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;
- ISM will seek to build a community of sports fans whose overarching aim is the integrity of competition in the sport.
- 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.
- ISM will provide a platform for the views of ALL fans, and guarantee that those views will be heard in a mutually respectful environment.
- ISM will also endeavour to inform and entertain members on a wide range of topics related to our shared love of sport.
- 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;
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
Money must have been found under the couch
…http://www.ibroxnoise.co.uk/2015/07/rangers-bid-for-stevie-may.html?
Warburton has even suggested that he worries bringing in a £1million player could disrupt the equilibrium of the dressing room.
That’s it, i can’t take anymore 🙄
——————
and now the above post by Jimlarkin the other report,The bid, rumoured to be £1M,
——————-
Is there a bad news story on the horizon?
Off topic. Imagine my surprise when I was offered the attached options when paying for my groceries in a Publix store in Florida today. Having never been the recipient of an EBT I’m afraid the Credit (card) option had to do.
redlichtie says:
Member: (262 comments)
July 17, 2015 at 7:30 pm
For Rangers to prosper in the top flight at the moment, it would require so many “statistical anomalies” that the FBI would be sending Mulder & Scully over to open an X File.
scapaflow says:
Member: (1289 comments)
July 17, 2015 at 6:01 pm
“Its certainly thought provoking. The current issue of Social Affairs is dedicated to the S issue”
—————————–
Its difficult to comment on a controversial OT topic but I just can’t help myself.
I’ve always been aware of sectarian issues but for most of my life it was of little consequence. I considered the subject not worthy of engagement. My parents steered well clear of the issue also therefore I had no real concern in its pursuance.
Somewhere along the line though I got annoyed about it all and that caused me chagrin, the details of which will remain personal.
I’ve tried to do my own personal research to discover where I fit into the world. I started with the Romans, for reasons that are a bit esoteric but not entirely illogical. More lately I’ve been nibbling at Elizabethan period and thereafter. Currently I’ve been digesting 20th century stuff.
The thing is I’ve made the acquaintance of fantastic people who have not shared my cultural heritage. I still play five a sides and some guys will turn up sporting the sky blue and there is never any hint of animosity or tribalism. Its just a game and we are just people.
However the brew just keeps bubbling away underneath the surface. I know I should ignore it but I’m past the stage of just letting things wash over me.
Apologies to the mods if this gets you twitchy.
Funding update:
I think I’ll just do this every Friday so I don’t sound like a fishwife 🙂
40% of the way through and we have raised 36% of the target. Started off very encouragingly, and I don’t know if anyone is hanging on until the end before considering what to do, but I am asking that anyone who wants to donate – can you please consider doing it now?
We are not so far away from two thousand pounds so it’s not all gloom. New monthly donation pledges would be just as valuable because they give us an idea of what we will have in 6 months. Please consider doing that.
Sorry for the begging rant. Now over for a week at least 🙂
Lots of good ideas coming over – like the Wiki. That will definitely be on the todo list for next year.
Castofthousands,
I agree it’s an interesting subject to bring up, but I’d just as soon see it banished from this site, the reason being that parochial fan views being what they are, it is not a subject that is ever treated evenly or without whatbouttery.
I think if you put the two most ridiculously sectarian people of opposite views in a room for an hour, they’d be friends at the end. If you put two of each in the room, they’d be friends at the end but it would have taken longer. If you put ten of each in the room, there would be an uneasy, unspoken agreement not to mingle. If you put a hundred of each in the room, there would be a war.
A person is intelligent. People are stupid.
And if I may add, no doubt to a torrent of thumbs down, personally I am sick fed up of these anecdotes casting anyone wearing blue as a knuckle dragging moron.
Allyjambo July 17, 2015 at 9:56 am
____________________________________
Thanks for the concern. No issues at Clumpany Towers. Having a Twitter break for a while. Blog still going. Two blogs posted today.
Have a good weekend, everybody
Haywire says:
Member: (49 comments)
July 17, 2015 at 10:07 pm
…, I don’t think that most trees only have a root system of about 33 cm..’
_______
I think he probably said 33 inches, in real money.Even at that,I was surprised, because I know a wee bloody dandelion goes down for feckin yards when you’re trying to howk it out! But the guy was an arborologist. 🙄
Now I’ll have to a) ask the BBC when the programme I listened to was broadcast and b) ask Kew Gardens who the guy was and c) ask him whether I heard him aright. Thanks a bunch! 😀
‘Rough and uncouth terms’ are my meat and drink! One does not wear a uniform of Her Majesty’s Royal Navy without acquiring a certain facility in the use of low terms.(Which reminds me of the joke my very dear father-in-law used to laugh at: guy arrives at a B&B and asks what is the charge for an overnight stop.He gets the price, and asks if the proprietor has any low terms for lorry drivers. Oh yes, is the response.F*** off!)
