The Day I was on the Scotland U-23 Bench

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It’s been a crappy year. If you don’t believe me, look at the two lists below this piece – full of people who have left us since Jan 1 2016. Some might say in a post Brexit/Trump world they are all better off, but that is neither here nor there.

In addition we have witnessed yet another year of the “black is white – new is old” suspension of disbelief argument from the football authorities. The same dysfunctional crew who gave us the 5-way agreement and whose cerebral CPU cycles are dominated by a strategy to choose the correct term to use for various concepts like; liquidation, Rangers FC, pitch invasion, independent inquiry, (to name just a few).
They now think we will be satisfied with what their crack investigation into child sex abuse – and its no doubt cherry-picked and narrow terms of reference – will come up with.

Still in place at Hampden, is a Press Officer who thinks he IS the SFA, and a chief executive who should BE the SFA, but who prefers, in his own words to do “nothing”. These are the people who, in the midst of a public debate over concerns for racism and homophobia in the game, have given a coaching job involving young people to a man who has been proven a racist and a homophobe.

These are the people who constantly have their hands out for public funds, including one to fund a grade-A bonkers facial recognition scheme to root out sectarianism (and all the other ISMS that they have just endorsed by appointing Malky Mackay).

Yet we complain about the Americans when they elect an insane man to power?

All is however not lost. Within living memory, and since it is Christmas, I’d like to relate a warm, cuddly, sentimental and very true story about the late Jock Stein. It is proof that there was a time before the madness that has enveloped Scottish Football when real people of quality, blessed with empathy for fans, roamed these lands.

Rewind to 13th May 1975. Myself and three great friends, two teenagers from each half of the Old Firm, decided to walk over to Hampden Park to see Scotland playing a friendly match against Portugal. Two of the guys – ironically the Rangers ones – lived in a wee street right across the road from Celtic Park, and we set out from ‘their bit’, walking through Strathie’s Park and down Springfield Road into Dalmarnock Road. We were a bit behind schedule and of course we were all skint so we had to walk. As my mates dithered, I walked on ahead shouting at them something like ‘hurry up!’ (although a tad less politely).

As I approached the junction of Dalmarnock Road and Adelphi Street, I absent-mindedly did a bit of jay-walking and was nearly hit on the backside by a ton of German tin making a left turn. The passenger window of the car was rolled down, and I prepared an impetuous come-back to what I was sure was going to be a rollicking.

Instead, a strangely familiar man in a thick Irish brogue poked his head out of the window and said; “Where you going?”

As my brain registered “Sean Fallon”, I made a quick connection, turned to the driver and saw that it was Big Jock. Thoughts of “what an honour to be knocked down by Jock Stein” flashed through my befuddled between-ear mass.

Recovering quickly;  “To the game” I said.

“Jump in!” shouted Mr Stein

“My pals are just behind me”

“Tell them to jump in as well”

I never asked the guys when they realised it was the greatest living Scotsman driving the car, but we didn’t know many folk with a Merc, so I suppose they knew it wasn’t a relative who had stopped me.

The four of us climbed into the spacious big bench seat in the back of the car for the fifteen minute journey. Immediate questions.

Yes Jock (we were pals by now 🙂 ) was going to the game and so was Sean, but they were going home for something to eat first. Yes, it was a great perk of being a manager that you didn’t have to queue, but what did we think of the team?

The chat at the time was that Kenny Dalglish hadn’t hit it off with Scotland because Bremner was cramping his style. Bremner was injured that night, so my pal Gerry Connor (permission to use his name has been granted!) told The Boss (we were really close by now) that we expected KD fireworks.

What did we think of Hutchinson? Since it definitely appeared to be posed in rhetorical fashion we chose “not very much”.
The Gaffer concurred.

One of the Rangers guys (Big Jimmy) wondered aloud why Alfie Conn, by then of Spurs, was not selected. It was a ridiculous situation said my mate. Probably keeping him for the U-23s he thought out loud, before realising that Jock was the then Under 23 manager.

“Oh, eh, um, sorry! I forgot that was you!” said Big Jimmy. “No worries, he’s a very good player” said Big John (by now we felt we had known him forever).

Truth is, we were scared shitless; totally in awe of the man driving, DRIVING US, to the match. He really wanted to know what we thought, who we liked to see play, who we would pick who wasn’t in the squad.

Another thing was that despite it being huge for us all, we all wanted it it over with as quickly as possible so we could talk about it. But it wasn’t over yet. The final flourish was when we got dropped off at the Beechwood. We got out of the car as the crowds were descending on Hampden. Stein’s car was noticed right away, but who were these young scallywags emerging fro the back?

“Thanks Boss, thanks Sean!” we all shouted so the bystanders could ear. Stein smiled, waved at us and sped off to Kings Park for his dinner.

“See you in the morning Gaffer!”

Chests puffed out, we all assumed the pose of Scotland Under-23 starlets. Scotland won 1-0, but I can honestly say I don’t remember a bloody thing about that match. I do remember being on the Scotland U-23 bench though 🙂

The moral of the story is clear to me. In the background of Dave Scott’s claim in our podcast that the SFA needed to get its act together, and to engage more with the fans, the men of the Stein mould, our greatest football generation, are perhaps the last generation to possess the ability to do that.

He could have just beeped loudly in frustration and went off home for his dinner that evening, but he saw four young fans – guys who loved the game anyway – and made us love it a bit more after that fifteen minute ride. For a few minutes out of his time, Jock Stein gave us all a lifetime of a cherished memory, which I have dined out on, and will continue to dine out on, forever.

Many years later, footballers of that era told me that it was commonplace for the likes of Billy McNeill and John Grieg to do the same in Glasgow, for Pat Stanton and Davie Holt in Edinburgh, and for Alex Hamilton and Jerry Kerr in Dundee.

Sadly, three decades later, I regularly witnessed footballers go to extraordinary lengths to avoid autograph hunters, ducking out of back doors and having stewards deliver their cars to remote places away from the public gaze.

Of the four lucky boys who chanced upon Jock Stein that night, I am still in touch with two. Big Jimmy has fallen of the radar, last heard of in England somewhere – as is Gerry, condemned to a purgatory of watching Blackburn Rovers!

Despite that, we will always share the bond of the night we were on the Under-23 bench seat in the back of Big Jock’s Merc.

We should remember that the game in this country prospered when it was more in tune with the people who followed it. Perhaps market equilibrium will one day bring it back, who knows, but for now, football is an industry where no-one in control at the clubs gives a flying doo-doo what we think.

 

At least we still have our memories. Of the great Jock Stein, to whom I was briefly related, of his assistant Sean Fallon, who I got to know a bit in later years, and of many football folk I was privileged enough to know, and who are no longer with us.

