The Blind Men and the Elephant, a cautionary tale

A Guest Blog for TSFM by beatipacificiscotia

As a child I read a poem by John Godfrey Saxe, “The Blind Men and the Elephant”, and stumbled upon it again recently.  It is a simple tale of how six blind men encounter an Elephant and attempt to describe the animal:

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a WALL!”

You get the idea.  The other blind men did little better.  The second grabbed the tusk and thought the elephant like a spear.  Others thought the elephant like a snake (the trunk), a tree (the leg), a fan (the ear), and finally a rope (the tail).  What does this have to do with this blog?  Let me explain.

There is a danger of all of us, whether consciously or unconsciously, making the same mistake as these blind gentleman.  It is too easy to use the parts of the argument that fit our values and belief system, at the expense of the whole truth.  The 13th century Jaina scholar, Mallisena, described a much earlier version of the same tale as a parable to argue that people deny various aspects of truth; deluded by the aspects they do understand, they deny the aspects they don’t understand.  He said:

“Due to extreme delusion produced on account of a partial viewpoint, the immature deny one aspect and try to establish another. This is the maxim of the blind (men) and the elephant.”

I am incapable of putting it any better than that, though I would go further.  I argue that people are deluded by the aspects that they choose to understand, and deny the aspects that they refuse to understand.  Which leads me to my tale …..

I have recently read a news report about a decision taken by the Advertising Standards Authority on advertising activities of The Rangers Football Club Ltd and their claims to history and honours.  It includes the following quote referring to advice from the SFA:

“We also consulted with the SFA, which confirmed that its definition of a football ‘club’ varied depending on context, and could sometimes refer to an entity separate from the club’s corporate owner.”

I was most unhappy to read this part of the statement.  I am yet to see the definition or statement of when you could “sometimes refer to an entity separate from the club’s corporate owner”.  This is a contradiction to the definition of a football club given by FIFA; a definition which is handed down to the Confederations, and from Confederations to Associations. 

You may or may not be aware, the application of good governance in football is administered through club licensing.  This annual process ensures that minimum standards are maintained, to promote growth and development, and ultimately protects all of football – every club, every player and staff member, the integrity of every competition, suppliers of goods and services, the reputation of sponsors, and most of all the fans.  FIFA Club Licensing Regulations state that a license applicant must be a football club, defined as:

“Legal entity fully and solely responsible for the football team participating in national and international club competitions that applies for a licence.”

This is a clear and unambiguous definition, which is being ignored by the SFA.  Why is this issue so important?  Simply, a football club must be held responsible for its commercial activities.  For example, an over-ambitious and over-spending Rangers changed the Scottish football landscape forever.  Other clubs tried to compete in an unsustainable “Cold War”-like football arms race.  I believe Scottish football was damaged.  Many clubs have been taken to the brink of death.  This could happen in any country, in any league, anywhere in the world.  For that reason, a football club and its corporate body must be one and the same, living or dying, inseparably intertwined.  The separation of club and company is a myth, a myth dangerous to good governance.  Rangers (1872-2012) should be a cautionary tale told to every club owner.

There are many benefits to club licensing.  These including minimum standards for stadia and infrastructure, youth development programs, and much more.  I would heartily recommend that you read the FIFA document if you have the time. It gave birth to the word and spirit of Financial Fair Play.  Look at some of the financial benefits detailed:

 

10.3  Benefits

Implementation of the financial criteria will help deliver both short and long-term improvements for clubs, the licensors and the football family in general.  For the football family in general, the financial criteria should help to:

• safeguard the continuity and integrity of competitions;

• increase the transparency and credibility of clubs’ financial operations;

• improve confidence in the probity of the football industry;

• create a more attractive market for the game’s commercial partners and investors; and

• provide the basis for fair competition, because competition is not just about the teams on the pitch.

 

For the licensors, the financial criteria should help to:

• improve their understanding of the financial position and prospects of their member clubs;

• encourage clubs to settle liabilities to creditors on a timely basis;

• enhance transparency in the money flow of clubs;

• enhance their ability to be proactive in assisting clubs with financial issues; and

• provide a starting point for club benchmarking at a national level for those licensors and clubs who want to develop this aspect.

 

For the clubs, the financial criteria should help to:

• improve the standards and quality of financial management and planning activities;

• enable better management decision-making;

• enhance clubs’ financial and business credibility with stakeholders;

• improve financial stability; and

• enhance revenue-generating ability and cost management.

 

Important words, and I trust the value and opportunity these regulations offer are now clear.  Note bullet points 3 and 4, and that our top league currently does not have a sponsor.  The SFA must ensure the integrity of competitions, discourage financial recklessness, and protect football for everyone.  This is only possible with a clear, unambiguous statement that confirms club / company are one and the same thing.

To suggest a football club can in some way survive liquidation is to undermine the definition of what is a football club, one of the cornerstones of FIFA Club Licensing Regulations.  For the SFA to suggest a football club can in some way survive liquidation, or allow this belief to go unchallenged, is a shameful dereliction of duty.  It puts all of football in danger.  We cannot allow this.  There is too much at stake.

The poem ends thus:
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

The blind men were each partially right, though in their vanity / stubbornness / ignorance they failed to find the truth.  There is a lesson for us all in this story.  This may appear to be an attempt to renew the old club / new club debate.  It is not.  To see this as an opportunity to score points against Rangers fans is to completely miss the point – you have failed to find the truth.

This is global issue affecting one of the fundamentals of good governance.  Good governance must be the beating heart of our game – ensuring good health and long life.  I am looking at the here and now, and ahead into the future. 

We must protect and promote ALL of the FIFA Club Licensing Regulations.  To deny any part is to refuse to see the whole elephant, like the foolish blind men.

This entry was posted in General by Trisidium. Bookmark the permalink.
Tom Byrne

About Trisidium

Trisidium is a Dunblane businessman with a keen interest in Scottish Football. He is a Celtic fan, although the demands of modern-day parenting have seen him less at games and more as a taxi service for his kids.

1,867 thoughts on “The Blind Men and the Elephant, a cautionary tale


  1. smartie1947 says:

    February 5, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    Two wrongs don’t make a right, so while it’s sad that Hearts can’t sign Skacel (he’d make no difference to our relegation struggle, it’s too late, but would add much needed bums on seats), if it states it in the rules then it is correct that Hearts are refused permission to sign him. That said, it does highlight the difference between the way Hearts are being, or anyone else would be, treated in comparison with RFC and subsequently TRFC. The list of fudging, botching, ignoring and inventing rules to help whatever club played at Ibrox is too long, and oft gone over, to repeat, but from my point of view, at least, it widens the gap between the way my club have been dealt with and a club that cheated to the greatest level imaginable was, and continues to be, dealt with. To be treated the same as them would be to put us in the same cesspit as them. I don’t want that for my club!


