As we all know, this site emerged from the ashes of RTC. The wish of the original administrator of the site, one which I wholeheartedly share, was to keep together the wonderful community RTC had built, in terms of both personnel and spirit. There are still many individuals around who were also part of RTC, and regrettably many who are no longer with us. The RTC spirit however, that of a cross-party football site where issues can be discussed in a respectful and insightful manner remains. The “wisdom of the crowd” phenomenon is also with us to perhaps an even greater extent than before, and consequently SFM’s credentials as a formidable alternative to the print media have grown.
In recent times, many contributors have expressed frustration that we are pretty much a talking shop and little else; characterised as “a lot of gum bashing and no teeth”. I think that is fair comment up to a point, but then again our aim – up to now – has been to simply present an alternative view – a view that has increasingly become the fan view as opposed to the industry view (the industry being made up of club officials, players, and press).
In fact the way I see it personally, SFM has evolved to a point where it has become the watchdog (monitor if you will) of an industry which is subject to very little oversight. The Rangers situation will eventually be done with (no laughing at the back please), and like everything else will be consigned to history (albeit more than one). The same self-interest and lack of regard for sporting integrity though will still remain, and the need for oversight will remain also.
Having arrived at those conclusions, we have two alternatives; the first is to remain as we are (which is not a bad place to be), and the second is that SFM has to expand its role.
In recent weeks, the mods have met to discuss this, and we think that we ought to give the latter option a try. As to how we want to achieve that, and we have come up with a skeleton plan as follows;
1. We need to move into the area of gathering news content as well as commenting on what appears elsewhere;
2. We should act as a cross-club portal to get good fan site content from all clubs to a wider audience;
3. We need to highlight the positives in the game as well as the negatives;
4. We should become an actively campaigning body, aligning with fan groups to lobby for the changes we think important.
In order to achieve these objectives, more time will need to be spent on communication like podcasts, adding news content, expanding membership and building links with other fan groups. Time will also need to be spent setting up features, attending press conferences etc. Later in the year, one of the mods will have much more time on his hands to help achieve this.
Podcasts, premium content, labour, organisation and all of the above costs money, and ultimately a subscription based model backed by sponsorship seems to be our best way of achieving that. In order to give us a head start, we will in the next few months be putting together a business-plan and a pitch for Crowd Funding investment.
This is not to say that our existing model has been a failure. We have successfully managed to keep ourselves afloat through the ad-hoc generosity of people in our community, although the inability to keep the podcasts going has been a bit frustrating. Finding income streams which are more solid will allow us to respond to events more quickly (for example mounting an ad campaign to respond to some event or other, or buying new equipment), and hopefully achieve all of our objectives – and build a bigger audience base for our message.
Of course a move of this nature will require that, in the interests of transparency, anonymity of SFM will have to be set aside. That will not affect any of our contributors, and our practice of using (sometimes) imaginative names on the blog will remain. However, for crowd funding to be successful, we will require to have a board in place, and there is no hiding place from Companies House. The make up of the board is also crucial, and in addition to consideration of blog members for that role, we will be looking to have respected people from without.
I imagine there may be a consequent subtle effect on moderation policy to take into account.
The reason I have made this post is to keep the community up to speed with events. Although we have decided to move forward to see if we can get support for our business plan, that plan is by no means finished. As I said earlier, the “wisdom of crowds” has made our community unique and given it its credibility. There’s a lot more wisdom out there we hope to tap into before we go ahead with our initiative.
We already had someone in mind for chairman of the new board, but events have conspired tragically to rob us of that – and had the effect of postponing this announcement. However we would like to hear suggestions for suitable outside candidates for board and committee places.
We also want to hear from you if you have a suggestion to be added to our wish list of SFM function above – or even if you think it is a mistake to embark on this course.
This is a very big move for SFM, so we don’t want to rush into anything. We need to listen to what you folks have to say, because if the merging SFM is not considered a better SFM by our community there is very little point in looking to fund it.
There is no money left for the corrupt SFA.
Could this be SFM’s first campaign?
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What a brilliant idea, lets destroy our own clubs! The problem is the SFA are not them, they are us! This is the huge problem we cannot really inflict any control over the SFA, without damaging our own clubs, as all our club chairmen are actually the ones pulling the strings. Forget this fallacy, that there is this mythical beast, the SFA, who are planning and plotting for their own means, and we the supporters are suffering, it is our own clubs that vote.
IMO, over the piece we have observed that both Regan and Doncaster might be ‘good’ at PR, but we can all see how incompetent they are.
If they had any personal integrity, they would have resigned long before now.
Both the SFA & SPFL leadership are regarded as a joke by the paying customers.
What is the endgame ?
The Scottish administrations admit their failings ?
Or the fans tell the SFA/SPFL to…go away ?
This is OUR game.
It does NOT belong to the idiots at Hanmpden !
Somehow we have to get that message across…IMO.
t does NOT belong to the idiots at Hanmpden !
Somehow we have to get that message across…IMO.
——————————————-
But how so you do it when our chairmen vote against us.
Sometimes guys we do not help ourselves, I know this will be unpopular, but please take into consideration. We have a sport, that is generally accepted to be a two team affair — I know that will outrage you but it is the common perception of our game. But here lies the problem, no advertiser/sponsor is going to want to invest whereby they might alienate a large % of the population. Furthermore, now I am not being vindictive hear but many internet bloggers have from both sides of the divide – harassed our sponsors to the point that they have no more wish to support Scottish football.
peterjung says:
Member: (38 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 1:25 am
———-
The podcast did appear on iTunes yesterday afternoon. It’s disappeared again though. Maybe John Brown’s accusations against Jim Spence and Tom English were just too incendiary? Still can’t work out if Ibrox is officially boycotting the BBC or not. :irony:
PS @Highland, even an ugly baby competition has to have a winner 🙂
PS @Highland, even an ugly baby competition has to have a winner
—————————————
Yes I was that one … world champion of ugly babies, and i have not improved, however have the medals or rather face to prove it. But I didn’t sing any songs, i was just pure horrible.
peterjung says:
Member: (38 comments)
________________________________________________
Try this pj
http://aod-pod-uk-live.edgesuite.net/mpg_mp3_med/2c97c5944cfb7a51014d6d7d16e0247e–audio–sportsound-podcast-19-may-2015_mpg_mp3_med.mp3?__gda__=1432211852_202b1e83239adff62408cea142882fae
@Highland_Bhoy
You should have had a Celtic crest as your avatar for true authenticity.
