Armageddon? What Armageddon?

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.

Average Weekly Attendances SPL 2011-2014

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.

ex Celtic & Rangers

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;

  1. Since Rangers’ liquidation and subsequent absence from the top league, the average home attendance of the other clubs has INCREASED overall (See Fig 2).
  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).
  3. 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.
  4. In that time, both Dunfermline Athletic and Hearts (who both had historical financial problems) entered – and exited – administration after fan-led buyouts.
  5. Dundee United have cleared off their bank debt.
  6. Kilmarnock have restructured their bank debt, freeing the club from a precarious long-term situation.
  7. 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.

table

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.

Excluding Celtic

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!

* Source ESPN          

This entry was posted in General by Big Pink. Bookmark the permalink.
John Cole

About Big Pink

Big Pink is John Cole; a former schoolteacher based in the West of Scotland, He is also a print and broadcast journalist who is engaged in the running of SFM . Former gigs include Newstalk 106, the Celtic View, and Channel67. A Celtic fan, he is also the voice of our podcast initiative.

2,810 thoughts on “Armageddon? What Armageddon?


  1. StevieBC says:
    May 17, 2014 at 6:10 pm
    7 0 Rate This

    Didn’t manage to see the game – but congrats to St. Johnstone. This Armageddon has truly created some ‘silver lining’ opportunities for honest clubs !
    =============================================================
    Mr Doncaster…may I call you Neil…? Do you have ears to listen?


  2. Oh….and had a thoroughly enjoyable day at the final, good atmosphere in the pub before the game (both sets of fans present) and a great atmosphere in the ground and a decent display from both teams.

    Not the result I was hoping for but congratulations to St Johnstone.

    As a United fan I know what it’s like to wait a long time for a Scottish Cup win and how much this will mean to them.


  3. ecobhoy says:
    May 17, 2014 at 9:10 pm
    1 1 Rate This

    HirsutePursuit says:
    May 17, 2014 at 7:55 pm

    Widget is a word created by the author/playwright George S Kaufman for the play Beggers on Horseback in 1924. Sorry, can’t help myself.
    =======================================
    Ah HP what what did it mean? And is that the same meaning as it means today? Sorry not good enough – we need a Bryson Definition 😆
    ================================================
    Ecobhoy…some poor demented sod gave you a “TD” for that piece of “Ecobhoy” wit…I am sure you will get over it…!


  4. Hi John Clark,
    That Spiers, English, Jackson say what they say is one thing.

    What a supposed football supporter of “xxx” team/club on a call-in radio “show” says is a completely different affair.

    Every Celtic supporter I have spoken to today, while regretting a chance to have secured a double, is happy that there was a great final today in the best environment possible.

    Please, if possible, refrain from latching Celtic onto anything to do with the “dead” club in your posts. Unfortunately, whether you are aware of it or not, that’s what you did in your last post.
    The SMSM do it regularly but they are paid to do that.

    Merci beaucoup.


  5. Bill1903 says:
    May 17, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    Great picture of Stuart Cosgrove celebrating with his son Jack.
    Nothing better than sharing a victory with your son/daughter imho
    (Ecobhoy would disagree obviously
    ===========================================
    What a strange comment. What exactly is your point? And if it’s what I think it might be then why don’t you repeat the original post that I took exception to? Then people will have the full picture to be able to make an informed judgement on my exception to children being forcefully ‘groomed’ to follow a parent’s choice of team.


  6. A very entertaining and exciting ( and a bit unexpectedly puzzling as well,I have to say, in terms of how the teams actually played) cup final was, for me, kind of spoiled by the presence of CO in his ( utterly unworthy) capacity as President of the SFA.
    The brass-necked shamelessness of a man whose ‘inabilities’ to perform his duties objectively and dispassionately, an inability that has led at least indirectly to the death of what had been a club dear to his heart, and brought great discredit and embarrassment to the organisation of which he is the head, is, frankly, quite, quite staggering.
    But then, like Macbeth, perhaps he realises that any sign of regret, any comment whatsoever, would be regarded as a confession of guilt-at least to the crime of ineptitude if nothing else, and spoil any plan he nurtures to seek nomination to the Home Countries FIFA post.
    God forbid that such a man should ever speak for Scottish Football in the councils of FIFA.


  7. essexbeancounter says:
    May 17, 2014 at 9:31 pm

    0

    0

    Rate This

    ecobhoy says:
    May 17, 2014 at 9:10 pm
    1 1 Rate This

    HirsutePursuit says:
    May 17, 2014 at 7:55 pm

    Widget is a word created by the author/playwright George S Kaufman for the play Beggers on Horseback in 1924. Sorry, can’t help myself.
    =======================================
    Ah HP what what did it mean? And is that the same meaning as it means today? Sorry not good enough – we need a Bryson Definition 😆
    ================================================
    Ecobhoy…some poor demented sod gave you a “TD” for that piece of “Ecobhoy” wit…I am sure you will get over it…!
    ===========================================
    I must assume they are a half-wit then and will immediately go and give myself a TU to make them totally witless 🙄


  8. As a Celt, I enjoyed the Final today. As for the so-called Celt on the phone-in? I only know one mate who’s missing them.
    I know a lot of us are disappointed that our board haven’t done more to help along a second “Armageddon”, but as Napoleon is supposed to have said “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake”. Personally I’m enjoying the pantomime!
    By the way. Is it just me, or has anybody else noticed that it’s only Bluenoses who say that “Scottish fitba’s $!!!!”?


  9. sixtaeseven says:
    May 17, 2014 at 9:40 pm
    ‘..Please, if possible, refrain from latching Celtic onto anything to do with the “dead” club in your posts.’
    ———-
    Not quite with you,67.
    I was ATTACKING the idea that any Celtic fan ‘misses’ the dead club, and instead expressing the view that when someone phones in to say the opposite, the last thing he can be is a genuine Celtic fan: more likely a stooge or a plant on behalf of that element in the BBC and the print SMSM that cannot tolerate the notion of either the dead club or the new club being irrelevant.


  10. Thoroughly enjoyed today’s Armageddon final.
    Almost as much as I enjoyed Phil’s use of the word “revolting” in his latest offering.

