Paul Simon wrote about ‘a loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires’ but if you want to raise money to rescue a company you need more than a loose affiliation. ‘The rebels’ at Celtic managed this in 1994 (somehow), but Paul Murray’s Blue Knights affiliation unravelled over a few days.
While Duff and Phelps were casting aspersions on the SPL for spiking their plans to announce a preferred bidder last week, the Blue Knights were already struggling to pull £0.5m together as a covenant to secure a period of exclusive rights to buy the club.
18 years ago a Celtic supporter walked into a branch of Bank of Scotland and paid £1m into Celtic’s bank account to bring it back under agreed limits and prevent the club going into administration – without any security or negotiating rights. A discrete but hugely important act by a man still on our board. No one from the Rangers consortium was prepared to gamble half as much last week, they even asked Ticketus, finance provider for Craig Whyte’s doomed venture, to stump up the non-refundable cash! The ticket agency declined.
The Celtic consortium soon fell apart with a modest degree of acrimony but personal issues were put to the side until the job of securing the club was complete. Paul Murray’s group was less fortunate. As a chartered accountant Murray would have been fully aware of the Employee Benefit Trusts which brought the club to its knees. What he knew and whether he benefited are likely to be some of the questions other consortium members were asking. He was not best placed to lead the recovery.
Murray also tried to keep a broad church together, from wealthy but detached Rangers fans to various elements of the support. This sounded ambitious from the off.
The most important comment from the Blue Knights yesterday was “The consortium believes that the whole deal process has become incredibly complex and it is critical that a preferred bidder is appointed this week.”
If it’s possible for the words “incredibly complex” and “critical” to be an understatement this is the occasion. The Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League announce their fixtures in the middle of June. If Rangers are to phoenix before then they better hurry up and die. The liquidation process will take weeks (if it goes smoothly) and can be open to legal challenge. Stadium ownership has also to be secured and the claims of Ticketus and Andrew Ellis have to be satisfied.
Add to the mix creditors, the big tax case, punishments from the SFA for their on-going inquiry into the last takeover, potential punishments from the SPL inquiry into improperly registered players, increasingly widespread opposition from within the SPL and the rest of Scottish football to a place being created for a phoenix and you get the picture.
The last few years reads like a lesson in how to destroy a huge football club. Chances of SPL football at Ibrox next season? No more than 50%.
Bids for the original canvass painting of Neil Lennon by US based artist, Joseph Gormley, have hit an incredible £500. Keep an eye on the auction, which ends on Thursday, here.
Buy a hard copy of CQN Magazine, issue 7, by clicking on the button below. You can read online here.
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Brian Kennedy Hibs fan,supposed to be .Invest some of your money into Hibs rather than Rangers,still cant understand why someone who supports Hibs.
XCLUSIVE
By ROBERT GRIEVE
Published: 17th April 2012
CREDIBLE as a businessman. Genuine as a man.
No double Bill to save Rangers
Bill Ng is both as far as Alastair Johnston can tell.
But is he right for Rangers? The former Ibrox chairman last night told SunSport he’s yet to be convinced.
Far East millionaire Ng has emerged as the front-runner to gain control of Gers — believed to be ahead of US-based Bill Miller in the race for preferred bidder status after Paul Murray and his Blue Knights stepped aside.
Administrators Duff & Phelps have an obligation to do due diligence on prospective buyers.
But Johnston has revealed he’s already made checks of his own.
And the man who once urged everyone to watch Craig Whyte like a hawk insists Ng hasn’t yet done enough to assure him Rangers’ future would be safe in his hands.
Johnston said: “I’ve done my own checking using my sources in America and Singapore.
“I’m quite familiar with the guy and what he’s doing. I just want to make sure in my own mind that his primary purpose is to serve the interests of Rangers Football Club.
“He’s obviously got aspirations for a profile, as he’s acknowledged, to help Singapore football. If that means Rangers becoming a feeder club for Singaporean football then the fans will have to tolerate this”
“As I understand it, the man is credible, he IS genuine. He has some money and some monied partners.
“It’s whether I really think he knows what he’s getting into. Does he understand the expectations of Rangers fans? The jury’s still out as far as I’m concerned.
