2012 all over again as clubs ponder

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It feels like 2012 all over again. Supporters of all clubs and Celtic (of yes they were) on one side, the SPFL (SPL), SFA and directors of other clubs opposing. Back then, the issue was whether SPL accession rules should be changed to allow an applicant football club, then known as Sevco Scotland, to be invited into the top flight of Scottish football.

The proposal was eventually rejected 10-1, with Rangers voting in favour of allowing the applicant and Kilmarnock abstaining, but that result wasn’t always likely. For months the league debated this issue and Celtic stood alone. It wasn’t until fans made their wishes known that others had an epiphany: good governance is important.

The official line from the SFA can be parsed as: those who are up to their necks in this scandal have absolutely no appetite to discuss it anymore, and a solicitor has told us this is OK.

Where are you Aberdeen, Dundee United, Dundee, Hibs, Hearts, Motherwell, Partick Thistle, Queen of the South, St Johnstone? Do not for a minute think they are all waiting on guidance from the SPFL – they’re not.

Right now, clubs across Scotland are asking themselves what to do about the most serious cheating in Scottish football history. It would be wrong to characterise all of them as wanting to protect those they have mixed with for decades. Some have reacted like this, others just don’t know what to do.

It is the job of their fans to shine a light on the road ahead.

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  1. Boyata injury is a blow but should not impact us this early in season.

     

    A few players have left and 2 brought in but still need a top quality centre mid.

     

    This season will be tougher

     

    .Not because huns have improved(debatable) but i believe the honest mistakes will be really ramped up in their favor this season.

     

    The authorities have already voiced their displeasure over the gap last season so everything will be done to aid the huns.

     

    I do not believe their result in Europe was a fluke the other night just a realistic result based on them playing with a referee who administered the rules fairly.

     

    Last season to me they were a bottom half team but elevated by a lot of very dubious refereeing.

     

    This season will be worse from officialdom.

     

    I expect that Alves will wear the same invisibility cloak that refs afforded the likes of Gascoine and Weir and does not get enough cards to merit suspension.

     

    This is a big year for the Celtic custodians so they better be ready to battle for equality.fairness and transparency in Scottish football.

  2. thetimreaper on

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2161850/Rangers-crisis-Dave-King-apologises.html

     

     

    KING ADMITS IT’S TIME FOR RANGERS TO APOLOGISE

     

     

    Dave King has said sorry to Scottish football for the EBT scandal which has plunged the game into civil war.

     

     

    … King expressed concern over a perceived lack of humility and acceptance of wrongdoing from the club’s powerbrokers.

     

     

    … King offered the first concession from an Ibrox figurehead that the club may have gained a competitive advantage over their rivals.

     

     

    ‘I think we should be sorry – and I certainly am sorry,’ King told Sportsmail. ‘We owe both the Rangers fans and the Scottish footballing public an apology.

     

     

    ‘Some of the representations made have betrayed more of a victim status. But I think somebody needs to apologise.

     

     

    ‘… I am happy to say that I really believe we should be saying sorry and I think there is something to be sorry about.

     

     

    ‘And as a former director when these things were going on, I am minded to do so.

     

     

    ‘With regard to EBTs, I was on the board so I have to take some responsibility.

     

     

    ‘And I follow the logic of the argument that if we lose the tax case then we probably gained some competitive advantage.

     

     

    ‘I believe that, on behalf of myself and most of the board members who were with me and probably agree with me, that we should apologise for that.

     

     

    ‘I know that the Murray Group might not say that, because it might be tantamount to admitting it.

     

     

    ‘But I am happy to say it as a director of the football club. And … it is absolutely appropriate for the previous regime to be sorry.’

     

     

     

     

    Insisting there was no attempt to gain a deliberate competitive advantage from the use of a Murray group EBT, King added: ‘No one on the board, when I was there, would have had any intention of gaining an advantage.

     

     

    ‘But the fact is that I can understand the perception out there now.

     

     

    ‘And the way that Rangers have treated the authorities – instead of having a conversation with them around reparation – has been regrettable.

