Why We Need to Change

Over the past couple of years, we have built a healthy, vibrant and influential community which recognises the need to counter the corporate propaganda spouted by the mainstream media on behalf of the football authorities.

The media have, not entirely but in the main, been hostage to the patronage of those in charge of the club/media links, and to the narrow demographic of their readership. Despite a continuing rejection of the media’s position by that readership (in terms of year on year slump in sales) there is an obstinate refusal to see what is by now inevitable – the death of the print media. The lamb metaphor in fact ironically moving to the slaughter.

The football authorities in Scotland, once the country that gave the world the beautiful game, are rigid with fear that their own world will fall apart – because they are wedded to the idea that only one football match actually matters. To that end they will do whatever it takes to ensure that it continues. They have long since dispensed with the notion that football is an interdependent industry, and incredibly, even those who are not participants in that match follow like sheep towards the abattoir.

The argument is no longer that one club cheated and got away with it. The debate that we need to have is one about what is paramount in the eyes of the clubs and the media . Is it the inegrity of sporting endeavour, or box-office?

For out part, independent sites like this have accelerated the print media’s demise, and there have been temporary successes in persuading the clubs to uphold the spirit of sport. However our role has up to now been to cast a spotlight on the inaccuracies, inconsistencies and downright lies that routinely pass for news. News that is imagined up by PR agencies and dutifully copied by the lazy pretend-journalists who betray no thought whatsoever during the process.

Despite our successes, it really is not enough. We have the means at our disposal to do more, but do more we need to change ourselves, because the authorities sure as hell aren’t gonna.

We need to provide meaningful insight into the game that removes the Old Firm prism from the light path. We need to provide news that has covered all of the angles. We need to entertain, inform and energise fans of sport and all clubs.

We need to do that from a wholly independent perspective. None of this refusing to tell the truth about club allegiances. There is no reason why intelligent men and women can’t be objective in spite of their own allegiances (although the corollary absolutely holds true).  Our experience of the MSM in this country is that the lack of arms-length principles in the media has corrupted it to such an extent that they barely recognise truth and objectivity. We need to be firm on those arms-length principles.

In order to do that we have put together a plan (with enough room to manoeuvre if required) as follows;

We will rebrand and re-launch as the Independent Sports Monitor. We have acquired the domains isMonitor.co.uk and IndependentSportsMonitor.co.uk, and those will be the main urls after the re-launch, hopefully later in the summer.

The change in name reflects the reality of our current debate which is not always confined to Scotland or football. It will also give us the option in future of applying the success of our model to other sports and jurisdictions through partner sites and blogs. This should also help in our efforts to raise funds in the future. However any expansion outwith the domain of Scottish football is some time away, and will depend on the success we have with the core model.

Our mission statement will be;

  1. ISM will seek to build a community of sports fans whose overarching aim is the integrity of competition in the sport.
  2. ISM will, without favour, seek to find objective truths on the conduct and administration of sport. We will avoid building relationships with individuals or organisations which would bring us into conflict with that.
  3. ISM will provide a platform for the views of ALL fans, and guarantee that those views will be heard in a mutually respectful environment.
  4. ISM will also endeavour to inform and entertain members on a wide range of topics related to our shared love of sport.
  5. ISM will seek to represent the views of sports fans to sporting authorities and hold the authorities to account.

We have estimated our (modest) costs to expand our role as per recent discussions. The expanded role will take the form of a new Internet Radio Channel where we hope to provide 24/7 content by the end of the year. It will also see a greater news role  where we will engage directly with clubs and authorities to seek answers to our questions directly.  And we will seek to contact the best fan sites across Scotland with a view to showcasing their content.

We have identified individuals who we want to work (initially on a part time basis) towards our objectives, we have identified premises where we want to conduct our business, and we hope to move into those premises during this summer.

To finance these plans there are a couple of stages;

  1. Initially (as soon as possible) we need to pay accommodation and hosting costs for the first year. To do so,  we hope to appeal to the community itself. Our aim is to raise around £5000 by the end of August.
  2. There are salary costs (around £15,000) attached to our first year plan, but these have been underwritten by Big Pink, and equipment costs (est. £3000). These will be reimbursed if the advertising campaign we recently started bears any fruit (we will not know about that for a few months).
  3. It will not be too discouraging if we make losses in the first couple of years, so if necessary we will seek crowd-funding to finance our plans if the resources of the community itself prove inadequate to smooth a path to break-even point.

Our first year may be a perilous hand-to-mouth existence, but I am certain the journey will be an exciting and enjoyable one. We will also need to search our community resources for contacts at clubs; players, officials, ex-players, local journalists etc. Please get in touch if you have any in at your club.

We also hope to tap into the expertise of our community for advice, comment and analysis of developments, and we will be looking for any aspiring presenters, journalists, sound and video editors, graphic designers (and lots of others) to help us find our feet. Any offers of assistance would be gratefully accepted.

We mustn’t lose sight of why we are doing this. It is because we love our sport, because we want to be able to continue to call it that, and because the disconnect we find in Scottish football, that of the conflicting interests of the fans and the money men, will never be addressed as long as the fans are hopelessly split.

The ultimate goal is to allow sport – not our individual clubs – to triumph over the greed and corporate troglodyte-ism of those people who run it. I am confident that we as a community desperately want to be able to make a difference. That is why I am confident we can achieve our aim of becoming a significant player in the game.

 

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Tom Byrne

About Trisidium

Trisidium is a Dunblane businessman with a keen interest in Scottish Football. He is a Celtic fan, although the demands of modern-day parenting have seen him less at games and more as a taxi service for his kids.

3,978 thoughts on “Why We Need to Change


  1. My recollection of Stevie Archibald was that he never covered a lot of ground, rarely did any defensive work, but knew where the net was.


  2. Quick though/suggestion regarding the rebrand. Don’t have a problem with the overall vision but I’m not loving the new name. To me, the ISM acronym feels very cold and impersonal – very bank/finance-y, plus (again, to me) it’s too great a departure from SFM (which has a lot of equity). I suggest retaining the acronym but changing its meaning to something more fitting the mission statement, Sporting Fairness Monitor, say, or something similar. #mytuppenceworth

    pos
    A very compelling idea – and some contributions to that end would be interesting
    Tris


  3. Mr King gave the ‘Journalists’ the impression that he was going to London at the end of the week (EGM week) to speak to NOMADS or the equivalent on the isdx

    why are the ‘jpurnalists’ not asking what did the ‘new’ NOMAD say??


  4. I remember Seeing Steve Archibald just standing around in the Nou Camp press-room after a Barca-Celtic UEFA Cup match.

    The intriguing thing about it was that he appeared to be so “at home” with the Catalans that he was wearing a pair of slippers!

    Not the most engaging individual I ever spoke to, but he was a super player everywhere he played, from Clyde to Barcelona.

    .. and he is worshipped by Barca fans. They most definitely value their own at that club – in a way that Scottish clubs often fail to do sadly.


  5. Not the most engaging individual I ever spoke to, but he was a super player everywhere he played, from Clyde to Barcelona.
    ……………………………
    But not Love Street.
    A ludicrously expensive hire as a striker, during the crazy years for Scottish fitba, Stevie slotted 2 goals in 16 appearances before he returned for a second spell at Clyde where, IIRC, he scored nil.
    Rose-coloured spex are not what they used to be…


  6. Lots of good feedback on the current blog theme. Personally, I think the key part to achieving the following:

    ISM will seek to build a community of sports fans whose overarching aim is the integrity of competition in the sport.

    is the new radio station concept. I’m looking forward to Jim Craig and others, hopefully.

    Off the top of my head I could suggest attempting to arrange a live interview with one of both of the chaps behind velocast.cc. It’s a topical, subscription-based podcast service for those interested in two wheels. They are candid, not affiliated to major vested interests, and regularly sound off on the exlpoits of the cycling authorities. Lots of common ground with central issues discussed here. But their main strength is in providing (often) daily or weekly updates of actual events. Highly entertaining and informative even for the ‘I just watch the events for the pretty scenery’ types like myself 🙂

    Of course, no need to come at every sport from the purely critical angle. Whether it’s cycling, boxing, tennis, running, or whatever, it goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that it’s important to spice the interviews with questions about current events underway — or upcoming — so that the interviews also awaken a bit of an interest in the sport being discussed. In other words, an enriching and mind-broadening appreciation of other sports as well as how they are governed, or not, as the case may be.

