The Immortality Project – or – Death and Denial – Guest Post by Humble Pie
Death has a tendency to put everything else into perspective.
My family recently suffered a bereavement. It wasn’t a sudden death but it was still far too quick and far too soon for any of us to get our heads around. As our loved one’s illness progressed, each of us, in our own way, began to prepare for the inevitable. In the end, whilst it was not unexpected, it was nevertheless very traumatic, for everyone concerned.
Grief is a strange and often debilitating set of emotions. Even now, a few months on, when the intense sadness and tears have given way (mostly) to disbelief, we still find it hard to fully comprehend what has happened. We might never completely ‘come to terms’ with that fact, however, we do accept that it DID happen, much as we all wish that it hadn’t.
Many of you will be familiar with the Kubler-Ross model of the five stages of grief; Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Well, I am aware of having experienced each of these stages over the last year, as well as a couple of others which I wasn’t prepared for (a lot of personal reflection, a little guilt and a not insignificant amount of pain).
It seems to me that the Rangers supporters have been purposefully ensnared in an interminable cycle of the first two stages of KR; alternating between the denial of the death of Rangers and anger at what they feel has been done to their beloved club then back again to denial. This, as any first year psychology student will tell you, is a very unhealthy state of mind which, if not addressed, can quickly lead to physiological and behavioural problems.
At its lowest level, for example, people throughout the ages have continued to set places at the dinner table for their long-dead loved ones. They know in their hearts that the person has died but are comforted by the familiarity of doing the same things that they have always done. However, in extreme cases people have even kept and maintained the actual cadavers of the deceased, dressed them, talked to them and watched TV with them, in a state of absolute denial.
In archaeology, accepting and recognising the inevitability of death through conducting ceremonial burial services is considered to be one of the very first signs of a civilised people. You see, grief is a uniquely human and cathartic process i.e. it can produce ‘a feeling of being cleansed emotionally, spiritually, or psychologically as a result of an intense emotional experience’.
In short, grief is ultimately a good thing which leads you through a series of natural psychological steps towards acknowledgement of an unalterable situation, allowing you to take stock, re-evaluate and start to move on with your own life in a positive way.
That is what should have happened with the fans of the old Rangers.
Instead, this ‘never-ending cycle of the undead’ was positively encouraged by those many unscrupulous individuals who saw a way of making a fast buck from maintaining the ‘Then, Now and Forever’ illusion. Worse still, this resurrection fantasy is being facilitated by the very people whom we have entrusted to stop this kind of thing from happening in the first place. If only the SFA or the MSM had told them the truth, they might have had a chance to actually face up to the situation.
Unfortunately, these two bodies were so complicit in Rangers demise, so right up to their necks in the brown smelly stuff, that they were too afraid to face the inevitable anger which would have rightly come their way. So, they made up grim fairy tales to feed to the bereaved souls about non-existent ‘holding companies’, the ethereal ‘club’ which transcends death and by suggesting that it is ‘all a matter of opinion’.
Ernest Becker, in his 1973 Pulitzer Prize winning book ‘The Denial of Death’, posits that “human civilization is no more than an elaborate, symbolic defence mechanism against the knowledge of our own mortality”. This fear of death acts as an emotional and intellectual response to our basic survival instincts.
‘By embarking on what Becker refers to as an ‘immortality project’, in which a person creates or becomes part of something which they feel will last forever, the person feels they too have become part of something eternal; something that will never die, compared to their physical body that will die one day’. When this ‘immortality project’ is threatened it leads inevitably to fear, depression, loss of identity and sense of purpose.
In that case, the initial reaction of the fans to the imminent demise of Rangers was entirely predictable and understandable. “No way, this can’t happen to us, we are the people”. However, as soon as the full realisation of their club’s inexorable slide into liquidation began to sink in, came the expected anger. But towards whom should their righteous wrath be directed?
“Who did this to us, who are these people?” they cried. “Not I”, said Sir Murray of the Mint, “for I was duped”, “Nor I”, said President Ogilvie, “for it was never my role”. “Nor I”, said Mr Smith, “for I never knew nothing or nothing”. “Not us”, squealed the media monkeys in unison, “for that’s what we were told”, “Nor us”, said the SPL “it was nothing to do with us”.
“Who then?, we demand to know who these people are”, howled the horrified hordes. “T’was the Whyte knight”, they all concurred, “he alone caused this calamity”. “And the bampots”, sneered the slimy slug. “And the taxman”, puffed the pundits. “And the unseen hand of Mr Lawwell”, whispered the bilious bears from the safety of their den.
There were even those who tried to warn them, not least Hugh Adam, Phil Mac and RTC but they didn’t want to know. Even when their very own Messrs Green and Traynor spelt out, in no uncertain terms, that liquidation meant the death of their club, still they chose wilful ignorance. The MSM, with access to the same information, encouraged them to keep their heads firmly ensconced, ostrich stylee, on the banks of that ironically blue and white river in Egypt. Which just goes to show ‘you can lead a lamb to knowledge but you can’t make it think’
The point though is that the Rangers fans have heard the truth and once you have heard something you cannot unhear it. Even if you reject it, even if you deny it, it gnaws away at the back of your mind, infecting your subconscious.
Almost a year ago, I posted the following on TSFM. http://theinternetbampot.wordpress.com/2012/09/ in which I postulated that the SFA were too frightened to say anything which might imply that The Rangers were a new club.
Looking back at that post, I am amazed at how little the landscape has changed.
A year on and it has become apparent that the corporate cancer that destroyed Rangers has continued to metastasize in its new host. Charlotte’s revelations may have shown us that the rabbit hole goes much deeper than we first suspected. However, in my humble opinion, the information provided has only succeeded in ‘poisoning the well’ and deflecting attention from the main culprits in this disaster. Layer upon layer of complexity has been added to an already opaque story and the majority of her utterances appear designed to engage the more enquiring minds on this forum and consume their excess mental energy.
