A guest blog by former Celtic & Scotland defender, Jim Craig
“What time is this to come back?”
Dolores McCann (her Mother had been a great fan of foreign films) stood in that classic pose of the wounded woman – up to her full height and chin forward – as she glared at her husband who had just come in the front door. Before he could say a word, she gave him another volley;
“you left the house at half-past-two for a three o’clock kick-off, it only takes you 20 minutes to get to the ground, a match lasts only one-and-a-half hours plus ten minutes for the break and you’ve just walked back in the door at half-past-seven! So where the hell were you?”.
Wayne McCann (his father liked Westerns) tried to calm her down.
“Dolores, you don’t know what it’s like at football matches nowadays ; it has changed out of all recognition; a match goes on for much longer”.
“In what way?” Dolores asked.
“Well, for a start, the players and even the managers can complain about any decision that is given against them. If that happens, the referee then goes and has a word with firstly, the two assistant referees, then the fourth official and gets their comments before he reflects on the situation. If he is still in any doubt that he made the wrong decision then he can ask the guy upstairs sitting in front of a television screen what he thinks. And, of course, all through this, the managers and players of both teams can chip in with their comments. That all adds a fair bit of time to the match”.
“Aye…but turning up at half-past-seven is still a bit over the top…is it no’?”
“Well, no’ really……you see, nowadays you are not allowed to have a drawn game, so if the match is level at the full-time whistle, there is extra time, which takes a minimum of half-an-hour”.
“The time is still no’ matching up!”
“Aye, mibbe so, if that was the end of the match. But if the match is still level at the end of extra-time, then it goes to a penalty shoot-out. I told you…you are not allowed a drawn game”.
“ A penalty shoot-out disnae take long”.
“That might have been the case at one time but because so many keepers were being accused of moving before the ball was kicked, nowadays they are strapped in to a harness which anchors them in the middle of the goal. They can only move when the foot of the guy who is taking the penalty actually touches the ball. So, after each kick, the keeper has to be put back into the harness and it all starts again. And, of course, you get the complaints from the managers and players that the harness wasnae working properly or that the officials who put the harness on didnae put it on right. That all adds up to the time factor”.
“Did you go to the pub?”
“As God is my judge, Dolores, after the match finished, I came straight here”.
“Who won anyway?”
“That’s a difficult question… there was so much noise and kerfuffle both on the pitch and in the stands, nobody was quite sure what the final score was. And the guy who usually does the announcing had gone home. Somebody said that he had a date. Anyway, if you let me turn on the radio, I’ll hear the score there. And Dolores?”
“Yes”
Wayne walked over to the drinks cabinet and took out a couple of glasses. “I don’t suppose you would fancy a wee drink”
We will leave the smooth-talking Wayne to his attempts to mollify Dolores and reflect on the situation. What you have just read is probably the ultimate scenario for those who wish to tamper with the current rules of football. Do I think that the game needs radical changes like that? No but I do think that some change is necessary and in one specific circumstance.
Now, I was a professional footballer for 9 years and in all that time, I can put my hand on my heart and state with complete conviction that I never pulled any other player’s jersey. Did I try to half him in two with a tackle, yes! But no jersey-pulling. And, of course, I was penalised for the challenge.
Today, though, I feel that there is a lot of body-checking and jersey-pulling going on in every match. Very often the referee lets it go and then you get the ridiculous scenario at a corner kick when all those waiting for the ball to come in are pulling and pushing, with the referee watching it and ignoring it. It is a foul, ref!
When the referee decides that an offence has been committed, then the player will be spoken to first. If he does it again, he will be given a yellow-card. The problem is, though, that the offence might possibly have affected the play in the match, whereas the yellow card does not affect the player’s participation.
If the player is daft enough to do it again, then of course he gets another yellow and will be off. Most, however, are sensible and keep the head, so they go unpunished as far as the current match is concerned. What we have to find is a punishment that affects the match in which the transgression occurred. Which means that we have to consider the sin bin.
This works very well in rugby and gives the referee a means to punish an offence a little more harshly – yet more efficiently – than a yellow card but without having to go for the ultimate, drastic – and for many unpalatable – option of the red card. I hope it comes in soon.
JIMBOAPRIL 15, 2018 at 00:01
What an opportunity missed.
Ibrox Rangers, New Rangers, Rangers 2012, Phoenix Rangers, Rangers of the Future, Southside Rangers, Honest Rangers.
They all sound better to me.
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Rangers UTD was one such name spoken of.I remember at the time something about fans getting the rights to such names so the ibrox club could not use them or the ibrox club would have to pay handsomely to use one of them.
JIMBOAPRIL 15, 2018 at 00:01
How on earth did Green get away with calling Sevco ‘THE Rangers’ ? Just adding an THE?
I think there would have been a problem had any of the stiffed creditors had made a compliant about the brazen phoenoxing of the dead club .
I assume that there was no such complaint ,maybe because many of the creditors had ragers 1872 leanings or some probably thought the better of it for fear of inviting the wrath of the fanbase thus hurting their business further
What I would find strange is ,if any creditors now have allowed themselves to be exposed for sizable sums .
