LNS is currently back in the headlines. It might therefore be a good time to try to set out a timeline describing correspondence we had with the representatives of the authorities over discrepancies and anomalies that appeared to have arisen. None of this is necessarily predicated upon the recent findings of the CoS in the Big Tax Case, but stands on its own.
Back in February 2014 The Scottish Football Monitor wrote to Harper MacLeod, the law firm that the SPL had engaged to gather evidence for the Lord Nimmo Smith (LNS) Commission investigating the full and proper registration of players paid by Rangers Football Club under Employee Benefit Trust (EBT) arrangements.
The initial set-up of the LNS Commission on 5th March 2012 by the SPL (View File) charged LNS with a look at EBTs from 1st July 1998 (when the SPL came into being).
In practice though, the Commission only looked at EBTs from 23 November 2000 onwards.
This change of date was based on the earliest side letter supplied by Duff and Phelps, although Harper MacLeod had requested ALL documentation from 1998 to March 2012 relating to ALL EBTs.
This prompted a series of letters to Harper MacLeod from The Scottish Football Monitor, although Harper MacLeod’s replies failed to address the issues raised.
The passage of time blurs memories but this archive is designed to remind readers of those blogs and correspondence, and the key points contained in them.
It also highlights the apparent inability or unwillingness on the part of the SPL and SFA to engage with us in any meaningful way.
NB: The SFA were informed of our correspondence by Harper MacLeod in October 2014.
It is extremely difficult to be concise in this situation. There are various strands of argument and details seemingly small, but vitally important – however the following is an attempt to make the material accessible and provides links to the relevant files in chronological order (links are in green).
- Item 1: The first SFM letter of 19th February 2014 to Harper MacLeod
- Item 2: The Annexes containing the documents apparently not supplied to Harper Macleod in the spring of 2012 along with other pertinent information about the testimony given to LNS during the Commission.
- Item 3: The SFM response of 29 March 2014 to Harper MacLeod’s reply to the first letter.
- Item 3.1: An SFM analysis of Harper MacLeod’s initial reply attached to response at 3.
- Item 4: An SFM blog of 5th September pointing out how the documents not supplied had a direct impact on the advice given to the SPL Board to accept The Decision of The LNS Commission.
- Item 5: The last letter of 4th October 2014 to Harper MacLeod answering points raised by them (see next) and thanking them for passing our correspondence to the SFA Compliance Officer who has so far deigned not to reply.
- Item 5.1: Harper MacLeod’s actual response to SFM 5th September letter.
- Item 6: An SFM Blog (Inc. a transcript of an interview between Alex Thomson and Stewart Regan).
- Item 6.1: Truncated version of above blog.
- Item 7: A clearer extract of key document from Item 2 Annexes
Having no locus to demand answers from the SPL or the SFA, all we can do is provide information – information that we believe presents a prima facie case that LNS was deeply flawed even before the latest developments in the Tax Case came to light. The challenge for us is this: what can we do about it?
It is clear from the meagre response we have received that the authorities are unwilling to engage with us, so it is fair to assume that further correspondence will be met with the same lack of response.
Are we merely a bunch of obsessed nut-jobs with our own take on the Flat Earth conspiracy? If that is the case, surely a few words of explanation to dispel our doubts would have had traction with the rest of the football public. Indeed the lack of any reply undoubtedly serves as confirmation of our belief that something may be seriously wrong.
The questions have been posed. The SFA appears to think that not answering them is a wise course of action. Given that anecdotal evidence presents a compelling case that the general football public are widely in agreement with us, are there any journalists out there who will take the time to look at what we have observed and what we seek clarification on?
There are undoubtedly inferences to be drawn from the evidence we have, and from the silence of the authorities.
The statement by Celtic on Friday 13th November is certainly a start in the process we wish to begin, but it only mentions the elephant in the room. It gives no clue about how it could be transported to another place.
In the first instance we at SFM seek only explanations, and despite the inferences mentioned earlier, we are still eager to be satisfied that rules were followed and justice done.
Is there really nobody in the MSM who has the courage to seek the answers we seek? I suspect not. What we do in the absence of that courage is important. We are at a crossroads. Either we give up on the game altogether and spend our Saturdays and Sundays doing other things – or we find a way to get these questions out of blog pages and into the mainstream.
We need an alliance of fans of all clubs to do that, and we will be looking to build that alliance. I would urge fans of all clubs to give this material to fan sites of their own clubs.
These are not just words. There can be no movement on this issue unless our reach is extended. SFM alone does not have the clout required to bring the clubs to the table or the MSM to fair and balanced reporting. We need that alliance of fans desperately. We don’t seek leadership of that alliance – but we are happy to provide it if required.
This is not a campaign to have Rangers punished. I understand that Rangers fans (since their club is in the middle of this mess) are reluctant to see us as anything other than a bunch of Rangers haters.
That is unequivocally not the case from the perspective of the moderators of this blog. SFM is committed to justice, and to the integrity of the sport we all love.