I know that some people are bored with this ‘debate’ but, to my mind, the single most important step for the redemption of Scottish football is the fan’s acceptance that The Rangers, who currently ply their trade in the SPFL First Division, are a new club. Once they have accepted that then everything else that they perceive has happened to them will begin to make sense. They will see that rather than everyone having a fly kick at them when they were down, most were actually trying to help them. It will also dawn on them that the very people who have been telling them that there is an anti-Rangers conspiracy against them are actually the same ones who are screwing them over.
Rangers were not relegated to div 3, The Rangers applied as a new club and were granted entry into the bottom tier of Scottish football. They are not banned from European competition, merely ineligible as a new club without the requisite financial ‘history’. Any reference to ‘rulings’ from ECA, ASA, the BBC Trust and any internal or so-called ‘independent’ enquiries are completely irrelevant, as none of these bodies are the final arbiter in this case. Scots Law is clear that there is no distinction between club and company after incorporation, when the company dies the club dies with it. That is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of fact.
Sooner or later The Rangers fans are going to realise this fact and when they do, there will be hell to pay. Until they do, their new club can never become truly cleansed. Only then can they move on and only then can they join together with fans of other clubs to root out the real cancer at the heart of Scottish football. That’s why the MSM and the SFA are still petrified to say anything. In the meantime the real creators of this disaster are sneakily positioning themselves further and further away from the scene of the crime.
I am sure the majority of us would happily accept a new Rangers, cleansed of its financial, emotional and supremacist baggage. A club that all decent Rangers fans could support without feeling any guilt about Rangers downfall or that they were being taken for mugs. The prospect of a new dawn in Scottish football, where sporting integrity took primacy and clubs lived within their means was very real. However, as usual the SFA couldn’t miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
The truth is that Scottish football is in the state it is in, not because Rangers died but because those with the power and mandate to effect the prognosis sat back and did nothing. I am sure that they believe that ‘time heals all wounds’ and that the longer this injustice is allowed to stand the more likely it will be accepted by the man in the street. No doubt the authorities feel it is in the national interest to ‘let sleeping dogs lie’. However I cannot accept this. I believe that it is vital that we are able to face up to reality so we can move on for the benefit of all football supporters.
Scottish football is at a crossroads right now, I think we all feel it. Rampant corruption has become so mainstream that many of our fellow supporters have began to accept this as the norm. However, it just doesn’t sit right with me and I suspect that many regular contributors and readers of this blog feel likewise.
We have quite lost our way and we live in a society which spends vast amounts of money paying people like Jack Irvine to ensure that we stay lost. The mainstream media treat us like little imbeciles and demand that we conform to their assumed ‘professional superiority’. The PR machine plays up to our stereotypes and feeds our fantasies while the poorest people pay to swallow their poisonous propaganda and relentless trivia.
So what can we do ? Clearly, battering out a few blog posts and strongly worded letters to the various authorities involved has been rewarded by the square root of FA.
How can we make this an opportunity for growth rather than contributing to the destruction of Scottish football ? It is not good enough to tear down a system unless we have a better system to replace it. However, I believe that it is not the system itself which is broken. It is that those charged with administering the system are hopelessly corrupted, hugely conflicted and unable to apply their rules without fear or favour.
By their incapacity and inaction (wilful or otherwise) the SFA have facilitated a motley crew of various spivs, chancers and con-artists to glean the last few meagre pickings from the bones of the emaciated loyal supporters of this new club purporting to be the once mighty Rangers. They have permitted these ne’er-do-wells to collectively appropriate many tens of millions of pounds from the Rangers fans, the creditors and the public purse. They have already allowed this corporate malignancy to spread to a new host, ‘The Rangers’, and the absence of ‘moral hazard’ makes it more likely that the disease will continue to spread.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “‘Nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
Someone else once said, “The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out, it’s just sort of a tired feeling.”
I sense that we are all beginning to get tired of this. It is time to stand together, all football fans, face the facts and direct our anger against the officers of the SFA who have allowed this sham to develop into a catastrophe.
I have no doubt that my humble opinions expressed here will raise the ire of many deluded souls. However, I am comfortable in the knowledge that the only people who get mad at you for speaking the truth are those that are living a lie.
RIP Big Man.
Yes ecobhoy, not a shred of financial information. Bizarre.
I went through the minutes in date order thinking I would get a developing financial picture.
Charlotte must have this info too so why not post it? Noted one of her comments that the board had buried other financial bad news or words to that effect.
Await her ladyship…..
Scottish football needs a strong wind today.
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl-lower-divisions/rangers-mccoist-has-no-issues-with-daft-bets-1-3092984
Coisty saying that Ian Black is a daft laddie.
95% of the TRFC dressing room bets.
Players should be told the rules cos none of them know the rules and Coisty doesn’t know the rules.
It was a silly wee bet and I saw it.
This guy is a complete jackass.
Why is the SFA not all over this “every player bets and they don’t know the rules” thing?
While getting ready to go out last night I turned on Radio Clyde for 15 minutes. Derek Johnstone was superb entertainment
“He (Black) wasn’t really betting against Rangers because he knew Rangers would win anyway”
“Ally knows the facts – we don’t know the facts”
“Who knows whether he (Black) did it or not”
It was left to the other guests to point out the ‘facts’ to big D.J, and that whether he ‘did it’ had even been admitted by the player himself. What a hoot it was.
redlichtie says:
September 14, 2013 at 1:18 am
“ The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the recent tapes that had been released publicly by Craig Whyte which included the CEO and Imran Ahmad being recorded in the early stages of the transaction. In addition, the payment of £137,500 that was purported to have been sent to the bank account of Imran’s mother by Craig Whyte was discussed.”
Interesting that the board seem in no doubt as to the veracity of CW’s tapes, whereas they use the word ‘purported’ when mentioning the money to AI’s mum.
As has been said by others, this sudden reappearance of CF should be viewed with caution, but if it is genuinely ‘our Charlotte’ it looks like another shot across the bows to the main players. Unless, of course, the MHSS (Media House Security Service) have her locked in a cellar, gagged and shackled in front of a PC, posting bogus revelations that can be debunked, thus damning all previous postings.
