The Day I was on the Scotland U-23 Bench

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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John Cole

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. Cluster OneJanuary 5, 2017 at 10:34

    It’s the whole thrust of the article that has me asking why? Why has it been written in such a way, without making it clear what these ‘New financial statements’ are? Has the board made some official statement, or is this actually a Level5 communique of ‘information’ that the board want put out into the public domain? Or is it just information included/gleaned from the Report and Accounts revisited?

    One thing seems quite obvious, though, and that is there’s an attempt here to show Stewart Robertson in a similar light to Graham Wallace, ‘Rangers* enemy number one (or is it 2, 12, 22…)’, while making it read as though Andrew Dickson and Robertson are the only directors to take anything from the club (though they might be officially), thus ‘bigging up’ the ‘Rangersness’ of King and Murray and other favoured directors, in one sentence. Again, why write it in a way that makes one particular director look greedy?

    More whys! Why no quotes from anyone at TRFC about these ‘New financial statements’, if they are genuinely new? Why quotes from supporters’ representatives, were they just walking by Martin Williams’ desk at the time? Or were they old quotes from a similar article from soon after Wallace departed the scene? It’s noticeable that the quotes don’t mention anything relating to the ‘new’ revelation of Robertson’s salary, so ‘old quotes’ seems favourite, though maybe old quotes included in a Level5 communique!

    Anyway, just another example of bad ‘journalism’ mixed with PR output! And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Martin Williams has no idea why he wrote the article, or, perhaps, why the article was written for him!


  2. The Rangers Football Club Ltd released their accounts on 21st December 2016.

    These include details of payments made to Mr Robertson and Mr Dickson.

    None of the non-executive directors received any payment.


  3. The Robinson story today is the first thread in the unravelling I think. The only future for the current Rangers board is to continue to fund the annual losses with soft loans just to stand still – Further progression needs further investment – or to bail out. Robinson may be part of a necessary and brutal cost cutting exercise as pennies begin to drop with a very loud clang.

    The trouble for the lenders is that administration is the easiest way for the board to bail out – to allow the debt to take control of the club instead of the equity.

    TRFC currently owe around £15m in soft loans. Are the club worth £15m?

    Let’s assume a competitive Rangers is on a par with Celtic whose estimated value is around £80m (less £30m cash in bank) = £50

    A (very) conservative estimate of what it would take to get Rangers back to competitiveness and that £50m value;

    Pay back loans: £15m
    Stadium/Auchenhowie Repairs: £15m
    Transfer Budget: £10m
    Year on year losses (for 3 yrs) £12m
    Total: £52m

    By that fag packet calculation, we are in negative equity.

    Of course the annual losses would increase as the £10m worth of players would have to be paid considerably more than the current squad.

    Also, the soft loans will have increased by the end of the season, as will the repair bills for the stadium the longer it is neglected.

    And there is the queue of litigation in the coming months.

    I wonder if around £50m is a good investment for someone with a Rangers minded outlook?

    I imagine it would involve wiping out existing shareholders, but it would also entail making peace with Ashley. Not that that would be a problem because it is clear the current RIFC board would not be involved at that level of investment.


  4. With the amount of loan players and loanees at ibrox and the fans can only look forward to much the same.They now see,or should now see that there is no warchest and no overinvestment.
    If the ibrox club are knocked out the scottish cup all the fans can look for is maybe getting a place in europe and yet that may not be a guarantee.
    A lot of fans bought ST on the promise of overinvestment and warchests and challeging celtic,and a feelgood factor of reaching the top flight.If celtic are dominant against them in the next game or games,they know a hard new season awaits the following season.What promises can the ibrox board ply to the fans to renew ST.If there is a short fall in renewals there may be trouble ahead and that is not even taking into consideration the queue of litigation in the coming months.
    The feelgood factor amongst the fans will have gone,the Mr Robinson output i believe will be the trickle affect of more bad news coming out of ibrox over the coming months.A season ticket hike could be the straw that breaks the camels back for the fans.


  5. Cluster One

    I think the end of the season (they will make to then I’m sure) will be the crossroads. I don’t believe the board coalition will hold. There may be an attempt to jettison King, but I think admin is the most likely especially reading between the lines after speaking to some people close to Robinson and Park.

    I think many of those guys got on board after buying the same snake oil the fans have been buying up over the least few years. Ashley was supposed to be discouraged. he wouldn’t be bothered. To an extent last year’s successes also gave some of the false hope. 

    The feelgood factor in the boardroom is ebbing away daily. It’s now a question of just how ‘Rangers-minded’ folk are when the chips are down. Empirical evidence tells us that personal interests almost always trump club loyalties in these situations so I wouldn’t be decrying anyone who looked after #1 in these circumstances.

    My guess, and I have constantly argued with anyone who held this view up to now, is a summer administration. With one caveat. if the board are easy to deal with re soft loans. a takeover by a McColl/Kennedy figure.


  6. Boiled down and stripped of legalese the shameful guarantee states: ‘The SPL hereby undertakes solely and exclusively to Sevco and to no other Person . . . that the SPL shall not . . . take or commence disciplinary proceedings against Sevco . . . in respect of any EBT Payments and Arrangements’.

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
    From my reading of the above, this statement gives no protection to RFC PLC in Liquidation, who are the rightful “owners” of the disgustingly tainted titles and history affected.

    Sevco have won nothing of note, save for the diddiest of diddy cups in senior football, so have no need to fear any potential future stripping!!!


  7. Which company do you think would be placed into administration. 

    What do you think the best possible outcome (from the club’s perspective) could that company / it’s shareholders / creditors hope for.


  8. BIG PINKJANUARY 5, 2017 at 16:48. 
           You may have to walk me through this BP, but with a summer administration, what would be the point in lending more funds in March?


  9. Homunculus

    I think it would be TRFCL. I don’t think the interests of the club and RIFC shareholders are convergent in these circumstances. Best case scenario for the club would be administration. Creditors take <20p in £, Kennedy/McColl lookalikes raise funds in city and rebuild infrastructure under new five year plan (a la Fergus)


  10. Corrupt Official,

    Access to European football probably closed off due to points penalty.


