Alexander (Sandy) Bryson has been mentioned in reports concerning another controversial matter in SFA history. He was Head of Registrations when Celtic tried to register Jorge Cadete in 1996. That case led to SFA chief executive, Jim Farry, being dismissed for gross misconduct after he failed to register the player in time for him to face Rangers in a Scottish Cup tie.
The Burness report into what happened noted that Farry “deflected responsibility to Mr (Sandy] Bryson (head of registrations] …. (on] certain executive decisions”. In a contemporary article, Mirror Group Newspapers noted “it is unclear what part registration chief Sandy Bryson may have played in this debacle”.
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TBB – there are many who share your despondence.
I was hoping for an immediate and prepared statement from Celtic to reinvigorate the support. The vacuum created by their silence is causing further damage.
tomtheleedstim
Correct. The fans will vent their fury at St Mirren Park. This is all part of the Rangers master plan. Cue the rebel songs. Cue the one support is as bad as another. Round and round we go. The Merry-go-round that is Scottish football. Stop because I want to get off. Celtic are either not brave enough or incapable of standing up for the support who are clearly not happy. They need to put something out there to appease the supporters. If they do not I can see attendances dwindling. We have no problem with losing as long as it is fair. After all we don’t care if we win, lose or draw but we will NOT stand for being cheated!
LB
LiviBhoy
09:26
I’m glad we never signed him. Just wouldn’t look right having a cage next to the dugout for the wee rat.
Good Morning all,
I have been up to my eyes with work stuff so haven’t had the chance to read the 42 pages of the LNS judgement– and remember it is a judgement– which means that what he says is what the commission found proven in “Fact” based on the evidence presented- as opposed to what may or may not have actually taken place.
However, having read what little I have, I must say that the report/decision sure uncovers some very unpalatable things for Scottish Football whether you believe the judgement to be correct or not– or the punishment to be fitting or not.
Whilst a lot of non Rangers Fans will be spitting chips at the decision— it is the quality of the evidence that is actually the biggest difficulty for me as opposed to the decision and punishment itself.
I can’t do it just now– and won’t get the chance to until next week— but if anyone is interested contrast and compare the following.
1. The Nimmo Smith Decision
2. The FTT findings– especially those of Dr Poon as she is the only one that examined the evidence and the quality of the evidence in detail
3. The Pleadings lodged in court by Martin Bain in his action against Rangers PLC
4. The various interim reports of Messrs Duff & Phelps as Administrators of Rangers PLC
5. The player registration rules of the SFA & the SPL
6 The Licensing requirements of both the SFA and UEFA
I will pause there although there are other documents to be considered.
I know that this is a lot of reading and a huge amount to take in and in many respects will be couched in language which is foreign to all but the legal geeks.
However, Nimmo Smith simply adds to the woes of anyone who wants to view thw last decade as anything other than a period of supreme and deliberate maladministration of Scottish Football.
He clearly records Sandy Bryson’s interpretation of the registration rule. Now in my view he could have commented on that interpretation but appears ( as I say I have to read it all in detail ) to have made no comment either assenting or dissenting from the Bryson interpretation .
Think on this then. If Nimmo Smith had turned round and suggested that Bryson’s interpretation of of how you register a player properly was complete nonsense and totally illogical— and the someone- anyone- decided to appeal the whole judgement on the basis that Nimmo Smith had misdirected himself on that issue– then who would that appeal be made to?
The answer in reality is— Sandy Bryson.
So effectively Bryson is the expert witness before Nimmo Smith ( who Nimmo Smith has to take notice of ) and he is also effectively the appeal body when it comes to the registration process.
Now that is a serious failing in any judicial or enquiry process which is capable of appeal or review.
Moving on from there, however, Nimmo Smith also refuses to accept that the payments by Rangers to the trusts were anything other than a contractual payment made in return for playing football.