Just like the class of 2016 below, we miss them all.

 

Non Football Deaths in 2016

Date Name Age
04 Jan Robert Stigwood Producer 81
08 Jan David Bowie Musician 69
14 Jan Alan Rickman Actor 69
15 Jan DanHaggerty Grizzly Adams Actor 74
18 Jan Glen Frey Musician 67
28 Jan Paul Kantner Musician 74
19 Feb Harper Lee Author 89
28 Feb George Kennedy Actor 91
08 Mar George Martin Producer 90
09 Mar Robert Horton Wagon Train Actor 91
10 Mar Keith Emerson Musician 71
17 Mar Larry Drake LA Law Actor 66
18 Mar Joe Santos Rockford Files Actor 84
22 Mar Richard Bradford Man in a Suitcase Actor 81
24 Mar Garry Shandling Comedian 66
06 Apr Merle Haggard Musician 79
21 Apr Prince Musician 57
24 Apr Billy Paul Musician 81
19 May Alan Young Mr Ed Actor 96
03 Jun Muhammad Ali Boxer 74
14 Jun Ronnie-Claire Edwards Waltons Actor 83
28 Jun Scotty Moore Musician 84
19 Jul Garry Marshall Actor/Producer 81
13 Aug Kenny Baker Star Wars Actor 81
20 Aug Gene Wilder Actor 83
06 Sep Hugh O’Brian Wyatt Earp Actor 91
25 Sep Arnold Palmer Golfer 87
28 Sep Shimon Peres Politician 93
14 Oct Jean Alexander Coronation St Actor 90
24 Oct Bobby Vee Singer 73
24 Oct Pete Burns Musician 57
03 Nov Kaye Starr Singer 94
07 Nov Leonard Cohen Musician 82
11 Nov Robert Vaughan Actor 83
13 Nov Leon Russell Musician 74
25 Nov Fidel Castro Politician 90
06 Dec Peter Vaughan Porridge Actor 93
07 Dec Greg Lake Musician 69
08 Dec John Glenn Astronaut 95
18 Dec Zsa-Zsa Gabor Actor 99
24 Dec Rick Parfitt Musician 67
24 Dec Liz Smith Royle Family Actor 95
25 Dec George Michael Musician 53
27 Dec Carrie Fisher Actor 60
28 Dec Debbie Reynolds Actor 84

 

 

Football Deaths in 2016

Date Name Club Age
22 Jan Tommy Bryceland St Mirren 76
22 Jan John Dowie Celtic 60
04 Feb Harry Glasgow Clyde 76
24 Feb Jim McFadzean Kilmarnock & Hearts 77
11 Mar Billy Ritchie Rangers Goalkeeper 79
20 Mar Alan Cousin Dundee, Hibs & Falkirk 78
24 Mar Johan Cruyff Ajax, Barcelona 68
31 Mar Jimmy Toner Dundee 92
06 May Chris Mitchell Queen of the South 27
11 May Bobby Carroll Celtic 77
14 May John Coyle Dundee United 83
20 Jun Willie Logie Rangers, Aberdeen 83
03 Jul Jimmy Frizzell Morton 79
06 Jul Davie Nicol Falkirk 80
08 Jul Jackie McInally Kilmarnock 79
21 Jul Dick Donnelly East Fife Goalkeper/Journalist 74
05 Aug Joe Davis Hibs Captain 75
21 Aug Rab Stewart Dunfermline 54
05 Sep Max Murray Rangers 80
13 Sep Matt Gray Third Lanark 80
01 Oct David Herd Man United & Scotland 82
10 Oct Eddie O’Hara Falkirk & Everton 80
16 Oct George Peebles Dunfermline 80
18 Oct Gary Sprake Leeds United 71
08 Nov Ian Cowan Partick Thistle, Falkirk & DAFC 71
16 Nov Daniel Prodan Rangers 44
25 Nov Jim Gillespie Dunfermline 69
26 Nov Davie Provan Rangers 75
10 Dec Tommy McCulloch Clyde Goalkeeper 82
11 Dec Charlie McNeil Stirling Albion 53
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About Big Pink

Big Pink is John Cole; a former schoolteacher based in the West of Scotland, He is also a print and broadcast journalist who is engaged in the running of SFM . Former gigs include Newstalk 106, the Celtic View, and Channel67. A Celtic fan, he is also the voice of our podcast initiative.

653 thoughts on “The Day I was on the Scotland U-23 Bench”


  1. JJ has taken great exception to Homunculus comment with a rather vicious blog berating him and SFM generally. 
    I generally appreciate JJs output though he does cross the line (outright misogyny and latent homophobia being two elements that I find pretty distasteful) and his first blog yesterday was such an item which I see was quickly removed. 


  3. tangoed December 27, 2016 at 12:37 
    It’s been 4 years since BDO were appointed liquidators of the old club and the football debts are still on the book. Anybody know if this is normal?
    ========================
    If you are reading the same bit as me, the “football creditors” total shows as £3.344M, but equally nothing has been paid to them to date.  As the Newco picked up the responsibility to pay those creditors in full as part of the 5 way agreement, I wouldn’t expect that they would ultimately receive any dividends from BDO.

    However, unless the creditors advise BDO that they are no longer creditors then the original amount will remain on the books.  I don’t know the mechanism for receiving dividends, but I would expect that there will have to be some communication confirming their continued creditor status and the amount outstanding.

    Dave King’s £20M claim also remains “on the books” although I believe it was knocked back some time ago.


  4. EASYJAMBO
    DECEMBER 27, 2016 at 12:53
    ———————————————
    Thanks..


  5. dom16December 27, 2016 at 10:30
    ‘….JJ has taken great exception to Homunculus comment with a rather vicious blog berating him and SFM generally…’
    _________
    I imagine that of all the regular posters on this blog, Homunculus is
    a) consistently courteous, mannerly, to the point, and ready to acknowledge that his view may not be shared by everyone, but is his honest opinion
    and
    b) the least likely to be bothered by the likes of someone incapable ( apparently) of handling any kind of criticism , such as JJ.

    I say ‘apparently’, because I have never read, first hand, anything written by JJ and have to go on what other posters quote him as saying or writing or twittering.

    And why is that, you may ask?

    Well, because for no reason that I can consciously think of ( other than my opinions expressed on this blog) he has blocked me from access to his musings.

    Now, as a basic principle, anyone who, having gone  ‘public’ with his views and opinions, decides not to allow access to his views and opinions from people whom he knows do not accept, and will challenge his views and opinions, is by definition a fool and a knave, with what most people would consider a pernicious mind, closed  to the concepts  of Truth and Objectivity, except as these are ‘defined’ by him.