Your slip is showing.
You’d been doing so well too ?
PS @Highland, even an ugly baby competition has to have a winner
——————————————
On a lighter tone when my daughter and i were watching youtube on the iPad the other night i tuned into the old Rab C nesbit programs and to my horror she said he looks Scottish like you! I was so embarrassed.
jean7brodie says:
May 21, 2015 at 7:47 am
________________________________________________
Try this pj
___________________________________________________________________________
Thanks for the link Miss Brodie….but….
Access Denied
You don’t have permission to access “http://aod-pod-uk-live.edgesuite.net/mpg_mp3_med/2c97c5944cfb7a51014d6d7d16e0247e–audio–sportsound-podcast-19-may-2015_mpg_mp3_med.mp3” on this server.
Reference #18.14c33d17.1432191746.d294bf6
A day late on the podcast list… now dead links on the page… disappearing from itunes… all very strange
The GASL is holding a pressed today at 2pm apparently
Highland_Bhoy says May 21 2015 at 2.51 a.m
“….Forget thids fallacy, there is this mythical beast, the SFA, who are planni g and plotting….””
_________
The likes of CO,Regan, Longmuir,and Doncastet are unfortunately no myth, but deadly beasts, who have worked in concert to first of all try to save RFC from the consequences of SDM’s greedy cheating folly, and then cobbled up the infamous mockery of the 5-way agreement to accommodate a new team of very, very dubious origins in law
There is the almost spitting rage of Turnbull Hutton and other club cjhairmen to textoify that theclubs were lied to, nd bullied and harassed their elected or appointed officils,umder the control of a very conflicted,certainly partisan , chairman.
Such was the climate of fear and confusion deliberately created by Regan in prticular and fostered and magnified by the miserable hacks of the SMSM, and so powerful the clannish, partisan cabal, that our club chairmen had strength of mind enough to manage only to refuse admission of the new cuckoo to anything but the bottom-most tier.
The cabal has been at work again, evidenced by the farcical decision that a convicted criminal is a fit and proper person to hold a directorship in a member club.
A handful of rotten men misused and abused their power, and regrettably proved too cynically smart for the majority.
y
the
Miss/Ms/Mrs Brodie’s link worked for me
The Sevco Football Association must be quite happy this morning – MSM played their part perfectly – good result on the pitch too – hope the BBC were watching.
Did Peter Lawwell get a good night’s sleep? Asking UEFA about long gone irregularities with one face and voting King F&P with the other. And he’s supposed to be the poster boy for reform and integrity. Don’t hold your breath – you’ll end up bluer than the sixth floor.
jean7brodie says:
May 21, 2015 at 7:47 am
________________________________________________
Try this pj
bfbpuzzled says:
May 21, 2015 at 9:14 am
___________________________________________________________________________
curiouser and curiouser…
Thanks to you both…I was finally able to get the podcast. However for this link and only this link I need to go through a UK based VPN server….odd….
All the other podcast links work just fine….
For reasons outlined by others, I’m still giving the SFA a pass on the FPP issue
The “the three deadly beasts”, are indeed an easy and convenient set of scapegoats. However, they only perform the duties & tasks allocated to them by their employers, the clubs. We know the clubs are very happy with their job performance, because:
One was re-elected unopposed
One was given a nice bonus and a pay rise
One was promoted.
In 2012 there were men of integrity on the boards at Hampden, two of them, they resigned.
Currently, I see no-one on any of the boards who appears to possess any integrity, when it comes to the administration of Scottish Football, None, Zilch, Nada.
Its a thoroughly depressing state of affairs.
Is it just me not paying proper attention in class, or has the anointment of the King by the SFA resulted in no published reaction whatsoever from ANY of the other 41 clubs?
As for Lawell’s part in this (if, indeed, he played a part), the silence is truly deafening. I think that the paying customers of the club he represents deserve a lot more transparency than they have been getting over the last 3 years.
I am still waiting for a response to my questions regarding Celtic’s part in the Ogilvie coronation two years ago. Sometimes silence is all the answer you need, and I walked away as a result.
There seems to be no understanding among the clubs that some supporters will walk away, when treated like mushrooms. The game in Scotland must really be thriving if the clubs can afford to lose paying customers.
neepheid says:
Member: (584 comments)
Exactly, neepheid, exactly. The silence from the organ grinders is both defining, and unsurprising.
Edit
Thought about correcting the predictive text error, but defining, in the circumstances, is accurate – spooky
You May Think That, But …
My guess is that Lawwell thinks he can have the best of all worlds for a decade or two – or at least until he chooses to move on – lauded as a great success. King’s F&P ensures his “investment” to keep The Rangers limping along and probably promoted – if not this season then next – by hook or by crook.
That’ll help bring in some more sponsorship, advertising and TV money – because the SFA/SPFL won’t try too hard without their favourite club back where they belong – as we’ve seen over the past three years. But at the same time, The Rangers will be incapable of challenging Celtic’s European money for quite a few years as they drag Jacob Marley’s chains.
So when Lawwell cast his vote, or at best abstained for the purposes of plausible deniability, he was confident his personal and club interests would be well served. And the interests of Scottish football, integrity and the fan in the street? “Well I’m not tasked nor rewarded to concern myself with such matters. But don’t tell the fans that – will you now – I’d be forced to disagree in public.”
