Good Evening,
Whilst it is understandable that the continuing events at Ibrox remain a hot topic among all Scottish Football Fans — especially given the views of some sections of the press on such events– the never ending rush down the marble staircase is certainly not the only show in town.
The other morning we were treated to the “scoop” that Alistair Johnstone is afraid that Craig Whyte– the once proclaimed Multi Billionaire from Motherwell- may well still be pulling all the strings at Ibrox! This is a fear which is shared by those who walk the corridors of Hampden Park as they, too, are terrified of the prospect of Whyte returning in some shape or form and coming back to haunt them, especially as he has been deemed unfit and proper, banned sine die, and generally ridiculed for his past actions.
However, the Hampden jackets know fine well that their realm only stretches so far and that if by means of the proper application of company law, contract or some other piece of paper Whyte controls the shareholding of the self proclaimed “parent company” to the football club then they are in a fix. In fact, I will wager that they just would not know how to deal with such a situation as after all RIFC PLC neither holds a licence to play football nor is a member of the SFA and so, on the face of it, who owns it has nothing to do with them.
At this juncture, no one in authority knows who Blue Pitch Holdings are and, strangely, no one in authority knows who Margarita Holdings are either! Yet these two “holdings” whoever they may be, may well hold all the power down Govan way…… with the SFA completely powerless to find out who they are let alone get into any dialogue with them. All the SFA can do is talk to the appointed Directors and officers of The Rangers Football Club Ltd.
This, is a most unsatisfactory state of affairs.
Meanwhile, they will have no difficulty in finding out who the new shareholders of Dunfermline Athletic are. Those shareholders will come from the fanbase and will be clearly registered at Companies House, with the result that ultimately those fans/shareholders will appoint Directors who will then attend meetings and speak and opine on their behalf and in essence be the ” Voice of Dunfermline” at Hampden.
Perhaps, similar will follow from Heart of Midlothian?
However, those at Hampden — if they have any sense at all– will be most wary of events happening in the east end of Glasgow come November.
In the middle of the month, Celtic PLC will hold its AGM and amidst the items on the agenda is the fan driven notion that the Club— through its Directors—- should go further in holding the SFA to account and enquire into the granting of club licences, and in particular how it granted Rangers a club licence that allowed entry to the Champions League in 2011 when the small tax case was outstanding.
The Celtic board have deemed this motion as “Unnecessary” and in support of that contention have released documentation showing that they raised this very issue with the SFA on behalf of the shareholders and fans. Further– and here is the rub— The Directors reveal that they were not satisfied with the SFA response and have disclosed that they took the matter further and wrote to UEFA.
Ultimately, UEFA also provided a reply, which backed the SFA approach and which Celtic had little option but to accept in the absence of admissible contradicting evidence..
It is on this basis, that Peter Lawell and Co say the AGM motion is not necessary. Note that saying that the motion is not necessary, is not at all the same thing as saying that what the motion seeks to achieve is not necessary or does not have the support of the board!
There will be those at Hampden who severely hope that the Celtic Board are successful in voting this measure down as obviously they deem their original reply sufficient and would like to end the discussion there.
However, my own view, is that whether the motion is successful or not, there are those within the SFA who will recognise there is trouble staring them in the face here. Real Trouble!
Let’s recap for a moment and draw some threads together.
Celtic’s past Chairman, Dr John Reid, said only a couple of years ago that the SFA was clearly not fit for purpose. He did so in the context of events surrounding Neil Lennon and other matters, but was unshakably robust in his condemnation of an institutionalised uselessness which he saw pervaded the Hampden ranks.
Prior to that, Henry McLeish produced a report which stated that he too had concerns about the Governance of Scottish Football and called for openness and transparency.
In the intervening period, we have seen Mr David Longmuir, former Chief Executive of the Scottish Football League, find himelf without a position following reconstruction– and this partly as a result of club chairmen being apparently kept in the dark about his payment, bonuses and expenes. I understand that there was considerable anger from some at the way in which they had been treated by Mr Longmuir.
Then there is Mr Campbell Ogilvie, El Presidente, who himself benefited from a Rangers EBT and who held sway at Ibrox during a period of time when Rangers– by their own admission— made unlawful and illegal payments to three high profile players in breach of tax laws and SFA/SPL rules. It is these breaches and the consequent Wee Tax Bill which has caused all the angst among Celtic fans and has lead to the highly regulated legal step of tabling a motion at the club’s AGM.
