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
SPLstats @SPLstats
Killie have won all 4 matches in Glasgow in 2012. Beat Ayr (Hampden), Rangers (Ibrox) and Celtic twice (Hampden & Celtic Park).
—–
There’s nae many of us can say that. Round of applause for Kilmarnock, please (TU will do). 🙂
Andrew Woods says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 20:00
I think the line taken will definitely be it was everyone else’s fault and not that of the tax evaders themselves.
SFA should have done something
HMRC should have done something
The legal advisers were to blame
The accountants were to blame.
Anyone available will do.
Senior says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 19:52
—
‘.what about a little bit of support for the likes of Alex Thomson and Mark Daly et al…’
—-
Hear, hear.
Especially for Daly (and his producer.)
I think it very likely they’ve had a deal of opposition in Pacific Quay, and might just suffer for it later, career-wise.
AT has probably not had to give a thought to the possibility of his career prospects being damaged and is kind of out of reach of ‘retributions’.
Not that he does not deserve thanks for being true to his journalistic vocation, having been ( I think) the first major league journo to go UK national.
Do you think a copy of the FTT ruling will get a place in the museum exhibition about their history.
Quite important one would have thought. Especially if it gives details of systematic cheating, tax dodging and financial doping.
I think, as we all await the verdict of the FTT, we will witness a complete drawing of the line between the oldco and the newco. The MSM will tell us all to move on as the old COMPANY has died and this has no bearing and has been a waist of public money.
Meanwhile they continue to peddle, like Chas Green, that oldco is newco but when the SPL hearing takes place the same old rhetoric of it being a new COMPANY so no sanctions can be taken against The Rangers will be paraded again.
This deliberate distraction first perpetrated by the SPL/SFL/SFA, and happily carried on by the MSM, must be challenged. The details of the five way agreement should be published for all to see. A definitive statement with regards to how the footballing institutions regard The Rangers should also be sought, perhaps by Mark Daly, as we are never going to get this question asked by any of the sports journalists currently operating within our borders.
We are now eight months into this fiasco and every part of our sport has debased itself to the utter embarrassment of the majority of football fans in this country. We have people in power ridiculously conflicted, intimidation and bi-partisan reporting is rife while the most basic of questioning or cross examination of the main characters in this drama is abandoned and the truth left to swing in the air as it decomposes. The problem for the authorities is that as it rots the stench is getting right up everyone’s nose and the clamour for change is getting louder.
Andrew Woods on Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 20:00
2 0 Rate This
I’ve just listened back to You Call from last night. Jabba … he knows the result then this is the deflection angle he is going to take in his defence of Murray.
———
Another possible Traynorism:
‘It was a technicality waiting to happen.’
Is Jabba “technically” a journalist?
Agrajag says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 20:15
Anyone available will do.
———————————————–
A few weeks ago on Radio Scotland Jabba blamed Celtic for Rangers woes.
His logic was that as Rangers arch opponents Celtic would/should have closely monitored their annual accounts. In doing so they (Celtic) should have spotted the EBT advantage and should have promptly brought it to the attention of the football authorities.
Traynor didn’t enlarge on whether Celtic should have sportingly acted as whistleblowers or deliberately allowed Rangers to tighten the noose round their own neck to maximise the damage.
john clarke says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 20:18
Senior says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 19:52
—
‘.what about a little bit of support for the likes of Alex Thomson and Mark Daly et al…’
—-
Hear, hear.
Especially for Daly (and his producer.)
——
I’ll go along with that, although I’m kind of stumped as to how support should be shown. Emails to the BBC and C4, perhaps?
Tommy says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 20:43
And if Celtic had done such a thing they should have minded their own business and been interested in Celtic rather than being obsessed by Rangers.
That’s the thing about being a duplicitous hack, you can spin the story any way you want to suit your agenda.
I think I have previously expressed the view that the SFA Board, as a Board,
partly through having at least one ‘conflicted’ member,
and partly through having blown its credibility apart by its devious attempts to browbeat and coerce so many of its broader membership,
and partly for its sheer incompetence in handling the RFC(IA) saga and for its weakness in dealing with a blustering, dangerous blowhard like CG
is unfit for purpose
and should now be required by that wider membership to resign en bloc.
They cannot , as men who deliberately broke the rules themselves, be allowed to remain as the men in charge of the Administration of Scottish Football.
All that is needed is for 10 members to demand that an EGM be called. And to move and carry a motion of no confidence in the Board .
Maybe we can build up a head of steam to try to encourage such a move?
The Louden Tavern is a particularly quaint Scottish Public toilet that happens to have a bar inside.
angus1983 says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 20:51
Want to do my bit too but don’t know how. Any help welcome.
Agrajag says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 20:22
Do you think a copy of the FTT ruling will get a place in the museum exhibition about their history.
Quite important one would have thought. Especially if it gives details of systematic cheating, tax dodging and financial doping.
=========================
Absolutely – if the FTT was not on display, then, IMO, it would not be a museum, but merely a ‘football memorabilia collection’.
Any museum curator worth his/her salt would shirley insist that a copy of the FTT was on prominent display – to adequately complete the timeline of RFC 1872-2012. 😉
…and then there would be credible threats that the museum would get torched.
jean7brodie @ 21:09
Well said, discussion is good but calm, measured action is better what can we do?