    I know from 30-odd years of playing and seriously following tennis and more lately cycling actively and following the sport itself, much of what I’ve experienced colours my view of football — both the manner in which it’s played and how it’s run. There is lots of crossover in sport: Andy Murray is a boxing fanatic, Jose Mourinho is a tennis buff, many footballers are golf nuts. But none of these sports are worth anything without what you call ‘integrity in competition’. Lots to learn from and in conjunction with other sports. There must surely be a lot of potential interview ‘suspects’ who could inform, entertain and educate.

    SFM radio — yes please!

    PS Not sure about a rebranding that turns you into an -ism! Rather ‘SSM’ Scottish Sports Monitor. Mind you, SSM might raise a few eyebrows with the bedroom gymnastic fraternity (Oo-er missus, etc)


  7. A question.
    If we could guarantee that in one year’s time the main topic of discussion on here would be Sevco/SFA/corruption would everyone be happy with the proposed changes?
    In my opinion that will be the case and possibly a year further on too. The majority of contributors on here are (mainly) interested in Scottish football and I can’t see an overnight influx of cycling or rugby fans on the back of a name change.
    I agree with an earlier suggestion that we should if possible keep the SFM moniker but I’m struggling to come up with suggestions.
    There’s nothing wrong with aiming high and corruption in any sport could be used as a way to get football corruption a higher profile.


  8. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/european-night-showdown-against-celtic-5926316

    I read a DR article this morning by the Ex-Everton and England player Peter Reid. It was very complementary about the Celtic fans and Celtic Park on a European night. As I was reading I was thinking that it was so refreshing to read something by a former professional player that did not mention how desperate everyone is to have Rangers ‘back’ in the top division. That is until I reached the final sentence:

    “Reid might be a Hoops fanatic but he’s hoping their old rivals Rangers get back to the top flight as soon as possible.”

    Not a quote. Not linked to anything previously mentioned. Just something stuck on at the end of the article that has absolutely no relevance to the article itself.

    Boy oh boy, talk about flogging a dead horse?

    This particular horse, expired, decomposed and turned to dust a long time ago.


  9. briggsbhoy says:
    June 21, 2015 at 11:08 pm

    My recollection of Stevie Archibald was that he never covered a lot of ground, rarely did any defensive work, but knew where the net was.
    ——————————————
    I saw an English TV interview with him shortly after he signed for Spurs from Aberdeen. The interviewer implicitly dismissed the quality of the Aberdeen team, and essentially asked SA how he thought he would cope now he would be playing for / against proper football teams. SA answered that he thought he’d do fine, because the goals were exactly the same size in England as in Scotland. Nicely down to earth. The goals proved to be the same size in Spain too.

    I always enjoyed watching SA play whenever I could get to see Aberdeen. As well as scoring goals, he was one who made the ball ‘stick’ when it was played up to him, and allowed the rest of the team to move up the pitch and develop the attack. I only saw him play once for Spurs, when he was in tandem with Garth Crooks, and with Crooks’ pace and directness complementing Archibald’s cannyness, those two were frightening together.

    The fact that he had not only the ability, but also the confidence, to move to the English league, then also on to Barcelona, spoke volumes for his character too. Obviously not all agree, but Archibald is one of my favourite players from that era.


  10. Goose,

    Yes I couldn’t understand Phil’s latest piece in so far as it is obviously a plant from the Ashley camp (or a helluva double bluff from the other side) but to what end?

    Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful to Phil for the information and his history in this is enough to imply accuracy, albeit equally his history in this is enough to force me to accept the somewhat gleeful delivery.

    So, we are back to the age old question why? How does this latest twist fit in? Public humiliation for the RRM? Absolutely, but I think that is a bonus by product, not the original goal. I can almost imagine him sitting thinking surely these guys aren’t trying to pull the potless Green/Whyte stunt on me and everyone else again? Surely they don’t think we’re all that stupid? Surely the press will hunt them out? Erm, yes, and yes and definitely nope, in that order.

    So where does he go with this? Admin? Why? What does he gain other than maybe an extra kick in the shuftie for anyone retaining illusions of grandeur? Pretty high risk for him now that he seems to have gotten what he set out to get.

    That he can be the blue knight? Again why? To win the honour of being the mug that funds the glorious journey? Not his style. He knows £ and p how much its cost to get it to where it is. He is not coloured by the emotional appeal of beating THEM. He is not bothered in the slightest in fact, other than to say it would sell a few shirts if they did, but he seems to have that angle covered anyway?

    Look at the Newcastle model. Thrift and ride the wave. No more no less. (OK less the 100m annual tv deal obviously!)

    So, like you, that leaves the Sarver type angle. At its most basic, and with every respect to Robert that requires one marketing expert (Mike) One Footballing expert (Warburton tbc) and one rich mug (yup sorry that’s you Robert) and absolutely no, none, zero, zippo gardeners, cardigan wearing back snipers nor any other deluded hangers on, unless they are willing to pay their own way for the privilidge.

    From my own perspective this is why I was so pleased for Motherwell winning the playoff. RFC will find its course (no in the fans eyes they are not going to die, again!!!), but to do so in the championship should result in a ‘purer’ model emerging, one based on simple football ability, perseverance and effort, and not based on some PR fuelled us against the world type rhetoric that would have been the obvious result had promotion been achieved. Personally I believe that this way should actually set them up better for the longer term, but fundamentally it requires money. They will not do it and break even. The sooner the MSM< report that simple fact the future will start to clear, and not leave us in the muggy fuggle (thanks gran) we find all ourselves drawn into at present.


  11. Whatever the truth is about King’s whereabouts on 12th June, the real question is his ability to carry out the role as Chairman from his remote location.

    Yes of course technology has made the world smaller, but it has always been obvious that in Rangers’ particular circumstances, the hand needs to be on the tiller at all times.

    Murray is in fact the acting Head of State, and King finds himself more and more remote. The reports that he has not even spoken to the new manager raise questions about both King and Warburton.

    Up to now, I have been expecting King to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but day by no-further-development day, I am coming to the conclusion that King is here to get his £20m back. I spoke to a well connected businessman and stockbroker last week, who opined (nothing verifiable, just an educated opinion) that King’s wealth has been largely eaten up by his get-out-of-jail card.

    I think redlichtie’s blog is appearing more and more prescient. Ashley IS the only game in town for Rangers.


  12. I have just renewed my modest PayPal subscription to the site (which I’m sorry to admit I had stopped earlier in the year)

    I mention it as an encouragement to anyone else who has not subscribed or made a donation but who feels (as I do) that they get a lot of fascinating insight and information from this forum.

    Please consider subscribing if you can afford to do so, I think we’d all be quite sad to lose this site or the excellent forum it provides.


  13. Sorry for being slightly off topic

    . . . Maradona wants to be Fifa president

    Diego Maradona
    Reuters
    According to reports in South America, Diego Maradona wants to stand for the Fifa presidency to succeed Sepp Blatter.

    The 54-year-old former Argentina captain and manager has been a long-time critic of Blatter but Uruguayan broadcaster and writer Victor Hugo Morales says he has decided to stand for the position

    Morales tweeted: “I called Diego Maradona to check on his father’s health. He told me that he would be a candidate for president of Fifa and that I was authorised to communicate it.”


  14. I apologise for this, but please indulge me in one more Archibald-ism, for those of a younger age who only know Alex Ferguson from his Manchester United days, and who may not have heard this.

    The story goes that when Ferguson was manager of Aberdeen, and certainly no less fierce a character than in his Man U days, Archibald scored a hat trick in a Saturday game. He took the ball home, as was the custom, only for Ferguson to tell him in no uncertain terms that it was a team game, and that taking a personal trophy was not on, and he was to return the ball. On the Monday morning, Archibald dutifully took the ball to Ferguson in his office, opened the door, and blootered the ball with all his might into the room, where it ricocheted around the walls, saying “There’s your f***ing ball!”.