If this seems too cynical, you probably haven’t watched House of Cards yet to understand how people like Lawwell think – either the UK or US version will do – they are different in time and style, but each is highly educational – culturally and politically. Buy the box sets – many hours of entertainment for much less than an ST.
Well we do seem to be getting a little more clarity (just) money and funding wise from DK…kind of…maybe…
“If you were to ask me, I think that I made a comment before of about thirty million pounds – that will likely be the gap that shareholders will have to put in before we get there in addition to the normal revenue streams coming into the club before we become self-sustainable.”
“If we were to miss a year in the Premiership then it could be up to 37 or 40. If things go really well and we can change the commercial relationships then that might go down to 25, but it’s certainly tens of millions and it is not a finite amount of money.”
And I do hope T3B are on board with the next bit and their kids aren’t watching thinking there goes the inheritance…
“The arrangement that I still have with the existing board of directors, assuming that no new ones come in, is that I will provide 50% of what we are finding is required and the others will provide 50% between them.”
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/9322-we-need-a-holistic-view
neepheid says:
Member: (584 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 10:30 am
…As for Lawell’s part in this (if, indeed, he played a part), the silence is truly deafening. I think that the paying customers of the club he represents deserve a lot more transparency than they have been getting over the last 3 years.
======================================
RIFC/TRFC are committed to their own trajectory. Let them discover their own level, make their own mistakes etc. The SFA/SPFL won’t cause them to implode, they’re doing that themselves, through a mixture of ignorance & arrogance.
The SFA will never officially reveal the numerical outcome of the “vote for DCK’s FPP.
I wonder if there actually was a ballot, or if the legal opinion was presented as a fait accompli & thus went through on the chairman of the panel’s recommendation?
Any comment by CFC (or an employee thereof) about RIFC/TRFC is jumped on by the SMSM as either pro or con “Rangers”: there is no middle ground. Sometimes, however galling to yourself & others, it is better to remain publically silent. You can’t be misquoted if you say nothing.
DCK currently falls into the “known unknown” for me. We’ll learn more, possibly, at 1400 today. However, I expect some recycling of an old SDM “moonbeams” speech!
Jingso.Jimsie says:
Member: (42 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 11:37 am
Any comment by CFC (or an employee thereof) about RIFC/TRFC is jumped on by the SMSM as either pro or con “Rangers”: there is no middle ground. Sometimes, however galling to yourself & others, it is better to remain publically silent. You can’t be misquoted if you say nothing.
=========================================================
And there you have it – the core problem of Scottish football – look after your own club and feck everybody else. The SFA’s job is to take the adult, professional view that Scottish Football is a business in competition with many other businesses for the custom, time and money of the fans. Their collective competition is other football leagues, other sports, other leisure activities, time with family and friends, dinner at a Michelin starred restaurant, a flutter on the GGs, chilling in the garden reading a book. Time and money can be spent in millions of different and enjoyable ways – familiar and new.
The SFA seem entirely blind to this and Scottish football will pay a heavy price – the first casualty is reputation – and to anyone who cares to take a look. I’m afraid to say, Scottish football is a banana republic with banana-blight and little sunshine. The self-perpetuating problem in the sixth floor, populated by good old boys, each quietly looking after themselves and their own club, and not giving a flying feck about the rest. Good strategy chaps – keep it up – it’s working just fine – as we can all see from the growing reputation of your global brand and the stellar financials you turn in each year.
You can lead a horse to water – but you can’t make it think globally and strategically in the collective interest.
Jingso.Jimsie – sorry mate – nothing personal – you just happened to be the first to say it 🙂
parttimearab says:
Member: (339 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 11:32 am
“The arrangement that I still have with the existing board of directors, assuming that no new ones come in, is that I will provide 50% of what we are finding is required and the others will provide 50% between them.”
Please, anyone, correct me if I am wrong, but didn’t he previously say that he would provide 50% of the total amount invested by every investor, and not just 50% of what the other board members invest between them? I’m sure the inference was that, should RIFC/TRFC raise the £15m through share issues etc, he would provide a further £15m to bring it up to the, according to him, £30m they need.
Have I misinterpreted his previous, and latest, statement on the subject, or is this yet another adjustment from the original promises of unfettered investment in RIFC/TRFC? I wonder, too, if the board members who made those ‘keep the lights on’ loans did so thinking they would be repaid from money King was about to put in, rather than finding they have to accept shares for the full amount while King supplies a further £3m then King would match whatever they have left to ‘invest’. If that is the case, to repay the SD loan the 3bears would have to find a further £1m and King invest a total of £4m, then there’s only the problems of this month’s salaries, bonuses and the possible SD £0.5m to come up with.
Comparing with the Hearts situation of over a year ago, there was never any doubt about the terms of Ann Budge’s loan, it’s amount, interest and how it would be repaid, and who would repay it. On the day she took over everything was in place.
Today, at Ibrox, not only is ‘everything’ not in place, there is no hint, other than that they still need £30m, of how they intend to get there, and King continues to reduce his own commitment by way of cash.
Interesting, too, that this company, that only a month ago was claiming to be in a much better position as a result of (being) de-listed, is now in talks with some even lower level market, so low that they would see ‘Rangers’ as a very welcome addition 🙄
Not only does the man lie, he constantly contradicts what he has previously said!
LONG time lurker, first time poster, life time Celtic supporter.
Totally agree with MCFC. If PL (or his Senior management) are afraid to speak up, then why are supporters blindly following their team/s in a corrupt set up. 👿
I know this has probably been said many times before, but if you are not prepared to say what you stand for publicly, then why make even anodyne statements, or none at all. I am aware that the SMSM will jump on anything said and possibly twist it, but that has been the case for a long time and there has, surely, to be someone prepared to take a stand. Celtic seem afraid to do this so I am left with the belief that they are more than compliant and content with the outcomes of corruption. We are often told that it is better to work from the inside to make changes but can anyone tell me what PL has achieved from there?
