The Immortality Project

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.

 

3,959 thoughts on “The Immortality Project


  1. valentinesclown says:
    September 29, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    The FF comments and the alleged violent threats merited a column in today’s Sunday Times.


  2. upthehoops says:
    September 29, 2013 at 2:41 pm
    32 20 Rate This

    scapaflow says:
    September 29, 2013 at 2:29 pm
    ================================
    In my view without Tam Cowan Off the Ball will be finished. I’m amazed the Daily Record Editor did not advise him of the potential consequences of his statement, as nothing like that will go unchallenged these days. I do hope there is a way he can apologise and continue with the BBC.
    ———————————————

    I sincerely hope Tam apologises for his rant and he is back at otb next week. Both Tam and the programme have a vital role to play, especially as satire is often the only option when confronted with the combined efforts of the MSM and the football authorities to brazen out the scandalous events that have engulfed the game over the past few years. That said Tam had it coming, his puerile goading of Jane Lewis last week was a mile out, and I would not be surprised if she had a few choice words for Tam after the show or perhaps the BBC received complaints over his causal misogyny which collided this week with his ill advised not so casual misogyny in the Record, prompting the BBC to act.


  3. ecobhoy says:
    September 29, 2013 at 9:59 pm

    “…..which was destroyed in the process beyond the recognisable entity it was prior to the explosion ..”
    ———-
    Ah, the physical equivalent of the liquidation of a football club!
    So not at all OT. 😀


  4. ecobhoy says:

    September 29, 2013 at 9:38 pm
    Tic 6709 says:
    September 29, 2013 at 6:42 pm

    ecobhoy.5.17
    Where the problem lies is the Whyte and Earley position that they had pre-signed director and from memory shareholder agreements in Sevco 5088 which gave them control of that company. Green has labelled that documentation false as has RIFC Plc.
    ==================
    There was an STV investigation about certain documents, are these the same ?
    If my memory serves the documents were checked by an independent expert and reported to be genuine.
    Or was it different documents that i’m thinking about ?.
    ===================================================
    @ Tic 6709 on a humorous note I will say that I would never presume to assume what you are thinking 😆
    ==================
    Thanks eco,you let me off lightly. I don’t suppose being sober is any excuse.


  5. Tailothebank says:
    September 29, 2013 at 8:42 pm

    Thankyou for articulating that for me.


  6. ecobhoy says:
    September 29, 2013 at 9:59 pm

    The device was used by the military forces of all the major European fighting nations by the 16th century. In French and English – petar or petard, and in Spanish and Italian – petardo.
    ———

    Just to close this rather OT discussion, I will point out that petardo is still used today in Spanish to mean a small squib or banger. It is also used figuratively to refer to a fraud or swindle, so ecobhoy’s use was even more apt than he perhaps realised. 🙂


  7. causaludendi says:
    September 28, 2013 at 9:46 pm

    “Bang on the money…”
    ——————————-
    Goldstein’s analysis on the ScotsLawThoughts blog are an interesting attempt to parcel up the Green and Whyte relationship but I’m not sure if Charlotte’s motives are as straightforward as suggested. If Charlotte was intending to perpetuate the idea that Whyte had been duped by Green then the audio of the various meetings was for me counterproductive. The conversations suggested a group of people who would happily sell their Granny if financial value could be accrued or buy her back again if it suited their circumstances.

    This would not indisputably place Green and Whyte at odds but could easily have found them as partners. The whole information backdrop leaked by Charlotte glimpsed a much bigger picture where the incredible was commonplace.
    I’m not sure what Charlotte’s motives are, especially given her now close contacts within Ibrox. If the plan was as set out by Goldstein, then for me it has backfired spectacularly.


  8. Tailothebank says:
    September 28, 2013 at 11:36 pm

    “Looking this evening at the image posted above from the continuing pantomime at Ibrox i just see fresh faced young men in uniform clearly being manipulated”
    —————————–
    “Patriotism is the last resort of the scoundrel” : Samuel Johnson


  9. I’ve just read Tam Cowans page in The Record. He’s definitely guilty of misogyny. But also of a blatant, misguided attempt at controversy. Perhaps most importantly it didn’t make me laugh.
    Elsewhere in his column is the line , ” Forfar are a great wee club who live within their means, pay all their debts and don’t shaft their creditors. Unlike some lower league clubs I could mention “.
    Is he being pilloried for failing to make this pedant laugh ? Or for not sticking to the script ?


  10. Plughole says:
    September 29, 2013 at 3:42 pm

    ” If not, complicit in fraud. Surely the Police should investigate”
    —————————–
    As you said in your previous post Plughole, none of this will come to court.

    The Sevco 5088/Sevco Scotland switch is shrouded in mystery. Charlotte’s leaks led us to the door of IA’s Simply Stockbrocking where the Sevco 5088 funds from investors were received for the Rangers bid. The trail goes cold at that point.

    Ticketus may well hold a continuing interest via CW but this will remain obscure I suspect.