So stop there — here is one of Scotland’s senior Law Lords essentially agreeing with the interpretation of the evidence as espoused by Heidi Poon. He treats the payments as contractual– he DOES NOT say anywhere that these are mere loans repayable at some time in the future and elsewhere suggests clearly that there was a course of deliberate action on the part of the board of Rangers PLC which was designed to at all times protect the tax scheme they had entered into.
In protecting the tax scheme, the Rangers Directors were prepared to risk breaking the football rules. They were prepared to risk facing football sanctions. They were prepared to risk a ruling that players had in fact not been registered properly- according to Bryson they were but I would have to say that interpretation is questionable. That board were prepared to conceal, withold and obfuscate when it came to complying- and more importantly be seen to be complying with the rules of football.
In short, Nimmo Smith says they were negligent and indeed Wreckless– with the result that they eventually lead their PLC and their club to a point where they were under attack from all sides in terms of tax avoidance and football rule breaking. Remember too that the tax records were sent to HMRC without any side letters being included, and that those side letters only became apparent when a court warrant was implemented and some such side letters were discovered!
Remember too that certain Board members proclaimed very publicly that there were in fact no side letters at all– and that others in evidence before the FTT appeared to be under the impression that all necessary documents and answers had been given to the HMRC inspectors on time and when requested.
Duff & Phelps were able to report very quickly that post EBT Rangers PLC were running at a loss of something like £10M per year- claim first made by Craig Whyte– and the accounts for Rangers PLC between 2000 and 2007 showed absolutely colossal losses when looked at year on year– so much so that after a 4-5 year marketing campaign not a single businessman anywhere on the planet was prepared to buy this business from David Murray– other than Craig Whyte for the princely sum of £1— and he then went on to describe the whole club/company/business as a ” financial basket case”.
Now, I have always maintained that guys like Billy Dodds are not, were not and never were “cheats” in footballing terms. Those who were paid via EBT’s were not breaking the footballing laws and were not breaking the tax law either– so long as they were engaged in a properly legal EBT benefits scheme.
Many of the players took professional legal advice from reputable lawyers, accountants and agents— who advised that the scheme was legal and above board– based on nthe information provided to them by the very same people that Poon and Nimmo Smith have so clearly discredited.
Of course it turns out that those same people seem to have a habit of non disclosure of documents and facts and it may be that the advice given to the players was in fact flawed. Perhaps the lawyers were suspicious and chose to cover their backs– hence the indemnities granted “on behalf of the Board of Directors of Rangers PLC”.
Similarly– Rangers fans and shareholders are neither cheats or anything like it. Yes they will have benefited by seeing a winning team on the park— but they were never party to the shennanigans of their board and would they have signed up for the EBT decade had they known the price down the line just might be Liquidation and all that has followed? No chance.
How do the players with a modicum of intelligence feel this morning? Many of them are in management now with other clubs– how do they feel when they realise that the docs that they signed on advice were witheld from both the football authorities and the tax authorities? How do they feel about what they were told at the time by the guys referred to by Poon and Nimmo Smith?
Remember too that Andrew Dickson was described in the BBC EBT list as the Rangers head of football administration from 2003 on—- lo and behold he is still at Ibrox!
No there are all sorts of questions that are raised by this decision and I am reminded by a judge who reminded me in his court that he was not there to ” establish the truth, but rather to establish what has been proven”– the two are not the same.
Where I agree with many Rangers fans is that Regan and Doncaster had absolutely no place offering to provide and SPL place for Newco in return for some titles and cups– that was disgraceful and everyone knows it.
Nobody in Scottish Football trusts the administrators anymore– not Regan, not Doncaster, not Bryson and certainly not Campbell Ogilvie– and LNS has just delivered a mortal blow to the administration of football in Scotland.
This is an Administration which failed to detect deliberate and repeated rule breaking over a decade– and allowed one club to proceed into European Competition on the back of that rule breaking. Yet there were rules and checks and balances that were meant to prevent such an occurrence and either they were ignored, or not implemented or implemented by incompetents– take your pick!
