I am hoping to add some contributors to the site.
I have had a couple of “guest posters” so far. I would like to have some more writers, either on a one-off of more regular basis.
If anyone is interested in doing so, from whatever side of the debate, even from the old enemy (Airdrie United 🙂 ) feel free to email me at scotslawthoughts at aol.co.uk or contact me through the comments section.
I’m happy to have football related legal pieces, or even legal related football pieces, and indeed pieces which are to do with law and nothing to do with football at all!
No fees payable, but I will buy any contributors a coffee if I meet them!
Random Thoughts Re Scots Law by Paul McConville 
Paul,
Having just discovered your site, I felt compelled to add something regarding the RFC situation, although writing a regular piece would probably challenge my sanity!
I find it incredible that most of the non emotive blogs surrounding RFC are written by people who are certainly not supporters of said club.
It appears that most supporters of RFC would rather read propaganda and lies than be exposed to the facts of this case. I had dinner with an old friend and rangers’ supporter last Saturday and she questioned whether RFC’s situation was indeed self inflicted! She is a woman of considerable intelligence and normally quite sane.
I personally have a lot of sympathy for the supporters who have been hoodwinked for years by the custodians of this historic club; however I feel that a lot more sympathy for the average decent supporter would be forthcoming if there were some sort of contrition for the past, and admission of wrongdoing followed with a request for forgiveness. (i.e. say sorry)
I don’t think many except for the extreme bigots really want to see Rangers die, but when threats by the supporters groups, of boycotts and other actions to ensure the demise of other clubs, are made, should RFC not be welcomed back with open arms and no penalties into the SPL, it makes it very difficult for supporters of other clubs not to become riled and more radicalised against RFC.
I implore all readers and FOOTBALL supporters of all clubs to take a deep breath. It is very clear that RFC are in dire straits, mainly through the actions of the club over the last twelve years. Should they not survive, many top flight Scottish clubs will fold, many others will survive, but we will all be deprived of a large number of fans putting money into the Scottish game, we will also ‘miss’ the old firm games, though not always to our detriment.
Please Rangers’ supporters, learn to say sorry, and please other fans, learn to listen should you hear it. Scottish football without Rangers would be a much less interesting place to be!
Paul
Glasgow
stop panicing paul mc dermott ,the bully boys are gone the rest of scotland can eat lamb now, the old co force feed the rest with crumbs,glasgow in the future with just 1 team will be safer and it will save the nhs millions of pounds due to less head injurys and slashings all the hatred from msm will die of death rangers people will become more universial we will be like barcelona in the future
keep your cup havle full it release more positive energy scotland has had enogh the bully is now the bullied ,its karma wits the message in it all cheats never win ,scotland has a great future in soccer with out sevco
Didn’t realise this bit had posts on it, only just come across it – well said Paul McD (I know that name by the way…), very good points made, and still relevant a couple of months down the line – indeed, even more so. Good man.
I’m still waiting for the contrition – but then I’m still ready to listen.
Dear Paul
I had just penned this piece when I read you were preparing your own comments on the note of reasons. Please feel free to post any parts you feel may be of use.
Richboy
Now that the appeal date for the Judicial Tribunal findings has been announced, I thought it may be useful to revisit pertinent aspects in the lead up to this event. I should stress that I am not coming from any side on this but feel it may be helpful to put these issues out there for discussion and clarity prior to the appeal on Wednesday the 16th (most of the points relate to Rangers and not CW).
I have previously stated I have no legal bona fides and beg your indulgence if this has all been done before. I thought it would be best to take the seven most asked questions (or accusations) and try to answer them as best I could. Please feel free to disagree and enlighten me with your own views and interpretations.
1) Why did the SFA wait until Rangers were in administration to go after Craig Whyte?
By all accounts the SFA were not aware of any problems regarding Craig Whyte until the BBC documentary of October 20, 2011. The documentary, by investigative reporter Mark Daly, made several accusations about Craig Whytes business practices and exposed that fact that he had been barred for 7 years from being a Director in any company.
Although they were criticized by many for only investigating CW after Rangers went into administration, Stewart Regan alleges they were in constant communication with Rangers Secretary Gary Withey. Regan accuses Withey of delaying the process using “smoke and mirrors”. Regan further claims that the SFA does not have the resources to check whether all new Directors and Owners are “fit and proper persons”. Regan points out that the SFA Rules of Association clearly state that it is the responsibility of the Director and the Club to honestly provide that information.
I would suspect in the future that the SFA will be more proactive in the vetting of SPL Directors and Owners.
2) What is the process to investigate, try and pass judgment?
The initial stage of the process was to appoint an investigative team to look into the accusations. The SFA appointed Lord Nimmo Smith to head the investigative team with two others. They were “assisted” by Stewart Regan. During the investigative phase many other issues arose that were passed on to other investigators. An example of this was former Rangers Director Mr. Adams assertion regarding irregularities in how top level employees were paid, including double contracts.
The findings of the Investigative team were passed to the board of the SFA who, after review, appointed a Tribunal to hear the case. The selection of these members is based on a “cab rank” method where the next appropriate person on the list is asked to participate.
Probably common knowledge with most of you but I was surprised to find that the panel were never given a copy of the investigative report.
3) What transgressions had Rangers/CW committed?
Simply put Rangers were accused of not paying 13 million in taxes (PAYE, NI, VAT), not advising of Craig Whytes ban on being a Director, not paying other clubs and the SFA, going into administration, failing to produce accounts and failure to hold an AGM. On each of these charges the panel had to decide if Rangers were guilty. They decided on the “balance of probabilities” that, in five of the six charges, they were.
4) Was the punishment appropriate?
Towards the end of their “Note of Reasons” the panel advises of their deliberations on the severity of the transgressions and the appropriate punishments. The panel determined that “On any view the matters involved in this case are as serious offences against the ordinary standards of corporate governance as one could imagine”. As an example, in regard to withheld taxes they stated “the massive extent of the failure and the intentional and calculated manner in which it was carried out aggravated the breach even further”.
The panel considered the maximum sanctions, permanent or temporary exclusion, but deemed these too harsh. Financially they were than limited to 160k in fines which they applied. They determined to allow Rangers one year (normally 30 days) to pay this fine due to the fact they were currently in administration. It should be noted at this point that the panel, apart from general news stories, had no intimate knowledge of Rangers finances and none was presented therefore this a good gesture on the panels behalf. The panel may also consider “meaningful” sanctions and decided that, as Rangers tax avoidance problems were caused by high salaries that a one year ban on registering players, although severe, was not excessive.
Unless Rangers can find someone willing to inject huge sums of cash, I can hardly imagine they would be buying too many players in the next twelve months anyway. I believe the punishments were fair and well considered.
5) Why punish the club when it is all Craig Whytes fault?
Apparently, another surprise for me, “a living person has a mind which can have knowledge or intention or be negligent and has hands to carry out his intentions. A corporation has none of these: it must act through living persons, though not always one or the same person. Then the person who acts is not speaking or acting for the company. He is acting as the company and his mind which directs his acts is the mind of the company”.
