Given the recent heightened focus on the refereeing standards in Scotland, I was asked to update a previous blog from 2010 that included suggestions for changing the way refereeing is managed in Scotland .
Having had a look at original my thoughts are “ here we are again”, for the very same reasons the blog was penned in 2010.
Why?
Because the refereeing issue is in my view connected to a lack of proper financial controls that create moral hazard, where one party can act with reckless abandon (see Rangers latest accounts), but other parties, as happened in 2012 are left to face the consequences.
So I’ll just repeat the suggestions made then but with an added comment on the proposed use of VAR, and how that and proper financial controls can save Scottish football from itself. First the Referee Service
Note the word “service” for this is the way that much of what the SFA do should be viewed. The SFA provide a number of services to the clubs who play in Scotland. They should not be seen as their masters but their servants. Or in modern terms the clubs in their professional leagues are the customers and the SFA the service providers. This change of attitude would allow competition to provide such services to enter the scene and so improve them.
This would be a huge cultural change but it has to start somewhere and here we are again under starters orders IF supporters act to bring the change about by calling their clubs to account for allowing the past to repeat itself today as a result of the notorious sporting integrity breaking Five Way Agreement, that UEFA never clapped eyes on where our game became a franchise and clubs where stores that changed from Mr Noodles to Nachos but were still the same because they sold food.
Anyway!
The Referee Service
This would be split with the SFA doing the recruitment, training and match appointments (having taken the nature of the game to be officiated into account). However the monitoring and evaluation would be the province of the customer, using referees or ex refs from anywhere to mark to a standard set by the customer. This spilt of responsibilities would prevent any one person being in a position to exert his own influence on referees as a result of being part of the appointment and evaluation process. It would safeguard the SFA from the kind of suspicion that led to the referees’ strike and lead to a higher standard of referee because the customer would be setting the standard not the supplier (as happens everywhere in business but football) If it did not, it would free the SPL/SL to hire their own referees from wherever they could get them. A bit of competition never did anybody any harm and that includes our referees who, if they reached higher standards, would be in more demand outside Scotland.
Here is the addition brought on by the introduction of VAR which is just another service. Use this “here we go again” opportunity to put the VAR service AND the refereeing it watches over out to tender. The VAR supplier is also the referee monitor service to the leagues and the SFA become trainers and developers at lower levels of professional referees and work with the VAR service under a contract that rewards both parties.
The Licensing Service
This needs to be calibrated to meet the financial position of Scottish clubs. The principles in UEFA FFP that stipulate what is to be treated as allowable income and allowable debt continue, but regulating controls to prevent clubs going bust or acting in a reckless financial manner need introduced. Points deduction is no deterrent if such recklessness creates huge points gap at end of season when the CL money is at stake. Nor is the threat of losing all won by that recklessness a deterrent, when the nature of how it was won is downplayed then ignored and airbrushed from football history.
If survival depends on access to CL geld then referees , as matters continue to stand will come under the kind of scrutiny that unless addressed, leads to an ever growing suspicion, because here we bloody well are again, that our game is bent .
Worse it leads to thinking that the clubs like it that way but ignore that their supporters do not and will continue to ignore until supporters vote with their feet.
In short the Licensing Service that is supposed to protect the financial well being of Scottish clubs has failed. It perpetuates a moral hazard almost by design that caused Rangers demise in 2012 and that failure and how it was dealt with under the 5 Way Agreement has undermined the integrity of our game, causing increased scrutiny of referee decisions and if not dealt with this time will eventually kill football in Scotland as a sport.
VAR however if introduced as a professional service on lines suggested should encourage more prudent financial behaviour in future by making reckless behaviour so risky it will stop and with it the moral hazard it creates.
Not to get too parochial JC, but the Nobel Prize winner is from New Stevenston, not Motherwell! It might share the postcode but quite a distinct village! We may have gone to different schools but both from “NS”!!! Leaving aside his lack of awareness of the death of the original club of his support – chapeau to David MacMillan for his professional success.
wokingcelt 18th December 2021 At 22:37
‘..Not to get too parochial.’
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wokingcelt, I based my observation on ‘Off the Ball’- on which Tam seemed to suggest that the Nobel prize winner was a Motherwell guy, or maybe I didn’t hear any reference to New Stevenston.
And of course! great credit to a lad o’pairts from there who excelled in his chosen profession.
But jist maybes, his judgment in other fields of endeavour is more emotionally than scientifically based!
That is, being a Nobel prize winner does not invest him with any more authority in football matters than you or me!
RFC of 1872 is in liquidation. TRFC is not Rangers of 1872.
I simply ask: on what basis does a Nobel prize winner believe that it can be?
upthehoops 18th December 2021 At 22:35
‘.. I do hope he is not going near the game! Spiers has also said he is attending, but I’m sure Covid knows to stay away from the good people of the Scottish Media.’
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Blackford will commit political suicide if he were to go to the match! He must know that. So he wouldn’t dare be seen there.
Speirs may claim that he has a ‘journalistic duty’ to attend, ready to run the risk of Covid in the cause of Sporting Truth!
My eye and sweet fanny adam!
