A recent autumn storm caused the destruction of the metal goal fame in our garden. The small goal with the weather-beaten net had fallen into disuse. But I liked it seeing it there on the grass. I suppose I half-expected, half-hoped, it would be used again. Once, it was a father and son thing and had been constructed carefully from a nice set of plans. At the time, it impressed both son and daughter no end. But that was then, this was now.
One of our trees, blown over by the recent high winds, caused the goal frame’s final demise. As I unscrewed the twisted metal I thought of the hours of innocent fun it had given us. It had been the scene of many goals and not a few great saves. My son, who is soon off to uni, smiled thoughtfully as I mentioned that this was the end of the ‘goalposts of childhood’. Perhaps he knew what I meant.
My own childhood goalposts had been ‘doon the back’. Drawn with chalk on the red brick of the ‘sausage wall’ at one end, and on part of the ‘wash hoose’ at the other. Many a league, Cup and international match was played out between those goals on the Dennistoun dirt. We once put on a parallel version of a historic England v Scotland match while the real match was being played at Wembley. Jim Mone sitting on one of the dykes had a transister radio to his ear. As we played our match he chalked up live score updates on the wall — our Twitter and FaceBook anno 1967. What a day.
We did use a pile of jackets up on the old Dennistoun cricket pitch, but only rarely. Mostly, we played on the red gravel surface at the Finlay Drive entrance. That pitch was fitted with real goalposts — like the ones they had at Hampden. Or so we imagined.
These sentimental memories of receding years accompanied my removal of the ruined metal goal frame. But, as you can imagine, it seemed an almost symbolic act. For fans of Scottish football the ‘goalposts’ that once defined the game of our football childhoods — have not only been moved, they’ve been been twisted and mis-shapen out of all recognition.
The past decades have seen a fundamental change in the way our game is run and governed, at home and abroad. Money is now king and sporting consideration is a luxury we sometimes have to put to one side — or at least, so we’re told.
At the risk of stating the obvious, sport, if it is to mean anything at all, has to be based on clearly defined rules and principles. These rules must be applied equally to all the participants, they are certainly not optional extras. However, to misquote and paraphrase George Orwell, ‘all teams are equal, but some teams are more equal than others’ — at least, when it comes to Scottish football.
The efforts by the SFA to re-interpret rules to fit the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the demise of Rangers FC in 2012 have left most of us scratching our heads. Much of the Scottish media has backed up the SFA’s efforts, something which has added to the general confusion and chaos. In fact, it’s become clear that the death of Rangers, as we knew them, has been such a traumatic event that it must be denied. The authorities and media seem to have been so besotted with one club that its loss is out of the question. And so, it’s been gifted a bizarre kind of immunity from liquidation and death that implies its on-going existence, long after it drew it’s final breath.
This situation has opened the door to a legion of businessmen on the make. They have been allowed to perpetuate the myth, with SFA blessing, that they ‘saved’ Rangers. And their unwavering message is, that they can only succeed if fans keep giving them their hard-earned cash. To those outside the blue bubble it looks like a huge con trick. If the only source of real money in football is the fans, then the Ibrox faithful have been royally fleeced.
How different it could have been if the former club had been allowed a dignified end. A year out of the game would probably have allowed fans to restart a newco of their own. They could have applied for entry into the professional leagues along with the other clubs waiting in line. Chances are they would have been given special dispensation, and walked straight into the bottom tier. Of course, they would have claimed to be the continuation of the spirit of the previous entity — but would anyone have argued against that? How different it could have been if the rules governing the game had been respected. The SFA may even have kept their dignity intact and the press not felt obliged to print half-truths, falsehoods and lies.
You’ve got to wonder why Dunfermline and Hearts fought so desperately to avoid liquidation. After all, the Scottish football authorities now seem intent on convincing us that liquidation has little or no effect on a football club. Even past sins, such as wrongly-registered players are as naught — if, at the time, they were thought to have been registered correctly. By this logic, we have to ask: if a ‘company’ running a ‘club’ bribes a referee, will retrospective action will be taken against the ‘club’. The players and the club, after all, will have done nothing wrong. And since the referee was not known to have been bribed, and not struck off, he was qualified to referee the match in question, at the time. Using the SFA thought process, the result would probably be allowed to stand. Personally, I’m not sure I follow SFA logic. They’ve ‘moved the goalposts’, and (you saw it coming) bent them into an unrecognisable shape.
Which brings me back to our garden. The old metal goal frame is waiting to be driven down to the local re-cycling centre. The twisted metal and worn-out net are useless. Ruined by forces beyond our control. There is no interest in a replacement at present. Perhaps, if we have grandchildren, they will show an interest in football. If they do, I’ll build a new set of goalposts. They’ll be straight and true, the way the goalposts of childhood should be. The way goalposts should always be.
Hi all.
Things much worse on HMS Sevco than I had previously thought.
The next month could be brutal.
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/four-weeks-to-get-it-right/#more-4318
highfibre at 1:54 pm covered the balancing question. I think what you’re referring to is is labelled as UT – uncrosssed trading.
Thanks for the reply Slim
Credit for what follows is due to a guy who posts as HibeeJibee on PieandBovril (apologies if already posted here and I’ve missed it). It’s an overall good news story on SPFL Premiership attendances after 22 matches. Because it’s good news, not much chance of it being in the MSM!:
“With matchday 22 now reached and complete, bar a couple of postponed games, it’s now possible to see how clubs are faring so far against last season’s crowd figures.
And it’s more (NOT – Armaggedon Slow Lingering Death – struck through in original post) heartening stories, with 8 of 12 clubs up on last season, and the divisional average up by 262 (2.7%), despite the replacement of Dundee with Partick.