“The money also has to be real and available very quickly. You know, Craig Whyte drained the life-blood out of Rangers. It really needs revived.
“It really needs a significant amount of resuscitation a fresh employment benefit trust ran properly and quickly.
“The only opportunity Rangers has is a change of control, that is an event where the expectation of the fans is that there is going to be investment in the club.
“If the new owner does not have the ability or the willingness to put money in very quickly that’s going to be a huge disappointment, possibly even a barrier to the continued support of the club by the fans”
Ng has yet to reveal his full intention. Very little is known about the Singapore businessman and that’s what worries Johnston. Rangers don’t have time to make another mistake.
Johnston, speaking from an unknown location in the States, added: “It’s about transparency. Who is involved? Where is the money? Not only has that money got to be real, it’s got to be defined, it’s got to be available.
“It’s got to be known what he’s going to do with it. Then he needs to come out and get the Rangers fans’ support to move forward and do this.
“If he doesn’t get that support he’s got a problem. The fans have the tap that turns on the oil or not. I’m talking about season tickets, hospitality and concessions. Everything that they buy is the primary source of income for that club.
“The American bid and the Singapore bid need to totally understand that 90 per cent of the revenue for Rangers Football Club going ahead comes from the fans.
“Potentially without the TV money, with Rangers perhaps stepping down a division or two, the fans become even more important. That´s why it is important they dont make any cultural jokes like the Nakamura banner faux pas. He might then walk away from it”
“I’m still not sure there is an appreciation of that by the foreign bidders.
“I’d like to get more assurance of that before sanctioning them as the ideal choice for Rangers. Whether it’s the Singapore bid or the American bid just get out in front, just be honest about it, be transparent.
“The bottom line is we cannot have another Craig Whyte situation.
“There is going to be investment involved in saving this club and that means rebuilding for next season.
“Unless the Singapore group is prepared to do that — and I’m not sure how they can actually confirm how much they’re going to spend given the variations in the terms of where Rangers are going to sit in the league — it’s very much a work in process.”
The Ng bid has emerged as the frontrunner after Ticketus opted to work with them rather than Paul Murray and his Blue Knights.
Johnston understands why, but is still wary of their role.
He added: “Ticketus are looking for the best deal for themselves.
“It seems the arrangement they now appear to have with the Singapore group is better than the one they had with the Blue Knights.
“Keep in mind that any money that is going to an owner — or to defer Ticketus’ obligation, or mitigate them — is money that’s not going to go into the club.
“Ticketus obviously have their own investors they have to look after. To some extent unlike we were they were actually embarrassed by the Whyte deal. If the Singapore bid is going to give them a better deal then you can see why they’d take that.
“At the end of the day most Rangers fans don’t really care who the new owner is. That was our failing this time last year but it is about how much money is going to go into the club.”
The part administrators Duff & Phelps have played in Rangers’ recent history is also open to interpretation with bean-counters Paul Clark and David Whitehouse covering themselves in little glory.
Johnston added: “I’ve heard they’ve been naive. I’ve heard they’ve been conflicted. I’ve heard they might be out of their depth. I´ve heard they have racked up a 3.2million pound bill so far. I’ve heard a lot of these things but the jury is still out. Lets see how it ends up.
“Certainly I share the concerns about the fact that they have to get their ducks in line a little bit better, and a lot faster than they’ve been doing.”
Johnston simply cannot understand how discredited owner Whyte can still have a say in how Rangers emerge from their dire situation.
He added: “I think it’s incredible. But when I heard the administrator say that Whyte was irrelevant, I thought that was a very naive statement.”
Anyone got any views on @referee_sfa?
Cant be genuine, can it? If its a spoof the author is being careful.
pc67@10:14
The Huns will almost certainly have their ticket allocation by now so tickets can be posted out etc
The question is
Did Celtic ask for the money upfront? And if not, why not?
Ten Men Won The League on 18 April, 2012 at 10:22 said:
pc67@10:14
”Did Celtic ask for the money upfront? And if not, why not?’
The Administrators, who are acting as officers of the Court of Session, can be relied upon to pay what’s due.
Macjay
Too complex for you maybe
The British government supported apartheid
and did so because it was the best economical decision
and you want to lecture me about principles ?
absence of comment does not imply support other wise you would be getting labelled a racist.
