A Guest Blog for TSFM by Auldheid
It has been some six months since we drew readers’ attention to documents that should have been provided by Rangers administrators Duff and Phelps in March 2012 to Harper MacLeod who acted on behalf of the then Scottish Premier League to investigate the use of side letters and employee benefit trust payments made by Rangers from the inception of the SPL in July 1998. You can read the previous blogs/correspondence for background at
- http://sfm.scot/scottish-football-an-honest-game-honestly-governed
- http://sfm.scot/an-honest-game-convince-us/
- http://sfm.scot/an-honest-game-convince-us/https://sfmarchive.privateland.net/it-takes-two-to-tangle/
In the latest letter below sent to Harper MacLeod and SPL Board members on 5th September 2014, you will find the story of what happened when the LNS Decision was delivered to the SPL Board and how the withholding of those same documents not only meant The Commission was misled from the outset in its terms of reference, but how the SPL Board were also incorrectly advised as a consequence of the same concealment.
It is a matter of some regret that secrecy, concealment and non-accountability continues to be the order of the day, not only in Scottish football but in the media coverage of this particular part of its history, but if this series of blogs does nothing else it will bring out the truth not only about the use of ebts but the deceitful attempts thereafter to try and minimise the damage caused. The Inaction will also stand as an indictment against all those responsible in the game and the media who cover it.
Letter to Harper MacLeod
Dear Mr McKenzie
We write further to our letters of 19th February, 29 March and reminder letter of 18th May 2014 to ask if the SPFL are now , after studiously ignoring for 6 months the correspondence and evidence provided, going to reconsider their position in respect of the Lord Nimmo Smith Commission and Decision of 28 February 2013?
In the detail of our letter of 29 March we suggested that It may be prudent to wait for the results of HMRC’s appeal to the UTT concerning the regularity or otherwise of ebt payments made under the MGMRT arrangement before embarking on any premature decision on the integrity of the LNS Commission Decision with regard to the true nature of the REBT payments being concealed from it.
The UTT have ruled and we know that payments under the MGMRT ebt arrangement are, for the time being and until the Court of Sessions re-examine the case at some future date , “lawful” or “not irregular” in tax terms.
However convenient as that may be to put off addressing the wider issue of the true nature of the MGRT ebts used by Rangers, it is no reason in terms of the LNS Commission, not to examine the effect of the concealment from yourselves as commissioners and the SPL of ebt payments made from 2000 to 2002/03 under the REBT arrangements to Tor Andre Flo and Ronald De Boer which were already ruled irregular by a separate FTT investigating the use of the same Discounted Option Scheme by Aberdeen Asset Management.
We remind you that in the earlier undated letter sent on 19th February we provided irrefutable evidence that
- Yourself, acting as the investigating agent for the SPL, was not provided with all the documentation you requested on 5th March 2012
- That documentation clearly demonstrated that in the case of two players named on the Commission list (Ronald De Boer and Tor Andre Flo) payments were made via an irregular ebt mechanism that subsequently rendered them subject to tax which HMRC has been trying unsuccessfully to collect since May 2011, a year before the commissioning process commenced.
- That in both cases side letters concealed from both football and tax authorities were a feature, whilst later relevant documentation revealing their true irregular nature was not provided as directed by yourselves to the Commission itself.
It is now our firm contention that
- The findings of Lord Nimmo Smith from paras 104 to 106 of his Decision that no sporting advantage accrued must be set aside where now known irregular payments have occurred. Using Lord Nimmo Smith’s argument sporting advantage had to accrue from season 1999/2000 to 2002/03 and the SPFL need to address that truth and consequences for our game to move on.
- Whilst it is unclear which SPL/SFA rules would have been breached by making irregular payments, it was not the rules the Commission was directed to examine as, according to the Lord Nimmo Smith Decision para 88 “ There may be extreme cases in which there is such a fundamental defect that the registration of a player must be treated as having been invalid from the outset “
- Payment by irregular means clearly constitute such a fundamental defect and so an extreme case. These payments should not have been conflated with other payments which are for the time being not irregular and to allow an investigation to stand that wrongly treated them under the same rules as the Commission did for regular payments would be a clear miscarriage of justice caused itself by apparent deception of the Commission by those whose very behaviour it was commissioned to investigate! (If we were using lay man terms we could say that the SP(F)L clubs and their supporters were and are being treated like mugs by those governing our game.)
On the matter of that apparent deception we can even go further on its impact. It is a fact that the SPL never made any public announcement as a Board of acceptance of the Lord Nimmo Smith decision. There was one individual statement but no official SPL Board announcement.
We understand that the matter of making an appeal was raised by the SPL Board on 28 Feb 2013 during a telephone conference meeting, not a face to face one, to discuss the most serious issue ever facing Scottish football and that a decision was delayed for 7 days by which time the date for lodging an appeal was about to end.
During the discussions by e mail some Board members expressed dissatisfaction at the token nature of the punishment for what Rangers had been found guilty of (basically misregistration of players) but also concerns about how no sporting advantage had been obtained through the use of ebts with side letters.
The Board were persuaded by your good self that Rangers had a sound argument that no sporting advantage had accrued. The Board were told that Rangers in effect had said that if the EBT details were required to be disclosed, the reason they did not disclose them was because of an error by Rangers in understanding what was required to be disclosed and that in any event they had secured no competitive advantage from not disclosing since the tax position would have been the same whether they disclosed to the SPL/SFA or not.
Given our opening points we suggest that during the investigation had you had in your possession the withheld evidence we supplied in our letter of 19 February 2014 (and notwithstanding the point re different terms of reference resulting) you would have been able to demonstrate the flaw in this argument to the SPL Board when they were asking your advice on the legal position in early March 2013.
It is difficult to accept that there was an error in understanding that side letters should not be disclosed as part of player registration when our supplied evidence shows that in 2005 Rangers deliberately concealed the existence of side letter for De Boer and Flo from HMRC.