    Keep up the good work Phil.
    My thinking is that this summer might be as entertaining as that of 2012.

    Scottish fitba fans need to Stand Free 😉


  11. Well done to St Johnstone.
    Well deserved on so many levels.

    But the choice of making an announcement from Castle Greyskull on the night of the wee club’s triumph should leave no one in any doubt the game would be better without the team from Govan. Still Nae class, Nae dignity and Nae future.

    Tonight I raise a glass to the team from Perth and hope my calls for getting the Govan mess sorted sooner that later are heeded.


  12. Well what can I say – I went to CP today and I have to be honest and say I wasn’t terribly impressed by the Dundee Utd performance. They just didn’t seem up for the occasion.

    But having said that it was still an enjoyable game with lots of good football from both sides. There have been plenty of games at CP that I haven’t enjoyed as much as today’s encounter.

    And the Saintees support – they were magnificent and never stopped supporting from even before the first whistle till they left the stadium. Awesome they were. A real mixed support of all ages and tons of females and kids and family groups. Looks like a real good basis for the club to build on.

    I thought the guy beside me was a Saintee till we got chatting at halftime – turns out he’s a St Mirren supporter and despite the probs with his own team he came along to the game and his opening comment to me was: ‘Some Armageddon eh?’ Some Armageddon indeed 😆

    Many would have wanted a half-empty CP today to suit their own twisted agenda – but ordinary decent supporters buried them along with their Armageddon tripe and turned-out to support their teams.

    And my partner after her first football game is already asking about a ST for Celtic Park – don’t know about that right enough as she might have daft notions about heading straight home after the game 🙄


  13. Rougvielovesthejungle- the use of “revolting” was mildly amusing given what I’m sure was an intended double meaning. The use of the term “genocide choir” in a previous blog was neither amusing or tasteful.


  14. Many congratulations to all the St Johnstone and Dundee United players and supporters who provided a thoroughly entertaining and exciting Scottish Cup Final.
    While the football was never classic, it is refreshing to see every player on the pitch providing 100% effort and playing the game in the true spirit of football.
    Fantastic attendance by both sets of supporters, despite every effort of the SFA to restrict the crowd with a ludicrous ticket pricing policy.
    As a Hibs supporter who has never seen their team win the Scottish Cup Final, I am sure that every St Johnstone supporter will treasure the memories of today forever.
    As for the SFA and SMSM Armageddon doom monger predictions GIRFUY


  15. ecobhoy says:
    May 17, 2014 at 9:44 pm
    3 3 Rate This

    Bill1903 says:
    May 17, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    Great picture of Stuart Cosgrove celebrating with his son Jack.
    Nothing better than sharing a victory with your son/daughter imho
    (Ecobhoy would disagree obviously
    ===========================================
    What a strange comment. What exactly is your point? And if it’s what I think it might be then why don’t you repeat the original post that I took exception to? Then people will have the full picture to be able to make an informed judgement on my exception to children being forcefully ‘groomed’ to follow a parent’s choice of team.
    ————————————–
    Forcefully groomed !!!! Ffs 😀 😀
    My son got a ‘best dribbler at Pittodrie ‘ bib and bought the occasional kit as a child.
    He got taken to a game as soon as I thought he was old enough to appreciate it.
    Any parent(you’re so obviously not) will tell you that it very difficult to ‘force’ a teenager to do anything. He’s now in his 20’s and thankfully still follows the Dons.
    His sister for some reason supports Liverpool and England but that’s her choice.
    My son was actually at the cup final today with two friends(Crewe fans) Thoroughly enjoyed their day by all accounts and are out in Glasgow tonight.
    Your previous post was judged by the enormous amount of thumbs downs it received before it was deleted. 😉
    Anyway I don’t come here to argue with anyone so carry on your (mostly) excellent work


  16. parttimearab says:
    May 17, 2014 at 9:17 pm
    StevieBC says:
    May 17, 2014 at 6:10 pm
    Was Ogilvie there
    ————————–
    Not only was President Ogilvie present in the flesh but he was kind enough to pen a little epistle in the match programme covering the current state of Scottish football which included the following wee gem…

    “While there have been plenty positives, as is ever the case in Scottish football, there remains a degree of negativity and confrontation.”

    Regrettably the president did not expand on the detail or causes of this…..anyone have any idea what he might have been referring to…… 🙄
    ============================
    Don’t think he was at my game today and certainly didn’t walk to the game or use public transport – I saw no negativity today and absolutely no confrontation between the two groups of supporters who walked together to and from the stadium, shared the same public transport and drank in the same pubs. And I didn’t see the slightest problem.

    Of course CO we all know your background and know the history of confrontation it is built on. Please go asap and remove your brand of poison from Scottish Football – you are neither needed nor wanted ❗


  17. Bill1903 says:
    May 17, 2014 at 10:23 pm
    ecobhoy says:
    May 17, 2014 at 9:44 pm
    Bill1903 says:
    May 17, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    Great picture of Stuart Cosgrove celebrating with his son Jack.
    Nothing better than sharing a victory with your son/daughter imho
    (Ecobhoy would disagree obviously
    ===========================================
    What a strange comment. What exactly is your point? And if it’s what I think it might be then why don’t you repeat the original post that I took exception to? Then people will have the full picture to be able to make an informed judgement on my exception to children being forcefully ‘groomed’ to follow a parent’s choice of team.
    ————————————–
    Forcefully groomed !!!! Ffs
    My son got a ‘best dribbler at Pittodrie ‘ bib and bought the occasional kit as a child.
    He got taken to a game as soon as I thought he was old enough to appreciate it.
    Any parent(you’re so obviously not) will tell you that it very difficult to ‘force’ a teenager to do anything. He’s now in his 20′s and thankfully still follows the Dons.
    His sister for some reason supports Liverpool and England but that’s her choice.
    My son was actually at the cup final today with two friends(Crewe fans) Thoroughly enjoyed their day by all accounts and are out in Glasgow tonight.
    Your previous post was judged by the enormous amount of thumbs downs it received before it was deleted. 😉
    Anyway I don’t come here to argue with anyone so carry on your (mostly) excellent work
    ========================================
    Well I didn’t know my post was deleted and I will raise that issue with TSFM.