Justice is ON THE SIDE of Rangers and their fans – it does not conspire against them. A growing number of Rangers fans are coming round to our way of thinking and our tone must reflect that. This is not a Celtic or Hearts or Aberdeen or anybody else v Rangers issue. This is a fans v corrupt authorities issue.
We all deserve answers, and hopefully our alliance will compel each individual club to act in the interests of the fans .
My recollection of the gist of one of the was that if you did not agree with DCK cabal and its direction that was regarded as sufficient to have your shares disbarred from voting- I was a bit amazed by the brazen effrontery of that as a policy . Again if that was the kind of Hong going on then I would be lost to the Club had I have been a supporter.
In his latest blog JJ is alleging, amongst other things that Dave King effectively blackmailed Stuart Reagan. Or if not that, that Reagan was so afraid of King retaliating that he had no option but to pass him as fit and proper.
https://johnjamessite.wordpress.com/2015/12/06/mutually-assured-destruction/
“The SFA defer to Rangers. They always have and they always will. This deference resulted in no audits and no compliance during the DOS/EBT years from 1999-2011. Of course if King decided to reveal their complicity it would result in mutually assured destruction. If Regan had not approved King, he knew he would retaliate by revealing inside information that would lead to his resignation. This is why he was approved.”
The last sentence is in bold, but I have no idea how to do that here.
That is a quite extraordinary thing to post unless he has some pretty good evidence to back it up.
Odd job,
‘Rangers target Crooks’.
Is it not usually the other way round??
Mungoboy
Allegedly !
I take the fifth !
Re JJ’s latest, those are some very serious allegations. So why hasn’t he been sued? Unless, of course, everything he said is true.
I suspect I am not alone on here, when, having ascertained the two parties involved being TRFC and the SFA, that the headline Mutually Assured Destruction did not exactly come as a major disappointment.
The Ungrateful Dead 6th December 2015 at 2:39 pm #Re JJ’s latest, those are some very serious allegations. So why hasn’t he been sued? Unless, of course everything he said is true.
================================
I was just about to post something similar. I doubt very much that Regan does not know the identity of this blogger. I have no idea at all if what has been written in that article is true, but given Regan’s position within the game they are as you say very serious accusations.
So if JJ is right we have some more fun – or yet another court case; they just keep on coming.
I see it is Newcastle vs Liverpool today and the wally with the brolly on very thin ice and some suspecting he will get sacked if Newcastle lose. Wonder what chance MA bringing Warburton to Newcastle – at same time as putting DCK in the cells.
Can’t rule anything out in this saga – hope PMGB has told the script writers.
Scottish football needs a strong Arbroath and East Fife.
I am laughing out loud:just heard Chick say that “compared to other countries we (Scotland)are a shining light on how to run the game”.(This in discussion of Venezuelan and South American football administration generally). To be scrupulously fair, he did laugh while saying it.
Off topic, I know, but just listening to Tom English doing a very good interview with Judy Murray on Radio Scotland.
I’m a huge fan of the Murray boys, Andy especially but I have to say that Judy comes across as a fantastic person and magnificent ambassador for her sport, her town and, of course, Scotland.
Bravo, Judy Murray
Jimmci
re Tom English interview with Judy Murray,and what was her reply when English asked her about Sevco ,he did ask her,didn’t he????
The Ungrateful Dead 6th December 2015 at 2:39 pm
He’s not been sued, and nor has PMG, because a) as you can’t be slandered in a Court of Law why would Regan, or King want the role of Plaintiff IF, b) the allegations were based on a truth?
The very last thing Regan and/or King want is time in Court where their previous actions can come under real scrutiny… from very intelligent people, with a great grasp of the facts?
However, ladies and gentlemen, does anyone else feel if James Doleman can reach his crowd-sourced target of £1,000 in about 40 mins, then the day when a crowd-sourced judicial review of this whole sordid business takes another step to becoming a reality?
I saw that Chris Graham, the 48 hour Director and committed Islamaphobe made a(nother) sneering remark about crowd-sourcing on Twitter. What he doesn’t have the intelligence to realise is that either a genuine, bona fide, real billionaire will either expose the collusion between the SFA and especially King, or the rest of us will. The SMSM will esssetially become a total irrelevance in all of this; they have an agenda and they have Level5 but I doubt that will save either of them.
King is a crook, a convicted crook. He’s just attempted to try and rip off one of the Easdale brothers, which is, even by his standards, a very, very stupid thing to do. Having also tried to rip off MA… which is reckless even by his own standards.
In any war of attrition the side with the greater resources will eventually win. Which therefore pits Sevco/RIFC/TRFC against Mike Ashley and/or supporters of any and every Club in Scotland.