Note – everyone knows that Celtic, for example, publish ‘tickets sold’ rather than ‘people actually attending’. However, they’ve been doing this for several years, so nothing is untoward with this exercise in comparison.
No surprise that Ross County are down, given poor performances and their second season. Nor Kilmarnock, given the boycott situation.
By far the most impressive rise is at Aberdeen, although credit for St Johnstone whose crowds have toiled somewhat in previous seasons.
(Taysider: I’d just add credit to the Hearts fans as well for a great effort in the circumstances)
2012-13 = season average
2013-14 = season average thus far
Premiership
2012-13 = 10,022
2013-14 = 10,284
up 262 (2.7%)
Aberdeen
2012-13 = 9,611
2013-14 = 12,428
up 2,817 (29.3%)
Celtic
2012-13 = 46,917
2013-14 = 47,173
up 256 (0.6%)
awaiting delayed games v St Mirren and Kilmarnock, which should depress the figure slightly
Dundee United
2012-13 = 7,547
2013-14 = 7,748
up 201 (2.7%)
Heart of Midlothian
2012-13 = 13,163
2013-14 = 14,043
up 880 (6.7%)
Hibernian
2012-13 = 10,489
2013-14 = 11,106
up 617 (5.9%)
Inverness CT
2013-13 = 4,038
2013-14 = 3,854
down 184 (4.5%)
Kilmarnock
2012-13 = 4,647
2013-14 = 4,159
down 488 (10.5%)
Motherwell
2012-13 = 5,362
2013-14 = 5,145
down 217 (4%)
awaiting postoned game v Inverness CT, which should further depress the figure slightly
Partick Thistle
2012-13 = 3,614 [SFL1]
2013-14 = 5,332
up 1,718 (47.6%)
awaiting postponed game v St Johnstone, which should depress the figure slightly
Ross County
2012-13 = 4,430
2013-14 = 3,723
down 707 (15.9%)
awaiting postponed game v Inverness, which should improve the figure
St Johnstone
2012-13 = 3,712
2013-14 = 4,183
up 471 (12.7%)
St Mirren
2012-13 = 4,389
2013-14 = 4,465
up 76 (1.8%)
I have read several posters speculating on the “shorting” of the Sevco shares, however this is highly unlikely if not impossible.
Like many on here, I was astounded at the take up of the IPO and especially, “institutional” involvement. I don’t believe for a minute these institutions have been investing collective monies, more likely fronting for a specific investor or investors.
When I saw the initial price climb to over ninety pence, I contacted all the major stockbrokers I know with a view to shorting the share myself. I even tried to get a long term spread bet on the price via a couple of specialist bookmakers, to no avail, even though they do spread bet on AIM shares.
In order to “short” a share there has to be a lot of trading and readily available shares. The Sevco shares have been trading on periodic auction calls since the IPO. This is because the supply and demand is minimal. As I understand it, in these circumstances it is virtually impossible to access a shorting deal.
Always happy to be corrected though………..
Cheats then, Liars now, DISGRACE forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No1 Bob says:
January 14, 2014 at 2:08 pm
Mr McCoist: “I wanted to do it as a supporter and when I am long gone the shares I have invested in the club will be passed down in my family.
——
That sounds very similar to something Mr Green said about his shares being destined for his grandchildren, doesn’t it?
See this whole “plummeting share price” malarkey?
Does that actually have any effect on Rangers as a company (or two)? Other than them apparently being not worth so much on paper, that is.
I mean, other than it being quite an entertaining sideshow, it seems to me as a humble bass guitarist that it’s kind of irrelevant because none of that money is being lost by the company – and spivs are still quids in until the price drops below 1p.
Or a meringue?
normanbatesmumfc says:
January 14, 2014 at 2:32 pm
=================
Thanks, Norman, I bet you wish you had found someone to take your bet when the shares were 90p!
Anyway, you clearly know a lot more about this market than I do. So can you explain for me, just as an example, a trade today of 16 shares for a value of £4.58, timed at 14.10.23? Because I really can’t get my head round stuff like that, unless it’s someone gaming the market, but in ways I clearly don’t quite grasp.
How’s the hotel business these days, by the way?
Angus1983 says:
January 14, 2014 at 2:40 pm
3 0 Rate This
See this whole “plummeting share price” malarkey?
Does that actually have any effect on Rangers as a company (or two)? Other than them apparently being not worth so much on paper, that is.
=============
The major effect is that it makes it much more difficult to raise money through a new share issue. If they want to raise another £20m, say, then to repeat the “success” of the original IPO, they now have to sell nearly three times as many shares.Assuming anyone is interested. That dilutes the existing shareholders to a disastrous extent.
So it’s all or nothing on a sugar daddy at that point. Who might as well buy up existing shares. At least it’s getting cheaper for Dave King, which is how the bears are spinning it.
neepheid says:
January 14, 2014 at 2:51 pm
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normanbatesmumfc says:
January 14, 2014 at 2:32 pm
=================
Thanks, Norman, I bet you wish you had found someone to take your bet when the shares were 90p!
Anyway, you clearly know a lot more about this market than I do. So can you explain for me, just as an example, a trade today of 16 shares for a value of £4.58, timed at 14.10.23? Because I really can’t get my head round stuff like that, unless it’s someone gaming the market, but in ways I clearly don’t quite grasp.
How’s the hotel business these days, by the way?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
A lot of these small transactions do not make sense right enough, especially where there is probably a brokers fee of £6.50-£12 per trade!
If someone had bought 1,000 shares and instructed a stockbroker, or placed an electronic deal to sell at say 30p. It is possible that only 900 could be sold at that price, so unless it was a “fill or kill” deal, the 900 would be sold leaving a holding of 100 shares, which could be sold later to clear the portfolio of the particular share. Other than that, automatic trading could be taking place, where a share hits a certain price triggering some automatic buy or sell deals, however if there are only a limited number of shares available for the opposite side of the transaction, only a few shares may change hands.