The panel also pointed out that various Directors had knowledge of what Craig Whyte was doing but did nothing to bring it to public attention. John Grieg resigning is apparently not enough to justify his expected duties as a Director.
6) What about the timing, are they out to get us?
In regards to the timing of the report being issued, many Rangers fans (and D&P) felt it was timed to deliberately scupper the announcement of the best bidder. This is disputed by the panel who point out that Duff and Phelps were represented and could have mentioned this as an obstacle to their plans. They never did.
The questions raised by Ally McCoist and Sandy Jardine have been well documented and need no further comment from me except to say, I cannot believe that Mr. McCoist had any ill intentions in his actions but was simply unaware of the rules and possible repercussions. The “Note of Reasons” document specifically mentions that there were no complaints of bias, impropriety or lack of fairness. The report actually praises Rangers representatives, not CW, for their behaviour.
7) Will the appeal succeed?
Here my part in the story ends. Having read the entire “Note of Reasons” document on Scotzine, and understanding most parts, my impression was that everything was above board and fairly straight forward. I will leave it to the legal eagles to put me right.
Slight tangent here onto the subject of transparency. Subject dearest to McCoists heart when it suits. McCoist was at Rangers*1 as a player until 1998 and is present as incumbent manager now. Smith W. has been in and out of Rangers*2 since the year dot. You all know the history.
How transparently obvious were these duplicate players contracts made to McCoist, as a player and or manager and Smith W. as a manager. Is it legally possible to trawl back through old tax returns. Might make good reading.
Wait until EUFA get involved. This is just up Platinis alley. Financial chicanery in British Football, he’s loving this.
*1 In administration.
* 2 Going nowhere.
The administrators of Rangers*1 have to be ‘congratulated’ by the SFA/SPL/Media interests, for ensuring that Rangers*2 completed the season without leaving the SPL prematurely by dint of insolvency. Thanks primarily to the administrators for their continual rewriting of the for sale/sold script Rangers*3 made it to the end game. The SFA have bottled out completely. The close season is nigh. Rangers*4 cannot survive. It is time for the SFA to stand up and be counted. The ultimate sanction must be applied. This is fraud on a massive scale. Millions of pounds have been mis-used and are never likely to be repaid.
They, Rangers*5, have to be kicked out of the game of football. The administrators, the SFA, the SPL need to stop all their pontificating ( great word that in this context) and admit it as well.
Rangers*1 Insolvent.
Rangers*2 In administration.
Rangers*3 Finished.
Rangers *4 Straw clutching.
Rangers*5 Camels back.
No sooner had I posted a congratulatory note to Paul McC on his excellent blog, noting the unbiased contributions of typical comments following such, than I read through Stephen’s posts above and found that biased sarcasm is alive and well…….
Actually Jono I really didn’t think my two posts were overley biased. Just the sort of questions your average guy would like answered. However, we are all guilty of ignoring the influence of the media, satellite tv, etc in this ever deepening cesspit of under handed double standards, aka Rangers*1,. Pressure must surely have been applied, by vested interests, to ensure that Rangers*2 did fulfill their seasons fixtures. Just imagine the litigation flying around had they not met their full fixture list. That would have really ruffled feathers. I have a horrible feeling that the SPL/SFA have decided that Rangers*3 in any guise, will be allowed back into the prem’ irrespective. Media power/money is the determining factor.
*1 right in it.
*2 lifeline for next season?
*3 I hope not.
Dear All,
I started the first comment here and I don’t feel that the spirit I entered into is being continued!
I happened upon a youtube clip of Alex Thomson (Channel 4) yesterday, in which he visited two of the ‘little creditors’ in the Rangers mess. A crystal company and a face painter were both owed relatively small sums. They had been contacted by separate Rangers supporters who had come to their premises and settled the bills personally. I think this shows that there are indeed many good and kind rangers fans with good conscience and that we should all stop praying for the end of Rangers.
I speak as a Celtic supporter and former season ticket holder of many years when I say that football in Scotland without Rangers would be a much less interesting and exciting place.
Yes they have sectatian issues, as do celtic, and yes they have been involved in a deplorable tax evasion scam over the past decade or so. Do they deserved to be punished for this? Yes. Will they be liquidated? Probably. Is liquidation a suitable punishment? Almost/Probably.
I personally would miss the Old Firm rivalry if it ended and I am sure most OF fans would agree on that, if we separated the current issues form our opinions.
Rangers are deep in trouble and may yet not survive under any guise. Should we kick them whilst they are at their lowest? I personally would rather have the opportunity for many years to come, of being able to kick them on the field and off it than to have a one off feeding frenzy over the next month.
Indeed it is the rivalry (excepting the bigotry) that makes it all worthwhile in the end.
Good evening.
I must congratulate the BBC for the expose this evening. Absolutely spot on.
Squirm out of that deepening pit if you can. I for one am not praying for the demise of yet another football club. Absolutely not. A level playing field, legitimate contracts and transparency is all I want. If these three things are unobtainable then quite simply its bye bye time.
Lockerbie bombing: Google “the selective use of polygraphs”
“Thus far, there seems to be a general assumption in the mainstream media that Charles Green has purchased all of the assets of Rangers for £5.5m. Those assets, it is assumed, include all of the properties. However, no-one has actually questioned this assumption.
In the CVA proposal (page 37), there is a Expected Outcome Statement, which shows the outcomes of the three main scenarios, ie CVA, transfer to NewCo, and liquidation. Under the NewCo heading, the payment of £5.5m is split between £200k for the exclusivity fee, and £5.3m for Goodwill, Players’ Contracts and Intellectual Property Rights. There is no value shown for Property. Does this mean that (a) the property is valued at £nil or (b) the property was not transferred to the NewCo. This is crucial in terms of the position of the creditors of RFC, and of course the proposed liquidation, but, as I say, nobody has aked the question.
The CVA document is confusing and possibly misleading. Was this the intention of the administrators?”
.
Everyone needs to learn that 9/11 was the American regime nuking its own largest city, and it created the China Syndrome which then poisoned thousands of responders and millions of NY residents. Google “China Syndrome Aftermath”
Hi David
Don’t quite see the relevance unless you are trying to put Rangers’ peccadilloes into perspective?
SPL/SFL/SFA…..How do they justify the current policy?
Scottish Football…………..THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW.
As we all undoubtedly know and understand the SFA/SFL/SPL all without exception have a blue haze influencing their collective, “judgement”. This is not paraniod thoughts, its undeniable truth based on fact. Even today the SFA/exRFC have an ongoing conflict of interest.
This Scottish Football and now is the time for change.
The issue before both bodies is a simple one;
SFL Finances; If the SFL proposal is accepted or enforced where newco are admitted to the 1st Div, then how much will it cost them in court and potential settlement fees when Livingston and Spartans if not the admin/liqudators of Gretna all sue SFL? Would it wipe out any financial benefit with the introduction of newco? I suggest yes and more so. Have they considered this or do they think that they can as they have in the past just bully everyone into accepting their edicts?
