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.
If 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?
Maybe 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?
“I just wonder what the reaction would be if Celtic were to buy Michael O’Halloran and loan him out to Hibs (or Falkirk) for the rest of the season.”
————————————————————————————
Allyjambo, your a very naughty boy!
Would be a laugh though.
BTW O’Halloran just set up the goal against Celtic !!!
Just spotted this when searching for something else. Apologies if it’s been posted previously.
https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/judgments/sports-direct-international-plc-v-rangers-international-football-club-plc-and-david-king-2/
Allyjambo 23rd January 2016 at 3:14 pm
‘…One of the strangest reactions around the SMSM’s attempts to rebuild the OF there’s been,..’
________
Strange reaction? Rather more than that- Lindsay is clearly on another planet or having an out -of-mind experience that he should write such p..h!
I snatched a minute or two of my valuable time ( although the time I wasted reading what Lindsay wrote will never be given back to me!) to send this email/. Idiots like him have to be challenged at every turn, for their own good as well as for ours.
“Dear God, Mr Lindsay: what nonsense you write, what pernicious nonsense!Was it you personally who ‘suggested’ to Ronnie Deila that Celtic might have made a mistake in lending Stokes to Hibs, because-by implication-Stokes might help Hibs keep The Rangers FC Ltd (2012) out of the Premiership, and therefore damage Celtic because of the lack of the ‘Old Firm’?Are you suggesting that Celtic should positively aid TRFC to secure a place ( for the first time!) in the Premiership?That all ordinary football activity in the transfer and loans market should be designed to ensure that other clubs are not strengthened for fear that TRFC might be disadvantaged?That the world and his wife are panting with desire to see the new club become a ‘New Firm’?I fear that articles such as the piece that appeared in the Herald yesterday will not win you any accolades for journalistic integrity – or even plain common sense.And did you check what Lawwell said, and the context in which he said it? The Liquidation of Rangers 1873 is not, could not possibly, cost Celtic £10 million per season. That is a patently absurd , and I suspect, deliberately absurd observation to make.You should be ashamed of yourself. ”
Re the Stokes stuff…
Thank goodness TRFC aren’t the kind of club who would take five loan players from just one (related) club to bolster their own promotion hopes!
Mr Lindsay? Are you not concerned at how that kind of thing might unfairly distort competition?
Scottish Football needs a strong EK.
jimbo 23rd January 2016 at 3:23 pm # “I just wonder what the reaction would be if Celtic were to buy Michael O’Halloran and loan him out to Hibs (or Falkirk) for the rest of the season.” ————————————————————————————Allyjambo, your a very naughty boy!
Would be a laugh though.
___________________________________________
Sadly this is a non-starter as Radio Scotland stated this afternoon that St Johnstone and Rangers are now locked in a Tug O War over O’Halloran
Re O’Hallloran. The Celtic purchase and loan to Hibs is a non-starter not because of any tug-of-war reported but because there is a limit of 2 players between Scottish clubs and Stokes has joined Henderson as Celtic loanees at Hibs.
However the tug-of-war is interesting. Rumour has it that O’Halloran and TRFC have “in principle” agreed terms. That’s an interesting one given that unless a player is in a position to sign a pre-contract agreement (last 6 months of current contract) then an interested club must first agree a fee with what would be the selling club before even talking to the player and/or his agents. You will note that David “Bumble” Lloyd has already blasted TRFC/RIFC over lack of etiquette on the pre-contract signings of two players from his Accrington Stanley but this goes well beyond etiquette if the O’Halloran rumour has any truth in it.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a4876e339818409f9d33f0d9706ac4c7/uefa-power-vacuum-clubs-discuss-champions-league-revamp
John Clark 23rd January 2016 at 4:30 pm
I’m a little disappointed in you, John. Mr Lindsay now knows at least one person has read his piece. He’ll surely see that as a success.
Doubt the ECA could organise a schools sports day never mind a European competition.
I say this as a member club.
Flocculent Apoidea 23rd January 2016 at 7:30 pm
‘.. Mr Lindsay now knows at least one person has read his piece. He’ll surely see that as a success.’
____
I think, Flocculent Apoidea, that Lindsay hasn’t even the tired old excuse of ‘stirring up controversy to boost sales’ as justification for the crap he wrote.
I think he is working to the implicitly agreed agenda which puts securing the ‘legitimisation’ of the false proposition that “TRFC is continuity RFC 1873” as being the main business of our football hacks.
His own words, in my view, condemn him as a fellow-traveller of those who gave us the 5-way agreement.
If he counts as ‘success’ his failure to approach anything like the journalistic standards of people like Alex Thomson, and those foreign -correspondents who risk death or who have already died, in pursuit of truth , he further condemns himself.
And indeed, is already dead as a serious journalist, sell however many papers he may.
In my opinion.
With TRFC missing out on one target, and if they also miss out on the St.Johnstone player then the planned “GBP 1M” spend on 2 quality players will have come to nothing.
So Level42 are going to have to wheel out one heck of a squirrel shortly – to distract the disappointed bears…
John Clark 23rd January 2016 at 10:02 pm #
______________________________________________
Well said John.
