Hello

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Welcome. As Mark Dickson suggested, this is a forum to discuss how the legacy of RTC can be honoured and continued.

The mechanics of how we move forward, if there is an appetite for it can be discussed freely.

Kicking off with no particular shopping list, I think that the key is that moderation is kept to a minimum, that people should by and large be encouraged to self moderate, and that the ethos put in place by RTC would be welcome.

In the post RTC era, I suspect that readership of any new blog will decrease. The consequence of that will hopefully be that there is less of what RTC called a fan site and therefore an easier to moderate situation.

I think that in the first instance, the site should look as close to RTC as possible to make people feel at home, but a name has to be found.

Suggested items for discussion;

Name for blog

Moderation policy

Moderation board members

Anything else 🙂

Below, there is a poll to consider which of the three most popular names mentioned so far should be chosen for the blog. I’ll let the poll run until 1900 hrs on Wednesday and we can move on from there to other more substantial matters.

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About Trisidium

Trisidium is a Dunblane businessman with a keen interest in Scottish Football. He is a Celtic fan, although the demands of modern-day parenting have seen him less at games and more as a taxi service for his kids.

445 thoughts on “Hello”


  1. RTC, do you think you could pop into the future and leave a sticky link to this blog at the bottom of “Wrapping It All Up” comments?.


  7. If this is to work it needs a focus – thats what RTC had. The single biggest obstacle is subjects that divide the fans along team lines but where do you draw the line?

    Maybe its just me but what I found excellent about RTC was the “fanatics” that have slightly more outlandish ideas about things that go in on Scottish football and the larger world have been kept at bay – if not it will just turn into a blog full of tit for tat rubbish.

    Maybe the blogs focus could change but once picked could be where the moderators keep things heading?

    League reconstruction or TV deals could be the first blog and “focus” – from a BBC tweet earlier Regan is going to have something to say on this later.


  8. Format suggestions:

    Threaded topics, where you can reply to individual comment
    Related links on a side bar (other blogs, today news)


  9. I’m not convinced that a blog is the right way to encourage debate and discussion.

    The comments section in WordPress doesn’t lend itself to multi-threaded discussions and the site is quite reliant on original blog posts from the authors.

    RTC had enough material for many good posts, but any follow-on forum with a wider remit will require articles that are quite specific and focused, while quite possibly lacking the “exclusive” raw material that made RTC so unique and compelling.


  11. TheBlackKnight says:
    July 31, 2012 at 3:09 pm

    I like the idea of this continuity site. 

    ————–

    Ooh! We could call it the Continuity RTC.

    *gets coat*


  12. I like the name Scottish Football Corruption,
    Short sharp and to the point 🙂


  13. Re “Scottish Football Corruption” – I agree entirely with Auldheid’s point that the name instantly invites those you want to influence to not take it seriously.

    First question I would ask is would it just be a talking shop or would it be a platform for campaigning and taking action across different fan groupings.

    If it’s not got an important distinct purpose that isn’t catered for elsewhere, I don’t see the point.


  14. along with the Thumbs Up/Down, does wordpress also allow posts to be reported?
    That way, posts could still be voted on (like some of Stunney’s newspaper clippings 🙂 ), without making them seem like the should be moderated…Reported posts, would after x number of reports, auto-dump to the MOD queue.


  15. Hi All,

    I have just said goodbye, and now I say Hello.

    If I can help in some way, I will, although not trying to write the blog. All the unknown information that I have comes from, yes the rangerstaxcase!

    New blog title —you might think we know SFA, but we’re still watching you.


  17. Re new name:

    I asked myself how I would like Scottish Football to be and to be thought of in, say, 20 years time.

    No word or phrase sums up how I would like the game to be played and to be governed quite like the phrase ‘ level playing field ‘.

    It means, . . .well, everyone knows what it means.

    And everyone knows that we don’t have it now. Not in football or in the media.

    And everyone knows that there are no plans for a level playing field ever to come about – not if the current set of blazers and other interested parties have their way.

    So, I offer ‘LEVEL PLAYING FIELD’ for consideration as the title of the new blog.


  19. Harry Tuttle says:
    July 31, 2012 at 4:19 pm
    ———-

    Harry,
    I prefer forums for most things. I’ve run a few and am busy with motorbike and music forums where multi-topic discussion is essential. On reflection, I’ve come to like the blog format as it’s usually focused around a central theme, as RTC is (present tense!).

