The Existence of Laws

A Blog by James Forrest for TSFM

I am a socialist, and as a socialist I believe in the fundamental goodness of people. Some people find that hard to believe when they read the stuff I write.

I published my first novel recently, on politics and the corrupting nature of it, and it is a deeply cynical book, a book where no-one has clean hands come the end. What has surprised some of those who’ve read it is that I didn’t focus on the lies and smears of the right, but the hypocrisy and deceit of those who claim to be of the left.

Corruption, you see, doesn’t respect political boundaries or points of view. It’s like rainwater. It finds every crack, and gets in there.

My political beliefs revolve around two apparently paradoxical elements; the belief in the inherent decency of people and the need for a strong, and powerful, state. I believe the second underpins the first, and this brings me into conflict with a lot of people, some on the left and some on the right. Too many people see the state as inherently evil, as something that interferes too much in the lives of ordinary people. As something suffocating.

Yet the state exists to protect us. It exists to provide a safety net. It exists to regulate and to oversee. If the state is made up of bad people, if the gears of society are captured by those with malicious or selfish intent, the results are obvious; war, corruption, chaos.

The vast majority of our problems in the modern age can be neatly summed up in two lines from Yeats’ poem “The Second Coming”, which I used to open my novel. “The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”

We live in a time when those who are protecting their own interests have assumed such power that they’ve cowed the rest of us. They have become a law unto themselves. They have changed the nature of the game, because they have sapped our will to the extent some barely put up a fight anymore. The weak get weaker, and the strong use their strength to crush the rest even more. It is a vicious struggle, a downward spiral.

Society is held together not only by the endeavour and common interests of its citizens but by a collection of laws. We elect the people who make those laws. They do so in our name, and we can remove that right every four years. That is a powerful thing, and we do not appreciate it enough. The present corruption exists because we allow it to exist.

The people around me continue to puzzle over my uncommon interest in the affairs of a football club on the west of Glasgow. My own club plays in the east end. I tell those who ask that my primary interest in the goings-on at the club calling itself Rangers is no longer about football; how could it be, after all? With promotion this year they are still a full two divisions below us, emasculated, skint, weak and unstable. If we were fortunate enough to draw them in cup competition the match would be over, as a tie, by the halfway point … in the first half.

In footballing terms they are an utter irrelevance.

Rangers is more than a football club to me. They are a symbol. Their unfolding calamity is an on-going outrage. What is happening there, what is being allowed to happen, is an offense to decency. It is a stain on the face of our country.

In short, it is a scandal. It is a scandal without parallel in sport.

Yet it’s not just a sports story either. If it was, I might not be so focussed on it. What is happening at Rangers is a colossal failure of governance. It is a damning indictment against the very people who are supposed to oversee our game. It is a disgraceful abrogation of responsibility from those at the top, those who claim to be “running things.”

If this is not a failure of governance it is a result of corruption at the heart of our national sport. It says they are bought and paid for, and I will say no such thing here.

So let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. We’ll say instead that what they are is weak, indecisive, inept and disconnected from reality.

It reminds me of our political class, which has become insular and ignorant about what the public wants, and what it needs. It’s not a wonder parties like UKIP can achieve national vote shares of 25% at local elections. Nigel Farage strikes me as a dog-whistle politician, the kind who knows how to appeal to a select group of voters. He is little different to Charles Green, the man who beguiled Rangers fans into handing over large amounts of money, because he was “standing up for the club.” It is easy to do what he did, easy to do what Farage is doing.

Real leadership requires toughness. Say what you like about the Tories, but they have that in spades. Yeats was right about the worst being full of passionate intensity. Green was. Farage is. Cameron and Osborne personify it in their political outlook.

It is easy to be cowed by blunt force politics, and by “tough talking Yorkshire men” and venomous speeches about “strivers and skivers.” The politics of divide and conquer is the oldest form of politics there is, and it’s no surprise to see it practiced by some of the vested interests in the game here in Scotland. Yet, lest we forget … something significant happened last year. The maligned and the ignored, the weak and the voiceless found something they never realised they had. They discovered that, in a very real sense, the power was in their hands.

Last year, the fans rose up when the governing bodies and the media went all-out to save Rangers from the self-inflicted wounds caused by a decade of cheating, malpractice and ineptitude. I have no problem calling that what it was.

What happened at Rangers seemed incredible, but it was all too predictable, and some of us had been talking about it for years before it hit. The Association seemed caught in the headlights but it would amaze me if they really were as insular and ignorant as they appeared. They must have known how bad the outlook was for Rangers. They just chose to ignore it.

They were aided and abetted by a thoroughly disreputable media, a collection of cowards and compromisers, charlatans and frauds, masquerading as journalists, but who long ago laid aside any claim to be bold investigators and settled for commenting on events as they unfolded. More often than not, with their ill-informed opinions, sometimes due to weaknesses in intellect and others wilfully ignorant, they failed even in that.

Entire newspapers became PR machines for crooks and swindlers. They aided in the scam because they didn’t do their jobs, some because they were lazy, some because they were incompetent and others because they wanted a seat at the table and were willing to sacrifice whatever integrity they once had in exchange for one.

That all of this was embraced by the Rangers fans is amazing to me. They trusted when they should have been asking questions. They closed their eyes, covered their ears and sang their battle tunes at the top of their voices so they wouldn’t have to hear anything they didn’t like. As incredible as I found it then, and still find it now – and now, even more so, when they have already seen the results of it once – I find it pathetic too, and I do feel pity for some of them.

A lot of these people are genuine football fans, and nothing more. They have no interest in the phony narrow nationalism, or the over-blown religion, or the notion of supremacy which manifested itself in a ludicrous statement from McCoist when interviewed recently on Sky.

Some of the Rangers fans look at their team of duds, kids and journeymen, they look at a boardroom of cowards and crooks, they look at a failing manager in his first (and last) job in the game and at a dark future and are not in the least bit impressed by, or interested in, the chest-out arrogance espoused in those ridiculous words “we are the people.” They know full well that their present crisis was made by men like McCoist, and they understand that pretentious posturing is not an act born of strength, but a scrambling around in the gutter, and a symptom of weakness.

They understand their position, and they hate it. And because they care about Rangers, because they value the club, because they cherish those things that made it a great Scottish institution, they want that back. They understand that before the Union Jack waving, Sash singing, poppy wearing, Nazi saluting, Orange element became the public face of their support Rangers meant something else, and that, above all things, is what pains them the most.

People do not hate Rangers. When the country appeared to turn its back last year, they were turning the back on favouritism and the bending of rules. Yet it would be a lie to say that there is not an element of dislike in the gleeful mockery of many rival fans.

But they don’t hate Rangers either. They hate the version of it around which a certain section of the support continues to dance. They hate the version which hates, and so too do many, many, many Rangers supporters, and they definitely deserve better.

David Murray chose not to openly challenge that version. Indeed, he encouraged certain strands of it to flourish and grow, with his “Britishness Days” and his effort to turn the club into the “team that supports the troops.” Other clubs have done as much, if not more, for the British Army than the one that plays out of Ibrox. Other clubs have given more money. Other clubs have lent their support to those on the front lines. They just chose to do it with respect, and with class, and with dignity. They chose to do it in private, understanding that there eventually comes a tipping point between looking after the ends of the soldiers and using them to promote your own.

