot of Rangers and Celtic supporters.
I have no problem with TSFM looking at Doncaster in a wider sense in determining his suitability for the job fron a fans’ point of view and not from that of his employer. But my posts have been concentrated on the TV issue to try and determine what facts we have and what we need to have to make a balanced judgement on what happened and I think we still have some way to go to reach that balance.
Doncaster’s bosses were directly involved in negotiating the deal and supported the final contract signed. If that isn’t the case and Doncaster acted unilaterally without their knowledge then why is he stgill in a job and why wan’t he sacked by August 2012 at the latest.
I really have little doubt in my mind that he’s still at Hampden and being handsomely rewarded financially because he has performed as instructed. So I won’t shoot the ‘mouthpiece’ but look beyond to see who is doing what in the corridors of power and concentrating on Doncaster allows them to continue unhindered.
Perhaps it’s for the best as far as fans are concerned and it certainly seems to me there is little appetite to look beyond Doncaster who in my book is nothing more than a panto villain designed to distract the masses.
Auldheid says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:55 am
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ParaHandy 1.04
No need to wait for AGM. Questions already being raised for answers at the 2nd Supporters Forum in early June.
=======================
Good to hear Auldheid, hopefully you will get more than a no comment!
For those who were looking for the link concerning the Perth/Dundee derbies of yore, here it is:
http://www.cricketscotland.com/news/article/when-dominant-perth-dundee-sporting-rivalry-was-cr/
Campbellsmoney says:
May 23, 2014 at 10:10 am
Spurred on by your cricket quote CM but also going back to the electrical supplier.
In his case (only by the details of it posted) I would regard that as ‘cheeky entrepreneurship.’ That is a world away from the eventual purchaser, in this case of the wagon loads of stuff, being very closely related, or proven to be in cahoots with the seller, who is simultaneously stuffing his creditors, and doing so in the full knowledge of the administrators who’s sole goal appears to be to cover their fee (in which case why the hell not sell for 10% of wholesale, as long as it covers said fee). It is a further world away from an administrator trying to purchase more stuff (or a centre forward if memory serves) to benefit the bust entity, and specifically not the creditors.
A bit OT
A day or so ago a few gents here on the blog where discussing the merits and de-merits of football/ tv on the internet . Also at least 1 person saying they had canceled their subscription to Sky tv
On both subjects I would advice all concerned to look at Xbmc a free app and then consider their views and also Why can’t leagues like SPFL not take advantage of this technology ? With either a ppv or subscription package
As it would be on the internet there would be no limit to how many games they Could show or at what times and what days
Ecobhoy
“then why is he stgill in a job and why wan’t he sacked by August 2012 at the latest.”
Exactly. The same can be said of Messers Ogilvie and Regan.
If the clubs were unhappy with their job performance, then why would Mr Regan get a bonus and a pay rise, Mr Ogilvie be re-elected, and Mr Doncaster get a spiffy new job as head honcho of the whole league?
Removing any or all of these three will not change the SFA/SPFL in any way whatsoever. If people want genuine re-construction then everyone who sat on a board at he SFA or SPL/SFL at the time of Rangers entering Administration has to go.
What date is payday this month.
Been lurking quietly for a while.
I believe it to be a fact that our Clubs are complicit in all that has happened and is happening.
All of them from Stranraer to Wick Academy.
I’ve said it before when I told the story about some of the Rangers demise cash carve ups my brother in law told me about.
From the 5 way agreement, to the Armageddon Scaremongering to the TV Contract Incompetence and all the other bad stuff that regularly gets buried and or swept under carpets.
Blaming Doncaster or RCO and Regan for the endemic corruption, constant finagling and spin might be cathartic for us but they are just paid servants.
And sadly I’m not sure there is a will for real change in the ranks of our chairman.
There certainly seems to be no rallying point for a rapid evolution to a better place.
As Turnbull demonstrates in his “time to move on and Honest Mistakes way of thinking” they can fill their lives just keeping their clubs above the water and it is also easier and safer for them all to keep their heads below the parapet when it comes to bigger issues especially if it includes the dead club and its current symbiotic franchise with all its dark side baggage.