    However either explain your strange comment today regarding myself or post the original post made and let people decide for themselves.

    I have no idea why you are personalisng this with comments like: ‘Any parent (you’re so obviously not) . . . ‘.

    It would appear you have a problem with me for some reason. All I ask is that you explain your comment today or repost the original post which you are referring to. It really is that simple. And whether people wish to TD or TU or express no opinion is their choice.


  18. http://www.yaelf.com/aueFAQ/mifwdgtntsbywllmcw.shtml

    “widget” (notes by William C. Waterhouse)

    (Word Origins)

    “Widget” is a deliberately invented word meant (probably) to suggest “gadget”. Most dictionaries fail to trace it to its origin. It comes from the 1924 play “Beggar on Horseback”, by George Kaufman and Marc Connelly. In the play, a young composer gets engaged to the daughter of a rich businessman, and the next part of the play acts out his nightmare of what his life will be like, doing pointless work in a bureaucratic big business. At one point he encounters his father-in-law at work, and we get the following dialogue:

    (Father-in-law): Yes, sir! Big business!
    —- Yes. Big business. What business are we in?
    —- Widgets. We’re in the widget business.
    —- The widget business?
    —- Yes, sir! I suppose I’m the biggest manufacturer in the world of overhead and underground A-erial widgets.

    Part of the point, of course, is that no one ever tells him what “widgets” are.

    So exactly like the Bryson interpretation then 🙂


  19. ecobhoy says:

    May 17, 2014 at 10:10 pm
    Well what can I say – I went to CP today and I have to be honest and say I wasn’t terribly impressed by the Dundee Utd performance. They just didn’t seem up for the occasion.

    Utd had the same problem when they played at ibrox.(but still got the result). It’s something Jackie will have to work on


  20. HirsutePursuit says:
    May 17, 2014 at 10:39 pm

    OK HP I have to confess you’ve got me on that one but not to worry I’ll rewrite the rule book 😎


  21. ptd1978 says:
    May 17, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    What a game. Congrats to St Johnstone and commiserations to United.
    A great day and a great advert for what Scottish football can be.
    OT but congrats also to Athletico. A true touch of class from Barca’s fans, staying to applaud Athletico.
    =============================
    I think it worth noting that to a man, woman and child the Saintee Support applauded the Dundee Utd team when they received their medals.


  22. rougvielovesthejungle says:
    May 17, 2014 at 10:00 pm
    Thank you.
    It has been a great day for Scottish football.
    As stated in the piece my affections today were with the team in blue playing at Celtic Park…
    Delighted for them!


  23. Loved the Cup Final. Two committed teams, and end to end stuff. Really enjoyed it!


  24. ecobhoy says:
    May 17, 2014 at 10:23 pm

    Not only was President Ogilvie present in the flesh but he was kind enough to pen a little epistle in the match programme covering the current state of Scottish football which included the following wee gem…

    “While there have been plenty positives, as is ever the case in Scottish football, there remains a degree of negativity and confrontation.”…
    ============================
    His lack of self awareness is quite breathtaking.

    Most fans, [i.e. most of his paying customers], are fully aware that the SFA President himself has single-handedly generated a not insignificant amount of this negativity – by remaining in post !

    IMO, he’s only going to leave the 6th floor on his own terms…and I’d guess he believes in his own head that he is entitled to a promotion to UEFA or FIFA. 👿


  25. Should the president of the SFA eventually seek pastures new and arrive at UEFA,
    he will be surrounded by many other self centered individuals who only have their own interests at heart and would not give a thought for the honest, law abiding football clubs and supporters. They deserve each other.


  26. briggsbhoy says:
    May 17, 2014 at 4:56 pm
    46 1 Rate This

    Well that was a most enjoyable game for the neutral and I’m sure it will be a better game than the FA final. Well done St Johnstone and hard luck United, thanks for the entertainment you provided today. Armagedon my arse

    Good evening/morning. I’ve had a few pints celebrating something else. I agree, I enjoyed the game today

    Could it be a case of My Arsemageddon? (c) RO&H


  27. Evening all,

    I enter the fray for the first time, buoyed and emboldened by my team securing their first trophy for 130 years. I have been lured out of my lurking to make a couple of points. Firstly, I know much has been made of the armageddon, or the lack thereof. For me, as a supporter of a diddy team, the passing of Rangers underscores how competitive the leagues and cups should have been if the playing field had been level. But looking at the game today, and this season in general, Rangers are becoming increasingly irrelevant. Not in the short-term- they will continue to divert attention in a car-crash sort of way- but in the long-term- their model of business matched an economy and a Scottish football that now feels pre-historic. It was part of the fabric of the SFA, an interdependence that is being eroded and weakened. And once that erosion has started it will be very difficult to reverse. Don`t get me wrong- the perpetrators in the Ranger’s saga should be hunted down and prosecuted and hung out to dry- but from a footballing perspective, they are rudderless and probably torpedoed beneath the hull.

    I live in England. When RTC first started posting and I started engaging unsuspecting members of the public on trains and buses on the negative impact of Rangers on Scottish Football, the feeling from those that I engaged was that this would be the death knell, that what was left, the moribund shell of a once vibrant football nation, would eventually die on its arse. However, both empowered by the knowledge from RTC, and the experience of my team, I knew this not to be the case. By being able to win trophies and qualify for Europe, you hold on to your better players and your manager, and therefore are able to perform at a higher level- it really isn`t complicated. I don`t know if Tommy and Stevie May will still be in Perth in August, but they are making all the right noises. Why go and manage Huddersfield if you can try your hand at European football (again!). Why sit on the bench for Middlesbrough when you can play every week. More broadly, amongst my public transport travelling brethren, there seemed to be little recognition what the impact of the financial doping of one team in a small country such as Scotland was. I am encouraged by how quickly the green shoots of recovery have appeared: the recent success of the Scotland under-17s is something of great encouragement, and so were the figures of Scottish players in the SPL last season. Long may it continue.