  15. my Steve Archibald comments seem to have hit a nerve so it goes. His later venture was to convert Airdrieonians into a showroom for used Spanish Footballers,
    – that brought Nacho Novo to Scotland among others- this might be a similar model for the Ashley camp at Ibrox

    I remember some lively conversations between his players during games at Broadwood where Jesus was the lad’s name and not some ejaculatory prayer or breaching the Commandments

    That model might have floundered on regulatory or financial issues I cannot remember which but there was a bit of rancour afterwards.


  16. Eustace Jets in tomorrow….KJ the DR 🙄
    does only Craig Whyte get the train these days?


  17. Oooft, nasty looking away trip for Aberdeen to play FK Shkëndija (Macedonia). Given that the fans of that club have a rather alarming history of violence I can’t imagine many Dons supporters will be travelling to that one (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FK_Shkëndija).

    St Johnstone meanwhile are off to Armenia to play Alashkert FC.

    Thankfully both away legs first.

    Meanwhile Celtic have a nice trip to Iceland (Stjarnan) to look forward to (home leg first I think).


  18. Big Pink says:
    June 22, 2015 at 10:32 am

    I have to agree that the silence is deafening from all parties.

    Ashley has a track record so we can expect that.

    However over the last few year’s King has had a gob as wide as the Channel Tunnel. To finally ‘win control’ and then go to ground in the manner we have seen is far beyond the famed ‘dignified silence’ the Bears often talk about.

    If there was a plan and a way forward then, as others have said, we would be hearing all about it.

    I have no doubt like Graham Wallace and others have found over the last few years the only serious money available to the club other than digging deep into your own pockets is the cash from the fan’s Season Tickets.

    As mentioned ad nauseam, in the past going back to the SDM days, season ticket money has gone out the door as soon as it comes in just to keep the lights on at Ibrox, Murray Park etc. Additional funds, be that Euro cash, soft loans or EBTs, have always been required to provide a squad of higher quality players needed to win trophies.

    Without austerity to start a long rebuild or extra money being thrown at it year after year the thing is a busted flush in terms of being a dominant force in Scotland and Europe.

    I still can’t see King having the wherewithal to stump up all the money required to meet his publicly stated aims (dreams) and by hitching himself to the 50% funding he has an escape route should the other investors fail to stump up.

    I note Phil Mac is again hinting that Douglas Park may not be on side. As opposed to King it is the likes of Park, Mini Murray and Gilligan who should be getting quizzed.

    Somewhat surprised that Warburton appears to have gotten the ‘right answers’ to his questions. As a man whose background is finance he surley must have wondered where the cash is going to come from. Can’t help feeling a whole load of cold calling and ‘The City’ type BS has been at play where everyone is blowing smoke up each other’s arses with the hope they can ride their luck before someone catches up with them.


  19. TSFM, seems to be embarking on the same sort of journey, as other “citizen” journalist/commentary sites. Like any new business, there will be rocks and shoals to be navigated, but, the journey is a worthwhile one.

    RIFC

    The only thing that makes sense to me is that Kingo assumed that once, they as RRM were installed, then other RRM with money, would open their cheque books. Clearly this has not happened. Perhaps in part because, many of these other RRM were debenture holders, who were royally screwed by the previous incarnation. You know, the one that a certain DCK was a director of, the same DCK seeking a multi-million payout from the liquidators, while these debenture holding RRM will get pennies if they are lucky.

    Additionally, these RRM with money, tend to be quite careful about their own reputations, and it is understandable if they are less than keen to fund a loss making enterprise, headed up by a convicted criminal. These RRM with money will be well aware of Mr King’s business record in SA, and unlike the poor bloody infantry in the stands, are immune to the Level 5 propaganda regularly passed off as news by the media.

    The professional game board at the SFA must be looking at events with a mounting sense of panic, not to mention despair. Too bloody bad, Messers Regan, Doncaster, Lawwell, Petrie, Longmuir, Topping et al have made their bed, now they should be made to bloody well lie in it.

    If I sound a bit like Arya Stark as I recite the names of the Guilty Men, who have been allowed to appease the Govan institution for far too long, again too bad, the day of reckoning will come, for all of them. Now that WILL be a day for Jelly and Ice Cream :mrgreen:


  20. Would I be correct in saying King could only offer Ashley his shares if he felt he had influence over the outcome of Ashley’s appeal?… That has deniability, backed by the SFA all over it.
    I think as a subject matter that may be a squirrel. A confidentiality hearing had just taken place, and I doubt Ashley would leave himself open to a similar charge.
    No, Neither party would want to face that, so I doubt that true confidentiality was broken by the leak to Phil.
    I think the audio recording of the meeting is the important part. I doubt it was made by Ashley, as he had witnesses in the room. That leaves the scenario of Ashley or his people saying something which they may come to regret in future negotiations.
    An answer to a leading question perhaps.
    That strikes me as more in line with King’s M.O. than Ashley’s.
    If it WAS Ashley who gave the nod to Phil, King, and the SFA have serious questions to answer.


  21. Corrupt official says:
    Member: (83 comments)

    June 22, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    I sincerely doubt that DCK would like to make a lifelong friend of MA by recording then leaking private conversations between the parties


  22. Second round draw for those interested:

    ICT versus Astra (Romania)
    Should Aberdeen progress they would play HNK Rijeka (Croatia)

    Both seeded teams but does mean that should our teams survive this round they will carry the seeding into the 3rd round draw.

    St Johnstone would play Crvena zvezda (Serbia) or Kairat Almaty (Kahzakhstan)

    Apologies for any spelling mistakes!! Some tricky ties there :/


  23. Are there 2 John Eustaces?

    There’s the one who I’ve seen play a few times over the years down here. A competent, if largely anonymous 35-year old midfielder who, according to Soccerbase, has commanded the grand total of 250,000 quid in transfer fees in nearly 20 years of professional football. Just 323 games in that time indicative too of a career often interrupted by injury.

    Then there is the John Eustace who is jetting in to become the focal point, fulcrum, captain,leader and talisman of a footballing revolution, having neglected the advances of a host of English clubs clamouring for his signature.

    The Scottish football press are funny.


  24. Some random thinking.

    What if Warburton is also a placeman for the next ‘saviour’ at Ibrox ?

    He was a trader in the City, IIRC, and presumably still has contacts with wealthy individuals. He and Ashley may even have mutual acquaintances ?

    And what if King wasn’t involved in recruiting the manager – because he didn’t want Warburton to get the manager’s role ?

    Maybe Ashley will be more agreeable to deal with the next spiv in waiting ?

    And with Warburton’s appointment, maybe King realised that his time was running out – and was trying to cash out his shares at the best price he could get – from Ashley ?

    Just wild speculation on my part.


  25. Since the auld grey toun is getting a might busy for me in the run up to the greatest golf tournament on Earth I decided to visit a local course I haven’t been on for some time. As I was sitting in their lovely little clubhouse I saw that the Champions league draw was being made. Imagine my surprise to find the Champions of Scotland being drawn in the second qualifying round and having to play six legs to reach the tournament proper. My surprise was compounded when one of my playing partners, a Machester based City fan, gleefully informed me that the 2nd and 3rd placed teams in the EPL, and also those from Spain and Germany are already in the group stage. How can it be that a Champion club of any UEFA affiliated FA is being asked to perform such feats to reach the promised land. Even Man Utd, a lowly fourth placed team, enter at the final playoff stage of qualifying. Now I understand about country co-efficients and all that but surely this is as close to a case of the rich getting richer at the expense of the rest as it is possible to be. In my view only Champions of the top 16 ranked countries should pre-qualify. The remaining teams should play in qualifying rounds according to their country co-efficient but always with Champion clubs entering later than 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams. A pipe dream I know, as the rich clubs of Europe just would not allow the possibility that they may be beaten early in the season. How can football develop in smaller European countries if there is not a more equitable split of the pot.


