Two wrongs and a right

The John James blog has of late thrown up many hooks to hang our theories on and provided much food for thought on the Rangers issue.

His casual invective against individuals, particularly Dave King, and often members of the Bench is not particularly SFM-like in its approach, but despite the industrial nature of much of the discourse, the value of his work cannot be denied.

On the subject of revisiting LNS, I find myself in agreement with his conclusions. His argument about Celtic’s attitude to Resolution 12 is to my mind compelling insofar as it serves as a barometer for Celtic’s disposition towards rocking the SPL/SFA boat. Like him, I cannot see any real evidence, (despite the recent statement by the club) that they are disposed to move in the direction of a revisited LNS (although it should be noted that besides Celtic there are another 40 clubs who may have an opinion on this).

His conclusions though should not be confused with his opinion on the rights and wrongs of LNS. Like most of us, he appears to be of the opinion that LNS was seriously flawed on multiple counts.

I saw Bill McMurdo’s remarks too in reference to the same topic. He alleges that the whole SFA house of cards would come down if information he has at his fingertips, information that off-book payments in Scottish football was much more widespread that the RFC EBTs, was made public.

UnderTableIf what he says is true, and he has evidence, he should be expanding on the innuendo.

If he chooses not to, then he is as complicit as those he accuses.

In any event, to say that no action should be taken because others have done it is not the same as saying that no action WILL be taken.

If he means the former, then he is wrong. By the logic of that argument it follows that burglars for example should not be prosecuted because other people burgle houses but didn’t get caught.

I suspect he knows himself that by any objective standard, this view is in error, because when he is called out on it, he reverts to ad hominem attacks on those who called him on it. No defence, just withering, dismissive sarcasm – in the manner of former pundit Jim Traynor when he refers to those who speak of sporting integrity.

If he means the latter, then he should do what he can do prevent it and make his information public. I believe he knows that the £3 note fraternity runs through Scottish football like lettering on a stick of seaside rock, but I suspect he doesn’t actually have evidence.

If there is evidence, then McMurdo is in a unique position to get it out in the open and make life difficult for those he alleges are corrupt.

Then we should go back in time as far as possible to investigate those who participated in “black money” schemes, whether they are EBTs, other forms of tax dodge, or just money in a brown paper bag.

I do not believe that any of us participating in the Scottish Football Monitor would fear exposure of any of our clubs. I think we all know that this is far more important than club loyalties.

If McMurdo’s information is correct, then we also have the opportunity to show that the clamour for revisiting LNS is not an anti-Rangers with-hunt. Instead of reconvening LNS, let’s have Bill’s info, and constitute a wider enquiry. If the info was made public, and it will now be difficult for him to put his genie back into the bottle, could the SFA and the clubs resist the pressure for such an enquiry?

handsMaybe McMurdo’s intervention/revelation may yet be seen as a seminal moment in the campaign to rid ourselves of corruption and incompetence in football.

Our position has always been clear. Corruption is counter to sporting integrity. Therefore it must be rooted out.

John James and Merlin are probably correct in that the clubs will seek to thwart any move for a new enquiry; and there could easily have been a deal done with King last week.

However there was also a deal done with Charles Green about the new club being parachuted into the SPL. How did that one turn out?

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John Cole

About Big Pink

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

1,703 thoughts on “Two wrongs and a right


  1. yourhavingalaugh 18th January 2016 at 9:58 am

    Would leave T’Rangers a bit short at the back but wondering if Ball will suffer the same fate as he seems to have been used more as a bench warmer in recent times as Wilson has gotten back to full fitness. Has actually played less than Oduwa in the league (11 v 15)


  2. incredibleadamspark 18th January 2016 at 10:07 am
    Talk about damning Scottish football with faint praise. After some of the stuff KJ has written/copied and pasted over the last few years he’s the one who should’ve been neutered and robbed of any self-esteem. Sadly it continues to be off the radar.
    I’ll never get tired of using that phrase but I get the impression it’s become a bit of a badge of honour for our Keith. With that standard of writing and insight he must surely have an eye on his own personal 9 in a row. He’s the best we’ve got? Stroll on.

    To be fair the competition for the Rangers correspondent of the year award is fierce with the vast majority of our sports journalists qualifying to enter.
    Even the BBC have about 5 full time Rangers correspondents. Several more in fact than they have for the royal family itself.
    Do they have a PR regurgitator and paid-for-liar award category this year?


  3. Can we set up an SFM ‘Stenographer of the Year’ award to coincide with the ‘official’ event?

    Scottish Football needs 42 strong senior clubs, financially transparent and fair and administered in a similar fashion.