Health Warning:
For followers of Messrs Graham and Dingwall, and those two august men themselves; please do not try this at home. Spending too much time gagged and shackled in a dark cellar can seriously damage one’s grip on reality, release from which can cause madness when discovering the world has moved on – since 1690 😡
The rules on footballers betting on football matches would seem to be ‘unclear’ as far as Mr Mcoist and his players are concerned. Just like the rules on everything else related to Football is ‘unclear’ to his club. Howcome these same rules are pretty clear to every other team and their respective Managers in the land.It’s not as if the rules change from season to season. Rules always seem to be a problem to certain parties in Scottish Football whether it’s the administration of them or the adherence to them….
ecobhoy says:
September 13, 2013 at 11:41 pm
20 1 Rate This
I think we have to be very careful in accepting this actually is CF. Just like when she first appeared we were cautious. This tweet suits the current Board and in reality is a wonderful PR piece for them.
This just doesn’t ‘feel’ like Charlotte to me – so unless someone has a separate email for her and can confirm it’s her take care out there ❗
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I’ve said it before that there was a ‘change’ in Charlotte after the gagging. I can’t really put my finger on it but it is like her purpose has changed.
upthehoops says:
September 14, 2013 at 8:24 am
DJ comes across as though he hasn’t kept up with what’s been reported about the Black case, and had no discussions with other members of the panel. You’d think no one could be that thick and still be allowed airtime. Now I’m sure he has read everything available and discussed it, probably with some quite knowledgeable people, but is so steeped in his Rangersness he is compelled to find excuses and denials, even when none are necessary or are so patently BS. In a land without a Rangers, he would never have been allowed anywhere near a microphone.
scottc says:
September 14, 2013 at 8:44 am
ecobhoy says:
September 13, 2013 at 11:41 pm
I think we have to be very careful in accepting this actually is CF. Just like when she first appeared we were cautious. This tweet suits the current Board and in reality is a wonderful PR piece for them.
This just doesn’t ‘feel’ like Charlotte to me – so unless someone has a separate email for her and can confirm it’s her take care out there ❗
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I’ve said it before that there was a ‘change’ in Charlotte after the gagging. I can’t really put my finger on it but it is like her purpose has changed.
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Agree totally – but time will tell
upthehoops says:
September 14, 2013 at 8:24 am
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Listening to the podcast this morning, and to be fair quite a number of supporters of the team that plays at Ibrox were expressing outrage at Black and McCoist, Although a few are still convinced it’s a conspiracy against one club. And the pundits too, apart from DJ, were expressing surprise at what is effectively a 3-match ban. A pity the Jim Spence episode did not provoke similar outrage and regret from the same fans.
Any significance in CF turning up again on the day CW & his ‘estranged’ wife bump into each other in Inverness?
ecobhoy says:
September 14, 2013 at 8:50 am
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Perhaps she’s a franchise, changing hands, rather like Sevco? If she is connected to the main players, the account and materials might have been passed on as part of a deal? Stranger things have happened.
Very generous of you, Allyjambo. In keeping with the forensic nature of this blog, do you have evidence that DJ can actually read, as opposed to just regurgitating what someone whispers in his ear (or just the voices in his head)? Radio Clyde – brings shame to the name of my club/community interest company. The only time I want to hear Clyde 1 is when it’s followed by Thistle Nil. 😀 I’ll be waiting a while though. 🙁
Just a wee thought given we have all been let down many times in the past, FTTT , LNS etc etc
While I am sure there are many twists and turns still to come, what are we all going to do if we take Mather’s word for it and that the AGM goes ahead without a hitch with the audited accounts showing a club close to the edge but cutting costs and with the potential for increased income from increasing ticket prices if they progress through the divisions as planned?
If ANY player admits that he has bet against his own team, it seems to me that the perception is created that something is very wrong. Fans of any team (except apparently TRFC) would be rightly outraged to hear that a player who is supported by the fans’ cash is seeking to enrich himself further at their expense.
And if there are facts that support an absence of malice or impropriety, it is inconceivable that those facts should remain hidden given the circumstances.
It is public knowledge that the SPFA and the SFA have taken great care to convey the rules to players and officials of all clubs, so the notion that nobody knows about the rules is just not true – unless retention of knowledge amongst players is at the “learning difficulty” end of the spectrum.
World football is a very small, closed shop. Links between owners, managers, players and agents is so incestuous that the rationale for a simple universal ban on betting on football matches will be apparent to all but the terminally stupid.
if footballers are compelled to throw wedges of their money at betting establishments (and God knows I know a few who can’t find a big enough wheelbarrow to deliver cash to the local bookie), then why not stick the money on a horse, a dog, or two flies crawling up a wall?
The argument that they are football experts with better knowledge than most is precisely why they should NOT be betting on football in the first place.
There is no doubt that players betting on football takes place on a large scale, and that Black is just one not very bright guy who got caught out. But managers and club officials, before engaging in mendacious, daft excuses, need to realise that the universal ban is there as much to protect players as anyone else .
The fact that this has become a partisan issue has clouded that simple logic, and the clouds need to be cleared up before common sense can prevail.
Hello All. Been working away, keeping busy and trying to catch up but need help. For the life of me, I cannot find Charlotte on t’interweb and am missing out! Can someone please post a link and put me out of my misery?Thanks in advance.
https://twitter.com/CharlotteFakes
TSFM says:
September 14, 2013 at 9:34 am
if footballers are compelled to throw wedges of their money at betting establishments (and God knows I know a few who can’t find a big enough wheelbarrow to deliver cash to the local bookie), then why not stick the money on a horse, a dog, or two flies crawling up a wall?
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And how desperate would you have to be to bet on one of the flies if you knew that that fly might have bet on himself (or herself) to lose?
http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/hmrc-adviser-resigns-over-bbc-tax-evasion-probe-1-3093573
I imagine that Paul Baxendale-Walker is currently having a chuckle to himself, deep in his Joker’s lair.