Far from suggesting an error in understanding, this suggests that Rangers understood that to reveal the existence of such letters would remove the tax advantage that ebts gave them and that this advantage depended upon side letters being kept secret from authority and that includes football authority, lest informing them alerted HMRC to their existence. The QC advice contained in the withheld documents is that this deliberate concealment in 2005 demonstrated Rangers true intention of putting cash in the hands of player as part of their remuneration package.
It is also clear that revelation of these particular side letters and their circumstances would indeed have changed the tax position since HMRC have billed Rangers for the tax due on the payments to De Boer and Flo.
HMRC have not done so for Moore because the absence of a side letter puts the tax due on that transaction outside the extended time limit rules that allowed them to pursue payment for Flo and De Boer, but regardless of this and regardless of whether it was notified to the SFA, Moore was paid by an irregular means not available to other clubs..
The questions for yourself Mr McKenzie is had you been in possession then of the information supplied by TSFM would you at the time of investigation been in a better position to either refute the case Rangers made in their defence or to advise the SPL Board that the evidence of deliberate concealment from HMRC in 2005 of what transpired to be irregular payments, gave the SPL Board reason for entering an appeal?
Did the very absence of that material, which was not your fault, prevent you from briefing the SPL Board in a way that you might have done had you had all the evidence to hand?
We think the original evidence supplied and the questions raised now as a result of more fully appreciating what was hidden from the then SPL Board (and so SPL clubs) in March 2013 requires that the SPFL conduct a new cleansing investigation into :
- The apparent deception by Duff and Phelps of the SPL led Commission ,
- Why the SFA President, Campbell Ogilvie, did not advise or correct Lord Nimmo Smith or The SPL and
- The implications of the use of now revealed irregular payments by Rangers FC during seasons 1999/2000 to 2002/03.
This letter has been sent by e mail to the current SPL Board members and also by mail or e mail to the then Board Members who, whilst no longer in position might have their own views on what needs to be done on this issue to restore integrity to the very processes Scottish football relies on to ensure fair play.
John Clark says:
September 29, 2014 at 12:15 am
Can you check your Private Message please?
rhapsodyinblue says:
September 29, 2014 at 10:28 am
RiB, I’m finding it very difficult to compose a response to your post without being sanctioned for being discourteous to a fellow poster, but I find the levels of denial and entitlement exhibited breathtaking.
You ask “Why should it be that Murray’s reign with EBT’s, a small part of Rangers history, mean that Rangers should be thrown out of Scottish Football?”.
Maybe because that would have been the only fitting consequence (not ‘punishment’) of over a decade of financial doping and calculated, willful and deliberate subversion of the rules?
You then state that “Rangers went to Third Division and it was accepted, that and the other actions taken are enough.”
I need to respond to this this one in bite-sized pieces.
“Rangers went to Third Division …” – No, they didn’t. Rangers went into administration and are currently undergoing liquidation. This, incidentaly, was nothing to do with the use of EBTs or side letters – it was a direct consequence of (not a punishment for) going bust and leaving hundreds of creditors out of pocket, and owing thousands – maybe millions – to HMRC. That should have been the end of it, but it wasn’t. With the connivance of the authorities a completely different team were shoehorned into the third division ( this also addresses your question “What do you mean by that? Putting Rangers out of the Scottish League and Putting Spartans in their place?”)
“…and it was accepted.” – Seriously? By whom was it accepted, exactly? Certainly not “The Club” or any of it’s officials or it’s supporters – none of whom (with the exception of some fans who post on here), to this day, have accepted or acknowledged any wrongdoing or displayed any guilt, let alone contrition.
“…that and the other actions taken are enough.”
What “other actions taken”? Would that be the £250,000 fine which, to my knowledge, was never paid by the “Rangers” now in liquidation or the transfer /registration embargo which was circumvented by the use of “trialists” like Ian Black, or maybe the appointment of Grade One officials to officiate at (selected) Division 3 matches for the first time ever?
And finally, in response to your “I just cannot get round the fact that any country would want to throw out one of its major clubs or basically end its existence. In fact,I would say only in the petty, parochial world of Scottish Football would people want this to happen”, you might want to seek out some former supporters of Airdrionians FC (whose club, unlike yours, suffered the legitimate consequence of going bust) to ask them how they viewed the actions of the then Rangers chairman, David Murray, who forced them into receivership/ liquidation over a debt of £30,000 with the glib and shameful “Business is business”.
I suspect that they might have regarded his actions as “petty and parochial”
Rant over.
Edit – Apologies to Bawsman and Smugas – I was writing when you posted.
And in a single post, RIB manages to summarise every single thing about this whole shambles which infuriates all right-minded supporters of Scottish football.
As a supporter of Scottish football I’m not sure I would classify myself as right minded?
Fair minded? Most definitely.
Re. RIB’s latest, and I hesitate to say this, but I now feel quite smug regarding my previous ‘controversial’ views.
rhapsodyinblue says:
September 29, 2014 at 10:28 am
I’ll ignore the misapprehensions in your post and concentrate on your quote of mine.
‘The demise of Rangers provided an opportunity to change and update Scottish football. It was ignored in favour of trying to return to the status quo.’
In my opinion, one of Scottish football’s major problems has always been the dominance of Rangers and Celtic and the acceptance by all that that should be accepted and never challenged. With the demise of Rangers, and remember, it was only Rangers that caused the demise, absolutely no other club was involved, the football authorities had the opportunity to concentrate their efforts on creating a new model, ignoring the idea of an Old Firm or any other elitist clique, with every club having an equal say, and most importantly, equal standing.
Scottish football has known for decades that it needed changing, it just didn’t want to change in any meaningful way. The liquidation of Rangers meant that things, no matter how hard everyone tried, could never be the same again. The opportunity to create a Scottish League to be proud of was lost, but could have so easily have been started by telling Charles Green, and all other blood suckers of football, to xxxx off! But, of course, that wouldn’t have suited you and your fellow supporters, nor those in power at Hampden!
