The increasing attacks on social media by the main stream press, fuelled in some respect by David Murray’s vague threats of litigation against bloggers, has brought into sharp focus the challenges facing the Blogosphere. It also brings into even sharper focus the prescience of Stuart Cosgrove’s assertion that this summer’s ‘epistemological break’ had begun to marginalize the Scottish sporting wing of the MSM.
The reality of that assertion is embedded in the misreporting of the FTT decision as a victory for RFC, falsely alleging that those who operated the EBT scheme had been exonerated, that RFC had ‘done nothing wrong’, and consequently accusing ‘vindictive anti-Rangers bloggers’ of playing a part in the downfall of that once great Scottish institution. It is also evident in Tom English’s rather bitter and one-dimensional anti-RTC polemic today in the Scotland on Sunday. Had it been entitled “Self Preservation”, it may have rung a few more truth bells.
I am not of the belief that the MSM is an instinctively pro-Rangers estate, but I do think that their reportage of the FTT is more geared towards discrediting the newly emergent forces in the social media area than it is towards rehabilitating the public image of RFC or David Murray.
However despite the contempt in which many people here hold the MSM and Murray, English does have a point that we would be foolish to ignore. No-one can deny that we do have a duty to ensure that we are responsible in how we present ourselves to the public. Now that our (and others’) success as a real and creative alternative has spurred the MSM into action, we are subject to greater scrutiny than at any time in the past. Our view is that we have to be pro-actively engaged in setting a standard for ourselves that is above those that the MSM have set for themselves.
We have on TSFM an audience exponentially greater than the number of posts. That presents us with a great opportunity to get our message across, but it also burdens us with an increased responsibility not to fall into the trap which has besought the Succulent Lamb Brigade.
We are a very different animal from RTC. RTC him or herself had information and insight to bring to the table that the administrators of this site do not. The founder and former admin of TSFM had the idea that the talent available from posters on the RTC – not just RTC himself – should continue to have a forum in a post-RTC world, and that those talents could be used to challenge the myths regularly represented as facts by lazy journalists in the MSM.
We have at our disposal on this blog forensic analysis of legal, media and corporate matters. We have an abundance of creative minds, all passionate about the game of football AS WELL AS a partisan love for their chosen club. With all that talent and expertise, we can make an impact on the agenda by challenging the misinformation and substandard journalism of the MSM, and our finest moments are when we do that. We lose authority and influence when the debate is impeded by bald accusation or innuendo backed up with little more than an historical view of our country.
Our biggest impact (and largest audience) is to be found when when our experts have collectively torn apart those myths presented as truths by the MSM, and when we have asked the questions that the MSM either can’t or won’t ask or answer. Those are the things that have driven the traffic to this site, and many of the emails we get congratulate us on that.
Our credibility plummets though when we go down the partisan path. We also get literally hundreds of emails from fans who ask that we cut down on the comments of those who are merely venting outrage at how they see the game being mismanaged (mainly so they can access the important stuff more quickly), and from fans who are just fed up with the constant name-calling – almost exclusively aimed at Ally McCoist and other Rangers figures.
If we claim to be an intellectual and journalistic rung or two above the likes of the Red Tops (not to mention to be decent and respectful of others), we need to refrain from the name calling and accusatory culture. We can ask questions, put items for debate on the public agenda, point out apparent irregularities and anomalies. In rushing to judgement of others from the comfort of the glow of our own laptop screens, we are guilty of the same lazy journalism we see in others. Name calling (all good fun of course on a fan site) is just a lazy thought process and as English says, comes across as “nasty”.
We never saw RTC as a fan-site. The original administrator of this blog never saw TSFM as one either, and nor do we. In order to succeed properly, we need sensible fans of ALL clubs to be comfortable and feel secure in our midst. Of course we are not breaking any laws, but can anyone honestly say that we have evolved into a welcoming place for Rangers fans?