  2. “THE Rangers Charity Foundation’s An Evening With The Stars event is back for 2014 and the Foundation is lining up a top panel to take your questions, including Manager Ally McCoist, Captain Lee McCulloch and other first team players.

    You can book places now for this event which will be held on Thursday 27 March at Ibrox where you can put your questions to Ally…

    Tickets cost just £65 per person…”
    ============================
    Hmmm…

    So for GBP65 you can attend a Rangers Charity Foundation fund raiser – and ask Ally questions ? 🙄

    http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/club-news/item/6142-join-the-boss-and-captain


  3. StevieBC says:
    February 5, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    “THE Rangers Charity Foundation’s An Evening With The Stars event is back for 2014 and the Foundation is lining up a top panel to take your questions, including Manager Ally McCoist, Captain Lee McCulloch and other first team players.

    You can book places now for this event which will be held on Thursday 27 March at Ibrox where you can put your questions to Ally…

    Tickets cost just £65 per person…”
    ============================
    Hmmm…

    So for GBP65 you can attend a Rangers Charity Foundation fund raiser – and ask Ally questions ? 🙄

    I wonder how much the RCF will have to pay for use of the premises?


  4. scottc says:

    February 5, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    However much of each £65 paid goes to TRFC, I think we can rest assured it will be a lot more than ends up in the coffers of any genuine charity.


  5. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    February 5, 2014 at 3:56 pm
    31 1 Rate This

    Why is Craig Whyte a director of a wholly owned subsidiary of the Clumpany?

    http://rangers.g3dhosting.com/regulatory_news_article/301

    are the SFA going to ask about his involvement…wasn’t it an absolute no no for him to be involved?

    ==============================================================

    Maybe a real journalist will ask

    . . . Phil, are you there ?


  6. Allyjambo says:
    Two wrongs don’t make a right, so while it’s sad that Hearts can’t sign Skacel (he’d make no difference to our relegation struggle, it’s too late, but would add much needed bums on seats), if it states it in the rules then it is correct that Hearts are refused permission to sign him. That said, it does highlight the difference between the way Hearts are being, or anyone else would be, treated in comparison with RFC and subsequently TRFC.
    _____________________________________________________________________________
    AJ, perhaps if Hearts had just called him “A Trialist” they would have got away with it……..


  7. I am mystified as to why Neil Doncaster felt the need to come out and ‘explain’ the decision today to hold the League Final at Celtic Park. His explanation was that Ibrox was needed for a game the same weekend – so if it wasn’t needed would the game automatically have been there? Ibrox is already getting two showpiece games this season yet there are so many angry bears out there that it’s not getting another. Or is the anger just at where the game WILL be played rather than where it won’t be.

    There was no need whatsover for Doncaster to explain the SPFL’s decision to anyone. One wonders just how much anger and demands for an explanation has been pouring into the SPFL’s inbox today. If anything does happen to the club from Ibrox again I can honestly visualise a number of its fans spontaneously combusting. What a pity most of them simply can’t see where their anger really should be focused.


  8. upthehoops says:
    February 5, 2014 at 8:32 pm

    I am mystified as to why Neil Doncaster felt the need to come out and ‘explain’ the decision today to hold the League Final at Celtic Park. His explanation was that Ibrox was needed for a game the same weekend – so if it wasn’t needed would the game automatically have been there? Ibrox is already getting two showpiece games this season yet there are so many angry bears out there that it’s not getting another. Or is the anger just at where the game WILL be played rather than where it won’t be.

    There is a thread on RM about the decision. In the day or two before the announcement the general consensus is that they don’t want it because the Aberdeen fans would wreck Ibrox (really) then once the venue was announced they all change tune and say it should have been at Ibrox as it is a conspiracy to damage their club. Nobody can do right by them


  9. upthehoops says:
    February 5, 2014 at 8:32 pm
    16 0 Rate This

    I am mystified as to why Neil Doncaster felt the need to come out and ‘explain’ the decision today to hold the League Final at Celtic Park. His explanation was that Ibrox was needed for a game the same weekend – so if it wasn’t needed would the game automatically have been there? Ibrox is already getting two showpiece games this season yet there are so many angry bears out there that it’s not getting another. Or is the anger just at where the game WILL be played rather than where it won’t be.

    There was no need whatsover for Doncaster to explain the SPFL’s decision to anyone. One wonders just how much anger and demands for an explanation has been pouring into the SPFL’s inbox today. If anything does happen to the club from Ibrox again I can honestly visualise a number of its fans spontaneously combusting. What a pity most of them simply can’t see where their anger really should be focused.
    ===========================================

    I thought i read somewhere, that the sponsors had a say in the matter.

    Maybe the sponsors preferred Scotland’s best football venue ?


  10. I’m sure that you will all want to know that Leggatt has just set up a twitter account to bring the TRUTH to this poor wee country. Just a sample to give you the drift-

    David Leggat ‏@DavidiLeggat 9m
    They thought they had silenced me! Luckily for you I am not so easily gagged. I will bring you the TRUTH

    I’m a wee bit worried for him, poor soul. Whatever he’s been drinking tonight, I’ll have something else, please.
    Anyway, he has just promised us an EARTH SHATTERING revelation on why the Grieg enquiry was abandoned. However it will take him three days to tell us. Now I know there’s a character limit on twitter, but—


  11. So, with this continued expectation that everything should be done by the rest of Scottish football to bale out the successor to the team that cheated us all, as supporters and taxpayers, they are again up in arms because one out of a possible three games is not being played at their ground. The demise of RFC has not cost the game anything in the way of money, but the SFA’s efforts to shore up TRFC might be one way of making sure some money does leave the game as a result of their demise!


  12. neepheid says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:06 pm
    I’m sure that you will all want to know that Leggatt has just set up a twitter account to bring the TRUTH to this poor wee country.
    ————————————————————————————————————
    Serves you right for being on Twitter 😀


  13. neepheid says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:06 pm
    I’m sure that you will all want to know that Leggatt has just set up a twitter account to bring the TRUTH to this poor wee country.

    *******

    Neepheid – think its yet another of those parody accounts – we shall see – in any case, it will definitely be difficult for him to mention the sayings and wisdom passed down from his beloved “Presbyterian grandmother” so much on Twitter due to the constraints for sure!