  26. Corrupt official says:
    Member: (83 comments)
    June 22, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    I think too much is read into the idea that King wouldn’t offer his shares to Ashley because of the SFA ruling. There is no legal impediment to Ashley owning as many RIFC shares as he wants, only a ‘sporting’ impediment. I also reckon, if King has offered to sell his shares to Ashley, it was in a panic, without any thought to whether or not it was feasible. There was no indication in Phil’s blog of Ashley’s response and I would expect the shares were offered as part of a ‘holistic’ package 🙄 as a sweetner in his kind offer to allow Mike to not insist on repayment of his £5m while giving the club a further £5m. How could any sharp busineeman resist such an offer?

    Regardless, King’s reason for his absence from the EGM remains a secret, and more tellingly, no one is seeking an explanation for it. This, to me, indicates a fear of what the answer might be, in an ‘ignorance is bliss’ kind of way, and just about sums up the short history of TRFC.

    Again, there is no need for the club to respond to Phil’s blog, they just need to make a verifiable leak to their pet hacks giving details of King’s ‘Rangers’ business appoinments on the day of the EGM!


  27. Tartanwulver says:
    Member: (227 comments)
    June 22, 2015 at 10:47 am
    =========================
    Is that the point where Ferguson made sure Spurs would show an interest in Archibald? 😈


  28. tayred says:
    Member: (130 comments)
    June 22, 2015 at 1:54 pm
    Second round draw for those interested:

    ICT versus Astra (Romania)
    Should Aberdeen progress they would play HNK Rijeka (Croatia)

    Both seeded teams but does mean that should our teams survive this round they will carry the seeding into the 3rd round draw.

    St Johnstone would play Crvena zvezda (Serbia) or Kairat Almaty (Kahzakhstan)

    Apologies for any spelling mistakes!! Some tricky ties there :/

    ____________________________________________________________________________

    Crvena Zvezda aka Red Star Belgrade are an interesting one. Won the Serbian league but denied entry to the Champions League due to failing to meet the licensing criteria ……. being in dire financial trouble and not having paid their players for 6 months.


  29. Parma officially bankrupt. Will start again 🙄 in the amateurs


  30. Someone asked earlier about was DCK’s presence in this country to act as Chair of RIFC being governed/restricted by the courts. AFAIK there is no court restriction but there is an HMRC restriction on the number of days an overseas resident can stay in the UK to avoid having to pay tax (no giggling at the back, front left right and middle please)


  31. PTFC new mascot. As you can possibly imagine, both they and Lisa Simpson are trending on Twitter


  32. Very strange – PMG getting considerable attention for his ‘Buy My Shares’ post – nearly 400 comments so far – some apparently quite irate and some not very nice. Yet, the MSM don’t seem to have noticed it at all. Surely, such reckless and strident claims are worth a wee dig – because it would only take a call or two to totally discredit them and him – and give us all a break from might, maybe, could be signing for the glory but not the money drivel. How long can the MSM keep this up?

    Anyone like a punt on when Radar Jackson will state that he always knew King was a potless, charlatan.


  33. Joethebookie says:
    Member: (37 comments)
    June 22, 2015 at 9:02 am
    ‘…If we could guarantee that in one year’s time the main topic of discussion on here would be Sevco/SFA/corruption would everyone be happy with the proposed changes?’
    ———
    My deep concern is that in the drive to change, we end up simply ‘moving on’, and meekly accepting that we can do nothing to clean up the present state of corruption in Scottish Football.

    It is unthinkable that :
    the huge act of cheating perpetrated by SDM and RFC(IL) and the de facto endorsement, nay, the tacit encouragement of that cheating by the Scottish Football Authorities over many years by, at the very least,their shoddy administration of processes and rule enforcement

    that the complete abandonment of the very principle of Sporting Integrity by the cobbling together of the iniquitous 5-Way Agreement,

    that the ridiculous concealment from the LNS enquiry of relevant evidence re player-eligibility, and the absurd line of argument adopted by Bryson at that enquiry,

    that the suspected misrepresentation to UEFA of the status of the ‘social taxes’ debt owed by RFC aimed at ensuring that the truth did not get in the way of licensing,

    should all be forgotten, and that TRFC/RIFC should continue to be treated by the authorities as being RFC.

    Or that RFC(IL) record books and Scottish Football record books should be allowed to show ,as if they had been legitimately and sportingly won, those titles won by the club guilty of ‘next-to-match-fixing’ cheating..

    By all means let’s get right into the social media publishing age and broaden our remit: but remember, the festering sore of what RFC(IL) and SDM and our Footballing Authorities will, until properly and comprehensively and JUSTLY dealt with, make any ordinary discourse about football matters and football administration rather hollow.
    We can pass no comment of any worth in sporting terms if we shut up and let the evil sods who inflicted this damage on our game away with the dirty deeds deeds which Turnbull Hutton, a man of integrity himself, called ‘corrupt’.
    Not to labour the point, I would have assumed, indeed, did assume, that our aim was to get a proper, publicly recognised, non-anonymous, platform from which to call for the sorting out of the mess created by the guilty people. Let’s get that platform as SFM, before we begin to think of encompassing ‘sports’ in general within our remit.
    Lance the boil, and then Scottish Football may become a true sport, administered by honest people.


  34. Good post, JC. That’s kind of where my head is regarding the changes. I’m all for progress and expansion and understand why the rebranding should leave room for future incorporation of other sports, but the reason I am here is to keep up with , contribute to and fight for change and transparency in the governance of Scottish football. Perhaps if Trisidium/Big Pink could give us some idea of how the changes (i.e. radio broadcasts, more formalised and recognisable ‘fans body’; legitimised media presence) will provide us/our forum reps with the opportunity to obtain more publicity for that cause. For example, will the changes mean we will be able to put questions to the SFA? Will the radio broadcasts be allowed to state the case with regard to liquidation? Will we be able to get our message about the Bryson interpretation out there/ Etc etc. At the moment, I’m not hearing anything that explains how the changes will help us get the publicity we want on these issues that matter to the forum (I think! Is it just us?)

    Trisisium/BP, this isn’t a criticism of the planned changes, but if you can clarify any ideas on how the changes might help, it would be useful to hear. Ta.


  35. Good Evening.

    I am really pleased that the Euro draws have been made and we can start looking forward to the season!

    Hoping all the Scottish sides have a good run. Celtic especially :wink:.

    I particularly hope that the ICT fans enjoy the adventure (I nearly said ‘journey’, but that would almost guarantee calamity!).

    Here are a few thoughts on Europe, coefficients, John Collins, and a rather spiteful article in the Scotsman.

    https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/coping-with-the-coefficient/

    Enjoy the rest of the evening.


  36. mcfc says:
    June 22, 2015 at 4:28 pm
    Very strange – PMG getting considerable attention for his ‘Buy My Shares’ post – nearly 400 comments so far – some apparently quite irate and some not very nice. Yet, the MSM don’t seem to have noticed it at all. Surely, such reckless and strident claims are worth a wee dig – because it would only take a call or two to totally discredit them and him – and give us all a break from might, maybe, could be signing for the glory but not the money drivel. How long can the MSM keep this up?

    Anyone like a punt on when Radar Jackson will state that he always knew King was a potless, charlatan.
    ———————-
    Don’t think I’ve seen such rabid anti-PMG-ism since the release of Downfall. Back then it was about creating such a toxic aura around Phil’s reporting that the very act of reading it became a sign of disloyalty to the tribe. It was a desperate (and, clearly, successful) attempt to shield The Peepil from the truth of what their leaders had wrought. But Phil was on to something with Downfall. The hysteria of this latest backlash makes me think he’s on to something here, too. Ignorance is their shibboleth.


