Whatever Happened to the Nimmo Smith Report?

I am privileged to have the chance to post a “guest” article on TSFM. As we get used to the lights being turned out, even temporarily, on RTC, we have a new forum for analysing the various issues which concern supporters of Scottish football.

It is undoubtedly the case that most of these issues involve the Rangers FC, either directly or indirectly, together with their interaction with the governing bodies of Scottish football.

One of the matters mentioned on “The List” page here is the Nimmo Smith report. I try to answer the question about what happened to it below, and note the relevance its apparent disappearance has for the soon to convene SPL Independent Commission.

I would encourage anyone who wants to do so to contribute posts for publication to TSFM.

RTC created from nothing a vibrant community looking at serious and complex issues of finance, law and corporate governance with a huge range of expertise, and not a little humour. TSFM can build on that legacy for the good of football in Scotland, and hopefully to the betterment of our media.

Whatever Happened to the Nimmo Smith Report?

On 21st February 2012 the SFA announced that it had appointed retired judge Lord Nimmo Smith to chair an independent inquiry into Rangers FC. His panel comprised Professor Niall Lothian, Past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland; Bob Downes, former Director of BT and now Deputy Chairman of the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, and Stewart Regan, CEO of the SFA.

The Inquiry was commissioned to investigate the potential breach of a number of SFA Articles of Association and to present its findings to the SFA Board within two weeks. Article 62.2 (q) of the SFA Articles of Association allows the SFA Board to appoint “a commission … to attend to and/or determine any matter(s) referred to it by the Board.”

Stewart Regan was quoted saying: “I am delighted Lord Nimmo Smith has agreed to Chair the Independent Inquiry. I am certain the experience contained within the panel will enable us to achieve more clarity on the situation regarding Rangers FC. There will be no further comment on the investigation until it is complete and its findings presented to the Board.”

One wonders about the use of the word “independent”, bearing in mind that one of the members was the CEO of the commissioning body, and on the Board which would consider it once prepared.

On 2nd March Mr Regan had more to say, although the investigation was not yet complete.

“We are now in the final stages of our independent inquiry into the situation concerning Rangers FC. The report by The Right Honourable Lord Nimmo Smith is expected to be completed next week and will go to a Special Board Meeting for consideration. It would be inappropriate to make any further comment at this stage in relation to the details gleaned from the inquiry, the potential contents of the report or any possible sanctions.

On 8th March the Special Board Meeting took place to consider the Nimmo Smith Report. Mr Regan commented:-

“I can confirm that the Scottish FA convened a Special Board Meeting at Hampden Park today to discuss the findings of the Independent Inquiry into Rangers FC, prepared by the Chair, The Right Honourable Lord William Nimmo Smith. 

“Principally, it is the belief of the Board, taking into account the prima facie evidence presented today, that Mr Craig Whyte is not considered to be a Fit and Proper person to hold a position within Association Football.

“The report submitted by Lord Nimmo Smith, having been considered fully by the Board, highlights a number of other potential rule breaches by the club and its owner. The report will now be used as evidence and forwarded to a Judicial Panel for consideration and determination as per the protocol.

As such, the report’s contents will not be published at this time. Nevertheless, I can confirm that the club is facing a charge of bringing the game into disrepute.”

On 24th April Mr Regan, following the verdict of the Judicial Panel, said the following:-

“It was entirely right that the original inquiry into Rangers FC and Craig Whyte was conducted independently and chaired by the Right Honourable Lord Nimmo Smith. These findings were presented to the Judicial Panel Tribunal, who returned their verdict last night.”

That all seems clear. Lord Nimmo Smith, with the help of distinguished people like Mr Regan, carried out a quick but thorough investigation, and the results were put to the Judicial Panel for consideration.

However Gary Allan QC, who chaired the Panel, made the following comment on page 59 of the Panel’s written decision.

“It is remarkable that throughout the Judicial Panel Disciplinary Tribunal Process there has been repeated, and regrettably wholly misconceived reference to the Report of Lord Nimmo Smith. For the avoidance of any doubt, the Judicial Panel hearing this disciplinary matter was at no time presented with the report, as evidence or otherwise, nor was it presented with any of its findings. No member of the Tribunal has had sight of it. The report was not mentioned by any party at any time in the course of the proceedings. The determinations which were reached, therefore, were reached entirely independently of any view at which any other person, however senior or eminent, may have arrived in fulfilment of his remit prior to the disciplinary hearing.”

