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.
nawlite says:
Member: (146 comments)
June 4, 2015 at 9:24 pm
StevieBC, it was mooted on here before that he (and T3B) panicked when Sarver came in apparently about to buy (whether he was just an Ashley ploy to get them to do something, or not). Could it be that his intention was (and is) to wait for an insolvency event but he had to take charge, so as to not let Sarver take over which would in theory result in no event. Taking charge at least puts him in control of events (to an extent at least, Mike!). I don’t know if being in charge when the event happens suits him (either with regard to the fans ire, or even if he wins or loses from it), so could be talking rubbish.
==============================================================
Wasn’t Sarver shown to be an associate of Ashley’s a while back?
Ashley was reported/allegedly doing a “You are Sevco” Whyte/Green with Sarver in advance of a further carve up of the assets of the former Rangers FC if the RIFC PLC group went the way of RFC PLC.
Ashley has always been so far ahead of King in this game that it has now gone beyond the initial laughable stage to being totally embarrassing.
At least the MSM are keeping the nation up to speed, otherwise we’d all be having to do our own research or be left stumbling around in the dark and tripping over discarded lamb dinners. :irony: :irony: :slamb: :slamb:
Jingso.Jimsie says:
Member: (49 comments)
June 4, 2015 at 7:31 pm
nawlite says:
Member: (145 comments)
June 4, 2015 at 7:17 pm
Just seen an Irish FA executive on the news saying that he accepted a ‘very good’ payment from FIFA to agree NOT to go to court over the Thierry Henri handball in the WC qualifier. A Wow moment! My wife said “It’s not often I see something on the news that makes your jaw drop”.
Not good for FIFA, obviously, but very poor from the IFA to grab the money, rather than fight for sporting integrity.
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http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2015/0604/705872-delaney-confirm-fifa-payment-to-fai/
The FIFA statement said: “While the Referee’s decision is final, and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) ultimately accepted it as such, in January 2010 FIFA entered into an agreement with FAI in order to put an end to any claims against FIFA.
“FIFA granted FAI a loan of $5 million for the construction of a stadium in Ireland. At the same time, UEFA also granted the FAI funds for the same stadium.
“The terms agreed between FIFA and the FAI were that the loan would be reimbursed if Ireland qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Ireland did not so qualify. Because of this, and in view of the FAI’s financial situation, FIFA decided to write off the loan as per 31 December 2014.”
==
M. Platini needs to make a “clarifying” statement re Uefa’s involvement ASAP.
24 0 Rate This
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So the FIA are trying to control the story before someone else leaks that they took a pay off or what some people may deem to be a bribe of sorts.
Very very poor IMO and reeks of the sort of thing we suspect the SFA of – deeply corrupted to the core.
Danish Pastry says:
Blog Writer: (1208 comments)
June 4, 2015 at 10:04 pm
Sportsound continuing with Ibrox Bingo tonight. Chick, Alex Rae & Kenny M. giving it ‘Manager McLeish’ (well, Rae would). Last night it was Richard Wilson who was on Ibrox PR duty, at taxpayers’ expense.
An underlying sense of alarm runs through both programmes regarding the the non-activity and no news from the club these pundits obviously support.
===========================================
Was the Xavi signing announced, or is that being saved for nearer the Ibrox EGM?
Danish Pastry says:
Blog Writer: (1208 comments)
June 4, 2015 at 10:04 pm
Sportsound continuing with Ibrox Bingo tonight. Chick, Alex Rae & Kenny M. giving it ‘Manager McLeish’ (well, Rae would). Last night it was Richard Wilson who was on Ibrox PR duty, at taxpayers’ expense.
An underlying sense of alarm runs through both programmes regarding the the non-activity and no news from the club these pundits obviously support.
7 0 Rate This
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Sportsound is a Rangers show what do you expect them to talk about?
Seriously though, you should try tuning in to the excellent “magazine” shows that BBC have nightly for Arbroath, Falkik and even Celtic. Great stuff for all fans. Very balanced.
Tonight’s exam question.
Part A
If FIFA pay out $5M per honest mistake, how much does the SFA owe to Scottish football clubs?
Part B
Extrapolate from the answer to Part A to calculate the damages payable to Scottish football supporters from the resulting civil claims.
Cat
Same question been in my head since I first clocked that.
ianagain says:
Member: (524 comments)
June 4, 2015 at 11:43 pm
Cat
Same question been in my head since I first clocked that.
==============================================
I’m not sure if was $ or €, but it seemed really odd to put a price on it.
I hope that the answer to both A and B is nothing.
I would just like to see an honest and open answer to the letter that Celtic sent to the SFA after the cup semi-final.
Accountability and transparency, yes please.
Grubby behind doors pay-offs, no thanks
Jingso.Jimsie says:
Member: (49 comments)
June 4, 2015 at 7:31 pm
‘..M. Platini needs to make a “clarifying” statement re Uefa’s involvement ASAP.’
_________
I caught the tail end of the RTE interview with Delaney this afternoon only by chance,and, since I had not at the time seen the earlier posts on this blog about the FIFA payment to the FAI to( it may appear) shut them up about taking legal action about the Henry incident, I could not quite get what it was about.
Having read the posts, I now have the context.
And I’m inclined to agree that the reference in FIFA’s statement to UEFA having made funds available to the FAI at about the same time does need some looking at.
Because the implication is that UEFA also was interested in heading off a legal challenge to FIFA by ‘sweetening’the FAI.
But two things must be said:
first, that the payment made by UEFA may have been quite an ordinary response to a request for financial help from a member association for assistance in development, and therefore unconnected with the reasons for the FIFA payment,
second,the payment went to the FAI as an organisation and not to any individual as a personal ‘bribe’.(The Delaney fellow was very, very relaxed and chummy-sounding and humourous when questioned by the RTE guy, who, regrettably, was a bit SMSM-like in his failure to get right in among him.
