Good Morning,
In the last week, we have seen a number of strange occurrences in Scottish Football, which if taken together might just point to a very different land than the one we were lead to believe we live in just two short years ago.
First of all there was the report from a firm of well known accountants which pronounced that a significant number of Scottish Football Clubs had, in fact, sold more season tickets for this coming season than they had in the course of the last several years.
Then we had the spectacle of the National team travelling to Wembley and playing very well AND being cheered on by a very large travelling support who appear to have been full of fun and who acquitted themselves well in the big smoke.
This morning I read that today’s match at Pittodrie is a sell out — with the old stadium being packed to the rafters for the visit of Celtic. This is the first time that Aberdeen have been able to sell out the fixture for some 6 years!
Not only that, various Celtic supporting websites have lead with articles saying that the return of a strong Aberdeen and Dundee United are to be welcomed– in fact not only welcomed but positively wished for.
In contrast, stories abound about the in fighting on the Ibrox Board. There are surreptitious share dealings and all sorts of company jockeying being deployed by the rival factions who are trying to gain control of The Rangers. Further, there is the suggestion from some well informed parties that not only will Ibrox and the Albion be sold and leased back to the club to generate much needed immediate cash, but that Murray Park has been sold off completely and will no longer be available to The Rangers for any purpose whatsoever!
Clearly, there are big troubles at the club which will not assist in the stated intention of rising to the very top in Scottish Football.
In between all of this, the debate goes on about Campbell Ogilvie, Press manipulation, the correspondence between Media House and the SFA, and between The SFA and Ibrox re the relationship between Charlie Green and Craig Whyte and so on.
Standing with my business hat on, I looked at all of this and wondered what it all meant, and pretty quickly reached the conclusion that we are now in a time of supreme opportunity for some of the clubs in Scottish Football—- particularly Aberdeen FC.
There is a view abroad, that in the absence of the “Strong Rangers” that Celtic Football Club will win the SPFL title for almost evermore — or at least until they are toppled from the top spot by the rise of a strong Rangers club somewhere towards the end of this decade or early in the next– because we are assured that they will be back– in one form or another– in a rather Arnold Schwarzenegger like fashion.
That return or initial rise if you like– its timing and its manner— is dependent on a number of things– not least the exit strategy of Charlie Green and his cohorts.
If it is true that The Rangers are going to part company with Ibrox and the Albion, that they have taken on a loan of funds which attract a rate of interest that amounts to 15% per annum, and that there are set figures for buying the old ( and decaying ) stadium back any time soon, and that they have yet again hawked the season ticket money, then the already flawed Ibrox business plan is burdened even more by interest and rent payments of an additional £3M per annum and rising!
It should also be noted that the accounts for old co from the mid naughties onwards boasted that season ticket sales, merchandising, corporate hospitality and so on had reached unprecedented levels—- but—- the club still did not make an operating profit without strange internals transactions such as the repurchase of media rights which added £15M on to the P&L’s AND the sale of Jean Alain Boomsong!
Accordingly, the current position will not make for good financial reading.
So– let’s presume that in the current climate Celtic are out of sight and will always be champions for ever and a day. What do the rest of the clubs say in the absence of the Ibrox club without whom they have been told they will perish?
Well, If I were in charge of Aberdeen FC I would look out across a city with an inherent population of some 220,000 souls sitting in a county which takes the population up by another 40,000 or so. I would note that the compact city also houses two universities and a number of colleges — all of which attract visitors to the city— and that its position as the oil capital of Europe also draws in a substantial number of itinerant workers.
Further, personal knowledge shows that many who studied at Aberdeen University or Robert Gordon’s in the 80’s left the city as Aberdeen FC fans and no matter where they have ended up in life they still make the journey back to Pittodrie when they can– especially in good times!
Alas, however, Aberdeen has not enjoyed ” Good Times” of late— in fact not really since ……….. the arrival of David Murray at Ibrox!
If you cast your mind back to the pre Murray era, Aberdeen were a force not only in Scotland but Europe as the recent nostalgia re Gothenburg has reminded us.
The city has an economic micro climate which suggests that it can ride economic hardship better than most and so all things considered this current period provides a great opportunity for the Dons.
Unlike Dundee United, Hearts, and Hibs, Aberdeen FC sits in a large one team conurbation and should be on the doorstep of a populace which can fill Pittodrie every single week …… IF that fan base can be motivated.
And there lies the rub– how do you get a notoriously fickle fan base out of the armchair and into the stadium?
The late Bob Crampsey once described Pittodrie by saying ” And there are the masses of Aberdeen fans, masquerading as rows and rows of Empty seats!” yet in their heydey an Aberdeen crowd on a visit to Glasgow were among the noisiest– and to this football fans eyes — the scariest ( in a good sense ) supports to be seen.
Well, at this juncture, Derek McInnes and team need only look at every other football club in the land ( bar Celtic ) and determine that come next May those others will be below them in the league. If Aberdeen maintain a strong league run keeping everyone behind them then there is the possibility of a huge revenue swing in favour of the Dons– such a swing that would put them in an even stronger position for the following year.
Further, Aberdeen are a European name. Perhaps a European name from yesteryear and not the recent past, but the pedigree is there and as such there will be those who remember the heady European Nights both home and away. Reviving those memories and that reputation– at least to an extent– is not beyond the club, and with no disrespect to Motherwell and St Johnstone both of whom are liable to lose key players or even a manager between seasons, Aberdeen may just be of a size to consolidate each year rather than scramble to maintain the momentum of one good season which comes along every now and then.
Financial management and football rewards can go hand in hand when combined properly, and of all the clubs in Scotland who can benefit from a level playing field in terms of proper football governance, Aberdeen FC are uniquely placed in my opinion.
That is not so say that The Arabs, or the Hibees or anyone else cannot benefit– on the contrary— but the Dons are the most obvious candidates in terms of potential structure to really motor forward and regain a by gone status.