If so ,more fool them
upthehoopsApril 15, 2018 at 09:14
Well said, UTH, and I sincerely hope you are correct about the improved attitudes in the workplace.
The marked difference that I have found since moving to England in religious attitude, where people can go their whole life not knowing (or, perhaps, caring) whether or not someone they know is Catholic or Protestant, has been very refreshing. Down here, when someone asks ‘what school did you go to?’ they genuinely mean, ‘what school did you go to?’ and it is usually followed up by, ‘did you know Bob…’ Or, ‘my sister/brother would have been in your year, did you know her/him?’
I’m sure this will not be the case everywhere south of the border, but it is true in my experience in North Derbyshire, where they can be, sadly, rather racist, though they’d say they’re not, they just don’t like immigrants!
Hi Jimbo, Even that story was one of dishonesty. The club currently in liquidation was formerly called, ‘The Rangers Football Club plc” and before that, when it was originally incorporated, it was as ‘The Rangers Football Club Limited” (same name as the current company)
Sorry Jimbo,
File did not seem to load correctly. I’ll try a different format
Would Johnjames describe himself as a stable genius, Trump style … More than likely
upthehoopsApril 15, 2018 at 09:14
“In my view it’s fair to say David Murray was the worst thing ever to happen to Rangers.”
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Yes.
He did two particularly despicable things.
He injected an old war-horse with a steady dose of the poison of deceit which eventually brought it to a long, lingering, agonisingly slow hobble to the knacker’s yard.
And, like some pathetic , deceitful coward, he could not face the task of personally putting the beast to a merciful end.
That task was left for a very minor mercenary to whom the old, poisoned nag, was sold. The coup de grace was duly delivered, the dead beast’s stable and some other accoutrements were sold to another low-life.
And a whole monstrous edifice of lies and deceit was subsequently created.
It is an absolute wonder to me why the overweening black-hearted knight was not black-balled and pilloried by those he so grievously offended with such contempt.
“BFBPUZZLEDAPRIL 15, 2018 at 11:2 Rate This
Would Johnjames describe himself as a stable genius, Trump style … More than likely”
I would suggest anyone who is stable, or strong mental strength would not take offence at anything written about them and would not launch into constant personal retaliations. The strongest folk are the ones who take any personal insults or digs without it even registering. Stable, strong mental and strength are the complete opposite of extreme anger.
DFD
Just as well “The Mench” is nothing like him then.
Barcabhoy, Thanks for you comment. Good to see you back on here.
I have no doubt you are correct that the majority work with integrity even although they will employ several lawyers & accountants to use every loophole they can find to minimise their tax contributions to the public purse. We have all read about the multi nationals who have turnover in the billions, yet pay next to nothing in corporate tax.
However, it is legal if not immoral.
The type of people I am speaking about (crooks with suits) are,
Ernest Saunders, Gerald Ronson et.al in the Guiness Share Trading Fraud.
Nick Leeson of Barings Bank
Gavin Masterton BOS, no friend of Celtic but very chummy with David Murray and Dumfermline FC
There have been many more.
With McInnis’s rant at the players yesterday and how he was blameless, is he trying to work his way back onto the Rangers manager short list? He could have come out at the very start and said he had no interest in the job but he let the media circus distract him and his players at a crucial time and I feel that led to Aberdeen’s poor season by their standards.
Gavin Masterton, David Murray’s man at BoS. I can’t help but think of UTH’s excellent post of earlier today and what was thought of as acceptable behaviour in Scottish Football finances.
Business
THE Bank of Scotland has written off nearly all of a controversial £12.2 million loan it handed to its former managing director.
Bosses at the taxpayer-backed bank have recouped just £600,000 of money it loaned to a company owned by former Dunfermline Athletic boss Gavin Masterton, who retired from BoS in 2001 with a £250,000-a-year pension.
The former banker’s firm, East End Park Ltd, was given the loan – secured against the club’s stadium* – at the height of the 2008 financial crisis and told it would not have to make repayments for the next 35 years. However, the company and Dunfermline Athletic both went into administration last year and documents show the bulk of the £12.2m loan has now been written off by the bank.
*With no disrespect, I take it that was done based on one of those depreciated rebuild cost (apologies) valuations.
And him personally
FORMER Dunfermline Athletic owner Gavin Masterton has gone bankrupt with debts of more than £1.1 million.
Mr Masterton, a former managing director of the Bank of Scotland, was declared insolvent after failing to settle large bills linked to his involvement with the Fife club.
He was the sole shareholder in Charlestown Holdings Ltd (CHL), which owned the Scottish League 1 club until its financial problems ended in administration last year.
However, he was forced into bankruptcy after current Dunfermline director Kip McBay took legal action to have CHL liquidated earlier this month over its failure to repay a loan to him.
Mr Masterton, 72, applied for his own bankruptcy after running up debts of £1,133,850 and it has been approved by the Accountant In Bankruptcy, Scotland’s insolvency service.
Ian Fraser’s article of September 2013, on Charlotte Eighteen and Masterton’s business dealings.
http://www.ianfraser.org/gavin-masterton-and-the-riddle-of-charlotte-18/
The only way I can live with these Multinationals who pay nothing to the economy is by thinking along these lines.