StevieBC says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 21:13
Absolutely.
How could you have the clubs history, but not include such an important part of it.
In fact it could be the last major event prior to the actual liquidation and winding up.
On yet another quiet day………a change of subject
The one issue that hasn’t been examined to date is the source of the leaks from Ibrox.
Mark Daly revealed details of emails which passed between MCR and Whyte together with extensive details on EBTs going back several years.
This begs a (lateral) question
Was this information passed to MD on a computer file or was it hard copy or was it verbal?
Following the maxim “When in doubt choose the easy answer”
Most likely it was a computer file. This would be the obvious way to smuggle information. Meaning the original data probably resided somewhere in Ibrox up to 24 May when the BBC ran the documentary “The men who sold the jerseys”
Which makes you think
Whereabouts in Ibrox would you get details of EBTs and details of confidential emails on the same pc?
One odd comment may hold the answer
Alistair Johnston said in a statement that before the takeover(paraphrase), “Whyte spent most of his time studying details of the FTT and negligible time on plans to finance and run the business”
Which got me wondering
How could AJ deduce that CW was spending most of his time studying FTT details?
For sure he wasn’t following him around for months
Then the penny dropped
AJ was being inconvenienced by Our Hero`s obsession with the FTT files.
How could that be?
Well
AJ would have been inconvenienced if these files were held on a password protected pc in
the RFC Chairman`s office
Let’s call this pc “EBT”
In the run up to the takeover somebody, possibly Minty, told Whyte that he was to get all his EBT information from the “EBT” pc and not from MIM HQ. This meant any time he researched “EBT” Whyte dislodged AJ from his office or was present in the room
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
After the takeover it was useful for the Spivs to agree that they would all use the same pc when working on confidential data at Ibrox
Spivs like
Andrew Ellis
Dave King
Craig Whyte
Gary Withey
David Greir
Paul Clark
David Whitehouse
and maybe even
Charlie Green (if he can use a pc..I rule out MCCoist and Smith who probably can`t !)
So
When the BBC documentary was aired it was obvious to both D&P and Whyte that someone had gained access to “EBT”
The question was
Who?
There are several candidates which don’t include Whyte or King
Thoughts?
I appreciate that this isn’t a Celtic site but I would urge all who are (and even those who aren’t) to listen to this link. It’s from Celtic Graves Society and it is to celebrate the life of The Late Great Jimmy McGrory.
http://www.spreaker.com/page#!/user/homebhoys/paradise_report_14
Hope the link works.
Thanks to all for the supportive comments, its hard to write on a controversial topic without sparking furious debate, this highlights my point that TSFM is a forum made up from the collective support in Scotland yet hasn’t fallen into disrepute with vile references.
For my part, i was born and raised a catholic and while i consider myself spiritual i gave up institutional religion a long time ago, too much greed, corruption and cover ups belittled the commendable moral codes in the teachings. I have total respect for the protestant faith and have never seen the need to judge my faith against any other or none at all for that matter, nor skin colour or ability. I dont agree with everyone or everthing in life and reserve my right to complain in appropriate and respectful terms.
The really sad aspect of the Scottish game is the very real presence of sectarian influence which is projected to a larger audience via the television, this is again on the increase despite new laws to stamp it out and shows once again that there is a real fear in dealing with the issue, this political hot potato is a sure fire vote loser unless its mealy mouthed platitudes.
I think its been amazing to read the views of dons and jambos and arabs and hibees and pars and doonhamers etc, there is a real sporting camaraderie amongst the clubs, we realise we are all in tumultuos times not of our making and the only way out is together. Unfortunately the cause of the problem is pulling in the opposite direction and seeks to act as a malign agent.
We can only hope the FTT delivers such damnation as to obliterate any denial of deliberateness and affords the power that be the chance to remove the entity ‘rangers’ or have it chased for millions through the courts by clubs at home and abroad.
I have been pondering on the reason for such a vocal “minority” amongst the fans of a Govan football club. We have heard much about the actions of this fans group or other. We have also heard about people, individually and collectively, who have been guilty of “unfortunate” behaviour. I object to the word “unfortunate” being used to describe the hate directed towards groups of people in our society, as if it was something that happened by accident and it was all said and done unwittingly. Why not call it what it is – disgusting, criminal … you will all have your own words to add. But it is not the actions of these supposed fans that frustrate me most, it is the inactions of others.
How many people could have helped to change the Rangers situation, and didn’t? Edmund Burke famously wrote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” The message is simply, clear. There are good men out there. There are good men who support Rangers. There are good men who have had responsible roles within the Rangers business. There are good men in the press, the football governing bodies, the police, local and national government. I believe we are a nation full of good men (and women of course, but I am leading on from the quote). So thinking about those good men who spoke out, made a difference, I’m struggling to make a meaningful list. So who are the Heroes?
Hugh Adam. He told the world what he believed was going on. Unfortunately, at the time no-one would believe him. He had the courage to speak out though. Respect to Hugh for that. Remember, Hugh was an insider. He risked much by speaking out but did it anyway. He walked out on Rangers in protest and told anyone who would listen. There were others who walked out, but kept silent.