Such a situation, and the recognition of that potential, should be borne in mind by all at Celtic Football Club, as last year they struggled for a period in the league while they concentrated on their European exploits. If Celtic want to go further and further in Europe ( and why shouldn’t they ) they will have to be wary of any club which is capable of reigniting its fortunes from a lowly position or a position of having to look back at glory and potential glory rather than looking forward.
Further, with the way things are being organised at Ibrox, there is absolutely no guarantee ( some would say likelihood ) that an eventual challenge to a perceived dominance by Celtic will come from that quarter, and life in the top flight for any returning Rangers could prove very difficult if the likes of Aberdeen get their act together and start to produce the type of home grown team of old.
For now, I sense a degree of optimism about the Dons– not just on the playing front either. They have a fan base, they have a business model and a good young manager, and any comparative business exercise must conclude that they have every chance of rising above most of their rivals in the league, in terms of revenue, in terms of brand development and business expansion.
If I were an Aberdeen fan I would like to think positive and be ambitious in this climate, whilst at the same time casting an eye back to the days when they were top of the tree.
As one Aberdeen supporting ( but now Edinburgh based ) friend put it to me:
” Ah, those were the days my friend, those were the days……………”
Wriggle , Keith, Wriggle.
Does anyone really need to re-publish the Billionaire, off the radar wealth Guff which you swallowed from a P.R man in respect of CW? These people used YOU Keith . They used you to sell Season tickets. To get the money in for the Lloyds pay off. You in turn conned the readership. Without any background check. Without even Googling the name Craig White/Whyte for forensic back-up to the ludicrous claims.
As a journalist that is your job. Your work ethic. The Record is in broad terms a Newspaper. Not Oor Wullie, The Broons or the Beano. Grown ups read it, and tend to consider it as fact. How foolish you now look. You have been used, and they do not require your services anymore. You have become the enemy. Like us, the Internet Bampots. Like Phil, Paul Mac, BRTH, and more recently Charlotte. The difference though is apparent. These people know the truth, and are not afraid of it.
http://www.lse.co.uk/share-regulatory-news.asp?shareprice=RFC&ArticleCode=0qbo98f4&ArticleHeadline=Holdings_in_Company
David Low @Heavidor 4m
Laxey now @ 6.53% of RIFC per this morning’s announcement. Who will they vote for, I wonder? http://www.investegate.co.uk/rangers-int-f-c–plc–rfc-/rns/holding-s–in-company/201308191140589920L/ …
Nothing new here, but always worth repeating 😀
http://www.business-sale.com/news/article/sale-or-administration-for-rangers-fc-37287.html
Thanks Mr Jackson for helping clear my slightly paranoid mind about how you and your paper has been reporting the farce that is Sevco. I will be out first thing in the morning to buy a daily record with my faith restored in the smsm.
Shit was that a squirrel.
Just had a look for myself at Keith Jackson’s piece in the Daily Revision.
Affirmation if it was really needed, as to why the DR closed down their football comments page … an article containing as many lies as lines!
Keith Jackson ,daily record ,mark heatley ,daily record.jim traynor,daily record…..journalism oh my aching sides.
Lord Wobbly says:
August 19, 2013 at 9:03 am
I think there’d be just as much chance of him hitting it straight at a centre half, or striker, or whoever else pulls on the goalie’s jersey. Only the level of his embarrassment would change.
“This newspaper is a staunch supporter of Scottish football. Commercially, the more the game thrives in this country, the better it is for our business.
And while doubtless there are skewed and malevolent people out there who long for the day Rangers self-destruct for good, these extremist views are not shared across this office floor.”
From the Record’s Big Book of Journalism – Page 28 – “How to construct and label a Straw Man”
The Daily Record have already expressed an opinion on Rangers self destructing.
http://www.scotzine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/rip-rangers-235×300.jpg
Front page, full page so they must have been pretty sure of it.
Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
August 19, 2013 at 11:00 am
16 0 Rate This
Strange ticket availability at Ibrox for the next 2 home games
Rangers v Berwick – ramsdens cup – 27th aug – club deck closed but main stand open
Rangers v East Fife – Sat 31st – Entire main stand & Enclosure is unavailable – but Club Deck open
anyone any theories on this?
======
that the stand that is least likely to be photographed?
ie the one where TV cameras would be rather than the one they would be pointed at?
I suspect that in addition to the season tickets sold they have decided to make the remainder “free”
Could take advantage of that if you were looking to do some dry cleaning
Great piece by Keith Jackson.
Must be this submission which will him his THIRD title in a row next April;
‘Scottish Sports News Journalist of the Year”
And I’m a squirrel.
Quite a few people have just started tweeting that Main Stand safety cert has been revoked, due to ongoing issues with the roof. Would fit with the odd ‘ticket availability’ for the East Fife game.
Araminta Moonbeam QC says:
August 19, 2013 at 2:06 pm
I’d suggest waiting and seeing. I expect it’s some necessary but inexpensive (unless they’ve already paid for it from IPO money?) work required, and if it was all that serious, or dangerous, then the whole stand would be shut until the work is completed. Either that or they plan to have a flute band, marching up and down the rows like some demented conga, playing ‘inoffensive’ (without words) tunes throughout each match 😀
Of course, it might just be for the installation of the biggest Wi-Fi router in the world.
“And a full six months after he had banned yours truly for revealing what he was up to with the clubs season tickets in the first place”.
Correct me if I am wrong but I’m sure that the record printed a retraction a few days later so that the ban was rescinded.
There has been some excellent links on here regards money laundering in football.now if I had some sums of money which needed cleansed would it be possible for me to buy some shares in a new football club ,and on the promise that if the new club ran into troubled waters my investment would include a lucrative share of a lease agreement of a large sporting stadium and car park.as an added bonus what if the shares I bought were initially bought by others for 1p and even though I paid 40 p for them I was given a bonus for the purchase so clawing back some of my purchase instantly….no you’re right it would never work but this scenario should help craig whites script writer in the forthcoming book and blockbuster movie.maybe the sportswriter of the year could serialise it in his fine newspaper.