    They’re both good formats. In the end, it’s the content that matters. I saw your forum suggestion, nice effort too. A worpress blog can be easier to admin if it’s used in its basic format by one guy. At least that’s what I’ve found. But the forum opens new avenues, although the danger of losing focus exists in a forum setting.

    If this is to be a follow-up to RTC then it might be good to keep the format. I’m just happy it will continue in some way.


  22. It will take more than simply wearing a maroon & white tie to win me over Mr Regan. 😀


  23. Anything in here about the secret meetings of Mr Lawwell and Mr Doncaster over the summer? Or will this blog only look at alleged corruption when it suits its own agenda?

    Would be a willing participant if its wants to open the Pandora’s Box of Scotland. If it’s just looking to turn into a Celtic fanboy site for Rangers-bashing like RTC did then count me out.


  24. CE says:
    July 31, 2012 at 4:59 pm
    0 0 Rate This
    http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11781/7953178/Scottish-deal-for-Sky

    but but but Jim Traynor and Doncaster & Regan promised us Armageddon if Rangers were dumped at the bottom and Sponsors & media partners would simply walk away……….even Davie Provan told us the other day that Celtic would be lucky to get paid two bob in commercial payments for winning the SPL this season.


  26. David says:
    July 31, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    David what about all the secret meetings and info Mr Green was a party to that other clubs weren’t informed about yet even the likes of Sandy Jardine & Bomber Brown were better informed of Regan & Doncasters plans than other clubs officials who had to vote on these matters?


  27. Mark Dickson says:
    July 31, 2012 at 5:11 pm
    1 0 i Rate This

    Sky don’t do walking away.


  28. David says:
    July 31, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    =====================

    So when you setting up your blog then ?

    Would Leggo mind ?


  29. Suggested blog name: Scottish Open Football Alliance. Or S.O.F.A for short.

    Good luck with the blog PL, if your involved then its off to a great start.

    Though some of your posts on RTC were 99% crap. 😀


  30. So Regan could have given the simple answer that as League places have to be earned on merit as opposed to financial or commercial considerations in line with FIFA & UEFA articles then it would be highly unlikely if not impossible to envisage “Rangers” being in any top flight division next season as the highest they can finish this season is 33rd out of 42 clubs.

    Instead he talked about the formulation of a plan by the stakeholders to be put to all 42 clubs ………. cue expect more gerrymandering attempts this season or next summer. 🙁


  31. Succulent Lamb is a Traynor-ism and still oriented towards Rangers in it’s context.

    If we are changing the the name the my votes would be for either Without Fear or Favour or Beyond Armageddon and I’d also like to see Scottish Football kept within the title as that is what brings us all together and did thru RTC blog.


  32. David says:
    July 31, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    If it’s just looking to turn into a Celtic fanboy site for Rangers-bashing like RTC did then count me out.

    ___________________________________________________________________________

    Hi Jack,

    I can understand your in a bad mood Jack, seeing as how Sevco didn’t make it back to the SPL, as you forecast, and are now in Div.3 instead, courtesy of a very generous dose of largesse from your friends at Hampden. No, Jack, they are your friends, believe me.

    Anyway, cheer up Jack, it could be so much worse. In fact it’s going to get a whole lot worse quite shortly, but we won’t go into that seeing as how you’re a bit depressed and that.

    BTW Jack, I don’t think the new site is really going to be your cup of tea, anymore than RTC was, as it’s bound to be full of the same kind of stuff, which you find so distasteful, especially the truth.

    So, in the meantime Jack, keep those shades on – they suit you – and just go on back to where you came from and stay there.

    Ps. And yes, we will count you out, Jack, you know its for the best.


  33. The new mainstream(the honest mainstream )
    “what they report is 100% crap”


  34. Something must be organized to keep the thousands of interested fans focused, we still have Walter and Souness ebts, C.O. still in office, Dual contracts decision and penalty, league restructure to fast track Newco, Who owns Ibrox, Murray park,? what happens when the liquidators move in,? where is whyte still involved? and umpteen other points that we have discussed that are not yet resolved.
    Most of this will still be attempted to be swept under the carpet and the only thing that will prevent a whitewash still being attempted is the power and unity the fans have shown over the last year or so.
    RTC please reconsider your timing, its not that I am ungrateful or dont appreciate how much that you have done so far but what a waste it would be if we were looking back in a few years and saying, what if!
    If it not led by RTC I fear it will drift and fall away from the important issues at hand.