And I would add a wee personal third thing to be said: the cheating France-team player should be held in the same contempt as a Lance Armstrong or an SDM.
Cheats simply make ars.s of themselves to themselves, and are hollow, shallow, despicable facsimiles of ‘sportsmen/women.
ps; thanks to those who pointed me to where Fat Yaks’ may be) purchased in neighbourhoods near me for (responsible!) home consumption. 🙂
Matty RothMatty Roth says:
Member: (169 comments)
June 4, 2015 at 10:45 pm
——–
Those shows must be broadcast on a frequency only audible to dogs, Matty. Certainly out of range of the human ear 😀
Constitution day here in Denmark, celebrated in typical low-key style since the fiercely independent Danes are really more your civic type of nationalist. Funny weather forecast though, promise of nice weather with ‘no owls on the moor’ (‘ingen ugler i mosen’). Literal translations are pretty funny but ‘no owls on the moor’ really means ‘nothing suspicious or mysterious’, in this case, good weather with no unexpected surprises of the nasty kind.
So, to conclude today’s Danish ‘phrase of the day’, it’s quite safe to assume that there ARE several owls on the moors of FIFA, UEFA & more locally, swooping around Ibrox. What a hoot, eh?
I’ll get my coat.
I remember the Henry handball from that match against France.
Firstly, Ireland werent good enough to qualify directly for upcoming tournament and had to negotiate a two legged play off. They lost the first leg at home.
Having scored in France they had tied the aggregate score. The Henry handball was, in hindsight and the benefit of reviews, relatively obvious. France scored shortly after the handball. Ireland didnt qualify.
What exactly would the Irish FA be suing against? it might be unpalatable but i would guess that the 2 year qualifying period was rife with cheating both from Ireland their opponents.
If a player deliberately puts their hand up claiming a goalkick/throw in/corner when they clearly know its not theirs to claim, is that not cheating, on a smaller scale? However, that is simply put down to being part of the game.
Football is full of players who will admit that they are told to cheat, to waste time, to win no matter what.
It doesnt make what Henry did right, but he has always seemed like a decent guy, and he apologised.
Threatening to go to court was ridiculous in my view. Receiving 10 million pounds in sweeteners to keep quiet and not take it further was also ridiculous. i know it has been dressed up as a loan but its still ridiculous.
In my view the Irish FA do not come out of this incident with any credit. Lose a two legged play off, go crying about an incident, receive 10 million pounds to keep quiet.
The Irish FA can laugh it off as much as they like but they werent good enough to qualify. They moaned about one incident. They were offered substantial funds. They took the money.
No moral high ground to stand on here.
vansen says:
June 5, 2015 at 6:44 am
Spot on.
At the time I thought the FAI reaction was poor as much as I held a lot of sympathy for them, it was desperation and embarrassing. The fact now that they accepted money from FIFA to stop legal action I find abhorrent unless of course it was a genuine loan to help build a stadium and that money was not a ” loan” in the Rangers sense of the word, it had to be paid back. Maybe at the time FIFA did not want anything negative to be dug up about the South African World Cup in case things snowballed and unsavoury dealings came out around the globe.
John Clarke
Thank you. Your letter did not disappoint. Excellent work. (Wee chapeau thingy) http://www.img.smiley-gratos.com/smiley-gratos.com/smileys/3916-respect-chapeau.gif
May I respectfully suggest that, if you’ve not already done so, that you consider copying it to the Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Group for Sport via the contact details shown in the attached link
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msps/42449.aspx
EDIT: And of course, your own MSP as a matter of courtesy. 🙂
Danish Pastry says: June 4, 2015 at 10:04 pm
Sportsound continuing with Ibrox Bingo tonight. Chick, Alex Rae & Kenny M. giving it ‘Manager McLeish’ (well, Rae would). Last night it was Richard Wilson who was on Ibrox PR duty, at taxpayers’ expense.
__________________________________________________________
Too right Mr Pastry!
There is a jaw-dropping industry in operation to make it sound like something (anything!) is happening in the efforts to secure a new Sevco manager and thereby help to deliver a glorious future for the Ibrox club.
The only problem is that there seems to be absolutely no substance to any of it!
It is all part of an apparent “jam tomorrow” strategy which Trisidium mentioned yesterday (6:44pm), and which he shrewdly pointed out HAS to deliver some actual jam at some point!
Oh dear!
Here are some further thoughts on the “dramatic” developments in the “race” to be the next Sevco manager. May contain Ron Burgundy…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/shocking-developments/
Enjoy the rest of the day!
TheClumpany says: Member: (47 comments) June 5, 2015 at 8:51 am
RIFC – redefining the meaning of a “short-list” 😆
Cheers Clumps, never has so little news been transformed into so much news about no news 🙂
Good stuff on the blogs, Scottish football needs a strong sense of humour!
Clumps, Trisidium
The problem with promising jam tomorrow has always been when the masses can visibly see the bread disappearing in front of them today. Just ask the 17th Century French aristocracy!
We’re all aquaint that a sandwich without a top layer is a still perfectly acceptable piece. But a piece without a bottom layer is just a sticky mess!
Genuine question: is there any other club in the Scotland or England not selling season tickets for 2015/2016 at the moment?
John Clark
Your Fat Yaks won’t taste the same. I’ve tried it with Greek Mythos to no avail.
TheClumpany says:
June 5, 2015 at 8:51 am
Here are some further thoughts on the “dramatic” developments in the “race” to be the next Sevco manager. May contain Ron Burgundy…
———————————————————
Very entertaining, as always.