    The return of Rangers to the top flight shorn of the accumulated debt three years after entering administration may be seen as a scandal. However they will be a weakened outfit and their relentless progress is not guaranteed on a number of levels.

    As master plans go, this might turn out not to be amongst the best.


  11. john clarke says:
    September 29, 2013 at 9:52 pm

    “What they had, in Scots law, was simply a straightforward contract.”
    ———————————
    Indeed it was a straightforward contract but one which was agreed in unusual circumstances. The funds being advanced were in excess of the regime previously employed by Rangers and the contractor had not yet taken full control of the Clumpany.

    In such circumstances I would not have thought it unusual for Ticketus to do some additional checks before taking the plunge. It doesn’t mean that they didn’t overlook something. However the inevitable performance of the contract in Scotland might have given them the impetus to check that their investment in an alien jurisdiction was not prejudiced. Surely Octopus/Ticketus contract outwith the UK on some occasions?

    The judgement in favour of Ticketus and against CW for £17M+ was crucially dependent on Ticketus not being aware of what the funds intended use was; effectively the purchase of the clumpany. Ticketus claim would have fallen if it could have been clearly shown that they were aware what CW was up to. Despite the court ruling, Ticketus knowledge of the setup is clear from the Charlotte revelations.


  12. Again (and I promise for the last time), I will try to communicate the thoughts of the mods with regard to the events at Ibrox on Saturday. We have asked that posters observe the OT nature of the thread and desist from fanning any more flames.

    Discussions on the cultural and political preferences displayed by football clubs or their fans are not ones that we feel qualified to moderate. They become highly subjective and partisan, and are a distraction from the important discussions that we have here from time to time between bouts of hysteria. Those who disagree should be careful what they wish for – and in particular the can of worms opened up in an estate full of glass houses (if I can mix a metaphor or two).

    We are not saying that these discussions are not important ones to have (although it is important to me that I personally don’t have them), but we are insisting that they are not ones we will have here. I am sure there are other places that catharsis on this subject can be found, although I do not know exactly where. This is because, to paraphrase the late, great Kurt Vonnegut Jnr, I wouldn’t give a flying fig in the direction of this particular rolling doughnut.

    Since we have asked people to observe the OT-ness, and since we don’t want to referee any debates, ALL posts which concern that topic will be deleted.

    For those who have sent emails complaining that we have infringed upon their human rights, and likened us to Nazi Germany, get help – and other blogs are available.


  13. ecobhoy says:
    September 29, 2013 at 5:17 pm
    ‘…How do we know that the police ain’t investigating at this moment? Or some other body?’
    ——–
    BDO are certainly still investigating, we have to assume, since they have not reported for months, working on a kind of ‘six weeks after each six month anniversary of the date of liquidation’ reporting cycle
    .
    But, and I feel I am repeating myself, the ins and outs of the financial collapse of a football club are of secondary interest.

    I acknowledge, of course, that there may have been criminal conspiracy to defraud shareholders, subvert the judicial process, abuse public office, cheat the tax-payer out of millions, hoodwink the AIM, create opportunities for money-laundering a la the former Hearts guy, and an attempt to cloak these misdeeds in the Union flag to divert the gullible .

    And that these things are of serious concern to citizens and taxpayers

    All dreadful things, indeed. And deserving of the most intense investigation.

    However, what we are principally about on this blog is nailing the fact that the people in charge of the game ( a game!) we love, and support with our admission monies, have been prepared to cast any kind of notion of sporting integrity to the wind.

    With nods and winks of support from the MSM, and, it now seems, the Army..

    What if there are the sharks, the spivs, the con-men, the low-lifes ,the barra- boy ‘insolvency practitioners’, the dodgy lawyers, all tearing a new club to pieces?

    We KNOW to expect only untruth piled upon untruth to ooze from their rotten innards.

    But that is only of tangential interest to us.It is not our direct affair, truly. It’s a matter for the supporters of the new club( who, happily, seem now to be wakening up to the fact that they are being most cruelly abused by the very folk THEY put their trust in!).

    Our focus is, and should properly be, on the fact that the very Guardians of our game, the people we put our trust in, should have so got into bed with the devil as to arrange the 5-way agreement, demonstrating therebye a complete and utter disregard of any kind of notion of respect for their own laws and a deep lack of any understanding of sporting integrity.

    The new , illegitimate club, that the 5-way agreement brought into the world ,may or may not die.

    The concept of Sporting integrity in Scottish Football administration has already died.


  14. BigGav says:
    September 29, 2013 at 11:35 pm
    9 1 Rate This

    ecobhoy says:
    September 29, 2013 at 9:59 pm

    The device was used by the military forces of all the major European fighting nations by the 16th century. In French and English – petar or petard, and in Spanish and Italian – petardo.
    ———

    Just to close this rather OT discussion, I will point out that petardo is still used today in Spanish to mean a small squib or banger. It is also used figuratively to refer to a fraud or swindle, so ecobhoy’s use was even more apt than he perhaps realised.
    ————–

    One of the definitions of petard I read was a, ‘loud discharge of intestinal gas’!

