Three Shakes … and a Twist

Guest Post by James Forrest
Those who like to read the techno-thrillers of Tom Clancy will remember well the scene in The Sum of all Fears, when the nuclear bomb explodes in Denver, outside the stadium where the Super Bowl is being played. Clancy handles the moment in two very distinct chapters. The second is a vivid and frightening examination of the explosion’s terrible effects as they are felt, firstly in Denver and then experienced around the world.

Before that, he devotes an entire chapter to the mechanics of the explosion itself. Chapters like this are either what attract readers to Clancy in the first place or turn them off entirely. It is technical, it is complex, and the layman who reads it and fully understands it is indeed a massive geek. Of all the times he has loaded the reader with technical detail, this is probably when he risked most in terms of keeping you interested in the story. Yet it works. The chapter is not long, but nor is it short. And the events in it span not seconds but fractions of a second

It was in that chapter I first learned the term “shake”, so named for the old aphorism “a shake of a lamb’s tail”. A “shake” is a term used in nuclear physics. It represents ten nanoseconds. To grasp fully the size of that, consider that there are a billion nanoseconds in a second. The chemical process involved in a nuclear detonation involves a number of “shakes”, with a chain reaction usually completed in 50.

Clancy’s decision to devote an entire chapter of the book to a few nanoseconds came back to me over and over again during the weeks and months of the Rangers crisis. It became clear to me that, drawn out though the events following administration were, what we were seeing was not the effect of the explosion but the explosion itself. Those months were our nanoseconds. Every day, every revelation, every moment we thought was a separate event, was merely a peek inside the bomb case, at the chemical process of a chain reaction.

I would say the chain reaction was completed on the day HMRC announced they were refusing the CVA proposal. That was the detonation. It’s only now we’re witnessing the explosion, and its effects, and in my view we are still a long way from the end of that process. We have had the initial double flash thermal pulse and we’ve seen some EMP effects, but the real damage is still to come. The shock wave and the fireball have yet to spread, and their cumulative effects could yet annihilate Ibrox and extend as far as Hampden.

Am I making claims of “financial Armageddon”? No, I’m not. I never believed the collapse of Rangers would devastate Scottish football. I thought then, and now, that it was scaremongering nonsense to even suggest it. It didn’t matter to me whether the authorities were spreading those stories because of a deep-seated love of the Ibrox club, or because they had bonuses at stake, or out of their own internal, personal weaknesses. Those stories were inconsistent, based on worst case scenarios which were never likely to materialise, and insulting. The notion that the game in this country amounts to no more than one or two teams is offensive.

I love football. I always have. I’m a Celtic supporter, but my interests in the game extend far beyond my own club. At its best, football is a tremendous unifier of people, from those wonderful stories about Christmas Day in the trenches of World War I to the matches organised every year between Palestinian and Israeli children. The game has the potential for tremendous good. I am proud that my own club’s supporters have honoured the dead of Hillsborough and Ibrox. I am proud they unfurled a banner to the Benfica player Miklos Feher, and invaded Seville and showed that city how to party. I am proud of every moment when the supporters of a club applauded an injured player, or staged a silence to honour an official or competitor at another team. Although there are some who would use this sport in a divisive way, who would hijack it for their own ends, I believe this game can still be an inspiration, and find the best in all of us.

I think what happened during this summer, as the fans of every club in the land made their voices heard, was one of the greatest moments in Scottish football’s recent history. I believe it will have an impact far beyond one season. I think it was special.

My concern, as I’ve said, is that the appalling effects of the detonation at Ibrox are still to be fully realised. I am worried about the impact they could yet have on all of us.

Let me be quite specific about the two things that worry me most. They are to do with the decision to grant Sevco/Rangers a license to play in the Scottish Football League this year.

First, I believe the license was granted without sufficient guarantees being given by Charles Green and others that they would respect the decisions taken by the independent judiciary panel of the SPL in relation to EBTs, and secondly, I am concerned that not enough is known about Green and his financial backers, or plans for Rangers, for the authorities to be satisfied that the club is in good financial health. I don’t believe for one second anyone can allay my fears in these two areas. It is obvious to all that due diligence has not been done, and the entire situation at Rangers/Sevco is still shrouded in doubt, and that anything may yet happen.

The independent panel investigating dual contracts is going to have to make the most momentous decision in the history of the game in the UK. I do not believe what Rangers are accused of has any precedent. We are talking about a decade or more in which the results of every single match might be in doubt. Every single game. The rules were not written to envision such an appalling breach of faith. It would seem almost inevitable that stripping of titles will be the smallest of Charles Green and Ally McCoist’s concerns if this verdict goes against them.

Frankly, I don’t see an alternative to suspending Rangers membership of football in this country for at least two years, with points deductions and monetary fines to follow when the suspension period is done. This is not harsh; in fact it falls far short of the maximum penalty, which is expulsion from the game altogether, and as it is the authorities are going to have to do a damned good job of setting out the reasons why that ultimate sanction is not applied. It will not be enough to say it would damage the game in Scotland to wipe the club away. To allow a decade of malfeasance to pass without that ultimate sanction would create the perception that Rangers is above the law, and I cannot think of anything that would do the game more harm than for any club to be considered too big, or too important, to be subject to the regulations.

