The recent revelations of a potential winding up order being served on Rangers Newco certainly does have a sense of “deja vu all over again” for the average reader of this blog.
It reminds me of an episode of the excellent Western series Alias Smith & Jones. The episode was called The Posse That Wouldn’t Quit. In the story, the eponymous anti-heroes were being tracked by a particularly dogged group of law-men whom they just couldn’t shake off – and they spent the entire episode trying to do just that. In a famous quote, Thaddeus Jones, worn out from running, says to Joshua Smith, “We’ve got to get out of this business!”
The SFM has been trying since its inception to widen the scope and remit of the discussion and debate on the blog. Unsuccessfully. Like the posse that wouldn’t quit, Rangers are refusing to go away as a story. With the latest revelations, I confided in my fellow mods that perhaps we too should get out of this business. I suspect that, even if we did, this story would doggedly trail our paths until it wears us all down.
The fact that the latest episode of the Rangers saga has sparked off debate on this blog may even confirm the notion subscribed to by Rangers fans that TSFM is obsessed with their club. However even they must agree that the situation with regard to Rangers would be of interest to anyone with a stake in Scottish Football; and that they themselves must be concerned by the pattern of events which started over a decade ago and saw the old club fall into decline on a trajectory which ended in liquidation.
But let me enter into a wee discussion which doesn’t merely trot out the notion of damage done to others or sins against the greater good, but which enters the realm of the damage done to one of the great institutions of world sport, Rangers themselves.
David Murray was regarded by Rangers fans as a hero. His bluster, hubris and (as some see it) arrogant contempt for his competitors afforded him a status as a champion of the cause as long as it was underpinned by on-field success.
The huge pot of goodwill he possessed was filled and topped-up by a dripping tap of GIRUY-ness for many years beyond the loss of total ascendency that his spending (in pursuit of European success) had achieved, and only began to bottom out around the time the club was sold to Craig Whyte. In retrospect, it can be seen that the damage that was done to the club’s reputation by the Murray ethos (not so much a Rangers ethos as a Thatcherite one) and reckless financial practice is now well known.
Notwithstanding the massive blemish on its character due to its employment policies, the (pre-Murray) Rangers ethos portrayed a particularly Scottish, perhaps even Presbyterian stoicism. It was that of a conservative, establishment orientated, God-fearing and law-abiding institution that played by the rules. It was of a club that would pay its dues, applied thrift and honesty in its business dealings, and was first to congratulate rivals on successes (witness the quiet dignity of John Lawrence at the foot of the aircraft steps with an outstretched hand to Bob Kelly when Celtic returned from Lisbon).
If Murray had dug a hole for that Rangers, Craig Whyte set himself up to fill it in. No neo-bourgeois shirking of responsibilities and duty to the public for him; his signature was more pre-war ghetto, hiding behind the couch until the rent man moved along to the next door. Whyte just didn’t pay any bills and with-held money that was due to be passed along to the treasury to fund the ever more diminished public purse. Where Murray’s Rangers had been regarded by the establishment and others as merely distasteful, Whyte’s was now regarded as a circus act, and almost every day of his tenure brought more bizarre and ridiculous news which had Rangers fans cringing, the rest laughing up their sleeve, and Bill Struth birling in his grave.
The pattern was now developing in plain sight. Murray promised Rangers fans he would only sell to someone who could take the club on, but he sold it – for a pound – to a guy whose reputation did not survive the most cursory of inspection. Whyte protested that season tickets had not been sold in advance, that he used his own money to buy the club. Both complete fabrications. Yet until the very end of Whyte’s time with the club, he, like Murray still, was regarded as hero by a fan-base which badly wanted to believe that the approaching car-crash could be avoided.
Enter Charles Green. Having been bitten twice already, the fans’ first instincts were to be suspicious of his motives. Yet in one of history’s greatest ironic turnarounds, he saw off the challenge of real Rangers-minded folk (like John Brown and Paul Murray) and their warnings, and by appealing to what many regard as the baser instincts of the fan-base became the third hero to emerge in the boardroom in as many years. The irony of course is that Green himself shouldn’t really pass any kind of Rangers sniff-test; personal, sporting, business or cultural; and yet there he is the spokesman for 140 years of the aspirations of a quarter of the country’s fans.
To be fair though, what else could Rangers fans do? Green had managed (and shame on the administration process and football authorities for this) to pick up the assets of the club for less (nett) than Craig Whyte and still maintained a presence in the major leagues.
If they hadn’t backed him only the certainty of doom lay before them. It was Green’s way or the highway in other words – and speaking of words, his sounded mighty fine. But do the real Rangers minded people really buy into it all?
First consider McCoist. I do not challenge his credentials as a Rangers minded man, and his compelling need to be an effective if often ineloquent spokesman for the fans. However, according to James Traynor (who was then acting as an unofficial PR advisor to the Rangers manager), McCoist was ready to walk in July (no pun intended) because he did not trust Green. The story was deliberately leaked, to undermine Green, by both Traynor and McCoist. McCoist also refused for a long period of time to endorse the uptake of season books by Rangers fans, even went as far as to say he couldn’t recommend it.
So what changed? Was it a Damascene conversion to the ways of Green, or was it the 250,000 shares in the new venture that he acquired. Nothing improper or unethical – but is it idealism? Is it fighting for the cause?
Now think Traynor. I realise that can be unpleasant, but bear with me.
Firstly, when he wrote that story on McCoist’s resignation, (and later backed it up on radio claiming he had spoken to Ally before printing the story), he was helping McCoist to twist Green’s arm a little. Now, and I’m guessing that Charles didn’t take this view when he saw the story in question, Green thinks that Traynor is a “media visionary”?
Traynor also very publicly, in a Daily Record leader, took the “New Club line” and was simultaneously contemptuous of Green.
What happened to change both their minds about each other? Could it have been (for Green) the PR success of having JT on board and close enough to control, and (for Traynor) an escape route for a man who had lost the battle with own internal social media demons?
Or, given both McCoist’s and Traynor’s past allegiance to David Murray, is it something else altogether?
Whatever it is, both Traynor and McCoist have started to sing from a totally different hymn sheet to Charles Green since the winding up order story became public. McCoist’s expert étude in equivocation at last Friday’s press conference would have had the Porter in Macbeth slamming down the portcullis (now there’s an irony). He carefully distanced himself from his chairman and ensured that his hands are clean. Traynor has been telling one story, “we have an agreement on the bill”, and Green another, “we are not paying it”.
And what of Walter Smith? At first, very anti-Charles Green, he even talked about Green’s “new club”. Then a period of silence followed by his being co-opted to the board and a “same club” statement. Now in the face of the damaging WUP story, more silence. Hardly a stamp of approval on Green’s credentials is it?