Re closure of stands ,word is that it is a world record infestation of squirrels.
wottpi says:
August 19, 2013 at 10:26 am
11 0 i
Rate This
A wee bit of general speculation on the split of shares dwon Govan way for anyEGM.
Rounded off there are 65m shares.
The fans bought £5m worth at 70p so thats 7.2m shares floating either way.
That leaves 57.8m.
The prospectus showed a list of names that would hold around 36.5m shares at the floatation.
These include Charlie and his mates but also Mike Ashley who may have dropped Charlie off his Xmas card list. We also do not know if and who Hughes and Ahmed may have sold there shares to. We have no idea if Laxey are on Charlie’s side. That initial list also includes Legal & General who may be on the side of professional corporate governance. The of course there are smaller but fairly substantial shareholders like Mr McCoist who were not listed.
So 36.5m held by those names in the prospectus, the fans 7.2m and those who put the £17m at the floation.
I’m guessing the named list may still hold sway over 30m of the orignal 36.5m. Prior has said he is undecided. Therefore it could be nip and tuck.
So the questions are
Did Charlie bring in new mates as part of the £17m or were they all ‘respected investors brought in by the reputation of malcolm Murray. Either Easdale is holding part of the post floation shares (but no regulatory news so no large holding??) or we are double counting as he will vote in the same manner as those he bought the shares from, eg Ahmed
Will the investors who weren’t amongst the initial chosen few and saw their investment of 70 drop to 42p in a matter of months along with none of the ‘promises’ in the prospectus come to fruition really want to support keeping Charlie and members of the current board in position.
Still plenty fun and games to be had.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Still plenty of fun and games indeed.
From previous posts, the agreement between Green and Laxey for the latter to acquire around 700,000 of Green’s shares appears to be compensation (contractually agreed) for the poor performance of the share price, post IPO. This begs the question as to whether other ”institutional investors” have similar agreements in place with Green.
Green’s (Ahmad’s) strategy appears to be three-fold…
1. Milk as much of the IPO/Season Ticket money as possible (ridiculous salaries/bonuses/commissions/payments to external ”friendly” providers…Cenkos, Turnberry hoteliers etc)
2. Keep as many of the ”institutional investors” on side as possible to get to the magic December 2013 lock-in date.
3. Rely on the additional (un-issued) 35 Million shares available as the carrot to ensure item 2 above. If I recall correctly, the IPO had a provision to allow up to 100Million shares to be issued.
Is it possible that such promises (combined with the alliance with the Easdales) will ensure that Green wins the day?
I am very hopeful that I have managed to, at long last, get logged in to this site…
I used to be abigboydiditandranaway but could not get through with my former identity which saddens me somewhat as I had become accustomed to it…
Good to be back, although I never really went away as I have been an avid reader of the blog all through the time I could not get logged on…
Just one question…
How f****** expensive is accomodation in Stranraer?
Hello – I know this is getting to be a regular thing but….another first time poster, so go easy on me!!
There have been some comments recently on the nature of power in Scotland – lawyers, bankers, judges, politicians etc all in a cosy cabal.
It seems to me that the unpaid taxes of Rangers, Hearts, Dunfermline and others is indeed a major political scandal which has not been met with the correct political response of, well, outrage!. Indeed quite the opposite has taken place – with politicans falling over themselves to save the clubs: from buying season tickets they will never use to urging the tax man to go easy on them.
Why?
Not once has any Scottish Government Minister spoken about the loss of millions to the tax payer of what happened at Ibrox, Tynecastle and elsewhere. Do our public services not need the money??
Why has the Scottish Parliament Sports Committee stayed silent?
Why has the Scottish Parliament Finance Committee stayed silent?
Why has the Scottish Parliament Local Government Committee stayed silent while (for example) Hearts shaft Edinburgh council tax payers for £90,000?
Luckily HMRC were based too far away to be silenced, the same with the MET police that first raided Ibrox. Strathclyde Police? they stood back, did nothing, and are owed £51,288 that they will never see….
Project Charlotte was named after a Square in Edinburgh that doesn’t just host David Murray’s Office
Yours – a disgruntled tax payer
p.s. here’s a list of Rangers Creditors – lots and lots of Scottish public services shafted here and lots of unpaid taxes:
A K Ray, Ross Hall Hospital, Glasgow £150
ADI UK, Preston £7620
AS St Etienne, France £252,212.39
ASL, East Sussex £2514
Acies Group, Edinburgh £2340
Adrian Coll, Balloch £1600
Alan Duncan, Glasgow £1400
Alexander West Property, Glasgow £2807
Alison Walker TV, Bearsden £600
Alliance Video, Surrey £204
Aon Limited, London £14,151
Arena Imaging, Derby £336