Graham Spiers. Of all the local hacks, I take my cap off to Graham. There were, of course, others who reported the facts and didn’t pull punches. Graham was another insider who spoke out, a member of the local hack pack, at risk to himself and his career. There has been some excellent work by the BBC, and other work of note in The Scotsman and other quality newspapers. There are others who will venture their own thoughts from time to time, but our local press pack are largely a disgrace.
It is a very short list. I hope others will add to this. The good guys should be acknowledged. So who are the Zeroes? Our local hack pack, take a bow. They have fed the Scottish football public with a steady diet of misinformation and half-truths, fluff stories and PR blurb. A functioning press are an important part of a functioning democracy. They have a moral and ethical duty to use there privileged positions to report the truth, root out the best stories, and challenge lies and corruption. Our press pack have failed, failed and are still failing. Another group on my Zeroes list are the Police. I was brought up to respect the Police, but I find the inaction of our boys in blue both frustrating and embarrassing. They stand by idly and allow disgraceful and criminal behaviour to go unpunished. Sectarian Hate is every bit as evil and disgusting as Race Hate. Sectarian Hate is a crime in Scotland, but apparently not in Glasgow if Police inaction is any judge. The leaders of our game, our councils, our government, are all in the same boat. These groups of people have neither the courage nor conviction to challenge behaviour they know to be wrong. “Weak” is the word that came to my mind time and again while writing this, cowardly and spineless where others.
There are many, many people who have made excellent contributions to expose corruption and wrong-doing recently. I have learned much from many contributors to RTC, CQN and TSFM – hard facts, opinions, random thoughts, observations – I have been entertained and educated for many months. It is these people, in my humble opinion, who are the heroes of the story. A weak in ineffective press have been “outed”. A spineless and corrupt football governing bodies have been exposed. Who will be next to be “called out”? There are many out there who should be asked themselves what they have done, what they have not done that that they should have, and what they should do in the future. Changing a wrong that runs so deep is not an easy task. It won’t happen in week, a month, maybe not in a generation. It can happen if good men have the courage to do something.
I’m reminded of another Edmund Burke quote, “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little”. Maybe a little is all we can do, but we should do it. If we all speak together our small voices become a roar. We can make a difference.
Just my thoughts, for what they are worth.
Do the SFA really intend to glorify an ex-Club which will*, almost to the day of the opening of their exhibition, be shown to be one of the biggest cheats in the history of international fitba?
What are they on?
(*obvious assumption made)
beatipacificiscotia says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 21:52
—–
A stirring speech, sir.
I’d like to add Andrew Smith of Scotland on Sunday to the “Heroes”, please. His “Stramash” column never fails to include at least one jabbing reference to the truth of the RFC/TRFC situation, couched in humorous terms bordering on goading. Aidan Smith at SoS, an overt Hibee, too. Wonder if they’re related?
Can’t quote any of Andrew Smith’s bits from today’s SoS, because I lit the fire with the Sports section this evening. 🙂
TSFM says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 22:06
Well done to all on the self moderation angle.
If I may suggest TSFM, I have no problem with the adverts in principle but it would be prudent to have some established standards or rules in place as to the type of advertisers, content, or potential conflicts established by particular brands etc. If you get my general meaning?
TSFM
The initial TU/TD count seems to put me in the minority, but I would see the introduction of ads as a very retrograde step.
If money is a problem, why not think about introducing a PayPal type facility for contributions? I for one would certainly be happy to help out.
SouthernExile @ 22:30
Count me in on that idea too
beatipacificiscotia says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 21:52
‘…. I was brought up to respect the Police, but I find the inaction of our boys in blue both frustrating and embarrassing. They stand by idly and allow disgraceful and criminal behaviour to go unpunished. ……’
————-
I have some sympathy with the practicalities of policing a mob in a tightly packed ,seated area.
Any snatch squad would need to be of regimental proportions.
And even then, there would be huge unrest and commotion among supporters and defenders of those being lifted.
The infamous ‘cavalry charge’ incident of a generation ago is seared in the memories of senior match commanders. (Some match commanders might wish they could try it, but the horses couldn’t negotiate the seats!)
What I find unacceptable is that the Polis don’t use ,to anything like the extent possible, the CCTV or other camera evidence of the crimes of hundreds of easily identifiable mindless racist /sectarian criminals, and go chapping on doors at their leisure..
I think that that is a clear sign that they are not sure they would get the political backing needed, when the courts began to have to deal with hundreds of bears every week of the season.
SouthernExile says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 22:30
————-
I agree
I would rather support the forum directly than be dependant on the promotion of companies that are merely profit making organisations .
Any monies collected over and above the running costs of the site can be donated to a charity that we democratically vote for .
For your amusement.
Desperate times call for desperate measures over at RM… 🙂
“War Year Titles
============
If the kangaroo court does remove titles, and for whatever reason, we can’t have the decision overturned, should WE, [emphasis by StevieBC], consider officially recognising the war titles into our count?
I know this is a passionate subject that will polarise views, but I will give a rationale anyway.
During the war, many men lost their lives, and football was way down the lst of priorities. However, the players of this era still pulled on gers tops and were better than all the other players from all other teams.
