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
- The case documentation tell us how UEFA wish national associations to apply UEFA FFP rules
- 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
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.
- 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.
- FC Sion breached Articles 13(1) and 43(1)(i) of the CL&FFP Regulations. (Documents complete and correct)
- 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).
- To impose a fine of two hundred and thirty five thousand Euros (€235,000) on FC Sion.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Rangers would have been fined the equivalent of their earnings from their participation in the UEFA competitions in 2011
- At least a two year ban from UEFA Competitions would have been imposed, but more likely three in view of repeated incorrect statements.
- 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.
CLUSTER ONEMAY 27, 2018 at 16:22
CORRUPT OFFICIALMAY 27, 2018 at 14:32——-And 50/1 for SG not to be in the ibrox dugout for the start of the SPFL season i have read
———–
Aye…..But an orange “tap”…
@BIGBOAB1916
Spot on.
like I said in a previous post…
Megalomania killed Rangers.
It will do for the Tribute Act too.
?
When you buy your season ticket, the club get ALL the money up front, to do with as they please; either directly from you, or from the finance company to which you pay installments. Just like buying a car on the never, never. That’s why the clubs went so full on down the season ticket route. Hardly anyone had them when I was young.
The rest is an accounting trick.
You are correct, though, that it has been stated on this and other places that the money is somehow ‘released’ to the club over the course of the season. It’s not
PMG latest.
https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/2018/05/27/schadenfreude-and-pre-orders/
SCOTTC
MAY 27, 2018 at 17:03
==================================
Thanks for clearing that up.
Just an innocent question.
Shugg
or
Scott C
For the wee pictures?
Now, no one can complain about this. A beautiful piece of neutral music. Football music. By a British composer. I love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qqd6T_A9LY
Thank you,
Thank you,
Thank you,
I knew you would all love it. It makes my heart beat.
I don’t know whether there is a financial aspect to Rangers* cutting the ticket allocation for Celtic fans; I’m inclined to think this is about Dave King giving the fans what they want. Like Jim said, they’ve been banging on about this for a good while now. King has pulled the Gerrard stunt, but can’t deliver decent players. He is playing them like a fiddle, but there is a fair chance the team will get spanked in front of their own 48000 fans, and at that point this little burst of empowerment will be dead, having utterly backfired.
That could well be the breaking point for the Rangers* fans because up until now the one thing you can’t say is that they haven’t backed their team. I’m actually pretty surprised at how many of them keep going. That should be enough to see them survive and gradually challenge, but every single decision they make seems to be crazy, and this stoking of bitterness, denial and hatred towards all of Scottish football, and even the country itself could well see this version of Rangers go the same way as the last one.
I mean, it really does look like they are going bust. You can only shake your head in disbelief at the breathtaking stupidity.
https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/
Another blog of new posted, not all happy in the engine room.
scottc May 27, 2018 at 17:03
When you buy your season ticket, the club get ALL the money up front, to do with as they please; either directly from you, or from the finance company to which you pay installments. Just like buying a car on the never, never. That’s why the clubs went so full on down the season ticket route. Hardly anyone had them when I was young.
The rest is an accounting trick.
You are correct, though, that it has been stated on this and other places that the money is somehow ‘released’ to the club over the course of the season. It’s not
==============================
I’m pretty sure that where clubs with a dodgy financial history, Hearts and Rangers to name but two, use credit facilities, cash is only released to the clubs as home games are played. That provision was placed on those clubs to minimise the risk to the finance company or merchant services, should the club become insolvent and a claim be made for a refund.
I know that Hearts requested that payments for STs should be made in cash or by cheques for the first couple of seasons following administration specifically for that reason.
From RIFC’s 2017 accounts:
Of the total trade receivable balance of £15,415,000, £809,000 relates to amounts receivable from other football clubs in relation to player trading, and £7,813,000 relates to amounts due from merchant service providers. Such assets held by the merchant service provider are released to the Club over the course of the season.
BIGBOAB1916
MAY 27, 2018 at 20:00
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But according to SlimJim Dave King wasn’t even involved in the decision.
Please feel free to take a vote on who I choose to believe.
How common is it for supporters to defect from either of the former Old Firm in favour of the local club?
Although my family are enthusiastic CFC supporters and she who must be obeyed comes from a more enthusiastic CFC family I identify as a Clyde supporter. This followed from one of my daughter’ wanting to see a professional football match and Clyde are our local team, the bug bit and there was a road to Damascus moment, or more accurately a road via Croy to Broadwood Stadium moment.
The big test was the famous victory over Celtic in the Scottish Cup over which I was elated.
I guess this is the opposite of glory hunting whatever that might be called; there is a certain thrawn and grim pleasure in being charged £17 for the stand at Brockville to see the Bully Wee there was probably worse value than £49 for a Glasgow Derby not to mention the cold conditions at Broadwood. The stadium is built the wrong way round -the prevailing wind blows into supporters in the main stand rather it would be better if the stadium had been built so that the main stand sheltered home supporters
I think that my father maintained a soft spot for Falkirk as any time he recalled going to matches it was always about Brockville
REALSHOCKSMAY 27, 2018 at 19:43
He is playing them like a fiddle,
——————
And you just wonder what next
Re the cashflow and maybe the need for cash now.Will this impact on the half year accounts. By then they could be out of cup competitions and no money coming in the second half of the season with pay at the gate.
What i’m getting at is after christmas just where will any new money into the club come from?
BFBPUZZLED
MAY 27, 2018 at 21:16
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There have been some shenanigans going on between the Colts and the local council recently.
It involves the pitch, a large grant the colts got and that money being used to put the pitch down.
