Enormous congratulations to Georgios Samaras, Celtic’s Player of the Year, 2012-13. Scoring in five consecutive Champions League away games this season was a remarkable feat. His last minute winner in Moscow was a seismic moment in our progress in that tournament. Georgios is a player who thrives on positive reinforcement but endures negative sentiment without hiding. No wonder all his managers have valued him so highly.
I was also delighted Fraser Forster won the Players’ Player of the Year award. His performances against Barcelona were nothing short of incredible. It should surprise no one that Victor Wanyama and Kelvin Wilson received a large number of votes for the Players’ Player award. Kelvin will play for England if he continues to perform at the level he has this year. Victor was a genuine contender for all awards, including goal of the year, but was honoured only as the Young Player of the Year, reminding us all that his is gifted beyond his years.
I was referred in the direction of yesterday’s Sunday Mail online story about Rangers International FC’s finance director, Brian Stockbridge, showing a reporter the “deeds”, made eloquently famous by John Brown. Stockbridge used the deeds of Ibrox, Murray Park and the Albion car park to “prove Craig Whyte is on a loser”.
Craig Whyte’s current actions against the newco club and his report to the Serious Fraud Office are based on the belief that RIFC inappropriately took possession of Rangers assets, including Ibrox, when the club were liquidated last year. Proving RIFC have the deeds is no defence against Whyte’s claims, in fact, this merely establishes the premise of his point.
Despite discussing these matters with a reporter Mr Stockbridge made no comment on how Sevco Scotland Ltd (since renamed as The Rangers Football Club Ltd), acquired the entitlement to the assets which Sevco 5088 Ltd had an irrevocable agreement to buy after paying an exclusivity fee.
This interview contrasted with Scotland on Sunday’s interview with former oldco Rangers director, Paul Murray, who without a whiff of irony said, “Whoever is involved going forward has to look after the club’s interests first and their own interests second. You are a custodian of the assets and you’re passing it through the generations. That’s your role.”
Well done as a custodian, Mr Murray. I wouldn’t let you be custodian to corner flag (memories of Dougal from Fr Ted on corner flag-watching duty). He also suggests the club “should also get back to some of the values that were there under Bill Struth and William Wilton”. “Some of the values”, do you think he means that most distinct value? I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, but why on earth could he not chose an inspiring custodian from a period when oldco was not blighted by their controversial employment policy? There must be someone. Surely?
Murray does, however, nail several issues in his interview. “You have Charles Green who said he had no involvement with Craig Whyte and that was patently not correct.
“The problem is that when you get found out on these things you then start to question other things. And one of the most important things in all of this is the SFA. The SFA sought very direct and specific assurances that Whyte was not involved and Charles Green gave them those assurances and I’m not sure that was actually correct.
“If Charles Green had a set of documents that proved that Whyte is lying then this thing would have been put to bed in two minutes, but it was then discovered that what Whyte was saying was broadly true.
“I’m not saying he does, but say Whyte owns the assets but on the other side he’s just lost a multi-million pound claim to Ticketus. Are we saying that Ticketus would then own the assets by default? And if they own the assets they’ll want to be paid in order to give the assets back to Rangers, but how will the club do that bearing in mind that it had an IPO [Initial Public Offering of shares] that is potentially not valid?
“It was then discovered that what Whyte was saying was broadly true” is perhaps the most significant understatement I’ve heard in years. The moment Pinsent Masons report will be a watershed.
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Attention
CFC
Mon the Tic bhoys
nearly again
Well done big Sammi!!!
HA!L !HAIL!
Token
cqn internet bampots
csc number 1
ernie lynch 12:09 on 29 April, 2013
Celtic have already addressed the liquidation of our former rivals on the official website and Celtic TV.
The reference on the official website was reported by the same people who are referring to the ‘Old Firm’ – it has changed nothing just as claiming ‘Rangers are the same club’, ‘Old Firm rivals’, ‘demotion’, ‘returning to the top flight’ ect, ect, ect … does not alter the facts.
You are intelligent enough to know Rangers were liquidated and what liquidation actually means – so I can’t understand why you need confirmation from Celtic because Media House are claiming otherwise.
championeees
Article Readers’ Podium
Brogan Rogan Trevino@BroganRoganTrev13h
Sammy stated years ago he “wanted to be a champions league player”- he has taken brickbats, refused transfers & plays for Celtic BY CHOICE!
Paul67 – have enjoyed watching Georgeous scotting this season :-) Some of my best memories!!
On cup final tickets, I got one, my bhoys not so lucky! Obviously I can’t give the ticket to one without the other feeling left out!!
Wish me luck tonight when I tell them I’m off to the cup final but they are not!
Read it first.
Paul67:
I think Paul McConville balanced the argument very well…I like watersheds.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Steinreignedsupreme
12:41 on 29 April, 2013
‘Celtic have already addressed the liquidation of our former rivals on the official website and Celtic TV.’
And no one noticed.
Maybe it was too subtle.
Maybe that was the intention.
Lurking mode (not logged-in) and Read article & commented Podium
Well done big Sammi – truly deserved and makes the years of abuse I’ve received for sticking by you when many others failed to see your true genius, failed to give you the confidence boosting support you often required and criticised your every attempt, booed you coming on as a sub, it makes it all the more sweeter.
#hailhail
bjmac
thebarcamole
12:15 on 29 April, 2013
mickbhoy1888 11:12 on 29 April, 2013…………
ex Lisbon lion????????