They need to understand that if newco are admitted fairly to Div 3, and we can assume that current RFC would provide a better business case to the league than Spartans, (no insult intended to Spartans), due in the main to the fact that they have, as we are lead to believe, more funding, better facitlities, playing staff even with the players left and better commercial potential. Therefore the financial benefits are to all clubs in Div 3 and progressively through assuming Newco acheive successive promotions. If they fail to gain promotion the relative Div will benefit all the more.
SPL 1/2 or whatever..
Yes there will be a limited inpact on the financials of the clubs left in SPL where the 2 home games a year they have an almost full ground due to the travelling fans.
There are 3 elements worth consdiering here where additional finace will work its way into the clubs “loosing out”
1. the clubs now entering the 2nd place for qualification into champions/europa leagues have the potential for additional revenue here. Also the current commercial businesses supporting these clubs can be squeezed for additional revenue as the exposure is to a far greater audience. New commercial opportunities also present themselves.
2. Due to the greater competition and bigger potential prizes, the clubs should conceivably attract bigger crowds for ALL their home games. By adding 1000-1500 on each of the average home gates for a season replaces the “lost income” from RFC attending 2 matches. Look, for example, at the relegation play off between Hibs and Dunfermline last season. Why does it take this game to bring both sets of fans out and pack the ground? If they turned up every home game then perhaps their clubs would not be in that position in the first place. Scottish cup games will not be affected.
3. (I write this with a fair amount of tongue in cheek) If the status quo remains where home fans still do not attend when either Celtic or Rangers play then an easy way to increase revenue is to allow the travelling Celtic fans more tickets. They do travel and are nearly always over subscribed and looking for tickets, as a travelling fan I am accutely aware of this. Kilmarnock was a prime example last season where despite losing the game they probably sold more “pies” in one day then the whole of last season not to mention the ticket sales. Another 2-3000 tickets available to CFC travelling fans will reduce any loss from RFC and fill the empty home grounds.
The only people that potenially loose out financially would be Newco. Some would argue that that is fair and just. They will however soon recover I am sure.
Credibility; SFL pushing this through this proposal will result in a never seen before revolt of all league team supporters as far as can be gauged through websites and media channels. Therefore unforseen losses of income and potential ruination of multiple clubs in all leagues. This all equals the slow and sure demise of Scottish football. Are the SFL prepared to oversee Scottish footballs demise over one team that has absolutely no legal or moral standing currently?? The SFL have surely not factored any of this into their, “proposal”.
Future
RFC still has questions to be answered and penalties to face.
The AT still has to decide what to do on the current issue that RFC was found guilty of and has not appealed. They still have to answer to the EBT scheme. There are more financial and legal and maybe even criminal matters under investigation still to be brought.
If SFL/SPL/SFA enforce, as they have intimated, and RFC accept these penalties under newco set up, as confirmed by Green, then how do they manage the situation, which I have no doubt will arise, of Newco being penalised by either further financial penalties, (that it cannot accomodate or afford in current business plans), or suspension, elimination or points deduction, players transfer embargo etc?
If the SFL has sought to move heaven and hell to place it in the league of their choice then 3-6 months later the same club faces expulsion from that league where does the leagues credibility lie??
Surely they have no idea of the outcome and subsequent penalties that would be handed down?
My suggestion is simple and within the rules and regs, allow Newco to apply to SFA and SFL for a place in 3rd Division. Past lies with the past and they start anew, newco. Then the club and its followers can start to hold its head up and prove that they can operate a successful club without cheating or undue influence from authorities being given.
The SFL WILL benefit both in credibility and financially from this senario.
The game in general will benefit as more people will watch a more competative league and hopefully the impact will be generally good for all of Scottish football.
Seperately I support the changes being made to the league structures but not when they are being rushed through to accomodate one club, this still has no registered or legal standing in Scottish football to date.
The application of newco still has not been made in full……………beggars belief they do not as yet have the information required to support their application after meeting with the SFA for the last 6 weeks at least in public.
The leagues should be fairer and if this means that CFC have to concede their “power and influence” through voting rights and financial loss then in my opinion they should. They may lose some revenue to other clubs but in doing so they have a greater ability to replace this revenue.
They can and should be able to negotiate individual TV/Media deals outside of the current sky/espn deals. They did last year in the Europa league so no reason why not again, it is only SPL/SFA restrictions that prevent teams from striking own club deals. For the good of all divisions finances need to be spread more equally however the fans of these “smaller” clubs also need to get off their collective backsides and go and watch their teams.
Observations by Michael Kemp
Google “The Phil Schneider Story” … http://www.apfn.org/apfn/phil.htm
Traynor and the mysterious £16million
I am not a journalist and do not have access to the powers that be in Scottish football so I may be missing something, but for anyone to suggest that ‘Scottish football’ will lose out on £16million next season without rangers is beyond belief!
I do however have access to ‘google’ and in one hour this morning have ascertained the following information.
Let’s look at some figures:
Ticket sales-
Let’s say ‘RFC’ took 4000 fans to every away game in the SPL, I calculate that to be about £80,000 per match of which there could be 19, therefore £1,520,000 in sales plus some pies etc, let’s say a total of £2,000,000, of which the profit if we are kind could be £1,000,000 in total, for the season. There are policing, security and staff costs, plus the actual pies have to be bought in. There are also repairs and cleaning to be accounted for. Still a 50% margin would be quite impressive.
Let’s add another £250,000 profit for corporate sales, (just a guess, but unlikely to be more) giving a total profit lost to the SPL of circa £1,250,000. (split between all clubs)
The sky deal has two years to go and currently has no minimum 4 old firm fixtures clause, so no loss there. Uncertain as to what new deal could be cut after two years, but scaremongers suggesting there will be no deal are wide of the mark. Current deal was £65,000,000 for three seasons ending now, with an SPL only option to extend for two further years. There is no option for Sky or ESPN to cancel at this point. Another two years would produce income from TV at £43,333,333 until the summer of 2014.
The SFL payment will remain the same, so no loss there. In fact RFC will bring extra income to the SFL through gate receipts and increased sponsorship deals etc.
RFC will not claim the 2nd place prize money, so there is an add back of £1,950,000 for the second place. If each club ascends one place this season, then it would receive an extra £65,000 (total £585,000). In summary, one club will receive £770,000 extra in prize money with the other nine potentially getting an extra £65,000 each.
With a loss of £1,250,000 being replaced with either £1,950,000 or £1,355,000 (£585,000 + £770,000), it appears to me that the SPL with be better off by the tune of £150,000 to £700,000 this year, without RFC.
Celtic would be the only club to suffer financially from this situation as the OF games produce a lot of extra revenue streams.
I have not accounted either for the fact that other teams will bring some visiting fans to away games generating revenue, or for the fact that an extra European place is available each season generating some revenue for specific clubs.
