To Comply or not to Comply ?

UEFA Club Licensing. – To Comply or not to Comply ?

On 16 April 2018 The UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) adjudicatory chamber took decisions in the cases of four clubs that had been referred to it by the CFCB chief investigator, concerning the non-fulfilment of the club licensing criteria defined in the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.

Such criteria must be complied with by the clubs in order to be granted the licence required to enter the UEFA club competitions.

The cases of two clubs::

Olympique des Alpes SA (Sion Switzerland )

and

FC Irtysh  (Kazakhstan) 

are of particular interest to those following the events under which the SFA awarded a UEFA License to Rangers FC in 2011 currently under investigation by the SFA Compliance Officer because

  1. The case documentation tell us how UEFA wish national associations to apply UEFA FFP rules
  2. The cases  tell us what might have happened to Rangers  FC in 2012 had they not gone into liquidation and as a consequence avoided the same type of sanctions that UEFA applied to Sion and Irtysh.

 

FC Sion  (Olympique des Alpes SA)

Here we are told how the Swiss FL and then the UEFA CFCB acted in respect of FC Sion in 2017 where a misleading statement was made in the Sion UEFA licensing application.

Full details can be read at

http://tiny.cc/y6sxsy

 

but this is a summary.

In April 2017 the Swiss FL (SFL) granted a licence to Sion FC but indicated that a Disciplinary case was pending.

In July 2017 the CFCB, as part of their licence auditing programme,  carried out a compliance audit on 3 clubs to determine if licences had been properly awarded. Sion was one of those clubs.

The subsequent audit by Deloitte LLP discovered Sion had an overdue payable on a player, amounting to €950,000, owed to another football club (FC Sochaux ) at 31st March 2017 as a result of a transfer undertaken by Sion before 31st December 2016, although the €950,000 was paid in early June 2017.

Deloitte produced a draft report of their findings that was passed to SFL and Sion for comment on factual accuracy and comment on the findings. Sion responded quickly enabling Deloitte to present a final report to the CFCB Investigation Unit. In response to the Deloitte final report Sion stated:

“il apparaît aujourd’hui qu’il existait bel et bien un engagement impayé découlant d’une activité de transfert. Ce point est admis” translated as

“it now appears that there was indeed an outstanding commitment arising from transfer activity. This is admitted”

What emerged as the investigation proceeded was that the Swiss FL Licensing Committee, after granting the license in April and as a result of a Sochaux complaint of non-payment to FIFA, had reason to refer Sion’s application to their Disciplinary Commission in May 2017 with regard to the submission of potentially misleading information by FC Sion to the SFL on 7th April 2017 as part of its licensing documentation.

Sion had declared

“Written confirmation: no overdue payables arising from transfer activities”, signed by the Club’s president, stating that as at 31 March 2017 there were no overdue payables towards other football clubs. In particular, the Club indicated that the case between FC Sion and FC Sochaux regarding the transfer of the player Ishmael Yartey was still under dispute.

The SFL Disciplinary Commission came to the conclusion that FC Sion had no intention to mislead the SFL, but indeed submitted some incorrect licensing documentation; the SFL Disciplinary Commission further confirmed that the total amount of €950,000 had been paid by the Club to FC Sochaux on 7 June 2017. Because of the inaccurate information submitted, the SFL Disciplinary Commission decided to impose a fine of CHF 8,000 on the Club.

Whilst this satisfied the SFL Disciplinary process the CFCB deemed it not enough to justify the granting of the licence as UEFA intended their FFP rules to be applied.

Sion provided the CFCB with a number of reasons on the basis of which no sanction should be imposed. In particular, the Club admitted that there was an overdue payable as at 31 March 2017, but stated that the mistake in the document dated 7 April 2017 was the result of a misinterpretation by the club’s responsible person for dealing with the licence (the “Club’s licence manager”), who is not a lawyer. The Club affirmed that it never had the intention to conceal the information and had provisioned the amount due for payment and that, in any case, it has already been sanctioned by the SFL for providing the wrong information.

The CFCB Investigation Unit accepted that the Sion application, although inaccurate, was a one off misrepresentation and not a forgery, (as in intended to deceive ) but that nevertheless an overdue payable did exist at 31st March and a licence should not have been granted.

Based on their findings, the CFCB Chief Investigator decided to refer the case to the CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber and suggested a disciplinary measure to be imposed on FC Sion by the CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber, such measure consisting of a fine of €235,000, corresponding to the UEFA Revenues the Club gained by participating in the 2017/2018 UEFA Europa League.

The CFCB Investigatory Chamber submitted that it was  appropriate to impose a fine corresponding to all the UEFA revenues the Club gained by participating in the competition considering the fact that FC Sion should not have been admitted to the competition for failing to meet one of its admission criteria.

 

The Adjudicatory Chambers took all the circumstances (see paras 91 to 120 at http://tiny.cc/i8sxsy ) into consideration and reached the following key decisions.

  1. FC Sion failed to satisfy the requirements of Article 49(1) of the CL&FFP Regulations and it obtained the licence issued by the SFL not in accordance with the CL&FFP Regulations.
  2. FC Sion breached Articles 13(1) and 43(1)(i) of the CL&FFP Regulations. (Documents complete and correct)
  3. To exclude FC Sion from participating in the next UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in the next two (2) seasons (i.e. the 2018/19 and 2019/20).
  4. To impose a fine of two hundred and thirty five thousand Euros (€235,000) on FC Sion.
  5. FC Sion is to pay three thousand Euros (€3,000) towards the costs of these proceedings.

Comment in respect of the award of a UEFA Licence in 2011 to Rangers FC.

It is now public knowledge that an actual liability of tax due before 31stDecember 2010 towards HMRC, was admitted by Rangers FC before 31st March 2011.

This liability was described as “potential” in Rangers Interim accounts audited by Grant Thornton.

“Note 1: The exceptional item reflects a provision for a potential tax liability in relation to a Discounted Option Scheme associated with player contributions between 1999 and 2003. A provision for interest of £0.9m has also been included within the interest charge.”

The English Oxford Dictionary definition of potential is:

Having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future.

Which was not true as the liability had already been “developed” so could not be potential.

This was repeated by Chairman Alistair Johnson in his covering Interim Accounts statement

“The exceptional item reflects a provision for a potential tax liability in relation to a Discounted Option Scheme associated with player contributions between 1999 and 2003. “  where he also added

“Discussions are continuing with HMRC to establish a resolution to the assessments raised.”

This could be taken as disputing the liability but In fact the resolution to the assessments raised would have been payment of the actual liability, something that never happened.

In the Sion case it was accepted the misleading statement was a one off misrepresentation, but at the monitoring stages at June 2011 in Ranger’s case the status of the liability continued to be misrepresented and in September the continuing discussions reason was repeated, along with a claim of an instalment paid whose veracity is highly questionable.