Argyll and Bute Council £406.80
Arsenal Football Club £136,560
Astra Hygiene Supplies, Dumbarton £61.27
Audi Stirling £396.05
Azure Support Services, Macclesfield £523,949.71
Azzurri Scotland, Burnley £34.63
BTWShiells, Belfast £2917.39
Barr Environmental Limited, Cummnock £264
Base Soccer Agency, London £52,560
Bauer Radio Ltd (Radio Clyde) £702
Beyard Services, Beith £5559.60
Bhutta’s Newsagents, Glasgow £567.45
Big Think Agency, Glasgow £14,265.60
Blooms UK Limited, Glasgow £70
Brabners, Manchester £12,999
Brentwood Estates, Manchester £42,963.06
Brian Proudfoot, Glasgow £2,802
British Gas £1,562.42
BT £1,292.13
Business Cost Consultants, Glasgow £6,240.60
Business Stream, Edinburgh £9,727.22
CNP Professional, Cheshire £719.96
CRE8, Gloucester £68,406.70
Cairn Financial, London £4,127.60
Cairns & Scott Caterhire, Glasgow £762
Cameron Presentations, Glasgow £8,795.99
Campbell Medical Supplies, Paisley £3,386.73
Camtec, Herts £552
Canniesburn Taxis, Bearsden £269.69
Capital Solutions, Edinburgh £11,423.40
Capito Ltd, Livingston £1,049.69
Carberry’s Coaches, Portadown Co Armagh £1,200
Carnival Chaos Production, Edinburgh £672
Carol Govan, Glasgow £600
Cask Productions, Glasgow £1,980
Cask Sports, Glasgow £2,919.60
Catercare Scotland, Stewarton £420
Charlton Chauffeur Drive, Glasgow £792
Chelsea FC £238,345.43
Childcare Vouchers, London £1,143.74
Chilli It, Chester £416.52
Chris Clarke, Kilmarnock £150
Christine Siebelt, Milngavie £1,100
Citrus Office Solutions, Lancashire £4,304.24
City Electrical Factors, Glasgow £215.40
Clyde Productions, Glasgow £180
Coca Cola £10,133.91
Colin Suggett, Sunderland £741.80
Collstream Limited, Derby £5,779.37
Collyer Bristow, London £40,691.22
Colours Agency Glasgow £1,980
Computer Links, Livingston £2,146.32
Computershare Investor Service, Bristol, £23,855.03
Craig Services & Access East Sussex £900
Culture & Sport Glasgow £10,338.96
Daily Record & Sunday Mail £312
DealBureau Commercial Finance, Southend £10,000
Decco Limited, Glasgow £174.72
Dell Computer Corporation, Berkshire £272.85
Direct Medical Imaging, Lancashire £230
Disclosure Scotland £372
Dominique S Byrne, Nuffield Hospital, Glasgow £160
Dr David A S Marshall, Bridge of Weir £160
Dundas & Wilson, Edinburgh £24,027.84
E.ON £8,827.14
Eagle Consulting, Inverness £40
Eagle Couriers, Bathgate £96.60
Eden Springs, Blantyre £644.64
Edinburgh Audi £5,197.08
Electrical Was te Recycling, County
Durham £18
Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Stirling £9,000
Events Audio Visual, Clydebank £300
Exchequer Corporate Finance , Surrey £4,000
Executive Hire, Harlow £1,060
FES FM, Stirling £80,874.93
FL Memo, London £116.86
FX Signs, Glasgow £15,546.56
G Media Mangement, Cheltenham £995
G4S, Surrey £295,036.24
GTG Training, Glasgow £396
Gareth Neil Design, Glasgow £3,200
Gerry McGeoch, Glasgow £150
Glasgow Audi £1,041.62
Glasgow City Council £5,000
Glasgow City Council (Council Tax) £2,008.21
Glasgow Leading Attractions (The Willow Tea Rooms) £1,525
Glasgow Taxis £TBC
Glencairn Crystal Studio, East Kilbide £354
Gordon McKay, Blackridge £150
HOBS Reprographics, Glasgow £270.15
HSS Hire Service £67.10
Hamilton Brothers, Bishopton £115.56
Hay McKerron Associates, Milngavie £3,600
Hepscott Water Systems, Morpeth £1,190.28
Hrvoje Bojanic Beethoveova, Zagreb, Croatia £2,898.42
Hutchesons Eductational Trust, Glasgow £550
ILC Media, Preston £2,040
IMG Media, Chiswick £180
Impact Signs, Cumbernauld £9,482.79
Integrated Cleaning Management, Hampshire £3,329.19
Iris Chorus Application Software, Devon £5,973.60
Iris Ticketing, Devon £37,210.42
Iron Mountain, Livingston £1,271.16
JCM Business Consulting, Paisley £2,745
JJB Sports £19,390.59
James Gordon (Engineers), Galston £1,437.68
Jewson, Glasgow £930.60
Joe Lennon Picture Framing, Bearsden £840
John Deere, Gloucester £41,191.59
K7X, Ayr, £240
Kalamazoo Secure Solutions, Birmingham £4,017
Keith Hawley, Glasgow £2,600
Kevin Cameron Radio Service, Paisley £600
Kube Networks, Glasgow £7,672.08
L & S Litho, Glasgow £17,035.04
Lothian Power Clean, Larkhall £194.34
LSK Supplies, Glasgow £178.58
Lawrie Furnishings, Paisley £607.20
Limelight Networks , Arizona £2,333.49
Link Seating Limited, Worcestershire £606.98
Loomis UK, Nottingham £2,248.08
Louis Grace Electrical, Glasgow £1,087.84
Lyco Direct Limited , Milton Keynes £2,381.27
MSM Solicitors, Paisley £420
MacGregor Industrial Supplies, Inverness £106.76
Mackinnon Partners, Gourock £200
Manchester City FC £328,248.71
Manea Florin Bucharest £37,500
Mar Hall, Bishopton £5,511.90
Marsh Ltd UK, Norwich £779.10
Martin Dawes, Warrington £654.74
Media House, Glasgow £19,200
MediaCom, Edinburgh £11,544.42
Menzies Hotels, Derbyshire £257.40
Michael Douglas, Glasgow £100
Milngavie Mini Market £413.29
Modular Property Holdings, Glasgow £20,930.22
Motif Promotional Clothing, Glasgow £27.29
Murray Group Holdings, Edinburgh £278,964.30
Nairn Brown (Glasgow) £1,492.50
National Car Rental, Leicester £162.52
Navyblue Design Group, Edinburgh £6,960
Newline Products, Glasgow £7,001
Newsquest (Herald & Times £1,500
Nexo S.A., France £1,799.37
Nicola Young, Glasgow £3,500
Noble Grossart, Edinburgh £18,612
Nordic Scouting, Oslo £20,000
North Glasgow College £11,041.80
OHSS, Edinburgh £234