Many Gers fans will have lost their lives during this period, but I think if I had been one of them, and was asked (Derek occora permitting). :-
“The sfa / spl are trying to corruptly damage our club. We can count the titles won through the war to screw them over, would this offend you?”
I would not be offended, I would use every bit of ammunition we had.
Rangers fans, here today and long past, I’m sure would be happy to fight our corner with whatever we had at our disposal.
Please, if you have a counter argument, then please post it to begin a discussion ”
================================================================
A counter argument ? How about ‘Naw’ ?
john clarke says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 22:42
—————-
The simplest solution is to make them play behind closed doors (at home)
The decent fans would then have justification to stand up to the “minority”
The club would be forced to act against the undesirable element
Those who are dragged from their bed by snatch squads merely become martyrs to the cause
I thought blogging on wordpress was free.
goosygoosy says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 21:27
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I think it’s more likely that the ebt and associated info was held on a password protected dbase that would have been restricted to the board members who were involved in the financial side of running the club. The likes of Greig and Fat Algae would not be allowed within 10 feet of this kind of information. Its also likely that whoever was accessing the dbase at any particular time would also be recorded as a protection against industrial espionage. This and other sensitive info would be kept as securely as possible with access restricted to a need to know basis. The easiest and safest way to pass information like this would be via a memory stick. As we’ve seen, emails are very traceable and even were you to delete an email after sending it, it is still there on your hard drive. You can eradicate emails altogether and its not difficult to do and I think that anyone involved in passing over information of a sensitive nature would be fully acquainted with the ways to insure against incriminating himself.
On examination of your list of names, there are several that can be ruled out at the first level, i.e. those with something to hide. My own thoughts, for what they’re worth is that it was CW himself who passed the information on to MD, but only after he realised that he was being cut out of the deal. CW knew that if or when the details of this deal unravelled, he was going down and he was not going to be a “Patsy” for all the others involved such as the duffers, -sdm, aj, wiggy et al. He was not going down alone. If CW had the foresight to record a two hour meeting with DG, what else has he recorded or even video’d? There will be many fighting to control a rebellious rectal sphincter from last Friday on. Don’t forget that CW has a great deal of knowledge of the right and wrong ways to run a business as he has had, or been associated with, a number of businesses that have gone down the pan. Irrespective of what you or I may think of him as a character, he is not stupid. Whether he or anyone else associated with the takeover of oldco are clever enough to outwit the legal system remains to be seen. I believe that criminal proceedings will be instigated, but will anyone spend time in prison? I don’t believe it will happen, but there will be a great deal of mud thrown and certain reputations will be left in tatters, but there will be no serious jail time for anyone. Although the thought of -sdm approaching the Ecuadoran Embassy seeking political Asylum does raise a smile.
HMRC need to shoulder a lot of the responsibility for this debacle by allowing CW to appoint his own administrators. If they’d appointed their own administrators we would have had this tied up months ago, but then would we have been denied seeing Chuckles the clown in all his bogited glory?
I still find it difficult to understand how this could happen in 21st Century Scotland, a country that is asking its citizens to vote to become an independent nation. I have always been proud to call myself a Scotsman who is both a Nationalist and a Republican (if I were Spanish I would’ve been shot by both sides!!), but I an struggling to come to terms with voting to become an independent nation when my First Minister, the man who would lead an independent nation, has been seen to intervene on behalf of an organisation (yes, they are an organisation) that advocates bogitry and sectarianism at every opportunity, an organisation that threatens the lives of sportsmen, journalists, serving, democratically elected politicians and a Queens Counsellor, an organisation that ardently professes loyalty to the Crown whilst robbing that same Crown blind through avoiding paying taxes.
Such an organisation should be met with the full force of the law and the fallout will be a real test of our ability as a nation to do the right thing and to be seen to be upholding the law of the land.
Oops, went off on one there, sorry.
I feel that that we are rapidly approaching a defining moment in our history. Do we look forward with pride and great expectation, a shining beacon for every small nation to look to for guidance on how to organise a fair and egalitarian society or do we remain 300 years in the past?
Just to clarify, the last short paragraph was in reference to the FTT, not a vote on independence.
StevieBC says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 22:53
===================================
So they want to replace titles won and stripped due to them having an unfair advantage over their rivals, and then replace them with titles won when they had an unfair advantage over their rivals. You couldnt make it up!!!
The Shipyard Loyal……………….. http://tinypic.com/r/ynzvo/6
TSFM says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 22:06
‘… I am considering taking some ads on a trial basis ..’
—-
Tongue firmly in cheek, how about a joint effort with RM etc to land a really good deal!!
Seriously, though, I think I share the reservations of campsiejoe and southernexile, expressed a few posts above.
The ‘paypal’ kind of arrangement ( with an obligatory , very small charge for accessing the blog) might be worth exploring, rather than a voluntary contribution kind of arrangement.
I have no idea how many hits the blog gets now on a daily basis, but if the numbers are such as to make it worthwhile for advertisers to pay for an advert…..perhaps any daily/weekly charge made for access could be small enough not to put people off, but enough to provide sufficient revenue?
Frank Forrest says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 23:01
‘..HMRC need to shoulder a lot of the responsibility for this debacle by allowing CW to appoint his own administrators….’
—-
A bit unfair on HMRC, I think.