  37. TheClumpany says:
    Member: (78 comments)
    June 22, 2015 at 6:54 pm
    ‘…, and a rather spiteful article in the Scotsman.’
    _________
    Spiteful. Exactly the word for that girner’s misinterpretation/misapplication of the words he quotes from Collins.
    The whole thrust of what Collins was saying is against the fact that a club competition takes in not the individual club’s sporting merit but the merits of other clubs in the same Football Association.
    Smith chooses to interpret that as Collins having a go at other Scottish clubs ‘holding Celtic back’.
    No half-way objective scribe could justify that interpretation.
    But since when did our man care too much about accuracy and objectivity?


  38. andygraham.66 on June 22, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    PTFC new mascot…
    ———-

    Well, the Jags take the biscuit for drumming up free publicity. Performance art as a visual depictation of ‘Armageddon’ via the medium of mascots 😀

    After all this time I was expecting a more thoughtful response from the SoS types to Phil’s blog. But nothing of the sort. More knee-jerk nastiness instead of demanding a blanket denial from the board, which would have seemed the rational approach.


  39. posmill says:
    Member: (10 comments)
    June 22, 2015 at 6:57 pm

    Don’t think I’ve seen such rabid anti-PMG-ism since the release of Downfall. Back then it was about creating such a toxic aura around Phil’s reporting that the very act of reading it became a sign of disloyalty to the cause. It was a desperate (and, clearly, successful) attempt to shield The Peepil from the truth of what their leaders had wrought. But Phil was on to something with Downfall. The hysteria of this latest backlash makes me think he’s on to something here, too. Ignorance is their shibboleth.

    ======================
    I found that very striking too. Usually Phil’s blog is avoided by the Peepil, and very few comment. This latest post is quite a contrast. Phil has clearly touched a very raw nerve with this one, which goes right to the heart of the King “project”.

    The absence of legal action, or any denial whatsoever, indicates that Phil’s latest article is pretty much on the money. But what it all means in terms of Ashley/King relations is completely beyond me by now. I strongly suspect that we are being fed a narrative as a smokescreen for what’s really going on. Or maybe it’s all exactly as it seems- in which case it makes no sense.


  40. FWIW, re: the proposed developments, branding etc.

    I have followed the various inputs/suggestions, and am confident that the mods will guide us/the site appropriately. The fact the SFM site is successful is due in no small part to their management of the site, and I think whatever decisions are taken will be well thought out: but you can’t please all of us Bampots all of the time. 🙄

    I admire SFM’s decision to take the brave leap forward, wrt taking on space / recruitment commitments, and if we want to have a tangible outcome(s) from this site then this is probably an inevitable path to take.

    I can’t assist ‘hands on’, but will continue to provide financial support via subscription, as this – undoubtedly – is a worthwhile cause for maintaining a source of truth – and speculation – and valuable insights and analysis.

    To evolve from ‘talking shop’ to viable alternative to the SMSM sports reporting, I suppose these developments have to be taken, and will cost some money. I would like to be part of the ‘ISM’ of the future and as long as the print media continues to decline, then the opportunities for this site will continue, IMO.

    Now is maybe the opportune time to start encroaching on the SMSM patch, and the radio/phone-in could be the most cost effective way to secure a wider following, more external participation – and sponsors to provide long-term stability.

    The SMSM won’t like it, so it must be done ! 😉


  41. Danish wrote…After all this time I was expecting a more thoughtful response from the SoS types to Phil’s blog. But nothing of the sort. More knee-jerk nastiness instead of demanding a blanket denial from the board, which would have seemed the rational approach.
    ……………….
    As you say, shooting the messenger without any evidence against what he says. Blind faith without any thought to seek clarification from the RRM before wading in.

    The silence from Govan direction is telling. This is an easy story to discredit.

    If DK did as reported and did it without Board sanction then we are moving quickly to the scene of the accident.

    Is DK’s position tenable? Will other directors go? What will MA now do? Is John Greig resigning as a player?

    I think we should be told.

    Scottish Football needs a MSM with some backbone.


  42. Hola SFM community

    1st off, I applaud and welcome moves by Big Pink to grow the blog/forum and it’s influence. You have to keep moving forward or die.

    Having said that, i think you may be over reaching with such a broad remit.

    Football is the worlds biggest sport and you will have a huge potential audience sticking to it.

    it’s what all the current contributors know and love and talk about, and it would be easier to expand the forum to capture similar fans and fans concerns about the game by reaching out with a English FM, Welsh FM, Irish FM and Northern Irish FM.

    From there, the topics of UEFA, FIFA and comps like WCs, Euro championships, qualifiers and even global rules changes can be discussed and moaned over….such as the controversial “tv evidence” debate and the more controversial “UEFA CL” money/allocation of places/seedings debates.

    Then you could look to going truly international on football – sticking to the sport we all know and love

    Or you could look to go into other UK & Ireland based sports – sticking to the “domestic” audience (i am expecting a few complaints from Irish for being lumped in with the UK there!)

    Either way, once you had proven that you could 1st of all expand the remit from Scottish to UK/Irish football, you could then push to expand and repeat the process again.

    Small, organic steps, learning as you go. I am sure this would bring in reasonable income through sponsorship/subscriptions/advertisement.

    (buy hey, it’s your ball, your vision, i am just giving you my thoughts and you can take them on board or push on with your own plans)

    Eventually, i think you could reach your aims of international/independent sports fair play watch dog/sounding board/rallying point for action.

    As for going forward, I think your radio show should do a daily/weekly round up of “what the papers said”

    Basically taking the main stories from the MSM and tearing it to shreds….invite the writers of the articles in to defend themselves, contact the clubs/players/agents/authorities involved and ask them for a comment on the article and on TSFM’s analysis of the puff piece and set up weekly polls asking fans of all clubs to give their feedback on the story/analysis to show how fans are displeased with the sports coverage we are getting.

    you could also have (less frequent) analysis of punishments handed out by the authorities – and compare/contrast the punishments/circumstances handed out by the same and other governing bodies. This could be sent onto the national associations and uefa/fifa for their comment.

    Also, if you really want to move forward, i honestly believe the format of the forum needs to change into a more traditional forum format with a thread for each topic/blog and comments related to the blog compartmentalised within it – it would allow a greater number of threads to be discussed simultaneously and interested parties to follow the blog/topic of their interest.

    Lastly, apologies for being a random reader/contributor the past 16 months, the arrival of number 2 child has brought it’s own challenges on my free time and i find twitter makes it easier for me to keep up to date on the latest shenanigans, even if it does mean i miss out on the great detailed analysis/opinion this site carries on the subject matter.

    Whatever way you go, good luck.

    (EDIT to add – only 4 comments? WTF? I assume my history has been wiped due to inactivity at some point!! oh well.)


  43. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    Member: (4 comments)
    June 22, 2015 at 8:18 pm
    _______________________________________

    Hola NTHM. Scorching here isn’t it 😀

    I love your suggestions especially:

    “Basically taking the main stories from the MSM and tearing it to shreds….invite the writers of the articles in to defend themselves, contact the clubs/players/agents/authorities involved and ask them for a comment on the article and on TSFM’s analysis of the puff piece and set up weekly polls asking fans of all clubs to give their feedback on the story/analysis to show how fans are displeased with the sports coverage we are getting.”

    Brilliant idea. I know this happens informally but would be a great feature IMO.

    Hasta luego!!


  44. As discussed, and as Phil has reported: if King had a clandestine meeting with ‘the enemy’ Ashley, and tried to offload his shares to him…then shirley, King will never darken the doorstep at Ibrox again ?

    If Murray etc had no inkling of what King was up to, then all trust has been lost.
    It would appear, on the face of it, that King had been less than truthful to his partners at Ibrox ! 😯

    King has abdicated before he even had a chance to warm his backside on the throne ?
    Mibbees ?


  45. Well said theoldcourse June 22, 2015 at 2:06 pm wrt qualification for Europe, and smaller nations.

    Michel Platini, if I’m not mistaken, on taking up office at UEFA several years ago boasted that the main aim of his term would be to improve the lot of smaller nations. Since then, their condition has got infinitely worse, mainly due to Sky of course. Michel has presided over this downward rush without a public word against it as far as I know.


