The Stella Dallas of Europe

Leaving aside for the moment the Shadenfreude-laden giggling as first Celtic, and then Rangers departed the Champions League this season, it is worthwhile taking time to think on the reality of Scotland’s latter-day bit-part status in the game.

There are Celtic fans who try to rationalise it by pointing out that for them, the Stein years were a wonderful exception and not the norm. That however does not explain the European status of Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Dundee, Dundee United, Kilmarnock and Dunfermline in a period of roughly a quarter of a century from the beginning of European competition.

From the fifties to the eighties, Scottish clubs were feared and respected in Europe. Since then, only Martin O’Neil’s Celtic and Walter Smith’s Rangers have made an impression on the European scene.

So what has happened? Many blame the distraction of new technology, taking potential Johnstones and Baxters away from pursuing the soccer dream. I’m not convinced of that myself. They have game consoles and PCs in England and Italy and Germany as well. They also have them in Scandinavian countries where daylight hours and suitable weather are in even less abundance than in Scotland – and of course clubs from Scandinavian countries were both responsible for Celtic and Rangers fates this season.

Failure then breeds failure. Losing out one year means more (and earlier) qualifiers down the line. In this regard, you have to wonder at the claims of how “brilliantly” Celtic have been run over the last decade, when the club went into Euro qualifiers again and again unprepared in terms of personnel, even to the extent of using makeshift central defenders in several campaigns. Our clubs know its all coming, but year on year, we get caught on the hop by the timing of those early ties. Planning? Don’t make me laugh.

We are also faced with the reality that fans of clubs who are not in contention for a ECL group place, are usually fervently hoping that the quest ends in failure. Not because there is a deep hatred of either or both Celtic and Rangers, but because a Champions League place for a Scottish team gives the successful side an immeasurable financial advantage over the rest. Of course that attitude is understandable when you look at the reality for our clubs if one of their number makes it to the group stages.

Scottish football clubs rely heavily on gate income for survival because their media deals struck with broadcasters are so much poorer than in countries of similar size. ECL money – even if the successful side fails to score a goal or get a point on the board – is like all your Christmasses have come at once.

It is well known that the income gap between Celtic & Rangers and the rest is huge. The income gap between a Scottish Champions League team and the rest is even more massive. Yet if a Dutch, or Portuguese or Danish or Swedish side get a place in the group stages, the impact is not so great. Why? Because they have football administrators who can sell the game effectively, getting value for their product from the media.

This is the one area where our administrators have failed consistently and miserably.

The current football model where home teams keep their own gate money, and in some cases even have their own media contracts, is designed to (with the notable exception of England) create a few bigger fishes in a number of smaller ponds. It ultimately ends with the pantomime (which has not yet gone away) of the European Super League.

I wish I could say I had a solution to all this, but my instinct is to say that in the absence of a solution we should forget about Europe and its riches. Instead, lets return to a sport driven model of the game where there is a more equitable share of revenues. Forget the tuppence ha’penny TV contracts and give football back to the fans, live on a Saturday (Covid permitting). In time, the level of competition would increase, as would the quality of the product. The talk to the TV folk when they want to pay the going rate.

It might help if there was some kind of levy (listening indy supporters?) imposed on subscription service providers like Sky. £25m versus £1.5 billion is a much smaller fraction than that of Scottish subscribers to the Sky platform for example.

There is little we in Scotland can do to prevent the globalisation and Mafia-isation of the game internationally, but those things we CAN control, like turning inward to improve our game instead of, like Stella Dallas in the eponymous classic movie, standing in the rain looking through the window at the banquet elsewhere.

Of course it won’t happen.

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John Cole

About Big Pink

Big Pink is John Cole; a former schoolteacher based in the West of Scotland, He is also a print and broadcast journalist who is engaged in the running of SFM . Former gigs include Newstalk 106, the Celtic View, and Channel67. A Celtic fan, he is also the voice of our podcast initiative.

527 thoughts on “The Stella Dallas of Europe


  1. JJ
    I agree that there may be a rush to conclusion here re Kamara. I think if you change the teams here and supposed that a team has accused Rangers of being racist, and they showed up the following year at Celtic Park, the Celtic fans would be more likely to cheer them than boo.
    The booing (I believe took place but did not hear it myself) by 10000 kids when Rangers took the knee is more than a bit depressing. The kids of course inherit that from their parents.
    On the whole, I’m pretty satisfied that there was a racial motive. Doesn’t fit in with my worldview that Rangers are the good guys in this scenario, but I think they are.
    I would be more convinced of that if Rangers didn’t cherry pick their racist incidents and put a stop to the routine filth that is spewed out at Ibrox every time they play, but having witnessed ST burning on the occasion of Mark Walters’ transfer, I am thankful for at least that much progress. The educational need in respect of Irishness/Catholicism/Islam remains urgent, but I do worry about the far-right jack-boot racism in places like the former Soviet satellites, and here in the UK.


  2. Re my post at 11:11hrs –

    A slight edit to my second sentence: The player was being booed because of his part in what happened last season.


  3. J.J

    As a quick response to your bemusement about Frimpong being booed (based on the irony that he was well enough liked by CFC supporters?) was, imho, the age old treatment of a former player from just about any club turned ‘traitor’. I have never understood, or contributed to, such idiotic resentment. Supporters don’t ‘own’ players.

    I therefore found it more embarrassing than confusing. In all honesty, I squirmed – imagining, as I did, TV viewers wondering just what the guy had done wrong to warrant his abuse.

    Good luck to him – he seems to have made a good career move.

    ps just read your edit – not so sure I agree.


  4. J.J

    I have just realised that I misread your edit – in which you were referring to Kamara?

    My humble apologies! Ignore my own rather hasty and somewhat presumptuous ps.


  5. Was the booing of Kamara racist, or was it because he is the player responsible for getting a Slavia player suspended for 10 matches and for bringing the good name of that club into disrepute? The player has always denied the accusation of making a racist remark to Kamara, the Czech sporting public would be aware of that, and the 10,000 young people inside the stadium weren’t necessarily Sparta fans.
    I know there has been a previous incidence of racist remarks there, but I thought the commentators’ repeated reference to the incident at Ibrox before and after Kamara’s dismissal last night and an attempt to justify his second yellow on the pressure of racist booing was cringeworthy.
    Maybe that’s because the whole furore at Ibrox resulted in Goldson escaping a straight red for the tackle that caused the ruckus and that still irritates me.
    Kick racism out of sport and everywhere else.