One point of yours I will take up on is what you say about Rangers (and Celtic) providing the other clubs with large attendances due to the arrival of their supporters. Does that include the supporters that your club sucked out of Edinburgh, Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen, and every other town in Scotland, thus reducing the potential support, every week, for all the clubs not included as part of ‘the Old Firm’?
Those old RIFC shares are bouncing up again. Trading at almost 24p compared to about 19p last week.
Why these small trades at inflated prices? Are they only to keep the price up? Or is someone pushing the price up before off-loading a few million, pre-accounts?
Danish Pastry says:
September 29, 2014 at 2:21 pm
Now that is perplexing, DP. It seems very strange that, unless there is a general rise, or fall, in the market that any company’s shares should rise, or fall, without some good, or bad, news emanating from the company, unless that company’s general trend has been to rise, or fall (as in RIFC’s case) over a period. It only approaches making sense if we accept that, as you suggest, there is a deliberate attempt to boost the share price by those with an interest in dong so. Whether such action is illegal, or not, I suspect it goes on more often than is good for an honest market, and is also the regular pastime of spivs.
Bawsman says:
September 29, 2014 at 2:30 pm
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Why’s your mate going to Tynecastle tomorrow?
Bawsman says:
September 29, 2014 at 3:07 pm
I meant……… he deserts our local team on numerous occasions to travel to Edinburgh…I think you knew that. =================================================
I also knew that you meant Tynecastle.
Allyjambo says:
September 29, 2014 at 2:44 pm
2 0 Rate This
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Maybe it’s just small-time traders playing the market? Someone bought 100,000 for 19p/share the other day after some small trades (one of 2 shares 🙂 ) dragged the price way down. I suppose if you could get those 100,000 traded at 23p you’d make a few quid.
Just surprised at how easily the share price is knocked about. But it’s not a world I’m familiar with. I’d have thought the price would reflect the actual market value / company status as you mention.
Bawsman says:
September 29, 2014 at 2:30 pm
You can berate him if you want, though I doubt his affiliation to Hearts will affect the crowds and finances around the English leagues.
A number of years ago the man who sat in the next seat to me at Tynecastle (we were both season ticket holders) travelled up from Gateshead for every home game. Other than his response that he hated Newcastle I was never able to understand why he would support Hearts and travel such a distance to see them. I suppose hatred can do funny things to people, and, in his case, it was better that he just made a random choice of football club to support, rather than to be attracted to a club where a large percentage of the support shared his hatred.
However, I will try to clarify my take on what RiB said regarding the ‘benefits’ the OF bring (brought) to all other clubs they play against.
Imagine a country that one day discovers it has billions of pounds worth of oil off it’s shores, but some larger country takes it all away. That bigger country then makes great play of the fact that the smaller country benefits from their largess because the government gives more per head to the population of the smaller country than it does to it’s own, while, of course, maintaining control over the oil and it’s revenues. The rights or wrongs of the larger country or clubs syphoning off the lifeblood of the smaller country or clubs is not my issue with what RiB claimed, it is the hypocrisy of claiming to be doing those already deprived of the benefit of the oil/support a favour by returning a little of what was already taken away.
Please be assured I was not seeking to open a debate on the rights and wrongs of people choosing to support a football club from outwith their own town/area.
Bawsman says:
September 29, 2014 at 3:07 pm
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I meant……… he deserts our local team on numerous occasions to travel to Edinburgh…I think you knew that. I can’t call him a glory hunter though to be fair. 🙂
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I’m a great believer in supporting the local community masel. There were about 70 of us watching ‘FBI’ on Saturday. Good match, lovely weather, jovial atmosphere among the local aupporters. They even put on a small buffet which you could use if you’d paid to get in (a wee initiative to encourage more spectators). Kept an eye on the Scottish results via twitter.
Is your pal an Englishman whose fallen in love with HoM?
On the other hand, you can understand a fan of a club who relocates to another city choosing to maintain the old links. Can’t really fault that.
Now that Bawsman’s post has been deleted my last post looks a bit silly 🙄
The free bit I could copy from Michael Grant’s piece in the Herald is below.
To add to the recent ‘OF’ discussion, the MSM desperately need a ‘strong Rangers’ in the top league – regardless.
“Clattering away on laptops as deadlines reared up after Celtic’s League Cup defeat of Hearts, a room full of reporters paused to find out the quarter-final draw. The news unfolded not via the television in the corner of the room, nor on radio, nor even via Twitter, but from the BBC’s venerable reporter, Alasdair Lamont, who had a phone to his ear and was slowly relaying the names out loud. And when he said “Celtic” and then paused, and then “Partick Thistle” there was an audible groan of disappointment in the room. Most of the hacks immediately returned to their work…”
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/opinion/as-reunion-draws-closer-is-there-even-such-a-thing-as-the-old-firm-any-more.25448606
Danish Pastry says:
September 29, 2014 at 3:23 pm
It does seem strange that a trade of such a small percentage of the issued share capital can have such a significant effect on the share price, though that is probably what happens when very few people want to buy shares in a company. It is also very bamboozling why anyone would want to buy shares in an ailing company at an inflated price, unless they are aware of something positive happening within the club (insider trading, oh dear) or have an interest in setting an improved price.
It does show, however, how it might be possible to manipulate the price of companies with low stock market trading, and why we innocents should steer well clear of such stock 😐
A lot of interesting stuff today. Personally I am hacked off at the notion ‘Rangers’ is too big to fail. The rules say they should have failed and their participation in the league should have finished – end of. It might have upset a lot of people but would it have had the devastation on Scottish communities Thatchers’s pillaging of Scotland had in the 80’s? I doubt it very much, and some team, somewhere, would have had a lot of new fans. Probably a new Rangers that was accepted as exactly that.
I simply can’t get away from wondering just how far the footballing authorities and Scottish Government were / are prepared to assist the club from Ibrox, and those of us still around in 30 years time will, in my view, have everything confirmed that we’ve always suspected.