    My second point is shorter- I sit next to an Arsenal supporter at work. He has often complained about the lack of silverware and lack of investment in the team. I have reminded him that he should be proud to support a team that tries to compete within their own budget, and not be dependent on dubious external sources. Therefore, on a day when St Johnstone, one of the better (the best!) run clubs in Scotland wins the cup, I am pleased that Arsenal have also won in England. The more teams that can demonstrate that living within their means can deliver success, will hopefully lead to a re-calibration of what a successful football team looks like and how it is resourced.

    Now some more prosaic points. I spoke to my brother as he left the stadium with his kids and my dad this evening. They were surrounded by United fans. No hint of trouble or intimidation. A final played and watched in the spirit that it should be.

    And lastly, being in England, I listened to the game on Radio Scotland. I thought that generally they did a good job (I didn`t listen to off the ball after the game, so missed out on Speirs). With the exception of Chic Young. At half time, all he wanted to talk about was how poor the quality of football was, and how empty the stadium was. He sounded like he hated Scottish Football (or at least what Scottish Football has become in the last two years). I really think it is time he was pensioned off.

    Obviously I will have another small drink to celebrate my team’s success, but do so with the sense that we are all starting to move into a new era for football in Scotland. The SFA is no longer fit for purpose and I think there is recognition that that is the case. The diddy teams, that perhaps a few years ago were extremely concerned about the future without Rangers, now realise what the past could have looked like, and what the future may hold. We shouldn`t be complacent, but I do feel like the tide is turning.


  28. Seriously off topic but more relevant than the convo regarding the widget ( This years mouldmaster??). After the events of the last two weeks, should n’t the manager of the year be chosen after the season ends? In my opinion after this seasons dust has settled it should have went to Perth or Motherwell.


  29. Palacio67 says:
    May 18, 2014 at 12:09 am
    ‘Seriously off topic…….. should n’t the manager of the year be chosen after the season ends? ‘
    ————-
    Not at all off topic, I would say.
    And I would further say that the stupid excuse that is given ( that many players and managers will be on holiday if the awards are made at the end of the season) is mind-numbing!
    What is there to prevent the awards being decided and made at the beginning of the following season?
    The big dinner and publicity fuss can be had more meaningfully and justly then.
    If the award means anything to the recipient, or the club, the meaning is not’ time dependent’.
    Or so it seems to me.


  30. Castofthousands says:
    (and anyone interested in asking questions)
    May 16, 2014 at 8:39 pm
    10

    ecobhoy says:
    May 16, 2014 at 7:58 pm

    “As to him being ready for enthronement Wikipedia clearly not only shows the steps in the process but reveals the ‘buggins turn’ that operates at the SFA.”

    I am aware that the Home Nations have gained certain privileges at FIFA/UEFA for historical reasons and that one particular vacancy is due to arise.

    http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/sfa-president-campbell-ogilvie-weighs-up-standing-for-election-as-fifa-vice-president.24054273

    Auldheid has for some time taken a keen interest in the regulatory elements of TSFM discussions and whilst not having any responsibility in this respect, I had hoped to pique his interest in the possibility of triggering an e:mail campaign that might be cathartic for the blog and perhaps even good for the governance of the game. Perhaps it is a sign of my own laziness that I do not pursue this specifically myself but equally it is motivated by an expectation that Auldheid may have accrued some information sources that might be particularly useful in flagging up such events.

    As you say, this is a team effort. I may occasionally lob a ball into hopeful space only to find there is no-one to run onto it but on other occasions my intentions may be anticipated and result in an opening for a point of attack.
    ===========================
    Sorry for delay in responding. On 2nd April I sent following to FIFA at

    https://www.bkms-system.net/bkwebanon/report/clientInfo?cin=6fifa61&language=eng It was registered under

    Reference: 10661

    I was waiting for a reply before I mentioned it but with the passage of time and no answer and some folk apparently willing to weigh in, anyone, including yourself might wish to register your own complaint in terms of referring to mine under Ref 10661 saying you support it and will FIFA let us know if they have taken any action to allow Mr Ogilvie the opportunity to clear his name.

    Separately I’ll be posting a reminder to Harper Macleod re the LNS Commissioning and concealed evidence as no reply received..

    In relation to above I have also aske HMRC for info on any approach to SPL about EBTS or HMRC’s policy on national football associations who seem to put their clubs needs above responsibilities to taxpayers and I’ll be happy lf others join in on that avenue once I have a response to my FOI request.,

    Finally Resolution 12 to the Celtic AGM presents SFA with another set of problems as shareholders ask questions that have to be answered.

    Perhaps this is what Campbell Ogilvie meant by negativity?

    Letter to FIFA.

    Last March 2013 FIFA investigated a complaint raised by contributors to the Scottish Football Monitor. The complaint can be found in full at

    http://scottishfootballmonitor.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/fair-play-at-fifa/comment-page-48/#comments.

    After investigation FIFA closed the ticket but said ” The Chairman of the Investigatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee has decided not to initiate further proceedings at this time. Please note that the Chairman is open to revisiting his decision upon review of any additional material that you believe substantiates your allegations, including your belief that the alleged conduct violated the FIFA Code of Ethics.”

    Since then additional material has emerged that suggests that those preparing the commissioning were misled by the administrators of the club under investigation withholding key evidence that would have shown that irregular payments were indeed made in the case of two players (with the nature of many other payments still to be decided by a Upper Tier Tribunal).
    The evidence also suggests that the now President of the SFA (and a potential British FIFA Vice President) Campbell Ogilvie was party to the instigation of the tax scheme subsequently deemed irregular, but failed to make any distinction in his testimony to the Independent Enquiry that would have corrected the assumptions on which the judge based his decisions. Full details can be found in the letter sent to the lawyers of the Scottish Professional Football league at

    http://www.tsfm.net/an-honest-game-convince-us/#comments
    and the evidence sent to SPFL lawyers is attached.

    The original complaint was that the decision reached by The Enquiry in terms of sporting advantage and player eligibility on incomplete registration was perverse and still requires FIFA clarification of the intent of the registration process and eligibility consequences of failure to comply. It affects all professional football globally in our opinion and the additional evidence now supplied suggests it was only possible because of the withholding of said evidence.

    We believe based on the evidence that the following General Rules of Conduct were broken.