The Swiss FL Licensing Committee did at least refer the case to their Disciplinary Committee when they realised a misleading statement might have been made. The SFA however in August 2011, when Sherriff Officers called at Ibrox for payment of the overdue tax , did no such thing and pulled up the drawbridge for six years, one that the Compliance Officer is now finally charged with lowering.

 


 

The case of FC Irtysh of Kazakhstan is set out in full at http://tiny.cc/y9sxsy  and is a bit more straightforward but is nevertheless useful to compare with events in 2011 in Scotland.

Unlike Rangers FC , FC Irtysh properly disclosed that they had an overdue payable to the Kazakhstan tax authorities at the monitoring point at 30th June 2017. This caused the CFCB Investigatory Unit to seek further information with regard to the position at 31st March

It transpired that Irtysh had declared an overdue payable at 31st March but cited their financial position (awaiting sponsor money) as a reason for non payment to the Kazakhstan FA who accepted it and granted the licence. The outstanding tax was paid in September 2107.

The outcome of the CFCB Investigation was a case put to the CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber  who agreed with the CFCB Investigation Unit that a licence should not have been granted and recommended that Irtysh be fined the equivalent of the UEFA prize money, (that had been withheld in any case whilst CFCB investigated.)

The CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber however decided that a fine was not sufficient in sporting deterrent terms and ruled that:

 

  1.  FC Irtysh failed to satisfy the requirements of Article 50bis(1) of the CL&FFP Regulations and it obtained the licence issued by the FFK not in accordance with the CL&FFP Regulations.
  2. To withhold four hundred and forty thousand Euros (€440,000) corresponding to the UEFA revenues FC Irtysh gained by participating in the 2017/2018 UEFA Europa League.
  3. To exclude FC Irtysh from participating in the next UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in the next three (3) seasons (i.e. the 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons). This sanction is deferred for a probationary period of (3) three years. This exclusion must be enforced in case the Club participates again in a UEFA club competition having not fulfilled the licence criteria required to obtain the UEFA licence in accordance with the CL&FFP Regulations.
  4. FC Irtysh is to pay three thousand Euros (€3,000) towards the costs of these proceedings. “

 

The deferral was because unlike Rangers FC,  FC Irtysh had properly disclosed to the licensor the correct & accurate financial information required, so the exclusion was deferred for a probationary period of (3) years.

 

Comment in respect of the award of a UEFA Licence in 2011 to Rangers FC.

From the foregoing it could be deduced that had Rangers FC qualified for the Champions League (or European League) and not gone bust as a result and so not entered liquidation BUT it became public knowledge by 2012 that a licence had been wrongly and possibly fraudulently granted then

  1. Rangers would have been fined the equivalent of their earnings from their participation in the UEFA competitions in 2011
  2. At least a two year ban from UEFA Competitions would have been imposed, but more likely three in view of repeated incorrect statements.
  3. The consequences of both would have been as damaging for Rangers survival as the real life consequences of losing to Malmo and Maribor in the qualifying rounds of the Champions and European Leagues.

Karma eh!

Interestingly in the UEFA COMPLIANCE AND INVESTIGATION ACTIVITY REPORT 2015 – 2017 , the CFCB investigatory chamber recommended that both the Kazakhstan FA and Swiss FA as licensors

“pay particular attention to the adequate disclosure of the outstanding amounts payable towards other football clubs, in respect of employees and towards social/tax authorities, which must be disclosed separately;

Would the same recommendation apply to the Scottish FA with regard to their performance in 2011 and will the  SFA responses thereafter to shareholders in a member club be examined for compliance with best governance practice by the SFA Compliance Officer investigating the processing of the UEFA Licence in 2011?

This would be a welcome step in fully restoring trust in the SFA.

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Auldheid

About Auldheid

Celtic fan from Glasgow living mostly in Spain. A contributor to several websites, discussion groups and blogs, and a member of the Resolution 12 Celtic shareholders' group. Committed to sporting integrity, good governance, and the idea that football is interdependent. We all need each other in the game.

7,185 thoughts on “To Comply or not to Comply ?


  1. wottpiMay 22, 2018 at 11:40
    PS
    Given all the recent posts re oldco/newco, Celtics treble, the SFA charges etc  has anyone got a feel for where we are with the TOP and the 20p offer King was supposed to have made via Laird Investments.
    That’s all gone a bit quiet!
    _____________
    ‘All gone a bit quiet’ won’t necessarily mean that nothing is happening, at least on the TOP side of the matter, while silence from the King camp is a pretty clear indication that nothing positive is happening there in terms of complying with the order.

    It would probably be true to form, though, for a subliminal message to be put out via some ‘Rangers’ centric organisation – like Club 1874 perhaps – to give the impression that, in, say, six weeks time money will be raised via a rights issue. Add that to the signing fest, and the impression given to the bears is, ‘all is well, Captain, no reports of icebergs in the area’.


  2. Paddy @ 12.11 22 May 2018
    Re – Relegation
    As a DUFC supporter its a painful process both emotionally & financially (& is still ) – the Championship is a difficult league to get out of (as even the mighty The Rangers FC discovered) & going to unfashionable grounds for an away fixture in the depths of winter requires a certain fortitude in both the players’ mentalities & perhaps , more importantly in the managers’ .
    As St Mirren have shown , having an adept manager is more than half the battle – the jury is still out on the one we (DUFC) have currently & whether he is up to achieving promotion next season (I suspect not) .


  3. I think some posters on here are expecting too much from the new CEO Ian Maxwell. It has to be remembered that a CEO or Managing Director is an employee appointed by the board. His main task is to see to the efficient running of the day to day affairs of the company and carry them out to the satisfaction of the board members and in particular the board chairman (chairperson).
    He would be placing his job in jeopardy if he came out with statements etc. that went against Board policy, so I don’t expect much to change unless the board membership has altered or they have decided to try and quieten the dissenters. 


  4. That highly experienced, very successful manager – Guardiola – took over Man City.  He inherited a world class squad, bought more world class players, and yet – he won nothing in his first season.

    That highly experienced, very successful manager – Klopp – took over Liverpool.  He inherited a very decent squad, added world class players, and yet – he won nothing in his first season.

    [etc…]

    That novice, unknown quantity of a manager – Gerrard – is supposedly taking over TRFC.  He is inheriting a seriously poor / dysfunctional squad, can only really add freebies/loan players, and yet – the SMSM is currently proclaiming that he/TRFC will win not just domestically, but will also be a success in Europe, [if only the Europa League].

    …in his first season at TRFC…and in his first season as a club manager.

    I can see the bears have learned zero from the past: managing expectations and all that.  09

    Gerrard is already being built up to fail by the SMSM and the TRFC blogs.

    Yet another reason for Gerrard to inform King that he is unable to take the hot seat at Ibrox, IMO.