TBM
Stand corrected Lisbon Lion
I am hearing that tonight’s game against sevco might be televised – still to be confirmed.
Celtic TV?
Anyone else heard anything?
HH!!
minx1888 12:45:
How do you know you have a ticket, did you check online or you get a letter of offer?
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
What the devil is ‘scotting’?????
Georgios Samaras, hunskelper and euroskelper, he will be reminded fondly when he eventually leaves our Club…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Adrian J Brennan @adrianjbrennan 1h
Queues right out the ticket office door here at Celtic Park for tonight’s Celtic v Rangers Glasgow U17s Cup Final! Mental
Hamiltontim 12:49:
Paul67 put scotting in the original article but changed it to scoring in fear of being asked what scotting was?…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22335085
ally demands to know who are these people doing the walking away (and other keep fit nonsense)!
alex thomson@alextomo16m
Imran Ahmad’s mobile has been disconnected – funny that.
Arrrrgh! Paul!!!
“The moment Pinsent Masons report will be a watershed.”
Like the FTT or Nimmo Smith?
Have we learned nothing?
(..)
-0-
./\.
Minx1888, don’t leave that ticket lying about, it’ll be gone.
I won’t know if I’m getting one until the 11th, get one from the bus if at all.
ernie lynch 12:47 on 29 April, 2013
‘Celtic have already addressed the liquidation of our former rivals on the official website and Celtic TV.’
And no one noticed
———–
As I said. It was reported in the MSM.
Sevco certainly noticed it – they responded on their own website.
Lennybhoy – I checked on line it would let me buy a ticket but not for my bhoys
And thanks Lennybhoy – those podium chasers don’t read the article if they did they would have known that :-)
Lennybhoy
I don’t like to disappoint ;-)
I’ve got CF ticket mate I checked online.
A podium is a podium, read it first means second, at best;-)
Paul,
Murray is the only guy to have gone on the record as to the extent of “the mess”. I wasn’t enamoured by Tom English’s gilding of him, but for the first time we have read a Director of the former club Rangers openly discussing the possibility that ‘The Rangers’ is not ‘Rangers’. That in itself is significant, as is Murray’s media milkround lately – he smells an opportunity I think.
Nevertheless, I think the Pinsent Masons report will focus on what can be argued at law from a RIFC plc perspective, and will provide advice accordingly.
I expect the executive summary to say: Settle at any price below the value of the IPO proceeds.
minx1888, aye, very good :-)
Lennybhoy, he always does.
BlantyreKev, the FTT is still in play and Nimmo Smith found against Rangers.
TBB, perhaps.
minx1888 12:55 & 12:58:
Hail Hail x 2
Hamiltontim 12:57:
lol…
I’ll check tonight, lunchtime over.
Until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Hi Paul67,
Well done to the bhoys that got awards, Victor aside I think it has been a difficult one this year, although there have been many great performances I don’t think there is one player who didn’t go off the boil at some time in the saeson.
So giving the awards to the two ghuys who put in the standout performances was right.
I don’t think any other Scottish club has players that have excelled at that level.
Interesting and as usual informative piece on the GFS.
One thing that I can’t get my head around is the floating charge.
Surely properties can’t be sold while they have an unresolved floating charge (Now D&P as Administrators have extraordinary powers over assets and could well have sold them on to person or persons….) which must be documented somewhere.
I seem to remember Charled Green offering to show John Brown the Deeds, until Mr Brown was going to bring a canny eyed QC with him.
Maybe Mr Stokebridges journalist was not so canny eyed.
Keep up the good work.
Hail! Hail!
Kayal33 @11:57 (last article) I once did a little bit of work for one of the big ticketing companies.
The functionality, the engine, behind their booking screens is the same for all events.
The front page booking form is usually reformatted by a graphics professional at a cost of less than £500. The £7.50 is a figure set by Celticv/The SFA for each event. It can be any value from zero upwards.
My bank does not see the need for special delivery when they send me a new card.
For football games paper tickets will always have souvenir value.
Train travel is booked on-line and tickets sent through the post or picked up from a machine at the station, using same card with which they were booked.
This technology is available off the shelf.
On a separate but related point, there is software available for handling stadium/concert hall seating configurations and for re-arranging them. The touch of a button could have shuffled everyone to the outer edges of each row and left empty seats grouped together in the middle. Perhaps allowing Celtic to say to the fans;
We’re rearranging the seats. Where do you want to sit? Who with?
They could have also asked “Who do you not want to sit with?” and thus identified the loud mouthed boors. And stuck them all together.
Priority could be based on seniority of tenure of SB, and where that is equal, seniority of age. An arrangement which might find favour amongst CQN’ers (grey brigade).
I think Celtic need bringing up to date.
Interesting at that ticketing company was the spend on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software – a myriad of complex contacts and relationships. Or in other words, who’s gettin tickets, who’s no gettin tickets, ‘n whit thir payin. Who’s well quoted ‘n who isnae. They were just glorified touts.
A few thousand pounds invested in software and staff training would be money well spent for Celtic, the fans and the ticket office staff.
Paul Murray’s credibility (if he ever had any) was shot to pieces when he claimed he had a successful record at the club. Oh yes, and the famous “the debt was coming down” nonsense.
coneybhoy @ 10.52
I was just maintaining this site’s spirit of pedantry, which was also picked up by BMCUW. No offence intended.
HH