TSFM is not about hounding any one club out of existence or into shame or infamy. In the Rangers saga we have sought to ensure that the football authorities play fair with everyone and stick to their own rules. One well kent RTC contributor, and no friend of Rangers, often said that if the FTT found in favour of Rangers we should move along and accept it. Well they did find in favour of Rangers in the majority of cases. That may not suit many of us, but we are the Scottish Football Monitor, not a Judicial Watchdog. We can say why we disagree with the decision, but criticism of the process through which the decision was arrived at is beyond our purview.
Since the accusation is often made in the MSM, we should state, unequivocally and unreservedly, that we are NOT anti-Rangers. Their fans face the same issues as the rest of us and they are welcome here. We are however, equally unequivocally against the gravy train journalism of the Scottish Football Wing of the MSM (with one or two honourable exceptions).
If the Anti-Blogateers in the press are correct, the popularity of the TSFM will recede as the Rangers Tax case reverts to the back pages before disappearing for good. However I do not believe that they are correct. I don’t believe that Scottish football fans are only motivated by either hatred – or even dislike – of one club. I believe we are more concerned with the game itself than the pot-stirrers in the MSM would have us believe, because we understand the interdependence of football clubs.
But we also understand that the people who run football clubs do not always run their clubs for the benefit of the fans. In the business world, that may not be out of the ordinary, since businesses are run for the benefit of shareholders.
However football reserves for itself a special place in the hearts of people in this country. If the people who run football clubs want to retain that favourable status, they have to be accountable to the fans.
The difficulty in holding them to account though, is that the cosy relationship cultivated between club directors, managers and players and the press renders the access to information a closed shop, and the information itself is heavily filtered and spun.
As long as we keep asking questions in response to the fruit of that cosy relationship, we will be providing people with an alternative angle and viewpoint, allowing them to come to their own conclusions, and not the one the MSM post-presser huddle delivers to us wrapped up in a bow.
For the SFM specifically, we believe that to have any influence, we need to enable the expertise at our disposal to flourish. It is also vital to our project that Rangers fans are included in our dialogue. We just can’t call ourselves the Scottish Football Monitor if they are largely excluded from participation because they feel they are being treated disrespectfully.
We can’t tolerate the accusations and name calling. We need to stick to what we have done best; factual analysis, conjecture based on known facts and on-line discourse leading to searching questions being asked.
One of the things we are looking at for the near future is to set up some kind of formal and transparent channel of communication between the SFM and the football authorities. Being truly representative of fans will make that easier to achieve.
The MSM will continue to attack the social media outlets. In one way you can understand it. Their jobs are at stake. The business model of the print media in particular has changed massively over the last five years, manifesting itself mainly in increasingly under-resourced newsrooms. Consequently it is besought by increasingly unreliable and under-researched journalism, even to the point where much of it is no longer journalism at all.
By comparison the Blogosphere has access to greater human and time resources, is able to react to unfolding events in real time, and crucially (because it has been eschewed instead of embraced by print media proprietors) has been occupied by ordinary folk with little or no vested interest.
We are still in position to provide a service in our small niche of the on-line world. We have rights to publish and speak freely about our passion, but we also have to live up to the attendant responsibilities, and thus the appeal for discretion on posting comments.
Where Tom English got it completely wrong (in the uniquely ironic way the MSM have about them), is that his industry has mistaken the rights others have earned for them as entitlement, and ignored almost completely the responsibility they had to act on behalf of those who pay their wages.
Tax avoidance
Osborne made much of ‘fairness’ in the statement, saying: “Those with the most will contribute the most.” He highlighted the efforts already underway to catch tax evaders, and confirmed that there would be a general anti-avoidance rule set out imminently, which will make it harder to avoid tax.
He announced a major agreement with Switzerland, which will mean £5 billion will be paid in tax by British nationals who have been hiding money away in Swiss bank accounts.
He added that tax loopholes would be closed with immediate effect, and that the government would be investigating abusive use of partnerships.
And he pledged £77 million more to fighting tax avoidance from wealthy individuals and multinational companies. He expects the end result to be £2 billion a year more in revenue from anti-avoidance and evasion activities.