Rangers fans would be right to be suspicious of any non-Rangers people extrapolating from this story to their own version of Armageddon, but shouldn’t they also reserve some of that scepticism for Green and Traynor (neither are Rangers men, and both with only a financial interest in the club) when they say “all is well” whilst the real Rangers man (McCoist) is only willing to say “as far as I have been told everything is well”
As a Celtic fan, it may be a fair charge to say that I don’t have Rangers best interests at heart, but I do not wish for their extinction, nor do I believe that one should ignore a quarter of the potential audience for our national game. Never thought I’d hear myself say this, but apart from one (admittedly mightily significant) character defect, I can look at the Rangers of Struth and Simon, Gillick and Morton, Henderson and Baxter, and Waddell and Lawrence (and God help me even Jock Wallace) with fondness and a degree of nostalgia.
I suspect most Rangers fans are deeply unhappy about how profoundly their club has changed. To be fair, my own club no longer enchants me in the manner of old. As sport has undergone globalisation, everything has changed. Our relationship to our clubs has altered, the business models have shifted, and the aspirations of clubs is different from that of a generation ago. It has turned most football clubs into different propositions from the institutions people of my generation grew up supporting, but Rangers are virtually unrecognisable.
The challenge right now for Rangers fans is this. How much more damage will be done to the club’s legacy before this saga comes to an end?
And by then will it be too late to do anything about it?
Most people on this blog know my views about the name of Green’s club. I really don’t give a damn because for me it is not important. I do know, like Craig Whyte said, that in the fullness of time there will be a team called Rangers, playing football in a blue strip at Ibrox, and in the top division in the country.
I understand that this may be controversial to many of our contributors, but I hope that this incarnation of Rangers is closer to that of Lawrence and Simon than to Murray and Souness.
Just picked up from Pie & Bovril that the SPL team who finishes 2nd this season is being shafted due to an unannounced cut in the SPL distribution for this season only (cut from 15% to 10.5%). Teams from 4th to 12th get an extra 0.5%.
I’m all for a more equitable distribution, but this is just taking the p1ss and just demonstrates that only two clubs matter in Scotland as the SPL winners will still receive 17% as before.
From P&B
League position at end of Season 2012/13 % of 2012/13Net Commercial Revenues
1. 17.0% (was 17% last year)
2. 10.5% (was 15% last year)
3. 9.5% ( was 9.5% last year)
4. 9.0% (up 0.5 % on last year )
5. 8.5% (up 0.5 % on last year )
6. 8.0% (up 0.5 % on last year )
7. 7.5% (up 0.5 % on last year )
8. 7.0% (up 0.5 % on last year )
9. 6.5% (up 0.5 % on last year )
10. 6.0% (up 0.5 % on last year )
11. 5.5% (up 0.5 % on last year )
12. 5.0% (up 0.5 % on last year )
Link to SPL doc
http://www.scotprem.com/content/mediaassets/doc/RULES%20EFFECTIVE%203%20DECEMBER%202012.pdf
Look at Pages 36 and 37, section C4.3A
I know there are a lot of people out there that hate when I give credit to any of the villains of Scottish football but… dare I say it? Credit where credit is due, King’s latest piece is not one written by a die hard, spineless, working for the establishment, MSM hack!
Well Done Iain King! I don’t agree with everything he writes and I reserve the right to critique where I see applicable but I also reserve the right to give credit when the nail has been hit directly on the head.
I disagree EJ.
I don’t like unannounced changes (i.e. after the season starts) that much I’ll grant you.
The winner will receive the most cos he is the winner, period. I would like to think the clubs had enough nous between them to decide the actual %age because 17% does seem a lot especially when CL participation is brought into it. Someone suggested a possible additional payment could be made from 1st from the season before to the rest once group stages were reached perhaps and I must say that would have some merit.
No, the absolutely abhorrent, completely undefendable figure was 2nd place as was especially given the lack of change in the two main recipients. That 2nd relative to 3rd used to get more than 3rd relative to 12th, that was the disgusting part. If anything showed up our league as nothing more than 2 + 10 that was it. That it is to be changed (and I thought it was subject to a vote still) is good, albeit hard on this year’s 2nd place. That would have bought a lot of paint in Dingwall!
easyJambo says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 11:58
1. 17.0% (was 17% last year)
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I have to agree that this is a very poor show.
Meanwhile, should TRFC get punted up to the SPL next season I assume their transfer embargo will also be reviewed.
If not, there will be much greeting about how it’s not fair that they get forced into the SPL with a bunch of crap players.
smugas says: Friday, March 8, 2013 at 12:12
I disagree EJ.
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I don’t think you are disagreeing with me. You have just echoed my own view on the previously unjustifiable gap between 2nd and 3rd.
However to create an even larger gap between 1st and 2nd is equally unacceptable to me.
mercdoc @ 11:43
🙂 🙂
EJ @ 11.58
Agreed. I don’t like to be making assumptions, but it looks like that money is going to Celtic Park. Haven’t CFC already said they favour a fairer spread? In that case CFC need to deal with that.
Could this be a little bit of mischief making from inside the democratically controlled SPL? Who knows?
willmacufree says: Friday, March 8, 2013 at 12:31
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It’s probably a case of the “diddy” clubs all agreeing to guarantee themselves a little more, rather one club thinking that they would be certainties for 2nd place. Celtic would be content to vote for it too as their (almost guaranteed) position would be unaffected.
You cannot change the rules of a competition or the prizes awarded whilst that competition is running.
if things were agreed before the season started then those should not be changed, for whatever reason.
This includes promotions, relegations and prize money.
People make decisions, commercial and otherwise, based on their understanding of the consequences of success and failure. To change those consequences during that competition is untennable.
Unless there is unanimous agreement. Not majority, unanimous.
Interesting comments from CG regarding “the worst rangers team ever…” all this at the time of advertised season ticket renewal; also in a week where he’s openly questioned McCoist in relation to performances. A change of tact perhaps? financial backers perhaps questioning the ‘sticking plaster’ period in keeping McCoist on board for the sake of season ticket sales and the continuity of Old club/ new club? When you think of it way back in any other situation new owners would equal new coaching managerial staff. Is the road being prepared for a shake up?
It’s a sad indictment of the SPL clubs, that they have previously been powerless to act while Celtic and Rangers had their veto on changes through the 11-1 vote.
Now they appear to have acted in a very limited way now that Rangers have left the scene of their crimes, but for one season only? That is a joke. They have left a seat warm for TRFC to take on the mantle and the financial clout of their deceased ancestor.
smugas says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 10:12
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Smugas, I have to agree with you. It is not the fault of Sky that they are up against a lightweight like Doncaster. They are trying to buy the best product fron their supplier at the cheapest price – any business would do the same. To use a football analogy, =the negotiation process bwtween Sky and the SPL would be like Davie Cooper lining up against Bob Malcolm.
When the pittance of the new deal is announced, the SPL clubs have only themselves to blame. After all, not only have they kept Doncaster in a job but they are so impressed with his performance that they have given him a 16% pay rise.
easyJambo says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 12:37
willmacufree says: Friday, March 8, 2013 at 12:31
=========================
It’s probably a case of the “diddy” clubs all agreeing to guarantee themselves a little more, rather one club thinking that they would be certainties for 2nd place. Celtic would be content to vote for it too as their (almost guaranteed) position would be unaffected.