John Clark 18th December 2021 At 23:32
I imagine the Covid protocols in the press area in the new South Stand will be a lot better than those in three quarters of the stadium where the ordinary fans have to sit. Despite that, Journalists line up to tell us how great Hampden still is, but only after a Scotland game. If Scotland were playing a world cup play off tomorrow in front of 52,000 would Mr Blackford be saying it should be called off? Arrange these words to create a well known phrase. Chance, Absolutely, No.
@JC – “on what basis…”
Whilst I don’t know the answer for sure, I will note that back in the day every boy who played football in Nee Stevenston would play “up the Biggie”. From the same generation (albeit a small sample size!) no one can recall the Professor being on the pitch – perhaps we all suffered from mid-spent youths!!!
From today’s match report on the BBC Sports website
Postecoglou has calmed the chaos, overhauled the squad and delivered a trophy at the first attempt. The 2-1 final win over Hamilton mirrored his tenure as Celtic, having fallen behind, roared back from adversity.
Nothing like competence.
paddy malarkey 19th December 2021 At 23:28
‘..Nothing like competence…’
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Well ,as said before, incompetence can be forgiven…malevolence is something else!
Incidentally, Mrs C was heard expressing surprise at what she said was Willie Miller’s clearly conveyed disappointment at today’s result.
I myself did not hear the last twenty minutes of the game because I had to be somewhere else closely associated with the foundation of none other than Hibs!
Timtim
16th December 2021 At 23:19
……..
Yes they can do it, but not again as this club has never done it. Rules were changed so the SPL (now spfl) and the SFA were never put in the Armageddon position again
Re king return and the SDIR court win. King is the only Director left at rangers retail.
Just catching up on things
https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/2021/12/20/white-flag-over-ibrox/
“definitely above 10 million territory”
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08142409
accounts overdue-confirmation statement overdue-First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off (29th June 2021) Compulsory strike-off action has been suspended (17th August 2021)
OT.
Having problems getting by. We value your privacy. Reject all or accept all save and exit. Nothing. On phone just now incase you are wondering
RANGERS have lost their legal battle with Sports Direct over the disclosure of documents relating to the club’s deal with Castore and could be forced into a multi-million pound pay-out.
Slightly different context, but money talks, as if we didn’t already know – the real reason why Celtic and every other senior Scottish club prostituted themselves by turning a blind eye to the death of Rangers:
“A biennial World Cup would generate in excess of £3.3bn in additional revenue over a four-year cycle, delegates at Fifa’s global summit have been told. Fifa has proposed the change as part of a revamped calendar.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59729834
I was in Glasgow this afternoon to have a couple of festive drinks with the brother, not getting home until near the end of Sportsound, when I heard English comment that he had heard something about the SFA going after the SPFL over the cinch deal, something which Darryl [I am the SA] Broadfoot appeared not to know anything about.
Did I hear correctly?
That’s what we need: some real fall-out , in the course of which some retaliatory mucky, mucky tit-for-tat revelation of secrets might emerge, as happens when baddies fall out with each other!
Speed the day when the nonsense of TRFC claiming to be RFC of 2012 gets trashed for the fiction it is , and honest folk can break the grip on Football Governance that created the deceitful 5-Way Agreement and sedulously fosters and propagates a ludicrous untruth!
RANGERS INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC
Company number SC437060
Company Results (links open in a new window)
Date(document was filed at Companies House) Description(of the document filed at Companies House) View / Download(PDF file, link opens in new window)
20 Dec 2021 Group of companies’ accounts made up to 30 June 2021
This document is being processed and will be available in 10 days.
paddy malarkey 20th December 2021 At 22:28
‘..20 Dec 2021 Group of companies’ accounts made up to 30 June 2021
This document is being processed and will be available in 10 days.’
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Good spot, pm!
Now, if we relate that to –
Ashley winning the other day the right to see documents to help estimate how much SDIR may have lost through RIFC plc’s breach of contract
and
Timtim’s post at 16:05 referring to PmcG’s info that Ashley could be looking for ‘in excess’ of £10 M in damages,
we can begin to see why the white flag of surrender may have gone up !
And maybe why King wants back on to the Board.
If Ashley can legitimately claim anything like £10 million to be paid forthwith and immediately and if RIFC plc hasn’t got it, or can’t produce all of it, .. what happens?
Fun and games, I hope, in the shape ,perhaps of ,what’s the word?.. oh, aye: administratiliquidation! [be interesting to see which ‘Insolvency Practitioners’ would take the brief]
Lovely words, that sort of roll off the tongue… administration….Liquidation….
It might conceivably be a very merry Christmas, except for the liars and cheats in football, football Governance, and the SMSM
Honest to God.
John Clark 20th December 2021 At 23:44
A wee scroll down shows they make similar submissions (with the exception of Covid) annually around this time John. It only covers to June, so I doubt those episodes will figure other than a contingency,.... Or lack of.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/8180399/rangers-court-sports-direct-disclose-castore-deal-millions/
As I thought, he’s after the Castore deal as well. I certainly can’t remember reading of him turning down the chance to match it. Looks like there’s going to be a player fire sale in January??? BUT that could impact their CL group stages cash cow!! Oh dear, what a predicament. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch.
nbmumfc. 21st Dec 09.19
As I thought, he’s after the Castore deal as well. I certainly can’t remember reading of him turning down the chance to match it.