    (“No more curried eggs for me,” as Major Blodnok used to say)


  15. I noticed one thing that stood out in the Willie Vasse photos of the weekend’s ‘festivities’ in Govan. It is a trfc scarf with’ 100 YEARS, THE GREAT WAR, 1914-1918!’

    The only date worth celebrating/commemorating in my opinion is 1918, when hostilities ceased and the
    working classes stopped being exploited and sent to their death at the whim of their ‘superiors.’

    Who in their right mind wants to celebrate the 2014 centenary , especially in 2013?

    Sorry to be controversial, but 99% of events re trfc ARE controversial these days!


  16. How many TRFC directors will resign before the AGM as a result of unacceptable behaviour from fans? Clear lines have been drawn between FF (anti-board) and RM (pro-board). The Sons of Struth appear to be a well financed group (40 000 leaflets; professionally made banners from £30 a pop).
    If I had any affection for sevco, this would worry me most of all,
    http://willievass.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/280913-Rangers-v-Stenhousemuir/G00006YmmDOdmLLo/I0000uzCFquqZOZE/C0000obAbn7xk8do


  17. Danish Pastry says:
    September 30, 2013 at 7:16 am

    Willie Vass’ photos of the Ibrox protests. These can hardly have gone unnoticed by all in attendance in the DB. What must those chaps, some in uniform, have made of it all?

    http://willievass.photoshelter.com/gallery/280913-Rangers-v-Stenhousemuir/G00006YmmDOdmLLo/C0000obAbn7xk8do
    ============================================================
    For quite some time I have watched Willie Vass create a pictorial record of events at Ibrox and wondered how long it would be before there would be a reaction.

    Having looked at Saturday’s pics I fear he will be next to be banned because in his own way he is chronicling the truth about what is happening inside Ibrox.


  18. 45. john clarke says:
    September 30, 2013 at 2:23 am

    In my opinion this takes us back to the concept of a plan by the club originators (I’m trying to avoid saying establishment so go with what you wish) and what I’ll euphimistically call supporters in authority. I know some feel that the concept of “a plan” is somewhat fanciful, and there is no question that the original “plan” has been rewritten, at least once, on the revolt by the other teams but I’m sure after similar catastrophes as well.

    That remains the case today. The skeletal plan, I am convinced, was that old rangers collapsed and that new rangers/sevco/whatever was to emerge sans debt. The establishment in whatever form temporarily gave up the reins, the spivs got to play with a new toy for while on the understanding, contractual or otherwise, that the core activity was handed back to the originators in time.

    Two things have now happened to further distort that plan. Firstly, the spivs have realised that this is literally the toy that could keep on giving and giving, and managed correctly, with minimal input from them. Perhaps they are maybe not as keen to meet their end of the deal as they once were. Secondly though, I think there has been a realisation on the part of the original parties. Firstly, their activities are now more transparent and freely exposed than they ever were before, be that media manipulation, SFA assistance or whatever. Secondly, and more importantly, the myth of the profitable RFC challenging in Europe is well and truely shattered. Yes someone could take a punt and ‘do a bunnet’ but it would be a huge financial risk, pure and simple. At the moment no-one seems prepared to take that punt which is telling in itself.

    To echo Eco’s point (as I know he’ll be bilin’ at this plan concept being mooted again :razz:) for someone to take that bunnety punt firstly benefits the spivs – McColls point in not wishing to excessively reward Green’s consortium. That was never in the script, and isn’t really in that kind of businessman’s make up. Which takes us back to the bearz. The key thing Green needed for his strategy (however many times amended and redirected) to work was the fans to turn out in their droves spouting defiance left right and centre. See how well that worked out for him?

    Interesting times.


  19. As I have been repeatedly stating Companies House couldn’t accept an incomplete Annual Return for TRFCL being submitted.

    Rangers will need to supply the missing shareholder and shareholding information no matter what rather strange and flawed statements they put on their website which talks about the Annual Return for a non-existant company. If they don’t fulfill their statutory obligations then Companies House will take the necessary action to see that they comply or face the consequences.

    And, of course, there is also the very overdue Annual Return for the Rangers subsidiary Sevco 5088 Lts which has still to be filed by Rangers. Sevco 5088 and its original investors were awarded exclusive rights to purchase the Rangers business and assets from D&P.

    We all know that this right was ‘transferred’ to Sevco Scotland which became TRFCL. But there are at least two totally opposed versions of how that came about and a terrible smell hanging over the transaction no matter which way the wind blows.

    I realise that a number of totally faceless and mystery overseas shareholders appear to be determined to control the future of Rangers and the Easdale Camp seems happy to wield the proxy votes of these mystery men. But Bears will turn up in person at an AGM to fight for their club in stark contrast to these mystery men who hide in overseas financial boltholes.