  6. To follow up my comments from this morning:

    If the booing of Kamara was racially motivated, why was there no audible booing when Bassey, Balogun, Aribo, Bacuna, Sakala, Tavernier & Morelos (sub) were on the ball? The booing was targeted at two players, Kamara & Roofe, both of whom were involved in unsavoury incidents during & post game in a match against Slavia Prague at Ibrox last year. I also accept that TRFC should do more to eradicate anti-Irish/anti-Catholic/racist behaviours within their own support, both home & away.

    I’m also aware why Frimpong was booed last night.

    Perhaps someone can explain why Shay Logan always got pelters when playing CFC (home & away) after his allegations against Tonev? Was that abuse from fans racially motivated or was there another reason?

    I note that Sparta Prague has issued a statement condemning TRFC’s allegations & that TRFC are contacting UEFA over the booing.


  7. I see from the BBC sports pages that the SFA and SPFL look like they might finally be catching up with most other developed leagues by introducing VAR.
    All I can say is that I hope our top class referees (with a sum total of zero representation at the recent Euros) sharpen up their act otherwise we could be in for more u-turns on the pitch than even the current UK government could manage!!!


  8. wokingcelt 1st October 2021 At 16:23
    If the VAR supervisors are drawn from the same (toxic, conflicted ) pool of referees , I don’t foresee much progress .


  9. VARy diplomatic there Paddy! Aye right!

    All the subtlety of a sledgehammer – but I agree.

    Plus la change etc?


  10. @PM @B67 – I think the difference will be in bringing to light the decision making process. In the old days you couldn’t complain unless (according to the late Jimmy Sanderson) “were you at the match caller?” And nothing changed anyway.
    I think all teams (well maybe 41/42) will benefit from the technology – perhaps Dundee Utd would have been awarded a penalty last weekend.
    Fundamentally for me it will hold our referees to account. Are they biased as a group – we could argue forever. Have they been good enough over the years – I don’t think so and VAR should call that out without fear or favour (no reason why we don’t share the facilities with the English FA to reduce costs and access world class VAR refs).
    Is that James Farry I hear turning in his grave…as I am sure we all know light is one of the best disinfectants.


  11. ‘The Scotsman’ this morning is bumming its load about its award winning ‘journalists’ , including a couple of their sports journalists.

    Personally, when I hear of ‘award-winning journalists’ I call to mind those journalists who have risked or suffered imprisonment or have been killed in the cause of telling the truth.

    Now, I find it hard to believe that any of our sports journalists really believes that TRFC is the Rangers of 1872.

    It follows that the winning of awards by any of them by writing well about a wholly false ‘sports’ scene – going with the flow of false nonsense rather than exposing it and calling for a restoration of sporting truth in football governance- is a somewhat less than praiseworthy achievement.

    Let any of the award winners go into print and explain, showing their evidence-based reasons, why they assert that TRFC is the RFC of 1872, a club which had to surrender its share in the SPL Ltd , and in consequence lost its membership of the SFA and its right to participate in Scottish professional football?

    Or why a football club newly created in 2012, freshly admitted into Scottish football at that time, is permitted to claim the history of a club that died in shameful debt to us all?


  12. Personally I am very pleased to see that VAR will most likely be getting introduced into Scottish football in a couple of years. I am sure we all have decisions in mind where it might have benefited our particular team, but in all honesty who wouldn’t want to make use of technology that 30 nations are already using? It seems England operate it differently to other nations which may have skewed the views of some people in Scotland, but if it is operated along the lines of how it is in UEFA competitions I see it as a real benefit. Apparently top flight clubs will be expected to contribute £60k per year each. I hope this is not prohibitive to some. I believe the Hearts CEO was speaking about it on Sportsound today, although I didn’t hear it.


  13. @UTH – I get that £60k as a pure cost might be difficult to swallow for some clubs. Call me a communist but I would top slice £720k (or whatever the actual cost is) off UEFA prize money to the teams that get given it for their participation to pay for VAR. If the various governing bodies were joined up UEFA could make it a pre-condition of entry to their competitions and the national bodies then make the obvious recovery from the beneficiaries.


  14. wokingcelt 2nd October 2021 At 21:07

    Your suggestion about UEFA prize money is a decent one in my view. However, as we now have five clubs outwith Celtic and Rangers who have commissioned their own review, and who also have people of significant wealth behind them, I doubt that £60k a year will be a show stopper.

    During my weekly Friday night catch up over several pints and whiskies last night we all agreed that VAR is not perfect, but it definitely gets far more right than wrong. What’s not to like!


  15. upthehoops 2nd October 2021 At 21:45
    ‘.. I doubt that £60k a year will be a show stopper.’
    %%%%%%%
    Andrew McKinlay of Hearts made the point this afternoon that a mistaken decision by a referee can cost your club relegation, or progress in a cup competition.

    I imagine ( as he does) that even the financially struggling clubs in the premier bit of the SPFL would find the money to buy into VAR.

    I don’t think I’ve heard McKinlay on radio before, but on this afternoon’s showing, I was very impressed, very, very impressed, at his live-on-air PR style.
    Other clubs, I think, could perhaps learn from him.
    Did anyone else hear him today?


  16. John Clark 2nd October 2021 At 22:40

    Didn’t Andrew McKinlay come from Scottish Rugby??? Now what other club had a CEO who was very successful with Scottish Rugby but who left in circumstances that were never fully explained?!!! I may be unfair here as I certainly don’t know any facts. As for McKinlay being impressive, Hearts in general have been so far this season, but there’s a long way to go.

    In terms of VAR and what it could mean for clubs it’s an absolute no-brainer in my view. Any club opposing it would struggle to put up a strong argument. Surely Referees too would want it, giving them the chance to correct wrong decisions that were not apparent at first glance, but which TV showed to be just plain wrong. I am actually very pleasantly surprised the SFA are pushing for it.


  17. upthehoops 2nd October 2021 At 23:05
    ‘..what other club had a CEO who was very successful with Scottish Rugby but who left in circumstances that were never fully explained?’
    %%%%%%%
    In an odd way, uth, you reinforce my point: the Dominic nonsense must rank high in the PR disasters of Scottish Football.
    You and I ask questions; and get nothing but crap answers, if we get any kind of response at all!
    Is there no one at Celtic Park with the wit and wisdom to find how to tell the truth in a way that is least damaging to the club?
    In my view, Celtic made a feckin hames of how they reported the standing down of McKay.
    There are people at Celtic Park who need their arses kicked.