I have exhausted all areas I can think of and have yet to find a missing £16,000,000 per season for the next two seasons, but maybe I am not as astute as Mr Traynor and his fellow ‘journalists’ who will obviously be able to point out how stupid I am and the obvious sums I have missed. I am sure he will be able to produce his complex workings as to where the £16,000,000 is, and at this point I will humbly bow down to his superior intellect and start buying his ‘newspaper’ again. If not I will treat his internet bampot comments with the disgust they deserve.
I am sure there will be recognition of sponsorship deals. I do agree that they are likely to fall if RFC do not appear to be arriving in SPL imminently, but these deals are normally three to five years long and cannot be instantly dismissed today as worth £0,000,000 (nothing)
I would point out before others do, that this is only a two years into the future view, and that longer term, income streams will fall if RFC do not return to SPL, but I feel that two years is plenty of time for clubs to get their houses in order and become more sustainable, albeit at a lower level.
Please send this out to the world, by email, blog, twitter and all other means, as the public deserve to see the facts and then judge for themselves how to vote.
Paul, Scottish football supporter.
Good evening. Bit of a problem with preumonia laying me low for sometime in hospital. All OK now and am ready to re-enter the fray. Have decided to moderate the language in my offerings but not the tone/subject matter.At the moment I much prefer to comment upon ‘the facts’ as such that we have been made aware of. I will leave conjecture to others.
Let’s not forget the huge sums of money apparently mis-used by the now defunct football club from the govan side. Let’s not forget the two tone contracts, back handers? taken up by players and leeches,sorry hangers on, long after their ceasing to be directly employed by the govan side. Let’s not forget the inflamatory speeches offered up by the rotund one, in the name of clarity and broon in the name of resurection. Let’s not forget the support shown to the govan side by a pathetic public salaried, speaking on behalf of the electorate, politician, what’s his name, ‘ Scotland needs them’ speech.
Just a few examples that have sprung to mind.
We are talking serious mal-practises here. The total sums of money involved could apparently exceed £100,000,000.The duplicity of the player registrations beggers belief. Plus the fact that their pathetic, repetive, bleatings of innocence are deliberately diverting attention away from their wrong doings and the media alliances are only to happy to report widely on this flock of innocent sheep. The administrators are making a bloody fortune out of this mess, with monies that could have paid footballing debts in the UK and Europe. Please UEFA come in and sort this mess out. Our own hierarchy seem absolutely incapable of joined up ideas moments.
We are talking about the last of the dinosaurs fc here. This was a club that had not even embraced the 21st.Century. They were firmly rooted in the past. Why oh why are we still discussing this non-entity? They should have been hung, drawn and quartered weeks ago and we that are left allowed to move on.
Paul
I’ve been trying to crystalize my opinion of Charles Green and thought this maight stimulate some discussion:
I’m a firm believer in exploring basic human motivation when people’s actions appear illogical or mysterious. So, let us consider the tale of Charles Green.
He boasts no Rangers connections, no Glasgow connections and no Scottish connections. He does boast of much experience in English football finance. And who can dispute the extent of his contacts in football finance e.g. Zeus Capital (Sheffield Utd, Sunderland, Man Utd). A shrewd, hardnosed and successful businessman by all accounts.
But as we all know well, making money running a football club is several time harder than alchemy. If proof is needed ask Alan Sugar, even after all these years, he can still go from calm to fury in three seconds on the subject. We can also borrow Richard Branson’s quote “the quickest way to become a millionaire is to start as a billionaire and buy an airline (or football club)”.
So what is Charles Green doing in Glasgow?
Well maybe one day someone aiming to sell Rangers Football Club called him and said, “You know a thing or two about football finance, why not take a look at Rangers, it could be right up your street.”
He looked at the books and saw the season ticket sales, the gate receipts, the TV money, the players, the physical assets, the almost guaranteed European competitions and he thought, “Why haven’t all these people with Rangers connections snapped this up. They care about this club, what’s the catch?”
Being a confident and driven sort of chap, maybe he concluded that many of the Rangerati were all mouth and trousers. Big fans with an inflated sense of the history and the glory and the institution, but ultimately, with shallow pockets, little experience and few cajones.
Being an experienced and successful sort of chap, he knew what was needed: facts and figures and spreadsheets and bull-necked lawyers and creative accountants and inscrutable investors, and he knew plenty of them. And of course, all fuelled by the simple imperative of a nice, quick, crisp profit.
Being an entrepreneurial sort of chap, he formulated a bold plan with a bit of pre-pack here, a bit of re-financing there, a pinch of seed investment here, maybe a sprinkle of lease/buyback there, all mixed liberally with bluff and blusher and of course the grand finale of a floatation that would leave everyone involved and happy. What could be easier and more rewarding?
Being an English chap, he thought he knew about Rangers beyond the numbers: the heritage, the silverware, the fans, the stadium and the connections. But, how little he knew of the things the English sellers chose not to tell him, or perhaps did not know themselves – the arrogance, the resentment, the fraud, the duopoly, the byzantine institutions, the cliques, the factions, the whole language of us-and-them, and the rest.
So North he rode to the rescue in innocence, and he was warmly welcomed by the English sellers. Soon though, he found that his plans were thwarted one by one. The grease of gratitude he was led to expect from all around to smooth the wheels was replaced by the sand of suspicion and vested interests. It seemed that many he strove to help were strangely indifferent and then openly hostile to his quest.
And slowly it began to dawn upon him that what he had bought was not so much a valuable football club as a central role in a clannish feud that he could not begin to comprehend. And so, as night followed day, the things he took to be facts slipped away as a vision slips through a wall.
Being a proud and powerful man, he knew the value of strength and courage and defiance. So he lashed out with vigour at those beyond the feud, whilst little by little, without realising, he retreated into himself for fear of betraying his uncertainty and confusion. He mind turned to self-preservation and a face-saving exit, but he found only frustration and threat at every turn. Even his meagre personal investment seemed in jeopardy and he pondered the wrath of his faceless benefactors in unnamed places.
And there he stands to this day, defiant and bullish yet mildly comical and inept – perhaps more to be pitied than scorned – more Johnny English than Thomas Gradgrind.
Paul
“bluff and blusher” should be “bluff and bluster”
Paul
Love the graphics !
Good analysis of Green Peter. You almost make me feel sorry for him. That is until I remember he by his own admission is only in it to make some money. I think his sell on strategy will make him a few quid when push comes to shove. Have to say that I admire his energy.
Pan Am Stories Message Board – http://members.boardhost.com/panamair/msg/1338901196.html
With so very few cogent defences of Rangers indignation at their various ‘punishments’ available for comparison, I thought it might be self-satisfying to have a look again at at a post I wrote in the aftermath of my teams latest administration adventure. Interestingly, this might be turned around in the Rangers case and be less a defence and more of a call for further punishment.