The army has not battened on to Rangers. Rangers has battened on to them, and although it is unclear when an altruistic motive became darker, what started out as a gesture of solidarity is now used to entrench division and promote a notion of superiority.

Craig Whyte took over from Murray and immediately understood the lure of the “dog whistle.” He knew too that the media would accept whatever he told them, without question, and as he spoke up for “Rangers traditions” he made sure the lunatic fringe was well onside. He met face to face with the hard-core extremists in the support first and made them his praetorian guard. They spoke up for him until the day the club entered administration.

So, whereas Murray pandered to them and Whyte used them to further his own ends, it was only a matter of time before someone suggested to Charles Green that he could use the same tactics to win over the support. He went even further and blatantly promoted and encouraged this mind-set, and stoked the hate and nonsense to frightening new heights. The same people who cheered Whyte to the rafters jumped on board the Big Blue Bus and the results are clear.

Through all of it, the ordinary Rangers fan has seen his club buffered against the rocks, battered, broken, smashed to smithereens and sunk. Now there’s a big hole in the side of the lifeboat, and they are terrified that further tragedies await.

They are right to be concerned. Much of the media is still not telling them what they need to know. The people in charge of their club – the owners who have lied, the former hack who covered up the truth about Whyte and now acts as a mouthpiece for Green, the “club legends” who are content to sup with the devil and take his greasy coin when they should be standing toe-to-toe with the fans – are trying to silence those members of the press who do have facts to present.

How many times now have media outlets been banned from Ibrox for daring to report the truth? The manager who demanded the names of a committee last year defends those inside the walls who are desperate to keep secret the things that are going on. He is either an unprincipled coward, or he is, himself, bought and paid for. The fans suffer for it.

The “inconvenient truth” is still being kept from them, and this denies them any chance to play an active role in their club. Indeed, it is all too possible that they’ve passed a point of no return, and that their club is heading for a new liquidation event and it can no longer be stopped.

In either case, their power has been eroded to the point at which they must feel they have nothing left to do but stand back and watch what happens next.

They are wrong. I am a socialist. I believe in the inherent good of people. I think the ordinary decent Rangers fans are the only people left who can save their club … and the means by which they will do it is as simple as it could be.

They must stand up for “big government.” They must embrace the need for a “strong state.” They must lobby the SFA, and they must trust the SFA and they must get the SFA to follow its own rules and thereby save them from any further harm.

There is a tendency amongst some Celtic fans to see our governing bodies as pro-Rangers. If it is true then those running our game are ruining Scottish football without benefiting the thing they love more. The incalculable harm that has been done to Rangers in the last 20 some months is a direct result of the subservient media and the willingness of the football authorities to be “deaf, dumb and blind.” Those who believe this has actually helped the Ibrox club have not been paying attention in class. It has irrevocably scarred them, and it may yet have played a hand in destroying them once and for all, as a force if not as a club entirely.

For years, the SFA sat and did nothing as a club in their association operated a sectarian signing policy. They did nothing whilst the fans sang sectarian songs. In their failure to act they strengthened those elements of the Rangers support, instead of isolating, alienating and eventually helping to eliminate those who saw that club as a totem pole of division and hate. Their failure over EBT’s, and their lack of scrutiny, led to one of the greatest scandals in the history of sport, and I say that with no equivocation at all. The testimony of their registrations officer in the Lord Nimmo Smith investigation was a disgrace and in years to come it will rank as one of the most disreputable and damaging moments in the association’s history.

The most egregious failures of all were the failures in the so-called “fit and proper person” tests, which allowed first Whyte and then Charles Green to assume controlling positions at Ibrox. They will pass the buck and say the responsibility lies with the club itself, in much the same way as they are content to let the club investigate itself at the present time, but any neutral who looks at this stance knows it is unprincipled and spineless. It’s like letting the defence set the terms at a trial. It is foxes investigating the chicken coop.

It is a blueprint for corruption, and a recipe for disaster.

It is now too late for the SFA to declare Green “unfit”, as it was too late when they finally slapped that title on Craig Whyte. He and his allies own Rangers, and they control its destiny. They can push the club to the wall if they choose, in the final extremity, if that gets them what they want. The time for changing that is past. The damage has already been done. The barbarians are not at the gates. They are inside the walls, and sacking the city.

The SFA will be forced to punish Rangers for the sins of the owners, for the second time in as many years, and whilst it is right that the club face up to that, all the better to send a message to other clubs and other owners, the SFA cannot be allowed to slither off the hook here as though this was none of their doing. Green will skip off into the sunset. Craig Whyte has yet to pay his fine. These people never cared about Scottish football and they don’t care now.

The SFA are supposed to. Our governing body is supposed to govern, for the good of the whole game, and not as a support system for a single club. What they have allowed to happen on their watch is absolutely shameful and if the people responsible were men at all, with any sense of accountability, they would resign en masse.

They can pretend ignorance, but only the truly ignorant would accept that. Craig Whyte was not inside Ibrox a week before RTC and other sites were dismantling his entire business history, with some of the people here doing the work the SFA would not. Whyte himself claims to have made the governing bodies aware of the scale of what was facing the club, and they did nothing at all. Heads should have rolled a year ago.

In October of last year, on this very site, I posted an article in which I wrote:

“Which isn’t to say the due diligence matter isn’t worrying, because, of course, it is. Again, no-one is going to convince me that the SFA has conducted proper due diligence on Charles Green and his backers. No-one will convince me they are satisfied that this club is in safe hands, and that the game in this country will not be rocked by a further implosion at Ibrox. They failed to properly investigate Craig Whyte, because of lax regulations requiring disclosure from the club itself, regulations which are just a joke, but they can be forgiven for that as the press was talking sheer nonsense about him having billions at his disposal, and a lot of people (but not everyone!) were either convinced or wanted to be convinced by him.

To have witnessed what Whyte did, to have witnessed the Duff & Phelps “process” of finding a buyer, and having Green essentially emerge from nowhere, with a hundred unanswered questions as to his background and financing, for the SFA to have given this guy the go ahead, only for it to blow up in their faces later, would annihilate the credibility of the governing body and necessitate resignations at every level. There would be no hiding place.”

There are times when it is fun to be right, but this is not one of them. It is dispiriting and disquieting to have been so on the nose. It scares the Hell out of me, as someone who loves football in this country, to have seen this matter clearly when the people running our game apparently either did not or chose to ignore very real, very obvious, concerns. The Internet Bampots had no special insight or access to information that was denied those at the SFA. We just weren’t prepared to ignore it and pretend that it wasn’t there. There was too much at stake.

I have become convinced that things will never change until the Rangers supporters join us in demanding the full and unabridged truth here. They need to come out from under the bed, and confront their fears. They need to be willing to take the consequences, so that their club can emerge clean from this, and start again, with all this behind them.

And it can all happen with one simple thing. The application of the rules.

The existence of laws comes down to a simple principle; they protect society from those elements within it who are interested only in their own selfish ends. We may cry out at those rules and regulations we see as “restrictive”, but the law was not made to restrict our freedoms but to protect them. Had the SFA years ago acted against Rangers sectarian signing policy, and the songs from the stands, the club would not have mutated to the point where there was no help on hand when they needed it the most. Let’s not kid ourselves about this; Whyte and Green were only able to grab control because the club itself has a dreadful image which put off respectable and responsible buyers. The SFA could have helped change that perception years ago and did nothing.