It seems to me that a mindset which sees paying players off the record and avoiding tax in doing so, resulting in being able to afford better players, gains no sporting advantage would have no real issue in deciding that a player betting against his own team(s) on numerous occasions is a fairly minor offence. That’s ignoring the other 100+ times the same player broke their own rules by betting on football at all.
Sentence for the above, 3 game ban.
Gavin Gunning, swing and a miss against an opponent in the heat of the match. Doesn’t actually make contact.
Sentence for the above, 3 game ban.
That is not to condone an attempt to kick an opponent, merely recognizing the fact that it appears in the eyes of the SFA they are offences of a similarly serious nature.
In other considerations, has it come out that Ian Black is on £7.5k a week, whilst playing (or not) in the third tier of Scottish football. Seriously.
Charlotte spewing out board meeting minutes this morning. Very suspicious, tone of tweets has changed markedly, but I can’t yet understand the agenda this time.
Re the Mather statement yesterday – any TRFC fan that still cannot see that the whole thing was designed to be a Long Firm is beyond help.
Tif Finn says:
September 14, 2013 at 9:49 am
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Regarding the 3-match ban, one caller to SSB asked DJ if he felt the fact that members of past panels (sitting in judgement on Ibrox) had been threatened and intimidated could influence members of future panels to be more lenient. DJ, rather unconvincingly, said he did not believe that threats and intimidation would influence anyone sittng in judgement on that club. I reckon that’s a minority viewpoint.
wottpi says:
September 14, 2013 at 9:11 am
Just a wee thought given we have all been let down many times in the past, FTTT , LNS etc etc
While I am sure there are many twists and turns still to come, what are we all going to do if we take Mather’s word for it and that the AGM goes ahead without a hitch with the audited accounts showing a club close to the edge but cutting costs and with the potential for increased income from increasing ticket prices if they progress through the divisions as planned?
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Pinch yourself and you will waken up.
Alternatively, take it as further evidence of corruption in the accounting profession…
Carfins Finest says:
September 14, 2013 at 8:41 am
The rules on footballers betting on football matches would seem to be ‘unclear’ as far as Mr Mcoist and his players are concerned. Just like the rules on everything else related to Football is ‘unclear’ to his club.
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Perhaps the rules are “unclear” to McCoist because Rangers (in both the dead and the zombie form) are not expected to follow them. After all, they generally have special rules invented for them in retrospect “by discretion of the Board”, so how can these be clear in advance?
I think that what is really confusing McCoist is that anyone should be expecting them to follow any rules at all. After all they are the peepul. Rules are for other clubs only.
torrejohnbhoy(@johnbhoy1958) says:
September 13, 2013 at 10:39 pm
Liked the wee bit in the STV report:
“High profile shareholder,Jim McColl”
Current shareholding worth-£2.
Also states he’ll not be putting any cash in,ditto Paul Murray and Blin walks.
Apart from rhetoric what do these people offer?.
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Is McColl a “shareholder” – yes – 4 shares IS a shareholding.
Is McColl “high profile” – yes – or we would not be discussing him so much.
For me, the fact that McColl has not invested significantly in RIFC shares shows simple good business sense. He would not be as wealthy as he is if he threw his money into black holes.
Yes – if he wants investment for others, he must put his money where his mouth is, but I don’t think for a second that he has any intention of putting any money – his or anyone else’s – into the current basket case of spivery and gangsterism, just to line their hidden (and now bulging) pockets.
This for me shows that, despite being a “Rangers man”, and unlike many of that species, his intellect is in command of his emotions.
It seems very clear to me that (whatever may be said publicly by whoever) McColl and his consortium are waiting to pick up the pieces and form Third Rangers. Then we will no doubt see the colour of his money. Presumably it will be blue…
Danish Pastry says:
September 14, 2013 at 10:00 am
Derek Johnstone has realised that by acting a certain way he keeps the Rangers’ fans onside. He has clearly decided that’s the way he will go. I’m afraid some of the stuff he is currently coming away with is just embarrassing.
Like his contention a few weeks ago that Charles Green had no influence in the board room. Even the other panelists (whoever it was at the time) were asking him if he was being serious. Or goading a supporter live on the air with his “140 years and counting” retort.
He should not be on the air, he is a propagandist for Rangers and an embarrassment to himself.
spurtle says:
September 14, 2013 at 10:07 am
2 0 Rate This
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Well, Mather made his position clear yesterday. Everything is working out:
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/5078-craig-mather-statement
“I know we are on the right track, I know we are reducing spending but remaining strong on the pitch and I know our long-term strategy will succeed. I also know money hasn’t been disappearing without trace and that assets are never going to be sold off but there are some who simply will not believe that no matter what I, or any of the other Directors say.
“It must be remembered the Company is a public company and as such must be transparent in relation to the provision of financial information to shareholders – interim results were published in March and the Company is currently completing its annual audit and annual accounts will be published in the near future when this has been completed. Also, the Company has, in addition to the annual audit been through an intensive internal financial review process and all the Board ask now is that everyone with the Club’s best interests at heart be allowed to continue their work.”
So, everything is hunky-dory then …
Dozens of Rangers investors have been airbrushed from the club’s history which we all know is vitally important to the Ibrox fans. These were the doting parents that gave birth to the new Rangers last year and their dosh became the life-blood flowing through the infant’s previously blue body as it blinked for the first time in the light of day. Little did anyone think back then that Vampires would soon be perched on the dodgy stand roofs.
To deny the existance of the missing investors – a lot of whom prefer to be faceless right enough – is akin to the Rangers club telling the Bears that the Gallant Pioneers had never existed and had never formed The Rangers and like the records of their rowing club had diappeared without trace. So why are the Bears not revolting? A good question IMO.