  5. I think the master plan at UEFA is to create a closed Super League that replaces the Champions League and a financially upgraded Europa League for the rest of us to scrap over like scraps from the banquet table.
    The reality is they are making it harder and harder for the likes of Celtic Ajax etc to qualify for the Champions League with us now apparently needing to negotiate through 4 rounds now in order just to get a wee seat at the table or should I say high chair?
    The Europa League money will soon get up to and around the current CL revenues and the winner might get the Gooden Ticket every Season and get into the lucrative Intergalactic Wonder League.
    Celtic should look to building a side capable of winning the Europa League with a view to perhaps gaining access via this way as I see us having little or no chance of getting an invite into the old boys network.
    Sad though this it is Football has gone this way the charlatans who claim to have the best interests of the game at heart are the ones responsible for it ending up where it is.ie Grotesque version of it’s former self.
    The beautiful game?
    [moderated]


  6. STEVIEBC MAY 22 15.10
    Good to see you are still struggling to accept that SG will be the Rangers manager at the start of the season. Not quite sure why you seem so reluctant to come to terms with this appointment
    Don’t think he would have accepted the job if only able to sign freebie/loan players. If the rumours are true then the proposed fee for Martin Skirtel alone is in the region of £2.7 million.
    Gerrard is a risky appointment without a doubt, but one that has the Rangers support renewing season tickets in record numbers.  


  7. SLIMJIMMAY 22, 2018 at 16:57
    STEVIEBC MAY 22 15.10Good to see you are still struggling to accept that SG will be the Rangers manager at the start of the season. Not quite sure why you seem so reluctant to come to terms with this appointmentDon’t think he would have accepted the job if only able to sign freebie/loan players. If the rumours are true then the proposed fee for Martin Skirtel alone is in the region of £2.7 million.Gerrard is a risky appointment without a doubt, but one that has the Rangers support renewing season tickets in record numbers.  

    ==============
    Crivvens not another world record!!


  8. SLIMJIMMAY 22, 2018 at 16:57
    STEVIEBC MAY 22 15.10Good to see you are still struggling to accept that SG will be the Rangers manager at the start of the season.
        ——————————————————————————————————
        I don’t suppose it is neither here nor there,  but what actually makes more sense would be McAllister being the manager, with Gerrard as his No 2. 
        Maybe not quite so box office, (hence the switcheroo) but it does mean they can pump Gerrard if results are stinking, but keep McAllister on as care-taker and stick to the plan. (whatever it may be)
        On a plus side, he knows agents, knows players are not swayed by friendships when signing, and accepts Woolworths went bust. 06
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdQcgAGd3i4


  9. SLIMJIM

    MAY 22, 2018 at 16:57

    Don’t think he would have accepted the job if only able to sign freebie/loan players. If the rumours are true then the proposed fee for Martin Skirtel alone is in the region of £2.7 million.
    —————————————–
    TRFC supporters seem unable to see the big picture with potential signings like this.

    Let’s say he gets a three year contract:

    Transfer fee is £900k per year for three years.

    Salary is £1.2m per year for three years.

    Employer’s NIC is £166k per year for three years.

    £2.26m per annum for a player with no (or minimal) value at the end of his contract. 4532 season books at £500 each every year to pay for an ageing centre-back. 

    Arfield, McGregor, Skrtel & Alves may well cost more in salary & social taxes each year than income from selling out every seat in the Govan Stand, which is almost a third of Ibrox’s capacity. 

    You must see that’s not good, or sustainable, business.


  10. slimjimMay 22, 2018 at 16:57 Good to see you are still struggling to accept that SG will be the Rangers manager at the start of the season. Not quite sure why you seem so reluctant to come to terms with this appointmentDon’t think he would have accepted the job if only able to sign freebie/loan players. If the rumours are true then the proposed fee for Martin Skirtel alone is in the region of £2.7 million.Gerrard is a risky appointment without a doubt, but one that has the Rangers support renewing season tickets in record numbers.
                                                                                                                                                
    Wow, imagine that was the reason for his appointment, rather than any ability King thought he might have!! 


  11.  BD CO JJ NL 
    1 Would be difficult for any other club to beat the number of ST renewals at Rangers tbf !!.
    2 Don’t believe that scenario is accurate.
    3 To be clear i didn’t say it was either a “good or sustainable business model” just reminding SBC there will be money available and not just “freebies & loans” as he put it.
    4 Imagine you replace the words “rather than” with “allied to”.


  12. SLIMJIM
    who told you there will be money available?king???????????????????? 


  13. SLIMJIM
    MAY 22, 2018 at 16:57
    Gerrard is a risky appointment without a doubt, but one that has the Rangers support renewing season tickets in record numbers.  
    ========================================

    Did Celtic not sell something like 49,000 season tickets last year. I don’t imagine Rangers will do that, so what record will they be breaking. 


  14. TONY MAY 22 19.10
    To be fair to DK the club has backed its managers with both transfer funds & a significant increases in the wage bill. The fact that neither has been proved to have provided value for money isn’t entirely his fault imo.


  15. SLIMJIM
    MAY 22, 2018 at 19:20
    =========================================

    Who employed Warburton and Caixinha. Who decided to let Murty keep the job for the remainder of the season.

    My money is on it being the board. My guess it was the board of the PLC, not the board of the subsidiary.


  16. HOMUNCULUS MAY 22 19.12
    Eh, their own record for ST sales. 090909
    There was a clue in “RANGERS support RENEWING season tickets in record numbers”.


  17. SLIMJIM
    MAY 22, 2018 at 19:26

    HOMUNCULUS MAY 22 19.12Eh, their own record for ST sales.  There was a clue in “RANGERS support RENEWING season tickets in record numbers”.

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

    Oh, I thought they had sold out last year.

    I take it that’s not the case then.


  18. NAEGREETINMAY 22, 2018 at 13:46
    We’ve been down this road before . Nearly killed us last time but the fans and others rallied round and saved us from liquidation . We had the same set-up as RFC(IL) but not the same clout with SMSM or the footballing authorities ,so I doubt we’d have been transformed into some metaphysical entity , losing only our debt . I remember one relegation where defeat to CFC at Firhill confirmed it , and the away support serenaded us with (to the tune of Happy Birthday ) “Relegation to you , etc” . So kind of them , fair cheered us up !


  19. SLIMJIM
    as it’s not my club i don’t really care,but DK ain’t done nothing to help trfc,so in that sense i hope he stays till the party is over


  20. TONY
    MAY 22, 2018 at 19:42
    ===========================================

    In my opinion pretty much everything he has done has been nigh on a disaster. 

    From the public battles with Ashley, to his concert party shambles, the nonsense about looking at a load of CVs before going for Derek McInnes who everyone knew was the target and then he knocked it back. The employment of a series of managers who weren’t up to the job, and letting a caretaker stay who was so out of his depth it was untrue.

    Remember this is the man who promised transparency, openness and putting in £30m or more. As it stands he has provided the club with some loans and that’s about it.

    I think Paul Murray walking away pretty much sums it up. There is a dysfunctional board and King chairs it. Long may it continue. 