To Mods : if this is not for this site then feel free to delete.
Letter To Duncan Fraser:
Good Afternoon Duncan,
as you will no doubt be aware earlier this week prospective Rangers Chairman, Mr. David Cunningham King, was passed as a “fit and proper person” considered worthy of running a member club by the SFA board. This is despite Mr. King not only holding multiple convictions (41) for taxation fraud in South Africa, but also having been a director of the club formerly known as The Rangers Football Club Ltd, which was put into liquidation in 2012.
Ordinarily, these criteria, while seemingly discretionary, would appear to bar Mr. King from passing the SFA’s FAP test. It is my understanding that these criteria are now included in the SFA’s articles of association as a means of preventing the sort of irresponsible club ownership and financial mismanagement which blighted Scottish football for many years in the 1990s, 2000s and early 2010s. It would be interesting to know why they have been overlooked in favour of Mr.King’s recent application.
At a time when much of Scottish football, including AFC, appears to be consolidating a sound financial footing, I am deeply concerned that such a person as Mr. King has been given the green light to operate one of Scotland’s biggest clubs.
Can the you outline what representations, if any, were made on behalf of AFC to the SFA board with respect to Mr King’s FAP evaluation? What was offered in Mr. King’s application as mitigation for his criminal record and previous directorial association with TRFC Ltd (now in liquidation). Was AFC’s opinion on Mr. King’s suitability in line with the rest of the board or was a dissenting view given?
yours sincerely,
Eoinel Jessi
King; “”Walter is different. Walter is coming as a manager who I think will assist us greatly if we speak to him about getting input in the type of manager we want to run the club.
Walter, I think, can give quite good input on the type of individuals because it’s not just about the right coach. We have got to think very carefully about what kind of person can manage Rangers Football Club in this goldfish bowl that their whole lives gets put into.”
Because Walter’s last prodigy shows his talent for spotting potential and mentoring it towards greatness – ffs
King; “It’s not the same as managing Paris St Germain or some of the other big clubs.”
You know, I think Green might have some competition here – will you be doing a Christmas video Dave?
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/9307-top-flight-recruitment-policy
From Twitter…
RRFC Official @RaithRovers_FC · 53m 53 minutes ago
The formal naming ceremony for the Turnbull Hutton Stand will take place on Wed 22 July when we face Celtic XI in a friendly, KO 7.45pm
Kicker Conspiracy says May 21 2015 at 1.08 p.m
“….naming ceremony for the Turnbull Hutton stand…”
__________
That is one event I will make every effort to attend!
Eoinell Jessi
Now that is worth drawing to the attention of Tom English and Jim Spence so I have via Twitter.
Getting transparency and accountability of SFA has to be part of a determined campaign. Only when it happens can we “move on”.
Eoinel Jessi says 21 May 2015 at 12.52 p.m
” … Letter to Duncan Fraser..”
_________
Good on you, mate!
I hope you at least get a reply.
Unless something comes from Celtic Park before I get home, I shall be writing to Peter Lawwell, and copying in all the other SPFL clubs.
Scapa and Neepheid express some of the frustration we all feel at the fact that the member clubs of the SFA , individually and collectively, appear to have been only too happy to accept what their , in effect, underlings have done in their name.
In a previous post, I remarked that no one can be required to make a present of his life to anyone, and by that I meant that a one-man suicide mission cannot be demanded of any individual.
My thesis is, basically, that such has been the skewed relationship in the SFA between its members and the people ostensibly subordinate to them that it resembles the relationship between, say J Edgar Hoover and congressmen and President. The fecking tail wags the dog.
In the cade of Hoover, he had so much dirt on so many folk that he virtually ruled by implied blackmail.
In the case of SFA ‘Secretaries’ of old, they operated, some of them, more or less , as representatives of one particular club.
In more modern times, my thesis continues, a conflicted EBT beneficiary still somehow manages to put the mockers on our club chairmen.
I would like to know how that comes about.
And like you,Eoinel Jessi, I will begin by asking chairmen.
As our spineless hacks ought to have been doing at least a decade ago.
There is one way out of this mire, and only one way. It may appear radical, but with the daily corruption that’s emanating from the SFA there may be no alternative.
The solution is this.
All clubs, with the well being of Scottish football at heart, break away and form an honest and transparent league structure.
Can you imagine, let’s say forty clubs setting up a new structure I’d bet they would be recognized by all officials bodies within a year. This development would be welcomed by (IMHO) 90% of Scottish fans. It would be well worth the effort. Can you imagine how all other fans throughout the World would admired a Scotland with a bit of backbone once again. Can you imagine what future generations of fans would say.
I propose that this would be the raison d’etre of this new SFM.
And how happy I was today to have already seen the statement from Dundee Utd when I read this in today’s ” The Australian”:
:” Tinkler ejected from Jets as Dundee hover.
________________
Soccer,
Scottish giants Dundee United are in the frame to
own the Nrwcastle Jets after Nathan Tinkler’s
messy breakup with the A-league club…”
Scotzine @scotzine
· 42m 42 minutes ago
Paul Murray has just said that ‘every area of the club is broken’ minutes after saying the club is ‘fairly solvent’.
Scotzine @scotzine
· 41m 41 minutes ago
Dave King has stated that the new board ‘are still going through’ the budget and accounts, Doesnt know how much investment is needed but
Scotzine @scotzine
· 41m 41 minutes ago
still believes that around 30 million is more realistic as he says ‘fairly substantial’ funds are needed in the short to medium term.
Scotzine @scotzine
· 41m 41 minutes ago
DK adds that level of investment depends on where Rangers are next season – whether Premiership or Championship.