How can the Chair of the Panel deny having seen a document which, according to one of the people who sat on the independent committee, was presented to them?

The answer is two-fold.

Firstly, at pages 2 to 3 of the Judicial Panel decision, the procedural nuts and bolts of the case are discussed:-

“The Tribunal … directed that … it would proceed to hear the evidence and submissions and proceed to Determinations in relation to the complaints against both Rangers FC and Mr Whyte.

The Tribunal … noted that … it would proceed on the basis that there was an absolute denial on (Mr Whyte’s) part of each element of the alleged breach of the rules in all its particulars.

The Tribunal directed that accordingly, and notwithstanding the fact that in its written responses Rangers FC in substantial measure admitted the factual averments and a number of the alleged breaches of the rules, … the Tribunal would require to establish a clear factual basis for its Determination of both any alleged breaches and, if applicable, any sanction against either or both Rangers FC or Mr Whyte. … The commission and the circumstances of the alleged breaches would therefore require to be established by the leading of evidence before the Tribunal …

A discussion in relation to the procedure to be adopted took place. It was agreed that the Compliance Officer Mr Lunny would lead evidence ex parte by submission and reference to documentary material but would lead no witnesses, and would invite the Tribunal to accept the evidence in that form as provided in the Judicial Panel Protocol. Mr McLaughlin for Rangers FC, standing its position on the complaints contained in the written response previously submitted had neither issues with that proposal nor any other objection to the procedure which would be adopted. An opportunity would then be afforded to Rangers FC to lead evidence and make submissions as Mr McLaughlin on its behalf saw fit. Mr McLaughlin intimated that he would be likely to lead evidence from four witnesses previously intimated to the Compliance Officer and the Tribunal in terms of the Judicial Panel Protocol.”

At the hearing the positions of Rangers FC and of Mr Whyte were totally at odds. Mr Whyte did not appear nor lodge any substantive reply. He denied everything. On the other hand, Rangers FC “in substantial measure admitted the factual averments and a number of the alleged breaches of the rules”. As the Panel determined, they needed to be satisfied of the right verdict based on the evidence, but as the “prosecution case” was generally admitted, there was less rigour about this than if, for example, Mr Whyte had attended and denied the charges.

If Mr Whyte had appeared to deny the allegations, or if Rangers FC had disputed them, then evidence would have had to come from witnesses, who could have been cross-examined. In that event it would not have been sufficient to present the Nimmo Smith report, because, for all his experience, expertise and eminence, he is not guaranteed to be infallible.

One important principle in judicial and quasi-judicial procedure is the “Best Evidence rule”. If possible, original documents should be produced, rather than copies. Items of physical evidence should be brought to the court, rather than photographs of it. Witnesses should give evidence rather than having witness statements provided to the hearing.

This, I think, provides part of the explanation for the apparently mysterious absence of the Nimmo Smith Report.

The facts of the case had been admitted by the only party who attended the hearing, namely Rangers FC. Therefore Mr Lunny led “evidence ex parte by submission and reference to documentary material”. The Panel made 108 separate “findings in fact” derived from the evidence he put forward and that of Rangers FC.

Where Lord Nimmo Smith’s committee had, for example, analysed documents and offered a conclusion upon their import, the documents would be evidence but His Lordship’s conclusion would not. Similarly where a witness had been interviewed by the Nimmo Smith commission, or provided a statement, the former judge’s views on that would not be evidence, but the witness statement would be.

Mr Lunny, the Compliance Officer, was acting as prosecutor. Effectively Lord Nimmo Smith played the role of a senior detective co-ordinating an investigation, but not actually obtaining any evidence himself. In a criminal trial, where the officer in charge of the investigation has taken no part in the accumulation of the evidence, then their relevance as a witness is very small at best. It is up to the judge or the jury to decide what the totality of evidence means as far as guilt or innocence is concerned.

Therefore whilst I am sure that Lord Nimmo Smith’s report was on Mr Lunny’s table as he went through his presentation, ticking off the relevant parts as he led the primary evidence, the Report itself was not “relevant” evidence for the Panel. It is likely that, in discussion prior to the hearing, Mr Lunny and the solicitor for Rangers FC agreed whether the Nimmo Smith report would be used or not.