  4. Over the weekend, I watched the DUFC and Falkirk games on BT.
    When they had the TV ads at ht and other times, they ended with a montage of footballing charicatures put up by Landbrokes, “proud sponsors of Scottish Football”.
    it was a bit like a PowerPoint presentation.
    Suddenly in the middle of it all, up popped a screen shot for no more than a nano second.
    On a bright background were just two large words: WARBURTON RISING.
    Anyone else see it? Bit like subliminal advertising which I always thought wasn’t allowed.
    No idea what it was all about but I suppose we could always ask Ladbrokes’ PR people and……… oh,wait……


  5. It must surely be Chris “Union” Jack’s turn to win Scottish Sports Journalist of the Year. His efforts on behalf of the Ibrox club have been truly outstanding over the last 12 months. His embedded adverts for anything from Season Tickets to Pop-Up Shops just add that essential touch of class to his output. The fact that he totally lacks any Jackson type faulty radar (or any radar at all, for that matter), makes him a shoe-in for the award. I wonder, though, whether he’ll have to share it with whoever at Level5 actually writes his stuff. That would seem only fair.


  6. neepheid
    sorry chris can’t be with us tonight as he’s working on the rangers first jumble sale story but here to accept the award for him is jim traynor


  7. I’m afraid the person who goes by the name John James is at it again. Either he does not understand or he chooses to mislead.

    “The longer the period of distance from the tax evasion, the easier the call to move on.”

    Tax evasion is a criminal offence, either a statutory offence or at the common law. As far as I am aware no one has been charged with tax evasion in relation to Rangers’ (mis)use of EBTs. As it stands the Court of Session has ruled that HMRC are correct and that Rangers did take part in tax avoidance, meaning they have to pay the tax due, plus interest plus penalties. That is not tax evasion, which would be dealt with in a criminal court, not at tribunal.


  8. Way off topic ,I know, but I was watching a re-run of the wild-card play-offs in NFL and ,at one point ,when a quarterback was being taken injured from the park on a motorised cart, the cart was targeted by the opposition and was actually struck by a drinks container . Not a cheep from the commentators . Protecting the product ?


  9. A Bayern breakaway? That could shake up UEFA.

    1. Bayern: too big for the Bundesliga Bayern Munich chairman and head of the European Clubs Association, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, has relaunched  the idea of a European Super League.
    Rummenigge told a gathering at Bocconi business school in Milan that a 20-team league drawn from the continent’s top championships was very much a possibility and that one of the main drivers of the concept was the ever-growing gulf between the big clubs and the rest in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and England.
    The Bayern boss, clearly flying a kite to gauge reaction, denied he was attacking UEFA and the current Champions League model, insisting that football had to adjust to ” the new challenges of globalization”. Rummenigge added that the Super League could either be run under an UEFA banner “or also privately”.
    It’s not hard to see where this is all going. Growing tired of their absolute dominance of the Bundesliga, Bayern are scouting for new frontiers. And probably as soon as possible.
    Read more at http://www.worldsoccer.com/columnists/nick-bidwell/nick-bidwells-notes-from-german-bayern-munich-too-big-for-the-bundesliga-367540#MzmJJY53lYFw3Msl.99


  10. neepheid 18th January 2016 at 2:46 pm

    Well that’ll be UEFAs chickens coming home to roost for their rigged Champions League set up to enrich the few and the expense of everyone else.


  11. Homunculus 18th January 2016 at 2:30 pm
    I do agree with what you are saying, but I also agree with RTC re “confusion” here:-
    https://rangerstaxcase.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/the-never-ending-story/
    “However, there are still many people who seem confused by what this was about. Myths have developed. Confusion reigns over whether Rangers’ conduct of the relevant tax cases is currently considered legal or illegal. Was it was tax avoidance or tax evasion, and so on.”

    And even the “experts” here:-
    http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/blog-post/taxgate-round-iii-when-does-tax-avoidance-become-tax-evasion
    18


  12. neepheid 18th January 2016 at 2:46 pm #

    Top 20 clubs?? Is that not what the post-league stages of the Champions League more or less are anyways?
    Pretty much the same 20 clubs in that every year. So surely what he really means is he wants the top 20 to keep ALL the money to themselves, not just the 90% they cream off already.

    …….Oh, and not having to play those diddy clubs in their pokey wee stadia would be nice.

    Thing is, it would just become the same as every other league. A league of 20 clubs, from which say the top 5 will win league 95% of the time. So that will become boring too. What is it that makes it so difficult for them to understand?? The only way to make football more exciting is to level the playing field a bit, not by doing the exact opposite. Only with realistic competition do fans get excited (well most, I’d say fans of one club in particular are an unusual breed in that they would simply like to win every time by as big a margin as possible). 

    Never mind, the pursuit of the Euro/Pound will continue to control the behaviour of the numpties in charge.

    Besides, who is this Rummenigge? Is that the mannie I watched Willie Miller keep firmly in his back pocket for those two games in the 80’s? Even Frank McGarvey caused Willie more problems. So fit dis he ken aboot it onywye!?


  13. incredibleadamspark 18th January 2016 at 10:07 am
    ‘… he’s the one who should’ve been neutered and robbed of any self-esteem.’
    ______
    As a journalist he is undoubtedly a ‘castrato”.
    As a human being, he cannot have much self-esteem, earning his crust the way he does.