Even the supposedly ‘quality’ paper hacks are prone to such desperation on slow news day, but it is exacerbated in Scotland because of the overwhelming need in our media to talk about two clubs 90% of the time.
The standard way of ‘finding’ a news story in these circumstances seems to be:
– Link random celebrity person with club in the news (posing it as a question if later deniability might be useful) Example: ‘Would van Gaal give up Old Trafford for Ibrox?’
– Seek comments on ‘story’, starting with main characters; if no response then try their agents; if no response try others in the game; if no response try random fans / internet forums; if no response consult imagination.
– Make next day’s follow-up story out of whatever collected. Example: ‘Van Gaal refuses to comment on Ibrox links’.
– Final day of story. Suggest a conclusion to your story arc. Example: ‘Van Gaal snubs Ibrox’.
Half the week done already! What’s next?
Thank heavens for The Clumpany. Brightens even the greyest day with the grumpiest boss. A greatly chucklesome blog.
I don’t know how to do the linky thing but if anyone has two minutes to look there is a screen grab from today’s Metro in the @TheClumpany twitter timeline. It might be the funniest 36 words ever written in the English language.
Instead of filling column inches with the hunt for a new candidate for the role as the latest candidate to replace the man who is still TRFC’s manager, who just happened to replace the man who is…still TRFC’s manager, perhaps the MSM should be filling column inches with known facts, and very necessary questions, about the health of TRFC. That is, if there’s no news about other clubs worth pursuing!
At a club that has had more than it’s fair share of liars, cheats, charlatans and bearers of gilded promises, the supporters await the next move from a liar, cheat, charlatan and bearer of gilded promises before any moves can be made to sign a manager, of any description or standing.
They are, probably, the only club in Britain not to have issued details of next season’s season tickets, let alone started to sell any. We don’t know if they do hold this distinction because this rather remiss state of affairs hasn’t been tackled to any degree by the media. They are too busy gilding the lilly in preparation for the next gilded promise.
It’s not our eyes they’re keeping off the ball, though, it’s the eyes of the much lied to bears. The big stories, stories of great importance, are, ‘where’s Dave King’s promised money?’ and, ‘why are the season tickets not on sale yet?’ and, ‘is there a connection to both these question?’ and, many more…
There’s no need to get answers, though that would be very good journalism, indeed, but there is a need to very publicly ask these questions to put pressure on those who should be answering them. Not only are they not asking the important questions, they are, quite deliberately, aiding those who don’t want the questions asked by providing the biggest squirrel on the planet.
Next season’s Ibrox manager only matters if the above questions are answered by positive actions NOW. If the MSM are on the side of TRFC’s supporters, and we know they are, they should be asking these questions, over and over again, in an attempt, at least, to force the truth out into the open.
History repeating itself, I guess!
y4rmy says:
Member: (61 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 9:21 am
Genuine question: is there any other club in the Scotland or England not selling season tickets for 2015/2016 at the moment?
========================
Slightly OT for SFM but I’d suggest Norwich City?
I very much doubt that there were any available after the final renewal deadline of 2 May to those not already on the waiting list.
That has certainly been the case in the last few years, even with increasing numbers of seats being allocated.
I think it’s now 22K of the 27K capacity.
I see South Africa, after failing with claims of clean audits and nothing paid from here, are still clinging to the $10m payment not being a bribe (and saying how thankful they are for Blatter’s assistance). However some SA journalists are asking how they can afford to pay such an amount to the “African Diaspora” in Warner land, and apparently not check up what it was spent on when they cannot fund the basics at home.
Similarly questions being raised in Ghana where in Parliament last week the Justice found it difficult to understand why the FA could not be investigated by Government over the use of public funds? When the national teams go outside Ghana they go to the Ministry of Youth and Sports who in turn run to the Ministry of Finance to look for money to run the association. The questions the Justice asked is why cannot Ghana audit its own tax payers money and why, when money comes from FIFA, the FA [and FIFA] does not want Government to know how much arrived and what happened to that money?
The media view is that FIFA has systematically cultivated a culture of brazen lack of accountability in member countries to the detriment of sound sports administration. Also whilst Blatter’s FIFA has done a lot for Africa and Asia’s inclusion on the world stage it has come at a price that some cannot afford.
It has long been asked why Government’s who give their Football Associations tax payers money cannot then interfere in the running of the FA’s – Blatter seemed to think he really was a President of all the countries but for all the wrong reasons. The Presidents of the various Federations are similarly at fault and audit themselves whilst keeping every Federation under them in their pockets – basically vote for us or we will make your, and your clubs, lives difficult.
If the US had not taken the steps they did nobody in South Africa would have been any the wiser that $10m of money due to them had been spirited away to the Caribbean; money none of the South African public think the Government can afford.
Back home, and credit to John Clark for a great letter (and while I am at it to Barca for his analysis on DCK) how about the SFA/SPFL administrators confirm that Sevco have paid their outstanding dues/fines, and confirm that they have paid the balance between the fiver and normal attendance charges to the FA for distribution amongst the other ‘diddy’ clubs. All very well Regan criticizing Blatter for making a mess across the world but there is a great deal Regan, Doncaster, and Ogilvie can do to correct their own mistakes at home and be transparent.
Tincks says:
Member: (117 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 10:26 am
=============
This?
Just to point out that FIFA’s 5m Euros & whatever UEFA gave towards the redevelopment of Landsdowne Rd. into the Aviva probably benefitted the IRFU (a cross-border organisation) more than the FAI. The FAI/IRFU are 50:50 partners in the Landsdowne Road Development Company & they share a 60 year lease on the stadium. Ownership returns to the IRFU at the end of the lease.
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Edit: Why isn’t Barry Ferguson up in front of the Compliance Officer every week for bringing the game into disrepute with his godawful, ghost-written, column in the Record?