    1. Persons bound by this Code are expected to be aware of the importance of their duties and concomitant obligations and responsibilities.

    2. Persons bound by this Code are obliged to respect all applicable laws and regulations as well as FIFA’s regulatory framework to the extent applicable to them.

    3. N/A

    4. Persons bound by this Code may not abuse their position in any way, especially to take advantage of their position for private aims or gains.

    Given the possible nomination to the post of British FIFA Vice President which has an international aspect we believe Mr Ogilvie should be granted the opportunity to clarify his position on this matter.


  31. ecobhoy says:
    May 17, 2014 at 9:44 pm

    15

    9

    Rate This

    Bill1903 says:
    May 17, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    Great picture of Stuart Cosgrove celebrating with his son Jack.
    Nothing better than sharing a victory with your son/daughter imho
    (Ecobhoy would disagree obviously
    ===========================================
    What a strange comment. What exactly is your point? And if it’s what I think it might be then why don’t you repeat the original post that I took exception to? Then people will have the full picture to be able to make an informed judgement on my exception to children being forcefully ‘groomed’ to follow a parent’s choice of team.
    _________________________________________
    This is academic.
    Forcefully grooming a child to follow a parents choice of team is not only wrong, it isn’t going to work now is it???!!!

    Any parent like me will tell you they are contrary litlle so and sos at times and if you tried to ‘make’ them e.g. follow Man City, they’d all be pulling on a red top to wind up their old man before you could say ‘grounded’.
    But there is nothing wrong – and a great deal to be commended – with a parent affording their kids the opportunity to share in the highs and lows of following a team and spending quality time together, and no greater joy when out of affection or enjoymenet they choose to actively share with you in a pastime that you have an affinity for. No one would blink about a dad taking his son or daughter fishing on a Sunday. Footy on the Saturday is the same thing.

    More kids at matches is the way forward.
    Let them in for free.


  32. Billy Boyce says:
    May 17, 2014 at 8:42 pm
    ‘…“Whilst the Board is reported to have offered legally binding undertakings during a fan group discussion in relation to Ibrox and Murray Park, this is not the case.’
    —————-
    Thanks for posting thestatement from the Board, Billy Boyce, from which I have extracted the above excerpt .
    And does it not show us the kind of merciless mendacity of that Board? Or the mendacity of those who rallied to the flag of the Castlemilk-born gilb lira?
    It certainly shows the sheer administrative incapacity ( akin to that of the ‘best administrator in the world’?) of the UoF and the Board, in failing to sign agreed minutes of their discussions before going public.
    Personally, and it’s a close call, I think I’d believe ………nothing of what comes from either party.


  33. Reminder sent to Harper Macleod and SPFL Board members.

    Dear Mr McKenzie,

    We refer to our letter of 29th March 2014. Some considerable weeks have now elapsed since we sent that letter and we do not yet appear to have received a response.

    Previously, you were kind enough to respond within 4 weeks of our initial letter to you.

    In the circumstances, we should be grateful if you would let us know when you anticipate being in a position to respond or, if you do not intend to respond, we should be grateful if you would confirm that that is the case.

    I look forward to hearing from you.

    Yours faithfully

    TSFM

    We would be grateful if the copy recipients of this e mail would forward it to the named gentlemen below in the interest of easing communication between all parties.

    Neil Doncaster CEO The Scottish Professional Football League

    Mr Stephen Thompson (Dundee United),

    Mr Eric Riley (Celtic),

    Mr Duncan Fraser (Aberdeen);

    Mr Les Gray (Hamilton)

    Mr Mike Mulraney (Alloa)

    Mr Bill Darroch (Stenhousemuir).


  34. Auldheid says:
    May 18, 2014 at 1:19 am
    ‘.Reminder sent to Harper Macleod and SPFL Board members.’
    ————–
    Good.
    The tardiness in replying is possibly an indication of uncertainty as to what the reply should be: no respectable lawyer will actually lie in print. Doubts must have been raised by your initial letter, and Harper MacLeod will be cautiously asking their clients ‘what can I truthfully ( i.e so that I won’t be disciplined by the Law Society!) say in reply?’ And not getting any help in framing a response!

    say?


  35. Auldheid, Keep at it. Deepest respect for your digging for the truth. I’m sure everyone feels the same.


  36. That statement is not saying anything new. Still can’t show you who owns what but take our word on it. What a sad state of affairs. Is it ever going to end? Real bears must absolutely sick of it.


  37. I’d also like to register my support to Auldheid & TSFM for pursuing the truth of behalf of all concerned Scottish football fans.

    As Martin Luther King Jr said “We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive”

    Incidentally, on the theme of children following their Father’s football team, I must have missed that lesson. My Dad was a Rangers fan, having been born & brought up in the shadow of Ibrox in Linthouse and was part of that great 1960’s generation of football fans, who witnessed Scottish football at it’s epoch with brilliant Celtic, Rangers, Kilmarnock & Dundee teams, not to mention the national team festooned with genuine world class players, but his only son (that’s me) became a Celtic fan.

    Now, this never caused rancour with him in the slightest & I’ve always believed that one does not pick one’s football team, it picks you. It’s a bit like your sexuality, I knew I was heterosexual from the minute I saw Kate Bush on Top of the Pops….something stirred inside me, and it was the same at aged 7, when my Uncle took me to Celtic Park and I saw Jimmy Johnstone on one wing, Bobby Lennox on the other & a young Kenny Dalglish in the middle of the park…………..from that moment I was a Celtic fan and have remained so through good and bad times some 42 years later 😯


  38. Billy Boyce says:
    May 17, 2014 at 8:42 pm
    ===============================
    So the Daily Record were a tad premature the other day by announcing the Rangers Board had ‘caved in!’

    In any case I’m really struggling to get my head round why anyone paying £300-400 for a season ticket thinks they should also get the stadium and the training ground thrown in. Who do they think they are? Part of the reason their club is in such a mess is because they applauded in Craig Whyte, and lapped up Charles Green’s nonsense, while the place was being financially dismantled in front of their very eyes. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, that I have zero sympathy with the Rangers support in this debacle. When I see such breathtaking arrogance as their demands to secure the rights to the stadium and the training ground it only hardens my view. Worse still, we have a media prepared to act as a partisan fanzine on their behalf, almost making celebrities out of some of the main fan figures. It is actually side splitting in the cold light of day.