  14. As per neepheid earlier, this para jumped out from Keef’s latest DR effort;
    “…For four years now, since the financial meltdown at Ibrox, the national sport has been effectively neutered and robbed of its own self-esteem, as well as any sense of genuine competition…”

    Which to me reads as: “Due to Rangers unsporting/cheating, unethical, allegedly criminal behaviour – Scottish football has suffered the consequences.” Sounds about right, but I’m sure that’s not what Keef meant.

    again from Keef’s piece;
    “…this seems to provide solid proof Dave King and his board are not just cleansing their club but also have the wherewithal to properly fund Mark Warburton’s rebuild…”
    So there you go: everything is OK down Govan way, and ‘Rangers’ is on its way back to ‘save’ Scottish football.

    Of course one should ignore a person who continually spews mince whether for a reaction, out of sheer ignorance, or because he has been told what to say/write.  Unfortunately, the DR still has some influence – although declining along with its circulation figures.  But fans like my own father-in-law still believe everything they read and hear in the DR and in the SMSM, and are totally oblivious to info available online.

    IMO, there will be widespread surprise, [& rage of course !], when TRFC hits the buffers…  191919  


  15. neepheid 18th January 2016 at 2:46 pm #A Bayern breakaway? That could shake up UEFA.
    1. Bayern: too big for the Bundesliga Bayern Munich chairman and head of the European Clubs Association, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, has relaunched  the idea of a European Super League…”
    ===================================
    How many times has this idea been floated in the last 20/30 years ?

    But, if we agree that e.g. the SFA & UEFA put business before sporting integrity…then logically, IMO, eventually there has to be an ‘exclusive superleague / franchise’ for only the top Euro clubs – to maximise their global TV rights and club revenues.
    The appearance in recent years of US owners in the EPL is also a bit worrying.  They are not buying clubs because they just love ‘soccerball’ – but they see the commercial opportunities.  How much has the Glazer family sucked out of ManU so far ? And a US owner – IMO – would be very keen to get away from relegation risks, and move to a franchise system.  

    Mibbees this time the corruption at UEFA and FIFA could be a catalyst for a breakaway league: not because the top clubs want more money of course, 14  but because they want to disassociate themselves from their dodgy governing bodies ?  


  16. This Euro-superleague…. is this league reconstruction by the backdoor? I mean with TRFC and their 500million fans they would be first on the super league list of clubs? Has DK been in touch with a desperate plea?


  17. I know it’s an age thing but when you don’t hear from or about someone for a while,OK,for quite a while,but can anyone tell me who the President is of our SFA is,no kidding.Its this memory thing ,is Mr Ogilvie not speaking to the supporters.


  18. woodstein 18th January 2016 at 3:36 pm
    ==========================

    Tax evasion is a criminal offence. It can be a statutory offence, for example section 106A of the Taxes Management act, or it can be a common law fraud.

    People are presumed innocent until proven guilty. That is basic to our legal system

    As far as I am aware no-one has even been charged with tax evasion, far less tried and found guilty.

    So as I said either John James doesn’t understand the concept or he is misleading people. If he is saying that tax evasion took place then who did it. Tax avoidance by the company, where the company is being instructed to pay the tax, interest and penalty is a different thing entirely.


  19. James Doleman
    From tomorrow’s RCJ list. “HC-2015-002185 Sports Direct International Plc v Rangers International Football Club Plc
    Was told Feb 1 by list office tomorrow but press office just sent me mail with this


  20. Off the top of my head I cant remember a live lower league match that didnt involve Rangers, or an Edinburgh derby in the 3 and a bit years of coverage. (Not incl the Alba coverage, just Sky/BT)

    Was Falkirk v Hibs the first?


  21. How much more of this SSB drivel can the public take.  This European League (nonsense) just lets the pundits talk Celtic and more important to to suit their agenda keep promoting the club they call  Rangers at their leisure.  Keep old firm  going, more importantly talk about Rangers as equal to Celtic as we speak. The biggest myth from 2012 is the club keeping the name of Rangers is the same club. 
    I thought at first  I would not bother as I know the club RFC died as all the would be heroes at the smsm admitted it in the words of Bowie (just for one day).  But I have to say this myth is really annoying me now and the thing that is the most annoying aspect of it now is the power of smsm and them being able to just promote it daily (without question) and by doing so helps to support this absurd myth. I had to check the Collins dictionary and lo and behold the word liquidation does actually still exist. 


  22. And speaking as I was about our Keef, I may add that I squirmed a bit hearing English (at about 6.20 pm this evening) commenting on the ‘feat of journalism’ that exposed the ‘Tennis fixing’ allegations ,and then wittering on about there ‘should be a strong message sent out’ and ‘transparency’.
    Is he too lacking in self-awareness to realise that he condemns himself as a journalist when he makes a comment like that against his own failure to do any kind of ‘journalism’ (let alone ‘a feat’) in relation to the biggest, most carefully concealed act of cheating in Scottish Football?
    Where is his expose of the football cheating ( not the tax business that he and others in the SMSM hid behind and continue to hide behind) of the Knight of the Realm. Where the hard questioning of Campbell Ogilvie, the persistent questioning of Regan and Doncaster about their secret dealings, and so on and so on. Nowhere to be found.
    English ran  scared of his editors, of the power of Ibrox, of the power of SDM…like the rest of them.
    In my opinion.