Hail Hail
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon..!!..Truth and Justice will always prevail on 18 April, 2012 at 09:52 said:
“Meant add Sally to the list …”
There was the time when he went onto the pitch at Fir Park during the game. He stopped the ball going out for a shy !
The media thought it was hilarious and the referee did nothing.
Kirk attacks bonuses and tax evasion
Robbie Dinwoodie
Chief Scottish Political Correspondent
THE Kirk has issued a damning report on the “greed and inequality” of the bonus culture and tax avoidance, urging members to back anti-poverty measures such as increasing the minimum wage.
A Kirk commission headed by the former head of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland, Professor Charles Munn, backs four key priorities – reducing inequality, ending poverty, ensuring sustainability and promoting mutualism.
But it is the report’s views on the causes of the economic crisis, with its emphasis on tax evasion and business ethics, which is politically charged.
The report on the Special Commission on the Purposes of Economic Activity states: “We urge the Church to change, in the light of the clear teaching of Scripture, our own priorities in preaching, teaching and action with respect to money, greed and inequalities, as a Gospel witness and to encourage such change among all the people of Scotland.
“We call on the Westminster and Holyrood governments to pursue policies which reduce injurious levels of personal debt, and to introduce a legally binding maximum interest rate of 40% APR for all kinds of consumer credit.
“We call on the UK and Scottish governments to promote financial education in schools and colleges as a priority, and would encourage the promotion and expansion of the Credit Union movement.”
The report also backs the living wage and measures to use procurement policies to spread it. It states: “We affirm support for the minimum wage, and encourage its being raised towards the level of the living wage; we urge that payment of the living wage be made a criterion in awarding goods and services contracts over the value of £100,000 in any year.
“We urge the UK Government to end the UK’s support for tax havens, to support greater international tax transparency, and to prioritise the development and implementation of a code of conduct on business taxation which defines the practices and behaviours firms will and will not undertake.”
The report also encourages business to recognise the “corrosive effects on business ethics of the current unhealthy dependence on the bonus culture”, and urges a return to “more traditional forms of remuneration” .
The report also backs the growing of the “mutual” and co-operative sectors of the Scottish economy towards 10% of the total, the promotion of business models that emphasise positive social impacts, and calls on the Scottish and UK Governments to introduce “immediate fiscal incentives to promote these.”
In one of the most damning passages, the report speaks of the way the “unconstrained market can get things wrong, leaving market outcomes that are unjust and unpredictable”. It speaks of “a moral dimension to markets as well as an economic one and Adam Smith’s ‘invisible hand’ needs some legal and regulatory parameters within which it can work”.
The report insists that “ultimately, markets must reflect the values of society.” It adds that while bankers have borne much of the blame, “many of us in the developed world have played a part in the crisis either by our sins of commission or omission.”
It adds: “The choices we make about how to live differently and use the resources at our disposal wisely are not choices enforced by the market economy but demonstrate the priorities, values and principles of the kind of society we have become.”
Dave Thompson, SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, welcomed the report. He said: “Paying a living wage and tackling poverty through fair pay is a subject very close to my heart as its implementation would have a hugely beneficial impact on families across the country.”
Brian Kennedy is a rugby man. Through and through and through.
He also has previous for shafting a football club that was on it’s knees in preference for a rugby venture, transferring the club’s stadium to the rugby club and handing the football club, debt and all (but now minus a stadium), to the fans. He now charges the football club rent money.
He has also previously tried (and failed) to bring London Scottish to Edinburgh.
He also previously tried (and failed) to buy Edinburgh Rugby when they were up for sale.
He’s also been rumoured to be looking at Glasgow Warriors and is almost certainly still trying to tap into the Scottish Rugby market.
He is a proud Scotsman who would love to put Scottish Rugby back on the map, especially at a level where he has and can have further influence, i.e. club level.
This should ring alarm bells if you’re of an orcish persuasion.
macjay1 for Neil Lennon on 18 April, 2012 at 09:42
Canb you provide a link to your conversation regarding the Falklands?
Thanks in advance
HH
How banker who bought Lord of the Manor title for £1 left his villagers with £650,000 bill
By JAMES TOZER
A lord of the manor who bought his title for just £1 yesterday won a court battle with villagers over the right to order them around.