The holder of a ‘floating charge’ has a legal right to appoint an administrator.
HMRC at first exercised their right to object, but withdrew their objection presumably because they realised that they couldn’t satisfy the Court that their grounds for objecting were valid.
Celtic Quick News have ads, just to give a flavour of positioning of ad and, IMO, the small footprint they require, http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/?p=10748&cpage=13#comments
The advantage of the paypal route, is that it might, just might discourage the trolls
If even 250 of us paid £10 per year, that is a reasonable sum for the upkeep of the blog
TSFM why don’t you have a TU/TD on the paypal proposal ?
Frank Forrest says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 23:01
My own thoughts, for what they’re worth is that it was CW himself who passed the information on to MD……..
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Frank
Thanks for that
CW was also my initial view of the leaker However I came round to thinking it only stacked up if he was being huffy at getting sidelined by D&P
Spivs tend to show their huffiness in other less public ways
I reckon Whyte got shortchanged after, not before the 24 May documentary and his subsequent
wired interview with Greir
The doublecross by D&P was almost certainly a late 2011 instruction from New York to create distance from Whyte and disown any agreed plan. It may even have been a condition of the acquisition by D&P of MCR. Whyte lost control when he had insufficient time to set up a prepack on 14 Feb and was forced by HMRC to apply as owner of RFC for a “normal ” Administration.This passed control over to D&P
Whytes aim is twofold
Get Ticketus off his back
Get as much as he can legally
For this to happen he needed to be compensated in some way via sale of assets to Green. I reckon that was the purpose of the 31 May meeting with Greir. It was taped by Whyte as a precaution against another double cross. He may have sat on the “Statement of Support” for D&P until he was satisfied that the sale agreement contained the conditions he needed. By going public now he seems to be seeking reversal of the sale agreement via a COI decision from Lord Hodge
We shall see
Surely RTC had the info and passed on to MD???
Isn’t that why he/she started the blog?
angus1983 says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 20:00
____________________________________________________________________
Excellent post angus, one of the reasons I enjoy this site.
angus, Brenda, jean7 brodie
All I ask is that A Thomson’s and M Daly’s et al. blogs and reports are, if fair and accurate, supported on whatever medium is available. I see a lot of abuse hurled at these Men when they report the facts. We all are on the side of justice but justice it is a very fragile flower and needs constant attention, vigilance and support for it to prosper. So respond on any blog or twitter and let these Men know they are fighting the good fight.
BTW Alex Thomson and TSFM should be nominated for the MSM’s equivalent of the Oscars.
Campbell Ogilvie
==============
Recently. there was significant discussion about the Thomson interview with Gary Allan QC and the threat to his family’s safety. Our ire was directed generally at a certain ‘ex-cheeky chappy’.
What also shocked me about the interview was the fact that the SFA declined to provide any comment AT ALL to the programme. [Even The Rangers managed to issue a bland statement.]
So, here we have a highly qualified and experienced QC giving his time – pro bono – for the benefit of the SFA, Presumably Gary Allan volunteered his time as he loves the Scottish game ?
Anyway, in providing his support to the Independent Tribunal and the SFA, Gary Allan was then subjected to threats.
And the SFA felt that this disgraceful scenario did not warrant any comment at all – never mind an official SFA statement decrying intimidation in all its forms etc…
If the SFA holds volunteers in such contempt, then God help their own staff !
And my question is this: would the ‘heavily conflicted’ Campbell Ogilvie have had any input on this shocking dereliction of duty by the SFA, [again] ?
Perhaps a formal statement could have caused deep embarrassment to a certain ex-SPL club ?
Regardless, there is a perception that CO is still pulling the strings at the SFA.
[And why would anyone want to volunteer their time to such an organisation in future ?]
This blog clearly has a future beyond the publication of the FTTT, whether it’s this week, next week or whenever. However, as someone who is not especially computer savvy, I would like to ask TSFM to expand a little on his/her/their view of what the increased capabilities would be, and how they would benefit users?
Personally, I turn to this site for information and informed debate primarily in relation to the ongoing Rangers Tax Case and the wider issues that surround it, and secondarily (much more secondarily) other issues relating to the tuning of Scottish football. For me, the site works just fine so, instinctively, I would prefer to remain advert-free. I would be happy to go down this route if there is a clear and tangible benefit. Forgive me, but I’m a middle aged fart so I just have no idea what this advantage would be unless someone tells me in simple terms.
goosygoosy says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 23:35
===================================================================
I’ve heard as much of the Whytiegate tapes as anyone has, but I must say that our hero completely outflanked DG by allowing him to not only incriminate himself but also poor Ramsey! CW said nothing other than to allow DG to clarify the course of action he was following.
CW will prove to be the iceberg to the duffers titanic.
Of course he’s looking to have the sale reversed, he’ll use any tool he has at his disposal. I don’t think the recording was a precaution, I think it was an integral part of a plan already formulating in CW’s mind. Remember, he’s been sold Now my question is this. Was CW working alone or was there someone else as yet unknown backing him up? Its quite a feat for one chap to come up with such a plan on his own. CW will have made quite a bit of cash for acquaintances in the past and is maybe owed a favour or two??
The evidence regarding the COI is fairly conclusive, it just remains to be seen what actions LH will take and who’ll be offered up as the sacrificial (yet succulent) lamb.