Allyjambo says:
September 29, 2014 at 3:30 pm
A number of years ago the man who sat in the next seat to me at Tynecastle (we were both season ticket holders) travelled up from Gateshead for every home game. Other than his response that he hated Newcastle I was never able to understand why he would support Hearts and travel such a distance to see them. I suppose hatred can do funny things to people, and, in his case, it was better that he just made a random choice of football club to support, rather than to be attracted to a club where a large percentage of the support shared his hatred.
Allyj,
Over many years I have travelled on Saturdays and Sundays via the East Coast Main Line to Scotland to see Killie away games. I seldom get to Rugby Park due to the travel complications. As a result of using the ECML,I pass through Newcastle on the train. It is quite apparent to me that a number of Toon fans regularly travel to watch Hibs or Hearts when their main team is not playing at home. They even have the appropriate tops. From my observations all seem to enjoy their day out. It certainly must be a bit more entertaining at present than going all the way to Southampton to get beat 4-0!
Danish Pastry says:
September 29, 2014 at 3:35 pm
=================================
He’s from Edinburgh originally.
He’s no different to us Fylde Fenians who travel ‘up the road’ to watch our first love as frequently as possible – supporters buses travel from, Blackpool, Preston, Manchester, Leeds, Darlington, indeed many English towns and cities, just as they do from Scottish ones, Scotland’s (Glasgows) biggest export is its people – especially ones who couldn’t get a job because of the school they went to 🙄 . My offspring (born in Germany and Lincolnshire) are Celtic and Scotland fans, I did not coerse them, I imagine I reflect most ex-pats experiences.
I’ve supported ‘local’ teams where I’ve lived and worked before to feed my football needs (Darlington, Doncaster, Lincoln, Borrussia Monchengladbach) but as soon as I get within striking distance of Celtic Park then there is only one venue for me.
There are many reasons to love a club, it may not be the ‘local’ one but surely each to their own.
Haywire says:
September 29, 2014 at 4:04 pm
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There is a lad known as ‘Macca from Durham’ who regularly pops up on both Radio Clyde and Radio Scotland phone-ins. He is a Hibs fan who appears to travel from Durham to every game, at least when Hibs are at home.
Haywire says:
September 29, 2014 at 4:04 pm
I suspect most of those travelling supporters are, like myself, exiled Jambos, or Hibbies, or have a family connection to the clubs, unlike the man I described who had no connection to Hearts, Edinburgh or Scotland, the only reason he gave for supporting Hearts was he hated Newcastle!
Glad to hear you make that long journey to watch your club, Kilmarnock. I work every second weekend so, even if I was inclined to regularly travel the 230 miles to watch Hearts I couldn’t 🙁 but, touching on the kick-off times/dates debate, I am going up to Edinburgh on the 18th of October and intend watching our match against Dumbarton, but am holding off buying a ticket in case it’s moved to Friday night, which I couldn’t make! I know it’s unlikely at this late date (3 weeks) but who knows nowadays?
Allyjambo says:
September 29, 2014 at 4:24 pm
===========================
Telly is killing the game. I canned my 2 season books this year owing to the increasing amount of home games shifted from 3 on a Saturday. I doubted Celtic would reach the CL this year as they (yet again) would sell, yet not re-invested in a timely manner and EL qualification would move many more games to a Sunday.
Early Sunday KO’s mean an early Saturday night + I have my kids / grandkids for dinner on a Sunday, they want armchair fans……..they got another 2.
TRFC v Cowdenbeath next month cancelled due to international call ups. Have the squads been announced yet? Have I missed something?
Bawsman says:
September 29, 2014 at 4:34 pm
Saturdays were designed for football, at 3 o’clock!
Saturday past I had one of those senior moments, sitting waiting for the Hearts game to kick off to be followed online! Couldn’t work out why no one on jamboskickback was talking about it in the build-up and 3 o’clock came and went before it dawned on me the game was on ALBA on Sunday. I knew, of course, and had already set my Sky+ to record it in case I got waylaid and missed it, but, you know, Saturdays are for football, and it just seemed so natural to spend the day looking forward to a match. I was actually disappointed that I didn’t have a game to follow, even online, despite the fact it meant I was able to enjoy it on TV the next day!
I suppose the younger generations, who have grown up with football played at odd times, will just wonder what all the fuss is about 🙄
Carfins Finest says:
September 29, 2014 at 5:04 pm
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TRFC v Cowdenbeath next month cancelled due to international call ups. Have the squads been announced yet? Have I missed something?
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I can only assume that Cowdenbeath have been warned that several of their players are expected to be in the Scotland squad.
spanishcelt says:
September 29, 2014 at 5:16 pm
‘TRFC v Cowdenbeath next month cancelled due to international call ups. Have the squads been announced yet? Have I missed something?
///////////////////////////////////////////
I can only assume that Cowdenbeath have been warned that several of their players are expected to be in the Scotland squad.’
A bit tough on TRFC is it not? I mean, you’d think the SFA would be trying to ensure their cash flow isn’t affected by such things. Maybe it would be in the best interest of Scottish football if they asked TRFC what dates suit them best for international matches to be played.
See that Cowdenbeath and a’ their high paid players…
I suppose crowds and kick-off times are open to interpretation. I think it was on SSB the other night that someone was lamenting the fact that there would probably ‘only’ be 25,000 at Ibrox tonight. But honestly, that will be a hugely inpressive crowd for a live TV game at a pre-decimalisation Division 2 match. Added drama, of course, after the comments from the managers on the subject of refs, Ibrox and bias. Guess a few of us will be monitoring
StevieBC says:
September 29, 2014 at 3:49 pm
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Further on in the article, there is a snideish reference to us bampots:
For years we were told that the big two were killing scottish football and they should go to the EPL for their own good and for the good of the rest of scottish football.