Lets take Amazon. I think they have a couple of distribution centres in Scotland – one in Dunfermline?
Lets say for a figure they employ 1,000 workers. As always the workers pay full whack in Tax & NI.
Say they earn £300 PW. I don’t know the figures but suppose they have £50 pw deductions. That’s £2.6m per year to the government.
Of their £250 pw net pay they purchase goods & services which bear VAT & Duty. Say 25%? (I’m being generous)
That’s another £3m+ PA to the State.
The two figures combined might build a primary school.
And of course because they are working their benefits from the state will be nil or little.
So there are advantages from having these employers in town. But it’s so Victorian for 2018.
I genuinely don’t know, but was King at Hampden today?
Normally, of course, it makes no difference who turns up to watch a football match, but, as we know, there’s much going on, outside of football, that might make his non-attendance interesting. He has also, most recently, stated that he intends attending many more TRFC matches than in the past, and even the most tardy of supporter usually makes a cup semi-final a priority, so even more significance if he hasn’t turned up.
Don’t think that was much of an advert for season ticket sales at one of the clubs . I also thought that the 6 million dollar man was trying to get sent off – a decent referee would have obliged .
Today just demonstrated th gulf in quality between Rangers and Celtic if it wasn’t blatantly obvious enough before. Celtic didn’t look like they got out of 3rd gear and could have scored more. Easily the worst display by us in an Old Firm game since the thrashing under Pedro this time last year. I would suggest watching that that there isn’t a single player in our team would even make a Celtic bench
addy malarkeyApril 15, 2018 at 16:49
Don’t think that was much of an advert for season ticket sales at one of the clubs . I also thought that the 6 million dollar man was trying to get sent off – a decent referee would have obliged .
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With each sitter he misses his (imaginary) value must drop a million or two. Imagine if your club’s financial wellbeing was dependent on a striker who misses chances like he’s missed since his last valuation hike, not that TRFC have to worry about how much they can sell their players for, or even how much they can pretend they’ve been offered by a club at the other side of the world
I declare that I am a Celtic supporter, and over the past year or so have read numerous posts, not all on here, about the referee Bobby Madden and his brother being season ticket holders at Ibrox. They alluded that he would cheat Celtic out of a victory in the Scottish Cup and so prevent the double treble. I am happy to say that I totally disagree I thought that Mr Madden today and in the last Celtic vs Rangers game was on the top of his game. So JJ once again you are so wrong.
DarkbeforedawnApril 15, 2018 at 17:31
Today just demonstrated th gulf in quality between Rangers and Celtic if it wasn’t blatantly obvious enough before. Celtic didn’t look like they got out of 3rd gear and could have scored more. Easily the worst display by us in an Old Firm game since the thrashing under Pedro this time last year. I would suggest watching that that there isn’t a single player in our team would even make a Celtic bench
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I think one of the worst aspects of it is that they are still due to pay a few million pounds for those players, many of their own support would class as failures, from money they don’t yet have. They might be good enough to beat a Progres quality side to make it to the second qualifying round of the Europa League, but they’ll need to spend a good few million more to go much further.
BALLYARGUSAPRIL 15, 2018 at 17:42
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I believe it was Mr Madden who denied celtic a late penalty when there was a thigh high challenge on a celtic player.
Today he awarded a penalty for a similar challenge on a celtic player.
just maybe he has learned from his mistake
Likewise Ballyargus I actually thought Madden had a good game. There can be no complaints about the red card or the penalties and for the most part he got the decisions correct.
DBD, Cheer up friend. We have all been there.
They said on the radio yesterday we get over the worst of it by the Tuesday. Probably work kicks in and our minds are occupied on other shit.
CLUSTER ONEAPRIL 15, 2018 at 18:06
I believe it was Mr Madden who denied celtic a late penalty when there was a thigh high challenge on a celtic player.Today he awarded a penalty for a similar challenge on a celtic player.just maybe he has learned from his mistake
I think that on that occasion he was behind the play and was let down by his linesman (assistant referee).Anyway, there was no sign of bias today or as I said in the last game and what I meant to add to JJ who was the main accuser was,”It’s not often your’re right but you’re wrong again.”
BALLYARGUSAPRIL 15, 2018 at 18:47
I think that on that occasion he was behind the play and was let down by his linesman (assistant referee)
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Today he was in the right position,So just maybe he has learned
They were talking on the radio today before the game started that Madden likes to hogg the centre circle and venture slightly out of it. Maybe he does have a positional problem. Maybe they were joking. I only saw about 20 mins of the game in the first half. I have to say he was up with the play as far as I could see. Most Celtic fans on other blogs feared the worst from him. He was fine. I saw the shirt pulling with Lustig, yellow card, seen it given, seen it being allowed. Mikel didn’t protest.
DarkbeforedawnApril 15, 2018 at 17:31Easily the worst display by us in an Old Firm game since the thrashing under Pedro this time last year.