OfficeFurnitureOnline.co.uk, Dumfires £338.40
Ooyala, California £733.92
Opal Telecom £169.72
Orebro SK £150,000
Oxford Hotels & Inns (Carnoustie) £3,709.96
PR Newswire Europe £300
PTS – Plumbing Trade Supplies, Leicester £30.42
Paramed, Howwood £1,050
Parklands Country Club, Glasgow £500
Parks of Hamilton £7,256
Paton Plant, York £1,450.16
Perform Group, Middlesex £346,097.43
Pineapple Aroundshot, Co Durham £2,316.96
Pineapple Photographic, Co Durham £5,875
Ping Network Solutions, Glasgow £4,020.25
Plum Films, Edinburgh £3,000
Posh Deli, Glasgow £260
Postage by Phone, Essex £510.80
Premier Cash Registers, Glasgow £12,600
Prime Commercial Properties
Management, London £10,805.53
Professional Pre-Season Tours (Libero), Glasgow £60,000
Quick Shift Tyre Service, Glasgow £48
R.F.Brown, Hamilton £1,681.44
RBS WorldPay, Cambridge £180.66
RS Components Limited, Northants £204.95
Rangers Lotteries Ltd, Glasgow £105.80
Reed Business Information, Surrey £2,764.80
Renfrewshire Council HQ £108
Restore Scotland, Paisley £579.74
Rigby Taylor Limited, Bolton £10,762.16
Rodgers Sercurity Systems, Glasgow £342.50
Ross Hall Hospital, Glasgow £770.50
Ross Promotional, Glasgow £1,022.88
Royal Mail £3,262.54
SDL Group, Glasgow £1,350
SG World, Cheshire £577.56
SIR Teknologi, West Sussex £TBC
SK Rapid, Austria £1,011,763.44
STRI, West Yorkshire £17.28
Saffery Champness, Glasgow £31,028.01
Scot-West Business Forms, Glasgow £749.60
Scotprint, Haddington £7,514
Scotrae Productions, Greenock £17,058.94
Scottish Ambulance Service £8,438.40
Scottish Hydro Electric £62,527.30
Scottish Power £302.44
Search Promotional Merchandise, Buckinghamshire £6,240
Shanks Waste Management, Southampton £122.58
Sharon Agnew, Glasgow £460
Shawfield Timber, Glasgow, £786.24
Shell UK £7,637.94
Shields Land Rover, Glasgow £246.75
Shred-it Glasgow £444
Sign Plus, Dunfermline £2,473.22
Signature Industries, London £1,507.90
Simplewaste Solutions, Clydebank £17,626.26
Sinclair Pharmacy, Glasgow £1,909.79
Slater Menswear , Glasgow £688.31
Solutions.tv, Glasgow £2,652
Sound Acoustic Productions, Glasgow £12,000
Souters Irrigation Services, Cumbernauld £456
Spike Multiedia, Giffnock £5,312.50
Sporting iD, Tyne and Wear £144.70
Sportopps.com, Belfast £150
Sports Alliance, Bury £2,006.65
Sports Revolution, London £5,034.52
Stellar Football, London £72,000
Stirling Fire Protection £1,149.30
Stockline Plastics, Glasgow £258
Strathclyde Police £51,882
Striking Imagery, Cumbernauld £113.51
Stuart MacMorran, Clydebank £422.50
Summit Asset Management, Surrey £70,555.88
Susan Thomson Your Sonsie Face, Glasgow £40
TNT £1,255.39
Tabs FM, London, £1,980
Tellcomm Limited, West Midlands £6,435.89
The Arco Group, Hull £443.43
The Brite Bulb, Bishopbriggs £3,209.64
The Burnbrae, Bearsden £1,403.88
The Business & Property Bureau, Bearsden £7,376
The Business Incentives Group, Glasgow £1,893.60
The City of Edinburgh Council £90
The Fees Company, Edinburgh £118.16
The Financial Times £3,480
The Scottish Football League £3,859.92
The Premier Property Group, Edinburgh £103,210.96
Thistle International Freight, Paisley £128.42
Thistle Storage Equipment, Cumbernauld £140.40
Thomas Cook Sport, Manchester £129,216.56
Ticket Team, Netherlands £873.36
Ticketline Network, Manchester £11,668.67
Trade UK (Screwfix) £77.01
Trident Trust Company, Jersey £40,689.90
UK Fast, Manchester £689.78
US Citta di Palermo, Italy £205,513.04
Umbro £1,756.05
University of the West of Scotland £135
Vodafone £204
Voicescape, Manchester £786.84
William Henderson, Glasgow £275
Yuill & Kyle Solicitors, Glasgow £1,486.80
Celtic FC £40,337
Dundee United FC £65,981.49
Dunfermline Athletic FC £83,370.13
Heart of Midlothian FC £800,000
Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC £39,805
SPL £22,500
SFA 11,089.04
HM Revenue & Customs £14,372,042
Ticketus, London £26,700,000
Debenture Holders (various) £7,736,000
Season Ticket Holders (various) £TBC
Employees Various £TBC
Hibeehibernian @ 3.40
Absolutely spot on!!!!
Lord Wobbly says:
August 19, 2013 at 9:51 am
…
Is TSFM literally built on a Star Trek theme…
“I need all the facts you can muster, Mister”
“I’m a doctor, not a fantasist. It’s dead, Jim”
“Fascinating”…
============
Nice one LW.
Worthy of a true Internet Bampot !
torrejohnbhoy(@johnbhoy1958) says:
August 19, 2013 at 11:57 am
9 0 Rate This
David Low @Heavidor 4m
Laxey now @ 6.53% of RIFC per this morning’s announcement. Who will they vote for, I wonder? http://www.investegate.co.uk/rangers-int-f-c–plc–rfc-/rns/holding-s–in-company/201308191140589920L/ …
__________________________
Laxey Partners Limited, which purchased a further one million shares in Rangers International Football Club plc last Thursday, confirmed it would back the stance taken by supporters’ groups at a proposed general meeting.
The Isle of Man-registered hedge fund now has a 6.53% stake in the company after purchasing the shares for around £410,000.
On Monday, Laxey Partners stated that it would vote in line with Rangers Supporters Association, Assembly and Trust in calling for the removal of directors.
http://news.stv.tv/west-central/2366…eeting-notice/
abigguydiditandranawaymister says:
August 19, 2013 at 3:38 pm
How f****** expensive is accomodation in Stranraer?
————————————————————————————————————-
Welcome back.
