Enormous congratulations to Georgios Samaras, Celtic’s Player of the Year, 2012-13. Scoring in five consecutive Champions League away games this season was a remarkable feat. His last minute winner in Moscow was a seismic moment in our progress in that tournament. Georgios is a player who thrives on positive reinforcement but endures negative sentiment without hiding. No wonder all his managers have valued him so highly.
I was also delighted Fraser Forster won the Players’ Player of the Year award. His performances against Barcelona were nothing short of incredible. It should surprise no one that Victor Wanyama and Kelvin Wilson received a large number of votes for the Players’ Player award. Kelvin will play for England if he continues to perform at the level he has this year. Victor was a genuine contender for all awards, including goal of the year, but was honoured only as the Young Player of the Year, reminding us all that his is gifted beyond his years.
I was referred in the direction of yesterday’s Sunday Mail online story about Rangers International FC’s finance director, Brian Stockbridge, showing a reporter the “deeds”, made eloquently famous by John Brown. Stockbridge used the deeds of Ibrox, Murray Park and the Albion car park to “prove Craig Whyte is on a loser”.
Craig Whyte’s current actions against the newco club and his report to the Serious Fraud Office are based on the belief that RIFC inappropriately took possession of Rangers assets, including Ibrox, when the club were liquidated last year. Proving RIFC have the deeds is no defence against Whyte’s claims, in fact, this merely establishes the premise of his point.
Despite discussing these matters with a reporter Mr Stockbridge made no comment on how Sevco Scotland Ltd (since renamed as The Rangers Football Club Ltd), acquired the entitlement to the assets which Sevco 5088 Ltd had an irrevocable agreement to buy after paying an exclusivity fee.
This interview contrasted with Scotland on Sunday’s interview with former oldco Rangers director, Paul Murray, who without a whiff of irony said, “Whoever is involved going forward has to look after the club’s interests first and their own interests second. You are a custodian of the assets and you’re passing it through the generations. That’s your role.”
Well done as a custodian, Mr Murray. I wouldn’t let you be custodian to corner flag (memories of Dougal from Fr Ted on corner flag-watching duty). He also suggests the club “should also get back to some of the values that were there under Bill Struth and William Wilton”. “Some of the values”, do you think he means that most distinct value? I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, but why on earth could he not chose an inspiring custodian from a period when oldco was not blighted by their controversial employment policy? There must be someone. Surely?
Murray does, however, nail several issues in his interview. “You have Charles Green who said he had no involvement with Craig Whyte and that was patently not correct.
“The problem is that when you get found out on these things you then start to question other things. And one of the most important things in all of this is the SFA. The SFA sought very direct and specific assurances that Whyte was not involved and Charles Green gave them those assurances and I’m not sure that was actually correct.
“If Charles Green had a set of documents that proved that Whyte is lying then this thing would have been put to bed in two minutes, but it was then discovered that what Whyte was saying was broadly true.
“I’m not saying he does, but say Whyte owns the assets but on the other side he’s just lost a multi-million pound claim to Ticketus. Are we saying that Ticketus would then own the assets by default? And if they own the assets they’ll want to be paid in order to give the assets back to Rangers, but how will the club do that bearing in mind that it had an IPO [Initial Public Offering of shares] that is potentially not valid?
“It was then discovered that what Whyte was saying was broadly true” is perhaps the most significant understatement I’ve heard in years. The moment Pinsent Masons report will be a watershed.
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Hope to hell the U 17s can pull this back.
Paul Lambert for me too. Villa were 13/10 ;-)
Always had a soft spot for Sunderland, never liked the team that the future king supports.
Lambert.
blantyretim
20:02 on 29 April, 2013LambertWe paid him whilst he went to Germany for his couching badges.
Voguepunter took his couching badges to match the armchair :)
Always Lambert, great Celtic servant, not a shyster who was only with us for 12 mths
How many gigs a week is Provan getting with Sky these days. He is on all the time
Lambert everytime for me.
Paul lambert was one of the best players I’ve ever seen in the hoops. He is on a par with his cancer stricken captain as a hunskelper.