    Edit to add – his first tweet on the John Greig v Jack Irvine situation has just been posted – its definitely a Timposter, as they call them 🙂


  14. jimlarkin says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:00 pm
    —————————————–
    Speaking hypothetically it would have been great if Doncaster had said

    “…Ibrox was never a consideration for this game. Those of us within the game know all about the work required on the stadium and as far as we know it is in real danger of being struck off the Commonwealth games venue list, due to promised work not being carried out. Into the bargain we asked Rangers for guarantees on the stadium ownership which they were unable to provide to us. There are also immediate safety issues such as those highlighted two weeks ago when the Police moved a significant number of people due to part of the stadium roof coming loose. We asked for evidence from Rangers these issues have been addressed but the promised surveyors report and follow up repair work sign off have never been provided. Under these circumstances we have no option but to use Celtic Park, and we would like to thank Peter and his staff for their co-operation”

    As I said, hypothetically 😀


  15. Exiled Celt says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:19 pm
    1 0 Rate This

    Neepheid – think its yet another of those parody accounts – we shall see
    ==========
    And so it is. Quite funny though. The latest spoof letter is a hoot.


  16. Neepheid – absolutely – I am still enjoying it 😀 Am sure Jack is working on killing it as we speak………


  17. Danish Pastry,

    You are correct. The giveaway to me was Doonholm road, Rabbie Burns stayed in that road.

    Whois tells you info on all sites but the sensible thing to do is leave the info with all details pointing to the hosting company. Putting your own details on it is rather silly.


  18. neepheid says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:06 pm
    16 1 Rate This

    I’m sure that you will all want to know that Leggatt has just set up a twitter account to bring the TRUTH to this poor wee country. Just a sample to give you the drift-

    David Leggat ‏@DavidiLeggat 9m
    They thought they had silenced me! Luckily for you I am not so easily gagged. I will bring you the TRUTH

    —————————————————-

    Ah , I see Mr Leggat is back on the turps . Poor wee soul 🙄


  19. If anyone thinks that Leggo has just surfaced and now speaks like Charlotte then you need to look at Steerpikes sustainable buisness model for Sevco. Shrek and his employers are in overdrive . Phil etc have opened Pandora’s box and there are trolls ,squirrels and all sorts of creatures all over the place.Ignore all the wild life and look at the company. 😆 😆 😆


  20. Yep its chaos over at RR some get it some don’t and most as usual cant spell.
    —————————————————————————————————–

    05 Feb 2014 14:23:26
    If there is no foundation to the latest rumours that CEO Wallace is about to hand in his resignation, then surely Rangers board need to address this with a swift denial immediately.
    Failure to do so will give the story some credence and send the share price through the floor as shareholders try to cut their losses, as they would see his exit as the beginning of the end.
    bluebeard.

    bluebeard

    1.) OP I have no idea if any of these rumours have any substance or not but my tuppence worth would be it would surely be totally out of character with a man well used to boardroom brawls who walks after a few weeks. That would not look good in his CV.
    On balance therefore I am saying b@llocks- probably wishful thinking by some non Rangers minded media people or someone putting two and two together and getting 9.

    Nbear2

    {Ed039’s Note – Nbear, I edited your post, I do not post anything remotely concerned to do with that man, sorry)

    2.) Denying rumours is giving them too much credence, more important matters to deal with.

    steerpike

    3.) Absolutely fair comment ED I didn’t name him as the name and the person leaves me sick to the pit of my stomach but no one would have doubted who it was. Not worthy of further comment and best ignored by all- Agreed!

    Nbear2

    {Ed039’s Note – No problems NB)

    4.) Whyte confirmed as director of SEVCO 5088 by companies house this morning.

    So whyte is now director of subsidiary of TRIFC – and we breach 5-way agreement and are open to SFA punishments.

    He is NOT ALLOWED TO BE PART of newco. so being director of sub-company OWNED by RiFC and TRiFc is no on.

    Also means his claim against ibrox even stronger. JG. question just how did GREEN con whyte. because whyte has all the cards at the moment.

    BDO may give him keys to ibrox for nothing, court may give him it, Companies house may give him it, HRMC may win and give him it.

    then what. I see fans asked to pay£20/mth to save rangers has started. we already gave £5m in the IPO. which just covered IPO costs.

    sammy1974

    {Ed039’s Note – This is my understanding of this and if I am correct then your post is very wrong, Sevco 5088 was a company which was started by Charles Green in which he proposed to buy the assets, however he then started another company Sevco Scotland Ltd (now Rangers International Football Club) and used this company to purchase the assets of Rangers. Craig Whyte claims that this was wrong and he did not give Charles Green permission to do this as a director of Sevco 5088, this is the basis of his “legal challenge” and this is how Green claims he “shafted” Whyte. The basis of his challenge was that D&P had an agreement to sell the assets to Sevco 5088 but instead they were sold to Sevco Scotland Ltd (or illegally transferred from one to the other as Whyte alleges). Therefore Sevco 5088 is a stand alone company and is not a subsidiary company of Rangers International Football Club, its original intentions was to be the vehichle to buy Rangers assets but was never used …… does that make sense??)

    5.) Ed you are right, sevco 5088 never owned any assets of rangers and is not associated in anyway with RIFC

    JG

    JG.

    6.) If the board had to come out and issue statements in defence of all the rumours put out there by some anti rangers minded bloggers and journos, then statements would need to be issued almost every day

    Any bears who use these people as their main source of information really should know better

    JG

    JG.

    7.) @3 please tell Sammy that as he uses this as his reliable source on a regular basis

    JG

    JG.

    8.) Steerpike- what could possibly be more important, than reassuring possible investors that all`s well in the boardroom.
    instead of letting this rumour grow arms and legs, you think Murray the boardroom brawler (Nbear2)
    would be going for the jugular given his reputation is on the line.
    A short statement rubbishing story would be suffice.
    instead the silence is deafening.
    bluebeard.

    {Ed039’s Note – Remember and log in bluebeard)

    9.) Bluebeard,

    There are many ways to skin a cat, trade libel needs a bit more rope to hang him, but it will be soon.

    I read somewhere in the accounts that Sevco 5088 was a subsidiary of RIFC plc, thankfully the registration is with TRFC.

    steerpike


  21. hamemadesoup says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:54 pm

    neepheid says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:06 pm

    I’m sure that you will all want to know that Leggatt has just set up a twitter account to bring the TRUTH to this poor wee country. Just a sample to give you the drift-

    David Leggat ‏@DavidiLeggat 9m
    They thought they had silenced me! Luckily for you I am not so easily gagged. I will bring you the TRUTH
    —————————————————-
    Ah , I see Mr Leggat is back on the turps . Poor wee soul 🙄
    ——————————————————————————————-
    Mr Parody account Leggatt has been suspended. I clicked on his last tweet which went along the lines of “I’ll have to close my account as the solicitors are telling me that my tweets are of a sensitive nature”

    Pity that, I could have done with a good laugh. He’s had a few names previously but only one I can remember off top of my head is “RangersInter” or similar


  22. Celtic67 on February 5, 2014 at 9:49 pm
    3 0 Rate This

    Danish Pastry,

    You are correct. The giveaway to me was Doonholm road, Rabbie Burns stayed in that road.