On your main point, you and I and perhaps the majority of the SFM readers and most of those who post, know that essentially this is not about the club that cheated.
It is about the fact that those in charge of our sport aided and abetted the cheats, at least by gross dereliction of duty if not for any other more complicit reason, and have tried to maintain the fiction that the cheats that were killed by their majority shareholder’s deception are somehow still alive in the form of an altogether different legal entity.
And we know, and they know, that all the specious rationalisation in the world cannot change the fact that a liquidated club is out of the game.Quite literally.
And that it is an absolute absurdity to pretend that the brand new club has any claim to the sporting history of the once honourable Glasgow Rangers of my boyhood, manhood, old manhood up to 2012.!
Your man Mann is, it seems to me, like the manager of the club whose ground was also a dug track frequented by my now sadly deceased brother-in-law. That is, his heart is far from where his present business lies.
How do you relate to guys like that?
The words ‘ with contempt’ spring unbidden to the mind.
RyanGosling says:
Member: (176 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 12:29 am
Its that perception thing, I’m afraid. Social Media, and to an extent the Press & TV, feed the perception you’re complaining about, since, the nutters are over represented in Social Media, and they make awfully good copy for the TV and the Press, (especially when you consider the calibre of the largely self appointed fan reps).
So I sympathise, but, its hard to forget that the 90 minute B___ charge, was levelled by a former Ranger’s Chairman, (all be it a disgraced one).
Although this is still predominately a football blog I thought I would write tonight on the closing of a truly magnificent sporting chapter.
Who amongst us will ever forget the day Jack Nicklaus stood on that most famous of bridges and bid farewell to the British Open and yet did not shed a tear?
Today it was Tom Watson’s turn: and yet only a few years ago he came within a shot of winning the old Claret Jug again.
For those who witnessed it the ‘Dual in the Sun’ in 1977 was a memorable moment that seemed to mark a momentous shift from the old to the new. Yet both the old and the new were imbibed with the sense of sportsmanship bereft of modern sport.
Although football is my sport it does not blind me to the culture, ability, drive, and sophistication of other sports.
I’ve been lucky enough to witness the great West Indies cricket team of the mid to late 70’s. I enjoyed the previous ‘Golden era’ of tennis where Bjorg, McEnroe, and Connors captivated all.
I watched fascinated, when after a horrific crash and fire, Niki Lauda rose, Lazarus like, to challenge for the formula 1 title only to lose to James Hunt.
I also stood, literally, witness to Muhammad Ali claim his second World Heavyweight Championship as Harry Carpenter so famously quoted “Oh my God he has won the title back at 32!”. What he said when he retained it for third time against Leon Spinks a few years later escapes me.
Yet today, with the departure of Tom, see’s the end of another of my boyhood heroes. Giants who eventually become mere mortals and yet, within me, they will forever remain the Gods of their sport as they appeared to me in my youth.
Thank you Tom, Jack, Muhammad, Viv Richards, Bjorn and even beyond them to guys who shaped my early childhood: Neil Armstrong.
I suppose we hear names like Fred Perry, Bobby Jones, and Rocky Marciano unaware of how good they actually were and what they meant to previous generations. Well we should treasure the giants of our time to ensure that they join the pantheon of the greats.
Thanks guys: for the joy, the ability, the sportsmanship, and the skill.
Suggestions from a bystander. Many valuable comments are lost because one thread ends up gathering comments on a number of topics.
I’ve seen sites where contributors post an occasional article in a read-only area, then registered/established members have the ability to go to the main site and start threads. Visitors may comment anonymously (or not) but can’t start new threads.
It’d be helpful to have many individual threads on specific topics.
And as we’ve seen some of these topics lay dormant for months at a time then suddenly flare up again.
If comments end up being misplaced, moderators can move or copy comments to appropriate threads. If interested in such a structure PM me and I will provide an example.
I’d love to see a glossary of terms to help with a myriad of issues and players: 5-way agreement; personalities involved, wee tax case, big tax case etc.
A timeline of sorts would also be helpful. Maybe just added to by moderators. Just when did some of the pennies drop? What are some of the latest significant events? Why was the estimable John Clark in court? For what topic? How recently was this?
If these items are linked to a glossary then readers can simply zoom in on particular topics and time frames to see what was going on at any time.
ChicagoYouthCoach says:
Member: (2 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 1:03 am
‘..It’d be helpful to have many individual threads on specific topics.’
_________
If this was an ordinary kind of football or sports forum,, with people just airing their views and blethering enjoyably among themselves as they explored their particular interests,then yes, individual, separate threads might be useful.
But, as I understand it, this blog’s central thrust is to get a great sporting wrong publicly acknowledged, the wrongdoers suitably punished,and true justice and integrity restored.