And it’s not just shareholders that have been consigned to the dustbin of history but even club directors have begun to disappear into the ever increasing ‘black hole’ surrounding Ibrox as the inmates attempt to dig an escape tunnel as they aren’t as fleet of foot as Chuckles and want to slip away under cover of darkness.
I recently posted on the failed attempts by Rangers International Football Club Plc to play their part in the abortive attempt to ‘disappear’ Craig Whyte and Aidan Earley as directors of their subsidiary company Sevco 5088 Ltd. But the latest former Rangers director to be electronically terminated at Companies House is Imran Ahmad, a director of The Rangers Football Club Ltd, who has been prematurely buried I’m afraid. I fully accept that many at Ibrox would rather forget the important part that these 3 men played in the formation of the new Rangers but the history tells its own story.
However Imran, Fear Not! I have been able to resurrect you – OK just for a day but every day is important even as a Zombie – and especially so in the dysfunctional Ibrox Board Room where financial and other reports are ignored and remain undiscussed so as not to get in the way of the bloodletting.
So what am I on about? Quite simply the very late filing of the Annual Return for TRFCL which covered the period from its Incorporation date on 29 May 2012 up until 29 May 2013 technically known as the made-up date and I don’t want any sniggers in the cheap seats BTW. The TRFCL Annual Return couldn’t be any simpler as all it listed was that RIFC Plc on the made-up dates was the sole shareholder of 33,415,200 TRFCL shares and listed the live directors on that date.
OK let’s deal with Ahmad first as we can’t have Zombies bumping around the Blue Room – as it’s already full of others with balance problems or so it would appear according to video expert Stockbridge and his his fascinating and intimate exposure of the wild side of boardroom life. Come to think of it perhaps Ahmad would be better cast as a Mummy although I wouldn’t bank on it.
Ahmad isn’t listed as a TRFCL director in the Annual Return which provides a snapshot of a private limited company such as TRFCL on its made-up date viz 29 May 2013. A first AR, as this is, should also provide the shareholding history of the company since Incorporation but more on this later.
OK clever Bears you’ve spotted that Ahmad resigned as a director of TRFCL on 29 May 2013 and your little hearts soared believing that all was well and the highly-paid Ibrox lawyers had done another sterling job for the team in blue by not listing him as one of their directors.
Well the bell might have been tolling for Ahmad on 29 May 2013 but he didn’t actually get placed in the crypt until midnight that day so he should have remained ‘alive’ and be listed on the AR as a TRFCL director. My understanding of the position is: ‘The effective time and date from which the resignation takes place is midnight on the date entered on the Form TM01. Thus a sole director can essentially resign themself because at the time of signing they were still the director.’
Possibly I’m wrong – won’t be the first time and won’t be the last but, dare I say it. perhaps the lawyers buried a live direcor a tad prematurely but like doctors they tend to bury their mistakes. In any case Ahmad your day out is over so get back to the warchest in the crypt you know the sun is bad for you and shows up all the cracks which even the bandages and other factors can’t hide for much longer. In any case they want to give Ally your directorship so he’ll want his warchest back although he might be better with Brian’s safe although the way Ibrox leaks I expect the combination to be tweeted any moment. Won’t matter anyway as there isn’t any money left just the old TRFC shareholder register to try and tap the punters up for more dosh.
Ah but there’s never been any shareholders according to the TRFCL AR. That’s that plan ootra windae – let me assist you and list the shareholders that I know about from Rangers records – yes I agree that the records go back to 2012 when Sevco 5088 was formed and purchased the sole and exclusive right to purchase the business and assets of Rangers from D&P. However much more to come on that subject and I note the AR for Sevco 5088 is still to be filed.
The minutes of the TRFCL Board Meeting on 31 October provides a large number of the company’s shareholders so let me, in the public interest following the submission of an incomplete AR by TRFCL, list them so that the incomplete AR submitted to Companies House can be corrected and this time FFS make sure you include every shareholder as I might hold a few back as a quality and transparency test. There are various other documented sources to this information should anyone not trust the TRFCL official minutes – Heaven forbid.
Shareholders and shares held missing from the TRFC AR:
Well where better to start than the Great Man himself Mr Green: He was the founder shareholder in TRFCL with 2 x £1 shares which became 200 x 1p shares after sub-division. He also paid £21,999 and was allotted 2,199,900 shares in Sevco Scotland which became TRFCL and although not issued IMO the transaction should still be shown on the AR. The 29 May 2012 Sevco Scotland Board Meeting agreed Green could immediately exercise the option to subscribe for 5 million x 1p shares.
And let’s not forget Ahmad and his Mum’s piggy bank and the 200k loan that guaranteed Sevco 5088 its exclusive right to buy Rangers. As part of his repayment he got 2.2 million share at 1p each. And there was also the slight problem with the missing deed of novation – I’m afraid Imran is fated to always be in deid trouble.
And another main man Richard Hughes of Zeus Capital also got 2.2 million shares at 1p each for providing a £2 million undertaking to D&P on 13 June 2012 which is an auspicious date as well as a £590k loan the previous day. This is an area worthy of research but it seems the agreement was done orally but not documented. Oh well what can one say? My word is my Bond and all that Old Chap!
OTHER SHAREHOLDERS WHO ARE MISSING FROM AR
Margarita Trust ( 2.6 million later transferred to ATP Investments Ltd); Norne Anstalt (1.2million); Putney Holdings Ltd (700K); Elias Kaisar (100k); Jean T Haddad (250k); Blue Pitch Holdings (4 million); Glenmuir Ltd (1 million); Ian Hart (290k).
Ally McCoist (1 million); Asia Credit Corporation (400k); Patrick Oddie (200k); Craig Mather (1.8 million); Andie Hosie (800k); Malcolm Murray (200k); Angus Kinnear (100k); Stephen Adams (50k); Ian Cormack (25k); John Graham (25k); John McClure (200k); John Goold (100k); Colin Howell (200k); Graham Herring (400k); David Gowans (1 million); Ian Hart (additional 200K).