As has been mentioned before, the share price has little effect on the business of the company, however if you’re sitting on 5,000,000 then obviously every penny fall loses you £50k on paper……ouch!
Phil
A banker once tried to explain to me that if a company was making a loss it had to right the ship three times to continue. Suffice to say that it was said in stern enough tones to suggest he didn’t think it was possible.
Firstly it had to stop doing whatever the hell was causing the loss in the first place (I’ve reduced the expletives in his original statement to get that one past the mods btw). That is essentially what the 18 months-too-late austerity measures will seek to achieve.
Secondly, it had to fill in the hole that the loss had left. He distinguished here that a one off loss (or profit for that matter) was an accounting trick – remember the numerous property revaluations – but a consistent loss was the financial equivalent of burrowing ants on an earthen floor i.e. bad bad news. Funnily enough the example he gave was that just when the required austerity kicked in, so too did, and I kid you not, his exact words – “rampant property repairs.”
Thirdly, if you’re still around to see ‘thirdly’ that is, you have to put the model on the track that should have been followed in the first place.
The particular problem for Sevco here is the word expectation (some would say sense of entitlement). As soon as Wallace performs a minor miracle and sees them limp to the 2nd Div, the war chest stories will start for the championship. Same again in 12 months time, they hope. Getting to the SPL won’t be good enough, cos THEY’RE in it and, most likely, winning it. Even if Timmy is put back in his place, its next stop the CL.
They simply do not have the reserves any more to try to lever step three. One would have thought competitiveness and sustainablility will now be required to justify investment, not the other way around. They can’t even do the glossy share issue complete with controlled operating costs, property development reserves and rainy day funds because they’ve already pulled that fast one. Anyone investing now (as opposed to picking up this famously immortal entity for a song post liquidation mk2 ) probably needs more scrutiny than the original shysters, not less.
On Dave King.
Clearly as the price gets lower it becomes cheaper and cheaper for him to buy a controlling interest. However he also knows that he will immediately be seen by the support as the new messianic figure, it will be up to him to put in the money to get them back to their rightful place etc.
However since he exited the scene they have issued audited accounts and they show a trading deficit of around £1m / month. Remember that’s just the gap they need to fill to break even. That’s as bad as it was when Murray sold to Whyte, except at that time they had a decent squad and European competition. It was that European competition which filled the gap in any years they broke even, without it huge losses.
What’s King’s incentive to get involved. It very much looks like a no win situation.
Oh and that’s assuming he still has a lot of money, after having done his deal with SARS.
Tif Finn says:
January 14, 2014 at 3:22 pm
I see on the Bears Den that King is once again being touted as the possible saviour.
To be fair to King duirng the Mather begging chapter he has been one of the few who has indicated that it was going to take someone throwing around £10m a year at the club to get it out of the grubber and back into the top flight.
Whether or not he still holds to those figures and that opinion given the months that have since passed, who knows?
However having been duped by SDM and wary of Whyte he will not want to do anything unless he has some from of control and/or, to use the football cliche, 110% confidence in those running the club.
Of course I’ve not mentioned the small issue of a convicted tax doger who the SA courts called a ‘Glib and Shameless Liar’ possibly not being fit and proper but lets leave that for another time.
TIF
“What’s King’s incentive to get involved. It very much looks like a no win situation.”
Firstly it would stop “The club going bust” and “Rangers…going out of business.” Please note these thoughts are not mine I am quoting Stephsmart in the Rangers News here.
Secondly it would avoid the draconian penalties that Peter Lawells SFA would obviously seek to impose kicking them whilst they’re down – Stephsmart again but I paraphrase this time
Thirdly it would avoid the possibility of picking up the very thing he’s wanted all along (was promised all along?) on the cheap post liquidation, instead paying relative top dollar for it now, cos its the Rangers Way.
Glad to help.
The interim results at RIFC are due to be provided to the Aim market by the end of March. However common practice for plc’s ( large ones) is that internal reporting for regions or subsidiaries has to be provided to HQ within 7 working days of the trading period end. This is to allow the quoted company to start planning for meetings with analysts and for the market presentations to follow.
Many of the regions and subsidiaries will dwarf RIFC in size and complexity of accounts.
The point is that RIFC are likely to know exactly how badly they have traded in the interims to 31/12/13 . If that information has somehow slipped out, when it should have remained confidential , then who knows what actions a significant shareholder might take
If Mr King is to try to take control of the clumpany he must first buy the shares from existing shareholders so he has to make an attractive offer to some of the spivs. Unfortunately to gain control he needs 51% of the shares and that’s when it becomes expensive.
When a person or group acquires interests in shares carrying 30% or more of the voting rights of a company, they must make a cash offer to all other shareholders at the highest price paid in the 12 months before the offer was announced. That’s 88.5 pence per share if I remember correctly.
Barcabhoy says:
January 14, 2014 at 3:58 pm
Good point.
I don’t see scope for shorting shares for the reasons given by the poster above. It is much more likely that someone already in the game is cashing out to another player who is consolidating their holding. If that’s the case we should see another Holding’s Statement in the next few days. (Which on recent form will further depress the market price
)
IIRC Mr McCoist was listed as a key employee, does that not mean that any share dealings by him are reportable?
Institutional Investors – I thought it had been concluded that some Institutional Investors took positions on instructions from specific clients, rather than investing in a “good” deal for a range of clients?
There is a real fin de siècle feel about recent events, maybe those predicting Admin have a case.