    Whois tells you info on all sites but the sensible thing to do is leave the info with all details pointing to the hosting company. Putting your own details on it is rather silly.
    ———–

    I was down Doonholm Road not that long ago with the family during a visit to all things Rabbie. I remember Mrs Pastry fancied a couple of the houses 🙂 Number 4 is a stunning property on Google Maps. The first registration of the bustcompanies domain was 2006 which seems to be the same year number 4 changed hands for £1.6m !

    Of course, you can put any address you want on a domain registration, and that one is a nice postcode indeed. I noticed the libertycapital.biz domain used by CW is registered privately via domainsbyproxy.com


  23. ianagain says:
    February 5, 2014 at 10:38 pm

    Superb entertainment. So if you don’t talk about it, it can’t be happening. I think I’ve got that right. Lovely to see that our old friend Steerpike has found his way back to his spiritual home, though.


  24. upthehoops says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:27 pm
    ‘… and as far as we know it is in real danger of being struck off the Commonwealth games venue list, due to promised work not being carried out. ..’
    ————
    Which reminds me: I have not had a reply to my email to the Minister for Comm.Games and Sport in which I asked for assurances that no one would be in danger spectating at the Rugby 7s at that stadium!


  25. I’m speechless.

    Explaining why Musselburgh Windsor have decided to take a stand about the £10 the club say is owed to them by Hearts, and £20 by Rangers, Robertson said: “To be due just £10 for a promising player we have probably nurtured for many years is bad enough.
    “For that sum not to be paid, and for us to have to spend time and resources pursuing it, is really adding insult to injury.”

    http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/sfa-called-on-to-resolve-hearts-and-rangers-debts-1-3296062


  26. briggsbhoy says:
    February 5, 2014 at 11:58 pm
    ‘… found this and thought the tax payer possibly screwed (don’t know outcome on this) again by SDM -‘
    ———–
    I just googled this, briggsbhoy, which seems to suggest that whatever happened, SDM didn’t get anything like £50M.( Must try and find out what did in fact happen)

    News Search
    Starwood/Catalyst buy £43m PPG portfolio

    By James Buckley – Wednesday, January 22, 2014 17:14

    E-mail Print
    Starwood Capital Group and Catalyst Capital have bought a portfolio of UK properties from the Premier Property Group for around £43m.

    The portfolio of 10 properties comprises: Princes Mall in Edinburgh (located adjacent to Waverly Station); three multi-let office buildings — including Kingsgate in Redhill and 26 Cross Street in Manchester; a multi-let industrial estate in Edinburgh; two single fully let industrial units; a retail parade in Lands Lane, Leeds; and two development sites.

    “This new transaction presents an opportunity to acquire assets in UK markets with strong demand
    generators at significantly below replacement cost,” said Adam Shah, Vice President of Starwood Capital Group. “These markets are recovering rapidly, and we believe that through this uptrend as well as active asset management, value can be added.”

    “We are delighted to have completed this portfolio purchase from Premier Property Group with our long-term partner, Starwood Capital Group,” said Guy Wilson, a Partner of Catalyst Capital. “The portfolio provides an opportunity for the whole UK team to deploy its asset management skills across a range of properties.”
    http://www.costar.co.uk/en/assets/news/2014/January1/StarwoodCatalyst-buy-43m-PPG-portfolio/


  27. Lord Wobbly says:
    February 6, 2014 at 12:06 am
    ‘..I’m speechless..’
    ———-
    Me too.
    But I have to say that it’s an area of football administration that I’m very ignorant of. And I’m pleased to learn about it.
    Great blog, this, for adding to our knowledge in so many different ways.
    Including knowledge of what yer man Lunney looks like!


  28. what the TD all aboot re my PM to JC, somebody think they are missing oot 😆


  29. Lord Wobbly on February 6, 2014 at 12:06 am
    18 0 Rate This

    I’m speechless.
    ————

    You wonder who set the figure at £10!

    You’d think a small percentage of any further sell-on fee should fall the way of these clubs who do such an important job. Apart from the football aspect, grassroots sports clubs benefit society by giving young kids a healthy interest and sporting principles. I’m sure a keen interest in sports has helped many a young soul through adolescence and the terrible teens.


  30. briggsbhoy on February 5, 2014 at 11:54 pm
    4 0 Rate This

    Found this and thought it a bit Ironic that someone ( A Nigerian) was trying to commit fraud using The Rangers Charity Foundation name back in 2009 …
    ———–

    And a bit ironic that Nigeria is also home to the original ‘Rangers International Football Club’, a proper football club and not part of any scam.


  31. john clarke says:
    February 5, 2014 at 11:07 pm

    Which reminds me: I have not had a reply to my email to the Minister for Comm.Games and Sport in which I asked for assurances that no one would be in danger spectating at the Rugby 7s at that stadium!

    =====================
    They’re probably just waiting on a response from Rangers to tell them everything is fine.


  32. ianagain says:
    February 5, 2014 at 10:38 pm
    ========================
    Looks like the policy of ignoring the message because of who the messenger is has survived stronger than ever. The irony is when the message hits them right between the eyes they will be shouting and bawling about why no-one ever reported just how how bad the situation was.

    Then they will discuss the list of multi-billionaires lining up to take them over.


  33. It seems the true role of the Bear Land ‘Experts’ in the continuing Ibrox Tragedy isn’t to attack Celtic but to provide comic relief for the embattled Bears.

    And the latest offering from Footballtaxhavens really is pure comedy gold. As usual there’s a mountain of irrelevant cutting and pasting to make the article look worthy and then there’s the crazy obsessions.

    Best of all relates to the Blast Zone on the eastern boundary of Westthorn created by almost half-a-million casks of whisky and other spirits in 19 bonded and maturing warehouses. This potential hazard means a significant portion of Westthorn can’t be used for residential housing which drastically reduces the useable land area and explains the reduced sale price paid by Celtic.

    But to get round that inconvenient fact the Berr’s stand-up comic has to find another source of the Blast Zone and – give him his due – he has ❗ He states: ‘Where the council claims the blast zone originates from was a dairy farm – most likely in existence throughout the 19th and early 20th century’.