Only £82 pp pn – but no riff-raff. 🙁
http://mcmillanhoteltours.co.uk/index.php?h=cally&p=1
FAO Echobhoy: the Go-Ahead Group are being mentioned on KdS as possible
buyers for the Easdale’s bus interests.
Laxey Partners : If I remember correctly they have a track record of dividing their shares amongst 100 sub-companies in order to call EGM’s to lever in their own folk. Maybe we will get this egm after all. Is it too far-fetched to think that this is a double-bluff by Charlie and Co to start the asset stripping whilst the bears think Laxey are riding to their rescue? Or have I over-thunk this?
Ian Black issued with a very interesting notice of complaint.
http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=1961&newsCategoryID=1&newsID=12361
Roy Greenslade hands Jackson his arse on a plate!!
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/aug/19/daily-record-rangers?CMP=twt_gu
Daily Record engages in revisionism over its coverage of Rangers
Today’s Daily Record carries a magnificent piece of polemic by sports writer Keith Jackson about its coverage of the continuing crisis facing Rangers football club.
In fact, once put into historical context, it turns out to be a self-serving piece of revisionism. It makes no reference to the paper’s 180 degree turn.
The Record’s record in its coverage of the lengthy financial shenanigans at Rangers shows that it has nothing to shout about.
According to Jackson’s account, the paper has been at the forefront of exposing dodgy dealings down the years.
In January 2011, he writes, the Record “revealed the truth” about the “ruinous financial chicanery” of the then chairman, Craig Whyte.
I think he meant January 2012. But that’s a mere slip. The point is that Jackson, the supposed exposer of Whyte, had previously portrayed him as the club’s great saviour.
In November 2010, for example, Jackson described Whyte as the “financial whizzkid from Motherwell”, a “high roller” who had become “Scotland’s youngest self-made millionaire.”
In a breathless piece of puffery, Jackson told of the venture capitalist’s exploits that made him “millions from playing the markets” and able to control “a vast business empire”.
Whyte’s wealth was “off the radar”, wrote Jackson, and enabled him to acquire a castle in Grantown-on-Spey, “one of the most historic buildings in Scotland.”
Jackson and his then boss, Jim Traynor, depicted Whyte as a man of considerable wealth and thereby gave confidence to the club’s fans that he was a good bet to become its owner.
At that time, and afterwards when Whyte acquired the club, the Record (in company with other newspapers) failed to investigate whether the fanciful claims about his riches stood up to scrutiny.
As Channel 4’s reporter, Alex Thomson, revealed, in July 2011, Traynor even went to so far as to submit an article about Whyte for Whyte’s approval prior to publication.
In February 2012, Whyte was forced to put Rangers into administration. And a month later Whyte was deemed “not a fit and proper person” to own a football club following an inquiry on behalf of the Scottish Football Association. He was also fined £200,000.
But this sad saga runs on and on. Traynor quit the Record in December last year in order to become PR of Rangers, having been appointed by Whyte’s successor, Charles Green.
Four months later, the board of the reconstituted Rangers entity (Rangers International Football Club) issued a statement saying Green and the club’s commercial director, Imran Ahmad, were to be the subject of an inquiry following allegations about their management of the club.
And Green, now a “consultant” with Rangers, could possibly be ejected from that position too, a claim reported by the Record now that it has cast off its Ibrox cheerleading role. Or is it secretly cheerleading for a group within the club? Is it just not possible for it to be entirely impartial?
Anyway, one single, simple fact emerges from all this – Rangers football club got into trouble a long time ago and the mainstream media, whether by commission or omission, failed to do its job. Rather than hold the people in charge to account, it acted as a spin-doctor.
Belatedly, the Record shows signs of realising the error of its ways (without apologising to its readers for those errors). Jackson wrote today that Rangers is “a club which continues to self-harm spectacularly.”
If only he had written that three years or more ago. Then again, Traynor was his boss at the time. It’s no wonder, perhaps, that the former journalistic colleagues have fallen out of late.
Ian Black issued with Notice of Complaint
Monday, 19 August 2013
The Compliance Officer has issued the following Notice of Complaint:
Alleged Party in Breach: Ian Black, Rangers FC
Dates: 4th March 2006 to 28th July 2013
Disciplinary Rule(s) allegedly breached:
Disciplinary Rule 22 (Season 2012/13 and preceding Rules and Articles):
(1) By betting on three football matches on then-registered club not to win.
(2) By betting on a further 10 football matches that involved then-registered club.
(3) By betting on a further 147 football matches.
Principal Hearing Date: Thursday, 12th September 2013
Mr Black has until Monday 26th August 2013 to respond to the complaint.
Disciplinary Rule 22 (Rule 33 in updated Judicial Panel Protocol for season 2013/14): No club, official, Team Official or other member of Team Staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall bet in any way on a football match (except authorised and registered football pools).
Please note that there is no evidence to suggest any breach of Disciplinary Rule 23 (Rule 34 in updated Judicial Panel Protocol for season 2013/14).
Disciplinary Rule 23, for reference: No club, official, Team Official, other member of Team Staff, player, match official or other person under the jurisdiction of the Scottish FA shall knowingly behave in a manner, during or in connection with a match in which the party has participated or has any influence, either direct or indirect, which could give rise to an event in which they or any third party benefits financially through betting.
_____________
what are the penaltys for those offences ?
Today’s Daily Record carries a magnificent piece of polemic by
sports writer Keith Jackson about its coverage of the continuing crisis facing Rangers football club.
Belatedly, the Record shows signs of realising the error of its ways (without apologising to its readers for those errors). Jackson wrote today that Rangers is “a club which continues to self-harm spectacularly.”
If only he had written that three years or more ago. Then again, Traynor was his boss at the time. It’s no wonder, perhaps, that the former journalistic colleagues have fallen out of late.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/aug/19/daily-record-rangers
http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/rangers/236632-rangers-ian-black-accused-of-betting-against-own-team-by-scottish-fa/
Rangers’ Ian Black accused of betting against own team by Scottish FA
STV 19 August 2013 16:52 BST
Ian Black is accused of betting against his own team on three occasions.