  11. BIG PINKJANUARY 5, 2017 at 17:15
    Corrupt Official,
    Access to European football probably closed off due to points penalty
      ————————————————————————————————————
       I am not so sure. 
     Apart from the variable league or cup positions, their FFP standing is not so bright. A summer administration will surely hinder further any claims for a special dispensation.


  12. CO

    But a points penalty before the season ends would definitely put a stick in the spokes.


  13. BIG PINK
    i think that may be closed off already,just my opinon though


  14. And an admin forced by some hater or other (Ashley bound to be near the front of that queue) would save them asking the question altogether.  How convenient.


  15. Big PinkJanuary 5, 2017 at 17:14 
    Homunculus
    I think it would be TRFCL. I don’t think the interests of the club and RIFC shareholders are convergent in these circumstances. Best case scenario for the club would be administration. Creditors take <20p in £, Kennedy/McColl lookalikes raise funds in city and rebuild infrastructure under new five year plan (a la Fergus)
    _________________________

    Assuming an insolvency event is on the cards, do you think all those who have lent the club millions would settle for 20p in the pound? What’s more, MA/SD might well become creditors, again, should they win their court case in March, unless RIFC can borrow more money to pay whatever might be awarded, which is then turned into more debt, so more, probably non-RRM, creditors. I could well imagine enough creditors (including King who voted against one for RFC) voting against acceptance of a CVA to force the new club into liquidation unless a winding up wouldn’t promise a better return! 

    As to the timing of any insolvency event, while I think in pure footballing terms it would be better to make it to season’s end, I’d imagine it might hinge on the court decision and how much they might have to fork out to settle.

    I very much doubt King (and his HK based mates) will be prepared to hang on till the end of the season if it means he (they) would be in for a smaller share of the pot. In fact, if he is not certain he will win the court case, he might steer the good ship Sevco towards the iceberg before March, and it would mean liquidation to avoid adding MA to the list of creditors.

    Just a naughty wee thought; could there be a mass sale of all saleable players (OK, one or two) to fund a repayment of King’s HK based mates’ loans (as much as possible) before any insolvency event. This may well be illegal, but once the money’s gone, it’s gone – and unrecoverable in offshore accounts.

    The more decent men on the board might be quite easily kept out of the loop, and if Stewart Robertson has been forced out, it might be easy for King to carry it off!

    Let’s face it, King and his Hong Kong mates aren’t going to be hanging around to face the music!


  16. ALLYJAMBOJANUARY 5, 2017 at 19:05
    Just a naughty wee thought; could there be a mass sale of all saleable players (OK, one or two) to fund a repayment of King’s HK based mates’ loans (as much as possible) before any insolvency event. This may well be illegal, but once the money’s gone, it’s gone – and unrecoverable in offshore accounts.
    ——————————
    selling the whole first team squad (well the ones you could probably get money for) would not cover any interest (if there is any) never mind to fund a repayment of King’s HK based mates’ loans


  17. BIG PINK
    JANUARY 5, 2017 at 17:14

    So basically RIFC PLC, who will almost certainly be the only creditor of any note lose 80% of the money owed to them.

    Does RIFC PLC also hand over all of the shares in TRFC Ltd to the new owner. I imaging they would have to as part of the deal. 

    Presumably RIFC PLC, which no longer has any business then pays what little it gets in to it’s own creditors, meaning they lose a lot of money. The business is then liquidated with the shareholders getting nothing.

    Rangers continues with new owners but King et al (as creditors) lose a lot of money and the shareholders lose everything.

    I just don’t see it.


  18. Cluster OneJanuary 5, 2017 at 19:50 
    ALLYJAMBOJANUARY 5, 2017 at 19:05 Just a naughty wee thought; could there be a mass sale of all saleable players (OK, one or two) to fund a repayment of King’s HK based mates’ loans (as much as possible) before any insolvency event. This may well be illegal, but once the money’s gone, it’s gone – and unrecoverable in offshore accounts.——————————selling the whole first team squad (well the ones you could probably get money for) would not cover any interest (if there is any) never mind to fund a repayment of King’s HK based mates’ loans
    ___________________

    No, but it would give them a better return than they might get in an insolvency event, where they would only get a share of whatever was raised! It might actually benefit TRFC for as much of the debt owed to non-RRMs to be ditched prior to and administration. Besides, I’m not seriously suggesting that this might happen, as only very dishonest people would get involved in such a thing.


  19. A bit OT if i may.
    but has the pic at the top been cropped? it always looked a bit sinister to the right


  20. Insolvency might lead to TUPE departures for the multi million pound value players if there are such desirable types..


  21. I hope that it’s late enough that no sensible posters are about, but on the way home from Lundinium after a weekend with my better appointed amigo ( I know it’s Thursday – tell it to the missus ),  but it seems that nobody darn sarf wishes to have any “skin” in  the game , given that business men do not alienate any source of income and the TRFC m odel is to pander to an audience who are living in the past .The guys I know are in the financial side of the music industry. ” How  much would it take to re constitute it and how much benefit could we derive  ?”, was the general response.These people know zilch about the unique situation in Scotland of the Establishment club(or holding company or whatever)- some of their fathers were sodgers in the Scottish regiments,but they have no affinity or knowledge of our football bar  Celtic , and they are guaranteed to give them a laugh in the CL group stages if they get there (nil points). It seems to be a West of Scotland fetish ,that we deliberately whip the general public into a frenzy over Irish shite , and foster sectarianism , in  order to keep businesses solvent .  And I’m a godless heathen .Thanks to  the meteor that took out the dinosaurs for The Mighty Jags inception and survival . (no alcohol was refused in this production ).


  22. Per The Clumps’ tweet about the following TRFC headline – and which also scoops CFC apparently saying “no thanks” to a £20M bid…

    “First Ronaldo
     Then Rangers”

    https://mobile.twitter.com/TheClumpany/status/817161324081856512/photo/1
    ================
    Hmmmm…
    Could have had;

    “First winter shutdown
     Then club shutdown”
    or
    “First Overinvestment
     Then wage neutral”
    or
    “First Celtic
     Then Rangers (sic)”
    etc.