Spanish first division club Elche have been officially relegated for not paying tax. They owe the Spanish equivalent of HMRC (Hacienda, a nice name) €8.8 million, with €6.6 million payable immediately.
The club’s board have presented a plan saying they will pay the €6.6 million on August 1. A league body set up to examine the “corporate discipline” of clubs said this wasn’t good enough and announced today that Elche are relegated along with Almería and Córdoba. Basque club Eibar, who played their inaugural season in the top flight last term and finished eighteenth, or third-last, will take Elche’s place in the top flight next season. Elche finished thirteenth, six points clear of the 35 that took Eibar down. But of course, if you don’t pay your taxes and use the cash to fund footballers you cannot afford, you are cheating.
In a statement, the league said: “There is a debt; it has not been paid and Elche have not been given more time to pay [by Hacienda].”
The league also fined Elche the intriguing sum of €180,303 and 63 cents.
All of this has been announced today. I say hats off to the Spanish league and good luck to Eibar. Would that the football authorities in other countries were as forthright. They haven’t always been in Spain, but this may be the dawn of a new era, for Spanish football and, God willing, for the whole of football.
Cheats out.
Ah, I should have phrased it differently. 🙂
How many clubs have not started to sell or allow renewal of season tickets for next season? It is surely in every club’s interest to get the cash flowing in as quickly as possible.
(My own NCFC ST could have been renewed in January!)
AllyjamboAllyjambo says:
Member: (989 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 10:43 am
Instead of filling column inches with the hunt for a new candidate for the role as the latest candidate to replace the man who is…
————
And aren’t the former players just falling over themselves to land the position? The current manager did his own job interview live on air in the tunnel at Motherwell with a St Mirren fan; Alex Rae was bigging up both himself and Alex McLeish the other night, and the current Clyde manager now appears to be making no secret of the fact that it’s a hugely desirable job — for ‘someone’.
I kind of liked Kenny McDowell. Seemed such an honest soul. He just blurted stuff out, wore his heart on both shirtsleeves and was entirely uncontrived. The only one connected to Ibrox to come out and say, with some dignity, he didn’t actually want the job.
PS Brilliant post Esteban
Now that the FIFA conspiracy of silence dam has burst, and a deluge of revelations will be released that may even take the gripping Ibrox manager non-story off the front, back, inside and special pull-out pages of the press, is there even the remotest possibility that someone will reveal why Graeme Sounness received an EBT loan from the former Rangers FC?
Someone somewhere must know, and these FIFA chaps must have more to reveal than Julian Assange, Charlotte Fakes and Edward Snowden put together.
Danish Pastry says:
Blog Writer: (1211 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 11:34 am
Just a wee thought 💡
Are Level5 moonlighting as a recruitment agency? TRFC need a manager. TRFC’s board members, who are, no doubt, responsible for managerial appointments, aren’t about Ibrox much just now. So, get the media to do your HR and PR work in the one package?
Jingso.Jimsie says:
Member: (50 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 11:27 am
Just to point out that FIFA’s 5m Euros & whatever UEFA gave towards the redevelopment of Landsdowne Rd. into the Aviva probably benefitted the IRFU (a cross-border organisation) more than the FAI. The FAI/IRFU are 50:50 partners in the Landsdowne Road Development Company & they share a 60 year lease on the stadium. Ownership returns to the IRFU at the end of the lease.
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Edit: Why isn’t Barry Ferguson up in front of the Compliance Officer every week for bringing the game into disrepute with his godawful, ghost-written, column in the Record?
====================================
Is it possible for the game to brought into any more disrepute than is already the case?
Robert Campbell Ogilvie, the Blatter of the SFA still in situ.
The Five Way Agreement still secret and still corrupting the game.
Sectarian singing unpunished ad infinitum.
Ally’s list of punters and Charles Green’s anti-Regan/SFA singalong.
An international friendly with Qatar.
etc etc.
One has-been having a non-Pulitzer Prize winning ghost written column in a comic is just a raindrop in the ocean of disrepute upon which 21st century Scottish football finds itself drifting.
I feel sorry for fans of the Bully Wee however, knowing that their manager is involved in such a grubby little enterprise.
AllyjamboAllyjambo says:
Member: (990 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 11:54 am
Just a wee thought ?
Are Level5 moonlighting as a recruitment agency? TRFC need a manager. TRFC’s board members, who are, no doubt, responsible for managerial appointments, aren’t about Ibrox much just now. So, get the media to do your HR and PR work in the one package?
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Richard Wilson certainly sounded more like a well-briefed, official club representative the other night than a paid BBC reporter. In light of the FIFA stuff it’s going to be harder for the SFA to dish out dodgy licenses or nod through a clean bill of financial health if all is not in order.
The Cat NR1 says:
Member: (423 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 11:47 am
Now that the FIFA conspiracy of silence dam has burst, and a deluge of revelations will be released that may even take the gripping Ibrox manager non-story off the front, back, inside and special pull-out pages of the press, is there even the remotest possibility that someone will reveal why Graeme Sounness received an EBT loan from the former Rangers FC?
Someone somewhere must know, and these FIFA chaps must have more to reveal than Julian Assange, Charlotte Fakes and Edward Snowden put together.
_______________________________________
A proper journalists will travel the globe and spend years chasing a very complex story, yet no one from the SMSM will spend a few weeks digging into what would appear to be a pretty straight forward story, only requiring questions to be asked of people not all that camera shy, at the best of times, that they are constantly bumping into!
It’s actually quite bemusing, too, that the boys in blue haven’t seen fit to investigate the matter, though that’s probably made easier by the lack of mainstream publicity surrounding the conundrum.