With their money on the table, I don’t see any way Charles Green and his cohorts will accept the judgement of the independent panel if it has an impact on their plans to recoup their investments. With the way he’s rallied the Rangers fans behind him recently, by essentially talking about a conspiracy against them, I don’t see how he convinces them to accept sanctions, even if he personally was inclined to do so. He has painted himself into a corner where now, if he wants his money at all, he has to fight, and keep on fighting. Without the written guarantee that the club would accept whatever the panel decides, without recourse to the law, I will be shocked if this matter doesn’t end up in the courts somewhere down the line, because I don’t think for one second he signed up to that particular demand.

I think the SFA backed down on this, the most fundamental matter of them all.

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

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

At an early stage in the Rangers crisis, a couple of people told me they thought the club would not play football for at least a year. I told them of all the possible scenarios that was the most unlikely, because I honestly could see no way back for them once they had gone. There is no precedent I am aware of, anywhere, for a football club taking a “year out” only to return. Certainly, in the context of the Scottish game I didn’t see how it could be done without creating one almighty shambles, or by bending the rules until the elastic snapped.

Yet I’ve since become convinced that it was the correct course of action. The club calling itself Rangers FC is still in a state of flux. The issues still surrounding it are enormous and potentially devastating. There are any number of ways in which the entire edifice could utterly collapse. The liquidators and HMRC could yet challenge the takeover, or the coming share issue. Craig Whyte may yet emerge and take a claim to the courts. The share issue itself could be an utter failure, leaving the club unable to meet annual running costs. All of this, even without the vast effects of the EBT case, which has the potential to wash the whole club away.

Had Rangers been out of the game for a year, these issues could have been properly explored, dealt with and put behind them, and the game as whole.

Of course, it’s just possible that the worst is over. It’s possible that this particular nuclear detonation, like the one is The Sum of All Fears, is an enormous “fizzle”, that the appalling destruction unleashed will not be on the thermonuclear level which could obliterate our hopes of a fresh start, of forward motion for the whole game. It might be that everything at Ibrox is hunky-dory, that this, all I’ve written, is the product of a febrile imagination, on the same level as the financial Armageddon nonsense we spent the summer hearing about.

It may well be, but only if the people who’ve been right all along have suddenly gotten it wrong. The evidence all points to something big, and bad, coming this way.

The smart folks will be hunkering down in their shelters for a while yet.

James is a co-editor of the Famous Tartan Army Magazine, latest issue out 17th October (digital, and free), featuring women’s football

http://en.calameo.com/read/001382993b7dff7feed1b

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Tom Byrne

About Trisidium

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

2,174 thoughts on “Three Shakes … and a Twist


  1. The sewage sludge boats were affectionately known as the ‘shite boats’ around Partick when I was a a youth–I remember them with their buckets, chains, pulleys–and whatever other contraption–all aboard a wee-medium sized vessel. The peculiar name was given due to the stench that seemed to accompany the boat as it chugged down river…it generally stank out the areas of Partick (and presumably various other districts) nearest to the Clyde whenever Captain Jobby was sailing nearby…you really could tell…

    I never heard of those particular boats reffered to as banana-boats however – but that’s not to say ‘banana boats’ is a previously used term…i just always figured ‘banana boat’ refered to something quite different–and not exactly very p.c. either–

    Anyways–hope any of it is of help–perhaps it’s a question we should ask Charles Green. I’m sure Charlie has a (bewildering) explanation for it all? Maybe the smell is from Charlie?? The more exposure he gets – the greater his reputation for being a complete idiot is established – this isn’t restricted to Glasgow rivalry – Charlie’s the laughing stock of the entire Scottish football community – and is gaining a repuation in England too – but the man is simply outstanding bad PR for an org that has just been outed for a staggering 10 year corruption and cheating scam, reincarnated and became one of those ‘watchdog’ type companies – usually a double-glazing firm, they rip-everyone off, are rotten at what they do, eventually go bust – owing a fortune and leaving a disaster behind – then 2 weeks later – hey presto! A different name but same outfit.

    If Charlie and his glib associates (and they really are the real McCoy of glib) are the best that 140 year old ‘institution’ can muster in their ‘time of need’ then things really are rock-bottom and the Cardigan et-al know fine well Charlie And His Chocolate Factory is the only show in town and a scam-of-sorts was the only way of ensuring something continued to play at Ibrox (including the p.a flute music) and Charlie must be banking on the support being the only mugs in existence that would part with (at least) £500 for a stake in a dodgy fly-by-night company that is owned by another dodgy fly-by-night comapny that may, or may not, be in a position to rent/lease the stadium etc – sold to them by a complete and utter liar, an idiot not to mention a charlatan of the highest order of glibdom…what happened to Charlies coat btw??

    I didn’t think, even with the N.I. visits etc, that Charlie would get more than about 6-7 m from the hoardes – and that was before Our Hero’s antics of recent – surely even they cannot be as stupid as to hand over hundereds of pounds, especially now?!

    The MSM are still, amazingly, giving Charlie’s scheme tacit approval – and the hard sell in some cases – yep, Charlie really is the only show in town – and Traynor and Co know it too!

    Deluded fools, the lot of them.


  2. I recall CW stating recently that it was he that introduced CG to the administrators. Did the GEF ever give an idea of the timeline of these events?