    The DR has today started to latch onto the problem with Rangers’ claims over the incomplete Annual Return – what is the problem of telling the fans who owns their club after all the SFA has been told who these investors are according to Charles Green. If he’s telling porkies then the SFA should state clearly they don’t know anything other than names like Margarita and Blue Pitch and all the other exotic ones.

    ————————————————-

    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/keith-jackson-its-time-two-2322186

    Last Monday the Rangers board issued a statement castigating the BBC for “inaccurate reports” suggesting an issue had arisen between the club and Companies House, following the recent filing of an Annual Return.

    The statement went on to state very robustly that: “Companies House has not raised any issues or questions with them in relation to the Annual Return,’ before stressing again that: “Companies House have confirmed to the Company that they have accepted and filed the Annual Return for Rangers Football Club Limited and have not raised any queries in relation to it.”

    And so it went on: “Indeed, it was confirmed by Companies House to Rangers’ lawyers that the Annual Return has been accepted for filing and that Companies House had not contacted and did not expect to be contacting the Company in relation to the Annual Return.”

    It’s all fairly unambiguous. Nothing to see here. No issues. No discussions. No questions. No problem. Got it?
    And yet, in the past few days I’ve received emails from Companies House which appear to suggest something very different.

    After asking for clarification of their position, Companies House responded with the following: “When we receive a complaint or query relating to company filings these are passed to the relevant department in Companies House to pursue.

    “This normally consists of writing to the company outlining the concern and asking them to clarify whether the complaint is justified. “If so, they will be asked to submit amended documentation at the earliest opportunity.”

    All of which seemed a little bit vague. So I tried again. And this is what came back: “Our correspondence with the company is still ongoing and so at this stage we have nothing further to add.”

    Wait a minute. Still ongoing? How can something be still ongoing if it never started in the first place?
    Just who are we expected to believe? The truth is almost always the first casualty of any war. But seldom the only one.


  20. ecobhoy says:
    September 29, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    TSFM says:
    September 29, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    People compartmentalise
    ——————————————————————
    We all compartmentalise to a greater or lesser degre and for a variety of reasons.

    However if our frame of reference is based solely on football then it becomes very easy to lose perspective as to what is happening in other and sometimes more important areas in terms of our wider society.

    And at the end of the day unless we can reach out to that wider society at least in terms of debate and realistic arguments I truly doubt if we can ever achieve what is necessary to sort Scottish Football.

    We can see how sterile a situation that many of the Ibrox support have ended-up in mainly because of a totally closed mind and inability to accept external information let alone process it.
    ____________________________________________________________________________________

    Couldn’t agree more.

    If this was just a football issue the wider population, including the media, would have condemned what has happened at Ibrox and the matter would have been done and dusted by now.

    But it isn’t, and I think most would agree as to why.


  21. September 30, 2013 at 9:36 am

    Danish Pastry says:
    September 30, 2013 at 7:16 am

    Willie Vass’ photos of the Ibrox protests.

    ———————————————————————————————–

    One banner in particular caught my eye the one which stated “In Walter we Trust”

    Really? Is this not the problem? This mindset cannot be changed it seems..
    Walter played a major role in the downfall of the Ibrox club. He was still spending money on players like Jelovic when he knew the financial state the club was in.
    Trust me he did not have the best interests of the club at heart. He was used but not duped to promote the sell of season books which will put money in pockets of people who have also no interest in the club.
    The only trust I would have an interest if I were a sevco fan is the Trusts where this money is going to.
    I trust that nobody has removed Walter,s tongue, sorry I mean bought his silence as the only sound I have heard recently from him was the sound of his squeaky brogues as he slipped out of Ibrox.

    In fact it is like me saying In the SFA we Trust.
    Or In the SMSM we trust.

    Who else do we trust?


  22. Could people take a quick look at the mod thread from time to time. Often, posts which are thought to be deleted are moved there if it is appropriate to do so.


  23. Whilst there is a rude awakening taking place down Edminston Way, there appears to be a lack of clarity over how to rescue the leftovers.

    Legal letters and reports to police are all very well but just where are those accounts? Is the current FD unable to prevent further disintegration of the famous facade by simply releasing a financial statement to put people at their ease?

    Who’s interests are best served by the current unrest? Who benefits from producing banners and leaflets for a little known splinter group?

    Someone’s organising chaos!!


  24. Ecobhoy 10.17

    Ah the ol “on going discussions ” excuse for procrastinating.
    Any time it is used in anything related to RIFC.etc alarm bells should ring.

    If the truth ever makes it to the surface it drowns under waves of lies.


  25. I hope people don’t leave this forum too early. It feels to me like everyone is getting a little battle fatigue and, as there isn’t really that much happening (quickly at least), are looking to keep the pressure on by being angry whether the issue is ‘relevant to our mission’ or not.

    I think TSFM is right to try and keep us focussed and JC’s usual – and useful – reminder about the key targets is pertinent too.