Mr Regan said prior to the Panel sitting The report will now be used as evidence and forwarded to a Judicial Panel for consideration and determination as per the protocol. The presentation of the case of course was independent of him, and whilst the Report would have formed the basis for the charges laid against Rangers FC and Mr Whyte, it was not evidence itself, as agreed between the parties.

The second aspect which accords with this explanation is the precise phrase used by Mr Regan. He said, after the decision, These findings were presented to the Judicial Panel Tribunal.”

He did not say that the report was presented, rather that the findings were. As the findings would form the basis for the “charges” admitted by Rangers FC, then to that extent the Nimmo Smith report played a part in the proceedings.

This issue has relevance now for the forthcoming SPL proceedings involving player payments and registrations which might have broken the rules. To great clamour and consternation from Ibrox direction, Harper MacLeod, the widely respected and highly rated form of solicitors, have carried out an investigation for the SPL into Rangers FC.

Mr Green has made clear that, as far as possible, the case will be fought, and no past titles will be stripped if he can do anything about it. Expect calls for the Harper MacLeod report to be produced.

However, it is in exactly the same position as the Nimmo Smith report was, except this time the accused is not accepting guilt. In that case, the relevant documents and witnesses will need to attend for scrutiny and examination.

On the basis that the First Tier Tax Tribunal, which looked at different but related issues, took many days to conclude, it is highly likely that the SPL case will not have a quick conclusion.

As a final aside, I must compliment Mr Green. All of the media speculation about punishment in the event that the independent commission find guilt on the part of Rangers repeats the mantra from Ibrox that the most severe penalty, namely stripping of titles, is the aim of the SPL.

I suspect that the SPL might believe that too now, on the basis that something which the club and the fans oppose so vigorously must be a draconian penalty.

But, of all of the various penalties listed, stripping titles would not cost the Rangers FC a single penny. The issue has already seen the supporters unite behind their team. Even if the commission finds the case proven, and as a result Rangers lose some of their historic titles, this will be seen by the Ibrox faithful as yet more treachery by the football authorities. Bearing in mind that the SPL rules allow various penalties, including the power to expel the club, impose unlimited fines and place a registration embargo on the club, altering the history books is the best thing for Rangers as a business, rather than a penalty which affects them just now.

Posted by Paul McConville – www.scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com

1,330 thoughts on “Whatever Happened to the Nimmo Smith Report?


  1. Campsie Joe @ 15.45

    Many thanks. Not much chance of Paul McC deleting them.!


  2. Seamus @ 15:55

    In fairness, RTC was always going to be a hard act to follow, as it was so unique
    Without access to the information that RTC was/is privy to, the best that TSFM can do is monitor, and try to keep people informed on what is going on out there
    There will be a time, when this site will come into its own, so until then we all need to keep watching and listening


  3. seamus, smell the glove & danish pastry

    very little is happening in terms of anything meaningful or decisive in terms of moving events forward ie

    Lord Hodge hasn’t determined yet on Duff & Phelps report on allegations of their conflict of interests nor when Administration should formally end and Liquidation officially begin.

    BDO have yet to get their feet under the table and start asking some tough questions

    The SPL enquiry proceeds or more likely doesn’t proceed at a snails pace.

    the FTT(T) seems to proceed even more slowly than that in terms of returning it’s findings and declaring a result on the Big Tax Case.

    basically all the meaningful stuff is on hold or waiting and thus it’s only the banal everyday stuff and annoyances that people are left to talk about.


  4. The selection of Black appears on the face of it..a rather clumsy attempt by the SFA to give credibility to the claim that SEVCO UTD are in fact Rangers….otherwise Black’s inclusion is almost impossible to fathom?


  5. twopanda bears says:
    August 16, 2012 at 16:31
    ==============================================================
    What chance have we got when even the SFA refer to 2012 fc as Rangers fc ,so stick a THE in front of the old name and then just drop it .
    Ok you can expect that from ragers fans and lazy journalists but not from the peepil supposedly running our game .
    Either incompetence or something altogether more sinister .


  6. Just a couple of wee thoughts.

    Three to four minutes to go and 3-1 up and no time added on.