I’ve asked this question before, but how does the current strategy of the Scottish press actually sell more newspapers?
In both politics and football,certainly in the west of Scotland, there is pretty much a 50/50 split. In those circumstances, if I wanted to sell papers, I would try to appeal to both factions by producing some balanced output. But the Glasgow based press have opted to back both “Rangers” and unionism 100%. No ifs, buts or maybes.
I really wonder how many non Rangers fans continue to buy the Record, Herald or Evening Times, just to read sports pages which amount to nothing more than a Rangers fanzine? And how many “yes” voters have given up on the same papers since their rather one-sided (putting it kindly) coverage in the run-up to the referendum?
Appealing entirely to a minority of your potential readership while totally alienating the majority of them just seems to me like business suicide. The catastrophic declines in circulation support my view, although I appreciate that other factors are at play. Even more reason to widen your readership base, rather than narrow it just when you need every single reader you can hang on to.
ianagain 23rd January 2016 at 7:37 pm
‘..Doubt the ECA could organise a schools sports day never mind a European competition.I say this as a member club.’
________
Quite a quiet night, ianagain, and my curiosity got the better of me: I can’t think why TRFC (2012)are regarded as being a ‘founder member’ of the ECA (set up in 2008), and ‘entitled’ even to ‘associate’ [ non-voting rights] membership.
I have sent an email expressing my puzzlement.
———
But what kind of a beast is the ECA? ?
Do the clubs in the national leagues feed in to those clubs (in Scotland currently, Motherwell and Celtic) with voting rights membership , to help influence policy and decision-making?
Or is it a rich clubs’ club, looking to serve the interests of those clubs with high European media-profiles, hogging the wealth to themselves and ignoring the fact that they can only exist because there are national league structures and lots of clubs without which there would be no professional football?
That is, are Motherwell and Celtic, for example, merely fighting their own corners as individual clubs at meetings of the ECA and not in any representative capacity on behalf of Scottish Football?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35386912
What I don’t get is how they think they can loftily justify their decision on the basis that “We are quite rightly following our rules” when, as the last line of the article says, they’ve been more than happy to disregard those exact same rules in the recent past. And why do clubs (in this case EK) not call them out on that?
I know there are bigger rules they’ve disregarded, but I’m keeping it on topic.
Why doesn’t someone (anyone!) take them to task for disadvantaging EK when both they and presumably Celtic would want to play at a bigger venue. All it takes is for someone to say “But your ‘justification’ doesn’t make sense when you already allowed the rule to be circumvented in the recent past, so can you please justify your decision on this again…and sensibly this time please cos we’re watching!”
Gets on my bits what they are allowed to get away with.
Neepheid
I wouldn’t buy ANY newspaper to take to a desert island for company. But if I was a newspaper editor in this part of the world, I would produce 2 different outer wrappers for my publication, a Celtic view and a Rangers news style supplement, if you like. Unashamed, bells & whistles, full of shite (nothing new there) ! It would be the last throw of the dice prior to closing down. Hell mend them !!!
nawlite 23rd January 2016 at 11:20 pm
‘..Why doesn’t someone (anyone!) take them to task for disadvantaging EK when both they and presumably Celtic would want to play at a bigger venue. ‘
_________
The SFA are, of course, traditionally contemptuous of football supporters in the main, but afraid of one particular demographic;
the SMSM is also afraid of that demographic ;
and, in some extraordinary way, otherwise hard-headed, successful business men in charge variously of 41 football clubs seem to be cowed into silence .
The SFA was prepared to abandon all principle in their indecent, deceitful panic about financial Armageddon and their absolute determination to save access to the shekels of the 500 000, at whatever cost to Sporting Integrity.
Yet they prissily refuse to accommodate, disregarding precedent, a sensible, reasonable request by willing clubs to have a game played at a venue which will allow many more people to enjoy the game, and give all and sundry-the clubs and the SFA – a useful few shillings. No harm done to high-minded principle, but rather more harm done to an utterly dysfunctional, petty-minded, malicious, envious set of men.
Who can explain this phenomenon?
Neepheid, When I was a paper boy in the 60s the Daily Record outsold all other papers by what seemed like a margin of 10 to 1. The paper is now a shadow of it’s formal self. There are many reasons but lets stick to football. (I think James Traynor and his ‘son’ & heir Jackson have a lot to do with it.) Here is a little snippet from a real journalist Roy Greenslade, The Guardian :
“Perhaps the fans should be holding the Record to blame as well. When the paper was reporting on Whyte’s hyped wealth it failed to mention the fact that serious questions were being asked in the blogosphere about the veracity of his claims.
How could the Record know that Whyte was a billionaire with “a vast business empire” and wealth “off the radar”? And when it did know otherwise, why did it take so long to inform Rangers’ fans? And why no apology to its readers?
Note that 2012 reference to spin-doctors, as if it was all their fault rather than that of the paper’s journalists for accepting what they were told without checking.
The age-old problem of sports reporting was the willingness of journalists to act like “fans with typewriters” (or, nowadays, fans with laptops).
The reporting of the Rangers’ saga over the past five years has been a classic example of reporters being no more than stenographers for PRs offering them stories they didn’t care to verify.”