  18. John Clark 2nd October 2021 At 23:30

    The trouble is though John that money talks. We will never know what happened, and the most likely reason is that DM would have left quietly with a significant financial settlement. There is of course speculation, but we will never know, and even if he left with a lot of money it still doesn’t mean he was absolutely in the right and the Celtic Board were absolutely in the wrong. Someone I know told me ‘for a fact’ what happened, but it was fourth hand information originally coming from someone who used to work in a decent position at Celtic, but has not been there for many, many years. In truth I get a bit fed up with it all. My club is not perfect, but neither are they the devil incarnate.


  19. Re VAR:

    I suspect that it’s the referees who are pushing for it & the SFA & SPFL are having to support it.

    It’s a lovely earner for officials; you need seven of them for each game (ref, 2x AR, 4th official & 3x VAR). There’s lots of games in the three UEFA competitions to be appointed to as well.

    If you like a 3 o’clock Saturday kick-off, then there will be far fewer of them, as VAR officials will likely have to do double-shifts to accomodate six Premiership fixtures over two or three days.


  20. I wonder. How brave will Stuart and Tam be on “off the ball’ in the next hour or so, speaking with the author of a book about the liquidated Third Lanark FC,
    a club that was run into the ground by its deceitful owner , liquidated, ceased to be a member of a league and lost its membership of the SFA?
    What a splendid opportunity to mention the ignominious death of RFC of 1872, and the extraordinary deceitfulness of the Scottish Football establishment in creating the myth that RFC of 1872 did not cease to exist.

    No, I don’t really wonder: there’s absolutely no one on the BBC with the guts and integrity to mention the truth about the corruption of Scottish Football any more than there is in the Scottish print media.


  21. John Clark 3rd October 2021 At 15:29

    Jim Spence was basically forced out of the BBC simply for stating that “some people believe it to be a new club”. Graham Spiers, once a regular on Sportsound, said he was “not prepared to have his intelligence insulted by people saying it’s the same club”. Spiers is never on Sportsound these days. Liquidation deniers only are allowed, and of course Tom English who bases it all on how a duck looks and walks!

    I remember saying to a friend in 2012 as various headlines appeared that liquidation meant the end, “no-one will be able to save them from that fact”. My friend replied “don’t be so sure…they will get to decide what they are and the authorities and media will not challenge it”. How right he was.


  22. upthehoops 3rd October 2021 At 21:08
    ‘…how right he was’
    %%%%%%%%%

    RIFC plc clearly implied in the ‘Summary’ section of its Prospectus for its IPO that it was the holding company of a football club which had a long history of sporting success, and not of a newly created football club.
    The Prospectus Rules today [ and I cannot imagine that in 2012 things were any different] say:
    ” The prospectus summary
    1.The prospectus shall include a summary that provides the key
    information that investors need in order to understand the nature
    and the risks of the issuer, the guarantor and the securities that are
    being offered or admitted to trading on a regulated market, and
    that is to be read together with the other parts of the prospectus to
    aid investors when considering whether to invest in such securities. …

    2.The content of the summary shall be accurate, fair and clear and
    shall not be misleading…”

    To my simple mind, implying that you are the holding company of Rangers of 1872 and not of what was Charles Green’s (and the SFA’s) Club12/Sevco5088/SevcoScotland is definitely misleading.

    And if I had the money to do so I would consider I had grounds for raising an action against the Nomad and the FCA for failing to spot what I consider to have been a misleading statement.
    And I would definitely ( if ,sadly, only metaphorically!) kick the arse of the then heid honcho of the FCA, (now the boss of the Bank of England) to whom I had written on the point, and whose staff mislaid my correspondence, and did not offer any explanation.
    If I am right (and no one has yet demonstrated that I am wrong and that RFC of 1872 was not liquidated and ceased to exist [just as Third Lanark did!]) then no wonder the constant reinforcement of the myth!
    Geez, when you think of the sweaty palms, the panic, of those who really need TRFC to be RFC of 1872!
    I would not want to be any one of them.
    May they lie uneasy in their beds now, and , in the fullness of time, in their rotting graves!


  23. So there’s this fans group, right, who we all hoped might call out the football authorities on their corruption, the Bryson Law etc…..and here’s their chairman (I think) choosing to write about the terrible implications of registration rules. So now HAS to be the time for him to tie in some mention of the face of the whole ‘ineligible but eligible’ shenanigans, right? We’ve waited so long and now here he is writing about the very subject we want them to challenge and………nope, they sh*te it again with the following article!

    OK I am biased.

    I can not but help being outraged and upset at the latest punishments being handed out by the SFA but last time I had a go at them about this, I believe it was in defence of Kilmarnock FC.

    And if you enter a competition, tick the box saying I have read the terms and conditions and you have not read them, then the fault if you fall foul of them is your own.

    I get that.

    But the ineligibility of players playing for various competitions is not universally agreed. In short, the rules appear to be different dependant upon which competition you are in. Lower league clubs with loan players can end up in a tangle over whether the player who is a Colt player from the Premiership B team is playing for them this week in the cup, can’t play for them in the other cup because their parent clubs says no or they have carte blanche to play for whoever they pay wages to in the vital fixture which could net some serious cash for their club.

    And Lower League clubs tend to be run by people inadequately paid or in voluntary positions.

    Then there is the, “you are not allowed to play for more than so many clubs in a season” rule. What’s that about?

    I shall tell you, what I think.

    Not for the first time, clubs who fall foul of the rules, and who bleat about them publicly, are mercilessly silent on change. They tend to shout out loud as my hometown club, Ayr United did when they got chucked out the cup against Rangers Colts because they fielded two ineligible players. It was an administrative breach – an “inadvertent error”. The cost? Out the cup. Rangers B get a 3-0 win and into the next round. Already flying high in the Lowland League, the Colt side look to be getting an opportunity to show their progress in the SPFL Trust Trophy where they could face teams the league below their first team.

    It’s a great reward for winning the war of paperwork.

    Both ineligible players entered the field of play for a short period of time and for that the punishment is the same as if they had been on from the start, scored all the goals in the game and taken their top off to celebrate whilst running into the crowds and causing a dangerous surge is slightly difficult to comprehend .

    Is there a more serious breach of the rules where they get fined, docked points in their league and made to sit on the naughty step?

    But in fairness to the SFA, these are rules endorsed by Ayr United.

    Each year there shall be a mechanism available to all clubs to change rules. Usually, it is called the Annual General Meeting. There you can table amendments to things and try to gain support from your fellow members and force the hand of the administrators to play fair.

    When did that last happen?

    When was the last time that somebody made a proposal, and it ended in change?

    Maybe they voted, changed their mind because the vote never got through and then decided that the status quo was just as good as the change they thought they supported… but didn’t.

    And so, if Ayr are serious, they should lead the charge.