……………………………………………………….
No he’s not
From the recent judgement
………………………………………….
Unlike the Elite/Hummel arrangements, there is no claim that there was a breach of the Agreement by reason of any Matching Right relating to Castore. Indeed, the Third Party Offer by Castore was notified to SDIR, but SDIR elected not to match that offer.
I don’t think that article shows he is after Castore , he’s just using their figures to determine his losses from Hummel/Elite . Hummel/Elite will also be chasing them for loss of earnings due to the injunction imposed. A fire sale in January hampers their chances of CL money but an admin event scuppers it completely . It’s Russian roulette time in the Ibrox boardroom with Ashley wanting paid, King wanting a buyout of his shares and a multitude of bills that have built up since Covid arrived. Park and Gibson were also notable by their absence from the last rattling of the collection tin and if they are tapped out then they have serious funding issues going forward.
So RIFC/TRFC may have a £10m bill to pay? Look, this football finance thing’s a doddle –
that’s only 60% of a Patterson, or 100% of an Aribo or Hagi, 66% of a Kamara, etc. etc..
There you go: sorted before piece-time.
(I’ve rather lost track of the speculative values of Barisic, Tavernier & Morelos. Can we suggest that they’re not eight-figure players, in the estimation of the SMSM anyway, at present?)
According to the SMSM, Newcastle, Southampton & Villa are forming a queue to buy the cream of Ibrox. Let’s see what transpires.
Timtim
“I don’t think that article shows he is after Castore , he’s just using their figures to determine his losses from Hummel/Elite”
While I did not read much of the judgement itself, (my bad), I find it hard to believe a judge would order a completely different supplier, to produce confidential contract details, on which they can quantify another case?? Seems a strange course of action to me as the Castore sales/profit figures could be miles off the figures relevant to the Hummel/Elite case…
nbmfc
on a hopefully lighter note ( admittedly definitely off topic!)…
I demand that wokery i.e. such language as ‘my bad’ be removed from this site!!!!
(My dentist, somewhat painfully, inadvertently jabbed my gum, then said, by way of apology ‘my bad’ – meaning her mistake. When I pointed out to her that she wasn’t that bad, she looked bemused).
I should add that the main thrust your comments are salient, knowledge and interesting, so sorry about going off at a tangent – but ah couldnae stoap masel!!!
While the judgement certainly suggests MA/SD were wanting to use Castore as a barometer for the Elite/Hummel damages, what if it was also a fishing expedition on Castore. What happens if the documentation on the “executed contract” proves to be highly inconsistent with the Castore terms SD were shown and declined to match.
Interesting thought Tykebhoy,
Just conjecture but I suppose The rangers could have colluded with Castore, or worse doctored documentation to such an extent they knew SD would walk away, (if indeed they did?), prior to signing up the “actual” contracts once they were free of the SDI shackles. I certainly wouldn’t put it past them, with the previous club’s record of obfuscation, lying, collusion and shredding of “evidence”.
As Lou Reed might say “you’re going to reap just what you sow”.
tykebhoy 21st December 2021 At 13:38
‘..What happens if the documentation on the “executed contract” proves to be highly inconsistent with the Castore terms SD were shown..’
normanbatesmumfc 21st December 2021 At 15:39
‘.. I suppose The rangers could have colluded with Castore, or worse doctored documentation to such an extent they knew SD would walk away, ‘
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As a generalisation , I suppose the fact that the board of a PLC may once or twice have had, or may have, members who have some kind of criminal record or other would make the Boards of other companies a tad more cautious in their dealings with such a plc.
They would have their lawyers require hard certified evidence that the terms being offered in any contract which they had the right to match were not different from those being offered to anyone else!
But of course, bad people are bad people, and might yield to temptation.
They would need to be assured that their lawyers/accountants/ auditors are equally as ‘bad’ as they ,if they wanted to pull off a fraud of that kind.
Far be it from me to suggest that such lawyers etc are to be found in Scotland.
Of the original charges of the over 200 King initially faced one was for falsifying documentation so it is possible he may have done so with the Castore deal . This charge was plea bargained away so there is no hard evidence to suggest he would be involved in this type of skullduggery .
Based on news reports the SPFL are meeting this evening to discuss the latest COVID restrictions and next steps. I suspect a bright light may soon be shone on the SPFL’s inability to think through some coherent contingency planning in advance.
Leaving aside the “make it up as you go along” from last season, I view it as unfair that St Mirren are being told to play tomorrow evening. And any logical analysis of the situation tells you that as fans can’t attend for the next 3 weeks then the winter break should be brought forward – you may restart in 3 weeks without fans (and if you do then nothing is lost as games would have been played without fans anyway) but you may restart with fans when more is known about Omicron.
Well! as post-captain Aubrey was known to say ” Balls and bang my a.se”!!
Not really, because of course I knew what the answer to my query to Companies House about the ‘holding company’ of the liquidated RFC of 1872 would have to be.
Here is the reply that I got yesterday morning:
“enquiries@companieshouse.gov.uk
to [me]
Mon, 20 Dec at 08:11
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your email.