FANS WITH LAPTOPS! Says it all.
iimbo 24th January 2016 at 12:27 am #
How else, except by the superb, award-winning , reports of our keef!
‘……How could the Record know that Whyte was a billionaire with “a vast business empire” and wealth “off the radar”?..’
____
neepheid 23rd January 2016 at 6:30 pm
“LONDON (AP) — European football’s power vacuum is being seen as an opportunity by clubs to have a big say in overhauling its richest competition.”
———————————
There seems to have been a ‘get Blatter’ campaign underway in the UK media for a couple of years. This effort was recently extended to encompass Michelle Platini. I’ve no idea whether these guys are honest or not. I’m quite prepared to believe they are corrupt if that is what credible evidence points to. However I don’t think Blatter and Platini are likely to be any more corrupt than others within European and World football governance. At least they had some kind of footballing credentials. I suspect they will be succeeded by figureheads or accountants whose role it will be to execute the necessary ‘overhauling’.
The problem with encroaching commercial interests is, as we have witnessed, that they are all too keen to saturate the market to the point of sterility. They want to turn sport into pantomime because sport involves real jeopardy. Despite the aura cast over entrepreneurs as risk takers, I think there is a great deal of risk aversion in commerce. The banking crisis of 2007/8 illustrated that business and commerce wished to ‘game’ the rules to their own advantage. I can understand why they might want to import these failed practices into a lucrative sport like football but it is a busted flush. It doesn’t work and its lack of efficacy has already been illustrated on a global scale.
Football used to be the working man’s game but it now seems it is being colonised by commercial interests that have a fundamental indifference to its wellbeing. If it can be turned into a franchisable commodity then that’s exactly what the commercial imperative will attempt to do. There was a period in history when every village, town or locality would have a ‘common’. This was an area of land that did not belong to any individual but which had been ceded by the Crown to the ‘commoners’. Anyone could graze their livestock upon the common and to do so did not attract any fee. Then came the land enclosures when all the common land was removed from common use and given to the wealthy landowners.
As ever it was.
http://wp.me/p6qBV9-4M via @wordpressdotcom
On a lighter note
jimbo 24th January 2016 at 12:27.
Neepheid, When I was a paper boy in the 60s the Daily Record outsold all other papers by what seemed like a margin of 10 to 1. ..
====================
Well it is quiet, and I am going stir crazy indoors all day to avoid Storm Jonas, so…
As a 14 year old I had a paper pitch after school at the gates of the long defunct Howden’s factory in Tradeston. Carrying 75 – heavy – Evening Times papers from the old Co-Op building and selling them at the factory gates in all weathers – including the brutal winter of ’82 (?). And then selling leftovers in the local pubs which had lots of erm, character. (Kids today have it so easy… 😉 )
Anyway, point of the rambling is that I retained an affinity for the ET, which had the latest daily updates on football news, (I know). Now it is regarded as a joke rag and The Clumpany’s name for it – The Evening Shark Jump – is hilarious. And sad. Maybe the ET was always a joke rag but we only fully realised it with the introduction of the internet and citizen journalism?
But times do change and the ET is no longer fit for purpose and I won’t shed a tear when it does cease printing.
The law of the business jungle: adapt or die…
(unless you’re a bank of course!)
The Evening Shark Jump is for the high jump.
Stevie, Been reading about your weather problems today seems horrendous. Hope you are well stocked up with supplies and have power.
Regarding evening papers in the sixties, in the west of Scotland the Citizen was the biggie by a mile. The ET was an also ran. But then the Citizen disappeared for some reason, not sure why it went out of circulation. It was only then that the ET came to prominence. In the 1980s I commuted by train every day and I quite enjoyed reading the ET it made the journey pass quicker. As you say in those days by and large we just accepted much of what they printed. I’m so sceptical nowadays I can’t remember the last time I bought a paper.
Well at last I’m beginning to feel tired. Had a snooze this afternoon which lasted 2 hours!
That’s my sleep pattern beggered up!
Stay safe.
jimbo 24th January 2016 at 3:58 am #
==============================
I have not purchased a newspaper for my own use for months. Occasionally my good lady will ask me to bring one home but aside from a glance at the back page normally followed by a shake of my head I don’t go near it. I do not mind admitting that my stance is solely down to the collective unwillingness of the media to expose the scandal and set out the truth of all that has happened at Ibrox since 1986.
Hi Keef
this must be the week the guts are going to be spilled,any updates,we are beside ourselves with anticipation on the big signings you mentioned last week,do tell.
Another thought on O’Halloran given that the Record are criticizing the mighty TRFC losing out to a basket case like Leeds (paraphrasing by me but the basket case is the Record’s irony free description of Leeds).
I haven’t seen it but apparently O’Halloran caused the home defence a few problems at Celtic Park yesterday. I’ll leave aside the fact almost anybody could cause Ambrose defensive problems. Did he just ensure that TRFC will be gazumped again should St Johnstone blink.
