Humiliate your rivals in the Cup Final by putting five goals past them and, if you don’t pay the piper, you pay the consequences. Winning trophies while running up debts you cannot afford to pay is not a viable strategy. The consequences, if you are fortunate enough to survive, has to be painful, otherwise football removes the moral hazard of failure, making Hearts recent experience more likely to happen to other clubs.
Hearts season at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership is the cost of pouring millions of pounds creditors will not receive onto the Hampden Park pitch to hit five goals past a Hibs team, who live within their means. Many other teams were denied progress in the cups, or higher prize money in the league, while the fantasists were building to their 5-1 glory.
Billy Brown’s nonsense about rescinding a punishment for a club who are still in administration is yet another fantasy, but it was fostered in 2012, by the notion that Scottish football can change insolvency rules on the hoof to accommodate a failed club. If you want to change insolvency rules, knock yourself out, but there is near-uniform agreement that you cannot change rules when a favoured club falls foul, in order to benefit them.
This notion that because the rules were not changed to help Newco Rangers into top flight football, Scotland’s reigning Third Division champions would be outraged, is hardly news. The 11 top flight clubs, most of whom appear to be enjoying a competitive ‘Best of the Rest’ league race, and a whole clutch of lower league clubs, would also be outraged if Hearts were advantaged.
In October 2011, when Rangers fate was privately acknowledged, Craig Whyte, Neil Doncaster and SPL chairman, Ralph Topping, discussed this rule change ruse. It should have been a 30 second conversation; declined when first proposed. Instead, Scottish football was put through the real trauma of a fantasy fear of Armageddon. Now everyone who can’t pay their bills think they have the same entitlement to campaign for a rule change – and why shouldn’t they, the tabloids told everyone that changing the rules on the hoof was acceptable.
Hearts fans know this. They are heading for relegation, those I have spoken to have accepted the situation. For them, it’s all about ensuring the club survives and sorting things out for the long term, SPFL results don’t even register. I don’t know any who want to see their club go cap in hand for rule changes, the way Whyte, then Green, did. It’s demeaning and lacks dignity.
This is turning into my favourite domestic season yet. All the ‘They’ve suffered enough’ merchants better get their strategies sorted for the next episode.
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Hello
too late, baby
If only I’d been logged on already!
Slow service at the bar!
Boo,hiss…
Shoots
Oh you dancer, noticed recently that Paul67 was in the habit of putting the new article up around 12, thought I’d chance it and it paid off lol
And misses
…it showed a big fat zero when I clicked on my CQN link.
I’ll have to make do with third place… the same position as Sevco’s division in the SPFL.
Anyone want to come to a book launch next month??
Launching My First Novel
This one tells the Lin story a wee bit better, but it is only part of the strory.
The best part about this guy for me… he learned humility the hard way.
PAUL67
Good article,bud.
While I genuinely sympathise with the plight of Hearts youngsters,many of whom are merely making up the numbers,their fans are to be commended for getting things this far.
So they are going down,so what? They will recover,be back in the top flight in a few years.
And they will be able to look any other Scottish football fan in the eye having done so the hard way.
Fair enough to say that they cheated their way to victory in the past,difficult to argue. But they are taking their medicine. Fair play for that.
I saw some talk on twitter Paul67, about a couple of stories from Keith Jackson and Matt Lindsay about the football authorities helping out Hearts, haven’t read either article yet but suspect your article is a response to those.
Some on twitter are saying we are being prepared for a full on assault from the media when the next admin event takes place, they want us to sympathise with Hearts first then it’ll be easier for them to plead the case for newco.
The Rangers have not been punished at all.
…….”All the ‘They’ve suffered enough’ merchants better get their strategies sorted for the next episode.”
Dear Paul67,
You are such a tease!
Yours sincerely
justafan
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon
12:04 on
Good luck with the novel mate.
Gordon_J
Calling Cards is a Glasgow based psychological thriller. The story begins when a local journalist receives an anonymous e-mail telling him to look into a death that the police have ruled as a suicide. Initially there doesn’t seem to be a story … but like any good journalist he keeps digging.
=======================================================
Good jounalist in Glasgow???? Well seen it falls under the fiction banner!!!!
