It has taken a year longer than predicted, but a critical appraisal of TRFC’s progress through the lower leagues must include recognition of the improvements on the playing field made under the new manager Mark Warburton. SFM usually precludes lengthy discussion on subjective issues like relative abilities of players and managers and referees, but on this subject, and by any objective standard, that is a given.
It is therefore right that he and his players should receive the congratulations of us all at SFM.
It has to be said that, despite the pitfalls, man-traps and honey-pots that remain to be successfully negotiated by the Rangers board, they have implemented their own stark version austerity, contrary to their rhetoric, whilst managing the expectations of their supporters. Perhaps some of what we have come to term “reasonable” Rangers fans would argue that the lack of humility still evident in the demeanour of the TRFC board is an essential part of managing those fans whilst imposing the austerity package on them.
Much like a political party conference, a football board has to play to it’s core support as well as the rest of the country.
How that will pan out is anybody’s guess, just like the random bagatelle that is the “TRFC in Court” saga.
There is also the existential problem to deal with. Many TRFC fans bought into the ‘same club’ myth at the outset, not because they actually believed it, but because it suited them, and because it served as an understandable GIRUY to the rest of us. With the passage of time, the suspension of disbelief, even in that constituency, is now complete and arguably irreversible. The problem for them is that the rest of have not subscribed to that rather bizarre set of contradictions. No other club has to have the “company that operates” prefix. Nor does any other club compel observers to skirt around the facts and search for a form of words acceptable to both sides of a mutually exclusive argument. In short, and existentially, the new Rangers don’t fit into the same kind of comfortable groove that other clubs do.
All of these problems for the new club, and many more, will exercise our minds to a greater or lesser extent moving forward, depending on how sensitive our outrage thresholds are to the various legal and Jungian issues. However we at SFM need to focus our sights on those whose maladministration of football gave rise to those problems in the first place – the SFA, SPFL, and by extension, the clubs – all of them.
Here are some facts;
- The SFA award clubs a licence to participate in UEFA competitions.
- The licence is only to be awarded if the applicant club has no unpaid tax debts.
- Both the club and the SFA have responsibility to notify UEFA of any debts (belt and braces routine in case the club ‘forgets’ to notify the SFA).
- In 2011, one club applied for and was awarded a UEFA licence.
- That club had accepted debts to HMRC – which were outstanding and overdue.
- These facts have been in the public domain since 2012,and were brought to the attention of ALL clubs in Scotland as well as the SFA.
- Nothing has been done by any club, or the SFA, to investigate the claim at #5
- SFA Chief Executive Stewart Regan, when asked by an SFM member what he would do if these claims could be substantiated, said; “Nothing!”
- All clubs will be within a few weeks, issuing season ticket renewal forms.
The story contained in points 6 and 7 above is a lengthy and protracted one.
From sources inside two clubs I have been informed that the problem here is subversive and obsessive fans, who don’t represent the vast body of fans generally. On points 1-5, my sources refused to comment. Conversations with SFA officials and print journalists yield the same reaction, with the addition that it is “just Celtic fans obsessed with Rangers” making the claims.
The lesson, if there is one worthy of the name, is that the bearers of the message need to attacked, and the message itself ignored. We could speculate why that is, but that would be to fall into the trap, taking our eye off the ball.
Perhaps I am being naïve, but my inference is that the SFA and clubs have no intention of doing anything about what was at best incompetence on an unbelievable scale, or at worst corruption. A source at Celtic Park was complaining in victim-like fashion to SFM that many Celtic fans were threatening to close their season book accounts over this issue, and that Rangers might have 45,000 SBs next season whilst Celtic could be down to as low as 20,000.
It had never occurred to him that actually supporting an investigation into SFA malpractice would add another 10,000 to the SB takeup.
Overall, the clubs and the SFA want us to believe that an investigation into this licensing issue is a Celtic or Rangers thing. It is neither of those.
An investigation, even if finds that corruption or incompetence has taken place cannot harm Rangers – old or new. There are no titles to strip here. The licence has been used and thrown away, so it cannot be “un – awarded”.
The only people who have anything to lose out of this are those individuals who allowed it to happen – those who our clubs seem so keen to protect.
More importantly, an investigation may be the catalyst for changes in procedures at the SFA to ensure that rigorous accountability is enforced -accountability that the clubs are eager to avoid.
Are we wrong? I hope we are not foolish enough to imagine that everything we believe is set in stone. I am confident that we are correct in our assumptions and in our interpretation of the facts, but please, let’s hear the counter-argument. Thus far, not one word of rebuttal save the usual invective reserved for the messenger has been uttered.
So what do we do? For me it is simple. If we really love our sport, and do nothing, the sport is lost to us completely and irrevocably.
If our view that sporting integrity has been killed off by those in charge of the game is correct, we lose nothing by embarking on a season ticket boycott. However by doing so we may awaken those in charge to the realities of our power as fans and prioritise in their minds the need to listen to what we say.
My view? if they ignore us, they can take their industry that they pretend is sport, and put it somewhere away from my reach. I neither want it nor need it.
If enough of us feel the same way, we WILL get a clean game. If we are as few as the MSM claim we are, at least we will have freed ourselves from a bent one.
I won’t be buying any more season books until I see these issues addressed. It certainly is tough love, but it is the only way for me. And it is driven by love – a love of the game I spent decades supporting, thinking that on the whole it was played on a level playing field. Certainly not driven by a sneering disregard for truth and integrity and a worship of acquisition.
Maybe it’s not just the end of Rangers’ journey then. Certainly if it’s not the end of ours, we find ourselves at a crossroads. The fans, the clubs, and Rangers too. The decision we make over the next few months may determine the future of our clubs, our sport, our Saturday afternoons.
I can tell you this though. Even when the dark facts are laid before us starkly as this, and when football is at the mercy of those who really do hate sport for its own sake, it is worth mentioning the common thread of decency and purpose we have all shared here on SFM, the friendships we have forged, and the love of football we have demonstrated.
upthehoopsApril 8, 2016 at 06:51
Spot on, UTH. It seems like an eternity since the BBC was last able to demonstrate (to an enquiring mind) a balanced stance on any topic, not just ‘Rangers’. I used to find it best to wait for the BBC to confirm any newspaper story that caught my interest before accepting it as true. What a fool I was. What a fool they made of me!
Someone took a fearless step too far with ‘The Men Who Sold The Jerseys’ and the BBC have overcompensated ever since. It really is quite amazing how they have moved from that fearless position shown by Mark Daly and his production team, going from intrepid scandal exposers to ‘establishment’ ar*e-lickers, even though all threats of legal action against them, by ‘The Men Who Sold The Jerseys’, just floated away into the ether!
The BDO BTC appeal, does anyone know how that’s progressing and if there is a date by which any appeal has to be made? I’d have thought they would have had to lodge their appeal within, say, 28 days of being granted leave! It’s just struck me that while on holiday I perhaps missed an announcement or two
Just another thought that struck me, ouch
; in a multi-channel TV world, where there’s so many repeats that they have channels dedicated to showing us programs over and over again, I’ve never noticed that award winning couple of documentaries repeated, despite the massive on-topic nature of them, both in terms of public interest (in Scotland, at least) of the ‘Rangers’ scandal and the current tax-evasion stance of the government. Perhaps they are saving it as the starting point in their, no doubt planned, homage to the ‘Journey’
…No chance of that being included!