Our Football Authorities stand accused of the most blatant ( yet insidiously ‘secret’) breach of their governance duties by
failing to identify the cheating of SDM over many years,
and by bending truth and integrity to accommodate a (possibly) criminally, fraudulently founded new club on condition that, although not legally liable, it would pay the football debts of another club, with some promise that the new club would be ‘sportingly’ considered as being the dead club!
There are men in office in the Football Authorities who must be asked serious questions as to their personal and group integrity. And who must be made to answer.
In my view, this blog should be reaching the stage of being a recognised pressure group, publicly as a known body, demanding answers, and doing everything it can to force the Football Authorities to give answers.
I agree that, for relative new comers, a glossary and time-line etc etc would be very helpful.
But there is nothing to beat a thorough ‘read in’ of every blog piece and post to get the whole wonderful range of comment and ideas and argument which always, eventually, comes back to the sense of having been grossly wronged , and the desire to have that wrong punished and corrected, so that Scottish football can be cleansed. And then we can all ‘move on’
Hi Starman and welcome,
There is no such button. The comments section is more like a conversation in a bar amongst a large group of friends. If you want to quote a specific comment to reply to, you either have to cut & paste and include it in your own comment, or do a little bit of html and include it in a blockquote section.
Please contribute though. Someone will hear you
I thought Killie fans being ‘unable to afford bus fare’ to see their big team was just a myth.
Never really sensed it in all the times I’ve gone to Rugby Park and only once had any trouble(very early 80’s and err probably slightly to blame)
Hopefully we’ve got a killie fan on here to defend them.
TheClumpany says:
Member: (121 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 12:39 am
Really pleased to hear it, Clumps. Enjoy your break 😎
Followed this site from start but never posted…followed RTC and other similar sites…this morning I am going to defend my own team Kilmarnock…I have never read as much rubbish written about Killie…as supporters we have lots of different people who follow the team with various traits and beliefs…a wee Rangers or canny afford the bus fare tae Govan is just so much infantile bull***t…
I suspect that the slowness of the current fundraising for SFM may be because some of us think that it wont ultimately succeed. SFM is an online presence and could be doing far more to increase its influence online. A wiki is a great idea and Twitter should be being used to counter propaganda, encourage outsiders to visit this site and check facts on the wiki.
I think that SFM has much more to do online before it buys a brass plate.
Currently in the Basque region (no not going to Eibar) and having read the sports papers here, the coverage one team gets is absolutely frightening.
Today there is a two page spread dedicated to the 203 places that RM have played given today they break new ground in Melbourne.
To be fair though it did teach me something I didn’t know, they have played at Rugby Park at some point.
scottc says:
Member: (198 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 8:10 am
Thank you scottc. It is unfortunate that Morse Code is not the preferred means of communication. That said, your bar analogy is encouraging and, so to speak, right up my street. Starman – for it is I – stands here with digital drink in hand. Scottc, I note that you are a pussycat but, to use the parlance of the ancient Celts, where are the burds?
As a Celtic fan from Kilmarnock I know the Killie fans give my team a sore time of it but they also give it to “the Rangers” as well. When they beat Celtic in the League Cup Final a couple of seasons ago, although I was down in the dumps at losing & dreading going back to the pub in Killie to get it ripped out me, I was happy for my two nephews & other friends in the town who don’t very often get to see their team win a trophy. One of the good things which has came out of the Liquidation of Rangers is the number of, if I may say “diddy clubs “who are winning trophies. Also this bias against Celtic may be the case but let’s not forget the Killie fans also gave it tight to Rangers when they played them just after they entered administration.!
Bill1903 says:
Member: (75 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 8:31 am
I thought Killie fans being ‘unable to afford bus fare’ to see their big team was just a myth.
Never really sensed it in all the times I’ve gone to Rugby Park and only once had any trouble(very early 80’s and err probably slightly to blame)
Hopefully we’ve got a killie fan on here to defend them.
=================================
I have friends, neighbours and colleagues who support Killie and not one of them has any time for Rangers. Even more so since the taxpayer and other creditors were royally stiffed for millions with everyone else getting the blame. I don’t think the previous Chairman’s desire to get the new Rangers straight into the top league helped things at all. Neither does the latest musings of their new Chairman.
John Clark says:
Member: (1005 comments)
July 17, 2015 at 11:27 am
And perhaps his [Brian Dempsey’s] biggest fault was the wearing of the camel hair coat. ?
(If there are any historians of fashion aboard the blog, I’d like to hear how a garment that was very much ‘U’ in the early sixties became the garment of choice of the flash Harrys on the race tracks and in second-hand-car dealerships!)
—–
One answer: Charlie Endell. That loveable rogue played by Iain Cuthbertson in Budgie. The camel hair coat was his trademark, next of course to his wonderful rolling gruff Glaswegian accent.