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Surprise that Celtic don’t lose any money – sporting integrity? Only when it makes Celtic money.
As for Charles Green – what he actually said was “People will say this is the worst Rangers team ever”. Slightly different from “This is the worst Rangers team Ever” – but hey its the Scottish media so not a surprise it is misquoted.
EJ says @ 12.37.
The point I was trying to make, not terribly well, was that Celtic say they’re in favour of fairer distribution. It’s now long odds on they will finish 1st. The 1st prize remains the same=no fairer distribution.
Dentarthurdent, Agreed it’s not on to change conditions mid competition. Could it be a little bit of divisive mischief?
As for Charles Green – what he actually said was “People will say this is the worst Rangers team ever”.
did ally demand to know who these people were?
In my lifetime, I can recall only two players who spoke negatively about RFC.
One was Ralph Brand, who was never heard of again and the other, a Danish fullback, Bartram(?).
For anyone in a position of authority to attempt to admonister justice to that club, they would be committing professional and social suicide.
Business opportunities would disappear and wat were once thought of as friendships would evaporate.
That is the sad fact of life in Scotland and it doesn’t take any stretch of the imagination to guess where the controlling influences lie.
pau1mart1n says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 13:22
That’s an easy one, he just has to look at the list of season ticket holders.
Not Mark Hately though. He thought that squad was being put together to not only gain promotion but to also win 1 (or possibly 2) cup(s).
texaspedro says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 13:09
As for Charles Green – what he actually said was “People will say this is the worst Rangers team ever”. Slightly different from “This is the worst Rangers team Ever” – but hey its the Scottish media so not a surprise it is misquoted.
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Scotsman: “Green said: “This is the worst Rangers team you have ever seen. The fans are not happy, the board are not happy and Ally McCoist isn’t happy at that.”
Was that from the Talksport interview? Can’t say I heard it, but the quote above from the Scotsman looks like what is being used in all the papers.
texaspedro says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 13:09
As for Charles Green – what he actually said was “People will say this is the worst Rangers team ever”. Slightly different from “This is the worst Rangers team Ever”
—————————————————-
Different yes, but still pretty damning that it’s assumed that people will be saying it, and the more so that Rangers’ head honcho has drawn attention to it when talking on the record
dentarthurdent42 says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 12:41
You cannot change the rules … while the competition is running.
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Hope you don’t mind the edit for brevity.
Just saying, the SPL have form for doing this. Stadium requirements were changed before a season was ended to allow ICT to be promoted. Admittedly the team that went down had been pretty rubbish for a lot of the season but does that justify changing the rules mid-season?
As an add-on the SPL were very strict 2 seasons earlier when that same relegated club were 2nd place in Div 1 and closing in on position 1. They had to upgrade their stadium to meet then current requirements before they knew for sure they’d be promoted… something that cost a lot of extra cash as they had to pay a lot of overtime to get it done in time. Pleas to be allowed to wait and be sure of promotion were ignored even though the upgrade could have been done in plenty of time.
Just saying.
texaspedro says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 13:09
As for Charles Green – what he actually said was “People will say this is the worst Rangers team ever”. Slightly different from “This is the worst Rangers team Ever” – but hey its the Scottish media so not a surprise it is misquoted.
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Are you seriously suggesting that the Scottish media have it in for the Rangers tribute act?
The more you think about it, the more odd the “worst Rangers team ever” statement sounds – whatever the exact wording, it’s a far from flattering thing to say. Are the current team likely to find it motivational to read that? Wouldn’t think so. Are puma and the cider company’s marketing people going to get a pat on the back for having negotiated a slice of the kudos that comes from being associated with the worst ever Rangers team? No. So what is his point in wording it that way? The most credible reason would seem to be that it’s just the latest stream of consciousness ramblings from someone who can’t help at times just saying what flashes through his mind. If so, there is very likely to come a time and a place when he’s going to put his foot in it in front of the wrong audience, and drop himself / Rangers in trouble with people who won’t just laugh it off or be intimidated.
” If so, there is very likely to come a time and a place when he’s going to put his foot in it in front of the wrong audience, and drop himself / Rangers in trouble with people who won’t just laugh it off or be intimidated”
_____________________________
TW
In Scotland! – you must be joking.
He has insulted everybody that matters in Scottish football and not one has called him to account. He acts and talks like the court fool. The court fool always treads a fine line or his neck would be on the block – not so CG. he is first amongst equals……..fools that-is.
Is it possible that he really is a mental.
People conjectured about this with regard Craig Whyte, particlarly with some of his proclamations, the content and indeed the way he said things.
is it possible that Mr Green isn’t playing to the crowds as much as people may think.
dentarthurdent42 says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 14:34
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Is it possible that he really is a mental.
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It’s not complicated – the man’s on the make and doing whatever it takes to get the cash. Those TV viewers and merchandise buyers appeal to Sky, Puma and C&C (Blackthorn) who are also on the make. There’s no morals here and no such thing as bad publicity.
If anything Green going public for the first time with possible tip of the iceberg discontent whether it’s towards the team performance and alluding to the football manager as the root of this problem, is signposting a change in the wind down Ibrox way; at least in a footballing sense. No matter what Green says his rantings tend to concern the financial basis of the club. So if he wants to fix it as the ‘hired hand CEO’ he is getting this message from his backers in my opinion. He maybe getting pressure that the time for ‘their man’ is getting closer. I would keep in eye out for more public statements on this issue linked with ‘it’s our duty to the shareholders to ensure their best return’ rationale in relation to footballing matters as the season draws closer to a conclusion. I rather suspect that when money for transfers stories come closer to becoming reality (all be it they can’t physically buy until January 2014 only take out of contact players from Sept 1) the more we’ll see a cooling off from Green regarding finances; the pot ain’t that full as expected, etc.
dentarthurdent42 @14:34
Interesting comment. I remember reading an article on psychopaths, and discovering there is more than one type and category. The most commonly used is obviously the murderer who either plans a crime so meticulously or sadistically that he/she is given this description.
There are other less known and less understood categories, usually involving an unhealthy desire for status, money, power, etc. These types can sometimes be difficult to spot, hard to believe, unpredictable and totally single minded.
Ring any Bells?
Senior says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 14:24
” If so, there is very likely to come a time and a place when he’s going to put his foot in it in front of the wrong audience, and drop himself / Rangers in trouble with people who won’t just laugh it off or be intimidated”
_____________________________
In Scotland! – you must be joking.
———————————–
I agree, but I was thinking more with the English FA, or UEFA, among his new-found Italian clubs friends, or the AIM, HMRC…there is plenty of scope outwith Scotland for him to take aim at his, and Rangers’ collective, foot
badgerbhoy on Friday, March 8, 2013 at 14:04 4 0 Rate Thistexaspedro says:Friday, March 8, 2013 at 13:09As for Charles Green – what he actually said was “People will say this is the worst Rangers team ever”. Slightly different from “This is the worst Rangers team Ever” – but hey its the Scottish media so not a surprise it is misquoted.————————————————————————————————————————-Are you seriously suggesting that the Scottish media have it in for the Rangers tribute act?