Have to remind you mate there is no old firm, there is nothing that ties Celtic to any team playing out of Ibrox anymore, it was a local derby no different from our 3 outings versus Particik Thistle. You might think pedantic but, there is no other club we Celtic fans want associated or tied to in this Scottish setup, we are an individual business and football club with different values and nothing in common unites Celtic to any team in Glasgow or Scotland except we play football in the same country.
Celtic players and fans no longer talk about the old firm anymore unless in hindsight of bygone eras and the ones who do are tied to sky or the media and are souptakers, when we the support remind the real Celts loyal to the traditions we do not want associated or tied to an old firm they replace it with derby.
As someone once said Rangers “exist only on the minds of die hard supporters” …
Just heard a very sad thing there Nadir Cftcti (sp) who is on loan to Motherwell from Celtic will not be able to play in the cup final. That would have been a highlight of his career even as a sub.
jimboApril 15, 2018 at 19:57Just heard a very sad thing there Nadir Cftcti (sp) who is on loan to Motherwell from Celtic will not be able to play in the cup final. That would have been a highlight of his career even as a sub.
Jimbo some of these guys are getting more than me and you earn in a year, maybe, and cannot cut it or do not put in the effort. You reap what you sow had he put more effort in he might have been getting a medal with us.
Its the same for Chrisite he had to sit it out previously, but, this is how you make it in the game and you have to believe your turn will come and if you do not tough, MON missed a European Cup Final but Clough had the belief there would be another one and he was proved right and MON got a EC winners medal, it just fate and in some cases putting your shoulder to the wheel and going for it.
Tough but the moneys good.
jimboApril 15, 2018 at 19:57 Just heard a very sad thing there Nadir Cftcti (sp) who is on loan to Motherwell from Celtic will not be able to play in the cup final. That would have been a highlight of his career even as a sub.
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Probably heard more sad things in my life Jimbo! Was at Hampden yesterday when once again we didn’t turn up! ok the handball (1st goal) and the shove (2nd goal) didnae help but I still hope refs are honest!! and make honest mistakes.
I know I’m a bit of a softy and these guys earn more than I could dream of. But I think of the three players we signed from Dundee Utd. All 3 successful at Dundee Utd but only one could manage the step up when they came to Celtic. I think Nadir peaked at Dundee, I don’t think he will ever be as good. GMS seems to be doing a wee bit better at Aberdeen but will never be a superstar. My opinion is still open on SA. He blows hot and cold.
Bordersdon, keep your chin up. I’m wondering if McInnes has gone as far as he can. Just wait to you get your new stadium. You will feel great!
bordersdonApril 15, 2018 at 21:02
‘..when once again we didn’t turn up!’
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Interesting to hear Richard Gordon remark after today’s game on the fact that in both semi-finals one team ‘didn’t turn up.’
I’m not entirely sure what exactly is meant when that expression is used.
Is it suggestive of lack of effort on a team-wide scale?
or a suggestion that the skills-set of a team must have been assessed on such an over-optimistic basis that the skills of the actual flesh and blood players, play as committedly as they might,could never measure up to expectations?
Or is it principally a powerful criticism of the manager’s abilities, or lack thereof, when up against it?
Football is a funny old game, but for a team in both semi-finals to be adjudged as not having turned up must be a little more unusual than usual!
My wife and I took Swedish friends to an NYC bar to watch the semi final.
They know nothing about Celtic but loved the atmosphere and the singing. Their surname is Larsson and they didn’t understand the significance of the framed, signed, Larsson Celtic top above our table!
But if I was a TRFC supporter I would be even more concerned.
2 subs leaving the field and mouthing off or going straight down the tunnel.
And at 4-0 down you would expect a melee to disrupt the game, and make CFC lose their focus.
But not one TRFC player was literally up for a fight.
IMO, Murty has lost the dressing room – and it’s Jimmy Nicholl’s turn in the hot seat.
Stevie, A Swedish couple don’t know about Henrik? They must live a very secluded life back home. My granny knows him and she’s been dead about thirty years.
DARKBEFOREDAWNAPRIL 15, 2018 at 17:31
Today just demonstrated th gulf in quality between Rangers and Celtic if it wasn’t blatantly obvious enough before. Celtic didn’t look like they got out of 3rd gear and could have scored more. Easily the worst display by us in an Old Firm game since the thrashing under Pedro this time last year. I would suggest watching that that there isn’t a single player in our team would even make a Celtic bench
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That is very forthright and honest from you DBD. We are all football fans and it is never easy to face up to our team’s shortcomings. Personally I think the media coverage Rangers got after the January transfer window and a run of results against lesser teams created hugely false expectations among the support. I don’t expect things to change though as season tickets will have to be shifted for next season, and there will be many in the media willing to run with all sorts of feelgood stories in order to help that.
John ClarkApril 15, 2018 at 22:23
bordersdonApril 15, 2018 at 21:02‘..when once again we didn’t turn up!’_________________Interesting to hear Richard Gordon remark after today’s game on the fact that in both semi-finals one team ‘didn’t turn up.’I’m not entirely sure what exactly is meant when that expression is used.Is it suggestive of lack of effort on a team-wide scale?or a suggestion that the skills-set of a team must have been assessed on such an over-optimistic basis that the skills of the actual flesh and blood players, play as committedly as they might,could never measure up to expectations?Or is it principally a powerful criticism of the manager’s abilities, or lack thereof, when up against it? Football is a funny old game, but for a team in both semi-finals to be adjudged as not having turned up must be a little more unusual than usual!