The statement in the TRFC accounts was a little ambiguous but I took it as they need to make a modest profit in the January window to assist with the additional £2.5m that was identified as required to trade until season book sales kick in again. To my knowledge the only departures from Ibrox this window are a loan player going back to his club and one of the young squad players going out on loan. No incoming transfer money then. Did O’Halloran make himself more valuable than “the Penalty King” who along with perhaps Tavernier are the only TRFC players likely to garner a fee well into the 6 figure mark? If so he priced TRFC out of the market should St Johnstone decide to cash in which I don’t think financially they need to. I guess St Johnstone now have to make a decision as to whether yesterday’s performance was a “come and get me” and if they retain the player will he just sulk for the foreseeable future. If they think that they will need to offload to the highest bidder which I don’t think will be TRFC.
7 thumbs down to my earlier post. Good to see so many hacks reading the forum.
Tykebhoy,
My sense of O’Halleron’s situation with respect to Rangers is that it has always been a giant squirrel.
Given their cash situation and lack of credit, Rangers have done very well to retain players like Lee Wallace over the last few years, but to expect them to shell out half a million quid for a player in those circumstances is a stretch.
If they do pay that kind of money for a player, then it would be hard to avoid the conclusion that there is some anonymous benefactor funding the whole shooting match. Of course if that was the case one would think that buying a player would be very far down the list of cash priorities, after infrastructure and debt.
In those circumstances, Rangers best chance of bagging any player right now is to agree a pre-contract (which rules out O’Halleron as he is under contract until 2017) and offer a nominal sum to hasten the process.
Also, O’Halleron’s failure to “slap in” a transfer request to his intransigent employers may also suggest that he is an unwitting and unwilling participant in this circus.
If his father (a long time coach at Celtic) still has any influence with him, I can’t imagine he will offer advice that a move to Ibrox constitutes an enhancement to his career prospects.
On the other hand, he is 24 (no rookie in football terms). In the absence of another offer which might move him down the football totem, the income lift from a move to Ibrox may be tempting. However Saints know that the extension to the player’s contract (signed only 6 months ago) puts them morally and functionally in the driving seat – and the player’s failure to ask for a transfer suggests he is at ease with that situation.
Having said all of that, I would not be surprised if he moved in the next six months. Half a million for a player whose reputation is growing (if that is indeed the figure St. Johnstone have in mind) seems a bargain for anyone who can afford it – and there are plenty who can.
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/the-guts-of-a-million/#more-7254
not sure if posted but here’s phils latest that appeared on twitter
Missing among the comments re the venue choice for the East Kilbride v Celtic cup tie, I think an aspect that has been missed, is that the K Park in EK is an artificial surface. Looking at local alternatives with this in mind brings us to NDP, Airdrie’s Excelsior or Broadwood in Cumbernauld or Rugby Park in Kilmarnock much further away. I just wonder if this was the overriding factor in the decision?
it is one of the little mysteries of life that the Rangers support regard the Record and BBC as inimical to them. At one time I thought that since both they and the Celtic support were of the same opinion about these smsm sources that some balance was in place. However I now see that i was wrong worse is that there are a few young guys in the media who are as cuplable as their elders in this overt bias. That bodes ill for progress except that they are the dying embers oaf a dying print media so will be left behind by history.
Another view of the OC/NC discussion.
https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/sdi_-v_rangers.pdf
“Before: THE HONOURABLE MR JUSTICE PETER SMITH- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Between: Sports Direct International Plc (Claimant)- and – Rangers International Football Club Plc (Defendant)- and – David King (Additional Respondent)
…
INTRODUCTION 1. On Thursday 10th December 2015 I had before me 3 applications in this matter namely:- 1) The Claimant Sports Direct International Plc’s (“SDI”) application by Notice dated 7th September 2015 inviting the court to find the Defendant (“Rangers”) in contempt of court for breaching the order…
…
BACKGROUND6. The issue relates to a written Confidentiality Undertaking dated 5th September 2014 given to the SDI Group (comprising SDI and its subsidiaries). It relates to the well known Glasgow football team Glasgow Rangers. The Background to the Confidentiality Undertaking is set out in Mr Forsey’s witness statement provided in support of SDI’s application for the June Order.
7. In summary in or around 2012 SDI was approached by The Rangers Football Club Ltd (“the Club”) which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Rangers to explore potential commercial opportunities.”
You will note from the above extracts we can see, for the purposes of this judgement, Mr Justice Peter Smith has given meaning to the following words and phrases:
Rangers International Football Club Plc = Defendant
Defendant = Rangers
the well known Glasgow football team = Glasgow Rangers
The Rangers Football Club Ltd = the Club
In each case, he has given a specific definition so that the meaning of these words and phrases in the remainder of the document cannot be mistaken for any alternative meaning in normal everyday life.
While most people would concur with his description of The Rangers Football Club Ltd as the Club, it makes no real difference that I would think of Rangers International Football Club Plc as the holding company that owns Rangers. As long as he is clear (as he is) that he is referring to the PLC as Rangers in his judgement, he is perfectly entitled to do so.
Rangers, from his perspective and for the purposes of his judgement, has the Club as one of its subsidiaries – which is fine.
The point of all of this, is that legal documents and contracts often provide a definitions section (and/or within parentheses) that ascribe specific meaning to words and phrases that could otherwise be misconstrued. It doesn’t change anything in the real world; but should provide clarity within the document to which the definition applies.