I think we are approaching the endgame for this ” rangers”. We know King was at Hampden. The speculation was that King was told to ” make Ashley go away”. The next day RIFC announced they would repay the £5m. Now , looking from the outside. to me the most favourable outcome for the SFA is the removal of King, I believe Ashley would drop his court cases if King was off the scene, which begs the question; is jj correct in his latest piece where he says King “forced” the SFA to pass him “fit and proper” due to his intimate knowledge of the “special relationship” between the SFA/RFC(IL) over decades? Having said that. the SFA imo are fecked anyway! Even if MA and King are off the scene the upcoming court cases will see them exposed! My wee maw used to say ” yiv made yer bed ye kin lie in it! The SFA haven’t even got a bed. I have no sympathy for them.
John Clark 6th December 2015 at 3:51 pm #
I am laughing out loud:just heard Chick say that “compared to other countries we (Scotland)are a shining light on how to run the game”.
————————————————————
That would be a red light John, and in no way related to traffic control.
King was passed fit and proper and that was absolutely no surprise to any of us.
When he was caught outside Hampden the other day he said that he’d never met the SFA. While that was probably a lie – it was also a public pronouncement, said for a reason.
What JJ is pointing to is King’s knowledge, intimate, explicit knowledge from Oldco days, through the whole Swiss meetiing around the Sevco time, to today. He knows what the SFA have said, done and – more importatly – not done, over the years.
The SFA are hopelessly, permanently and fatally compromised. King is a crook and it will be his crookedness, that the SFA have been drawn in to, that come April and a judicial review will – finally – expose what’s been going on.
King can no more make Ashley go away as Canute could turn back the tide.
Apropos of nothing one is forced to wonder if Craig Whyte is the only Rangers Chairman to have used covert audio devices in the past. Or has access to minutes of meeting between football clubs and governing bodies.
Whilst the former is perhaps a tad fanciful the latter is pretty much a racing certainty I would have thought.
Ungrateful Dead @ 6.23
There would be a subtle difference in that case though UD, in that the RFC* that was up against the SFA would now, presumably, have Ashley in tow. They would move from a position of weakness to one of strength. Note “strength” should not be confused with a new owner (proxy if needs be) giving a flying fig as to whether or not his new plaything actually wins anything, only that its blindly loyal following buy stuff.
Third Man Running
Without going back and rereading JJ be careful you don’t slip in to the stream of wishful thinking. King could drop in some fairly innocuous connivance probably relating to the to kill Regan stone dead, without scratching the surface of what appears to have gone on since 1998. Yes there’s much more, but I suspect its the SFA that would fall first in a fist fight. Put it this way. What would the clubs feel they would need to start afresh? Given all that’s gone on do you seriously believe they’d dump one of the largest contendors? Nae chance!
Well hell mend Regan,he came into the job all guns blazing,firing off on social media at all and sundry,then nothing,nada,zilch as if his keyboard and phone had been taken of him for being a naughty boy in class,can’t believe how long ago that was,more than 2 years ,maybe,ridiculous really,but more worrying is we have a new President that went into the bunker,has had enough time to find out what’s been going on and act on this,but no,now that King has been in the bunker he is now damaged goods along with Regan,as if a blind fold was put on from day one of his tenure and he has been told not to ask questions about any past events as ,not to worry,they are being dealt with,shame really but once he had let King in the front door he became contaminated and will have to be disposed of with the rest of the toxins in the bunker.
thirdmanrunning 6th December 2015 at 6:40 pm
‘…The SFA are hopelessly, permanently and fatally compromised. ..’
____________
FIFA was described today as being broken beyond repair following the most recent clutch of arrests.
Only the relevant investigators know what various people may have been up to, but it would seem to be stuff that would put a good few bob into their pockets.
I think we have to say that the ‘corruption’ we speak about in relation to our own SFA/SPFL is NOT that kind of blatant,personal money-grubbing, venal corruption..
That is, I don’t think any of our baddies accepted personal bribes for the dirty work they did in destroying the Sporting Integrity of our Football Administration by accommodating the new club and by attempting to pass it off as being RFC(IL).
I bet they’re wishing to hell they hadn’t so compromised themselves, if not for motives of guilt and shame, then at least from annoyance that the new club has been from its foundation an absolute pain in the ar.e, and keeps presenting them with problems.
It is a heckuva mess for the new President to clean up.
But it will have to be done: the new club must be denied any claim to be the old club, and those titles and honours won by the old club in flagrant breach of the rules must be removed from their record.
It is a quite straightforward matter of administrative, football rules, rectitude. No one need go to jail ( but a resignation or two might not come amiss).
And then we can get on with running our game efficiently and effectively, and if the new club dies…..tant pis, as they might say in Paris.
JC
In knowingly not doing the job they are employed to do and taking a wage for not doing this is tantamount to theft is it not,just saying.
John
What’s the form next week in COS. Is it still just pre trial arguments ad so on?
Also any outcomes from The Whyte on Whyte on the 3rd?
Smugas 6th December 2015 at 8:02 PMG
Not sure I follow you at all Smugas, I’m afraid!