  26. Auldheid says:
    September 30, 2013 at 12:39 pm
    Ecobhoy 10.17

    Ah the ol “on going discussions ” excuse for procrastinating.
    Any time it is used in anything related to RIFC.etc alarm bells should ring.

    If the truth ever makes it to the surface it drowns under waves of lies.
    ============================================================
    Not as long as you’re about 🙂


  27. davythelotion says:
    September 30, 2013 at 12:13 pm

    Someone’s organising chaos!!

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

    Reference my earlier post of 10.13. No. Someone appears to be attempting to unite the clans (to go all Gibsonesque for a sec).

    A/ They’ve discovered just what a disperate, unweildy, not to mention volatile bunch the bearz en masse appear to be.
    B/ In choosing a a people’s champion in Paul Murray they seem to be on a hiding to nothing from what I can see (In walter etc etc)
    C/ No-one trusts anyone – so is the call to unite actually just another timmy plot?
    D/ Don’t ignore the fact that RFC* are winning, and winning handsomely at present. there’s nothing as subservient as a well fed dog.

    Note to Tam Cowan’s critics – that is not a dig at dogs, nor a direct comparison of the bearz to dogs, nor any some such. You can’t be too careful these days.


  28. Is this how the end game may play out?

    http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/why-did-professional-investors-buy-into-rangers-share-issue-guest-post-by-allybhoy/#more-4196

    “This would leave Rangers Football Club asset-less and worth very little. All that would be left to do for Charles Green and Imran Ahmad would be to dispose of the shares they hold in the club to any stooges they could find to invest in a company without its main assets.”


  29. davythelotion says:
    September 30, 2013 at 12:13 pm

    Legal letters and reports to police are all very well but just where are those accounts?
    =====================================
    John Greechan of the Daily Mail wrote today the accounts are due early this week. We’ll see.


  30. I note that following a number of issues raised in the media with regard to T’Rangers, e.g. rumours of Director appointments, Jim Spence, Ian Black, Companies House Annual returns, a Statement has normally been quickly issued from Ibrox within no more than two days so as to infrom the masses that all is well or that untruths are being put right.

    I am wondering if Brenda needs to add aonther timepiece to her bank of clocks to see how long it takes for the club/company to issue a statement in response to the demonstrations seen at the weekend.

    If one is ever produced it will be interesting to see its content and who will be highlighted by JT or JI as being ‘the enemy’ given that, at last, some of the fans seem to have woken up to the reality that things might not be going too well.


  31. wottpi says:
    September 30, 2013 at 1:41 pm
    —————————————————–

    With impeccable timing Mr. Alex Thomson steps up to the plate.

    Dagger to the heart?…….or Diversion?


  32. ecobhoy says: September 30, 2013 at 10:17 am
    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/keith-jackson-its-time-two-2322186

    … “The truth is almost always the first casualty of any war.”…
    ====================================================
    That’s a top quality brass neck that Jackson has – the award winning sports journalist who trumpeted the billionaire Craig Whye.
    Jackson wouldn’t know – or should that be report ? – the truth if it bit him on the backside.
    Wrt the Govan club reporting, we all know that the truth departed from the DR many, many years ago.


  33. Not wanting to get dragged into the Armed Forces debacle but want to make a point on a purely footballing issue.

    The event was at half-time – 400 or so people and a band etc were let onto the park.
    From the video’s once the forces got into the middle of the park they were allowed to disperse and walk willy-nilly where they pleased.

    Now I for one would criticise, once again, those in charge of the Military for allowing such an undisciplined performance.

    However from a footballing point of view, what other sport apart from the amatuerish Scottish ‘Professional’ Football League would not organise a area to be sectioned off for the substitutes to do their half time routine and drills. What we had was a manager on (now slightly less) than £700k allowing his half time preparations to be distrubed and have his players shaking hands and taking pictures with the troops.

    And of course was there any respect for the visiting teams subs who had their routine and practice interfered with?

    Either do it professionally or keep all subs inside and clear of it and apologise to your guests that they may not be not be able to do their normal half time drills etc.

    While this one was T’Rangers, it is just yet another apparent lack of the attention to fine detail in our football clubs that drives me daft when other sports who are stuggling to find support and finance act and behave in a far more professional manner with regard to preparing their sportsmen and women for competition.


  34. Football point please don’t delete 😕 how long was the start of the second half delayed by?? Have late starts not been punished in the past?? Oh I forgot sevco don’t follow normal rules 😥 silly me!!!!!


  35. StevieBC says:
    September 30, 2013 at 1:57 pm
    ecobhoy says: September 30, 2013 at 10:17 am
    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/keith-jackson-its-time-two-2322186

    … “The truth is almost always the first casualty of any war.”…
    ====================================================
    That’s a top quality brass neck that Jackson has – the award winning sports journalist who trumpeted the billionaire Craig Whye.
    Jackson wouldn’t know – or should that be report ? – the truth if it bit him on the backside.
    Wrt the Govan club reporting, we all know that the truth departed from the DR many, many years ago.
    =========================================================
    We must never forget history but sometimes we have to move along a little.