    I know cows create a lot of methane and have been blamed for global warming but this is the first time I’ve heard them blamed for creating a Blast Zone 🙄 However I bow to the superior knowledge of Ra Berr ‘Expert’ who presumably has personal experience of the pervading stench that has permeated Ibrox for a long time. And it’s a helluva long time because the Westthorn dairy farm ceased to exist in the mid 1950s. Presumably the methane danger was then, now and forever 😆

    Another loopy Blast Zone explanation given by Ra Berr Comic are 19th Century brickworks which he seems to think were a Tardis foreunner and able to switch location and disappear at will. The nonsense he writes about a Blast Zone at the newly-built Commonwealth Athletes Village isn’t worthy of comment except to say he needs to ‘prove’ such a Zone exists to show the new housing on the former Belvidere Hospital site was subject to planning restrictions imposed by such a zone.

    There’s actually method in the madness because Ra Berr ‘Expert’ has always claimed that Westthorn should have been sold on the same basis as Belvidere and if both were subject to Blast Zones his premise would hold good. But brickworks don’t require Blast Zones as they don’t pose an explosion risk 😯 It really is that simple and Ra ‘Expert’ would be better switching his drink from cider to whisky for inspiration.

    Continuing with his ‘brickwork obsession’ Ra Berr Expert has to ‘disappear’ the brickwork which operated on the Westthorn lands because if they can create Blast Zones in his mind they have to go because that would mean Westthorn was correctly reduced in price in view of the potential hazard. Worryingly I am actually beginning to understand the twisted logic that his mind operates on 💡

    So he states wrt Westthorn: ‘There has been no brickworks on this land’ and dismisses the fact that the authoritative Canmore website of the Royal Commission for the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland does identify the Westthorn Brickworks aka James Goldie & Sons slap bang in the Celtic bit of the Westthorn Estate. Well Ra Berr ‘Expert’ will be right then 😥

    To prove his point Ra ‘Expert’ states:

    ‘Also on a speciality Brick Spotting website on the list of Scottish Brickworks James Goldie & Sons has no listing for Westhorn/Westthorn. Same on another Scottish Brick website.’

    Oh dearie dearie me – in his rush and zeal to prove his brick shithouse obsession and the dangers of long gone methane blasts Ra ‘Expert’ has failed (possibly deliberately) to spot the two websites he cited don’t list Scottish Brickworks but catalogue the identifying ‘mark’ stamped on bricks by different manufacturers. It’s a bit like trainspotters or the guys that hang-about Buchanan Bus Station noting numbers in their wee books. Because they haven’t spotted a number doesn’t mean the vehicle or train with that number doesn’t exist 😳

    However the best evidence of the existance and location of the Westthorn Brickworks and clay pits can be found in the 25″ Ordnance Survey maps of 1895 and 1912. They would also clear-up the Parkhead Tardis sightings for Ra Berr ‘Expert’ but create another mystery in the shape of the Belvidere Brickworks – I’ll leave that for him to cogitate on!

    Let’s get back to reality! Do brickworks have any relevance with regard to creating abnormal ground conditions that could affect the sale value of the land on which they stood. Short answer is not really. However the associated claypits from which the raw material was dug often ended-up filled with rubbish and often a made-up land issue with the displaced ground. However in the grand scheme of things at Westthorn these are minor issues of land ‘impairment’ compared to the Blast Zones and coal mines and extensive underground workings related to the site. Interestingly the Berr ‘Expert’ resolutely ignores the coal mining factor because it again doesn’t suit the big lie that no abnormal ground conditions exist on the site.

    Anything left of interest in his whacky fairy-tales. Oh yes! The two reservoirs which each held 4 million gallons of water. Ra ‘Expert’ states:’

    ‘The reservoirs were built 60ft above the river – the ground was not disturbed – keeping the seal obviously to stop leaks. Would the council even have given permission to build a brickworks next to the Water Works reservoirs?’

    Well looks like those Irish Navvies knew how to stop leaks – just think if the Ibrox Boardroom had that knowledge they might have survived. I might be ancient but I wasn’t about when the reservoirs were built in 18 canteen but I guess you can either create reservoirs when there isn’t an existing natural ‘hole’ by digging one or building earth embankments. As an avid watcher of Time Team I know that humans figured out the ditch and embankment system to reduce the physical effort and time of creating defensive ditches and ramparts from the soil taken from the ditch.

    In later times the principle was transferred to building reservoirs and guess what you do in the middle of a clay-rich site? Yip as those old navvies knew – you line the internal walls and base with clay to prevent leaks. It’s not rocket-science but simply experience and knowing your history which Ra Berr Expert has consistently demonstrated he doesn’t. And like the claypits there is the twin dangers of a rubish in-fill and made-up ground when the embankments are levelled although the simple think would be to empty them into the hole 😛

    He compounds his ignorance by the facile reasoning that the Council wouldn’t allow a brickworks to be built next to a reservoir.

    Oh really? In a time when environmental regulations and blast zones didn’t exist and the most dangerous and noxious manufacturing processes were sited cheek by jowl with the hovels housing non-unionised labour and we still had slavery in the Scottish coal fields and kids down the pit?

    I just can’t figure out what planet this Berr ‘Expert’ comes from but he obviously left his brains behind. In any case I have racked my brains to figure out the problem in siting a brickworks and reservoir near each other especially as the water wasn’t for human consumption but for industrial use in paper mills and foundry cooling and the like.

    I will finish by giving Ra Land ‘Expert’ the same advice he has given Glasgow City Council:

    ‘It’s better to come clean, stop digging & step out of the trench.’


  34. ecobhoy says: February 6, 2014 at 7:50 am

    Best of all relates to the Blast Zone on the eastern boundary of Westthorn created by almost half-a-million casks of whisky and other spirits in 19 bonded and maturing warehouses. This potential hazard means a significant portion of Westthorn can’t be used for residential housing which drastically reduces the useable land area and explains the reduced sale price paid by Celtic.
    ————————————————-
    I haven’t read the blog, but the idea of blast zones isn’t as bizarre as it first appears.

    Hearts have exactly that problem with the distillery behind the Roseburn (Away) end off the ground. The storage of large amounts of ethanol there were cited by the HSE when recommending against planning consent being given to replace the old main stand back in 2011.

    HSE’s restrictions extend to a large proportion of the Tynecastle site, limiting the scope for development of the site. The HSE recommendation however, can be appealed and I’m sure that Hearts would have done if they actually had the money to build a new stand.