Sure King could bring down the SFA, but just as FIFA officials find themselves looking at the inside of a Swiss police cell at this time of year, this is because of the unholy mess they and (The) Rangers have got themselves into, together. As JJ says, it’s mutually assured destruction.
If my thinking is wishful then it’s only that the SFA is on borrowed time; either Ashley will expose them or King will. And I don’t think anyone has seriously considered what *might* happen if every ST holder across Scotland, said sort the SFA or there isn’t any football next season…
Our new governing body should represent every Club in Scotland, and would have to make it a priority to ensure that Rangers fans are able to rebuild and move forward too, without the spivs, crooks, PR cronies and placemen at Hampden contriving to ignore the truth.
Even regardless of knowing and doing nothing about it, the simple rule of corporate responsibility is if there’s a sword nearby and everyone is looking at you, they’re simply waiting for you to take the fall.
Is that fair? Hell no! Who said fairness ever came into it.
Someone had to take the rap for this situation, massively corrupt verging on fraudulent plot to end all plots, or just simple clusterfk albeit of epic proportions. They decided, for whatever reasons, that it wouldn’t be RFC. Fine. I can live with that. I don’t agree, but that’s not the point. Point is Stuart (and Neil and Campbell) there was a sword that needed falling on, and everyone was looking at you!
So to quote many, but I particularly remember Barca labouring the point. They had literally unleashed a monster, and yet incredibly, like a star trek extra being first to set foot on the dangerous planet, still seemed determined to hang around and see what happened.
Well hell get it right roond ye, to mix metaphors deliberately.
yourhavingalaugh 6th December 2015 at 8:37 pm
‘…In knowingly not doing the job they are employed to do and taking a wage for not doing this is tantamount to theft is it not,just saying.’
_______
I think some of my former colleagues could point a finger at me on that charge!
I don’t say that they have been perfect examples of total dedication and uprightness, but it’s not likely that they were taking traditional bribes, such as the FIFA folk are alleged to have done.
justshatered 6th December 2015 at 8:57 pm
‘..John you said “I don’t think any of our baddies accepted personal bribes for the dirty work they did…..” however can we really be sure of that?’
_______
In the words of the old saw, nothing is certain except death and taxes.
Corruption , I suppose, can take many forms- from accepting cash bribes to being ready to do favours out of bias, prejudice, love, blind trust in others, fear, ignorance……A whole range of things.
All we can say with certainty is that our Administrators did not do what their office required them to do to protect the integrity of our Sport and their personal integrity as elected/appointed officers to positions of trust.
They can now, if they would but take their courage in their hands, get things sorted as quickly as they were prepared to get them in a mess.
ianagain 6th December 2015 at 8:54 pm
‘..JohnWhat’s the form next week in COS. Is it still just pre trial arguments ad so on?’
_________
I don’t really know, to be frank, ianagain.
It’s a continuation of the Indictment proceedings, so it’s probably going to be a case of Counsel for each accused in turn trying to agree with the Advocate depute (and the Court) what agreed ‘bundle’ of productions and heads of argument will be submitted in respect of the case for the defence of his client-with the all the other Counsel watching carefully the extent to which their individual clients might each be affected by what is agreed, especially where two or more are jointly charged.
Given that there will have been some to-ing and fro-ing and negotiation/discussion since the first hearing, a lot might have been settled already, and just to be presented to the Court for agreement.
Who knows, maybe the actual trial might get under way, in the course of the week!
Whatever happens, I expect the same reporting restrictions will apply. I’ll make such notes as I can, of course, for eventual recording when the trials are complete and verdicts arrived at.
John Clark 6th December 2015 at 10:25 pm #ianagain 6th December 2015 at 8:54 pm
.Now that [] has been refused “legal aid”, possibly even a change of plea? A partial plea to reduced charges, accepting some and defending others. A bit of bargaining and negotiation……I think the possibilities are endless as they have been behind closed doors for a wee while now. A challenging time for friendships and alliances.
I will be surprised if nothing surprising happens. More power to your pencil John. Good luck.
I think JJ may have set a wee squirrel running tonight with his Regan/DCK allegation. Certainly worthy of discussion, but I doubt DCK is the only player who could point a very convincing finger at Regan. In fact there could be a host of them with similar strangleholds over him. He won’t be able to keep them all happy. Just my opinion.
Attention joiners or set-builders who would be disposed to assisting at SFM Central.
Please contact me, bigpink@sfm.scot
A lateral thought
Because we have heard absolutely nothing in the way leadership statements/press releases from SFA President Alan McRae it is extremely tempting to assume he has simply sunk deep into the swamp of corruption where all his fellow executives live and survive without the oxygen of integrity
However
Perhaps we have been underestimating our new SFA President
If he is now privy to the extent of corruption among his fellow executives he cannot act until the time is ripe
That time will be just before Ashley exposes the endemic lack of ethics and integrity in those individuals
A lateral thought
We have heard absolutely nothing in the way of leadership statements/press releases from SFA President Alan McRae, It is tempting therefore to assume he has simply now sunk into the swamp of corruption where all his fellow executives live. That bubble where businessmen temporarily survive without the oxygen of integrity
However
Perhaps we have been underestimating our new SFA President.
