Blame King and Murray board for approving Whyte, not SFA

793

There’s an industry of deliberate misunderstanding in Scottish football (and on the pages of CQN).  One of the last vestiges of this is the SFA’s fabled Fit and Proper Test.  There is no test, never has been a test and in all likelihood, never will be a test.  It was almost certainly a figment of some under-informed journalist, who provided the concept enough currency for it to endure in the imagination, despite many, many, people explaining reality.

To be a director of a football club you need to be Fit and Proper, you do not sit or pass a test.

It’s a bit like:

To do a job you need to speak English, you do not sit or pass an English language test.

If you accept the above job assuring your employer you can speak English, and you can’t, you are likely to be fired.

If you accept a job as a director of a football club, assuring the SFA you are Fit and Proper, and you aren’t, the SFA will ban you from football and discipline the club for failing to ensure a director was Fit and Proper before appointment.

This morning the incessant campaign continues to throw reputational damage on anyone who would be inclined to point out that Dave King contravenes the eligibility rules on becoming a football club director.  This is different from being Fit and Proper, which is a subjective assessment, Mr King is simply ineligible.

The reasons for his ineligibility (he was a director of a football club which was liquidated within the last 5 years), and other matters, most notably, his 41 convictions for breaking the tax law in South Africa, and the blame laid at his door by the SPL’s Lord Nimmo-Smith report, make up material reason why the SFA may consider him not Fit and Proper to run a football club.

After targeting Peter Lawwell yesterday, the campaign today turns direct to the SFA, who are accused of allowing Craig Whyte to “bluff his way through the Hampden [non-existent] ‘test’ by simply filling out an official SFA form”.

As should be patently obvious to anyone with a dozen or more brain cells, the SFA form is neither a ‘test’ nor a certification of appropriateness from the SFA.

The obligation to ensure a football club appoints Fit and Proper directors lies with that club’s board.  If the board fail in their duty to the game, the club is liable to sanction from the SFA.

So who was on the board which appointed Craig Whyte as a director of Rangers?

Our emerging heroes, the men who chased away the billionaire, Dave King and Paul Murray.  As non-executive directors of Rangers they had a responsibility to the club’s stakeholders that their interests were being protected.

The Institute of Directors factsheet on the role of non-execs quotes the Cadbury Report, saying they “should bring an independent judgement to bear on issues of strategy, performance and resources including key appointments and standards of conduct.”

It was the Rangers board’s responsibility to instruct the necessary checks on Craig Whyte’s appropriateness to be a director of the club.  They either failed to do this, or if they did, failed to act on the information, or withdraw their names from the club’s register of directors.

Sir David Murray may have controlled the majority of shares, but as recent boardroom events at newco demonstrate, there is a great deal non-execs, when in a majority on the board, can do to inhibit major shareholders if they believe the interests of other stakeholders are being jeopardised.

Non-execs are not there to wear the blazer and attend supporters’ events, they are the eyes and ears of the supporters, shareholders, employees and creditors who are not privy to the inner workings of the club.  In this respect, Mr King and Mr P. Murray failed Rangers on a cataclysmic level.

They are, in every respect possible, perfect for the job of running newco.  My prediction (no inside info) is the SFA will fold under sustained media pressure, set aside their ineligibility rules and allow Mr King and Mr P. Murray to work their magic one more time.

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  1. Delaneys Dunky on

    Herbo

     

     

    That was an excellent management presentation by Ronny Deila.

     

    I have claimed him as my da. RD were my dad’s initials, and my son’s. :)

  2. Livibhoy

     

     

    Fair play bud.

     

    Just sticks in my throat what they’ve got away with.

     

    Never tire of telling folk about it.

     

    Sevconians at work hate it.

     

     

    So I’ll carry on regardless

     

     

    HH to u sir

  3. Tunnocks Teacakes are at the level of Self-Actualisation in Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. Everybody knows that.

  4. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    AT

     

    Great homily

     

    Sad day for the family and friends

  5. James Forrest

     

     

    “Campbell Ogilvie can’t simply be allowed to waltz into the sunset”.

     

    He should be in the dock , but utter ruin & humiliation will suffice for me:))))

  6. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    Lefty

     

    Speak to Social work in hospital if your mum is in more than 28 days

     

     

    It can result in overpayments etc

     

    Any questions drop me an email

  7. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family

     

    Thank you was wondering what the rules are now?

     

     

    Will contact you nearer the time sir,

     

    will get your addy of CQNs google AKA Lennybhoy if thats ok.

  8. Captain Beefheart on

    Scotland loves the huns? How come they were allowed to be liquidated then? Much of Scotland laughed at their demise. Some on this site have a ‘no one likes us, we don’t care’ mentality. It is bewildering.