As the prawn sandwich brigade start coming out the woodwork and the real rangers men go flooding to Ibrox for freebies or pay check
. I wonder if the Bears will cotton – on .Also seems an old favourite has popped up interesting above all is the foot note at the bottom of the article regards Scottish football,s ” choice ”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35983017
Another Res 12 summary and why not to be idle
https://t.co/9SMAJawB2z
Apologies for whimsicality but quite liked the post doing the rounds on Facebook.
“Fun fact; Kenny Miller, the only player to have played for all three of the old firm.”
I wonder where the company that owns the BBC’s premises at Pacific Quay in Glasgow are incorporated/pay taxes?
tayredApril 7, 2016 at 11:25
Could somebody please ask Mr Doncaster a simple question – how can he state that we will have 4 Celtic v TRFC games next season?
Surely if it is a true sporting contest the number of games is an unknown until the league split has been decided? Or are the rest of the clubs irrelevant to Doncaster and the SPFL/SFA? Unless the risks to Doncaster et al are just to great to rely on those stuffy old “sporting” rules.
……………………………………………………….
The direction Celtic have been going recently he was maybe suggesting they will BOTH be in the bottom 6 ! and therefor guaranteeing the 4 games?
theredpillApril 8, 2016 at 10:04
As the prawn sandwich brigade start coming out the woodwork and the real rangers men go flooding to Ibrox for freebies or pay check . I wonder if the Bears will cotton – on .Also seems an old favourite has popped up interesting above all is the foot note at the bottom of the article regards Scottish football,s ” choice ”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35983017
_______________________________
Just marvellous the way this ex-Rangers player is able to tap into the minds of Celtic fans and know exactly how they feel about missing his old club. I’m sure he speaks to a lot of Celtic supporters as he goes about his day to day business. Or could it be that his knowledge of our game is up at level5?
Great Article as usual. Really sad that it has come down to this , as usual the fans lose out. Dont know who Im more angry with, the establishment clique with all its power or the clubs who remain silent. I have nt held a season ticket for about 5 years but would attend about a dozen home games a season. Ironically I could afford a ticket this season but no way am I going spend my hard earned cash to fund what was for a number of years a rigged league , we have all been cheated . My club Celtic are still pretending they are still active with res.12 but like many fans I feel its just a pretense, stalling for time. I also think my club will suffer the most through this and TBH they deserve to. So with a heavy heart I will be spending no more cash in scottish football unless we get a surprise between now and the new season . Even enquired about ice hockey as a friend of mine is hooked on it ( and you can have a pint as you watch!!) but just found out that the season is finished for 6 months ! …..anything but shopping on a saturday afternoon !
“You can’t think about Rangers having a season where they are just surviving in the Premiership – Rangers isn’t about that.
Hybris è vivo e vegeto, a quanto pare nulla è cambiato.
Lorenzo seems to be factually accurate, at least on that point
RODDYBHOYAPRIL 8, 2016 at 13:13 Even enquired about ice hockey as a friend of mine is hooked on it ( and you can have a pint as you watch!!) but just found out that the season is finished for 6 months ! …..anything but shopping on a saturday afternoon !
———————————————–
Rhoddy, if you get stuck Mrs Tayred keeps going on getting the bedroom redecorated. And no that isn’t a euphemism!
Trisdium
“If our view that sporting integrity has been killed off by those in charge of the game is correct, we lose nothing by embarking on a season ticket boycott.”
————————————
I’d be concerned about this approach for two reasons.
1. We can’t be sure sporting integrity has been killed off despite the symptoms the patient is showing of atrophy. There might still be signs of life within the organisation that would themselves be killed off if such a boycott were successful.
2. If the boycott doesn’t materialise significantly then you lose credibility.
Individuals will make up their own minds.
Trisdium
“If our view that sporting integrity has been killed off by those in charge of the game is correct, we lose nothing by embarking on a season ticket boycott.”
————————————
CastofThousands
I’d be concerned about this approach for two reasons.
1. We can’t be sure sporting integrity has been killed off despite the symptoms the patient is showing of atrophy. There might still be signs of life within the organisation that would themselves be killed off if such a boycott were successful.
2. If the boycott doesn’t materialise significantly then you lose credibility.
Individuals will make up their own minds.
————————————
CastofThousands
Fair comments, but I think we need something to at least give us hope. Clubs are completely silent on NC/OC, Res. 12, improper registrations, benefits to having them ‘back’ – nothing; ex players who enjoyed our support laying it on thick about how good it is that they are back – some who quite clearly missed out on medals and money during the cheating, the MSM equally triumphalist, and the ever increasing mockery of integrity by their fans is leaving me sick. Why should it be left to individual supporters to put their heads above the parapet while gutless board members say nothing and look the other way?
The boycott may well be by a small minority, but I would guess that the reasons for boycotting will not solely be to force the Boards into taking a stance, although sadly I think only significant numbers will achieve that, it will be because it is the right thing to do. However, even if their reasons were all financial, what a chance for those running our clubs to seriously galvanise supporters while maximising numbers. Why on earth do they not see that it is the right thing to do on so many levels? Worried about some bad press? Were they all complicit?
Just had probably my biggest disappointment in all this. Sir Tom Farmer phoned me this afternoon but, despite chatting for a good few minutes, he is unable to help. When he got involved at Hibs he made it clear that, not being a keen football follower, he would never get involved in the day to day running of the club. The only plus about the conversation was that I was able to personally thank him for what he has done for my club.
So! Back to the keyboard and telephone.
Something MUST go our way soon.
https://www.change.org/p/scottish-football-association-return-integrity-to-football-administration-in-scotland-94421b40-2d6b-4d4b-9cff-912c9849478f
ReiverApril 8, 2016 at 14:57Just had probably my biggest disappointment in all this. Sir Tom Farmer phoned me this afternoon but, despite chatting for a good few minutes, he is unable to help. When he got involved at Hibs he made it clear that, not being a keen football follower, he would never get involved in the day to day running of the club. The only plus about the conversation was that I was able to personally thank him for what he has done for my club.
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I’m not sure that making a stand for the people who run the club acting with integrity can be called “day to day running of the club” Reiver! Bit of a cop out by TF but he is no worse than all the rest.
Bordersdon
The disappointment came from the fact that it was the first time that the phone I have specifically for this campaign rang. My hopes went from being raised to flattened but it does show one thing. At least Sir Tom had the courtesy and the balls to pick up the phone to speak to a complete stranger so in that respect no, he is not like all the rest.
“making a stand for the people who run the club acting with integrity” – There we have a problem. We suspect that every club’s board are involved but we do not have proof and so I for one will not argue that point with anyone in a position to help us.
I must add also that it did not seem that he understood who the complaints are against despite it being clearly laid out in the documents supplied to him. He assured me that the SFA would sort it out if I contacted them. I pointed out a couple of times that it was they that the complaint was against but he seemed unable to grasp that. Perhaps once he reads it again a few times he will see. Who knows, but perhaps, reading between the lines, you can see why I was reluctant to press the issue.