Rangers midfielder Ian Black has been accused of betting against his own club on three occasions by the Scottish Football Association.
The former Inverness CT and Hearts man is accused of putting money on his team to not win matches between March 4, 2006 and July 28, 2013.
Black is also accused of betting on a further 10 games in which the club he was playing for were involved in, as well as betting on a further 147 games not involving his team.
The player will be asked to attend a hearing at Hampden on Thursday, September 12. He has until Monday, August 26 to provide evidence to the governing body.
Footballers registered in Scotland are prohibited by the Scottish FA from bet on any football match.
They are also not allowed to “behave in a manner, during or in connection with a match in which the party has participated or has any influence, either direct or indirect, which could give rise to an event in which they or any third party benefits financially through betting.”
================================
tony gordon @gordon_tony 1m
Has Ian Black just given sevco a £1m get out?
Disciplinary Rule 22 (Season 2012/13 and preceding Rules and Articles):
(1) By betting on three football matches on then-registered club not to win.
______________
looks like he has been laying the rangers on the exchanges
wonder if he was succesful
paulsatim says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:00 pm
0 0 Rate This
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I checked! Your post wasn’t there when I clicked ‘post’ on mine! Honest guv’nor!
Scottish FA charge The Rangers midfielder Ian Black with breaching betting rules – SSN
paulsatim says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:04 pm
~~~~~~~~~~
Grrrrr! 😀
HibeeHibernian says:
August 19, 2013 at 3:40 pm
59 0 i
Rate This
Why has the Scottish Parliament Sports Committee stayed silent?
Why has the Scottish Parliament Finance Committee stayed silent?
Why has the Scottish Parliament Local Government Committee stayed silent while (for example) Hearts shaft Edinburgh council tax payers for £90,000?
Yours – a disgruntled tax payer
———————————————————–
As a Hearts fans I’m pretty disgruntled myself – and as an ex employee of HMRC (albeit at a modest level) I am very disgruntled. However as a taxpayer who looks at governments of all/any complexion and shakes his head in disbelief at how businesses are able to shamelessly dump debt and carry on as if nothing has happened (all in the name of entrepreneuership, of course) I am right royally disgruntled.
And that’s why politicians are staying well out of it. Because if they get inviolved the t’internet bampots are going to ask the politicians what they are going to do about this. And we all know that no government is EVER going to get involved in bringing big business to book (forget the Amazon epsiode).I’m sure a question was asked in Parliament in recent years as to what was the level of tax right off in a given year because of bankruptcies. Apparently government doesn’t know because no records are kept. Just think about that for a minute. They can tell us what the alleged loss is because of dole scroungers , they can estimate losses to the Treasury caused by importation of fags & booze. But they can’t tell us how much big businesses costs the
taxpayer.
“Scottish FA charge The Rangers midfielder Ian Black with breaching betting rules – SSN”
Would these be cup games by any chance? With McCoist as manager?
Wonder which way he bet? 👿
Scottish football needs a strong Arbroath.
paulsatim says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:04 pm
http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/rangers/236632-rangers-ian-black-accused-of-betting-against-own-team-by-scottish-fa/
Rangers’ Ian Black accused of betting against own team by Scottish FA
…
================================
tony gordon @gordon_tony 1m
Has Ian Black just given sevco a £1m get out?
================================
‘Absolutely’ !
And a further wee bonus is that it is a nicely timed distraction from the TRFC Board meeting tomorrow.
I wonder who could have tipped off the SFA though… 🙄
An amazing yet simple piece by Roy Greenslade.
I particularly appreciated when he wrote…
“a claim reported by the Record now that it has cast off its Ibrox cheerleading role. Or is it secretly cheerleading for a group within the club?
Is it just not possible for it to be entirely impartial?”
TSFM
How about inviting Roy Greenslade to write a guest piece for this blog?
Alleged Party in Breach: Ian Black, Rangers FC
Dates: 4th March 2006 to 28th July 2013
_____________________
looks like hes been at it for a while
Time to bring out the old classic joke?
Name the footballers who played in Scotland whose names are to do with betting.
andy says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:01 pm
2 0 Rate This
Ian Black issued with Notice of Complaint
Monday, 19 August 2013 …
_____________
what are the penaltys for those offences ?
————
a) a weekend for 2 at Turnberry (with a free £50 bet from BetUnfair)
b) confirmation that since the bets were actually placed they cannot be unplaced, hence no action (Sandy Bryson)
c) Forfar will be disqualified from the Ramsdens Cup for not signing in triplicate for a box complimentary SFA pies
Lord Wobbly says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:05 pm
LOL, I also checked before I posted the Ian Black story and there was nothing there!!
Danish Pastry
with a free £50 bet from BetUnfair
__________
i take it you were on betfair before they became betunfair ?
Danish Pastry says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:19 pm
Brilliant!! Stolen and attributed for Twitter 😀
new world record for most online accounts closed in shortest space of time ??
mmm!…
wonder if he ever had a bet on himself to get booked?
he’d be a billionaire by now!
Charlotte Fakeovers @CharlotteFakes 14m
RIFC – Requisition of General Meeting.
Do the supporters of this motion really believe in transparency?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/161387119/RIFC-Requisition-of-General-Meeting …
#AimAlert
Good excuse for T’Rangers to sack Black and get another big earner off the wage bill.
paulsatim says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:35 pm
Colin Howell and John McClure signed in wrong place.
andy says:
what are the penaltys for those offences ?
——————————————————————————————————–
Like charity games Andy all done in good faith, nothing to see here move on.
Thanks Campbell any tips?
Do not take EBT’s. If you do I know nothing
There was a time here where 24 hours passed and nothing happened.
I’m sure there was.
Wasn’t there?
The tide of truth and revelations of deception on all fronts is rising.
Sooner or later it will be lapping around the ankles of Campbell Ogilvie, who has been on duty in various capacities at different organisations throughout this debacle.