RFC 2012 P.L.C.
Company number SC004276 ”
And of course that number is, and has been ever since the lads on Glasgow Green ‘incorporated’ their club into a company , the Company number of SDM’s Rangers rangers of 1872- there was no other ‘holding company’ to go into liquidation!!
It was Rangers football Club of 1872 that went bust and into Liquidation because it it could not pay its debts: monumental debts built up because of tax evasion by a knight of the realm ( who, in my opinion, ought to have been dishonoured as much as the RBS guy)
But the fundamentally dishonest, dishonourable hacks of the SMSM chose ,and still choose, to buy into a lie, a lie created by those in football governance and supported by most of our clubs.
What price ‘sporting integrity’?
fishnish 16th December 2021 At 00:01
9 13 Rate This
I await a shedload of comments about how it took 97 minutes for a bluenose-biased ref to help defeat 10 man Ross County…
This should be an end to whataboutery.
The bigger clubs get the breaks, purely by chance.
…………………………………………………..
So… yet another blue-nosed, biased, establishment ref let the game run on for an extra umpteen minutes in order to help defeat Ra Sellic!!
Shame that the Buddie teenagers didnae capitulate as they were meant to…
My point is…
It’s not always about you, it’s not always poor Celtic that have the hard knocks.
Sometimes us diddy teams do not win the cups….and mostly, as I said…
…The “bigger” clubs get the breaks, “purely by chance”.
(Mind you, as a diddy club fan, I can see how the victim-mentality can be be so seductive… but it sadly makes this forum rather repetitively unattractive.)
I see the term ‘diddy club’ being used quite a lot on here. I will only repeat what I used to write years ago on here. The expression came from the ‘Only an Excuse’ series when it was in its prime, i.e when ‘Rangers’ were winning everything with the Bank of Scotland’s money, followed by the taxpayers money. It also came at a time when Celtic were in turmoil, and the same Bank of Scotland tried to put a hose down their throat forever (thank God for Fergus McCann). The term was all part of a Rangers loving establishment self indulging to a sickening level.
There is no such term as a diddy club. People should stop using it.
Just a quick question on the $10 million mentioned in regards to MA, Rangers, etc .. Does the $10 million quoted include the legal fees for both parties. If I’m not mistaken I thought earlier reports indicated Rangers were on the hook for them as well. If that’s the case the $10 million may grow a bit.
@Fishnish – my gripe with Scottish referees is about their competence, how they are governed and transparency in decision-making, which I hear many on this forum echo. There will always be the knee-jerk tactical reaction to a decision in the most recent game – I would hope we can all see through this as a symptom of the poster’s passion and disappointment.
With regard to the St Mirren-Celtic match last night, firstly well done to the “bare bones” St Mirren team – as I had previously posted I thought it unfair that they were made to play the game. I neither saw nor listened to the match and cannot say whether 5 minutes injury time was appropriate. I note there were 4 second half substitutions for which referees typically add 30 seconds for each. Where the other 3 minutes came from neither you nor I have any insight due largely to the lack of transparency in decision-making.
I cannot think of any other industry where the fan/customer/client/subscriber is kept in the dark on key decisions made by officials – even in boxing where judges scoring is often unfathomable, the scores awarded by each judge are released by round to be analysed and incompetence highlighted across the scoring of (usually) three judges.
So on my Santa wish list this year:
1. Let’s give referees a voice to explain their decisions – if nothing else it would shine a light on the so-called expert pundits who often criticise based on their understanding of the rules as they were when they played. And I have no truck with the excuse used in the past that refs don’t want to “go public” – I’m afraid they put themselves forward to be in the public eye and need to be accountable.
2. Have very clear and published terms of reference for the Compliance Officer. When do they get involved? Are all games covered? Do they respond to press headlines or independent reports from elsewhere?
3. Have transparency over the appointment of referees to matches. I think there are a total of 234 SPFL matches in a regular season (it’s a bit early so my maths could be askew…). Explain how these are expected to be allocated across the top flight referees using robust criteria which one would expect to be adjusted for circumstances (e.g. illness, loss of form – not just players who can go off the boil).
In my view the current standard of refereeing is poorer than it has been in many years (no Scottish referees selected by UEFA or FIFA for the last 3 tournaments reinforces my view). This strikes me as a systematic problem that needs addressing urgently if they truly want to market the SPFL as the “best wee league in the world”.
And a Merry Christmas to one and all!
Comments from St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin that would appear to suggest the SPFL “bent” their own rules to make sure the game versus Celtic went ahead.
…………………………………………………………………………………….
“We asked for the game to be postponed but unfortunately the powers that be wanted the game to go ahead.
“So much so that they have bent loan rules to allow us to bring six under-18 players to bulk the squad.
“They amended the loans to allow us to bring back players from Lowland League clubs.
“They went to great lengths to get the game on. They explored every avenue, even down to those loan rules.
……………………………
Is bent the same as broke?
vernallan 23rd Dec 01.17
Can i ask where this $10 million figure comes from?
