The Continuing Voyage of Scottish Football – and the Wrath of Khan

Guest Post by Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan

Good Evening,

Last night, I found myself sitting at home when an e-mail arrived from the administrator of these pages suggesting that I write a guest article for all to consider. At that precise moment my television was full of the efforts of James T Kirk attempting to escape the Wrath of Khan, who blames old James T for all his ills and troubles including what he sees as his ridiculous and malicious banishment to a distant star in the middle of nowhere— amongst other things. He seeks vengeance, causes mayhem, and refuses to recognise the rule of law.

It may seem strange, but there is much to be learned from The Wrath of Khan. For example, in the midst of the action Admiral James T acknowledges that when he first faces what is at the time an unknown adversary, in most unusual and unknown circumstances, he ignores rules and regulation and as a result “gets caught with his pants down.”

That is the consequence of ignoring rules and regulation more often than not—even for the good guys.

This is also the movie where we are introduced to the Kobayashi Maru—the supposedly impossible test in which members of star fleet are asked to rescue a stricken ship and its crew without sacrificing themselves, their starship and all members of their crew. The test is meant to be impossible to solve as it cannot be achieved—unless you change the rules of the game!

Captain’s log:  Star date 2012; This is the voyage of the Starship Scottish Fitba—and we’re lost!

How can it come to be, that as we approach September 2012 the world of Scottish Football is in such a state of flux and disarray with an unbelievable amount of uncertainty and doubt about fundamental matters and principles, after months when we have seen the spiralling demise of one of our country’s biggest football clubs and the threatened disintegration of the entire system of football administration in Scotland as a result?

Surely after all that has happened in these past months the administrators would have learned to not only play by the rules, but be seen to be playing by the rules, insisting on the rules, and reinforcing the principles and platforms that those rules are based on?

Rangers PLC has ceased to be a part of Scottish football and the failure to deal with that simple fact, even more than the demise of what was regarded as an institution, is baffling in the extreme. The simple fact of the matter is this: There are rules and laws —regulations if you like —which were pre written to deal with such an event.  Apply the rules and everyone knows where they stand— ignore the rules and, as James T Kirk points out, you get caught with your pants down!

So far, the rules have been half implemented half ignored. Rangers were automatically deducted points for going into Administration and properly so. They were convicted, by a properly convened independent panel, of various rule breaches, and duly sentenced as a result—again properly so. Thereafter, the company was consigned to Liquidation because it could not pay its debts- with the result that it loses its SPL share and the right to participate in football altogether— and with the further result that it left a trail of unpaid debts to creditors, including football clubs, which ran to millions of pounds.

Further, let’s be clear, The SPL and the SFL only exist with the consent of the SFA. The SFA are the ultimate governing body in Scottish Football, with the two league associations merely management tools to achieve what is supposed to be the efficient management of the game in compliance with the pre agreed rules, procedures and principles that are meant to govern football and football administration. If you wish to play under this system, then you have to accept the very same rules procedures and principles, and there should be no contracting in or out of either membership, or the laws of the game.

Yet when Rangers went into Administration, and stared liquidation in the face, The Administrators, and subsequently everyone from Bill Miller through to Charles Green stated publicly that they, together with the SFA and all of Scottish Football, were facing the Kobayashi Maru whereby maintaining the rules and the principles of the game whilst at the same time saving Rangers FC could not be achieved!

The rules had to be ignored for the sake of expediency cried some press members. Whilst principles are all well and good, you can’t apply them if it means the death of Rangers—Rangers are too big  — cried others. If you apply the principles and the rules you will kill Rangers—and yourselves—said some.

It would appear that when it came to Rangers and their wellbeing, some took the view that principles were not quite so important and that, no matter what, Rangers FC had to be saved—- and there it was—the impossible task— The Kobayashi Maru!

I wonder if those who spouted that argument looked at The SFA website in any detail? Because there it states specifically that the SFA wants its coaches to educate all its young players, trainee managers and future coaches to “ Honour the game-respect your opponent- play to the rules–value sportsmanship–redefine winning- not just focusing on match results and league positions- and to help produce positive, respectful, and confident people with useful life skills“.  Presumably those life skills include playing by the rules, valuing integrity, behaving with honour and respecting the position of others and so on.

Yes—It is hard to believe—but all of those phrases are direct quotes from the Scottish Football Association webpages—they are the words of the SFA themselves. How could they be seen to abandon such principles—especially when they so publicly proclaim them?

What a choice then for the SFA—abandon your principles—or lose an institution—The Kobayashi Moru!  You just can’t win!

Except, Green & Co—and I include sections of the media in that phrase—clean forgot who was sitting the Kobayashi Moru test. The SFA were never faced with the test—if anything it was their rules that posed the test for whoever wanted to try and save Rangers. In the end, nobody was willing to attempt that task under the existing rules. No one was prepared to come along and pay the debts and so save the club—and at that stage it was Rangers and Rangers alone who faced the Kobayashi Moru.

Green, by way of his Servco company, then sought admission into the footballing world at a time and under circumstances which the rules dictated must result in failure. He had no accounts, no history in the game, effectively no players and nothing that would suggest that he could meet the criteria of the pre agreed rules for entry into the SFA.

It was at this juncture that the footballing executives made the error of ignoring the rules and principles that govern our game—the ones that the SFA espouse on their own website. They tried to shoe in Green against all the rules, with the result that supporters, fans, and club chairman voted them down and left them with their pants firmly glued to their ankles in Kirk speak.

The SFA, at the instigation of the member clubs from all leagues,  then played the Kirk role in attempting to solve The Ibrox Kobayashi Moru by changing those rules with the agreement of the majority,  so that Mr Green and his cohorts could gain membership, by effectively agreeing to allow Green’s Servco to obtain membership of the SFA on a conditional basis— with one of those conditions being that Mr Green’s company will pay ALL outstanding football debts—and make no mistake Captain Green accepted that he would play by those rules as otherwise he faced oblivion.