  9. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    Sannabhoy

     

    Anytime big chap

     

    I’ll send you his number if you want them before Friday

  10. James Forrest

     

     

    One of your best pieces James, thanks for that if Ogilvie walks away Scot free it will be n outrage of the highest order…

     

     

    Boooooo Campbell you’re rotten to the core…

  11. RWE

     

     

     

    HT

     

     

    Tardy response from me for the same reason ZZZzzzzz

     

     

    Does the act have any contingency in the alleged offences? Such phrases as “likely to be” “if the officer suspects” etc.

     

     

    Also, shouting it out outside a pub (open presumably) in those circumstances means that those inside would be likely to be offended by the shouts. The polis don’t need to go inside and chat to everyone to find out if anyone was angered or upset by the behavior. They are allowed to act based on what they see, and justify their actions HONESTLY in their statement. Had these guys shouted out “feck your ‘Well.” in a field at midnight then no one would have given a for instance. they didn’t, they likely had a pint or two, and thought they’d wind up the locals in the boozer.

     

     

    All conjecture on my part because I am out of the loop but my main point was really, that we/you waste your energies on cases such as this. This is just plain old BoP/with a few drinks thrown in. Regular weekend fare in every town in Scotland. On the back of beating Well back to the Playoffs, they were stupid and could easily have provoked a reaction from those in the pub. No wonder their brief said go Guilty.

     

     

    Kill the Bill really means having to focus (sorry) on the insidious part of it, not the parts that have been conflated into it from old Public Order laws. IMHO

     

     

    BabyandBathwater CSC

     

     

    ——-

     

     

    The word continually being used is ‘deemed’. That means, that if an officer of the law ‘deems’ that a chant or song is offensive to someone then the individual can be arrested and charged under the OBaF Act.

     

     

    As you can see the problem here is that the officer’s view is entirely subjective and this has led to blatant harassment, often of young men who’ve done very little, if anything, wrong.

     

     

    The two guys arrested on Friday night were Hamilton supporters. They sang the song outside a pub which was populated by Hamilton supporters and from I’ve been told there were no Motherwell supporters in the vicinity who could be offended. However, the officer ‘deemed’ it to be offensive.

     

     

    As you say this is bog standard BotP, if it’s really an offence at all. And therein lies the real issue.

     

     

    These guys aren’t being arrested and charged with under more traditional legislation, they’re the victims of a new law which has a singular aim, the criminalisation of football supporters. The figures of those charged and arrested will continue to rise while officers ‘deem’ an offence to have been committed. These figures will go a long way to maintaining this draconian act as well as ensuring continued funding for the FoCUS operation.

     

     

    That’s why I’m trying to highlight it mate, it must be repealed at the earliest opportunity.

  12. Jungle Jim Hot Smoked on

    Captain Beefheart.”

     

     

    “How come they were allowed to be liquidated then? ”

     

     

    They were not allowed to be liquidated. They play in the Scottish Championship and are spoken of every day in the Scottish Press.

     

    Does that not go some way to proving that the statement/question ,”Scotland loves the huns?”, is, in fact, correct?

     

    By Scotland here, I mean the Establishment and the MSSM.

     

     

    JJ

  13. Captain Beefheart on

    Evening Gene.

     

     

    In my opinion, there is a new type of Rangers. It ain’t what it used to be. I couldn’t care less about the new form. The point is that the old mob were dumped into a Third Lanark type of liquidationville. Scotland did nothing. Utterly hilarious.

  14. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    HT

     

    Where the arresting officers just beat cops or part of the’ elite’ focus squad?

  15. scottishleaf

     

     

    I do feel for you mate but as you’ve said the criteria was for 13 away games and those who’ve met that must have been of sufficiently high numbers to result in the allocation being taken by those who’ve achieved that.

     

     

    I’d also suggest that as of next season you contact the TO after the deadline for any games where you’re not allocated a ticket. I know for sure that there have been tickets made available after the deadline for Inverness and Dingwall.

     

     

    Keep in touch mate.

  16. bournesouprecipe on

    New guy in petrol station; “You got a nectar card?”

     

     

    Me ; No

     

     

    New guy in petrol station; Would you like one?

     

     

    Me ; No

  17. Captain Beefheart on

    They were liquidated JJ. Not sure what there is to argue about. Have a good evening.

  18. bournesouprecipe on

    Celtic Under 17’s V ‘The not allowed to be liquidated’s’ Under 17’s – live from Hamdump.

  19. Captain Beefheart on

    Final point. The club was liquidated. A club and its parent company are intertwined.

  20. bournesouprecipe on

    We used to have one of those Sainsbury’s microwave egg-poacher things and mustn’t have adhered eggsactly to the instructions.

     

     

    One morning after about 2 mins there was a Kirk Numbnut’s of an explosion, the door of the microwave blew open and scalding bits of half-poached egg shrapnel pebble dashed the kitchen wall.

     

     

    We now use a silicone poacher from Lakeland which make lovely, neat poached eggs in water, on the hob, without the need for a helmet, gauntlets or welder’s mask.

  21. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    Barry Ferguson and wee Durranty want to kno where they fit into Maslow’s Hierarchy of Neds.

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