    Was there any need to bring Black on at all and allow the lad to be subjected to the booing that was inevitable?

    Am I wrong in thinking, while happy to get a cap that many of us would die for, the lad may feel his first (and possibly only) cap is in some way ‘tainted’.


  7. Portsmouth Football deal falls through 15 August 2012

    Portsmouth Football Club is teetering on the brink of liquidation once more as the offer to buy the club was withdrawn at the eleventh hour.

    The club’s administrator today confirmed Balram Chainrai had officially pulled out of a deal to rescue the club leaving the future of the club in doubt.

    PKF’s Trevor Birch, administrator of the club, said: “We note Portpin’s statement that it has withdrawn its bid for Portsmouth Football Club.

    “In reviewing the options available to the club, we also note Portpin’s offer to support any efforts to save Portsmouth in the forthcoming days.

    “We are, therefore, urgently seeking a meeting with Portpin and the Pompey Supporters’ Trust to determine if the Trust’s bid can be brought to a successful conclusion.”

    Today’s news comes after the club slumped to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat last night in the first round Capital One Cup against second-division Plymouth Argyle.

    Birch added: “We are working behind the scenes with Michael Appleton to enable the club to field as strong a team as possible for its first League match on Saturday.”

    http://www.insolvencynews.com/article/14271/corporate/portsmouth-football-deal-falls-through

    ***********************************************************************************************************************

    If only they had gone to Bluff & Pelts and been in The Scottish FA………….


  8. When are East Fife due their share of the cup tie gate? Or has it already been paid? I know, I know…!


  9. Goosy says:
    August 16, 2012 at 13:11
    18 11 i
    Rate This

    Whats the betting Green refused to sign up for the 3rd Div without an assurance of a few Scotland caps to encourage players to stay ?
    And
    Whats the betting the SFA agreed on condition it could not include Wallace until his transfer fee was paid in full to Hearts?
    If so
    Wallace will not be capped for at least 12 months
    =====================================================================
    I was thinking the same regards Wallace ,he has cleary been 2012 fc best player and would have been more deserving of a call up than Black ,I mean BLACK ,the guy was asked to run the midfield for 2012 fc against 2nd and 3rd Div opposition so far this season and he has failed miserably and I think a lot of 2012 fc fans would agree .
    Could it be that the SFA have told Levien he can’t pick Wallace in case Fifa get involved


  10. Paulsatim @ 17:03pm
    If it’s the 10 day rule they’re following ( but then again cheats fc are a law unto themselves!) it should be paid by tomorrow! We’ll see 🙂


  11. Re the SPL paying anything to D Utd .
    Why is CG allowed to claim monies due to ragers fc but able to refuse debts owed to the same company .
    2012 fc never won 2nd place prize money in the SPL last season ,they have never played in the SPL


  12. Brenda says:
    August 16, 2012 at 17:11
    Brenda ,will it not depend on whether the SFA/SPL owe them more cash or not ,that seems to be the only way anyone gets paid by this new regime


  13. jonny as I said ‘a law unto themselves’ who knows but I hope East Fife stand up to cheats fc and get all that is owed to them 🙂


  14. TheBlackKnight says:

    August 16, 2012 at 16:50

    Portsmouth Football deal falls through 15 August 2012
    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,

    Ah well
    Thats another holding Company going to the wall

    No doubt the club and all its history will be acquired for peanuts by a nice man and carry on as usual

    This liquidation is a great wheeze for football clubs

    Which makes me wonder

    Where was the nice man when Third Lanark`s holding company went bust?

    Maybe he could now get them for nothing and join the 3rd Div ?


  15. Brenda says:
    August 16, 2012 at 17:33
    Agree ,though maybe we should give East Fife a wee bit of advice ,
    In the eyes of the SFA you mean not a jot ,so maybe you should get a lawyer ASAP just in case .


  16. campsiejoe says:
    August 16, 2012 at 16:19

    Seamus @ 15:55

    In fairness, RTC was always going to be a hard act to follow, as it was so unique
    Without access to the information that RTC was/is privy to, the best that TSFM can do is monitor, and try to keep people informed on what is going on out there
    There will be a time, when this site will come into its own, so until then we all need to keep watching and listening

    ***************************************

    The MSM will never ask the questions that are asked on this site. Right now they are in a state of total confusion, especially the BBC and other stations, and most of the newspapers.