    Must be Keef’s headline of the year already!
    Next task from Level42 – we need Pele worked into a ‘Rangers’ headline…?
    Keef will be sorely missed when the DR finally shuts up shop.  15


  23.  
    WALTER NEFF 
    Is anyone keeping up with the JJ site.

     

    He appears to have a real unreasonable beef with this site as i have just read a number of comments over the last 2 days about it from him and commenters.  I thought someone from here actually went to the awards to support him.  Why the angst from him ?  Did i miss something ?


  24. Folks,

    It’s not that we don’t appreciate folks sticking up for us, but we don’t want to fan any flames of inter-blog conflict with other sites.

    We are not in competition with anyone, no matter what others may think. We do our stuff our way and people will ultimately vote with their feet about that. Never complacent of course, but there is ample evidence that what we do is important to a lot of people.

    Nobody is making any money from their efforts on SFM, so there is no financial imperative for us to change the message to attract numbers – and we won’t. 

    Of course if anyone wants to take any of the mods to task about what goes on in SFM, that’s fine. However there is no point responding here to criticism that appear on other platforms.


  25. Big PinkJanuary 6, 2017 at 11:06

    Totally agree, BP. The last thing we need is another squirrel that takes the eye off what this blog was set up to do.


  26. AllyjamboJanuary 6, 2017 at 13:36
    ‘….Totally agree, BP. The last thing we need is another squirrel that takes the eye off what this blog was set up to do.’
    _____________
    Yes, Aj.

    I think we do need to be occasionally reminded  that while RFC(IL) was a cheating club, the only demand made by most of us was that that cheating be dealt with properly in all its aspects, including examination of how and why the cheating was not spotted by an officer of the SFA who might reasonably have been expected to know, from his previous position with the cheating club,that the club was cheating: and of how and why ,when it came to light , normal rules and procedures were not applied but  on the contrary, subverted, in order to avoid the expulsion of RFC(IL).

    And , most importantly, were further subverted to allow a charlatan , purchaser ,at rock bottom prices, of the assets of RFC(IL) to set up a new club , claim that it was the very same RFC(IL) and have that claim accepted!

    RTC was not ‘anti-Rangers’ but anti-the-cheating-and lying of SDM and the SFA.

    SFM is not ‘anti-Rangers’ for the sake of being so.

    But simply has to keep repeating the truth about  the dishonesty and double-dealing of one former majority shareholder in the old RFC(IL) ,and of the SFA in its abandonment of truth and its prostitution of itself as any kind of ‘sport’ governance body as it shamefully scrabbled about, trying  first, to save RFC, and then, RFC having died, straining every lying sinew in its body to ensure the creation of the myth that the Rangers of our fathers and grandfathers did not die but were there , alive and well, in the hands successively of various shady characters, one or two of whom are well known as being strangers to the truth and to honour.

    The objective of SFM, as I see it, is not the ‘destruction’ of ‘Rangers’: that has already been accomplished , essentially by SDM,
    and , as the actual immediate instrument of death, by CW.

    No, the objective of SFM is to get to the heart of the inefficiency, or corruption, or partisanship, or collusion for the sake of finance, of the Governing body of Scottish Football with utterly false betrayers of the ideal of sport.

    And hound out the dishonourable and untrustworthy men who run our games of professional football-for their own advantage, and with cynical disregard for the concept of competitive sport and fair play.


  27. JOHN CLARKJANUARY 6, 2017 at 14:39
        John, The creation of a “same” Rangers served many purposes.  Not least, that without one, sooner or later the old club’s followers would want answers….And hook or by crook, would have got them. 
       Given what we now know of SFA involvement in their demise, I genuinely believe that the next march on Hampden, would have been arranged for a day on which it was open for business. 
       Having a mythical “same” Rangers, saved their scrawny necks, as much as it did a certain French vineyard from turning to ash.
       Getting the Berwick game to go ahead was vital to the powers that be, and it is no wonder they blinked first.
       Chuckles had them bent over


  28. With respect Corrupt Official that is nonsense (although I suspect it is the way wot you wrote it 07).

    What exactly were the followers of a team in blue going to do if the game against Brechin didn’t go ahead?  Join together and force change at boardroom level to save their club?  6 months, and arguably a minimum of 6 years too late.

    Or get in line, do what they were bloody well told since that was the only way they could get what they would recognise as A Rangers to follow in 2012.  A Rangers that the authorities (read clubs) were already bending over backwards to accommodate at the expense of others and indeed the other clubs themselves in terms of the ridiculous subsidised tv deal that was struck.  Not THE Rangers?  Whats the difference?  Its only an entry in a book after all (since phoenixing laws appear to permit everything else imaginable)  but on the basis it is your ONLY option you are welcome to take it or leave it.


  29. Turning a wee bit aside for a moment, I was/am a wee frustrated at not getting sight of Michael Grant’s piece
    It seems that the London ‘Times’ ( as it used to be known when I first came across it in the 1950s, with its front page just a page of small ads!) does not put its patronising ‘Scotland edition’ online.
    So, on the principle that you don’t get if you don’t ask, I sent this email yesterday ( or whatever: it’s now 01.40 on 7th Jan in Birkdale, Queensland)
    “Dear Michael,Compliments of the season to you.
    I note from the sfm.scot blog that you appear to have advanced the extraordinary notion that the Supreme Court should reverse the Court of Session decision in the EBT tax case in case Scottish Football should ‘tear itself apart.’I am in Australia at the moment, and my attempts to find the article on the online version of ‘the Times’ ( does the ‘Scotland edition’ ever appear online?) have come to nothing, perhaps because I’m not much of a computer geek.Since it is now yesterday’s paper, I wonder if you would be kind enough to email me a copy of your piece, or tell me how to access it online? I wouldn’t want to comment on it on the blog without reading the whole thing.
    Yours sincerely,JC ”
    Unsurprisingly, perhaps, I have received no reply.19


  30. ‘The Rangers’ 
      I’ve often wondered how Charles Green got away with such a miniscule change to the name.  As I understood it, under the phoenix laws any new business arising from the ashes had to have a significantly different name so that it could not be seen to go into liquidation, shed the debt and start again unharmed, name intact.