  35. i’m still struggling to understand where they are getting the money to fund buying/giving 2 players 4 year contracts ????


  36. Well done to you, TSFM, for getting us started on a new blog instead of just kicking the idea around. All respect to RTC on his/her decision to end the blog, I just wish it was continuing as there is still so much to be done.

    I think the biggest reason that the blog has been so successfull is that it has maintained it’s focus on the two main things it set out to do, ie expose the facts of the Rangers Tax Case and the failings of the MSM, to such a wide audience. This would not have been possible if it had tried to cover all the ills of Scottish football, as the main contributors would have been lost in a sea of squabbles, and the MSM would have found it all too easy to write it off, and anyone visiting the site might well have believed those lazy hacks. The Rangers Tax Case blog had power. That power was brought about, initially by one person, with knowledge that was being covered up by those with a duty to expose it to the nation. This was not the power of a Murray or Whyte, but the power to do what is right and to encourage others to do so. And there definitely was others, others with knowledge and the ability to provide that knowledge to others in a way that kept our interest, and our belief in what was being done on the blog was right.

    PL, if this blog is indeed to take over the mantle of Rangers Tax Case I believe it has to remain focused and must have the input of these ‘expert’ contributors. Might I be so bold as to suggest you try to make direct contact with them (I don’t know how you can do this) and discuss the way forward and how to maintain this focus? It is important that those with information relating to goings-on of dodgey character down Ibrox way continue to have a medium to make that information known to as wide an audience as possible, without it being lost in a sea of all the other problems facing the game we love.

    Should, however, your intention be to be more diverse, I’d welcome the opportunity for us all to enter into discussions about the game amongst people who have so excellently shown, whatever is wrong with Scottish football, that there are supporters, at least, who put the game, and the integrity of the game, above the ‘party politics’ of supporting a football team.


  37. David says:
    July 31, 2012 at 5:09 pm

    David,

    What I don’t get is why you’re so dismissive of both this new blog and RTC. If anyone had a need for them, it was Rangers fans. You’ve been fed a pack of lies for years, and it’s still happening with the new club, and yet your anger is being directed towards the very places where you’d have had the sort of analysis and information that could have allowed you to act and save your club.

    Instead, you’re getting passed around various unsavoury characters, and yet you’re still angry at the people that point this out, rather than the unsavoury characters themselves.

    There is the odd gloater that comes on, but you can’t blame the blog for that, and from memory, anyone who went over the top was told to go back to whatever fans forum they would normally frequent.

    If it’s the same crowd from RTC, then you’ll have a large cross section of fans from all clubs, diddy and non-diddy! As Keifer Sutherland would have said if he’d met you in 1987 – come join us, David…


  38. spanishcelt says:
    July 31, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    fear not SC, the genie is out of the bottle and cannot be put back in. The vested interests won’t ever admit it but they are terrified of the power of the internet bampots to mobilise and shape the opinions of all clubs fans against their plans or wishes when those involved a perversion of natural justice or sporting integrity.

    RTC has stated a desire to wind down the blog, that is his/her right and has contributed more than enough of their life to it already.

    Within 24 hours a successor blog has sprung up that looks and feels the same and all the same people are here.

    As RTC wrote in an earlier blog – We Don’t Do Walking Away Either! 🙂


  39. We are now up to 125 posts on Scottish Football Corruption

    If this continues for another day we hardly need to look for a title

    We`ve pretty well got one

    And if we treat SFC as including the football media

    We can include MSM corruption as well


  40. I was going to suggest United Fans Forum as the name of the blog. Then i looked at the acronym and thought………………… na maybe not.


  41. PL what about Scottish-Football-Without-Fear-or-Favour ?

    “Without Fear” could even refer to the likes of poor Mr Regan getting Police advice to be more safety considerate whilst the guys at Raith and on the SFA Appeals Panels all endured the same advice/threats etc.