Much has been said about how LNS settled the question of whether Rangers, as a Club, continued beyond the liquidation of the legal entity that operated until June 2012.
The Honourable Mr Justice Smith has provided a useful reminder that LNS simply provided a view of the meaning of Club as it applied to the SPL articles and rules (albeit in error, I believe). The commission gave no view on the real life meaning of the word.
Interestingly, I came across a legal judgement the other day where the word “club” was not defined in any particular way: the word was simply allowed its really life everyday meaning.
http://bradfordcityfire.co.uk/court-transcript-fletcher-and-others-v-bradford-city-football-club-and-others-23021987/
“The stand had been built about 1909 by the Bradford City Association Football Club (1908) Ltd. In 1983 that company had become hopelessly insolvent and was wound up. The football ground in 1983, including the stand, was taken over by a new club with a new chairman and a new board of directors. This club, called the Bradford City Association Football Club (1983) Ltd is the first defendant in these actions and has to be distinguished from the 1908 Club. I shall sometimes refer to the 1908 Club as the old club and the 1983 Club as the new club.”
So, while some within the SPL (and now SPFL) might wish to believe that the Club continued through a change in ownership, it seems clear that in the real world The Rangers Football Club PLC (now RFC 2012 plc ) was the old club and The Rangers Football Club Ltd (formerly Sevco Scotland Ltd) is a new(ish) club.
As a slight aside check out Bradford City’s website and search for any hint of liquidation. It seems the art of denial is not unique to the west of Scotland.
Do you think that the irony of their respective financial positions is lost on the Rangers’ support when they complain of St Johnstone refusing derisory offers for arguably their top player.
In the last two financial years St Johnstone have made profits of £850,000 and £260,000. Whilst at the same time Rangers have made substantial losses.
Who is in a better position regarding any negotiations.
Just heard some vomit inducing stuff on the supposed national broadcaster regarding guess who ?!!.
How did you guess, Michael O’Hallorhan. Who’d have thunk it, the BBC being used and abused to spout the Level 5 and Sevco publicity agenda yet again!
Today we saw yet another exceptional display from someone I used to respect (Richard Gordon) and someone I have never respected (Richard Wilson). According to Wilson, the clubs (Sevco and Saints) are very close to concluding a deal. In my view this is utter pish and if Richard Gordon had any integrity he would have told Wilson this. Let’s face facts, O’Hallorhan is a very talented player. Proper football clubs will be interested in his services. Clubs that have real money to invest in their teams. I’d be astonished if there’s not a host of teams ready to come in with an offer that St Johnstone would find acceptable, but I’d be equally astonished if one of these clubs were Sevco.
Yet the BBC sees fit to broadcast this drivel! Luckily I’m outwith the radio Clyde catchment area but clearly this is now the acceptable standard for broadcasting in Glasgow, and by extension Scotland. You should take a real look at yourself Richard (Gordon). Your namesake Wilson is beyond help.
With regards to O’Hallorhan, I’d love it if my club made an accepted offer for him. Perhaps if an Aberdeen or a Hearts bought him this window the penny would finally drop for followers of the charade going on at Ibrox!
JOHN JAMES LETTING OFF MORE STEAM
https://johnjamessite.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/saccharin-daddy/
Homunculus 24th January 2016 at 1:25 pm #
In the last two financial years St Johnstone have made profits of £850,000 and £260,000. Whilst at the same time Rangers have made substantial losses.
================================
St Johnstone as you say are a very well managed club. I’d be amazed if they accept a cut price deal on the never never from Rangers. Cash up front is the only option.
“…As Warburton attempts to bolster his attacking options, the will-he-won’t-he saga involving Michael O’Halloran’s transfer from St Johnstone rumbles on. Whatever the outcome, and whoever Rangers manage to bring in during the January window, Tavernier is adamant that any newcomers won’t just march straight into the starting line-up.
“Like everyone who comes here, he [O’Halloran] is going to have to work hard and try to get into the team…”
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/14226342.The_appliance_of_science_produces_winning_formula_for_Rangers/?ref=mr&lp=8
=======================
Well, according to The Herald and a TRFC player – it seems that the St.Johnstone player simply doesn’t have a choice… 🙁
StevieBC 24th January 2016 at 3:15 pm
=========================
Why would a player have any more meaningful insight into his club’s transfer dealings than any Joe Bloggs on the street?
I’m sure the Otis of Ibrox (R.E.S.P.E.C.T.) doesn’t march into the dressing room at their training ground & brief the players that he’s spoken to Manager A. about Player B. & he’s joining in a couple of days.
Nope, the players will read the rags (or more likely social media) & be as clued up, or in the dark, as anyone else.
From the perspective of St J and O’Halloran it would make sense for him to stay put until he knows what league any potential suitors will play in.
If Sevco are promoted, it would then be for St J to decide if they wished to sell to a rival Premier club, commanding a Premier league fee. Other Premier clubs may then re-evaluate and decide to bolster their playing squad, or in some cases, maybe make a move because they don’t fancy facing him.
If I was his advisor, I would be telling him to whack in some powerful performances in the run up to the summer window.