Gorbon Ltd (1.55 million); Allan McKenzie (500k); Scott McKenzie (25k); Richard Bernstein (400k); Eurovestech Plc (600k); Laxey & Partners (1 million); Mike Ashley (3 million).
Picture the scene..The UTT public hearing….John Clarke wearing a Paisley pattern cravat,sidles up to Drew Peacock,carnation in lapel and carrying a copy of The Times.Go get ’em boys.
Danish Pastry says:
September 14, 2013 at 9:41 am
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Cheers Danish. The old dyslexia kicked in.
And a new laptop. Charlotte bookmarked.
Sandy joins the board
https://twitter.com/bbcchrismclaug/status/378826359256399872
Ecobhoy @10:26am
Eco — ah now come on! You are at it!
You know as well as me that none of those people ever existed at all!
No, in the land of official records at Companies House they simply do not exist, they are figments of the imagination, imaginary characters, fictional beings, mythical legends, and so on.
Going back to something that I think Newtz raised, is there not something in one of those board minutes which suggest that Charles Green is actually obliged to maintain a 10% stake at all times, or at least has the right to maintain a 10% stake.
Sorry it was late when I started reading the minutes and the eyes were starting to close.
As previously mentioned, been working away for a wee while. Catching up on the Ian Black fixed-odds malarkey, I notice that AMcC is trotting out the old ‘daft boayness’ defence. Excuse the pig Latin but ‘ignorantia legia nemo ne excusa’. In this instance, ignorance of the law really is no excuse! To whom is he pitching this infantile drivel? He then goes on to say that even he was unaware of the rules governing players betting on matches. Aye right! My tolerance levels at being assumed to be an idiot are reaching critical mass.
I would hazard a guess that under the auspices of any other football association this would be a scandal of vast import and that bans and expulsions would be handed down ‘without fear or favour’. But then, we can take comfort from the fact our association is headed up by the bestest administrator in the world so he will know best.
Tif Finn says:
September 14, 2013 at 10:21 am
22 0 Rate This
Danish Pastry says:
September 14, 2013 at 10:00 am
Derek Johnstone has realised that by acting a certain way he keeps the Rangers’ fans onside. He has clearly decided that’s the way he will go. I’m afraid some of the stuff he is currently coming away with is just embarrassing.
Like his contention a few weeks ago that Charles Green had no influence in the board room. Even the other panelists (whoever it was at the time) were asking him if he was being serious. Or goading a supporter live on the air with his “140 years and counting” retort.
He should not be on the air, he is a propagandist for Rangers and an embarrassment to himself.
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One of the most galling aspects of SSB is their constant demands to know what team a caller supports. If the merits of the argument can be skewed by the allegiance of the caller why is the allegiance of the panellists never an issue. Johnstone in particular is allowed a platform to spout the most outrageous and bewildering comments imaginable with very little challenge from the other pundits.
Only in Scotland would Derek Johnstone and Chick Young manage to earn a living in the broadcast media. I may have told this story before but in the late 90s Radio Clyde re-introduced their Kick Off Quiz but this time teams had to have a “star” on their team. Our Hamilton Accies team was lumbered with Johnstone. We were doing well, as were our opponents, and it came down to the very last question – Who was the young player of the year the previous season. While we deliberated, DJ blurted out “Roddy Grant”, clearly wrong and handed victory to our opponents. Can you guess who they were? Looked it up when I got home and Roddy Grant was 27!
On the old SSB topic 😕 the last caller last night Tony I think it was, made some very pertinent points re mccoist but alas they had to play the 12inch version of the theme tune and drown him out because as we know no-one can criticise the ‘sooper dooper one’ even when he gets it spectacularly wrong ( again)!!!! And DJ is becoming more embarrassing 😉 even to the peepil
Is it significant that the AGM will, quite possibly be held on Halloween……….31st October.
All those hidden corpses, and not so hidden, coming alive eh?
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/latest/glenn-gibbons-macedonia-win-conceals-problems-1-3093403
Glenn Gibbons: Macedonia win conceals problems
________________________________________________________________________________________
GG offers a sober assessment of Scotland’s performances v Macedonia & Belgium.
This is in contrast with the majority of sports hacks who, figuratively speaking, are blind drunks spouting drivel.
Scottish Football needs more sober assessment.
broganrogantrevinoandhogan says:
September 14, 2013 at 11:35 am
Ecobhoy @10:26am
Eco — ah now come on! You are at it! You know as well as me that none of those people ever existed at all! No, in the land of official records at Companies House they simply do not exist, they are figments of the imagination, imaginary characters, fictional beings, mythical legends, and so on.
Going back to something that I think Newtz raised, is there not something in one of those board minutes which suggest that Charles Green is actually obliged to maintain a 10% stake at all times, or at least has the right to maintain a 10% stake.
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He had the right to the 10% stake irrespective of dilution but he exercised that. There were a couple of conditions that there had to be an AIM flotation and at least £10 million of fresh investment raised through that.
What board is this then?
https://twitter.com/bbcchrismclaug/status/378822991876214784
https://twitter.com/bbcchrismclaug/status/378826359256399872
Commentary and analysis in Scotland and the uk as a whole is woeful.
The fear of broadcasters in taking a more analytical approach seems to me to be an attempt at not alienating the man on the street.
By following this strategy they disregard and under inform the public at large on the complexities of elite sport.
I used to ride a bike but am amazed at the training, preparation, research and strategy that went into Chris Hoys Olympic success.
The misplaced attempt at keeping football commentary and analysis at a school boy level to appeal to the general public is now an insult to the majority’s intelligence and a retarding feature of the setup of the game in this country.
Inverness Reds @invernessreds 14m
We are all @bbcjimspence pic.twitter.com/wmYhP4k
Bloody brilliant by the Dons fans.
I’ll try link again.
Tic 6709 says:
September 14, 2013 at 1:10 pm
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here’s the link http://t.co/wmYhP4kgRm
and another http://t.co/b0cHBOXZtk
We are all Jim Spence!
spurtle says:
September 14, 2013 at 1:54 pm
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Cheers spurtle.