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I think ‘my team didn’t turn up’ is just one of those glib football sayings, like ‘sick as a parrot’, and used in it’s usual context refers to a team that has either been hammered by a side of similar standing, or beaten by a side not considered their equal, or has just put in a lacklustre performance. It would be up to the individual to decide which of those three contexts fits Aberdeen’s game on Saturday, it’s an excuse for a bad or unexpected defeat. But as for TRFC, I don’t think any of those definitions would apply, other than ‘excuse’.
Are TRFC Celtic’s equal, or of a similar standing? Definitely not. So a hammering is not unusual or unexpected.
Was TRFC’s display lacking lustre? I’d suggest that TRFC’s lustre has, since the club’s inception, been a ‘lustre’ solely burnished by the SMSM, with Level5 and Jim Traynor providing the turd-polish. A figment of wishful journalism, designed to produce an undeserved aura of ‘bigness’ and relevance to the game.
I’d suggest the Aberdeen team of 2018 did turn up, in it’s low self-belief, less than sum of it’s parts, style that it’s displayed since the TRFC very public tapping of it’s manager.
The real TRFC turned up, too, in it’s over-paid, over-hyped, over-egged way. Anyone surprised by that result hasn’t been paying attention for a very long time.
The SMSM would be better employed asking, ‘did Dave King turn up?’ and if he didn’t, then, ‘why not?’
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/rangers-duo-alfredo-morelos-greg-12370548
DR reporting that Morelos and Docherty were involved in a bit of a fracas at the end of the match, on the pitch and in the tunnel. I’m sure the £14m man must find it hard to have to work with players who can’t match him for sitter-misses!
Cannot see Halliday been part of any new Ibrox outfit setup , and cannot see many of the loan players hanging around much longer. I would have bitten your hand off for 11million (
) and now i can see him beeen offload to any one who wants him. 11 million indeed.
JIMBOAPRIL 15, 2018 at 23:44Stevie, A Swedish couple don’t know about Henrik? They must live a very secluded life back home. My granny knows him and she’s been dead about thirty years.
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Or must be a couple who’re not much interested in football – the guy had over 100 caps for Sweden a good number while playing for Celtic (so it must have been mentioned in Sweden any time he played for the national team).
bigboab1916April 16, 2018 at 09:28
Cannot see Halliday been part of any new Ibrox outfit setup , and cannot see many of the loan players hanging around much longer. I would have bitten your hand off for 11million () and now i can see him beeen offload to any one who wants him. 11 million indeed.
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Obviously things can change, and someone might come in with money, or King just might pony up, but without that I can’t see any ‘new Ibrox setup’ coming, other than some sort of austerity – in which the Andy Hallidays will feature quite strongly. As for Morelos, I can see him going at the end of the season for £2m, tops, and maybe only half of that. He’s becoming somewhat of a burden, with his misses, surliness and anger.
AllyjamboApril 16, 2018 at 07:31
‘…The SMSM would be better employed asking, ‘did Dave King turn up?’ and if he didn’t, then, ‘why not?’’
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To be scrupulously fair, Aj , Pattullo in the ‘Scotsman’ this morning ends his TRFC Ltd critical piece with
“ Where was the captain of the ship?..Alastair Johnston ..was present ,just behind Rod Stewart….But there was no sign of Dave King, the Rangers chairman. Says it all really”
There must now be a rapidly growing realisation among the support and among the larger shareholders that King is a busted flush, whose actions have seriously holed RIFC plc/TRFC Ltd below the waterline.
John ClarkApril 16, 2018 at 10:13
Thanks for the info, John, at least that confirms King wasn’t there. We can only guess at why that might have been, but one might be forgiven for expecting he’d have mentioned the fact he was not going to be able to make it to his club’s biggest game of the season at the same time as he announced he would be attending much more matches from now on.
I suppose it could just be that he had no pressing business in the UK that made it worth his while having the club pay for his ‘jetting in’, after all, Chelsea were playing away from home this weekend
On the other hand, it may well be that there is some truth in the idea that he daren’t enter the UK at this moment for fear of arrest, and maybe, at the time of his statement of his intention to attend more games, he believed his ‘holding advert’ would be enough to appease the TOP and the law.
Pure speculation on my part, of course, but it could have been prevented (and some more widely read bloggers will, I am sure, draw similar conclusions) by just a few words added to said statement.
Pattullo could have tried a bit of journalistic speculation, too, but, as is par for the course with the SMSM, chose not to.
STEVIEBC
APRIL 15, 2018 at 23:03
…But not one TRFC player was literally up for a fight.
IMO, Murty has lost the dressing room – and it’s Jimmy Nicholl’s turn in the hot seat.