CASTOFTHOUSANDS
APRIL 8, 2016 at 14:10
I don’t think that Sporting integrity can be a little alive any more than you can be a little pregnant. Integrity needs to be demonstrated 100% of the time. If not, then by definition it breaks down.
And if clubs turn a blind eye to what went on in 2011 with respect to the UEFA licence, then there is no sporting integrity – it is already gone.
As for signs of life (or even a resurrection), they are doing a good job of concealing themselves.
As far as our credibility is concerned, there is none of that at all if we don’t practice what we preach. If we recant on the advice to boycott, with no other solution to offer, we don’t have any credibility left.
People will make their own choice, but our credibility won’t suffer because other people choose not to fight corruption.
As long as we are right – and we are – history will be kinder to us than it will be to the people in boardrooms and press-rooms all over the country who sneer at us and mock our values.
The question I ask myself is this; “Is football in Scotland run on sporting principles first and foremost”?
Since the answer is an unequivocal “No!”, I simply refuse to support it – and I urge others to the same, because there is no other way of convincing the clubs how important sporting integrity is.
I was shown a picture today of a line of (rangers fans) waiting in line for celtic v rangers tickets.(and no one giving out tea).
Anyway, i said “You won’t see a line like that by celtic fans as most are boycotting and ticket sales .I hear demand for tickets by celtic fans for this match are not flying of the shelves.
The response… was how no?
I said “well amoung other things and Resolution 12 fans are not going to renew ST.A lot of not only celtic fans but fans of other clubs are not renewing.
The response i got was..”what’s resolution 12”?
SO I DECIDED TO DO A SURVEY IN MY WORK PLACE.
1. Do you know fans of all top teir clubs are refusing to renew ST.
ANSWER. from most was NO. and what for.
2.Do you know most celtic fans don’t want to be associated with the term Old Firm
ANSWER.one or two did, the rest NO.
3.Do you know about Resolution 12?
ANSWER. one heard of it but never knew what was going on with it, the rest said NO.
4.Do you know…..i was interupted with, No one want’s to know about all that stuff, there is a celtic rangers game next week don’t bother with all that.
——————————————
TRISIDIUMAPRIL 8, 2016 at 16:20
As far as our credibility is concerned, there is none of that at all if we don’t practice what we preach. If we recant on the advice to boycott, with no other solution to offer, we don’t have any credibility left.
———-
the problem as i see it from today’s experiance is most fans don’t know there will or could be a boycott, most don’t know about resolution 12, and most are just blind as to what is going on around them.
What i think needs to be done is a mass walk out by the fans who know so that the fans who don’t know, start asking what is that for.(something like that happened in England with the ticket price’s. sky and the media and the boards took notice )
SOMETHING MAJOR AND IN THE PUBLIC EYE HAS TO BE DONE
so to start a chain reaction.
hope my post was not to long and you see where i’m coming from
And to revisit the failings of football governance in Scottish football…
The SPFL is a commercially-focused organisation/company, and will always put money first, IMO.
So although the lawyer Doncaster has been economical with the truth – allegedly 😉 – many times, his job is to maximise income for his member clubs. Fans of those clubs can take it or leave it.
The SFA is currently run by Regan and someone called McRae: 2 characters who might very well be out of Scottish football altogether in a short period of time – simply through their own choosing.
However, especially with Regan, they are [still] causing immeasurable and potentially long-term harm to the Scottish game.
If fans are disillusioned to the point of giving up their ST’s, will they be keen / motivated to get their own kids involved with organised football, SFA coaching camps, or to even take them to a professional or international game ?
We can only speculate about the extent of the damage the SFA has inflicted on the Scottish game so far – from senior level to grass-roots level.
But, IMO, the only certainty is that if the SFA – and the clubs – have seriously miscalculated the impact of their behaviours on current fans…then that damage will be irreversible, as ‘paying customers’ drift off in pursuit of other leisure activities.
Those fans and their families could be lost to the game forever.
And to state the obvious: we would not be anywhere near this dismal position if there was also a competent SMSM – reporting the truth and asking relevant, challenging questions.
The SFA has a long and consistent history of making poor decisions, but it is the people who love – and finance – the game who ultimately will suffer due to the lack of competent governance, managed by a relatively small number of individuals at Hampden [and supported by the clubs].
It’s not their game: it’s our game !
If Regan and Doncaster, [acting on behalf of the clubs], continue to be targets for criticism from Scottish football fans, then they can both simply choose to move on to their next, highly remunerated Exec role.
The Scottish game will be left behind without so much as a backwards glance !
Rant over !
Tayred 14.02
Lol no thanks im sure Mrs Roddybhoy will have the DIY jobs already lined up !
Ice Hockey is definitely the way to go. Had a brilliant Saturday night in Kirkcaldy recently- you don’t hear that very often- watching the Fliers. All action, real rivalry, they were playing Dundee, and an ovrtime winning goal for the Flyers.
My wife had misspent her youth there while I had frequented Paradise. Think her choice might have been the better one.
ICEMAN63
APRIL 8, 2016 at 20:39
Ice Hockey is definitely the way to go…
=================================
Some might think that your nom de plume perhaps hints at your bias…?!
Not going to mention the game itself, but I expect there will be some complaints from a certain quarter about the BT coverage tonight. Absolutely no mention of the club that has just won the Championship! Not even during the summation at the end – though I didn’t catch the build up and had to keep the sound down during the game as I’m actually at work and was unable to put the sound up until ten minutes from the game’s end, so maybe I missed it
This unusual happening might, in part, be due to the fact that it was left to Michael Stewart to comment on Hearts prospects of mounting a title challenge next season, with Stewart being one of the very few pundits/media men to criticise the over-the-top celebration of the return to where they’ve never been fest. He mentioned Celtic and Aberdeen, and was suitably cautious of his favourite team’s chances, but clearly doesn’t anticipate a challenge from anywhere else than teams numbered two and three in the Premiership. Well done to Mikey and the other two guests, and maybe a well done to BT (assuming they didn’t insist on the usual bumming up, only to be ignored) is deserved too.
Cluster OneApril 8, 2016 at 19:26
I was shown a picture today of a line of (rangers fans) waiting in line for celtic v rangers tickets.(and no one giving out tea). Anyway, i said “You won’t see a line like that by celtic fans as most are boycotting and ticket sales .I hear demand for tickets by celtic fans for this match are not flying of the shelves. The response… was how no? I said “well amoung other things and Resolution 12 fans are not going to renew ST.A lot of not only celtic fans but fans of other clubs are not renewing. The response i got was..”what’s resolution 12”?