The SFA could have conducted its own investigation into who Craig Whyte was. They could have asked David Murray for full disclosure when he was running up £80 million of debt, a sum of money that is beyond belief for a single club in a small provincial backwater league. Had they had the guts to do that the club would never have spent itself into oblivion and forced the hand of Lloyds, which led indirectly to their ignominious end.

The SFA could have fully investigated Charles Green and the means by which he took control, instead of rushing through a license. His emergence at the last minute was transparently suspicious and designed to force them into a quick decision, but they did not have to bow to that pressure by making one, without being in possession of the facts, as it is now 100% clear they were not.

Had they asked for every document, had they insisted on legal affidavits and personal securities from investors (and this would have been perfectly legitimate and is common place in other licensing areas) none of this would have come to pass. After Craig Whyte they had a moral responsibility to the rest of the game to get this one right and their failure is without parallel in the history of Scottish football.

As the club hurtles towards a new abyss, names are cropping up which should send a shudder down the spines of every honest, genuine supporter of not only Rangers but every team in the land. The SFA claims that a strong Rangers is essential for the sake of Scottish football, but they have been extraordinarily lax in protecting that club, and therefore the game, from destructive elements. Craig Whyte and Charles Green had dubious personal histories, and the acquisition of the club itself was mired in controversy and scandal. Yet it was allowed.

Neither Green nor Whyte were known to have operated outside the law, yet neither was worthy of trust or stood up to scrutiny. Neither man should ever have been granted the status as fit and proper persons to assume a role in our national sport, and if it is true of them what can we say about the three men who are, presently, being touted as the Great White Hopes for a bright, new Rangers future; Dave King and the Easdale brothers?

King recently cut a deal with the South African government over an on-going dispute over taxes. In other words, he pled guilty and accepted the central plank of their argument; that for years he was engaged in wilfully with-holding vast revenues from their Treasury. The media does not like to put it like that, and the SFA seems willing to ignore it utterly, and this would be scandalous enough. But it does not stop there. HRMC rules – as well as the SFA’s own governance documents – actually bar him from serving on the board of the new club.

Last but not least, aside from being an admitted tax cheat, King is also awaiting trial in South Africa, having been indicted for corruption, forgery and fraud – 300 charges in total. Yet as recently as last week, we were told that the Association was willing to look at him and consider representations from his lawyers. This is almost beyond belief.

If Dave King’s position is untenable, and he is yet to be convicted of a crime, what can we say about the position of the Easdale’s? One of the two brothers, Sandy, has already served jail time. He is a convicted criminal, a fraudster nonetheless, who’s “victim” was the same Treasury who are appealing one case involving the old club and liquidated it entirely over another. This is precisely the kind of “businessman” the fit and proper person test was supposed to weed out, and if the SFA holds its nose here the reek will stink out the halls at Hampden for decades. If King or the Easdale’s are judged fit and proper, then who exactly is the test for? What exactly do you have to do to fail it? How do we explain the existence of laws, when these are not applied?

Pascal says “Law without force is impotent.” The SFA’s weakness has allowed one version of Rangers to destroy itself, and has allowed an existential risk to another. If the next power at Rangers resides in South Africa or Greenock I can say with some certainty that the Association is engaged in an even more dangerous roll of the dice, because the surfacing of fresh scandal will be an ever present risk, and will be of the sort no-one will survive.

The damage to Scottish football will take years to heal. The Scottish game has been through enough trauma. It does not need more. It barely survived the last calamity to hit Rangers. The rest of us should not be forced to pay the price of the next one.

The greater damage will be done to Rangers itself. If the Green crisis ends in another collapse – as it well might; another administration event is a certainty, and another liquidation is a much more likely prospect than it was before 14 February 2012 – the club will once again have to start from the bottom, and this time the reputational damage will be impossible to repair. The club faces internal strife, sporting sanctions, and criminal investigations. The last takeover might be declared a fraud. the Whyte takeover will almost certainly be. The share issue might be invalid, as well as criminal, and the people involved may well end up in jail. Lawsuits could follow from investors, there could be as yet unknown consequences from the Upper Tier Tax Tribunal (thank you Brogan Rogan for pointing out what those might be) and a host of other issues.

Rangers fans must be the loudest voices here. How do you want the world to view your club in years to come? Do you want one to be proud of, or one forever associated with the shame and disgrace of these days gone by? The one which bailed out on its tax obligations. The one with supporters who disgrace your very name. The one which allowed Whyte and Green to take you to the cleaners and send you to the wall. The one which handed over control to one convicted criminal and another awaiting trial. Do you want to be reborn clean, or mired in the muck?

David Murray destroyed your financial stability. He made it so no bank would issue you a line of credit and no investor of note wanted to buy. Craig Whyte liquidated you. Charles Green has cast the future of the Newco into doubt and acted in a manner which has annihilated your credibility with the financial markets for decades to come.

Between these three men, they have taken everything from you, and the press and the people who run the game here, as well as some of your own blindly ignorant fans, have allowed them to do all this and more. Now they conspire to hand the keys to Ibrox to other men of questionable character, who will wreck further havoc on the reputation of the club.

The Scottish Football Association has damaged the game it was supposed to protect, but above all else their greatest failure of governance was a failure to protect one of its biggest clubs from its own excesses and those of its owners.

Rangers fans, the SFA have betrayed your trust, more than the trust of any other club. What you must insist on now is full disclosure and transparency from the powers that be in Hampden. The SFA has to end the charade of allowing your club to handle this in-house. They must hand everything over to an outside agency – whether a legal one, or a footballing body like UEFA – and they must demand co-operation and answers, and threaten to withhold the license if they don’t get them.

You must not be afraid of that. You must embrace it. The men with their hands on the gears at Ibrox are motivated by money, and nothing more. If the license is withdrawn their “investments” are worthless. They cannot risk that.

You must demand that the rules on fit and proper persons are applied, and where necessary even made stronger, to prevent your club falling into unclean hands. You must demand that they protect your reputation from further damage, by getting this all out there and acting accordingly, even if that means your club does not play football for at least a year.

You must be willing to suck it all up, knowing that what will emerge is a Rangers which has been cleansed and moves forward with honour, and dignity, led by custodians who treasure it rather than those who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

The Rangers Standard has recently emerged as a genuine voice for those in your support who are sick and tired of what Rangers has become, and want it restored to something that is worthy of the love and respect in which you hold it. On that website, there are discussions about the kind of club you seek to be and about whether the institution of Rangers is about more than just football.

If that’s how you feel about it then you know it is about more than how many titles the club can claim, about more than just results on the park, about more than just the game. Rangers, like Celtic, is an idea. It has to be something you are proud of.

I am a socialist, but one with a fevered imagination and a tendency to write very dark things. This piece won’t have been good reading for some of you (perhaps all of you haha!) but I think there’s more hope in here than in other things I’ve written.

In spite of everything that’s come to pass, I still believe. I believe in Scottish football. I believe in our system of football governance, even if those who are working in it are failing on some level.

In society, as much as we strain against them, laws exist for our protection. To fail to enforce them is to leave us at the mercy of those elements who would do us harm. The rules of football ensure the protection of all clubs, not just a few.

The failure to enforce the rules has never had graver consequences than here in Scotland.  The irony is that bending and breaking them has hurt the one club those violations were designed to help. It cannot be allowed to happen again.

The rules must be applied without fear or favour.