    Jackson’s piece has done what no other SMSM outlet has by exposing the fiction being perpetrated that all is well with the incomplete Annual Return. I am able to recognise that fact in spite of his previous journalistic failings for which he has no excuse.

    The BBC previously had an attempt to explain the story but screwed-up because it used the wrong company name and didn’t quite understand what it was trying to do. So fair enough at least they tried.

    Jackson not only was on the ball but didn’t stand for the revuff and went back and got his story although not yet the full admission from Companies House. However I’m sure it will come and eventually the complete Annual Return will appear on the Public Register and show all of the shareholding eventually declared by Rangers. I truly can’t think what the problem is in releasing this info 😕

    I must have a word with Black and ask what odds he’s offering on whether the shareholding info will be revealed before the agm 🙄


  36. Scotsman reporting that Army investigation is now under way, said investigation may lead to military disciplinary action, and/or civil criminal proceedings. Suggest folk need to wait and see wait transpires….


  37. Ranger’s statement on Saturday’s situation

    ” “The club is aware of complaints regarding the conduct of Armed Forces personnel on the pitch at half time and understand that Police Scotland are investigating the circumstances therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”


  38. upthehoops says:
    September 30, 2013 at 1:33 pm

    John Greechan of the Daily Mail wrote today the accounts are due early this week. We’ll see.
    ————————————————————————-
    I think the accounts will work out OK. By my reckoning, the Rangers have easily accumulated another 50 million quids’ worth of negative goodwill during the past 12 months, so that should allow them to balance the books nicely.


  39. ecobhoy says:
    September 30, 2013 at 3:29 pm

    StevieBC says:
    September 30, 2013 at 1:57 pm
    ecobhoy says: September 30, 2013 at 10:17 am
    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/keith-jackson-its-time-two-2322186
    … “The truth is almost always the first casualty of any war.”…

    That’s a top quality brass neck that Jackson has – the award winning sports journalist who trumpeted the billionaire Craig Whye.
    Jackson wouldn’t know – or should that be report ? – the truth if it bit him on the backside.
    Wrt the Govan club reporting, we all know that the truth departed from the DR many, many years ago.
    =========================================================
    We must never forget history but sometimes we have to move along a little.

    Jackson’s piece has done what no other SMSM outlet has by exposing the fiction being perpetrated that all is well with the incomplete Annual Return. I am able to recognise that fact in spite of his previous journalistic failings for which he has no excuse…
    ======================================
    With all due respect, I will have to disagree with you there eb 😯

    My take is that Jackson is being cute / sleekit, by being slightly ahead of the curve by writing about something which should be public knowledge in due course.

    He is managing his own PR, to reposition himself so that in his own mind, he was the one ‘who blew the lid open about TRFC’, or some such nonsense. He knows he has to change his tune as the stories / truth are about to become apparent for all to see.

    To move on, IMO, means also to remember who was economical with the truth at crucial times – and thus cannot be trusted in future. I place Jackson at the very top of that particular MSM ‘list’.


  40. I will try not to fall foul of moderation on this issue but hope this comment will not be removed.

    [Sorry EB. OT]


  41. Events at the weekend clearly show that there is a lack of vision, sound business and common sense, authority and Brains. Is nobody really in charge !


  42. StevieBC says: September 30, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    ecobhoy says: September 30, 2013 at 3:29 pm

    To move on, IMO, means also to remember who was economical with the truth at crucial times – and thus cannot be trusted in future. I place Jackson at the very top of that particular MSM ‘list’.

    StevieBC, I think you’re confusing tabloid sportswriters with real people who give a shit. Their job is to fill space on a daily basis to get some interest and either sell some more papers or get a few more hits on the website. Why would we ever have trusted any of them?


  43. StevieBC says:
    September 30, 2013 at 4:01 pm

    Disagree away. I will continue to read and analyse what Jackson and other SMSM journos write always bearing in mind their past history and that they operate to an agenda that often has nothing to do with the good of football. That doesn’t make everything they print a lie just as everything they write isn’t the truth either.


  44. ecobhoy says:
    September 30, 2013 at 4:04 pm

    I will try not to fall foul of moderation on this issue but hope this comment will not be removed.

    [Sorry EB. OT]
    ===========================================================
    I will post it on Scotslawthoughts then and I trust this post will be allowed to remain.


  45. Yet again, I find myself in the position of having to remove several posts. I have already asked for OT stuff to be placed elsewhere. If people cannot or will not accept the guidelines, please don’t post at all.

    I’d be happier closing the whole thing down than have people taking up the time of the mods deliberately making OT points.

    If you have a problem with moderation, it should be posted on the mod thread. If you insist on posting on OT matters, we will have to remove posting rights.