GO GET THEM HECTOR MR OSBOURNE IS BEHIND YOU
jimlarkin says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 16:38
FIFTY MILLION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “on a bad day”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
there…fixed that for you jim 🙂
redetin says:
..his book?…..shudder…….
easyJambo says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 15:55
The only other person who appears to have upped his stake from the original consortrium was Carig Mather, who has doubled his holding fro, 900,000 to 1,800,000 shares.
———————————————————————————————
BOGOF deal?
Getting back to that request for Appeal…
That well known Tax Specialist, Mark Dingwall has spoken;
===============================================
“…Rangers Supporters’ Trust spokesman Mark Dingwall said:
“It’s a bad decision. The result of the tribunal was very convincing. A hearing could take up to two years to sit and they have no hope of recouping any money for the taxpayer.
It’s more down to the pride of senior HMRC personnel than any point they are trying to make…”
================================================
Sorry for bringing the bad news. 🙄
http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/4681445/Tax-chiefs-set-to-appeal-Rangers-bill-win.html
StevieBC
Can I just point out off topic that one of my wee claims to fame is that I was at the launch of the I love NY campaign run by the Port of NY Authority in UK. I recall getting my T shirt and I tell you what it didn’t half help me pull the burds as they all used to ask what did it mean. I wore it constantly on a holiday in Ireland back in 1980.. ah they wur the days. I’d just be a pot bellied, baldy barsteward in that T shirt noo, couldnae pull a cracker 🙂
Excuse my ignorance on such matters, but if someone wants to raise money through a share issue, don’t they have to be pretty explicit about who owns what in terms of the property that will be associated with the shares? Will this be covered in more detail in the fuller prospectus? Or is there some formal mechanism for questions and answers to cover any grey areas so that potential investors know what they are buying into?
briggsbhoy says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 17:19
O/T
StevieBC
Can I just point out off topic that one of my wee claims to fame is that I was at the launch of the I love NY campaign run by the Port of NY Authority in UK. I recall getting my T shirt and I tell you what it didn’t half help me pull the burds as they all used to ask what did it mean. I wore it constantly on a holiday in Ireland back in 1980.. ah they wur the days. I’d just be a pot bellied, baldy barsteward in that T shirt noo, couldnae pull a cracker
================================
Small world: if you still have the T-shirt, send it over here and I’ll tell you if it still works !
…and have you placed the order for the banners yet ? 🙄
Just one last thought on Charlie’s latest (because frankly, I’m get fed up seeing the guy’s face everyday in the sports pages/websites when he comes out with his latest load of guff)…..
Imagine, just for a second, that it was Vlad who came out with the sort of statement that Charlie did yesterday. Would the reporting of it be as supportive (or, at the very least, as soberly neutral – just the facts ma’m) as what we’ve seen today. Or would it have been ‘MAD VLAD IN MAD RANT – AGAIN!’?
I know that this will get TD’s, but did Celtic fans not want to boycott the away game with Kilmarnock in response to the club refusing to vote during the summer. I believe there was also a boycott at Celtic Park at the weekend by the GB, hence the attendance of circa 10k. I assume everyone is keen for all of the above to apply to Celtic, no prize money, home games behind closed doors etc, etc.
I don’t think the boycott will harm DUFC, in fact it enhances their chances of progressing and perhaps landing more money in the future. Having been a long timer reader of RTC and TSFM I feel there is a danger of attacking everything that happens at Ibrox and losing sight of what is and is not important.
gigoals
The day that Peter Lawell tells Celtic fans to boycott a match and starts giving hate speeches about other clubs is the day you can indulge in whataboutery. Not until.
I have said all along that we shouldn’t get so cocky about Mr Charles managing to pull this off.
However, maybe it is just me but I am confused.
In October he was publicly saying he had £17m or £18m in pledges.
http://local.stv.tv/glasgow/195425-charles-green-claims-every-penny-from-share-issue-is-for-rangers/
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/green-is-delighted-at-17m-pledge-104692n.19177611
So from the Evening Times I am given the impression that the £17m was from the 8000 who registered interest on the website. Presumably the vast majority were ordinary fans clicking the £500 to £2000 options.