More importantly how long the Colts are in effect the landlord based on the life of that pitch, and an esoteric argument with regards the substructure and the playing surface. Which one constitutes the life of the pitch.
I wouldn’t put a large amount on your local club being your local club in perpetuity.
BFBPUZZLED
MAY 27, 2018 at 21:16
Definitely Celtic for me. I would go to some East Kilbride Thistle games if they got into the big leagues, but when the Kilby played Celtic I wanted Celtic to win. It was a moral victory for EK though, as they only lost 2 nil.
CLUSTER ONE
MAY 27, 2018 at 21:18
What next, indeed?
More failure and anger which Dave can use to bleed money from the loyal bears. I don’t know how he’s doing it, but I’m convinced that he will be making money out of all this. Amazing to speculate on what he’ll pull out of the hat after Gerrard bombs.
My understanding of the ST cash thing.
When the club receive the cash it’s theirs to do as they wish.They have,however,entered into an agreement with a customer(that’s what fans are) to provide a service,i.e a set amount of games over a set amount of times,usually recognised as a season.
This is why you see clubs,or in 1 case,a company,having quite a large sum halfway through the season as trade creditors.Although the ST cash has been received,and in most cases,almost certainly spent,the business still has a debt to satisfy,a debt that reduces every time a game is played.
For example,lets say a club/company sells STs to cover 20 games during a season & this raises £10m.
That £10m is available immediately,It is up to the directors of said club/company to manage its finances.If they decide to spend,they are responsible for their actions.they may decide to spend everything at once,or spread expenditure as they see fit.Before the 1st game,they will have creditors who are owed £10m on their balance sheet.Every time a game is played,the balance owed will decrease by £500k.When the 20th game is played,the business will have satisfied its commitment to its creditors.So,on one hand you could have no money but until you play the last game you have trade creditors.These fans,until you play your last game,are always creditors,whether you spend the cash or not.If you suffer an insolvency event,you just don’t have they cash to pay them what they’re owed.Cash in hand & balance sheet are two different things.
Sorry for long post.Now on New York time & sleep pattern is somewhat mixed up.
HOMUNCULUS 20.53
I don’t think that will be necessary do you?.
Why did PMG not bring us news of this decision beforehand, what with his impeccable sources inside Ibrox, it should have been straightforward enough for him. As per usual he reacts to a story already in the public domain and then pretends to have the inside track and then puts a negative spin on it.
Can you tell me the last time one of his exclusives actually materialized?. [moderated]
Where stands Scottish fitba’? Bert Kassies has provided a guide to the seedings for the upcoming Europa League.
https://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/seedel2018.html
The first thing to note is that he assumes that all qualified groups will get a license and then that the seedings (class) will prevail on the qualifying march. After being seeded in the first qualifying round our representatives are unseeded in round 2 and then gone by round 3.
It should also be noted that 40 unseeded clubs are higher rated than the giants of Niederkorn.
SLIMJIM
MAY 27, 2018 at 22:51
HOMUNCULUS 20.53
I don’t think that will be necessary do you?
========================================
No you are correct, my apologies.
I believe his version.
I think your’s is propaganda.
easyJamboMay 27, 2018 at 20:20
‘…That provision was placed on those clubs to minimise the risk to the finance company or merchant services, should the club become insolvent and a claim be made for a refund..’
_______________
There is, I think, an almost sublime irony in the fact that Lord Hodge found in favour of the Administrators and against Ticketus in the matter of what a ‘Season Ticket Agreement’ and ‘Agency Agreement’ conferred in the matter of rights, when the Rangers , whose tickets they had bought the rights to sell ,using Rangers as their agent, went into Administration.
http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/search-judgments/judgment?id=366a86a6-8980-69d2-b500-ff0000d74aa7
As I read the judgment, under Scots law , for a ticketing agency to pay millions up front to any football club for future season ticket rights would be a reckless thing to do.
Because the right to sell the use of a seat for a specific number of home games confers no special property rights or ‘trust’ rights that would make the ticketing agency a ‘secured creditor’, if the club goes, as RFC of 1872 did, bust!
It is a matter of judgment for those agencies , of course.
And as you note, eJ, clubs which have trodden the path of financial difficulty are not likely to get millions up front.
The success of D&P v Ticketus might now just be a bloody nuisance for TRFC Ltd board because, or if, they get their ST money in dribs and drabs, rather than as upfront lump sums!
From Ibrox Noise (possibly the most apposite named blog around) where they state The Rangers need 6 or 7 top quality pros and go on to name the 3 players that would constitute a “sensational swoop” one of which (Brazilian international Lucas) is currently under contract at Lazio.
“Attracting certain players to come to Scotland would solely be due to the might and power of his worldwide reputation, but the bigger and better the player required by Stevie, brings with it the following problems.
1. Is the player still under contract to his present club and for how long?2. What is the price his club will insist on taking, before allowing the player to leave? 3. Then, the biggest stumbling block of all, what wages will the player finally accept?”
Three things strike me: the first as I have mentioned before is that it is solely Gerrard’s reputation that they see being able to attract players – which is right and proper given they are a six year old club without a trophy to their name.
Secondly the assumption though that a player will WANT to play for new coach Ger/New team Gers in Scotland.
Thirdly there is no mention of them not being able to afford these players – it’s all couched in terms of potentially unreasonable demands of the player and club they are currently contracted to… this tactic of unsettling a player and expecting them to hand in a request was well and good when a) the Rangers brand had some cache (before it was sold like a filing cabinet) and b) when Rangers could afford to at least match if not exceed a player’s existing deal.