Here is what Green said as published on the SFA website following the signing of the 5 man agreement:

“The agreement signed today allows Rangers to be granted membership by the SFA and finally enables the Club to move forward.

“The Board, the Manager and senior executives have been working tirelessly over the last few weeks to secure the future of the Club and today is the start of that process.

“The Board has had to take some very difficult decisions to gain SFA membership, including accepting the delayed transfer ban and paying outstanding financial penalties. But we are now able to get back to playing football and plan for the new season, starting this Sunday with our match against Brechin.”

The website also reported that Servco had been granted conditional membership with one of the conditions being – “Sevco Scotland Ltd has agreed to settle all outstanding football debts to other members of the Scottish FA plus clubs under the jurisdiction of other Football Associations.”

You will note that nowhere does it state that the SFA or the SPL will pay any of the footballing debts out of any money supposedly due to the second place team in season 2011/2012 as Charles Green appears to claim – and besides it is obvious to everyone that Servco did not participate in the league during that season and so cannot be entitled to any such payment as they were not Registered with the league nor had membership of the SFA or SPL.

Rangers PLC were so registered, but if they were due any money that money would go to their Administrators. However, given that Rangers PLC were the Registered body and were convicted of offences which were described as only second to match fixing, then it follows that they should not be allowed to profit by so much as a penny in that season as a result of their rule breaking activity. Had they been expelled from the league they would have been entitled to nothing at all, and it should be remembered that it was the same Mr Green who took that situation to the Court of Session with the result that the court sent the case back to the panel with the clear instruction that such a penalty may well be appropriate and that in the circumstances the tribunal may have little alternative but to impose such a sanction.

Clearly, this is a scenario that Charles Green had to avoid. In this instance he ignored the footballing rules of not going to courts of law, and found himself with his pants down and facing the Wrath of The Court and the Kobayashi Moru whereby any technical success at the court was likely to result in certain extinction by way of expulsion from the league.

Now Captain Green seems intent on steering his starship into yet another dead end with fatal consequences. He claims that the Scottish Football debts are paid. If we ignore for the minute that he has never attempted to pay any footballing debts outwith Scotland – thus jeopradising his conditional acceptance into the SFA— his claim that it was agreed that these debts would be paid by the SPL or the SFA out of 2011/2012 prize money is derisory.

No fundamental principle of fair play, respect for opponents and attempt at honouring the game could allow for such a situation. Besides the SFA were quite clear in their statement and he has at no time demurred. From the date of the 5 man agreement onwards Captain Green undertook to pay all of the footballing debts— and if he doesn’t, then again he risks the withdrawal of his conditional membership. There is no other solution to the issue. Those are the rules he signed up to, and if you ignore the rules………….

However, this entire affair still has far to go. Where is the transparency and clarity championed by Henry Mcleish and oft promised by Stewart Regan and others? Why are the details of Green’s investors and his business plan, timescales for meeting obligations and everything else about his operation kept so secret? Given the history of those who have been in charge of Ibrox over the last twenty years, the complete failure of their administration and what is now known about their tenure there and in football generally,— and  given Green’s latest public statements—, does it not occur to the SFA that the rest of Scottish football has a right to know the details of what they have been told and what Green has promised?

He has promised to clear the footballing debts and appears to be making little attempt to do that whilst his manager hails as triumphs the signing of what he sees as the best players from other teams at relatively huge expense—whilst the debts remain, and the obligations are unfulfilled.

Again that cannot be right and goes against all principles of respecting opponents and honouring the game. It is a circumstance that amounts to the antithesis of the principles espoused by the SFA and appears to be completely contrary to the mandate given to Regan and the powers that be by the clubs and fans of all divisions. Further, the current position gives the impression that Mr Green believes that he can run his company and participate in football as and how he wants,  as and when he wants and under his terms and conditions.

This smacks of previous regimes that hovered around Ibrox for far too long with ultimately disastrous results particularly for Rangers fans, investors and creditors.

History cannot be allowed to repeat itself under these circumstances and the SFA must bring pressure on Green to pay the obligations that he undertook to meet within a publicly known timescale. Not only does he need to do that for the benefit of the clubs owed money—he needs to do it for the sake of the integrity of the whole of Scottish football, and he should not be allowed to build at team or field a team if he breaches the agreement. That should be the rule.

He should not be allowed to sacrifice publicly proclaimed and nationally accepted principles for the sake of his own financial expediency “for the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few—- or the one!”

Oh—and lest anyone think that it is mere trivia to link the current plight of Scottish Football with Star Trek and the Wrath of Khan, and that any such comparison is childish and of little consequence, that last quote was specifically relied upon, referred to and quoted in the Supreme Court of Texas in a decision issued on 22nd October 2010 in the case of Barbara Robinson, Individually and as Representative of the Estate of John Robinson, Deceased, Petitioner against Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc., Individually and as Successor to Mundet Cork Corporation, Respondent— thus bringing the undoubted logic and wisdom of Mr Spock well and truly into the Law of the United States of America!

Few would argue that Spock’s logic is not a sound legal principle!

It also seems to me that perhaps Spock had some solid business advice for those who choose to ignore the rules with a view to seeking short term gain or advantage—whether that be by way of trophies, money, position or what have you—but peril their entire existence by engaging in unlawful or illegal activity. It is advice which was ignored apparently by Sir David Murray and his board and by Craig Whyte and his entire cabal. We wait to see if Charles Green will have learned the lesson that they so clearly didn’t, or whether he believes in the potential rewards of the quick fix at any cost?

Live long…….. And prosper!