Now we are being told that they have £17m from business investors and it is hoped a further £10m will come from fans.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-20612863.
So what happened to £7m of the orignal £17m pledges being that a prospectus hasn’t even popped through the letter boxes of those who registered.
Surely since October even more people will have registered, Mr Charles must be looking at the new £17m announced today plus the old £17m (and maybe even more) announced in October plus potential additional investment from his recent Institutional Investors Roadshows.
Oh and what about the 22m shares that were already there?
I’m sure it will all become clear sometime soon.
gigoals says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 18:17
—————————————————–
Usually not pro-Celtic but I don’t recall their fans declaring other SPL clubs were their enemies and they would “get their own back on them” or threatening pickets and even violence against fellow supporters. Never mind their chairman having a go at SPL clubs the way Green has.
Charles has obviously no gift for choosing original names for any of his many variations in club nomenclature.
There is already a Rangers International Football Club (in Africa).
Legal and General buying dodgy shares in a new, fourth division football club? Have they gone mad?
Perhaps the SFA and TRFC could do with some ‘mediation’ from a third party – otherwise this nonsense will be repeated – and even escalate ?
[Even if only as a PR exercise ?]
gigoals says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 18:17
Individual fan groups are perfectly free to attend (or not) any match as they so wish. Celtic FC have not called for a boycott of the Kilmarnock match, where as Chuckles has officially said, on behalf of TRFC, that they will not accept any tickets for the match. There is a clear difference here.
http://www.lgim.com/contact-us/
Anyone with investments managed by L&G should consider making an enquiry as to why they are taking risks investing in football.
gigoals says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 18:17
_____________________________________
I agree, if Celtic or any other club directors come out and call for a boycott, they should have a look at themselves and the same critique applied.
But in the case of Celtic and the Kilmarnock game, that was a fans choice. No mention of blockades and causing harm to all who stand in the way, in fact, a lot of fans were totally against it and not afraid to state this. I believe the resistance of the majority was the factor that killed that plan.
CelticCynic says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 19:03
… where as Chuckles has officially said, on behalf of TRFC, that they will not accept any tickets for the match. There is a clear difference here.
——
Yes, he’s said he won’t be taking up the normal allocation, and has asked United not to sell tickets to TRFC fans.
However, he has neither called for nor supported any boycott. He was very careful in the wording of his statement, as I pointed out before.
He made it sound like he feared an extra strain on security, insinuating vaguely that it was United’s attitude towards Rangers that would cause this. Taking this a level further, he implied that TRFC’s lovely fans would not be safe from the spiteful Arab barbarian horde.
CelticCynic says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 19:03
Whilst I agree with an element of your thoughts, Charlie came out with his support after most of the Rangers Supporters groups had called for the boycott. I am not naive, and will make clear now that Rangers only have themselves to blame for their current situation and problems, however I would like to make the following point.
Most of the chairmen in Scotland, but not all, made their decision on the vote regarding Rangers after the fans had made it clear that they would boycott games if they voted in support of Rangers (there was indeed some debate on RTC on the days running up to the vote about which way it would go). Basically they followed the guidance of their fans and in doing so acknowledged that boycotts could be a major threat to the 2012-13 season, and that would have impacted upon their income. It now seems short sighted to complain when Rangers decide not to attend a game, the chairmen knew this situation would arise, and I doubt many of them would have spoken out against a boycott of Ibrox if the vote had gone the other way.
With regards to the blockades and picket lines, I am lost for words. I can see no good that would come from it, think it would be a disgrace to do in the first place, and believe it would be the foundations for major issues. All in all, I could not imagine Tayside police letting it happen, and can see no benefit that any reasonable Rangers, or football, fan could see arising from it.
monsieurbunny says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 18:47
Not trolling here, but would be interested to see any support of your comment:
‘and even violence against fellow supporters’
To the best of my knowledge, based on my limited view of internet and msm (I know) today there has been no threat of violence.
Happy to be corrected.
A wee trip down memory (Alzheimer’s?) lane.