    Apparently it was Duff & Phelps who gave it the go ahead – what a surprise!  I thought it would be the FSA or Companies House or the like who would rule on this.

    Just think, if they restarted as Ibrox FC, could have saved a lot of arguments.


  31. SMUGASJANUARY 6, 2017 at 15:14
    With respect Corrupt Official that is nonsense (although I suspect it is the way wot you wrote it )
        ——————————————————————————————————————————
       Well what I am trying to say is that we all want those responsible for Rangers(I.L.) demise, held to account for Rangers(I.L.) demise. 
       However with a creation of a new “same” Rangers, the pool of folk demanding answers shrunk Many pretendygers simply refuse to accept that their club did wrong, and in some ways, I would argue are a shield for the SFA and Minty to hide behind.
       I am not saying they could have saved their club, or altered the path it now treads, but, giving them a new “same” club, quenched their anger, and need for answers. It brought relief, thus reducing the numbers in the questioning pool. 
       The relief was reinforced with rigged commissions, reports that never answered the questions posed, and false headlines. They have been led to believe that somehow, liquidation didn’t end their club.  Honestly, if liquidation doesn’t do it, what does it take?……. Kryptonite? 
      A “same” Rangers, gave them a path of least resistance where such a self-(and collective) admission,of liquidation was not required. They were lead up the path of, “Its bad, but not as bad as it could have been”, when the truth is it couldn’t have been more terminal. 
       They were appeased by that, their understandable anger redirected.
        Imagine if you will, another 30% or so, of the Scottish footballing public, all seeking the truth (regardless of what it revealed). Not banging heads together with perceived “haters”, but banging at the doors of Hampden screaming WTF ! Emailing, writing to MP’s, protesting. 
       Things would be very different from what they are today. 
        


  32. Corrupt officialJanuary 6, 2017 at 16:45

    Quite an interesting different take on why it was made so easy for Charles Green to ‘persuade’ the SFA etc to support his about turn on the death of a football club. I doubt it was the only motivating factor, but might well have been one of them. I agree entirely that the ‘continuation’ lie will have prevented many, perhaps all, of the ‘clued up to what happened’ bears from looking for answers or even revenge (where it belonged).

    Without a TRFC there would have been a whole lot of very angry people demanding answers and revenge from the people who were actually to blame. Perhaps that’s what was meant by civil disobedience and Armageddon, men in suits tearing down the M74 with an angry mob in pursuit!


  33. I was thinking about some comments elsewhere about The Rangers hoping to get into Europe next season.  It was for different reasons.  They almost certainly will not win the league this year.  They are finished with the league cup.  Who knows how they will do in the Scottish cup.  I see this scenario as being repetitive in the coming years unless something dramatic happens.

    So from a footballing perspective it would give them an other competition and on a bigger stage.  Bring back the memories of the past for the same supporters of RFC.  Whether they get permission to compete in Europe is another whole can of worms.  But I will leave that aside.

    But it’s the financial aspect of it I find interesting especially.  There is harboured a hope that Europe will solve their woes in cash terms.  I don’t think they realise that the Europa is peanuts compared to the CL

    When Celtic got to the final in Seville, if memory serves me well we gained about 5 or 6 million but when netted down after costs, we made a loss.  The reason being is that we got knocked out in the qualifiers of the CL, it’s the group stages onwards where the real money is in Europe.

    It won’t solve their stricken finances.


  34. JC
    The times online is behind a paywall, I believe , costing about a quid per week .


  35. ALLYJAMBOJANUARY 6, 2017 at 17:09
    I think it more likely that the SFA and the clubs convinced Charles Green to do the u-turn,not the other way round .


  36. ALLYJAMBOJANUARY 6, 2017 at 17:09

    Without a TRFC there would have been a whole lot of very angry people demanding answers and revenge from the people who were actually to blame. Perhaps that’s what was meant by civil disobedience and Armageddon, men in suits tearing down the M74 with an angry mob in pursuit!
        ================================================================
       I am not trying to imply they are all nuts Ally, but there is an element, that when their cage is rattled can turn very tribal, (as they did v Hearts on a cold snowy night) And that was in their own stadium !
       I don’t see how the SFA could have survived a march on Hampden, if they were not to play that season. Not advocating violence or rioting, and I know you are not implying it, but the uproar and backlash demanding answers, would not have been contained as it was. It’s the main reason I see the OCNC debate as important. 
       Settle that, and maybe some pretendygers will start to question why they are a new club, and what really happened with the liquidated one……..Even though, deep down, they know……They just don’t want to ask….Faux relief is better than cold reality.
       If it happens again, I don’t see them being so ready to buy into it…..Because deep down………….


  37. For those of you who have been following the Worthington Group story, it looks like the saga has reached its final chapter.  The last chance saloon of a reverse take over by Nuna Resources has failed according to the latest notification to AIM.
    http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/WRN/13088257.html

    The notice also confirmed that Begbies Traynor were appointed as liquidators of Worthington on Wednesday.  I would anticipate that this will be the end of any claims against the Oldco and Newco via Law Financial, unless the liquidators see any merit in continuing them.

    Separately today, Aidan Earley has posted some updates on his proposed action against Tom Winnifrith of Shareprophets, who Earley claims was partly responsible for Worthington’s failure.  His update also suggest that there may be “new vehicle” set up to succeed Worthington, so it is probably best to keep an eye on any future updates. 
    https://www.aidanearley.org/news/

    Earley has previously intimated that he will be a prosecution witness at Whyte’s trial, once it gets underway in late April.