Basically, the position seems to be, that as at the due date when the appropriate documents and declarations were made for a Euro Licence by Rangers for 2011, the wee tax bill was outstanding and due. If it was overdue, then the SFA could not and should not have granted them a licence……. and potentially Celtic should then have been put forward as Scotland’s representatives in the Champion’s League.
However, that did not happen, and Ranger’s were granted a licence– something that the Celtic Directors clearly felt was not correct.
They may have disagreed with the awarding of the licence because there were those at Rangers at the time who declared that a payment to account had been made to the tax office– allegedly £500,000– and that they had entered into an agreement to make payment of the balance by instalments. Had that been so, then all would have been hunky dory and no more would have been said.
Alas, however, no such payment appears to have been made at all, and no such agreement was entered into and so, on that basis, the tax bill was overdue and outstanding as at 30th June in terms of Article 66 and as such no Euro Licence should have been granted.
However, the argument does not end there.
Auldheid, has posted frequently on these pages about the ins and outs of the licensing provisions and the mechanism and so I will leave that detail to him as he is far more expert in these areas than me.
Now, one of the SFA functions is to have an auditor– someone who can check books, contracts, paper work and so on, and it is part of the SFA licensing function to be satisfied that all the paperwork is of course correct and in proper fashion before they issue any licence.
In this case, it is alleged that the SFA did not perform their function properly.
In relation to the wee tax case, it is said that either they did not make sufficient enquiry of Rangers re the payment to account or the agreement which they were told was in place. At the time it was mooted in the press that no such agreement was in place as at the relevant date ( June 30th ) and a simple check with the revenue would have shown the truth of the matter.
Yet, for whatever reason, no such check appears to have been made, and if you recall a Radio Scotland interview with Alistair Johnstone, Rangers submitted the forms, the SFA replied with one or two enquiries about the BIG tax case which were answered, and thereafter the Licence appears to have simply dropped through the letter box without further ado.
You will also recall that the existence of the wee tax case became known BEFORE Craig Whyte bought David Murray’s shareholding in May 2011. In fact it was the subject of News Paper headlines weeks before the deal was completed, and so the fact that there was a wee tax bill was well and truly in the public domain.
When it came to filling in the appropriate forms,either, the SFA were mislead by those then at Rangers with regard to that tax bill, OR, they simply failed to do the requisite checks and make reasonable enquiries before they issued the licence.
However, the uncomfortable fact also remains, that one of the chaps who must have been in the know re the admittedly unlawful and offending side letters, contracts and payments to the three players concerned was Campbell Ogilivie who was on the Rangers Board at the relevant time when the contracts and irregular payments were made under the Discount Options Scheme from 1999 to 2002/3. Indeed he may even have initiated the first payment to Craig Moore in 1999. I reiterate that no one has ever contested that this was an unlawful scheme, and the irregular payments and paperwork are not denied in relation to that scheme.
There are Celtic shareholders who believe, rightly or wrongly, that when it came to the granting of the Euro Licence, the SFA did not play them fair on this occasion and that the wheels within Hampden were oiled in such a way that Rangers were favoured and Celtic were disadvantaged. It is a point that looks to have already been considered by the Celtic Directors in 2011, with the result that they concluded that they should formally write to the SFA and seek clarification.
However, we now have the prospect of those same directors having to go back to Hampden and say ” Sorry, but I am forced to bring this up by my shareholders. I have a legal duty to them to enquire further”. Even if the motion is refused, the point has been made– there are shareholders who are demanding answers– just as shareholders of other clubs demand answers about the ever so secret 5 way agreement and other matters which have hitherto been not for public consumption.
The SFA have nothing to fear of course as they can simply repeat their previous answers,demonstrate that all was above board, and rest easy in their beds.
Except that answer did not satisfy the Celtic Directors on a previous occasion as they decided to take the matter to UEFA, and it would appear that some Celtic shareholders remain dissatisfied with the known stance of the SFA and so they want the Directors of the club to delve further. Without wishing to point out the obvious, if it turns out that the 2011 Licensing process was somehow fudged and not conducted rigorously or that those at Hampden were in any way economical with the truth or omitted certain details from the previous explanation, or covered up a failure in procedures—- well such omissions have a habit of becoming public these days whether that be through the internet or otherwise.