TD or TU time again folks. I want to add some functionality to the site, including moving to wordpress.org (better moderation and increased capabilities with plugins etc).
This will of course come at a premium. Consequently, I am considering taking some ads on a trial basis to help fund it. There’s not a great deal of cash available for ads at the minute, but there may be enough to fund plans for expansion.
I’ll let this run for a couple of days before taking your advice on board. TU for yes to ads and TD for no.
If people feel strongly enough about no ads, then I am happy to continue as before.
A wee note that since we stopped the banned words list, I have only had to remove ONE reference to the “H” word.
Not proof positive of our sophistication in itself, but a sign of how we conduct our discussion with a very wide range of fan allegiances and opinion. We have much to be proud of here.
I think, in response to some above ideas, that it would be a huge mistake to introduce a “Paywall” to access this site. Even a £1.00 annual fee is a barrier to casual viewers. Not what we want to achieve here I think. If in doubt, how many of the earliest RTC viewers would have paid a fee to access it? very few I believe.
On the other hand, there is a considerable investment of time and effort made by the admin’s here and I can see the advantages of upgrading the sites capabilities. I can only see 2 options, Ad’s or voluntary contributions. Another poll anyone?
If his wire was professionally installed he wasn`t working alone
Its impossible to tell since the excerpt we have heard ould have been a mobile phone tape cleaned up by the BBC
FWIW the fact that it wasnt perfect may suggest it wasnt a professional wire
Keeps us all going anyway
TSFM says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 22:06
86 33 Rate This
TD or TU time again folks. I want to add some functionality to the site, including moving to wordpress.org (better moderation and increased capabilities with plugins etc).
This will of course come at a premium. Consequently, I am considering taking some ads on a trial basis to help fund it. There’s not a great deal of cash available for ads at the minute, but there may be enough to fund plans for expansion….
=====================================================================
The use of ads does not make any difference to me although I did give you a TU for it. In this day and age especially we all have to be practical and pragmatic and if that means selling ad space then so be it.
Just because a site has ads it doesn’t mean that you will be inundated by them. Remember there are free ad blockers that prevent unwanted ads from appearing. I use ABP personally, I am not advocating on their behalf, I am simply passing on information, I hope this is ok, and I find it extremely useful.
So, it doesn’t really make much difference, but if it means the difference between a growing website with the means to become more inclusive, then it has my vote everytime.
john clarke says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 23:20
=======================================================
Damn! forgot about the FC!!
M8Dreamer
Having witnessed on numerous occasions the 99% minority of Rangers Deceased Supporters at away games singing every detstable song from their songbook, it is extremely worrying that the Rangers Tribute Act supporters continue this trend at every away ground in SL3.
Why do decent football supporters continue to be subjected to this bile from the so called “minority” and when will the Fotball Authorities, Police, Local and National Goverments grow some balls and do something with this scum.
On the ads v Paypal contribute discussion, some info;
The traffic through the blog is substantial, and getting bigger by the week (Traffic is only measured in terms of page views and number of posts).The overhead in terms of time in moderation and other admin duties is substantial.
Moving to WordPress.org would allow greater flexibility with the use of plug-ins (not available in WordPress.com) which would make the moderation and management of the site easier. We would also have more control and access to finer grained site stats, which may be of value in the future as we approach the kind of readership numbers of the red-tops. WordPress.org is a free program, but the site would have to be privately hosted – which attracts cost.
WordPress already shows ads to users who are not logged into WordPress – a bit like the ads you see on v Bulletin Forums when you aren’t logged in. In fact in order to avoid getting those ads, you can pay WordPress for an upgrade.
Having a small and in my view discreet ad footprint just means we get paid for it.
The amount of money we will require is only a couple of hundred quid a year. JC’s suggestion of a tenner a head from everyone would allow us to employ a part-time moderator and sponsor the entire Raith Rovers first team 🙂
Tempting as that is, I am a bit uncomfortable asking for contributions.
I think the principle of free access is more important than protecting everyone from a LBG ad 🙂
I do understand and sympathise with the anti-ads arguments though. Bottom line is that we need not change anything right now, although looking ahead, moderation will become a bigger and bigger problem.
Adverts fine by me.
M8Dreamer
If Scotland was a civilised country, the only matter of any importance at the moment, would be the result of the 2014 Scottish Referendum to determine if we wish to control our own destiny.
Unfortunately in 2012 we continue to be plagued by the corrupt practices of Rangers Football Club (Deceased) and the football authorities that have allowed this National Scandal to take place.
It has taken time but the “fat lady” is about to sing and bring down every person that has participated in this corrupt practice.
As a law abiding citizen and taxpayer througout my life, justice must be seen to be carried out on all those guilty parties.
m8dreamer says:
Monday, October 29, 2012 at 00:38
“Those who will not reason, are b0gots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves.” Byron
Perhaps this could be worked into a song for actual football supporters when present at such displays by the best football fans in the World?
Perhaps not. Byron would be lost on them 😉
Good to see the SPL getting more competitive.
Also good to see CFC fans giving Killie credit and The Dons resenting Killies success.
I note the political commentary on the TRFC situation and to be honest it needs to be talked about.