  39. ‘…“Whilst the Board is reported to have offered legally binding undertakings during a fan group discussion in relation to Ibrox and Murray Park, this is not the case.’

    And from the Union of Fans statement

    “Representatives of the Union of Fans met with Mr Wallace, non-executive director Norman Crighton and Sandy Easdale.

    “A proposal was made by Mr Wallace that, whilst the board would not grant a security, they could consider giving a legally binding undertaking which would protect Ibrox from sale, sale and leaseback or as any form of security for a loan or other finance.

    “We made it clear to Mr Wallace that we felt it was also appropriate that they provide the same undertaking for Murray Park.”

    As per usual, the important thing with any Rangers board statement, is to examine the words that are used. The two statements noted above can happily co-exist because, once more, RIFC/TRFC have chosen to specify that no undertaking was given to protect BOTH Ibrox AND Murray Park. This is exactly what the UoF have stated.


  40. I was only able to watch the second quarter of the Dundee United v. St Johnstone final at Celtic Park, fortunately seeing the goal bang on half time…at the end of an open and entertaining display by both sides.
    Having had to take Mrs Essexbeancounter to the hairdresser (I know!) I returned in time to see the last quarter of the Arsenal v. Hull FA Cup final from Wembley…before it went to extra time, but switched off then to carry out more of Mrs Beancounter’s garden chores.
    Based solely on admittedly restricted viewing, there was something I saw from both Dundee and Saintees and that was a degree of open endeavour, bordering on a naive flair which was, to me at least, sadly missing from Arsenal and Hull, nothwithstanding five goals being served up in a Cup Final, certainly where Arsenal are usaualy involved
    In can only conclude that this “Armageddon” must be welcomed with opened arms.


  41. upthehoops says:
    May 18, 2014 at 8:55 am

    In any case I’m really struggling to get my head round why anyone paying £300-400 for a season ticket thinks they should also get the stadium and the training ground thrown in. Who do they think they are?
    =======================================================
    UTH…through your post may I suggest that the next time we hear of anyone taking out a subscription of any amount for a golf club, health club or gym, or anything remotely similar, the member in question asks if he can also have rights to the property or even a share in the property in return.
    I await the laughs…!


  42. Resin_lab_dog says:
    May 18, 2014 at 12:54 am

    There is nothing wrong – and a great deal to be commended – with a parent affording their kids the opportunity to share in the highs and lows of following a team and spending quality time together, and no greater joy when out of affection or enjoymenet they choose to actively share with you in a pastime that you have an affinity for.
    ===========================================
    I totally agree with you and it matters not the actual activity or sport involved. However I happen to believe that children shouldn’t be under any pressure to be a parental clone.

    IMO the most important thing as a parent that you can give them is to ensure that theyknow they don’t have to follow your choice of a football team or you will be ‘gutted’ but to help them mature and be able to make their own judgements about their life choices and to be supportive of that.

    the ultimate reward for a parent IMO is helping to create a free-thinking, well-balanced adult equipped with everything they need to make their own way in life and find at least some happiness and whether that’s in following their old man’s football team or supporting the other half of a local derby then so be it.. It’s their choice.

    As to the peculiar notion that I would take some kind of exception to Stuart Cosgrove celebrating with his son – well what can I say other than it’s a strange claim from someone who knows nothing about me as a person other than what I post and who also wrongly declares I can’t be a parent.

    I was surrounded by a lot of kids in the St Johnstone support yesterday and there were enormous amounts of mums there cheering on their team as well. There was a Saintee behind me who spent the whole game explaining things to his young son about football and what was happening on the park.

    It’s these kind of experiences that can create a love and a bond with football or any sport or activity and looking at all the young excited faces I was thinking that this one result could be enormously beneficial for the future of Saints and also for the whole town of Perth.


  43. Auldheid/BP

    Re TV Deal

    After looking again at the available info, I think your more charitable interpretation is, in this case, correct.
    However, I make no apology for thinking the worst of those who inhabit the boardrooms at Hampden. If the default position is to assume the worst view of their motivations, then they only have themselves to blame.

    It was said of Lyndon Johnson, that if there was a crooked way to do something, and an honest way, Johnson would choose the crooked. This description applies to the Hampden boards in spades, with one caveat, Johnson was effective, these people are not.

    As long as it is fundamentally the same people making decisions at Hampden, that were making decisions in 2012, there can be no reconciliation, no reconstruction, no moving on. Scottish Football will simply be stuck in the mire.


  44. scapaflow says:
    May 18, 2014 at 11:16 am
    ‘..As long as it is fundamentally the same people making decisions at Hampden, that were making decisions in 2012, ..’
    ————-
    Correct.
    Like a failed government, they have to go.
    And their ‘electors’ have to summon up the moral courage to make them go.
    The stable must be cleaned and disinfected before there can be any hope of the disgusting pong of suspicion and mistrust emanating from the 6th Floor can be wholly dissipated.
    There was not, and cannot be, any excuse whatsoever for the shameless shenanigans of men who threw principle overboard in a craven concession to Mammon and to the blustering, thuggish, bully-boy demands of malicious money-makers and con men, and who have since , in weak cowardice, refused to bring the new club to account for the godawful nonsense that has been going on. Instead , they have accorded a level of respect and regard for a club , fathered illegitimately by them, and which has brought them nothing but grief since its birth.and which is now torn to the point of collapse by internal wrangling and dissension. And which treats them with scant respect or regard in their all-consuming hubris.


  45. Scapaflow

    Cheers. The fact that the TV deal can be justified on a wider game saving basis rather than narrow TRFC or OF sustainability terms does not alter the degree of suspicion of wrong doing on other matters.

    It is important though not to let a narrative to form that can be contested and so the story tellers discredited. It damages other more justifiable narratives.

    We might be bampots but we cannot allow ourselves to be portrayed as idiots with narrow agendas.