I note with interest and some amusement that Craig Whyte, the last person to own the RFC of 1872 before it was Liquidated in its 140th year of existence, was arrested at Manchester Airport on Tuesday at the instigation of the FCA, on a charge of failing to provide passwords for various laptops and phones seized from him in April 2018.
His trial is set for next month.
We’ll see whether the[English] Crown Prosecution Service can build any kind of arguable case against him, or whether it will be as inept as the COPFS was in the prosecution of charges relating to the sale to him of the now dead football club.
if charges will be dropped as were the much more serious that
UTH. I appreciate your interpretation of the term now in extremely general use throughout Scotland’s diddy club firmament (and doubt very much if it’ll be soon dropped).
Diddy club fans simply do not acknowledge that Celtic play any part in it other than looking down their rich ph noses.
It’s OUR badge of self-disrespect and mocking.
WokingCelt:
I’m in complete agreement that Scottish referees seem to be more inept than those of other nations… and changes are required….
Referees in Ingerland are currently being lambasted for their regularly changing (week to week) VAR interpretation and of simply ignoring VAR when it should be used (according to pundits…).
albertz11
Bent is the same as openly and liberally interpreting the actual rules.
Broke is the same as being unable to retrospectively punish a transgression of the rules because, due to duplicity, the SFA was unaware that rules were at some time being transgressed by (for example) a now deid club.
I’m with UTH on the use of the “Diddy club” term. Often it is used ironically, which is fine, but just because it is common usage (like Rangers* 150 year history), that doesn’t make it true, accurate, or respectful to clubs. Certainly not here.
Whilst I am at it, fair play to St Mirren last night. Was at the game, and whilst by most standards Celtic should have won the match, the Buddies’ resilience in huge adversity made them worthy of a result. They should never have been forced to play the match in the first place. Big blow to Celtics title hopes from one of those “DCs”
I did watch the Celtic game last night and while there was minimal time wasting to get to half time, (common in many games), the real blatant time wasting started about the 55th minute. Yes, with 35 mins still to play. There were substitutions and injuries and time-wasting by the St Mirren goalkeeper, (warned by the ref.). He added 5 mins and then again warned St Mirren during the 5 mins that he was observant of their continued antics and added another minute to the 5.
I have said on here before, I think this, always frustrating for one team, practice could easily be nullified by taking a leaf out of rugby’s handbook. Play 30 mins each way BUT! as soon as play has stopped, ref blows for a foul, stops for injury, or even goes out of play for throw in, corner or by kick. So no matter how long it takes for a player to take the restart throw or kick, would be irrelevant as the clock is not back on until the ball is back in play.
With the imminent introduction of VAR (hopefully) this would also help avoid frustration at the time it takes to make a final decision. The actual time left could be displayed on a big screen so the crowd know exactly how long is left. Once time is up, the game ends the next time the ball goes out of play by fair means. Sorted!!
@Albertz11 – I would say when officers bend the rules this equates to breaking them as they are deliberately breaching the spirit in which they implement and enforce the same rules.
I am curious as to the quote “They amended the loans…” I would hope they can point to a regulation that allows for this as last I checked we are not in a transfer window. I hope St Mirren didn’t field ineligible players at the direction of the SPFL…which would be forfeit of match.
“I hope St Mirren didn’t field ineligible players at the direction of the SPFL…which would be forfeit of match.”
Now that would be funny wokingcelt, the hordes would be apoplectic with rage!!!!
wokingcelt 23rd December 2021 At 11:45
“.. field ineligible players at the direction of the SPFL…which would be forfeit of match.”
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Don’t you believe it, wokingcelt: a league body which sanctions the false claim of a 9 year old club to be 149 will fudge and lie about anything!
You are dealing with utterly dishonourable men in sport who have not the least understanding of the meaning of Sporting Integrity.
At heart, I’m an Ayr United fan. First result I look for in the classifieds. Attended my first senior match at Somerset, etc. etc..
When I read that St. Mirren had been permitted by the SPFL to recall players from loans to comply with squad numbers last night, I was reminded that Ayr Utd. did similar in September this year.
Two players each played 9 minutes in Ayr’s 3-0 win over TRFC B in the SPFL Trust Trophy. Ayr were charged with fielding 2 ineligible players & TRFC B was awarded a 3-0 win. Note that the SPFL convened its own tribunal: the SFA was not involved.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/ayr-united-face-spfl-disciplinary-25002783
https://spfl.co.uk/news/spfl-statement-47925
Now, it may be that the players recalled by St. Mirren were registered differently from those utilised by Ayr United & that there was no breach (or bend!) of rules, even with the approval of the SPFL. It would be nice to get some clarification from the SPFL, but I wouldn’t hold my breath whilst waiting for it! Perhaps Messrs. Doncaster & co. should self-report themselves to allow investigation?
Well if ever Michael Nicholson wanted to make an immediate mark as Celtic’s new CEO he could ask for clarification (if only to avoid a similar situation arising on Sunday of course ?)
The appointment of Michael Nicholson as ‘permanent ‘ CEO of Celtic plc shows what a guddle the Celtic Board got themselves into, faffing about for weeks, making a farce of themselves hunting for a big, impressive name, getting it hopelessly wrong, and deciding that their in-house football-lawyer chappie will do, after all.