    Today we have Mr Charles on talksport bleating that he wasnt getting paid since february and on a previous occasion he mentioned having view of the rangers accounts in the early days of administration. It raises the question why were D&P expecting the BK’s, Bill Ng and the american trucking tycoon to cough up a sizeable amount of dough to have a peek at the books and become preferred bidder.

    Were the other bidders all part of the scam to dump all Rangers debt or were they genuine interested parties? I still can’t believe no journo or paper has challenged CG on his early involvement and possible COI.


  3. Charles has actually added to the list of reasons Rangers are a considered a new club by Scottish football.

    Needed to get a registration transferred to them as they didn’t have one

    Needed to apply for a place in the SFL

    Not seeded in the Scottish Cup, which a team in the SPL the previous year is.

    Not paid the money Rangers “earned” the previous year as it wasn’t theirs.


  4. PoliticalCeltictweet @edwardrice1 24m
    @originalchazz Don’t know the date but senior staff at MIH are
    bricking it as they have been informed HMRC can persue
    individuals

    PoliticalCeltictweet @edwardrice1 19m
    @Wheresyerfridge Imminent, but some staff at MIH are
    openly talking about findings saying judgement is devastating
    for Murray


  5. Oh I wish these folk on Twitter who apparently know what’s up with the FTT would just tell us all and blow the whole thing wide open! lol >:(

    I’ve tried my earthly best to show the patience of a Jedi but alas the closer we get to the day of Hector’s judgement the more I slide towards the Dark Side!

    I thought justice was meant to be swift?


  6. obonfanti88 (@obonfanti88) says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 22:17

    Bang on surely if anonymous just dish it out and let the fun begin. I actually hope Mr Murray is holed up bricking it, like I holed up after there cheated title wins. Sweet sweet Karma ooh the joys. Once the dominoes start to tumble damn Im going to love it.


  7. goosygoosy says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 21:21

    It’s my understanding that Octopus create a load of companies called Ticketus (XXX). That makes it easier to finalise the whole thing when the company has run for long enough to enable the tax benefits to be permanent, or some other such chicanery. I even heard that they set up a new one for each deal, but I don’t know if that is the case.


  8. Lord Wobbly says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 22:01

    I have said on several occasions that if the circumstances are right then HMRC can and will chase individuals in order to get their money from those individuals assets particularly if the company which owes them tax doesn’t have any. HMRC have become much keener on that in recent years as the pressure is on to recover funds. I also wouldn’t exclude criminal proceedings. As we know COPFS have instructed Strathclyde Police to look into matters.

    Oh and remember our friend Mr Cohen.

    “Malcolm leads the firms’ Contentious Insolvency Team, this team is dedicated to recovering assets through litigation, cross border investigations and uncovering fraud.”


  9. Agrajag says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 22:48

    Weird question Adrajag but ive had the scorn of all on here when I suggested the tories seem to have a more hardline policy of chasing undue tax up since they came into power. I know the old lot (dare i mention the devils name) were dodgers themselves but are the (NEW) Tories different?


  10. WRT banana boats. Not sure if the Shieldhall still plies its trade (sludge boat) on the Clyde, but some years ago I worked for a well known engineering firm in Govan and we supplied spares for the vessel. It came time for me to make a visit and the boss told me that despite its cargo, the ship was spotless. I was told, and I quote, ‘you could eat yer dinner aff the deck’. Didn’t take him up on the offer!!


  11. I do not know when the news will be released publicly, and I do not know the exact outcome yet either. However, this is unfolding as we would expect. The amount that went through EBTs for MIH companies (obviously excluding Rangers) is just about £11m. This includes over £6m for David Murray himself.

    The MIH exposure is obviously not huge then. The next biggest beneficiary who is not a Rangers employee received less than £800k.

    The company (various subsidiaries) will be responsible for paying the tax bills in the first instance. As MIH is still going, it will be Lloyds that will effectively pick up most of the MIH bill.
    As Rangers have no means of covering bills, it is quite possible for HMRC to go after individuals- including players.

    If MIH have a significant liability it will be clear that the panel agrees with HMRC that the entire Murray usage of the scheme was a sham. By this I mean that a significant MIH bill would mean that the panel was not requiring evidence of a contractual basis on an individual transaction basis. Under these conditions, Rangers’ bill would be large. Very large. Of course, we do not know this to be the case yet.

    The other biggest factor in determining the bill is whether the FTT contributions are considered net of tax or gross of tax. To explain in detail, Rangers contributed about £49m to staff through EBTs. If this is considered before tax, then the bill would be at most £24.5m (before interest). If considered after tax, the bill would be as high as £49m (before interest).

    Justice would require a bill approaching £49m as this was the economic benefit obtained from using the scheme. (If they had paid tax, they would have had to find an extra £49m). However, on some legal technicalities, it is quite possible (even likely) that the payments will be ruled to be pre-tax i.e. we just take roughly half of the amount as the tax bill.

    Interest is likely to roughly double the amount of the underpayment. So we can expect to see bills of anywhere from £16-49m plus that again in interest. Any result in this range would be conclusive proof that Rangers were engaged in cheating on a huge scale.


  12. I should clarify the above post- that it is not normally necessary to have proof of every transaction being contractual in nature. If the weight of the evidence builds, then entire usage of a scheme by a company can be deemed to be a sham and all transactions held to be taxable. Will that happen here? I think there is a very good chance it will.