    The use the following terms, often in the same article, but they haven’t a baldy who they are talking about:-

    (The) Rangers
    Ibrox
    The Club
    Charles Green’s Club
    Sevco 5088 Ltd
    Sevco Scotland Ltd
    RFC2012
    the oldco. oldclub
    the newco, new club
    oldco Rangers
    newco Rangers
    etc

    They have the media totally flummoxed, especially the likes of Chris McLaughlin of the BBC (though I don’t like to single out one, but he is typical of the BBC), in spite of several letters that I wrote to their news programmes asking for clarity.

    I believe that some broadcasters like Stuart Cosgrove and Jim Spence are paying attention to this blog, and they are raising issues as best they can. The one thing that SFM seems to lack is a formal route to question the main characters, such as enjoyed by the MSM. This may come in the future.

    What we do have is a lot of people, many professional, who are able and willing to spend time to do the investigation, read the rules, look back at past statements and dig out the facts needed to get the real information behind the tripe that is fed to the media. Its a skill that the mainstream media seems to have lost.

    There is plenty work left to do.


  17. Brenda says:
    August 16, 2012 at 17:11

    Thanks Brenda! Wont hold breath then!


  18. TheBlackKnight says:
    August 16, 2012 at 16:50
    That reminds me of a Talksport phone in show that was discussing this very thing
    A ragers fan came on and said “we have had all our debt hanging over us for years now and it was restricting us from signing new players ,now we are going to be liquidated ,we can leave all that behind us and move forward .
    The two presenters said ,that’s good maybe that could be the way forward for Portsmouth .

    A couple of callers later a Portsmouth fan came on and said he would like to answer the point of the ragers caller earlier and he said
    That’s ok for ragers as they only dropped a few divisions ,if we were liquidated we would be put into the 7th tier of English football ,so it’s not an option for us .
    And there lies the crux of the corruption in our game .


  19. The booing of Black?

    Clearly, people on here—-(trolls?)—- are not old enough to remember or alternatively just don’t want to remember –(once upon a time?) –that every time a Celtic player, any Celtic player, was capped for his country he was resoundly booed.

    I don’t recall any righteous indignation,then, particularly among the presstitutes and Fat Jabba of the Ten Bellies ilk.

    Tell that to John Mackay and Raman at STV news so that they can inject some balance into their reports———-fat chance !


  20. Try again Charlie Mulgrew was booed quite recently by the tartan army!!


  21. I’m the real Blueskies and I wish my doppleganger would be outta here (please)

    SFM EDIT – I’m gonna ask him to choose a different name. I forgot to do it yesterday.


  22. Is it too early for Supporters’ groups of all Scottish clubs to inform their clubs that they will not tolerate any elevation of Sevco, as a result of any league reconstruction?


  23. regardless who was booed in the recent or distant past its still a disgrace that any man being asked to represent his country is booed for simply coming onto the park.
    I well remember the old days and the abuse Jinky, Dalglish and most other celts got and I remember how they spoke about their hurt when it happened and that can never be a justification or reason for booing Black or any other Sevco player who is called up and accepts the request to play for his country.
    Surely in 2012 we can all at least support a national team regardless of which clubs the players come from?
    I know it seems a strange one but he got the shout based on last seasons performances for Hearts, where he would still be if they could have afforded him(which we all know is the real issue)


  24. the Don Dionisio says:
    August 16, 2012 at 18:10
    ———————————-
    Don, between 1968 and 1979, I stood on those terraces, allowed the atmosphere to literally soak through the soles of my shoes and listened to the Scotland support massed under the covered Mount Florida end of the ground hurl abuse at players of my team who had been capped.

    I watched them ritually humiliated, subjected to songs demanding that they be replaced by their counterparts at Ibrox, and jeered when they were (inevitably) substituted.

    I watched Kenny Dalglish abused by those same supporters until the Autumn of 1977 when he was “rehabilitated”, having by then moved to Liverpool.

    The noise of the jeering on such occasions was drowned out only by the deafening silence from the Scotland manager, the SFA and the MSM.

    And in 1979, I decided that was it, no more. And I have not paid to watch Scotland since then. I am sure I am not alone.