Lennon’s departure is a symptom of an SPFL which will never be more than a feeder system for bigger clubs and leagues elsewhere and our management set up is exacerbating and will continue to exacerbate our problems so we could well get worse.
Scottish Football (as an entity) is totally short-termist.
It has no leadership, no men of vision and an overwhelmingly flawed balance of economies which sees one very well run team (Celtic) the overwhelming favourite for all major domestic silverware.
That’s not their fault and the old duopoly was no better for the game so is not a best practice model.
However when it goes wrong and they get knocked out of cups it is wonderful for us all and we are all St Johnstone, or Aberdeen or DUFC fans on the day but if nothing else changes that will be the odd occasion rather than a Brave New Reality.
Pity.
Big Pinks numbers shows our game will survive and that the nonsense spouted two years ago by our overpaid leaders was pure bollocks but that doesn’t get away from the fact that our game as a whole has no strategy apart from survival because that is what our clubs (or most of them) are fixated with.
Survival dominates the agendas.
Ownership is not democratic and fan input is not really welcomed.
And the fans don’t know how to change it because it is not a real marriage apart from season-book time when for a length of time shorter than a panda ovulation period the clubs need us.
Scottish Football needs a root and branch hostile takeover by the fans.
But first they need a vision to sign up to.
We need to help them because RCO, Regan, Doncaster et al sure as hell are not capable and the old saying will dominate.
“If you always do what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you got before”.
Thats not an acceptable scenario.
Finloch says:
May 23, 2014 at 11:39 am
I would only add that the bar for being a successful executive in Scottish Football, (and British Industry), is so low that a world class limbo dancer would struggle to get under it.
Given all the talk of speedy wingers and mention of Bobby Lennox I note there are photos flying around on the web of the Lisbon Lions heading back there for the CL final.
Lennox, who is now 70, looks like he could still turn in a good shift if he kitted up.
What DO CEOs Do All Day ?
It’s just over three years before Mr Wallace’s business plan requires him to limber up for a Champions League qualifier. So having seen my own club’s impressive rise along a similar trajectory, propelled by the rocket fuel of oil riches, I’ve been looking for signs of Mr Wallace’s preparation for that auspicious day sans cash.
As my dear Gran would say “handsome is as handsome does young man” and so I’m looking specifically at what Mr Wallace has done – not just what he has said. The best expansion of Gran’s maxim I’ve come across is the best-selling “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. It postulates, at length, that success is a natural consequence of doing habitually the things that contribute to success. And it recommends that we all try to learn and practise these habits if we wish to be more successful – and by inference that we leave behind the seven habits of highly ineffective people – which I guess must be the seven deadly sins explained at length in a much better selling book.
I’ve been looking for these habits and I see little evidence of their application by Mr Wallace or his board or his plc or his football club. Which makes me wonder whether the natural consequence of his actions will be the football success he promises or just more pain for the people. Maybe the signs are too subtle for me to see and I’ve missed the obvious – or maybe Mr Wallace is going commando in the business world, oblivious to the bemusement of simple souls like me and my Gran.
If you are not familiar with “7 Habits” Mr Wallace – here’s a summary – http://www.quickmba.com/mgmt/7hab/ The other book can be found in the bedside drawer of any five star hotel.
wottpi says:
May 23, 2014 at 11:51 am
Given all the talk of speedy wingers and mention of Bobby Lennox I note there are photos flying around on the web of the Lisbon Lions heading back there for the CL final.
Lennox, who is now 70, looks like he could still turn in a good shift if he kitted up.
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Just about the right age to get a call from Ally, and about as much sell on value as Millar, Boyd, Mcculloch etc. 😀
mcfc says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:09 pm
It looks like he’s just “Sharpening the saw”, when he should in fact be looking for the pruning shears!