  13. Rangerstaxcase says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 23:06
    ‘..Any result in this range would be conclusive proof that Rangers were engaged in cheating on a huge scale.,’

    Nice one.


  14. Lord Wobbly says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 22:49
    ”.R u still with us StevieBC?’

    I did tell him, my Lord, not to stand too close to the windows!


  15. rangerstaxcase says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 23:06

    I have always thought that they would take the full amount paid into the players’ sub trusts as being inclusive of tax. However it surely depends on the agreement the player had with the club. If that said the player would get £X after tax, then surely that means it should be calculated as the tax on that amount, rather than that amount already including the tax. I believe they call that “netto” in football nowadays.

    I am sure the decision itself will go into the details of how that calculation was made, by HMRC, and whether the tribunal panel agreed it.


  16. RTC.

    Is there any others who should be worried, like presedential types for example, or is the criticism reserved for the temporary knight.

    Welcome back, any updates on the book.


  17. Yes RTC I have sent a letter to Santa asking for your book, but he needs to know when it will be in print.


  18. rangerstaxcase says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 23:06
    (edit) As MIH is still going, it will be
    Lloyds that will effectively pick up most of the MIH bill.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    But….but…..

    “Murray International Holdings is a rare commodity today in Scottish business. We are a privately-owned, multi-faceted group.”

    Sir David Murray

    http://www.murray-international.co.uk/homepage.htm


  19. john clarke says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 23:19
    5 1 Rate This
    Lord Wobbly says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 22:49
    ”.R u still with us StevieBC?’

    I did tell him, my Lord, not to stand too close to the windows!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    I know. Hasn’t he seen a crane dangling from the top of a skyscraper before?


  20. My 14yr old tonight on hearing his brother shout to me a piece of news having read a news feed on his Iphone that Chuckie was saying the SFA stole £200k from him, shouts from his bed ” is that guy on drugs Dad? to which I replied “aye you might be right there son” to which he replies ” his arse must be jealous at the amount of shite that come out his mouth” I of course said “now, now son less of that kind of chat in this house (seriously) or I’ll be taking away that playstation but at the same time I was thinking a 14 year old can see it what’s happening how can some of the Rangers fans not.


  21. Lord Wobbly.

    His photo on that website is ten years out of date as well.


  22. will this said photo was a set of numbers below it shortly and be updated!


  23. briggsbhoy says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 00:34
    ‘God my English was poor there but you get the drift’

    Yes, English God not rich deep snow get I.:)


  24. john clarke says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 00:46

    Yes, English God not rich deep snow get I.:)

    I shall enlighten you 🙂 re SDM’s pic on LW link. It may be updated shortly and there may be some numbers running along the bottom and he shall be told not to smile 🙂 get ma drift?


  25. Bill Leckie what a disturbing piece tonight. Always knew he was a poor poor journalist with his biggest syllable being 5 letters, but tonight drawing comparison with the old firm and the independence debate. Really is that the best you have to offer? On a par with Jabba maybe worse even.


  26. “The East Coast of the USA is now subject to the confluence of three mammoth atmospheric systems — the hurricane, the high-pressure system, the mass of cold air. It is a complex and unusual meteorological event.”

    I suspect events are heading for a “perfect storm” here too.

    The confluence of the FTTT ruling, Lord Hodge’s opinion on Duff and Duffer’s performance and Lord Nimmo Smith’s SPL investigation will force many to batten down the hatches.

    It is as if reverse serendipity is at play.


  27. Raycharlez 1:02
    ——-
    I’m sitting in total darkness here in suburban new jersey. The power went out around 9:30 and the wife and weans are all tucked in. The worst of it seems to have passed, but everyone went to bed in clothes in case there’s a need to get up in a hurry. I spent the last two days buying food and water, putting storm screens on windows, clearing everything off the garden, and so on… Ah screw it, I started writing this with the intention of drawing some parallel between Sandy and the Rangers situation, how it pays to be prepared and pay attention to warnings or some such twaddle. But at a moment when people in my vicinity are losing their homes and more, with the white electric flashes of blowing transformers punctuating the darkness with alarming frequency, it seems crass and disrespectful to bring the subject back to football. Maybe that’s the point then – no game or sport is worth any amount of real human loss and suffering. I won’t labour it though. Cause i think more than anything I’m just writing this to distract myself from the wind outside. 🙂 Apologies for the ramble. To any fellow expats in the area, hope you’re all safe and well.


  28. posmill says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 03:10
    ——————————————————————–
    Just to say my thoughts are with you all, posmill. The thin veneer of civilisation cracks the minute
    the power goes. I’ve already had three power cuts this month. (Rural Écosse)

    Take care everyone.


  29. Posmill

    Keep safe, mate. The Big Apple must stay open!!


  30. The Daily Ranger giving Chuckie his usual platform to spout crass nonsense yet again. Not a solitary question asked of him. He has taken moonbeams to a new universe.

    – Rangers finances are fantastically strong.
    – Club worth £80 million.
    – I’m going to protect the club with my life.
    – Ticketus dont have any involvement whatsoever.
    – I wont leave until Champion’s League music is playing at Ibrox. I may even change my mind and stay til we win it.
    – I want people on board (Cardigan) who understand the culture.
    – The blog I saw saying that we are going into a sale and lease back of Murray Park and Ibrox is absolute nonsense.