I hear Teflon were thinking as rebranding as Ogilvie but are having second thoughts.
paulsatim says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:48 pm
paulsatim says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:35 pm
Colin Howell and John McClure signed in wrong place
===========================================
If that letter was sent to the SFA, would they both be up for a charge ?!
Oh wait a minute, it isn’t from Spartans… 😉
Marc @Jinky_Tim 5m
Why is it everyone with a colour as their last name causes a problem for sevco?
Black probably thought EBT stood for Extra Betting Time.
Scottish football needs a strong Arbroath.
technically black is an absence, not a colour
TallBoy Poppy says:
August 19, 2013 at 4:51 pm
FAO Echobhoy: the Go-Ahead Group are being mentioned on KdS as possible
buyers for the Easdale’s bus interests.
================================================
I noticed that earlier and I believe the source was given as twitter. At the end of the day it’s difficult at this stage to know whether, if a sale actually went ahead, it would actually affect the Easdales and their business interest in Rangers.
Indeed it might make no difference and no doubt time will tell.
Does anyone know how the allegations against Ian Black re betting against TRFC came to light?
A high earner who has underachieved in many people’s eyes could be oot the door. Maybe not bad news for the board.
#OpFDL @tommyinglasgow 1m
Shows been only on for 1/2 an hour & already we’ve had on Craig Brown & Ian Black
http://www.spreaker.com/user/glasgow-radio-online/sack_clyde_call_show_0141_416_1888 …
I gave him odds 4 getting sacked
No Pasaran @NCCMick 2m
ha ha ha @tommyinglasgow just had Ian Black on his show and offered to get him a club in MLS where he can place bets pmsl
HibeeHibernian says:
August 19, 2013 at 3:40 pm
110 0 Rate This
Best post I’ve read on here in a while and remind’s you why non-compliance with tax should not be tolerated. How many public service’s might have been saved if certain Scottish club’s met their obligation’s. But that might be for another forum, but shining a light upon the disgrace that it was, and still is certainly bring’s it home. From the start of all these stories, politician’s have been some of the worst rabble rouser’s. Nothing to do with free easy vote’s of course.
In terms of who oversaw the demise of Captain Black, I propose that it was Mr Green with the CCTV on the McGills coach
An easy way to cut costs… These Superbuses and luxury hotels all have cctv…..
54 to 1 on (1/54)
Slim (‘pickins’)
slimshady61 says:
August 19, 2013 at 6:36 pm
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In terms of who oversaw the demise of Captain Black, I propose that it was Mr Green with the CCTV on the McGills coach
An easy way to cut costs… These Superbuses and luxury hotels all have cctv…..
54 to 1 on (1/54)
Slim (‘pickins’)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Or is this the first stitich up job for Jack Irvine on behalf of the Easdales????
“i’ll get you (bet) butler!!”
jeez – on the buses too. spooky.
Helikaon @HelikaonHilkiah 4m
SFA – “Only match fixing could be worse”. Sevco – “Hold on a few months, Lunney”.
The more things change, Traynor to TRFC, Jackson 180 degree turn, the more they stay the same.
Traynor and his “For the avoidance of doubt” blurb. Really? That’s the best you’ve got?
Jackson – even by his standards – :slamb: :slamb: :slamb:
At least Traynor is not pretending any longer, but Jackson truly, and by any objective standard is a journalistic disgrace and a toady.
His “floor of this office” assertion is definitely incorrect.
I happen to know that Gregor Kyle would die laughing if The Rangers were to implode.
paulsatim says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:56 pm
3 0 Rate This
Marc @Jinky_Tim 5m
Why is it everyone with a colour as their last name causes a problem for sevco?
———–
In spivspeak it’s a purple patch, especially if there is a chance to get Black off the wage bill.
@Andy
Excuse my earlier zany humour on what is actually a serious subject. I don’t bet myself and am very much opposed to the proliferation of easy gambling. I suppose that makes me a puritan of sorts, but I’ve seen people who’ve been ruined by it.
Tommy from glasgow has been at it on the phone with Paul Murray. After all the carry on with Sandaza you would think Murray would know this guy. Given Paul’s great “rangersness” and all.
On Black. I have no particular axe to grind with the man. he is as entitled as any of us to earn a living, and as far as I can see, he hasn’t broken any national laws.
You have to say though, that Rangers’ ancestor club, once upon a time shopped at Harrods and Harvey Nics. Their offspring, now in distressed circumstances, are forced to hawk inn the Barras, and are finding the quality of the goods rather suspect.
Spivs beget spivs beget spivs. Black it appears has the genealogy of the TRFC – not RFC(IL)
paulsatim says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:19 pm
Rate This
Quantcast
Time to bring out the old classic joke?
Name the footballers who played in Scotland whose names are to do with betting.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
a favourite of my old dad
Campbell MONEY, Jim BETT and Mixu……… Pit a line oan!
paulsatim says:
August 19, 2013 at 5:35 pm
8 0 Rate This
Charlotte Fakeovers @CharlotteFakes 14m
RIFC – Requisition of General Meeting.
Do the supporters of this motion really believe in transparency?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/161387119/RIFC-Requisition-of-General-Meeting …
#AimAlert
=========================
are we due a reply from “the board” tomorrow?
Babylon Beachboy says:
August 19, 2013 at 7:09 pm
i must be same age as your dad! You missed out Davy D-odds!
Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
August 19, 2013 at 7:21 pm
Isnt the EGM tomorrow?
paulsatim says:
August 19, 2013 at 7:24 pm
0 0 Rate This
Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
August 19, 2013 at 7:21 pm
Isnt the EGM tomorrow?
———————————————–
nope, just a board meeting to sack their lord and master charles green – #seehowitpansout
NTHM, cheers. Mea Culpa. I sit corrected!
Just a thought…
If Black’s juicy contract was looking a bit vulnerable due to alleged betting, as per SFA charges…
Would Black be advised to check himself immediately into a rehab clinic, ‘for treatment’ ?
[A la Tiger Woods].
Would TRFC still be able to rip up his contract if he was receiving / had received treatment, or would they be obliged to publicly support him ?