They keep up this “ we tried for x or y or z but their big bad owners/money grabbing agent blocked their dream move” is already being seen as pish and wind and another couple of months of it will be absolutely excruciating for the Bears and boring as f… for the rest of us.
As for their sign off “These type of signings would prove how big an impact Gerrard is already having on the balance of power between the two Glasgow sides”… other than selling a few thousand season tickets (which may or may not cover his salary) what has he done to affect “the balance of power”?
JOHN CLARK
MAY 27, 2018 at 23:36
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It’s not a straightforward comparison JC.
In the case of Ticketus the club was selling the tickets to them at a discount, for later sale to the supporter. Ticketus believed the purchase survived an insolvency event, which was wrong under Scot’s law.
With the likes of Zebra the supporter is borrowing money from them to buy the ticket from the club. It’s not really the same thing.
HomunculusMay 27, 2018 at 23:50
‘..With the likes of Zebra the supporter is borrowing money from them to buy the ticket from the club. It’s not really the same thing.’
______________
Ah! So (that sounds faintly war comics Japanese!) Zebra is just a lender of money, and not itself the purchaser and owner of the ‘season book sales rights’. It would have no claim except against any individual borrower to whom they loaned money.
Thank you for that, Homunculus: I had been making assumptions that TRFC Ltd would have outsourced its season book efforts to allow for payment by instalment rather than hoping that punters would borrow the whole price and pay it direct to the club in a one-r.
slimjimMay 27, 2018 at 22:51
‘..For donations to continue the bad news simply has to keep coming.’
____________
But as a matter of fact, the bad news does keep coming.
As a business, RIFC plc is in dire straits, living hand to mouth on borrowings.
As a football club, TRFC Ltd is also in dire straits.
A shed load of expensive non-achievers to be got rid of (at heavy financial cost) , a budget for new players that is not at all sufficient for its needs, a reputation as a pretendy club parasitically and falsely trying to live on the back of a now deceased(and genuinely successful club), and with a board that has to take orders from a man being pursued through the Courts by the Takeover Panel!
Add in the resignations of directors…
Not to mention the utter incompetence of the PR people!
If there is any kind of ‘Institute of PR professionals’, the video presentation of how not to succeed in PR must be the PR people of RIFC pc!
They have been singularly unable to control their client and limit the huge damage that that idiot has done.
Mind you, the Fat Controller is laughing all the way to the bank. Let King be king in his own extraordinary way- and at whatever cost to truth- the Fat Controller is being paid.
ulyanovaMay 27, 2018 at 23:12
‘..Bert Kassies has provided a guide..’
_____________________
If it’s the same Bert Kassies who is a ‘denier’, who does not believe that ‘Rangers’ were liquidated and have not been part of Scottish football for the past 6 seasons and who did not reply to my email…. then what he has to say about anything is to be treated with circumspection as being the words of someone who innocently believes what he is told by any football authority.
In my opinion.
JOHN CLARKMAY 28, 2018 at 01:00
Mind you, the Fat Controller is laughing all the way to the bank. Let King be king in his own extraordinary way- and at whatever cost to truth- the Fat Controller is being paid.
—————————–
Their PR works though John, only because of the media we have in Scotland, who for various reasons appear reluctant to call out their nonsense, and in many cases are happy to facilitate it. Going back to Crag Whyte’s day Rangers fans seemed stunned their club was in financial trouble. The MSM never wanted to go there and the stuff in new media for months which had predicted such an event was just made up by various haters. It is the same now with King. An agent gives a very detailed interview on why Rangers can’t land their top transfer target for financial reasons and all of a sudden a 12 year old quote from a SFA Director appears and the Celtic fans are barred from the Broomloan Road stand. The Bears are happy and still seem to believe the revolution is on, and that there is big money available. King could give lessons on conning people. He is an absolute master. I wonder what Gerrard will truly make of it all, because King seems to have worked his magic on him as well.
slimjimMay 27, 2018 at 22:51
HOMUNCULUS 20.53I don’t think that will be necessary do you?.Why did PMG not bring us news of this decision beforehand, what with his impeccable sources inside Ibrox, it should have been straightforward enough for him. As per usual he reacts to a story already in the public domain and then pretends to have the inside track and then puts a negative spin on it.Can you tell me the last time one of his exclusives actually materialized?. [moderated]
_________________________-
Perhaps because it hadn’t happened yet? You know, that awkward thing about news, the way it has to happen before it’s reported!
The way it works is:
A man who reports on things after the event = a reporter/journalist.
A man who reports on things before the event = a psychic.
News gathering is never straightforward, either, regardless of sources, for whoever, or whatever the sources are, they have to find out about the news before they can pass it on.
With the state of the SMSM it is quite possible that other ‘journalists’ have heard similar to PMGB over the years, but dare not, or don’t wish to, publish it; but regardless of the veracity of PMGB’s news, King seems capable of creating ‘positive news’ for TRFC’s supporters, regardless of it’s actual true benefit to the club. The impression given from the bears’ euphoria over the reduced away support is that they have won a major victory over Celtic, when all they’ve done is to highlight the disparity between the two clubs matchday income streams.
I guess by now most of you will have listened to the excellent Celtic Underground and BytheminCeltic interview with Peter Lawell
lots of interesting comment in a number of areas, however in relation to recruitment this is particularly appropriate for the current discussion on here
The process at Celtic is that the manager determines who he wants moved on , and he determines which position he needs new recruits for . Lee Congerton then produces reports on potential targets . What wasn’t said , but is the case , is that mostly Brendan or previous Celtic managers don’t specify plsyer X or Y .
There is the odd exception to this , like Scott Sinclair or Kolo Toure, however if you don’t listen to your scouting department then you may end up missing out on a Dembele or a Wanyama , because some veteran player who you know and could do a job for 12 months is given the position .