Is Charles Green back on the scene down Govan way? Talk of a US /Canada tour, I wonder if he has an email to prove it.. Of course this could be mad speculation from a board looking to sell more shares to cover football redundancies and maybe to get out of an onerous contract or two. They should maybe concentrate on putting a team out at Ibrox for the start of the season.
I believe before the season starts a safety certificate for the stadia has to be approved. Does anyone know if this is true? I am sure it will be an impartial professional undertaking. Based on what’s been speculated about the state of the Ibrox buildings there could be a large bill for repairs never mind paying for top accommodation in the US and Canada. Maybe you can paint rust.
Interesting article of football financial reporting:
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/football-finance-study-shows-inadequacies-1-3420654
JimBhoy says:
May 23, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Is Charles Green back on the scene down Govan way?
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Argh those were the days – laugh a minute showmanship – have you heard what he’s said now ????
I always wondered how Charles would manage to leave Glasgow without a lynch mob in close pursuit – but now those seems like the golden years – so long ago – but actually less than a single year if Mr Patterson’s police complaint is correct. In just twelve short months Charles has slipped off the radar with a ferry load of cash from head buffoon to somewhere in the middle of a list of culpable but somehow blameless Rangers men who mark way points on the journey from supremacy to penury.
@MCFC actually its if Mr Patterson is correct about RIFC lodgements at that Pesky, for Sevco and previously Whytes Rangers. Companies House 😆
https://twitter.com/CelticResearch/status/469802827901321216/photo/1
Now that’s interesting!
spanishcelt says:
wottpi says:
May 23, 2014 at 11:51 am
Given all the talk of speedy wingers and mention of Bobby Lennox I note there are photos flying around on the web of the Lisbon Lions heading back there for the CL final.
Lennox, who is now 70, looks like he could still turn in a good shift if he kitted up.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Just about the right age to get a call from Ally, and about as much sell on value as Millar, Boyd, Mcculloch etc. 😀
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Spanishcelt…I also have in mind one Franisco Gento….childhood memories from Hampden 1960…yes I was there…!
neepheid says:
May 23, 2014 at 3:17 pm
https://twitter.com/CelticResearch/status/469802827901321216/photo/1
Now that’s interesting!
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A large number of things changed in 2012 as the national system of how all SFA clubs were licenced was overhauled and from memory I think the driver was new Uefa Regs of the same year which primarily related to SPL clubs but could apply to lower league clubs who qualified to play in European competition.
Whether there is any change to a specific ground in terms of gantry provision would be determined by the category of national SFA licencing that club was in viz: Gold, silver, bronze or entry and there might be a platinum as well.
I previously thought I had a good idea what this licencing was all about but obviously I was wrong and missed that it’s part of a larger and darker plot hatched with Uefa and agreed by every SFA affiliated club to save Rangers 😎
I previously thought I had a good idea what this licencing was all about but obviously I was wrong and missed that it’s part of a larger and darker plot hatched with Uefa and agreed by every SFA affiliated club to save Rangers 😎
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I don’t really understand why SFA licencing would require any changes to the SFL rulebook. And especially a change from a higher to a lower standard of provision? But I’m sure that it’s all a coincidence, just one of many.
Very dull for a Friday isn’t it?
Campbellsmoney says:
May 23, 2014 at 4:47 pm
Very dull for a Friday isn’t it?
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Can a suggest “Ready To Listen Phase 2” if you want a bit of a chuckle – http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6989-ready-to-listen-phase-2
Talk about the dance band on the Titanic – the Board fiddle with their spreadsheet as the plates pop rivets and the hull creaks and pulls a sunder.
addendum
67% of fans think the Board are lying Barstewarts
79% of fans would not trust the Easdales with a half eaten sandwich
83% of fans haven’t the slightest clue how bad things are
117% of fans think the Board have a cunning plan
77% of fans still think that “Rangers Men” are a good thing
Campbellsmoney says:
May 23, 2014 at 4:47 pm
7 1 Rate This
Very dull for a Friday isn’t it?
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The calm before the storm? Or perhaps everyone in the football world is off on holiday? I hear the whitewater in the Grand Canyon is great this year.