    These images show how the site’s development is restricted.
    http://i.imgur.com/W9SDDgj.jpg
    http://i.imgur.com/eqen1xy.jpg


  35. Danish Pastry says:

    February 6, 2014 at 6:30 am
    briggsbhoy on February 5, 2014 at 11:54 pm
    4 0 Rate This

    Found this and thought it a bit Ironic that someone ( A Nigerian) was trying to commit fraud using The Rangers Charity Foundation name back in 2009 …
    ———–
    And a bit ironic that Nigeria is also home to the original ‘Rangers International Football Club’, a proper football club and not part of any scam.
    ==============================================================================
    At least they pretend to do irony…unlike their European namesakes…”


  36. ecobhoy,

    I know you’ve been criticised for your continued postings re the ‘Bear Land Experts’ but I, for one, find them most amusing and enlightening. The historical facts are an eye opener to just how far the poorer areas of society have come in a little over 100 years (compared to the previous 2000 or so) and the quality of the Rangers’ blogging, and your debunking of it, indicates how little education has managed, in the same period, to dispel the ignorance, existing in all levels of society, amongst people who see themselves as superior, and are desperate to prove it. I can’t believe, though, that they are so thick that they have ignored your postings and not checked their content for themselves, unless they ignore this blog as too ‘timmy’ and also ignore any bear who points out that someone is posting a far better researched counter piece to their blog here. It’s almost as though their intention is not to cause Celtic actual harm, but to divert the attention of their readership from some matter(s) more pertinent to their plight. Though causing Celtic actual harm would be a nice side effect for them, I’m sure.


  37. hector says:

    February 5, 2014 at 10:18 pm
    If anyone thinks that Leggo has just surfaced and now speaks like Charlotte then you need to look at Steerpikes sustainable buisness model for Sevco. Shrek and his employers are in overdrive . Phil etc have opened Pandora’s box and there are trolls ,squirrels and all sorts of creatures all over the place.Ignore all the wild life and look at the company.
    ==============================================================================
    Hector…nail on head…we must keep focus on the immediate reality.
    May I emphasise two dates referred to by Slimshady61:
    28 February 2014 – when statutory accounts must be lodged at Companies House. As Slim mentions, there is currently no reason for accounts not to be filed, other than the threat of a qualified audit report, but Deloittes will be waiting for a letter of comfort/assurance from Mr G Wallace that future funding is secure and that the company is indeed a “going concern”. Penalties for late filing are minimal in the greater scheme of things but officials will start the “Notice to Strike Off” and the public humiliation and embarrassment of Messrs Wallace and Nash may cause them to “walk away”, with some reputation left intact.
    31 March 2014 – when audited accounts must be lodged with the SFA for registration/licensing purposes…but wait, hold on, did this not happen a couple of years ago but some shooperb creating thinking and rule bending was introduced to that ensure a club in blue played out of that dilapidated stadium in Govan?

    Nope…keep a sharp eye on the 28 February 2014 and a few days beyond…!

    22 days to remain vigilant (copyright acknowledged to Slim!)


  38. From the Evening Times
    Supporters Direct Scotland is set to hold a meeting with groups interested in fan ownership at the Louden Tavern in Glasgow on Friday, February 14.
    I’ve always regarded Supporters Direct Scotland is a bit of a talking shop given what’s gone on in Scottish Football over the last couple of years. This does nothing to convince me otherwise.
    Meeting in the Louden? Jeez.And on Valentine’s day as well.


  39. helpmaboab says:

    February 6, 2014 at 8:55 am

    Meeting in the Louden? Jeez.And on Valentine’s day as well.
    ______________________________

    I wonder if the opening line will be:

    ‘Two years ago, today,…’


  40. essexbeancounter says:
    February 6, 2014 at 8:47 am
    ——————————————
    Absolutely EBC, but I think Wallace & Nash would walk before 28 Feb if it became clear they couldn’t deliver.

    Although as you say fines for late filing are risible, it just shouldn’t happen with a quoted company and this one more than any other will be under scrutiny.

    Working back the way, at the absolute latest Deloitte would need proof of funding no later than Monday 24 February so basically if TRFC doesn’t have a deal in principle by tomorrow, it is difficult to see how there could be an unconditional funding offer in place a fortnight later.

    That ignores the more lurid suggestion that they might indeed already be running out of cash, so as to force the board’s hand. I think that unlikely but not totally impossible, given the financial history of any entity called Rangers – and after all they did buy the history, or so we are always being told.

    I suspect within the next 8 days we will know more – it would indeed be ironic if events came to a head on 14 February again. Isn’t there a song with lyrics something along the lines of – “If you know the history…”? Can’t quite remember the rest of it but you get the gist


  41. upthehoops says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:27 pm
    ‘… and as far as we know it is in real danger of being struck off the Commonwealth games venue list, due to promised work not being carried out. ..’

    Do we know that? I don’t remember anything about that apart from some supposition in a couple of posts


  42. Couple of crazy comedy quotes from Clyde SSB last night:

    “We in no way condone the comparison between football clubs and prisoner of war camps.”

    “It takes three days to rig a game at Ibrox.”

    😀


  43. Danish Pastry says:
    ————————————–
    “It takes three days to rig a game at Ibrox.”
    ————————————-
    In the good old days, it only took a short blast on the referee’s whistle


  44. Allyjambo says:
    February 6, 2014 at 9:04 am

    Two years ago today………..the love of my life died


  45. easyJambo says:
    February 6, 2014 at 8:10 am

    ecobhoy says: February 6, 2014 at 7:50 am

    Best of all relates to the Blast Zone on the eastern boundary of Westthorn created by almost half-a-million casks of whisky and other spirits in 19 bonded and maturing warehouses. This potential hazard means a significant portion of Westthorn can’t be used for residential housing which drastically reduces the useable land area and explains the reduced sale price paid by Celtic.
    ————————————————-
    I haven’t read the blog, but the idea of blast zones isn’t as bizarre as it first appears.
    ==============================================
    Just in case there is any doubt – It wasn’t Ra Berr Land ‘Experts’ that identified and explained the reason for the Blast Zone but my own sweet self 😎

    They seem to believe the blast zone is down to long demolished brickworks or a long gone dairy farm although they don’t even seem to accept that the blast zone is real but only a figment of Glasgow Council’s plot to give Celtic a corrupt land deal.

    The mind truly boggles although I have the feeling they are starting to get signs from the EC that their wild State Aid claims are about to be thrown out which might explain their increasing desperation.

    Ra ‘Experts’ have obviously been following my posts on the subject and attempting to modify their flawed position which I have exposed but they are just digging a deeper hole for themselves and exposing their obsessions for all to see.

    As I’ve said before – total obsession and a contempt for the truth can take you to very dark and strange places.


  46. A diversion while we await news of the latest drama from Ibrox.

    I think I have discovered the inspiration for the theory of the ‘Incubator Club’ and the belief a club is transferable with the acquisition of it’s assets.