Scotzine @scotzine
· 41m 41 minutes ago
Dave King has said over the Mike Ashley called General Meeting is a non event and that shareholders cant tell the board what to do. :ponder:
Scotzine @scotzine
· 40m 40 minutes ago
The shareholders could say to pay the loan back to Mike Ashley, but King added that the board have no obligation to listen to them.
Scotzine @scotzine
· 40m 40 minutes ago
Dave King has said that Rangers should be grateful that Mike Ashley gave them money.
Scotzine @scotzine
· 39m 39 minutes ago
Paul Murray says that several years ago Rangers were selling 500,000 shirts a year…..
Scotzine @scotzine
· 37m 37 minutes ago
Paul Murray has stated there has been additional ‘investment’ [short term funding] since the George Letham/Three Bears loan.
Scotzine @scotzine
· 37m 37 minutes ago
Murray added: Rangers received another 1.5 million loan for working capital since the Three Bears loan deal.
Scotzine @scotzine
· 36m 36 minutes ago
So in all the Three Bears have loaned Rangers 3m since the new board took over in March.
Scotzine @scotzine
· 35m 35 minutes ago
Dave King will be appointed chairman of Rangers on Friday.
Scotzine @scotzine
· 34m 34 minutes ago
So Mike Ashley will keep hold of the club badges, trademarks, Edmiston House, Albion Car Park and Murray Park as Rangers dont expect to pay
Scotzine @scotzine
· 34m 34 minutes ago
him back the loan anytime soon.
The short version.
We will do whatever we want and screw everyone else.
P.S. Put money in – yer having a laugh aren’t you
Do they never learn? (Well we know the answer to that already…)
Dave King is the third consecutive ‘Messiah’ to arrive at Ibrox since Murray. Murray being the first of that ilk. Murray spent many years as the Messiah before being found out, but each of his successors haven’t spent all that long in the Blue Room before their failings became obvious, even to the most blind of their followers.
There have been some differences between the men, but so many similarities in their approach, and just as tellingly, the response to their approach by those with a fawning interest in the incumbent club at Ibrox.
Promises, promises, promises from the mouths of the new Messiahs; drool, drool, drool from those who desire a ‘strong Rangers (sic)’. Three men have made that triumphal march, and nary a question has been raised by any of the sycophants that populate the stands and press boxes of Ibrox.
Not even with all the known knowns about Dave King has any of the succulent hacks changed their flowing rhetoric to a note of caution.
The SFA, along with the SPFL, has continued to stand full square behind their barricade, no doubt with their fingers crossed, more concerned with the future of ‘a Rangers’ than that of every other club combined.
If it was me, in the SFA or what is jokingly known as the sports press, I’d take a minute, at least, to step back and ask myself, ‘is there a pattern here?’ before launching into my finger crossing or constant ‘Hail Caesar’ PR regurgitation.
On each of the previous two cases, the Internet Bampots have uncovered unsavoury facts about the new Messiahs within days of their ascendance to the top of the Marble Staircase, but this time, there was no need for the fine researchers in our midst to point them in the right direction, as no less a figure than a South African High Court judge let the world know of this latest Messiah’s low morals and character.
Yet they still fawn, excuse, praise and scrape and bow at the feet of this newest Messiah.
One day there will be no more Messiahs.
No More Mushrooms Anymore!
The chain of accountability is clearly broken in Scottish football. Decent fans can no longer trust their Chairmen to represent their views and values – and ensure they are enacted by the SPFL and SFA. The only thing the clubs/SFA/SPFL understand is the one thing they want from you – your money.
Buying an ST is a vote of confidence in these people for a whole year – money in the bank – end of conversation.
It gives them free rein to do whatever they choose with YOUR club and YOUR game in YOUR name. But without you, there is NO game. In fact without 10% of you, most clubs would need to totally rethink their business model to make ends meet. You, personally, are much more powerful that you probably realise.
But, once you’ve paid up front they are deaf, dumb and blind to your opinions for another year.
What if you don’t renew that ST and you tell them why in a polite little note attached to your renewal slip. You might want to post a photo of it here to encourage others. Your Chairman, CEO and CFO will then be absolutely clear where they stand – and can’t blame some macros economic downturn etc etc for declining STs. They will then need to worry about whether you’ll turn up for the new season at all – and how they will replace your money – that will focus their minds on who pays their bills and their wages – and who they need to start listening to.
Paying game by game is a fortnight by fortnight conditional vote of confidence that you can provide or withdraw as you choose. An ST may be cheaper overall – but you don’t need to miss many matches before it isn’t.
If you do nothing and say nothing, Scottish football’s elite will assume you are a mushroom. Don’t be a mushroom – cancel that ST – tell them why – and pay at the gate. It isn’t being disloyal to your club, they‘ll get the same money if you choose to attend most matches.
Try it – you’ll put the fear of God into them – big and small. There is nothing on earth as scary to corrupt, complacent elites as non-violent protest spreading like wild fire through the mushroom masses.
If you want change – then you need to change yourself first – just do it!
http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/rangers/1321205-watch-dave-kings-live-news-conference-as-he-outlines-rangers-future/
The last /first entry on the list is a beauty. So while others have picked up a £3m tab to keeps the light on he still doesn’t give any indication of what he will invest.
BS-er of the highest order.
14:12 – Another £1.5 million was invested in to the club for working capital. Dave King says he doesn’t have a figure in mind for his own personal investment for the club.
14:11 – Paul Murray confirms Sports Direct have not tried to nominate members to the board.
14:10 – Dave King: On a scale of 1-100 Mike Ashley as a threat does not even reach one percent.
14:08 – Dave King: I would agree relationship is not great. But it’s not terrible either. Mike is an aggressive business man. Has every right to do what he’s doing.