  21. HOMUNCULUS  
    I was referring specifically to the amount of renewals rather than the total number of STs sold. I do however expect us to surpass last seasons total of 43253.  


  22. SLIMJIM
    MAY 22, 2018 at 19:51
    ===================================

    Right as I said I thought it was a sell out last season, happy to be corrected. 

    Thing is, on social media the people discussing it were adamant that people would be renewing anyway and that it wasn’t Steven Gerrard taking the job which was causing it. Different to your view clearly. 


  23. HOMUNCULUSMAY 22, 2018 at 19:30
    Oh, I thought they had sold out last year.
    —————
    No,no i will not do it.No,no no06


  24. SHUGMAY 22, 2018 at 19:22
    If PMG info is correct then I would think there could be a few reasons as to his hint that surrender no is looking to move on .
    1. IIRC it’s his signature on the disputed document in the Res 12 saga and the out of the blue announcement that he is still to be passed fit and proper to be involved in our game (stop laughing at the back )  led me to believe that he would be the sacrificial lamb .
    2.He does not like what he sees in the SG project and wants nothing to do with it .
    3. knows what is coming down the pike regards the TOP situation and doesn’t want to be around when it hits .
    4. he is just another one that has to make way for the MASSIVE investment that’s on it’s way  
    Answers on a postcard to GASL FC 


  25. SLIMJIM MAY 22, 2018 at 19:11
    UPTHEHOOPS MAY 22, 2018 at 19:17
    ===================
    I’ve been contributing to FOH since  day one.

    The original purpose was twofold. Firstly to save the club, then to facilitate majority ownership of the club.

    Had the club and FOH stuck to the original schedule the the club would have already been in the hand of the supporters.  However, circumstances and opportunity combined to allow the replacement of the old main stand. 

    That delayed the original schedule by two years, but will be achieved in around 21 months time at the current rate of contributions. Supporters have already contributed over £7m since coming out of administration four years ago this month, and that figure will reach £9.5m before majority ownership is handed over.

    I know many pledgers have stated that there pledge is for life. The challenge in the future will be to find the right balance of investment in general working capital or in the fabric of the club which would allow the club to grow organically.

    I think that money will be tight as far as the playing squad is concerned for the next couple of years. However, I’ve every faith that the supporters will stick with the club and its sustainable financing model, in the knowledge that the foundations for future success on and off the park will be in place.


  26. shugMay 22, 2018 at 19:22
    PMG latest confirming something I heard this morning.
    https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/2018/05/22/letter-from-america/
    _______________________

    Interesting what PMGB is telling us about Johnston (I presume that’s who he’s hinting at), and he makes the (quite obvious) point that Paul Murray didn’t leave because he believes good times are just around the corner. Murray’s resignation, along with Barry Scott, seems to have dropped off the radar, with no explanation forthcoming, which seems to suggest that any explanation wouldn’t be helpful to TRFC.

    In the meantime. Floods of ‘good news’ to keep the right sort of headlines to the fore, supplemented by a healthy ladling of rumours, while the real news is somewhat darker, perhaps?


  27. ALLYJAMBOMAY 22, 2018 at 20:30
    My thoughts exactly .
    Do you do this mind reading lark for a living 14


  28. EASYJAMBOMAY 22, 2018 at 20:22
    What FOH have achieved thus far is very commendable ,were you all properly consulted on the change to the original plan and were happy to go ahead with the change . 


  29. fan of footballMay 22, 2018 at 20:35
    ALLYJAMBOMAY 22, 2018 at 20:30 My thoughts exactly . Do you do this mind reading lark for a living
    _______________

    Look into my eyes, look into my eyes…09 

    In actual fact, FoF, I’m no mind reader, just, perhaps, a master of the bloody obvious03


  30. Funny how a headline comes around on almost the exact date.Mr Alistair johnston


  31. ALLYJAMBOMAY 22, 2018 at 20:46
    123 I’m back in the room 10


  32. shugMay 22, 2018 at 19:22 ‘PMG latest confirming something I heard this morning.https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/2018/05/22/letter-from-america/..’

    HomunculusMay 22, 2018 at 19:49
    ‘..I think Paul Murray walking away pretty much sums it up. There is a dysfunctional board and King chairs it. .’
    __________________

    PMcG’s report of impending resignations  sent me to the relevant Companies House page to check who these might be ( one or other of the Parks, and Alistair Johnston, perhaps?). 

    This in turn reminded me of that wonderful scene in ‘Zulu’, when Colour-Sergeant Bourne is taking the post-battle roll-call: I substituted the names of ‘resigned’ RIFC plc directors:

    Cartmell?….Crighton?…Easdale,James?….Gilligan?….Green?…Hart?…Leach?…
    Llambias?…Mather?…Murray,M?…Murray,P?…Nash?..Scott?…Smart?..Smith?…..
    Somers?…Stockbridge?… Wallace?…. 

    I rather imagine there would be no ‘director awards’ equivalent to the VC !


  33. King has played a blinder with the appointment of Gerrard.
    There is absolutely no doubt about that because prior to this appointment their Support were on the brink of mutiny I think.
    Now he has them galvanised and thinking they are in with a shout of not only competing with Celtic but stopping us getting to the fabled 10?
    Fear is a major factor when it comes to the average Rangers fan.
    Fear and delusion.
    King has targeted both and it will stave off the next wave of revolt.
    A support with a weird sense of entitlement that was built over decades follow following their former Club.
    The famous cry you read almost on a daily basis is “ a return to the top of the Scottish game where we belong”
    Seriously?
    Have any of their Support looked st the scores on the doors over the past 50 years?
    That’s including the 10 whilst cheating the system.
    Celtic have dominated over the piece.
    I say dominated but only in the two main Trophies as the Old Rangers were Kings of the League Diddy Cup.
    No Ramadan though.
    I digress.
    Deluded and desperate ,and the signing of Gerrard is a sure sign of desperation.
    Zero Management at Senior Level an untried and untested Rookie who may or may not cut it in Scotland.
    They have yet again fallen for the flannel hook,line and sinker.
    Wee side note.
    Celtic had £26.5m Net Cash in the Bank In the last Interim Accounts.
    I fully expect to see some serious Investment this Summer in terms of player recruitment and judging by Brendan Rodgers comments he does too.
    Well played Glib and Shameless all the same.
    ?


  34. HOMUNCULUS 19.57.
    Renewals would have decreased by around 10-20% imo had a lower profile manager been appointed.
    EJ 20.22
    As i said earlier the FOH deserve a great deal of credit and have shown how fan ownership can be achieved. Something my own clubs support should but probably won’t, learn from.


  35. fan of football May 22, 2018 at 20:43
    EASYJAMBOMAY 22, 2018 at 20:22 What FOH have achieved thus far is very commendable ,were you all properly consulted on the change to the original plan and were happy to go ahead with the change . 
    =====================
    Yes, there was a vote by the FOH membership to enable the funding of the new stand and delay the transfer of ownership. The vote was passed with 99% in favour.