  42. Well done RTC for all your hard work, and welcome to the new blog. I hope its half as successful as RTC!


  44. PL
    To name it “Succulent Lamb” would be a mistake IF you want it to be all inclusive.
    It has to neutral or you´re perceived as coming at it from one side.
    To be a site looking for corruption in Scottish football rather than one club or one section of the circus, at least begin in a neutral manner.

    ps. Neither is corruption based exclusively upon journalism.


  45. Auldheid,

    How do you engage in dialogue with a “Mafia” ? There were literally tens of thousands of wonderfully reasoned posts and arguments on the RTC blog which resonated with fans of all teams. But the only thing that reasonated with the self serving mafia that runs Scottish fitba was the financial threat of fans not attending matches ie losing customers and even then they still tried to gerrymander the outcomes at every opportunity.

    I agree that dialogue is important to understand the other parties motivations and yes that is helpful, but we already know what the over-riding motivations that drove this farce were – commercial self interests and institutional biases / power structures.

    The only thing that will change their behaviour and mindset is by letting them know as happened this summer is that we simply will not stand for it and are prepared to hit them in the pocket. That’s the language they understand.


  46. It would seem that initially estimates of the cost of Armageddon is only £200K per SPL club which is hardly enough to drive half the league into administration according to the most dire predictions of a 90% reduction in commercial money without Rangers ………tony mckelvie also tweeting that the SPL clubs will change the distribution model so that the top 2 places would lose about £1M combined and the rest lose just £100K each.


  47. Did Regan get a new ruler as he seems to just want to draw lines.

    Did he actually answer any question in that interview.


  48. Mark Dickson says:
    July 31, 2012 at 5:41 pm

    Succulent Lamb is a Traynor-ism and still oriented towards Rangers in it’s context.

    If we are changing the the name the my votes would be for either Without Fear or Favour or Beyond Armageddon and I’d also like to see Scottish Football kept within the title as that is what brings us all together and did thru RTC blog.
    ————————————————————————————————————-
    I think someone earlier mentioned “Scottish Football Monitor” – I’d be happy with that as I feel it encompasses what the blog would be used for. Discussion and debate about how the “guardians” of our game are ignoring the wishes of the vast majority of fair minded decent football fans.

    It gives the fans a place to vent their anger (within reason), it gives the fans a place to put across their point of view and it lets the “guardians” read what we think of them. They do read these blogs by the way. You only have to read what they say about these blogs to know this.

    Remember, the fans have power, we’ve proved it already and we are making inroads into the MSM way of reporting, albeit slowly.


  50. my own suggestion for a new name for the blog- Scottish Football Watch


  51. nowoldandgrumpy says:
    July 31, 2012 at 6:41 pm
    0 0 i
    Rate This

    Did Regan get a new ruler as he seems to just want to draw lines.

    Did he actually answer any question in that interview.

    —————————————————————————————————————

    Nope.

    Strange thing is he answered alot of things by saying it’s all about opinion when it comes to football and that is a good thing. So perfect defence for the first Manager/Player up in front of the Compliance Officer – “It’s all about opinions mate” Point taken say SFA – case dismissed.
    Sometimes I feel a wee bit sorry for those in charge of our game, what with all the abuse they recieve from all sides, but when one of them opens their mouth I think, well hell mend you.


  52. So, were all the wages paid then? I guess they must have been if they’re signing a new player on a 4-years deal.


  55. Woo hoo. Another bookmark to keep me awake at night. Welcome to the gravy train……


  56. Here we go… continuing on from the stellar work of RTC… I like the blog name… it reminds us all of what has been going on… for years… straightforward and to the point


  57. PL
    The RTC blog having somewhat one-way traffic was understandable given the subject matter.
    If you pretend that this is to be a blog policing what is happening at Ibrox, go-ahead and name it accordingly.

    If you want it to monitor Scottish Football as a whole then pick a strictly neutral name.
    I think you underestimate the importance of a name.


  58. 5StarsorBehindBars says:
    July 31, 2012 at 7:09 pm
    0 0 Rate This
    Here we go… continuing on from the stellar work of RTC… I like the blog name… it reminds us all of what has been going on… for years… straightforward and to the point
    ==========================================================================

    I like the blog name too – I can see why people think it’s confrontational and it is and perhaps there are better names but i still think it’s better than the 3 poll choices ………………perhaps if enough people already link to this site and bookmark it the current name will just have to stick 😉


  59. Brilliant idea keeping the work going. Can I suggest that the blog should be named simply ‘Scottish football against corruption’

    Good luck Motherwell tonight.