Barcabhoy says:
Member: (192 comments)
July 17, 2015 at 10:03 am
—–
Brian Dempsey, irrespective of his personal ambitions, delivered the immortal line “The battle is over, the rebels have won”. Two decades later, in an attempt to produce an equally memorable declaration, it was to Dempsey that the young and aspiring journalist Chris Jack turned to for inspiration: “The war is over, the Rangers men have won”.
These declarations are interesting from a number of perspectives, not least with respect to their accuracy but crucially in terms of their authorship. While the former proclamation was voiced by a Celtic supporter of some influence, albeit shortlived, Chris Jack is allegedly a journalist. Not only was the latter premature in his announcement, he also took sides. Opinionated reporters are to be welcomed – Jim Spence is a case in point; but when they are seen as uncritical cheerleaders then their reportage comes with a health warning. As for Brian Dempsey, may the (rebel) force be with you.
andygraham.66 says:
Member: (279 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 10:45 am
====================================
Here are a rather famous group of Brazilians training at Rugby Park in 1966. Yes, that is a sheep watching them.
Charlie Endell the thinking man’s Arthur Daley also of camel coat proclivities as he may said himself – who is the modern version – there might be imitations of art in life in these parts
jean7brodie says:
Member: (333 comments)
July 17, 2015 at 8:49 pm
Snap!!!
There are lies, damned lies and statistics.
Mark Twain
—–
Interestingly, that well-known remark did not originate with Mark Twain (1835-1910). He uses it once, in his autobiography, but even then he was quoting Disraeli (1804-1881):
Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
As the joke goes, 9/10 people prefer to attribute the saying to Mark Twain ?.
I think there has been a wee mix up with what some people are trying to say with some earlier posts
No one is having a go or trying to put down Killie fans
Killie fans are Killie fans end of
What I was trying to say was that Kilmarnock and Ayrshire in general is aTRFC stronghold just like Larkhall
Just as West Dumbartonshire is a Celtic stronghold just like Coatbridge
Which is to the detriment of the crowds which Kilmarnock FC could attract
Uth there is a pic I’ve seen of Pele coming out Troon juniors dressing room.
andygraham.66 says:
Member: (280 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 1:02 pm
Uth there is a pic I’ve seen of Pele coming out Troon juniors dressing room.
=================================0
Home or away dressing room? I hope he wisnae playing fur some diddy team like Saltcoats.
neepheid says:
Member: (682 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 1:19 pm
andygraham.66 says:
Member: (280 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 1:02 pm
Uth there is a pic I’ve seen of Pele coming out Troon juniors dressing room.
=================================0
Home or away dressing room? I hope he wisnae playing fur some diddy team like Saltcoats.
———————————————–
Another unregistered player…heaven help us.
I see JJ over on RSL is suggesting Ibrox club is £25.5million in debt.
al62 says:
Member: (1 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 2:00 pm
I see JJ over on RSL is suggesting Ibrox club is £25.5million in debt.
=============================
The media will be all over that like a rash 🙄
Feigning shock will be bad enough. Actively denying it will be level …..7?
And joking apart, and JJs groundbreaking efforts on RSL notwithstanding, didn’t we already know that?
16odd million to RIFC, 5m to Ashley and another assorted 5m to whoever is floating the boat just now (including significant creditors – and frankly more fool them if so!)
UTH at3.43pm. That “rash” you mention will be covered with SMSM “vanishing cream” as per usual.
al62 says:
Member: (1 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 2:00 pm
I see JJ over on RSL is suggesting Ibrox club is £25.5million in debt.
===================
I saw that too. I can only assume that he includes the intergroup debt between TRFC and RIFC in that figure, so he is giving a debt figure for TRFC. The external debt of the group should be £5m to Ashley, £3m to Kingco, plus whatever unpaid bills are sitting around.
Jock says:
Member: (1 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 9:00 am
Well said Jock and Tris. One of the many unpleasant truths about Scottish Football, is that very few of the club boards are in tune with their customers, the related truth is that the boards don’t give a flying feck about it either 😥
ekt1m says:
Member: (69 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 3:58 pm
UTH at3.43pm. That “rash” you mention will be covered with SMSM “vanishing cream” as per usual.
===========================
The same vanishing cream that is now peddling the theory that Rangers are signing ‘quality over quantity’. Derek Johnstone even mused over the possibility of Ranger selling some of these players in the future for £5-6M. Yes, he actually said that.
The media have clearly staked all they have on Warburton’s Rangers being an astonishing success which will see the crowds roll in at Ibrox and ease the financial issues. The lack of scrutiny over what is going on at Ibrox is breathtaking, even by their standards.