  46. Auldheid says:
    May 18, 2014 at 12:48 am

    https://www.bkms-system.net/bkwebanon/report/clientInfo?cin=6fifa61&language=eng

    You appear to be performing your midfield generalship duties admirably and we can hope that in due course all this good work will lead to a positive result.

    I latched onto your assist into the FIFA website and had an attempt at logging in. Is this a public portal?

    I quite fancy cobbling together my own report. I’m thinking that however well drafted your submission may be, having corroboration, however ill-drafted, would be more substantial than a a mere echoing of an earlier effort.

    As you’ve already done this, can I make my own report?


  47. Which limited company made the `statement` yesterday?

    I`m getting confused 😉


  48. Castofthousands

    Help yourself. I was thinking of multiple reports referring to mine or not as suits the author.


  49. From the Guardians excellent “said and done” column which exposes some of the shit that happens or gets said in football (mostly it’s about Sepp)

    From today’s seasonal awards http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/17/said-and-done-2013-14-awards?CMP=twt_gu

    Freshest starts

    October: Rangers – running up a new £14.4m loss a year after liquidation; and ex-Rangers chief executive Charles Green – spending his £933,000 pay deal on an 18th-century château in Normandy. Green told Ouest France: “This is where I start my new life. It’s as if the castle said: ‘Buy me’.”


  50. If a decision has been taken by RIFC on Thursday – I think Phil said – to go ahead with the share rights issue to existing shareholders then I wonder when we will get the required AIM announcement?

    I would assume that even if there is no actual statutory timetable that if a Board of Directors of a public company come to such a decision then it would require to be communicated to AIM in a timeous manner as it has a potential to affect share price.

    The price the offering is pitched at is obviously important because the net proceeds from the sale will determine how many months of operational costs can be met from it. Obviously the sale of STs is a major factor in the timeline and I assume the Board is hoping that if they can just keep going most fans will capitulate at some point and renew.

    The recent fortuitous boost in share price will add a few hundred thousand to the net take unless it collapses again but somehow I don’t see that happening.

    So I wonder who will buy and who will throw in the towel? Even if I was an existing shareholder and minded to take-up my rights issue to prevent dilution then I still think I would be very wary if I didn’t have one of these alleged lucrative contracts and a severe cull of expenditure.

    I would even demand that any shareholders who might hold one of these so-called onerous contracts actually agrees to their renegotiation. I know there is no legal basis for this but I would be making it clear that the alternative is the contract details being released.

    Or of course there is always the threat of another insolvency event to achieve the objective.

    Lotta lotta decisions to be made and if ST sales are poor then they will need to be made quickly.


  51. Alzipratu

    · 5m

    Now don’t get excited cos it’s unverified & unsubstantiated but heard rumour via blue knight a certain clumpany will be in admin this week


  52. When I was a boy my Dad took me to every Celtic home game, except one, I always knew when we were playing Rangers on Saturday that I could make other plans. It was never explained to me why, it was just never mentioned.
    When I got older and started going to games on my own I, consciously or not, never attended a Celtic V Rangers game. Looking back it’s almost like I didn’t want to know what my Dad was protecting me from.
    Then one Wednesday night in the mid 80’s I was persuaded to attend an Old Firm game (by some Rangers supporting friends who offered to drive me in and go to the pub with afterwards). The atmosphere in the jungle was like nothing I have ever experienced. Pure unadulterated hatred. I confess at first I was swept up in it, the place was bouncing. I was belting out all the old tunes with the best of them. I will never forget my “light bulb moment”. I was singing a song that would probably get me the jail today and giving the V to the Rangers end, when, what I can only describe as an “out of body experience” happened. I looked down at myself and what I was doing, I was hurling abuse at a bunch of people I didn’t know, but I did know 3 of them. They were my best mates; I was meeting them after the game for a pint or 6. To say I was ashamed of myself is an understatement. I have not attended a game since.
    I still followed my team, but only on TV and in the papers, but I had become a fan not a supporter. Then came The Murray Years. Seemed money was no object. My team had no chance, they were spending money like there was no tomorrow and winning everything in sight.
    Move forward a few years, and I find out that they were spending money they never had, really? So those times feeling gutted that Rangers had won another League, and the ribbing from my mates, was all down to SDM spending other people’s money, anger doesn’t cover how I felt.
    I felt I had been cheated for years. Denied some success for my team by the financial shenanigans of Rangers. Was I happy when they went bust? YOU BET YOUR LIFE I WAS. The attitude of the SMSM since then has been sickening; this is a club who cheated for years yet not one of the highly paid journalists has the gonads to stand up and say so.
    Anyway, I’ll get to my point, since oldgers have gone, I have a renewed love for Scottish football. Saturday was Cup Final day, previously St Johnstone V Dundee United would have had me watching Columbo on UK gold, not yesterday, Mrs and daughter wanted me to take them out shopping. Told them I couldn’t because I WANTED to watch the Cup Final.
    I’m glad I did as it was a great game.
    So thank you David Murray, thank you Craig Whyte, Charles Green, Imran Ahmed et al. Because of your efforts we have had a (hopefully for years to come) respite from the ugliness.
    But more thanks to all the good people of RTC and TSFM for all your sterling work in keeping this story alive.
    This ex-supporter might just go see another game.
    Armageddon? More please.


  53. ecobhoy says:
    May 18, 2014 at 2:27 pm
    2 0 Rate This

    If a decision has been taken by RIFC on Thursday – I think Phil said – to go ahead with the share rights issue to existing shareholders then I wonder when we will get the required AIM announcement?
    ——————————————————————————————————————————————————–
    This was a Conference Call-so I don’t know if it is classed as a formal Board Meeting of RIFC.


  54. andygraham.66 says:
    May 18, 2014 at 2:07 pm

    From the Guardians excellent “said and done” column which exposes some of the shit that happens or gets said in football (mostly it’s about Sepp)

    From today’s seasonal awards http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/17/said-and-done-2013-14-awards?CMP=twt_gu
    ==================================

    I like the one undernoted – It might give the SFA ideas though to dispel a great sadness 🙁

    Plus most uplifting

    October, Tahiti FA director Charles Ariiotima telling ESPN Brasil why their league system awards four points for a win, two for a draw, and one for every defeat. “We just don’t want anyone to be sad.”


