Tomorrow’s SPL meeting is something of a formality, albeit as dramatic as a formality can be. The main scheduled action of the week is underway at Hampden right now. We hear that after issuing threats to exclude 20 SFL clubs from future access to the top two divisions in Scottish football, SPL and SFA chief executives, Neil Doncaster and Stewart Regan, will face irate SFL chairmen.
In mitigation of the criticism coming his way, Mr Doncaster is offering your money, in perpetuity, to buy votes to allow Sevco to gain direct access to the First Division. If passed, they would probably enter the SPL next season, close to debt free, while Celtic carry peak debt of around £35m after playing by the rules and not qualifying for Champions League football during the last three seasons.
In short, if Mr Doncaster manages to persuade the SFL chairmen to back his plan, Sevco will become by far the strongest team in the SPL a year from now.
The plan has been rejected as wholly unacceptable by an impressive list of clubs with no association whatsoever with Celtic, many of whom exist hand-to-mouth and whose vote against will cost them considerable income.
Doncaster’s part in creating this shambles cannot be underestimated. He perpetuated the myth that “Rangers” should and would be in next season’s SPL, allowing people to invest in an undeliverable strategy, including Charles Green.
Mr Doncaster is an employee of the company Celtic are an equal-twelfth shareholder in. His actions are wholly incompatible with sporting meritocracy. As Celtic shareholders we call for his resignation and, if this is not forthcoming, demand he faces a confidence vote.
“Without fear or favour” was the promise from Stewart Regan when he told us he would apply the rules evenly as the Rangers saga unfolded. In advocating rules are torn up and replaced his words are laughable.
His assertion that the actions of Campbell Ogilvie over Rangers EBTs had been investigated and that Ogilvie was found to be without blame was misleading. It is our assertion that the actions of Mr Ogilvie were not investigated at all and that Mr Regan spoke to protect his ally, who remains in position despite being “heavily conflicted” according to Mr Regan, and the SFA being in desperate need of a strong and active president.
Mr Regan is now wholly compromised and must resign or also face a vote of confidence. Two years ago he joined a dysfunctional organisation. He had a great opportunity to make a name for himself as a successful troubleshooter. Instead he’s made matters worse!
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Beyonce
Knowles
And close the door when you go …
James Forest
——————–
festina lente!
Disband the SFA…
Paul67
Woulda shoulda coulda ….
The Story of Celtic In the Greatest Crisis in Scottish Football History.
We’ve taken a back seat up until now. I very doubt we’ll buck that trend by demanding heads roll. Never going to happen.
Paul
hot off the press…
wee vid from this morning at Hampden
…John Yorkson…
“we feel they should go in(to) the 3rd division”…
and thoughts of Jim Jeffries…
http://s1235.photobucket.com/albums/ff421/TopCorner1/?action=view¤t=JohnYorkson-JimJeffries.mp4
Paul67
Is this an indication that you expect Celtic to issue a statement soon on this matter?
James Forrest is Neil Lennon! We are ALL Neil Lennon! on 3 July, 2012 at 12:20 said:
How do you know we’ve taken a back seat are you privy to what goes on at Celtic Park, do you what discussions Celtic’s board have had with any other members of the SPL??
I see Malcolm Murray has “apologised” on behalf of Rangers.
Scum. Utter gutter scum. With one day left to go until the vote? This stinks. This is a guy standing trial, on the final day before the jury is sent out to consider the verdict, making a plea for clemency.
They are shameless. Not an unexpected development, but sickening just the same.
Surely we should be calling for Ogilvie’s head as well?
Paul67
This is far from an fait accompli.
Who will depose, never mind denounce them, running the risk of failure and alienation?
And they can take RC Ogilive with them.
As Mr Turnbull Hutton said…the game is corrupt.
Jim McBEth should have been looking closer at home when he talked about corruption in football.
Italian football is a paragon of virtue in comparison to the goat-skinned wheeling dealing done in Scottish football.
Paul67 – said it before and I will say it again, I believe the Celtic board are fairly relaxed about rangers getting back into the SPL in a year. Business is business and a weekened rangers back in the spl is a better business option than them in the 3rd division.
For the record I think they should think themselves lucky to even be considered for the 3rd division.
Paul I completely agree – are Celtic about to do so?
Paul67 – do you know what shareholders of Celtic plc need to do to call an EGM ?
I have defended our need for silence to date, lest we be seen as driving the agenda, but surely now that our money is being offered as a sweetener then the club have to flex our muscles.
Can we not add Ogilvie, Broadfoot, Longmuir and Rob Shorthouse to the list ?
may as well
Hail Hail
That Ladies and Gentlemen is the sound of patience running out!
These two clowns have been given the benefit of a series of doubts. No more.
Doncaster hasn’t surprised me but Regan has disappointed me. I expected little from the former but much more from the latter.
Let’s get them the hell out of the game in Scotland and when we do, please God let their replacements prove to be more willing. As was said the other day, conscious incompetence is unforgiveable and these guys are guilty as sin of that.