The best must find their conviction, and their passionate intensity once more.

James is a co-editor of the On Fields of Green Blog http://www.onfieldsofgreen.com/

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Tom Byrne

About Trisidium

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

5,802 thoughts on “The Existence of Laws


  1. Does anyone have a link to Tomo? Can he not ask CW if the CF material is real?
    If he asks and gets an answer then great. If he can’t ask, that’ll still tell us plenty.


  2. Just for clarity.

    Suggesting that certain documents are not particularly well drafted, or appear amateurish does not mean that they were not sent. Neither does it mean that the person who supplied copies did not do so in good faith.

    There are various possible scenarios and it is best to consider all of them, and all of the material available, rather than just reach the conlcusion which best suits ones own feelings on the matter.

    It is too easy to get carried away with things and see what one wants to see.


  3. Comment re Press Speculation
    Thu, 16th May 2013 10:32

    RNS Number : 8830E
    Rangers Int. Football Club PLC
    16 May 2013

    Rangers International Football Club plc

    (“Rangers”, the “Company” or the “Club”)

    Comment re Press Speculation

    The Board of Rangers has noted the recent press speculation regarding a requisition for a General Meeting. The Board confirms that it has received such correspondence and is seeking to establish the validity of this requisition. Further announcements will be made as appropriate.


  4. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 11:14
    ——————————————–
    So the ties are going. What next …a bonfire of the blazers and brogues?

    In relation to comments on the professionalism or lack of it in the LBC, remember CW is the guy who drafted an RFC invoice using Clip Art.

    Actually it wouldn’t matter if the LBC was written on say the back of an unused VAT return, it’s the merits or otherwise of the content that matters, not whether the right continuation paper was used or it’s grammatically correct.

    Anything from CF should be treated with caution but it does tend to support the theory that the atmosphere within Ibrox is “beyond chaos”.

    54p to 0


  5. Morning again all.

    Zero

    My comments about the anomaly of the addresses on the notepaper appear to have been cleared up. I had originally thought that the letter was written on solicitors continuation paper which would have been naughty.

    However, I now realise that the Registered Office for Sevco was the very same solicitors office so to that extent the notepaper makes sense– although my suspicions were aroused because the registered office has since ( I believe ) been changed to the address at the head of the letter which is the same address as the registered office for Tixway Ltd.

    In essence the letter has one address at the top and a different address at the bottom of each page.

    Now, let me be plain, I have no knowledge of Charlotte the Harlot at all and therefore can only presume that this is a genuine whistleblower until proven otherwise.

    Where the info comes from is a total mystery.

    That being so, I can also only presume that the letter before claim from Sevco 5088 dated December ( there are reports that it was sent both on the 12th and 13th of December ) is in fact genuine and real.

    However, it is the very fact that it IS genuine and real that raises my suspicions.

    If you are Craig Whyte & Co, and you have a genuine multimillion pound claim with all the available evidence stated in that letter, and you really want to frighten the CEO of a company that is about to make the AIM and you want to throw a spanner in the works— WHY DO IT THIS WAY?

    Why not get a proper firm of solicitors to address the letter properly, write it on their headed notepaper, show that the whole thing has been given serious consideration by legally qualified people, send it recorded delivery and have it served by Sheriff Officer!

    In other words do it RIGHT to give them a FRIGHT!

    Equally, if it was properly served and delivered, Why did Green and Ahmed and for that matter Malcolm Murray ignore it?

    Is it because the letter was so amateurish that the legals told them to ignore it?

    Is it because Green kept it from Murray– who is meant to be a stick on guy for regulation and the right thing?

    Even if it is amateurish balderdash someone should have taken steps to protect themselves from it.

    We have seen no evidence that they did or didn’t.

    And Why when it wasn’t answered did Whyte not run straight to the lawyers and the court?

    Did nothing take place at all– at the hand of either party— because both wanted the IPO to go through so that there was some money in the tank?

    Also think on this.

    If it is the case that Whyte and Green were in a scam together– who is to say that they are not still in any such scam?

    If Whyte appears to call out Green by way of a letter which is now 6 months old together with tape recordings and all sorts of docs which show their collusion then that strengthens Whyte’s hand to be paid out.

    If Green shows that he has fallen on his sword despite making all sorts of ridiculous promises and boasts– but is ultimately able to show that Whyte is a fantasist, a headcase and a lunatic who may well have taped this or that and written a series of amateur headcase letters of no substance and no worth– then Green’s hand is strengthened in the eyes of ST buyers and so on– and he can walk away with his shares paid out

    HOWEVER– where there is an open and public mess between two spivs who have fleeced everyone– whether together or separately— then whoever comes riding in from the wings and appears to be the saviour of saviours– then he is welcomed as a hero!

    If that person then says– hey I have been advised to throw some crumbs at Whyte– or I have been told he has a potentially legitimate claim and here is how we are going to deal with it– or hey Green has made an arse of it, told porkies, but he is gone but I am now in place to sort it all out and would ask to be allowed to sort it all– even if that means buying the stadium and leasing back to the gers and so protecting the so called investors– remember we have never known who the investors are or where they got their money from — then that guy will be allowed to do things which no other set of Directors would ever get away with.

    Including paying out Whyte AND Green!

    The show is in full swing here, the game is afoot– and the whole thing has an air of choreography about it.

    When things are done badly and strangely they are often done for a reason– and sometimes– just sometimes— people raise court actions and make claims in order to lose!

    Losing an argument is sometimes the desired result.

    So I accept Charlotte the Harlot to be genuine, I accept the letter is genuine, but given the circumstances i’m afraid an oul Roxy Music fan like me is dragged back to the Brian Eno inspired quiet message that is clearly but quietly spoken towards the end of the title track of the For Your Pleasure Album.

    The Message says– ” Don’t ask Why!”

    Well you know what?

    I can’t help ask—— Why?

    Because with this lot you need eyes in the back of your head to see the angles.

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

    Briggsbhoy

    The ” Very Interesting but Stupid” phrase appeared in nearly all the laugh in shows– eh and for anyone else’s benefit Goldie Hawn and various other Bikini clad ladies appeared in them too.


  6. jerfeelgood says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 10:44

    Given the recent nature of the CF revelations, three scenarios for their origin come to mind.

    A leak from the C4 news team after the AT story hit the legal wall.
    Someone from inside deloitte/pinsent/qc’s office.
    Someone leaking from Duff and Phelps post Carlyle merger.

    ___________________________________________________

    I would rule out the first of these.


  7. Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan says:

    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 11:42
    ………

    However, it is the very fact that it IS genuine and real that raises my suspicions.

    If you are Craig Whyte & Co, and you have a genuine multimillion pound claim with all the available evidence stated in that letter, and you really want to frighten the CEO of a company that is about to make the AIM and you want to throw a spanner in the works— WHY DO IT THIS WAY?
    ____________________________________________________________________

    On epossible explanation – because furtive spivs prefer to accumulate dirt and hold it over people rather than play things out formally and publicly.

    Also, thanks for moving us on from Leonard Cohen to Iron Maiden 😉


  8. BRTH and others,

    I have the same misgivings about the CF info, no question (that’s not a slant on CF by the way, more the info therein for the reasons put forward previously).