No one who was on the Rangers PLC board has any future in Scottish Football– thyey should be allowed nowhere near the running of a football club nor the administration of the sport. No one involved with the SPL/SFA senior executive positions should continue in sports administration– for the sake of the sport rather than for the benefit of any club or group of supporters.
The sports press has to be far more questioning and objective when reporting on matters football. It is absolutely fine to agree or disagree with a journalists- or anyone else’s– view of a game, a decision, a ruling, a team etc etc– to disagree with someone does not amount to a personal insult and at times shows integrity– a willingness to say ” sorry I think you are wrong” is nothing to be afraid of or ashamed of— yet that is what we have been served by many in the sports world for over a decade.
When last I looked, football should be played and still was played with a ball,two sets of goals and twenty two players— yet the whole thing has undoubtedly been played with a ball, two sets of goalposts, twenty two players, a set of accountants and lawyers, inept administrators and wreckless company directors– for at least a decade.
Company Directors have fiduciary duties– thyey have to act in good faith– they have to desist from taking wreckless risks which would or could adversely affect the shareholders, creditors of the company and the trading partners of the company– there are personal liabilites for failing in this regard.
There are people who were Directors of Rangers PLC and the Scottish Premier league Limited at one and the same time– the same people criticised by Nimmo Smith yesterday in terms of their conduct!
Think on that– and where that leaves Scottish Football this morning.
A Rangers chap told me yesterday that 9000 previous season ticket holders at Ibrox did not take up season tickets post Administration– 9000– did walk away for a variety of reasons.
Nothing that Nimmo Smith said yesterday is going to persuade them that they were hasty in making that decision.
Scottish Football has been hijacked by poor administrators and a group of Directors who had no respect for the game, their fellow league members, their support, their shareholders and not even for the players and management they employed– that is an undisputed fact as they perilled the lot.
Oh and for those who are looking for a statement from Celtic PLC? Eh that came about two years ago when the then chairman denounced the football administration and the administrators as ” Not being fit for purpose”!
The Press castigated and ridiculed him for that statement.
What say they now????
Sorry this was meant to be a short post — wait till I read the thing in detail!!!!!
BRTH
Son of Gabriel
That is not the point. The document produced by LNS says there was no advantage on the field of play in this instance it provided Rangers with an advantage. They signed a player who was offered better terms due to an EBT scheme.
It’s that simple.
It’s like having a two horse race and one horse starting a quarter of the way up the track from the other. Sometimes the other horse will catch it and win but it’s a hell of an advantage to begin with.
LB
Legal precedents set – it is, by Scots law ok to cheat
Am I the only person glad Celtic have stayed quiet?
We are a stand alone club.
What are they going to say? We disagree?
“We think uz peepil cheated us!” I say it like that as by making a statement this quick we are reducing ourselves to their level.
Silence from the club is the way forward. Otherwise this is what we get:
“We are dissapointed to with the findings showing Rangers (supposedly) played within the rules (while being un-lawful) and in fact won the league (cheating scum) fairly in the eyes of the ruling body”
Would create a farce and I dont want my club, our club, debased by such an action.
On another note:
I dont want the tainted titles. All I hoped for was “VOID” against every single one of them to let the records show there was no clear competition in those years.
BRTH – “the then chairman denounced the football administration and the administrators as ” Not being fit for purpose”!
That would depend on what the “purpose” is.
Fourgreenfields/TBB
Two great posts for different reasons. Well said both of you.
charles kickham,
In Scottish football cheating is fine – it’s getting aught that is the problem
So the SFA should have conducted the investigation in the first place, but they asked the SPL to do it. The SPL got a commission to do it, and the SFA then gave their “evidence” to this commission. So they got the result they wanted and can say “It wasn’t us”.
….well worthy of a repost and read………
PJBhoynyc
23:15 on
28 February, 2013
In 2002 I worked with this guy from the Bronx. He was not very friendly at first, indeed initially, his body language was bordering on the hostile. Through time and humor we became friends. After a couple of years he confessed to me that he did not like white people, experience had taught him that.