When one of them died, choked to death on it’s hubris, all of a sudden scotland NEEDS two big teams winning mostly everything and leaving scraps for the rest and if not ARMAGEDDON will follow
Makes you sick
BigGav says:
September 29, 2014 at 6:12 pm
2 1 Rate This
StevieBC says:
September 29, 2014 at 3:49 pm
==========
Further on in the article, there is a snideish reference to us bampots:
The media craves a Celtic-Rangers game not because we are all Rangers supporters who desperately crave the restoration of their status (sorry to disappoint, internet bampots) but because controversy, tension, drama and excitement are meat and drink to those who fill television and radio airtime, website space and newspaper column inches. And there is still nothing in Scottish football which hooks a vast audience like an Old Firm clash.
———–
That quote is probably an honestly held view but it shows an incredible poverty of outlook and a form of microvision. No wonder they are losing readers, the world has left them behind. There are free amatuer podcasts that offer a far better weekly take on the totality of Scottish fitba than the opinions of the press and media dinosaurs.
BigGav says:
September 29, 2014 at 6:12 pm
3 1 Rate This
Further on in the article, there is a snideish reference to us bampots:
======================================
The writer of the article is certainly no Rangers fan but he would be a fool to deny the media is still heavily populated with people who DO crave the restoration of their status. No discerning football writer would use the phrase ‘back to the very top’ without considering what they actually mean, which is essentially beating Celtic more often than not, and ergo the rest of the teams. Yet it is a phrase that is often used by many, from all ends of the media spectrum. It is crass, as well as easy to perceive as being biased.
BigGav says:
September 29, 2014 at 6:12 pm
‘but because controversy, tension, drama and excitement are meat and drink to those who fill television and radio airtime, website space and newspaper column inches.’
And what makes him think he’s disappointed us bampots, just because he’s denied one thing we all agree on? He could have taken the above from dozens of posts on here. We all agree that the media’s desire for a ‘New Glasgow Derby’ has nothing to do with football but is just about selling papers and airtime. We also know that they are not all Rangers/TRFC supporters, but have taken the media owners’ shillings, and report for the benefit of those they expect to buy their products.
I’ll give the writer this, he did eventually get round to pointing out that any new Derby will depend on TRFC surviving. It was a small part of the article, barely a line, perhaps to get it past his editor, but it was there!
There were other non-complementary references to the entity (as opposed to the clubs) called the OF too, in a manner not seen, by myself at least, before. The whole article smacks of something written by someone who had something to say, but was constrained by someone who didn’t want him to say it, or at least not say it all!
All that’s left for me to say is; that if it was an effort to bum up the idea of a ‘return to the Old Firm match’ it failed. If it was an effort to write something of the reality of the OF, it fell somewhat short of worthwhile! In the end, it’s probably just another effort to bring the idea of an Old Firm match to our attention, but disguising it as an insightful piece of journalism (looks like he did a wee bit research into the origins of ‘The Old Firm’).
Auldheid says:
September 29, 2014 at 12:08 pm
‘John Clark…Can you check your Private Message please?’
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Roger, Auldheid.
No expert or half literate on shares
3m raised recent @ 20p is 15,000,000 shares
40,000 traded today &?
Share rise of 7%???
Maybe I`m wrong but recent stuff making spivs a handy 200k in the pocket
What’s this to do with football?
mtp
“controversy, tension, drama and excitement”
It’s official. No other football match on our planet can provide these qualities. Let’s all the rest of us bow down to the masters. Laughable.
Aren’t Accounts due soon Deloittes?
Should be instructive
Where did the cash go?
Who benefitted?
Oh funny – no answer expected to all of the above from inbred rotten system ratbags
mtp
Apologies if it’s already covered
…Frankie Boyle giving a critique of the Yes/No aftermath
Calling the SMSM – “Lying B*****s”
also a video of Sevco fans singing “Rule Brittania”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0276z6t/frankie-boyles-referendum-autopsy
Quite amusing game at Ibrox, I hear 🙂 Sadly could mean the end of our buddy McCoist 🙁
on TV times, I have tried to find details of the value of the 5 year deal signed earlier this year with Sky/BT/BBC ALBA, not found any.
the tv deals currently are affected by Sky/BT wihing to fill their less glaourous slots with scottish football.
BBC alba are constrained by channel availability and hence 4 m starts.
I remember setanta showing 2 pm sunday games most weeks, and although this was not ideal it was better than 12 ish saturday/sunday games and monday/friday games.
But at the time we never realised how decent a deal it was.
In future , would the mythical SPFL TV be any better? Would tv games always on saturday 5 pm or sunday 2 pm be a better solution?
IF independent scotland would have happended would the SFA/SPFL/scottish government be brave enough to allow 3 pm live games? Under devolution boradcasting is reserved, will it remain so under DEVO-MAX.
Buddy
twopanda says:
September 29, 2014 at 8:07 pm
3 0 Rate This
No expert or half literate on shares
3m raised recent @ 20p is 15,000,000 shares
40,000 traded today &?
Share rise of 7%???
Maybe I`m wrong but recent stuff making spivs a handy 200k in the pocket
What’s this to do with football?
mtp
————
Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? A few biggish trades at 23p, more than 40,000. Someone is making a few bob for doing next to nothing.
Perhaps a new manager is waiting in the wings and that is lifting the share price? 0-3 at half-time might just speed up Ally’s exit no matter how it ends.
BigGav says:
September 29, 2014 at 6:12 pm
7 1 Rate This
StevieBC says:
September 29, 2014 at 3:49 pm
==========
Further on in the article, there is a snideish reference to us bampots:
The media craves a Celtic-Rangers game not because we are all Rangers supporters who desperately crave the restoration of their status (sorry to disappoint, internet bampots) but because controversy, tension, drama and excitement are meat and drink to those who fill television and radio airtime, website space and newspaper column inches. And there is still nothing in Scottish football which hooks a vast audience like an Old Firm clash.
========================
Its rather ironic isn’t it?
Controversy, tension, drama sell newspapers.
Yet they’ve carefully and studiously refused to effectively report on the most controversial, tense and dramatic story in entire history of our game. Resorting instead to a form of learned ignorance and wilful gullibility, so they can sidestep the real important facts in the story and focus instead on whatever the PR provided bollocks du jour is.