What you reap is what you sow. Funny how it’s the hunnish clubs that cheat and bleat.
Hell mend them all.
The SMSM are (as Eddie stated) preparing the ground for as soft a landing as possible for the next club who has an insolvency event.
I think we all know (and so do they) who that is going to be.
The HUGE question is. will it be a 15 point deduction for a first offence?
Or a 25 point deduction as a serial offender?
eddieinkirkmichael – cheers
BobbyRussell – My character is the exception to the MSM rule!
Bawsman,
Never mind points deductions, I vote for the return of the death sentence.
BOBBYRUSSELL
Hingin’s too guid for them!
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon
Best of luck with the book Gordon…
Thank my God I am not the beggar cripple… thank God. And to laff at the beggar cripple….
starry plough forza oscar – thanks
Stefan johansen nearly a done deal. A left sided midfielder and Norway international.
Probly means adios to joe ledley this month!
Any truth there is a bucket collection next sevco home game. Only if it is raining?
We are working on the next edition of CQN Magazine and it will be out in a week or so – looks like being a cracker! Anyone with any marketing needs who may like to advertise please drop me a note – david@CQNMagazine.com
Here’s a statement from the greatest player I ever watched on a regular basis, Marco van Basten:
“The most frustrating thing for me is not the way I hurt my ankle, but the way I have been treated by some doctors. The person who damaged my ankle most was not a player but a surgeon.”
Celtic should not be doing this to any of their players.
Gordon_J
Good luck with book launch my bhoy. Will try to be there, but regardless of that I will definitely be buying the book.
Brookmyre eat yer heart out…..
tully
http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2014/01/13/wolves-bid-for-celtic-midfielder-callum-mcgregor-as-nouha-dicko-deal-edges-closer/
£750k for a development squad player??
You do the crime, you do the time! No rule changes here thank you!
I look foward to the hearts going head to head with newco next season. Be even better should Hamilton pip the 2 of them.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Keith Jackson article without the hits for Daily Ranger
http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/single/?p=12716418&t=8773807
kitalba
10:38 on 13 January, 2014
Amazed at the hype over a good ‘friendly’ performance. Contrast it with the ‘blasé’ when we get gubbed in a meaningless friendly.
I remember Dylan McGeouch as a then nineteen year old more than holding his own against a near full strength Real Madrid team in Philadelphia. Dylan McGeouch looked liked he belonged, since then how many projects have we brought in, in his position?
I watched a terrific documentary movie at the weekend, all about Jeremy Lin and ‘Linsanity’, there are not many, if any, parallels between Jeremy Lin and Dylan McGeouch, but all the way through the movie Dylan McGeouch was in my mind.
…………………………………….
Dylan was truly magnificent in the game you refer to but remember he suffered a serious injury – broken jaw. This kept him out for months and impeded his progress. In my opinion he has never been the same player since.
Paul67
Fantastic article…….nearly fed my iPad with my soup, when I read your subtle comment on DIGNITY……..’they’ have no idea what the word means……up until now, Hearts have been dignified, but that other lot…..they were, indeed, Scotland’s Shame…..and paid the piper….
Well just back from Antalya.Had a fantastic time.Met up with a couple of mates,stayed their place and spent the whole time with the Gala fans,,even at the game.Have come home with scarves flags.
Met the team and they were great.Loads of pics.They played wonderful,and the Gala fans really appreciated how good they were.Done us the world of good this trip.They reckon the game was watched by 20 million in Turkey alone.
Congratulations & every best wish, Gordon. Well done.
If your work gets as much success as you deserve then it will be a best-seller.
Fingers crossed.
Alison Robbie @AlisonRobbie 6m
Just spoken to Peter Lawwell. He says talks with Stefan Johansen are at “an advanced stage” & #celtic are “reasonably confident”
McDowellcelt, that’s a shame (about Ledley). I really rate our Joe as a fantastic player with a great ‘football brain’. If he leaves, I for one will be sad to see him go.
Hopefully though, in that event, Johansen will turn out to be an even better player for us.
So we could soon be fielding a line-up including Henderson, Friðjónsson, Johansen and Finnbogason. Perhaps we should nip in ahead of Man Utd and sign up Henrik’s son (Jordan) too?!