What also wasn’t said in the interview was that Celtic have a model based on value . This incorporates transfer price, personal terms and sell on value . I doubt even someone as highly regarded as Brendan could persuade Peter to sanction a £3M fee and €60,000 a week (after tax ) for a 33 year old CH.
There are outliers such as Kolo and De Vries, but most of Celtics targets will be under 22 and with significant ceiling in terms of future value
Going back to the process.
Players identified it goes to Peter. He tries for target 1 and if they can’t get him on to target 2 and then target 3
What that tells you is that sometimes playing for a Champions League Club , who are wealthy enough to pay and afford healthy salaries, to be coached by a Universally accepted top class manager and play alongside a squad full of International players who are serial winners , still isn’t enough to get a player to sign
The level of naivety or desperation to believe that just because Gerrard was a tremendous player , then other players , good enough to topple Celtic , will be falling over themselves to sign is really striking
That’s not how it works . You may get Rangers fans at the end of their career like McGregor or Rangers fans not good enough for a better level like Jamie Murphy, but you won’t get enough players of real talent and value . Not when Celtic can’t get every target they go after
JOHN CLARKMAY 28, 2018 at 01:28
Bert Kassies did state RFC liquidated he called the new club ‘Glasgow Rangers’ in his posts on his site after June 2012. His old posts may still be viewable or archived somewhere.
John ClarkMay 28, 2018 at 01:00
….the Fat Controller is being paid.
Yep he may be a Fat Controller but when it comes to been paid a Thomas the Tanker he aint!!
ICT Press Release
Monday 28 May 2018
Liam Dalgarno joins the ICT Board
The businessman who introduced Subway to the Highlands is joining the Board of Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Avid supporter and community coach, Liam Dalgarno is the franchise owner of the Subway restaurants in Inverness, Nairn and Elgin.
He is also the Subway regional developer covering the Anglia region of England. He started this development role in 2011 when there were 44 restaurants. His region currently consists of 186 restaurants with a further 15 scheduled to open later this year.
Despite his business commitments, Liam makes sure he is back in the Highlands for ICT’s home matches.
Liam said: “I am delighted to have been invited to join the board of directors at the club. I have been a fan since the creation of Inverness Caledonian Thistle. My association with the club started when I helped fund the Healthy Hearts Project run by the club’s community department. In the 2014/15 & 2015/16 seasons, Subway became the main shirt sponsor of the club and has since sponsored the back of the shirts. I am very keen on youth development and working with the community but my main role will be to assist with the commercial side of the business.”
Club Chairman Graham Rae said: “We are delighted that Liam has accepted the invitation to join the Board of Directors. His commercial experience and expertise will be of huge value as we restructure and re-energise the business and focus on being a sustainable community-focused club.”
Liam will now become one of five directors – the others being Mr Rae, Allan Mackenzie (vice-chairman), Alan McPhee and Gordon Fyfe.
Last week, the club appointed Mrs Yvonne Crook as its Chief Executive.
-ends-
@Barcabhoy
I found the interview quite revealing in terms of the whole process as I feel a great many (myself included) tend to view Transfers with a very simplistic approach backed up by fag packet finances.
The bottom line is the SPFL will not be the first option for any decent players preferred destination to go ply heir trade unless as you say they are perhaps in the twilight of their career looking for one last hurra in Europe or at their boyhood Club?
We can’t match our neighbours in England when it comes to the hard sell or the wages department so then what we are left with is perhaps developing young talent who has one eye on a big move to England and sees Celtic and Scotland as a great way to adapt to the British style of the game?
At 18-21 they can afford to take a hit on the money as the exposure to Europe playing for Celtic will no doubt increase their stock anyway much quicker than say signing for a mid table to relegation fighting Club who have no chance of winning anything in the top flight down there?
Then there’s a guarantee they might play more games for Celtic than perhaps those Clubs already mentioned?
Many factors can impeded or promote the idea that coming to Celtic is a good or bad idea but we have many advantages that outway the negatives I feel.
Peter and Co can simply highlight the careers of recent players who took the plunge at Celtic namely Van Dijk the worlds most expensive Defender,Wanyama now a regular at Spurs or by highlighting players who’s careers had stalled elsewhere and who are now regularly taking on Europe’s finest at Celtic?
Over the River I fail to see what delight can be offered and have anywhere near the same impact myself?
As a game of cards go in Scotland it would appear Celtic hold all the aces and the Tribute Act have a clutch of Jokers.
Time to call their bluff and bring in a couple of big signings I think.
@Big Pink
Are you suggesting that ICT are on a roll with this Development?
ALLYJAMBO 07.53
[moderated]
SLIMJIM
MAY 28, 2018 at 10:38
======================================
You know you don’t have to read his stuff don’t you.
If you think he is posting rubbish don’t waste your time reading it.
I happen to believe most, not all, of his “tales of impending doom”, the fact that Rangers have borrowed more and more money in order to just keep trading tends to support them.
Since joining the Premiership Rangers have been third in the league twice and not reached a cup final. In the same time the club has run at something like a £9m trading loss. They have lost money in every year of their existence.
Tales of “impending doom” seem appropriate to me. It is unsustainable.
“..unless they have access to inside his head”, as he awards himself a thumbs up.
JTF, there has definitely been an evolution from the simple way of transferring players in the past.
The brown envelope.
The DOS scheme.
The EBT.
The loan.
The moonbeam.
Press reporting that the EBTers have until this Thursday to give Hector a payment plan. Looks like we are going to have a summer of headlines about bankruptcies, footballers wives sudden wealth, miraculous appearances of side letters, etc..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-44278758
I’m sure every SFMer will join me in wishing Neale Cooper a full and speedy recovery.