    I was wondering why Chuckles was prostituting himself to Five Live, Sky Sports News and the rest yesterday. Shirley he has better things to do with his time with the impending IPA? Would I be right in thinking that the leaked email regarding the sale and leaseback of Ibrox caused a small, unfortunate accident in his pants?


  31. doontheslope says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 07:40

    I was wondering why Chuckles was prostituting himself to Five Live, Sky Sports News and the rest yesterday. Shirley he has better things to do with his time with the impending IPA?

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

    IPO? Unless Charlie is getting the beer in!


  32. Jack + jabber + co – PR `big push` has started – funny how they`ve been sitting on all this for 18months 😉 + More CG `noise, but; staying `in context`;
    `
    • In 13th Day since FTT `Landed` on 18th October – must be v very close to FTT Public release


  33. Sorry, Neeps, I appear to have committed a fiducial inexactitude. Tis IPO indeed. Still doesnt take away from the fact that Charles Green is a fud.


  34. Good golly gosh – seems the DR is in Historical `Revisionist` Mode – removing links all over the shop including – K Jacksons CW `Billionaire` has vanished into cyberspace oblivion – and him an award winning MSM reporter too! – oh dear dear my my. Wonder if today`s `exclusives` destined for same fate?

    http://es.twitter.com/ETimsNet/status/177515536597528576

    Still – The National Library of Scotland does keep a collection of Newspapers for `Record` just in case future scholars have a mind to research the workings of PR influence in the Scottish MSM.


  35. According to the DR, “Iwarned there was no evidence to back claims circulated by [B]Whyte’s spin doctors that he was a billionaire with plenty of cash to finance Rangers”. [/B]

    Who were these people? We demand to know!!!


  36. “May you live in interesting times” is said to be an ancient Chinese curse. I have the feeling that the next few days are going to get “interesting”. When RTC states that “this is unfolding as we would expect” then it could be very interesting indeed.

    Re CGs media burst yesterday with Rangers-friendly outlets – was this a pre-emptive damage limitation exercise prior to the deluge of bad publicity that will surely follow the FTT result? Presumably Charlie already knows the bad news and that this will torpedo his scheme, so he’s doing the best he can to can rope in a few more gullible punters. One last rallying call to the beleaguered defenders before the barricades finally fall?


  37. rangerstaxcase says:
    Monday, October 29, 2012 at 23:06
    147 17 Rate This

    The other biggest factor in determining the bill is whether the FTT contributions are considered net of tax or gross of tax. To explain in detail, Rangers contributed about £49m to staff through EBTs. If this is considered before tax, then the bill would be at most £24.5m (before interest). If considered after tax, the bill would be as high as £49m (before interest)

    Justice would require a bill approaching £49m as this was the economic benefit obtained from using the scheme. (If they had paid tax, they would have had to find an extra £49m). However, on some legal technicalities, it is quite possible (even likely) that the payments will be ruled to be pre-tax i.e. we just take roughly half of the amount as the tax bill.

    Interest is likely to roughly double the amount of the underpayment. So we can expect to see bills of anywhere from £16-49m plus that again in interest. Any result in this range would be conclusive proof that Rangers were engaged in cheating on a huge scale.

    It will be interesting which line is taken.

    If what the employees/”service providers” received is taken as being after tax, then the liability (for the missing tax) rests entirely with MIH and Rangers – since they will have been deemed to have deducted the tax but failed to pass it on to HMRC.

    If however, the employees/”service providers” are deemed to have received taxable payments with insufficient tax deductions, HMRC will be entitled to send each and every one of those employees/”service providers” a bill for the tax (plus interest) that went unpaid.

    Rangers FC’s liability in the BTC is likely to stem from a failure to collect tax – rather than (like CW) failure to pass on collected tax. Whichever way it is decided, the directors of both MIH and Rangers FC will have very, very serious questions to answer.


  38. FI do not know when the news will be released publicly, and I do not know the exact outcome yet either. However, this is unfolding as we would expect. The amount that went through EBTs for MIH companies (obviously excluding Rangers) is just about £11m. This includes over £6m for David Murray himself.

    The MIH exposure is obviously not huge then. The next biggest beneficiary who is not a Rangers employee received less than £800k.

    The company (various subsidiaries) will be responsible for paying the tax bills in the first instance. As MIH is still going, it will be Lloyds that will effectively pick up most of the MIH bill.
    As Rangers have no means of covering bills, it is quite possible for HMRC to go after individuals- including players.

    If MIH have a significant liability it will be clear that the panel agrees with HMRC that the entire Murray usage of the scheme was a sham. By this I mean that a significant MIH bill would mean that the panel was not requiring evidence of a contractual basis on an individual transaction basis. Under these conditions, Rangers’ bill would be large. Very large. Of course, we do not know this to be the case yet.

    The other biggest factor in determining the bill is whether the FTT contributions are considered net of tax or gross of tax. To explain in detail, Rangers contributed about £49m to staff through EBTs. If this is considered before tax, then the bill would be at most £24.5m (before interest). If considered after tax, the bill would be as high as £49m (before interest).

    Justice would require a bill approaching £49m as this was the economic benefit obtained from using the scheme. (If they had paid tax, they would have had to find an extra £49m). However, on some legal technicalities, it is quite possible (even likely) that the payments will be ruled to be pre-tax i.e. we just take roughly half of the amount as the tax bill.