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No, im seriously suggesting the media take parts of quotes to sensationalise a story – no matter who is involved.
I think its a very different sentence, one saying we need to stop that perception. The other saying we are cack. Although it is the worst rangers team ever considering the players involved and wages compared to other teams in the league – many gers fans think it, maybe just dont want our owner saying it. Suppose its no different to commons selling out his team mate – fans all thought it but maybe dont want it splashed across th. Media.
Is it not just the usual zig – zag? last weeks zig was the very welcome strong statement on fan behaviour, which went down less well with the faithfull. This week he throws some red meat to the faithfull with some pish about moving to the promised land, and acknowledging that the performances on the park, don’t match the expectations set by the wage bill. It’s the same hockey-cokey he has been playing since he arrived at Ibrox, nothing really new.
@”Texaspedro” was the quote not “ra peepil say this is the worst rangers team ever”
by the way pass on our regards to “shields”
texaspedro says: Friday, March 8, 2013 at 13:09
“Surprise that Celtic don’t lose any money – sporting integrity? Only when it makes Celtic money.”
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If what you say is not simply an empty jibe you’ll be able to give examples. I look forward to seeing them, because if CFC put profit before integrity, I would be surprised and disappointed, but would want to know about it, bearing in mind that the business environment is a tough one, and the club has to survive. What would be the point of supporting any so-called sporting organisation that did not put sport first?
I confess I had an extra-marital affair for over 10 years but I managed to get away with it. Here’s how.
My name is Murray. I tried everything I could to conceal the liaisons but it inevitably came out that it had been going on for over 10 years.
My faithful wife who has never, to anyone’s knowledge strayed to the extent I did, together with the Reverend who married us, confronted me and asked for an explanation. Of course I denied I had done anything wrong so we went to a Marriage Counsellor, called Nimmo to try and sort things out. Nimmo took some details and got everyone concerned around the table. First off he asked me that when I was with Joanna, the other woman, did I wear ‘protection’ and I replied that I always did.
Nimmo said he wanted to avoid any doubt over our marital status and asked that my brother and best man, Bryson, confirm that the wedding took place. Unexpectedly, Bryson said he wasn’t at the wedding even though I distinctly remember he was prominent in the photographs and his signature was on the register. In fact Bryson had been best man at many weddings over many years and had up to now always been the life and soul at the reception. I waited with baited breath for someone to question why he suddenly had this ‘absence of mind’ but to my surprise it went no further. Instead, Nimmo said he needed to think over the situation and several weeks later got back to us stating he had come to a decision.
Nimmo’s conclusion was that because Bryson stated that he wasn’t there then technically the marriage on my part was void. Also, because I was’ wearing protection’ throughout the whole affair then technically I was never in sexual contact with Joanna, so again technically, even though I had broken a vow, for a marriage which I believed in my mind was valid at the time, I had not had an affair! Furthermore, he accepted that I had been a little bit naughty over a period of ten years and more but had not enjoyed any benefit from the deception.
Recognising my guilt, and to appease my faithful wife somewhat, he declared that I should be punished and proposed that she should receive a Spa day for all the trouble I had caused her and that this would help her forget about the whole thing. After a moment I remembered that I had a voucher for a free Spa Day in my pocket and asked ‘Will this do?’ Nimmo looked at it and said ‘It’s expired but it’s absolutely perfect!’ and then proceeded to hand it to my wife saying “There, now don’t you feel better ?” I smiled and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Now that everything is settled, I, and the Reverend who married us, now insist my lovely wife continue to fulfil her marital obligations wearing her best lingerie (that I made her buy herself) and remind her that she should say ‘Thank you’ for the privilege. So what have I learned from this experience ? I have to say I really resent her for catching me out but I’m sure I can forgive her……… In time.
Epilogue – Unfortunately, the only way out for my lovely, faithful wife is divorce but she just can’t see it yet. In any case, I need never pay her anything and what’s more I get to keep the (big) house and the children whatever happens. Result Eh ?
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Remind you of anything that’s happened recently ? Here are some clues. Introducing the Cast and props:
RFC(IL) (Me, Murray the husband)
Unpaid Tax & EBT payments hidden and not declared (the other woman)
All other-non-RFC(IL) clubs supporters (Faithful Wife)
The marriage vows (SFA Articles of Association)
Reverend or Official who performed the wedding ceremony (SFA/SPL)
Marriage Counsellor (LNS)
Non-revocation of player registration (a condom)
Titles, trophies, prize-money (House and children)
Are you the stupid, faithful wife here willing to accept more ?
badgerbhoy says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 14:04
11 0 Rate This
texaspedro says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 13:09
As for Charles Green – what he actually said was “People will say this is the worst Rangers team ever”. Slightly different from “This is the worst Rangers team Ever” – but hey its the Scottish media so not a surprise it is misquoted.
————————————————————————————————————————-
Are you seriously suggesting that the Scottish media have it in for the Rangers tribute act?
______________
its the mHedia according to T’Rangers sites
and yes they think they are all against them especially with the archenemy Lawwell telling them what to print
and that is seriously a majority view on FF and RM
deldons says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 14:52
I would keep in eye out for more public statements on this issue linked with ‘it’s our duty to the shareholders to ensure their best return’ rationale in relation to footballing matters as the season draws closer to a conclusion. I rather suspect that when money for transfers stories come closer to becoming reality (all be it they can’t physically buy until January 2014 only take out of contact players from Sept 1) the more we’ll see a cooling off from Green regarding finances; the pot ain’t that full as expected, etc.
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I agree with your comments about Green in that no matter how off the wall his utterances seem there is always a connection – sometimes tenuous – with reality.
I have no doubt that the institutional shareholders are thinking back to the sales patter at the pre-IPO meetings and in the cold light of day after the losses posted for the first 6 months are starting to view their ‘investment’ a little more coldly and perhaps their own clients are also seeking assurances.
I think there will need to be radical cost-cutting in players wages and also in the numbers of non-playing staff as some kind of sop to investors who must be wondering about the cash burn-rate and whether any of the £21million in the piggy bank will be available for anything other than feeding operating expenses.
But now that he is basically telling a lot of the current squad that they ain’t fit for purpose in spite of Ally buying them last summer and agreed by Green then he needs new players especially if he wants to increase seat prices. Any English institutional investors will now have had the chance to look at the attendance figures and wonder where the money is.
But they were probably thinking of English season ticket prices and not the £200 average charged at Ibrox – so I think they will be putting a lot of pressure on to raise prices and revenue as well as cutting costs. The alternative is another trip to the AIM Market for more dosh and that would dilute the investors shareholding so they won’t want that.
But back to the players he needs – what kind of deal does he need to offer someone who is going to be out of contract in the summer to ignore offers from elsewhere on the promise that Rangers will take them on in September?
If it was me – and even if it was a totally reputable club – I would want cash up-front with a heavily legalled contract that the club couldn’t walk away from except with heavy penalties.