The point here is that the actions of Hampden officials are coming under organised, legal and planned corporate scrutiny over which they have no control. The Blazer and club mentality that was once so widespread within the governing bodies is under increasing attack and is being rendered a thing of the past.
In short, the move by Celtic shareholders, is making it plain that they will demand proper corporate governance from their club in ensuring that any alleged failure in corporate governance by the SFA or SPFL is properly investigated and reported on.
Of course, if it turns out that the 2011 Licensing process was somehow fudged and not conducted properly for whatever reason, then it could be argued that Celtic were disadvantaged in monetary terms along with other clubs who may have been awarded Europa League licences, then the consequences could be cataclysmic. Hence a tendency to circle the wagons rather than admit to failures in the process that need addressing.
It is this reluctance to come out and accept that the licensing process appears to have failed, say at what point the process failed and what needs to be done to address those failures that in many ways has driven the resolution. It is clear to all that something is amiss but the SFA will not admit it, probably from fear of the consequences of doing so? Perhaps some form of indemnity, a lessons learned enquiry with no prejudice might help?
It would come as no surprise to me at all if there were those at Hampden who live in dreaded fear of admitting that their processes were flawed and that a grave mistake was made. Under these circumstances, there may well be those at Hampden who simply wish that Celtic and their fans would just go away!
Tif Finn says: (648)
November 1, 2013 at 12:13 pm
whisperer says:
===========================
Failure to remit is not a criminal offence, it is a civil matter.
In order to commit a fraud there has to be a deception, so as long as any returns were accurate, even if they weren’t paid, then the only option is a civil penalty.
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Does Vince Lunny really exist or is he a figment of someone’s imagination? How many Notices has he issued since season’s start? He seems to watch tv on occasion but not much else. What is his MO………anyone know?
Tif Finn says: (648)
November 1, 2013 at 12:13 pm
0 0 Rate This
whisperer says:
===========================
Failure to remit is not a criminal offence, it is a civil matter.
In order to commit a fraud there has to be a deception, so as long as any returns were accurate, even if they weren’t paid, then the only option is a civil penalty.
===============================================
Yeah, I remember Chico dung, getting in an frenzy when he found out that it was not a criminal offence to do this.
I wonder how many years ago it was when Craig Whyte learned that this type of action was not a criminal offence ?
Those who hold the majority of shares will be absolutely clear that they were ‘investing’ in RIFC and clear as to how they might get a return on that investment. For the 12% or so of shares taken up in the IPO by fans (Supporters Direct Scotland estimate) it is, as you say, a different matter entirely. They did what football fans do in these circumstances and chucked their hard-earned at a bunch of spivs because the alternative appeared to be worse. Those staunch Ranger Men – King, Murray and McColl expect that they’ll do it again. Even McColl surely doesn’t believe his own words when he speculates that institutional investors see the prospect of a good return on the business that plays football at Ibrox. Unless it’s as tax break?
EKBhoy says: (128)
November 1, 2013 at 11:40 am
Jim McColl’s first class education and subsequent expertise in turning round companies will direct him to:
– work out an achievable strategy
– employ sensible and hard working management
– manage costs and keep focused on the numbers.
…………………………….
But first…..he needs to educate the UK in how you un-liquidate a liquidated football club/Company?
For a man so apparently clever he don’t half talk sum keech!
Whoa, hang on! We haven’t left Broadwood yet, and given that EK now have a team with access to the top level (thanks to the Lowland League) it’s possible that it might not even happen.
I for one don’t want to see another farcical ground share at Broadwood. Having to accomodate Airdrie was bad enough (just ask the older staff at the Broadwood Farm pub/restaurant) without that mob turning up every 2nd week!
Smugas 9.55
The prospectus, to anyone with any idea of Scottish football, had one underlying sizeable flaw and that was that a club of Celtic’s size, business acumen and experience would simply stand back and allow an incorrigible rival to return to battle uncorrected.
More fool them: but at some point their supporters will awaken from their nightmare and find out they have nothing to fear from competing fairly. (Unless of course total domination is still seen as their rightful place in the scheme of things.)
But I mean, come on. If you were the designer of the scheme of things would Graham, McMurdo, McCoist, King, Traynor or even Chick Young be your first choice advocate for that scheme?