JJ busy today
https://johnjamessite.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/the-men-behind-sdm/
Corrupt official 24th January 2016 at 3:33 pm
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There’s also the small matter of a cup semi-final against Hibs and the potential for a final place against Ross County or Celtic.
One would have though that St Johnstone would fancy that cup final spot and with their semi-being scheduled for 30th January selling the player, particularly for less than they consider him to be worth, would seem a bit strange.
They appear to be a well run club and the real chance of another cup final and a bit of silverware to go with their recent Scottish cup must appeal to the board and the support.
Keep bringing it in and keep the fans coming.
Homunculus 24th January 2016 at 4:00 pm #Corrupt official 24th January 2016 at 3:33 pm===============================
There’s also the small matter of a cup semi-final against Hibs and the potential for a final place against Ross County or Celtic.
———————————————————————————————————
It may well be that he was dropped last week because his head wasn’t right, but it also gave St J an opportunity to gauge how well they would fare in his absence.
Charles Green has been ordered to a lodge a £50,000 bond with court officials ahead of a legal costs appeal.
His appeal will be heard in the Court of Session on January 29 2016.
———————
Does this bond have to be lodged by tomorrow?
And if it is not,what happens?
Cluster one
is this a flute bond
In PMB’s latest news from the word-mines there appears this intriguing snippet :
“Indeed, the storyline for this transfer window could not get more engaging for the audience if they had Mr. Warburton quietly sounding out Newcastle United for some loan players.
Of course, that would be preposterous…”
From my past experience PMB tends to take great care in how he words his pearls of wisdom. I found it extremely interesting that he spoke of “Mr. Warburton” rather than RIFC or TRFC.
If indeed such a thing had happened, surely Mr. Warburton wouldn’t act without sanction from above? Perhaps they are all great pals again.
Otherwise it would suggest that Mr. Warburton is either becoming extremely desperate or somewhat semi-detached from his lords and masters.
Doubtless all will be revealed as we approach deadline day and the warchest is burst open….
Scottish Football needs a strong Arbroath.
PS Is The Herald onto this yet? Mr Lindsay, are you looking in?
I might have missed this ,but have any of our inteprid hacks asked The St Johnstone.
what is the minimum you will open negotiations at,give us a clue and we will up sell for you ,we do this all the time and most clubs gain out of this,haud oan a minute.
Cluster One 24th January 2016 at 5:50 pm
‘….Does this bond have to be lodged by tomorrow?And if it is not,what happens?’
________
4.00 pm 25/01/16 is the time by which.
——
Don’t know what happens if an order is not complied with, but presumably it would be quite a serious matter.Whether it would cause the party simply to lose his case/claim?
Redlichtie – if it is an option, then Warburton should indeed really be talking to NUFC, to hedge his bets that he won’t have any warchest funds to buy anyone.
But it seems that Ashley has recently let personal feelings affect his judgement wrt TRFC ?
But a massively overhyped – “better than Messi at the same age” – young NUFC loanee could be just the type of squirrel required down Govan way… 🙂
Cluster One 24th January 2016 at 5:50 pm‘….Does this bond have to be lodged by tomorrow?And if it is not,what happens?’________ 4.00 pm 25/01/16 is the time by which.——Don’t know what happens if an order is not complied with, but presumably it would be quite a serious matter.Whether it would cause the party simply to lose his case/claim?
~________——-
JC CO
My guess also.
Shurely 50k is just a saddle and accoutrements for a horse though?
I’m pretty sure he will find that somewhere and look forward to lugubrious expensive meetings and luncheons with counsel once its all approved.
After all the likes of Peter Smith wont be found lurking in the Scottish legal establishment , will they?
John Clark 24th January 2016 at 8:21 pm
ianagain 24th January 2016 at 9:01 pm
Thanks for replies
ianagain 24th January 2016 at 9:01 pm
‘..Shurely 50k is just a saddle and accoutrements for a horse though?’
________
A very, very long time ago I wrote possibly the best essay I wrote as undergraduate . It was on Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’. I made, though, the kind of bloomer that my life’s narrow, working-class, un-monied experience naturally led :I referred to Mr Woodhouse as a ‘ten-thousand-a-year man’. I blush even now to recall the very condescending manner in which my tutor explained to me that ‘landed wealth’ in the 19th Century was not measured in such terms. No,no, no, no.One was ‘valued’ at an estimated valuation of one’s landed property, in terms of its rent-producing and/or agricultural productivity.Or some such.
The bottom line is that one might be land rich, but cash poor. And hit with a sudden and unexpected demand to come up with the readies in a very substantial amount, one might, indeed one would almost certainly, have to borrow!
I suspect that the party in question will have had to use all his well-developed skills in finding funding: putting a gee-gee or two up as collateral, perhaps.
I fiddled about and found this: (and the word spelled ‘caution’ is pronounced as ‘cayshun’ in the language of the law.
From :’
‘ACT OF SEDERUNT (SHERIFF COURT ORDINARY CAUSE RULES) 1993 No.1956 (S.223)
SCHEDULE 1
Initiation and progress of causes
CHAPTER 27 CAUTION AND SECURITY’
Failure to find caution or give security27.9. Where a party fails to find caution or give other security (in this rule referred to as “the party in default”), any other party may apply by motion-(a) where the party in default is a pursuer, for decree of absolvitor; or(b) where the party in default is a defender or a third party, for decree by default or for such other finding or order as the sheriff thinks fit…….’