    Everyone is entitled to disagree with our rules, but personally, I wouldn’t be a member of a club whose rules I disagreed with. I’ve spend a good part of Sunday and Monday tidying up what appear to be wilful attempts to circumvent the rules and prevent the blog from talking about relevant matters. If I was getting paid to do that, I’d pack the job in.

    This is the last occasion I will waste time on those who ignore the rules. For clarity, discussion about Rangers relationship with the armed forces is not appropriate for this place.


  46. TSFM
    Sorry, I had pressed ‘send’ before I saw your post of 4.19.
    If you have put my post into the mod section, well and good.

    [JC – I thought that this might be the case. Thanks for the message – TSFM]


  47. I have to say I’m impressed by the ingenuity expressed in the naming of the latest Rangers faction to emerge – “The Sons of Struth”

    Firstly, the use of the words Sons is suggestive of the many Orange lodges who are Sons of something or other, sometimes a person sometimes a battle. I’m assuming this new faction is a male only preserve which will please the likes of Tam Cowan et al.

    Secondly, using the name of Struth suggestes there were halcyon days when the club’s custodians acted with integrity – of course how true that actually is depends on whether you agree the players should only be drawn from certain sections of the community.

    Thirdly, if you misread Struth it could be seen as Truth but that can’t be right because that is an alien concept down Ibrox way.


  48. Drew Peacock says:
    September 30, 2013 at 4:46 pm
    3 0 Rate This

    I have to say I’m impressed by the ingenuity expressed in the naming of the latest Rangers faction to emerge – “The Sons of Struth”

    Firstly, the use of the words Sons is suggestive of the many Orange lodges who are Sons of something or other, sometimes a person sometimes a battle. I’m assuming this new faction is a male only preserve which will please the likes of Tam Cowan et al.

    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    Dont know if it was on here yesterday, but if you add the daughters to the sons you get the SADOS!!


  49. Drew Peacock says:
    September 30, 2013 at 4:46 pm

    I have to say I’m impressed by the ingenuity expressed in the naming of the latest Rangers faction to emerge – “The Sons of Struth”
    ===========================
    I’ve never understood why Struth is portrayed as a man of honour and dignity. In his time at Ibrox he oversaw some of the worst excesses of sectarianism the place has witnessed, and there’s been plenty to contend with.

    Maybe I do understand it after all.


  50. … How did Alex Thompson manage to get barred from a Scottish Football Monitor ?
    ———–
    Has he posted anything, ever?


  51. So the Forces debacle has not only deflected some of the Ibrox fans from the boardroom shenanigans but has also deflected this and other blogs/commentators. That should make Jack’s job easier!


  52. Lord Wobbly says:
    September 30, 2013 at 6:09 pm

    Sorry your Lordship beg to differ. The fallout from this will further isolate Rangers, this has a way to go yet.


  53. Gone yersel keef
    You may just be getting the jist of the old reporter gig .
    Pity it takes you at least a week to ask a question but to be fair you have been so used to the SL (bahhh) reporting style that it will take you a while to get up to speed .
    IMO though you may just be of the mind that this particular PR piece regards the BBC may just not be able to be kept in house and will out soon ,so you decided to put your we point in print beforehand .
    Keep up the poor work ,it may turn into something good in the future .


  54. Just seen a Squirrel drop an out of date chocolate bar containing hazelnuts, nougat and caramel.

    Sorry o/t.


  55. scapaflow says:

    September 30, 2013 at 6:33 pm

    Lord Wobbly says:
    September 30, 2013 at 6:09 pm

    Sorry your Lordship beg to differ. The fallout from this will further isolate Rangers, this has a way to go yet.
    __________________________________________________________________________

    Apologies if I have inferred incorrectly Scapa, but the remit of this blog is not to isolate Rangers or anyone else. Quite the opposite. We are trying to ensure as level a playing field as is possible in a very unfair world, and striving to have the authorities sign up for the principle that sporting integrity should be paramount.

    Isolating Rangers is not something I want to waste my time on. Getting the SFA etc to follow their rules and apply them equally to all would be reason for the bunting to be broken out.


  56. Re Keith Jacksons article today. I’m actually quite shocked by what he has wrote wrt Craig Mather. Keith says that Mather is trying to intimidate the fans by sending out lawyers letters and making complaints to the police. Correct me if I’m wrong but did Mather not call the police because of physical threats made by fans on forums. What is Mr Mather meant to do in this situation? Resign and give his position to Keith’s pal Paul Murray?


  57. fara1968 says:
    September 30, 2013 at 7:20 pm
    ===============================
    Keith doesn’t care about spivs in the Boardroom, as long as they are the spivs of his choice.


  58. I see out old pal Steerpike is entertaining watchers of Paul McConville’s site.

    Here is a crakcer the where the IPO money went

    “However projections rarely go to plan, and Rangers were forced to spend IPO money on many unplanned items, this does not mean they planned to deviate from the plan, the plan would have earned them more money.”