Oh, and there may be no troubled history between Rangers and Clyde, but there is between Sevco and The Bully Wee. – Clyde were one of the most vocal critics of the attempts to parachute Sevco into the SFL. In fact, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Clyde website in terms of what’s afoot in the lower divisions. They also released a pretty strong statement when that utterly bonkers notion of the ‘division and a half’ league reconstruction was mooted a few months back. (You know – the one that St Mirren, and, to a lesser degree, Ross County got pelters for when they failed to back it.)
In the interest of accuracy, Clyde are still at Broadwood with no definite plan to leave. Cumbernauld Colts’ various teams also use the stadium. It may be haunted, though, as I’m sure it’s colder in the stands than outside the ground.
No room for an Ibrox club in Rangers colours.
Edit to add that Shooperb’s post wasn’t there when I started mine but he’s, helpfully, pasted the quote I couldn’t be arsed copying.
redlichtie says: (269)
November 1, 2013 at 10:40 am
neepheid says: (882)
November 1, 2013 at 10:03 am
Danish Pastry says: (1621)
November 1, 2013 at 9:50 am
I believe I’ve read on here that if TRFC go into administration RIFC will be the main creditors. Is that a fact?
++++++++++++++++++++++
It is clear from the accounts that the football losses of £15m per annum are being covered by loans from RIFC. From memory, TRFC owed RIFC over £16m at 30th June. So the major creditor must be RIFC, who can put TRFC into administration any time they feel like it.
========================
..and hence the interest in where the property assets ownership now lies.
Do TRFC still own them or have they been switched to the parent RIFC or some other related company?
Has a transfer taken place with a portion of the debt to RIFC written off in exchange?
If so that leaves TRFC ripe for administration (or threat of) and available to ‘real Rangers men’ for a bargain £1.
Hallowed stadium rental to be paid for ever and ever of course….
Scottish Football needs some way of putting all these peepil and their club into a box and have it shipped off to Englandshire or anywhere else that will foolishly have them. Scottish Football is totally scunnered with the lot of them.
=+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If TRFC holds the SFA licence and one of the conditions is that they must have a place to play their fixtures would SFA approval not have to be obtained for Ibrokes to be transferred to RIFC plc?
A wee light hearted (aye?) one today …
Yesterday was the anniversary of the Death of Rangers.
OFOG presents our official obituary.
[]
http://www.onfieldsofgreen.com/the-emperor-of-ice-cream/
http://bit.ly/19i9pZ9
or
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/dave-king-administration-is-distinct-possibility-at-rangers-if-shareholder-factions-c.1383303046
It is back to the conundrum of whether or not to believe a Glib and Shameless Liar in the same way we have at times believed what Craig Whyte has said.
————————————————————————————————————————————————
“He believes talks with Easdale and Murray were constructive, and he praised both individuals, however not all shareholders were willing to compromise. ”
“During the last week I engaged a number of stakeholders, both in Glasgow and London, to seek a compromise to the current imbroglio that is restricting the operational capability and the governance at the club. I have also had follow up telephone conversations since my return to South Africa.
“Unfortunately, I have been unable to reach a consensus agreement at this time despite the constructive manner in which everyone approached the discussions with me. Certain influential shareholders are unwilling to compromise at this time and it seems inevitable, unless there is a change of heart, that an acrimonious AGM lies ahead. In my view, the AGM will not be decisive irrespective of its outcome. A continued polarisation is what I was desperately trying to avoid. For the avoidance of doubt and to avoid speculation I advise that Paul Murray and Sandy Easdale both displayed a constructive and flexible attitude during my discussions with them.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————-
The spin in the article seems clear to me. Murray and the Easdales come across as being reasonable but those with power behind the throne aren’t playing ball.
Someone currently has ‘the club’ by the short and curlies.
So is it Blue Pitch and Margarita or McColl’s group of investors?
Answers on a postcard……………………..
RyanGosling says: (79)
October 31, 2013 at 10:58 pm
How much is Jim McColl worth? Thing is, if I personally was worth say £1 billion, and the current Rangers situation was happening, I’d resent paying fortunes to Charles Green and his cohorts for nothing but I’d buy the whole operation outright and do everything I could to make it a success. Cost me £100 million? Who cares. I’ve still got £900 million. Which is enough to, I don’t know, live reasonably well for the rest of my life. But then I’m a fan, and that’s the way I’m thinking.
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I accept your point but it’s only a short term fix. What do you do next year – gift another £50million? Then the year after that? And the year after that? At some point the club has to stand on it’s own two feet and operate solely on the income generated, otherwise it remains at the mercy of some sugar daddy using borrowed or someone else’s money and it is simply not sustainable.