  46. Regarding the new direction for RTC/TSFM/ISM etc.

    My brother is a tiler. He says ‘measure twice, cut once’. Do not jump into any decisions, especially if they cost you money.

    24/7 content is a terrible goal. I work with companies who spend billions on marketing and can’t get ‘content’ right. DO NOT GO THERE.

    Think about how you can wring the most value from other people’s content (like calling out the succulent lamb dish of the week) and work from there.

    When you have no resources, you should use your enemies resources against them. We all know there is no shortage of appalling lamb munching in the Scottish media on a daily basis. Start from there…and never under-estimate the value of humour. Think about the Rotten Tomato awards or the Golden Raspberries. Small investment, but big impact.

    Good luck.


  47. Cygnus X2 says: June 22, 2015 at 9:15 pm

    Regarding the new direction for RTC/TSFM/ISM etc.
    =============================
    I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments.

    Concentrate on what the blog is good at. Employ the collective resources of writers, journalists, accountants, lawyers etc. to get to the truth behind the spin that is pedalled in the name of Journalism and PR.

    Retain records of statements made, half truths and untruths and expose them as such.

    One thing I would like to see is for the blog to seek accreditation as a news or information forum, obtain a press pass and start attending press conferences and posing the difficult questions, that nobody in the MSM seems prepared to ask.


  48. DCK will get a goodly bite from the season ticket cash from expenses claims alone-all that jetting in about and all about cannot be cheap- I recommend some forensic examination of the receipts paying particular attention to tippex like marks.


  49. So Celtic Aberdeen Saints and ICT now know there opponents.

    What’s the costs here?

    Celtic’s Champions League opponents Stjarnan – Iceland no problem a scheduled flight and you there:

    Though beware. A team that gets 3 penalties in 2 games off of one opposition player is problematic to say the least.

    St Johnstone face Alashkert of Armenia – Nearly as bad as the ‘Well trip to Crimea try funding that one and making money.

    Aberdeen – Shkendija. Macedonia – Worse still maybe Thessalonika and a bus. Or give it a miss altogether.

    Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Astra of Romania. Never been but again not Easyjet country. Looks like another expensive charter.

    So welcome to UEFAs world of helping the smaller clubs!

    This is one thing we really ought to get worked up about.

    Celtic should be straight into non qualifying. They won their national league, end of.

    The co efficient thing tied to the country makes no sense whatsoever when the actual clubs are so multi national.

    Does not correlate any more.


  50. redlichtie says:
    Member: (241 comments)
    June 22, 2015 at 8:42 pm
    ‘..Very interesting article and video on Scotland’s new media.’
    _________
    And so it is, redlichtie, so it is.Quite infectious in its enthusiasm,I felt.I’m glad you posted the link, because it’s broadened my understanding of what seems to be happening in the world of journalism.


  51. Corrupt official says:
    Member: (83 comments)
    June 22, 2015 at 1:25 pm
    Would I be correct in saying King could only offer Ashley his shares if he felt he had influence over the outcome of Ashley’s appeal?… That has deniability, backed by the SFA all over it.
    I think as a subject matter that may be a squirrel. A confidentiality hearing had just taken place, and I doubt Ashley would leave himself open to a similar charge.
    No, Neither party would want to face that, so I doubt that true confidentiality was broken by the leak to Phil.
    I think the audio recording of the meeting is the important part. I doubt it was made by Ashley, as he had witnesses in the room. That leaves the scenario of Ashley or his people saying something which they may come to regret in future negotiations.
    An answer to a leading question perhaps.
    That strikes me as more in line with King’s M.O. than Ashley’s.
    If it WAS Ashley who gave the nod to Phil, King, and the SFA have serious questions to answer
    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
    Interesting assessment
    Which made me think about the personalities involved
    i.e.
    Is MA the tape recording type of guy?
    Yes ………but not the type to do so secretly
    MA may well be in the habit of recording every meeting of significance perhaps to edit out anything inappropriate that his side may have said. He could also be quite upfront about making a tape and perhaps circulating an (edited?) audio tape to those present after the meeting
    Alternatively
    If the meeting was intended to be deliberately frosty to signal to DK he had to go soon..
    Then
    MA may have assertively declared from the outset that the meeting would have to be recorded to ensure nobody could report comments in a way that distorted their meaning
    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
    Is DK the tape recording type of guy?
    Could be, given his knowledge of how multiple Spivs in the Ibrox saga have behaved over the years
    However
    If DK secretly recorded the meeting he would probably have done so in order to trap MA into making some damning comments that he could exploit later for personal gain. The most obvious subject to tape is any involvement MA had with Minty and the RFC Purchaser around the time when RFC was sold for £1.
    Potentially explosive info might relate to the source of the £25m which flowed into Ticketus 2 in April 2011 just in time to fund the £24m borrowed by the RFC Purchaser against future STs
    These funds cascaded into Ticketus 2 with such rapidity that it is very likely the bulk of the money was laundered through separate LLPs (separately “named” investors) but came (ultimately) from the same source
    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
    Summary
    IMO
    MA is the most likely source of Phils exclusive with the aim of preparing the ground for the replacement of RRM by an Ashley surrogate owner (almost certainly Sarver)
    However
    Phil’s info could have come from DK Particularly if MA declared upfront that the meeting would be taped and DK was in possession of a copy (or edited copy). If so he has a hard neck in letting it is known that he wants to sell out to Ashley
    Either way
    I still believe leaking the knowledge that the meeting was taped was done with the purpose of embarrassing the other side and preparing the ground for the next battle
    If MA had more witnesses at the meeting than DK it’s more likely that his interpretation of the tape will be more easily defended in court. On that basis DK has made a strategic error if it was him who leaked to PMGB


  52. WRT to the reaction from Ranger’s fans on Social Media to Phil’s story. Lots of comparisons are being drawn with the treatment Phil & others got for questioning Whyte. There are similarities, but there are also crucial differences, which go some way to explaining the “shooting of the messenger”.

    With Whyte, the fans could argue with some justification that they did not choose him, they got in behind him, cheered him to the rafters, because, they argue, they were assured he was the real deal, only later did they see that they were taken for a ride, (and not for the first, or the last time).

    With King, there are no such excuses available. So if Phil’s story is correct, then the man the “Social Media” fans, picked, boycotted for, cheered to the rafters as the Great Saviour, is actually a Great Charlatan. The fault would be the fans, the responsibility would be theirs, and that is a prospect they cannot stomach. Hence the vehemence of the attacks on Phil.


  53. scapaflow says:
    Member: (1239 comments)

    June 22, 2015 at 11:16 pm

    WRT to the reacyion from Ranger’s fans on Social Media reaction to Phil’s story. Lots of comparisons are being drawn with the treatment Phil & others got for questioning Whyte. There are similarities, but there are also crucial differences, which go some way to explaining the “shooting of the messenger”.

    With Whyte, the fans could argue with some justification that they did not choose him, they got in behind him, cheered him to the rafters, because, they argue, they were assured he was the real deal, only later did they see that they were taken for a ride, (and not for the first, or the last time).

    With King, there are no such excuses available. So if Phil’s story is correct, then the man the “Social Media” fans, picked, boycotted for, cheered to the rafters as the Great Saviour, is actually a Great Charlatan. The fault would be the fans, the responsibility would be theirs, and that is a prospect they cannot stomach. Hence the vehemence of the attacks on Phil.
    ————————————————————-

    Scapa

    There is however a lassie on RR who is calling nearly all of Phil’s stuff as facts and she’s getting a bit of a pasting but holding her own.

    Oh and this wee bit o sense

    22 Jun 2015 21:01:29
    “Please someone tell me we are not paying Danny Wilson £8k a week for 3 years if so our club will end the same as last time”

    Oh but yes you are. Why else would the mercenary be there.


  54. Long-time lurker and RTC follower. A shout-out to all who have contributed to SFM. Sunlight truly IS the best disinfectant.

    Keep monitoring Scottish Football, yours is the intellectual heir apparent community to RTC and Paul McConville. (PMG has his own personal niche.)