    To answer the question though why not serve the letter in the normal manner, via solicitors, by return etc I think the answer is obvious. To do so would have fatally holed the flimsy 3rd division liferaft that had been so carefully, if a bit late and a wee bit less sumptuous than their original promise, provided by the SFA. Similarly they could not risk doing anything before the 3rd div was tied up hence the degree of hindshight that some perceive in the letter itself.

    They can argue amongst themselves. They have chosen, wrongly as it turns out, to assume that TU would also just have to wait. They can even maintain the silence as regards anything MIHesque (whether deliberate or because they’ve genuinely left the scene), but they could not risk the very existence of the club itself whilst playing commitments were there.

    Too simple?


  9. How about this for conspiracy theory. CF is CW’s ex who has not got what she wanted out of her divorce settlement. Nothing worse than a women scorned or a bunny boiler.

    This theory is pure and utter tosh on my part but with all conspiracy theories feasible 🙂 Then again it could be any of the women reject by Mullach on the right hand side of his computer when on FB


  10. Phil MacGiollaBhain ‏@Pmacgiollabhain 29s
    I expect the Worthington Group to make a major play within the next two weeks.
    #ExcellentSource
    #Sevco5088


  11. Craig Whyte doesn’t want to go to court, he wants to get paid off.

    Have Charles and Imran handed that blackmail dossier over to the police yet?


  12. “Worthington Group plc is a holding company engaged in the property development and management. The Company holds 44% in Trimmings by Design Limited, which is a specialist design and manufacture of passementerie and trimmings for the interior decorating, soft furnishings, blinds and lighting markets”

    Is this who we are talking about ?


  13. briggsbhoy says:

    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 11:56
    Hell hath no fury eh? I suggested the same tosh on CQN 🙂


  14. y4rmy says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 12:04
    0 0 Rate This
    Craig Whyte doesn’t want to go to court, he wants to get paid off.

    Have Charles and Imran handed that blackmail dossier over to the police yet?

    ——————————————————————–

    if CW has sold Sevco 5088 to Worthington and they have agreed fees with lawyers to act for them…..it won’t be CW taking Green/Ahmed to court….it will be worthingtons.

    as phils tweet suggests…..worthington are gearing up to move soon to secure THEIR assets!

    who says close seasons are rubbish? Last 2 have been hilarious!!


  15. another bit of good news from CQN Poster OG Rafferty

    O.G.Rafferty
    11:19 on
    16 May, 2013
    leftclicktic, 11:12

    And it’s not just the one iceberg either.
    There’s another one that just appeared on the horizon a couple of days ago, unrelated to this mess.
    Full steam ahead, Cap’n

    —————————————

    looks like they’re gonna need a bigger boat!


  16. FWIW the letter before claim does seem to reasonably comply with this guidance on pre-action conduct.

    http://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules/pd_pre-action_conduct

    2. Claimant’s letter before claim

    2.1

    The claimant’s letter should give concise details about the matter. This should enable the defendant to understand and investigate the issues without needing to request further information. The letter should include –

    (1) the claimant’s full name and address;

    (2) the basis on which the claim is made (i.e. why the claimant says the defendant is liable);

    (3) a clear summary of the facts on which the claim is based;

    (4) what the claimant wants from the defendant;

    (5) if financial loss is claimed, an explanation of how the amount has been calculated; and

    (6) details of any funding arrangement (within the meaning of rule 43.2(1)(k) of the CPR) that has been entered into by the claimant.

    2.2

    The letter should also –

    (1) list the essential documents on which the claimant intends to rely;

    (2) set out the form of ADR (if any) that the claimant considers the most suitable and invite the defendant to agree to this;

    (3) state the date by which the claimant considers it reasonable for a full response to be provided by the defendant; and

    (4) identify and ask for copies of any relevant documents not in the claimant’s possession and which the claimant wishes to see.


  17. forweonlyknow says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 09:38
    Stayed tuned 🙂

    I’m trying my best but it all moves to quick and we are trying to work, I become less productive every morning I start off on this blog, thank God I work from home.

    BRHT. Pavlovs Dog! that is one long musical intro on that song, it’s about a quarter of the entire song, gave up, no ma cup of tea, Roxy Music aye :). I have vague recollections of the sit in show as a child, when I first saw the two German Soldiers my immediate thought was Hogan’s Hero’s ! A bit of nostalgia and I better watch or the Nostalgia Police will be after us. 🙂


  18. Paul Moore‏@moore802h
    @Pmacgiollabhain is there alot more to come from this sevco thing phil not getting much in the papers about it

    Phil MacGiollaBhain‏@Pmacgiollabhain1h
    @moore80 This is only the beginning

    With the hints from O.G.Rafferty and Phil, looks as if a bigger boat and a series of replacement F5 keys will be needed.

    Will there be a Club at the end of the line for (real) fans to support? While I detest the wrongs and corruption that has taken place, and there is the strong sense that there is more to be uncovered -I do empathise with true fans of the Club, who have no control or say in what is happening to them.


  19. Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 11:42

    … I have no knowledge of Charlotte the Harlot
    ——

    FYI, she lives at 22 Acacia Avenue (that’s the place where we all go). 😉


  20. Not The Huddle Malcontent on Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 12:21
    1 0 Rate This
    another bit of good news from CQN Poster OG Rafferty

    O.G.Rafferty
    11:19 on
    16 May, 2013
    leftclicktic, 11:12

    And it’s not just the one iceberg either.
    There’s another one that just appeared on the horizon a couple of days ago, unrelated to this mess.
    Full steam ahead, Cap’n

    —————————————

    looks like they’re gonna need a bigger boat!
    ———

    Is Mr Rafferty implying that this new iceberg is called Charlotte?


  21. Danish Pastry says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 12:38

    Is Mr Rafferty implying that this new iceberg is called Charlotte?
    ======================================================
    Even Charlie Green wasn’t able to sell naming rights to icebergs – The National Ice Center has that one.


  22. slimshady61 says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 11:40

    Actually it wouldn’t matter if the LBC was written on say the back of an unused VAT return, it’s the merits or otherwise of the content that matters, not whether the right continuation paper was used or it’s grammatically correct.
    —————————————————–
    I’d agree with some of the previous posts noting that the critical thing is not even so much the contents (which if true are dynamite), but evidence that the letter was delivered at the time it purports to have been written. Which is not to say that CF does not have such proof, of course!


  23. Danish Pastry says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 12:38

    Is Mr Rafferty implying that this new iceberg is called Charlotte?

    ————————————————————

    nope, we can already see the iceberg that is known as Charlotte

    but there are a few more Icebergs hiding behind Charlotte that will pop their heads round the corner to say hello shortly.


  24. Just had a look at the postings from O.G.Rafferty, on CQN. while there is a general theme that there is much more to come out e.g.

    11:57 on 16 May, 2013
    gordybhoy64, 11:51

    There’s a lot of stuff yet to come out. I don’t think any of it could be thought of as Blue Skies over Ibrox

    There is an interesting exchange, where there is a suggestion that Charlotte is aware of material(s) [emails?] that mayprove a link TGEF with (S)DM.

    TootingTim

    10:03 on 16 May, 2013

    Morning CQN,

    one of Charlotte the Harlot’s (copywright ack’d :)) first ‘reveals’ was an email exchange between Jack Irvine and Craig Whyte from 2009, was it?

    Followed by an oh-so-innocent question…”Um do you suppose that Jack and minty might have regular business? Um, does anyone know (giggle, oops thank-ee kind sir….) ?”