1,316 thoughts on “The Continuing Voyage of Scottish Football – and the Wrath of Khan


  1. Superb piece of writing BRTH.
    Back to what this blog should be doing, exposing corruption at SFA
    with regards to whatever RFC are calling themselves.
    SFA = too many Masons in the one building.


  2. Plenty to get our teeth into with that post
    Thanks BRTH


  3. BRTH,

    Excellent guest post; I trust that Mr. Green and the footballing authorities will follow your advice, as over time I’m sure they will realise that resistance is futile.


  4. BRTH, excellent work again and Chapeaux! My remarks for the SFA “Let it be so”


  5. Excellent read BRTH

    If only the SFA could kling on to it

    I’ll get ma cloaking device


  6. Allow me too to add my congratulations on a quite brilliant summary of where we are right now, and why it is so important we continue to fight the good fight to the end. This is far from over.


  7. As usual BRTH – brilliantly written!

    I won’t say how, but I have been closely involved (in A capacity) with the ‘Honour our Game’ initiative for a while now. It frustrates me greatly that these ‘grassroots’ initiatives have such great potential and in actual fact have been making a difference, but the ‘upper floors’ seem to be doing the exact opposite!

    I hate using the word hypocricy in this ‘fitba’ situation as we have all (myself included) been a tad guilty of it!

    The Scottish FA have the ‘underlings’ in place to roll out programme’s that have the right concepts and interests of the game at heart … I truly believe that!

    However all of this is undermined when the ‘top floor’ cannot stick to the rules and regulations!

    A definition from SFA: – “Rules – Obey and uphold the rules and play the game with honesty”

    C’mon Campbell Ogilvie (even Regan) you fancy playing the game yet?


  8. Well done, BRT&H, a concise and eloquent statement of the main facts of how we got to where we are, which are sadly often overlooked.

    These, and in particular, the reminders of SFA statements following the five way agreement should be pasted on the pc monitors of the msm churnalists.

    Congratulations on the inspired use of the star trek analogy. I can’t resist another star trek reference though, (you started it), …the non thinking subserviant borg adversaries of Capt Kirk’s sucessors warned that “resistance is futile!”. At the series end though, they hadn’t won.

    The SFA and all clubs need to be very vigilant in overseeing the adherence of Sevco to it’s side of the agreements. Every fan and supporters organisation needs to keep pressure on their clubs to respect the rules. If or when those rules need to be amended, this must be done according to proper process, not by cabals on the hoof. This of course as you point put leaves pants around ankles scenarios.


  9. BRTH, You should be the President of the SFA in my humble opinion. Wonderful post, and more power to your keyboard.


  10. First class.
    Let’s keep the pressure on the SFA, after all is said and done they are supposed uphold the integrity and keepers of the rules of the game. Answerable to UEFA yes, BUT ULTIMATELY TO THE FANS without whom the game would die

    Again congratulations


  11. I think that any integrity scottish football had is irretrievably gone given the way they ignored the rules to enable sevco to play football, Green paying the debts he agreed to pay won’t change that.

    Maybe he will pay with the season ticket money he is about to receive


  12. simply superb post ..the man is a wordsmith ..and he is also right on the money…and we can follow that money all the way back to Monacoland—:D


  13. What can I say,
    Earlier today we had a poster asking about the future of the blog.Some of the heavy hitters were marked absent.The blog was not up to the expected standard.It’ll never last.
    It will last.
    Why?.
    Simple.Unlike other blogs,in between the nit picking whilst we wait for the next revelation(we’re just passing time till something happens)we are lucky enough to have in our midst,posters of a standard way above most other blogs.
    Hugh Keevins called us “internet bampots”.
    These bampots have,and still can,change the face of Scottish Football.Most bampots,however,know what they want to say but can’t put their feelings into print.
    This post BRTH,says what we would like to say but find it hard to put our opinions down on paper.
    BRTH,you may not think it matters but when the likes of your good self,Slimshady,Paul McConville,Barcabhoy etc(you all know who I mean)write,you write on our behalf.
    Thanks.


  14. A quite brilliant article – both entertaining and enlightening. All MSM sports hacks could only dream of having such creativity and they get paid for the task ! Probably why they’ll be like cassette tapes and be consigned to history.


  15. The bouncers at the SFA didn’t have the balls to refuse Sevco entry at the door to the club. They let them in – wearing trainers and jeans and even let them off with the entrance fee. They certainly will not have sprouted a pair in the meantime and will not be asking them to leave the club – no matter how many fights they pick or how often they puke on the dance floor


  16. On transparency.

    The public need to have access to the formal minutes of meetings of the SFA, its board, committees and sub-committees. With the exception of commercially sensitive negotiations, why should any of this discussion be confidential? With no effective public accountability, and effectively a bar to governments involving themselves in footballing matters, the SFA needs to be open to public scrutiny.


  17. Excellent post BRTH. This Green charachter is really begining to equal whytey boy as a comedy gold chancer of the highest order. His rant on STV last night was hilarious. He looked like worzel gummidge having a drunken argument with himself.

    The story that keeps on giving indeed. Keep up the good work everyone, I believe all of Scottish football will eventually benefit from these shenanegins


  18. Is it something in the water? In the air? Coming up from the (Green(e)) grass perhaps. Cos it just seems to me that EVERYONE who takes over the ‘big hoose’ get struck dumb with cheatingitis.

    Cheatingitis=a supremeist infliction, a mentallity if you will, that takes control of all who come into contact with said hoose and convinces them that whatever they say whatever they do indeed, whatever they don’t do etc can and will occur with total impunity.

    Remind you of 1930s Germany anyone?

    Yeah, me too…


  19. Starofdavid says:
    August 16, 2012 at 22:49

    Hmmmm, you mean in the manipulation and complicity of the MSM and the Goebbels like repetition of the party line? Agreed


  20. BRTH

    Thank you.