14:06 – Dave King: We can’t just walk away from Sports Direct legal and commercial relationship. We will try to re-negotiate that. It’s not balanced and need to change.
14:05 – Paul Murray: Rangers is a unique story. There’s a wide range of issues at the club. “Literally every part of the club is broken.”
14:04 – Paul Murray confirms only debt in club is from Mike Ashley’s loan. Club is completely solvent.
14:04 – Mike Ashley’s loan is something club are looking at. But funds will not be used to pay it off.
14:04 – The club will need ‘substantial funds’ between immediate to medium term. Quoted around £30 million needed for the club.
14:02 – King is delighted to finally get his feet under the table. Will be appointed chairman of the club on Friday.
14:00 – Dave King and Paul Murray pose for photos and take their seats.
13:75 – Paul Murray will be joining Dave King for today’s media conference. A third seat was placed behind the table but it has now been removed.
wottpi says: May 21, 2015 at 3:39 pm
14:04 – Paul Murray confirms only debt in club is from Mike Ashley’s loan. Club is completely solvent.
==================================
So the club hasn’t really taken up two £1.5M “loans” from the Three Bears, or are they now classed as “investments” that will be turned into shareholdings in due course.
The only debt is Mike Ashley’s loan? Didn’t TRFC owe north of £15m to RIFC on the last set of accounts?
wottpi says:
Member: (603 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 3:39 pm
In an earlier post today I compared how Ann Budge had everything in place from the word go, when she took over at Hearts, with Dave King’s lack of ‘everything’ in his first few days (couple of months really) at Ibrox.
Then a short time ago Dave King let me know just how accurate my post was 🙄
“14:12 – …Dave King says he doesn’t have a figure in mind for his own personal investment for the club.”
That’s how you become a multi-millionaire folks; make promises, make bigger promises, persuade other people to fund your schemes, get what you’re looking for, then forget about the promises!
When is a “tap” not a tap?
When it’s a Rangers tap!
How long can reality be suspended before the string breaks?
The club may be completely solvent but remember folks that it is an immortal entity which exists independently of all financial requirements which devolve upon disposable holding companies in the Universe of Dave, no problem lads we got away with it before -OPM time again. The previous regime only blew £70m whereas we blew an entire Bank and 276 creditors move over the boys are back in town. It reads like some dystopian pulp fiction but fits into the kleptocracy model so much in the news today.
I’ll buy a ticket to that!
King renegotiating with Ashley for the good of The Rangers.
King; “It’s not balanced and needs to change.”
Ashley; “Pay back the £5,000,0000 by the end of the week and I’ll think about it – see ya – wouldn’t wanna be ya !”
I’ve just listened to King’s interviews on the TRFC website (Playlist items 1,2,3).
As well as stating that the investment required to get the club where they want it will take £30M, but if promotion is not achieved this time round, then the investment required will go up to £37M-£40M (projecting a further loss of £7M-£10M?).
The required investment could go down to £25M if they could renegotiate commercial contracts (SD I presume).
King again commits to providing 50% of the investment required if others don’t come forward.
To the two Jambos
Well indeed it really is down to being all mouth and no trousers (or skirts in Ms Budge’s case).
What the club and their world weary fans need is action from this current Messiah.
The reality is that DCK has become a millionaire by not throwing his cash around willy- nilly. Given his tax shenanigans in SA it is clear he wants to keep as much of whats his as possible and isn’t going to change his spots
The fans and the 3 Bears are going to get suckered for coughing up to keep the show on the road. It really is as simple as that.
King will put in something but it won’t be near enough sums talked about or of a quantum to meet his supposed aims of world domination. Some nice excuse will be long when it is required. (Hopefully the wee team can regroup and sort that out on Saturday !!)
I also note that despite all the talk of openness and transparency, if the real fans on the terracing who are shareholders want to cut as many ties with Ashley as possible and demand the £5m loan paid off (is that not what King backers Sons of Struth have been about?), King’s board may disregard their wishes.
I still see divisions among the Bears for some time yet.
Putting aside my red nose, straw hat and cane 😀
if ever there was an opportunity for DK AND the smsm to put the past behind them and move on (are you reading Richard Wilson) it is now.
In pursuit of transparency and in view of his questions re CW and Duff and Phelps will DK
a) look into what RFC told UEFA in June of 2011 in respect of the UEFA licence when he was a Director, tell us what that was and explain did he agree with it or seek advice on its veracity?
b) if he was truly blind sided does he agree that what UEFA were told under the rules was true and if it was untrue will he apologise to all other clubs who lost money as a result?
c) will he look into the response Duff and Phelps gave the SPL lawyers Harper MacLeod in March/April 2012 to their request for evidence of ALL ebts AND related HMRC documents and explain or justify why the documents of 23 Feb AND 20th May 2011 in relation to illegal ebts were not provided?
If DK is serious about transparency and is indeed a fit and proper person will he NOW demonstrate that to the rest of Scottish football by setting out why key evidence was kept from the SFA in 2011 and SPL in 2012 under his Directorship even if he was blind sided by CW and D&P at the time.
Now THAT would be a true test of FPP for the SFA and SPFL to apply to DK and, more important, for honest journos like Spence and English to pursue if healing our game was as important to their integrity as came across in the Sportsound programme when they were attacked for asking for the very thing DK says he wants.
It’s time our journos stood up to be counted and the good ones need encouragement to ask the above questions.
There will be no peace until those questions are answered.
Some might not be surprised at this Leopard King not changing its spots.:
easyJambo says:
Member: (617 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 4:19 pm
So is King going to put in £12.5m, £15m or £20m and does that include or not include £1.5m or £3m to match the three bears current contribution (if they have indeed commited a further £1.5m) and 50% of the £5m owed to Ashley.
The thing is a shambles and if I was Bear I would still be wary of how the other 50% on non-King investment is going to be achieved and will DCK live up to the hype.