SO I DECIDED TO DO A SURVEY IN MY WORK PLACE. 1. Do you know fans of all top teir clubs are refusing to renew ST. ANSWER. from most was NO. and what for. 2.Do you know most celtic fans don’t want to be associated with the term Old Firm ANSWER.one or two did, the rest NO. 3.Do you know about Resolution 12? ANSWER. one heard of it but never knew what was going on with it, the rest said NO. 4.Do you know…..i was interupted with, No one want’s to know about all that stuff, there is a celtic rangers game next week don’t bother with all that. —————————————— TRISIDIUMAPRIL 8, 2016 at 16:20 As far as our credibility is concerned, there is none of that at all if we don’t practice what we preach. If we recant on the advice to boycott, with no other solution to offer, we don’t have any credibility left. ———- the problem as i see it from today’s experiance is most fans don’t know there will or could be a boycott, most don’t know about resolution 12, and most are just blind as to what is going on around them. What i think needs to be done is a mass walk out by the fans who know so that the fans who don’t know, start asking what is that for.(something like that happened in England with the ticket price’s. sky and the media and the boards took notice ) SOMETHING MAJOR AND IN THE PUBLIC EYE HAS TO BE DONE so to start a chain reaction. hope my post was not to long and you see where i’m coming from
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
It’s too technical an argument we have on here. Most fans don’t get it and are not interested. As a non OF diddy club fan I find the attitude on the ground of my fellow supporters is to leave the “gruesome twosome to their hate fest and hell mend them”.
We all enjoy disecting Rangers and predicting their demise, which hasn’t happened yet. Yes it would be good to see them cease to exist because it would help lessen sectarian tension in the WoS/Glasgow.
The reality is that football will go on. I will support my team knowing that the big two always fixed it to benefit themselves. But every know and again we could GIRUY by winning a cup or losing youse the league. That’s our place.
I sense also that because Celtic are rank rotten their fear of TRFC coming up has brought the economic power of the fans together to threaten ST boycotts, some out of principle to stand up for integrity but many more as a means to send a warning to PL & DD to get rid of Delia and the dreadful football they play.
ALLYJAMBO
APRIL 8, 2016 at 22:24
======================================
The way things are going I see no reason why Heart can’t be one of the top two this season and next. Perhaps number one, who knows.
Hearts accepted their administration, got a proper person in to deal with it, and have moved on from there. They have been an example to other clubs who find themselves in that position.
Anne Budge has played a blinder in getting things back on track. The Hearts support have done a great job in getting behind the plan to rejuvenate the club, and putting in their money to support it. Robbie Nielson was an inspired choice as manager.
Good on you and your club, well played. Others would have done well to follow your example.
I thought I would blog about two separate aspects tonight after I have arrived home from the pub a little worse for wear……………………….. well a lot worse for wear if I’m honest!!
Aberdeen has lost at Tynecastle which is a tough place to gain a victory and while this does not rule them out of the title it does, for me, re-enforce an uncomfortable statistic. Aberdeen have now conceded 36 goals in the top league in Scotland and I cannot remember a team winning the title having conceded more than 30. Indeed Aberdeen has now conceded 3 more goals than Hearts and twelve more than Celtic. Yes that is 12 more than Celtic whose defence has been pilloried all season by the media despite the fact that they have been unable to play a settled defence for virtually the whole season.
I have always lived by the premise that no team can win the top league anywhere in Europe if they concede 30 goals or more. It may be a simple analogy but it has proved the test of time. I may be wrong but if I am it is by a very small percentage.
Oh and before any of our intrepid media decide that this is yet another sign of the decline of our top league ‘The Rangers’, that bastion of all that is great in our sport and whose defence has gone virtually uncriticised all season have also conceded more than Celtic to win the league below them. Yes they have conceded 27 goals as opposed to 24. Does that bode well for life in the top league?
The second point is the glory fest in the media since ‘The Rangers’ magnificent victory on Tuesday night. How great they are, how great is their squad, every quote from every ex player or manager from RFC has been given more hype than leaked documents from Panama!!
During the last four years no one in the media dared ask the question would the ‘return’ of ‘The Rangers’ be beneficial to the top league?
Some have asked it recently now that ‘the return’ has been confirmed but none dared ask it before for obvious reasons. Since RFC’s liquidation, with the exception of the league, there has been a good spread of trophies with Aberdeen, St. Johnstone, St. Mirren, Inverness, and Ross County winning trophies however this is not what our authorities and indeed those very clubs themselves wish to portray our sport as. They only wish to bind themselves to a model where one club spends far more than everybody else to stand still. Is that the very best they can pin their future on? Really!!
That our own administrators are corrupt is beyond denial. They have bet everything on ‘The Rangers’ creating a challenge regardless of whether their ‘return’ damages the relatively well run clubs by fans walking away. Remember if fans walk away, which is entirely understandable, those very same clubs will reduce costs allowing ‘The Rangers’ to close the gap or even over take the well run clubs.
This club cannot make a profit as things stand. That is a simple fact and it only really depends on how much the owners are now willing to ‘invest’ before this venture collapses. Yet this is the real crux of the matter. The administrators have invested too much to lose this game now. They will stab in the back the very clubs who have facilitated this farce knowing that there is nothing they can do because they are already complicit in this scandal. What I’m really saying is watch out for an outbreak of temporary blindness, possibly beginning as early as next weekend, in specific matches to ensure European football for a specific club which may give the opportunity to generate European based revenue.
i urge posters when dealing with others to keep the message simple.
rangers cheated and died,the SFA are only there to assist one club only, that being any club that comes out of ibrox. then say, are you prepared to turn a blind eye to a fixed game?.
over the years i have ventured on to many sites highlighting the big fix and would urge others to do likewise.
the media must be looking on at this site rubbing their hands gleefully thinking that the fix is in, as at this moment some are sounding a wee bit despondent, dont.
i shall remain indefatigable and will continue to spread the message. am not done and never shall be till justice is served.
JUSTSHATEREDAPRIL 9, 2016 at 02:20
‘The Rangers’ magnificent victory on Tuesday night. How great they are, how great is their squad, every quote from every ex player or manager from RFC has been given more hype than leaked documents from Panama!!
—————————–
That is the quote of the week, It made me smile anyway
HomunculusApril 9, 2016 at 01:23
ALLYJAMBO APRIL 8, 2016 at 22:24
======================================
The way things are going I see no reason why Heart can’t be one of the top two this season and next. Perhaps number one, who knows.
Hearts accepted their administration, got a proper person in to deal with it, and have moved on from there. They have been an example to other clubs who find themselves in that position.
Anne Budge has played a blinder in getting things back on track. The Hearts support have done a great job in getting behind the plan to rejuvenate the club, and putting in their money to support it. Robbie Nielson was an inspired choice as manager.
Good on you and your club, well played. Others would have done well to follow your example.
____________________________________–
Thanks for your kind words about my club, it’s certainly been an amazing turnaround in fortune, brought about in no small part by the acceptance of where we were, and how we got there. The supporters have to take some of the blame for where we found ourselves, as just like all football supporters, we sought and demanded success, then more success, and though Romanov must take the lion’s share of the criticism, we all acknowledged that the mis-management of the club had set in before he arrived. Like any journey from a position of danger, it is vital to know where you are, how you got there, and to have a plan of how to get to a better place – before setting off; or you are in danger of ending up back where you started!
I think the acceptance of why and how we got into the mess was a big factor in being able to turn it all around, and though it might not have been obvious, there was a general self acknowledgement of why we were in the Championship even as we celebrated victory. We were there because of the most shameful event in our long history. Regardless of the OC/NC debate, Rangers supporters, as a unit, and, in the majority of cases, as individuals, have shown no shame in what took the supporters to the lower leagues. Instead they just blamed everyone else for not acknowledging the importance of ‘Rangers’!