I am surprised, by the way, that the law of ‘unjust enrichment’ and the remedy of ‘restitution’, which might offer a sound and fair legal basis for framing the issue have not been heard much. Sadly, I am not yet a lawyer and have only an accountants legal training, but perhaps, Paul, you or other contributors can explain if this is relevant, or if I am just talking rubbish.
Here is my earlier piece
http://www.dundeefc.co.uk/forum.asp?topicid=30680
I agree with Mr. Brodie [Re: The finding by a judge against the LPGA it is a restraint of trade for sportspeople to be tried by other sportspeople in the same sport] but would go further. We should take our case to the highest courts necessary to have the issues resolved finally. That does not mean we have to alter the plans set out by the administrator. Survival in the league and a successful CVA etc are still our priorities and it would be suicide to jeopardise any of that. But we can do both.
Simply by staying in the league and turning up for games we are declaring our acceptance of the punishment. However, it seems to me that this could be a seminal moment in football and is surely more important than just the consequences of Dundee’s administration. This is about how football is run, not only in Scotland but all over Europe. In that context, Dundee’s fate is almost irrelevant. I even doubt that the issues could be resolved in a time frame that could have any bearing on season 2010/11, or 2011/2012 for that matter. The court proceedings would not be about Dundee avoiding punishment, but about how football leagues are run, how league decisions are made and the impact those decisions have on private limited companies and individuals that have series’ of inviolable legal rights under European and national laws.
Let me put the case for the prosecution:
1. Clubs appear to be punished not for the specific and clearly identifiable actions which made administration possible, but for the act of falling into administration itself. As though, the crime is in getting caught and not in indulging in the dangerous activity. That is neither fair nor sensible.
A significant number of those allowed to vote on the punishment/appeals are i. businesses in direct competition with the convicted club and ii. themselves indulging in said dangerous activity at their own clubs. Interests don’t merely conflict so much as collide on a cosmic scale.
The legal principles of unjust enrichment and restitution would suggest that any gains made by the club should be considered in the punishment as should any losses suffered by other clubs. A fixed points deduction precludes that. A schedule showing actual gains by the offending club and losses suffered by other clubs should be the basis for deciding the punishment. (As a matter of interest here, it is hard to see how anyone could demonstrate significant gains actually made by Dundee during the period – try deducting our actual points total in seasons 2008/09 and 2009/10 from what we might reasonably have been expected to earn without Melville).
The imposition of a signing ban appears to be a restraint of trade and is not prescribed in the membership body’s (SFL) regulations. A ban on signing new players restricts a clubs ability to trade its way out of financial difficulties by limiting its ability to hire the best people it can afford and also to restrict the freedom of individuals who may wish to work for the club but may not.
A league rule that a player may not re-sign for a club within twelve months of leaving is also a restraint of trade. Whilst accepting a need for vigilance in this area to avoid financial manipulation, a blanket ban is unduly restrictive particularly where no financial inducements are either offered or sought.
I am sure a good lawyer could pick holes in this but an equally good one could find more and better arguments and make a real go of it. Given the magnitude of these issues, I wonder if we could find a legal firm to take up the case pro bono. I accept that Dundee do not have the resources right now and arguably should never be permitted to pay legal costs for a case that would be unlikely, in the end, to benefit it directly, win or lose. But as this would no longer be �about Dundee�, I would have thought we could illicit some interest from Edinburgh or Glasgow lawyers keen to make a name for themselves on the European stage.
�Dundee FC v. The Scottish Football League and the Scottish Football Association� should be as important as �Union Royale Belge des Soci�t�s de Football Association ASBL & others v. Jean-Marc Bosman� for the good of the game and to ensure that the legal basis of its structure and management is kept fair for everyone.
Who is above the law?
Let us assume for a minute that I am a petty thief. I have a record for several offences and have been punished on several occasions for my crimes.
It now turns out that I am being accused of murder year after year for about the last ten years!
I have a lot of friends however whose income is dependent on me remaining at large. I also bring a lot of income to the country as I and my friends spend a lot of money travelling around from July to may each year.
Now nobody of any authority is saying I am guilty yet, but the cps has handed a report to the procurator fiscal as they feel there is a case to answer.
My landlord wants me to stay in my flat as the local/national economy relies on me and I have promised to mend my ways! He does insist however that I attend court to defend myself against the murder charges, for which I am adamant that I am not guilty.
Everyone is waiting to see what I will do.
I have told the landlord that I will not return to the flat unless the cps drop all the charges but he is insisting that I must answer to them. What a horrible man he is and I bet it is his pal the upright taxpayer friend of his that has it in for me, just because I stole possessions of his a lot over the last ten years, he is just bitter, how dare he. They’ve all got it in for me, haven’t I been punished enough already, I mean I’ve been on remand since February and I lost the Bentley, got to drive around in a bloody Mercedes now!
I know they think I committed murder, but i didn’t honest, and by the way, I will definitely not accept life in prison for murder, oh no, in fact I left the meeting with my landlord out of principle. I didn’t do it, but if I’m found guilty there’s no way I’ll accept life, it’s far too severe, haven’t I been punished enough already, I mean I can’t steal again until next August, the Mercedes won’t get me to Europe and I can’t buy a new Bentley for the next three years. I can only shoplift penny chews for the next three years, haven’t I been punished enough, come on haven’t I been punished enough?
I didn’t do it, it was my crime boss what did it and I’m taking the fall for him, haven’t I already been punished enough, some people want to kick me just because I’m down, it’s not like I stole from them, ahem, I’m going straight now honest, I’ve been punished a lot already did I mention? I hope you all go bust.
By the way I’m not sorry!
TRFC splash the cash again…………..or not!
Vurnon Anita joins Newcastle United from Ajax on five-year deal
Vurnon Anita has completed his move from Ajax to Newcastle United on a five-year contract.
The fee for the Netherlands international has not been disclosed but has been reported as £6.7m.
Anita, 23, played most of his early matches at right-back for Ajax, but more recently operated as a midfielder.
The rangers FC newest signing is looking forwar to playing in the freezin cauld on brick hard pitches and a glass of “buckie” at half-time………….but seriously folks what planet are our brother scottish football fans really on? Can they really not see that they are being sold and sold again AND again hook……..line…………and stinker…..
GREEDY GREEN shows his colours……
“”HUNDREDS of Rangers fans were left fuming yesterday after being locked out of Ibrox – despite having season tickets.””
Most missed the first half of their team’s 5-1 win against East Stirling, their first home game after being sent down to the third division. A round 20 were locked out for the whole match.Supporters queued outside the Ibrox ticket office for over an hour because their season ticket cards had not been activated despite money being taken from their bank accounts.
Some were even told they couldn’t get in to watch the match because their seats had already been sold.
The first Rangers home game since liquidation drew a crowd of 49,118.w
But the locked out fans were not happy at missing the 5-1 win.
John Bankier, 72, from Bearsden, near Glasgow, said: “When I tried to use my card to get into the stand the red light flashed. Now after queuing for half an hour and missing the first half, I have been told I don’t have a seat. My card hasn’t been activated despite me paying for it and filling in my season ticket form.