    One thing which has irked me about all of this, has been why everyone has tried to pass the buck. No one wanted to be the person/group/team who killed Rangers. Think of McCoist’s threats – we will remember who takes fly kicks at Rangers, make no mistake this could kill Rangers.

    No one wanted the blame. And this is why Scottish football (and wider society) has to change. Fear. Scotland the Brave? Where about?

    Someone is going to have to pull the trigger and break the broom. (SWIDT?)

    What I glimpsed in your post, BRTH, is that the SFA have been pushed so far, have been ridiculed too much and that, ironically and so very fittingly, the trigger might be pulled, not by Celtic or the SPL Clubs or Alex Thompson or HMRC or RTC or Lord Hodge….., but by Campbell Ogilvie’s SFA. Now wouldn’t that be poetic justice!

    So thank you, BRTH, and thank you to all you Scotland supporters who paid your money and stood in the rain and made your feelings known. You were pilloried in the Press for being disloyal, shameful and stupid and cruel. All lies. Thank you for caring enough to do what goes against all our natures. It needed to be done.


  21. Staying with the Sci-Fi theme, it’s just like the last episode of “Dr Who” before a new actor takes over.
    Physically, there is a change, but their goal and ambitions are the same.
    From Craig Whyte to Charles Green, without breaking the BBC special effects budget too much………(saved a lot of Dosh by losing the googly eye effect and using the same suit for every episode)
    Now, off to the tardis and stop Davros from using EBT’s………(not meant offensively,please remove if it is regardwd as being so)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSXiAk1EU2I


  22. Fantastic article, great read and apt analogy.

    Maintaining the theme it’s clear that Mr Green leans more towards the ‘go forth & multiply’ school of negotiations rather than the ‘live long and orosper’ one!


  23. Great, accurate info BRTH.

    And as James T Kirks successor would say………Engage!!

    Top class


  24. Of course the SFA could have asked Charlie to pay the outstanding football debts prior to the granting of a licence.

    Without a proof of funds to pay these debts..with a reliance on Charlie to honour this agreement after the licence was granted…was at best negligent of the SFA to trust a man who was unwilling to provide any clarity to his investors or future financial structures to run the club..


  25. the best thing about this post is the way in which it has re focused on the issues at hand, like the tipping point of a negative feedback loop. I am once again clear on the issues at hand and for that metaphorical kick in the ferengi’s, I thank you. its too easy to get caught up in the minutiae of this case and go off at a tangent.
    unfortunately for james tiberius kirk there is no reset button in the kobyashi maru test, but then again, who needs one if you can just change the rules to suit yourself?
    maybe charles green is really “Q”…


  26. Remember the actor who played Khan.
    He also played the Khan in the TV series more than a decade before.
    A classic episode when genetically modified humans, now immortal, are banished into space because they have wreaked havoc on earth. (does that remind you of a specific group of people)
    The Star ship Enterprise comes across their ship in deep space a century or so later and, unaware of who they are, rescue them. After running amok on the Enterprise eventually Kirk maroons Khan and his cohorts on a distant planet. Oh if only we had that option in the rule book!

    Anyway the same actor’s next major role, a few years after the Wrath of Khan, was as the owner of an island where he could make his client’s dreams come true at a price.
    Fantasy Island had a successful run for a few years but we are now clearly caught up in Fantasy football island where, if you are a certain club, you can ignore the rules that everyone else has to abide by. The real problem here is that, like every other time, they are not paying the price for living their dreams.
    All of us are paying the price instead.


  27. Jim says:

    August 16, 2012 at 19:11

    Rate This

    redetin says:
    August 16, 2012 at 17:53

    They have the media totally flummoxed, especially the likes of Chris McLaughlin of the BBC…..

    ————————————————————————————————

    Does he not get embarrassed at acting as a conduit for garbage from Sevco, etc? The recent story about a possible loan of up to nine players from Newcastle was something he should have immediately checked out – a simple phone call – to find that such a thing was not allowed by the league rules.

    I mean, to the man in the street it sounds incredible so surely a sports journalist would be suspicious at least? And having a contact book full of the great and good in Scottish football so easy to check…

    Obviously it can’t have been checked at all but with the story being written by an experienced journalist it implies some a level of credibility that is at the end of the day dishonest to the public whom he serves.

    So why bother with the middleman – just let Sevco write the stories in the paper themselves…. (I know, they do already…)

    Who is monitoring these guys within their organisations? In any normal company regular appraisals are held and issues like this are noted and remedial action taken. Does he need training, better supervision, deployment elsewhere? Be professional for goodness sake!

    I too have written to Radio Scotland about recent reporting and received a typical brush-off. I challenge someone at the BBC to have the courage grasp this nettle and tell us what they are planning to do to improve their coverage and accuracy.

    We really are in a situation where hardly a word spoken by the mass of the MSM can be trusted. The BBC, of all the media, should be a glowing example but save for a very notable few we are being very badly served.

    This Monitor is sorely needed to record the MSM failures and we should not be slow to continue to point them out and build pressure for improvement.

    / Red Lichtie

    ————————————————————————————————————————-

    Really good article BRTH. My wife is a trekkie, so I can kind of follow the logic !. (On a nit-picky note, I was the first one to compare with the Sci-Fi scenario a few nights ago by comparing Mr Green with Davros, but that’s by-the-by !)

    Hope you don’t mind if I reply to Jim’s previous post to the last blog by Paul. It’s about The BBC, who I think have some questions to answer. Thanks for the time to read.

    Jim,

    I completely agree.

    The BBC has always been a sense of irritation to me. As the National Broadcasting Corporation, you would think they would have a neutral and unbiased view on the matter, with a sprinkling of their famous investigative journalism added in for fair measure.