Importantly, we had, at no point, a desire for revenge! As a result, the support, and those driving the club forward, have had clear heads and manageable targets. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if more astute business annalists might find similarities in the methods used by Ann Budge to those used by Fergus McCann, and that she quite possibly studied his methods before creating her own business plan for Hearts.
A ‘Rangers’, of course, could never do that!
Also, Rangers didn’t “die”. This is emotive language used for that reason. A company or club cannot die, it was never alive. Rangers went bust, went into liquidation. These statements are factual rather than emotive. I’ve never heard anyone talking about how Woolworths is dead.
HOMUNCULUSAPRIL 9, 2016 at 01:23
ALLYJAMBOAPRIL 8, 2016 at 22:24
======================================
The way things are going I see no reason why Heart can’t be one of the top two this season and next. Perhaps number one, who knows.
Hearts accepted their administration, got a proper person in to deal with it, and have moved on from there. They have been an example to other clubs who find themselves in that position.
Anne Budge has played a blinder in getting things back on track. The Hearts support have done a great job in getting behind the plan to rejuvenate the club, and putting in their money to support it. Robbie Nielson was an inspired choice as manager.
Good on you and your club, well played. Others would have done well to follow your example.
=====================================
Watched Hearts v Aberdeen in the pub last night, and obviously as a Celtic fan I was pleased with the result. It is clear Hearts as a club are absolutely thriving. Packed house and a raucous atmosphere every week, with a solid board now in charge. Just think what Rangers could have achieved if they had only faced up to the fact no-one did it to them and you can’t keep throwing good money after bad.
Because he is a man who has had much to say, in a manner that suggests he considers himself an authority on all things ‘Rangers’ and of an intellect that demands respect and acceptance of what he says, I thought I would put on here a couple of posts, from the John James site, by ‘Merlin’ (who I believe is Bill McMurdo the Younger) that, in my opinion, show just how little grasp he has on the matters he pontificates over.
‘ Merlin says: April 8, 2016 at 3:37 pm It would be most remiss of me not to posit that Dermot Desmond’s use of tax havens has been advantageous to CFC.’
‘Merlin says: April 9, 2016 at 12:07 am Is it not the case that Dermot Desmond’s Celtic investment is held in Gibraltar in Line Nominees and if he sells then the UK HMRC will not get a penny of Capital Gains Tax?
But that aside, you seem to be comfortable with DD’s legal entitlement. You have no ethical objection, then? For you, it is all about the legality, yes? No?’
Now, for all I know, Dermot Desmond might well be the biggest tax cheat on the planet, and it would not upset me one little bit if his business empire was to crumble in a heap due to the Panama Papers disclosures, but can anybody enlighten me as to what way him putting his shares into any nominee name affects, or aids, Celtic? Surely his personal tax arrangements are his alone, and, as in every similar case, do not affect, nor aid, any business in which anyone, however honest, holds shares!
In response to the same blog he also posted, suggesting, it seems, that if the Easdales return to the Ibrox board, Blue Pitch Holdings are prepared to invest £50m! I think his posts on DD show us how much credence his posts on the Easdales/BPH, and any other of his Ibrox related financial pontifications, merit!
RYANGOSLINGAPRIL 9, 2016 at 11:25
. You are right it is maybe an emotive term, but no worse than the language it is being used to counter.
Also, Rangers didn’t “die”. This is emotive language used for that reason. A company or club cannot die, it was never alive. Rangers went bust, went into liquidation. These statements are factual rather than emotive. I’ve never heard anyone talking about how Woolworths is dead.
——————————————————————————————————————–
Never hear about the return of Woolworths or they’re coming back either Ryan
I’m sure you will agree that the stuff that we read and pollutes our ears surrounding liquidation denial, is fairly harsh stuff. The very nature of it demands a strong response.
Anyway. It was the SMSM who started it on their front pages, before they began spouting lies.
RyanGoslingApril 9, 2016 at 11:25
Also, Rangers didn’t “die”. This is emotive language used for that reason. A company or club cannot die, it was never alive. Rangers went bust, went into liquidation. These statements are factual rather than emotive. I’ve never heard anyone talking about how Woolworths is dead.
_____________________
Nice succinct and factual post, Ryan.
Still, Rangers FC are no more! It was, if I remember correctly, the newspapers, in articles written by Rangers supporters, that wrote of the death of your club. We here should, of course, now refrain from describing Rangers as dying, or being dead! But we won’t, because we are sick of all the other, far more damaging, inaccuracies that are thrown our way in an effort to perpetrate the lie of their continuation!
PS I, too, have never, ever heard anyone saying Woolworths is dead, but neither have I heard anyone claim they are alive, nor even that they still exist, in any form, though their spirit lives on…in pound shops!
Corrupt officialApril 9, 2016 at 12:15
Different words, CO, same story
REIVERAPRIL 8, 2016 at 14:57 Just had probably my biggest disappointment in all this. Sir Tom Farmer phoned me this afternoon but, despite chatting for a good few minutes, he is unable to help.
………………………………………………………………….
I think this confirms two things.
The first is that Tom Farmer is a gentleman of the old school who genuinely had no big interest in football but stepped up and helped out his club when they needed him. He is a figurehead but genuinely likes to leave the running of it all and all the hassle to his minority share holder and ex merchant banker Rod Petrie.
The second is the fact that his minority shareholder Rod Petrie’s fingerprints were all over the construction and implementation of the 5 way agreement dreamed up and created after the dinner at the Hotel Du Vin. A time when alarm bells started to ring at the top of the SFA and SPL about the problems that having no Rangers would cause to the value of the media package in the small business that is Scottish Football.
Rod Petrie is acutely aware of the value of his (from memory) 10 percent and one day will seek to convert it into some kind of payment.
A nice salary along the way, some power and first class travel from his SFA wheezes – that is his motivation.
Sadly Tom was never going to be in a position to agree with us and probably well knows what really happened back then, and since, and was almost certainly supportive of his business partner whose only focus was what he thought were his revenue streams and the value of his shares.
The concept of a club dying isn’t that outlandish. In fact I would suggest it is perfectly acceptable in normal use.
Even if we look at the dictionary meaning of the word it is perfectly acceptable to use it to refer to an inanimate object, or even a concept. Bearing in mind words often have more than one meaning.
Taken from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/die
1
: to pass from physical life : expire
2
a : to pass out of existence : cease
b : to disappear or subside gradually —often used with away, down, or out
3
a : sink, languish
b : to long keenly or desperately
c : to be overwhelmed by emotion
4
a : to cease functioning : stop
b : to end in failure
5
: to become indifferent
Here’s what James Traynor had to say on the subject
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/james-traynor-spl-will-not-be-able-1129166
Rangers FC as we know them are dead. It’s all over. They are about to shut down for ever but not a single person among the game’s hierarchy was open for comment.
Don’t suppose anyone knows a heart doctors number.
It seems I’m the only one having an afternoon worrying over 3 OTHER teams games.
This is STUNNING stuff:
Killie winning
RC winning
Accies Winning
FFS
Loving the latest round of Armaggedon.
That’s it Well 4th despite getting torn up.
Onwards and upwards.
And many many Thanks to Ross County see you guys there.
Will Sevco feature in this top 6 table at the same date next year?