    They should support the five clubs making the case for a review and actually having that review – welcomed by the SPFL – but seeking to widen and extend it to cover the daftness of the rules. The reality is that in a world where people are increasingly questioning their leisure time, looking for something to fill the opportunities that COVID has brought to our attention – fitba needs better press to encourage people with more opportunities to enjoy life safely and not be stuck back in the house.

    If any leisure activity needs to explain rules based on administrative procedures, they are at a disadvantage. Nobody is going to sit listening for long enough to hear the reasons and turn up the following week.

    It is just daft and as Ayr said in their statement,

    “Whilst the breach was in error, it was believed to be in spirit of the competition to give young players a chance. Ayr United accept the determination and will not appeal, even though it was believed that the punishment overwhelmed the crime.”

    What would be criminal is after winning something we lose those people attracted to watching our game because they fail to see the point…

    The Scottish Football Supporters Association – This is what they say “We are a voluntary organisation funded by donations from fans and other interested parties who believe that it is essential that the interests of the key stakeholders are represented and that football clubs and the football authorities are held accountable to those stakeholders.” This is what they do – waste my time and yours by turning a blind eye to the biggestg issues affecting Scottish football!


  24. nawlite 3rd October 2021 At 23:27
    ‘…funded by donations from fans and other interested parties’
    %%%%%%%%%
    Interested parties? What ‘interested parties’ and what are they interested in? Trying to shut down discussion of the Big Lie, accepting the Myth, and ‘moving on’?


  25. Nawlite .

    Excellent post .
    I was blissfully unaware of Ayr being awarded a 0-3 defeat by the authorities until a friend mentioned it to me on the 6th hole of my local golf club.
    The 6th isn’t a very difficult hole , just a short par 4 but I struggled to a double bogey after Sandy Bryson entered my thought process for the first time in a long while.
    The Honest Men I was golfing with weren’t aware that Sandy( or his employers ) had previous.

    I couldn’t get the word “imperfect “ from my mind.
    Just for a recap, I googled the meaning.

    The definition of imperfect is someone or something that has at least one fault or that is not fully formed or complete. A china dish with a small crack in it is an example of something that would be described as imperfect. A map of all of the homes in an area that is not completed is an example of an imperfect map.

    One fault or not fully complete !!!!

    Ten years worth but still no sanctions !!!

    Kangaroo court springs to mind.

    Compare and contrast with Ayr United.
    Justice ???
    Scottish fitba summed up , in one judgment.

    The farce continues.


  26. The SFA has failed to learn the lesson of obfuscated elegibility, so eloquently explained by Alexander Bryson (Jim Farry’s sidekick, lest we forget!) to the Nimmo Smith Commission.

    It appears that the onus of player eligibility is still left to clubs to fathom & the SFA is reactive to breaches. It should be proactive to potential wrongdoing.

    When a player’s registration status changes & is notified to the SFA, then the Registrations Department should advise the club that the player is eligible for certain competitions & not eligible for others. Mr. Bryson has been Head of Department for well over 20 years & should be an expert in his field. Who better to ensure clubs fulfil their obligations?


  27. f you haven’t already, you need to look at the BBC website’s video of Sportscene pundits discussing the Ryan Porteous red card. Not having seen the game, it was informative for me as it highlighted an off-the-ball foul on Porteous by Morelos, shown to suggest that was why Porteous was angry enough to then commit the red card tackle on Aribo.

    I’m not mentioning that to excuse Porteous or even to comment on whether it was a red card or not, but wanted to flag that in the clip Richard Forster describes Morelos’ kick at Porteous as “great play” if it riled him enough to get sent off. I know we have crap pundits, but that is a ridiculous comment for an ex-player to make imo.


  28. @nawlite – I also saw that last night and was surprised not so much with the pundit comments (sadly my expectations are not high for the discourse on Sportscene) but the failure of the ref to book Morelos – there was zero attempt to play the ball and it was a clear deliberate, cowardly foul made more dangerous by being an attack from behind (which the referee saw and gave).
    I have always been an advocate for referees having to explain their decisions afterwards. Nothing would act to deliver more consistent performances than the knowledge that you would have to explain your thinking. If someone can explain to me why Morelos should not have been booked for that foul it would be appreciated.


  29. I’ve been having some fun reading a long email from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists , about the ‘Pandora Papers’

    “IMPACT
    Governments vow investigations within hours of Pandora Papers revelations
    As the first wave of stories on a massive leak detailing the financial secrets of the global elite and enablers of a shadow economy is published, reactions roll in around the world.

    By Spencer Woodman and Brenda Medina
    Image: Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images
    October 4, 2021”
    There is mention of some of the names of folk in South America who over the years have been involved in ‘off-shore’ extra-legal business registrations and such like.

    I read this stuff in the hope of recognising the odd name here and there, although, of course, the names I’m thinking of are pretty small beer compared to the King of Jordan!
    The ICIJ are in the business of real investigative journalism, and individual journalists are putting themselves at some real risk from some serious bad guys with a lot to lose.

    There is little chance of any of our SMSM people ever being accepted by the ICIJ as having the moral courage required to report truth, since they have ducked out of reporting the truth in a relatively trivial matter of sport!


  30. nawlite 4th October 2021 At 15:47
    He might be an ex footballer , but he’s still turning out for us !


  31. paddy malarkey 4th October 21.39

    Reminds me of a story i heard regarding Mr Foster.

    Whilst out for a meal with his then girlfriend Amy McDonald they were approached by a Rangers fan who reassured him that despite a particularly bad run of form that he “isn’t the worst right back we’ve ever had”.

    “Cheers for that” said Ricky somewhat relieved.

    “Naw” came the reply “there was a guy called Jim Denny back in the 70s who was much worse”.

    Punter wanders off, Ricky, crestfallen looks at the ground whilst Miss McDonald collapses into hysterics.