    Interest is likely to roughly double the amount of the underpayment. So we can expect to see bills of anywhere from £16-49m plus that again in interest. Any result in this range would be conclusive proof that Rangers were engaged in cheating on a huge scale.rom RTC.

    __________________________________________________________________________

    I am right in saying that a punishment in the way of a fine will follow, if found guilty.


  39. layman00 says:

    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 09:18

    This aint the type of governance you would expect from the custodians of the big hoose, is it? And a jolt in the the arm to those rangers defenders that blamed SFA solely for allowing CW to complete purchase as a fit and proper person.

    No doubt the supporters will turn a deaf ear to this and continue to blame those outside the rangers family.


  40. Alex O’Henley ‏@OHenleyAlex
    Rangers administrators Duff&Phelps due in Court of Session before Lord Hodge tomorrow morning to request liquidation


  41. The DR article which shows that (S)DM knew more about CW than he previously admitted has kicked into touch the “I was duped” defense.Not that contributors here and previously on RTC were duped for a moment!

    Anyone who thinks that (S)DM would enter into a business transaction of such magnitude without knowing who he was dealing with is,with due respect to a previous thread regarding boats and yellow skinned fruit ,fresh off the Fyffes Frigate.

    Not only would (S)DM know everthing about CW including which leg he put in his Yfrontss first, he would have known the last time he changed them too!

    There is a loud BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! coming from the non articulate DR lorry as it reverses away from its sycophantic support of (S)DM and the question we must ask is Why now! Have they been tipped to the result of the FTT(T) and the possible criticisms of Murray. A publication that printed multiple Minty Moombean articles would look foolish in the extreme if it continued to do so now!

    Of course the DR will claim that it was all over this story from the start! Unfortunately they are slightly more than a day late and a dollar short!


  42. rantinrobin says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 10:21
    ‘..Rangers administrators Duff&Phelps due in Court of Session before Lord Hodge tomorrow morning to request liquidation..’

    Not shown in the Rolls of Court! LHis shown as having two minor bits of biz between 9.00 a.m and 10.00 a.m- nothing else.
    Wonder is it a ‘private’hearing?


  43. I received a reply from Show Racism The Red Card

    Thank you for your email.

    Racism and sectarianism is unacceptable in all aspects of society, including football, and we will continue to campaign and educate against such behaviour. We work proactively across Scotland with young people and adults to promote our anti-racism / anti-sectarianism message and the dangers of racism / sectarianism. Scottish Premier League clubs and Scottish Football League clubs are major supporters of the campaign and work closely with us on our events at their clubs promoting equality and respect, they have participated in our annual Fortnight of Action taking red card anti-racism / anti-sectarianism action at games the last two weekends to support and promote our campaign messages. Therefore, it is really disappointing at one of the fixtures where our anti-racism / anti-sectarianism messages were being supported and promoted that fans were heard singing racist / sectarian songs.

    When racist / sectarian incidents are thought to have occurred at football matches we liaise closely with football authorities and clubs, and are proactive in promoting our strong anti racism / anti-sectarianism stance in the media. Unfortunately, we are not a policy making body, we are an educational charity, therefore, if you would like to make a formal complaint you would need to contact the Scottish Football authorities and/or the Police.

    If I can be any further assistance to you please do not hesitate to contact me.

    Best regards

    So no public condemnation then.


  44. chris shields (@chrisshields10) says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 10:37

    Anyone who thinks that (S)DM would enter into a business transaction of such magnitude without knowing who he was dealing with

    ——————————————
    Exactly! I’ve always maintained that Murray’s knowledge of the Scottish business world is encyclopaedic and he knew all about Whyte and his previous track record of insolvency, disqualification etc.

    If basket-case FC was really that bad why did even someone like Whyte want to get involved – didn’t he do due diligence? So the only remaining question is – was Whyte a willing or unwilling patsy? If the latter then that might explain last week’s interview and release of the Duffgate tapes.


  45. ordinaryfan says:

    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 11:01

    I received a reply from Show Racism The Red Card

    Thank you for your email.

    Racism and sectarianism is unacceptable in all aspects of society, including football, and we will continue to campaign and educate against such behaviour. We work proactively across Scotland with young people and adults to promote our anti-racism / anti-sectarianism message and the dangers of racism / sectarianism. Scottish Premier League clubs and Scottish Football League clubs are major supporters of the campaign and work closely with us on our events at their clubs promoting equality and respect, they have participated in our annual Fortnight of Action taking red card anti-racism / anti-sectarianism action at games the last two weekends to support and promote our campaign messages. Therefore, it is really disappointing at one of the fixtures where our anti-racism / anti-sectarianism messages were being supported and promoted that fans were heard singing racist / sectarian songs.

    When racist / sectarian incidents are thought to have occurred at football matches we liaise closely with football authorities and clubs, and are proactive in promoting our strong anti racism / anti-sectarianism stance in the media. Unfortunately, we are not a policy making body, we are an educational charity, therefore, if you would like to make a formal complaint you would need to contact the Scottish Football authorities and/or the Police.

    If I can be any further assistance to you please do not hesitate to contact me.

    Best regards

    So no public condemnation then.
    ————————————————————
    Disappointingly tame expressions of disappointment!