Pos. Team P GD Pts 1 Celtic 33 53 76 2Aberdeen 33 20 68 3Hearts 32 21 59 4Motherwell 33 -8 44 5St Johnstone 33 -3 43 6Ross County 33 -7 43
Well bois celebrating reopening of Dalziel steel works.
How disappointing!
I thought there was to be an outbreak of total honesty on OFT Extra. But I could hardly hear what was being said because Hugh McDonald and Stuart and Annie were treading so carefully on eggshells, as they tried NOT to say anything against which a certain new club might object.
McDonald in particular , for all that he made the point that the Sevco stuff was not a Celtic/Rangers matter, is an SMSM man, as guilty as any other of NOT speaking out, or asking serious questions, and thereby supporting the biggest cheating event in Scottish Football history.
Finloch @ 13.11
Yes it was a very pleasant chat we had and I will drop him a note thanking him for responding(I know, I’m a crawler but you never know when/if the contact may be useful).
After the initial despondency I realised that it reopens the avenue into the Easter road management. It also made me realise that, because he got in touch, that someone else may still do so also, and this time be in a position to act. So, a quiet weekend( depressed actually, considering the run of form my team is having) and back to manning the phones on Monday. A warning though to those at the clubs in Scotland. Let it ring unless you are prepared to be pressurised. FoH, you are the first on my list!
https://www.change.org/p/scottish-football-association-return-integrity-to-football-administration-in-scotland-94421b40-2d6b-4d4b-9cff-912c9849478f
Have YOU missed any acquaintenances that have yet to be coerced into signing?
Yes YOU, you know who I mean.
“Reiver, Keep the chin up mate.
BBC RS Off the ball absolute terrible tonight. That wummin ‘Annie’ adds nothing. A whiny voice, that’s it. Walking on eggshells – definitely. Grow up.
Hey who cares top six. Bring it on.
Or should I be miserable.
Quite honestly for once in my life I am delighted for a Motherwell team that punched their way out of second bottom to fourth.
No doubt the “awards” will go to Sevco who came back from where they were to where they “belong”
There is a very clear picture of I think Ambrose strangling a Motherwell players throat leading up to a corner on LNS. I expect more from this.
http://www.motherwellfc.co.uk/2016/04/09/celtic-defeat-in-pictures-17/
Fed up with this off the ball shit.
Going over to Spain on Wednesday. Hope I find a bar with Celtic v you know who on Sunday. My sister will be with me so I will be forced to go to Mass. God help me! However it may help my team. I will be praying for them so if they win it was bescause of me! Remember that. It will be nothing to do with Griffiths or my new wee star Roberts. Me.
So after a couple of hours with only 2 others to keep me company I bid you all good night.
RyanGosling
April 9, 2016 at 11:25
e-Study Guide for: Law of Corporations and Other Business
“Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation (a corporation being a legal entity that is effectively recognized as a person * under the law).
The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organization, sports club, or a government of a new city or town.”
*With almost exactly the same legal rights as I have.
This is as near as I can get to the entry in the Chartered Insurance Institute text book on Company Law I studied.
I often refer to Woolworth as dead, as I do of the Insurance Company I worked for, 23 out of 48, years. Even although it was taken over, (no liquidation)
Sorry but ambrose wasn’t playing today so couldn’t have been him.
Marina Walker Guevara. Now there’s a name to be reckoned with.
I received an email yesterday from the ICIJ ( International Consortium of Investigative Journalists).
You’d probably need to be about my age to appreciate the wee sort of late 1950s/ early 1960s retro-buzz I felt when I saw that that is the name of the journalist who is Project Manager for the ‘Panama Papers”.
Although Che Guevara ( probably no possible connection) is said not to have been particularly heroic on his way to , it is said, CIA-sponsored execution, he nevertheless stirred a whole world-wide generation into the beginnings of political awareness.
In the sense at least, that in this country, we began to see how ridiculous was the situation when BBC News journalists would deferentially and cautiously ask any kind of Government Minister (who might well have been known in private circles [such as the BBC- the likes of Jimmy S is nothing new]) to be a paedophile, or money-launderer, or tax-avoider/evaser, or spy for the Soviet Union, or some such) a question like ” Minister, may I ask whether you have anything to say about … Oh, no? Thank you, Minister ( grovel, grovel, grovel).”
I would like to think Marina Guevara was some kind of kin to Che.
I suddenly felt like asking her what the ‘Panama Papers’ might have to say about South African based convicted criminals, or international commodity dealers!
jimboApril 9, 2016 at 20:28
‘….Hope I find a bar with Celtic v you know who on Sunday…’
_________
That’s an interesting position you are in, psychologically speaking, Jimbo!
You presumably want to watch your team beat a four-year-old new club, as if that meant anything in sporting terms?
It means nothing in sporting terms.
Rather, it is a sign of a readiness to endorse the rigging of sport.
Simply by playing the new club, without there being a public declaration that the new club is in no way entitled to be treated as the Rangers of the 7-1 ‘hampden in the sun’ days, is to condone the wickedness of all who were and are involved in the Big Lie.
And alo to give what the new club most craves: acceptance of the cheating of SDM and the SFA and SPFL, and a phony , artificial, and utterly meaningless ‘legitimisation’.
The new club is, as a matter of absolute fact,NOT the Rangers of my grandfather’s era, or my father’s era, or of my era up to 2012.
To pay money to watch, or to watch free on Spanish TV, the new club while pretending that it is the same Rangers that paid an EBT payment to Sounnesss, and Ogilvie, and Torre Andre Flo and..and …and , is an act of foolishness, that encourages our Football Governance people in their wickedness.
A mi juicio.
Seems Murray’s company has now been liquidated. These lines come from the longer article.
“A MULTI-MILLION pound business empire built up by former Rangers owner Sir David Murray is now officially dead.
At a meeting in the offices of an accountancy firm in Glasgow, Murray International Holdings Limited “the firm that owned the football club” were buried.”
So they admit they know that MIH was the company that owned Rangers, so if ‘Rangers’ was already being liquidated while it’s owner (MIH) was awaiting liquidation, what the hell was the mythical holding company that they claimed was being liquidated that was separate to the club?
Are we now to believe that the club was owned by a mythical holding company that was in turn owned by MIH? B*llocks!
And I thought: what the hell! And fired off this email to Marina Walker Guevara:
“Good evening, Ms Walker, at midnight plus 50 , Edinburgh time.
The ‘Panama Papers’ project’s findings have reached even the little known recesses of the football/soccer world of Scotland.
This little country, in the view of many of us, has experienced our own little episode of football chicanery.
Not on the scale of the UEFA or FIFA financial corruption.
But just as fundamentally detrimental to the concept of Sporting Integrity.
What we believe we have had is the deliberate misinforming of UEFA by the Scottish Football Association of the state of the ‘social taxes’ indebtedness of one particular football club, in order to ensure that that club was granted a licence, against the UEFA financial fair play rules, to play in UEFA competitions.
However, we appear to have no journalists in Scotland, or even in BBC Radio Scotland, with the stomach to ask even basic questions, let alone carry out any kind of in-depth investigation.
Rather, they appear to endorse the significant cheating and, frankly, lying by the Football Authorities of Scotland.
And that is why many of us take delight in the fact that there are still real investigative journalists.
We would love to have such journalists here.