“It is my hope that we can all move on from today and start working constructively for the good of the game.”
“We want to be a force for good in football and it is surely to the benefit of all that the way forward is not frustrated by continually trying to look back.”
Charles Green, October 2012.
New blog from Alex Thomson
http://blogs.channel4.com/alex-thomsons-view/walked-ibrox-mice-men/3304
Congratulations Celtic – all the best in the next rounds of the Champions League – although as a Dons fan I hope we get a result against you the next time we meet!
Armageddon my arse!
Well done Celtic, after a group like that it has to be said that you can make the best of any draw in the next round and should fear no one. Good luck.
gigoals says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 20:50
Then I suggest you take a look at any of the Rangers Forums.
Fans have a right to choose which games they goto, and which they don’t – that’s not in dispute. The Rangers fans can do what they individually wish to. They dont have the right to choose what games other people attend, and yet we’ve got the club themselves officially endorsing that viewpoint. We could have had Mr Green saying ‘We can understand why certain sections of our support may have the viewpoint that they have, and whilst we would never condemn them for arriving at their own decision, we would hope that those who wish to attend wont be impeded in their attempts to do so’.
What’s more worrying is that there has not been one single word of condemnation in the media of what Mr Green has said, They were quick enough to jump on John Reid (rightly) when he was busy dragging Celtic through the gutter a few years back, and yet we’ve got Charles Green doing much the same, only with added accusations of slander aimed at fellow Scottish football teams. If our sports reporters were responsible in anyway, they would be pointing out that there is only one team responsible for the plight of Rangers, and that’s Rangers themselves.
Unfortunately, by aligning himself with the most objectionable element of the Rangers support (would it be too dramatic to compare it with Hitler and the SA?), he’s let the genie out of the bottle. Just read the Rangers forums and look at the bile being levelled at those who wish to just go and support their team – in short, to behave like normal football fans. He’s successfully managing to drive away those who would represent his club in their best light. A couple of years down the line, if The Rangers manage to make it to European competition, he’s going to find that cork very difficult to put back in when they’re getting fined and banned left, right and centre.
PHEW …” for we only know that there gonna be a show ….” saft penalties an all.
Chico ..” Eggs can be soft or hard but they’re still eggs”
Well done the tick
……………………………..and Chico !!!!!!!!
Very stressful. Listening to 5 live through t’internet and it all went funny a couple of mins prior to the penalty.
Had to switch to internet updates.
Last 16. Wage cap. Reconstruction. Chelsea and Man City not there. Armageddon. Well done.
Well played by Celtic throughout the group stages. A tremendous achievement by Lennon and his players.
Magnificent achievement for Celtic to get in last 16 of Champions League.Absolutely terrific!
So good for Scottish football,and so refreshing given the nonsense of recent months.It is the game that counts!!!
doontheslope says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 21:41
14 1 Rate This
Armageddon my arse!
———
I believe that would be Arsegeddon 🙂
Great night for Scottish football (again) after ALL the negativity of late.
So, does that mean that Inverness Caley are a better team than Spartak Moscow? Looks like McGeady should have moved to the Highlands if he wanted to move onto better things!
I hereby move a proposal to immediately adopt the widespread use of the phrase ‘Arse-geddon’ on TSFM.
New Alex Thomson blog.he does not mess about.
http://t.co/GohE4chH
rantinrobin says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 22:18
And the thing is, he’s absolutely right – it’s funny that it’s the Rangers fans who were crowing all about the tax case result, yet they were the ones forking out money to try and keep their club afloat, whilst Mr Ogilvie etc. chose not to pay back these ‘loans’.
A few blinkered individuals on Twitter have decided its no achievement to qualify from the ‘easiest group in CL history’. You’ve got to feel for them.
Brilliant result tonight and not just for Celtic as it ups the credability of Scottish Football with all this negativity out there. Every team in SPL will try so much harder when they play Celtic, hopefully they will attract more supporters of opposing teams when they travel to help boost local coffers.