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I had a look at the eighteen TRFC players listed for yesterday’s game. I doubt if any more than a third of them will be at Ibrox next season. The six I’d try to keep? Foderingham, Tavernier, John, McCrorie, Alnwick, Dorrans & Docherty (if his transfer fee is actually ever paid). The rest can go.
Murty? From the interviews I’ve read, he’s saying that the team didn’t play to his directions. I suspect that he’s been/being undermined, not just by the Group Chairman & his statements, but by influential players; just as Caixinha was before him. He should resign now. Nobody could (or should) blame him for that course of action.
As for Jimmy Nicholl: he’s not the man for the job. IMVHO, he’d be the wrong choice on at on at least two counts. He’s a football dinosaur & living embodiment of the WATP culture that the football club needs to move away from.
JINGSO.JIMSIEAPRIL 16, 2018 at 11:32
As for Jimmy Nicholl: he’s not the man for the job. IMVHO, he’d be the wrong choice on at on at least two counts. He’s a football dinosaur & living embodiment of the WATP culture that the football club needs to move away from.
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I believe Jimmy Nicholl WILL be Rangers Manager next season. As things stand it seems unlikely any prospective Manager of significant standing can be given the financial wherewithal to catch up with Celtic, which is what the fans will demand. I am sure it will be well known in football circles that the Rangers job is a pretty unattractive prospect right now. Nicholl on the other hand is in his early sixties, has had a varied career and would in my view see the chance to have his portrait on the marble staircase as a very fitting honour to sign off on. He is also a dyed-in-the-wool bluenose from Belfast, and having someone of that background in place will be vital to keep some of the fans on board. I am sure Nicholl would have been brought in as an insurance policy against Murty failing.
I think that Jimmy Nicholl is cast from the same mould as Kenny McDowall , and I doubt that he would be any improvement on Mr Murty , and improvement is what TRFC requires in that (and other) departments .
17 hours ago, Tak3rNo1 said:Who replaces himWalter till the end of the season
Rumours spreading murty is off.
Regarding Alfredo Morelos, on several occasions recently JJ in his blogs has all but stated the player is a cokehead and a liability to the Ibrox club. When the hapless BBC reporter tweeted earlier that no offer had been made for El Buffalo in China, TRFC immediately forced him to make a groveling apology after supposedly showing him documentary evidence of a substantial offer. Why has TRFC or indeed the player’s own legal representative not leaped into action against JJ? After all, a person’s good character is much more precious than figures being banded about in a transfer speculation?
Morelos was playing in the Finnish league before his move to Ibrox. I wonder if the football club or football authorities in that country became aware of Alfredo’s recreational habits and thought it best to facilitate a move for the player to another country? Does JJ have evidence of drug abuse by Morelos? He seems more than happy raising the subject on his site while TRFC and the striker remain strangely silent.
AllyjamboApril 16, 2018 at 11:31
‘…Pattullo could have tried a bit of journalistic speculation, too, but, as is par for the course with the SMSM, chose not to.’
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I condemn him and his fellows NOT for not being as brilliant as Woodward and Bernstein in finding answers, but for failing even to ask questions!
The most basic art of newspaper journalism- asking the ‘what, who, when, where, how and why’ of events- seems not to figure any more in the minds of our SMSM journalists.
BILLYBOYCE
Do you honestly think there is no difference between a BBC journalist and a mentally unstable fantasist like JJ. Apart from giving him the notoriety he craves what would be gained from any such action. For example is it not amazing that one of his sources (inside his head imo) could sit close enough to the Rangers bench so to be able to hear a sectarian outburst directed by a player toward the manager yesterday.
As i said previously he needs help with regards to his mental state.
Will probably be challenged to meet him so he can use his Karate skills on me. Hope the Kung Fu Tims don’t appear though.
John Clarke wee video you might be interested in a season review and the mentality of the Sevco in their bid for ten.Footage of Murray et al.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj7fAKKpIlE
Phil suggesting that Rangers are in for McInnes again but he’s no interested!
https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/2018/04/16/concomitant-desperation-in-the-blue-room/
What struck me at the end of the game on Sunday was the non-interview with young Master Murty or anyone from Rangers by the BBC. Surely this ‘dispute’ should have all been sorted out by now!? Are Rangers taking their full cut of the TV money? If so, surely there must be something in the contract which compels them to do after-match interviews.
JC, I totally agree. Our media are supposed to hold our authorities to account and not just regurgetate government or governing body sound bites. Given the coverage in the lead up to this weekends illegal bombing I doubt that the sports hacks are any worse or better than those who are supposed to report the ‘real’ news.
I think it would be interesting to hear (read) the thoughts of Aberdeen supporters on Derek McInnes.
The team’s performances since he talked to Rangers representatives have been decidedly poor. Some thought that he deliberately set out to lose to them as he was going to take the job and the 6 points would set him up nicely.
However he didn’t accept but the team has gone backwards since then and there is now talk of him being approached again.So Dons men what do you make of the goings on, back the manager to sort things out or get rid of him for failing too often when the going gets tough?
ACS
After the way the previous talks with DMI ended (True story not yet been revealed) there is no way that Rangers would make another approach for him.