    It’s a 1935 movie, starring Robert Donat, called ‘The Ghost Goes West’. Basically the story, which is extremely believable 🙄 sees a wealthy lady in America inherit a Scottish Castle and she arranges to have it transported across the Atlantic. The castle has a ghost, and, as per the laws of the spirit world (or is it just those of ‘make believe?) and this ‘spirit of the castle’ is transferred along with the assets ie the castle, paintings, trophies etc. The castle is rebuilt in the country of the man who came up with the idea of the ‘Incubator’, where history, or an alternative reality, is created in places like Hollywood and Disneyworld, and the ghost lives on.

    An amusing tale, but surely no one would think it possible 😐


  47. Is there a blast zone around Ibrox?

    I wonder if there will be a fine and a transfer moratorium if as projected the payrole run might be a bit lightweight this month down Govan way? Isn’t there an outstanding legal bill already? Then again maybe one of the co-founders of the rangers will put a nail in their coffin today… IamRangers indeed..


  48. scottc says:
    February 6, 2014 at 9:12 am
    upthehoops says:
    February 5, 2014 at 9:27 pm

    ‘… and as far as we know it is in real danger of being struck off the Commonwealth games venue list, due to promised work not being carried out. ..’

    ——————————————————————————————
    Do we know that? I don’t remember anything about that apart from some supposition in a couple of posts
    ================================
    Well Ra Berr Land ‘Experts’ claim the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village has been built on the site of a Blast Zone 😆

    I hasten to add that as usual they are wrong so the athletes can sleep soundly – well except for the abandoned underground mine working sssssssshhhhhhhhhhh 😉


  49. briggsbhoy says:

    February 6, 2014 at 9:32 am

    For a second there I thought you actually meant the love of your life and felt terrible. Goany no dae that?


  50. JimBhoy says:
    February 6, 2014 at 10:03 am
    Is there a blast zone around Ibrox?
    ————————————————————–
    Strangely enough – only on Armistice Day when the army comes to town and the field gun fires 🙄


  51. ecobhoy says:

    February 6, 2014 at 10:09 am

    JimBhoy says:
    February 6, 2014 at 10:03 am
    Is there a blast zone around Ibrox?
    ————————————————————–
    Strangely enough – only on Armistice Day when the army comes to town and the field gun fires 🙄
    ____________________________________________________________

    I’m pretty certain there was a huge ‘blast’, followed by a lot of noxious fumes 😳 , around the area on 14 Feb 2012.


  52. Allyjambo says:
    February 6, 2014 at 10:06 am

    3

    0

    Rate This

    briggsbhoy says:

    February 6, 2014 at 9:32 am

    For a second there I thought you actually meant the love of your life and felt terrible. Goany no dae that?
    —————————————————————————————-
    AJ, that was my exact thought and I didn’t know whether to offer condolences 😳
    Either ‘great minds think alike’ or ‘fools seldom differ’ and I think it is the latter in this case 😀


  53. This truly must be the calm before the storm, with the money running out, The [] accounts due, the UTT soon to sit and Imran about to layout his compo claim. Not to mention the enigmatic Mr Whyte and what he may or may not do.

    Wouldn’t you think all those with a professional opinion or axe to grind would be taking up their starting positions in public?

    But instead we have anaemic squirrels about fan buyouts and nostalgia for the OF.

    Could it be that those one might expect to be guiding events are in fact cowering in fear and uncertainty of what might transpire?

    SFA, SPFL, MSM, come out, come out, wherever you are.


  54. jean7brodie says:

    February 6, 2014 at 10:19 am

    Like you, I was already trying to think what I should say when it dawned on me. The bad news for you is, amongst those who really know me, I’m considered a fully paid up fool 😐


  55. I note there hasn’t been a single trade in Rangers shares on AIM so far today.

    It appears The City is holding its breath for some reason 🙄


  56. You’d think, that if they’re going to completely rewrite history anyway they might as well move the day to Easter time 😎


  57. m.c.f.c. says:
    February 6, 2014 at 10:23 am

    SFA, SPFL, MSM, come out, come out, wherever you are.
    ——————————–
    I prefer to think of Campbell & Co hiding away in cupboards (OK lets be honest 5 star skiing resorts) and in the background a la the excellent first series of ’24’ the voice in the background constantly going “We’re watching you….”


  58. Looking at the bigger picture. Now that you see the big guns such as Barcelona coming out in favour of expanding the Champions League to 64 clubs with a reduction in the amount of domestic league fixtures, leading clubs in countries like ours could be set for a massive boost in income. And it will happen.

    It’s not too hard to imagine Celtic in particular gaining hugely out of this with more or less a guarantee of more CL cash every year, possibly many millions more. And up until recently it was not unusual to have two teams in the qualifying stages from Scotland.

    Should the team formerly known as Rangers get their act together and get challenging for the domestic league, at least second place should be a foregone conclusion. An expanded 64 team CL could, or would, be a goldmine for them.

    With this in mind I can’t understand why no serious investors are interested. They usually never miss a trick but here’s an almost dead-cert opportunity to be a £50m – £100m clumpany in only a few years and nobody looks interested other than spivs and cheats.

    Jeez, if I had the cash to buy them over just now I would. And I HATE them.


  59. Smugas says:
    February 6, 2014 at 10:30 am

    This one excuse they won’t be able to use this time is that they had no warning and they are reacting to unprecedented events as best they can in the interests of Scottish football. It will be more like an episode of The Thick of It with Malcolm Tucker at his profanasaurus best. Can’t wait! In the meantime, I’m bored, I’m the Chairman of the Bored. 🙂


  60. The apathy shown by TRIFC fans has if anything increased in all this. Now we see a belated – poorly thought out in my opinion – effort toward fan ownership being touted when this is too little too late.

    I remember back to the RTC days when one wise comment was made which always resonated with me and it was the fact that for years to come there will be scavengers picking at the dead corpse of whatever entity remained for years to come – and so it came to pass.

    You begin to wonder if some of the fans might think all this ‘history’ they fought to ‘preserve’ wasn’t worth the hassle after all.


  61. MR

    In the chronically obvious vaccuum that obviously exists in the TRFC business plan given to the SFA I’ve always felt Chapter 3 (Chapter 1 being Beating the Posties and Chapter 2 being Spending What’s Left) could only conclude with your post. There does not appear to be any viable alternative.

    That is not to agree with your automatic assumption of “at worst 2nd in the premiership” by the way. Not unless a large parental figure covered in a sweet substance that is determined to become poor again comes along.

    My point being if that is the plan, the true extent of the financial planning that has gone on at Ibrox that the rest of the clubs appear to be in agreement with then hell mend them. All of them.