  23. yourhavingalaugh 18th January 2016 at 5:26 pm
    ‘..,but can anyone tell me who the President is of our SFA is,no kidding.Its this memory thing ,is Mr Ogilvie not speaking to the supporters.’
    _________
    Forgive me ,but Mr Alan McRae is the president of the SFA. Doesn’t really change the import of your post, though: ha has not been particularly communicative or visible either!


  24. “Steven Naismith: Everton forward set to join Norwich City for £8.5m

    In August, Everton rejected a £7m bid from Norwich for Naismith, who they signed on a free transfer…”
    http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/35195533
    ==============================
    A painful one for TRFC ?
    IIRC, Naismith did not TUPE over [?] and left Ibrox for nothing.

    In normal circumstances, the selling club would have included a ‘sell-on’ clause with a player sale, so TRFC is missing out on mibbees a very useful iro £1.m – £1.5m ?

    Haven’t seen this mentioned in any SMSM outlets yet…mibbees because Naismith played for a prior ‘Rangers’ club ?  191919


  25. Homunculus 18th January 2016 at 5:41 pm #woodstein 18th January 2016 at 3:36 pm==========================
    Tax evasion is a criminal offence. It can be a statutory offence, for example section 106A of the Taxes Management act, or it can be a common law fraud.
    People are presumed innocent until proven guilty. That is basic to our legal system
    As far as I am aware no-one has even been charged with tax evasion, far less tried and found guilty.
    So as I said either John James doesn’t understand the concept or he is misleading people. If he is saying that tax evasion took place then who did it. Tax avoidance by the company, where the company is being instructed to pay the tax, interest and penalty is a different thing entirely.
    …………………………………

    in the Film Whisky Galore, the locals ‘salvaged’ some of the cargo from the ship The SS Politician, 
    which made for a good story.

    however, the Exiseman at the time (a Mr McColl) was of the opinion that the locals were actually stealing from the 
    Crown and therefor were all guilty of Treason, so he started pursuing the locals on the basis that they had indeed committed Treason, and some of the locals who were unlucky enough to ‘get caught’, found themselves in the courthouse in front of a Judge.

    if Tax avoidance is indeed proven and the eye watering amounts are well into the multi millions, then surely someone should end up in a dock ?


  26. I would welcome a Top 20 breakaway league and believe it could save football as a much loved sport.  But only if UEFA and the individual associations have the cojones to make it a one way deal:no national cup entries or reserve teams in national leagues and no hopping back in when the circus flops.  Imagine every one else playing on in the leagues, with a European Cup comprising league winners, while the top 20 outdo each other in players’ wages in a soulless competition for as long as the novelty lasts?  
    The top 20 league can go and play with themselves as far as I’m concerned.  It will end up like the wrestling….hell mend them.


  27. jimlarkin 18th January 2016 at 7:54 pm
    ===========================

    No, tax avoidance whilst not “perfectly legal” as some people would claim is not a criminal offence.

    Penalties for doing it have already been imposed and form part of the total bill. That is in part why the figures are so “eye watering” as you describe it.


  28. ‘I feel so sorry for Uli’ 
    €28.5 million in unpaid taxes. Yes, €28.5 million. ‘I feel so sorry for Uli’.

    Without going overtly political, i remember last year that Germany made great claims about how they would welcome the hundreds of thousands of refugess seeking sanctuary in their country. Now, im no genius, but i do know that all those refugees will cost a substantial amount in welfare payments, housing etc. Where does that money come from? Taxes. That’s right. Taxes. 

    No one likes paying them, but we have to. We should do. It is a social responsibility. I pay mine. So all those people feeling sorry for substantial tax cheats can do one.


  29. sannoffymesssoitizz 18th January 2016 at 8:09 pm #A well considered article by Grant Russell at STV.  http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/aberdeen/1339484-league-reconstruction-has-to-be-about-so-much-more-than-the-numbers/
          ————————————————————————————————————-
       Indeed it is a well considered article, but there is a fly in the ointment. This…….
             “At the same time, those who have the honour of being able to drive this forward from the sixth floor at Hampden stadium must conduct a detailed analysis to provide evidence to any themes which emerge.” 

         Didn’t they do that when they predicted Armageddon. 


  30. Transfer Windows.

    I can’t remember why they were brought in.  There was probably a good intention.  Escapes me what it was.  All it means is, in reality, a load of gossip by our esteemed journalists, filling blank sheets of paper which would be otherwise, blank.

    I’m surprised ‘Europe’ allows this – restrictions on the movement of labour etc.  I honestly don’t see the problem of moving players between clubs at any time of the year. 

    Besides, how many clubs have been ‘stung’ on the last day of the transfer window?  Desperation creeps in.   Doesn’t seem necessary.


  31. Yahoo have got a feature on ‘Football’s most dramatic collapses’, which features a now-deceased club from this country, described as follows:

    “The most successful club in world football are slowly making their way back to the Scottish top flight after being liquidated at the end of the 2011/12 season, which saw them drop to the fourth division. Rangers have won the Scottish league title a record 54 times, as well as countless other domestic and European honours. Their Old Firm rivalry with Celtic remains one of the world’s most fierce, but their dramatic downfall has kept football fans starved of the fiery affair for a number of years”.