Can a convicted criminal, and a person who was a board member of a previous incarnation of a clumpany which was driven to liquidation actually be allowed to own, or participate in any way, in the running of a Pheonix club?
Does the Law allow this?
I know the SFA would be comfortable with it.
Giovanni says:
January 14, 2014 at 4:10 pm
This is also a position Mr Easdale could find himself in, if his proxies are deemed to be in effect a group of shareholders acting in concert?
No1 Bob says:
January 14, 2014 at 2:08 pm
It won’t have been Ally selling his shares to be honest. After all, he did come out with this:
“I have personally invested in the club,” said McCoist. “I think the best way to put it is that I have bought shares in the club as a fan, I haven’t bought them specifically as the manager.
“I wanted to do it as a supporter and when I am long gone the shares I have invested in the club will be passed down in my family. It is obviously close to my heart and like a lot of Rangers supporters will do, I did it on behalf of my family, it’s not so much for myself, more for my sons than anything else.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/9751359/Ally-McCoist-buys-Rangers-shares.html
==================================================================
It always pays to be careful in deciding what Ally is actually saying as double-speak seems to trip off his tongue rather easily IMO.
If my memory is correct he got the allocation of his 1 million 1p shares in Sevco Scotland approx in June/July 2012 for serbices rendered to the clumpany.
What I believe he is talking about in the DT article is the 70,000 shares he apparently bought at the IPO in December 2012 at 70p a share and these are the ones I think are supposed to go to his kids. I am pretty sure he isn’t referring to the earlier 1 million shares.
Ally seems to like and have need for a lot of dosh and if he hasn’t sold the 1 million shares then his erse must be in buttons watching his personal pot of gold disappear down the plughole at an alarming rate. But if he sells then it might be viewed as a traitorous act – What to do ❓
scapaflow says:
January 14, 2014 at 4:13 pm
Barcabhoy says:
January 14, 2014 at 3:58 pm
IIRC Mr McCoist was listed as a key employee, does that not mean that any share dealings by him are reportable?
————————————————————–
I don’t think they are reportable. The only way McCoist and Ahmad were affected sharewise as the only two Key Employees was through a lock-in which have now lifted
The SFA is cleaning up its act ? Some astonishing quotes from SFA website.
============================================================
“The Scottish FA today launches Keep It Clean…
Central to the awareness campaign is the creation of an Integrity Hotline…
The line will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will remain active for the remainder of the season…
Stewart Regan, Scottish FA Chief Executive: “The threat posed to the integrity of the game is clear and present…We have appointed a new security and integrity officer…”
Neil Doncaster, SPFL Chief Executive:
“We are delighted to be part of Keep It Clean and urge all our member clubs to work with us to keep the game in this country free from unsavoury occurrences that have affected other countries. We will provide any support we can to maintain Scottish football’s impeccable reputation.”…
Shona Robison, Minister for Sport and Commonwealth Games:
“Integrity and trust in our national game is hugely important to fans and clubs and Keep It Clean is a welcome initiative. I congratulate all the partners involved who have spotted the potential for damage to Scottish football’s reputation and have taken decisive action to help keep these issues out of football.”…
====================================
Before anyone gets excited, the phone number is not available to mere paying fans – and the focus is primarily on match fixing.
No Hotline phone number has been made available for reporting SFA corruption… 🙄
http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=12996&newsCategoryID=1
ecobhoy says:
January 14, 2014 at 4:31 pm
Ta
slimshady61 says:
January 14, 2014 at 1:59 pm
The share price is really academic as far as the day to day trading of the company is concerned; it matters not if the price is rising or falling – that is only a matter for the shareholders themselves.
What appears to be happening here is that the small shareholders are being squeezed/induced to sell, particularly those who bought in at 70p.
==========================================================
I agree that in the particular way the Rangers pre-IPO shareholding is structured the price is most probably academic but that isn’t always the case and when shares prices slump you can get combined shareholder action tackling the Board and things can get very bloody very quickly.
I’m also not sure that what’s going is to squeeze/induce the small shareholders to sell because the vast majority of them are the fans and to be fair to the Bears they paid their money to save their club and they just won’t sell because they made an emotional decision not a financial one.
There are four distinct groupings as I see it in the Rangers shareholding: Firstly the original Sevco 5088 consortium who switched to Sevco Scotland and who have/had most of the 1p shares. then the pre-IPO later investors in Sevco Scotland/TRFCL some of whom got 1p shares although some of them paid £1 a time like Laxeys till they squealed like a stuck-pig but that’s another tale.
Then at the IPO we had the fans and the institutional investors although there are strong suspicions that many of the II purchasers were for anonymous clients who already held pre-IPO shares either as Sevco 5088 or Sevco Scotland investors.
I can’t think of any other way of explaining how Green managed to raise £17 million in institutional investment. It never seemed to make sense and subsequent events have only reinforced my feelings on it.
Smugas says:
January 14, 2014 at 3:17 pm
Indeed.
My sources painted a picture for me today of things being at crisis level.
The next four weeks are crucial.
Having the cash for the redundancy programe seemed to be a measure issue for Nash,Stockbridge and Wallace.
41. PhilMacGiollaBhain says:
January 14, 2014 at 4:53 pm
Smugas says:
January 14, 2014 at 3:17 pm
Indeed.
My sources painted a picture for me today of things being at crisis level.
The next four weeks are crucial.
having the cash for the redundancy programe seemed to be a measure issue for Nash,Stockbridge and Wallace.
insertguttedsmiley
StevieBC says:
January 14, 2014 at 4:35 pm
Neil Doncaster, SPFL Chief Executive:
“We are delighted to be part of Keep It Clean and urge all our member clubs to work with us to keep the game in this country free from unsavoury occurrences that have affected other countries.”