Campbellsmoney says:
May 23, 2014 at 4:47 pm
Very dull for a Friday isn’t it?
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👿
Campbellsmoney says:
May 23, 2014 at 4:47 pm
Very dull for a Friday isn’t it?
Paolo Di Canio wants back into management 😉 😉
Campbellsmoney says:
May 23, 2014 at 4:47 pm
11
1
Rate This
Very dull for a Friday isn’t it?
mcfc says:
May 23, 2014 at 5:21 pm
4
0
Rate This
Campbellsmoney says:
May 23, 2014 at 4:47 pm
Very dull for a Friday isn’t it?
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Can a suggest “Ready To Listen Phase 2″ if you want a bit of a chuckle – http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6989-ready-to-listen-phase-2
======================
What a load of absolute tosh. This is just a bag of jumbled up numbers dished up for the deluded who believe that the ‘Board’ really give a toss about them.
Resolution 12. Latest update.from Phil
neepheid says:
May 23, 2014 at 4:14 pm
I don’t really understand why SFA licencing would require any changes to the SFL rulebook. And especially a change from a higher to a lower standard of provision? But I’m sure that it’s all a coincidence, just one of many.
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If you actually look at the Celtic Research piece then you will see that they are comparing the 2009 SFA licencing handbook with the 2012 SFA licencing handbook and the SFL Rules aren’t mentioned.
On licencing matters it’s the SFA who set the licence requirements as Football’s national body in conjunction with Uefa – it wasn’t the SFL or SPL and also isn’t the SPFL.
You say there is a change from a higher to a lower standard but I think you may have misinterpreted what actually happened.
Prior to 2012 – for the purposes we are discussing – there was the SPL and the SFL. From 2012 because the whole licencing system – and not just the tiny bit dealing with TV gantries – was overhauled and changed and clubs put in different classes such as: Gold; Silver; Bronze; and Entry depending on what criteria they met.
Gold and Silver clubs still needed gantries and Bronze and Entry levels didn’t. So before you can say whether a club has a licence requirement requiring a gantry or not you would need to check what class it was in under the SFA licencing system.
I personally haven’t felt the need to check whether the clubs that Rangers played were required under their licence to have a gantry or not but it’s easily checked. However I’m not sure whether that info takes us because if a gantry existed in Gold or Silver club then the broadcaster shouldn’t be charging for the time taken to erect and dismantle a temporary one.
There is also the possibility that even if a club didn’t require to have a gantry under its licence conditions because it was in the Bronze or Entry class that it might still have a gantry. If that were the case the broadcasters similarly couldn’t charge for erecting/dismantling one.
At the end of the day the gantry factor is only one of many factors which contribute to the cost of an Outside Broadcast so I am slightly at a loss to understand why it has attained such significance.
The real question here is why the SPL negotiating panel and the SPL clubs accepted the deal that was done with the broadcaster. And Doncaster most certainly didn’t act alone – a fact which many seem to find difficulty in accepting possibly because of the make-up of the negotiating committee.
Cluster One says:
May 23, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Thanks Cluster One, I was nearly nodding off 😉
Cluster One says:
May 23, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Resolution 12. Latest update.from Phil
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It’s certainly an important one and much praise for those behind raising the issue and getting it to this stage.
On the subject of resolutions, if I didn’t say so at the time it was discussed, I thought the campaign to get Celtic to pay the living wage to all employees as a minimum was a fantastic initiative. Wish it had gone through at the time and hopefully will at some point in the future. The more high profile companies adopt such a wage Structure the more it will pressure others to follow. Not something I’ve said massively often, but on this occasion well played Celtic fans / shareholders.