Ex-banker Peter Burton had antagonised residents by asking them to clean up their properties and not park in front of them after claiming rights dating back to the Domesday Book, a court heard.
They reacted with fury, mounting a legal challenge against the 61-year-old.
But yesterday the neighbours were faced with costs of around £650,000 after their appeal was rejected at the High Court.
The saga, which saw lawyers delving into records going back almost 1,000 years, began after Mr Burton moved to the village of Ireby in Lancashire 12 years ago.
Legal fight: Ex-banker Peter Burton, 61, who bought his title for just £1
Having retired from banking, he bought a 17th century manor house, Over Hall, with his partner, Susan Bamford.
He set about pouring money and effort into restoring the Jacobean property and surrounding area.
Problems began, however, when Mr Burton paid £1 for the right to call himself Lord of the Manor of Ireby.
He claimed this also gave him title over nearby beauty spot Ireby Fell – 360 wild acres at the highest point in the county – which until then had been regarded as unregistered common land.
As a result, he began exercising what he claimed were his rights over land which formed part of the ancient manorial ‘waste’ dating back to the Domesday Book.
Retired gift shop owner Carole Scott was told to stop parking her car near her home, an earlier hearing was told.
Other villagers were allegedly informed they needed to clean up their properties.
Angered by the requests, Mrs Scott teamed up with neighbours Eric and Angela Walker, Edward Mills and Christopher Balchin, to fight back.
They enlisted the help of the order of the Knights of St John – which owned the land in the Middle Ages – in a bid to prove Mr Burton had no such rights.
In 2010 a Land Registry panel ruled that Mr Burton could not style himself Lord of the Manor of Ireby because the title has lapsed.
But it confirmed he and his partner as ‘proprietors’ of the fell, pointing out that they had spent time, money and effort on maintaining the land.
‘It is far better that the fell should be owned than left in limbo,’ adjudicator Simon Brilliant said.
The five villagers appealed against his decision over Ireby Fell before Deputy Judge Jeremy Cousins QC, who yesterday rejected their case in the High Court.
He said there was ‘ample material’ to show the couple had taken legal possession of the fell.
‘MY RIGHT… THAT I BOUGHT ONLINE FOR A SMALL FEE’
Ex-banker Peter Burton is one of a small legion of ‘dignitaries’ who have bought their titles for modest fees.
In medieval times, the Lord of the Manor would have control over large swathes of countryside and have tenants on ‘his’ land.
The Lord would not officially ‘own’ the land which belonged to the King.
However, day-to-day control was handed to the Lord of the Manor who would have vast control over his tenants.
Many of the owners of the titles have sold them on – and others have lapsed when the owner has died without any descendants.
In recent years there has been a roaring trade in the titles which often switch hands for thousands of pounds – so at £1 Peter Burton bagged a title at a bargain price.
Chris Eubank paid £45,000 to become Lord of the Manor of Brighton.
The titles are not to be confused with hereditary peers in the House of Lords. Peerages for the legislative chamber cannot be bought or sold.
Although the titles may give the owner free upgrades on aeroplanes and the best table in restaurants, they attract few formal powers.
Some people have campaigned for the few remaining old feudal powers to be formally abolished by Parliament.
Mr Burton has stressed that the rights he is exercising do not change the fell’s status as common land, and walkers have not been prevented from accessing it.
But the ruling is likely to be a devastating blow for the villagers, who have already clocked up heavy legal costs in fighting the case and had admitted they were ‘skint’.
Mr Walker, 74, said: ‘It started off as a gentle thing, and then we got together to see what we could do, and the whole thing blossomed into full-scale litigation.’
Mr Balchin said: ‘Ireby’s a lovely place – people come and see it and think they would love to live here, but they don’t know what’s been going on.’
Explaining why they brought the case, Mr Walker said: ‘It wouldn’t have mattered to anybody if he said he was the lord of the manor, but when someone starts throwing their weight around, something has to be done.’
The original fortified Over Hall is thought to have been held in the 14th century by Edmund de Dacre.
Rebuilt in the late 17th century, it was later owned by the Marton family and has grade II* listed status.