With the golf from St Andrews on hold due to the weather, here’s some light reading from today’s Herald to warm the cockles of every blue-nose’s heart
http://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/13463079.A_revolution_that_is_ready_to_shake_Ibrox/#comments
Having read it several times I have still to be convinced it’s not a spoof piece from The Clumpany.
ChicagoYouthCoach says:
Member: (2 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 1:03 am
“Suggestions from a bystander. Many valuable comments are lost because one thread ends up gathering comments on a number of topics.”
—————————-
There was a vote on the blog a couple of years ago to determine whether it should be broken down into threads or continue as a stream of sometimes unrelated rhetoric. Logic won through and it was decided to take the illogical route.
Between your comment and mines are contributions concerning horticulture, sartorial elegance, ovine spectators; to name but a few. I think the sheer lack of planning brings with it an entertainment value that only genuine surprise can evoke.
I might make the analogy with a symphony when describing the blog attitude. There can be underlying themes that rise and fall with the time signature, there is syncopation and there are moments of climax and quiet. I think your observation is entirely valid, a rolling commentary does little to elucidate to the casual observer what is going on. However by avoiding the logical and formulaic, the resulting anarchy gives license to all manner of contributions and perspectives. A new contributor might not know what to make of the commentary but might immediately sense by the eclectic content that all contributions are welcome. As is yours. It all adds to the mix.
I like a bit of structure myself but recognise that this propensity to have things well ordered can be a weakness as well as a strength. In some ways it gives the opportunity to switch off your brain since the stream of thought is narrow and predictable. Having a broad swathe of commentary might act on the brain cells to keep them stimulated and therefore avoid group think or any mantra that is not well founded.
al62 says:
Member: (1 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 2:00 pm
“I see JJ over on RSL is suggesting Ibrox club is £25.5million in debt.”
—————————-
I think one of the limitations of JJ’s contributions is that they come fully formed with detail and logic. They are in some ways too expert and a bit too authoritative for RSL contributors to critique. Its unfair to accuse someone of being too knowledgeable but I think he might be so far ahead of other Rangers fans that he is in danger of disappearing over the horizon.
I’ll make an admittedly naive comment now because experience has taught that you can never be too sure about the future. That said, when I read bits of JJ’s contributions I said to myself, the Bears are safe now. At last someone has stood up that understands why the truth is so important and why it sets you free. With apparently intelligent insight such as his there is an opportunity for a new, constructively critical Rangers mentality to emerge.
Only time will tell how naive I am actually being.
I take offence at that Castofthousands! 👿
Starman says:
Member: (6 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 11:49 am
“The war is over, the Rangers men have won”.
WON WHAT EXACTLEY?
Barcabhoy says:
Member: (192 comments)
July 17, 2015 at 10:03 am
As I read more & more slices (geddit???) of Warburton’s football philosophy, the more he comes across as a dilettante.
Billy Boyce
At first I thought it was an article about Le Guen. The rest of it is just “flying a kite”. No substance whatsoever just like the Stevie May article – forgetting where the million and wages is coming from just as a first point.
Reminds me on one red top reporter down south being challenged by Chelsea TV who his “dressing room source was”. When the reporter refused to give a name the interviewer lady said it must be someone and when he refused she asked if it was the bucket on the floor at which point said report got indignant and said she wasn’t being serious.
Unfortunately like SMSM most of the papers haven’t got a clue so they make it up and hope someone clicks! However when I read an exclusive (for the 4th year in a row) that Arsenal are going to sign Jackson Martinez (he who has just signed for A. Madrid), you know it is bull. One day someone will do a league table on which papers got which transfers right first time and how many porkies they told to cover the days with no news.
Just waiting for Petrified cup to start and then see what happens and if Hibs run riot (sorry Ryan – wish there were more like you) what SMSM will report as the route to the CL looks light years away. Right now though Sevco are, I believe, exactly where they belong
Scottish Football needs a strong East Fife and Arbroath – and some administrators with some integrity.
Billy Boyce says:
Member: (68 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 4:30 pm
He will even make changes to the menu in the canteen,
I FELL APART AFTER THAT,AND COULD NOT READ ANYMORE
ekt1m, if I posted the score from Dunfermline’s friendly today against Hibs I’d expect it to be removed too as it’s of little relevance to forum readers. There are other fan sites where I can discuss things to do with my local team if I wanted to.
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ekt1mekt1m says:
Member: (71 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 8:27 pm
Where did the 7 thumbs down come from?
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One came from this ST holder North Stand because our team’s pre-season friendly result is not really the business of this site.
joe millers shorts says:
Member: (14 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 10:24 am
I suspect that the slowness of the current fundraising for SFM may be because some of us think that it wont ultimately succeed. SFM is an online presence and could be doing far more to increase its influence online. A wiki is a great idea and Twitter should be being used to counter propaganda, encourage outsiders to visit this site and check facts on the wiki.