    This site and contributors make a unique and valuable contribution to Scottish football. If you wish to go farther afield, then why not do so via brother blogs as opposed to abandoning SFM? Keep doing what you do as there is much to do before Scottish football is truly sorted out. Couldn’t you link latest comments from all related blogs on each page of current blogs, be they SFM or ISM or what have you? That way you keep each blog independent while cross-pollinating other blogs. I’d hate to see SFM get lost as just another forum on an ISM or some other vehicle.

    Thanks again for keeping informed this reader from across the pond.


  55. Does anyone find internet explorer”not responding ” since the flash ads appeared on here?


  56. END OF DAY UPDATE:

    Lots of ideas on the changes today. Many of them in our thinking already. On the drive to raise our £5K, we have, after two days, received contributions of just over £300. After a week of advertising, we have added (we hope) another £100 to that.
    We still have two months to raise the other £4,700, so there is undoubtedly hope.

    Lots of emails from people who are withdrawing support because they don’t agree with all aspects of the plan. I have no issue with that. I think we have set out what we want to do – and we can hardly expect people who don’t share that vision to help fund it.

    It would be worrying if there had been no positive responses, but there have been. Our hope is that those people who have concerns about the future will see that nothing of substance is changing at all.

    Anyway, thanks to all who have engaged positively in the discussion today – and to those who have dug deep to support our future.


  57. GoosyGoosy says:
    Member: (421 comments)

    June 22, 2015 at 11:10 pm

    ==========================
    Goosygoosy,
    As you point out, MA may have made the tape but probably overtly, which with three friendly witnesses as back up, be pretty solid evidence. But this would have put DCK in a guarded position with little divulged.
    DCK with no friendly witnesses would appear the most likely to engage a covert audio. I doubt that would have been because he thought MA would renege or lie about what was said or taking place, but because he needed a position “clarified” outside of what the paper trail shows.
    It seems bizarre he would offer his shares to a guy barred from buying them. The content of the alleged audio, of the alleged meeting, would be clearly important and damaging, but I doubt that is it.
    I don’t think either of them would be the type to send a telegraph before throwing a swinging hook.
    Audios seem to be a recurring theme in the Sevco saga, and I have an image which I cant shake off, of Craigy standing in the corner with a lampshade on his heid 😯


  58. June pay day come up next week and season ticket money meant for 2015-16 will probably be used to prop up wages, rent and outgoings for June, July and August. ST payments are however staggered and the 3B might well have to dip into their own funds again to keep the club afloat. Given that the 3B do not trust the mendacious DK who is all talk and no money there could well be imminent problems. Certainly no warchest for players and no marquee signings.
    I wonder when Mike Ashley will bring out his tanks.


  59. Trisidium says: Moderator:(219 comments)23 June,2015 at 12:26 am

    There is nothing wrong with members of our community bringing attention to potential pitfalls that will need to be addressed as we seek to develop our influence on Integrity and Honesty being the principle of Sports governance. We all share that goal and do what we can to further the blog’s aims.

    Please bear in mind that most of us have not been party to the no doubt lengthy discussions amongst the blog’s moderators and can only offer comment based on their work and personal experiences as consumers. Critical analysis is the bedrock of our community and it is to be expected that this will be evident in contributions from each of us.

    sannoffy
    Everyone WAS party to discussions in as much as we have been soliciting contributions on these matters for quite some time. Some people did engage at that point, but there has always been the opportunity.

    In my past I used to be an amateur football club secretary and rep to The Amateur Football Alliance http://www.amateur-fa.com/ which is the Football Association County FA for much of the amateur football across the greater London area as well as others throughout other parts of England.

    During that time the AFA went through a rebranding exercise on incorporation promoted following an FA restructuring. One of the items rebranded was the County logo and badge etc. As these had to be approved by the football authorities the FA circulated these through their usual channels. What happened next was totally unexpected. The FA received a legal objection from the Argentinian Football Association regarding the use of the term AFA, which (if my memory serves me right)they had registered international property rights on the use of “AFA”. Where was their Ecobhoy in the AFA’s time of need. 😉 It took almost a year for the dispute to be resolved following the involvement of the respective national FAs and their legal representatives.

    It’s with this in mind and prompting from an earlier post that I decided to carry out the following internet search on “ISM” https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=ISM

    I’m very concerned of the potential for you and your colleagues to be challenged by the lawyers of International Sports Management http://www.sportism.net/(or to a much lesser extent the other organisations with these initials) on the basis that they own the registered trade mark(s)for the use of ISM. If you have not already done so I suggest that you take professional advice on the above before investing any further funds in your venture.

    We have no intention of using ISM as an initialism sanny, so there should be no concern on that score.

    When responding, please remember that my post is intended to help avoid / overcome this potential hazard to your aspirations.

    Taken in that spirit – and the input is appreciated

    I also think that it would be helpful if you could share the outline timetable for the transition from where we are now to where you see our future with an overview of each stage of development so that we as your current investors (subscribers) can make an informed decision to back you financially and if so by how much.

    I think we have already set out an outline, although it is difficult to be more specific. If our fund raising is successful, the content plan for the Internet Radio Chanel and the website will be commenced over the next tree months, and developed on an on-going basis in the next twelve months. The subject matter for the Radio Channel will not be as narrow as that of the blog (i.e. it will not be exclusively about Scottish Football). Further plans for expansion may or may not take place, but in either case will not affect SFM.


  60. Matty Roth says: Member:(186 comments) 21 June 2015 at 2:50 pm

    I’m not sure I have seen this new organisation discussed here before so sharing a few links for discussion..

    http://scottishfsa.org/

    http://www.scotzine.com/2015/06/fans-asked-settle-sfa-now-sfsa-fight-back/
    ————————-
    When I first became aware of the SFSA I thought that it was a rebranding of Supporters Direct Scotland’s Scottish Fans initiative based on the involvement of Paul Goodwin.

    Having looked at the respective websites of SDS http://www.supporters-direct.org/homepage/what-we-do/scotland Scottish Fans http://www.scottishfans.org/ and SFSA again it now seems more likely that the latter is a rival organisation set up by Paul Goodwin following his departure from his role of CEO of SDS.

    The conduct of these organisations and their backers should be another topic for us on SFM and its successor(s) to focus our independent scrutiny upon.


  61. Trisidium

    My reply to a post by Matty Roth at 2:50 pm yesterday that I posted a few minutes ago appears to have “disappeared” into the ethereal cyberspace between our respective computers. If you can recover it can you please (re?) instate it. Cheers Sanno.


  62. I find it very strange that a relatively experienced and decent football player, who has just won a league title and is a FREE agent did not receive any offers of employment from any other club in the land. No one seemed to want Danny Wilson. Why then would you break your neck to offer him a stupid amount of money to play for your lower league team knowing there was no competition for his services. Either the 8k per week figure is keech or we are indeed about to witness Deja Vu down Govan Way.


  63. Fisiani says:
    Member: (34 comments)
    June 23, 2015 at 5:36 am
    ===========================

    It’s a bit of a stand off situation at the moment. On one hand we have Phil McG alleging Dave King offered his shares to Mike Ashley. Further, It is also alleged King is trying to access the 2nd £5M loan Ashley made available on a conditional basis. Given the fans opposition to Ashley, and the scatter gun public comments made against him leading up to and since Kingco won control, these are very serious allegations. Phil seems very sure of his source and it is beyond me why at least one Journalist or Editor does not want to follow up to see for themselves. On the other hand the only credible source of income left for Rangers is season tickets. Their new Manager confirmed yesterday there will be no major cash splash so it is fair to assume a large season ticket uptake is the aim to take them through the season. It is clear the media are trying their best to help them in this regard. The out of perspective reporting on the players they are signing confirms that in my view. Is it really so desperate that they don’t want to go after a story that clearly won’t go away? After all, it is only a few months ago they rather gleefully told the SFA good luck with taking on big Mike and his legal team. Of course, that was the time they dreamed of big Mike actually bankrolling a charge towards the Champions League. It might not be what the bears want to read or hear, but for the media to ignore something like this after their endorsement of Whyte then Green is inexcusable. These serious allegations have been made, and the response to them should go well beyond a PR release. They say the days of big budgets to go after stories is gone. How much would a few phone calls cost to find out for themselves? If there is substance to it, I can’t see big Mike objecting to it becoming mainstream news.