  46. john clarke says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 11:01
    2 0 Rate This
    rantinrobin says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 10:21
    ‘..Rangers administrators Duff&Phelps due in Court of Session before Lord Hodge tomorrow morning to request liquidation..’

    Not shown in the Rolls of Court! LHis shown as having two minor bits of biz between 9.00 a.m and 10.00 a.m- nothing else.
    Wonder is it a ‘private’hearing?
    ———————————————————————————————————————-

    JC ,source, Alex O’Henley freelance football journo. on twitter.


  47. The “Press” on Pretendygers *ish as usual. The deflector shields are up!

    In the last half-hour
    The Rumour Mill: Tuesday’s football news and gossip The Scotsman 10:39

    In the last 2 hours
    Rangers in rude health financially, says Charles Green The Scotsman 09:41
    Charles Green: I would love Walter Smith to return to Rangers Glasgow Evening Times 09:25
    Bomber: Butcher’s babes are capable of making a splash Glasgow Evening Times 09:25
    Rangers squad is not good enough, says John Brown Glasgow Evening Times 09:25
    Football Talk: Levein out, bye Bangura, Euro super league plan, Rangersitis STV 09:10

    In the last 4 hours
    Rangers are favourites – Draper Inverness Courier, Scotland 08:42

    In the last 6 hours
    Win At Clyde Can Finally Kick-Start The Rangers Season RangersMedia 05:55

    In the last 8 hours
    Green eager to have Smith on board at Ibrox The Scottish Herald 03:08
    Green and McCoist versus the SPL ESPN Soccernet 03:08

    Earlier today
    Green delighted with Rangers’ finances The World Game 03:00
    Charles Green says Rangers in rude health financially The Scotsman 02:27
    Rangers face tough Inverness test Gulf Daily News 02:09
    Ambitious Fleetwood close in on loan move for Blackpool captain Ferguson Daily Mail 00:28
    Green wants Walter on board Daily and Sunday Express 00:10

    Yesterday
    Rangers Boss: We Won’t Play In SPL SportsBusiness Daily 23:28 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Charles Green: The SPL stole our money or did they? Imran Ahmed… Scotzine.com 20:44 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Charles Green: Rangers will not play in the Scottish Premier League Scotzine.com 19:54 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Rangers finances are stong – Green Sporting Life 19:36 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Green: SPL stole our money Sky Sports 19:20 Mon, 29 Oct 2012

    Aberdeen v St Mirren Aberdeen FC – Official Site 19:16 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Green: Gers finances fantastic TEAMtalk 18:55 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Green: Rangers’ finances ‘fantastic’ Galloway Today 18:30 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Former Scotland captain Barry Ferguson to go on loan to Fleetwood Town The Scotsman 18:12 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Charles Green says SPL in cloud cuckoo land over Rangers return Morning Star 17:30 Mon, 29 Oct 2012

    Green delivers little but soundbites but expects fans to deliver £20m The Scottish Herald 17:24 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Rangers will not play in the SPL whilst I am in… Goal.com 16:32 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Doddie Joins Book Club Glasgow Rangers – Official Site 16:14 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Wilkins To Guest At Molineux Wolverhampton Wanderers – Official Site 15:59 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Winter’S World Featuring Clyde v Rangers Jeff Winter – Official Site 15:34 Mon, 29 Oct 2012

    50th anniversary of Spurs Cup-Winners’ Cup win – Round One – Spurs beat Rangers 8-4… Spurs Odyssey 15:08 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Do Rangers have a proper footballing strategy? ESPN Soccernet 14:23 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    ‘Rangers will not play in SPL while I am owner’ Telegraph.co.uk 14:17 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Green rules out SPL return Sporting Life 13:59 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Rangers won’t play in SPL under my watch, says angry club chief… Daily Mail 13:49 Mon, 29 Oct 2012

    Green rules out return to SPL Sky Sports 13:17 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Shiels scores possible ‘goal of season’ UTV 13:09 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Charles Green: Craig Whyte is suing Rangers over shares sale The Scottish Herald 12:56 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Rangers chief executive Charles Green joins Keys & Gray in the studio talkSPORT 12:55 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Hegarty joy after Gers away win BBC 12:48 Mon, 29 Oct 2012

    Exclusive – Green: Rangers will never play in SPL while I’m in… talkSPORT 12:15 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    McCoist relishing the basement challenge Belfast Telegraph 11:56 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Rangers finally break their duck away from home Scotzine.com 11:51 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    R.O.L Clyde v Rangers match report and player ratings. Rangersonlineloyal.co.uk 11:35 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Rangers return to Cup spotlight Gulf News 11:31 Mon, 29 Oct 2012

    Naismith: I Love Scoring Goals EFC Feelin Blue 11:28 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Little By Little Glasgow Rangers – Official Site 10:41 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    McCoist praises combative Gers Footymad 09:17 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Banter from the Bann Banbridge Leader 09:14 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Duffy: Bottom tier stepped up to stop Ibrox dominance Glasgow Evening Times 08:16 Mon, 29 Oct 2012

    Ally challenges Gers to prove they are SPL class Glasgow Evening Times 08:13 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Blues trick and treat No fright for Coisty as jinx is banished Glasgow Evening Times 08:13 Mon, 29 Oct 2012
    Skipper stars in first away win Glasgow Evening Times 08:13 Mon, 29 Oct 2012


  48. ordinaryfan says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 11:01

    I received a reply from Show Racism The Red Card

    When racist / sectarian incidents are thought to have occurred at football matches we liaise closely with football authorities and clubs, and are proactive in promoting our strong anti racism / anti-sectarianism stance in the media. Unfortunately, we are not a policy making body, we are an educational charity, therefore, if you would like to make a formal complaint you would need to contact the Scottish Football authorities and/or the Police.