  32. Letter on it’s way to SPFL from the USA

    4 October 2021
    Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive Officer
    The Scottish Professional Football League
    Hampden Park
    Glasgow G42 9DE
    Scotland
    Dear Mr. Doncaster:

    As a matter of introduction, my name is Larry Cafiero, and I am a football fan in the United States who has followed the Scottish Professional Football League since 2017 in my capacity as a supporter of one of its member clubs, Celtic FC. Insofar as my experience as a fan may be limited compared to others who may have followed the football in your league for much longer, allow me nonetheless to point out a situation that needs your immediate attention.
    Mr. Doncaster, you have a problem. While it’s true that we all have problems, yours affects tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands or even millions, of football fans worldwide. It’s a phenomenally huge problem that, if not addressed immediately, is certain to hemorrhage football fans outside Scotland – and possibly within Scotland as well – from following your league.
    No doubt you already know this: You cannot allow the inept level of officiating to continue in the SPFL. For the sake of argument, I will merely refer to the level of skewed officiating as inept; however many, both in Scotland and elsewhere, have made a very strong and compelling case for the officiating at Scotland’s highest level to be not so much inept as much as it is corrupt.
    Of course, ineptitude can include corruption, but you cannot be corrupt and inept at the same time, at least not successfully. But I digress.
    It was the great Jock Stein who said, “If you’re good enough, the referee doesn’t matter.” However, contextually speaking – and this is how I, and others, interpret this quote – Stein was referring to officiating that is fair and objective in its execution. It’s beyond crystal clear that you don’t have that in the SPFL this season, and for all intents and purposes, you didn’t have it last season either.
    The latest in the sky-high pile of “honest mistakes” was the red card on Hibernian’s Ryan Porteous on Sunday. Putting aside the fact that the challenge successfully separated the ball from the player in question, it bears noting that Ryan Porteous has only received two red cards in his SPFL career, both received from the same official, Nick Walsh, and both received in games where Hibernian played Rangers (source: Transfermrkt.com).
    This is just the tip of the iceberg. Can you, in all honesty, tell me with a straight face that this is a coincidence, one of hundreds this season and last? Would you really try to convince me, and thousands of other football fans, that this, and so many other calls made and not made, are really just “honest mistakes”?
    To list all the “honest mistakes” in Rangers’ favour this season and last would make this letter the size of the Oxford English Dictionary, so I’ll spare you. You’re welcome. But in the meantime, this situation has reached a tipping point where your league has lost most, possibly all, its officiating credibility. Needless to say, this does not reflect well on the SPFL, and its effect on casting Scottish football in a negative light spills over Scotland’s borders.
    In other words, it’s not a local problem for the SPFL. It’s global.
    Here’s my perspective, from 5,000 miles away: I have a larger than normal group of football-loving friends here in the United States with whom I converse, many on a daily basis, and the general consensus here on Scottish football is this: It’s corrupt, and in its corruption the SPFL is relegated to a backwater status in the eyes of many of my American contemporaries watching and following football abroad.
    Even recently, an acquaintance said to me in conversation about Scottish football: “It’s a joke. I’d rather watch the Allsvenskan.” And while admittedly this comes from a guy who my friends and I describe as a “Bundesliga snob” and while there is absolutely nothing wrong with Swedish football, I had nothing concrete to point to in order to counter his argument, because he is right: The SPFL, as it stands right now, cannot be taken seriously when only one club – a nine-year-old club at that – solely benefits from what appears on the surface to be a skewed officiating policy that consistently, and without fail, rules in their favour.
    The choice is yours: As the league’s chief executive, you can fix this and make Scottish football respectable again. Or you can do nothing and contribute to its continued atrophy. It’s a simple choice, and I know you’re smart enough to make the right choice.
    To be realistic, if I were a gambling man I would wager that this letter doesn’t make it past your secretary. Or your secretary’s secretary, for that matter. Regardless, while I don’t have the answers, I do have what I think may be the start of one.
    Let me suggest this: You may want to try employing FIFA/UEFA officials from outside Scotland to officiate SPFL games. See if that works in the way of restoring objectivity and, in the process, credibility.
    It goes without saying, but it bears repeating, that this credibility would foster respect, returning Scottish football to the status it once held — and a status it deserves — as one of Europe’s best; a justified respect for the Scottish game in both Scotland and beyond.
    Football fans of every SPFL club deserve the best football officiating the league can provide. Of course, that can be said for any league in any country. That’s not happening right now at Scotland’s top level.
    But it can be.
    It’s your move, sir.
    Sincerely,

    Larry Cafiero

    Author Larry Cafiero Posted on October 4,


  33. Haha, sorry Paddy Malarkey. I genuinely didn’t realise that.


  34. @bigboab1916 – your post certainly took me back. I wrote a not dissimilar letter to Jim Farry in the mid 1990s on the low standard of refereeing. My main thrust was that if our senior clubs were willing to buy and play foreign players, acknowledging that the talent pool was there to be exploited, why would the same principle not apply to referees. Scotland didn’t have a monopoly of great refs, the pool was too small and having more flexibility and allowing refs to officiate across national boundaries could only boost standards.
    The response I received from Jim Farry was unbelievably condescending, snearing and dismissive. I still regret misplacing that letter and if sent today would probably have gone “viral”. I like to take a little satisfaction from Fergus McCann having his day in court, proving corruption at the heart of Scottish football.


  35. bigboab 1916 4th October 22 ,25.

    was the red card on Hibernian’s Ryan Porteous on Sunday. Putting aside the fact that the challenge successfully separated the ball from the player in question
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

    In the words of a well known American sportsman “you cannot be serious”

    Both feet off the ground, out of control, excessive force, he has previous for this kind of challenge against Rangers players in the past.
    Coulibally, Morelos 2, Jack, Barasic and now Aribo.
    On each occasion he could have won the ball fairly but chose not to.
    Boy needs to take a good look at the way he conducts himself in these games.

    As for your list of “honest mistakes” that number hundreds this season and last, can you perhaps compile a list, as for every decision that goes in favour of Rangers i could give you one that goes in favour of Celtic. Any opinion on the Dundee Utd penalty appeal last Sunday at Parkhead for instance?

    Rangers fans believe referees favour Celtic
    Celtic fans believe referees favour Rangers
    All other fans believe referees favour Rangers & Celtic.


  36. nawlite 4th October 2021 At 15:47
    Not as sorry as some of the Firhill faithful !


  37. bigboab1916 4th October 2021 At 22:25
    ‘..Letter on it’s way to SPFL from the USA.’

    %%%%%%%%
    I will say only this: Regan had the self-preservation sense to jump. Doncaster persists in maintaining that everything in relation to the Big Lie is hunky-dory.

    They were both at the very heart of the myth creation, when resignation would have been the honourable thing to do when instructed by their respective Boards to create the lie that TRFC is Rangers of 1872.
    Those two have a lot to answer for, albeit as mere camp guards following orders from above.
    Like the ninety-something year old concentration camp guy recently convicted.
    A bad thing was done to Scottish Football, and that has to be acknowledged.