——
Not unsavoury occurrences that have affected THIS country, then? What a surprise.
Integrity Hotline? Do what? I believe these people are away with the faeries.
The SFA have an Integrity Hotline?
& supported by Doncaster?
How many `independent` inquiries?
Brazen – Truly
You really – really – could not make this stuff up……………………………
Blimey 😉
StevieBC says:
January 14, 2014 at 4:35 pm
http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=12996&newsCategoryID=1
Any reason why Campbell “EBT” Ogilvie is NOT in the pic?
Hmmmmm
ecobhoy says:
January 14, 2014 at 1:14 pm
……………………………….
His interest in Debenhams yesterday cost him a cool £46 million…..now as a shareholder at Ibrox why does he not want to make a serious investment in the Govan club?
A guy who does appear to have wealth off the radar!
Anyone?
iamacant says:
January 14, 2014 at 5:18 pm
StevieBC says:
January 14, 2014 at 4:35 pm
http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=12996&newsCategoryID=1
Any reason why Campbell “EBT” Ogilvie is NOT in the pic?
Hmmmmm
===========
Yes – I immediately thought that myself…
…but then it became obvious: Ogilvie was probably manning the Integrity Hotline… 🙄
And did you see the small print on the ‘Keep it Clean’ poster they are holding ?
[* any club operating in Govan is excluded from this promotional campaign]
mibbees.
On the topic of internal corruption, does the new Integrity Hotline take reverse charge calls?
Quote from Mr Regan ” Football relies on everybody in it being honest”.
Not a word about a bit of retrospection being applied, of course. Just from now on, when all the damage has been inflicted.
Who can believe a word that any of them now come out with, absent an apology for all that has gone before?
StevieBC says:
January 14, 2014 at 4:35 pm
Was that a Hotline or a new Call Centre?
Had a wee look at that SFA ‘Keep It Clean: Scottish football unites with Crimestoppers’ article. Now, I’m maybe getting past it, but is Walter McAdam, Coaches and Managers’ Association, who is quoted along with the other 4 folk in the photo (with no CO), not actually Alex Smith?
Maybe he has a double (now and again).
“Central to the awareness campaign is the creation of an Integrity Hotline – powered by the independent charity, Crimestoppers – providing players, coaches, match officials, club officials and football administration staff with an anonymous phone service to raise any concerns that compromise the national sport: from match-fixing, betting patterns, doping issues or other unlawful pressures applied from third parties around or outwith the game”.
ARE THEY TAKING THE P*SS?
They could start by hiring a roofer to take a look at gaff in Govan!
I wonder how many SPFL premier league clubs are gonna get a visit based on an anonymous call made from a Govan dialling code?
Perhaps a helpful journalist could inform the SFA that their campaign slogan has a typo…
“Keep It Clean”
should really be
“Make It Clean”
At least the informed Internet Bampots know the truth, and can see through this charade.
The SFA is a joke.
A couple of things that have been discussed today on the blog that I have been musing over. I’ve also been musing over the way they appear to have been greeted by those afflicted by ‘Rangersness’ and the positive spin they continue to put on things most would see as disasters.
My musings:
Share price falling – fact
Expensive repairs required – rumour based on fact
Well, the share price undoubtedly continues to fall, but the bears seem content that this doesn’t affect the day to day running of the club. After all, didn’t the Celtic internet bampots tell them this when the price was standing at 90p? So all’s well, and what’s more, it’ll make it easier for the King of Sugardaddys to scoop up the shares so Champions League, here we come!
Even the expensive repairs to Ibrox have a silver lining, because that’ll make a sale and leaseback of the stadium unlikely, if not impossible, so ‘The Big Hoose’ is safe.
There you are, when you are as BIG as Rangers (even just their spin off), what’s bad news for any other club/company, is a pathway to glory for them. And long may they think so.
My continued musings:
The share price falling, in itself, doesn’t spell disaster for a company – if it’s owned and run by people who have an emotional attachment rather than just a financial one; or doesn’t have assets worth more than the sum of it’s shares. But we know that between 65% and 75% of RIFC’s shareholders are there for the money, with no emotional attachment to the company (going by the voting at the AGM) and they will want as much money as they can get for their shares, regardless of the market price. While a sugardaddy might manage to secure the supporters shares at the market price, the rest of the 25% to 35% will want to get as much as possible, unless they are desperate to cut their losses and run, but even then, they will be harder to deal with than the supporters. Basically, RIFC will cost this sugardaddy the sum of all it’s assets, plus whatever the spivs figure they can get.
Then add into this situation the idea that a sale and leaseback is not possible (perhaps) with the stadium in such a bad state of repair. I suspect that, rather than secure Ibrox for TRFC, this might make a sale to a developer more likely – unless Mr Sugarking is prepared to buy it at their price and foot the repair bills himself.
Continued musings:
Spivs tend to move in when the sum of a company’s assets is greater than the sum of it’s share value, then they asset strip. They are already there…
Please take careful note, these musings are entirely my own and should not be used when considering your next share purchase; nor used as the basis of your next argument down the pub 😉
STOP PRESS
François Hollande has set up a Fidelity Hotline in association with Channel 4’s Wife Swap
You couldn’t make this up!
Evening all, long time lurker first time poster (what’s your point caller, etc…)
Anyway, we have a couple of headline friendly announcements from the SPFL today about their honesty hotline (lolz) and clubs now being allowed to loan 2 players from the same team. However, wasn’t today supposed to be the meeting where it would be decided that clubs suffering an “insolvency event” would only be “demoted” 1 division instead of starting at the bottom where new clubs should start?
Are todays headlines simply “look, there’s a squirrel” for us while the real underhand intention of this meeting has being done in the background.