He then invited me to his Ludge in Harlem. It was a Black Ludge. I laughed. He asked me about Scotland and its relevance to freemasons. I explained what I thought to be the truth….
Today I was angry. Then I laughed when I realized that the SFA, the media and oldco are simply a microcosm of what is going on in the wider world…
Banks too big to fail, and too big to jail, are found guilty of fraud and corruption, but are fined a fraction of what they benefitted from the fraud. They call the shots whenever and wherever. Politicians simply play the tune they think sustains their position of influence.
The Mainstream Media are focussed on celebrity nonsense, scapegoating, or playing to the gallery that is known as their market and its prejudices. Truth is secondary. Investigative journalism is considered an anachronistic superfluous expense.
When I was a kid watching World At War on Sunday afternoons I used to wonder and ask my father…Why did the Germans do this? Why did the German people think it was OK to invade other countries? I know the answer now. My country of residence and the country of my birth invade other countries to ‘liberate’ them and bring ‘freedom’ and no one questions it…. The media control the agenda.
The Mint, his vanity project and his relationship with the Bank are at the root of this debacle. The Media watered and nurtured it, and continue to do so. The politicians (Salmond, another Banker to trade, watered it further).
The old Divide and Rule is not only a strategy, it is an extremely profitable.
I do not know how Celtic PLC will respond.
I do not know how Celtic supporters will respond.
I do not know how Scottish clubs in general will respond.
I can see how oldco and its supporters are reacting.
I suspect in the longer term, their glorious guilt today will be a Pyrrhic victory….
What I do know is that Banks and Bankers, politicians and lawyers are central players in this dangerous debacle … And The Scottish Rite is a Globally recognized Enterprise.
I await the responses of bit players with profound interest…
Son of Gabriel
10:33 on 1 March, 2013
I’m probably with you hear I’m unconvinced that there is anything to be gained by Celtic making a statement.
However, there appears to be many supporters whose future attendance will be dependant on what the club do next.
Celtic MUST be mindful of this.
Here not hear
LiviBhoy
10:32
I 100% agree with the principle of your argument, was disagreeing with the example of player.
I actually posted as much yesterday
I prefer to use Pedro Mendes (spit!) or another core player like that who would not have been there.
As far as I can tell LNS commission could not look at that aspect of it. As that is where financial doping came into it.
As far as I’m concerned cant be illegal in the eyes of the law but not in football. Doesn’t make sense.
“a tenner for every fiver” actual meaning:
Two gardeners ask for £5 note to cut your front grass. One gets payed cash in hand, the other files a receipt and declares it in his earnings.
The first is illegal. The second is lawful.
Famous quote coming up:
“I only actually have a fiver on me but if I pay you this way you keep more…”
–Moonbeams Circa 2002
I can’t claim to be an expert on these things but BRTH has highlighted an issue that I thought was an own goal by the Rankers.
As I understand it the only way that the EBT’s could be used without being liable for tax was if they didn’t form part of the player’s remuneraton in return for playing. They had to be loans otherwise pay yer taxes.
Rankers couldn’t register these payments with the SFA as to do so would be admitting that these “loans” formed part of a contractual agreement.
LNS and the subsequent statement from the ragers confirmed that these payments should have been registered.
Does that then make them liable for tax? Has Hector been watching?
Can Hector through BDO now pursue Chuckles for more cash, pending a successful appeal, as the assets of ragers were sold off on the cheap?
Or is this just all wishful thinking on my part?
24 hours after the LNS farce and still feel ashamed of the establishment in our country. Watched, read and listening to them revel in their “triumph”- some even have the gall to seek an apology to THEM makes you want to be sick.
Then you remember they are dead and are no longer there to apologise to.
Worst aspect for me is so many fans of all clubs are so sickened they will walk away from football for good.
Conversely the orcs will flock to Ibrox in greater numbers than ever to revel in the most pyrrhic of victories.
Truly sickened by all of this.
Did Neil Alexander have an EBT?