    So C the H has access to historical CW emails that long pre-date the whole Sevco shebang, and then asks a cute question designed to prod the audience into realising that this email exchange exposes the “I was duped by CW” position of minty as being utterly implausible to say the least.

    In other words, dear readers, is C the H in fact CW or someone in his ‘camp’?

    Cui bono, and all that.

    Any thoughts? Sorry if you have been round this merry-go-round before and I have missed it…

    HH!
    ———————————————————
    O.G.Rafferty

    10:34 on 16 May, 2013

    TootingTim, 10:03

    You are a wise man sir


  25. Danish Pastry says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 07:53

    I think Celtic Research may have missed the point, ironic or not. We’re following the progress of what’s being said, but we don’t have the association with it, which seems to be the best of both worlds as far as I can see. Far from the ‘spurned bride’, it’s more a case of ‘why buy a book when you can access a library’ (as I’m sure Benny Hill responded when asked why he never married….)


  26. In relating to the new Charlotte Fakeovers revelations. Remember Barcabhoy said in relation to the “Nuclear” evidence/ event; he said that the ‘story wasn’t his to tell’ and ‘it wasn’t for him to drive it…’ Barca’ alluded to the ‘source’ releasing when they felt it was ‘appropriate’ Barcabhoy if you’re reading is this CF stuff the timing device on the ‘bomb’?


  27. OK,

    So new iceberg appears ‘a few days ago’, roughly about the time C4 were about to float a story (sorry couldn’t help myself).

    C4 goes deep and silent, possibly due to an injunction, reports (internet scuttlebut) had this story ‘unravelling’ as it was followed.

    CF appears and reveals some interesting stuff, the question now being asked is why?

    Could it be all hands on deck to get the cash and run, making as quick a get away as possible?


  28. Phil MacGiollaBhain‏@Pmacgiollabhain1h
    I expect the Worthington Group to make a major play within the next two weeks.
    #ExcellentSource
    #Sevco5088

    Could TGEF/Worthington Group be racing to get to Court before an EGM?


  29. Here’s one to think about ….
    Sherrie Louise Ellison ….. seems well connected to main players ….

    Here is a snapshot of partial branches of LC connects …. bigger picture is fascinating … you might say … a web …

    http://flic.kr/p/ejBCuF


  30. So, just a coincidence that CF became very obliging with information hours after the letter turned up demanding Murray’s removal? If Charles Green is compromised, his shares would surely not fall to the busmen? Perhaps Mr Murray has unseen allies?


  31. Rangers Tax-Case ‏@rangerstaxcase 8m A new newco representing Rangers’ fans interests would be best for all, but is there a credible group of untainted owners?

    Rangers Tax-Case ‏@rangerstaxcase 6m Allowing #Spivco to remain in the game will chase away respectable sponsors. Our game will be tarnished beyond disguise or repair.

    Rangers Tax-Case ‏@rangerstaxcase 52s If you control access to Ibrox dressing room, you control much of the Scottish press. Ideal for those with ‘image’ problems

    RTC tweeting again


  32. Rangers Tax-Case ‏@rangerstaxcase 40s If SFA continues to tolerate and encourage these types what next? Match fixing? Bribery scandals? It shouldn’t even be a dilemma.

    Closely followed by CF

    Charlotte Fakeovers ‏@CharlotteFakes 1m I have 1000’s of items to review, should the task be too large, I shall consider a wikileaks type dump. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119345/

    This is getting very interesting (in a BRTH voice)


  33. This could turn into another late night 🙂

    CO might also be burning the midnight oil


  34. Fascinating reading over the last few days ,on holiday but dont need to read any books ,keep it comming,2 small icebergs with my large malts.


  35. From Paul on CQN:

    Mr Ogilvie, you’re going to need a bigger shredder
    16th May 2013

    Lots of details became available yesterday but if you can drag yourself away from the most gratuitous, concentrate on the dates.

    12 December 2012.

    One week before the IPO. Material information disclosed to the nomad?

    21 June 2012.

    Four weeks after Mr Whyte was banned from participating in Scottish football, enabling Newco to exist.

    11 months before one of Mr Whyte’s collaborators is proposed as a director of Newco.

    What the spivs have done to that club, assisted by the most stupid people to own keyboards and journos on-the-make, is breath-taking. How did the idiots manage to take over? There is a lesson for humanity here.

    On a related subject:

    “Craig Whyte’s involvement would be hidden from the SFA and SPL”.

    Mr Ogilvie, you’re going to need a bigger shredder.

    You and your organisation are being openly mocked. What was patently obvious to anyone remotely interested in following events to their logical conclusion a year ago is now evident to all.

    I have no interest in you resigning now. All the damage which could have been done to our game due to a lack of penetrative oversight, which is your job, has been done. Your persistence is merely confirmation that the levels of corporate governance at the SFA remain unchanged.

    Fans from SPL and SFL clubs found rock among the sand to build foundations on last year. There remains a love of our game, and our clubs, among the detritus, but we have unquestionably been failed by the custodians of our game at Hampden Park, who I am convinced, will again bury their heads in the sand.

    There is no going back, no quick fix, no one can put this right. Nothing will ever be the same again. Accept this and move on.


  36. From CQN:

    Jon Daly

    Offered £4k a week basic. This will rise to £8k per week once he steps on the park and if SevCo win the game.

    Oh, there is also the signing on fee. Cobbled together, Mr Daly will be earning in the region of £11k a week during his residence at Ibrox.

    And they’re meant to be cutting back expenditure?


  37. Paul Brennan 5088 ‏@CQN 35s

    I hear Craigie’s back in town. Setting budgets for next season?


  38. torrejohnbhoy says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 13:36
    9 0 Rate This
    Charlotte Fakeovers ‏@CharlotteFakes 35s

    I have 1000′s of items to review, should the task be too large, I shall consider a wikileaks type dump.

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

    i’m working on the theory that CF is close to (or is) CW

    so, that tweet is an open threat…….he’s dropped some tasty morsels to scare Green et al, it’s in the public domain and he now had a huge following, now we might get nothing for a few days while they “work through” the 1,000’s of files……and if CW doesn’t get what he wants before then, then he’ll put everything out there and bring the lot down.

    Mutually Assured Destruction

    just my hunch


  39. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:00

    Charlotte should pick her hosting company and country very carefully, would imagine the interdicts and injunctions would fall on her like confetti, the instant the dump was posted….


  40. Campbell Ogilvie……wouldn’t want to be him

    He must be regretting the minute he ever heard the words ” Hello Campbell, I’m David , your new boss”

    What’s he thinking now though.

    Should I continue to protect these shysters, just because I was a shareholder and supporter of the old Rangers ? Maybe he’s thinking was all of this worth it for an EBT or some tax free cash ? ( I wonder if Souness is thinking the same)

    Maybe he’s thinking , if I had any backbone at all I could have prevented this by blowing the whistle at an early stage.

    He’s probably thinking, it’s only a matter of time before I am exposed along with the others who broke rules and invented others, just to help a team who would be too toxic for Lance Armstrong and Ben Johnson .

    When you have an organization who have had to part company with a CEO , a head of referees and a top referee , all for either Pro Rangers or anti Celtic rule breaking , we shouldn’t be surprised that Ogilvie will shamelessly attempt to see this out.