    A fair bit of it takes the usual rough and ready approach to the facts, but does mention the L-word, so credit for that.


  32. jimbo 18th January 2016 at 9:18 pm #Transfer Windows.
    I can’t remember why they were brought in.  There was probably a good intention.  Escapes me what it was.  All it means is, in reality, a load of gossip by our esteemed journalists, filling blank sheets of paper which would be otherwise, blank.
    I’m surprised ‘Europe’ allows this – restrictions on the movement of labour etc.  I honestly don’t see the problem of moving players between clubs at any time of the year. 
    Besides, how many clubs have been ‘stung’ on the last day of the transfer window?  Desperation creeps in.   Doesn’t seem necessary.

    Jimbo

    I have to say I really dislike the transfer window system. And even more the stupid dumbed down SKY/Tabloid sensationalisation of the transfer window and ever big money transfer, where the vast sums of money squandered are welcomed as the most exciting events of the season. Just not what Football should be about, the football should be centre stage, not the money. SKY are the worst for it.

    As to why they were brought in, well what I seem to recall is the idea was to protect the integrity of a competition during its final stages, prevent the richest clubs from sowing up a league championship bu picking off the best players from any challengers.

    However, its actually had the opposite effect and its very clear to me that the transfer windows have forced large clubs to have twice as many players on the books as they would before and so they simply buy up all the best players before the start of any season rather than potentially adding reinforcements in the final stages.

    I believe this has had the effect of widening the gap over the years. It also results in lots of very good players not playing first team football so fans are deprived again.

    Lastly I think the old system was better despite the potential for a richer club to buy from rivals because those rivals would at least have the use of their best players for perhaps 75% of the season or whatever, instead of simply losing them all into reserve teams of rich clubs.

    There may be some other reason for the windows which I’m not aware of, but as far as the reason I seem to recall was given, its been a abject failure achieving the opposite of what was supposed to happen.


  33. Transfers.  They can break your heart, or the thought of them.

    I used to go on another site where was a brilliant Dundee Utd. supporter.  Last January when we signed Armstrong & GMS he was heartbroken.   I really felt for him as fan of football.   But it happens to us all.   I explained to him that Celtic have lost many great players in recent years, we are all selling clubs.

    But sometimes you get exceptions.  I don’t know why, but you get people like Paul McStay and Henick Larrson.  They could have went anyhere, but they stayed for less money than they could have commanded elsewhere. 

    In case I am being Celtic sided, I would love to hear of other Scottish Footballers who demonstrated such club loyalty.  04 


  34. andygraham.66 18th January 2016 at 6:25 pm #Off the top of my head I cant remember a live lower league match that didnt involve Rangers, or an Edinburgh derby in the 3 and a bit years of coverage. (Not incl the Alba coverage, just Sky/BT)
    Was Falkirk v Hibs the first?
    “…………………………..
    No.

    St Mirren in its TEMPORARILY languid position amid the wee, even-diddier clubs has been on tv twice against a hyper-diddy club from the Tail o the Bank.

    ( I wish I could be wholeheartedly convincing about ALL of the above.  🙁  )


  35. Jimbo – how about Miller and McLeish? Same era of course


  36. i thank sevco – is this an anagram of the name of a player who recently signed for celtic?


  37. Cycling, athletics, football and now tennis, (allegedly).

    Is there any professional sport immune from corruption?


  38. Oh dear, where do you even start with this. Perhaps emergency legislation should be passed to ensure that any club playing out of Ibrox is free not to pay tax, national insurance, and any other bills. Any media platform which questions anything that has gone on at Ibrox, or is still going on will remain silent or face imprisonment. Rangers will also be allowed to win every single game they play for evermore. Would that make them happy?

    https://bearsfightback.wordpress.com/2016/01/17/welcome-to-bears-fight-back/


  39. During a slot on the subject of the tennis alleged corruption on Radio Scotland .John Beattie the ex rugby player asked the 2 guests on the program ” name a sport that is not corupt,tiddlywinks was the best they could come up with.so there you have it don’t waste your money on a rigged game.


  40. Corruption doesn’t have any meaning without a channel through which it can flow, and the greater the opportunity for money, prestige and media coverage, the greater the opportunity for corruption to take hold. Televise tiddlywinks, get some mega press coverage of its stars, add in huge prize money…


  41. upthehoops 19th January 2016 at 7:17 am

    After reading the link you posted I think league reconstruction is the answer.
    What is needed is a brand new top tier ‘Super Duper Premier League’ – with only one team from govan in it, no promotion or relegation.
    Then the other 41 diddy teams (some bigger diddies than others) can fight it out for the rest of the spoils.
    That should feed their entitlement fetish.

    Edit, not too sure which are the sarcastic smilies


  42. Couple of queries as I lie here in my sick bed,……
    Is the BDO bi-annual report to creditors not considerably overdue? 
    Has a verdict been reached in the matter of the £250k (plus costs) owed to SPFL by Sevco which was accepted as part of the newco/club entry fudge. Usually it’s 28-35 days for a written decision in arbitration iirc.
    My understanding via press reports (no laughing there at the back) was that spfl withheld the sums due but my instinct tells me that would likely have been released lest the spectre of administration be raised.