Does this mean his registration should be revoked?
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan
I wouldn’t be so sure about none of those directors being back in power.
One is currently President and Bryson has been there since the Cadete scandal and probably before.
The SFA is and has been a revolving door or a safe haven for these folk for too long and I seriously doubt they will be cleared out.
You are correct when you say trust has gone completely but the usual sacrificial lamb will be offered up at best, an elasto-plast put on the the remainder and we’ll be back to where we were sooner rather than later I fear.
HamiltonTim
A sad fact I think. I do understand it though, even said the same thing last summer before they were liquidated.
But, I said yesterday before I left for some CQN down time as it were.
Celtic is my blood. That will never change.
oh the rangers are dead……..lets not worry too much about punishments,we wont have that monkey on our back for three years..lets just get some monkey trainers in place so that we all know its a level playing field. they cheated and to a certain extent got away with it.it is celtic and scotlands responsibility to ensure that these scum dont and cannot be in a position to do it again…….let them know that we know ……wipe the last ten or so years off of scottish football history,it was a shamfor all we know anything we won they may have allowed,the whole decade is a write off(yes even the things not won by them)scottish football(spl)started again at the start of last season…even as posted earlier seville was tarnished by those cheats…..as a collective all of scottish football should unite,the cheatings over lets start again rangers are no more the fact that their pheonix is in div 3 is a slur but only that ,celtic are by far the richest club in scotland we are the only one that matters in the bigger pictur it is our responsibility to ensure that it stays that way for a very long time so we give back a few trophies what does it matter …will even they have the gonads to mention 54 they are scotlands shame always where always are and always will be. fact H.H.
Son of Gabriel
I think Celtic can play this smart and release a statement.
They should be seeking clarity on the rules and that this debacle should not be allowed to happen again. They should be sending a letter to UEFA/FIFA to communicate their vote of no confidence in the governing football bodies in Scotland.
We had our fingers burned with Jorge Cadette. The SFA would not support us in our appeal against the John Collins move which Fergus rightly felt we were entitled to cash. The SFA submitted the relevant paper work for that appeal late (SHOCK).
We are now witnessing wide scale cheating and cover ups for the benefit of one club. They have bent over backwards to accodate them. They even couldn’t make that decision and asked the clubs to do it. What league should Rangers newco be in? You are in charge. You tell us!
They are incompetent or colluding with one football club for their benefit and their benefit alone. I didn’t think it would get much worse thann the Dougie, Dougie incident but this takes it to a different level.
I’m more than scunnered by this and the crowds at all other grounds will drop even further. Armegeddon for the game in Scotland was predicted and yesterday it happened. It is OK to cheat as long as you are Rangers!
LB
In my opinion our best bet is if a sufficient number of our fellow clubs voice anger and concern at this incredible outcome.
Celtic acting alone will be easily marginalised and denigrated by an enthusiastic scoddish press.
Hugh Bonkle fae Dallas
10:42
As I read it this was TFOD’s get out clause line.
May mean HMRC can pursue the players for the money paid to them.
The most common expressions that I heard yesterday were , white wash , fudged , fix but the one I heard most was expected says it all for me
With refernce to my last post I will leave that for the clever clogs on the blog to explain in detail as I am far away from an expert on this
LiviBhoy
10:51
The only way I would want a statement from our club would be if it was measured and with the support of every other club in the league.
As bankiebhoy actually said just a second ago as well.
I fear however the other clubs are too afraid of teh repercussions of such a statement, even if it would get blamed on the “puppet master (Big Bag Lawwell)”
Gretnabhoy
09:23 on
1 March, 2013
Made the mistake if reading Keech Jackson on the DR internet(I would never pay for it) it’s Hun believable ! It’s everybody’s fault bar the glorious Rakers, they are the VICTIMS yes the victims and if anyone is to blame it is the SFA, SPL and Whyte.