Honest to God, buggering up the ten-in-row might conceivably be put down to a number of factors:
but a complete baws-up of a vital business-post recruitment exercise was down solely to the Board.
If Nicholson is deemed to be good enough CEO material now, why was that not noticed before?
No harm to Nicholson himself- I know who he is, of course, but would not presume to be able to assess his potential as a CEO.
And I wish he had a better Board to work for!
The TRFC Ltd accounts now published by Companies House give further information as to how much the club received from Aston Villa re Gerrard.
The post balance sheet events of RIFC indicated that £1.1m was received in respect of player registrations sold and loan fees received.
The TRFC accounts, published some weeks later, consolidates the £1.1m received as above with cash received following the termination of the contracts of Gerrard and his assistants, for a total of £2.65m. Therefore £1.55m was received following Gerrard’s departure.
I haven’t seen anything posted on this, but the Scottish Government’s Annual accounts were issued a week or so ago. They showed that the “malicious prosecutions” have cost the SG £39.92m to date.
“Involvement with civil litigation brought against the Lord Advocate by individuals prosecuted in connection with the acquisition and administration of Rangers Football Club”
We know about the £21m + £3m costs that went the way of Clark and Whitehouse.
Another £6m went to Green.
I don’t know if the Crown Office and Police Scotland’s legal costs are in addition to those settlements. If not, then there may have been further payouts agreed.
I haven’t seen anything about how much, if anything, that David Grier received by way of settlement. Certainly, Lord Tyre’s judgement hasn’t been published if it has been completed.
This is also the further matter of Duff & Phelps claim for up to £120m in reputational damage to go through the court process.
Lurkio 23rd December 2021 At 20:10
‘..I haven’t seen anything about how much, if anything, that David Grier received by way of settlement. Certainly, Lord Tyre’s judgement hasn’t been published if it has been completed.’
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I’ve been looking out for that as well, Lurkio.
There was a little pre-Christmas flurry of reported judgments up till today, but none from Lord Tyre. Perhaps tomorrow- I’m sure he’d like to get shot of it.
As regards the Duff and Phelps claim for ‘reputational damage’, my advice to them would be to drop it!
Whitehouse and Clark made a baws of the Administration, failing to save RFC of 1872 from the death of Liquidation by taking courses of action ‘which no ordinarily competent Insolvency Practitioner’ would have pursued.
That, in my opinion, will be likely to have done the D&P company name [and their other Insolvency Expert employees] far more ‘reputational damage’ than the fact that Whitehouse and Clark were wrongly prosecuted , and walked away innocent of any criminal actions, and perhaps ultimately smiling at the stroke of fortune that made them millionaires! [I appreciate of course that the experience of arrest and charge and the prospect of criminal trial would have been , must have been, horrendous]
And D&P [the Company] bosses must have been been spitting blood!
There is a great film to be made of the whole vile saga , right from the ‘for every pound’
to the demise of RFC of 1872 in 2012.
Think about it: the most popular sport in the world, with a track record of high level of ‘how’s your father’ in FIFA and UEFA;
vain, boastful Knights ( and the Yanks and Europeans like a bit of that flummery); lower levels of national football governance lying in their teeth and making things up as they go along and creating a lie;
newspaper guys NOT being the goodies;
sundry local and national politicians pitching in to help with ‘tax problems’;
some decent chaps raising a few quid to help a distressed creditor;
botched ( to put it very mildly) criminal prosecutions;
public monies squandered by the scores of millions;
financial conduct authorities blind to potential market deceit…
One film? Geez, there’s a tv serial as long as Eastenders in there!
( And I hereby assert my rights as originator of the concepts explored above. And when that movie/TV series is made, I want, after the manner of Alec Guinness’s contract when doing Star Trek, a percentage of the net profits , acknowledging the right of Sfm.Scot to a percentage- however small!- of that percentage!)
John Clark 23rd December 2021 At 23:26
“There is a great film to be made of the whole vile saga”
I think that Craig Whyte reserved the rights to any film or books about the demise of RFC.
” At the time of preparation the forecast identified that the Group would require £7.5m by way of debt or equity funding by the end of season 2021/22 in order to meet its liabilities as they fall due, with further funding of £0.4m required by the end of season 2022/23.
The first tranche of funding is required from investors before the end of December 2021.
However the final amount required is dependent on future football performance, European football participation and player trading amongst other factors”
One of those other factors might just be the amount of damages they may have to pay to Ashley for their stupid, stupid, and conscious breach of contract!
What an utterly broken ‘company’.
And what pressure it puts on Scottish football to ENSURE that TRFC win the league!
Otherwise the Big Lie will have been in vain- without CL monies, TRFC goes the way of RFC of 1872, down the swannee, without a life-belt!
Let’s hope that the new CEO of Celtic plc does not buy into any rescue plan that depends on untruth.
Lurkio 23rd December 2021 At 23:54
‘..I think that Craig Whyte reserved the rights to any film or books about the demise of RFC.’
%%%%%
Interesting point, in relation to any sort of ”documentary’ film.
But a work of cinema fiction that dealt with the death of a fictional club that in fact everybody could see was RFC of 1872?
It could be done, and quite easily I would imagine.