Raman triumphantly announces
3m shares today traded worth over six hundred thousand pounds
andygraham.66 says:
January 14, 2014 at 6:20 pm
Raman triumphantly announces
3m shares today traded worth over six hundred thousand pounds
________________________
Would that not mean he doesn’t support TRFC after all? I mean, it’s being triumphantly announced all over the internet, but not by bears!
I hear the SFA have now appointed an INTEGRITY OFFICER (stop laughing at the back ) as totally useless jobs go .I look forward to the appointment of weed controller at the Artric circle 🙄 🙄
SFA Integrity hotline!
An oxymoron if ever I heard one.
Tif Finn says:
January 14, 2014 at 3:22 pm
I see on the Bears Den that King is once again being touted as the possible saviour
========================================================================
Dave King won’t come near Ibrox until the lease back has been confirmed. He will then appear as the saviour to help out with the rent,
For the avoidance of doubt if King were to save them right now by buying out the shares at todays price, he has allowed money to seep out of TRFC at the rate of at least 1 million for each of the 3 months he has delayed buying them. This delay will have allowed the amount of money to leave via contracts with spivs to be more than the amount he would save on a few pennies on shares.
The spivs win either way. King wins neither way.
Everyone knew when he walked away 3 months ago what the message was.
Will be back when the carcass is stripped……………..
Perhaps the only topic (?) which unites all Scottish football fans – including TRFC fans [but for different reasons] :
A total disregard for the SFA.
A thread has started on RM – about the new ‘Keep It Clean’ campaign and the Integrity Hotline – with title;
“Can the SFA get any more laughable?”
& includes a few funny responses so far ;
“…I thought this was a joke at first, but after scoping out the whole thing, it seems deadly serious! ”
“Please press one if your complaint is about Rangers. If your complaint is about anything else, you may hang up.”
“Can we phone them up and complain about the SFA? ”
“They really are beyond parody. “
Galling Fiver – the whole fit and proper malarkey is a huge rat with a big bushy tail , that likes to bury its nuts!
SDM is deemed a fit and proper person to run a football club currently – this despite knowing that he engaged in various shenanigans that made the SFA registration process futile and then covered up and withheld/shredded evidence requested by SFA/SPL. Seems extraordinary that someone with this known and proven track record would be able, if he so wished, come back without any issues.
The only person deemed not to be fit and proper and banned from able to have any interest in any club in Scotland has been the RFC-NIL scapegoat CW. No one else has been banned – not even after reading the findings of LNS. I find that incredible!
The other advantage The Lying King has is that is if AIM object to him, he can be on the TRFC board. If for some reason his pals at the SFA don’t give him the ok, he can sit on RIFC board. Its a bit like the Robert De Niro character in Casino – keep shuffling the chairs to suit yourself.
Las Vegas and the Nevada Casino Board
Scottish football and SFA
Not sure which one of these will be highlighted as the best example of corruption in years to come!
iamacant says:
January 14, 2014 at 5:18 pm
16 1 Rate This
StevieBC says:
January 14, 2014 at 4:35 pm
http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?
page=2986&newsID=12996&newsCategoryID=1
Any reason why Campbell “EBT” Ogilvie is NOT in the pic?
Hmmmmm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It seems to me that this is the most significant presence…
Kate Johnston, Crimestoppers Commercial Manager: “Crimestoppers is delighted that the Scottish FA is leading the way by putting in place further robust measures to protect the integrity of Football in Scotland and is pleased to be able to provide them with an anonymous and secure outlet to do this.”
“We also provide this service to UK Anti-Doping and the British Horseracing Authority and have done so for a number of years with positive results. This latest partnership with the Scottish FA is an opportunity for those within the game to follow suit and do the right thing to help protect their sport.”
Perhaps she could have a word with the latest Ibrox club, to remind them that (a) they don’t have a rightful place, or in other words, it’s about protecting the game, not any individual club and (b) they have no right to demand the identity of those seeking integrity and fair play.
cosmichaggis says:
January 14, 2014 at 6:56 pm
SFA Integrity hotline!
An oxymoron if ever I heard one.
============================================
Do they have a Hotline for league fixing?
If they do we could phone in and report…………………………………….. the SFA!!!!
If you make a rod for your own back, you act in a way that creates more problems for yourself in the future:
when did Scottish football make a rod for it’s own back
when these three came together
Regan
Ogilvie
Doncaster
Maybe one of the first jobs for the new itegrity officer could be .
who at the SFA is in receipt of a £90+ thousand pound loan from one of the member clubs. 😳 😳
The SFA integrity hotline set up after everyone else is made aware to stop. But any club on the wrong side of the SFA watch out as some dirt they may well have now. Cynical I know but we live in strange times just Minty’s moonbeams dust wearing off perhaps.
fergusslayedtheblues says:
January 14, 2014 at 8:24 pm
Maybe one of the first jobs for the new itegrity officer could be who at the SFA is in receipt of a £90+ thousand pound loan from one of the member clubs. 😳 😳
——————————————-
Technically……. Nobody, as CO got his loan from another club who no longer exist…. apparently!
fergusslayedtheblues says:
January 14, 2014 at 8:24 pm
‘..who at the SFA is in receipt of a £90+ thousand pound loan from one of the member clubs
Exiled Celt says:
January 14, 2014 at 7:49 pm
‘..Las Vegas and the Nevada Casino Board
Scottish football and SFA
Not sure which one of these will be highlighted as the best example of corruption in years to
——–
“Nevada State Gaming Control Board/ Gaming Commission: Guiding Principles
1..
2…
3…
4….Our objectivity, independence and impartiality are beyond reproach. We avoid all personal or professional circumstances or conflicts that would call these into question. ”
I think I’m sure!!