     

     

    ‘One of the things I would have looked at as part of a consortium in terms of funding is to try and fund them so that they could make some sort of commercial reparation to the other clubs.

     

     

    ‘But let’s do it in a way whereby it is seen to have happened and we come out of it strongly.’

  3. ‘One of the things I would have looked at as part of a consortium in terms of funding is to try and fund them so that they could make some sort of commercial reparation to the other clubs.`

     

     

    Who are the THEM and THEY to whom King refers?

  4. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    Conairre

     

    Great news and I hope you get an invite to the investiture

  5. King can ram his fake apology, the club that did this died, he is now on the board of a new club with the consent of the corrupt SFA

  6. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    Rip Bradley

     

    Taken so young like our young champ Oscar

     

    God bless

  7. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    Bada bing, terrible news about young Bradley . He showed some amount of bravery to survive as long as he did . May his soul rest in peace.

     

     

    HIbs are playing Sunderland this weekend and some Hibs fans are trying to organise a chant of there’s only one Bradley Lowery at one point during the game .

     

     

    It would be good if our fans did similiar when we play Sunderland in 3 weeks.

     

     

    My thoughts go out to the Lowery family.

  8. celtic1member1vote on

    Ongoing Campaign .. For Scottish Football Justice ..

     

    To Football Supporters of Every Club in Scotland, Europe & Worldwide ..

     

     

    1) Can you Sing ..

     

    2) Can you Write ..

     

    3) Can you Phone ..

     

    4) Can you Blog ..

     

    5) Can you Tweet ..

     

    6) Can you Create Banners ..

     

    7) Other Clubs Support ..

     

    8) Judicial Review ..

     

     

    1) Songs Suggestions .. For every game, at Home and in Europe ..

     

     

    All we are saying, Is give us Justice (Same tune as give Peace a chance)

     

     

    Strip the Titles, Strip the Titles, Strip the Titles From the Cheats

     

    Repeat again then,

     

    Take the 14, Take the 14, Take the 14 From the Cheats

     

    Repeat again then

     

    Strip the Titles, Strip the Titles, Strip the Titles From the Cheats

     

     

    Stand Up for Football Justice, Stand Up for Football Justice,

     

    Stand Up for Football Justice, Stand Up for Football Justice ..

     

     

    2) Write To ..

     

    UEFA, SFA , SPFL, CELTIC, The Minister for Sport, Your MP & MSP,

     

    Sponsors etc ..

     

     

    3) Phone and Complaint to the Relevant Organisations concerned..

     

     

    4) Blog all Relevant Information if you can, and share with the

     

    widest Worldwide possible audience ..

     

     

    5) Tweet family and friends Worldwide, and Supporters of other Clubs Worldwide as well, and let everyone know about the,

     

    “Campaign For Football Justice in Scotland”

     

     

    6) Create Banners where possible, and Crowd Fund as appropriate ..

     

     

    7) Other Clubs .. Share as much information as possible,

     

    with Supporters of other Scottish Clubs ..

     

    Contact all Friendly Clubs in both Europe, and also Worldwide,

     

    and ask where possible, for both Vocal and with Visual Support ..

     

     

    8) Judicial Review ..

     

    A Judicial Review will clearly be required in response to the

     

    Supreme Court Verdict ..

     

    A co-ordinated Campaign by Elected Representatives of the larger

     

    Club Supporter Groups will hopefully instigate this ..

     

    When this happens, each and every Scottish Football Supporter

     

    should where possible, give as much financial support as they can ..

     

     

    These are just some Ideas, similar to and addition to, what already

     

    has been suggested ..

     

     

    I’m sure there will be Shareholder Groups, Supporters Groups etc,

     

    not only of Celtic, but of most Scottish Clubs, co-ordinating a Campaign

     

    for Scottish Football Justice, as a result of the Supreme Court Verdict ..

  9. O.G.Rafferty on

    THETIMREAPER 3:42 PM

     

    Wonder if he feels the same now as he did on 19 June 2012, when that article was published

  10. patmcgrathtakesapenalty on

    “And I follow the logic of the argument that if we lose the tax case then we probably gained some competitive advantage”.