Last night Mr Burton and his partner welcomed the outcome, saying: ‘We are pleased by the decision in our favour and hope that this finally draws a line under the matter.’
He also hit out at the ‘scandalously large and disproportionate legal costs’ the villagers had run up with lawyers and pledged to maintain public access to the fell.
The court has not yet made a decision on the allocation of costs.
The villagers’ solicitor declined to comment last night
The problem I have with the media in general is their inability to separate the fact we play to say an 7 out 10 and the fact we dont get the decisions. These facts are not exclusive. If we play to a 9 or 10 we dont need the decisions, but as players are human they sometimes fall below this level.
We are not asking for special treatment just fairness. I am sure someone brighter than me could work out the statistics of us getting to not getting decisions and being paraniod i would presume we are at the thin end of the wedge.
Aston Villa skipper Stiliyan Petrov has paid his first visit to the club’s training ground since being diagnosed with acute leukaemia and is in ‘good spirits’, according to first-team coach Gordon Cowans.
Petrov has been undergoing regular spells of treatment since first being diagnosed with the illness last month.
But the midfielder opted to visit Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training complex last week and is feeling ‘positive’ about the challenges ahead according to Cowans.
He said: ‘Stiliyan was up at the training ground last week, looked really well and was feeling positive about himself.
‘He’s got a hard week this week (with treatment) but he is a fighter and will come through this.
‘He was so bubbly and he came in. He took his hat off and has shaved his hair and looked very well. He is very positive he is going to beat the illness.’
Cowans is urging Villa to win their battle to steer clear of the relegation zone in honour of Petrov.
He said: ‘It has been uplifting and the rest of the lads need to look at that. Everyone is on his side and behind him.
‘What we really need to try for Stiliyan is get ourselves out of the mess we are in at the moment.
‘It is a massive week for the club with a big game coming up at the weekend against Sunderland and next Tuesday’s meeting with Bolton.’
Cowans was speaking after completing the finale of the latest leg of Sir Ian Botham’s walk across Britain – from Birmingham to the Clent Hills in Worcestershire – to raise money and promote awareness of leukaemia.
Botham said: ‘Stiliyan was diagnosed very quickly, has had his first treatment in London and I’ve heard it is all going very well which is good.
‘He is young, fit and strong. It just shows you that this illness can strike anyone. He is one of the fittest young men in the area and look what happens.
‘He will be very positive and that is the way to tackle these things. You tackle them front on.
‘It’s actually tougher for the family, the loved ones, because you are the one having to do it and just get on and battle away.’
ernie lynch on 18 April, 2012 at 10:26 said:
Ten Men Won The League on 18 April, 2012 at 10:22 said:
pc67@10:14
”Did Celtic ask for the money upfront? And if not, why not?’
The Administrators, who are acting as officers of the Court of Session, can be relied upon to pay what’s due.
+++++
So can the SPL, who have rules regarding the disbursement of moneys due to member clubs. Prize money etc amounts to around £1.8m for 2nd place does it not (or £1.2m for 3rd)?
When do Renegers ‘officially’ default on the Lee Wallace money, i.e. when can Hearts lodge a complaint with the SPL?
And are we just going to go straight to the SPL for our cash (if we’ve not asked for it up front already)?
I Spoke to a STH @ ipox this morning and he had no knowledge of his club getting tickets yet?
Ernie, not sure if your comment was tongue in cheek, but if not, where the hell are they getting £300k from?
Bolton are hoping to get the all clear to play Gregg Wylde and the winger could be in contention to face Swansea this weekend.
The highly-rated winger signed a three-year deal with Wanderers after leaving crisis club Rangers on a free, but has been unable to pull on the white shirt as FIFA looked into the transfer.
Bolton were able to complete the move outside of the transfer window as the 20-year-old’s contract was cancelled at Ibrox but FIFA wanted to make sure it was done by mutual consent.
Wanderers submitted all the paperwork weeks ago and have had to wait patiently for the move to be rubber stamped.
That looks like happening before the end of the week and Wylde could be free to face Swansea this weekend.
It is a move that is feared by Ally Mc Coist as he hopes to maintain his squad at least until liquidation.
Wylde, who was a target of Owen Coyle’s last summer before he opted to stay with Rangers, is believed to have turned down interest from Aston Villa and Newcastle to join Bolton.