  38. JIMBOJANUARY 6, 2017 at 16:01
    ‘The Rangers’   I’ve often wondered how Charles Green got away with such a miniscule change to the name.  As I understood it, under the phoenix laws any new business arising from the ashes had to have a significantly different name so that it could not be seen to go into liquidation, shed the debt and start again unharmed, name intact

    IIRC (and it is a while ago now) permission was sought (by CG) from and granted by the liquidators BDO.
    Perhaps someone else who kept notes or has a better memory than me might confirm this?


  39. easyJamboJanuary 6, 2017 at 18:06

    The notice also confirmed that Begbies Traynor were appointed as liquidators of Worthington on Wednesday. I would anticipate that this will be the end of any claims against the Oldco and Newco via Law Financial, unless the liquidators see any merit in continuing them.
    +++++++++++++++++++++
    If the claims have any merit, and I seem to recall that Worthington had obtained positive Counsel’s opinion, surely the liquidator would look to find a buyer for the claims, rather than progress the claims himself. Maybe Mike Ashley would be interested. Or could King buy the claims to free up the assets for use as security?


  40. BIG PINKJANUARY 6, 2017 at 11:06
     
    Folks,
    It’s not that we don’t appreciate folks sticking up for us, but we don’t want to fan any flames of inter-blog conflict with other sites.
    We are not in competition with anyone, no matter what others may think. We do our stuff our way04
           


  41. Hi to all on the SFM,
    it’s really re. posting other people’s blogs and replies. I was about to re-post James Forrests’ Celtic blog and changed my mind thinking it wouldn’t be approved. I’m not in any way as articulate or learned as you guys and girls, so tend to post the pieces I mostly agree with or find interesting, … PMCG, JF, TC, JJ + others, and often re-post the replies here on the SFM. 🙂 if it’s ok, then as the clumpany says, …
    Ah’l keep re-posting, …. noo an’ again. + a wee joke. 19


  42. Tris, I am in the process of upping my contribution!  You won me over with the hope of a programme on the Hibs’ Scottish Cup win – However, while that win was momentous for me, a septua.., septic.. sorry – 70+ year old, what is it about that event that warrants a programme of its own?  Was the achievement of significance beyond the ranks of Hibee supporters and if so why?
    I ask that question because I have always taken the view that Scottish clubs need each other and that none should be considered more superior or essential to the game than any other.  So I doff my cap to those who have achieved success and wish well to those who have been less successful. All I ask is a level playing ground and fairness in the game, in the way it is played and the way it is managed. The Scottish Cup Final of 2016 was memorable for me, despite the pitifull after match antics, as an event epitomising fair play, aye, and some wondrous footballing moments!


  43. Being mindful of Big Pinks note on inter-blogs, wasnt sure if it was best to write this but if admin deem best to remove it then no problem.

    I see that The Mensch has been badly exposed on JJ site with proof that he wasnt at the FBA awards at all and also someone poking huge holes in his Willie Henderson friend stories.  A bus has been driven right through them and must admit i have always thought that a number of posters on that site are actually JJ himself, including The Mensch.

    Would be interested in hearing from our representative at the awards re TM(Was it EasyJambo) being there on the night, especially given that the digs are still continuing and could ultimately affect the post above.


  44. DR headline today / Euan Mclean article ;

    “Rangers transfer target Jon Toral has had his career plagued by a genetic knee problem”

    plus
    “…And in an interview in December 2015 he revealed that the injury problems became so frustrating that he had to see a psychologist to prevent it becoming a mental issue too…”
    ==============
    Mclean doesn’t credit the source of this rehashed article from 2015.

    TRFC should / would have known about the player’s injury history long before now…you would think?

    Is TRFC lining up its ducks for another embarrassing transfer collapse – as per the Lescott saga last summer?


  45. Mark C  January 7, 2017 at 07:52
    Would be interested in hearing from our representative at the awards re TM(Was it EasyJambo) being there on the night, especially given that the digs are still continuing and could ultimately affect the post above.
    ===========================
    I’ll plead “not guilty” to that your honour. I think I would be one of the last people that JJ would have accommodated at the awards.


  46. With reference to JJ, I think we should be careful in what we say about him in case he is unwittingly exposed, although I have many doubts about the validity of much of what he and some of his contributers  blog about, I have no wish to divulge his identity to those who would do him harm, his site serves a purpose as does this one and though they are totally different in their output, variety, as they say is the spice of life.
    As for TRFC, it is  IMO looking more like their ‘survival’ will continue for some considerable time depending on MA’s success in the upcoming litigation. It will be interesting to see (if there is a favourable outcome for MA) what Kings reaction will be, could it be that a deal between him and Ashley  be struck? Oh how the faithful would rebel at such an act of deceit, yet it could be their only route to salvation, who else would take them to a level where they could match the financial clout that their city rivals have built and continue to build on. I seriously doubt that MA would share a duvet let alone become a bed mate of his Glibness but if it did happen,  how would the powers that be justify MA having an interest in NU and TRFC, I’m pretty sure there will be a get out clause hidden in their constitution somewher.
    Interesting times indeed. 


  47. Pat Byrne January 7, 2017 at 11:56
    It will be interesting to see (if there is a favourable outcome for MA) what Kings reaction will be, could it be that a deal between him and Ashley  be struck?
    —————————————
    I believe Ashley has just put another £30m into Newcastle United.  That sounds a good investment when you consider they are favourites to return to the EPL next season and all the riches that await them in the English top flight.  Is Ashley seriously going to do so with TRFC when there is absolutely no guarantee of a return on his investment, coupled with all the vitriol he would have to endue from its fans?


  48. What is an “EXCLUSIVE”
    For the avoidance of doubt, I have never claimed an exclusive on the internet yet,
    If I found a story on the internet on a site called PR Newswire, dated 22 December 2016 and reproduced it on 03 January 2017, added a bit of speculation and my own opinions to the original, do I have the right to claim it as an exclusive?


  49. CLUSTER ONEJANUARY 5, 2017 at 20:46 Attachment
     A bit OT if i may.but has the pic at the top been cropped? it always looked a bit sinister to the right

    Surely it would be the left that was sinister?