So will there be any kind of money at rangers to do this? And from memory how easy will it be to shed some of their duds as from memory I seem to remember that they were taken on with lengthy contracts as an inducement to play in SFL3.
As usual things remain very fluid and interesting down Ibrox Way or should that be Sports Direct Avenue 🙂
Re: falling MSM print circulations.
==========================
One of the key thrusts of the RTC site was to address the shockingly poor reporting served up by the Scottish print MSM wrt the Rangers debacle. This aspect actually interested me more than the football issues.
Two years on, the quality of Scottish football reporting has not noticeably improved – and arguably has declined even further.
The tweets below simply confirm the continued, downward spiral of the newspaper trade in Scotland.
So perhaps it’s just a waiting game: at some point the influence of the print media will be negligible in Scottish football.
But before that happens, the DR, Scottish Sun etc. will have to try and position all their output only on the internet – and try to generate sufficient revenues via paywalls and/or advertising.
The current ‘sports churnalists’ will themselves become ‘Internet Bampots’. Oh, the irony… 😉
And they already have a lot of catching up to do…
===============
Scotzine @scotzine
Scottish Sun sales drop 12.8% – 315,575 droppng to 25,161. Sunday Mail dropped 22.2% from 347,571 to 270,508. Grim reading for the papers.
Scotzine @scotzine
Daily newspaper figure in February 2013 compared to same time in 2012. Daily Reord sales drop 9.8% from 265,096 to 239,174
Does anyone know what the financial criteria is to play in the SPL,or for any League in England for that matter.
There is some justice in sport, although the athletes might be able to argue ¨The Scottish Rule¨, in that since they were deemed eligible at the time, no title stripping is possible 😀
——————
IAAF cites former champions for doping
Eurosport
fredag den 8. marts 2013
Athletics
Six athletes, including former Olympic and three-times world hammer champion Ivan Tsikhan of Belarus were named by the sport’s governing body on Friday for failing doping tests after samples taken at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki were re-examined.
The other athletes named were Andrei Mikhnevich, Vadim Devyatovskiy and Nazdeya Ostapchuk from Belarus and Tatyana Kotova and Olga Kuzenkova of Russia.
All are now subject to the disciplinary procedures of the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Tsikhan won the gold medal in Helsinki, while Devyatovskiy took silver. They finished in the same order at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, lost their medals after doping tests but won appeals against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Tsikhan did not compete at last year’s London Olympics following a request by the IAAF.
Shot-putter Mikhnevich, the 2003 world champion, won an Olympic bronze medal in Beijing in 2008.
Long jumper Kotova was a bronze medallist at both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won three successive silver medals in the world championships, while Kuzenkova won hammer gold at the 2004 Olympics and the world championships in Helsinki.
Ostapchuk was stripped of her London shot put gold medal last year after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid.
“The IAAF’s message to cheaters is increasingly clear that, with constant advancements being made in doping detection, there is no place to hide,” IAAF President Lamine Diack said in a statement on Friday.
“This re-testing is just the latest example of the IAAF’s firm resolve to expose cheating in our sport. The IAAF will continue to do everything in its power to ensure the credibility of competition and, where the rules have been broken, will systematically uncover the cheats.”
Two other athletes, Vladislav Piskunov of Ukraine, who finished 12th in the men’s hammer in Helsinki and Neelam Jaswant Singh of India who was ninth in Group A of the women’s discus qualification, had already been sanctioned, the IAAF said.
Reuters
—————–
From the ocassional glipmses of the New Rangers on TV this year, I would say that they are light years away from being just a poor outfit.
In much the same as you can predict the behaviour of judges towards rich people then the DNA of Rangers suggest to me that they will take their time coming through the leagues, as they will not wish to be beaten frequently and ocassionally humiliated , if they were sprung forward to the SPL.
No amount of frees from the SPL or elsewhere will be capable of being moulded into a unit with the current manager.
Get strapped in for a long march through the leagues and in 2 years a no surrender cry from Green for more money for an assault on the SPL, he will sell up at that point.
Enjoy the fun meanwhile …………. don’t let the clowns at Ibrox or Hampden put you off the game, albeit that the standard in general is spiralling downwards ……….. will The new Rangers get back to a standard before European football is re-shaped?
TW (@tartanwulver) says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 15:32
Senior says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 14:24
” If so, there is very likely to come a time and a place when he’s going to put his foot in it in front of the wrong audience, and drop himself / Rangers in trouble with people who won’t just laugh it off or be intimidated”
_____________________________
In Scotland! – you must be joking.
———————————–
I agree, but I was thinking more with the English FA, or UEFA, among his new-found Italian clubs friends, or the AIM, HMRC…there is plenty of scope outwith Scotland for him to take aim at his, and Rangers’ collective, foot
………………………….
He already has with his threat to take his case to the European courts fo force the English FA to let them play in England….
Which will result in the dissolvement of the English FA….
How to make friends the Charlie way….
In his haste and excitement to tell everyone he wants out of Scotland because ‘noooo one likes us’….mantra…he is suggesting a path that would destroy the English FA…regardless of whether they want his club or not…
The man is a buffoon!
Go on Charlie….get on sky sports and tell them all how you have sought legal advise and intend to destroy the English FA if they don’t let you play fitbaw in their league division 4 of the nothern premier league or whatever it is called these days…
Every night and more I look on briefly at the TSFM for a bit of inspiration and indeed for a booster after the recent shenanigans. Every night and more I am disappointed I still say the Scottish game is knackered. I will keep looking in however at least for a while.
Interesting read from Phil Mac
http://t.co/8F90SyG3BY
Just a wee thought.
If I was Charlie my route to a berth in England would be to buy an ailing club down there, relocate it to Ibrox and then fight any legal issues from there – possession being 9/10ths of the law and all that.
And with Berwick playing in Scotland and some but not all Welsh clubs in England, and Derry in League of Ireland etc there are precedents that playing in another country’s league is accepted by both the British Isles FAs and by UEFA.
Add that to the various European and UK laws which give us unassailable rights that trump the UEFA or FA rules.
A Rangers playing in England would be worth a whole lot more than a Rangers marooned in the SPL so offers lots of upside for Charlie and his pals.
finloch says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 18:04
Rate This
Just a wee thought.
If I was Charlie my route to a berth in England would be to buy an ailing club down there, relocate it to Ibrox and then fight any legal issues from there – possession being 9/10ths of the law and all that.
And with Berwick playing in Scotland and some but not all Welsh clubs in England, and Derry in League of Ireland etc there are precedents that playing in another country’s league is accepted by both the British Isles FAs and by UEFA.
Add that to the various European and UK laws which give us unassailable rights that trump the UEFA or FA rules.
A Rangers playing in England would be worth a whole lot more than a Rangers marooned in the SPL so offers lots of upside for Charlie and his pals.
========================================
The club he buys would not able to participate as Rangers thoug. You might just get away with the Rangers are still Rangers argument but Wigan (or whoever) would still be Wigan.
A few shares sold on the 6th and only reported today, I see.