  38. Albertz11 4th October 2021 At 22:57
    0 0 Rate This

    bigboab 1916 4th October 22 ,25.

    was the red card on Hibernian’s Ryan Porteous on Sunday. Putting aside the fact that the challenge successfully separated the ball from the player in question
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

    In the words of a well known American sportsman “you cannot be serious”

    I’m not sure if you are defending Sevco or the referees Alby, but it matters not. The one thing every Scots football fan will agree on is the fact that our whistlers themselves are the root cause of any perceptions, by dint of getting so much wrong.
    The entire structure needs binned and sub-contracted to a non domestic agency as the current selection, vetting, and training process is not fit for purpose.
    I doubt you will find any resistance to such a move from the overwhelming majority of all fan-bases to such a suggestion, so why is it not happening?……..
    That is the only issue worth debating that will promote progress to a fairer game.
    Tying it to any partisan mind-sets is a hindrance and unhelpful. Deflection never is.
    I am a Celtic fan, and I say Aye !….Bin them……..Anybody else?


  39. Whether the Porteous tackle was a red card or not, is not the issue for me. What I do know is if the exact same tackle had been made by Goldson on a Hibs player, it would probably not even be a free kick, (he got the ball and Aribo fell over the sliding player). At the very worst it would have been a free kick for Hibs and a yellow card for Goldson.

    Brother Bobby Madden was an absolute disgrace on Sunday. All an Aberdeen player had to do was go to the ground when challenged, (fairly or not) and a free kick would be awarded. Celtic had 2/3rds possession and conceded 29 “fouls” or should that be falls. Aberdeen with 1/3rd possession conceded 10 free kicks.

    The “the” Rangers need the Champions League group stage place for next season, or it’s financial Armageddon again, like the disgraced original club. The fix is in and the “honest mistakes” will continue and in all probability, increase.

    As for Albertz predictable whatabouterry, immediately prior to the Dundee Utd claim for a penalty, there was an even more blatant foul on the Celtic defender. If we want consistency of refereeing, either both were fouls or neither were. What club’s player committed the foul or where the foul was should have no bearing on the decision.


  40. bigboab1916 4th October 2021 @ 22:25hrs –

    The SPFL have no (well, very little) say in the appointment of referees. That’s a function of the SFA. The standards & competence of whistlers is also within the SFA’s remit.

    https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish-fa/referees/referee-appointments/

    ‘REFEREE APPOINTMENTS FOR ALL ASSOCIATED LEAGUES ACROSS SCOTLAND

    The Scottish FA is responsible for appointing referees to matches in all senior competitions, Scottish Junior FA football and Scottish Women’s Football.’

    I’d be interested in finding out what makes Scotland’s referees appear so inept.

    Bias, unconscious or otherwise?

    The misplaced desire to satisfy SFA assessors to ensure regular, frequent access to £1k match fees?

    Hierarchical imperatives?

    Something else?
    ::
    ::
    We’ve just completed Round 8 of the Premiership. Here’s a list of referees who’ve officiated in those 48 matches (you can click through highlighted characters for further info):

    https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/scottish-premiership/schiedsrichter/wettbewerb/SC1/saison_id/2021/plus/1

    16 referees have handled a Premiership fixture.

    Bobby Madden is top of the list with 5 matches officiated, but only 6 different teams. He’s had Aberdeen x3, HoMFC x2, CFC x2, TRFC x1, StJFC x1 & DFC x1.

    Willie Collum has had 4 matches involving 8 different teams.

    John Beaton has had 4 matches involving 8 different teams.

    Kevin Clancy has had 4 matches involving 7 different teams (CFC x2).

    Don Robertson has had 4 matches involving 5 different teams (DUFC x3, RCFC x2, TRFC x1, CFC x1 & StJFC x1).

    Nick Walsh has had 4 matches involving 7 different teams (HFC x2).

    I’d expect that, this early in the season, no referee should have had multiple matches involving the same team or teams. There’s 30 odd top flight refs listed by the SFA. Some are obviously held in higher regard than others.

    BTW, Andrew Dallas appears not to have had a Premiership game allocated to him.

    You can look at the other match allocations on the link.


  41. CO & Norman.

    I am defending neither Rangers nor the referees CO. Two decisions go in Rangers favour and all hell breaks loose it seems. The fact that both decisions were correct seems inconsequential to certain people.

    Whether foreign referees would improve the standard is debateable as having spoken to fans from many different countries it would appear that their referees also seem to be either incompetent or corrupt depending on who you talk to.

    Norman. Lets be honest.

    You DONT know that had CG committed the tackle he would avoid a Red card
    You DONT know that Rangers need the CL monies.
    Your references to “Brother Madden” are childish and do you no credit. at all.

    Since Rangers return to the PL Bobby Madden has,

    Awarded 6 penalties to Celtic and 1 to Rangers
    Red carded 7 Rangers players and 3 Celtic
    Red carded 7 of Celtics opponents and 4 of Rangers.

    As for Nick Walsh would it surprise you to learn his football allegiances were to a team in Green and not Blue?.


  42. Corrupt official when you say “I’m not sure if you are defending Sevco or the referees Alby”, surely you are aware by now that Albertz11’s sole function on here is to react to anything anti-Rangers/TRFC with a whatabouttery type response. Not just me who knows this, as evidenced by NormanBates’ comment of “As for Albertz predictable whatabouterry…..” at 10.45. A11 is just too obvious.


  43. Someone on Twitter is claiming Rangers have submitted the 2021 financial year end accounts

    *Preliminary £31,682,536 in losses.
    *Short term liability £16,533,348.
    *Long term liability £15,554,544.

    Short term liability includes HMRC.

    We will wait and see, however the case for financial fair play in Scotland has never been clearer in my view.


  44. On the subject of Referees I have absolutely no idea whether any of them act out of deliberate bias. I would certainly hope not.

    However, what I do know is that a couple of years back a Sportsound Presenter put it to a former Grade 1 Referee that many people, at least many Celtic fans, think the vast majority of the Referees support Rangers. To my astonishment the ex-Ref concurred that was indeed the case and always had been during his time, although he himself admitted to being a Celtic fan.

    How anyone, anywhere can think such a situation is healthy is beyond me. Firstly, current diversity and inclusion laws are there to ensure that certain groups are not always favoured to the exclusion of others, yet none of this applies to Refereeing appointments. Secondly, who within the SFA ensures this disparity and why? Do they think people from that background are more reliable and honest? Whatever it is it gives a perception of bias whether or not any actually exists. Other nations demand a declaration of interest from their Referees, then ensure there is no conflict of interest by not giving them games involving their team. Why is it only in Scotland that this is deemed as unnecessary? It has to stop.


  45. CO and nawlite

    With tongue in cheek (??????) …

    When Albertz11 was masquerading (? )as some sort of reasonablechap (who, incidentally, has disappeared I believe, since the aforementioned first posted) I, being fair minded myself, reckoned that he displayed all the characteristics of someone with an adult form of argumentative personality disorder. Different user name – basically the same condition.