    And, of course,such as have those minds are,  clinically, deserving of compassion.

    They are , by any ordinary measure, at least a bit ‘odd’, living in a fantasy world of   ‘one-way communication.’

    But, of course, Homunculus can deal with JJ without any assistance from me.

    As can this SFM blog.

    Because we on here live in the real world of objective truth.

    We did not make up the truth that the RFC of SDM/Craig Whyte was liquidated and ceased to be in existence as a member of the SPL and of the SFA.

    We did not make up the Truth that Charles Green set up a new club, and did NOT simply become   the new owner of what had been the RFC of our fathers and grandfathers.

    We did not make up the Truth that SDM’s RFC was being dunned for non-payment of social taxes, and that correspondence between them and the SFA very strongly suggests a collusion to disguise that truth in order to slide SDM’s RFC an unentitled few million quid  in an attempt to save that club from the ruination brought about by that despicable man in his  Lucifer-like vainglorious , in-your-face hubristic pride.

    And we did not make up the Truth that the SMSM, and in particular the BBC in Scotland, acted as cheerleaders and supporters of all the cheating that went on.

    The evidence is there in abundance.

    JJ and other fantasists are to be dismissed , charitably, as not quite sound of mind and intellect.

    Those in Football Governance fall to judged far more harshly.

    And those in the SMSM are already in Hell, as betrayers par excellence of Truth’

    And very bad cess to them.


  6. John ClarkDecember 27, 2016 at 14:06
    I say ‘apparently’, because I have never read, first hand, anything written by JJ and have to go on what other posters quote him as saying or writing or twittering.
    And why is that, you may ask?
    Well, because for no reason that I can consciously think of ( other than my opinions expressed on this blog) he has blocked me from access to his musings
    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
    Is that even possible on a WordPress blog? I’m no apologist for JJ, and find a lot of his stuff quite unpleasant, but despite having my comments blocked or removed at one time, I have always been able to view his site. 


  7. GABBYDECEMBER 27, 2016 at 07:23    
    Yes Homonculus, it is your religious bias on show.Whether a person decides to post a blog on Christmas Day is entirely up to them.However if JJ is in Oz, as he claims, the he may well have posted Boxing Day Melbourne time but still Christmas Day in your time zone.

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

    I assumed he posted it on Christmas day because it was headed 

    “The Cardigan of Infallibility
    December 25”

    With regard it being entirely up to them when they post it, I couldn’t agree more. However I am also sure you will agree I am equally entitled to object to it. Freedom of expression has to work in both directions. Something the chap in question doesn’t seem to accept.


  8. neepheidDecember 27, 2016 at 15:00
    ‘…despite having my comments blocked or removed at one time, I have always been able to view his site. .’
    ______
    Ach, neepheid, I really don’t know about these things. I click on what I think is JJ’s twitter thingy and get told i’m blocked. I key in things like jj rangers blog and get something the same.
    If you can tell me what to key in I would be very grateful, and most ready to apologise to JJ for my techy insufficiencies.


  10. John it is johnjamessite dotcom

    Do not let the little ones see it -there is some very unpleasant articulation of ever more unpleasant ideas there.
    I did not see the ad hominem on homunculus it appears to have been removed


  11. Just updated the list of absent friends above and split it into football and non-football.

    Not exhaustive I’m afraid, so if there are any other Scottish footballers you know of who passed away this year, but are not on the list, please let me know.


  12. BIG PINKDECEMBER 27, 2016 at 15:43   
    Just updated the list of absent friends above and split it into football and non-football.

    I know he wasn’t Scottish but don’t you think Johann Cruyff should be in there somewhere?

    sorted!


  13. EASYJAMBODECEMBER 27, 2016 at 12:53   
    tangoed December 27, 2016 at 12:37 It’s been 4 years since BDO were appointed liquidators of the old club and the football debts are still on the book. Anybody know if this is normal?========================If you are reading the same bit as me, the “football creditors” total shows as £3.344M, but equally nothing has been paid to them to date.  As the Newco picked up the responsibility to pay those creditors in full as part of the 5 way agreement, I wouldn’t expect that they would ultimately receive any dividends from BDO.
    However, unless the creditors advise BDO that they are no longer creditors then the original amount will remain on the books.  I don’t know the mechanism for receiving dividends, but I would expect that there will have to be some communication confirming their continued creditor status and the amount outstanding.
    Dave King’s £20M claim also remains “on the books” although I believe it was knocked back some time ago.

    I guess that technically there would be nothing stopping the ‘football creditors’ getting paid twice. The fact that another club chose to pay those debts (no matter under duress) is not relevant to the liquidators and the debts still stand. They can, of course, choose to withdraw their claim


  16. SCOTTC
    DECEMBER 27, 2016 at 17:01
    ============================

    Surely if they have been paid in full then they are no longer owed money and therefore not a creditor of the old club.

    Speaking purely as a lay man if I paid something on behalf of someone else, and made it clear that is what I was doing then I would not expect them still to owe that money.

    Would the “creditor” not be obliged to let the liquidator know they had been paid and as such were no longer a creditor. 


  17. Of course, there is another explanation regarding the football creditors . What if they haven’t been fully paid ? Have we seen any evidence ? e.g. Corresponding entries on TRFC and creditors accounts . 


  18. HOMUNCULUSDECEMBER 27, 2016 at 18:11 
    SCOTTCDECEMBER 27, 2016 at 17:01============================
    Surely if they have been paid in full then they are no longer owed money and therefore not a creditor of the old club.
    Speaking purely as a lay man if I paid something on behalf of someone else, and made it clear that is what I was doing then I would not expect them still to owe that money.
    Would the “creditor” not be obliged to let the liquidator know they had been paid and as such were no longer a creditor. 

    As I said, they would have to withdraw their claim. If they don’t they would still be a creditor. 


  19. SCOTTC
    DECEMBER 27, 2016 at 18:32
    ========================

    Would that not constitute fraud, knowing you had been paid but not informing the liquidator.


  20. Big PinkDecember 27, 2016 at 15:43
    _____________________________________
    Sent you a DM as I would have liked Peter Vaughan added to list of non football players. Great actor.


  21. Could I start the rumour that the Magic Hat is being considered for the Swansea City job ? No ? OK ,but we could have had a “Warbo’s swansong” headline .