That’s almost a million over the last two days.
tomtomaswell says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 18:46
If I was Charlie my route to a berth in England would be to buy an ailing club down there, relocate it to Ibrox and then fight any legal issues from there – possession being 9/10ths of the law and all that.
========================================
The club he buys would not able to participate as Rangers thoug. You might just get away with the Rangers are still Rangers argument but Wigan (or whoever) would still be Wigan.
———————————————-
Portsmouth Rangers?
Longmuir saying in the ETimes that Rangers should not be made to play the same teams again and get a lift up to the second group of 12. He also said that the people who run the game in this country need to look at what is best for football in Scotland and forget what punishment befits Rangers.
I thought his job was to look after all SFL clubs, seems not it is only one.
To be fair, grumpy, it appears that it was the impartial Derek Johnstone that said that last bit. 😉
——
David Longmuir hasn’t ruled out fast-tracking Rangers if there is a league reconstruction
By DEREK JOHNSTONE
I WAS interested to read that SFL chief executive David Longmuir had refused to rule out Rangers being fast-tracked into the second tier if league reconstruction gets the go-ahead.
There is certainly a precedent; Stranraer were promoted to the First Division when the league set-up was changed back in 1994.
And, having moved the goalposts during the season, it would be unjust if the Ibrox club was consigned to the bottom tier again having won the title this year.
Contextual targeting label: Sport
But I can’t see the 12-12-18 system getting the go-ahead from the SPL clubs. They have to pass it by an 11-1 majority and I think there are too many who have their doubts.
I personally feel the people who run the game in this country need to look at what is best for football in Scotland and forget about what punishment befits Rangers.
Dunfermline and Hearts are staring into the abyss just now. A good few other clubs are experiencing serious financial problems and are set to follow them.
We desperately need stability, not division, in our game at the moment.
carlislecelt says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 17:24
16 1 Rate This
Every night and more I look on briefly at the TSFM for a bit of inspiration and indeed for a booster after the recent shenanigans. Every night and more I am disappointed I still say the Scottish game is knackered. I will keep looking in however at least for a while.
=========
I know exactly how you feel. The next significant piece of news will be the phoney reorganisation, involving- surprise, surprise- the accelerated elevation of TRFC. My only remaining interest is to see just how far they dare push it. It’s blindingly obvious that they want TRFC in the top flight next season if possible. Do they dare go for it in one? Is anyone going to stop them? If (that should probably be when) they succeed, then it’s mission accomplished, game set and match, and anyone with an honest bone in their body had better just forget Scottish football- it’s as bent as a horseshoe.
“Longmuir saying in the ETimes that Rangers should not be made to play the same teams again and get a lift up to the second group of 12”
not sure how he can be acting in best interests of all sfl clubs there ??
what club is he actually associated with ??
if they go to middle 12, there are 9 clubs who miss out on the sevco fairy’s visit altogether.
why would they vote for that.
they might just about opt for keeping them in the 18 but then they only get them once .
voting them to sfl3 gave everyone a good bite.
two bites (minimum) in fact.
Scottish football- it’s as bent as a horseshoe.
___________________________________
It’s a shoe-in the clubs have, on the evidence so far, capitulated. The fans lack any kind of meaningful leadership. UEFA/FIFA nod while the future of the game in Scotland burns. The mob in Hampden will never have a more propitious time to return Servco to their rightful place at the top of Scottish football.
The sad thing is that the game has entered it’s death throes and there is no obvious way it can be resuscitated. Despairing fans and their kids will find other sports and pastimes and never again will they darken the door of this corrupt set-up.
Scottish football – as herself says, it’s as bent as a butchers hook!
Assume the SPL stays at 12, one up, one down, clear cut. No change there.
Assume SPL 2 is made up of 12, that’s two extra.
Assume one up and one down, then that’s the first 10 sorted.
Simple question, where do the extra 2 come from.
In a meritocracy, they would come from the current SFL2, and from the top of it (see “Club 12″ for an analogy”).
In a carve-up, by invitation.
A carve-up would be as obvious as it is predictable. It will be up to the SFL clubs to reject such a notion if they choose to. It really is up to them to decide what they will accept and what they won’t.
It would be arrogant of the SPL(1) clubs to dictate to them.
Personally I think any changes of the structure should be made with one clear season. i.e. it is agreed in advance and does not come into force until the season after the upcoming one. So 2014/15 would be the new structure. I think that is fair to everyone and gives all teams a chance to plan.
The football administrators who have allowed the game to descend to this level of corruption are now proposing to reconstruct the leagues, and, believe it or not! you still have people who trust them. As Mr Barnum astutely observed “there is one born every minute.
Seems confusion abounds re the PSL voting money share etc. This from some of the Well society guys who were at the same meeting with the Well board. Others further down the forum are getting very upset about getting lied to it seems.
Posted Today, 07:08 PM
=================================
weeyin, on 08 March 2013 – 06:43 PM, said:
I wasn’t there, but as far as I know the club included it in their presentation at the last Well Society meeting. In particular they mentioned that Aberdeen were the club who thought they were one of the big boys and scuppered votes.
This made the league reconstruction proposals more attractive to teams like us because the straight majority rule was a guaranteed part of the package. So if and when they were adopted, as long as 7 clubs wanted to change the distribution of funds, it would be carried.
==================================================
I was there and never got any of that in relation to redistribution of funds or the fact it had already happened
yes the Aberdeen example was given, but only in relation to changing the voting structure
the question was asked specifically why cant individual things like , voting, distribution of wealth etc be passed through as individual amendments and we were told it has been tried and is quite simply not possible to get them through, lengthy discussion including Aberdeen example
in the new setup voting,nothing to do with 7 clubs was mentioned 75% of the clubs would be needed in the top group to get change, but only on certain aspects, other more serious changes would require more votes
the financials presented, showed the change from last years structure to the new proposed 12-12-18 financial structure, nothing was said about this being slipped in this season in fact it was heavily sold on the fact that 1st and 2nd place would be giving up the substantial amounts for redistribution, which may of course be true next season, but conveniently dances around the fact that a change was made, what it was, and the fact that it shows changes could be made without the full package of reconstruction
Early on the the meeting our board, LD, said that there is a lot of passion surrounding whats happening with the SPL but also a lot of misinformation and the club need to let everyone know the facts, a fine sentiment on the back of this change being dropped in
I don’t think they can re-construct though, they can only propose it.
The clubs must agree
Oh how I laugh ,when I see all the rumours that sevco will be fast tracked into the SPL and all because the internet bampots keep harping on about haow they won’t allow it .
IMO this is being mooted so as when sevco are placed in the 2nd 12 of 12-12-18 instead of where they should be ,in the 18 .All us internet bampots will say ,aye but we stopped them placing them straight into the SPL and all be happy with our lot .
They are fast tracking sevco 2012 to the SPL but to actually put them straight into the SPL would really be rubbing all our noses in it and even after what I have witnessed this year I honestly think even those rats could not be that stupid .
So no ,for me they will build the SPL story up ,so that when they place them in the 2nd 12 all us MUG PUNTERS will be happy we sorted things out .