Hopefully we are at the start of a vast improvement in Scottish football and our teams in Europe start to get results and you fans look away from the Premiership and more local.
Official PerthSaints @St_Johnstone_FC
Well done to @celticfc on making the last 16 of #ucl
Ross County FC @TheStaggies
Congratulations @celticfc on reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League #supportingscottishteamsineurope
Kilmarnock FC @OfficialKillie
Congratulations to @celticfc on qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League. A great achievement, well deserved.
Ross County FC @TheStaggies
Dear Rangers fans, I’m not congratulating Celtic to “suck up”, it’s called mutual respect. Last 16 is good for the Scottish game. End of
Says it all, really!
Great credit to Neil Lennon and his Celtic team on a superb achievement!
Kudos to all.
Bet that ITV reporter who tweeted “goodbye Celtic” on the day of the draw feels a right fud now?
paulsatim says: Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 23:07
You can add:
Aberdeen FC@AberdeenFC
Well done to all our friends @celticfc! #greatforScottishfootball
and
Motherwell FC@MotherwellFC
Well done to @celticfc on qualifying for the last sixteen of the UEFA Champions League. Great for Scottish football!
and
Inverness CT Fans@ictfans
hanks for the £235,000 Celtic. And well done! Doing Scotland proud!!
I hope you don’t inten boycotting Tynecastle is they don’t tweet something similar 🙂
… got a retweet at least from “saveourhearts”
Retweeted by saveourhearts@SOH2Official
Laurie Dunsire@lauriedunsire
Celtic’s win earned each SPL club £235,000. If ever there was a good reason to want a Scottish club to do well in Europe, then that’s it!
Fantastic feel good collective factor among Scottish football fans about the Celtic result.It is,of course,the way it should be.
I think all right minded fans recognise the sheer achievement of this.
Easyjambo.
Regards the ICT tweet. Have the SPL clubs benefitted to the tune of 235k each from some kind of UEFA payment to leagues comprising the last 16 qualifiers. I recall a payment to the SPL after Celtic qualified for the group stages. Could you give a total of payments handed out to the clubs and do you know if a further payment would be due if Celtic made any further progress.
Hey guys ………a little dose of reality ?
Tonight’s Celtic game was real sport.
It’s why the SPL and SFL will never destroy Scottish footbal
l.
It’s why peolple turn out to watch school’s football, Junior football , Forres Mechanics v Clachnacuddin and stop to watch kickabouts on their local pitches …. we are football fans .
We enjoy the anticipation of victory, fear the bitterness of defeat but enjoy it beyond measure when our boys play well ( in victory or defeat) and know genuine football talent when we see it
That has to be the basic building block of the future of Scottish Football…. not the crazed machinations of ego driven spivs and gombeen men flashing fistfulls of fivers
Sport is Sport is Sport and real fans can recognise that – we don’t have to buy iffy shares in newly formed “International” companies to recognise that
Easyjambo answers questions before you ask them.
What a guy.
So the SPL clubs would have major financial problems due to missing out on 1 or 2 visits from Sevco
I think the UEFA bonus will go a long way towards making that up
If this is Armageddon, I want more of it
Getting a bit fed up with Tims all singing they`re “Having a party in the Champions League”
There`s another 11 clubs in the SPL…..What about us?
How about “Having a party on St Valentines Day”
Any sign of the prospectus Brenda?
A good night to slip it out 😉
bangordub says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 23:34
Ooh err, vicar!!
paulsatim says:
You won’t believe me but I only realised after I wrote that .
Apologies to Brenda etc
If true about the payments to all other SPL clubs following Celtic’s win then it’s not only kudos to CFC but thanks also.
Looking at things purely from a footballing perspective, I think it’s safe to say that this is possibly the most exciting and positive season for all SPL clubs in many a long year.
There’s hope, there’s a real competitiveness through the league and there’s loads of young players coming through.