Sadly, our situation is such that all of our newspapers and journalists are afraid.North Korea has nothing in it, such is the fear!
Anyway, you have much more serious business of global interest to attend to, but you might wish to keep in mind that , everywhere, it is the sports fan who pays his dollars or pounds who suffers when a sport of any kind is rigged.
Wishing you all the very best,
Yours in sport,(me)
nawliteApril 10, 2016 at 00:34
‘….“A MULTI-MILLION pound business empire……..is now officially dead.’
________
Aye, Liquidation is another word for death.
The corpse is there, on the slab.There is no gainsaying that simple fact.
The wee ‘manifestations’, the ‘what it’s all about’ , the ‘ethereal ‘, the ectoplasm, the ‘club’ of the fertile mind of deranged Advocates , however cheaply and embarrassingly theatrical, mean absolutely nothing in the harsh world of sporting, legal, and commercial reality. ( and the particular advocate bloody well knows it!)
‘Rangers’ of our grandfathers and fathers and of all of us until 2012 is, for all practical and sporting purposes, as dead as the poor old dodo.
Until that fact is acknowledged by our sport, all the efforts of club directors, managers, players are, in effect, utterly meaningless in terms of sporting honour, although they might coin in a few bob.
But what does that signify? Nothing other than the end of football as a sport.
And who could really be arsed with paying money for a piece of fabricated nonsense?
Seems to be a bit of a love in for Hearts going on for the past couple of days and it’s easy to see why. They are playing good old fashioned Scottish style of football, Skilful, with pace and with a strong physical presence (unfortunately that is why they will go out of the Europa league early doors, European football will not tolerate a slightly physical side). Personally I wish all Scottish teams would play that way – it is one of our biggest strengths.
However, I fail to see why there is so much praise for Ann Budge. Yes, when she came onboard, she gave the impression that she could be the one to bring an end to the cheating, bias – call it what you will. Instead (to me anyway) it appears that she has rapidly fallen into line with the rest of the owners, SFA and SPFL
berrtyApril 10, 2016 at 01:49
‘…Seems to be a bit of a love in for Hearts going on for the past couple of days and it’s easy to see why. They are playing good old fashioned Scottish style of football, Skilful, with pace and with a strong physical presence..’
____
They are indeed .
But their football ability is not the principal reason why there is any kind of ‘love in’.
No, the respect afforded to Heart of Midlothian is due to the fact that the club had none of the hubris and innate cheating mentality of RFC(IL) and its knighted majority shareholder.
Hearts fought its way out of administration in as honourable a way as it could, given some of the SDM-type of scoundrels that had been involved in its finances.
In stark contrast to the lying, cheating etc etc etc etc et bloody cetera of CW , the last owner of Rangers as was.
And in Ms Budge, they have , not a philanthropist, but a hard-headed businesswoman of business integrity. Like Fergus McCann, she wants to get some return.
But she is not a cheat. the return has to be an honest return.
At least that is my assessment.
I see the twitter account of The Offshore Game is asking ‘In light of #panamapapers, how would you feel about a story on football authority misgovernance?’. Might be worth keeping an eye on.
https://twitter.com/theoffshoregame
berrtyApril 10, 2016 at 01:49
Seems to be a bit of a love in for Hearts going on for the past couple of days and it’s easy to see why. They are playing good old fashioned Scottish style of football, Skilful, with pace and with a strong physical presence (unfortunately that is why they will go out of the Europa league early doors, European football will not tolerate a slightly physical side). Personally I wish all Scottish teams would play that way – it is one of our biggest strengths.
However, I fail to see why there is so much praise for Ann Budge. Yes, when she came onboard, she gave the impression that she could be the one to bring an end to the cheating, bias – call it what you will. Instead (to me anyway) it appears that she has rapidly fallen into line with the rest of the owners, SFA and SPFL
____________________________
I’m afraid I never saw Ann Budge as some female knight, coming into our game to right all the wrongs of past mis-governance of Scottish football, and she certainly never said she was. She has arrived on the scene with one, perhaps two aims; one, to save Hearts for future generations – well on the way to doing that; and two, to make Hearts successful in a sustainable manner – heading in the right direction.
I’m sure if anybody stands in her way, she will do her best, within the rules of football governance, to swat them aside. She will also do her best to prevent the old duopoly starting up again, or any other elitist cabal that she considers might be to the detriment of the game, and in particular, to Hearts.
I think, though, that having witnessed what happened to her club, she will be determined to keep Scottish football ‘clean’, and I doubt she will have much time for the Dave Kings of this world, or the plastic ‘successful businessman’ types like Paul Murray, but I doubt we will see much public condemnation of them. If she gains office at Hampden, she will, I’m sure, do things the right way, and be as honest as any business person can be, but she is a successful business woman, and she didn’t achieve what she has by tilting at windmills. I’m sure her view will be along the lines of ‘not on my watch, you don’t’, rather than seeking to right the wrongs of the past.
I do think, though, that her arrival will have the masonic types in football worried, fearing an end to the nod and a wink culture that has existed since the leagues were first formed, with a woman far cleverer than they have ever needed to be in their business lives who’s not afraid to call them out!
If she does have a campaign for the whole of Scottish football, rather than just for Hearts, it will be to clean up the goings on within the stands, to make football a more wholesome place for families to attend, something she has well underway at Tynecastle (not saying the fruits of this campaign are showing yet, but the effort is genuine).
One thing, though, a certain Mr Ogilvie must be glad he’s now out of dodge, for I’m sure she’d remember that, while supposedly working for the benefit of Hearts – as a major part of the Romanov regime, he held, in his wife’s name, shares in his favourite club (and it wasn’t Hearts), along with one of their EBTs! That man was in office, helping to oil the slippery slopes, at two Scottish football clubs! One died, the other nearly did.
At the risk of looking pedantic the article is wrong MIH wasn’t the owner of or holding company of FRC(IL) in the same ay it is frequently reported Dermot Desmond is owner of Celtic. DD owns most shares in Celtic but he isn’t the owner. From memory it was around 86% of shares of RFC(IL) that were sold to Craig Whyte via the Wavetower vehicle for £1 or was it £2. MIH were the majority shareholder and sold that majority shareholding to Wavetower. Neither were holding companies (owning 100% of shares). It is the club founded in 1872 and incorporated at the end of the 19th century that is being liquidated. Club and company could not be seperated after the incorporation.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/dunfermline-chief-executive-ross-mcarthur-7722435#ICID=sharebar_twitter#zt1bcvqJwj6prP6M.97
Apologies to the blog for posting a link to this rag of rags, but in this instance, it’s well worth a read.
Firstly, congratulations to Dunfermline, a grand old club and perhaps my favourite non-Hearts club
, on gaining promotion to the Championship. I hope that one day I will see them playing in the Premiership.
The article, itself, is quite heart-warming, with just the right amount of gentle criticism of the previous board (Masterton) and shows how, by having a clear grasp of their situation, the men at the helm have sorted things out. They know their club nearly died, and are grateful just to have survived. They are apologetic for the losses their overspending caused their creditors and make no claims to be deserving of anything.
The whole article, though, is about how they nearly died, and for some reason, the question is never put, ‘why couldn’t you just do what Rangers did and just liquidate the company?’ The writer is a Scott McDermott, and I don’t know if he is a DR writer or a blogger, so I don’t pass the blame to him, but I suspect, if the question had been asked, then the article wouldn’t have been published!