I don’t know the moderation poicy on this site. I am not having a go at this site. The biggest football story of the last 36 hours in Scotland has been NL walking from Celtic. But the big story on this site is an old TV deal. Comments like ” very dull for a Friday ” and ” thanks Cluster One ,I was nearly dropping off ” are not a good sign. I am not a “Troll” and enjoy this site and have had a post removed for a reason I do not understand despite a polite request to the Admin of the site. If this is still TRTC site then come clean. The story of the day as far as I am concerned is the return of MCFC as I a was sure he was Mr Wallace. 😀
Res 12 is important
– Fairness is a not so common a word these days – principle to be supported
CFC Guys + Gals to be commended
BDO six month liquidation report due
After 18 months there should be something of substance to – Report
Hector I was also surprised at the lack of comment here on Mr Lennon’s departure. I took it to be a stance of respect from the (probably majority) Celtic fans here by not turning this neutral blog into a Celtic message board, of which it has been accused in the past. I for one was concerned that we might have ended up in a Celtic / Lennon zone for ages, but on reflection I’d have preferred that to the talk about the TV deal!
For what it’s worth I think there are two aspects to Mr Lennon’s departure, one which is probably best suited to Celtic forums (the football impact to Celtic) and another which is very much relevant to us all here, namely what it says about Scottish footballs current state when an ambitious manager of the most successful side feels the only way to further his ambition is to leave.
hector says:
May 23, 2014 at 8:26 pm
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‘I was nearly dropping off’ was, simply, a comment on how quiet the site was. No ulterior motives. 🙄
Personally, as a non-CFC fan, I was impressed with the restraint of the CFC fans at not really getting into the ‘Lennon goes’ thing. I saw it as another sign of the maturity of this forum that the – let’s face it – majority tried to avoid the issue on here because then we could again be accused of it all being about Celtic. Ryan’s point is valid, but let’s not go crazy on it.
essexbeancounter says:
May 23, 2014 at 3:56 pm
Spanishcelt…I also have in mind one Franisco Gento….childhood memories from Hampden 1960…yes I was there…!
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Still going strong at 80, the man himself was on Spanish TV today.
As a holder of 6 European Cup winner’s medals, he will be a guest of Real Madrid at the final in Lisbon tomorrow.
Campbellsmoney says:
May 23, 2014 at 6:48 am
19 0 Rate This
Stewart Milne was angry about the vote that St Mirren and Ross County opposed (I think it was the first go at reorganisation). The mini-leagues of 8 thingy.
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This is what I remember also. Milne made a fool of himself by quite publicly losing the place over that situation.
I don’t recall him having made any particular comment about the votes to allow a replacement to Rangers to start in either the SPL or SFL1.
twopanda says:
May 23, 2014 at 8:31 pm
‘..BDO six month liquidation report due..’
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Thanks ,twopanda. I had nearly, if not quite, forgotten that that was due. Not that I expect it to say terribly much more than the last one. But you never know.
On a quiet evening…
TSFM, are you satisfied that Doncaster did not mislead SPL Chairmen with inaccurate figures regarding the financial consequences of TRFC not being admitted to that division? He is paid to do that kind of research after all and his word would have been taken, had he presented his case carefully I would imagine.
You see Doncaster as being, ” a convenient scapegoat for clubs who tell their fans one thing (like their love of sporting integrity) whilst directing the likes of Doncaster and Regan 180 degrees away from that”. That is a very big point.
When Doncaster said on Sportsound, “There is no mechanism for relegating them, It’s the SPL or nothing”, are you suggesting that he was advised to take that line by club chairmen of whom Finloch remarks,” can fill their lives just keeping their clubs above the water”, based on an intrinsic fear of relegation, or was he speaking on behalf of chairmen who had been terrified by his own construction of Armageddon, or was he articulating his own preferred position for whatever reason?
I am not being critical here, this is something that needs clarity, for fans of all SP(F)L clubs.
Smugas says:
May 23, 2014 at 9:23 am
7 0 Rate This
Dutchmul says:
May 22, 2014 at 11:37 pm
You could be right that milne got upset over the knockback for sevco into div 1, it was definitely stewart milne who lost the plot after one of the votes though, I remember seeing him on tv and thought he was going to burst a blood vessel.
Campbellsmoney says:
May 23, 2014 at 6:48 am
Stewart Milne was angry about the vote that St Mirren and Ross County opposed (I think it was the first go at reorganisation). The mini-leagues of 8 thingy.