    Investing in the fabric of the club rather than players wages makes sense as the return on investment can be significantly higher and longer lasting, e.g. the new stand may bring in say £2m extra per annum. That’s how I think that FOH should plan its future, rather than gamble fans cash by helping fund the wages of the latest striking sensation, A Huddy. 

    Although the funding of the stand delayed fan ownership, a provision of the deal was the staged transfer of voting rights from Bidco (Ann Budge) to FOH. It means that FOH now controls 35% of the shares, although doesn’t actually own them as yet. 

    Note also that FOH won’t run the club on a day to day basis. That will be left to the club’s Board as at present, although the FOH membership may seek to establish “values” that the club’s Board will have to abide by. I’ve already submitted a number of ideas during FOH’s governance consultations last year. I also met with the governance working group at their invitation.


  36. JustTheFactsMay 22, 2018 at 21:04
    ‘..Have any of their Support looked st the scores on the doors over the past 50 years?’
    _________________
    What’s the  relevance of any period prior to 2012   when  comparing TRFC Ltd’s sporting record with that of any older club?
    None whatsoever!


  37. JUSTTHEFACTS
    MAY 22, 2018 at 21:04

    Celtic had £26.5m Net Cash in the Bank In the last Interim Accounts.I fully expect to see some serious Investment this Summer in terms of player recruitment and judging by Brendan Rodgers comments he does too.
    =============================================

    Just a couple of things and I apologise to both yourself and the bean counters in advance. I am about to get things wrong, it is more the general principle I am talking about than the actual accountancy (which is frankly a black art anyway). 

    The £26.5m net cash in the interim accounts is at best a snapshot. It does not really reflect anything meaningful in my opinion. It is an indicator that the business is doing well, particularly when compared to the net cash figures in previous reports. 

    It is all too easy to think Celtic have c£25m just sitting there to spend. However it doesn’t take into account expenditure in the second half of the financial year where outgoing will be more than income. 

    In my opinion, and it is just that, I do not consider purchase of player registrations to always be an investment per se. It is an expenditure, which is used to purchase an asset, which is then amortised over the length of the players contract. Basically if we spend £5m on a player’s registration and give him a 5 year contract then the “asset” is worth precisely nothing at the end of the 5 years. 

    I only wish to make one point, and I fully expect it to be unpopular, Celtic will not be spending huge sums over the Summer. Rogic has signed a 5 year contract, as has Bain. Lewis Morgan is now with the club, a great prospect for the future by all accounts. The biggest purchase may well be converting Edouard from a loan to a transfer, which I think is an investment.

    To me that is all good business, good for the team and potential profit from sell on fees. 


  38. SLIMJIMMAY 22, 2018 at 21:13
    0
    0 Rate This
    HOMUNCULUS 19.57.Renewals would have decreased by around 10-20% imo had a lower profile manager been appointed.
    ———————
    And a decrease of such an amount would have seen the wheels come off much quicker


  39. See all the thoughts about a treble treble. 10 in a row.  Its about Celtic.  Its nothing to do with The Rangers.

    Slimjim at least knows that.  He speaks for his club.  God Bless him.  He is a bit deluded  but not a bad person for all that.


  40. SLIMJIM
    MAY 22, 2018 at 21:13

    Renewals would have decreased by around 10-20% imo had a lower profile manager been appointed.
    =============================================

    That’s interesting, thanks for quantifying it. As I said my reading of social media had it that people would have been renewing anyway. Not losing 4,000 – 8,000 sales, which would have been a real issue with money so tight.

    I assume Dave King’s prediction of £3.2m losses next season was based on maintaining season ticket sales. 

    I tend to agree with you. He was brought in to sell season tickets, and that appears to be working. The last figure I saw was about 39,000 sold. 


  41. On Phils latest and the point around the year end accounts, the auditors won’t start preparing them until well into September time so it’s nonsense to suggest they are holding off to resign for that reason.

    Any resignations made post 30th June and pre completion of accounts would be mentioned in any case. 


  42. Hi guys.
    Taking a break from visiting the sights in Las Vegas so using down time to catch up.Noticed this from
    JustTheFactsMay 22, 2018 at 21:04-Celtic have dominated over the piece.I say dominated but only in the two main Trophies as the Old Rangers were Kings of the League Diddy Cup.
    It brought to mind a wee fact that I thought some of you may be interested in.This fact was,and may still be,a genuine world record.Here goes:
    On 8th August 1964 Celtic played Partick Thistle in their 1st group game of the League Cup qualifiers(How they did it back then).Finished 0-0.
    They then went on to play in EVERY round of same competition until they lost 3-2 in the Semi Final to Rangers FC(IL) on 13th December 1978,a continuous run lasting over 14 years.For the record they won 6,lost 8.


  43. JIMBO 21.24
    Just “a bit deluded” Jimbo. Not sure if that’s a compliment coming from yourself.
    HOMUNCULUS 21.33
    The 10-20% was simply my own opinion, but after the two heavy defeats to Celtic i got the feeling many fans were delaying buying a ST until the board showed how ambitious they were going to be when appointing a new manager. The success in attracting SG to the club has allayed these fears for many if not all.   


  44. EJ 2118″Investing in the fabric of the club rather than players wages makes sense as the return on investment can be significantly higher and longer lasting, e.g. the new stand may bring in say £2m extra per annum.”
    I think that was the model used by Fergus McCann when he rescued Celtic and made him unpopular for a time until the fans saw the sense in what he was doing. Time has proved him right and the board at Ibrox should have paid attention.
    Fergus deserves a statue at Celtic Park.


  45. I’m dying to post a song.   BP, Tris, are on board?   If not, I’m going to post a song in 5 mins.  Which a lot of listeners will love.   And yes it is football related.  Here’s hoping.


  46. Ballyargus,   I think the main stand should be named the Brother Walfrid Stand.  The man is a saint.   The North Stand The Fergus McCann stand.   Sorted.


  47. SLIMJIM
    MAY 22, 2018 at 22:26
    The 10-20% was simply my own opinion, but after the two heavy defeats to Celtic i got the feeling many fans were delaying buying a ST until the board showed how ambitious they were going to be when appointing a new manager. The success in attracting SG to the club has allayed these fears for many if not all.   

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

    As I said, thanks for quantifying the losses you expected.

    Where we have to differ is “The success in attracting SG to the club …”

    The club offered the job to Derek McInnes and he knocked it back. Steven Gerrard is at the very best second choice. And if Derek McInnes was second choice as Dave King implied then Steven Gerrrard is further down than that. 

    I think Steven Gerrard was brought in as a way of placating the support and selling season tickets (as a you said), giving the pretense of a “high profile manager”.

    He is a high profile former player, he is not a high profile manager.

    He may turn out to be a great manager, I have no idea. That is the risk, and it is a huge risk in my opinion. Better to bring in an established manager who has proven he can do the job. I genuinely believed no such person wanted the job.