    TBH, Mark Daly has provided some really good investigative journalism. What he revealed was dynamite, albeit assisted I presume by RTC ! It does annoy me though that his programme is rarely mentioned now a few months down the line.

    It’s as if The BBC has justified its “famous investigative journalism” tag, but now it’s time for “Move along now, nothing more to see !”.

    I don’t know about any of you all out there, but I find that the daily BBC Scotland sports bulletins, from the likes of Chris McLaughlin, really bland and uninformative.

    Contrast that to the more popular programmes like the 6:00 Sportsound and the All Day Saturday programme, where all the MSM journalists and ex-players like Dodds are wheeled out to give their spin/ BullS%&t.

    Add to that “Your Call” on Saturday night, where Mr Traynor sits on his majestic throne with his Magic Button ready to cut you off when you say something he doesn’t feel comfortable with.

    Then you have the other side. Off The Ball, with Messr’s Cosgrove and Cowan, which lets it rip warts and all. Unfortunately, Poor Tam & Stuart are held in low esteem by their more illustrious peers like Young and Traynor.

    This is a shame, because it’s only my gut instinct, but Tam & Stuart seem to hit more buttons than Young and Traynor can. I relate more to the common views on “Off The Ball” more than the propaganda perpetuated by the “Serious” pair.

    So there you have it. The BBC ! Everything you ever wanted. My own personal Opinion, for what it’s worth, but here are my views on the main characters :

    Richard Gordon – Good guy, as the anchor man, has to be careful with his opinion, but sometimes lets slip when he has a grievance.

    Jim Spence – Good guy, seems to know when wrong is wrong.

    Tam & Stuart – Definitely good guys. The voices of all neutral fans outside of The Old Firm (or what used to be TOF – what can we call it now ? I remember the pop artist called Prince called himself something later on, along the lines of The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (saying that everyone still calls him Prince !).

    Jim Traynor – Too closely allied to the old Rangers regime. In my view, not impartial enough to work for The BBC, also considering his past “Journalism” with The DR. Should be removed immediately.

    Chick Young – Ditto above. I used to like Young & Traynor before this Rangers story broke. I’ve now seen a different side. Young is like the wee guy in the old School at playtime. Always looking for a pal to suck up to, always wanting attention, but doesn’t like criticism. Have began to see him for what he is, a chancer who has made a good living out of other people playing football. I believe he has his own personal Yacht, probably paid for at the Licence Payers expense. Also makes a lot of money at After Dinner speeches, telling nice stories about meeting Rod Stewart and Pele, etc. Mmmm, who paid for these interviews ? Nice work if you can get it !

    Billy Dodds – If his EBT is declared illegal, how ironic that the very same Taxpayer he diddled is now paying his wage at the BBC. Apart from that, his “unbiased” punditry is more than enough reason to say “Thanks, but no thanks !”

    So that’s my opinion on “Our” BBC. Don’t get me wrong, there are many pundits on BBC Scotland that deserve credit. These are the quiet ones like Craig Paterson, Murdo McLeod, even Derek Ferguson (who I like, and was very complimentary to Neil Simpson on his testimonial the other night. Well done Derek, you just proved the game can move on from the past). I also like Allan (Biscuits) Preston and John Robertson.

    Just can’t stand Dodds though. Just seems he is on another gravy train, but worst of all, he doesn’t actually seem to contribute too much ! There is always a silver lining though, at least being paid by The BBC, he should be paying the proper tax due ! Our Public Services should be so grateful !


  28. Great read as usual. I find it amazing that the SFA and SPL really believed that anyone running RFC or Rangers Tribute Act, would abide by any agreements or rules they did not want to. Why would Green spend a few million when he has the cowardly morons at the SFA and SPL openly stating daily that RFC and Rangers Tribute Act are the be all and end all of Scottish football? Why would someone who is looking to maximise profits at any cost spend their own money when they have those idiots running our game to either pay it themselves, or just ignore them because they wont do anything about it until the time it becomes a genuine issue, for reasons outside of Scottish football, like tax reasons or whatever, by which time Charlie will be living in luxury in Costa Rica with his pal Craig.


  29. nowoldandgrumpy says

    Thanks for the link, (I think), my favourite is the one with the dog.
    Good point about the STs though, are you looking forward to reading the annual accounts which will (maybe) show how many were actually sold?


  30. Captain Haddock says:
    August 16, 2012 at 23:40
    ————

    When was the last time anyone saw any RFC and audited accounts in the one sentence?


  31. As it is now officially the 17th August – if the ten day rule of payments due is correct (?) – then East Fife should be due money today by 5pm. Can one decent Scottish journalist phone East Fife and ask if they have been paid?
    if not, could an East Fife fan reading this please find out if you have been paid? and crucially what the name on the cheque says at the signature bit.

    I just checked on the East Fife website to see if there was any mention of this – and I am now worried that they won’t get their money as their match report of the game might just upset some people:

    “Seeding Upset in Govan clash”

    The Rangers 4 East Fife 0

    Scottish Communities League Cup, 1st Round, Ibrox, 7 August 2012

    http://eastfifefc.info/match/match-reports/665-seeding-upset-in-govan-clash


  32. Itsagoal! says:
    August 17, 2012 at 00:04
    —————-

    No doubt if unpaid Hughie will say he thought it was 10 working days.


  33. Excellent work, BRTH.

    I think that Scottish football, in it’s present manifestation, is beyond salvage.

    The will to act within the rules is just not there.

    Earlier, on the last thread, I wondered if it was too soon for the combined forces of all clubs’ supporters to reassert their views.

    As we all know, it was the collective action of the supporters groups, with the refusal to by season tickets, that forced the clubs to abandon the SPL Shoehorn.

    I also asked why the Tartan Army have not responded in a meaningful way to the SFA’s role.

    All the power and authority lies with the SFA, therefore they are the corner stone of the corruption.