Forget all this investment nonsense – when’s the first MSM lamb dinner?
mcfc says:
Member: (1242 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 12:08 pm
Jingso.Jimsie says:
Member: (42 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 11:37 am
Any comment by CFC (or an employee thereof) about RIFC/TRFC is jumped on by the SMSM as either pro or con “Rangers”: there is no middle ground. Sometimes, however galling to yourself & others, it is better to remain publically silent. You can’t be misquoted if you say nothing.
=========================================================
And there you have it – the core problem of Scottish football – look after your own club and feck everybody else. The SFA’s job is to take the adult, professional view that Scottish Football is a business in competition with many other businesses for the custom, time and money of the fans…
The SFA seem entirely blind to this and Scottish football will pay a heavy price – the first casualty is reputation – and to anyone who cares to take a look. I’m afraid to say, Scottish football is a banana republic with banana-blight and little sunshine. The self-perpetuating problem in the sixth floor, populated by good old boys, each quietly looking after themselves and their own club, and not giving a flying feck about the rest. Good strategy chaps – keep it up – it’s working just fine – as we can all see from the growing reputation of your global brand and the stellar financials you turn in each year.
You can lead a horse to water – but you can’t make it think globally and strategically in the collective interest.
Jingso.Jimsie – sorry mate – nothing personal – you just happened to be the first to say it 🙂
====================================
No offence taken. I’m more upset that I spelled “publicly” wrong in my post!
====================================
Well, after DCK/PM’s triumphal presser, I’m no further forward with King’s intentions, other than he seems intent on pulling Mike Ashley’s tail & that he’s extracting the financial urine from the T3Bs.
Full presser video from earlier at:
http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/rangers/1321221-in-full-watch-dave-king-and-paul-murrays-ibrox-news-conference/
Paul Murray confirms (at 11’25”) that Letham and Park have put in two lots of £1.5M, but that further investment will be made in the next few days, so it seems that the £3M has only covered the March and April payrolls.
Who knows what the bonus bill will be should they be promoted and how that will be funded.
easyJambo says:
Member: (618 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 5:11 pm
And we are back to my long held belief that for years, just to stand still the club needs upwards of £14m a year just to stand still. If they are burning £1.5m a month that’s £18m
40k season tickets at £400 quid a pop takes care of £16m.
If investment short to medium term is going to be, say, £30m when exactly is that going in, how much year on year and what exactly does that get you?
Not a great deal from what I can see. A couple of million pound signings and a much bigger annual wage bill.
Is that going to be enough to break down hardened Premiership teams, if they manage to get through the play-offs?
Given the number of Bears survival is easy, fulfilling dreams of world domination is however another matter.
blu says:
Member: (167 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 4:35 pm
King; “It’s not something that’s taxing myself.”
=====================================================
It takes more than that to tax King, Then, Now, Forever.
I hope HMRC have done their own F&P test on a director of one of their biggest Scottish debtors, and flagged his new venture as worthy of particular interest.
Dr Heidi Poon, are you watching?
“I’m John McKay and you’re no” says at the top of the STV news
Dave King says he is putting in £20M
News to me, STV Grant will no doubt confirm in 15 mins.
Mrs Graham whilst watching the presser.
“For a guy with loads of money, look at that shirt, its well washed”
😯 😀
Auldheid
When is a “tap” not a tap?
When it’s a Rangers tap!
How long can reality be suspended before the string breaks?
**********************
Rangers taps?
According to Paul Murray they used to sell 500 000 taps a year!
Suspended reality right enough.
Sad I know, I just listened to one of D. King’s interviews on the TRFC website, with sound off, subtitles on – hilarious!
When talkng about maintenance to the stadium:
“.. since the crack white hair they say nothing has been spent on it…”.
“crack white hair”?
I realized later, he meant “Craig White era”.
“I’m a crisis on is still being paid by the club I think…”
“I’m a crisis on”?
Ally McCoist, bien evidemment!
There are other gems…
Good Evening
I have really enjoyed the comments on here about the tsunami of clarity coming from the King regime today.
It seems to be struggling to answer three basic questions:
* what do you plan to do?
* when do you plan to do it by?
* what resources have you got to achieve these aims?
How many high profile (if small) public companies have ever been taken over with so few answers being provided to these key questions?
How many times have the controllers of such a company got two-and-a-half months into their period of control and still not provided firm answers?
It is quite extraordinary.
And here are some further thoughts!
“The Great Sevco Guffaw-Chest” https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/05/21/the-great-sevco-guffaw-chest
Enjoy the rest of the evening!
Auldheid says:
Blog Writer: (431 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 4:04 pm
When is a “tap” not a tap?
————————————–
Tap then, tap now and no doubt tap forever.
Brogues are made for tapping.
Live webcast of the Scottish Youth Cup Final. The DR have a streaming link. It can be done. Ok quality image annaw.
Dainish
On sportsdevil as well
🙂
Quality extremely good
Very decent quality
Good game so far played in a good spirit 🙂
Tried to upload a wee video of the action But won’t let me 🙁
So you will have to make do with a picture of Scot Brown helping out at the game
Allyjambo says:
May 21, 2015 at 3:33 pm
Promises, promises, promises from the mouths of the new Messiahs; drool, drool, drool from those who desire a ‘strong Rangers (sic)’. Three men have made that triumphal march, and nary a question has been raised by any of the sycophants that populate the stands and press boxes of Ibrox.
—————————————–
The Scottish sports churnalists have been down this road before and they love it. History (‘istry?) tells them that if the road leads off a cliff, there’s another road at the bottom. As long as they play the game.
All going wrong now for the young men in blue
But no matter the score both sides playing a good and inventive passing game 🙂
Well done
Well there you have it
IPTV streamed by the SFA no less
It does work and at very little cost
In fact I guarantee they made a PROFIT 🙂
sixtaeseven says:
Member: (15 comments)
May 21, 2015 at 6:37 pm
Rangers taps?