  50. StevieBCJanuary 7, 2017 at 08:40
    ‘DR headline today / Euan Mclean article ……’
    ________
    I scrolled on through the DR page and noticed this item:
    “Rangers legend Nacho Novo urges compatriot Jon Toral to sign up at Ibrox’
    This Novo is the chap, we must remember, who, in the BBC list of EBT recipients, is recorded thus:
    “Nacho Novo    Spanish striker joined in 2004 from Dundee for £450,000. Played 178 games in six years, scoring 47 times.    Amount £1.2m      Side letter seen by BBC ?  Yes”
    Perhaps he thinks that the whole EBT system as used by SDM is still in operation, or,more likely, for a few quid he opens his cheating mouth and lets his belly rumble about the tax advantages!


  51. PARTTIMEARABJANUARY 6, 2017 at 19:25 

     JIMBOJANUARY 6, 2017 at 16:01‘The Rangers’   I’ve often wondered how Charles Green got away with such a miniscule change to the name.  As I understood it, under the phoenix laws any new business arising from the ashes had to have a significantly different name so that it could not be seen to go into liquidation, shed the debt and start again unharmed, name intact

     
    IIRC (and it is a while ago now) permission was sought (by CG) from and granted by the liquidators BDO.Perhaps someone else who kept notes or has a better memory than me might confirm this?

    The change was even more minuscule than we were told at the time. Great hoo-haa was made that the only difference int he name was the addition of ‘The’ at the start, but the plc was “The Rangers Football Club plc”, so the ONLY change was the plc became Ltd. 
    https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC004276
    https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC425159


  52. paddy malarkeyJanuary 6, 2017 at 17:48
    ‘…JC The times online is behind a paywall, I believe.’
    ________
    Belated thnks, paddy m.


  53. PAT BYRNE
    JANUARY 7, 2017 at 11:56    
    With reference to JJ, I think we should be careful in what we say about him in case he is unwittingly exposed …

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

    He appeared at the recent blogging awards, which were videoed and shown on youtube. I have no doubt plenty of people have copies of that video and screen grabs from it. I wouldn’t concern yourself with exposing him. 


  54. I note a number of Journalists sneering on Twitter at the very notion Level 5 influence how the media report on matters involving Rangers. The ‘row’ broke after a number of people questioned why so many media outlets decided to run with significant coverage of the Paul Le Guen era at Ibrox. The reason given is that it is the 10th anniversary of Le Guen’s appointment. Le Guen has been cast as the bad guy with others such as Barry Ferguson and Kris Boyd held up as heroes. 

    The general suspicion seems to be that the Le Guen stories appeared to dominate media coverage following a bad result for Rangers last weekend. Personally I don’t believe there would have been a mention of Le Guen in any media outlet had Rangers beaten Celtic. Several ten year anniversaries come and go in Scottish football, especially those of Managers who were a failure, and get no media coverage.  The sneering arrogance on Twitter from those hacks leads me to wonder why Rangers employ Level 5 at all. If they are unable to influence reporting, why do they need them?


  55. upthehoopsJanuary 7, 2017 at 15:54

    I was amongst those to question, not only why PLG has caused such interest within the media, but how it could possibly come about that so many thought, at exactly the same time, why it was worth their while digging it all up. Needless to say, not one of them has made even the slightest attempt at answering that question.

    Nobody, not even a Rangers supporter, would have given PLG a thought, not for a very long time anyway, and it is almost impossible for so many ‘journalists’, not only to think about him, but to all think it worthwhile writing anything, at all, about him just because it’s ten years since he managed Rangers. It could only have possibly come about if one person, or PR company, decided it wanted it put out, for whatever reason!

    If I, and many others, are wrong about this, why don’t they just say what it was that piqued their interest in this unremarkable story?


  56. COATBRIDGELOYALTYCAD
    JANUARY 7, 2017 at 16:51

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

    It’s still available online, so as I said his anonymity is something he gave up himself.

    With regards his ongoing accuracy issues, a quote from today “The leak of Robertson’s salary is an L5 production”.

    It’s not much of a leak when it appeared in the club’s accounts which are available at companies house (free). Posted there on 21st December 2016 it appears. It’s not a leak, it’s a matter of public record.


  57. ALLYJAMBOJANUARY 7, 2017 at 16:27       12 Votes 
    upthehoopsJanuary 7, 2017 at 15:54
    I was amongst those to question, not only why PLG has caused such interest within the media, but how it could possibly come about that so many thought, at exactly the same time, why it was worth their while digging it all up. Needless to say, not one of them has made even the slightest attempt at answering that question.
    ———————
    they all got this for christmas


  58. Who in the name of goodness sake awoke up during the past week and said to themselves “Oh it must be ten years since PLG left Rangers” ?  And yet, almost all of Scotland’s papers had a story on it!

    Why.  Digging out pathetic tittle tattle from stars of yesteryear.  Concerted coincidence?   James Traynor still has an unhealthy influence on our MSM.  Thank god for sites like this.

    The good news is that when I win the lottery tonight I am going to buy The Daily Record for 500k pounds.

    My roving reporters will be JC & EJ (all expenses paid),  in depth business analysis – Auldheid.  Football stuff – everyone. Esp. Up the Hoops 02 Podcasts – BP.  The rest of my winnings will pay the Daily Record sports staff enough for a fish supper.

    One can but dream.


  59. with all the talk of EBT’s and the consequence of the SC case, i came across this from an old blog

    sickofitall
    November 14, 2015 at 10:45
    Rate This

    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/celtic-wade-rangers-ebt-row-6827750 Who would have thought it eh
    ———————————
    An HMRC appeal victory against Rangers in the Court of Session last week has brought the EBT issue back into focus – and although a Hampden source last night insisted there was no mechanism for the club to be ‘tried’ again, having gone through the courts in 2013, Celtic’s intervention will do nothing to calm a situation already inflamed by Rangers chairman Dave King’s threat to take to court any club trying to have their titles removed.
    ——————-
    I wonder if that threat still stands?