I think that SFM has much more to do online before it buys a brass plate.
———–
I admire the SFM ambition and new media is revolutionizing things, not just on the sports front. But I agree that there is more that could possibly be done for less, especially via twitter in the way you describe.
On the podcast side, there must be a few things Jim Spence would like to get off his chest, given the right platform and opportunity.
Jingso.Jimsie says:
Member: (62 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 7:49 pm
As I read more & more slices (geddit???) of Warburton’s football philosophy, the more he comes across as a dilettante.
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‘Dilettante’. Warburton may well be dabbling in a profession that exceeds his abilities. Then again, he could be a footballing genius. The jury is out. His short career to date suggests promise. Unfortunately the fourth estate has already decided that he is the best thing since, well, sliced bread. His ticker-tape welcome contrasts sharply with the mocking copy that greeted Deila, a Norwegian manager with a proven track record.
Such press sycophancy places additional pressure on Warburton to succeed. He is already working under financial constraints that stretch the definition of ‘player budget’. Rangers fans will need to give their new manager time to adjust. If it all goes belly up then the finger should be pointed primarily at two parties: King & his gang (freebies do not a warchest make) and a myopic flag-waving press.
iki says:
Member: (6 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 9:27 pm
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ekt1mekt1m says:
Member: (71 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 8:27 pm
Where did the 7 thumbs down come from?
::::::::::::;:::::::::::
One came from this ST holder North Stand because our team’s pre-season friendly result is not really the business of this site.
_______________________________________________________________________
* The site is not the domain of any one club and is open to fans of all clubs.
I appreciate all comments and the time taken to make them.
ekt1m says:
Member: (71 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 8:27 pm
That’s another post of mine at 7.02pm disappearing into the ether, what the feck is going on Mods? Edit. Where did the 7 thumbs down come from? I merely posted the result of Celtics friendly in Spain. The mind boggles
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I am a Celtic fan, I know where to find the score and it is never here. This is not a Celtic site and we are fighting against the tide to convince Rangers fans of that fact.
I am not sure we want to encourage the use of ‘feck’ or any other similar terms, that can be found in any of the other blogs that we try our best not to replicate.
The last point is just my personal opinion, the quantity of thumbs up or down on my own posts mean absolutely nothing to me so should never be something I want to check. So I never do….
On the Scottish press reporting on the Warburton revolution, I’m afraid I have to register my complete lack of knowledge of the man.
Yes I can look up wikipedia and come up with stuff like, he’s a 52 year old who’s record as a player saw him win
FA Trophy (: 1981–82
Alliance Premier League : 1982–83#
with Enfield
and as a manager
Football League One runner-up (1): 2013–14
with Brentford.
However the reality is, up till a few weeks ago I couldn’t have picked him out of a line up. I suspect that a lot of people who now see him as a messianic figure, whether they be in the Rangers’ support, the media, or indeed both are in pretty much the same position.
He could be a fantastic manager, he could be average, he could be terrible. The bottom line is that people are for the most part guessing. In the presses case what they are actually doing is assisting Rangers in their propaganda campaign, to sell season tickets via the “new era” feelgood factor.
One thing I would add though, no-one seems to be saying how the club is going to start breaking even. The first two reporting periods were substantial losses, there is little to suggest the period just ended will be different, so what is being done to turn that round.
At some point Mark Warburton will have to start spending money, both in transfer fees and in higher wages, where the plan to make that possible. Where’s the “over investment” going to come from. There’s a lot of talk but I see little in the way of action.
RyanGosling says:
Member: (177 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 6:42 pm
“I take offence at that Castofthousands! ?”
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I certainly was unaware of being offensive when I made my post. If you want to draw attention to how I may have inadvertently been so I’d be happy to flesh out my train of thought.
upthehoops says:
Member: (788 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 11:52 am
andygraham.66 says:
Member: (279 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 10:45 am
====================================
Here are a rather famous group of Brazilians training at Rugby Park in 1966. Yes, that is a sheep watching them.
Sheep Rugby Park
==================
Quality photo there uth !
And it does beg the question: was the sheep ever seen again in the Killie terracing….or did it get the bus to support ‘The Blue Brazil’ instead ?
Ah’ll get ma crook… :slamb:
Craftofthousands,
The exclamation mark, followed up by the faux-rage emoticon, at the end of Ryan’s comment left me with the clear impression that Ryan was just humourously pulling your leg. (Ryan, if I am wrong then I’ll be raging! ?).
Starman says:
Member: (8 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 11:04 pm
“The exclamation mark, followed up by the faux-rage emoticon, at the end of Ryan’s comment left me with the clear impression that Ryan was just humourously pulling your leg.”
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I was thinking that but for the sake of decorum thought I should respond in good faith.
I was going to respond to his excellent earlier post concerning sectarianism but just TU’d it instead.