Jimbo and others, I’m sure your prayers won’t go amiss, too, and will be welcomed by his family.
Slimjim, Don’t be bothered if PMG gets it wrong now and again. Like every other blogger there is an element of speculation. I love reading his site, just as I do JJ despite my better judgement.
You post on here for one reason and one reason only I think. Because you are more likely to stumble upon the truth than not. Than any other football blog.
You know the posters on here I am speaking about. Not me I hasten to add, I’m only notorious for my love in equal measure of football and music.
I don’t think PMG has the same sources as he had in the past. JJ might have a couple. But one thing we cant deny is the amount of effort they put in running those sites. Likewise, James Forrest, Joe McHugh, The Clumpany, Ralph. Even Ibrox Noise. And of course Celtic Quick News.
Just read and enjoy. But if you want to get serious then its SFM. (Apart from me).
Jim. Phil has stated, correctly, before other sources that the present incarnation of Rangers are reliant on other sources of finance beyond generated income to survive; he has never predicted imminent. Immediate collapse,merely an ongoing snoring up of a club in a permanent financial crisis. Such is the financing at Ibrox, indeed, that at any point, if external lifeline supplies of cash are not maintained, or if loans are requested to be repaid, then the entire venture can fold, very quickly. I think this is, self evidently the case.
He stated, correctly before other sources that Alistair Johnson was lending money to Rangers, he stated that distress funding was being sought before the Close brothers deal, and he has stated that Johnson will be resigning, and wanting his money back and two other directors will follow.
Now if past record is to be a guide to future success we shall await developments. He does get things wrong, the stadium updates being an obvious example, and stuff happens which he seems to have literally no knowledge of.
I suspect he uses a lot of stuff in the public domain, hears whispers and may sometimes put two and two together to make twenty two, but he does, it seems to me have some insight into events and happenings within Ibrox, which the rest of us don’t, albeit I remain cautious and fairly sceptical of some of his claims, as I am with pretty much everything I read.
slimjim May 28, 2018 at 10:38
ALLYJAMBO 07.53I had to laugh at that one AJ. PMG has obviously spent the last few years as a psychic in that case, with his never-ending tales of impending doom.It would be nigh impossible for “other msm journalists to hear similar to PMG” unless they have access to inside his head.
————————————————————————————-
SJ, over the years PMG has been first to report many TRFC related issues often weeks or months before the MSM catch up.
His consistent narrative has been that TRFC is running on fumes reliant on director/shareholder loans to keep the lights on. Please explain how in any way this is inaccurate?
He reported that as director/shareholder loans had dried up and that as the impecunious one couldn’t/wouldn’t provide the funding that he had promised was available in your accounts that a Wonga type loan was taken out with Close Brothers. This arrangement was described by your holding company’s chairman as an “overdraft”, a version of events accepted at face value by the MSM.
Do you think the Close Brothers arrangements is an overdraft?
HOMUNCULUS 11.07
I personally don’t visit his site but a friend does a c&p for me.
You choose to believe his outpourings, i don’t. As you said yourself yesterday i wouldn’t expect anything else.
ALLYJAMBO 11.13
Probably the only time i will agree with you on here. Neale Cooper is a gentleman and one of the few people in football who is universally liked.
Wish him a full and speedy recovery.
slimjimMay 28, 2018 at 10:38
ALLYJAMBO 07.53I had to laugh at that one AJ. PMG has obviously spent the last few years as a psychic in that case, with his never-ending tales of impending doom.It would be nigh impossible for “other msm journalists to hear similar to PMG” unless they have access to inside his head.
_________________
Good to see you can laugh in the face of adversity, did you laugh as much when you realised how stupid it was to suggest PMGB, or anyone, should predict the news before it happens? A sign, perhaps, of just how desperate you are to find some solace from the reality of your club’s situation, preferring to mock the messenger rather than to form a cogent argument countering what he says.
Strangely enough, you seem extremely keen to accept what some people say, without them providing evidence or attempting to support what they say, when it suits your desperate beliefs, but expect people like PMGB to support what they say, or else be ignored, despite the fact that there is documentary evidence available to, at least, make much of what he says likely, perhaps extremely likely, to be true.
SLIMJIMMAY 28, 2018 at 11:36
I personally don’t visit his site but a friend does a c&p for me.
============================================
You get someone to copy and paste it for you, you are that desperate to read his “outpourings”.
Wow, just wow.
I’m intrigued, does the friend email them to you, is it every day or once a week / month.
Ally, Apologies, I must have been typing my post when your’s come up about Neale. My prayers are assured. God bless him and take care of him.
Chris “Union” Jack’s latest press release.
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/16252988.Chris_Jack__Rangers_board_right_to_look_after_their_own_in_Old_Firm_ticket_debate/
“The decision to cut Celtic’s allocation for Old Firm matches at Ibrox was a bold one, but it was the right one.”
TINCKS 11.28
Could you post a few of these reports please.
On the day back in 2015 when DK gained control he outlined that the club would be funded by soft loans from various directors including himself. That is what has happened.
He wasn’t quite that specific though was he?. Every few months he will tell you how officials from Rangers are begging for investment from either the “city” or somewhat bizzarely Mike Ashley.
No i don’t think it was an overdraft. I am more than capable in thinking for myself so therefore don’t believe everything the club spouts. This was clearly BS.
HomunculusMay 28, 2018 at 11:42
SLIMJIMMAY 28, 2018 at 11:36I personally don’t visit his site but a friend does a c&p for me.============================================You get someone to copy and paste it for you, you are that desperate to read his “outpourings”.Wow, just wow. I’m intrigued, does the friend email them to you, is it every day or once a week / month.