  43. Just had a wee look at the linked articles on the revenge site, some real swivel eyed loonacy in there. Mr Gilligan may regret his declaration of war on the Rangers haters, looks like someone’s taken him at his word & is intent on loading his gun for him ?


  44. OttoKaiser 19th January 2016 at 8:26 am
    BDO would normally be expected to report within 6 weeks of the end of half year post liquidation i.e by mid June and mid November each year. They issued an interim report in September 2015 giving notice of a claim by Law Financial Limited (owned by Worthington Group of which Craig Whyte is a former director). It looks like this has put a block on any progress towards a dividend being paid to creditors for the time being. 

    http://www.bdo.co.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1354092/RFC-2012-Plc-update-to-creditors-02-09-15.pdf


  45. OttoKaiser 19th January 2016 at 8:26 am
    ‘..Is the BDO bi-annual report to creditors not considerably overdue? ‘
    ____
    Good question, OttoKaiser.
    blu 19th January 2016 at 8:43 am
    ‘..They issued an interim report in September 2015 giving notice of a claim by Law Financial Limited..’
    ___
    Good response,blu.
    But they ought, in my opinion, to stick to the 6-month ‘reporting period’, even if only to give a ‘no change’ update.
    And get well soon, Otto.


  46. Upthehoops at 7:17.
    Where’s the polis when you need them?


  47. John Clark 19th January 2016 at 9:55 am
    “But they ought, in my opinion, to stick to the 6-month ‘reporting period’, even if only to give a ‘no change’ update.”
    =============================================
    John, if I was a creditor I’d want to know how much more of the cash pot the Liquidator’s costs and legal fees have eaten up and what prospects of success the various contested claims had. Prior to this point though BDO seems to have conducted its business properly. Maybe there are other sub judice matters preventing them publishing a report, who knows?


  48. So, Rangers are coming back to create a credible opposition to Celtic at the top of the SPFL. They are going to provide an opposition that has been lacking for 4 years according to Keith Jackson. I would like to remind Mr Jackson that the team he call Rangers has in fact been in direct competition with Celtic and the rest of the SPFL for 10 Cup tournaments over the last 4 years and not provided any sort of challenge for 9 of these tournaments up until now but we are led to believe that all will change and his team will be fighting it out in all competitions next season. How absurd. His team have also been involved in 5 competitions over the last 4 years that no top flight team were involved in and, up until now have been glorious failures in these competitions. This is not the pedigree of top flight title challengers Mr Jackson.


  49. James Doleman is tweeting live on the contempt of court proceedings in London.

    James Doleman ‏@jamesdoleman 3m3 minutes ago Counsel for SD says that despite the delay in receiving witness statements the judge must look at the “overall justice of the case.”


  50. Sports Direct getting an absolute kicking in court-

    James Doleman ‏@jamesdoleman 12m12 minutes ago Judge says SD actions an “abuse of process of the court,”


  51. neepheid 19th January 2016 at 10:51 am # Sports Direct getting an absolute kicking in court-
    James Doleman ‏@jamesdoleman 12m12 minutes ago Judge says SD actions an “abuse of process of the court,”
    ____________________________

    Makes you wonder if MA and his ‘men’ are as smart as they are perceived to be. Regardless of the apparent bias from the judge, the SD case seemed extremely weak (which we can thank James Doleman for providing such a reliable report of the proceedings), with about as much substance as a Dave King promise.

    Could it be that years of success, and barrowloads of money, have blinded MA to reality whenever he loses perspective? Does he think he can sort out any problem, however minor in his corporate world, by using his mega expensive legal team to sort people out? Is Govan the Teflon centre of the world?

    The judge certainly seemed to have it in for Ashley and SD, and if we didn’t know that King is an abysmal example of a businessman/human being, I’d probably be on his (the judge) side, but I do wonder if his rather insulting remarks, and reputation, might lead to an appeal if the SD counsel can find fault in anything he said in his legal interpretation. I still think, though, that the SD case was so weak, or badly presented/prepared, that an appeal would be a waste of time.


  52. Judge Peter Smith well aware of what is being said about him in the blogosphere.  Denied he is a mason and that his wife is a Rangers supporter.   Some pesky person has been urging him to deal with the bloggers in question.  Which he said he has no intention of so doing.  Pheww jj !   21  (Although jj did not say he was a mason, he did ‘out’ his wife as being a Ger.)

    Great reporting from James Doleman.


  53. Thanks Blu and John
    Re- Law Financial Claim, my understanding (again from press reports, so take with a pinch of salt) was that the claim would be subject to a strict timetable set out by the courts for submission, a fast-track if you like, as no formal claim was submitted as at September 2015.
    The sub-judice point is a well made; BDO may not be now in a position to quantify potential payouts subject to the outcome of the court cases and who actually owns what. In those circumstances creditors could be looking at 2017 and beyond before it gets settled.