  55. I think there has to be a formal meeting of the board before they can do a rights issue, it’s not an immediate thing and will probably take a couple of months to do it.

    Shares are usually offered at a discount to their current price.

    There will be costs involved in doing this as well.


  56. Dutchmul says:
    May 18, 2014 at 3:25 pm
    Indeed-but the decision has been taken-if not within that formal setting.
    I do not see that RIFC have many good options to choose from.


  57. PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
    May 18, 2014 at 3:15 pm
    ecobhoy says:
    May 18, 2014 at 2:27 pm
    2 0 Rate This

    If a decision has been taken by RIFC on Thursday – I think Phil said – to go ahead with the share rights issue to existing shareholders then I wonder when we will get the required AIM announcement?
    ———————————————————————————————————
    This was a Conference Call-so I don’t know if it is classed as a formal Board Meeting of RIFC.
    =================================
    By end of play today the Board will have the ST sales position and that will be a major determinant I reckon on the next step.

    Tempus Fugit is certainly flying down Ibrox Way just now but so is the money 🙄


  58. A board of directors can have formal board meetings by telephone (if their articles of association allow it – and it would be very unusual for them not to allow it). Doesn’t mean it was a formal board meeting of course – just means that it could have been.


  59. PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
    May 18, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    Indeed-but the decision has been taken-if not within that formal setting.
    I do not see that RIFC have many good options to choose from.
    ====================================

    Meanwhile at the sports desks of Radio Clyde and the Daily Record the only options up for debate are who else Coisty will sign along with Boydy and Kenny.


  60. upthehoops says:
    May 18, 2014 at 3:58 pm
    0 0 Rate This

    PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
    May 18, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    Indeed-but the decision has been taken-if not within that formal setting.
    I do not see that RIFC have many good options to choose from.
    ====================================

    Meanwhile at the sports desks of Radio Clyde and the Daily Record the only options up for debate are who else Coisty will sign along with Boydy and Kenny.
    ————————————————————————————————————————————————

    And that is why they have made themselves utterly irrelevant to the telling of this story.


  61. Campbellsmoney says:
    May 18, 2014 at 3:42 pm
    ————————————————————————————–
    Thanks. I can check that out.


  62. Can someone with experience in share trading answer some questions about RIFC’s upcoming corporate action:
    Assuming 43.4m shares are offered to existing shareholders presumably as a rights issue or something similar.
    – Are RIFC allowed to sell shares not taken by existing shareholders to other shareholders or even just issue them for general sale? Would this require an EGM?
    – Could the board, in cahoots with the major shareholders issue these rights at a premium rather than a discount in the hope of discouraging other shareholders to exercise their rights?


  63. I’ve been mulling over the onerous contracts and I remembered a 2012 post on ScotsLawThoughts which was one of a series from ‘Mick’ – a poster with his own very distinct style – dealing with what appeared to be anomalies in catering contracts as I remember.

    The series was immediately labelled ‘Piegate’ and in the first one Mick pondered how it could make financial sense to buy a pie for £3 and sell it for £1. OK lot of humour but perhaps points raised that might be worthy of a return visit.

    http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/piegate-the-latest-scandal-to-come-to-light-from-ibrox-guest-post-by-mick/

    The other posts in the series can be found by entering ‘Mick’ and ‘Piegate’ in the ScotsLaw search box.


  64. On The Copeland Road website there are claims that Charles Green was trying to punt shares in Rangers in the USA recently. Who the shares belong to like so much in this story remains a mystery as the Easdale brothers are supposed to have bought Green’s shares. If Phil is correct and another 40 odd million shares are about to be offered to the existing shareholders I hope the shares he was trying to punt came with a health warning. I thought the cup final was a great event and a credit to both clubs that contested it and the venue.


  65. Re the “onerous contacts”.
    I suppose the key bit of missing information would be, when were they entered into?
    If before the IPO, why were they not detailed as important info in the prospectus, or possibly why were they not discovered by the team producing the prospectus?
    If after the prospectus, do existing shareholders not have recourse against RIFC and possibly even the board members at the time of signing because they agreed to a contract that they either knew, or should have known was bad for the company?
    Maybe there are aspects to the contracts that make it possible to argue they were good for RIFC at time of signing, but more likely CG et al are gambling on the AIM’s chocolate fireguard-like regulatory system.


  66. hector says:
    May 18, 2014 at 5:35 pm
    2 0 Rate This

    @ Phil What’s 3.4 million shares between friends. 😆

    ————————————————————————
    Forty three point four million…


  67. There was a very refreshing statement from the Dunfermline Chairman on BBC Alba today, at half time in the play off final. He was asked if ‘a club like Dunfermline deserves to be in the Premiership?’. His answer was ‘I don’t think any club deserves to be anywhere’. He went on to note the success St Johnstone had yesterday, pointing out the excellent financial governance surrounding that club.


  68. ptd1978

    AIM’s chocolate fireguard-like regulatory system.
    ————–

    As much use as “an ashtray on a motorbike” 😀 😆
    I have been waiting on a chance to post that for ages


  69. PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
    May 18, 2014 at 5:27 pm
    hector says:
    ____________________________________________
    May 18, 2014 at 5:19 pm
    43.4 million shares
    _________________________________________________
    hector says:
    May 18, 2014 at 5:35 pm
    _________________________________________________

    I think the 3.4M might very well be significant.
    How many shares were issued as part of the IPO?
    I would suggest if it was under 17M then the prospect of a group of major shareholders going to the 75% mark which could trigger a forced sale by all other shareholders is a real possibility. This would ensuring that the company can then safely be carved up as and when they wish.

    I’ve said before, these guys have no interest in football. They want to make money and as far as I can see they are not doing that just know. They may be willing to put in a little extra to ensure they get the whole pie as opposed to a slice.


  70. @ Phil Sorry Phil my post had a figure of “40 odd million shares” and the quip about ” what’s 3.4 million shares between friends” was an attempt at humour that clearly failed. 43.4 million minus 40 million = 3.4 million. 🙂


  71. I think the relevant figure to trigger a forced sale is 90% not 75%. It certainly used to be. I would be surprised if it was as low as 75.

Leave a Reply