Who needs reconstruction?? 😉
StevieBC says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 17:33
Oh that T shirt is long gone, old hat now, wouldnae work, everybody knows what is stands for, back then they didn’t, it wiz constantly “what does that mean, I heart NY” and I’d reply “I’ll tell you if you give me a **** ”
Now as fir the poster, I’ll need to find out if am getting a ticket first and we need to find out what’s in the kitty at the TSFM fir a pint as we all head to pub pre match and the away end for the game. Then again might no make it due to the picket line. Maybe we should ask Belfast City council if we could hang it fae the council offices, that should please the mob 🙂
Bunion @ 23:45
Sevco and their apologists
bawsman says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 12:07
Can someone explain to me why the RFFF are named as creditors, or on the comittee representing creditors?
____________________
The “face-painter” is the wife of a friend of mine. She confirms (via him) that she was paid by the RFFF.
Also……….was it not the case that the company who made the crystal thingymabob for David Weir were also “squared up” by the RFFF?
Apparently fans “tane a riddy” when the club bumped these people and paid off some of the smaller debts.
Could this be why they feature as creditors?
rantinrobin says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 22:18
“‘New Alex Thomson blog.
he does not mess about.
‘In short – it’s not about Rangers. They just happen to have been the first, so they’re the vehicle…'”
—
And that is the vital point, as far as this blog, I think, is concerned.
It has been repeated ‘ad nauseam’ that this is NOT an anti-Rangers blog.
Alex Thomson knows that.
You and I know that.
And we all know that HMRC are not “anti-Rangers”.
They are, on behalf of all of us Joe Bloggses ( who DO pay our taxes), carrying out their statutory duty of making sure that megalomaniac football club owners pay theirs, whatever the football club they own may be.!
If only our footballing authorities adopted the same high , objective standards , when it comes to applying their own rules.
By God, they moved quickly against Elgin City.
too much praise! … arghhhh .. too much positivity….. stop it!
Celtic done well ,,,,,,
OK ..we’ll accept! Wow
Scottish Fitba needs The Ringers …. not!!!!
Cmon Scotland!!!! You’re next!!
Bunion says:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 23:45
Looking at things purely from a footballing perspective, I think it’s safe to say that this is possibly the most exciting and positive season for all SPL clubs in many a long year.
—
I am inclined to agree.More than that, I do agree.
bangordub and paulsatim
LOL who cares 🙂
Why HMRC “losing” the FTTT might be just what they wanted…………..
I’m no legal eagle and am prepared to be shot down for this.
We all are aware that there is a bigger agenda at work with HMRC. They are after bigger fish than Sevco. Approx 8,000 companies have used EBT’s and Hector wants his cut. Mr Osbourne has been quite vocal recently re tax avoidance, and is pressurising HMRC to clamp down on evasion schemes.
If HMRC had won the FTTT then deid rangers (skint) would have been presented with a bill that Hector knew would not be paid, therefore all the taxpayers money spent on the case would have been wasted.So why did they decide to appeal the decision?
As evidenced from FF and RM the berrs think that HMRC are throwing good money after bad,chasing a debt from a liquidated company.
Precedent
A FTTT decision is only relevant to that particular case.
However if HMRC’s appeal to the Upper Tier is successful then it sets a precedent.
It can be quoted in future cases as a point of law.
A recent case at the UTTT regarding VAT surcharges was lost by the appellant, HMRC statement after the result invited every company who were waiting on the result to contact them to discuss payment.
So losing the FTTT might be just what Hector wanted. Win the UTTT and the floodgates open on EBT’s.
I hope with the extra funds raised they might grit my street …. nearly went on my neck earlier
at
EH Frankie ……….. try getting back to real world .
The FTT was not a trial …..it was an appeal by RFC (IL) against assessments made by HMRC (ie you and me as taxpayers) on what RFC(IL) owed us . RFC(IL)had already admitted to 36 cases. The FTT Tribunal found another 6 cases where Tax Nic etc were in their view payable. Amounts — who knows ?