Now, replacements……Wallace and Gromit? Stadler and Waldorf?
starry plough on 3 July, 2012 at 12:22 said:
I know the club has let other clubs do the fighting for us, and I suspect they’ve let supporters do their talking too.
We’ve been hiding under the bed. I don’t buy any of this “diligence behind the scenes” garbage for one minute. Not one minute.
We should have broke the silence last week, when that stinking rancid SFL document was published. That was the step too far. That was the moment when it became clear no rules would be allowed to stand, no principles supported, no commitments honoured if NewCo’s position was compromised.
That was the moment the scandal at Ibrox became a scandal on Scottish football, and our silence since then has been shameful.
ALL The HUN Lovin Criminals must Go!
Ogilvie First
And another thing – if the Celtic board give out a statement condeming anything – its cos they know its already a done deal and can now play to the galleries as to be seen to be doing what they can to stop this “outrage”.
LetdowntoomanytimesCFC
James Forrest. If you knew me you’d know I’m the last man to walk away from a fight or a threat. And of course it’s not true that we said nothing. What we said was:
Celtic Football Club statement
By: Newsroom Staff on 10 May, 2012 09:34
CELTIC Football Club has today issued a statement regarding the ongoing situation in Scottish football.
The Chief Executive said: “We are fully aware of our supporters´ concerns regarding the current situation across Scottish football and the breadth of opinion within our supporter base.
“The issues are complex and there is much uncertainty. Indeed, the situation repeatedly changes, even on a daily basis. I am sure our supporters understand that these developments are receiving our full focus and attention.
“Our guiding principle is that we will do what is in the best interests of Celtic Football Club and our supporters, consistent with upholding the interests and reputation of Scottish football.”
Had we stated our position then the press would have asked for an update at every twist and turn on the road since then.
Had the noises emanating from other clubs in the interim suggested they were to be exonerated yes I would have supported stronger action. But since the SPL and then SFL clubs in turn have publicly rejected them despite the threats and rumours I still think we’ve played it correctly by not wading in and being seen to try to lead the rest toward our preferred outcome.
James Forrest. This isn’t Men In Black. When your head explodes is not going to grow back.
May I suggest slippers, a pipe, an arm chair and a poofy. Feet up. Kick back and relax.
C’mon. You know it makes sense.
MWD
Doncaster and Regan without Ogilvie brings us nothing, Ogilvie has to go too to have any chance of having the SFA reformed and fit for purpose…
quite simply and bluntly there is right and there is wrong its not hard unless you are corrupt.
Paul67
Not convinced resignations are on the agenda. ( though they should be )
Confident in Celtic every step of the way in all of this, my guess is that Rangers (IL) stay out regardless of the next two days.
Some Celtic fans naivety will be exposed, and silenced in the coming days.
Hoi Paul
I penned and posted this before your new article. Dysfunctional indeed. Great minds eh?
If there is not a saying “If you do not value/love yourself enough, then how can anyone else/” then there is now.
This can apply to Scottish Football and those who run it. The game brings itself down because it does not value itself. For a nation who produced a list of footballers who could have played alongside Iniesta, Xavi and Alonso and look comfortable, for a nation that scored more goals against the team with those guys in it than any other nation in the last 18 months, it is clear we do not value ourselves. We think we are praire chickens * and Sky are one of the current mother hens telling us that we are.
I calculated a couple of years back that Sky take £109M from subscribers in Scotand. I have seen two other estimates in the past two days that are £19M short of that and the other way higher. The point is Sky earn a significant amount of money from Scottish subscribers and we should know how much and, if we truly value ourselves, demand a contract that reflects what Sky earn from their Scottish subscriber base.
With BT Vision entering the Sky market there is now a competitor to broadcast our game and if BT have any acumen they have the perfect opportunity to present themselves as supporters of a game in need of help and ready to value that potential customer base.
So rather than focus on the potential loss because no one likes us, why not look at alternatives because we value ourselves? We have every right to do so, our ethics are screaming that message to the world and to ourselves.
UEFA have it in their Vision Europe mission statement an aim of assisting associations who need help and spend revenue to help the solidarity of the game . Why are they not being approached for help? £16M is peanuts to them.
Are the SFA/SPL a reflection of a dysfunctional mindset that not only cannot admit it needs help but actually seeks refuge in the “no one likes us ” mentality that makes a solution that truly values our game impossible because they fear the unknown of being valued?
Jabba and co too think they are prairie chickens, and act like the mother hen. Charles Greene is another, read The Paririe Chicken story and his latest statement..
This is an opportunity for Scottish football to stop grubbing around for worms on the prairie floor and take wings and fly. It is not the men in charge that is the problem, it is the thinking of the men that permeates our game.
Time to stop grubbing and holding on to the ground, time to change our minds, time to fly.
The Prairie Chicken Story.
There once was an Apache brave that was walking down the trail when he discovered an eagle’s egg had fallen out of it’s nest. He looked up and saw that the nest was too high for him to return the egg. So he placed the egg in a nearby prairie chicken nest.
When the egg hatched, the little eagle thought he was a prairie chicken. Prairie chickens stay on the ground and eat only worms and grubs. So, as the eagle grew, he ate nothing but worms and grubs and walked around with the other prairie chickens.