  54. Allyjambo 19th January 2016 at 11:33 am

    From James’ wonderful reporting it does seem the SD case is weak and the Judge clearly doesn’t think much of the proceedings to date.

    So it is either a complete waste of time or SD have an ace up their sleeve they are wanting to lay down at the time of the full trial, which of course is the time to do it, not at the preliminaries.

    Can’t see the latter happening at the moment but you never know what this saga will throw up next.


  55. Regarding the delayed report from BDO, apart from all the other issues (and there are plenty) BDO can surely not estimate any payouts until they have the final outcome of the Big Tax Case, which will affect the payout due to each and every creditor.
    It’s certainly taking the CoS a long time to decide whether to allow the appeal to go to the Supreme Court. Is there a hearing due on that? I’ve completely lost track of all the litigation, I’m afraid.


  56. I see James Doleman continues to get pelters from the TRFC half of the divide for his tweeted reports of the SD v King case. Having merely posted, as verbatim as twitter might facilitate, what was said in court, news that could only be perceived as ‘good’ for TRFC, it does highlight the bears inability to recognise fair and honest reporting purely on the grounds of who the messenger is. We can guarantee that had it been Jackson, Jack or their like (I know, such effort is way beyond them), twitter would be full of bears congratulating them on their fine efforts (in bringing ‘good’ news). I suppose, though, that those two worthies, and their like, would have embellished their reports with WATP rhetoric, which would have been what the hordes would actually ‘understand’ as opposed to the factual reporting style of a proper journalist.

    This is a stark example of their inability to accept ‘good news’ from a non-bear reporter as anything other than an insult from a ‘Tim’, and is on a par with their insistence that every reporter/journalist/hack is against them, along with the SFA, SPL, SPFL, regardless of how much PR they spew or rules they bend and ignore for the benefit of the Ibrox circus!


  57. neepheid 19th January 2016 at 11:59 am # 
     It’s certainly taking the CoS a long time to decide whether to allow the appeal to go to the Supreme Court. Is there a hearing due on that? I’ve completely lost track of all the litigation, I’m afraid.
    ========================
    February 24th.


  58. Some thoughts on a couple of the topics du jour.
    – I believe the Bundesliga has the most strict rules in Europe regarding things like fan ownership (50+1) and low ticket prices and the like (a Guardian article confirmed that in 2010, match day revenue for the Bundesliga was approximately €350 million/£270m less than the Premier League).
    How much is Bayern’s kite-flying aimed domestically? How much is jealousy of the revenues enjoyed by even mediocre English teams? And how much is actually really about constructing a superleague outside of the auspices of UEFA with all the problems that might engender. And would the big 4 or 5 English clubs really give up their guaranteed revenues to risk this? (Chelsea’s EPL prize & TV money was a whisker off £100m in 2014-2015. Barca made £45m for winning the Champs League that season). 
    WRT: the suggestion that “For four years now, since the financial meltdown at Ibrox, the national sport has been effectively neutered and robbed of its own self-esteem, as well as any sense of genuine competition…”: do supporters of OldCo consider their 9IAR, much of which was won whilst Celtic got their own financial and ownership issues in order (without reneging on any debts) to have been as a result of “neutering”, or having been “robbed of self esteem” and devauled in general? The more these so-called journalists repeat a lie, the more “fact” it becomes. 


  59. Got a letter of complaint from someone yesterday (a Mr Campbell) from a correspondent who didn’t leave a forwarding adress or telephone number.

    If you are reading this, can you please contact the office on 0141 459 1867? If it goes to voicemail, leave us a number and we will get back to you.


  60. We are looking for some people who would be prepared to do some presenting (radio style).

    We are also on the lookout for editors and producers to get involved.

    If anyone knows of anyone who would be interested in presenting a radio programme (doesn’t have to be a football prog) or in the production nad editing side of things, can you please contact us at 0141 459 1867 or email me at bigpink@sfm.scot

    I will be able to source from colleges and universities etc, but I think it might be good to give first dibs to our own readership.


  61. BP,

    Has ‘Radio Sevco’ been trademarked then? 02

    Scottish Football needs a strong Arbroath.


  62. An interesting article in today’s Times re aspiring coaches taking their Pro License course under the auspices of the English FA. Attendees including Scott Parker, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Brad Friedel are placed in mock situations such as press conferences, negotiation with agents, awkward players, chairmen etc  and problems with social media to see how they would cope with the myriad difficulties that can beset today’s managers. Hardly a freebie at £7,500, it aims to give all those who attend a grounding in how to cope with certain types of situation.
    Imagine my surprise then, when one of those listed as attending was a certain Mark Warburton. To be fair to the man with the hat, he is placed in the position of a manager photographed with the chairman of another club, the “Sven” situation. The Times reporter said that “no question, however brutal, flummoxes Warburton”.
    Good to know then that he acquitted himself well, although I would have imagined little else from the man our SMSM tell us is destined for Madrid or Barcelona. Is this all in preparation for the arrival of Pogba, Neymar and Muller in June to help them on the next stage of their journey. And has anyone told DCK about the extra expense this may require?