So I can understand why Jim McColl would emphasise that it’s not about him personally pumping money into the club. Whether this is actually his motivation for saying this is debatable, perhaps even doubtful but he seems the nearest thing to a guy who genuinely wants to run the club in its own best interests that I’ve seen for a long time.
Also, people who are reported to be worth £1billion don’t actually have £1billion sitting around in cash to spend at will – it will be tied up in investments, shares, properties, assets etc to roughly that value dependent on those assets actually realising those values at point of sale. So this idea of millionaires and billionaires having millions and billions in cash lying about that they can just splash around at will is usually not accurate even when we are dealing the people who are GENUINE million/billionaires.
imbroguelio surely…………..
pau1mart1n says: (235)
November 1, 2013 at 1:57 pm
or perhaps Natalie Imbruglia??
Carfins Finest says: (34)
November 1, 2013 at 8:40 am
37 1 i
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First paragraph of Richard Wilsons piece on Peter Lawell. It starts…… ‘In the absence of Rangers, while the Ibrox club recovers in the lower leagues, and with participation in the qualification stages of the Champions League all but guaranteed for at least three consecutive seasons, he recognises the
opportunity to establish the club’s status on the European stage. That has consequences, though, that allow the Celtic chief executive to widen the horizons’
So the business trip to China is a direct result of the demise of the team from Govan.
CL. Football fdor Celtic will not be guaranteed after 3 years as presumabley Sevco will have risen to the top of the SPFL by then and will take the 1 CL spot available after that.
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CL football will not be guaranteed even for 3 years as Celtic will have to successfully navigate qualifiers so there is always the danger of an Ally McCoist style disaster preventing qualification.
Seems many are falling into the trap the MBB and his pals fell into in 2011
While the GSL King is making noises from South Africa about how he appears to be on a mission to save the club can people remind thensleves that this is the same guy who, despite protesting that he asked a few awkward questions, did nothing practical or noticable to stop Craig Whyte when he was a director of the oldco.
Like McColl why, given his track record for not acting when it was necessary, should any T’Rangers fan believe he is a safe pair of hands.
McColls statement prompted this thought in me.
Is the good bus RFC more sustainable in the top league/leagues than current performance in the bottom two? Its almost as if he is saying we basically need the fans cash again to throw on the spivs bonfire (topical eh!) and to pay what are, with every respect, a right bunch of haddies to beat the plumbers and posties of the 3rd and 4th divisions.
Question – are RFC more sustainable in the top 2 divisions? The expectations will be the same – to win everything always by whatever means. In fact said expectations will have been reinforced by the last two years adventures. I struggle to see how spending could possibly be curbed, if anything wages are likely to increase and that’s before the subject of spivs pensions, rent etc. The gamble is, can only be, that revenues will increase. OK full price season tickets. More tv money? Euro league involvement? Hovver pitch?
My goodness…. repeated references to “oldco” Rangers! Although the assertion that the quote “This decision will be a big help when we come to argue other cases that are currently in the courts.” is purely yet another “Rangers hater” thinly veiled threat to Rangers is a bit tenuous I think.
A lamb free business reporter, or a case of cherry picking the new club reality?
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/hmrc-warns-rangers-ahead-of-appeal-over-36m-tax-case.22568390
Is anybody on here applying for the CEO position ?
Would make the TSFM blog much, much more interesting if we had our own insider ?!
At the very least, any of us Internet Bampots could honestly state in an interview that we have a decent knowledge of the club/company, the costbase, cash flow, tax case appeal etc… 😉
http://news.stv.tv/west-central/246589-dave-king-says-no-consensus-in-rangers-boardroom-power-struggle/
McColl Interview
Did he go chasing Sky for that piece of exposure or did Jim White go chasing him and he gave in ? I know which I think it was.
sickofitall says: (190)
November 1, 2013 at 2:43 pm
http://news.stv.tv/west-central/246589-dave-king-says-no-consensus-in-rangers-boardroom-power-struggle/
========
That was a long statement.
And this sneaky phrase stood out for me;
“…Mr King also claimed that his convictions for breaching tax legislation in South Africa “have no effect whatsoever on my ability to serve as a director of companies…”
Whilst that statement is probably strictly correct, King is ‘dummying’ the reality ;
King’s convictions ‘have every effect on his SUITABILITY to serve as a director of companies’.