I would take it from that that if you don’t pony up, you lose!
JC
I hear the sound of horse boxes pulling away from well gravelled drives.
That’s now a month since Christmas Eve.
And, for such amusement as it may afford on a Sunday evening, having mentioned one author of former times, I must mention a modern author -an Australian- who was speaking on the radio book programme hosted by Mariella Frostrup who has a most seductive voice ( no idea what she looks like!). This author, quite a young-sounding female whose name escapes me ( possibly surnamed James), came out with this phrase: ” If we paid more attention to the radical particularities of observed phenomena..”.
For the rest of my short journey, I wondered whether, in discussing the O’Halloran business, we perhaps had not been paying close enough attention to such ‘radical particularities’.
I wondered if we had not properly factored in the phenomenon of Mr Wright’s successes, and the possibility that he might very well tell his Board that if O’Halloran is allowed to walk for peanuts, he’ll walk as well.And if he tells his Board that, I’m pretty sure he will be listened to.
Sometimes I wish level5 would just come out and stop spinning the feel good factor. You know something like we can’t afford O’Halloran? And be done with it. I think he is a very good player but much as Allyjambo and I had a laugh yesterday about Celtic signing him and loaning him out to Hibs, that’s all it was, a laugh. He deserves better than that. He certainly deserves better than the humiliating offer that TRFC put in for him. With regards to the ‘add ons’ of another £50k when he appears for the TRFC in the Champions League, I despair. Who on earth is their negotiator? Unless they are beginning to believe the level5 spin appearing on the media I really can’t think why they would include that in a potential contract.
It’s all SMSM spin, the reality is different.
D. Weir probably has a better handle on it. It’s all about loan deals and ‘freebies’. There is no shame in that, if that is how they get their house in order and live within their means so be it. We, all of us, have complained about them living beyond their means for decades, they still are to a degree, but at least they not are trying to sign Laudrups et al. to appear Billy Big Boys. We can still argue about a lot of the stuff they do but I think not about their signing policy. They will not be alone in Scotland. Everyone talks about Celtic ‘downsizing’, it’s all relative. (I blame the English & SKY & BT)
I just wish the media would stop punting these ‘cheap’ signings as world class and ready for Europe, be honest that’s all.
Of course what I should have included above is the honesty of the TRFC / RIFC board and their actual wealth. This where the credibleness and mocking of them is rooted. Why not come out and say we are not oil tycoons, we have limited funds? That is why we have such a signing policy. Instead we have lie after lie after lie with King and the press making him sound like a man of wealth. This is why the signing policy is ridiculed. Until they get rid of King they are not going to be taken seriously or with much goodwill. (and the sectarian singing).
Warbles on his UEFA pro licence training.
“There are some really good people on the course. What is interesting is about the media.
“We had all the Fleet Street papers there and they asked me after the press conference how I found it.
“They are a lot more friendly than the Scottish media! The media up here is far more intense than down south”.
Yeah right. Once you’ve had a mauling from those pit bulls of the press like Jack,Lindsay,Jackson et al everyone else is a dawdle.
Helpmaboab
The media up here are far more dense than the media down south.
Fixed that for Warbs
helpmaboab 25th January 2016 at 7:47 am # Warbles on his UEFA pro licence training.“There are some really good people on the course. What is interesting is about the media.“We had all the Fleet Street papers there and they asked me after the press conference how I found it.“They are a lot more friendly than the Scottish media! The media up here is far more intense than down south”.Yeah right. Once you’ve had a mauling from those pit bulls of the press like Jack,Lindsay,Jackson et al everyone else is a dawdle.
_________________________
Warbs spinning the spinners, perhaps! Scratching the backs of the back scratchers, maybe! Or lambing the lambs?
Big Pink
Kurt Vonnegut on Angels and Mafia … Do I detect Charlie Parker in the background- that would be apposite of course given his proclivities with regard to dealing with dead and undead entities. If we hear that Angel and Louis are on the scene then we know the end is surely nigh.
Ps if I am wrong then none of the above will make any sense…John Connnoly is another St Johnstone connection.
yourhavingalaugh 25th January 2016 at 8:17 am #
Helpmaboab
The media up here are far more entrenched than the media down south.
Fixed that for Warbs again
I seem to sense a weakening of the hacks resolve in recent times, as though they are finding it increasingly difficult to
a) keep the spin going, and
b) temper it with a touch of common sense.
Keith Jackson’s latest huff n’ puff piece is a case in point, where he’s clearly going with the ‘no one should be able to stand up against Rangers(lite), on or off the field’, while trying to balance it with a mild dig at King’s tardiness in coughing up with the transfer readies. There’s a lot of needless words using, already overused by many a hack, Oscar Wilde quotes to impress the easily impressed (the gullible), while offering nothing that hasn’t been said in pubs by supporters of all clubs, though most will have been having a good chuckle while saying it. Sadly I doubt Mr Jackson is aware that what he has written (seems to have taken him a week to write it) is nothing more than manna to the bampots of the internet. In fact, take away the Wilde rhetoric and he could just have written something he overheard in the pub on Friday night in a conversation between some bears of reasonable intellect, aware that not all is as they’d like at Ibrox, but not, yet, prepared to join John James in outright criticism of King’s regime.