  25. spanishcelt says:
    August 16, 2012 at 18:58
     
    I know it seems a strange one but he got the shout based on last seasons performances…

    So why not capped when a Jambo? Just asking…


  26. redetin says:
    August 16, 2012 at 17:53

    They have the media totally flummoxed, especially the likes of Chris McLaughlin of the BBC…..

    ————————————————————————————————

    Does he not get embarrassed at acting as a conduit for garbage from Sevco, etc? The recent story about a possible loan of up to nine players from Newcastle was something he should have immediately checked out – a simple phone call – to find that such a thing was not allowed by the league rules.

    I mean, to the man in the street it sounds incredible so surely a sports journalist would be suspicious at least? And having a contact book full of the great and good in Scottish football so easy to check…

    Obviously it can’t have been checked at all but with the story being written by an experienced journalist it implies some a level of credibility that is at the end of the day dishonest to the public whom he serves.

    So why bother with the middleman – just let Sevco write the stories in the paper themselves…. (I know, they do already…)

    Who is monitoring these guys within their organisations? In any normal company regular appraisals are held and issues like this are noted and remedial action taken. Does he need training, better supervision, deployment elsewhere? Be professional for goodness sake!

    I too have written to Radio Scotland about recent reporting and received a typical brush-off. I challenge someone at the BBC to have the courage grasp this nettle and tell us what they are planning to do to improve their coverage and accuracy.

    We really are in a situation where hardly a word spoken by the mass of the MSM can be trusted. The BBC, of all the media, should be a glowing example but save for a very notable few we are being very badly served.

    This Monitor is sorely needed to record the MSM failures and we should not be slow to continue to point them out and build pressure for improvement.

    / Red Lichtie


  27. BartinMain says:
    August 16, 2012 at 12:56

    Regarding Ian Black.
    Also, the match was played at Easter Road, and the fact he was a former Hearts player further adding justification.
    …………………………………………………………
    If so why was Webster not booed? current hearts player also playing as Easter road and ex Ranger who might even have had an EBT?
    Black was booed because he plays for sevco and if thats what scottish football has come to then whats the point any longer?


  28. Starofdavid says:
    August 16, 2012 at 19:05

    1

    0

    Rate This

    spanishcelt says:
    August 16, 2012 at 18:58

    I know it seems a strange one but he got the shout based on last seasons performances…

    So why not capped when a Jambo? Just asking.
    …………………………
    He pulled out the squad for America through injury did he not, best asking some of the genuine Jambos on here how they rated him last season.


  29. Philip José Farmer says:
    August 16, 2012 at 14:07

    0

    Rate This

    As people are talking about the Ian Black situation I think it’s fairly obvious why the support are so annoyed. I would guess that the Hearts support are more annoyed than others.

    ========================================
    75TUs for this post ?

    As a Hearts fan here’s my take in Ian Black.
    In his first two seasons at the club I seriously wondered why he had been signed.
    As an anglo, I never saw him play for Inverness so i had no previous opinion. In those first two seasons at HMFC he was hopeless : couldn’t pass , tried to score ridiculously ambitious goals and seemed driven to get booked for reckless tackles at any given opportunity.
    This season ? Looks like he decided to get on with what he was paid to do in the first place – play football to the best of his ability. If you knew anything about HMFC last season I expect you to know that. You might even know he has cleaned up his act. Despite the constant drivel printed in the media he had a good season , from memory.

    Frankly , the rest of your post I couldn’t disagree more with.

    If the obsessives on here want to drone on about Ian Black why not go to another , more relevant site ? Pie & Bovril anyone ?
    Some of the paranoia on here surrounding Blacks selection for the national side has been almost hysterical. More “conspiracy” as the SFA lean on Levein- honestly.

    Can we get back to what this site was originally intended please.


  30. Brenda@18.45,

    I stand corrected,thanks,but you simply re-inforce my point.

    slimshady61@17.03,

    My sentiments entirely, and as a confirmed “tifoso”, I’ll let you guess to which team I now give my allegiance.


  31. Definitely went on a tangent this blog! Tell me, what happened to the money the SPL and the SFA held back and are holding of rangers?