  48. I will post this letter to the new CEO tomorrow:
                                                                                                     23rd May,2018
    Mr Ian Maxwell,Chief Executive Officer,Scottish Football Association,Hampden ParkGlasgow G42 9BA

    Dear Chief Executive,
    Scottish Football is living a lie, and has been living a lie since the failure by the SFA Board in 2012 to deal with the aftermath of the Liquidation of Rangers Football Club in accordance with all precedent and with commercial law and practice.

    The Board, and the Boards of the then SPL and SFL, initially acted properly: Rangers Football Club lost its membership of the SPL, and lost its entitlement to participate in Scottish Professional Football.

    In a process that was misleadingly described by the Administrators as a ‘controlled auction’ the club was offered for sale as a going concern. A number of bidders made bids. These were either withdrawn, or rejected by the Administrators.

    The Administrators then sought to arrive at a Creditors Voluntary Arrangement(CVA). They struck a deal in advance with Charles Green’s consortium under which he was offered first dibs ( as ‘preferred bidder’) for ‘the business and assets’ of the club if a CVA could not be arranged.

    Note that the Administrators could not sell the club as a going concern, and they could not in law say that they did. No bidder was prepared to take responsibility for the massive debts the club owed. In the absence of a CVA, the club legally had to be put into Liquidation.

    Charles Green exercised his rights as ‘preferred bidder’ for the assets. He bought Ibrox stadium and sundry other physical assets. He persuaded some of the footballers and other personnel to sign contracts with the new Club he intended to set up.

    Others of the playing staff, their contracts with the Liquidated club voided by the Liquidation, chose to seek contracts with other clubs.

    In short, Charles Green was legally unable to purchase Rangers Football Club plc , lock, stock, barrel and outstanding debts.

    His plan, of course, had been to have his purchase of some of the assets regarded by all and sundry as merely a change in the ownership of Rangers Football Club.

    It came as a bitter blow to him when, with at that time a commendable degree of integrity, the SFA insisted that his ‘SevcoScotland’ had to apply for membership of a League, in order to qualify for membership of the SFA!

    You know what happened thereafter: the cries of ‘Armageddon’ from your predecessor in office, the bullying and hectoring by the SFA of the SPL and SFL boards, the ‘corruption’ called out by the late Turnbull Hutton, and the utterly disgraceful ‘5-Way Agreement’.

    This shameful capitulation to the bullying and aggression of Charles Green and his new creation “The Rangers Football Club Ltd” has destroyed belief that there is  ‘Sporting integrity’ and honest governance in Scottish Football.

    By allowing a new club to masquerade as an old-established, honours-laden club while that very same old club languishes in Liquidation the SFA has prostituted itself, and, frankly, rendered itself utterly unfit for any purpose, let alone for the noble task of encouraging sport and genuine sporting competition.

    I suggest to you that, however difficult it may be to discharge, your bounden duty to Scottish Football is to undo the harm done and restore truth and honesty to the governance of our game.

    For the sake of the sport you profess to love, please bend your every effort to try to bring this about.

    Otherwise, you will be a toom tabard, a hollow man of no principle, meekly submitting to, and thereby being party to, what is little more than a monstrous deception.

    Yours sincerely 


  49. I’ve just posted them on my forum.  Judy Collins.   Tony, you heartless sod.  I wanted to share.


  50. JIMBO
    i’m signing off now ,you carry on till yer hearts content 0104


  51. JUSTTHEFACTSMAY 22, 2018 at 21:04

    The £26.5m net cash in the interim accounts is at best a snapshot. It does not really reflect anything meaningful in my opinion. It is an indicator that the business is doing well, particularly when compared to the net cash figures in previous reports. 
    It is all too easy to think Celtic have c£25m just sitting there to spend. However it doesn’t take into account expenditure in the second half of the financial year where outgoing will be more than income. 

    In my opinion, and it is just that, I do not consider purchase of player registrations to always be an investment per se. It is an expenditure, which is used to purchase an asset, which is then amortised over the length of the players contract. Basically if we spend £5m on a player’s registration and give him a 5 year contract then the “asset” is worth precisely nothing at the end of the 5 years. 
    ========================================
    We had more £10m more than the previous years Interim results and we ended up with £7m profit.
    This was without selling any of the prize assets off as has been the case in previous years.
    I am factoring in the potential  sale of Dembele either this Summer or in January as I do not see him at Celtic at the end of next Season.
    Dembele is not going to go for less than £12m -probably closer to £15m plus sell on percentage.
    Brendan has already mentioned brininging in quality in recent interviews and given the fine state of health the Club is in It is my opinion that is what will happen.
    The defence needs sorting and we require better quality for Europe.
    There is no way he wants to take us into the Champions League for further gubbings.
    No chance.
    We have the finances.


  52. can’t get to sleep so popped onto twitter and imagine my surprise that skrtel is not going to trfc  09


  53. Apologies if the following article has been posted before. I haven’t had time to lurk let alone comment on recent events!!http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/16240673.Motherwell_top_Premiership_attendance_table_as_fans_flock_to_Fir_Park/?ref=eblsunfortunately, it’s the usual churnalism as opposed to the in depth analysis we would like to see from our SMSM sports writers (NB – NOT journalistS!!!)It’s hardly surprising that Motherwell came out top given their success in top flight up competitions but the article does not even mention the number of home games each club had!!!


  54. sannoffymesssoitizzMay 23, 2018 at 03:25
    Apologies if the following article has been posted before. I haven’t had time to lurk let alone comment on recent events!!http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/16240673.Motherwell_top_Premiership_attendance_table_as_fans_flock_to_Fir_Park/?ref=eblsunfortunately, it’s the usual churnalism as opposed to the in depth analysis we would like to see from our SMSM sports writers (NB – NOT journalistS!!!)It’s hardly surprising that Motherwell came out top given their success in top flight up competitions but the article does not even mention the number of home games each club had!!!
    __________________

    But I thought everyone was so sick of Celtic’s dominance that we need a strong ‘Rangers’ to counter it! Maybe they are working on the premise that if one club hammering everyone week on week leads to increased crowds, then to have two (but not three, no, that would never do) would encourage even more lambs* to the slaughter.

    There’s actually a better story there if someone from the sports media would do an article examining the juxtaposition where, with a (relatively) weak ‘Rangers’ substitute, we see crowds rising, when, at the same time, we are meant to be missing the club that cheated us all (though I doubt any writer would be brave enough to go that far down the road of truth and would avoid any detailed mention of how a ‘Rangers’ came to be ‘weak’).

    I’d go as far as predicting that, should TRFC ever reach a level where they establish themselves as a clear number 2 (pun intended) to Celtic, the crowds at most other Premiership clubs would start to drop off. 

    *of the non-succulent variety


  55. HOMUNCULUSMAY 22, 2018 at 21:22
     
    The £26.5m net cash in the interim accounts is at best a snapshot. It does not really reflect anything meaningful in my opinion. It is an indicator that the business is doing well, particularly when compared to the net cash figures in previous reports. 