The Samaritans have thanked the SFA for agreeing to their long time request to set up a contact number for Scottish Football fans that have been continualy contacting them for the past 2 years ,most of them in particular to the way their club has been treated by the SFA and other Scottish clubs,this will free up valuable call time that can be dedicated to a large amount of calls they receive from members of the SFA.
Forget about King.
He would be nuts to pony up £20m for the Spivs and another £15m or so for a warchest after paying £40m or so in fines
Yet
The Spivs need at least £20m in cash or a long term lease at around £3m pa which they can sell on for £25m or so
And
So far there are no signs of buyers at £20m or renters at £3m pa
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
One wonders if
MP is being lined up for planning permission to raise its value as building land.
If so GCC will already be in talks with somebody about MP
Or perhaps
Ibrox is being lined up for another use.
One wonders if the value of land around Ibrox would increase if the ground was demolished
Or maybe
The assets get sold down the food chain to people with dodgy trading practices
After all
A cash business provides lots of opportunities for people with less scruples than Spivs
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Nope
Something isnt adding up
All we can be sure of is
Everything coming out of Media House is untrue
.
Barcabhoy says:
December 31, 2013 at 4:40 pm
Rating the options
1 Administration followed by prepack.
The only benefit that I can see is the ability to break expensive contracts. The Sandaza tapes and CF leaks indicate progressive salary increases based on promotion. An £8 million wage bill for SFL 3 could well be £9 million for the current league, £11 million for the championship and £13 million for the first season in the top tier.
I am speculating a bit on this, however with the news Shiels got a 4 year contract, and Sandaza got compounded increases, the savings with an Administration might be significant enough to make this an option. Assuming a £2 million payroll for next season and £5million for the first back in the SPL , then this would potentially save £17 million
The risks are that the SFA impose a significant penalty for bringing the game into disrepute …again(unlikely but possible) . The greater risk is that the fan base see this as one piece of spivery too far and switch off.
Overall i would rate this option as a 30% possibility
2 A rights issue, which was approved under resolution 9.
I know respected posters on here have ruled out a rights issue, but I wouldnt at this stage. The resolution was proposed by the board, it is clearly an option they want and a strategy they are considering. The victorious side at the AGM will have the funds to take up their rights. The question is whether the requisitioners supporters are prepared to be diluted, or will invest further without any boardroom influence .
I suspect this was the major concern of the institutions all along. They are faced with hobsons choice. Invest and risk the board spending the way they did previously or don’t invest and be diluted to irrelevance.
I think this option is a 90% possibility. It is win win for the board, with no obvious downside
3 The property play.
As others have outlined , lead by Laxey , the plc becomes a landlord with a yield that would make Rachmann envious. Tne risk on this strategy is that the “real rangers men” are all mouth and no trousers, as they have been all the way through this saga. The other downside is that Asset Strippers do not generally participate in win win scenarios. They are culturally disinclined to leave anything on the table for the other guys. They will be weighing what could be lost further down the line should a decent manager make Rangers competitive, should a competent scouting system discover a Wanyama or a Ki, and should an efficient youth programme develop a Gauld or a Forrest .
I think the property play is no better than 40% taking everything into consideration.
One thing is certain though, whichever option they choose, and i wouldn’t rule out a combination of 1 & 2 , Media House will be extremely busy sparkling this up.
—————————————————————————–
That was BB on the last day of 2013.
15 days later, after a sharp downturn in share price, the consultant Phillip Nash arriving and no apparent agreement on how to cut costs with half a transfer window left. Has BB or anyone modified their opinion of where this is going ?
90 days left to conduct a review of income/costs at Ibrox. 16 days left in the January transfer window. A sensible CEO would demand the transfer of virtually the entire first team squad even if it was a free transfer thus reducing the wage bill. You cannot do this Feb-July. The time for such action is NOW.
We are watching a financial train wreck with no foot on the brakes and no slowing. The warning signs are increasing and there is definite smoke appearing. I give it a month.
On this SFA Integrity Holtine (did I really just type that?)…if I were a player or administrator that was say, a little cheesed off with the SFA I might be tempted to leak the number, email address, bat signal or whatever it is via a social media outlet. This would close the entire process down as it is bombarded with messages of how useless, biased, insert your own adjective of derision, the SFA is.
My money’s on Ian Black.
Should a football club that suffers an insolvency event in only its second year of existence be allowed to keep its licence?
I’m so irritated by the SFA numpties, that I can’t help myself !
================================================
From the SFA’s own website,
“…Shona Robison, Minister for Sport and Commonwealth Games:
“Integrity and trust in our national game is hugely important to fans and clubs and Keep It Clean is a welcome initiative….”
But yet, it also states ;
“Central to the awareness campaign is the creation of an Integrity Hotline…providing players, coaches, match officials, club officials and football administration staff with an anonymous phone service to raise any concerns…”
===================
So whilst the Minister recognises the significance of integrity and trust for the fans – the SFA has explicitly excluded the fans from contributing any relevant information to this SFA initiative.
…but they’ll still take your money – just not your input.
http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=12996&newsCategoryID=1
Sugar Daddy says:
January 14, 2014 at 9:34 pm
On this SFA Integrity Holtine (did I really just type that?)…if I were a player or administrator that was say, a little cheesed off with the SFA I might be tempted to leak the number, email address, bat signal or whatever it is via a social media outlet. This would close the entire process down as it is bombarded with messages of how useless, biased, insert your own adjective of derision, the SFA is.
My money’s on Ian Black.
====================
SD, the SFA Integrity Hotline number has just been leaked, [thanks to ‘MasqueradeMasquerade’]
Number to call
0800 1872 2012
🙂
So would it be reasonable to assume that this new utterly pointless hotline will never produce 1 piece of meaningful information reported to it?