The winger has been training with his new team-mates since signing and is fit and raring to go should he be given the nod this weekend.
I’ve been reading some of the comments on here with regard to the Neil Lennon v The Referees situation over the last few days. Some of the debates have been very heated and have become a bit personal at times. I’ve also noticed that positions have been very entrenched in the main.
My feelings have been mixed regarding Neil’s approach and I’ve been mulling it over rather than jumping in with both of my big feet. I now think that my feelings on the matter have settled and that I’m now in a position to comment.
At the outset it has to be taken into account that Neil has been treated despicably by Scottish society in a way that no other football person has had to deal with. This no doubt has had an effect on how he responds to adversity in football.
We all also know that Scottish football does not serve Celtic well. We know that we have been cheated and lied to in the past (Farrygate, Dougie, Dougie) and that the position has not changed (EBTs, 2 contracts, inaction by the SFA).
However, something from the past keeps coming to mind. Jock Stein said that if you keep putting the ball in the net then you take the referee out of the equation. Jock Stein’s Celtic tended to annihilate teams in Scotland. There were a few games when the MIB played a significant role against us (Bobby Davidson being the most outstanding example – 8 OF games and he proudly boasted apparently that Celtic never won one). However, Celtic tended to run off with the title at the end of each season.
Celtic’s resources today are greater than any other team in the country. We have great players whom we have seen turn in great performances both last season and this season. We should be able to annihilate any team in the land on the football pitch and we are very capable of doing so. So let’s turn to some of the games in question where Celtic and Neil have fallen foul of the MIB.
League Cup Final. Are we capable of annihilating Kilmarnock? Yes. We beat them 6-0 on their own midden only last week. Did we ever look as if we were going to dispose of them in an avalanche of goals at Hampden in the League Cup Final? No. Did they score a goal that we would be proud of from a great move in open play? Yes. Did Hooper miss a sitter, a gift early on? Yes. We lost a good game of football on the day. It smacks of desperation that we relied on being awarded a late penalty to keep us in the game. We should have taken the referee out of the equation by burying Killie in an avalanche of goals. Too many of our players did not turn up and I seem to remember Kelvin Wilson getting pelters on here for his play at the Killie goal.
Scottish Cup Semi Final. Are we capable of annihilating Hearts? Yes. We beat them 4-0 not terrible long ago in their own midden. Did we ever look as if we were going to run amok against them on Saturday? No. Did they outplay us in the second half after the introduction of Skatchel (sp) and Beattie? Did they score a very good goal from open play? Yes. Did Ki miss two sitters. Yes. We lost a good game of football on the day. The referee’s 2 crucial decisions were outrageous. Neither were penalties but if one was given so should the other have been. I have not forgotten that Ian Black should have been ordered off.
Ibrox Park. Very few on here believe that Rangers are a good team. Are we capable of beating them by a few goals (I wouldn’t use the term ‘annihilate’). Yes. Did we ever look like beating them. No. We had two players sent off which put the game beyond our reach. A soft foul on the last man by Cha and a two footed tackle by Victor on Whittaker who should also have seen red for going over the top.
On all three occasions Neil responded angrily to the decisions made by the referees. I agreed with him regarding most of these decisions that went against Celtic. I also feel that on behalf of the supporters our feelings of anger need to be highlighted by the Club. We need to criticise referees when their decisions affect us. I also feel that Neil Lennon is not the man to do this. It is counter productive. At Ibrox it was folly to speak to the referee at half time. The team were left leaderless in the second half. Neil should have known better.
He criticised Collum after the ‘no penalty’ in the League Cup Final following the Ibrox debacle. We were informed that he would likely be punished for that so he then stupidly tweets about looking forward to the next game and perhaps getting a decent referee. What the hell was he thinking? Even I knew that that would get him in trouble following the previous two incidents.
On Sunday he ran quite a distance to confront the referee on the pitch after the game in full view of the public. This was shown on on television throughout the country. If he was going to confront the referee then Neil should have waited to speak to him in the tunnel.