If he knows fine well what has to be done
Then, politically
Although he is privy to the history of corrupt behaviour by his fellow executives, he cannot act successfully until the time is ripe
IMO
That time will be just before Ashley`s court action exposes the vacuum in ethics and integrity of his colleagues. People who will not be in post for the start of the 2016-2017 season
Since Alan has done nothing wrong so far he is entitled to the benefit of the doubt
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
By the end of the season we shall see if Alan has the makings of our first great SFA President
Or simply drowns in the swamp like all his predecessors
GoosyGoosy 6th December 2015 at 11:25 pm
‘…Perhaps we have been underestimating our new SFA PresidentIf he is now privy to the extent of corruption among his fellow executives he cannot act until the time is ripe…’
_______
It is to be hoped that in all his years as Vice-president he was innocent of any involvement in ,or knowledge of, SDM’s cheating, or any complicity therein.
Like every other senior man in the business of Scottish Football, he must surely, as an honest man and honourable businessman, have been personally outraged at being conned by that black knight of a bad place.
He must surely have been incandescent with rage when he realised that all the spin, all the Armageddon nonsense, all the nonsense of ‘club 12’ needing the permission of the Administrators of another separate club [RFC(IA)] to use their players in order to play a match….pointed up a massive disregard of truth and integrity….
Or maybe not, if he is fool or cheat enough to deny that RFC went into Liquidation! ( Which reminds me: he still has not replied to my letter, my handwritten letter, sent recorded delivery).
The jury is still very much out.
I also had a slight hope that a new Prez might begin a clean up of the SFA and have waited in vain as the esteemed Mr Marley once said.
However, I like to see the best in people, and to that end wondered how I might do things if I were he.
I imagine it would take more than a few months to meet with every chairman (well it seems he has probably met one already from down Govan way), to assess the feelings of all the clubs on the way forward. Next, probably a few rounds of correspondence to clarify points of action / agreement, then possibly a few meetings of a small group to refine a strategy.
if there were any urgency then I would expect something quite soon, and ideally before any court actions that might involve any of the SFA officers. I would definitely prefer a clear out first to minimise any ongoing reputational damage to an organisation I am the supposed public face.
I would expect a few options – one with quiet resignations and one of a well prepared meeting along the lines that Jeremy Corbyn should be planning to oust those who do not stick to the rules and the party line when times are desperate and change is needed.
I hope my ersatz presidential role bears fruit, and lets hope the real Prez is up to it.
How many of us wouldn’t have a plan like mine above ( or probably a better one) ?
GoosyGoosy 6th December 2015 at 11:25 pm #A lateral thought
——————————-
You may well be correct. but nothing has prevented him from releasing a statement of calming reassurance. Without entering into the worlds of subjudice, He could easily dismiss the court cases as the problems of one club and a matter for the courts, whereas his overall remit, is for all of the clubs as a collective.
There are numerous statements he could make, including but not limited to an oath of declaration to sporting integrity and a pledge to honest, without fear or favour governance, and an assurance that he will demand nothing less than that of his sub-ordinates. His hopes and ambitions for the future of our game, his targets and goals. And as JC points out……A commitment to answer our feckin letters !
It is a time for leadership and action, not for hiding behind the bunker door to see what way the wind is blowing. A house of cards cares not for the direction of the wind, only that it is a fragile structure in need of solid foundations and reinforcement.
So far…….Nada !………….It’s far too windy for him to pop out. That strikes me as just a wee bit yella.
I suppose we should never lose hope but we all have to remember that our esteemed new leader is simply new to the position. He has very much been a part of the establishment and is simply taking buggins turn. (IMO)
Mike Ashley is pretty busy at the moment
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/dec/06/mike-ashley-sports-direct-busy-fixture-list
I assume that the vast majority of us hope Mr McRae (who I have never met and of whom I have no personal knowledge) is a good and decent man.
However, one cannot but get the impression that he is just the latest in a long line of time-served blazer-wearers.
So far, he’s had ample opportunity to demonstrate his awareness of the magnitude of the cluster-thing that will define his presidency (and I don’t mean the national team’s ongoing tussle with mediocrity).
Even a simple reply to letters such as JC’s now famous hand-written recorded delivery, would demonstrate such an awareness; the lack of which simply adds to the general impression that he’s a fully subscribed member of the bunkerati, with no time for the hoi-poloi paying public.
What would I do if I were in his shoes?
I’d funnel my efforts into the establishment of an independent enquiry into how we got to where we are and would make it clear that – regardless of what other hopes I may have had on edging towards the presidency – this was my single most important task.
There’s an opportunity, here and now, for someone with vision and stamina.
If Mr McRae was that man, I can’t but think we’d have got wind of it by now.
I’ve just surfaced from reading the latest guff from “Radar” Jackson in the Record. I won’t provide a link, I’m sure you all know where to find it.