Sometimes I think its stupidity, sometimes I think its naivety, on other occasions I assume its the cynicism towards their readers, on occasion it certainly appears to be plain old laziness.
But then an article such as this one appears and I know for sure that our journalists suffer from an irredeemable combination of all 4, there’s really no hope for supposed professional writers coming up with this sort of codswallop while smugly believing they are cocking a snook at the bampots.
as we are having a newcastle theme tonight, a0lan prdew getting the “you’re getting sacked in the moring treatment!”, stoke 1-0 on newcastle.
Will ally mccoist if hibs win 3-0 or better get the same serenade?
Can TRFC/RIFC afford to sack him? Can TRFC/RIFC afford not to sack him?
Buddy
Huge Loyal support exploited
Spivs continually cashing up
End this media farce
End this exploitation of decent working folk
mtp
Matty Roth says:
September 29, 2014 at 9:01 pm
‘…Yet they’ve carefully and studiously refused to effectively report on the most controversial, tense and dramatic story in entire history of our game…’
——–
You’ve taken the very words out of my mouth, Matty! The sports journos AND the business journalists in the print media and on BBC Radio Scotland.
In the case of BBC (TV)Scotland , a brave start was made, but I think it’s pretty clear that an upper level of editorial management killed the story.
John Clark says:
September 29, 2014 at 9:47 pm
3 0 Rate This
Matty Roth says:
September 29, 2014 at 9:01 pm
‘…Yet they’ve carefully and studiously refused to effectively report on the most controversial, tense and dramatic story in entire history of our game…’
——–
You’ve taken the very words out of my mouth, Matty! The sports journos AND the business journalists in the print media and on BBC Radio Scotland.
In the case of BBC (TV)Scotland , a brave start was made, but I think it’s pretty clear that an upper level of editorial management killed the story.
———-
Scared off by the mob? I saw two wee teenage lassies holding a Saltire up in defiance of the mob a week ago.
After tonight they could go for a quick liquidation and hope for the newco, newco same club to be parachuted directly into the top tier. A move that would probably be welcomed by some in the media :slamb: :slamb: :slamb:
Muppets on telly – BT1 – [re rang v hibs]
Usual waste of space
No answer no question as what’s really up
SMSM Useless as per
mtp
Could only access live updates on the game at inbox tonight,seems a decent turn out,don’t know what Hibs percent was but the tweets from half time where not to complimentery and I don’t see them getting any better anytime soon,I think October is going to be a big month in this young club’s future
yourhavingalaugh says:
September 29, 2014 at 10:25 pm
1 0 Rate This
Could only access live updates on the game at inbox tonight,seems a decent turn out,don’t know what Hibs percent was but the tweets from half time where not to complimentery and I don’t see them getting any better anytime soon,I think October is going to be a big month in this young club’s future
———
Reported as 31,000 plus. Good turnout by any standards.
Lots of Surrender No after the goal went in. Tiresome.
Hibs pleasing on the eye. Got the result they deserved on their previous Ibrox outing. Decent ref, apart from missing a stonewall pen to Hibs. Probably needed a bit of linesman help with that, to be fair. Luckily that didn’t have a bearing on the result.
According to the BT Sports commentator, the crowd at Ibrox tonight was 31,000+
That’s a fair turnout for a televised match on a Monday for a second tier game.
For what it’s worth, Keith Jackson is supposedly tweeting “£1.6m to pay Ally off”
Is it just me or is scottish football on TV played at some sort of old fashioned recording speed? Are we really this bad?
Did I hear Chick Young mention Rangersnoose tonight on radio?
I think I need to lie down – doon hame in fact.
From tomorrow’s Telegraph (Grahame Ewing)
Rangers could face more expensive litigation now that the Worthington Group, the investment company which announced to the Stock Exchange last year that it was staking a legal claim to ownership of the business and assets of the club, has made a remarkable recovery.
In April 2013 the group revealed that it would be pursuing the holding company, Rangers International Football Club, through the courts, insisting that Sevco 5088, the company formed by the discredited former Rangers owner Craig Whyte, had been awarded the sole rights to buy the club by the administrators Duff and Phelps.
Instead, it was Sevco Scotland, fronted by the equally controversial Charles Green, which ended up in charge, with the former Rangers chief executive publicly admitting last year that he had lied to Whyte to gain control of the new club in the summer of 2012.
As a result, the Worthington Group reported Green to the Serious Fraud Office. But its legal action appeared to have been abandoned when the Financial Conduct Authority suspended trading in its shares – then worth just 4p – at the Worthington Group’s request on Aug 1, 2013.
However, since that ban was lifted four weeks ago, its share price has soared to £198.50 and yesterday it announced the acquisition of assorted digital media investments.
With the improvement in the company’s financial health, it is now in a position to progress the challenge regarding its right to own the Championship challengers.
That began last year when the Worthington Group bought a 26 per cent holding in Law Financial Holding Ltd, a company belonging to Whyte who, in turn, is believed to own a 7.54 per cent stake in Worthington. Sevco 5088 is one of the subsidiary companies owned by Law Financial.
With a current market value of around £25 million, Worthington is worth around £10 million more than Rangers, who are struggling to raise the money to pay their bills.
The Worthington Group did not return calls on Monday, but appear as if they are not walking away.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/11129371/Rangers-facing-new-legal-threat-as-Worthington-Group-recovers.html
Daily Record with usual rubbish -Hibs record shock win.
Where’s the shock?
We have a team newly into division 1 from the premier league and one newly promoted from division 2.
It was a predictable result and the sooner the media accept that the team playing out of Ibrox is not invincible and is NOT Rangers, who are in liquidation, the better for the game and society.
Been a while – been lurking.
Anyways, The Record and The Herald have identical reports on the TRFC v Hibernian match. By that I mean they were definitely written by the same dude. Is this normal?
