I didn’t realise until watching TV last night it was Keith Lasley that Anthony Stokes ‘did’ on Saturday, the player who put Adam Matthews out of the game for a couple of months. It’s a physical game, and I’m not going to concede violent behaviour is acceptable, but it would be super-human to not be affected by earlier violence. We need to rise above this.
On a similar theme…. Another incident I missed at the game was James McFadden wresting Fraser Forster, who was holding the ball, early in the second half. Minutes later Fraser threw himself to deny McFadden what looked like a certain goal.
Players need an edge to be able to summon their very best performances, and a wee nyaff climbing all over you is as likely to give you an edge as anything. McFadden has a few years left in him. He’s at a well-run club who will give him the platform to excel, if he can find the focus to deliver.
I see some re-writing of history today and over the weekend on where responsibility for Newco Rangers acute financial plight lies. Among throwing blame on convenient scapegoats, one-time-hero-though-transparent-chancer Charles Green, and financial director, Brian Stockbridge, few seem prepared to offer up the prized oaf.
They banked £22m from a share issue and cash from circa 30,000 ticket sales, enough to see them through to top flight football, as long as they didn’t blow it on football bling. So who was responsible for doing exactly that (if you can stretch the definition of bling to Jon Daly and even lesser appealing gems)?
Sure, Stockbridge and Mather signed off, and they certainly knew the financial situation the club was in, but we know enough of the story to explain why it happened.
Despite having a budget close to 100 times their opponents Newco suffered considerable humiliation at the hands of fourth-tier clubs last season. Without reinforcements their chances of progress from the third tier was far from guaranteed – if they continued to allow Ally McCoist to run football operations.
McCoist was unsackable. He played the fans perfectly, earning a ridiculous contract and shares a 1p each for his ability to put bums on seats. Mather had to throw enough talent into the squad to ensure promotion with McCoist in charge, then rely on Charles Green to pull together another share issue.
The question you have to ask is, once McCoist had his reinforcements, who torpedoed the Charles Green supply ship?
No one is going to tell you Charles Green is a man you would want associated with your club, but before mob-rule ensured his attempts to raise investment cash were quashed, should someone not have asked the questions, why did the board find it necessary to bring such a pariah back and what happens if we throw him and his investment plans out?
We’re about to find out.
If suggestions that Newco will come close to expiring cash in hand before season ticket income arrives are accurate I expect they will get there, even if players don’t agree to a wage cut. Companies can control when to pay creditors, even HMRC, who despite what is likely to be an acute interest in Newco, would take months to complete a debt recovery action.
Don’t get too drawn in the minutia of this, whether an insolvency event happens or not does not change the fundamentals, which we touched on last week. Newco had a gamblers chance of turning into something resembling Oldco.
Spooking the SPL into giving them a ticket into top flight football would have seen them debt free and competing for last season’s SPL. Three years of paying our bills while losing the league would have been pointless. I genuinely think only one of Glasgow’s big teams was ever going to survive the SPL decision on Newco.
Had they liquidated Oldco, then flooded Newco with talent and won the league, Celtic would not have recovered, a reality that should be remembered when journalists talk about Scottish football harming itself in 2012. It was them or us.
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Is Forfar’s number 9 big hen broon?
Whenever I watch Everton I pay special attention to MCCarthy’s performance.
I have yet to see him give a commanding performance.
He is just ordinary for me.
He creates nothing and is rarely a goal threat.
He is a poor version of the off times invisible Joe Ledley.
I fact Joe is a much better player.
Even if we had the multi millions I would hope we wouldn’t waste it on overhyped / overpriced EPL journeymen like McCarthy.
I hope I’m wrong ,but I also don’t see Aiden getting much game time down there.
TT
TinyTim
He has a good manager who patiently waited to sign him I think Aiden will get a fair crack at it .
burnley 78
Jim Brogan wisnae a bad rugby player.
Learned a lot at St Joseph’s College in Dumfries.
Played them at fitba’ late 60s/early 70s – dirty bassas, but good Tims.
HH!!
hahahaha a heating engineer has just wiped oot a zombie ….braw …
Apologies for going on&on&on….
But the SFA have confirmed that the membership that Sevco was granted was not a new membership, it was a transfer of Rangers FC’s.
This is the reason the SFA, SPFL see the Club as a continuation.
When they qualify for Europe UEFA ergo FIFA will see them as a continuation.
That’s the bottom line fholks.
Hail Hail
burnley78
20:39 on 20 January, 2014
I still think with the money we were spending at that time he would have been value.
I also think we would have won in Seville had he been playing.
…………………………
Agree with you mate!
He would’ve been my first choice at the time as he definitely made an impression.
A glaring case of if only!
HH GMB
I notice that everyone of the Forfar players are called Mike McEwan. A world record, surely?
That was dull yin from the heating engineer on wallace
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo
Winston Chruchill will never surrender. Auldheid is going to have to deliver the fatal metaphorical bullet.