  60. ALLYJAMBOJANUARY 7, 2017 at 16:27  
    I was amongst those to question, not only why PLG has caused such interest within the media, but how it could possibly come about that so many thought, at exactly the same time, why it was worth their while digging it all up. Needless to say, not one of them has made even the slightest attempt at answering that question.

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

    One of the hacks involved was one who by his own admission described Craig Whyte as a billionaire with wealth of the radar, after being sold that line via a PR company.  He also said every single Rangers player was attacked at the Scottish Cup final, despite no evidence to suggest that was even close to being the case. So who influenced him to write that? The other was a man who appears to see himself as a cut above your ordinary hack. He is a man who has laudably stated that he will not have his intelligence insulted by being told the current Rangers are the same club, but who has also written more than once he wants to see Rangers ‘back’ at the very top, winning things. Given that view he probably doesn’t care who is second.

    Personally I wouldn’t trust a single one of them. Newspaper sales are rapidly declining and the Rangers facing demographic remains the largest in Scotland.  I stopped investing in a daily newspaper long ago.  I really wish I had more influence on how my BBC licence fee money is spent though, because some of it is being used to give these guys a platform to peddle the same agenda on Sportsound. 


  61. Cluster OneJanuary 7, 2017 at 22:45

    Wouldn’t it be great if King found himself back in court trying to argue just why he should have any say in the title stripping of a club/company in liquidation! Unfortunately it was, yet again, no more than bluster from a man who has made his money from, at best, bluster, and at worst, lies, so I doubt that, even in the unlikely event that LNS will be revisited (though it very much should be, regardless of the appeal result, because it was a complete sham), King will be taking anyone to court, even if there was actual grounds under law to do so.

    As the article leads with Peter Lawwell and Celtic being unhappy with the LNS findings, we can only hope that, in the event the appeal fails, the Celtic board feel compelled to make up for their Resolution 12 inaction (and the apparent misleading of the Resolution 12 guys) by insisting LNS is revisited, though I suspect they would need the support of other clubs before feeling it worth making even a token effort. Even a token effort could be seen as something, though, for it would show that not all, or maybe any, club is satisfied with the result of LNS.

    Interesting how the piece makes much of there being ‘no mechanism’ to revisit LNS. Well there was no mechanism in place to handle the discovery of what Rangers had been doing, that’s why LNS had to be set up! Just as then, in a situation where no mechanism exists, one would have to be set up, and the mechanism would then exist.

    Before any ‘journalist’ accepts the argument of ‘double jeopardy’, as the writer of this piece seemed all too happy to do, they should perhaps take a look at this article, or maybe even check with someone from within the legal system:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15905139

    From the article:

    ‘A suspect could face retrial for a very serious crime if “compelling new evidence” has emerged’

    Well, what more ‘compelling new evidence’ can there be than to be found guilty of illegal tax avoidance (or evasion)?

    The Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act was passed unanimously by MSPs in March 2011, so it was already in place at the time of LNS, though LNS didn’t sit under any part of the legal system, so double jeopardy would never have been a factor anyway, but the fact that the law makes it clear that ‘double jeopardy’ doesn’t let RFC off the hook stops that deflection!

    In fact, should anyone (Regan? Doncaster?) argue that RFC can’t be made to face ‘double jeopardy’ they might very well accidentally win the argument for LNS being revisited, because any proper journalist (I know) would come back with, ‘but under the Double Jeopardy Act of 2011, compelling new evidence can lead to a retrial, and new evidence as compelling as this must surely lead to a fresh tribunal, as, according to LNS’s own determination, an unfair sporting advantage was not gained because the EBTs were ‘legal’ and so open to all clubs to use, therefor, it follows that it must now be determined if ‘illegal’ equates to an ‘unfair sporting advantage’!’


  62. upthehoopsJanuary 8, 2017 at 08:36

    I think, no, I mean it’s obvious that, it has got to the point where, for the media, the only people worth keeping happy are TRFC supporters, because they are the only area of society that continue to read their newsprint in any appreciable numbers, and they do that because they read there, in the main, what they want to believe. It goes without saying that should the SMSM print the truth, and nothing but the truth, they’d lose almost all that ‘Rangers’ facing readership and die! They are dying anyway, but obviously want to hold on for as long as possible.

    It is no big deal that they decided to write about an irrelevance to today’s football like PLG, no matter how many years have passed since he was relevant to the game, and if only one ‘journalist’ thought it worth his time publishing, then fair enough. But for so many to do so leaves no doubt that it was concerted, and no doubt concerted by Level5, and now their only defence is to ridicule those who merely ask the simple question, ‘how has it come about that you all thought to write about him at the same time?’ Remember too, as if we’d forget, that these are the same journalists who thought The Offshore Game report on Resolution 12, and what it meant with regards to cheating at the SFA, was an irrelevance!

    That’s right, the quality of news reporting in Scotland equates to PLG meriting blanket coverage for a ten year old failure (only for Rangers), while the very current The Offshore Game’s claims of cheating by Rangers, aided by the SFA, merits blanket non-coverage!


  63. ALLYJAMBOJANUARY 8, 2017 at 08:37
    ———————-
    You know you have just written the SMSM front page for the middle of march 2017.They will copy/paste that one morning they will all wake up and say to themselves you know what Mr Regan and Mr Doncaster,what say you.
    Just watch ALLYJAMBO it has happened before this week even when they all woke up and ran the PLG story.And with you providing there front page what an easy morning they will have.
    Only snag is they will have to arrange a date with Level 5 so they can agree what day they all wake up so that all of Scotland’s papers have the story on it06


  64. AllyjamboJanuary 8, 2017 at 08:37
    ‘..As the article leads with Peter Lawwell and Celtic being unhappy with the LNS findings, we can only hope that, in the event the appeal fails, the Celtic board feel compelled to make up for their Resolution 12 inaction (and the apparent misleading of the Resolution 12 guys) by insisting LNS is revisited,…..’
    _________
    Aj, as you know, the article in question [ and I’m  grateful to Cluster One, and, of course, to Sickofitall] has this : ” “In 2013, we [ i.e. Celtic] expressed surprise – shared by many observers and supporters of the game – over the findings of the SPL Commission that no competitive or sporting advantage had resulted. That remains our view” .