Billy Boyce says: September 29, 2014 at 11:06 pm
From tomorrow’s Telegraph (Grahame Ewing)…
==≈==========================================
IIRC The Telegraph has recently published sympathetic articles about Ashley.
Now there is a bullish/sympathetic article about Whyte and an associated company – and looks like the info has been simply copy/pasted by Ewing without any validation or challenge. 🙄
Is The Record out of the loop?
Hoopy 7 says:
September 29, 2014 at 11:08 pm
From memory, it has been quite a long time, but I’m sure Hibs have a pretty good record in early season matches at Ibrox, and that was against one of Scotland’s oldest and strongest clubs. So, like you, I have to ask, where’s the shock factor in this win? Perhaps a bit of a surprise, in view of form so far this season, but Hibs haven’t exactly been getting hammered, just beaten by the odd goal, while TRFC have struggled in some games and could only draw at Alloa, and that wasn’t a shock!
In truth, what we internet bampots have been saying since TRFC came into being, while the media ignored it’s inevitablity, is that TRFC are now, in the Championship, experiencing full time teams in league matches, with no plumbers or posties in their line-ups, for the very first time. Makes quite a difference when there’s a lead to hold onto.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/29/3458133b9d04598955cdd7715a8a5fc2.jpg
Ally showing his managerial class yet again.
For the past two seasons, McCoist has just had to put a team onto the park to be assured of a win, no managerial or coaching skills required. Through an apparent lack of decent coaching his players have gone backwards and he, himself, has not used the time to improve his skills. From what I could gather from the radio, TRFC were playing the same game they did in the bottom tier, long balls that I noticed even Livingston shunned in their match with Hearts on Sunday. They at least tried to play a more modern game, right to the end, and credit to them for that.
I get the impression that McCoist’s absence from football, for quite a number of years, has left him in a time warp, and his arrogance won’t allow him to admit it, even to himself. Long may it continue.
Billy Boyce says:
September 29, 2014 at 11:06 pm
‘..With the improvement in the company’s financial health, it is now in a position to progress the challenge regarding its right to own the Championship challengers.
That began last year when the Worthington Group bought a 26 per cent holding in Law Financial Holding Ltd, a company belonging to Whyte who, in turn, is believed to own a 7.54 per cent stake in Worthington. Sevco 5088 is one of the subsidiary companies owned by Law Financial.’
——
It had to happen!
The dirty wee fall-out among ‘thieves’, which will shine an unwelcome light on a certain couple of Administrators- and perhaps raise questions about the powers of the Court in dealing with double-dyed and dirty tyke conmen in the utterly murky world of ‘finance’.
And our football authorities totally blindsided ( or, perhaps,hands over their eyes to avoid having to deal with reality).
I try to be fair-minded.
But there has been absolutely nothing from the SFA/SPFL to indicate any awareness on their part of the gravity of the matter.
Their silence, more than anything else, undermines their legitimacy as guardians of our sport as sport.
Hoopy 7 says:
September 29, 2014 at 11:08 pm
‘..Where’s the shock?..’
———–
I listened to the commentary on BBC radio Scotland ‘Sportsound’.
The shock was palpable!
All of them were ‘Rangers’ men (Chick absolutely apoplectic),McIntyre,Wilson, Paterson…
BBC Sportsound just cannot, will not, get it into their heads that there are literally thousands upon thousands of football people who never in the past put RFC above their own team and who most decidedly do not now buy into the idea that some ersatz, spurious ‘Rangers’ should somehow not be beaten!
Tonight’s result was not a ‘shock’. It could reasonaby have been bet upon, by betting persons.
And, as ever, Sportsound lacks any kind of real objectivity. In my opinion, of course.
John Clark says:
September 30, 2014 at 1:29 am
John, I too listened and the commentators who are employed by a public service broadcaster and shown show some measure of objectivity just could not contain themselves.
The sense of entitlement which is underlies the whole Sevco scenario is evident.
Interesting stuff on Worthington.
I have always maintained that Sevco5088 are the rightful owners and if that turns out to be the case the whole IPO was based on a fraud.
If the plc raised money on the basis that they owned Ibrox Murray Park and the team but were not entitled to own them then RIFC are a shell company owning nothing more than a car park and a Edminston House.
And still our SFA will do SFA about sorting out the mess.
I have said it before and will say it again. CW and CG knew each other, knew what they were doing and it will all end in tears.
stifflersmom says:
September 29, 2014 at 11:16 pm
4 0 Rate This
Been a while – been lurking.
Anyways, The Record and The Herald have identical reports on the TRFC v Hibernian match. By that I mean they were definitely written by the same dude. Is this normal?
———-
A lot of papers will lift stuff from the Press Association feed. Could imagine the DR & The H may be doing more of that in future as their support of Better Together could result in them seeing better austerity. Expensive employing in-house journalists when readers boycott your government propaganda organ … er … newspaper.
Didn’t hear that upset St Mirren fan on the Beeb, maybe a facsimile of his ‘rant’ will be on Only an Excuse in a few months? Gordon ‘Ahm Motherwell through & through’ Dalziel was in no doubt that TRFC would have too much for Hibs, on SSB. Quite emphatic.
Just tell the punters what they want to hear.
Still, share price is on the mend.
:slamb:
I see we are back on the BBC bias stuff again along with claiming Paterson, despite all his Hibs credentials is somehow a Rangers man (less than 1/4 of his playing career was at Ibrox).
I kept quiet the other day but have to say the TV commentary on the Celtic Hearts game was shocking in that while Celtic were the better team, if I had turned the picture off I would have thought the Glasgow club was the silkiest team ever to grace a football pitch.
While Celtic had plenty chances one goal came from a very poor clearance one a penalty and an own goal.
I still think the radio guys do a good job but, like the papers, the BBC in general tend to go overboard if either of the Glasgow teams have a decent win (world beaters) or a ‘shock’ result, i.e don’t get their expected win (major disaster).