According to our “Sports Journalist of the Year”, the reason that the £5m has yet to be repaid is down to Ashley stalling. “Radar” didn’t think to enquire why.
In the absence of an enquiring mind at the Daily Record, I’ll speculate. Here are the possibilities as I see them.
I’m sure others can come up with other possibilities.
In other breaking news from “Radar”, King is totally relaxed about his contempt hearing, in fact he may be relishing it, the Ibrox board are totally united, Radar expects King’s mighty “warchest” to be unlocked in January, Christmas is coming, and the geese are getting fat.
I think the bigger danger for Macrae is for him asking for a position audit and Park Garden’s very own civil service who will no doubt infest the place shrugging their shoulders and saying something along the lines of “We are where we are, its not of our making, there’s nothing we can do, Campbell never had a problem like this” etc etc.
Untrue, dangerous to Alan’s career and a continuing danger to our game itself.
Neeps,
3 & 4 for me.
I hate it at the end of the month when I’ve no cash and the mortgage is due. Its all my bank ever do, just stall stall stall………………….Not!
JC and fellow SFMers, there is one reason that letters, especially those sent recorded delivery, go unanswered, and that is, they can’t be answered honestly without compromising the respondent or his business. They can’t be answered dishonestly, because the respondent fears something may be about to happen that a dishonest answer might leave him exposed as a co-conspiritor in whatever mess may be about to hit the fan.
I cannot think of any other reason for not answering such a letter, for regardless of the contents of JC’s letter, which we know will have been well written and respectful, every well run and open business is only too happy to reply when they have the opportunity to show their customer base that they are a well run, honest business, especially if they can honestly debunk any misapprehensions of the writer.
The only alternative excuse for the lack of reply to JC’s letter is that McCrae is so busy answering similar correspondence to have reached John’s yet, for we know he is not busy furthering the SFA’s stated policy of transparency by making public statements!
Preliminary hearing in case of Craig Whyte, Charles Green and others postponed to 5 January.
From James Doleman
There is of course a far more obvious question to be asked of McRae………..
Why him?
What were the particular attributes or skill sets he brought to the job?.
Personally I was hoping for somebody with a confrontational personality. An apple-cart tipper. A bonfire pisser !…………
“Mr McRae, If you are offered the job, What actions would you like to see implemented, by which you would consider your term in office a success?”
“Getting rid of you lot !”
“Next !”
I have no faith in anyone at the SFA doing the right thing for our game. One club just one club before all others. Rangers football club are in liquidation (dead, gone, cease to exist) but not in the eyes of our SFA shame on them. Can Mr Macrae not just say this is a new club, with a new 3/4 year history. This would do for me. That would tell me he has b**** but will he? His b**** may be burst like the burst baw we are kicking about in our game just now.
Two new articles from Phil, interesting stuff.
An unforseen intervention by a Real Rangers Man:
Indicating that Malcolm Murray was the chap that scuppered the AGM motions. They took his support for granted but, in fact, he lobbied against.
Emerging into the sunlight and surveying the Sevco wreckage:
Mostly concerned with forthcoming legal actions from the Easdales and Ashley.
Worthy reading as always.
Neeps,
It’s always spooky that whenever a negative revelation, such as the alleged AGM vote rigging, pops up in the “darker corners of the Internet” over a weekend,then,as sure as night follows day, up will pop Radar on the Monday morning with his usual L5 handout attempting to debunk the “demented drivel”.
Still, good to know that yet again he’s also been trawling this dark corner plus JJ & PMGB. No doubt simply researching his next award winning article!
Morning, Keith!
EJ
Any effect of that on the JR cases?
mungoboy 7th December 2015 at 10:12 am #
Keith Jackson?…….A waste of ink.
I’m fairly sure they nailed Sue-Ellen for that
Corrupt official 7th December 2015 at 10:10 am #
Gawd, I can’t tell you how much I hope I’m wrong!
I wouldn’t have thought so, the main cases aren’t linked as such other than sharing a source in the omnishambles that is Rangers (RIP) and Sevco.
1. R. v Whyte, Green, Clark, Grier, Whitehouse et al
2. Sports Direct v King
2. MASH v SFA
easyJambo 7th December 2015 at 9:49 am #
‘…Preliminary hearing in case of Craig Whyte, Charles Green and others postponed to 5 January.’
And that’s me just feckin’ in from an abortive trip to the High Court!
Big Pink 7th December 2015 at 10:20 am #EJ
Any effect of that on the JR cases?
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I wouldn’t have thought that there would be any impact. Then again the legal system moves in mysterious ways.
John Clark 7th December 2015 at 10:53 am #easyJambo 7th December 2015 at 9:49 am #‘…Preliminary hearing in case of Craig Whyte, Charles Green and others postponed to 5 January.’
And that’s me just feckin’ in from an abortive trip to the High Court!