______________
I wonder if anyone can explain what the difference is between reading what he (PMGB) says and visiting his site? Hopefully someone can answer that without suggesting it might be because they don’t want to initiate some fraction of a penny to his coffers for a hit!
ALLYJAMBO
MAY 28, 2018 at 11:54
=====================================
I’m more interested in who this “friend” is.
If a friend of mine asked me to visit a blog, copy and paste the contents (which is really difficult with Phil’s site as it is specifically designed not to allow it) and send them to me I would question their faculties.
In case anyone is interested in the above, try doing it.
https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/2018/05/27/the-desire-for-democracy-in-the-blue-room/
Allyjambo/Homunculus, I think it’s a question of cyberspace. SJ is obviously from the North of cyber space. Phil is from the South. ?
Paddy, just caught up with your post on the music forum. Thanks.
I’ve just posted Sweet Heart of Jesus for Neale.
HomunculusMay 28, 2018 at 11:50
Chris “Union” Jack’s latest press release.http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/16252988.Chris_Jack__Rangers_board_right_to_look_after_their_own_in_Old_Firm_ticket_debate/“The decision to cut Celtic’s allocation for Old Firm matches at Ibrox was a bold one, but it was the right one.”
_____________
I’m sure it was the ‘right one’, but the ‘why’ it was the right one is what’s important here, that and the timing of it, too (in terms of this year as opposed to past years).
Tellingly, it was not the club with no money worries that made the unilateral decision to more or less do away with away supporters at Derby matches, but the one that has consistently spent money before it is received, and survives on loans.
I am sure, too, that Celtic supporters hate the idea that one part of their ground is filled by their ‘enemy’, just as much a TRFC supporters do. I am also sure, that Celtic will make as much, if not more, from the sale of additional STs (should they so choose) or from match day tickets as a result of this move. Yet it was not Celtic that made the decision, despite a common denominator in the wishes of supporters and any possible financial gain, so it must be an uncommon denominator that has prompted the TRFC change of heart. So what might that ‘uncommon’ denominator be? Well Celtic aren’t desperate for money right now…
ALLYJAMBO 11.30
[moderated]
HOMUNCULUS 11.42
One person c&p some of PMG blogs and then e-mails them to myself among others. Saves us giving his site the hits. Probably one a week on average but can vary depending on what is happening at the club. Occasionally he will be proved accurate but this is normally something that is known and has already been discussed by bloggers of a Rangers persuasion.
ALLYJAMBO
MAY 28, 2018 at 12:16
=====================================
Celtic sold over 50,000 season tickets in the 2017 / 2018 season and there is currently a waiting list to get one.
If they want to sell more it won’t be a problem.
HomunculusMay 28, 2018 at 12:00
ALLYJAMBOMAY 28, 2018 at 11:54=====================================I’m more interested in who this “friend” is.If a friend of mine asked me to visit a blog, copy and paste the contents (which is really difficult with Phil’s site as it is specifically designed not to allow it) and send them to me I would question their faculties.In case anyone is interested in the above, try doing it.https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/2018/05/27/the-desire-for-democracy-in-the-blue-room/
________________
I’d forgotten about that, Homunculus. Unless his ‘mate’ has special IT skills that none of the rest of us have, kind of turns someone into a Glib and Shameless excuse maker
Oh no hope of RAM
No pixels to sadden my eyes
No blogs and no links
To Phil’s site coz it stinks
Every post is a feniany lie.
slimjimMay 28, 2018 at 12:18
ALLYJAMBO 11.30 PMG has made a career of forecasting a negative situation that is about to occur at Ibrox and passing it off as news, rather than his own opinion/wish. tbh.Not sure who you think i believe without evidence to support it. HOMUNCULUS 11.42One person c&p some of PMG blogs and then e-mails them to myself among others. Saves us giving his site the hits. Probably one a week on average but can vary depending on what is happening at the club. Occasionally he will be proved accurate but this is normally something that is known and has already been discussed by bloggers of a Rangers persuasion.
________________
I think PMGB’s career goes further than his blog, or he’d be struggling to make those trips to Portugal etc as I doubt his blog pays all that much, but it matters not, for even if he does make things up about your club, he is not the only one who does and passes it off as news, you’ve got Dave King and Jim Traynor, with the unquestioning help of the SMSM, doing that for you, and you’d be wise to use PMGB’s pieces as an antidote to the moonbeams and be more questioning of what positive stuff you read.
Again, though, you are on here mocking PMGB, but making no attempt to argue your case against what he actually says.
On who you believe without evidence to support it, well your whole continuation argument is based on what various people have said. People who have said, or in many cases, not quite said, or didn’t actually say, that TRFC is the same club as Rangers (IL) – without offering any evidence or reasoning to support what they say. You in turn make no attempt to offer such evidence or support to the argument. Try that for size.
John Clark
May 28, 2018 at 01:00
“Mind you, the Fat Controller is laughing all the way to the bank”
BillydugMay 28, 2018 at 08:23
‘..Bert Kassies did state RFC liquidated he called the new club ‘Glasgow Rangers’ in his posts on his site after June 2012..’
__________________________
Maybe I misunderstood him, and if I misread him, I apologise to him.