O.T but is anyone else concerned about the increasing use of smoke bombs at Scottish games? So far this season they’ve been used by fans of Celtic, Hearts and Rangers, and were once again evident at Tynecastle today. I don’t know if any other fans use them but I really wish none would.
upthehoops says:
September 14, 2013 at 2:36 pm
O.T but is anyone else concerned about the increasing use of smoke bombs at Scottish games? So far this season they’ve been used by fans of Celtic, Hearts and Rangers, and were once again evident at Tynecastle today. I don’t know if any other fans use them but I really wish none would.
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Sadly the idiots won’t waken-up until someone loses their eyesight or fingers -snd even them they’ll probably still do it. There has got to be some prosecutions with stiff penalties and a lifetime ban from all Scottish footbal grounds!
ecobhoy says:
September 14, 2013 at 4:14 pm
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upthehoops says:
September 14, 2013 at 2:36 pm
O.T but is anyone else concerned about the increasing use of smoke bombs at Scottish games? So far this season they’ve been used by fans of Celtic, Hearts and Rangers, and were once again evident at Tynecastle today. I don’t know if any other fans use them but I really wish none would.
===============================================================================
Sadly the idiots won’t waken-up until someone loses their eyesight or fingers -snd even them they’ll probably still do it. There has got to be some prosecutions with stiff penalties and a lifetime ban from all Scottish footbal grounds!
===================
Totaly agree but the fact that TRFC have used smoke bombs recently means they would be in the firing line for any punishment dished out by the SFA and we cannot have that.
I don’t believe the average sports journalist in Scotland is as culpable as some of us believe. Football journalists do not expect to have to operate under the same conditions as war correspondents. Threats to them or their families are a million miles away from what they signed on for. This doesn’t excuse their organisations. The BBC’s support of Jim Spence needs to be more than telling Spence himself that he is supported. A statement condemning this activity should be front and centre.
Of course by average journalist I mean someone who sets out to report the truth. The kind of hack who is paid by Sevco to promote them (or chooses to do this for other even less wholesome reasons) while pretending to be a journalist or columnist – (Hately, Traynor et al) is the lowest of the low.
Brenda
Re SSB There is no point in blaming the pundits on this low IQ show for the drivel they contantly spew out ,we know they struggle with questions that primary shool kids tease their parents with,no the real people who are responsible for this has got to be the producers upwards for insulting the listeners to the verbal abuse their ears get from this motly crew,I dont listen to it personaly but the comments that are passed on here make it a bit more fun.Its the show that time forgot.
Paul Murray on BBC in a bit.
Mair stushie. Why him? Is it maybe “old” connections.
upthehoops says:
O.T but is anyone else concerned about the increasing use of smoke bombs at Scottish games? So far this season they’ve been used by fans of Celtic, Hearts and Rangers, and were once again evident at Tynecastle today. I don’t know if any other fans use them but I really wish none would.
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Yes, very much. I was disturbed that the commentary team on BT Sports spoke about it in such jovial terms. The clubs, authorities and police need to make a concerted effort to stop smoke bombs from being brought into stadiums. Letting off fireworks in areas packed with crowds is madness and I cannot understand why it has not been tackled more seriously.
ptd1978 says:
September 14, 2013 at 4:55 pm
4 0 Rate This
… Of course by average journalist I mean someone who sets out to report the truth. The kind of hack who is paid by Sevco to promote them (or chooses to do this for other even less wholesome reasons) while pretending to be a journalist or columnist – (Hately, Traynor et al) is the lowest of the low.
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What a very perceptive comment @ptd1978. In part, the current ‘trouble at mill’ viz a viz Jim Spence could be seen, in part, as due to the fact that in the past hardly anyone stepped out of line, simply because the main media voices were severely compromised by their cosy connections to Ibrox. Now that the empire is crumbling, independent reporters are stealing more of the headlines. The restoration of reality is kicking in and it is hugely unappealing to those who, until now, have been spoon-fed by the paid sycophants. And so the attack dogs spring into action as a last, and futile, line of defence.
Viva Jim Spence!
ptd1978 says:
September 14, 2013 at 4:55 pm
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Kenny McIntyre’s Twitter timeline shows him telling someone there are other things to talk about on Sportsound Extra. It really does stick in the craw that they will not discuss the fact one of their Journalists is being threatened for expressing an opinion. I can’t believe how much the mob are being pandered to, I really can’t.
There may be an aspect where Jim Spence doesn’t particularly want this given too much coverage. He’s the one being abused, and understandably would prefer to go for a walk with his missus without some neanderthal getting in his face.
I’m pretty sure Jim’s colleagues would give this more exposure, if that’s what Jim wanted
upthehoops says:
September 14, 2013 at 5:40 pm
1 0 Rate This
Kenny McIntyre’s Twitter timeline shows him telling someone there are other things to talk about on Sportsound Extra. It really does stick in the craw that they will not discuss the fact one of their Journalists is being threatened for expressing an opinion. I can’t believe how much the mob are being pandered to, I really can’t.
———–
Too true. You’d think the Scottish sports press was living in a South American dictatorship where no one dares criticise the regime for fear of ‘reprisals’. It should be a central topic on Sportsound Extra.
There should be a blanket media boycott of all things Ibrox until someone issues a statement distancing the club from thugs, bulles, and criminal threats. The UN is looking at bedroom tax, don’t tell me Amnesty International has to become involved in the plight of Scottish sports reporters before someone is forced to take this seriously.
Barcabhoy says:
September 14, 2013 at 5:52 pm
1 0 Rate This
There may be an aspect where Jim Spence doesn’t particularly want this given too much coverage. He’s the one being abused, and understandably would prefer to go for a walk with his missus without some meanderthal getting in his face.
I’m pretty sure Jim’s colleagues would give this more exposure, if that’s what Jim wanted
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As I see it, the issue isn’t Jim Spence, as such, the subject that should be being dealt with is intimidation. It should not be treated as an unmentionable taboo.