  24. PADDY MALARKEYDECEMBER 27, 2016 at 21:12       1 Vote 
    Someone appears to have strayed “off message” a couple of times in this article 
    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/national-sport/st-johnstone-boss-tommy-wright-relishing-home-clash-with-in-form-rangers-1-4326437
    —————————–
    and drew in Govan in October in their first Ladbrokes Premiership meeting.
    At first i thought fair enough it was their “first ladbrokes sponsored” premiership meeting.
    Then i read down…“off message” right enough


  25. CORRUPT OFFICIALDECEMBER 27, 2016 at 20:42 7 Votes
    https://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/the-sfa-judicial-panel-verdict-on-rangers-full-text/
    ———————————–
    This caught my eye ….The Tribunal , having heard evidence and submissions of the Parties, made the following findings in fact:
    47. That some confusion arose in relation to the continuing status of Mr David King (Non Executive Director) who had been on the previous Board for some years, but it was resolved and he remained a Non Executive Director of Rangers FC.

    does anyone know how it was resolved?


  26. Tommy Wright

    “All credit to Mark, he has got them back to winning ways and ultimately at Rangers that’s what it is about, winning games.”

    Is that not what it’s all about at your club, and every other club Tommy, winning games.


  27. Sorry totally off topic.  But I heard of a bereavement in a family in the past few days.  Then a couple of days later a birth in same family.  I met the wee girl today and she is beautiful.   The mother is a lovely person too. So proud, rightly so.


  28. BFBPUZZLEDDECEMBER 26, 2016 at 17:47 28 Votes
    Coatbridgeloyaltycad- Good grief, the Johnjames boy is not what one would call the Govan Oscar Wilde despite his claims of being satirical- perhaps he should spend some time reading Chesterton to see how things should be done and to keep him away from a keyboard.
    ………..
    I agree BFBPUZZLED.  Chesterton is well worth a read, especially in the (Le)PANTO season – JJ could learn a lot from GK’s use of language, imagery, satire and his ability to engage his readers without being offensive and obnoxious.
    Season’s greetings to all at SFM and all who contribute.  I continue to enjoy the discussion and the tone of debate that goes on here, though I do so mainly as an onlooker.  


  29. CLUSTER ONEDECEMBER 27, 2016 at 22:25 
    CORRUPT OFFICIALDECEMBER 27, 2016 at 20:42 7 Voteshttps://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/the-sfa-judicial-panel-verdict-on-rangers-full-text/———————————–This caught my eye ….The Tribunal , having heard evidence and submissions of the Parties, made the following findings in fact:47. That some confusion arose in relation to the continuing status of Mr David King (Non Executive Director) who had been on the previous Board for some years, but it was resolved and he remained a Non Executive Director of Rangers FC.
    does anyone know how it was resolved?
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
    Not I, but I guess a slightly contorted handshake would do????


  31. Chesterton could also teach a few folk about how to disagree properly. One of his great friends was G B Shaw Who he disagreed with about next to everything including the most important stuff. – he wrote a long piece about Shaw in Heretics.
    No death threats or ad hominems anywhere to be seen. I fear to think what would be said about Chesterton’s crossing the Tiber.

    ps I would like to go just as Shaw did -by falling out of a tree at 94 years of age.


  33. Cluster OneDecember 27, 2016 at 22:25
    ‘..in relation to the continuing status of Mr David King (Non Executive Director) who had been on the previous Board for some years, but it was resolved and he remained a Non Executive Director of Rangers FC..’
    ______
    It’s now about well into Thursday morning here, and, having had a great day taking the granweans to see ‘Trolls’ [ oddly enough, there is a dirty wee self-preserving ,cynical, betrayer-of -honour-and -any-kind-of-decency  Troll  whose craven actions made me think of folk in Scottish Football Governance], I am supping a Fat Yak and a drop of Red Label, as I read the following:
    “From May 2011 Mr David King was aware that he was being excluded from the governance of the company and he appears to have done little about it except repeat his demands to Mr Olverman and Mr Craig Whyte for information.
    There was no information about any other steps he took as director when matters were plainly out of the control of the Board and information and accounts were kept secret from the Board.”
    (from the Gary Allan , QC, judicial enquiry into breaches by RFC and CW)
    Fiduciary duties to shareholders? You’re having a laugh!
    Sneakily cunning opportunistic chancer looking for  a cheap way to make money ? yes?
    Companies House records show that the South African ‘businessman’ was a director whose appointment was intimated by Scotland’s biggest football sports cheat in the RFC share issue ‘prospectus’ in 2000, and that he remained a director until 1st June 2012.
    One could almost feel sorry for the supporters of a club that was so, so cold-bloodedly ‘duped’ by its majority shareholder, who cynically disregarded the advice of concerned directors of the Independent Board Committee ( which yer man King did not sit on! ), and so let down by King  as a non-executive director who had a particular duty to blow whistles and alert shareholders to the desperate measures that SDM was taking, and to the peculiar subsequent actions of the proud new owner ( for £1) whose clear aim seemed to be to run the club into at least Administration, and pick up the assets cheaply..
    Indeed, I can feel myself bristle with indignation at the way chancers like King have so cruelly exploited the ‘decent’ fans. Sympathy is offset, of course, by the utter refusal  of ‘decent’ fans even to examine the facts and accept the truth of how they were conned and are still being conned, by self-seeking charlatans and dishonest Football governance people, and even more untrustworthy SMSM hacks and , in my view, deeply compromised chancers in BBC Radio Scotland.
    The club ( not some vague ‘holding company’ ) of their fathers and grandfathers is dead.
    It did not die with dignity, with honour, or with pride. How could it have done, having cheated for the last ten or twelve years of its ‘sporting’ life?
    It was, in effect, that cheating by SDM of the rest of Scottish Football, that killed it, although the master-cheat , too cowardly to face the consequences of his cheating, made sure that someone else actually pulled the trigger.


  34. PORTBHOY
    DECEMBER 28, 2016 at 15:24
    ==================================

    In relation to the tax tribunal findings and analysis it’s probably better to get the info straight from Alex Thomson’s original, from over a year ago. 

    https://www.channel4.com/news/by/alex-thomson/blogs/rangers-cheated-football-fraudulent-silverware

    Its pretty much the same stuff, with even exactly the same conclusion, though to be fair he did change the colour of the font.

     

    All the titles and silverware from all the years Rangers cheated at football, as they cheated at tax, must be null and void and wiped from the record. 

     
     
     

    I’m not convinced Mr James has attributed all of these quotes correctly, I stand to be corrected though

    The august members of the UTT were not impressed with Mr.Black. They inquired:

    “Why did this powerful but busy character introduce a scheme of wholesale – and now proven to be unlawful – avoidance of NI and income tax?”

    The answer is facile: so the club could gain an advantage on the pitch, a sporting advantage, by attracting and retaining players that they otherwise could not afford.

    “Mr Black didn’t see it as a tax wheeze at all, he said, but a football wheeze. Sadly for him if you’re now found to have been cheating the taxman you’re also cheating football – so now his unfortunate admission is a smoking gun.”