Re – BBC Dispute. Rangers withdrew the press privileges from ONE reporter for approaching the match supervisor requesting whether any fans had been ejected/arrested for sectarian singing. If this was standard practice and something that he did in every game then no problem. It wasn’t & he didn’t. Rangers fulfill their contractual agreements with the media on a weekly basis with every other organisation but the BBC have chosen not to send reporters to games, press conferences etc.
UPTHEHOOPS
APRIL 16, 2018 at 12:28
I believe Jimmy Nicholl WILL be Rangers Manager next season…
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If he is appointed, he will merely be another in the list of managerial mistakes at Ibrox.
There are unreal expectations at Ibrox, both in the boardroom & the stands.
I don’t think that Nicholl could quickly (and that’s what’s expected; success now!) build a team to effectively challenge CFC & the rest next season. I do think that he could provide a team that wouldn’t lose too many games, but wouldn’t win enough to placate the fans.
Frankly, TRFC has two choices:
1. Admit that everything on the football side since 2012 has been badly managed & press the reset button on everything. Lower expectations, make clear that there is a practical, achievable five-year plan for improvement. Cut out the Level Sinko spin as it’s become counter-productive.
or:
2. Accept the apparently unacceptable: never catching up with your rivals, or worse, watch them pulling further away. Look forward to a hard-fought nil-nil at home with whoever’s seventh in the league.
IF TRFC is considering appointing a manager partly (or perhaps, mainly) because he’s a bluenose, that shows exactly how much trouble the club is in.
I’ll state here that McInnes isn’t the man for the job either. The two most suitable candidates (Clarke & Lennon) in the top league in Scotland wouldn’t touch it. I don’t know who would…
Derek Johnstone on Radio Clyde tonight. ‘There is only one way Rangers are going to get back to where they belong. They need to spend big money’.
I’ve just heard Darryl (at least I think it was him) say that TRFC Ltd are still paying more to Pena’s wages than to players in the current team!
Didn’t Dave King tell the Aussie TRFC Ltd supporters’ club
that getting Pena as far away from the club as possible was the best business of the window and the Mexican club are paying all his wages?
Who to believe?
UPTHEHOOPS
APRIL 16, 2018 at 18:48
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Followed immediately by I don’t know where it’s coming from but it will be there.
Having just discussed Rangers being “back where they belong”.
He is nothing more than an ill informed, delusional supporter allowed access to a microphone. He does nothing to hide it.
So king was not at Hampden. The next question is was he in Scotland?
Very strange for the company chairman who only this week put out a ST drive for the club not to attend a game that could have, if won.Made another shout for a ST drive so much easier.
https://rangers.co.uk/teams/
This photo is from their website and Pedro is manager and Murty is not in team photo, he is below in development image. How can the media go on and give this team and give it credence, they have nothing in place to suggest a massive club, it is a money scamming unit to fleece the stupidist fans in the UK.
Yesterday has exposed the myth that this club is a mediocre club who are reliant on fans stupidly following them, any other group would have kicked their arses down the road and began afresh. Next season will be worse for them if they let talent walk out the door because they cannot pay the buttons he wanted, and attempt to get buy on loan players and mega buck wages to pensioners whilst thinking they will advance in Europe and domestically become a force, woeful.
A wee visit to https://rangers.co.uk/club/investor-centre/
tells us that they’re gey slow to update their site!
It’s still showing the ‘Offeror’ as being David Cunningham King, whereas the Disclosure Table today shows ‘OFFEROR: Laird Investments (Proprietary) Limited’.
http://www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk/disclosure/disclosure-table
There are few things that betoken a haphazard, uncaring approach to communication more than an out-of-date website!
UPTHEHOOPSAPRIL 16, 2018 at 18:48
Derek Johnstone on Radio Clyde tonight. ‘There is only one way Rangers are going to get back to where they belong. They need to spend big money’.
HOMUNCULUSAPRIL 16, 2018 at 19:13
Followed immediately by I don’t know where it’s coming from but it will be there.
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Let’s wait and see what Ally spends the £30 million on.May have been the last time i listened to DJ on the radio
What’s the latest on Regan’s replacement? It’s all went quiet on that front.
HOMUNCULUSAPRIL 16, 2018 at 19:13
Followed immediately by I don’t know where it’s coming from but it will be there.
==============================
Remember though much of it is an illusion. All they have to do in the close season is get their PR people to tell the media they have spent a certain figure, and outspent Celtic, and it will be restated without question. New Managers, spending alleged fortunes on players it’s hard to believe anyone would spend a fortune on, and promises of sweeping success is becoming a ritual. We have had it with Warburton in summer 2016, Caixinha in summer 2017, Murty in Winter 2018, and now it will all happen again in summer 2018 with someone else.
I don’t know what stage the inevitable ‘sacking’ of Graham Murty has reached, but I honestly feel heart sorry for the guy. He clearly is out of his depth in his current role and most uncomfortable with it.
What was also blatantly obvious from yesterday (notwithstanding a negative team selection) was that he is sailing a rudderless ship – amply evidenced by the shameless attitude of the team, tantrums and in fighting. There is clearly no harmony within the dressing room, and the Boardroom also seems to be a shambles.