__
The DR probably don’t care to believe what Mark Daly found. If you want a full list of the people who killed that club, look here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-18148818
With “loans” of over £48million pounds. Properly administered and tax paid, then HMRC would not have come after them, and there would have been no doubt over what was due. These are the people who continued to line their own pockets while creditors were being stiffed.Perhaps not illegal, but surely imoral. Administration and liquidation could have been avoided. Yet they continue blame is on CW, SFA, SPL.
This also shows what DM did for them, he managed to take for himself through an ebt more money than he borrowed in the first place to buy them
What’s the opposite of a sugar daddy? Let me suggest a sugar parasite.
Well they have a new one now in CG. They are all welcome to each other.
HH
I didn`t care about Celtic being awarded titles but the authorities should have declared them void. The deluge of arrogance we have had to suffer it just proves to me that I`m right to dislike the horrible lot.
Come on the Celts!
G’day Sixtaeseven
Thanks.
Hope its a bright day where you are, although bright and sunny here its a dark place, just now.
HH
Meeting time chaps, I’ll catch you later
greenmaestro
10:57
Most incriminating thing about that is that the knew to declare SOME of them.
HUN believable is right
You can’t beat the establishment, that’s why they are the establishment.
So where do we go from here?
Do we just suck it up and try to create as much on and off field daylight, before the forces of darkness return to darken our SP Hell doorstep. Just sit back and watch the MIB continue to aid their climb up the leagues. What is it now 11 red cards in 13 games for Sevco’s opponents? Or perhaps even worse with this decision yesterday. Will Sevco be fast tracked to the top flight, whitewashed and all dignified again?
Perhaps we as fans, should once again make a stand to galvanise fan power with real justice in mind. Or better stil I think it’s time to draw the line & actively accelerate our departure from what is now proven beyond doubt to be a corrupt league/society. It’s now got to the point where I no longer care about which league/association Celtic play in, just as long as it’s not this one.
I’m a Celtic supporter, Get me out of here!
In 5 days time we should have qualified for the cup semi final and could be in the quarter finals of the Champions (cos that’s what we are) League. I will focus my energies on that for now. My feelings for Celtic haven’t changed one iota (whatever that is) despite yesterday’s absurd judgement.
Oh and just loved the posts just before 10.00 by TBB and northbhoy.
As for this beautiful weather…,
Back to lurkin and workin…
Good Morning Cqn
well as they sat the baws burst,
I am a member of a golf club,and go to see Celtic now and then,i will soon have the full pension,so with company pension i was thinking of a season ticket next season,i love Celtic but sorry this country is corrupt,sorry peter i aint buying one,unless we get out of this league.
H H
Hugh Bonkle fae Dallas 10:42 on 1 March, 2013
BDO will do nothing. The whole thing has been pre-determined as they are scared stiff of the hordes.
Green getting to buy ibrox for 5 million.
Getting a place in the league ahead of more deserving clubs.
Being allowed to sign players.
BTC verdict.
Yesterday’s non-punishment.
I never wanted ‘their’ grandchildren to be Celtic supporters anyway!!!
One day we WILL escape the cesspit that is Scottish football,
Till then we need to stand united.
Yesterday I was sickened to the point of “whats the point”.
Today I say everytime the sevconian lifts his SHAME FILLED, GUILT RIDDEN,CHEATING HEAD.
He will see mee standing TALL & PROUD with my celtic brothers and sisters saying “bring it on “.
We are celtic not the board, I would love the club to make a statement, but if not SO BE IT.
But I say to the board NEVER NEVER NEVER get into bed with them again, In any shape or form,That I will never accept.
I know sevco are cheating ,guilty scum and I for one will never stop telling them that.
brogan rogan trevino and hogan supports kano 1000
10:30 on 1 March, 2013
so much fine info from LNS ……..but who advised him to fine oldco £250000 as set punishment?
knowing that it would never be payed
the spl enquiry cost £400000 ? paid from the spl clubs funds i take it
THE STENCH FROM HAMPDUMP WILL LINGER FOR MANY MORE YEARS TO COME
jam67