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Well I wasn’t wrong to expect a surprise then. Were any reasons given JC, or did both sets of briefs just enter the court on an agreed position?. i.e. “We’re still arguing about what we are going to argue about.
Thanks for taking the time anyway John…..Much appreciated. Shame it was so short and sweet.
Interesting exchange in the comments to JJ’s mutually assured destruction piece between JJ and Sandy Chugg.
Made I larf anyway.
OK, I give up.
JR? I just know its going to be something really blumin obvious!
((Thanks John for your efforts on all of our behalves))
Smugas 7th December 2015 at 11:22 am # Judicial Review
Of course. Thanks UD
Just popped into the Den for a browse (I’ll shower later!) and found them discussing David Hope, founder of the Rangers Pools and,thus, a provider of significant revenue way back in the day.
These clearly young chaps were wondering why such an illustrious figure from their past seems to have been airbrushed from their much vaunted history.
By way of eduction, I’ve added the link below whose source is a primitive fanzine prototype called ‘Foul – The Alternative Football Paper’ published in 1974.
Amazing how it eerily resonates with regard to current events all these years later.
Particularly the Sherriff’s comments re the record keeping of the then Board.
Plus ça change! Tant Pis, as John C would say
Thought my fellow bampots might like to see it as well.
http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Rangers+-+Falling+Masonry
zerotolerance1903 7th December 2015 at 11:19 am #Interesting exchange in the comments to JJ’s mutually assured destruction piece between JJ and Sandy Chugg.
Made I larf anyway.
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Quite interesting, decided against copying it to here, just in case…
But, bravo JJ.
Corrupt official 7th December 2015 at 11:12 am
‘….Were any reasons given JC, or did both sets of briefs just enter the court on an agreed position?..’
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There was no Court action at all: the guy at the desk said that sometime after 4.00 pm on Friday the business had been postponed! No reason given.
Idle to speculate, I suppose, to as whether the postponement was asked for by the Advocate Depute or any one of the defence Counsel.
From Keith Jackson’s post weekend propaganda piece.
“… Ashley will have to hand back all manner of securities over the likes of Murray Park, the Albion carpark and the club’s crests and badges.”
As I understand it that is not quite the case. Sports Direct actually own the intellectual property just now, along with 26% of the shares in Rangers Retail, transferred to them at the time of the loan. Both are to be returned on repayment of the outstanding loans.
This may appear to be a pedantic point, however I think it is a very important one, particularly in the event of an insolvency event. The way I see it, in such an event SD will be the secured creditor, with the security over the training ground and the car park. They will be first in line for repayment, if it is true that King et al have no security for the loans they provided.
However in addition to that they will also continue to hold onto the IP and shares until they are repaid the £5m in full. In the event of an administration with a successful CVA they would presumably not be paid in full so would hold on to the IP and shares.
In the event of liquidation they would also hold on to the IP and shares. Anyone wishing to start a new club would then be forced to do business with them, assuming they wanted to use the name, crests, badges (or anything similar) for that new club.
This is my understanding, either it is different from Mr Jackson’s or he deliberately chooses to report the matter incorrectly. He could always check online to confirm who currently owns these things.
mungoboy 7th December 2015 at 12:06 pm #Just popped into the Den for a browse (I’ll shower later!) and found them discussing David Hope, founder of the Rangers Pools and,thus, a provider of significant revenue way back in the day.These clearly young chaps were wondering why such an illustrious figure from their past seems to have been airbrushed from their much vaunted history.By way of eduction, I’ve added the link below whose source is a primitive fanzine prototype called ‘Foul – The Alternative Football Paper’ published in 1974.Amazing how it eerily resonates with regard to current events all these years later.Particularly the Sherriff’s comments re the record keeping of the then Board. Plus ça change! Tant Pis, as John C would say
Thought my fellow bampots might like to see it as well.
http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Rangers+-+Falling+Masonry
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Thanks for that link, a quite stunning, and ultimately sad, read. There are things I might say about it, but the horrors of that event would make it churlish. It would appear, though, that the event, itself, was avoidable.
A must read.
John Clark 7th December 2015 at 12:07 pm #‘….Idle to speculate, I suppose, to as whether the postponement was asked for by the Advocate Depute or any one of the defence Counsel.
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Thanks John. Being a resident of Govan must be infuriating with the clatter of all those cans being kicked down the road. Is it because the bins are still full, and they haven’t successfully re-cycled the waste from the first club yet?
AJ,
totally agree with your sentiments.
No need to comment on the main events, as you say.
However it’s worth noting this gap in the knowledge of their fans regarding their own club.
On a personal level, on the day concerned I was working in Heathrow Terminal 3.
As news of the disaster filtered through, I happened to be dealing with the late, lamented Michael Bentine.
He spotted the CFC badge on my lapel and cheekily asked if it was ok if he was a Rangers supporter.
I replied we were all as one that day and went on to tell him the horrific news.
Bentine was shocked to tears and his face was one of horror. He walked past me shaking his head and muttering the word ‘no’ continually.