Esteban,
So taking the Spanish inquisition (see what I did there) process to its logical conclusion…Had RFC as was admitted the existence of the WTC and been officially relegated to (old money) Div 1 then they would only have had one promotion to consider and more chance of retaining their players in a TUPE situation, depending on how the BTC and their administration proceedings panned out.
So, in summary, had Campbell followed the rules RFCold might have survived and even if they didn’t 😉 RFCnew would have ‘lived on’ and in all likelihood been back in the premiership by now.
Hope nobody tells the bears. There’s nothing like completely ignoring the benefit of hindsight (re the BTC result) to get your point across and your mob at somebody’s door 😈
tykebhoy says:
June 5, 2015 at 11:23 am
That was it – wish I hadn’t been drinking my coffee at the time – keyboard now dry but a bit tacky
Danish Pastry says:
Blog Writer: (1212 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 12:16 pm
In light of the FIFA stuff it’s going to be harder for the SFA to dish out dodgy licenses or nod through a clean bill of financial health if all is not in order.
__________________________________
You wanna bet? Who is going to prevent it? Not the people who voted them in. Not the MSM, well not if involves one particular club. Not even the paid employees of the SFA and SPFL, Brysons I’m sure, every one of them!
Remember, the four words, ‘at the board’s discretion’ remains one of our football governance’s main tenets!
Helpmaboab.
Well that’s that, I ‘m off – to Elounda Tuesday.
Will do my best to help the Greek economy. Extra carafes of wine this year – purely to help the Greek tax – take, you understand. Maybe a few Mythos in sympathy with Helpmaboab, and a few bottles of FIX in sympathy with FIFA and SFA.
Blah blah blah……
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/mobile/rangers/rangers-fans-will-stand-firm-in-ashley-shirt-battle-ahead-of-ibrox-209267n.128087616
Smugas says:
June 5, 2015 at 12:28 pm
I’m not sure what will happen next, but Elche are expected to say they are appealing the decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. There will be a press conference this afternoon.
The new president, Juan Anguix (which doesn’t mean ‘anguish’, but perhaps should) has called this “the greatest injustice there has ever been in Spanish football”.
Esteban,
I looked to the BBC website (I know) for the update on the Elche situation and was drawn to the Jeventus story thereon.
I am intrigued that a club that, as far as I know, wasn’t liquidated can be described as “reborn” and “rise from the ashes” with editorial impunity.
For a wee laugh I have just changed a few names and phrases from an article on Newcastle/McLaren’s appontment (original source below). Seems we are maybe living in a parallel universe!!
Time for a new Court Jester at Rangers.
So after Stuart McCall, it looks like the club are destined to appoint Alex McLeish as the new manager, sorry ‘Head Coach’, of what used to be Rangers.
Once again proving that the board are past masters at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory by passing up on Vitor Pereira, that is if he was even considered in the first place.
Survival Sunday and the King’s grand speeches of words without meaning seem a long time ago now. That brave new dawn which so many heralded as being about to arrive seems to, once again, have been replaced by the darkest night. Thanks to a regime for whom the most staggering thing about their ineptitude, is that it actually seems to get worse over time.
I wrote several weeks before the end of the season that Rangers are heading full steam towards the edge of a cliff, and aside from a half decent performance against a Hibs side who were at least partially on the beach, I have seen absolutely nothing which makes me change that assessment.
Many saw optimism in a statement from King which told us absolutely nothing other than his intent to carry on as normal, until he decides not to, with his policy of, “continuing to invest.”
The sane amongst us saw nothing more than a greedy man trying to deflect attention away from the horrors he has perpetrated ,by attempting to hint at a bright future which he has no intention of delivering. The proven liar lies again, surprising right?
The stench of rot and decay from Ibrox has not lessened, it has got worse.
Firstly, in the classless way in which long serving players, ones of stayed with us in our hour of need, have been dispatched via a shared phone call with the coach.
Secondly, in the utterly shambolic way in which the head coach hunt (ha!) has been conducted, resulting it would seem in the imminent appointment of McCall 2 (electric boogaloo).
The familiar story of a British coach, who had formerly shown some promise and was now seeing their star fade, employed in desperate times by a club who thoroughly match that with their former promise and current slump. A romantic dream of shared redemption quickly being turned into a joint descent further into mediocrity and disdain for all involved, at the whim of a mad miser who couldn’t lie straight in bed.
We are asked to believe that they will sign six quality players based on the generosity of the benevolent Chairman, news delivered by the club’s selected media partners. Conveniently ignoring the fact that we have already released 12 from an understrength squad, along with our brightest prospect sold on in January – it looks pretty grim for reinforcements.
Whether six players will be brought in is debateable.
Whether they will be of the calibre required is extremely doubtful.
Whether it will be enough to re-energise the squad…an odds on certainty that it won’t, and the answer to the question of whether fans should be looking forward to next season under these conditions is a resounding no.
The comparison between McCall and McLeish is an appropriate one. Both were highly rated earlier in their career and tipped for big things (although McLeish did actually get a crack at the national job).
Both saw their star dwindle over a number of years, resulting in their dismissal from lower league clubs.
Both looking like being out of work at the time of appointment, and both desperate for a credible job with a ‘big club’ to try to seek some personal redemption.
The issue of course being that thanks to the now infamous blueprint, the job is anything but credible, instead it is a thankless task of being the only public facing employee of a business with hundreds of thousands of customers in all corners of the world.
A company where every week you have to stand face to face with 50,000 or so of these customers who will let you know in no uncertain terms if you are doing a bad job.
And do a bad job you will, the Chairman and board will see to that, the blueprint will see to that, the lack of funds, disgust from the terraces, worst injury record in the league, players sold from under your nose and constant negativity caused by all this will see to that.
To become Rangers ‘head coach’ under the current regime, with this blueprint in place, is to accept an impossible job where the only reward is cold hard cash, and probably not a great deal of that.