This is what I sent him last year:
To:bert.kassies@xs4all.nl
20 Jul 2017 at 20:52
Dear Mr Kassies,I am shocked and horrified at the grave mistake you have made in your listing of the UEFA 10-year club rankings 2018.And I must ask you to corrrect it immediately.You have included a Scottish Football Club that is no longer entitled to compete in Scottish professional football.. That club was Glasgow Rangers, which, under the ‘Articles of Association’ of the Scottish Football Association(SFA) lost its entitlement to compete in Scottish professional football due to suffering a fatal ‘insolvency event’, which saw it liquidated.There is now no football club named ‘Glasgow Rangers’.A new club called “The Rangers Football Club Ltd” was founded in 2012. This club was obliged to apply as a new football club for a) membership of a Scottish football league and b) membership of the SFA.
This new club has played in a UEFA competition only once. That was this season, on 4th July 2017,when they played Progres Niederkorn of Luxembourg and were knocked out by that team of part-timers.
The Rangers Football Club Ltd is most definitely NOT the Glasgow Rangers of old, which still legally exists disgraced in Liquidation, ruined by failure to pay its proper social taxes over many seasons.”
ALLYJAMBO 12.28
No idea how it is done as i am not tech savvy in any way shape or form. c&p may not even be the correct term for what he does.
I was first made aware of PMG back in 2011 by a Celtic supporting friend and found him informative at a time when few were. I carried on reading his blogs for 3 years or so until some of what he said wasn’t consistent with what i was hearing. This was confirmed around 2015 when he posted with regard to two incidents i knew 100% were untrue. Both were extremely distasteful ( i have mentioned both incidents to Tris/bp in private messages) and i decided never to visit his site again. I then had a friend who would text or message me asking “look what he is saying now” and is something that has continued when anything interesting is posted.
Hope this somewhat explains my position re – PMG.
ALLYJAMBO 12.44
Really AJ. “for even if he does make stuff up about your club” His pieces, whether untrue or not carry considerable weight among many on here and other social media sites and thus he should be held to the same levels of accountability and accuracy as anyone else . Don’t believe everything either DK or JT say either btw.
Hard to argue a case against someone who favours cryptic or hypothetical methods when posting. I believe he has mentioned the imminent resignation of both Douglas & Graeme Park both of which are being delayed as to not appear in the year end accounts. The accounts won’t even start to be prepared for at least two months after this and they would therefore be included.
Let’s wait and see on this one shall we.
Not even going near this again.
slimjimMay 28, 2018 at 12:54
ALLYJAMBO 12.28No idea how it is done as i am not tech savvy in any way shape or form. c&p may not even be the correct term for what he does.I was first made aware of PMG back in 2011 by a Celtic supporting friend and found him informative at a time when few were. I carried on reading his blogs for 3 years or so until some of what he said wasn’t consistent with what i was hearing. This was confirmed around 2015 when he posted with regard to two incidents i knew 100% were untrue. Both were extremely distasteful ( i have mentioned both incidents to Tris/bp in private messages) and i decided never to visit his site again. I then had a friend who would text or message me asking “look what he is saying now” and is something that has continued when anything interesting is posted.Hope this somewhat explains my position re – PMG.
________________
Fair enough, I’m not at all IT savvy, so don’t know if it’s possible to copy it or not, but maybe, as you feel so strongly about PMGB’s work, you should ask your mate to stop sending it, or just not read it when he does. Still, that doesn’t explain why you choose to post about his blog without tackling what he says.
homunculus
Clyde is almost completely a metaphysical entity, all it owns is some used strips and other minor bits and pieces. Even the manager is a bit of a Thomist. Even if it moves it remains albeit stuck in the lowest division.
Broadwood is a whole parcel of shenanigans, it was built at the wrong time and I believe that the council should not have built it. The fourth stand was in the course of construction to provide sufficient seats for the SPL and the contract was cancelled mid way when Clyde missed promotion.
I did see Christiano Ronaldo there though failing a fitness so test before a pre season game.
SLIMJIMMAY 28, 2018 at 13:13
Do your mates edit or otherwise alter the content they send you ? How would you know ? I know you will trust them implicitly , but that doesn’t preclude it happening . They may have differing agendas .
Slimjim
A blogger mentioned here sometimes does not cut and paste but “faithfully transcribes” I hope your buddy does not have to do that for you it is quite a big task
Faithful trascription does not mean that the same blogger reads what it actually written and sometimes he reacts based on misapprehension. If he sees this I would commend that he pays more attention to what he reads and might think of apologising to those wronged. ( if that comes across as a bit of a lecture it comes from my time marking student’s work long ago)
Bert Kassies site is the most informative site on European Football on the Internet in relation to seedings and draws. Whilst not an official site of UEFA, Bert manages to update his site quicker than UEFA then meticulously back checks the stats, something i know from various email conversations with Bert in the last 2 years.
Back in 2016, prior to UEFA updating, Bert was of the view that Rangers would not carry the old points and updated his site using that view. He has since corrected that and his site now gives the correct 10 year rankings based on UEFA official rankings.
His ranking points are official and factual. They are not based on his views, opinions or thoughts on the matter and in my opinion shouldnt be treated with suspect. His duty is to keep everyone informed of the reality of the rankings rather than a view that he may or may not still hold.
On the season ticket money question, it is correct to say that the money gets “released in the accounts” game by game (Home) however it is never a “true creditor” and the cash is free to be used as working capital outwith the above “movements”
There is no doubt in my mind that this was a double whammy for King because he does need the money up front and he can win the fans over at the same time. I completely disagree with the stance on it and think its terrible that thousands on each side who follow their clubs all around the country will now miss an “away trip”
slimjimMay 28, 2018 at 13:13
ALLYJAMBO 12.44Really AJ. “for even if he does make stuff up about your club” His pieces, whether untrue or not carry considerable weight among many on here and other social media sites and thus he should be held to the same levels of accountability and accuracy as anyone else . Don’t believe everything either DK or JT say either btw.Hard to argue a case against someone who favours cryptic or hypothetical methods when posting. I believe he has mentioned the imminent resignation of both Douglas & Graeme Park both of which are being delayed as to not appear in the year end accounts. The accounts won’t even start to be prepared for at least two months after this would happen and they would therefore be included.Let’s wait and see on this one shall we. Not even going near this again.