Is there any film script-writer out there who can convince a producer that there might be a ‘football’ related film that would attract South American, Chinese, Japanese, and USA audiences?
There might very well be, for the themes are universal: sporting integrity, lying, cheating, abuse of office in high places….compliant journalism in defence of such lying..
It could be a winner.
John Clark 24th 00.03
The funding you mention has already been provided for as was confirmed by Stewart Robertson at the recent AGM. This of course could be reduced by either player sales or revenue generated in the Europa League, provided of course fans are admitted to the Borussia Dortmund tie.
Provisions have already been made to cover any amount due to SDIR. At present this amount is unknown despite much ill informed speculation.
As for your final comment regarding the need for Rangers to participate in the CL otherwise financial ruin would quickly follow, i would ask you what evidence you have to back it up?. Rangers are fortunate to have some wealthy investors who have repeatedly put money into the club when required.
Provisions have already been made to cover any amount due to SDIR. At present this amount is unknown despite much ill informed speculation.
????????
Surely if provisions have ALREADY been made, the unknown amount is not as unknown or ill- informed as suggested.. Otherwise it would be folly to suggest the provisions were adequate.
Albertz11 24th December 2021 At 10:08
‘..Provisions have already been made to cover any amount due to SDIR. At present this amount is unknown despite much ill informed speculation.’
%%%%%%%
Ashley’s experts, with rights of inspection of actual volumes and prices used and the revenues derived therefrom, should be able to calculate to the nearest few hundred thousand quid just how much they might reasonably claim in damages. It will be at least a few millions of pounds: which, if Ashley is uncompromising/bloody-minded, will have to be paid in full, instanter.
The attempt by RIFC plc to prevent SDIR seeing Castore’s actual figures for a whole year’s sales volumes and revenue rather suggests that such provision as the loan-lenders may have made was based only on the Elite/Hummel volumes.
So any millions more than that must deeply upset the calculations!
The loan-lenders do not have limitless funds, covid continues, transfer market expected not to be terribly buoyant, so European monies on some scale will be necessary, not just desirable.
That may be speculation, but it is reasonably based, I think, with only a teensy-weensy bit of wishful thinking!
@JC @Albertz11 – Just a couple of wee accountant “anorak points”:
(i) Provisions are not the same as cash. And whilst provisions when used “protect” the P&L, the offsetting credit in the balance sheet (and balance sheet credits are “bad”) is invariably a corresponding reduction in cash (representing the payment to the creditor). So the question is whether the cash reserves are available to settle any liability arising from the Court’s judgement.
(ii) Provisions should only be recognised when an entity has a present obligation (legal or constructive) as a result of a past event; it’s probable that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the obligation; and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the obligation.
It follows from (ii) above that if TRFC have made provision in their audited accounts that it is the opinion of the directors that some sort of payment is likely to be made. Of course they could have made provision only for their ongoing legal costs on the basis that they will win the historical case but that the Court will not award costs to them (I don’t know how likely that scenario typically is within such cases).
Anorak off!
wokingcelt 24th December 2021 At 14:05
‘..Of course they could have made provision only for their ongoing legal costs on the basis that they will win the historical case but that the Court will not award costs to them ..’
%%%%%
It would be the height of reckless folly for any litigant to be cocksure of winning in Court, and it’s odds on that RIFC’s Counsel would have carefully avoided promising any certainty!
I would have thought that RIFC would have expected SDIR to have undertaken a ‘counterfactual’ inquiry to try to establish how much of any of the goods had been sold by anyone, to get as complete a picture of the total revenue actually brought in by any company that had actually sold the ‘Rangers’ kit etc.
I’m sure the concept of ‘counterfactual’ evidence is not brand new!
To be fair, the Ibrox board might be excused for not personally adverting to that, but surely their legal people might have been expected to know that companies seeking damages on account of loss of sales would try to establish total volumes sold?
Whatever, to go into Court unprepared for failure and its consequences would be foolish beyond belief, or indicative of a measure of desperation!
Albertz11 — 23 december 01:17
Where did the 10 million come from… Check ouit PMG’s article of December 21/21, raising white flag at Ibrox. Deeper in the article is PMG’s claim that he was “steered in the definitely above 10 million area.” Sounds like someone in the boardroom is getting loose liped.
vernallen 24th December 2021 At 16:53
‘.. Sounds like someone in the boardroom is getting loose liped.’
%%%%%%%%
Which reminds me: so far as I can see from CH pages, King’s generously unselfish offer to put himself at the service of the Board of RIFC plc has not yet been accepted.
He was last on the Board in March 2020, and presumably is not absolutely entitled to be privy to the Board’s deliberations.
Must be a very worrying time for him, if he’s not in the loop.
Will he put his hand in his pocket to help pay Ashley’s damages, if required, to pile up some more shares which he hopes Club 72 will be allowed to buy from him?
vernallen 24th Dec 16.53
Thanks for the reply.
PMG?
Albertz11 24th December 2021 At 19:18
‘…..PMG?’
%%%%%%%
If it helps , I think vernallen in his post at 16.53 gave this link
https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/2021/12/20/white-flag-over-ibrox/
And now that we are into 25 December, let me wish all and sundry who are posters on and/or readers of the sfm.scot blog, , without exception, an individual happy Christmas holiday season.