Shooperb@12:41pm
Sorry Shooperb!!
I was led to believe Clyde had Flitted! …….Ah really should get out more…!
Surely his (no doubt expensive) attorneys can’t have overlooked Section 216 of the Insolvency Act 1986?
Point Taken Tif Finn
But we are almost 2 years after the event and No Civil Penalty
AND
Out of curiousity, how much of a penalty would you assume for withholding c £14M
Just asking like
Tif Finn says: (648)
November 1, 2013 at 12:13 pm
Failure to remit is not a criminal offence, it is a civil matter.
In order to commit a fraud there has to be a deception, so as long as any returns were accurate, even if they weren’t paid, then the only option is a civil penalty.
Fenlon gone
auchinstarry says: (98)
November 1, 2013 at 3:39 pm
2 0 Rate This
Shooperb@12:41pm
Sorry Shooperb!!
I was led to believe Clyde had Flitted! …….Ah really should get out more…!
———–
Don’t worry, this talk of nomads has us all confused 😀
Re White questioning McColl…I am very surprised Sky allowed force feeding to be broadcast.
BigGav says: (61)
November 1, 2013 at 3:49 pm
Surely his (no doubt expensive) attorneys can’t have overlooked Section 216 of the Insolvency Act 1986?
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Accoring to white breeks man this morning, King has a “batallion of extremely expensive” lawyers.
More flannel 😆 no AGM date 😎 ally not saying much 😉 another home game cancelled 😀 more questions than answers 😀 no change 😀 😳
Do you think Ally is scared of Forfar? Dick Campbell has his number 🙂
Finding myself in the highly unusual situation of agreeing with Mr McMurdo’s latest blog in its entirety
http://billmcmurdo.wordpress.com/blog/
Going to find a dark room so I can have a wee lie down…..
scottc @ 4.37pm
Maybe he doesn’t like bridies 😛 he’s more of a pie man 😉
whisperer says:
===================
Penalties would be imposed and form part of the debt, as would interest but that is only restitution.
Bearing in mind the amount that actually caused Rangers to go into administration relates to the “wee tax case” they reneged on, plus the money which wasn’t paid when Craig Whyte was in charge. The money he used to run the club after they were knocked out of Europe.
So their will have been penalties, but they now represent part of the debt to HMRC whioch is the subject of the liquidation process.
GeronimosCadillac says: (26)
November 1, 2013 at 1:26 pm
If TRFC holds the SFA licence and one of the conditions is that they must have a place to play their fixtures would SFA approval not have to be obtained for Ibrokes to be transferred to RIFC plc?
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We have some esteemed posters on here who will correct me if I am wrong and point us to the exact para in the regulations but my understanding is that clubs are required to have formal rights to play at a named stadium. They do not actually have to own it.
That could easily be achieved in any transfer of assets arrangement. For all we know the transfer may have already taken place with TRFC now eating away at any surplus/rebuilding their huge debt to RIFC through rent payments/arrears for the stadium and MP.
Scottish Football needs a strong Arbroath.
Mr Traynor has left the building, has he made himself unemployable with his recent bahaviour?
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5443-club-statement
scapaflow says: (1080)
November 1, 2013 at 4:55 pm
If he gets his skates on the behind the scenes story will be out in Hardback before Christmas 🙂
mmm hard one, nice pay off (with confidentiality agreement), or potential book royalties?
scapaflow says: (1080)
November 1, 2013 at 4:55 pm
Mr Traynor has left the building, has he made himself unemployable with his recent bahaviour?
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5443-club-statement
=========================
“RANGERS today announce that Director of Communications James Traynor has left the Club.”
Oh dear, that’s just a sentence – not a Statement.
Not even a wee “we wish him well, blah, blah, blah” ?!
By comparison, Mather’s recent, leaving statement was his usual epic, rambling nonsense.
Poor Traynor: or mibbees he also got a year’s salary to go away ?
Suppose he can now focus on writing his ‘insider’s book’, based on his own version of reality… 🙁
StevieBC says: (870)
November 1, 2013 at 5:06 pm
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scapaflow says: (1080)
November 1, 2013 at 4:55 pm
Mr Traynor has left the building, has he made himself unemployable with his recent bahaviour?