  62. First post!

    Just a thought; could the Rangers share buying scheme offer another opportunity for their supporters to be fleeced by the spivs?

    The creation of the ‘holding company’ scenario means that the supporters would, of course, be buying shares in the holding company rather than the club. I could see a scenario where the spivs sell their shares in the holding company for inflated prices to the supporters until a point just below where they lose control of the business. The assets which form the club (minus the stadium and training ground) could then be moved on to another holding company (entirely in their control of course) which would presumably cause a collapse in share price – the Spivs then re-buy their shares at vastly deflated price and make a nice profit. This is presumably easy to justify, as the club is a loss making portion of the business which it is in the interest of the shareholders to sell on.

    All of a sudden they own a nice clean property company which is completely free of ‘the club’. The new ‘club holding company’ can then be sold on again to the Rangers supporters, who would then also have to pay them for use of the stadium and training ground in perpetuity.

    p.s. TSFM – I note that my confirmation email was marked as spam by gmail, I’m not sure if there is anything you can do about this but it may be worth noting.


  63. Mandrake Root says:

    February 6, 2014 at 10:33 am

    Unfortunately for any would be sugar daddy a hell of a lot of money would have to be spent before they get to second place, the quicker they get there the more it will have cost, and second place won’t guarantee them a spot in the CL proper, added to that it probably won’t even gain them a place in the qualifying stages. In the meantime, lots of clubs starting from healthier positions, throughout Europe, will be spending money with a similar aim and be even stronger. It’s still going to be an expensive way of earning a blue suit and a pair of brogues, and we know what happened the last time a club from Govan budgeted on getting CL money 🙄


  64. Allyjambo says:
    February 6, 2014 at 10:56 am

    Mandrake Root says:
    February 6, 2014 at 10:33 am

    What happens if one of the other Scottish Premiere League teams get access to the CL funds before The Rangers? Thereby enabling them to outspend The Rangers and prevent them from getting access to CL millions. Oh the irony!

    I’m sure Mr McCoist could provide plenty of reasons/excuses/etc for The Rangers not succeeding at the first/second/third attempt.


  65. Mandrake Root says:
    February 6, 2014 at 10:33 am

    With this in mind I can’t understand why no serious investors are interested. They usually never miss a trick but here’s an almost dead-cert opportunity to be a £50m – £100m clumpany in only a few years and nobody looks interested other than spivs and cheats.

    Jeez, if I had the cash to buy them over just now I would. And I HATE them.
    ===============================
    The reasons that no one is interested in investing their own money-
    1) Uncertainty regarding ownership of the properties
    2) Another 18 months of eyewatering expense just to get to the top flight (say £20m)
    3) The cost of building a team to win the top league (say another £15m or more)
    4) No guarantee of CL qualification even after spending £35m

    On a 64 team CL, I’m assuming that they would scrap the qualifiers, give 5 automatic places each to the “big 5” countries, and a single automatic place to the champions of every other country. If that is the plan, then in Scotland you really need to be champions, and with a strong Celtic, and the other clubs strengthening (in my opinion) there is a good chance it might take 5 years of trying to get into the CL. By that point, you will possibly have invested £60/70m. I don’t think the CL payouts are large enough to justify such a gamble.

    Which of course is why the professionals have no interest in football. In financial terms, it is the ultimate mugs’ game. Is Abrahmovich ever going to get his money back? No, he isn’t. We know that, he knows that. Does he care? Not in the slightest. Unfortunately for the Ibrox team, most wealthy people do care very deeply about their money. No sane person is going to throw £50m+ of their own money at them. And having been burnt already, the professionals and the banks are not going to throw any more of other peoples money at them either, without a guaranteed profitable property deal to ensure the investors come out on top.


  66. Sorry if off topic but just wanted to congratulate my team on their new signing.

    Scottish Football needs a Djemba-Djemba 😉


  67. Good Morning.
    Just noticed some interesting stuff in connection with the AIM rules.
    Apologies if this has already been posted but it is new to me:-

    1. AIM Rule 26 (Company information disclosure)
    The LSE proposes that a company admitted to AIM will be required to include on its website the following information (in addition to the information already required by AIM Rule 26):
    1.1. details of its corporate governance code, how it complies with that code, or if no code has been adopted a statement to that effect;
    1.2. confirmation of whether it is subject to the UK City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the “Takeover Code”), or any other similar legislation or code in its country of incorporation or operation, or any other similar provisions it has voluntarily adopted;
    1.3. its annual accounts published pursuant to Rule 19 for the last three years or since admission, whichever the lesser (as opposed to the current requirement to include its most recent annual report/accounts); and
    1.4. the date upon which the details of its significant shareholders was last updated.
    Corporate Governance
    Inclusion of corporate governance code information on company websites is consistent with UK and European policy maker’s calls over a number of years now for companies (and investors) to up their game on corporate governance and to improve shareholder dialogue with a view to increase investor confidence and aiding market recovery. Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, recently remarked:
    “A stronger economy depends on investors, employees and the wider public having trust and confidence in companies and those that are running them.”
    This amendment to AIM Rule 26 is to be welcomed, as high standards of corporate governance and two way communication with shareholders has been shown to improve a company’s investability and its profitability.

    I would suggest that CEO Wallace will have more on his plate soon as it seems AIM are trying to clean up their act.
    With reference to the argumentum ad hominem aimed at Phil Mac. It may be that he may be slightly out with some specifics but the overall picture is there for everyone to see and I believe he will be proved right in the end.

    I am of the opinion that the SFA will already know just how bad matters are and if they don’t they should as they have the powers to find out.
    As a previous poster pointed out they cannot say this time it was an unexpected and unprecedented event. It is a racing certainty.
    They have still not got the message that Scottish football is in a healthy state. For the third year in a row a team outwith Glasgow will win a trophy. That is what sport is all about. As a Celtic supporter I would love to have been in the final but we are not and we should applaud the teams that did make it. No one has the God given right to win and sport is about competing and enjoying the competition as much as it is about winning.
    If this is Armageddon long may it continue.

    The SFA are in ruins not Scottish football.

    As my granny and the grannies of many on here have already said, “Hell mend them”


  68. Imran in court today,is our intrepid reporter JC going ?


  69. Tic 6709 says:
    February 6, 2014 at 11:36 am

    Imran in court today,is our intrepid reporter JC going ?

    Yes today was the date. 9.30 I beleive for some sort of preliminary hearing.

    In other news I have heard from a good source that there is a press conference imminent at Ibrox.


  70. I’m pleased to report she is still breathing and is still the same lady I married 25 years ago, no one else is wearing her clothes and reporting to be her, it is definitely the same women 😉

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