I can be such a dumpling at times. 😳
Oh come off it, feck has passed into the great linguistic melting pot as an acceptable alternative to the Anglo-Saxon form, stop being so fecking precious
Starman / Castofthousands,
For the avoidance of doubt, it was very much tongue in cheek! Basically I chose to interpret the comment as a personal insult for my own amusement. No harm intended!
Danish Pastry says:
Blog Writer: (1310 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 9:32 pm
joe millers shorts says:
Member: (14 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 10:24 am
I suspect that the slowness of the current fundraising for SFM may be because some of us think that it wont ultimately succeed. SFM is an online presence and could be doing far more to increase its influence online. A wiki is a great idea and Twitter should be being used to counter propaganda, encourage outsiders to visit this site and check facts on the wiki.
I think that SFM has much more to do online before it buys a brass plate.
———–
I admire the SFM ambition and new media is revolutionizing things, not just on the sports front. But I agree that there is more that could possibly be done for less, especially via twitter in the way you describe.
On the podcast side, there must be a few things Jim Spence would like to get off his chest, given the right platform and opportunity.
________________________________________________
Danish,
Don’t know if more can be done for less, but there is no intention as far as I am aware of being anything other than an online presence.
We had all agreed that an office space would be essential moving forward with the podcasts for example. Not exactly the most professional approach to be inviting folk to my spare room for every programme. Also, having a workplace will provide a more rigorous approach to our work patterns allowing for more efficiency (and dare I say it as an old TU official, productivity 🙂 ), and will most certainly be necessary if we are employing folk.
My sense over the discussion that Tris has had over the last couple of weeks is that some people have gone out of their way to imply that SFM is getting ideas above our station.
From the outset of this project, what we sought to do is exactly what we do now, but more effectively, and with more of it.
Better use of Twitter and other social media? Yes. More podcasts? Yes. More direct contact with relevant organisations, clubs and personalities? Yes to all of the above, but certainly not with less time.
Significantly more time and resources are needed to achieve this. Key people need to work together, preferably in the same location, and be better co-ordinated. A more professional approach is a must.
Unfortunately there is no thing as a free lunch. I’m prepared to commit time and money to this project because I believe it is worthwhile, and like the other mods that it needs to be invested in.
Obviously I have no right to expect other people to agree with that, but there is more to our plans than the acquisition of a brass plate. In fact I though that particular comment was a bit insulting, because the inference is that we are doing this for a laugh. I have to tell you, nobody moderates this site for a laugh 🙁
Madbhoy24941 says:
Member: (84 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 10:12 pm
===============================
Does that mean then that any mention of results for any team should be off limits for the forum? Aberdeen had an excellent result in Europe the other night and it got a few mentions on here.
Personally I see no issue with posting results involving any team on here.
StevieBC says:
Member: (782 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 10:53 pm
Quality photo there uth !
And it does beg the question: was the sheep ever seen again in the Killie terracing….or did it get the bus to support ‘The Blue Brazil’ instead ?
Ah’ll get ma crook… :slamb:
=================================
The photo was posted last year on the Twitter account of David Begg, the former BBC Scottish football commentator. I kept it to send to some Killie fans I know. With Killie and Rugby Park getting discussed here yesterday I thought I’d put it on the forum. I believe the sheep was known as Angus.
I note that Rangers are close to signing a second and a third player from Wigan Athletic. Wigan’s majority shareholder is Dave Whelan, formerly owner of JJB Sports which was bought out of liquidation by sportsdirect. I also recall a recent criminal case involving both sports retailers.
Is it a coincidence that Rangers are doing most of their shopping at Wigan
Well, well! Good old BBC Radio Scotland has now turned to the task of rehabilitating none other than the SFA CEO.
Yes, Mr Regan was the guest a few minutes ago on some daft wee programme where ‘celebs’ are asked whether they prefer a roll on sausage and what song they would sing on a karaoke night.
And it was illuminating that Regan’s proud boast was that as a 17- year-old he had sold his first beat-up car,that had cost him £150.00, for £450.00 a year later.
It being Radio, of course, I couldn’t see what kind of coat he was wearing.
I heard only the last few minutes: did anyone else hear the full programme? It would be interesting to know whether Regan was encouraged to say a word or two about the new club?
andydfc says:
Member: (3 comments)
July 19, 2015 at 10:06 am
To be fair Celtic have done most of their significant business with Dundee Utd this year. Three players who if they are not first choice starters in big games will be there or thereabouts.
I don’t think there is anything more to that than Dundee Utd having an excellent scouting and coaching system and a good quality management team in place.
I think other clubs would do well to look at their set-up and maybe see if there are parts they might want to duplicate. They seem to be a well run club who try to build their team based on a successful youth policy.