    The Three Law Lords of the UTT delivered the following damining indictment of Murray and Rangers:

    “Obstructive, unhelpful and evasive. Rangers were found to be tax cheats on an industrial scale.”


  35. Homunculus  December 28, 2016 at 16:34

    I’m not convinced Mr James has attributed all of these quotes correctly, I stand to be corrected though
    ============================
    JJ shows little knowledge of the tribunals process.

    Mr Black (SDM) only gave evidence to the the First Tier Tribunal (Mure, Poon & Rae).  None of those who heard the evidence from SDM and the other Murray Group/ RFC associates was a “Lord”.  Mure was a QC, Poon an accountant and Rae a bog standard solicitor.

    The UTTT was heard by Lord Doherty on his own.  Only the legal teams from both sides participated in this appeal.

    The Court of Session (Scottish equivalent of the Court of Appeals) heard the last appeal by HMRC.  Lords Carloway, Menzies and Drummond-Young again heard submissions by the legal teams only.


  36. EASYJAMBO
    DECEMBER 28, 2016 at 17:56
    =====================================

    Which of them is likely to have said

    Mr Black didn’t see it as a tax wheeze at all, he said, but a football wheeze. Sadly for him if you’re now found to have been cheating the taxman you’re also cheating football – so now his unfortunate admission is a smoking gun

    Sounds more like something Alex Thomson himself may have written.

    Who on earth could that possibly be, we wonder? What role for instance did Sir David Murray himself play? We need to know. We have, of course, approached Sir David, but we’ve yet to hear back from him.
    Why did this powerful but busy character introduce a scheme of wholesale – and now proven to be unlawful – avoidance of NI and income tax?
    Why – so the club could gain advantage on the pitch, of course: sporting advantage. By attracting and keeping players they otherwise could not afford. How do we know?
    Because the powerful but talkative “Mr Black” was good enough to spill the beans to the Tax Tribunal: “Mr Black did not consider the Trust as a means of tax avoidance, but rather as a means of retaining and rewarding loyal employees. So far as Rangers was concerned it enabled the Club to attract players who would not otherwise have been obtainable.”
    Sporting advantage.
    “Mr Black” didn’t see it as a tax wheeze at all, he said, but a football wheeze. Sadly for him if you’re now found to have been cheating the taxman you’re also cheating football – so now his unfortunate admission is a smoking gun


  37. Homunculus December 28, 2016 at 18:28 
    EASYJAMBO DECEMBER 28, 2016 at 17:56 =====================================
    Which of them is likely to have said
    =========================
    Here’s what SDM said (extracts from the FTTT decision)

    Next, Mr Black gave evidence. He read and confirmed the terms of his Witness Statement. His role within the Group is in providing strategic guidance to the individual companies. These companies carry out wide-ranging commercial activities. It also owns Rangers Football Club. The Remuneration Trust was set up in about 2001, Mr Black explained, following on specialist advice. While he himself was familiar with its broad function, its day-to-day operations were supervised by Mr Red. Originally it was used to benefit only MGM’s employees, but later was extended to employees of other companies in the Group and their relations. It was valuable in incentivising employees in providing larger sums for their and their families’ benefit in view of the tax savings. Mr Black did not consider the Trust as a means of tax avoidance, but rather as a means of retaining and rewarding loyal employees. So far as Rangers was concerned it enabled the Club to attract players who would not otherwise have been obtainable.

    While Mr Black had been involved in “signing and selling” 350-400 players in 20 years of involvement at Rangers, he had not, and could not, because of all his commitments, devote any real time to detailed contractual negotiations. At the start of each football season he would meet with his manager to decide on which players might be possible recruits. The manager would have an approved budget for this purpose. The selected player would be offered a contract incorporating standard SFA terms and in favoured cases also a “side-letter” in respect of possible Trust benefits. When shown the letter dated 11 July 2001 to him personally by Mr Grey on behalf of Mr Purple (Vol 2-13- pages 21/22) Mr Black explained that it was only the broad terms of an agreement, not the formal contract.

    As for Mr Black, he denied that the scheme was for tax avoidance in cross-examination, though he went on to describe the scheme as ‘a method of us acquiring, especially football wise, better players in a more cost effective manner than we would be able to do so’; that the club had been ‘very ambitious at that time’; and ‘it was seen as a correct and proper way for us to proceed’; that Rangers ‘have been very successful, because we’ve been able to attract players of a certain standard that, perhaps, we may not have been able to otherwise’ (Day 5/126). It was not examined in detail how Mr Black understood the scheme as being cost-effective. However, set in context, that cost effectiveness conferred by the trust arrangements can be inferred as coming from being able to offer the payroll equivalent of a ‘net’ sum without the costs of PAYE and NIC in addition.
     


  38. Apparently Saints are allowing the visiting support a card display in the North Stand at McDiarmid this evening. I’m not sure this is common (good) practice. I would hope, along with a good number of my colleagues, that Saints have verified that the message they seek to convey is one of seasonal cheer and good wishes.


  39. An addendum to my previous post.

    It was Murray Group’s Tax advisor Ian MacMillan who was described as being “evasive” and “obstructive”.  The words “unhelpful” or “industrial scale” do not appear in any of the legal judgements.

    I’m pretty sure that the term “cheating on an industrial scale” originated from Mark Daly’s documentary on “The Men Who Sold the Jerseys”.  I think the same words were used later by Alex Thomson following the CoS appeal.


  40. https://gordonjohnston.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/rangers-the-truth-behind-the-cheating-revealed/

    A stunning Panorama documentary on BBC Scotland last night, made by the respected journalist Mark Daly and the team who previously exposed Craig Whyte’s controversial business background, has at last revealed the full story behind Rangers’ tax scams.
    Over 100 employees of the cash strapped football club received tax free payments totalling more than £50M over a period of at least ten years. These included over 60 footballers – meaning that the club both benefitted from employing players it could not otherwise have afforded and also broke football’s contract rules many times over several years.
    Make no mistake – this was cheating on an industrial scale.
    The revelations are not so much a smoking gun as a ticking nuclear bomb.


  42. Cheers EJ and Homunculus. This further strengthens my view that while JJ does get somethings correct he is on the whole a plagiarist and fantasist of the highest order


  43. Small change
    Aberdeen have in the past extended the same facility to visiting Celtic fans.


  45. Even better reporting, from the days before revisionism and propaganda strangled the truth. 

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/9418724/Rangers-in-crisis-Sevco-have-until-Friday-to-gain-SFA-membership-and-play-football-next-season.html

    By Ewing Grahame10:30PM BST 22 Jul 2012

     Malcolm Murray, the chairman of Sevco Scotland Ltd, has dismissed claims by the Scottish Football Association on Friday evening that a settlement had been reached.