I also note much nonsense about religion but then that’s basically what it boils down to. I can’t be bothered to go back and quote it but one poster when seeking tolerance between Proddies & Kaffies said something like “each to his own God”. That suggests there are only two. Maybe there’s only one and then again more than two.
Ads fine by me. If you’re looking for extra help modding, I have plenty time on my hands and would be more than willing to help out.
TSFM says:
Monday, October 29, 2012 at 00:40
I certainly would have no aversion to adverts. After all, you get them everywhere else.
In terms of promotion, I know certainly to drive hits to my own blog, my main tactic is just going about the forums and twitter and linking. It certainly works. I don’t put it on somewhere if I don’t feel it’s relevant, but the best promoted posts do tend to get a readership tens of times greater than those not. Obviously, mine is some magnitude of multiples smaller (over 3,000 a month) than the size of this or the original RTC blog so the promotion needs are very different.
It does somewhat surprise me that TSFM is fairly weakly represented on social media so I would be of the belief that there is more that can be done (if time permits) from that side of things, although I appreciate that money/time is required to properly run the site. But adverts hsould be done in co-operation with, perhaps, doing some pay-per-click banner ads of the blogs own on other sites to drive more casual fans to the site and get them involved, such as those on http://untitled-1983.tumblr.com/ who is a friend of my wife that specialises in that sort of thing and did it for Island records. It’s certainly a cheaper endeavour than many think.
rumourcontrolofficer
The fact that someone expresses the desire to become a moderator, (and in my humble opinion, the same goes for politicians and Bishops), should automatically bar them for life from ever actually becoming one. (smile.)
Happy Monday morning all. I hope the big hitters on here are sharpening their pencils ready to render the FTTT report intelligible to us didderati. KABOOM! will suffice for starters.
rab says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 18:18
__________________________________________________________
Excellent post rab, putting into words what, I am sure, the vast majority of us on here feel. The voice of reason, calling for an end to the things that blight Scottish society, could never be considered controversial by those not forming part of the blight.
A Paypal account doesn’t mean you’re asking for contributions, it means you’re facilitating them for those who already want to help.
If the principle of free access were at stake I’d completely agree with you, but it isn’t. The British Museum and other major London museums offer free access, and that’s no less true because they have boxes near the entrances where you can make a contribution if you feel like it, or even because they display a suggested level for donations.
I see this as a false choice; you should have ads *and* a PayPal account. People can read, ignore or filter out ads as they prefer, and make a contribution or not as it suits them. Besides, if you generate any surplus, there are lots of constructive and fun options for using it – to name just four:
* Donate to a suitable charity – football or anti-sectarianism related, perhaps.
* Set it aside to buy Sevco when they next come on the market. Any surplus over £3 (to give CG a 50% profit on his investment, fair’s fair) can go towards working capital, i.e. covering the first 20-30 minutes of the administrator’s fees.
* Set up a ‘Turnbull Hutton for SFA President’ action group, and buy campaign adverts in the sports pages of the Daily Record.
* Set up a tax-efficient offshore trust and make loans to yourselves until such time as you come up with a better idea.
exiledcelt says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 18:52
EC, I might be wrong, but I’m sure Big Jock had made it clear that he was against such things as knighthoods and would never accept one. He also refused to appear on ‘This Is Your Life’, I suspect telling Eamon Andrews where to stick his Red Book when he appeared from behind some curtain, as he saw such sychophantic nosense, and celebrity, as an insult to his working class roots. A big man with an even bigger sense of dignity.
angus1983 says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 21:55
Regarding the SFA exhibition this week – perhaps it is a reflection of their inner psyche – everything is okay, business as usual, nothing bad is going to happen.
Or perhaps (S)DM has not shared the FTTT decision with CO yet – ignorance is bliss. Or CO et al have given up on using Twitter, they have not read the tweet that refers to devastating pages in the decision.
The one consistent factor in the debacle has been the comedy timing, where events have came to light.
The museum timing is perfect. The fttt will come out this week. The evidence will be damning, RFC PLC will be liquidated. 140 years of HISTORY sums it up perfectly
allyjambo says:
Monday, October 29, 2012 at 07:36
4 0 Rate This
exiledcelt says:
Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 18:52
EC, I might be wrong, but I’m sure Big Jock had made it clear that he was against such things as knighthoods and would never accept one. He also refused to appear on ‘This Is Your Life’, I suspect telling Eamon Andrews where to stick his Red Book when he appeared from behind some curtain, as he saw such sychophantic nosense, and celebrity, as an insult to his working class roots. A big man with an even bigger sense of dignity.
———
I’ve also heard a story, perhaps apocryphal, that Jock turned down an honour. Great man, great manager – in the context of Scotland and Scottish football, the greatest in my lifetime – and a great Scot. He left us too soon.
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spl/stuart-bathgate-romanov-must-reveal-his-exit-plan-1-2603507
Just on the topic of adverts……..
Adverts don’t bother me in the slightest. I think it is best to get everyone to contribute and voice their opinions. Adblocker and such like does a great job of stripping the adverts out of most of my web pages and i am not atuned to ignoring them.
I think this is the most inclusive way for getting people to continue to view and contribute to the site.
I would support this move as the least hassle way forward for TSFM and the other moderators of the blog.