According to Paul Murray they used to sell 500 000 taps a year!
————————————————————–
What’s the problem?
500 Million fans worldwide (c)Charles Green
I make that one in every thousand fans buys a top
Remember…They are the People, well one in every 14 people on the Planet by Charlies reckoning is one of the people!!
Seems reasonable to me!
Well about as reasonable as thinking a liquidated club is still alive..
A few of the guys were talking in work last week about the Real Madrid Juventus game and one of the guys said:
‘What a great result for Juventus!’
I responded by saying that unfortunately, due to their past indiscretions, every good result that club has is over shadowed by the possibility that the game was fixed………. yes even against Real Madrid. I added that when that level of corruption was discovered Juventus should have been forced to disband and start again. That is a simple philosophy which should prevent any corruption because the punishment is a complete deterrent.
Meanwhile in Scotland you have a malignancy that is feeding off everyone else. That is not a term I use lightly but it is true. This club, sorry clubs, fed off a limitless bank overdraft, it fed off the generosity of the UK tax payer (that’s you and I), and it fed off a liberal, extremely liberal, way of registering players.
The new creation in its infancy fed off a level of corruption or incompetence within the governing bodies which will live long in the memory of all fans who stood witness to it. It fed off a cowardice and fear beyond parallel in sport in this country. It fed off the ‘city’ after grandiose claims of 500 million fans, claims that Man Utd wanted them in the EPL, and claims of tie ups with the Dallas Cowboys. If anyone had stopped for a minute and thought the above was true surely they would have asked the question:
‘Why did the old club go into liquidation when it is such a cash bonanza?’
Of course the above was utter nonsense but it also fed off the media that is trapped in a death spiral of declining circulation. In doing so it fed off an series of emotions within their fan base; b1g0try, victimhood, vengeance, and boycotts. Yet in following this through the focus of all of the above was the other clubs whether it is threats against programme editors, officials or clubs in general.
And get this; we’re the ones that are ‘obsessed’!!
Could anyone imagine what would have happened to Juventus here?
How would they have been dealt with in this country?
Would there have been an attempt to leave them in the top division?
Would they have then attempted to put them into the second top division?
Would they have concocted a secret agreement, keep it secret, and yet claim to be a transparent organisation?
Would they have allowed someone like Charles Green near the club?
Would they have allowed some of his comments to go unchecked?
Would they have allowed the manager to cast aspersions on other football professionals and officials by claiming they were making bets when one of his players was caught?
Would they allow a convicted tax dodger to hold sway in the boardroom?
The old club, and now the new one, is a black hole sucking in anyone’s cash that comes near. It is devoid of any moral compass. It has been run by a serious of charlatans, chancers, and ne’er do wells.
Can anyone hazard a guess as to where this latest chapter will lead?
One possible development in the midst of the spin…
“Derek Llambias and Barry Leach – Mike Ashley’s puppets on the old Ibrox board – have now had their work contracts terminated, although Rangers refused to confirm if they had been given a cash sweetener to leave.”
My first reaction is that they’d hardly leave without a cash sweetener…
Oh and it looks as though the constant gardner is proving more difficult to shift than the aforementioned pair…
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/579094/Rangers-try-to-convince-Ally-McCoist-to-drop-cashed-owed
I listened to press conference today from Mr King and Murray. Old phrase of club getting back to where it belonged churned out. Followed by same club challenging Celtic and not one journalist questioned the status of this club. They just accepted the lie that it was same club. This lie is aiding the death of Scottish football. Rangers were factually liquidated, it was not a glib and shameless lie,it happened. This new entity is fighting to get out of the championship as there is where it plays its football. If it gets promoted then it can play in the top league for the first time. We know the purpose of the lie that emanates from the directors of this club, sadly their fans have to alone pay to maintain this lie. I always go back to one of the main basic joyful feelings that fans have and it is always related to the history of their club during good and bad times. I am actually sick of the lie and how it is not challenged. Only in Scotland could this lie continue and only with this one club. History is everything to fans.
Checking in
Now that King has his feet under the Ibrox boardroom table, get ready for a PR and media bombardment that will make the Murray years seem tame.
http://www.onfieldsofgreen.com/dying-in-the-ditch/
Have I missed a very important announcement or two, or have the media just started making up complete BS?
According to the Daily Express in their story about Rangers asking Ally to walk away without his full gardening leave entitlement (see http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/579094/Rangers-try-to-convince-Ally-McCoist-to-drop-cashed-owed), the following couple of lines appear:
============================================================================
“King will oversee £30million of investment in the club and has vowed to plough in at least half from his own pocket.
King started the ball rolling this week with a £1.5m loan as working capital until a clear funding strategy is in place.
But the club are also looking to bring new investors to the table and tidy up expensive contracts they have inherited.
Derek Llambias and Barry Leach – Mike Ashley’s puppets on the old Ibrox board – have now had their work contracts terminated, although Rangers refused to confirm if they had been given a cash sweetener to leave.”
============================================================================
The very clear implication from the wording in the article is that Mr King has personally contributed £1.5 million to Rangers this week, so all must be well. Can anyone point me to the announcement of this act of generosity as all I have seen in other media reports is that T3B advanced a second loan to Rangers in April, presumably to make April payroll and other commitments. Has Mr King in fact stumped up an additional £1.5 million for May payroll from his own resources?
The revelation that the previous Directors Lambias and Leach have now had their executive position contracts terminated would also be seen by the majority of Ranger supporters as exceedingly good news, so why has this not been trumpeted in the media. Perhaps the quantum of negotiated termination payment would not be welcomed or perhaps the terminations have not been reached amicably and could be subject to a legal challenge from Messrs Lambias and Leach?