    However , I hope he doesn’t resign. If he resigns he goes without being forced from office. He will get to go on his own terms. I hope that he is further exposed and that enough member clubs are sufficiently outraged to vote for his sacking and expulsion.

    He along with Peat, Gordon Smith , Dallas , Longmuir and Ballantyne ( each and every one a Rangers supporter) have shamed Scotland and Scottish football . They don’t have the morals to own up to their shameful behavior nor the class to do act in an appropriate manner .

    They never had the ability to run Scottish football, and that’s been more than obvious for quite some time


  41. torrejohnbhoy says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 13:50

    Do we expect Mr Daly to be sacked before he starts if this is a genuine picture of his salary package ? Mr Sandaza are you reading this?


  42. Question

    If Malcolm Murray and Phil Cartmell are non executive directors can the board not just sack them.

    Directors are elected by shareholders as I understand it, and can be removed at an AGM or EGM. Does the same go for non execs.


  43. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:00

    torrejohnbhoy says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 13:36
    9 0 Rate This
    Charlotte Fakeovers ‏@CharlotteFakes 35s

    I have 1000′s of items to review, should the task be too large, I shall consider a wikileaks type dump.

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

    i’m working on the theory that CF is close to (or is) CW

    so, that tweet is an open threat…….he’s dropped some tasty morsels to scare Green et al, it’s in the public domain and he now had a huge following, now we might get nothing for a few days while they “work through” the 1,000′s of files……and if CW doesn’t get what he wants before then, then he’ll put everything out there and bring the lot down.

    Mutually Assured Destruction

    just my hunch
    ==================================
    Was thinking along those lines myself.Most of the big hitters,RTC,Paul@CQN,etc seem to accept that info is genuine.There can’t be many individuals with access to 1000’s(allegedly) of items.
    Was also thinking,maybe wrongly,that this info may be related to ATs pulled programme.He had a conduit to CW.If someone stopped C4 from broadcasting maybe CW,or someone close to him decided to take the bull by the horns.


  44. scapaflow14 says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:15

    Charlotte should pick her hosting company and country very carefully, would imagine the interdicts and injunctions would fall on her like confetti, the instant the dump was posted….
    ——

    Indeed. Further, I imagine that persons who may be interested in such material would be clearing hard disks and getting their downloading software tuned up – such a dump may only be available for a few hours in the middle of the night until a cease and desist can be granted.


  45. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:

    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:00

    i’m working on the theory that CF is close to (or is) CW
    ======================================================================

    I haven’t seen anyone before NTHM really suggest who CF might be and why they are releasing this info now, if genuine.

    I might be thick, but I have loads of questions!!

    I can’t work out who would be the most likely source – if it’s genuine, can the source only be CW? Who other than him might have access to ” 000s of files ” of this type? If CW is the source, why has he changed his ‘release’ MO from TV to direct blogging? Does that change make it less likely to be CW?

    If it IS CW, is it just more ammunition to get his payoff for being stiffed by CG et al? Or is he siding with MM and the RFC*-minded people against the spivs and using what he has to discredit CG/IA etc because RFC*-minded people are more likely to pay him rent when/if he proves he does own the assets?

    If it ISN’T CW, who could it be? Could it be DK using misinformation to lower the share price so he can step in? Could it be the Easdales doing likewise?

    Elsewhere, surely there is now enough information available to AIM/SFA etc to actually do something! Whether it is or isn’t CW, why would the source not have contacted AIM direct to flag the non-compliance of the AIM document? Once AIM is aware of the LOC, surely they would have to take some action? As for the SFA (I know, I know), surely there are now enough tapes and documents (supported by resignations and independent investigations) for them to know that they are (at best) yet more dupees in this tale and that CW was involved, requiring them to revisit RFC*’s participation.

    No answers; just questions. Anyone have a view? Are our wonderful MSM asking any questions?


  46. barcabhoy says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:18
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    I think John Clark and others have made the point that we should enjoy what is happening at The Rangers but we should be concentrating our fire on the SFA via our clubs and on here. I agree with that.


  47. Internet cease and desist orders? May i direct CF to the wonderful land of the Philippines?

    You see, here our internet is controlled by private companies. In order to have an internet site removed you would have to file a restraining order against the host. The standard time for a case to be heard is about 5 years.

    There is a reason kickasstorrents have a. Ph address 🙂


  48. A minor point, but I would just observe that too much attention is placed on the Rangers share price. Fun though it is to observe, and have a chuckle at, its movements it should be borne in mind that the price is based on a very thin volume of trades and is not a particularly good indicator of the value (or fortunes) of the company or what the cost of a major shareholding woud be.

    Any attempt to take over the company will not be by acquiring shares via AIM at the market price but through the acquisition of significant shareholdings from major players at a mutually agreed price.


  49. jimlarkin says:

    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:39

    photo/1

    anybody guide me as to the significance of this charlottefakeover document ?
    [i’m well behind – and also a thicko bampot]
    _______________________________________________________

    Corsica posted this letter to demonstrate what an official letter from FFW looked like, there was no significance to the content.

    Reading between the lines, an d based on his comments, it may be that corsica originally misunderstood what the documented posted by CF was i.e. he was indicating that it wasn’t an official FFW doc, however it was never purported to be one.


  50. stevensanph says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:43
    1 0 Rate This
    Internet cease and desist orders? May i direct CF to the wonderful land of the Philippines?

    You see, here our internet is controlled by private companies. In order to have an internet site removed you would have to file a restraining order against the host. The standard time for a case to be heard is about 5 years.

    There is a reason kickasstorrents have a. Ph address

    What about Monaco?


  51. jimlarkin says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:39
    =++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    It’s a standard Engagement Letter issued by professional advisors which details the scope of the work to be performed , the obligations of the parties and terms of business.

    I think there is some amusement around point 2 as regards who FFW should speak to and will rely on what they say as being accurate.


  52. Off current topic I know, but this is the Scottish Football Monitor so I’m going to monitor something.

    I missed the news of Ernie Winchester’s death last week and was only aware of it when I saw an obituary in a paper today.

    Ernie, a Torry loon, was a legendary player at Aberdeen in the ‘60s. He had pretty good goals-to-game ratio, but it could have been better if he had netted a few of the sitters he missed. A big “rummle em up” centre forward who started his football in defence and moved forward as his career progressed.

    One of my memories of Winchester was scoring against Hibs in a Cup replay in 1967 – it might even have been a hat-trick. By that time however, Ernie was out of favour with Eddie Turnbull and he only featured in that game because other forwards were injured.

    Later Ernie signed up for American “soccer” and was suspended sine die by the SFA (funny how sometimes they could be tough). He was forgiven though and had spells at Hearts and Arbroath before retiring from the game quite prematurely.

    I also note with some sadness that Ernie was only 68. No age at all! He must only have been in his early 20s when I saw him play. When you are in your teens everyone over 20 seems old. Sorry to hear of your demise Ernie, you entertained a lot of Dandies and for that we thank you.


  53. Not The Huddle Malcontent says: Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:00

    nawlite says: Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:33
    ============================
    The source has to be CW (or more likely someone working on his behalf).

    CF attempted to show that the email and audio chain wasn’t all pro CW by showing two documents related to HMRC’s personal tax claim against CW. The only source of these documents is CW or someone working on his behalf. (unless RTC has got hold of confidential HMRC docs) 😉

    The fact that CW hasn’t gone public either to question or support any of CF’s revelations suggests to me that the info is being released at his behest.