I’ve never forgotten him for that.
Thank you, Mungoboy, for posting the link to that article. How truly refreshing to see proper journalism, real research, and good writing. I see that the author, Alan Stewart (RIP) did become a professional journalist, prepared to do the real work of a real journalist in the most difficult of circumstances, leading to his untimely demise in the Sudan.civil war.
Having wasted an hour of my life reading and (God help me) actually thinking about, that moronic claptrap in the Daily Record this morning, my faith in human nature in general, and Scottish journalism in particular, was heading towards an all time low. Having read that article, I have some faith restored.
Alan Stewart was around 23 years old when he wrote that piece. There MUST be youngsters out there now with the same ability, the same courage, and the same ethos, who could really make a difference in the world today. But would they get published in Scotland today? Alan Stewart got his piece published in a fanzine- I guess that the SMSM wouldn’t have touched it back then. Would they touch something like that today, 40 years later? I think we know the answer to that.
Thanks again, mungoboy, that is truly the best football related read I’ve had in years.
Part of me not surprised of the delay until Jan 2016 of the Green, Whyte et al court proceedings.
It was reported in the media that Mr Whyte had recently secured legal aid, and of course, recently we learned that Mr Green had lost his action to secure funding for his legal costs, from his former employers.
I would not be surprised, if one or both of the named parties have required additional time to work with their legal teams.
mungoboy 7th December 2015 at 12:06 pm #Just popped into the Den for a browse (I’ll shower later!) and found them discussing David Hope, founder of the Rangers Pools and,thus, a provider of significant revenue way back in the day.These clearly young chaps were wondering why such an illustrious figure from their past seems to have been airbrushed from their much vaunted history.By way of eduction, I’ve added the link below whose source is a primitive fanzine prototype called ‘Foul – The Alternative Football Paper’ published in 1974.Amazing how it eerily resonates with regard to current events all these years later.Particularly the Sherriff’s comments re the record keeping of the then Board. Plus ça change! Tant Pis, as John C would say
Thought my fellow bampots might like to see it as well.
http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Rangers+-+Falling+Masonry
……..
thanks for that link, mungoboy. I found it very interesting, particularly because I used to have professional contact with his second wife, Therese. Here is a link to an obituarywritten by Jack Webster, that I discovered when I was investigating further:
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19870721&id=GkJAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6480,4831228&hl=en
Hope was clearly a Real Rangers Man but would be as much a misfit in that company today as he was back then! Jack Webster too seems to have been from a different mould from the current hacks, though I remember John Rafferty better – another fine scribe, IMHO!
Neeps
As you say, a tragedy that Alan Stewart’s life was cut short so tragically.
Looking back with hindsight we can only imagine the struggle he must have had to publish that article in Scotland. However, thanks to this here Internet thingy, his words live on.
What gets me is that this current lot of spivs and chancers are engaging in covering up mere fiscal malfeasance plus administrative rule breaking, yet their predecessors,it seems, were happy to cover up what went on with regards to the deaths of 66 of their own supporters.
Dignity? Don’t make me boak!
Going by the piece from 1974 by Alan Stewart
As the saying goes,or similar,The more some things change the more others stay the same,it appears the South African Judge was not just referring to King alone,he was referring to being a real Rangers man you had to have the attributes of being glib ,shameless and a liar,not necessarily all at the same time,some traditions obviously don’t die easy,shamefully.
Sorry, yourhavingalaugh, I’m having a bad thumb day!
I see someone has put the Forth Road Bridge up for sale on e-bay: http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/forth-road-bridge-put-up-for-sale-on-ebay-1-3968106
I like the caveat offered:
“Only those silly enough to bid will not receive any financial return. I have no right to sell this and don’t legally own it.”
Any suggestions for another sale?
PMGB has put up a rather interesting wee blog that Keith Jackson might be well advised to avoid, unless he’s as thick skinned and shameless as the man he thinks is unfazed by a (in this case another) court appearance!
Jackson seems to see virtue in being ‘unfazed’ by an appointment in court. Let’s make a list of the kind of person unfazed by the need to defend himself in a court of law. I’ll give you:
one lacking in decency, integrity, dignity, honour, self respect, respect for the law…
Norman Stanley Fletcher…
Jeremy Kyle’s vilest ever ‘guest’…
BBC Trust @bbctrust Nov 30 Tell us what you think about BBC services for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: http://bit.ly/1SbRfMy
The link to the “Foul” magazine article leads to a very disturbing story. The antics being deployed by the TRFC regime could be described using precisely the same language which the Sheriff used there.
I really would recommend that article to all of those who read here, ignore the fact that it is on a Celtic site, that should not put anyone off. Initially I saw the mischief making aspects of it being posted, and there must be a element of that but on reflection see the importance of the information as overriding that aspect.
Yeats said that things had changed utterly but applied to THe Rangers he is wrong.
Regarding the Foul article… Note the bit in the centre column regarding the impartiality of BBC Scotland too… Plus ça change…