However, if that doesn’t cover things, then if the technology allows, is it possible to make the blog visible to anyone as read only, but if you want to contribute there should be a monthly/annual fee.
The blog could pick a football related charity – I’d be inclined to say show racism the red card, but to be honest, their action over the Famine Song leaves me less than impressed with the organisation. So maybe something like sponsoring a youth/kids team or even a league or a competition – would depend how much money was in the pot at the end of the year.
AT NO POINT WOULD ANY LEFT OVER MONEY DONATED TO KEEP THE BLOG ALIVE BE USED TO HIRE A QC FOR THE BENEFIT OF ANOTHER BLOG! 🙂
Just some thoughts.
TSFM – Just on the topic of adverts……..
Not overly keen on ads for a few hundred quid – and cookie concerns
Football ads tend to be drink, pies and betting – see SFA Board past and current lives as example
Accept your points on paypal – agree
.
How about seeking a single neutral sponsor? Clean and Simple
• A University [Media Department]?
• A Charity? / or Charities – may be keen for that sort of exposure for a little amount?
• A Scottish Oil Company?
• New Media Company?
• A `Popcorn` Firm 😉
• Lots of possibilities – ?
Ask for Sponsor Expressions of interest and then choose the best?
Nice analogy on the two share issues currently being proposed by Scottish football clubs! “Begging Bowl”
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/green-delivers-little-but-soundbites-but-expects-fans-to-deliver-20m.19263287
Lord Wobbly says:
Monday, October 29, 2012 at 08:50
1 0 Rate This
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spl/stuart-bathgate-romanov-must-reveal-his-exit-plan-1-2603507
————
It’s very sad for Hearts. Although there’s light at the end of the tunnel of spiralling costs. If I heard Kenny Shiels right he had four teenagers on the park towards the end of the Celtic match. And why not? I saw a very young Diego Maradona’s play for Argentina in Dublin, back in 1979. It was a challenge match of some kind. He was 17 at the time and came on in the second half as a ‘very promising talent’. Being chucked in at the deep end didn’t do him any harm!
I’ve been writing a wee poem/story of the Rangers situation. Here’s what I have so far.
Whyte bought “The Rangers” for a pound
He helped to run them to the ground
By dodging taxes, and bills not paying!
high wages sought by those still playing.
And then the words that shook the nation
“The Rangers” and Administration!
Was it a bluff or was it true
The Rangerstaxcase guy, he knew
Things would never be the same
The media, fans, who would they blame
Alas poor Craigy would be the one
He dissappeared quick but did he run?
So in came Green to save the day
Or so he thought with his CVA
It was no good, it was rejected
The fans outbursts, they were deflected
The mainstream media continued in vain
Reports to keep the supporters sane
They printed rubbish, they printed lies
Whilst internet bampots analysed
The ending though would be the same
For Rangers FC it was end game
So what now could poor Charles Green do?
I know! a team we pretend isn’t new
We’ll use their name, We’ll wear their strips
But of their debts we’ll seal our lips
With newco formed where would they play
We’ll ask our friends at the SFA
They tried their best for the SPL
but rival fans kicked up hell
Division 1 or division 2
The SFL fans kicked off too
The only option was division 3
We’ll take it, we’ll be back you’ll see!
TSFM,
I don’t think a couple of wee ads would make much difference.Cost is relative to income.When your not working,even a couple of pounds can be a lot to some.If a wee ad allows you to make the blog better but keep it free i’d say that’s ok.
You could however,stir up support.Tell folk how blogs like this are 99% crap.Readers will flock in their thousands.Go public,demanding the names of other blogs,”the people have a right to know”(if you don’t apologise your readers will lap it up).The MSM will be falling over themselves to print your story.
Visit N.I and the USA.Set up deals with the Dallas cowboys and Adidas.Sell the blogs name.
Apple would be my choice. “The i.monitor” or something like that.
soon you’ll be getting 500m readers a month and making £100m a year.
Top this up with a share issue,a sale/leaseback of the blog and you’re made for life
Nah,a couple of wee ads sounds right!.
TSFM
Regarding funding, I have always thought that advertising would have been a good way for, the RTC site and now this one, to raise money for charity.
I would have no problem with advertisements down the sides, but I must admit I hate pop ups.
We could take out the running costs and whats left over we could donate to charity.
Somebody suggested we could debate which charity should benefit. I would suggest that we let RTC decide the charity as he/she brought us all together.
Greens on talksport now
Bill1903
Can you update if he says anything of note
Charlie says Rangers rising as a “Phoenix”
chris shields (@chrisshields10) says:
Monday, October 29, 2012 at 09:28
Nice analogy on the two share issues currently being proposed by Scottish football clubs! “Begging Bowl”
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/green-delivers-little-but-soundbites-but-expects-fans-to-deliver-20m.19263287
=============================
This is the most sensible article the Herald has published since this farce began. A sign of movement in the MSM towards a more objective stance? Maybe they’ve had sight of a few snippets from the tribunal decision, and have realised that Rangers, in whatever form, are fatally damaged goods? Or maybe someone from the business pages has taken an interest at last. No byline, I notice. Understandable! The bears will NOT be amused.
Too much for me to sum up
I hope there’s a recording off this stuff