A mere puppet of Traynor, he should, for the sake of his sanity, ‘do walking away’ from the state of Govania and take the matter out of Sevco’s hands (for imho opinion, he has been shabbily treated).
I write these genuine words as a lifelong Celtic supporter, with no axe to grind, and in support of Murty – an honest and decent individual.
I don’t know how typical Ibrox Noise is in the views of your average bear. But there is an awakening about King and his board. Maybe not by the same degree of Sack the Board with Celtic in the early 1990s. But an awakening nonetheless. How that would reflect in ST sales I haven’t a clue. If ever there was a time for decent bears to get rid of a clueless board it is now. Whether they seize the opportunity remains to be seen.
BECT67APRIL 16, 2018 at 20:37
‘sacking’ of Graham Murty.
Sacking may be the wrong word.Demotion back to the u20.or even relegated back to his original post.
I believe even the ibrox board would not use such a word as sacking no matter what happens.How would it look to have another sacking on their hands
Ally was Gardening leave.
Kenny McDowall resignation
Stuart McCall was manager until end of the season.not offerd job.
Mark Warburton resigned or was sacked
Pedro Caixinha was sacked
Graham Murty?
Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for.
One of the advantages Celtic fans had in the early 90s was that season tickets were not big. Most paid on a match by match basis. Boycotts had an immediate effect to the purse strings. The last match I attended before I joined the boycott had an attendance of about 14k. (I was a late joiner).
Nowadays there is really only one window. ST renewals. If they were clever, they only need delay renewing for a month or 6 weeks. The pressure would be on.
Fair point Cluster One.
However, wrt the use of the word ‘sacking’ – a rose by any other name?
My main points were about self respect, and honour.
CLUSTER ONEAPRIL 16, 2018 at 21:09
BECT67APRIL 16, 2018 at 20:37‘sacking’ of Graham Murty.Sacking may be the wrong word.Demotion back to the u20.or even relegated back to his original post.I believe even the ibrox board would not use such a word as sacking no matter what happens.How would it look to have another sacking on their handsAlly was Gardening leave.Kenny McDowall resignationStuart McCall was manager until end of the season.not offerd job.Mark Warburton resigned or was sackedPedro Caixinha was sackedGraham Murty?
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Murtered? As in, there’s been a murter? 🙂 Ah’ll get ma jaiket aff thon shoogly peg….
Scottish Football needs a strong Arbroath.
What can they do but follow them into the abyss. DK has done some job on them. Any independent thought or questioning is jumped on by his placemen. Death by “Rangersness”.
bect67April 16, 2018 at 22:08
‘…My main points were about self respect, and honour.’
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Patrick O’Brian ( bear with me a mo’) described one of his characters ( a Rear-Admiral, I think) as being ‘not above a shabby thing’.
I was going to post that quote in reference to TRFC Ltd/RIFC plc/Dave King in relation to the way Murty has been treated-most shabbily, in my opinion.
But I couldn’t quite remember the full thing, so I tried to find it on the internet. In doing so, I came upon this little passage which completely diverted me, and has got nothing at all to do with anything.
It’s from “The Nutmeg of Consolation”:
“I cannot understand the principle at all,’ said Stephen. ‘I should very much like to show it to Captain Aubrey, who is so very well versed in the mathematics and dynamics of sailing. Landlord, pray ask him whether he is willing to part with the instrument.’
‘Not on your f..king life,’ said the Aboriginal, snatching the boomerang and clasping it to his bosom.”
Now, if you didn’t laugh, myapologies.
Anyway, while I think Murty has been most shabbily treated (not least for even being asked(?) to act as stand-in manager for an undefined period of time, and then being given Nicholl as a ‘help-meet’) the remedy, especially after that outrageous statement by King, is in his own hands.
For his own self-respect, he should tell King to go shove a red-hot assegai spear point up his fundamental external orifice, and hit him a slap across the chops.
I think that even I , the most patient and longsuffering of men, would have been moved to do so, if I ever had been duped into working for a man like King.
“For his own self-respect, he should tell King to go shove a red-hot assegai spear point up his fundamental external orifice, and hit him a slap across the chops.”
John, you missed your vocation in life. I can just hear that on Round The Horne. Whether it would be by Kenneth Horne or Kenneth Williams I’m not quite sure. I can hear it in either voice.
Really ffs
http://www.ibroxnoise.co.uk/2018/04/a-deeply-worrying-influence-at-ibrox.html
bigboab1916April 16, 2018 at 21:11
‘…Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for.’
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Was that the first and last time our SMSM spoke truth about what Liquidation of a football club meant?
There was no ‘holding company’ in 1872, nor in 2012.
There was only one legal entity that had been the shareholding member of a professional football league and on that account had held a certificate of entitlement to membership of the SFA.
Liquidation meant death. As the SMSM knew fine and well.
What mystical, magical, miraculous power was it that very, very quickly got them to become liars themselves in defence of even more monstrous liars?
Is it the same magical power that is spinning out the ‘investigation’ into UEFA licence awards? Seven, going on eight months?
If we are talking about sackings, it’s the sacking of the Compliance Officer that we should be demanding!