Surely no serious coach or manager would accept these ludicrous conditions, which leaves us choosing what we deserve. A joke of a coach, a clown and court jester in the kingdom of the mad King
====================================================================
For the real article see here
http://www.themag.co.uk/2015/06/time-for-a-new-court-jester-at-newcastle-united/
Smugas says:
Member: (815 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 12:28 pm
So, in summary, had Campbell followed the rules RFCold might have survived and even if they didn’t ? RFCnew would have ‘lived on’ and in all likelihood been back in the premiership by now.
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But the difference is that Elche may owe money to the taxman but they are not insolvent. Oldco went into admin/insolvency by their own volition and the rules were followed by the SFA/SPL in respect to Newco having to join the SFL at the foot of the stairs.
Flywheel
EstebanEsteban says:
Member: (98 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 11:29 am
Spanish first division club Elche have been officially relegated for not paying tax. They owe the Spanish equivalent of HMRC (Hacienda, a nice name) €8.8 million, with €6.6 million payable immediately.
The club’s board have presented a plan saying they will pay the €6.6 million on August 1. A league body set up to examine the “corporate discipline” of clubs said this wasn’t good enough and announced today that Elche are relegated along with Almería and Córdoba. Basque club Eibar, who played their inaugural season in the top flight last term and finished eighteenth, or third-last, will take Elche’s place in the top flight next season. Elche finished thirteenth, six points clear of the 35 that took Eibar down. But of course, if you don’t pay your taxes and use the cash to fund footballers you cannot afford, you are cheating.
In a statement, the league said: “There is a debt; it has not been paid and Elche have not been given more time to pay [by Hacienda].”
The league also fined Elche the intriguing sum of €180,303 and 63 cents.
All of this has been announced today. I say hats off to the Spanish league and good luck to Eibar. Would that the football authorities in other countries were as forthright. They haven’t always been in Spain, but this may be the dawn of a new era, for Spanish football and, God willing, for the whole of football.
Cheats out.
…………………………….
Great post, but consider this
Would the Spanish F.A have taken such a course of action if it were their ‘establishment’ club ??
Or would they set up an ‘independent’ review panel to mastermind the rule bending??
jimlarkin says:
June 5, 2015 at 4:06 pm
—
Perhaps not. But this creates an interesting precedent. There have been other instances of teams being relegated for not paying their players (these include Seville in the 1990s; imagine that today) and for not being able to give the right level of reassurance that they were fiscally sound enough to complete a season’s fixtures or had not set up the right company structure for a professional club (Murcia and Guadalajara last year). Celta were in the same position as Seville. They both got off with it in the end.
I think the Elche case is the first time this has happened over taxes and, naturally, if your club was relegated next season and a club a few places above you escaped while owing millions in tax, you would immediately point to this precedent and demand to stay up. The genie’s out of the bottle.
Ah yes Qatar
And from the Washington Post a quick review of who done what. They claim nobody has died while working on World Cup stadiums but if these figures are pre-World Cup they are not going to get better? If they continue to arrest journalists investigating the same it does not bode well for the run up to, and during, the World Cup.
Only Scottish journalists would be safe because they will be at home waiting for the PR print outs to jet in.
Wrong Ship
So another week slips by with no apparent strategy being impemented by the New Regime. They haven’t even announced details of the twelve angry men who we all assumed would be let go – have they been – or are they still on the payroll ?
Many have compared the Ibrox outfit to the Titanic – but it is looking more and more like the Marie Celeste.
Methilhill Stroller says:
Member: (65 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 4:22 pm
==============================================
Sixty two (62) deaths per scheduled match of Qatar 2022 – and counting – more than two complete squads (23 x 2) plus non-playing staff and officials for every match. Nearly forty (40) people DEAD for each one of the 32 teams that qualify and play in Qatar – and counting. Disgraceful that FIFA has not wihdrawn the WC from Qatar on this basis alone. It’s time for world football to say STOP – NO MORE – WE WILL NOT GO TO QATAR!
We will shortly be approaching the 4th season in a row, when the SMSM will be dominated again by the negativity and uncertainty surrounding the Govan club.
The 4th season when Scottish football fans continue to be disillusioned with the absence of any changes in the SFA/SPFL governance – and with the absence of any dissenting club voices.
Seems like the only changes will be forced upon the governing bodies.
The first trigger point might be the demise of TRFC.
Instead of being positive about the opportunities – at all levels – in Scottish football for a new season, the dark spectre of Ibrox continues to hang heavy over the game.
Time it went away for good, and leave us to get on with the sport IMO.
following on from the news that Elche have been relegated from the Spanish First Division, a similar fate has befallen Servette (of Geneva). Owing to indebtedness they have not been granted a “licence” for the Swiss Second Division next season so they have effectively been relegated to the Third Division.
It seems that some FAs do keep an eye on the financial status of their clubs.
Methilhill Stroller says:
Member: (65 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 4:22 pm
Ah yes Qatar
And from the Washington Post a quick review of who done what. They claim nobody has died while working on World Cup stadiums but if these figures are pre-World Cup they are not going to get better? If they continue to arrest journalists investigating the same it does not bode well for the run up to, and during, the World Cup.
Only Scottish journalists would be safe because they will be at home waiting for the PR print outs to jet in.
…………………….
mcfc says:
Member: (1340 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 4:30 pm
Methilhill Stroller says:
Member: (65 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 4:22 pm
==============================================
Sixty two (62) deaths per scheduled match of Qatar 2022 – and counting – more than two complete squads (23 x 2) plus non-playing staff and officials for every match. Nearly forty (40) people DEAD for each one of the 32 teams that qualify and play in Qatar – and counting. Disgraceful that FIFA has not wihdrawn the WC from Qatar on this basis alone. It’s time for world football to say STOP – NO MORE – WE WILL NOT GO TO QATAR!