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5443-club-statement
_______________________________
So Jim, is it the ‘club’ or the ‘company’ that you have left “-) ?
scapaflow says: (1081)
November 1, 2013 at 4:55 pm
Mr Traynor has left the building, has he made himself unemployable with his recent bahaviour?
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5443-club-statement
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Another world record for the shortest statement by an AIM listed company?
ok
It seems DK has left ,without getting in there and sorting the infighting out ,or bankrolling Sevco 2012 with millions from himself and interested investors .
Was it this that led to J MColl breaking cover to enlighten us all that CG had in fact taken the club out of administration ,why he actually uttered those words in a TV interview is beyond me ,he did not have to ,as it only led to him looking foolish at best .
Are things so serious now that it has become farcical
I wonder if he (my alter ego) will perform a volte-face on the death of the club and loss of history again?
Dear Stuart and Tam, if you’re reading, please get Jim Traynor as a guest on Off the Ball.
fergusslayedtheblues says: (177)
November 1, 2013 at 5:23 pm
The problem is ego. These guys all want to be the “Man who saved Rangers”, (as long as it doesn’t cost them anything), get their bios written by Mr Leggatt, and busts in the blue room. But, they don’t want to share the glory, they’d rather see the whole thing go under than do that!
This possible headline from Bournesouprecipe on CQN made me smile.
JabbaWalky
The second ending of an Ibrox club is upon us. None of the sugar daddies have poured in the billions to restore them to their rightful place. The fans lack the humility and the expertise and the ability to face reality needed to save the second entity.
Most on here assume a third manifestation will follow. I know all involved in the governance of the game will bend and break every rule and every law to get any kind of Rangers up and running.
I just can’ t see how such an entity can emerge within a time frame to keep even the pretence of a continuity ( bogus or otherwise ) emerging.
Ice cream at Christmas I reckon.
Traynor gone, the Herald using the terms; convicted with respect to DK and ‘Rangers International’.
There is a rumble in the distance, is it just more drums of disquiet or the start of the avalanche?
Quote of the week Fromm SSB 😀 ‘ Dave King is a man of honour ‘ absolutely howling 😀 😀 😀
So farewell then, James Traynor…
Is it me, or are things starting to feel a bit Feb 2012-ish?
Always look on the bright side of life 😆
was he caught wearing his Airdrie scarf ??
iamacant says: (358)
November 1, 2013 at 5:14 pm
scapaflow says: (1081)
November 1, 2013 at 4:55 pm
Mr Traynor has left the building, has he made himself unemployable with his recent bahaviour?
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5443-club-statement
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Another world record for the shortest statement by an AIM listed company?
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The very short statement would suggest that the parting of the ways was less than amicable. Hopefully JT has not signed any confidentiality clause for him not to sell his story to the highest bidder. I might even buy a newspaper that day.
http://www.oddschecker.com/football/football-specials/hibernian/next-permanent-manager
Ally McCoist 50/1
I trust the ex-journo with a keen eye for a story will be hawking his tale of ‘life on the inside’ at Scotland’s youngest league fitba team around the downmarket tabloids (and The Herald), sooner than immediately.
StevieBC says: (870)
November 1, 2013 at 5:06 pm
…Suppose he can now focus on writing his ‘insider’s book’, based on his own version of reality
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Traynor has always had his own version of reality often far removed from normal, reasonable people.
For me it would be it wouldn’t be so much schadenfreude, as car-crash listening if Traynor took his dulcet tones back on the air waves.
I wont be surprised if/ when BBC Radio Scotland finds space for the Oliver Hardy of the media/PR world. I guess Stan Laurel (Chico Young, though not funny in the slightest) will be happy they can share anecdotes about their favourite team.
The Scotsman reporting with some glee Jim’s self-penned professional obituary.
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RANGERS today confirmed that Director of Communications Jim Traynor has parted company with the club.
The former BBC and Daily Record journalist joined the club in December last year, after 37 years as a sports writer.
His final newspaper column criticised bloggers and journalists, calling them ‘despicable, pathetic little creatures’ due to their coverage of Rangers’ financial problems.
He wrote: “Perhaps in time more will be written about this kind of hack and the rabid desire to help bring down Rangers, a fierce desire that, sadly, was widespread.
“Was it always there, a dormant fury against Rangers and their fans, who deserve enormous credit for having saved their club, just waiting for the catalyst?”