Learned cousel for both HMRC and Rangers FC (IL) agreed at the outset of the hearing that the legality of the EBT arrangement was not in dispute. What was at issue was the administration of the EBT scheme. There was therefore no investigation/discussion / reference to the legality of the MIH EBT scheme by either The Taxpayers representative (HMRC) or RFC(IL) ‘s counsel
The tribunal panel split 3-1 the dissenting member spelling out in some detail why she considered the MIH scheme to be a sham Tax Evasion mechanism. More than half the 145 page report spelled out her arguments ( have you read it ?). This is what we will considered by the UTT , on appeal, who are not bound by law to follow the FTT’ findings.
SDM and his Board members and the Rangers(IL) support are in for a cataclysmic shock. Remember you heard it on here first !!
enoughx2 says:
Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 00:15
However if HMRC’s appeal to the Upper Tier is successful then it sets a precedent.
It can be quoted in future cases as a point of law.
—
Well said..
That is the absolutely crucial point, reinforcing my earlier post that it’s not about ‘Rangers’ as ‘ Rangers football club’ but about ANY company that tries to dodge paying the taxes that the rest of us have to pay!
And, serendipitously, as I listen to RTE radio this very minute, I hear ‘the taxman’s taken all my dough… lazin’ on a sunny afternoon…’
Man, how the years roll back.
Next on, ‘the green tambourine’
19 feckin 68.
I grow old, I grow old.
But so does everybody else!:)
Bookshelf finished……. herself comments “at least we won’t go cold for the Christmas” whatever that means??
Who needs reconstruction?? …………more like destruction!
OT there must be some musical talent on here who can write the lyrics of a song with Armageddon as the refrain?
This is the week that will be remembered as the turning point for Scottish football sorry Scottish society ( Celtic, Alex Thomson, Dundee supporters, HMRS Appeal) it will be remembered as the week that cheating does not pay after-all. That Scotland defends fare play and decency.
DIGNITY = Dundee supporters response to the bully boys of Scottish football.
Dignity = the reception when Aidan Mc Geady walk on the pitch. Unheard of!
There is a mood evolving in Scotland that is long overdue, and that is the good guys will ultimately win.
rab says: Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 23:27
I think it’s around £100K to each SPL club for Celtic reaching the group stages then another £100K each for them reaching the knock out stages. UEFA call it a “solidarity payment” which is meant to be used for youth development or new facilities in the domestic leagues.
What a miserable night for Scottish fitbaw.
The embarrassing decline of Scottish football continues as Celtic have to settle for second place behind Barcelona.
Cheers EJ, solidarity payment just about sums up the mood at the moment.
Is it only me, or is this Rangers share scheme sounding more and more like this?
From wikipedia…
‘…the term boiler room refers to selling questionable investments. It typically refers to salesmen who work using unfair, dishonest sales tactics, sometimes selling penny stock, private placements etc…’
After all, they are selling shares in a one month old company, that owns a company that is in turn less than 6 months old, that has never produced any accounts (let alone audited ones) that seems to have next to no assets, but is pretending to be a company that is currently in liquidation…
…if that isn’t a boiler room scam I have no idea what is.
Royal news:
Just heard that Kate and William plan to call their baby “Neil Lennon” after tonight’s result. Even if it’s a girl.
We all laughed at Bomber on the steps of Ibrox when he demanded sight of the title deeds. With today’s promulgation of the precursor to the share offer prospectus, it has become imperative that the real owner(s) of Ibrox and Murray Park be identified.
Brown, perhaps unwittingly, drew attention to the skulduggery of the asset sale to CG. We might never find out why his subsequent silence was bought, but it is becoming more obvious by the day that the title deeds cover-up is key to the success of CG’s pension fund appeal.
Folks,
Still got over £300 quid in the kitty from the kind donations. Thanks again. We have purchased a couple of domain names, and hopefully we will get the new site sorted out. It will probably be after the New year due to time constraints.
We are also thinking of starting a podcast to stimulate debate on a wider range of issues – although we do recognise that the Tax case is still pretty much headline news.
Any idea or suggestions for podcast formats or content are welcome. Please go to the about page, where I have replicated this comment to make suggestions.
When I see you armageddon, I go outta ma head, I just can’t enough, I just can’t get enough!
Not as catchy I admit, but you catch my drift! 😀