Achieving democracy is more important that a scalp though.
That number on the back of Sevco’s strip. Is that the temperature their brass necks melt at?
leftclick together we will get justice for the dam 5
20:56 on 20 January, 2014
You are spot on mate, Aiden will indeed be appreciated by a Manager who has admired him for a while and will use his skills the way should be used.
He will do just fine.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
leftclick Together we will get justice for the Dam 5
20:45 on
I don’t usually watch them but as I have BT sport an my B-in-law doesn’t then I agreed to watch it ith him. As someone said earlier, if we drew them in the cup I would be rubbing my hands in glee.
Would rather we don’t meet them though as the money they’d get from it would useful in staving off admin for them.
The bottom line is whatever team plays from Ibrox is not going to be a serious competitor to Celtic for at least five years.
That heating engineer playing right back must be on earlies tomorrow.
He’ll be off soon.
Sevco were only granted associate membership of the SFA which is why they did not have a vote and had to start the SFA Scottish Cup in the early rounds with other clubs of that ilk – exactly like any other new club would.
Any bakers in the Forfar side?
…and is the tea-lady called Bridie?
HH!!
theweegreenman
21:00 on
20 January, 2014
That number on the back of Sevco’s strip. Is that the temperature their brass necks melt at?
It’s their IQs :-)
Morrisey 23rd
Good to hear from u bud.
U ain’t posted much of late ?
djynwa67
I got no issues with that. What I take issue with is a player that repeatedly protests to the media that he wants to stay at the club & how much he loves the club. Keeping your options open is not the mindset of a guy with this sentiment.
——
Genuine question, has Joe actually said he wants to stay?
I know NL has been quoted as saying “I think Joe wants to stay” , but I haven’t seen anything from Joe.
It all looks similar to the Gary Hooper who supposedly wanted to stay……until he left !
marspapa @ 20:04
To think making money from cheating Celtic in Scottish football could ever happen.
Nakasammi
Of their entire support you mean of course…. :-)
BT sports commentators apologising for “any swearing you may have heard from the away fans”
morrissey the 23rd viva resolution 12!
21:01 on 20 January, 2014
I would go as far as to say that it will be at least 10 years, if not longer.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Burghbhoy @ 21:04
I was chatting to Auldheid earlier and he suggested I check something on the blog. I said to him, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU
nakasammi
20:45 on 20 January, 2014
adi_dasler
Just read your post. I didn’t realise that’s what happened
What is Catalonian for pillock? :-) He’s from Barcelona!
Peelochhhh
Nice one
MON rated him but apparently he was in tears about it
embramike supporting wee oscar and res 12
21:02 on 20 January, 2014
Sevco were only granted associate membership of the SFA which is why they did not have a vote and had to start the SFA Scottish Cup in the early rounds with other clubs of that ilk – exactly like any other new club would.
…………………
Well said, if they were the same club they could’ve posted accounts, not very good ones admittedly, to UEFA and played their money spinning games in Europe that they are desperate for!
HH GMB
I mean Broto not MON !
Lennybhoy…Supporting the DAM 5, Neil Lennon, Wee Oscar Knox, and CFC until I die @
21:10
I’d say a reasonable educated guess would be 7 to 10 years. I was making a statement that wouldn’t have any risk to be used against me at a later date by either of my big brothers.
Get Aiden oan there, Everton….
Morrissey the 23rd Viva Resolution 12!
Hope you are well :))
any ghuys here bet?
Got to be a penalty in the hun game.
Everytime they are in the box they are claiming.
Straight from the Swalex book of surround the ref and complain.
Get the implay betting on, got to be worth a punt
Anyone disagree that the final score will be;
Forfar 0 Sevco 1
Elbows
(Pen.) 88
??????
they r mince.dont want to meet them in the cup but if we did i would expect six or seven especially at paradise.
did anybody hear on cosgrove and the not so comedic comedian that when the motherwell female heid yin was on she said that ojama was on a basic £300 quid a week.found it hard to believe but they said the figure was correct.make more sweeping the streets.
adi_dasler
21:11 on
20 January, 2014
I mean Broto not MON !
Your quick clarification probably stopped a few posts being sent!
I had to change mine to this :-)
First of the gang
Is Ojama a sweeper then?
JJ
Morrisey 23rd
Brilliant!
Welcome back home !
Chairbhoy
20:57 on 20 January, 2014
Apologies for going on&on&on….
But the SFA have confirmed that the membership that Sevco was granted was not a new membership, it was a transfer of Rangers FC’s.
This is the reason the SFA, SPFL see the Club as a continuation.
When they qualify for Europe UEFA ergo FIFA will see them as a continuation.
That’s the bottom line fholks.
Hail Hail
By that time Wayne Rooneys barnet will have been relayed more times than Susan Boyles pitch.