  64. upthehoops says:
    Member: (749 comments)
    June 23, 2015 at 7:13 am
    ‘… They say the days of big budgets to go after stories is gone. How much would a few phone calls cost to find out for themselves?..’
    ________
    I emailed Aidan Smith of the Scotsman yesterday, to suggest that he do as you say-make a phone call or two to at least try to establish if there is substance to what PMcG’s sources told him.
    I am not holding my breath waiting for his reply!
    One really does begin to wonder what really lies behind the reluctance of even those journalists who are not overtly open about any personal emotional tie with the new club to do, and claim credit for doing, such a simple thing as to try to blow a rumour to bits, or confirm its truth.

    Are all our BBC editors and newspaper editors ‘conflicted’ as between tribal loyalty and journalistic integrity, such as to warn their journalists off following up stories that might damage TRFC/RIFC?

    I know what to expect from BBC Radio Scotland and the likes of the DR and discount anything whatsoever they may have to say. Are the editors of the Herald,the Scotsman and all the other papers not only ensuring a steady stream of puff pieces, but also sitting on potentially negative stories?

    Is that a rhetorical question, or what?
    .


  65. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/launch-of-the-new-companies-house-public-beta-service

    Good news from Companies House for those interested in researching the companies involved in this saga-

    “In line with the government’s commitment to free data, Companies House is pleased to announce that all public digital data held on the UK register of companies is now accessible free of charge, on its new public beta search service.

    This provides access to over 170 million digital records on companies and directors including financial accounts, company filings and details on directors and secretaries throughout the life of the company.”


  66. I think we can safely assume that Phil’s story about King’s most undignified meeting with Ashley on the day of the EGM is substantially true. No journalist would publish something that outrageous without being absolutely certain of its veracity. Like anyone else, Phil knows that if those allegations could be disproved in a court of law, the punishment meted out could effectively see him paying Sevco’s leccy bill for the foreseeable future.

    We all know how thin-skinned the current custodians of RIFC are, and we know about the outsized persecution fantasies that make react hysterically to any perceived slight, no matter how small. The fact that Phil’s story stands unchallenged says everything.

    At this point, Mike Ashley and his advisors know that no-one in the mainstream Scottish media would dare to divulge the details (and the timing) of King’s ill-conceived solo mission to London. Phil is clearly recognised as one of the most influential figures outside the media brotherhood when it comes to matters Sevconian. Given that he’d have needed iron-clad assurances/proof of the King story’s veracity, those could have only been come from one place.

    It all lines up, as far as I can see. The only remaining question is, how Baron Bouffant and his ursine colleagues deal with a man who appears to have somewhat overstated his wealth and who–according to Phil’s unchallenged story–was ready to throw them under the bus sans warning. If GASH simply opts to “do one,” no discussion is necessary. But regardless of how the King debacle is handled, do the Sevco survivors have the means and the vision required to… even get through the coming season?!


  67. Morning all. Just a few comments on Collins and euro coefficients.

    I have some sympathies with both sides of the “what he said argument” I have no doubt for example that he has been to some extent misquoted, or at least the readers are being misdirected by the surrounding discussion as driven by the author. I have no ill feeling towards Collins, not in this respect anyway 😉

    As a diddy fan of a diddy club however, it does grate when repeatedly the finger of blame is pointed at us diddies for somehow being responsible for this damned coefficient being dragged down. You see I am old enough to recall when Celtic and Rangers (in liquidation) were the weak links. I can remember Aberdeen terrorising teams like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid or when Dundee Utd went to the Neu Camp and royally spanked Barca. Fabulous days mirroring Celtic in Lisbon, young and primarily (completely?) Scottish teams growing in stature and taking on and beating the worlds best.

    Then football ate itself. Here in Scotland the game imploded thanks to stupid money being thrown at the game by stupid people. £10 for every £5 etc. Us provincial (whatever the gel that means), who were still a force to be reckoned with up till that point, then had to spend money we simply didn’t have in a vain attempt to keep up. That was doomed to go wrong and it did. But hey, at least our boards recognised the fact and pulled out of the arms race and sensibly resorted back to living within our means.

    Bosman – for all it’s rights and wrongs completed the job. No longer could transfer fees work to our advantage either.

    Sorry if this upsets the big two and their fans and the press. We ran out of money thanks almost entirely to Murray and the ostrich-like behaviour of the SMSM. We have taken years to recover from that. Meantime European football has moved on. I think progress is being made, but now we are swimming against an almost impossible tide thanks to those big European clubs ensuring the entire system is skewed to secure them as much money as possible and to hell with the rest of us.

    European football is stagnant. I don’t tend to watch much of it these days. It’s like the SPFL used to be before the recent revival mixed things up a bit, the same clubs playing the same clubs year after year with very similar results. The “romance” of europe was playing clubs you had barely heard of and the chance to take on one of the big boys. Now you don’t get a chance at the big boys. You have to clear four rounds of diddies and semi-diddies first before you are deemed acceptable to join that club.

    Best solution – everyone in a massive hat. Knock-out competition right from the start. NO seeding whatsoever. Money then gets more evenly shared, everyone has a shot at drawing that glamour tie, interest in the game soars thanks to that “romance of the cup” and yet the best team will still win. The big clubs will still make more money than anyone else. But everyone, everyone will get way more enjoyment….

    ….except the broadcasters who will continue to tell us we want to watch Barca v Real Madrid for the 20th time. I for one don’t, frankly it bores me senseless!


  68. Corrupt official says:

    June 23, 2015 at 2:47 am

    … I have an image which I cant shake off, of Craigy standing in the corner with a lampshade on his heid.

    —————
    Geez, thanks for that CO. I can see me having nightmares tonight.

    Although I must admit Johnny English also sprung to mind.


  69. What are we to make of the whole King fiasco? For a start, King has reinforced in spades the remarks of a South African judge. It would be instructive, but very time consuming, to collate every quote attributed to King over the last 3 years, and pick out the internal contradictions, together with the downright mistruths.

    As regards King’s potential as a sugar daddy, even disregarding the fact that he is (allegedly) somewhat tight-fisted, I read an interesting comment by Moegoe on McMurdo’s blog last night, which sums up very well the difficulties King would face with the South African authorities, even if he wanted to throw his children’s inheritance away.

    The author points out that as part of King’s settlement with SARS, King undertook to repatriate all his and his family’s business assets held overseas to South Africa. He then points out that it would be almost impossible for King to obtain permission from the SA authorities to invest in “Rangers”, since such an investment would be of absolutely no benefit to South Africa.

    The author concludes as follows:

    Having given this some thought I am of the opinion that King is not an investor in Rangers and is indeed no more than a front for others who are using his investment history in the Club and his well scripted Rangers man status to further their own interests which are open to speculation and are not necessarily in Rangers interest. What is really interesting here is that a certain James Traynor broke the story about the billionaire Craig Whyte buying Rangers for £30 million and he is the very man leading the propaganda campaign for the current incumbents.

    That does make a lot of sense to me, in that it explains why King has shown himself to lack the megamillions he was promising a few months ago. Of course the fact that he had no available money would not deter for a moment a character like King from saying that he had. The mystery is, what about his assumed backer(s)? Surely they have plenty of money? Because if they don’t, then what’s the game here? Is King just a convenient Patsy, rather than a front man? Was Ashley behind everything from day one?

    As UpTheHoops and John Clark have commented, there is a real story here, which any real journalist would be all over like a rash. Instead we have today an especially soft focus “interview” of the new Ibrox manager by Scotland’s triple award winning Puliger candidate, and yesterday’s disgraceful piece in the Scotsman by Aidan Smith about Celtic’s “self-entitlement”, plus a plethora of gushing puff pieces in every newspaper regarding any Ibrox “target”, real or imaginary. Nothing about where the money is coming from, not a word.

    Really, what is going on in this country?

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