“They’ve sold my seat that I’ve been sitting in for 25 years. I can’t get in and they told me they will have to phone the guy that has my seat to see if he will give it back to me.
“It’s not going to happen. I’m really disappointed. This is not what I expected from the first game of the season.”
Frances Pollock, 74, from Dunoon, Argyll, said: “This was supposed to be a treat from our nephew.
“When we tried to use our tickets they wouldn’t work. We should be in our seats enjoying the game but instead we’re stuck in this line.
“I was really looking forward to the game but now I feel deflated.”
But Jim Clark, 54, from Glasgow, said: “At the end of the day we knew there were going to be problems.
“This is the first match – I’m sure they will get things sorted for the next one. Out of our 12 season tickets, only my son’s failed to activate, which I think isn’t that bad. If you don’t have the right attitude you won’t win.”
No one from Rangers was available to comment.
But new owner Charles Green said: “Never mind Sellout Saturday that supporters from other clubs tried to organise – this is sold-out Saturday.
“We have sold more than 33,000 season tickets. This is the highest attendance in Scottish football this weekend.”
So lets see where all the MSM hype about selling out the loyal pensioners is today, briefest of brief headlines and NO COMMENT from chappie Green or his cohorts. Surprised, no they re still busy stacking the cash in personal vaults.
With the media now talking up the “defiance” against SFA/SPL from TRFC we can all assume thatr come Thursday night Friday morning we will have the new lap dogs at STV issuing the prepared statement of disgust and iminnent appeal against any sentence this where already this week both have been guilty of further actions of bringing the game into disrepute.
It is about time that these individuals require proper reigning in by the authorities.
Fit and proper…….no.
Honest and transparent………no.
The rush to make a quick £ or $ is too much for green to consider meeting the aggrieved fans in the car park, he was too busy doing the bouncy with the blue order to worry about a pensioner not getting to his seat after 25 yrs loyal support.
Just more disgusting illustrations of the CG era I am sure more is to come soon.
Just a quick one:
how can a club laying claim to 54 league titles of which more than ten are under SPL jurisdiction claim they are beyond that jurisdiction (see the TRFC statement today)
Perhaps I am approaching this from the wrong perspective.
How can a club beyond SPL jurisdiction lay claim to anything awarded by that body?
The titles awarded by the SPL are theirs to give and theirs to take away. This is getting more like Lance Armstrong by the day! If I can’t win i won’t participate. It will not affect the outcome of a thorough hearing.
Paul: with the news today that the SFA do not neccessarily feel 300+ current charges of tax evasion mean the accused is not “fit and proper” to run a club in Scotland, can you perhaps do a blog on what criteria are used for such a test in normal circles?
enjoyed your comments about the Catholic education system in Scotland. it stands for righteousness, purity, helping and puting other people first, dealing with those less fortunate that yourself, honesty and respect, endeavour and humility. so that being the case, what school did you attend when a man of your intellect got caught for completely shafting your clients (sorry making a wee mistake), bet your mother and priest are proud of you
Rangers Threaten bloggers and journalists
Mr James Traynor and Charles Green of Rangers International plc. have issued several statements this last week and an uneasy silence has descended on most respectable blog sites and MSM in reaction to their IMHO threatening and ridiculous words. I thought I would have a go at objectifying the rants, (that’s all they can be described as), and put some clarity on the position. I have reprinted courtesy of RMS the apparently full statement from Mr Traynor. I have added, in the fashion of Paul, my comments in bold below each paragraph. My apologies if the any of the statement is not accurate but it’s the only copy I could find without paying Mr Green 99p. I apologies for the length of the statement and comments but its necessary to establish the balance and try to inform.
Mr James Traynor, the floor is yours…
THE shape of things to come, three divisions of 12-12-18, has been agreed in principle. This abomination will now be pulled and stretched by selected members of the SPL and SFL in a desperate attempt to make it more presentable. Good luck with that. It would be easier trying to iron out the lines on the face of the old broad, Madge, in Benidorm. 12-12-18.
Bitter? Surely not?
It’s ridiculous, especially when you remember the two 12s will fragment into three eights. Yet this time supporters will just have to buy into it. Whatever happened to that new and bold notion that fans were all important? It isn’t that long ago clubs, particularly those in the top flight, were solemnly insisting that ignoring the views of fans would be akin to financial suicide. Remember? It was when the game was wrestling with the problem of what to do with Rangers.
The game were not wrestling with the “problem” the executives of SPL and SFA were and with this problem. The rules were plain and clear for all parties however there was a concerted effort to “accommodate” the new club and IMHO illegal discussions and promises were made by representatives of both the SFA and SPL ignoring the current rules and regulations of both authorities.
All the clubs were squealing that the wishes of fans had to be granted. If you swallowed any of that bilge you probably also believed in sporting integrity. Of course it was all nonsense. Sporting Integrity was a cloak of convenience, albeit a rather thin, practically transparent one, behind which club leaders huddled together to come up with sanctions.
Mr Traynor what sanctions have the clubs imposed? NONE = EXACTLY NONE. The “sanctions” were the imposition of the football authorities, namely SPL and SFA then SFL. The “integrity” was a movement by the groundswell of all football fans in Scotland to prevent the newco access to preferential treatment by the football authorities. Something the MSM and in particular Mr Traynor while working for his previous employer roundly failed to do.
Rangers had to be punished, they deserved to be punished but it seemed as if additional penalties were being randomly introduced depending on who was in which meeting.
At least he acknowledges the requirement to punishment/sanctions., pity he does not have the decency to stop there. Mr Traynor fails to note that due to oldco and his current employers reluctance to divulge information requested to relevant bodies and the farce of Duff & Phelps stalling until the season end when the club should have liquidated in March/April or at least seasons end, there remain outstanding issues relevant to oldco that are reflected on newco. These are not “made up breaches, they are legitimate legal matters that the “club” still has a requirement to answer. The punishments, if found guilty, are NOT MADE UP. They are clearly laid out in rules and regulations.
Many Rangers fans like to think the frenzy to cause the club as much additional pain as possible was driven by one club but that wasn’t strictly the case. Many fans of many clubs waded in but this is not to say Celtic fans or their club didn’t attempt to influence the outcome of debates on Rangers and possible sanctions. Of course they did. And they are still at it on social media sites and on blogs clattered out by individuals who are no better than semi-literate.
Whether CFC fans or not every single one of us has the right to express our thoughts and feelings and in this particular situation our outrage at the injustice of favouritism treatment to particular groups or club. Given the serious damage inflicted and STIL BEING INFLICTED on Scottish football and the lack of MSM capability to do anything other than eat the “succulent lamb and sup red wine” Mr Traynor if you had done your job effectively then maybe, just maybe us semi-illiterate individuals would not clatter on. However you failed in every turn, so we semi – illiterate clatterers will continue to objectify yours and your clubs rants and “bilge”.