THINK AGAIN
If they put sevco 2012 into the SPL then that really would show every Scottish football fan how thick the peepil think we all are
ecobhoy says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 11:28
Celtic fans wanting to leave Scotland because of the LNS whitewash, Sevco fans wanting to leave for the English league because they were kicked when they were down (poor wee succulent lambs).
Why not do the fans of all other diddy clubs in Scotland a favour and just resign and GTF just now so we can cut our cloth accordingly and get on with it.
An substantial automatic fine should be applied whenever a SCOTTISH club publicly states a wish to leave our leagues for pastures new. I’m sick to death of hearing Celtic/NewCo fans talking about their desire to leave Scottish football.
The winding up order story has gone off radar – has there been any update? Charles was adamant that he wasn’t for paying
I’m baffled as to why there is £22 milllion
raised in RIFC ‘s IPO now sitting in the company’s account.
If I take a walk down the analogy route to try
and excuse myself of ignorance I put it like this.
Imagine a very small taxi company. The owner has one car
and one licence independently value at £25,000.
He decides to sell a 50% stake and is duly paid
£12,500 by an investor. Here’s is where my confusion kicks in.
If the original owner puts that £12,500 into his company’s
account as an asset he has effectively made himself £6,250 poorer.
Whereas once he owned 100% of a company valued
at £25,000, he now owns 50% of a company valued at £37,500
(taxi+licence+cash asset). Surely he must take the cash out of the company and
put it into his personal account for the deal to make sense?
Andy says:
Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 23:38
0
16
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Lord Wobbly says:
Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 19:19
35 0 Rate This
Need a reason to continue to contribute?
Without a hint or irony, the ‘bitter battle’ is blamed on Thompson, Petrie and the apparently ‘Machiavellian’ Peter Lawwell. No mention of David Murray. No mention of being found guilty of years of lying and yes, cheating.
http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/233-why-i-can-t-move-on
It really is quite extraordinary. Or it would be if they didn’t try to rewrite history every single day. If you want to let this kind of rubbish go unchallenged, then move on. If, however, you prefer to fight for truth, justice and the integrity way, keep on keeping on.
________________________
No, I don’t believe it either! Which, of course, begs the question; just how much credence can we place in Stephen Thompson’s statement? Bear in mind that it is only a few weeks since he appeared on the front cover of the Dundee United match day program, above the banner, ‘Dundee United welcome the Rangers FC for the first ever meeting of the clubs’. Just one of the many jibes and insults he has made about our club over the past year.
was that not a photoshop that follow follow fell for?
————————————————————————————————————
Having read the Rangers Standard article, once again the chairmen of Hibs, Dundee United and Celtic are fingered as the culprits for a ‘vindictive’ campaign to murder the innocent victims of Govan. (copyright that most reasonable of bears Mr C Graham). I have asked before on here, can anyone find a quote or attributed quote from any of these men, that could be even vaguely described as vindictive?
angus1983 says: Friday, March 8, 2013 at 20:14
David Longmuir hasn’t ruled out fast-tracking Rangers if there is a league reconstruction
By DEREK JOHNSTONE
I WAS interested to read that SFL chief executive David Longmuir had refused to rule out Rangers being fast-tracked into the second tier if league reconstruction gets the go-ahead.
There is certainly a precedent; Stranraer were promoted to the First Division when the league set-up was changed back in 1994.
================================
The Stranraer precedent wasn’t as substantial as the leg-up that is being suggested for TRFC.
In 1993/94 there was a 3 league set up of 12-12-14. By winning Div 2 (the third tier), Stranraer could be considered to have merited 23rd place in the rankings for the next season as two teams would normally have been promoted/relegated.
In the following season 1994/95 the league structure changed to 10-10-10-10. Stranraer were given a place in the top 20 as their reward for winning their league, thus gained another 3 places in the meritocracy. ICT and Ross Co. joined the league to make the no of teams up to 40.
What is being suggested for Rangers, assuming they win Div 3 is that they are given a leg up from 31st/32nd (1 or 2 can be promoted), to 24th in the rankings, a lift of 7 or 8 places.
I don’t know when the decision was taken that the Div 2 winners would go into the new 10 team Div 1 but I suspect that it will have been agreed before the start of 1993/94 season.
Bottom line
Reconstruction is fine, but only if
1, It is with the agreement of the clubs concerned
and
2, It is not decided during the course of a season.
The proposals must be made, the clubs must agree and there has to be a clear season for clubs to adjust to those changes.
Any change put in place for “next season” is unacceptable.
If one club does not agree the changes that should be enough. If there is a clear season then they can simply choose not to join in the year after. It is unfair on any person, or body corporate to change the rules without giving them the opportunity to simply walk away and not be part of the new structure.
That must surely be a fundamental right.
Like some others I come on here hoping that there will be a no confidence vote, an appeal of LNS or even a complete breakaway. However, I know this is unrealistic. Such actions would induce conflict and expose the ugliness underying some in our game and indeed in our society. This is inevitable if the action our club chairmen take is diected at any aspect of the TRFC fiasco.
However, suppose the action is clearly directed only at the authorities and not at the TRFC? This need not be unilateral, it could include all clubs, even TRFC. The perfect opportunity comes when the great reconstruction is unveiled. Suppose the clubs simply reject it and use that rejection to sum up their lack of confidence and so bring about regime change?
No harm in dreaming…………..
In the interests of fairness I think every team should be allowed one precedent. Stranraer got theirs in the 90’s when the got promoted into the second tier.
Sevco got theirs when they were allowed to join the SFL without fulfilling any of the conditions required for membership.
Any more than one would be greedy and unfair (and possibly without precedent :-D)
I see plenty of free tickets for sevco game in circulation again, they must be going for a new world record ‘ the most people watching the worst team ‘ totally pathetic, the record breaking fans were on SSB tonight yelping like injured dogs about what that big bad Charlie Green was saying about their team 🙂 podcast worth a listen to hear DJ trying to explain this tee hee
The wierd thing about all this fastrack malarky is that I don’t know if the top end has been explained properly yet? Do Sevco just pick up on of those ‘spare’ SPL memberships ( there were 2 or 3?) and then get their feet up on the poofy? As TC would have said – jist like that? Or will Dundee have to hand back their membership ( used to be RFC – now deid ) to TRFC now dessperate? It’s a bit whiffy! I need a shower.
easyJambo says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 21:35
EJ, that is true. I’ve commented on this before – Clyde were one of the 5 teams relegated from the first, and which Stranraer leapfrogged on their way up. However, the difference that time around was that we knew from the outset that if we didn’t finish in the top 7 that season, then we were going down, so we didn’t really have any complaint when it happened. Had we been aiming at 3rd bottom (we have low expectations!) to stay up, and were suddenly told with 10 games to go that, actually, we had to finish 7th, then it might have been a different story.
From Pittodrie to Victoria Park, Dens Park to Easter Road, McDiarmid Park to St Mirren Park and beyond. Altogether now, the cry was…
WE WANT OGILVIE OUT, WE WANT OGILVIE OUT!