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

    I heard Hugh Keevins rattling on the other night about how much money Celtic have and that it is ‘high time’ they showed they are willing to spend it. Thankfully Celtic got where they are on the business side by ignoring the rabble from journalists on the sidelines standing with their pens and discarded fag packets declaring how much Celtic should be spending.

    With four qualifying rounds for the CL to come, there is a very real possibility they may not qualify, and having cash in the bank helps to ease that blow. Also, long contracts for talented young players don’t come cheap. Neither does the best hybrid pitch available, the 2nd and final stage of which will be completed this summer. As a fan I am happy with the way Celtic spend their cash, both on the team and the infrastructure of the club. It seems Brendan Rodgers is too. What the media think is completely irrelevant. 


  56. EASYJAMBOMAY 22, 2018 at 21:18
    Glad to hear FOH were properly consulted and 99% acceptance would suggest it was a good use of the supporters funds .

    I am not a great fan of supporters paying contributions over and above their ticket money ,mainly because I believe we already pay too much just to watch our game 

    One off projects when supporters can contribute to say ,save the clubs very existence ,I don’t have a problem with and would contribute if this was the case of my club .

    However ,with the amount of money that can be raised from supporters with a passion for their club ,there is a potential for people to take advantage of that passion for gain .

    I am in no way suggesting this is happening with FOH ,far from it but the need for the supporters to be vigilant is vital .

    I wish you well in your endeavours.  


  57. TONYMAY 23, 2018 at 01:35
    7
    0 Rate This
    can’t get to sleep so popped onto twitter and imagine my surprise that skrtel is not going to trfc
    ——————
    So far the only one that had a price is not coming06
    ———————–
    SLIMJIMMAY 22, 2018 at 22:26
     i got the feeling many fans were delaying buying a ST until the board showed how ambitious they were going to be when appointing a new manager. 
    ————————
    showed how ambitious they were.
    An under 18’s coach. ambitious? or cheap option?
    Don’t get me wrong,if the fan’s are buying into it (can i say AGAIN)/
    They did buy into the Whyte revolution
    The Ally journey
    The Green charade.
    The warburton youth project.
    The Pedro…Mmmm.What was the pedro thing again?
    The Murty……just.the murty
    And now SG. Maybe after this they will learn a lesson looking back.But then again,from a personal point of view i hope they don’t.I love popcorn and ice cream now


  58. UPTHEHOOOPS at 710 – completely agree on spending model. Celtic have it spot on.

    CLUSTER ONE at 715
    “Whyte revolutionThe Ally journeyThe Green charade.The warburton youth project.The Pedro…Mmmm.What was the pedro thing again?The Murty……just.the murty”

    Some people bought in. For me though.

    Whyte. No. Pilloried him from the off. 

    Ally. No. Said before he started he would be useless. 

    Green. No. Was always on the fence and didn’t buy the charade. Quickly came off the fence. 

    Warburton “youth project” – don’t know what that was so No. I loved the style of football from the off but he had no plan B

    Pedro – No. Who is he was my reaction at the start. GTF was my reaction soon after.

    Social media provides a very narrow view of the true support of clubs. You find the most vociferous on football don’t even go to games at all so you get a warped sense of feeling by reading forums in my opinion. 


  59. Ian Maxwell’s first organised press call took place at Hampden yesterday morning as planned.

    It was a relatively quiet affair and in some ways more of a justification of him as the chosen winning CEO candidate with a football rather than a business background.
    He spoke and perhaps acknowledged (very softly) unspecified issues at his employers in his own words he said is “a leader with a unique understanding of football to help invigorate the organisation”.

    The biggest thing I took from his appearance was his declared mission that Scottish football and therefore The SFA should “Inspire the Nation“.
    He expanded about how football is at the fabric of much that happens across our country and that having sat on boards on both the SFA and SPFL that he wants to bring both closer.
    No insights to us on real policy changes, nothing really new and no personal directionals apart from mentioning the existing Hampden debate decision maybe sometime in August.

    I don’t think there were any fans or fan groups like the SFSA and no mentions of the alienation of stakeholders there so it was all a managed media event.
    Very low key, no fireworks, no controversies and for sure no difficult questions or even intelligent ones from the invited journalists at the call.

    Do I think he can be a leader who can “Make the Difference“?

    I honestly don’t know.

    I do know that in a crowded world you usually have to demolish something before building something better.

    I also know that unless foundations are clean, clear and secure that all that happens is bigger future problems.

    I do however wish Ian well for now.

    We’ll all be watching how it unfolds and how he addresses both the opportunities and the cancers we all know about in our game today.

    And without knowing what the criteria were for his appointment or who the kingmakers (i.e. the SFA power brokers) are I hope that he is more than a safe pair of hands placed by those self same SFA mandarins – the old power brokers with a mandate to preserve their individual and collective statuses.
    People like Macrae the existing chairman and Petrie the aspirant waiting his time neither of whom wanted Regan to be sacked in the first place.

    Interesting times at Hampden.


  60. Below is the final email I sent regarding a complaint I made about a BBC Reporting Scotland item which included the words ‘the liquidation of Rangers holding company’. Following a series of emails back and forward in recent weeks, I have been advised that my complaint has not been upheld, surprise surprise. Apologies for the rambling nature, but I tried to respond briefly to each point made.
    ———————————————————————-
    Rather predictably, you took cognisance of virtually nothing I said, preferring instead to stick rigidly to the BBC Trust report.

    The basis of that report, and most of the other available information relating to the demise of Rangers Football Club, relies heavily on decisions taken by the signatories to the Five Way Agreement (FWA). The parties to the FWA, purely based on commercial and contractual expediency, invented a contrived separation between club and company that simply did not exist between incorporation in 1899 and liquidation in 2012. When you claim that the u-turn in reporting the death of the club is just the result of further information becoming available, what you really mean is that you, too, have fallen for the scheming of a corrupt cabal with a vested interest in ensuring the public were informed that it was business as usual at Ibrox. The reality is there was no ‘club owned/operated by a company’ set up – the club was the company – they were one legal entity and there is absolutely no evidence to the contrary. That entity is currently going through the liquidation process.

    As I explained in my previous email, Rod McKenzie, the football authorities’ legal adviser, conceded that, legally, the club (lower case ‘c’) formed in 1872 no longer exists, but that his organisation was treating the Club (capital ‘C’, based on same stadium, same fans, same colours) as if it was the original. I note that, just like him, you failed to explain why Gretna 2008 aren’t the same club, or even Club, as the defunct Gretna FC, despite satisfying precisely the same qualifying criteria as Rangers, minus the commercial contracts of course.

    All the references to Rangers and Rangers Football Club, even in the quotes you provided, are simply based on a trading name. Sevco Scotland became The Rangers Football Club and they trade under the name Rangers. That doesn’t alter the fact that it is a new club formed in 2012.