  32. What happened to the money held by SPL and money from Southampton (SFA) has it been spent?


  33. I think that the Ian Black situation is worthy of comment, but the obsession with it is dragging us down the road of historic grievances, either real or imagined – and definitely not the remit of our discussion.

    For different reasons, many people have complained about the OT discussion. From my point of view, if the blog is to have any relevance or any impact, it will not be because we want to do the Scotland manager’s job for him.

    The Black situation is odd, and remarkably farcical too, however its importance is nothing compared to the corruption that the RTC blog has exposed due to RTC’s inside knoweledge and the subsequent forensic analysis of the events (by people who still contribute here) surrounding the RFC scandal.

    If the level of forensics we are capable of is Ian Back’s sutability to be a Scotland player, and if we devote the main part our time giving it an importance it doesn’t merit, we will quite correctly be laughed off the web.

    Please let’s consider the topic at an end. Perhaps someone might want to discuss the main thrust of Paul’s blog – that the Nimmo-Smith report is missing?

    I’d be happy to have a third of the readership this blog has if we could get back to the pre-Mark Daly documentary days on RTC when discussion was totally focused, often entertaining, always relevant, and free of the sort of yahoo pejorative bling that should be confined to fan sites for the under tens.


  34. Sad to see Portsmouths deal fall through, is it to late for them to call in Duff and Phelps, and maybe Ogilvie to oversee the legal minefield ?
    Or is that overlook?


  35. Thanks bluesea (I presume the artist formerly known as Blueskies)


  36. I’m all for Justice, fairness, due process, innocent until proved guilty, merciful society, forgiveness and all such noble things. With that sprit to the fore, but that exceptions can prove the rule – could I please request the Fraud Police to immediately bring the lot of them to Court. Thereafter that the Judiciary please find that complete shower of charlatans automatically guilty, promptly thereupon throwing said sad miscreants into some remote dark medieval dungeon gaol. After they’ve dealt with the MSM – Could the Judiciary please turn their attentions to the SPL and SFA? After that, we’ll all be happy to go back to the normal pace of justice M`Luds dutifully waiting patiently for those responsible for the RFC debacle & crash and the consequential and reputation(al) damage to Scottish Football to be called to account.


  37. What have the SPL done with the money held from Rangers and SFA with money from Southampton, have they spent it!


  38. Blue sea @ 19.44pm. The SPL/SFA are not holding Any money back from Rangers,If you mean Sevco /Rangers (rab?) then how could they hold money back from a team that was not even formed at the end of last season.Sevco/rangers were told that the only way that they could jump the queue for admittance into the SFL was to pay all the football debts that Rangers (IA) owed.As you may have been reading over the last few days they have not paid all the monies owed,Yorkie has been telling porkies. Now I dont know if there has been an agreement to stagger payment,one can only surmise.Yorkie said that Sevco/rangers do not owe any Scottish team money. He is a liar.If by tomorrow Sevco/rangers have not paid East Fife (thanks Brenda )their share of the Cup gate then there will be another charge of bringing the Game into disrepute.That will worry Yorkie no end.


  39. Given the information of tax cheating by RFC(IA) that has come to light, both on this blog and on RTC, could one of our learned bloggers perhaps consider contacting U.K. Treasury Minister David Gauke.
    Perhaps he could also be asked about the statements from HMRC about allowing the phoenix Rangers and if this is a new policy decision.

    This is one minister who certainly has a bee in his bonnet, in regard to tax cheats.


  40. OK

    That’s two posts I have made on this blog subsequently deleted. Neither had offensive content and both were discussing things which others were discussing, and their posts weren’t deleted.

    Not acceptable I’m afraid, so good luck with your new blog guys.


  41. Fair point well made TSFM although I think many contributors saw their comments as justified – given the title of the blog.

    In terms of the predicament that TRFC/Sevco find themselves in, together with undoubted MSM historical sympathy for (shall we say?) the old RFC supremacy agenda, we should not be surprised at the positive coverage, LOYALTY and support given to TRFC as they, against all odds (by that I mean integrity), fight their way back to the top(?) of Scottish Football.

    Jock Stein, I’m sure, would have ignored all the hullabaloo/shenanigans, and focused on winning all that he could for CFC.

    MSM have deemed RFCIASTBL more newsworthy than my team’s efforts to progress in Europe, but at least they have, by and large, desisted, at least for now, from spreading malicious gossip aimed at unsettling CFC in general, to concentrate on Ra Peepul.