………
BBC Radio’s More or Less programme – which scrutinises stats and figures bandied about by the media (not just SMSM) – has just finished…and to my surprise the stats above quoted were systematically debunked.
So lets be careful out there…. and not all just unquestioningly accept the general media’s brandished figures . 🙄
The source for the death rate which was the base for all the following hype and distortion, justifies its deployment as being useful in drawing attention to the sorry plight of migrant workers in Qatar.
It would be good if More or Less could wave its magic wand over the financial claims and counter claims within Scottish fitba…
(I’m sure you’ll be able find it on iplayer, soon, if desired.)
Just a thought, If the referee’s decision is final(right or wrong). On what grounds would the FAI have a legal case against FIFA for the Henry handball, warranting a payoff to stop lengthy legal proceedings. If such a case can be brought against the controlling body, could CFC have had a case a gainst the SFA over the Meekingsgate affair? The mind boggles at what the end results would be.
ekt1m
i asked the very same question this morning; who would the FAI be suing and for what reason?
Referees and lino’s get it wrong (a lot!) but to sue a governing body over a bad call is, im my view, whistling in the wind.
i understood the grievance in that Henry (a player i greatly admire) used his hand to steer the ball in the direction he wanted, and a decisive goal was scored. It wasnt called so that should have been that.
What resulted was a wailing nashing of teeth that could not, would not change the result. To find out that they were effectively compensated for not suing is ridiculous. They took the money and then shut up. How noble.
Now that the FAI have broken cover over this incident, i wouldnt mind hearing just how they were going to pursue their court case!
BBC
Here is the non news for Friday 5 June 2015
Scottish Championship
No McLeish approach from Rangers
Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish has not been contacted about a return to lead Rangers, BBC Scotland has learned.
,,,,,,,,,,,,
Dearie me
Is this investigative journalism?
Whats next?
King has not done nothing about anything ?
McCoist has kept tight lipped about keeping quiet?
Allyjambo says:
Member: (992 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 10:43 am
It’s not our eyes they’re keeping off the ball, though, it’s the eyes of the much lied to bears. The big stories, stories of great importance, are, ‘where’s Dave King’s promised money?’ and, ‘why are the season tickets not on sale yet?’ and, ‘is there a connection to both these question?’ and, many more
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Here are some Ibrox fans views, which are in line with above post…..
https://t.co/I8HaQDfh90
To state the bleedin’ obvious…
If there was indeed a plan – any plan – produced by King, you would have expected some signs of activity immediately after the final TRFC play-off game – when he knew in which league TRFC would be playing.
Either Plan A, or Plan B depending on SPL or Championship.
But nothing has happened publicly, at all, including the sale of ST’s.
Presumably something is happening in the background ?
But in this case, no news is mibbees really bad news for the bears. 🙄
Wonder if Murray is over in the US to throw himself at the feet of Ashley(Sarver) ?
OT but worth pointing out, in a couple or so weeks, Neil Doncaster will have been in post at SPL/SPFL for ***6 full years*** that is six years worth of salary or north of £1M, am I the only person who does not see that value delivered for that amount. That is £1M which in my view has been taken out of the game with no demonstrable benefit. In discussions of scandal, this is one which should be investigated. 😡
valentinesclown says:
Member: (161 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 6:50 pm
Here are some Ibrox fans views, which are in line with above post…..
https://t.co/I8HaQDfh90
========================================================
Valentine, Although there are some pretty good points made, this bunch bought in last season, and no doubt most will buy into the next. To an extent they have rendered themselves toothless, and King will have little interest in their views. Anyway…..They were boycott boycotters. 😡
GoosyGoosy says:
Member: (408 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 6:36 pm
Dearie me
Is this investigative journalism?
———
Goosy, The Clumpany has a very amusing blog on this at the moment.
Bayview Gold says:
Member: (10 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 8:34 pm
OT but worth pointing out, in a couple or so weeks, Neil Doncaster will have been in post at SPL/SPFL for ***6 full years*** that is six years worth of salary or north of £1M, am I the only person who does not see that value delivered for that amount. That is £1M which in my view has been taken out of the game with no demonstrable benefit. In discussions of scandal, this is one which should be investigated. ?
================================================================
That’s about par for the course.
In eight years as CE at Norwich he managed to get the club relegated to the third tier, the first time in fifty years that City had played at that level. Having taken the club to the edge of administration, he then left, his work complete.
We had hoped that he’d feck off into business or some cushy number in a quango never to be seen again, but much to our horror he reappeared at the SPL.
His history of failure was there for all to see, but someone in the Scottish football hierarchy decided his epic failure in NR1 was not enough to prevent him being appointed to the SPL gig. As for getting the SPFL job ahead of Longmuir, FFS, couldn’t they have ditched both idiots and brought in someone that Barry Hearn would have taken seriously?
I’d like to say City’s loss is Scottish football’s gain, but that would make me the King of glib and shameless liars.
Offeshull att: 14000 plus at Easter rd. Well impressed to be honest.
Depressed tho when I see our new co efficient after this one.
If it costs us dearly in the play offs (hopefully it will not come to that) then heads must surely roll for holding this Ill advised fixture.
GoosyGoosy says:
Member: (408 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 8:06 pm
Wonder if Murray is over in the US to throw himself at the feet of Ashley(Sarver) ?
==========================================================
Hasn’t he got enough on his plate trying to beat Djokovic in Paris? 🙂
ekt1m says:
June 5, 2015 at 5:13 pm
‘Just a thought, If the referee’s decision is final(right or wrong). On what grounds would the FAI have a legal case against FIFA for the Henry handball…..’