________________
PMGB writes a blog, he tells us he has informants, but, correctly, doesn’t name them, it is then up to his readers whether or not they believe what he says. Many will, because what he says is what they want to believe (and he does have a track record of some spot on scoops), but he is not accountable to them in the way Dave King and everyone else attached to TRFC is accountable (or should be) for what they ensure is published in publications that are supposedly reputable denizens of truth and fact in the media.
I read, and generally enjoy, his blogs, but I do not automatically ‘believe’ them, but do often hope they are correct, but I am aware of that hope, so do not let his words form my opinion on anything, nor do I use them as a basis for anything I post, at least not without an ‘if true’ or such making it clear I am not taking it as gospel, nor that anyone else should.
No one buys a season ticket, or decides not to, based on what he writes, he merely provides a feel good factor for the majority of his readership, while any TRFC supporters reading his blog would, if sensible, do some checking up of their own; but most, I suspect, would choose to ignore it as the rantings of ‘an Irish Blogger’, a term, I think, a director of your club used to describe him, and like, you, derided him without making any effort to discredit his blog with evidence that what he says is not true. If you think he should be held accountable, why don’t you petition your club’s board to prove him wrong on so many claims?
As far as I’m concerned, the board of RIFC/TRFC could have shut him up years ago, by discrediting any one of any number of his claims, but chose not to. There is a reason for their inaction, and it’s not that they don’t want to, or that to do so would mean they have to respond to his every claim thereafter. And even if they did respond once or twice, and every claim he makes is a lie, why then would they baulk at discrediting him, each and every time? TRFC have plenty of media poodles at their beck and call, all desperate to be the next one with a club exclusive, so it would be just another piece for them to write, no bother at all to a club that uses the media every day like others use oxygen.
Latest
https://philmacgiollabhain.ie/2018/05/28/people-problems-and-world-class-breakfasts/
There’s an amazing post on Rangers Media today which seeks to blame everyone else for the current situation at Ibrox. It’s a long post which hasn’t been universally received by every Bear. In does however provide the quote of the week so far viz ” That’s no a post that’s a thesis “
WOODSTEIN
MAY 28, 2018 at 13:57
======================================
Could someone copy and paste that please.
ALLYJAMBO 13.49
I think that is a fair and accurate response (final paragraph being the exception) and will try once again not to mention PMG but it’s bloody difficult at times.
PM & BFB
Thank you for the replies. I trust this guy 100% and he isn’t the type that would even consider attempting to edit a post. To be honest it’s not even something that had crossed my mind
.
There are various ways to c&p protected documents: here is the result of a simple method:
<h1 class=”entry-title”>People problems and World Class Breakfasts</h1> </header><div class=”entry-content”><p>It may now seem like an episode of the Sevco sitcom that is lost in time.<span id=”more-11674″></span></p><p>However, the Miller and Wallace show wasn’t that long ago.</p><p>Indeed, it was in the same week that the capricious convict chairman decided to make an impulse purchase and hire the Under 18s coach from Liverpool.</p><p>It just might be that these two events are related.</p><p>In the immediate aftermath of the 4-0 defeat to Celtic at Hampden in the Scottish Cup semi-final, two Churchillian chaps were suspended.</p><p>I learned today from an impeccably placed source about some of the ramshackle manoeuvrings after that bust up.</p><p>Firstly, the alleged crimes of these two chaps seemed to be very mild indeed.</p><p>One of them (Now I won’t’ name him as I’m not a grass) stated to the assembled throng about the need to <em>“improve standards”</em>.</p><p>Sadly, the zip chewing supremo took umbrage at this observation.</p><p>However, I am told that the connoisseur of the World Class Breakfast <em>“stood his ground”</em>.</p><p>The following day, much to his surprise his colleague was called in to answer for his conduct.</p><p>I am told that the HR person acted with great professionalism.</p><p>Her role was to put the specific <em>“charges”</em> to the pair of them.</p><p>One, in particular, that was levelled at the moderator of the Quintessentially British WhatsApp group did make me chuckle.</p><p>It was put to him that he had called the Sevco caretaker manager a <em>“useless cunt”</em>.</p><p>For the avoidance of doubt, Mr Miller denied everything.</p><p>I just hope no one grasses him up.</p><p>Of course, his playing days at Sevco are now over.</p><p>However, his culinary colleague is still on the payroll at Ibrox.</p><p>This might the first decision that Mr Gerrard has to make.</p><p>Across the Clyde, the situation could not be more different.</p><p>Brendan Rodgers has a treble-winning squad, a united boardroom and the sustainable resources to plan long-term.</p><p>For example, the departure of Erik Sviatchenko to FC Midtjylland for £1m brings in the sort of fee that few Sevco players would command.</p><p>I’m told that Rodgers wants to secure the services of FOUR first team starters before pre-season starts.</p><p>That does not sound to me like a team that is standing around waiting for a challenge from the basket of assets.</p><p>I have written here many times of my admiration of the Sevco scriptwriting team.</p><p>It just might be that the Gerrard episode might produce a spin-off series.</p><p>Enjoy the box set binge.</p>
SLIMJIMMAY 28, 2018 at 14:22
So somebody you trust sends you unsolicited stuff that they think you may have an interest in and you don’t check the source material before passing it off as gospel . Cool .