That’s obviously a view from a bit of a distance, others may disagree.
Big Pink
I am sorry that you found my “Brass Plate” comment insulting it was not meant to be so, it also had nothing to do with having a laugh apologies for that too, I will try and clarify what I mean.
SFM appears to be moving away from being an online presence and I think that running an office employing people etc eat will not be a productive use money or time. time will be spent travelling, fundraising, paying wages and rent, these are all (on a different scale) the same things that are unaffordable by the MSM.
time and effort would be better spent on making much more use of the unexploited online opportunities available and in tapping into the free talents of the many well informed users of this site. I think that right now this would be a better way to further SFM aims.
I hesitate to post this because I do not want to detract from the fundraising or from the work of the mods, but if the money raised does not meet the needs of the current plans then I believe there are good alternatives to be considered.
Re Rangers buying from Wigan. I was highlighting the business connections between Whelan and Ashley in the context of the three deals between the clubs (and the fees being alleged)
Re the comments on DU’s youth system, of the players that Celtic signed only Armstrong came through their system
andydfc says:
Member: (4 comments)
July 19, 2015 at 10:57 am
I did also say “Dundee Utd having an excellent scouting and coaching system”. Gary MacKay-Steven joined Dundee Utd about 4 years ago at about 20. Nadir Ciftci joined them (initially on loan) two years ago at about 21. Both have now moved to Celtic and as I said are looking to be starters for the Celtic first team.
So Armstrong came directly through the youth system, and the other two were brought in as young players and successfully coached to a level where they got what most people would consider a move to a bigger club, I say that with no disrespect I just think it’s the way most people would perceive it.
I think there is much to admire in the way Dundee Utd do things and that other could possibly learn from them. However like I said, others may disagree.
upthehoops says:
Member: (790 comments)
July 19, 2015 at 10:00 am
Madbhoy24941 says:
Member: (84 comments)
July 18, 2015 at 10:12 pm
===============================
Does that mean then that any mention of results for any team should be off limits for the forum? Aberdeen had an excellent result in Europe the other night and it got a few mentions on here.
Personally I see no issue with posting results involving any team on here.
—————————
Definitely not, this is a football forum after all. It was more the context I was questioning.
The result was not the focus of the attention for the Aberdeen game; it was the competition and a reminder of how important it is for all Scottish teams to do well in Europe.
I am not sure posting pre-season friendly scores on here for any team will further the blog’s aims but reflecting on how the teams performed last week in competitive games is relevant.
The one thing that jumped out to me was one person telling us that Aberdeen were Lucky to be 0-2 up and then another explaining why in detail, they deserved the final 0-3 score and were unlucky not to have more.
This was not just a posting of the score to let Aberdeen fans know how the team was doing, it was a reflection of the good times in the past and how, hopefully, this team might be showing signs of creating their own good times.
Big Pink on July 19, 2015 at 1:59 am
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I would like to think you guys DO have ideas above your station, in the nicest way. The old ‘we’re just Scottish’ so we can’t do anything is a bit old school inferiority complex, no doubt useful for a certain ruling class over the years. I admire the optimism and go-ahead spirit.
I suppose some folks might be holding back financially because it is still a very anonymous project. At some point there’s going to be a need for names on articles, office doors and media productions. Of course, not everyone here is anonymous, some of our aliases contain links.
On the podcast side, a lot of podders record in bars, cafes, restaurants. Adds a bit of ambiance if it’s not too noisy 🙂 I’ve been interviewing people for more than 15 years for an educational publication and hardly ever had the subject in my office. But if SFM is to take off as a new media source an office would be practical indeed.
On twitter, I noticed Clumps is reaching a huge audience via regular tweets and updates which has now helped his blog take off. People really notice when he’s not tweeting and start trying figure out where he’s gone. That’s hugely positive.
I didn’t see the brass plate reference as disparaging but can see how it could be interpreted that way. If it’s any comfort there’s a ‘who do you think you are’ rule in DK — ‘Janteloven’, don’t begin to think you’re anything special or get too big ideas. Dreadful. Stymies progress and the pioneering spirit. Fortunately, people have put the Jantelov name on it in an attempt to break free of it. Maybe it’s peculiar to small countries?
With Ian King head of sport for the sun now set to retire after 20 years.Will any new kid on the block get the overhyped press that a new kid on the block at ibrox is getting 🙂
Danish Pastry says:
Blog Writer: (1311 comments)
July 19, 2015 at 11:42 am
On the podcast side, a lot of podders record in bars, cafes, restaurants. Adds a bit of ambiance if it’s not too noisy
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Goodness, we have seen expertise in that very area from one of the main players in this saga! Surely we too could replicate CW’s achievements?
Perhaps best not to mentions bars though if you decide to seek his advice. Current court proceedings and all….
Scottish Football needs a strong SFM.