    So, I’ll keep the faith – the Comedy Road Show (Duffers, FTT, BDO etc etc) awaits me!


  42. PJF, I got a post deleted for excessive laughter,i cling to the hope that it was a mistake.Dont go away PJ,The blog has been having a few teething problems,and anyway we need people of your calibre.


  43. Dont know why i was listening to Talksport but i just heard Graham Roberts telling Danny Boyle that as many as six SPL clubs are on the brink.He was good enough to name them St Mirren, Kilmarnock,Hibs,Motherwell, Dundee Utd and Aberdeen.

    He said the SPL clubs were crazy to put Deadco in the third division and that there is no TV money because there is no Deadco. I know this is the mantra that all ex players and the SMSM are repeating ad nauseum and if it was not for the work of this blog presenters like Danny Boyle would probably beleive Roberts.

    It would be intresting to get a health check on the clubs that are mentioned in my post from the guys on here who support the teams mentioned after all we are The Scottish Football Monitor no one likes us we dont care!.


  44. Philip José Farmer @ 20:38

    Why don’t you contact Admin, the details are at the top of the page
    Surely it would be better to try and resolve the problem, instead of hanging up the keyboard


  45. Whatever happened to the Nimmo-Smith Report?

    It was shelved, as was Harper MacLeod’s investigation, Lord Carloway’s findings, Lord Gennies dicta and anything else that could possibly shed light on the dirty corrupt goings on at Ibrox and how they are inextricably linked to the people haunting the corridors of Hampden.

    It was always going to be thus and will continue to be so.

    The delay by Lord Hodge to kick D&P in the cojones and pave the way for BDO is no accident.

    It is either designed to drag the situation out until any attempt to unravel the resultant pheonix is not worth the effort, or it is simply to enable the Fraud Squad to get their ducks in a row. I hope it is the latter because if it is not the corruption is more widespread than we thought.

    Those of us who have been able to dip in and out of this blog and it’s predecessor at RTC can see that there is a chain connecting Murray, Whyte, Liberty, Ticketus, Zeus, Collyer Bristow, Worthington,Pritchard, Green and many more. Stevie Wonder could see it.

    My concern is whether BDO will have the stomach to go in search of the truth, or whether they may not, using the excuse that it may cost too much to pursue, going instead for the softer targets of those who were directors at Rangers.

    Whatever it costs the truth must be sought and revealed. If it is not, the game, and those who are charged with it’s governance, will be forever blighted.

    Heads must roll and Ogilvie must be first.


  46. chancer67 @ 20:50

    People like Roberts and their accomplices in the MSM are absolutely raging that their predictions of total collapse haven’t come to pass
    They will spread as much disinformation as they can in order to further the Sevco cause

    He is obviously not very well informed regarding the TV deal, which as we all know has been renewed, and that is why his views on the solvency of these clubs should be ignored

    Idiots like him have access to the MSM to spout their crap, and as yet we don’t have a platform on which we can debunk his nonsense
    We must find a way to redress the balance


  47. Goosy on August 16, 2012 at 17:48

    Indeed Goosy, indeed!

    jonny on August 16, 2012 at 18:02

    With respect to the Portmouth caller, he perhaps didn’t understand the fine workings of the SPL chairman and the SFA in trying to shoehorn the NEWCLUB back into the premier division.

    Despite pressure, and dare I say it, protestations from the paying customer, *The Rangers 2012 (yet still claiming to be Rangers FC 1872/3) would have waltzed strainght back in.

    Funny that!


  48. PJF, do not go from this blog. For this blog to achieve what its aims are we need people of your and others calibre to make sure we make a difference.
    The blog is a foundling and foundlings make mistakes. In order to grow the blog needs to learn from these mistakes.

    So hang about, continue to blog,continue to inform us, point out the errors and help it to grow.


  49. Chancer67 says @2050

    …and not one of those named by Roberts owes £134,000,000!

    Come to think of it, perhaps the whole of the SPL doesn’t!


  50. Philip José Farmer @ 20:38
    Don’t give up, I too had a post in moderation and it was innocuous. Still don’t know the reason.

    The last thing we need is the unnecessary censorship of sensible posts.

Comments are closed.