    As a reminder, this can be displayed in various behavioural ways but, in the context of SFM blog input , it manifests itself in the entrenched WATP entitlement mentality (users on here need no reminding of the ‘principles’ of this). This is critical to our understanding of what makes him ‘tick’.

    The trigger for his ‘guard old Derry’s walls’ whataboutery is for any poster to dare adversely criticise the Divine Right of Sevco.

    In some cases (e.g. this one), no amount of reasoning, understanding, tolerance, cajoling etc seems to work in the treatment of this ingrained and deep rooted ‘malaise’. Posters on here often try this approach – but it never seems to work.

    The condition may not be terminal (dum spiro spero?) though I doubt it.

    In short, yir stuck wi’ him for the foreseeable …


  46. Regarding the apparent refereeing bias towards Rangers.

    Since returning to the Premier League in 16/17.

    All domestic games.

    Red cards – Rangers 22 Celtic 13.
    Yellow cards – Rangers 356 Celtic 268.
    Penalties for – Rangers 47 Celtic 50.
    Penalties against – Rangers 24 Celtic 22.


  47. upthehoops 5th October 2021 At 14:34

    ‘Someone on Twitter is claiming Rangers have submitted the 2021 financial year end accounts’
    %%%%%%%%
    Nothing on the Companies House website yet.
    Perhaps the return to CH has only just been made, which would suggest that the tweeter is an insider with access?
    The figures cited would probably be near enough the mark to be a real source of anxiety.
    And perhaps HMRC will have RIFC plc flagged for helpful early reminders to be issued?


  48. I would ignore the rumoured losses until they have been verified officially , I asked the individual directly where the figures came from and there was no reply . He also stated they still owed Close when it clearly states on companies house their charge(s) have been satisfied.
    File under wishful thinking until proven otherwise.


  49. I guess we will learn soon enough if TRFC have filed their accounts and what these show. I thought that SGs celebration on the pitch on Sunday was a little OTT and his explanation that the players and fans “will need each other” in the months ahead (BBC website) was a little cryptic. Is he alluding to hard times to come?


  50. @A11 – thank you for making the case for the prosecution. Presumably with such a tape of errors/bias you would agree that the standard of refereeing in Scotland is not fit for purpose? And certainly not aligned with any campaign to market the SFPL as the “best small league in the world”.
    However your comment with regard to foreign referees is not borne out by either common practice nor current ratings. There is a reason why international fixtures have referees from neutral countries appointed. And remind me how many Scottish officials were at the recent Euros?


  51. Quick fact check for those with selective amnesia …

    Any reference to Rangers, in the context of it RETURNING to Scottish football’s top tier, is to a non-existent club.

    TRFC/Sevco could not possibly have rejoined something they had never previously been part of, and therefore, any claim to them ‘returning to the Premier League in 16/17’ is, how do you say it JC (?) – a BIG LIE!

    Daft intit?


  52. Jingso.Jimsie 5th October 2021 At 11:48
    ‘…I’d be interested in finding out what makes Scotland’s referees appear so inept.’
    %%%%%%%
    I idly wonder whether there is in other footballing countries anything like the same level of discontent with the standard of refereeing as there is here in Scotland?

    I also wonder whether the SFA would be prepared to give us some facts and figures about
    a) the number of applicants there are at any given time, in the 12 referee associations ,
    b) the number of school pupils at any given time who apply for the refereeing SQA
    c) what percentage of persons who take the refereeing course fail to complete it,
    d) what percentage of examinees succeed but subsequently drop out?

    I assume that ‘data’ of that type is routinely collected and analysed?

    Perhaps it’s time for a more public sharing of the problems with recruitment, training, retention, and motivation of would-be referees?
    (And I should maybe add that my sweeping assertions about Scottish Football governance and the creation of the Big Lie are not directly related to the refereeing function or referees in general..)


  53. bect67 5th October 2021 At 22:43
    ‘.. how do you say it JC (?) – a BIG LIE!’
    %%%%%%%
    Yes, indeed, bect67.

    And for fun’s sake, I fired off an email today to ‘transfermarket’ asking why they showed ‘Rangers’ as having won 55 league championships, since The Rangers Football Club was admitted into Scottish Professional Football only in 2012 and could not possibly have won 55 titles!
    Ignorant or ill-willed , they need to be told the truth, and the fact that they bought into the myth shows them up as being apt to get things wrong, and perhaps undermines their credibility as any kind of ‘authority’ in matters of football.

    Bad cess to them and may their every venture fail as being propagandists of untruth!


  54. Albertz11 5th October 2021 At 12:13
    ‘..Norman. Lets be honest………You DONT know that Rangers need the CL monies’
    %%%%%%%%%
    It’s not for me to speak for ‘Norman’, Albertz11.

    But OF COURSE TRFC needs the kind of money that success in Europe can bring!

    Financially they can hardly wash their face and are hanging on desperately.

    They have no meaningful borrowing facilities, except to tap into their directors for loans, or make further share issues to try to raise a few bob.

    And I’ll warrant there is another Craig Green or Charles Whyte out there right now waiting for the opportune moment when Administration strikes and Liquidation follows,

    ..knowing that the new club THEY create will be happily and rejoicefully accepted by Scottish Football governance as being the Rangers of 1872!


  55. While its interesting to see the various comments on Scottish referees and what can be done to improve it, a more interesting research project would be on the woeful record of Scottish clubs in European competitions. If memory serves right this year, like other recent years, has not been a banner year. Rangers losing to 10 men teams twice, Celtic battered by a German team, while Aberdeen, Hibs and others flounder. Time to get back to the grassroots and find solutions, otherwise, Scottish club football will be fodder for the other nations.
    What will Abertz11 have to say when the actual Rangers financials come out. He seems to be the only one who believes things are all roses in the financial garden.


  56. vernallen 6th October 01.26

    What will Abertz11 have to say when the actual Rangers financials come out. He seems to be the only one who believes things are all roses in the financial garden.
    …………………………………………………………………………………………..

    Where have i said that?

    In truth i expect the Rangers financials to reveal massive losses.

    I have previously commented that we are fortunate to have a loyal group of investors who to date have been willing to step up and make up any shortfall.

    This of course is not sustainable in the long term.


  57. JC 6th October 00.02

    Like Norman you don’t know whether Rangers needs CL monies.

    Would they prefer to have access to it- Yes. Is it a necessity?, neither you,i nor norman can state with any accuracy that it is.


  58. ‘Albertz11 5th October 2021 At 17:08

    Regarding the apparent refereeing bias towards Rangers.

    Since returning to the Premier League in 16/17.