  60. Latest rumour – if your chosen site name is not selected, contact a certain firm called Regan and Doncaster in Glasgow and I hear they will bend over backwards to ensure your selection is top of the pile 🙂


  61. Mark Dickson says:
    July 31, 2012 at 7:12 pm
    0 0 Rate This

    Good point – I’m happy here, and rather than “drawing a line under this” as some people would prefer, the name will give them a wee reminder of just how strongly fans across Scotland feel about this whole saga.


  62. Does anyone know why Dundee and not “Rangers” feature I this week’s League Cup ties?


  63. I think if the Succulent Lamb moniker is chosen, i don’t believe the Blog will get taken seriously

    When we had RTC it could be name checked by people like Stuart Cosgrove, Jim Spence etc on their Sportsound programme

    No way on earth are they going to recognise and call out one called Succulent Lamb

    Scottish Football Corruption is perfect as at this moment with SevCo gaining entry to SFL3, the game is indeed bent


  64. Mark Dickson

    Were it not for the preceding dialogue insufficient minds would have been galvanised to take the action that grabbed attention.

    Once that attention is grabbed you then engage in dialogue with those attention you have attracted to hear their side of the story, the bit you do know about just in case they have valid reasons for taking the stance that they do.

    If, as in the definition, we approach this subject in a confrontational style thinking only we have the answers then we will meet resistance and if we have got some things wrong there goes the blogs credibilty.

    On succulent lamb glad to see arguments against it. It makes the msm the focus which if it is the aim,fine, but the aim has not been articulated and logically that is what should debated first and the name will flow from that debate.

    I am offering this not as criticism but sharing experience of how to set up a project whose aims are clear, the means of achieving them are understood and some verification of if its working are established in advance.

    Rtc had the advantage of knowing his aim and how he would go about achieving it and what he expected to see if he was successful, it is more difficult for a number of folk to do the same, but if you want this blog to carry the same weight as rtc’s original then the same approach makes sense to me.


  65. Galway Joyce says:
    July 31, 2012 at 7:37 pm

    its listed as Sevco vs East Fife (on 4th Aug) on the BBC website


  67. SSB why do I listen, will I never learn? On Radio 2 they do a test on you before you can get to take part in the Pubmaster quiz – do Radio Clyde do the opposite in that you need to fail the test to get on and if you’ve beaten their test you get Plan B: cut off. Please learned people of the internet bampot kind – keep educating me. And there’s another wan oan the noo – why are you so interested in us? Radio – Bin or window?


  68. TheBlackKnight says:
    July 31, 2012 at 3:09 pm
    4 1 Rate This
    apologies for the ‘test’. Posted earlier and took me to a weird
    hybrid site with only my post, yet having seen 30 or so previous comments…….. weird I tell you… weird!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    And you’ve returned without your TBK hanger on. You’re just plain old TheBlackNight again. It’s like stepping back in time…back in time… 😀


  69. What about ‘The Rangers Tax Case’ as in – ahem – The Rangers Football Club. If not then ‘Succulent Lamb’ for me.


  70. It might be an idea to call the blog Sporting Integrity. This could cover a wider range of topics but would sum up what most of us want and have wanted since the start of RTC.


  71. It seems to me that RTC’s format was pretty successful. The same rules should apply. All comers should be welcomed unless or until they prove to themselves unable to contribute in a positive manner.

    I would also defend the need for off topic flights of fancy from time to time, whether it be music, mouldmasters, fish jokes or whatever. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. And I’m sure we can all agree that no-one wants to be Jack.


  73. apologies for this if it goes through, I’m testing as I could never get through moderation at RTC, no idea why, allow me this 🙂


  74. Allyjambo

    I think the idea of sharing responsibilty over a blog team who are in contact by email to coordinate the blog lead article and synthisize posts is a good one.

    I’ve used it and having a small team to comment on articles before posting is something that can work.


  75. Am I the first in moderation, though it does not say so.

    tried to post a link for the Motherwell game, is that a no no?

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