The sheer hypocrisy of what is happening within Hampden’s corridors of power right now will be lost on them but let’s not pretend sporting integrity or the wishes of supporters really are important to all those clubs pushing for this change.
Maybe my aged semi-illiterate brains is failing me but were not Newco and Mr Traynor all for this restructuring happening this season 2012/13 to accommodate the newco? Pretty sure it was the party line a few months back. Now that it does not fit with Newco business plan or model the teddy bears are being thrown from the prams. Look in the mirror Mr Traynor and Green and search for the word HYPOCRICY, it won’t be difficult to find.
If they were listening to fans they wouldn’t be sticking with a top division of 12, and if there was any integrity there would be no rush to bring in changes for the start of next season. If, as seems likely, the structure is altered for 2013-14 supporters won’t get what they’ve already paid for, especially those following teams striving for promotion. Actually this entire season will be rendered meaningless. Sporting integrity won’t merely be compromised, it’ll be crushed but this is what happens when desperation slips in and throttles reason.
Indirectly many of the clubs have listened to and continue to listen to their fans. The structure may not be perfect but it has the unanimous agreement of both SPL and SFL clubs, something that while oldco were part of the discussions in the past was never possible. No league set up in the world is perfect and there will always be an element of “nothing” football played at some stage of the season for some clubs However, the structure will breathe a new element of life into the game and more importantly the financial rewards will be more equably distributed. I miss the point of what the fans have “paid for”. When I buy my season ticket, I expect to see a certain number of games at my chosen ground. That in no way will change. If, or when, newco achieve the success of winning the SFL division 3 then they will earn promotion to Scotland’s third flight of professional football in season 2013/14. If the league restructure takes place and is implemented in this same season then they will in fact still be in the third tier of Scotland s professional game. No loss incurred. Actually they are likely with the new structure to be a few thousand £’s better off. If the integrity Mr Traynor speaks of is the “rushing” of new structure then I suggest he reflects on the many words he has printed in his name specifically over the last 12 months. It was not that long ago he was screaming for the restructure to be decided and implemented in newco favour this season.
This belief won’t sit well with the few who are more or less running the SPL and influencing thinking within that desperate organisation but they can’t complain. After all, they’ve dismissed Rangers’ views completely. This club, the biggest one in the country, were not invited to take part in talks which will shape the game’s future. We are then entitled to conclude that this club are not important, which is strange indeed when so many fans of other clubs continue to be obsessed by Rangers, who are simply getting on with their own affairs asking no favour from anyone. We do, however, expect common-sense to be applied, along with fair play.
I agree that SPL are a desperate organisation, but was it not newco that were forcing their own agenda and “desperate” to join this organisation. No one has dismissed newco. They are not entitled to a seat at the table, never mind the head of the table. They are now associate members and have NO rights as a new entity in SFL. They are NOT the biggest club in Scotland. Why should any invitation be extended to individuals and club who have held nothing but disregard and contempt for all parties involved in the Professional Scottish game? Almost without fail and from the very first moment they received their temporary membership, (a status that has NEVER existed previously and specifically created to allow newco to play in the fourth tier of the professional game), they have as a club and in particular Mr Green taken every opportunity to malign every aspect of our game, the clubs, the management and the authorities. Mr Traynor you can conclude what you like, perhaps you are correct in your assumptions. No fans are obsessed by newco. However while the bilge continues to spew almost daily from newco then the semi-literate hacks will continue to highlight the truth in absence of any collective courage of the MSM. If you look at the figures for TSFM, PMc, TRTC and this site then it has a far greater reach and influence that engages in effective discussion, something missing from MSM.
Look, Rangers will return to the top flight, which will of course have to be rebranded. Rangers will take a seat at the head of the table where, despite the latest insult of being shut out of reconstruction talks, we will act with the good of Scottish football in mind. We’ll work through the divisions and we will return stronger and better than ever before.
Why will it have to be “rebranded”? To facilitate the gracious figure of Charles Green? Why should we “rebrand”? Scotland was one of the first to have a “premier league” and never mind the new structure I for one hope that we keep the style SPL and change the ethos and personnel. There is no insult of being shut out. Newco are simply not entitled to a seat, the SFL has its allocation of representatives. Head of the table? Who do you think you are??? Maybe a change in attitude would facilitate a warmer welcome. I have no doubt that newco will return stronger, they could hardly be weaker.
This club accepted their sanctions and moved on but too many others have been unable to do the same. They continue their assaults and while the deranged, who are using social media sites as conduits for their twisted agendas, should be ignored there are more than a few in the mainstream still maligning the club at every opportunity.
The club have only as of yesterday settled their responsibilities and all too reluctantly accepted with the least amount of grace possible the sanctions or punishments for their failings. They still have to face the remaining charges laid against them. When every aspect, and there are many, is addressed and concluded then the matter will be put to rest. The sooner the better. However oldco/newco executives have been complicit in prolonging this agony by refusing to disclose information and documents. The semi-literate and deranged will continue to ANSWER the bilge and diatribe forced into the MSM from newco because the MSM fail in their collective duty to be objective and ask and discuss with objectivity, the hard questions.
In a BBC radio debate last Saturday night one pundit, in a matter-of-fact manner, said Charles Green speaks with ‘forked tongue.’ No attempt to explain or justify the statement, just as no explanation was offered when another radio voice claimed there was dishonesty about Walter Smith when he went public with a late bid for the club.
In numerous recent radio shows the CEO Mr Charles Green has made wild and inaccurate statements all public record. This does not include the statements he has made both on the official rangers website and other MSM mediums. A quick scrutiny of these statements will easily show the lack of honest information and content. Maybe Mr Traynor should read more than his own columns and listen to more than talk radio.
Word of advice gentlemen. From now on be very careful when talking or writing about this club.
Word of advice Mr Traynor, write facts and truth and no one will question, however threatening behaviour is unacceptable on any level and your words are a barely veiled threat that sends the wrong message.
To paraphrase something said about another club, Rangers will not be treated less than others. And although there is no desire to pick fights, be assured that no one will attack Rangers with impunity. Better, however, to quote Bill Struth: ‘Never fear, inevitably we shall have our years of failure and when they arrive, we must reveal tolerance and sanity. You do that, you will emerge stronger than before.’ Tolerance and sanity. That’s what Rangers will demonstrate and maintain, especially when back at the summit. After all, someone has to. 12-12-18. Dear God.
No one is seeking to treat newco less than others, NOR ARE WE SEEKING TO TREAT THEM BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE. If this statement and the others issued this week from Mr Green and Mr McCoist are an example of “tolerance and sanity” then all I can say is…….”DEAR GOD”
Paul the version has corrupted by removing both bold and spacing sorry its makes better sense with these included.
Paul, this isn’t a guest blog but rather than lose my suggestion in all the excited comments on a post that isn’t relevant, I pose the question / suggestion here.
Questions
(a) could I set up a company (call it Sevco xxxx) and now purchase the assets of Jessops who went into (surprisingly quick) administration and now heading for liquidation?