I want villa to win tonight.
Lambert for me. He gaving everything when he played for the Hoops, Di Canio took everything.
Substance versus style.
AleetleproblemCSC
Hrvatski jim
I’ll have another go :o)
Tho 4 years earlier, spain refused to play the ussr in the semi final of euro 64 citing political differences. ussr went on to win final against czechoslovakia
greenyin
Di Canio…self important self publicist
Ped67
I believe Paolo got his first dug from the kennels in Kilbarchan.
Lambert without a doubt.
However, I think Sunderland will win 2-1 tonight. Want both teams and wigan to stay up. Want Newcastle to go down.
Jeezo, is haymarket the new uk drugs capital……
How dangerous was that last year? Dettori on a godolphin horse!!
blantyretim
20:02 on 29 April, 2013
Lambert
We paid him whilst he went to Germany for his couching badges.
His career is sofa so good
D I Canio … loved him but he was never a real celt.
Always remember paul playing for dortmund against manure… English commentator calling him lam bert with a french accent ;)
HT
I’m changing my mins then, I like dugs…..Paulo it is then :-)
Paul Lambert for me.
Hrvatski Jim
19:42 on 29 April, 2013
Can anyone remember the last time that a club scratched form a top team competition?
You may remember a team called Rangers who played in the Glasgow Cup. In 1968 they were struggling to stay at the top of the league when a rampant Celtic team was closing in on them by winning games comfortably.
When the draw for the Glasgow Cup was made, Rangers would not confirm a date for the semi-final tie and eventually scratched from the tournament rather than face Celtic. Their directors cited “fixture congestion” as they were still in the Scottish Cup and the Fairs City Cup, but the common view was that they were afraid of a hiding.
Their ploy failed. Morton held them to a 1-1 draw, eliminating their lead in the league and they lost the last game of the season to Aberdeen, leaving the road clear for Celtic to beat Dunfermline and take the title. Hearts put them out of the Scottish Cup and Leeds United put them out of Europe
*hate yae be pdeantic but it was 3-3 with Morton leading 3-1 at one time, that same night we beat Clyde 8-0 in the GC Final.
On the Saturday we cheered the same Motron on to the pitch at CP, it almost backfired as it was 1-1 going intae injury time when big Tam rampaged doon the wing and crossed for the buzz bomb tae score.
We didnae have a game the following Saturday when the sheep beat them as it was SC Final day (yes there used tae be a league card that day, big Jock got it stopped), so we became champions without kicking a ball.
The following Tuesday we beat the cup holders 2-1 at East End Park.
nothing each draw for me
Rafa for Newcastle?
Lambo for me, hunskelper and a true gent. Gave my Bhoys a signed Celtic top when he was doing his badges over here.
Lambert every time and relegation for the Geordies.
Love how the Villa fans keep the 19th minute applause for Stan going.
Di Canio also applauded – maybe a bit more substance than I gave him credit for earlier…
HH
If it’s a choice between Lambert or Di Canio,…Lambert every time.
Clubs….Sunderland every time.
3 to 1 now Sevco
Are the young bhoys still losing ?
ItaliaBhoy
19:55 on
29 April, 2013
Lambert vs Paolo.
Who we supporting?
————————
Was just logging in , having just tuned into Sky to watch the game and was about to post that same question.
Lambert for me every time but Di Canio did show some class there in applauding Stan in the 19th minute.
any help would be much appreciated
http://togetherforsam.azurewebsites.net/
Ah well
£2.25m compensation for henning berg….how many chickens is that?
3-1 to the zombies. They will treat it as being equal to 1967.
SOAL
Mana from heaven for the MSM
No doubt sevco should be invited back into the SPL on the back of this ….should it remain the same score
Just been texted from a mate who told me its 3-1 Servo and describes the place as nuts. So Firhill must be really mental….
Watching AV/Sunderland sums up how poor the EPL has been this season.
2 dreadful teams.
Deja vu as the under 17 trail 3 to 1 after being one up
Goal villa