    In a statement released earlier on Friday, the SFA claimed that the stricken Glasgow giants had accepted a 12-month embargo on signing players aged 18 or over as well as “all other outstanding conditions relating to Oldco’s charges of bringing the game into disrepute”.

    However, Murray insisted that the SFA were wrong to say that Green and his consortium have deigned to accept all the sanctions which may still be imposed on them. Consequently, no agreement has yet been reached. Scottish Football League rules clearly state that new clubs must gain SFA membership within 14 days of being accepted into their organisation – which means that business must be concluded by Friday.

    “For clarity, we have not signed any agreement yet and therefore believe the SFA’s statement to be premature,” said Murray.

    It could be that Murray is merely showboating for the benefit of a disgruntled support. With the SFA refusing to bend on this issue, though, either the embargo will be accepted as a condition of membership or Sevco will not play football next season.

    Which some cynics have argued has been the plan all along.
    Manager Ally McCoist also weighed in with an ill-judged rant which will almost certainly lead to an extended touchline ban and a fine.

    “We have had meetings with the SFA all week to discuss membership but I had to leave the final meeting as I could not support the sanctions they were trying to impose.

    “The decision has already been taken to place Rangers in Division 3 and we have accepted that, along with many more punishments. However, operating with an embargo on an already depleted first-team squad – even with a window to sign players – will make the task ahead an extremely difficult one.

    “It is important to remember we have already had a 10-point deduction from the SPL, lost our Champions League place for finishing second last season, had a £160,000 fine, been refused entry to the SPL, been relegated to Division 3 and lost the majority of our first team squad. Yet still the governing body has chosen to impose further sanctions.”

    Of course, the 10-point penalty, like the exile from European competition, are not punishments: they merely represent the consequences of falling into administration.

    Similarly, newco Rangers have not been penalised by beginning life in the Third Division: indeed, no other completely new club would have been allowed to enter the bottom tier.

    It is also true that no other new club would have been even considered for membership of the SPL. Again, their failure to have the oldco’s membership share transferred is not a punitive measure.

    Equally, the £160,000 fine resulted from the inability or unwillingness [or both] of discredited owner Craig Whyte to pay taxes or any other bills which the club ran up during his tenure.

    Likewise, players, most of whom gave up 75 per cent of their salaries for three months in a vain attempt to save the old club, are not punishing Sevco by refusing to transfer their contracts to the new company and exercising their right to find alternative employment.

    “The transfer ban has been strongly resisted by me, the management team, the directors and supporters,” McCoist added.

    “From a business point of view I can understand the position the board has been placed in and ultimately they felt they had no choice but to accept some sanctions in order to move forward – as one of the alternatives could have led to the extinction of the club.

    “I can also assure every Rangers fan I will not be accepting any talk of stripping the Club of titles. That is something we will never accept and everyone at the Club shares this view.”

    The idea that people found guilty of wrongdoing – and if the SPL’s investigations proves that Rangers were improperly registering players over a period of 11 years it would be considered a major offence – should decide on the sentence they receive is a novel one.

    McCoist’s credibility was severely damaged by his demand in April to “out” the SFA’s independent Judiciary Panel (“Rangers supporters and the Scottish public deserve to know who these people are”) which had originally imposed the transfer embargo.

    The SFA’s compliance officer, Vincent Lunny, has still to take him to task for that outburst – rendered all the more incomprehensible by the fact that Rangers officials were well aware of the identities of the panel members – and he is also likely to have his collar felt for his latest offering.


  46. HIGHLANDERDECEMBER 29, 2016 at 10:19
    And the amazing thing iirc is that no santions were ever levied at McCoist for those outbursts 09


  47. BORDERMAN67DECEMBER 29, 2016 at 10:23
    HIGHLANDER
    DECEMBER 29, 2016 at 10:19
    And the amazing thing iirc is that no santions were ever levied at McCoist for those outbursts 

    But, but, but, surely he’d been punished enough!!!


  48. borderman67December 29, 2016 at 10:23 
    HIGHLANDERDECEMBER 29, 2016 at 10:19 And the amazing thing iirc is that no santions were ever levied at McCoist for those outbursts 
    ___________________________

    And I find it amazing that you find it amazing 21, in light of all we now know, as opposed to suspected/believed in the past!


  49. HIGHLANDERDECEMBER 29, 2016 at 10:19 10 Votes
    —————————-
    Of course, the 10-point penalty, like the exile from European competition, are not punishments: they merely represent the consequences of falling into administration.
    Similarly, newco Rangers have not been penalised by beginning life in the Third Division: indeed, no other completely new club would have been allowed to enter the bottom tier.
    It is also true that no other new club would have been even considered for membership of the SPL. Again, their failure to have the oldco’s membership share transferred is not a punitive measure.
    Equally, the £160,000 fine resulted from the inability or unwillingness [or both] of discredited owner Craig Whyte to pay taxes or any other bills which the club ran up during his tenure.
    Likewise, players, most of whom gave up 75 per cent of their salaries for three months in a vain attempt to save the old club, are not punishing Sevco by refusing to transfer their contracts to the new company and exercising their right to find alternative employment.
    ———————-
    Anyone know what ever happened to Ewing Grahame from The Telegraph?
    did he revert to type?


  50. Updated the lists again 🙁

    I’m getting a bit too obsessed with this. Roll on Ne’erday 🙂


  51. Big PinkDecember 29, 2016 at 09:50 Aberdeen have in the past extended the same facility to visiting Celtic fans.
    ————
    Thanks BP.


  52. Big PinkDecember 29, 2016 at 17:46
    ________________________________
    Thanks pal.


  54. Jean,

    What list?  Not sure if I want to be on it or not.  BTW Merry Christmas and happy New Year!