Hoopy7 says
I believe they would also still own a very expensive to run football club, TRFC. Said football club would effectively have no where to play though unless they leased an empty ground or paid rent to groundshare.
wottpi.
I thought about it. Decided against it!
As regards the Record article good to see Ally doing a Mickelson! Poor guy must be thinking what exactly do you have to do around here to get sacked (as does Moshni)! Irony aside this has always been the second focus for the bampot community, after the apparent shedding of integrity IMHO. We get why Sevco would want to lord it over divisions 3 & 4, shiny bus, 5 star spas and all. We get why, given the opportunity, they would protect their history. We even get why they would pretend to be CL challengers for the benefit of an IPO.
What I don’t get, what I’ve never got, what I’ve never understood why the SFA didn’t take a greater interest in, is what do they do when they get to, well about now (as predicted on here over a year ago) and run out of money, with nothing but false promises backing up IPO#1(never mind whether or not they were actually fraudulent). IPO#2? Based on what exactly? There is only one available strategy now in my eyes and that is to sell for the highest price to the most rangersness bidder who has seen exactly what lies in store should his purchase not go through.
Chapeaux to the spivs I say.
Tough luck to the kings Murrays and Smiths of this world.
SFA – and I say this in conjunction with and on behalf of all the sevco fans looking in – absolute shame on you. And if it happens, and the bidders decide to play hardball with a wrecking ball on site (which is essentially what McCann did across the way), you deserve absolutely everything coming your way.
You really can’t argue,the championship league in Scotland is going to capture the attention of all,not for all the same interests,come Xmas any club’s that think they’re in with a shout of finishing in the top 3 will no doubt invest,well they will have bonus gates and the premier league goodie bag,now how many of these hopefuls will be able to invest at an important hurdle in their season, I imagine the ones that have the wages for the rest of the season in the bank at this point.
I’m a bit surprised that posters seem to be accepting the figure of 31,000 in attendance at Ibrox last night. Seemed a lot less to me. (I’d guess low 20’000’s, but that’s only from TV pics).
Surely all we know with any confidence is that there were about 7-8,000 people there who are not season ticket holders?
Attendance includes 23k st holders wether they attend or not 800 hibeeeesss and walk up on the night sales(including freebies)
The actual footballing results of the Govan team, whether 3-1 or 1-3 is not at the core of what this blog is about and never should be. However, the one advantage of an under performing Govan team is that we will all get a wee break from the “next old firm game” narrative that the press (and the Clyde manager) constantly talk about.
That may be put to bed for a few days
Partizani Tirana says:
September 30, 2014 at 9:44 am
I’ve not seen any pictures of the game myself, but regardless, the important factor for TRFC is the 7-8000 walk-ups. Although it’s most likely not to be enough over the season, for the spivs it’s the match tickets purchased (income) that matters, and not the total crowd. The real downside might be if those ST holders paying for them on a monthly basis, who don’t turn up, decide not to pay the monthly DD. I’m sure the set up, ie lack of a credit facility, means TRFC only get the monthly payment money as it comes in (nothing to do with Deloittes) so it would be up to them to chase any non-payers! I’ve a feeling this scenario was discussed on TSFM once the impact of the lack of credit facilities became apparent, and if there is a significant number of ST holders not turning up, and from that there’s almost certainly going to be a percentage who decide they’re not going to continue paying, then the actual size of the crowd might well become significant!
Of course, it’s more than likely that someone is going to post that I’m wrong regarding the monthly payments and TRFC have the money already tucked away, but if they don’t, then what PT has alluded to will become significant, financially, I’m sure, in the not too distant future.
Just listened to the bbc podcast of reaction to last night’s game according to the guy introducing the programme trfc beat hibs 3-1??????
If what is currently going on with the RIFC share price doesn’t constitute blatant price manipulation then what exactly does?f
Brenda, the BBC site showed Rangers 3 Hibs 1 even although the report was right, the headline wasnt.
This doesnt say much for the guy introducing the programme as he has just been found out, lol
someone took a screen print of it and put it on twitter, 2nd pic down https://twitter.com/search?q=rangers%20bbc&src=typd&mode=photos
On TRFC’s current form, a draw and a ‘shock’ defeat; I wonder how much has to do with the non-payment of bonuses due. Hearts supporters are bemused by the absence of Zaliukas, surely a much better choice at CH than Mohsni (that well known anagram 😉 ), who is apparently still awaiting his signing on fee. From what I can gather, there was a distinct lack of fight from TRFC (gubbed at Ibrox and nobody sent off!!), with angry players taking their anger out on the supporters rather than kicking the opposition, suggests deep resentment and no will to play (kick) for the jersey.
If there genuinely is unpaid bonuses and fees then maybe the players owed expected to see some of the £3m from the share issue, and perhaps the reported chat from Graham Wallace didn’t provide comfort on this. A nice warm chat from the CEO then a draw and defeat follows. Perhaps Wallace has been taking lessons from McCoist in man management skills! Perhaps the playing side is not a priority for RIFC!
I know this is all conjecture, but their last two games haven’t pointed to a happy team, and money is usually a major factor in a professional footballer’s motivation, or lack of it!
Allyjambo says:
September 30, 2014 at 11:24 am
‘From what I can gather, there was a distinct lack of fight from TRFC (gubbed at Ibrox and nobody sent off!!), with angry players taking their anger out on the supporters rather than kicking the opposition, suggests deep resentment and no will to play (kick) for the jersey.’
——————————
No kicking but headbutt and skelp from Boyd and Mohsni respectively.
Allyjambo says:
September 30, 2014 at 11:24 am
‘From what I can gather, there was a distinct lack of fight from TRFC (gubbed at Ibrox and nobody sent off!!), with angry players taking their anger out on the supporters rather than kicking the opposition, suggests deep resentment and no will to play (kick) for the jersey.’
——————————
No kicking but headbutt and skelp from Boyd and Mohsni respectively.
Time/Date Price Volume Trade value Type
11:18:11 20.00 4,265,000 853,000.00 O
bit of trading activity with share this morning