Neil is not serving Celtic’s interests best by constantly giving the SFA a chance to suspend him. I don’t have a clue what his punishment is likely to be when these cases are heard but I have read on here that the media have mentioned 17 games and we already have the precedent of Derek Adams having an 18 match ban. Do I think Neil is likely to win his case against the referees? No.
For those who are defending Neil come what may, it’s alright just now when Neil is still able to manage the team from the touchline but what will it feel like when a lengthy ban actually starts and we go for almost half a season (17 Games?) with no manager in the dugout?
Neil is a good manager (26 game unbeaten run to overcome a 15 point deficit and win the League – our main objective) but he also has flaws – strange team selections on occasion. Stokes in the lone striker role against Killie. Kelvin Wilson repeatedly selected for big games. A nightmare at Ibrox in the earlier 4-2 game in September, blamed for the goal against Killie, an even bigger nightmare against Hearts on Sunday.
Neil Lennon v The Referees is not an easy, straightforward situation. It is very complex but it is no good to Celtic, the team or the supporters for Neil to be sitting in the stand suspended. He needs to learn to curtail his anger in his professional environment – the football arena. He needs to stop making stupid tweets.He has previous form for this – he tweeted about the administrators first meeting with the media after RFC went into administration when he had no need to and it served no useful purpose for him to do so. He also needs to curtail the unfortunate snarl expression that he has when he gets angry. The media love it and they love to show it as often as they can.
What he does need to do is to continue his professional development in the way he outlined in media interviews last week by watching great teams and managers and learning from managers past and present what tactics and motivational techniques they used to build great teams. Particularly, I was very pleased to hear him say that he wanted to learn about the tactics that are needed for games in Europe.
He has great potential and I believe he will become a great manager but he needs to know which battles he can win and which battles he can’t. If he can’t beat the men in black in tight matches then he needs to ensure that the Scottish football public are subjected to years of torture by ensuring that Celtic go on to the pitch in evry game within these shores intent on annihilating the opposition by an avalanche of goals that removes the referee from the equation.
one of the ghirls in my office(friend of our own minx) stated in regard to Lenny..
did Butcher get banned after saying that the SFA should brong a fleet of ambulances with them when they where due to attend a meeting in Inverness..
anyone got a record of this, I’m sure our legal team will have tthis before tomorrow..
The Ng bid details get better too.
From Alastair Johnston article above
“If that means Rangers becoming a feeder club for Singaporean football then the fans will have to tolerate this”
Yeah, Alastair, ra peepul are known for thier tolerant attitude. I’m sure they’d welcome the day that all the promising players get shipped to Singapore and they get youths in return.
The full UEFA FFP rules have been criticised as being overly-long and difficult to understand. To overcome this, UEFA have issued a summary guide which they distributed as part of a press pack. It is recommended reading for anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of Financial Fair play. I have attached a link and have also put this on the FFP Explained page.
link to document
In support of our man and in contempt of the media.
There Were Roses – Cara Dillon (Our Wee Country)
According to a hun I was talking to they do not know yet whether they have tickets for Celtic Park.They have been told to go direct to hearts for the game at Tynecastle.
THey’ve been IA for 9 long weeks and now the great Whyte Hope is to become the Ladyhillbillyboys.
What a complete shambles.
It couldn’t happen to a nicer club.
The £800k remaining for Wallace is due in 2 installments
£400k of which is due in June
BT
erry Butcher & Kenny Shiels facing SFA rap after weekend rants.. but St Johnstone boss Steve Lomas off hook for gesture
Nov 21 2011 By Hugh Keevins
kenny shiels
SFA troubleshooter Vincent Lunny will go on overtime today after a weekend of managerial mayhem.
Terry Butcher’s high-octane blast at the referee who sent off one of his Inverness Caley Thistle players against Celtic will be examined for breaches of the rules.
And Kilmarnock boss Kenny Shiels, pictured, could be in trouble after suggesting the referee at his team’s game against Hibs was guilty of ineptitude.
But Record Sport understands new St Johnstone manager Steve Lomas won’t be brought before the SFA for his hand gesture directed towards fourth official Craig Thomson during the Perth side’s goal-less draw with Rangers at Ibrox.
The match referee, Euan Norris, dealt with the incident at the time and that’ll be the end of the matter.