I see the boy journalist, Chis Jack, has tweeted of ‘glory’ for Rangers should they lift the Petrofac Cup today. I can say with undoubted certainty, that no supporter of Rangers that I have ever known, would ever have described the Petrofac Cup (or Challenge Cup) in anything other than the most derogatory of terms, and, far from glory, have viewed it as the club’s greatest embarrassment if they ever had the misfortune to win it!
How can anyone, who believes his club has a ‘rightful place’ at the top of the top tier, consider the winning of a competition, that will forever mark where they rightfully were for four years, has any ‘glory’, whatsoever? How can 45,000 who truly believe they are watching the club that won the European Cup Winners Cup in 1972, feel ‘glory’ in what they will witness today at Hampden?
As I write, this ‘Rangers’ shares the same rightful place as Peterhead!
A US friend was discussing Las Vegas marriages. He said there was a tendency to ‘Return, Rinse and Repeat.’
Clearly we are asked to believe that Rangers are a ‘Rinse and Repeat’ phenomenon. Is it only Rangers that have the immortality corporate structure? Do other teams have similar arrangements in place or might a Hearts or say St Johnstone actually be terminated in the way we all understood prior to the ‘fix’?
Why are all teams not building in the two tier Govan Insurance structure? It looks just like a paper exercise with no effect – other than apparently guaranteeing financial immunity (or so they tell us).
John Clark
April 10, 2016 at 02:15
And in Ms Budge, they have , not a philanthropist, but a hard-headed businesswoman of business integrity. Like Fergus McCann, she wants to get some return. But she is not a cheat. the return has to be an honest return. At least that is my assessment.
—————————————————————————-
Carefully chosen words JC. Business integrity she may well have but as far as ensuring that integrity is applied in the governance f Scottish football she is no better than the rest. In my opinion!
TYKEBHOY
APRIL 10, 2016 at 09:49
===========================
At the risk of appearing even more pedantic, I don’t think a company needs to hold 100% of the shares in a subsidiary to be considered it’s parent or holding company.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/46/section/1159
1159Meaning of “subsidiary” etc
(1)A company is a “subsidiary” of another company, its “holding company”, if that other company—
(a)holds a majority of the voting rights in it, or
(b)is a member of it and has the right to appoint or remove a majority of its board of directors, or
(c)is a member of it and controls alone, pursuant to an agreement with other members, a majority of the voting rights in it,
or if it is a subsidiary of a company that is itself a subsidiary of that other company.
(2)A company is a “wholly-owned subsidiary” of another company if it has no members except that other and that other’s wholly-owned subsidiaries or persons acting on behalf of that other or its wholly-owned subsidiaries.
(3)Schedule 6 contains provisions explaining expressions used in this section and otherwise supplementing this section.
(4)In this section and that Schedule “company” includes any body corporate.
The thing I like about Ann Budge is that she put the money up front for the support to save their own club.
As I understand it she intends getting all of that money back, however it was needed at the time in order to get the CVA agreed.
Again as I understand it she did this because the is a genuine Hearts fan, with a season ticket, who actually had the resources required to save the team she supported. More than that she was actually willing to put her own money in to achieve that end, rather than just make outlandish empty promises.
If I understand it correctly she used a company called BIDCO in order to achieve the CVA and get the shares in the club. However the specific intention and agreement is that those shares will ultimately be bought by Foundation of Heart, basically the supporters.
Things were and are being done properly, to a large extent it could not have been done without Ann Budge or someone like her.
NAWLITEAPRIL 10, 2016 at 00:34
Seems Murray’s company has now been liquidated. These lines come from the longer article. “A MULTI-MILLION pound business empire built up by former Rangers owner Sir David Murray is now officially dead.At a meeting in the offices of an accountancy firm in Glasgow, Murray International Holdings Limited “the firm that owned the football club” were buried.”So they admit they know that MIH was the company that owned Rangers, so if ‘Rangers’ was already being liquidated while it’s owner (MIH) was awaiting liquidation, what the hell was the mythical holding company that they claimed was being liquidated that was separate to the club?Are we now to believe that the club was owned by a mythical holding company that was in turn owned by MIH? B*llocks!
……………………………
So if “the firm that owned the football club” was MIH then what the hell did Craig White buy for £1??
..Oh it must have been the club !….. Well guess what, thats being liquidated too !!
bordersdonApril 10, 2016 at 12:20
John Clark April 10, 2016 at 02:15 And in Ms Budge, they have , not a philanthropist, but a hard-headed businesswoman of business integrity. Like Fergus McCann, she wants to get some return. But she is not a cheat. the return has to be an honest return. At least that is my assessment.—————————————————————————-Carefully chosen words JC. Business integrity she may well have but as far as ensuring that integrity is applied in the governance f Scottish football she is no better than the rest. In my opinion!
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I would imagine there is a fairly wide spread of opinion amongst football chairs and CEOs about football integrity, but too many just follow like sheep, afraid to rock the boat. I’m sure there are some who would welcome a complete adherence to integrity and proper and open governance, they are just too ready to stay silent and go along with things, because that’s how it’s always been with the big boys (Celtic and Rangers(IL)) viewed as always getting their way.
While I have no cause to think that Ann Budge will do anything about past wrongs, she has already shown a willingness to speak out, loudly, whenever anything she considers not to be in Hearts, or it’s supporters, interests comes to light. She has also been prepared to back others, pushing aside local rivalries, such as when she backed Leanne Dempster of Hibs last season.
Just having one chair or CEO prepared to speak out whenever they think something is wrong will be a huge step in the right direction, and will, hopefully, catch on.
But, she is not on a crusade, and may very well back proposals that benefit Hearts that are not to the benefit of, say, teams in the lower divisions. I just don’t know, and, I suspect, neither does she at this point.
I’m not so sure I want her to get involved in the game’s governance, at least not yet, and think it might benefit the game more if she was to stay on the outside, creating a pressure group of like minded club leaders, while learning more about running a football club before entering new territory of the games governance. Hearts need 100% of her attention as it is, anyway.
So if “the firm that owned the football club” was MIH then what the hell did Craig White buy for £1?? ..Oh it must have been the club !….. Well guess what, thats being liquidated too !!
Giovanni333, that is perfectly and succinctly put. That’s exactly the point I was trying (and failing) to make clear.
Whether MIH is liquidated or not has no significance to Rangers.
MIH and MSL sold their shares to Wavetower. Therefore Wavetower (The Rangers FC Group Ltd from May 2011) was the holding company which owned the club when it was placed into administration and then liquidated.
The current Officers of that company are Law Financial Ltd, Liberty Corporate Ltd, Richard James Spurway, Douglas Ware.
The question is therefore when did Rangers FC change ownership from The Rangers FC Group Ltd. The answer as I understand it is that it never did. Charles Green never bought the club, through Sevco 5088, Sevco Scotland or any other vehicle. He bought it’s assets from the administrator.
I’m sure I must be wrong but I thought I heard ” There was not a team like the Glasgow but we’re New Rangers” I must have misheard it. I also heard something about guarding somebodies walls, are they looking after somebodies icecream.