A bit like a ‘one hit wonder’, it must be difficult to keep the quality high after a hit of the magnitude of ‘off the radar wealth’!
For those interested in reading nothing much, here’s a link to Jackson’s attempt to appear as not a bear, while trying to make it clear, to those who matter to him, he is a bear!
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/keith-jackson-missing-out-st-7238971#XeDjP2LIFF4pZ1P4.97
Or if you’d prefer a short precise…
Oscar Wild wrote some witty stuff.
Dave King should stump up for O’Halloran or it might look like he’s no money (you’ll be flabbergasted at that).
More
than you can stomach!
The Daily Record (online) has fair brightened up my Monday morning. In fact, I had to check that I hadn’t logged on to some ‘Daily Mash’ parody site.
Jacko & his Argonauts reporting is truly ‘off the scale’ today. Truly ‘Golden Fleece’ (the punters).
‘Real Madrid’, ‘Barcelona’, ‘Old Firm’, blah blah blah.
The icing on the cake (or should that be ‘jus on the gigot d’agneau’?) is Keefie’s assertion that DCK has put £7m into RIFC/TRFC. Aye right.
Keith Jackson writes:
“King’s share of this net spend is believed to be north of £7m.”
Should that not read,
“King’s cut of the net spoils is expected to be …”
From Keith Jackson’s piece
“Since bursting his way into the boardroom to liberate his football club from a long line of charlatans …”
I’m assuming there was a charger involved, almost certainly white and probably rampant.
“Enormous amounts of money have been pumped into the club account by King and a number of his allies and it’s estimated that so far, including cash spent on shares and in repaying Mike Ashley’s £5m loan, the running total stands close to £15m.”
Can we just clear this “pumped into the club” thing up as well. The money for shares did not go to the club, it was private purchase and not a club issue. The money went to the seller.
The rest of the money, including the money to repay Ashley is loans. They can call them “soft loans” if they want but it is still loans which will have to be repaid. They could well be repaid as shares, but all that will mean is that the money from any share issue has already been spent and will not be new money going into the club.
Another Monday morning, another laughable puff piece from “Radar”. Here’s a taster-
Read more at http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/keith-jackson-missing-out-st-7238971#V8Vl8Ry5kyrRhiA4.99
King’s share is “believed to be” over £7m. Believed by who, keith? Have you have seen any evidence whatsoever to back that up?
As I understand it, the shares which King controls are in the name of “New Oasis Asset management”, understood to be a Hong Kong company which shares an address with Barry Scott. According to JJ, King is not the source of the money in New Oasis.
I don’t know what evidence JJ has for that, but surely a real journalist would man up and actually put the question to King? Oh wait a minute, we’re talking about Jackson here. Manning up is definitely off the agenda, if not the radar.
JJ’s version makes sense to me. Just imagine the receiving bank doing its due diligence under the money laundering regs. “Can you let us know the source of the £5m?” Oh, it’s from a HK account, but it’s actually from a South African resident who has been convicted on 81 counts of tax evasion. This is just a wee nest egg he forgot to tell SARS about.” “Thanks very much for that, here’s your money back, we can’t handle it”. Which would then be followed up by a report from the bank to the National Crime Agency.
There is, as always, a real story here for a real journalist. Any takers in Scotland? Not a chance. Step one find a real journalist—- oh dear.
Homunculus 25th January 2016 at 11:17 am # From Keith Jackson’s piece
“Since bursting his way into the boardroom to liberate his football club from a long line of charlatans …”
I’m assuming there was a charger involved, almost certainly white and probably rampant.
_______________________________
Are you sure it wasn’t a lyin’ rampant?
http://spfl.co.uk/news/article/start-date-for-201617-league-season/
A winter break next season.
Got this message today. I have replied with a robust defence of SFM and the fact that our real story (and constant updates) lies within the comments section as opposed to lead articles.
We would be interested in your reaction though …
Neepheid
Trivial, I know BUT even the article on winter shutdown is inaccurate ! this is a 2 week shutdown unless the writer believes that teams will drop preparation for the game after the break. Do they want us to be idiots or are they happy just to treat us as such ?
According to Jackson, King “liberated his football club from a long line of charlatans”. That long line would include the then chairman and directors, including Messrs Sommers and Llambias, still well respected businessmen.
I don’t think these men will take kindly to being referred to as “charlatans” ‘
oddjob 25th January 2016 at 11:55 am #According to Jackson, King “liberated his football club from a long line of charlatans”. That long line would include the then chairman and directors, including Messrs Sommers and Llambias, still well respected businessmen. I don’t think these men will take kindly to being referred to as “charlatans” ‘
============
I wonder whether the saintly Walter Smith is included in the list of charlatans? As a former Chairman, you’d think so, wouldn’t you?
So definitely a 12 team top tier,no skullduggery.