    IF there is to be any chance of salvaging the game, then this season is the ONE chance the game has.

    The support won’t renew next year, unless proper measures are taken to fully restore integrity.

    I won’t hold my breath.


  34. BRTH’s masterly summary of events is a very timely update , particularly for new posters, which exposes brilliantly the really dire position of an organisation ( the SFA) that is very seriously in trouble of its own making.

    The ultimate causes of the SFA’s unwillingness to apply, at the outset , the rules they themselves drew up to give life and reality to their publicly stated aspirations and objectives, are, in the opinion of many, two in number.

    BRTH has focused primarily on the first of these, their fear of the economic consequences for Scottish Football if they applied the Rules as fairly to RFC(IA) as they had previously done to other clubs of less financial clout.

    That fear was undoubtedly real, if, perhaps, exaggerated. And we can all imagine situations where we might be hard pushed, in our personal lives, always to do what is right if in so doing we might lose money.

    However, I believe that this ‘fear factor’ was only a secondary, and deliberately exaggerated, reason for the very powerful drive to protect and defend RFC(IA).

    The first and most powerful reason is rooted in the deeper fear of a particular ( happily ever-decreasing) constituency of anti-c..holic, anti- Irish ( i.e. ‘southern’ Irish) Scots/ Scotch- Irish: the fear that their much-vaunted ‘asc..dancy’ is coming to an end.

    An ‘asc..dancy’ of which Glasgow Rangers was the icon, before which men and women of all classes in that constituency bowed in visceral homage, and without which their lives are bereft of meaning and purpose.

    The possibility of the destruction of that icon could not be, cannot be, entertained by such men and women.

    And so, at the instance of extreme b**ots who are long practiced in behind-the-scenes deceit and the use of ‘influence’, the SFA was made to suborn itself, prostitute its integrity for fear of losing the whoremonger’s shilling, and pretend at the last to be an honest woman trying to do the right thing while still being shafted by the whoremonger.

    Of course, when I speak of ‘the SFA’, I do not include that whole body of super people who actually bust a gut to keep Scottish Football alive on the ground, but only some of those few who are charged with senior executive duties and policy-making.


  35. Itsagoal! says:
    August 17, 2012 at 00:04
    Isn’t it simple? Just follow the money……or more accurately, the unpaid money.

    CG is making the mistake (from his point of view) of talking too much.
    All the debtors are paid- down in flames with evidence.
    They’ve all got it infamy !
    etc etc

    Personally I think a carry on film has a lot in common with this tragedy turned to farce.
    CG (Sid James naturally) flirting outrageously with Matron Hattie (Jabba)


  36. BRTH, highly enjoyable and thought provoking as usual.

    I asked a couple of weeks ago in the interests of transparency have the details of the new SKY,ESPN deal been released?
    Will we get fed the same “4 games a season ” that we have been told for years.
    Was there ever a tender to attempt to sell the TV rights to anyone else?
    Are we still in the old contract or did we move to the new contract even though there was one more season to run?
    Will Rangers Be paid handsomely for the rights of 15 games a season.
    Will Rangers be paid more than the SPL clubs for the TV rights.
    What guarantees have been given to SKY?
    If new club dies is there a clause in the contract that means all the SPL clubs only receive £80,000 per season as was quoted previously?

    On the absence of some of the old posters, maybe some have changed their nom de plumes, I know I have, the old one had served its purpose.


  37. BRTH

    There are really serious mistakes being made by the SFA

    When Speirs says that in any other SFA Regan would have been sacked and yet there is no demand from the clubs for his removal it tells you they all buy into the core belief that without Rangers Scottish football is doomed. Fear is a very manipulative tool and I’ll bet CG has used it to drive bargains a courageous authority would never have entertained. You can see CG’s threats in his statements presenting his case to the SFA.

    In order to counter the fears we need to expose the myth of a strong Rangers.

    Rangers strength depends on draining the blood from the opposition. They had and have no credible scouting and development plan,they depend totally on outspending the opposition and as soon as Celtic passed their capacity to generate income when Fergus developed CP, “their spend more by earning more” strategy was doomed.

    That led to making what they did earn go further aka ebts and indulging in unsustainable debt.

    They appear to have learned nothing about running a football club to match the honest endeavours of their main rivals and seem intent,with SFA help, on repeating the same mistakes requiring the continuing application of Nelson’s eye by an SFA bereft of courage and the intellectual capacity to challenge the fears CG used to get what he wanted.

    There never was a strong Rangers, it was a myth and the SFA are gambling the future of Scottish football on a belief in a myth, cheered on by an intellectually challenged msm incapable of dropping partizanship for the real good of the game.


  38. BRT&G,

    yes! thank you spot on.
    You wont agree with me, when I suggest all fans ‘walk away’ from all things SFA, tickets,’taps’ & travel.

    Boycot SFA ‘GOODS’ !

    Thomas.


  39. The trouble with tribbles aka the lie becomes the truth.

    In a land far far away, in a galaxy known as Govenia there lived a small bunch of cults. 4 men who had a dream. To boldly go where no sane rational person had gone before, to build an empire built on moonbeams and fuelled by horse manure.

    That dream became a reality until suddenly it died.

    The end.


  40. TSFM
    I have a post in moderation. I again amended it, trying to guess which words or phrases might have triggered the automatic moderation. My amended version is also in moderation.
    I don’t have the technical expertise to know whether a list of the words like h*n or b*got or such like can be provided?


  41. My post of 00.32 refers. My earlier post came out of moderation a minute or two ago.


  42. john clarke says:

    August 17, 2012 at 00:36(Edit)

    My post of 00.32 refers. My earlier post came out of moderation a minute or two ago.
    _______________________________________________________________________

    John,

    That’s because I approved it manually. I am having some trouble with the moderation logic at the moment and I don’t understand why it is so sensitive. I am using the same word list as RTC, so it shouldn’t be so debilitating.