  54. zerotolerance1903 says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:44

    Agreed, the share price on very small volumes is almost meaningless. It indicates only what someone is willing to buy and sell a certain number of shares at, on a given day. It is only when large holdings are changing hands, or in the event of a takeover, that you really see what a company is worth. Some stock prices can move quickly up and down when prices are being manipulated, though the fundamentals of the company remain the same.

    I suspect that Rangers are now worth significantly less than the market capitalisation (the number of shares in issue multiplied by the share price), but that’s just my opinion. CG and IA will be selling at “fire sale” prices? Time will tell.


  55. bogsdollox says:

    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:57

    jimlarkin says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:39
    =++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    It’s a standard Engagement Letter issued by professional advisors which details the scope of the work to be performed , the obligations of the parties and terms of business.

    I think there is some amusement around point 2 as regards who FFW should speak to and will rely on what they say as being accurate.
    _________________________________________________________________

    Corsica has indicated that the content of the letter has “no signficance” – his words – and I am assuming that it is nothing to to with TRFC. As I posted earlier, he appears to be attempting to show that the Letter Before Claim doc is not an official FFW one before realising it’s not meant to be.


  56. chipm0nk says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:22
    0 0 i
    Rate This
    Question

    If Malcolm Murray and Phil Cartmell are non executive directors can the board not just sack them.

    Directors are elected by shareholders as I understand it, and can be removed at an AGM or EGM. Does the same go for non execs.

    ====================
    The term non-executive director has no legal basis, it simply describes the duties of a director outside the boardroom. All directors, executive and non-executive alike,have the same duties, rights and responsibilities in law.


  57. Dipping in and out, not wishing to contort the direction of the analysis but doing some backround research came across an interesting article.

    Remember the “Chris Akers and Andrew Ellis show begins” line

    Perhaps a bit of corroboration concerning Charlottes musings :

    http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/who-is-chris-akers-1.1033870

    I think someone posted this earlier.

    Could also be just part of a concocted pastiche of course.

    Lots of interesting stuff concerning Mr. Akers to be found. He seems to fit a mould that many would be familiar with. I’ll post something up later if interest is heading in that direction.

    Can’t get into my ‘Timeline’ file at the moment. How many people are logging onto my hard drive? Perhaps its briggsboy at al plundering my personal penchants.

    Timeline folder has opened at last. I’ll make a few adjustments so it is more user friendly.

    Mr. Akers is a member of the Mandrake Dining club. Can’t find any info. I suspect that is an August body of men.


  58. More from OG Rafferty on CQN

    O.G.Rafferty
    15:02 on
    16 May, 2013
    There is some dynamite in those 1000s of items.
    Of great interest to the SFO and Plod


  59. neepheid says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 15:10

    Thanks, that makes sense.

    I was under the impression that Directors were voted onto the board by shareholders, whereas non-executives were emplyed by the Directors, often to do a specific thing. Even if that was the case if they have the same responsibilities, rights etc then it wouldn’t make any difference how they got on the board.


  60. bogsdollox says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:37

    I think John Clark and others have made the point that we should enjoy what is happening at The Rangers …

    ——

    bogs – on a point of semantics, can I note that I don’t actually enjoy what’s happening at Rangers (well, most of us anyway) because it is genuinely potentially harmful to all of Scottish fitba.

    Rather, I personally enjoy the fact that much entertainment is to be had by trying to see into the murky depths from above surface level, mostly by observing the behaviour of the odd flying fish that leaves its natural habitat momentarily to give us a clue, and occasionally by scrutinising the samples gathered by a deep sea vehicle that scoops up some material for analysis.

    In this rather silly analogy, CF would appear to be a scallop dredger – which brings useful items to the surface whilst totally destroying the sea bed.

    You’d never be able to tell that I’m a marine biologist who’s had rather too much coffee today, would you? 🙂


  61. http://billmcmurdo.wordpress.com/
    Contrary to reports suggesting that Imran Ahmad is trying to block a Dave King takeover of Rangers, my information is that Ahmad is happy to sell his shares to King and that the two are in discussions over it.

    My understanding is that Ahmad can deliver shares to King that will help give him 29.9%, thus giving him a big say in matters Rangers.

    Imran is understandably unhappy at the way he is being portrayed as a villain in the ongoing Rangers saga and is keen to find a buyer who will be a safe custodian of the club’s future.
    Most Rangers fans would agree that Dave King fits that category and so it would be a great thing if the South African-based businessman could get such a substantial block of shares.
    If so, it looks likely that the Rangers board will then include King and James Easdale as the Easdales are also increasing their shareholding in Rangers.

    It must be emphasised that the Easdale brothers are bluenoses who have Rangers’ best interests at heart.

    Along with the young turks such as Craig Mather and Brian Stockbridge, the Rangers board could be a powerful force moving forward, particularly if Walter Smith stays on in a non-exec role, something far more likely with King’s presence in the boardroom.

    After turbulent times, the future is looking rosy at Ibrox, especially with the news that Malcolm Murray will be forced out after all the recent shenanigans.


  62. imlarkin says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 15:00

    thanks bogs…
    and what about this…
    surely some amount of money was being spent on the legal fees, so would the legal fees be paid from the share issue?
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Depends on whether they relate directly to the share issue or not. The legals for setting up of Sevco5088 and its purchase of assets, unbroken history, etc wouldn’t be related to the share issue. Hence the need to take £250k out of Rangers to Banstead pre admin. This enabled the spivs to pay the professionals until they could feast on the revived corpse post flotation.


  63. zerotolerance1903 says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 15:08

    bogsdollox says:

    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:57

    jimlarkin says:
    Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 14:39
    =++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    It’s a standard Engagement Letter issued by professional advisors which details the scope of the work to be performed , the obligations of the parties and terms of business.

    I think there is some amusement around point 2 as regards who FFW should speak to and will rely on what they say as being accurate.
    _________________________________________________________________

    Corsica has indicated that the content of the letter has “no signficance” – his words – and I am assuming that it is nothing to to with TRFC. As I posted earlier, he appears to be attempting to show that the Letter Before Claim doc is not an official FFW one before realising it’s not meant to be.
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Agreed. My only point was that para 2 of the letter would be similar to that of any engagement letter issued to any of the spivs they are acting for and thought it would be amusing given the musical chairs being played at Secvco5088


  64. Hearts Majority Owner UBIG Is Insolvent, Bankruptcy Body Says
    By Bryan Bradley – May 16, 2013 3:11 PM GMT

    Ukio Banko Investicine Grupe, or UBIG, the Lithuanian investment company that controls Scottish soccer club Heart of Midlothian, is insolvent, said the Baltic nation’s Department of Enterprise Bankruptcy Management today on its website.

    The department, part of the Economy Ministry, said that Kaunas-based UBIG, at its own request, had been placed on a list of companies unable or unwilling to meet their obligations.

    UBIG is a sister company of Ukio Bankas AB, a lender that Lithuania’s central bank closed in February for risky lending to related parties. Russian-born investor Vladimir Romanov controlled both companies.

    UBIG owns 79 percent of Edinburgh-based Hearts as well as sport, aluminum and real-estate projects in several countries, according to its website.
    =================================================
    That reminds me:
    Any advance on yesterdays story that 4 un-named SPL clubs have reported Hearts to the SFA for deliberately holding off administration to avoid relegation?.

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