__________
Not a lawyer, of course, but perhaps it could be argued that match officials act as officials/agents/employees of FIFA and that therefore FIFA is as liable for damage or harm caused by them , whether deliberately or accidentally in the discharge of their duties, as any employer may be for the consequences of their employees’ actions.
It’s maybe not so daft as it sounds, because there ARE serious financial consequences when match officials get it wrong!
I would imagine that that kind of thinking prompted the suggestion of legal action, but some wiser legal advice prevailed.
ianagain says:
June 5, 2015 at 9:22 pm
Depressed tho when I see our new co efficient after this one.
If it costs us dearly in the play offs (hopefully it will not come to that) then heads must surely roll for holding this Ill advised fixture.
————————————————–
I’ve seen it mentioned before, but must have missed the memo, excuse my ignorance on this…how does Scotland winning lead to a lowering of Scotland’s coefficient?
Tartan Wulver
The vagaries of the FIFA co efficient system means that if you even play someone so far underneath your own, even if you win 100-0 you will definitely go down the rankings.
Bert Kassies website explains, been some teams lost out on qualifiers due the same error.
y4rmy says:
Member: (62 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 11:30 am
Slightly OT for SFM but I’d suggest Norwich City?
I very much doubt that there were any available after the final renewal deadline of 2 May to those not already on the waiting list.
That has certainly been the case in the last few years, even with increasing numbers of seats being allocated.
I think it’s now 22K of the 27K capacity.
Ah, I should have phrased it differently. 🙂
How many clubs have not started to sell or allow renewal of season tickets for next season? It is surely in every club’s interest to get the cash flowing in as quickly as possible.
(My own NCFC ST could have been renewed in January!)
===========================
Autorenewal is a wonderful thing!
Anyway, getting back to the original question in its reworded form.
No, I can’t think there can be any.
I do wonder if there are serious going concern issues surrounding TRFC Ltd, which may be related to the forthcoming EGM?
It would be rather embarrrassing for those who considered various directors of RIFC PLC to be F&P, if the football club subsidiary is forced into administration within weeks of the decision.
The share price graph of RIFC PLC that was the focus of so much attention until not that long ago would be showing the trajectory of a punctured hot air balloon, which may be handy for someone keen to pick up shares on the cheap. I seem to remember market manipulation allegations being made against someone who at the time was not a director of the PLC, and I suspect that the MASH proxy at the EGM will raise that point.
How much would the holdings of those 5%+ shareholders be worth now, if the PLC were still listed?
Is there a deliberate policy to force down the share price in preparation for an off-market share grab?
mcfcmcfc says:
June 5, 2015 at 4:24 pm
Wrong Ship
So another week slips by with no apparent strategy being impemented by the New Regime.
—————————————
Good Evening
The silence from Ibrox has been incredible. They haven’t even issued a reassuring statement following the hammering by Motherwell which left Sevco….err…. ‘distributing the benefits of the Blue Pound’ in the Championship for another season.
Not even a cursory “These are challenging times, but rest assured that we have a plan to fix things”.
Every day that passes with no concrete news of plans and funding can only increase the suspicion that Sevco is truly ‘stuffed’.
Here are some further thoughts on the current situation, if anyone is interested!
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/went-to-see-the-gypsy/
Enjoy the rest of the day!
ianagain says: Member: (526 comments) June 5, 2015 at 9:22 pm
Tartanwulver : Member: (186 comments) June 5, 2015 at 10:05 pm
ianagain says: Member: (526 comments) June 5, 2015 at 9:22 pm
—————————————————————
The difference in our FIFA Ranking Points as a result of tonight’s fixture is likely to be a small drop given that only 20% of our 2011-12 ranking points are included in our current ranking points total.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to check the calculations on the FIFA website as their aptly named Prognosis Tool at http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-tools/index.html doesn’t yet “know” about tonight’s or next weeks matches!!!!
As a wee aside,I was listening to Sportsound this evening from 6.30 p.m up to quite close to kick-off. I was in and out of the kitchen and therefore would not be able to swear to the fact that there was no reference whatsoever to TRFC/RIFC Ltd, or DCK,or MA, but that was the case, and I was surprised. But then CY interviewed Max, who I think was the coach of the Qatar national team.
And blow my socks off but didn’t this individual ‘spontaneously’ say that he was sorry to see the position ‘Rangers’ are in.
Am I being cynical and suspicious to an unacceptable degree if I say I put the inverted commas round ‘spontaneously’ because I reckon Chick would have rehearsed that little reference with his interviewee? In the same way that the Sportsound team always get former Celtic players and people like John Collins to say how much they miss the ‘OF’.
On this link you can see the Venezuelan president’s suggestion as to who should head up FIFA. It made me laugh, until I remembered the old tag about it taking a thief to catch a thief.Why not use a cheat to catch cheats?
Scroll beyond the fatuous nonsense uttered by Ellis.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/latest-ellis-addresses-fifa-scandal-235731085.html#TrfF0UJ
It might just be me, but I think this little para from today’s “The Scotsman” online, subliminally brings together in one sentence a number of words that this blog is very familiar with.
“A CENTURIES-old tale of the powerful islander whose life was spared by the King of Norway for killing a tax collector after he managed to tame a dangerous bear has entertained people in Shetland for generations”
TheClumpany says:
Member: (48 comments)
June 5, 2015 at 10:34 pm
———–
Bravo Clumps. Is that account of the Dylan-Elvis meeting true?
#RIFCDylan ‘Like a Rolling Loan’
Oh dear,you can’t get into the season ticket section on the official RFC site this morning,am I too late.
House!!
Phew, couldn’t log in and thought i’d be too late. I was only waiting for Walter Smith.
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/king-set-to-return-for-rangers-rebuilding-job-amid-ibrox-manager-hunt-209405n.128190043