     

     

    He should know about tax cases but there is no logic to that statement from Glibby. He is the murderer who is caught holding the bloody weapon and standing over his victim but who only comes round to the probability of his guilt when the noose is placed around his neck.

  11. Personal statement by Dave King to Rangers supporters on the “Big Tax Case”

     

     

    THIS statement is made in my capacity as a former director and shareholder of Oldco to provide supporters with the true position following the final tax ruling and to correct any false impression created by David Murray’s conflicting evidence in the Craig Whyte trial. It is unfortunate that we have already witnessed typical bouts of hysterical reporting from certain sections of the media and we should continue to ignore those responsible by boycotting their publications and outlets.

     

     

    The Celtic board issued a statement agitating for a re-opening and reversal of the decisions previously made when, in fact, nothing has changed. It is disappointing that they have attempted to influence the footballing authorities to alter its historic football honours by calling on administrators and lawyers to achieve off the pitch what its teams failed to do on the pitch.

     

     

    As an investor and board member during the period of the so-called benefit I can categorically assure all supporters that the Club received no benefit whatsoever. The opposite is true as the effect on the Club was wholly negative. It was charged huge sums for advice from other Murray Group entities and it bore the consequences when that advice proved inadequate. Every single player that was signed during that period would have been signed whether the Murray Group tax scheme was in place or not. The real beneficiary was the Murray Group.

     

     

    All board members were aware during that period that we were often deliberately spending more than we earned and this was reported in the annual financial statements. The cash needed to fund any shortfall came from share placements, shareholder loans, and third-party bank finance. As David Murray was personally dealing with transfer expenditure, I sought assurances in a board meeting each year that he would stand behind any deficit that could not be immediately funded if he over extended in the transfer market. He gave these assurances and he honoured them until the Murray Group got into financial difficulty.

     

     

    Put simply, the Murray Group tax scheme helped David Murray reduce his overall investment into Oldco while simultaneously reducing any reliance on increased third-party bank finance. The benefit went exclusively to David Murray and the Murray Group. Whether the scheme was in place or not, or whether it survived tax scrutiny or not, made no difference whatsoever to the playing squad of the Club during that period and hence had no impact on the performance on the pitch. We won all of our titles fair and square.

     

     

    A good analogy of what happened at the time is the present position following regime change. As we rebuild the squad we are deliberately and transparently spending beyond our income. Once we commit to expenditure it is my job to secure the required funding. If I create a scheme (as David Murray thought he had) that reduced the amount of cash needed to support the Club then I would save on my required investment – but the Club and the player squad would be exactly the same.

     

     

    For the avoidance of doubt, I am not looking at such a scheme. Given the negative consequences for the Club of such financial engineering in the past, I cannot conceive of any circumstances in which that might change. While I am Chairman, Rangers’ overspending will always be on a sustainable and robust basis and one that safeguards the future of our Club.

     

     

    It is reassuring to note that the SFA promptly and correctly put out a statement confirming, against Celtic’s attempt to influence, that the final tax ruling has no impact whatsoever on the practical and legal findings already made. This is now another matter that we can finally put behind us.

     

     

     

    Dave King

  12. On holiday and following recent events from my sun lounger but glibbys latest statement has blown my head off.

  13. patmcgrathtakesapenalty on

    That “Personal Statement”: glib but not glib enough. It’s nonsense and full of holes you could drive double-deckers through. The way he proclaims his innocence of all wrong-doing is laughable and his snide references to Celtic trying to influence matters is despicable. THEY, and that includes him, cheated.

  14. Wonder if they have seen the statement in the Daily Mail……………….. Sorry about getting young Bradley’s second name wrong

  15. TIMJIM on 7TH JULY 2017 4:18 PM

     

     

    It is reassuring to note that the SFA promptly and correctly put out a statement confirming, against Celtic’s attempt to influence, that the final tax ruling has no impact whatsoever on the practical and legal findings already made. This is now another matter that we can finally put behind us.

     

     

     

     

    Dave King

     

     

    Notice that the GLIB one avoids any mention of with held evidence.