    Lets us remember what the oney was to be spent on according to the prospectus

    “The Company plans to use the money raised from the Placing to improve the infrastructure of the Club.
    In particular, the Directors have identified:
    • upgrades to Ibrox stadium (approximately £5.5 million);
    • acquisition of land assets adjacent to the stadium (£4.5 million);
    • other identified projects which could result in additional revenue generating activities (approximately £3.0 million); and
    • general working capital purposes.
    In addition, should the Company receive funds from the Offer, the Directors have identified other potential investments that would go beyond the Group’s strategy in the next 12 months, but which could further enhance revenue opportunities.
    In particular, the Directors have identified:
    • further upgrades to Ibrox Stadium (approximately £3.5 million); and
    • other identified projects which could result in additional review
    generating activities (approximately £2.0 million).
    Additionally, cash could also be used to provide the Directors with additional flexibility to opportunistically consider appropriate investment opportunities as and when they arise.”

    Being that they haven’t spent it on Hotels, Cancer Centres, international coaching/development academies and nor does Ally have a £10m war chest what exactly are these unplanned items and how were they forced in to deviating from their plan??


  59. TSFM says:
    September 30, 2013 at 6:57 pm

    You did, infer incorrectly. I was trying manfully to avoid the OT tag. At the risk of getting sent to the naughty step, what I meant was, that this incident will further isolate Rangers from their erstwhile protectors in the establishment. In case you haven’t noticed, the gloves have been edging off in recent weeks. This latest embarrassment will hasten that process, and moves us further towards the tipping point, where Rangers will find that they have become too much trouble as their erstwhile friends do walking away.

    You don’t get to be, and remain, the establishment, without knowing when to jettison the odd dead weight….


  60. ecobhoy says:
    September 30, 2013 at 10:17 am

    “what is the problem of telling the fans who owns their club after all the SFA has been told who these investors are according to Charles Green.”
    ——————————-
    Charlotte’s ‘SFA-1’ document that was removed from twitter at an early stage by legal firm Levy McCrae (I recollect), contained the following statement. It is a piece of correspondence between lawyers Biggart Baillie and Brian Stockbridge dated 25 June 2012 :

    “6. “Full details” of all Sevco shareholders. I have names and percentages. I know that you will be keen to keep addresses confidential but perhaps we could confirm the occupation of individual investors. This is the one the SFA are most concerned about (they appear to be convinced that one of the shareholders is Craig Whyte in disguise). The more information we can give the better. The “nature” of the investment needs to be specified.”

    So SFA explicitly asked for shareholder details, as you infer. These may have changed over the intervening period but the original information was requested from Sevco (assuming of course this e:mail correspondence is genuine, which I strongly suspect it is). So there is no hiding place here. If the list of investors is so controversial that making it public is a problem then when did the names become an issue? Recently, or have they always been controversial. Did the SFA know of the potential controversy back in 2012? Or was there economy of truth employed in responding to the SFA’s request.

    Your highlighting of a potential Companies House issue with the (RIFC?) return might be an interesting litmus test.

    Either :

    Dodgy shareholders have always been in play and the SFA have failed to recognise this. Or,

    CG and BS were economical with the truth when making a response to the SFA’s request for information. Or,

    Any controversial shareholders are new arrivals.


  61. As the ‘Forces Disgrace at Ibrox’ story grabs hold of the non-scottish MSM, how ironic would it be if their so called love of the Armed Forces brings about intense media scrutiny of their despicable corrupt affairs.

    Tax Evasion, ‘Conflicted’ SFA officials, various conmen in the boardroom, threats to fans, clubs, media for stating the truth (RFC still dead by the way), EBT payments to ex-employees for transfer dealings, secret agreements to get an SFA license, collusion with the SFA to get an unwarranted UEFA license, manipulating of the transfer window and trialists’ rules to their benefit, endorsement of a player betting against his own team and the highly questionable support of various people to ensure that breaking virtually every rule in the SFA book didn’t warrant title-stripping….all of this and much more has failed to catch the eye of the English/British MSM (Alex Tomson and Roy Greenslade excepted) and now it seems that a jamboree with the Forces is shining a spotlight on that disgrace of an ‘institution’…..if Carling did irony


  62. Yeah, the current board are really going to agree to this

    “Chris McLaughlin ‏@BBCchrismclaug 7m
    #RFC investors have written to club with proposal for change. They want Malcolm Murray, Paul Murray, Scott Murdoch, Alex Wilson appointed.”


  63. Drew Peacock says:
    September 30, 2013 at 4:46 pm

    26

    3
    ———————————————————————————————————————————–
    Drew! The halcyon days of integrity at Ibrox my arse! Struth just didn’t do integrity. He did plenty sectarianism
    though.

    Oh! And he is also reported to have falsely claimed the prize money at a race in England in which he took part.
    This led to much relating of stories down Govan way of how he boldly was on the train to Scotland before
    the race organisers knew they were duped. Haw, haw, haw. What a leg end!

Leave a Reply