  55. Just to take the current discussions full circle I thought I would add my own contribution to BP’s blog. 
    I was one of his Rangers supporting friends who lived in Silverdale St, in the shadow of Celtic park (At the time Rangers also lived in the shadow of Celtic park).
    BP, I remember it well and your account is quite accurate . 
    As the car stopped and the window rolled down and as I heard the thick Irish brogue “are you going to the game lads” from the guy in the passenger seat, it rushed through my mind “yeah, tartan scarves and bunnets, and Scottish flags, so where else would we be bleeping going” but then I thought – feck, that’s Sean Fallon – I looked over at the driver and thought feck feck fecking feck – that’s Big Jock driving!!!!!  A state of shock took hold and couldn’t speak as I got into the car.
    My recollection is that I must have got into the car first from the passenger side because I moved over and sat directly behind Jock and recall staring at that big fat thick neck that Jock had, and kept saying to myself naw this can’t be, surely no, and looked over to you guys thinking – is this really happening???? 
    I seem to remember saying thanks for the lift Mr Stein (didn’t have the courage to say ‘Jock’) and he asked us what the team selection was. I remember he used the phrase ‘couldnae pick his nose’ when we told him the team selection by the then manager Wullie Ormond.  He was annoyed that Conn had not been selected and that is when big Jimmy picked up on the under 23 thing.  I didn’t (couldn’t) speak until we almost got to Hampden – I also recall that as we approached Hampden the traffic police had closed the road and were directing traffic to alternative routes.  I thought Mr Stein (I didn’t just call him Mr Stein – I also ‘thunked’ of him as Mr Stein ) actually increased speed as he approached the policeman who was standing in the middle of the road waving traffic left or right.  I noticed the policeman recognised the car and its driver and immediately stood to one side and waved us (‘us’ – I was beginning to feel I was part of Mr Stein’s party) straight through
    I was totally gobsmacked and, like BP said, couldn’t wait to get out the car to talk about how we had just met and been given a lift by the greatest Scottish football legend ever, in the whole wurld.  I recall leaving the car and being aware of the crowd gathering around his car – “Thanks very much Mr Stein” I said “see you later then!” (thinking that if I was a U23 footballer then Mr Stein would be proper term to be used)
    When Celtic signed Conn the following season I recall we discussed how much Big Jock had regarded him during our conversation with him, and that the signing was not really (to us) surprising.


  56. valentinesclownDecember 29, 2016 at 22:51 
    Statement time again from 1872 group (the year an old club was founded apparently)
    https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwir5pzrvZrRAhUYMlAKHWWmD-AQFggaMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclub1872.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fhogmanay-old-firm-statement%2F&usg=AFQjCNFoDo6h9nKTip6zvXkBPevYXgmrVg&sig2=d0En4n3qRO3jDyEXsFcbpA
    So glad I boycotted the Ibrox stadium.
    ____________________

    Strange!

    Concerned about hanging dummies (what could be illegal about that, regardless of how ‘offensive’ mild mannered bears might find it?) but no concerns that toilets might be damaged (or that any other clearly illegal act might be carried out) by visiting supporters, and no ‘reminder’ to their own supporters, over whom they have more influence than they do over Police Scotland (officially, at least), to remember that, under current legislation, singing about famine victims, or ‘Fenian blood’, is much more ‘arrestable’ than hanging puppets as a reminder that something inanimate, such as a football club, died.

    On a more humorous note, wouldn’t it make a great online video if a bunch of Celtic fans were filmed cleaning the Ibrox toilets?


  57. bigsbeeDecember 29, 2016 at 23:46

    Terrific addition to BP’s story, Bigsbee, thanks for sharing it.

    Interestingly, Mr Stein’s assessment of the then Scotland manager pretty much matches what I once heard from the lips of a 1974 World Cup squad player (Alfie Conn was not the subject of his ire)!


  58. Quite extraordinary that ‘Statement’ in terms of a total lack of self awareness as much as a grammatical mishmash. Last time I looked there were 3 or 4 folk up on charges over the effigies and not one single arrest for the complete demolition of a block of toilets which had been captured on video and spread across the interweb. Funny that. 03


  59. Borderman
    Yeah, I always find it emphatically more emphatic if I emphasise emphatically.


  61. It looks like nothing more is to be said on the Ibrox roofs issue. At least until after tomorrow. Fingers crossed and all our prayers that nothing serious does happen.
    I’m sure however I’m not the only one who holds concerns that little has been said about the consequences should the roofs fail. Particularly who would be held responsible.
    I am no Professor of Law but I think in English Criminal Law it would be Corporate Manslaughter. –  The Scottish equivalent being Culpable Homicide. The main thing being there is a likely criminal offence to be investigated. The question is, who would be held responsible? Would it be directors of the board of the company owning the stadium, whoever they may be? Or is it some other company within a company?
    Glasgow City Council decline to release information an the issue although that is being pursued.
    Do Celtic FC consider themselves blameless following their wish washy statement?
    It’s no surprise our true to form Scottish media have shown little interest.


  62. Club 1872 statements prove that Mason Boyne is alive and delusional still. 


  63. BRIMACEL
    DECEMBER 30, 2016 at 10:44
    ==============================================

    Have Celtic released a statement with regards the roof of Ibrox Stadium, do you have a link I can read it at, I would be really interested in seeing that. 

    The club has thousands of supporters attending there tomorrow afternoon, if they are in any doubt with regards their safety then those fans should have been told about them … at the very least. In reality the club should not have sold tickets on behalf of the Ibrox club if they were genuinely concerned about safety issues at the venue.

    As ever, the same goes for any other club in the same circumstances. There must have been several visitors to Ibrox since these concerns were raised. Have those clubs made any statement with regards the rumours. 


  64. BFBPUZZLED
    DECEMBER 30, 2016 at 10:45
    ——————————————–

    Being fair, the Ibrox support have never done anything which anyone else could find even remotely offensive so their supporters group can justifiably take the moral high ground on this one. 


  65. Regards the Celtic ‘statement’, I was referring above to the response to the question posed by CQN on 23rd December. (I am now wondering if this was an official statement.)
    In summary it was headed, ” Celtic, aware of the rumours, will monitor Ibrox roof situation but “at this point Hogmanay match goes ahead.”
    i apologise to all if this was not an official statement. 


  66. Jingso.JimsieDecember 30, 2016 at 10:33
    ‘…..Fortunately, I got plenty of exercise shaking my head reading this article in the Hootsmon:’
    _______
    I’m not all that long in ( it’s now 12.20 a.m Saturday in Birkdale, Queensland) from  a few birthday celebratory actual pints ( not ‘schooners’) of Lazy Yak, with my son,  no wives or children present, where the the sort of father/son, man-to-man, emotional stuff comes bubbling up to the surface, deep stuff, such as : whose round it is it? And, geez, £6.50 a pint!( or equivalent in Aussie dollars!)
    But I’ve read the link you posted, Jingo, and was moved to email Halliday as follows:
    “..
    john clark To Stephen HallidayToday at 14:13
    Stephen,I have emailed you before.
    I’ve just read your piece ” Mark Warburton:Rangers are most successful club in the world”.
    In which you say
    “just how dark a place the club is still emerging from in the aftermath of its financial collapse almost five years ago..”
    And I say “Aw c’mon, Stephen, ffs!
    You KNOW that RFC did NOT ’emerge ‘ from its Liquidation.
    It is still in Liquidation, unable to field a football team,without membership of the SPFL and without membership of the SFA.
    It exists , legally, in the control of the Liquidators, and is not any kind of football entity being managed by Warburton.
    What is being managed by Warburton is TRFC , the club that was founded in 2012 and which( to the puzzlement of many) is actually a member of the SPFL and of the SFA.
    This newish club has not yet gone bust. It may do so, of course, and it may even ’emerge’ from an insolvency event short of Liquidation.
    But RFC(IL) as a football club did not, and all the specious nonsense spouted to the contrary by you and others cannot change that simple fact.
    As you well know in your head, if not in your heart.
    RFC of 18-oatcake is dead, football and football-history-wise.
    Now,I have no deep objection to the cry ” Long live (new) TRFC”,.as a football reality, by those who support the newish club.
    But I do object to the reluctance shown by you to tell the actual, factual, Truth.
    If you think earning a crust is more important to you as a journalist than being objective and truthful in that role, then, man, you’re a goner both as a journalist and as a man.
    Yours in full sincerity of heart,
    John Clarke