    So , there they are, telling us in late 2015 that they ‘remain surprised’ at the view taken by the LNS enquiry that there had been no sporting advantage gained by RFC(IL) in using a tax ‘avoidance’ scheme ,which gave that cheating club  millions of quid, and which SDM kept very secret from the Football Authorities, and from his fellow club chairmen ( an ‘offence’ under SFA and SPL rules, and a conman’s two-fingers to fellow-businessmen), …never mind that SDM’s guilty secrecy indicates clearly that he knew damn fine it was legally very dodgy.

    But by late 2015, Celtic plc had been fending off for two years their own shareholders’ 2013 AGM Resolution 12  in which it was clearly demonstrated that there were , prima facie,pretty strong grounds for believing that a huge sporting advantage had previously been  provided to SDM’s RFC by a corrupt collusion between the SFA and that RFC that resulted in the deception of UEFA , the abuse of delegated powers, and  the illicit award to SDM’s RFC of a licence to compete in UEFA competitions( and thus the opportunity to make a good few million quid, at the expense of the club(s) actually entitled to that opportunity. )

    That is, Celtic had knowledge that the Football Authorities quite possibly had ‘previous’, when it came to rigging matters in favour of SDM’s RFC.

    The fact that Celtic have not given any clear ( or any!) explanation as to why they either

    a)  cannot shut down the Res 12 issue  as being completely spurious and without any validity or merit

    or

    b) why they fail to seek an enquiry into the truth of the licence allegations

    suggests to me that their reiterated 2015  ‘surprise’ at the outcome of the LNS enquiry is King-like bolloks.

    If they were excusably originally ‘surprised’ (as we all were) at the LNS findings , it was inexcusable of them to express ‘surprise’ in 2015 , when their own shareholders (and as even King had to remind people, shareholders are not necessarily ‘supporters’ )had presented a strong case that the Scottish Football authorities had already been guilty of a shabby thing, in order to slide money to SDM’s terminally ill club.

    I have still to find time and energy ( geez, 4 grandweans , one of whom got Nadal’s autograph when he did a 2-hour practice warm up in the Hopman Tournament in the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane a few days ago, just as a hellish thunder and lightning storm with gazillions of heavy rain broke. Wan minute, warm and dry, next minute arena concourse hauf an inch deep in water, feckin trains cancelled because of flooding in Fortitude Valley, kids chittering with cold as we wait for an 8-seater taxi, me stripped to the waist wringing out my T-shirt….. Great !), still to find the time to write a proper letter to Lawwell.

    I will do so, never fear.

    What is sauce for the goose and all that..

    And I’ll be damned if I accept, in the way that gullible TRFC fans accept without question what their Boards utter,  being treated with disdain and contempt by a club that claims the moral high ground but in the matter of the RFC(IL) saga has shown no evidence to back up that claim.


  65. JOHN CLARKJANUARY 8, 2017 at 12:17

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

    While there has to be a reasonable chance that the Supreme Court will not uphold BDO’s appeal there have been enough twists and turns so far to avoid making surefire predictions. I am glad at least that we should avoid any newspapers headlining that some of the judges involved support Celtic. 

    I do not think for a moment that the SFA or SPFL will agree for the LNS decision to be revisited should HMRC get the final nod from the SC, but the clubs have a real gift within their hands. They should simply put out a collective statement asking what footballing authorities in a democratic country can genuinely be happy that a member club won so many trophies while using illegal tax avoidance to employ better players. Furthermore, what message does this send out about Scottish football governance to the rest of the world. I think such a statement would utterly embarrass the authorities, and even the most pro-Rangers media outlets would find difficulty in seriously challenging it. Whether the titles are stripped or not, their worthlessness given the proven cheating would be obvious. 


  66. UTH

    whilst not necessarily disagreeing with your view it’s end result would simply be Ogilvie Doncaster and Regan pensioned off and we all go home happy apparently!  Unless one of those three decided to somehow fight being the fall guy (and we all know how that would pan out – who are these people etc etc) then us paying off the the amigos, and we would, handsomely that should be the very minimum we should expect.


  67. upthehoopsJanuary 8, 2017 at 12:44
    ‘…Whether the titles are stripped or not, their worthlessness given the proven cheating would be obvious. ‘
    ____________
    It is actually obvious now , uth, and has been ever since we learned of the devious cheating mentality of a knight of the realm.

    There was a guy, praised in the highest of circles, knighted no less by HM the Queen, who for feckin years and years cheated etc etc, and, of course,  in the end, made sure that he saw that he and his were all right, while selling the Rangers of my schooldays’ pals and neighbours to the executioner, CW.

    Stripping of titles? Certainly yes, in relation to RFC(IL).

    And doubly certainly yes, in relation to the knighthood of the worst cheat there has ever been in the history of Scottish Football.

    Except perhaps those men in Football Governance who countenanced that cheating for their own inglorious ends.

    And the grubby little men in Scottish Football who put their heads down and looked the other disgraceful way when money mattered more than principle.

    A plague upon them.


  68. Sorry for the interruption guys, but wee Garner received more bad news.
    Poor joey Garner, got a pass-oot fom trainin’ on Friday tae go fr a check up on his shoulder, an’ wis told eez done ‘is knee in as well !!! 
    hard times ahead, …. 
    https://i.imgflip.com/1ha90i.jpg


  69. Portbhoy,

    Would a cartoon like that be taken in similar good form, here or elsewhere, if it was at the expense of Tiernan?

    Sorry all.


  70. Just on the PLG coverage last week.

    It also occurs to me that when a ten year anniversary does come along for such a momentous event triggering spontaneous identical coverage in most major (21) newspapers, completely unprompted at any Level, how often does the coverage include no comment, interview or right to reply of the actual person being remembered?

    Just my take on it anyway.  You can imagine the twitter line as each paid monkey types “..But I thought you said you were going to speak to him…”

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