Jackson seems to think their will be a democratic vote at the AGM. What’s he on! Shareholding rules. No show of hands at this one pal.
If you feel, as I do, that the commentary team trivialised the smoke bombs you can complain to BT Sports here:
http://www.bt.com/sportcomplaints
Of course, it is not primarily their concern but I feel that all of the authorities are treating this far too trivially so I found their tone a bit galling.
The big question – as usual – is where the hell are the SFA on this? The police have limited resources and can only do spot checks at turnstiles and take action after the fact. Surely if anybody is going to take a leadership position of the growing use of fireworks in stadiums it is the SFA.
Paul Murray from his own mouth. Nothing to do with me. Its someone else’s fault. Jacks a cad. EBTs are good happened after me. SFA knew all about them and their just a red herring. Mans a fud. However Spiers thinks he’s a good guy. Another dud.
Oh rangers won their case.
Murray continuous sleekit lies.
Oh here we go Bears pockets oot. Gie us more money. We will save you. Mugs.
RTC Paul Murray no less beat you to all the stories. Really? He’s on a roll here.
Paul
Get this Frank Blin walked partly because of you. Fact
Thanks Paul there was a liquidation of the old Rangers. Sealed.
Murray Easdales obfuscation. Mans clearly feart o their brand of PR rather than Jacks
Paul Murray.
You owe all of us on here a name check. You woldnt have half your info without us.
Just another smooth talking chancer wie nae money.
Spiers as much a diddy as Jackson.
Dreams of hands up at a union AGM.
Oh haud on PMs a fit and proper dude.
According to him.
If he says lets be very very clear here again (which is PR HR speak for IM LYING) I will jump a plane to GLA.
Barcabhoy says:
September 14, 2013 at 5:52 pm
I think you’re right there.
I would like the BBC to make it clear, officially, that such treatment of journalists is unacceptable, but even more, I would like, nay, expect the club of the supporters involved to make a strong public statement condemning the intimidation of journalists and demanding its own supporters to desist from such behaviour.
I’ve not followed this closely, but I assume this has already happened and I have just missed it.
Re all the money spilling from Pretendygers on players.
Last year clearly Charles had a few imported via his “contacts”.
This year they seem random.
Is this the purpose of Mather “sports specialist” and why he is bomb proof?
Common place in Europe to trade overpriced players.
Must ask N Law how much his “agent” gets of his 2.4 k a week.
RR finance page: For balance:
1 eejit as I said earlier PM himself announced in HIS opinion he was fit and proper. THE SFA DID NOT.
1 sensible dude
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14 sep 2013 18:27:48
great news paul murray confirms on radio scotland he would be allowed to join the board as fit and proper person test
14 Sep 2013 14:12:56
Here we go again, more lies from the Rangers Board, just yesterday Mather was quoted as saying there would be no additions to the Board, now we see Sandy Easdale appointed, I was fascinated to read on here just last week someones comments about the Easdales as being the “Greenock Mafia”, I didn’t believe it then, but I think I have to review my opinion, I now firmly believe that Strand Hanson are carrying out C. Gs orders with the full knowledge and backing of Mather and the other Board members and that the Easdale brothers are part of a set up to give control back to C. W which was always C. Gs plan, all crooks together, convicted crooks have no right to be sitting on Glasgow Rangers Board whether they have shares or not, what in the name of Goodness is Glasgow Rangers coming to when we are allowing liars and crooks to once again run our Club.
Barcabhoy says:
September 14, 2013 at 5:52 pm
There may be an aspect where Jim Spence doesn’t particularly want this given too much coverage. He’s the one being abused, and understandably would prefer to go for a walk with his missus without some neanderthal getting in his face.
I’m pretty sure Jim’s colleagues would give this more exposure, if that’s what Jim wanted
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This goes beyond Jim and faint-hearted colleagues as I believe the whole of Scotand is near a tipping point where we can either bow to the oppressor or get off our knees and stand-up for what is right no matter the cost.
I would suggest that anyone with any doubts should pay a visit to the statue of Isidora Dolores Ibárruri – La Pasionara – on Glasgow’s Customs House Quay which celebrates the memory of the many Scottish Brigadistas who gave their life for freedom by fighting for the anti-fascist cause in Spain.
Many of you will know it is is emblazened with the clarion call: ‘Better to die on your feet than live for ever on your knees’.
However perhaps my favourite words from La Pasionara is: ‘Don’t you forget — and let no one forget — that if today it falls to us to resist Fascist aggression the struggle does not end with Spain. Today it is our turn, but if the Spanish people are allowed to succumb, it will be your turn.’
It truly was her Martin Niemöller moment and we know that Jim is well aware of the Pastor’s powerful message: ‘First they came for us ….’.
The rest of us not only have a choice but a duty to resist this attack on Free Speech – we can no longer sit back and hide under the covers and if we lack courage then we will end-up back where some think we belong. The choice is up to each individual to make and I made mine over 50 years ago and I ain’t for changing – Scotland Deserves Better.
I have to say that even as a prolific poster I am concerned at the recent postings of ianagain in terms of frequency and language used which IMO doesn’t fit with the ethos of this blog.
ecobhoy says:
September 14, 2013 at 7:30 pm
Have to agree with your concern here ecobhoy 😕
I would encourage everyone to read about Isidora Dolores Ibárruri, ‘La Pasionaria’ if you have not already done so.
Awesome woman.
Ianagain, only 2.4k for Law??, that is chickenfeed compared to other trialists.
TSFM says:
September 14, 2013 at 9:34 am
If ANY player admits that he has bet against his own team, it seems to me that the perception is created that something is very wrong. Fans of any team (except apparently TRFC) would be rightly outraged to hear that a player who is supported by the fans’ cash is seeking to enrich himself further at their expense.
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That’s not the impression I get from Rangers fans – from what I read the majority who have posted seem to be like any other fans and think that anyone caught betting against the team should be booted out.