  16. patmcgrathtakesapenalty on

    “This is now another matter that we can finally put behind us.”

     

     

    There’s more than a hint of despair in that last sentence: he’s pleading, begging.

  17. VFR800 is now a Monster 821 on

    HT & Minx; hope you’ve had a great day so far, and it gets better!.

     

     

    It will be a wonderful life for both of you I am sure!

     

     

     

    KTF

  18. PATMCGRATHTAKESAPENALTY on 7TH JULY 2017 4:25 PM

     

    That “Personal Statement”: glib but not glib enough. It’s nonsense and full of holes you could drive double-deckers through. The way he proclaims his innocence of all wrong-doing is laughable and his snide references to Celtic trying to influence matters is despicable. THEY, and that includes him, cheated.

     

     

    Yesterday’s Herald described a measured statement by Celtic as a demand for action.

     

    Unmitigated swine the lot of them.

  19. patmcgrathtakesapenalty on

    “The benefit went exclusively to David Murray and the Murray Group. Whether the scheme was in place or not, or whether it survived tax scrutiny or not, made no difference whatsoever to the playing squad of the Club during that period and hence had no impact on the performance on the pitch.”

     

     

    Utter nonsense. The scheme allowed the club to employ illegally players of a quality they would otherwise not have been able to buy. The Supreme Court has underscored this.

  20. TIMJIM

     

     

    That boss eyed clown canny open his mouth with the word Celtic coming out..

     

     

    He needs taken right down and put a slow boat back to South Africa for good..

  21. PATMCGRATHTAKESAPENALTY on 7TH JULY 2017 4:27 PM

     

    “This is now another matter that we can finally put behind us.”

     

     

     

    There’s more than a hint of despair in that last sentence: he’s pleading, begging.

     

     

    It is also the type of thing that could come back and severely bite him in the arse.

  22. Feeling good, shared the petitions world wide( well bits I have contacts in) and wrote to Nicola( to cut it somewhat short) telling her that my 50 years with SNP is over, as I can’t support fascists and cheats, even By association. It’s gaining traction, fingers all crossed.

  23. O.G.Rafferty on

    ‘Every single player that was signed during that period would have been signed whether the Murray Group tax scheme was in place or not’.

     

    Coulda, woulda, shoulda

     

    Aye but ye didn’t, did ye? You had your side letters, hidden, and since proven to be not tax evasion but tax avoidance.

     

     

    And there lies your problem.

     

     

    Strip the titles

  24. patmcgrathtakesapenalty on

    QUONNO

     

     

    Let’s hope it does. He claims to be underwriting the present spending of money they haven’t got.

  25. PATMCGRATHTAKESAPENALTY on 7TH JULY 2017 4:30 PM

     

    “The benefit went exclusively to David Murray and the Murray Group. Whether the scheme was in place or not, or whether it survived tax scrutiny or not, made no difference whatsoever to the playing squad of the Club during that period and hence had no impact on the performance on the pitch.”

     

     

    And of course as a shareholder and director Glib and Shameless did not benefit in any fashion.

     

     

    Sounds a bit like the falling out of rogues and vagabonds.

  26. PATMCGRATHTAKESAPENALTY on 7TH JULY 2017 4:33 PM

     

    QUONNO

     

     

     

    Let’s hope it does. He claims to be underwriting the present spending of money they haven’t got.

     

     

    Play the game Pat. He is merely overinvesting.

  27. cathedral view on

    Five years on and still explaining the difference between consequence and punishment.

     

     

    groundhogdaycsc

  28. O.G.RAFFERTY on 7TH JULY 2017 4:33 PM

     

    ‘Every single player that was signed during that period would have been signed whether the Murray Group tax scheme was in place or no.

     

     

    The same way as Celtic were going to sign Di Stefano in the 1960s

  29. PATMCGRATHTAKESAPENALTY on 7TH JULY 2017 4:36 PM

     

    The man claims to be whiter than whyte.

     

    In their mindset the Pope would be whiter than Whyte who is to blame for it all.

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