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Correct. His exact words (as close as I can recall them) though were odd. It was something like that they (St M & RC) didn’t like the Plan A but he added “and I didn’t think much of their plan B either.” Again if my recollective powers are to be trusted it was shortly after this that Milne voted with CFC on the 11-1 structure.
Now perhaps it was a sarky comment to say that they were blocking what Milne clearly thought was a done deal (and without getting into the merits of the triple-8 structure it seemed to be the late in the day timescale that particularly irked him) and that he was criticising the fact that they didn’t have a Plan B, but I always wondered if there was more to it than that.
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I’m pretty certain the vote where Aberdeen sided with Celtic on the 11-1 voting system took place before the vote on the 8-8-8 structure. You may recall there was some irony in this as it was the 11-1 structure that allowed St Mirren and Ross County to block what the others were proposing.
Ryan, well done for bringing up the Lennon departure story. I guess many Celtic fans have taken this to our own forums, which explains the lack of posts today. Quite right and natural too. I’m pleased that it didn’t take over debate on TSFM. But you also raise a good point re how this reflects on the Scottish game. Two points for me – 1) Which club NL finds as his next employer – how will that reflect comparatively with his achievements in SPL? and 2) NL’s successor – fan and media expectations as to stature and cost, and to Celtic’s strategy?
My view on the departure of Neil Lennon.
Bad career move
A spell in the English championship followed by a job as a BT pundit awaits.
Bill1903 – that assumes he is a bad manager. He is clearly not. Poor cup runs aside, if you look at the Celtic he took over and the one he left behind, regardless of Rangers’ travails, he has clearly done a good job.
Bailemeanach – I think a lot depends on what Mr Lennon sees in the club he chooses for his next challenge. I am quite clear in my head, although others may disagree, that his next club will be one of his choosing. He will look for a setup where he can build a team I believe, based on his experiences at Celtic where he always had to let his best players go, and therefore I think he will not be averse to a Championship club with ambition. I think the guy is quite astute, and will not look on a Championship job as a Chamionship job, he will look on it as a one year delayed Premiership job. But that’s if he doesn’t get into a Premiership job right away. Its not for me to say how good a manager he is as I haven’t followed him that closely, the couple of things I can say about him are that he has a mental strength about him above most other mortals, and he can take a struggling team and make it better. Both of these statements are documented fact. Regardless, I wish him the best. I’ve said previously on here that for whatever reason he rubs me up the wrong way at times, but I think he is a decent man and a good football manager who has had to put up with **** that nobody should have to put up with. And from what I’ve read on his intellectual reasons for leaving, I’d do the same if I was him.
Ryan I am a fan of your contributions on here, and didn’t TU said post, however (and I may be wrong) I don’t think that such comments re Mr McCoist’s girth are prevalent on this blog. They are plentiful elsewhere, however I think this site is above such nonsense
RyanGosling says:
May 23, 2014 at 10:09 pm
____________________________
Ryan, I got TUs for saying I was ‘nodding off’ so I wouldn’t worry too much. 😕
It’s a difficult one, Ryan.
As a Rangers fan on here since the beginning, I’ve found that I’ve accrued more TU than TD (apart from this post maybe! lol) and have no need to complain.
I expect that when a Rangers fan does show up, then there may well be the temptation to automatically TD their post from some people.
If I supported any of the other teams (as in EVERY other team) who have been disadvantaged by the use of hidden letters and dodgy contract dealings of Rangers, then I would probably be the same myself.
I often read comments on Rangers website re the EBT scandal and think to myself “what would you guys be saying if that was Celtic?” The Bear Land Experts would be pretty sharpish chucking in their tomfoolery and studying tax law, I can tell you that much.
In the meantime there’s a couple of us on here who happen to support a team that play in blue at Ibrox, don’t follow the “heritage” and just want to see our team do well in the situation that they’re in, with no help from the authorities.
It’s only a thumb either way after all.
As it were.