  67. BIGSBEEDECEMBER 29, 2016 at 23:46       22 Votes 
    Just to take the current discussions full circle I thought I would add my own contribution to BP’s blog. I was one of his Rangers supporting friends who lived in Silverdale St, in the shadow of Celtic park (At the time Rangers also lived in the shadow of Celtic park).
    ————-
    so you stayed in the poss part of paskhead as we called it09
    —————————
    ALLYJAMBODECEMBER 30, 2016 at 07:47
    On a more humorous note, wouldn’t it make a great online video if a bunch of Celtic fans were filmed cleaning the Ibrox toilets?
    ———-
    even funnier if they were filed cleaning the kitchens21


  69. God what was my spelling all about in my last post….sorry for that, to much of the christmas spirit


  70. I append the reply I received from Stephen Halliday to my email ( see my post of December 30, 2016 at 14:31) and my response to that reply:

    “Hi John
    Many thanks for your email. I didn’t use the phrase ’emerge from liquidation’ and I’m fairly certain I never have. I always endeavour to be objective and truthful in my work but appreciate it can’t possibly meet with everyone’s approval or agreement. I’m sorry my article is the source of such strong objection from you but I appreciate your interest in it nonetheless.
    Best wishes for 2017
    Stephen”

    To Stephen HallidayToday at 5:56 [ Australia time as I write is 4.05 pm on Hogmanay]

    And a happy new year to you.
    Thank you for replying, and I agree that you did not use the phrase ‘ emerge from liquidation’.

    However, the new club did not suffer a financial collapse 5 years ago-that was RFC(IL) so the clear inference is that you were speaking of the new TRFC as being the old RFC(IL).

    I shall nevertheless post your reply on sfm.scot ( on which I had posted my original my email) to remove any risk that I may have materially misrepresented you.

    JC”


  71. John ClarkDecember 31, 2016 at 06:04

    I think, John, you let him off rather lightly in your reply, which is so very unlike you, must be the Fat Yaks!

    The difference between stating the club ’emerged from liquidation’ and what he actually wrote is pretty miniscule, just change ‘financial collapse’ to ‘liquidation’, and the tense of ’emerging’ to the past tense and he is clearly saying, and meaning, the SMSM’s favoured club ’emerged from liquidation’.

    “just how dark a place the club is still emerging from in the aftermath of its financial collapse almost five years ago..”

    RFC is not emerging from it’s financial collapse anymore than it emerged from liquidation. Another example of how the so called journalists of the SMSM are much better at avoiding a precise and accurate answer than they are at providing precise and accurate reports!

    I saw an exchange between some twitterers and STVGrant yesterday in which he was clearly trying to give the impression he was giving serious thought to the OC/NC debate, but, of course, was merely saying ‘I am right because I am right (or because I am a reporter and therefor the font of all knowledge), he made no effort to argue his case.

    For some reason (thickness) I can’t copy what was actually written on twitter, but one guy stated that the SMSM had led us to believe, along with CG, that liquidation meant the end of RFC, but STVGrant responded with a greetin’ faced claim with ‘you can’t believe the media on one hand, and then bash it over the head with the other.’

    A completely ludicrous thing to say; for one thing, we stopped ‘believing’ the media (without independent verification) a long time ago, mainly thanks to people like him. But more importantly, he is deflecting from the point made, as has been the case with the media ever since that man they now see as a liar and charlatan made the dishonest claim that he ‘bought the history’, a claim he refuted through his lawyer in court, a claim that went unchallenged by TRFC in that same court, and passed without comment in the SMSM.

    There was also an exchange between some other ‘journalist’ I have never heard of (so can’t remember his name) who listed the bodies that have stated liquidation didn’t mean RFC had died, including the SFA (who haven’t made any definitive statement) and FIFA (who also haven’t made any definitive statement, or any at all on the matter). He stated, wait for it, that ‘even the ASA’ had decreed them the same club, the use of ‘even’ suggesting he imagines the ASA is some authority on all things insolvency related! It makes me wonder if he even knows what the ASA is! For his information, it is the Advertising Standards Authority, a body that allows his publication to advertise itself as a ‘newspaper’21. To be honest, I get the impression, in true SMSM fashion, he has picked up a bunch of initials from ‘Rangers’ related sites and taken the claims as factual without first checking on their validity, or what any unfamiliar initials actually stand for (ASA).

    They all, of course, continue to fly with the ‘fed up with the debate’ deflection, as though it really doesn’t matter, but I would say this to them, if Rangers were (are, if they like) so important to Scottish football, then surely their demise (or continuation, if they like) is worthy of a full and honest examination with definitive answers sought, and analysed, from all the relevant authorities, both football and legal, with any refusal to answer definitively also analysed!  

    We all know why this will never happen, a fearless and honest journalist researching and publishing this! We also know that if any one of them could come up with a definitive article that shows them to be that same club, then it would have been published, and repeated in every media outlet, a long time ago!


  72. ALLYJAMBODECEMBER 31, 2016 at 10:23
    He stated, wait for it, that ‘even the ASA’ had decreed them the same club, the use of ‘even’ suggesting he imagines the ASA is some authority on all things insolvency related!
    —————–
    The best reply for that i have seen is ASA you say,the same ASA that allows Irn-Bru to state it’s made in scotland from Girders.
    there is always a silence after that01


  73. I hope you all have a peaceful and happy Hogmanay and all the best for 2017. Lang may yer lums reek04


  74. jimboDecember 29, 2016 at 23:27
    ____________________________________
    You really don’t want to be on the list jimbo03
    BP compiled lists of all football and non-football ‘personalities’ who had died in 2016. RIP.


  75. Watched the game in a predominantly TRFC bar with my family.  No hassle and to be fair Warburton’s team played much better than I expected.

    (McKay looked like a player.)

    But league is over now, IMO.

    Happy New Year to all the Internet Bampots and all the best for 2017.  

    And thanks to SFM monitors/techies for another year of interesting output.

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