    Can i ask those of you who find their posts in moderation not to jump to the conclusion, as many do (not you JC), that Big Brother is at hand. I’m doing my best to tweak and the weekend will give me some extra time to do so.

    Can I also add my thanks and admiration for BRTH’s excellent post. I am particularly enthused by the fact that he has the blog back on topic.

    Beware the inevitable Attack of the Trolls (Is that a Star Trek Film?) :mrgreen:


  43. Thomas says:
    August 17, 2012 at 00:30

    BRT&G,

    yes! thank you spot on.
    You wont agree with me, when I suggest all fans ‘walk away’ from all things SFA, tickets,’taps’ & travel.

    Boycot SFA ‘GOODS’ !
    ========================================================================
    Thomas, I have just spent a week on holiday educating as many English & Welsh football supporters who reckon our game has died because Rangers are not in the SPL.
    They reckon Scottish football is a lot poorer for this.
    I had to explain how I “could punish my own club”, after being a Season Ticket holder for 17 years by not having renewed this year.
    Lets hope we have a good European run, but I am now guaranteed at least 5 games under my belt this year which are not under the auspices of the SFA.


  44. I wonder
    Lets suppose Green bought all the assets as reported for £5.5m less a discount pro rata to any transfer monies lost if any players walked (up to £2.75m)
    Say £3m max

    We know there are secret conditions in the purchase agreement
    Lets suppose CW and his Floating Charge debt of £27.5m moved to Sevco with the assets enabling D&P to argue they have improved the prospects of the other creditors getting something rather thnn nothing

    Lets suppose the Ticketus debt of £27m also moved with the assets again enabling D&P to argue they have improved the prospects of the other creditors getting something rather than nothing
    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
    Then

    Sevco owe Ticketus £27m repayable from future STs
    Sevco owe CW £27.5m for his FC
    Meaning
    If a fundraising achieves say £20m in Oct when there is still say £3m or so in ST cash left in the Bank
    Whats to stop Green handing £23m over to CW to clear the £27.5m debt and giving Sevco and the assets free of charge to Ticketus ?

    Ticketus then offer Sevco free of charge to anybody willing to repay their debt of £27m over time

    The only people who lose out are the Investors in the share issue


  45. smallteaser says:
    August 17, 2012 at 00:43
     0 0 Rate This
    Thomas says:
    August 17, 2012 at 00:30
    ========================================================================
    Thomas, I have just spent a week on holiday educating as many English & Welsh football supporters who reckon our game has died because Rangers are not in the SPL.

    Of the English supporters were any  from Liverpool. Would they feel  the same way if say,  Man U had ‘saved’ £134,000,000  and spent the money on players to continually beat them on the park?

    Ditto Swansea and Cardiff.

    No thought  not!


  46. Thomas
    There is an article with Celtic Underground that proposes an SFA sponsor boycott with sponsor details.

    I’ll post a link if/when its published.


  47. BRTH I am surprised that you missed the Klingons, as in the TRFC and their supporters klinging onto the belief that they carry the history of the Old Klingon Empire


  48. Auldheid,

    Ideal! I believe Regan is a decent guy, its the SFA ‘old boys’/SFA/RFC Instituition that requiers a revolt against them!

    I will not spend “one thin dim” on a SFA product untill Campbell is sacked and Sevco get punished.

    Thomas.


  49. CW says:
    August 16, 2012 at 23:38

    ‘Billy Dodds – If his EBT is declared illegal, how ironic that the very same Taxpayer he diddled is now paying his wage at the BBC. Apart from that, his “unbiased” punditry is more than enough reason to say “Thanks, but no thanks !”….’
    ——
    Actually, when Dodds sticks to giving a footballing opinion during a game, say, on whether there was a particularly good footballing move, or a sensible substitution,and so on, I’ve never had any reason to believe that he didn’t know his stuff and was as objective in that regard as, say, Murdo and Robertson and other ex-pros.
    Fair do’s: we can give Dodds a doing for other things, but I think his objectivity in terms of the football that he is actually watching is not really in question.


  50. TSFM says:
    August 17, 2012 at 00:42
    ‘..I am having some trouble with the moderation logic at the moment and I don’t understand why it is so sensitive. I am using the same word list as RTC, so it shouldn’t be so debilitating..’

    Roger, TSFM, I understand, in that I know it’s a machine thing. Thanks.


  51. Thomas
    I have a lot of time for Regan, he revamped the corrupt disciplinary process to make it harder to manipulate. It is no concidence that last season Rangers were found guilty of on field misdemeanours than any season previous. The system stopped it being manipulated.
    It would serm though that he has either bought into the strong Rangers myth or has been pressurised by those who support that myth to ensure their survival in spite of gross crimes against Scottish football.
    For that to change other pressures need to be created and exerted.
    The last two days have shown that the SFA have done a deal with Spl money to which Rangers have a dubious claim. It reveals the extent of the grip Rangers have on our game, a grip that has to be broken by simply challenging their expectation to be treated differently from every other club just because they are Rangers.


  52. :auldheid”

    “a grip that has to be broken by simply challenging their expectation to be treated differently from every other club just because they are Rangers.”

    expect that statement in various places 😉 J … oh! BTW it’s THE Rangers!

    JM


  53. john clarke says:

    August 17, 2012 at 00:20

    Rate This

    However, I believe that this ‘fear factor’ was only a secondary, and deliberately exaggerated, reason for the very powerful drive to protect and defend RFC(IA).

    The first and most powerful reason is rooted in the deeper fear of a particular ( happily ever-decreasing) constituency of anti-c..holic, anti- Irish ( i.e. ‘southern’ Irish) Scots/ Scotch- Irish: the fear that their much-vaunted ‘asc..dancy’ is coming to an end.