I acknowledge that those of them who were so cruelly betrayed by SDM’s hubris and shattered by the consequences of his tax-evasion policy and by his very self-protective ‘sale’ of RFC of 1872 to CW, are not to be too harshly condemned .
They have my sympathy.
But, of course, facts are chiels that winna ding!
And the fact is that the SDMs and CWs of this world killed RFC of 1872.
And my good wishes do not extend to those in football governance who refused for base reasons to accept the death of RFC of 1872!
A happy, joyous and peaceful Christmas to all SFM contributors. We live in troubled times, but it will get better.
Just for the record:
Mrs C and I were watching ‘It’s a wonderful life’ (again!) on netflix or whatever [ half-seriously, give me back the days of two-channels-only TV !].
And of course it’s a classic ‘truth/honesty/decency versus corruption and greed’ scenario.
A bit like the 2012 administration/liquidation scenario, called out as corruption by Turnbull Hutton ( as George Bailey) , with the ‘SFA /SPL/SFL’ and the SMSM representing the banker, Mr Potter.
In the film, of course, the bad guy loses.
We have still to see the bad guys of Scottish Football ‘governance’ lose.
But it will happen.
And indeed it will already be happening -because there will not be anyone involved in the 5-Way Agreement who, as he goes to bed tonight, does not KNOW that he participated willingly in the fabrication/acceptation/endorsement of a sporting untruth for filthy lucre’s sake.
Let them live with that, and, in due course, die with that on their consciences
Our withers are unwrung, to quote Wullie Shakespeare!
First, let me apologise for the tardy Christmas message, but I wish everyone here a happy Christmas, and a safe and prosperous New Year.
We were struggling at the end of the summer here on SFM, but our community pulled together to see us through. Here’s to a successful 2022.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/59796566
@PM thanks for that link. I may be doing him an injustice but the reason behind Allan McGregor’s rant against bringing forward the winter break is now a little clearer to me. Not just playing without fans at Celtic Park but the potential impact of players not getting back from the Africa Cup until 7-8th February…sporting integrity – aye right (file that alongside free agent signing on fee with Hull)…
I see the BBC finally reporting the reality of what liquidation means to a team playing in light blue:
“We were read a statement from the owner and that was it. Coventry United no longer exists, your contracts are ripped up, you aren’t getting paid in December and you no longer have a club to play for,” Wilkinson added.
Maybe the rules are different in Women’s Football… (the article is still on BBC Sport website but I failed miserably to copy the link…)
wokingcelt 27th December 2021 At 12:27
“….I failed miserably to copy the link.”
%%%%%%%
Found it easy-peasy, wokingcelt
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59776827
The Dundee situation yesterday has highlighted what a huge, potential mess we may face if covid continues to rip through the country the way it currently is. Now that the SPFL have stated there are no further slots to reschedule games, do we face the nightmare scenario of clubs having to forfeit fixtures with the potential impact on the title and relegation final spots?
upthehoops 27th Dec 15.51
With that in mind then why the urgent need to bring forward the winter break when we still had the ability to play the games on 29/12 & 02/01. Be they played with limited numbers in attendance, or BCD, at least it would have given the SPFL a slight bit of wiggle room down the line should your scenario arise.
upthehoops 27th December 2021 At 15:51
‘..do we face the nightmare scenario of clubs having to forfeit fixtures with the potential impact on the title and relegation final spots?’
%%%%%%
I suppose the truth is we do not know; which suggests that the more important question is whether our football authorities have even tried to establish agreed policies to meet at least some of the ‘what if ‘ scenarios that may arise.
In which connection, I think I agree with the poster of a few days ago ( I apologise for not remembering his name) who, as I understood him, thought that football rules devised for ‘ordinary’ circumstances should not have been, and shouldn’t be , applied in the circumstances thrown up by a pandemic.
There was some degree of excuse last season for the uncertainties.
But while it is true that our clubs, both last season and this season, have appreciated the ‘special consideration’ afforded them by Government and have bust a gut to keep Covid out, it’s not at all clear that there has been as much effort ,on the part either of the SPFL or SFA ,put into planning what to do if Covid were to run rip despite their most heroic efforts, and interfere all over the ship with league and cup programmes.
They may have a master plan, signed up to by all and sundry. I hope they do, and I will be ready to apologise for my doubts if that be the case.
The track record of our football governance bodies does not fill me with any confidence or trust in their crisis management abilities.
Perhaps very OT, can I say that as far as unfortunate names go[ allowing for the fact that my own name might in other cultures cause the same mirth], the guy with perhaps an appropriate and laughable name is a guy called Dikshit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anurag_Dikshit
Our baddies are baddies all right, but nowhere in the same league financially as some other baddies!
I have been reading a court judgment involving a guy called Walter Soriano [ a libel/defamation case] and it led me on to other stuff.
On which note, let me bid you goodnight, with a happy smile on my face. Dikshit! Anatomically impossible? Or someone’s got a real problem!
@Albertz11 – in answer to your question, quite simply because football without fans is nothing (the same reason given by TRFC for postponing the Colts match this coming weekend).