  63. League Reconstruction! For whose benefit? If I was a Rangers man I would be delighted with a 16 team top league next season, this means Rangers don t play the top teams 4 times , games against Celtic,Aberdeen,Hearts, Inverness,St Johnstone and probably Hibs would be fewer and there would be more games against the weaker opposition with the chance to accumulate points and achieve decent league position at the seasons end. The Scottish media would then present a picture of progress. Personally I feel that the 10 team premiere league that was never questioned during the lavish spending and successful years the Rangers had, should remain in place. This would ensure that the 4 Celtic v Rangers fixtures that we were told the TV companies wanted could be used to negotiate a better TV deal, or was this just another myth created by the football authorities as they sought to impose their agenda on the football public. I feel the same agenda is at work as the football authorities seek to create a 16 team top league which would give the Rangers a helping hand as they  make their way their way back to challenging for the top honours in the Scottish game. As I said, League reconstruction! For whose benefit?


  64. upthehoops 19th January 2016 at 7:17 am #Oh dear, where do you even start with this. Perhaps emergency legislation should be passed to ensure that any club playing out of Ibrox is free not to pay tax, national insurance, and any other bills. Any media platform which questions anything that has gone on at Ibrox, or is still going on will remain silent or face imprisonment. Rangers will also be allowed to win every single game they play for evermore. Would that make them happy?
    https://bearsfightback.wordpress.com/2016/01/17/welcome-to-bears-fight-back/

    ==========================
    If you look at the other page posted on the site “launch” liiks like Davie Provan is going to be the first under attack from the angry bears and their “fightback”.

    Not to mention the 3 posters from Pie and Bovril that the angry bear believes the Police should investigate because they claim to have witnessed Sevco fans assaulting people with thrown objects or some such delightful banter.

    How long before posters from TSFM are on the fightback list I wonder.

    To my mind this is exactly the sort of dangerously unhinged behaviour the authorities encourage in Scotland through their bias or inaction.

    The more they turn a blind eye, the more the lunatics howl at the moon.


  65. And yet Mr Provan has been heard to comment on the favourable side of the club from Govan,a warning to all the aspiring award winners in their respective categories .the bears are grumpy no hibernation
     this winter,
    Oh dear,how are you going to tell them Davie.


  66. Just been readiing this and have to say I am very disappointed.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35349978
    The quotes attributed are simply not a sufficient explanation and I think we should all be writing to our clubs for a full explanation of why clubs are taking the stance they are.
    I can’t work out if its Mulraney fudging a real answer or if its the reporter/editor at the BBC supressing the debate.
    Either way, its just far to simple to say “it doesn’t work” with zero evidence provided.
    Its also very frustrating to see the usual Scottish Football approach of making sweeping statements that you can’t change something based on huge assumptions on how those changes would be implemented as if there is only ever one approach to do anything, and that approach is always the most drastic possible.
    Its almost like they look for the quickest and most dramatic reason to discard every single potential change presented to them in double time.
    Surely not though? I mean they consider all the options at length? And withhold judgement until every avenue is considered?
    It really does my head in.
    In this case, the gist is you can’t dock points from teams for thing that fans do.
    Well, sorry but that’s an off the cuff statement based on nothing.
    Why can’t we have a sliding scale of punishments?
    Why can’t these require very specific types of misbehaviour, from multiple fans, on more than one occassion before kicking in?
    Why can’t the punishments start with public warnings (we never see authorities speak out, first thing we need to see is every instance of really undesirable behaviour publicly called out)
    Then move onto say financial penalties
    Then games payed behind closed doors
    Then finally points penalties for the most extreme repeat cases.

    It took me 5 mins to rattle this off, couldn’t Mulraney and the BBC Journalist spend that much time putting a proper explanation of what the problem is together? And what might be possible?

    Its just plain lazy frankly.


  67. The SMSM are very consistent,As the build-up to litigation involving the Rangers Biard or their assorted former executives the tactic seems to be ignore, ignore….next to zero comment. Indeed without James Doleman, The johnjames site and phil mac we generally would not even know a hearing was being heard.
    Actual coverage of the Litigation itself is, perhaps, too expensive or, more likely, too awkward and/or embarrassing fir the media to cover so the journos rely on James Doleman’s excellent Twitter feed.
    However as soon as the news breaks of a perceived Rangers “victory” it’s all change.
    Cue headlines of another Glorious triumph with immediate breaking news stories on the web, etc, etc.
    All very strange and a sad reflection of our media.


  68. The awards should perhaps be called Walters and a life time achievement Walter should go to MR Young and Mr Traynor there may even be foreign language Walters for Those who speak the truth…


  69. Matty Roth 19th January 2016 at 6:18 pm #
    ————————————–
    Well said MR.

    I’ve been listening to Sportsound tonight, and all credit to Tom English and Scott McDonald for calling out the clubs on their “can’t do” approach to implementing meaningful change.

    Edit: I’ve also just seen a tweeted image from Station Park with a smoke bomb set off.

    Fans are now taking the piss out of the authorities inability, or unwillingness to act.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CZG0wjoWEAAWlRs.jpg

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