WE WANT OGILVIE OUT, WE WANT OGILVIE OUT!
Gie it laldy this weekend, before it’s too late.
friday evening mood-lightener…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2013/mar/08/barney-ronay-football-journalists
Give that Grauniad journalist a prize.
Maybe it’s different in England, but in Scotland I think being regarded as a budding ‘football journalist’ would be taken as an offensive slur !
In contrast, the label of ‘Internet Bampot’ has a certain honesty about it – and clearly distinguishes from the pond-life commonly known as ‘Scottish sports churnalists’.
…and that reminds me: is Jingle Jangle Jackson going to retain his ‘Sports News Reporter of the Year’ title next month at the Scottish Press Awards ? 🙄
The downward spiral of the asset value [players] hold this, as I sit and listen to another comment on the STV NEWS Sevco are being linked with a 22 year old Mexican,who the F@ck is kidding who here ,surely the decent Rangers fans must be saying enough is enough stop bullsh@tting us we will buy season tickets if you are up front ,Sally is now lowering himself and is in serious danger of taking the decent Rangers fans as mugs if he continues with this charade to sell season books,you can fool some of the peeple some of the time Ally ,well maybe I am too generous in my sentiments towards the decent Rangers fans ,but going back to the asset value,is there anyone at The Rangers ,even whats the guy’s name they signed from Hearts that looked promising ,that would bring in any serious funds if he was sold on ,come to think of it ,they would need to replace this decent player ,do you think a crash test dummy would sign for this club ,no,thought not,a CTD has a rebuild value , the money that would need to be spent on wages alone would take this club under in a few years,no slulduggery any more or they are history ,no need for the fans of football [if any are left] to worry ,the noose is ,albeit very slowly being drawn in ,are the custodians of our game so corrupt they are willing to let their family history be tainted with the stigma their siblings will have to face if they fast track this accident waiting to happen,well hell mend you as ,well we know this that you are all rabbits caught in the headlights of this juggernaut,as their grand children sit on their knee listening to them and the youngster suddenly points out the window and says ,look gramps a squirrel.
Carl31 (@C4rl31) says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 22:54
“Perhaps the only real issue here is the baffling amount of anger and anxiety wrapped up in all this: the resentment, the chafing, the revelation that not only is everybody in the world now a football journalist, pretty much everybody in the world appears to be an angry football journalist too.”
Perhaps Howard Beale offers the most apposite response to above, “I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, ‘I’M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!”
What better than the web for a window on the world?
yourhavingalaugh says:
Friday, March 8, 2013 at 23:19
“are the custodians of our game so corrupt they are willing to let their family history be tainted with the stigma their siblings will have to face if they fast track this accident waiting to happen”
An ever increasing amount of evidence would suggest, yes.
The one factor that was different last year was that when confronted with a specific single issue, whether TRFC should be admitted to the SPL – then SFL1) the clubs had no choice but to follow their fans wishes.
The favourable treatment the authorities are now dishing out to TRFC is too broad an issue for fans to have an influence. It’s too easy for club owners and boards to shake their heads and frown, while saying it’s nothing to do with them. Whether this is out of financial fear, fear of the authorities or some form of willingness to favour TRFC can’t be known.
The scale of the “cheating” (copyright everybody but LNS), lying, backroom arm-twisting and general lack of sporting behaviour from RFC and now TRFC is too big to deal with in big bites. It left too many hazy areas where rules could be bent or ignored so that they basically got away with it without even having to give back what they stole, much less be punished for their actions. The document created in the previous couple of threads is a great idea to combat any kind of repeat action, but it needs to be the end state. Fans need to walk their clubs – and by extension their national association – to this concept one step at a time.
This is where the LNS report and league reconstruction can be useful. Fans now have the chance to demand SPECIFIC actions and answers from their clubs. For example:
1. Does your club support SPL ratification / SFA acceptance of the the LNS report? How will it impact the club’s registration activites and will they appeal any previous registration punishments given the report’s (and presumably the SFA’s) interpretation of the punishments merited.
2. Does your club have an opinion on the criteria that will be used for determining league reconstruction and specifically whether it supports introducing any criteria that could result in clubs being elevated above clubs who finished above them in the outgoing league structure? Any response that leaves room to shoehorn TRFC up the structure will mean my club wont see me or my money again.
3. Does your club have confidence in CO? If enough clubs state that they feel unable to give him a vote of confidence, the shadows that he’s been hiding in to hang on to his tenuous position will have a lot more light shed on them. Again, if my club gives him a vote of confidence, they will never see one more penny from me.
These are open and shut issues. Any issues out there that split a club’s fans should not be subject to this kind of treatment. The idea isn’t to drive fans away, it’s to make sure that clubs operate in such away that they don’t force fans away by throwing away their sporting integrity.
Football in Scotland has never really had sporting integrity. There have been cultural issues that have impacted the integrity of the game since year dot and we can’t reasonably claim to have dealt with them even now. With the creation of the SPL, we kissed goodbye to financial integrity too and we’ve now fallen so far from that ideal that it’s not just fat or bald sports reporters (I’m saving the term journalist for those who do more that regurgitate the words and wishes of their preferred clubs) who can openly call for financially large clubs to be planted above other clubs in open contravention of any and all sporting principles, but the “leaders” of our game can do so too. Calling for the parachuting of a team up the league is no better than telling a referee to make sure they win on the pitch. Anyone who supports such a policy should be treated as though they are proposing match fixing and banned.
You can’t design a league based on the need for certain participants to succeed either. We’ve done this for 20 years and it’s the reason the league is so dull and attendances have consistently fallen everywhere except Ibrox and Parkhead. It’s also certain that going further down that road isn’t going to bring fans back. A league structure needs to be decided upon BASED ON THE NEEDS OF SCOTTISH FOOTBALL AS A WHOLE. This means not deliberately skewing prize money distribution, ensuring TV coverage doesn’t adversely impact attendances at any one club over another and making sure that league fixtures are not fixed or flexed based on which teams are playing. When that is done clubs will then succeed or fail on their own merits – FULL STOP!! This means financially and on the pitch.
The sad truth is that we’re in such a mess already that it’s easy to Scottish football to be dismissed as a mickey-mouse league by our own and by anyone who might want to shed light on what has been done to protect the Rangers franchise. On top of this the international governing authorities aren’t exactly snow white either. There are two ways to fix this. One is to start again with a new organisation, but unless you know how to grow it from nothing to surpass the existing national league and then into something that can rival FIFA, it’s a non-starter. That leaves us with a grass roots movement. Demand you club subscribes to the principles of integrity on a step by step basis. Build it up from the base and make sure you know that your club is at the forefront of making sure that 5-way agreements in smoke filled rooms are not the way business is done.
For all that it took in 140 years, in death Rangers gave fans the gift of knowing that they can influence their club through withdrawal of cash. This needs to be mobilized in order to become an effective tool for the future (and it needs something like SFM to shed light on it make sure that it isn’t abused too), but we’ve seen it done before. The key is don’t ask for the world. We’re too diverse a group and our demands are then too vague to be effective. Start with small steps.