    Moving on to your specific quotes, BDO and HMRC may indeed have said that football would continue at Ibrox, but they did not say it would be played by the same club, nor would I expect them to opine on something outwith their jurisdiction.

    Duff & Phelps statements are the carefully worded exclamations of a vendor who is relieved to have made a sale of some assets. As they well know, assets do not make a club and there is no documentary evidence of the newco purchasing the football club. Indeed, Charles Green’s counsel, in a court of law, specifically denied purchasing the club, saying only some assets were bought. You might have thought that the purchaser would know what he was purchasing and you’d have even more certainty that the vendor would specify something as substantial as a football club if that was what was for sale, although of course he could be excused for such an omission if there was any impediment to the sale of the football club, such as its impending liquidation.

    I’m absolutely flabbergasted that anybody would have the audacity in this day and age to quote anything from the entirely discredited LNS inquiry. This sham of a whitewash was set up (in more ways than one) by our corrupt football authorities, who dictated the terms of reference and other parameters, including the fact it would be non-adversarial. LNS served no other purpose than providing a degree of validation to the continuity myth.

    I don’t wish to take the matter to Ofcom simply because I can see how futile my endeavours would be, but I can’t let the opportunity pass without reminding you of the years of denial that preceded the truth emerging in the case of the Hillsborough disaster and Lance Armstrong’s cheating, amongst a host of others. It may take some time yet, but the truth will eventually come out about Rangers death.

    Finally, that so-called journalists at our publicly funded and supposedly impartial BBC are prepared to remain mute and disinterested when they know the biggest sporting sham in Scottish history is in its seventh year, is utterly deplorable and entirely indefensible.


  61. Finloch @ 08:13 today – on Ian Maxwell’s unveiling:

    I imagine that we’ll get a clear idea of Mr Maxwell’s character and vision (or lack of such) once we see how involved he gets in the SFA’s imminent Judicial Panel investigation.  

    I know he’s a ‘mere’ employee, albeit the most senior (and influential) in the organisation (brotherly seniority apart!), but his role includes a responsibility to give sound counsel to the SFA’s office bearers and committees.

    FWIW, my gut instinct already tells me that he will be a competent administrator, but – based largely on my suspicions around those who will have overseen his selection – no more; time will tell.

    I also have a feeling that yesterday’s interview was a missed opportunity for him to make some kind of reference to the ugly, ongoing back ground to his appointment: he will never be in a stronger position to make such comments than in the first few weeks following his appointment.


  62. fan of football May 23, 2018 at 07:12
    EASYJAMBOMAY 22, 2018 at 21:18
    Glad to hear FOH were properly consulted and 99% acceptance would suggest it was a good use of the supporters funds .
    I am not a great fan of supporters paying contributions over and above their ticket money ,mainly because I believe we already pay too much just to watch our game 
    One off projects when supporters can contribute to say ,save the clubs very existence ,I don’t have a problem with and would contribute if this was the case of my club .
    However ,with the amount of money that can be raised from supporters with a passion for their club ,there is a potential for people to take advantage of that passion for gain .
    I am in no way suggesting this is happening with FOH ,far from it but the need for the supporters to be vigilant is vital .
    I wish you well in your endeavours.  
    ===================================
    You are not alone in believing that supporters pay enough already,

    I bought into the original “save the club” and “deliver fan ownership” aims, and was persuaded to help with the stand funding.  I will see that through to completion

    I wasn’t keen on the amount of cash that was going to be required to “stabilise” the club following administration and argued against it at the time.  However, as a result of the success on the park during the season in the championship and 3rd place in the premiership the following season, the FOH cash wasn’t actually required, but was saved by the club.  That cash pile was used to start the new stand build, so FOH has in effect put the best part of £6m towards the new stand and not just the £3m reported yesterday.

    FOH doesn’t currently have the authority to put any more cash into the club beyond buying up the loan that Ann Budge provided the club to the CVA.  New governance processes and vote(s) of the membership will be required before that happens.

    Personally, I have no intention of seeing my monthly contributions being used to fund working capital, however, I will look at each project spend on its merits.  If FOH ends up insisting on the funds only going to working capital, then it will be a red line for me.  I know Ann Budge wants the funds to go into the general pot. I think that’s a mistake and suggests that she wants the club board to have total control of all funds raised in the name of Hearts. i.e. she risks joining the mantra of spending other people money, without the source of the funds having a say on how it is spent.

    The FOH funding was a huge boost (20%) to the club’s revenue in 2014/15 when the turnover was just £7m in the championship. With increased prices, prize money, hospitality and sponsorship back in the premiership, added to additional revenue generated from the extra capacity of the new stand then the club’s turnover could easily hit £14m/£15m in the next year or two. The FOH funds would then only represent a 10% boost, or even less if pledger numbers fall following the transfer of ownership. So as time goes on the pledges will become a less important, albeit still welcome, revenue stream to the club.

    I’m more interested in how FOH intends to operate the club in the future.  There are a number of holding company / club models to choose from. There’s the hands off, let the club board run it, model as currently proposed, to the hands on, day to day micro-managed, model as used by Rangers.

    It’s a challenge for FOH to get the right fan ownership model that avoids interference in day to football matters, but allows fans aspirations and values to be met in such a way that the fans are proud to say that “my club” does it right.      


  63. HIGHLANDER
    MAY 23, 2018 at 09:11

     That is a great email. 04


  64. I am not a particularly complex or clever individual, but surely for an entity to be “strong”, it must first be “viable” and then “stable”.
    Rangers may or may not be able to cobble together a strong first team next season, which may or may not be able to compete with Celtic. I think it unlikely, but even if we assume that with an additional 9 – 10 million of borrowing ( from where I will leave at present) the rangers team is then able to be competitive on the park with Celtic,  it will still not be a strong Rangers, it will be a Rangers that is technically insolvent, struggling to remain a viable enterprise, which its previous incarnation failed to achieve , in the end, and will be highly unstable.

    It seems to me that Rangers should be focussing firstly on remaining viable, by stabilising its finances, secondly on building some stability by coherent forward planning based upon a break even business plan, and only then attempting to develop a genuinely “strong” club.


  65. ICEMAN63
    we’ve been saying this for 6 years,it ain’t gonna happen
     “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”


  66. An interesting development, Skirtel’s agent has tweeted that the reason any deal won’t now be taking place is because “complex financial matters” are apparently miles apart. I guess that’s a ‘complex’ way of saying that the Sevco offer was a joke.
    This was Gerrard’s actual first attempt at signing a player he wanted (the others were all being pursued before he arrived on the scene.) And it hits the rocks because Sevco have nae money.
    Perhaps this will aid Gerrard in, as Skrtel’s agent might put it, attaining a higher level of consciousness. Or as we mortals call it, ‘waking up.’


  67. It’s the 23rd of May. Is there a specific date when the Takeover Panel are due to end their hibernation, or does it just depend on the weather?

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