    An ‘asc..dancy’ of which Glasgow Rangers was the icon, before which men and women of all classes in that constituency bowed in visceral homage, and without which their lives are bereft of meaning and purpose.

    The possibility of the destruction of that icon could not be, cannot be, entertained by such men and women.

    And so, at the instance of extreme b**ots who are long practiced in behind-the-scenes deceit and the use of ‘influence’, the SFA was made to suborn itself, prostitute its integrity for fear of losing the whoremonger’s shilling, and pretend at the last to be an honest woman trying to do the right thing while still being shafted by the whoremonger.

    Of course, when I speak of ‘the SFA’, I do not include that whole body of super people who actually bust a gut to keep Scottish Football alive on the ground, but only some of those few who are charged with senior executive duties and policy-making.

    ————————————————————————————————————————–

    john clarke,

    What do you mean from the above ? You’ve confused me ! As a Non-Old Firm fan, I always hoped this site, and RTC’s before it, would always steer clear of religion !

    Expecting a few TD’s for this, but Celtic FC have a lot of questions from the past to answer for as well.

    Before you start TD’ ing, let me explain a few things. I’ve not long turned 50 ! Seems a long time away, 1961 (could go back there tomorrow !). My first hero in Scottish Football was Colin Stein. As a wee boy, I read that he had scored either 4 or 5 against Cyprus.

    My first recollection of Live Scottish Football is my Dad lifting me over the Turnstyle at Love St in 1968/ 69, St Mirren V Arbroath.

    All I can remember is that Arbroath wore strange maroon strips, the crowd was big, and a wee guy walking around trying to sell Macaroon bars ! There was also the permanent smell of Tobacco in the air !

    Next game I went to was not long after, Scottish Cup Replay at Love St vs East Fife. By this time, I was hooked.

    Our next door neighbour was Celtic daft. I used to go with them to Celtic games in The 70’s, including the ’75 Cup Final against Airdrie. My residing memory of that day is of some Ned trying to P$$ into a can behind me, but managing to redirect it onto the back of my Jacket ! (Believe that was Billy McNeill’s last game). I admit, I was hooked on Celtic at that time, put that was probably as a “Glory Hunter”, as at that time they were very successful.

    In those days, I didn’t care too much for Religion. In fact, I used to deliver Papers to Dixie Deans house, and spoke with him a few times. Jock Stein was the man at the time, and Kenny Dalglish was the up and coming Superstar. I remember pestering my Mum to take me to a new garage that was being opened on Glasgow Rd by Jim Brogan, Bobby Lennox and someone else who I can’t remember.

    In 1976, Alex Ferguson came to St Mirren and converted a lot of people in Paisley. Since then, I’ve always championed the wee teams, win or lose. It was after this time I began to see the “Religious” differences between Celtic and Rangers.

    Sorry guy’s, but Religion should have no place in Football. Neither should “Glory Hunters” !

    Not long after this, I joined The Services, and could now see the meaning behind many of the songs sung at Parkhead and Ibrox. My first thought was “Pathetic” on both sides ! That’s why I’m now a neutral, The Old Firm History is too bigoted, I can’t understand why the “R” word is always brought to the surface every time to make a point just to have a dig at the other side ?

    Come on guy’s, let’s talk it over a nice can of Irn Bru !


  54. john clarke says:

    August 17, 2012 at 01:14
    Rate This

    CW says:
    August 16, 2012 at 23:38

    ‘Billy Dodds – If his EBT is declared illegal, how ironic that the very same Taxpayer he diddled is now paying his wage at the BBC. Apart from that, his “unbiased” punditry is more than enough reason to say “Thanks, but no thanks !”….’
    ——
    Actually, when Dodds sticks to giving a footballing opinion during a game, say, on whether there was a particularly good footballing move, or a sensible substitution,and so on, I’ve never had any reason to believe that he didn’t know his stuff and was as objective in that regard as, say, Murdo and Robertson and other ex-pros.
    Fair do’s: we can give Dodds a doing for other things, but I think his objectivity in terms of the football that he is actually watching is not really in question.
    ——————————————————————————————————–

    John,

    It’s not exactly Rocket Science. A bit of inside knowledge from the 2 teams playing that day, quick glances the Bench to guess who is coming on/ off before the main commentator notices, then a quick resume of ” I thought he would be coming off, as he’s been struggling trying to get past The Full Back. This substitution was always on the cards !”.

    It’s an easy ride if you’ve played seriously in the past ! He’s well trained as an ex-failed No 2 at Dundee & QOS.


  55. Just what I like the usual high standard of blog(?) with the added bonus of Star Trek involvement. TSFM will clearly be maintaining the high unbiased standards we have come to expect over the last year. Long may you continue.


  56. Always worth reading BRHT.

    Is this the way forward? A guest blogger a day taking on the latest story. Almost like a proper sports paper?


  57. I too have decided to dispense with my old nom de guerre from RTC in order to have a less shall we say less Celtic orientated name – even tho I am in Exile! In order to break from the past and make the site appear to be less Celtic orientated, I have decided to liquidate my old name and come back debt free of all the spelling mistakes and typos attibuted to the old name.

    CG has inspired my new name – the line that no one can see but you can from up there….


  58. As always a fair and balanced assessment on a subject that is a serious threat and embarrassment to the Scottish game.

    You were ahead of me in terms of separating Celtic from this chaotic shambles – initially I was all for “them” being hanged because of the pain “they” had caused Celtic
    I
    Your position has always been based on he who breaks the rules should suffer the consequences – regardless of who they are

    In removing Celtic from your argument you occupy the moral high ground

    Your logic is compelling

    Great writing and a great assessment of reality
    Thank you

    67 ECW

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