    All domestic games.

    Red cards – Rangers 22 Celtic 13.
    Yellow cards – Rangers 356 Celtic 268…’
    ::
    ::
    I don’t think those statistics prove anything.

    In the matter of red & yellow cards, it’s not the number awarded (& recorded) that raises eyebrows, it’s the number that are apparent ‘stick-ons’ that aren’t given.

    Referees aren’t consistent. They’re loath to book players early in a game, even though their conduct should be sanctioned under the Laws. They’re loath to give a second booking to players late in a game, leading to a red card & suspension. That skews any analysis of numbers awarded.
    ::
    ::
    On a moderation point: if Albertz11’s posts are being put in purdah, would it be possible to have them posted immediately after the last post when they are released, rather than included in the thread at the time they were submitted? I’m sure most miss some of his postings as they are appearing out of sequence. Thanks.


  59. How long is a “long term” Alby?…..It’s been ten years of historical losses already. For e.g that would be a pretty long jail sentence, but no so long if one was a giant tortoise.
    Does “loyal”, mean until bankrupt, or, Enough left in the bank to retire to a modest French chateau?
    Long term, , is really just a sound-bite, and the only truism that can be taken from it is, it is not eternal, and gets shorter with each passing day.
    I once knew a club that tried to live like that………..Wonder what happened to them.


  60. Albertz,

    Of course I don’t know for certain whether Goldson would have “got-away” with the Porteous tackle. However, 50 years of watching refereeing bias in favour of Rangers, (not by all refs) leads me to believe he would have.

    Especially when the referee concerned coaches the Rangers youth players as part of his day job!!!


  61. RFC 2012 has been awarded £3,404,500 plus interest against the administrators for underselling the business and assets.

    https://scotcourts.gov.uk/docs/default-source/cos-general-docs/pdf-docs-for-opinions/2021csoh994db16e7faaf44562b70dd717109201c0.pdf?sfvrsn=b8f1694d_1

    Summary and disposal
    [253] For all of the foregoing reasons, I hold that the noters are entitled, in terms of
    paragraph 75 of Schedule B1, to an order that the respondents contribute the following sum
    to the company’s property by way of compensation for breach of duty:
    Loss of chance of sale of marketable players £977,500
    Loss of chance of sale of Steven Naismith £827,000
    Loss of chance of lease and sale of Ibrox Stadium £750,000
    Loss of chance of sale of Murray Park £850,000
    Total £3,404,500
    [254] I would intend to award interest on this sum at the rate of 4% per annum from
    6 February 2017.
    [255] Before pronouncing an interlocutor I shall put the case out by order in case parties wish to address me on any matters (arithmetic or otherwise) arising from this opinion. I am grateful to all counsel for their very thorough and helpful presentation of their respective cases.


  62. @normanbatesmumfc – being somewhat remote I am both intrigued abs astonished by comment re ref coaching youth player as part of day job. Can you please elaborate? Many thanks.


  63. Lurkio 6th October 2021 At 12:54
    ‘..RFC 2012 has been awarded £3,404,500 plus interest’

    %%%%%%%%%
    Thanks for posting that link, Lurkio.
    I take this from the judgment, from last line of para 30 and the last three lines of Para 31

    [30] ………………..Sevco Scotland Limited subsequently changed its name to The
    Rangers Football Club Limited.
    [31] After the sale of the business and assets, a number of players declined to transfer to
    Sevco and instead registered with other clubs, in England and elsewhere. Sevco sought to
    argue that it retained the players’ registrations and was entitled to transfer fees. Certain
    clubs made payments to Sevco to avoid litigation, including Southampton (for Steven Davis)
    and Coventry (for John Fleck). No transfer fee for any of the players was payable to the
    company. On 4 July 2012, the SPL member clubs voted to refuse to allow Rangers’ SPL share
    to be transferred to Sevco. The club was accepted instead into the third division of the
    Scottish Football League for the season 2012-13!”

    That is, there was no transfer of an existing right to be in Scottish Football. TRFC was admitted as a new football club, while the old club died , and its sporting history and achievements died with it, as James Traynor so graphically described at the time.

    It really is time for the SFA to confess its lies, and restore truth and sporting reality and integrity in Scottish Football.

    On the actual judgment, I had hoped that BDO would have been awarded a greater sum. But perhaps the low amount awarded will make it not worth their while to appeal?

    Well done BDO!


  64. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/19628910.judge-finds-ex-rangers-administrators-duty-breach-club-collapse-saying-ibrox-sale/
    ……………………………..
    A SENIOR judge has ordered administrators of Rangers to pay £3.4m in compensation over “breach of duty” after deciding that Ibrox and Murray Park should have been put up for sale after the club collapsed.

    Lord Tyre has made a judgement after former club administrators Paul Clark and David Whitehouse of Duff and Phelps were accused in court of a seriously flawed strategy in raising money for thousands left out of pocket by the club’s financial implosion in 2012.
    …………….
    https://scotcourts.gov.uk/docs/default-source/cos-general-docs/pdf-docs-for-opinions/2021csoh994db16e7faaf44562b70dd717109201c0.pdf?sfvrsn=b8f1694d_1


  65. Is there any other football club* in the World that is named after the year they were liquidated?
    RFC 2012 (part of the great deception)


  66. Lurkio 6th October 2021 At 12:54

    ‘..RFC 2012 has been awarded £3,404,500 plus interest’

    +++++++++++

    So that is all the stadium and training ground were undervalued by…LOL!. Good Lord! How much did Charles Green have them valued at as soon as he took over? Not that I am surprised.

    Thank God my club has never cheated the taxpayer in this way while laughing in their face. How can ANY Rangers fan think this is ok…seriously?


  67. UTH …

    …because some delusional ‘we are the people’, in perennial ‘righteous’ denial, would, incredibly to the sane mind, see this as a victory for Rangers FC (1872-1912) ?


  68. In my post of 18:05 this evening I didn’t make it clear that it was D&P I was referring to when I said the small amount of damages might make it not worth while for D&P to appeal, not BDO!
    [I can’t see BDO appealing, because so much of the ‘valuation’ is anyone’s guess, and Lord Tyre’s guess is, I suppose, as good as anyone’s! And they made the most important point-the Administration was a bit of a dog’s breakfast by any standard]

    I wonder whether the firm will ‘do’ Clark and Whitehouse ?
    Not they’ll care, multi-millionaires that they are! -thanks to the general farce made of the conspiracy case made against the purchasers of SDM’s ‘Rangers’.


  69. @bect67 – and it wouldn’t surprise me to see comment in the SMM that this victory will boost SGs spending power in the January transfer window! ?

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