(b) if so, so could I rename my company Jessops and use the same brand, logo etc. but now trade debt free?
(c) how does this compare with Rangers, Sevco, The Rangers…….?
Curious to know and being hot in the press would be a great comparison perhaps to see if rules were followed?
Just for clarity I have no previous link with Jessops other than as a customer and no links at all with Rangers, Sevco, The Rangers (except I did watch a Scotland schoolboys game at Ibrox once)
Cheers – be good to see an article!
Paul
Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but often there’s only a “Leave a Reply” box rather than “Leave a Comment” box – so a new comment is put as a reply to an apparently random existing posts..
i can see the SFA being in favour of giving rangers a fine rangers are trying to make a claim on about 2.3million that they think they are owed
1.2 for finishing second 800k for there euro efforts, and 300 k for Davis
but the SFA WILL TRY AND NAB SOME OF THIS MONEY to make out rangers are getting punished but they gain and also to prevent money going to the creditors pot with this money still floating about they are just trying to sort out the formalities if rangers allow them to inherit this money they will not IMO strip titles making out they are punishing rangers the stand of just now is rangers need this money but they do not want to give up the titles, or charlie name will be mud he need time to disappear and that he aint got
morning paul, a couple of wee questions for you paul, should sevco/ newco.rangers, wish to join english football ANYTIME SOON,do they in fact have to furnish audited accounts, for 3 years, please advise me as the suspense is dain’ ma’ heid in, also we have been reliably informed by the D.R.( and some hot shot competition legal mind lawyer ) that sevco/rangers can join english football on a “bosman type ruling” should they decide to choose & pursue this avenue or recourse through the courts ,PAUL your thoughts on this pleeeze, and lastly but certainly not leastly,WHAT do you think mr MR PETER LAWWELL MEANT BY charming our way into English football, do you think Mr Lawwell already knows, that CELTIC FC can force thIS issue through courts & have decided to pursue entry into the English league by other means ,your thoughts pleeze Paul
Hi Paul
Started writing this piece last Sunday but, well it’s in the piece.
I know I’ve kinda “missed the post” on this one, with Orlit & PR disasters taking things off in another direction, and will stick it up on my own largely ignored blog (aw diddums…) Even so I would welcome your feedback if/when you have time.
Cheers
RabTheCab
Oops, what an eejit, forgot to post the link! It’s http://wp.me/p28Irs-N
I would be really interested, to find out your opinion, regarding the transfer embargo of Trfc 2012. The recent case concerning, CAS 2011/O/2574 UEFA v. Olympique des Alpes SA/FC Sion found in favor of UEFA, that a one year ban comprised of two transfer windows and had nothing to do with dates per say. My uneducated understanding of this, is that because sevco signed players last summer, they have only served one of those transfer ban windows. And in actual fact still have another to go. Have Trfc 2012 been wrongly advised by the sfa on this ruling? Was this another bending of the rules to suit Trfc 2012 with the five way agreement? For ‘clarification’ purposes only, wouldn’t want Trfc 2012 spending money they could afford on players they couldn’t play, that would be just way to funny.
Click to access Award20FINAL20_2011.01.31.pdf
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Click to access Award201880-1881.pdf
http://www.avocat-sport.fr/#/news/show/football/court_of_arbitration_for_sport_-_uefa_-_fc_sion_-_case_commentary
Paul/posted one this afternoon,loans/bdo/ ally mcoist got my facts wrong
Mcoist,i retract the part dealing with ally. Mea Cupa, Mea Cupa as for the rest common knowlage,
@paul
There’s some problem with comments (not replies) being placed randomly in the sequence – maybe something to do with the large number of posts and breaks into older/newer. It’s worth a look at yesterday and today’s entries in the current topic
great blog – keep up the good work !!!
Hello Friends,
Having read many interesting and varied blogs on the Rangers/Sevco saga
I believe the problem started the day the SFA allowed Rangers newco a temperary licence to compete in the Third division at such short notice.
That was the time for everyone to take a step back, consider the mood of the country and continue 2012/2013 without Rangers/newco involved.
This would have allowed debate among all factions within our game to come to a decision as to how to proceed the following season 2013/2014
Now we have a situation where the SFA and Rangers/newco are in total dissarray, complete confusion as to how to keep a lid on the truth from reaching the fans, and it is getting worse by the week. Gerrymandering has become the norm and rules are being ignored, quite frankly we have men of straw running our game and they are not fit for purpose.
The time is right for change, change will guarantee action, response based on facts not fiction.
Football is a game a sport for people to enjoy free of sectarian reteric and hatred, but it is only a sport when everyone is treated equal, when we all play by the same rules.
Winning by cheating has no value, better to be a good loser than a cheat.
I hope the SFA finally have no other option other than to put Rangers/sevco out of their misery for a year, take a siesta re-think how they can put their house in order, admit they are no longer oldco and move on.
Scottish Football has no option because what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.
Cheers All.
Paul – do you have an e-mail address ?
The anti Rangers bile is alive and kicking. What people forget is that Rangers used LEGAL tax avoidance schemes in the same way as Amazon, Google et al. Yet, the Scottish frenzy to find them guilty before being proven innocent was the way to go. This was particularly fueled by the ‘inept’ BBC who whipped all the frothy mouthed anti Rangers brigade into a frenzy. Fan power and sporting integrity being bandied around when it suited. Yet when the shoe was on the other foot, Rangers were crucified for having the temerity to encourage fans to boycott games in the same way that all SPL teams ‘had to listen’ to the fans or ‘they will boycott buying season books’. You could not make it up. I also see the amount of anti Rangers ‘posters’ on here still don’t understand the difference between a football club and a plc, my, my, my. It really hurts doesn’t it. I feel your pain through every key stroke. Glasgow Rangers are alive and kicking and you just hate it. The biggest parasites in all of this have been the media and C W. It can be argued that using tax avoidance schemes is morally wrong it happened and Rangers were clever enough to use it. I don’t like it along with thousands of other Rangers fans, but it has been done. What was wrong with the tax case hanging over Rangers was that the club was sold to someone who has a history of illegal tax avoidance, as in ‘lets just not pay any PAYE’ this is the real disgrace. Out of interest, how many of you puritans use Amazon, Google & Starbucks? Glasgow Rangers will be back one day, still the same Glasgow Rangers the most successful club in Scotland. I mean Scottish/celtic football fans even complained to the Advertising Standards Agency about Rangers advertising themselves as Scotland’s most successful club, with all complaints thrown out, we are still and always will be Glasgow Rangers, get over it.
I for one hope that other teams end up in the same position as Hearts. We are a nation with too many tin pot, pretend professional football clubs with self preservation at the heart of everything. The one thing the the hate filled bile last year achieved was to galvanise the Rangers support and as the song says ‘no one likes us, we don’t care’. Anyway toodlepip, away to celebrate the birth of the new British Monarch. It’s good to be British and retain the stiff upper lip.
Paul
You were a light in the darkness, god bless and may your soul rest in peace