One day, he looked up in the sky and saw some eagles soaring high above. He asked one of the prairie chickens, “How can they fly up there while we are down here eating worms and grubs?”
The prairie chicken answered, “They are the eagles, they can do that but we must stay down here. We are prairie chickens and that is what we do.”
So, the eagle spent the rest of his life flying very little and eating worms and grubs just because he was told that was all he could do.
The Kano Foundation T-in-the-Park Raffle
The name drawn out for the tickets is marcthespark from the huddle board.
Congratulations and i hope you enjoy it.
Sanna
JF – nothing has happened yet. Nothing. It is PR guff from a dying tradition.
The SFL blackmail document was ludicrous and has been ridiculed and roundly rejected by the SFL clubs. Celtic need not comment on that.
It is 95% likely Celtic will not need to make a statement at all as today the conspirators will be told by the SFL their plan is a disgrace and a sham and that any NewCo has to apply to Division 3. Tomorrow the property company’s request to possess the body of a dead football club will also be rejected.
By tomorrow afternoon Sevco will have 2 choices. Division 3 or oblivion for “Rangers” as the purchase of another league club and cannibalising that consigns the filth to history unequivocally.
This happening without an utterance from us renders impotent the media machine that is now on Green’s side (note how the cancellation of the meeting with John “Buy The Pies” Brown barely got a mention today?)
I would much rather Celtic stayed silent during the actual death scene then speak and take the lead on the roadmap for the future.
We are the biggest club now, this is us acting like it.
With a bit of luck Celtic won’t have to call for anything. So far the whole hoose has come a-tumblin’ down without so much as a huff or a puff from Celtic (at least not in public). In this kind of situation there’s a lot to be said for sitting back, smiling and keeping one’s trap shut.
Terrymac,
I have taken the fact that you don’t actually BUY this exorbitant elixir into consideration, & taking account of your previous unblemished record, I am prepared on this occasion to be lenient.
One Our Father, one Hail Mary & a heartfelt Act of Contrition should just about suffice.
:¬)))
Paul,
You know we all like to be childish and say “I told you so”? Well, you and I disagreed on here about Regan, with you suggesting a month or so ago that we should still give him a chance while I said that he had succumbed to the ‘hairy hand’ influence of the dark crowd. OK, I TOTALLY agree with you today!
BTW I’ve been thinking over the last week/ten days that as CEO’s both Regan and Doncaster were employees and as such were in place to execute the wishes of their employers (the clubs). Am I wrong in that assumption?
James,
Damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t.
To be fair he did say he believed an apology was due some time ago in an interview.
They are desperate men in a dire situation from which there can be no honest escape unless they follow the path of applying for the 3rd division.
Let’s not damn them for saying sorry regardless of the timing.
We need to move on from this without rancour if fairness is seen to be done.
If there is a fudge then all the apologies will mean nothing and the death of Scottish football has begun.
also, from Hampden this morning, Turnbull Hutton, Chairman of Raith Rovers…
“we have been bullied”, “we have been lied to”….and again…they should go to the “3rd division”
press lads excited like a pack of wee puppy dogs at that one
TH was one for the few who stopped to chat, and he did so bravely
one or two others also noted the 3rd division
the other chairmen either said they would comment after the meeting or did not comment at all
one rangers fan was in attendance with a banner on the front screen of his car….
“we bite back, SPL”… with image of a bulldog and a union flag
fair do’s to him for supporting his side
have a few photos – will upload them later
off oot to hamilton races now
have a good one
TC
:)
And James.
STOP READING THE DAILY RECORD
The People’s Friend is a more suitably relaxing publication.
MWD
Paul67:
I have admired your bravery for years, however it is not you who should be calling for a vote of NO CONFIDENCE in Regan and Doncaster and Ogilvie, Celtic PLC should be doing that on behalf of all their shareholders, season ticket holders, Supporters and fans, and every other club in Scotland who do value integrity over tainted coin should be shouting from the roof tops too.
This crassness has been tolerated too long.
i
James Forrest is Neil Lennon! We are ALL Neil Lennon! on 3 July, 2012 at 12:27 said:
James commenting before anything has been voted upon is ill advised and seems like the same tactics used by Green.
The high level of drama that you describe doesn’t exist in the world of business and I personally don’t want Celtic dragged into a slagging match with everyone and their dug.
There is a groundswell of football opinion that is against the SFL document and the good guys will win.
The more this becomes about the SFA and the former rangers the more some of us want to make it about Celtic.
This is not yet Celtics fight, sorry to say james if you led us on the battlefield we would be slaughtered..
UEFA will NOT move an inch. UEFA will leave this to the domestic association to sort out.
Be under no illusions about their involvement. It will not happen barring one of the member clubs taking a case to them. And if the other member clubs have voted for something, that’s all she wrote.
You are effectively saying that UEFA will rubber stamp the 6 clubs in the EPL that carry 2 BILLION POUNDS in debt with an escape route from their debt?
DO you agree that this is what you are saying and that is highly unlikely ?
Hail Hail