Can you imagine it…
‘Campbell you better check for messages on our hotline’
‘okay dokey will do’
Click
‘hello ermmm…the club I work for are no paying the VAT…their name is The Ran’…..click…delete
‘there’s nothing own it again’
Can anyone explain to me how it is possible for an organisation that has lost its credibility, to run an Integrity Hotline.
StevieBC says:
January 14, 2014 at 10:02 pm
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Sugar Daddy says:
January 14, 2014 at 9:34 pm
On this SFA Integrity Holtine (did I really just type that?)…if I were a player or administrator that was say, a little cheesed off with the SFA I might be tempted to leak the number, email address, bat signal or whatever it is via a social media outlet. This would close the entire process down as it is bombarded with messages of how useless, biased, insert your own adjective of derision, the SFA is.
My money’s on Ian Black.
====================
SD, the SFA Integrity Hotline number has just been leaked, [thanks to ‘MasqueradeMasquerade’]
Number to call
0800 1872 2012
============================================
as soon as i saw the 0800 number i knew it was a wrong un
the number is 090 1872 2012*
(Calls to 090 numbers cost £1.65 per minutes from a landline but can cost up to £2.55 per minute from a mobile.)
To save any embarrassment to callers the name The SFA will not show on your phone bill, we will instead bill you using the name, XXX hardcore porn
http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/?p=14493&cpage=6#comment-2053263
18:37 on 14 January, 2014
Just got a reply from the Commenwealth committee re safety at Ibroke
Hi
Many thanks for your email and for highlighting your concerns.
On receipt of your email I asked my colleagues in the Venue Management team to investigate further. I have subsequently been advised that on Saturday 11th January at the Rangers v East Fife football match, a steward noticed a piece of roof cladding had been partially detached on the Broamloan Stand of Ibrox Stadium and was moving about in the wind. The damage was assessed and as result 300 supporters were moved from the Broamloan Stand to adjacent areas. I can confirm that following the match repairs were carried out on the affected area and further checks were carried out on other parts of the stadium to ensure the safety of all the supporters.
I should highlight that Glasgow 2014 must comply with primary legislation for the safety of spectators at all Venues and are working closely with Glasgow City Council Licensing and Rangers Football Club to ensure the safety of spectators and those working at this Venue. There is regular planned inspections and safety meetings to ensure due diligence in respect of safety and we are confident that this Venue will remain in good operational order for the Commonwealth Games and beyond.
I hope this information is helpful, if I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Kind regards
If we can be of any further assistance, you can get in touch by emailing the team at contactus@glasgow2014.com
are you to phone in if you find their integrity ??
pau1mart1n says:
January 14, 2014 at 10:40 pm
are you to phone in if you find their integrity ??
=====================================
We have a winner ! 😉
OT
Hyde finally won a game tonight, official twitter account (which is a hoot) tweeted this
Just text the missus tell her get her sexy gear on I’m on my way home love #tonightsthenight
Word for Today; – ‘Integrity’
N/Syn;
honesty, uprightness, probity, rectitude, honour, honourableness, good character, principle(s), ethics, morals, righteousness, morality, nobility, high-mindedness, right-mindedness, noble-mindedness, virtue, decency, fairness, scrupulousness, sincerity, truthfulness, trustworthiness
.
Tip;
Do not use any of these epithets in trying to contact the SFA ‘Integrity’ ‘Hotline’
Won`t do any good – they will not understand
Too difficult, complicated – incomprehensible really
Try Martian Sign Language over the hotline – worth a shot
Blimey 😉
What if the Isle Of Man guys (is it Laxley?) are only interested in cash and not a going concern.
How much scrap is in Ibrox?
How much could you sell storage land 7 miles from Glasgow Airport, 35 miles from Prestwick Airport, rapid access to the M8, M74, and M77 motorways to transport goods all over Scotland and to Northern Ireland. So if you were a cargo, or shipping, company how much would you pay for this land.
Even if you had to keep the front façade as it is listed, although there are ways round this, you could still keep the blue gates for access to you new massive warehouse.
So you raise your shareholding in the company and sound out the other larger shareholders and ask the very simple question. What, in the name of sanity, are we doing running a football club from these premises when we could earn far more raising our shareholding to the point where we can transfer all property away from RIFC and then go into the shipping business?
Once assets are transferred press the big red button and BOOooooooooooommmm the football club/company is obliterated and all shareholders stiffed.
There is no money to be made in football in Scotland using the business model that RIFC have adopted and no one is going to pump their own money into the money pit so the above scenario is the best option…………………………….. for me anyway!!!!!!!!!!
Waste of time. I rang the number and it’s just a recorded loop of someone saying “La la la. Not listening, not listening.”
Flocculent Apoidea says:
January 14, 2014 at 11:22 pm
0 0 Rate This
Waste of time. I rang the number and it’s just a recorded loop of someone saying “La la la. Not listening, not listening.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You must have to enter a pin number or password to get through. Did you try 1873? 1972? WATP?
Greenock Jack says:
January 14, 2014 at 9:22 pm
—————————————
Philip Nash is Sevco’s Donald Muir. “Nash the Slash” will be his moniker when we come to look back on Rangers Mark II.
It is pretty clear that football is at the bottom of anyone’s list of priorities round Ibrox way.
At the top of the list is cash extraction -as much as possible as seemly as possible (but unseemly will do if there is no other way)
Second on the list will be sweating the assets to make more money.
Joint bottom of the list surprise surprise are the football, the fans and anyone with the club’s best interests at heart.
They’ve been duped again and the chances are that if Mark III tries to enter the fray, they will duped a third time.
“Fool me once, fool you.
Fool me twice, fool me.
Fools the SFA everytime”
54 (fools) to £0