He added: “My work here is done and I’m glad – but just for the record, I’ve not been sacked or made redundant. I was asked to remain, but my conscience won’t allow me to stay in our profession.
“The kind of journalism needed by the country, never mind sport, no longer exists in enough of the media outlets.”
Gordon Dee-ell, ‘I’m no big fan of Turnball Hutton’…… But Dave Kings a great guy….
Jesus Wept.
I really hope no one – the Record or the Beeb, for example, actually thinks it might be appropriate to offer Traynor a position. Could anyone pretend that he is now ‘impartial’ again?
SouthernExile says: (144)
November 1, 2013 at 6:34 pm
The Scotsman reporting with some glee Jim’s self-penned professional obituary.
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…
“The kind of journalism needed by the country, never mind sport, no longer exists in enough of the media outlets.”
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The one point I agree with!
There is a God hovering over Ibrox,unfortunately for Sevco It’s Thor.
Araminta Moonbeam QC says: (4)
November 1, 2013 at 6:21 pm
So farewell then, James Traynor…
Is it me, or are things starting to feel a bit Feb 2012-ish?
===========================
Yes it does, especially with an elusive AGM to convene.
I also thought it a bit daft for Mather/Stockbridge [?] to state publicly that April was the ‘critical’ point re: cash flow for TRFC.
And I would assume that April would have been their best-case scenario.
We don’t know what other cash has been burned since the date of the accounts, but we do know that 2 senior personnel have now left and both probably with pay-offs, [c.GBP300K & GBP200K].
So potentially an extra GBP500K spend which would not have been factored into the April estimate either.
[Agreed, both Mather and Traynor could simply receive their monthly salary for another year – but also I presume that both roles would have to be back-filled in the short-term ?]
I still think the consensus is/was correct re: Dec/Jan for an insolvency event. Perhaps end of January assuming they have not been able to offload any players for a decent transfer fee.
To be fair, Mr Traynor did come up with this nugget.
“They’ll slip into liquidation within the next couple of weeks with a new company emerging but 140 years of history, triumph and tears, will have ended. No matter how Charles Green attempts to dress it up, a newco equals a new club. When the CVA was thrown out Rangers as we know them died.”
The Rangers support were ecstatic when Jim Traynor joined, here was a recruit who “knew where the bodies were buried” and wouldn’t miss any of the targets. The rest of the World better watch out when Traynor fired his head shots. There really was rejoicing.
Thing is, he must know a lot about what has been, and is currently, going on at both the club and PLC. He was the Director of Communications.
They better hope he has a cast iron confidentiality agreement. He is a devious, odious oaf of a man and I imaging if the right amount is on offer he will spill the proverbial beans.
Tif Finn
wouldn’t worry ,by the look of him ,he has never spilt any foodstuff in his life ,or if he has he ate the evidence
pau1mart1n says: (236)
November 1, 2013 at 6:30 pm
was he caught wearing his Airdrie scarf ??
*************
For the avoidance of doubt, he wore a Clydebank scarf……
A Doctor writes:
I was recently consulted by a patient who shall be un-named(in the News of the World sense).
Doctor said Dave King ” I recently had a bad bout of Rangersness caused by a visit to a bus garage in the back of beyond” “is this normal”?
A Doctor says
” well Dave my most efficacious cure is to take a powder followed by a LONG safari in S.A. and never return”
Always works. 😀
“Mr Traynor has left the building…..”
But what about the WiFi project? Shirley that was one of the key planned revenue streams to keep them afloat?
Thanks goodness JT hasn’t burnt any bridges with past employers or colleagues……
Scottish Football needs a wee dose of karma…..maybe karmageddon for JT? 👿
Lord Wobbly says: (947)
November 1, 2013 at 6:32 pm
http://www.oddschecker.com/football/football-specials/hibernian/next-permanent-manager
Ally McCoist 50/1
___________________
Oh, if only! Hearts would then be certain to avoid relegation 🙂
Tic 6709 says: (525)
November 1, 2013 at 6:47 pm
22 1 i
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There is a God hovering over Ibrox,unfortunately for Sevco It’s Thor.
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Much more likely to be Zeus i think…
Wonder if Traynor will do another U-turn and declare old rangers dead again? haw haw 😈 😀 😛
Redlichtie
That wasn’t a WiFi project ,more a WTF project
On a positive note though ,it’s good that the two board members left have spotted that cost cutting measures are needed .
On a negative note the pie supplier gave them tic