    ————————————————————————

    I think SRTRD is a waste of space. Honestly do.

    we are an educational charity……..well, I wonder how they educate the people of scotland on the subject of racism

    if you see someone being racially abused, don’t do or say anything, it’s not your job. Let someone else do something. Don’t challenge the person, don’t speak out and criticise them, don’t defend the people being abused and don’t raise awareness of the incident with the police and scottish football – 2 bodies that SRTRD deal with on a weekly (if not daily) basis

    spineless, gutless, leaderless, pointless – much like scottish footballs governing bodies.


  49. Just to mention, I did not make any reference to sectarianism at all in my email to Show Racism The Red Card. I do not know whether that is usual practice in responses from that organisation to put racism/sectarianism together like that. I spoke about anti-Irish racism.
    I did not expect much as I know they have no real authority, but I did expect the issue to be taken more seriously and a stronger reaction considering the racist songs were sung during a SRTRC display.
    I will not be contacting the Scottish football authorities or the Police as they are known for their lack of action when it comes to anti-Irish racism.
    I also wonder if the officials at the game mentioned it in their Match Report, especially as the officials stood displaying SRTRC placards themselves, WHILST racism was clearly spouted from the terraces.
    I doubt it.


  50. Just how succulent would the lamb be?if the HMRC went after Jabba for tax due on his EBT?


  51. Just for fun, I googled the firm named on the documents peeping out from the folder photographed in the DR report.

    ‘Titon International, Ltd.
    25 Grosvenor Street
    London W1K 4QN
    United Kingdom

    Titon Services include (1) Investigative investigations, due diligence for/on companies/deals/proposals, asset tracing, measures to counter industrial/commercial espionage and intrusion; (2) Individual pre employment screening, office security awareness for high level personal assistants, stalking and harassment, high value matrimonial investigations; (3) Electronic IT security assessments, including IT forensic investigation, IT incident response, electronic counter measures, communications security; and (4) Casino Gaming Security Design and policy, procedures, training, and investigations.’

    Did the DR commission an investigation, or merely filched somebody else’s ( whose?) report, or at the just at the madam, sneakily trying to pretend that they’re like the Watergate guys?


  52. I am writing a letter to the BBC trust, drawing their attention, to the antics of the alleged journalist Mr J Traynor and his department’s attempts to re-write their “journalistic” history. In the current climate, Auntie might well be a bit more sensitive about her reputation.

    On a related note, perhaps there is a requirement for an archive of press stories connected to this scandal, in case other newspapers adopt a “Ministry of Truth” approach to their embarrassing past.

    I wonder if the DR employs the same hacker that they allege Craig Whyte used to obliterate his online past. The people should be told!


  53. Conformation from Mark Daley, Lord Hodge is scheduled to consider on Wednesday 31 October the request from the administrators for Rangers Football Club Ltd to exit administration .

    czm ‏@czm3
    @markdaly2 Are Duff & Phelps at CoS on 31 Oct? Nothing in Court of Session rolls to suggest appearance before Lord Hodge

    Mark Daly ‏@markdaly2
    @czm3 that’s what his clerk told me last week. Will check tomorrow.

    czm ‏@czm3
    @markdaly2 @czm3 Any update on Lord Hodge’s schedule for 31 October?

    Mark Daly ‏@markdaly2
    @czm3 yes it’s on.


  54. Rangers Tax-Case @rangerstaxcase 36m
    Hang on- didn’t the BBC actually include the Triton report in its 1st Whyte expose last October? What a scoop for the #YearlateRecord


  55. john clarke says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 11:57

    It’s very old news. Check the RTC blog about 12 months ago. this was all in the public domain then, Mark Daly used it in one of his broadcasts, but strangely the press didn’t seem to think it newsworthy.

    A suggestion for this Blog’s management. Journalisim has several awards, Pulitzer etc. Maybe going forward this blog should have an award, with the winner selected by the readers, for the journalist who writes the biggest load of tosh in a Scottish newspaper? The Succulent Lamb, perhaps?

    I am sure many on here would be only to happy to contribute towards a suitable statuette or engraved piece of plastic!


  56. scapaflow14 says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 12:18

    Rate This
    john clarke says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 11:57


    I am sure many on here would be only to happy to contribute towards a suitable statuette or engraved piece of plastic!

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    How about a nice piece of polished coprolite?


  57. do we have any intrepid Court ‘reporters’ in Edinburgh tomorrow? JC?


  58. scapaflow14 says:
    Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 11:59

    On a related note, perhaps there is a requirement for an archive of press stories connected to this scandal, in case other newspapers adopt a “Ministry of Truth” approach to their embarrassing past.

    Fear not, scapaflow – the text of some of the more-likely-to-be-deleted articles have been saved here:
    http://w11.zetaboards.com/ReportsOfTheDeathOf/single/?p=8747557&t=7672122

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