But Butcher, inducted into the SFA’s Hall of Fame a week ago, could be back at Hampden for a rebuke if compliance officer Lunny decides his remarks after Greg Tansey was sent off, following a collision with Georgios Samaras, directly accused referee Stevie O’Reilly of incompetence.
An insider said last night: “Calling the SFA’s disciplinary panel a ‘kangaroo court’ could be construed as passing an opinion.
“But saying the referee was guilty of incompetence would be a different story.”
After Caley’s defeat, Butcher said: “The red card influenced the game in Celtic’s favour without a shadow of a doubt. The decision made me mad.
“It was never a red card. It wasn’t even a booking. It was a deadly assault by a fingernail. I feel sorry for Greg. The ref won’t speak to me but I don’t know if we will appeal this decision. I thought we had a chance with Chris Hogg last month when he was red-carded against Motherwell.
“I went down to Glasgow to face the SFA compliance officer but it wasn’t overturned. I faced a five-man SFA panel so the odds were five to one against.
“They say the new fast-track system is good but it is a fast-track to nowhere. It’s a kangaroo court and there is no justice.
“If we appeal this time then I won’t go.
Maybe we will get Paul McBride to represent us. The referees’ association are due here on Thursday. They better have a fleet of ambulances on standby.
“That’s three players we’ve had sent off here and we’ve lost all three games. The red cards have all happened when we’ve been doing well in the games.
“I feel frustrated. My players were doing well and we contained Celtic. We were growing in confidence before the red card. I also thought the second goal might have been offside.”
Inverness have until three o’clock this afternoon to put their money where their mouth is over Tansey’s plea of innocence.
Meanwhile, Shiels is also under scrutiny.
After his team’s 1-1 draw at Easter Road he said: “There were lots of mistakes and the ineptitude of one person from the 23 starting participants had a major influence on us not winning the game.”
That outburst could see action being taken against the Irishman by the SFA as their directive asking managers and players not to criticise officials appears to have been ignored by the people who were supposed to follow the letter of the law.
Info regards Huns tickets for paradise
RFC tacking payment today and tickets posted Friday
All on ra gers web site
Celtic must have trusted them to pay up and not wreck the stadium ?
Jam67
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy,
Well said… though I expect you to get ‘pelters’ for saying it ;-)
Another comment on it… Everyone knows that Neil is very passionate. It is why the support have taken to him as manager even through some disappointing performances. Surely the Board are aware of this. You can see that Alan T and Dolph do manage to stay cool. Is it really unreasonable for them to step in (at the Board’s behest) and hold him back when he needs time calm down?
However, he’d possibly have gotten away for his actions at Hampden if he’d not then tweeted later about it being ‘personal’. That’s a massive no-no. As manager you are quite legitimately allowed to question decisions (especially incorrect ones!) but honestly how can Neil have known the referee was picking on him ‘personal’ly. It was foolish in the extreme.
I suspect he won’t be punished as badly as implied but I still can see around a 10 match ban which frankly is bad enough and he should really be warned by SSM to calm down… and honestly a public dressing down might be best for all concerned as it shows that Celtic takes its image seriously.
I now expect to ‘pelters’ too ;-)
B
Can’t believe that some people on here are swallowing the tabloid guff about our manager and seemingly even joining in the witch hunt.
ONE WEEK after he’s won us the title, one effin’ week.
Whether Neil was right or wrong doing what he did is beside the point; the hyperbole and shameless double standards of the Scottish press when it comes to our manager is.
Don’t join in with the tabloid lynch mob.
One Neil Lennon!
RAGING Inverness boss Terry Butcher last night pointed the finger at ref Stevie O’Reilly after claiming Greg Tansey saw red against Celtic for “assault by fingernail”.
O’Reilly sent Tansey packing in Caley Thistle’s 2-0 defeat as he felt the midfielder had elbowed Georgios Samaras.
But it was Tansey’s hand that made contact with the Greek striker’s face and Butcher was furious with the decision.
Celtic went on to clinch victory against the 10 men after the break thanks to an Anthony Stokes double.
And that helped them close the gap on Rangers to 10 points as the leaders drew 0-0 at home to St Johnstone.
But Butcher fumed: “The red card influenced the game in Celtic’s favour without a shadow of a doubt. The decision made me mad.
“It was never a red card. It wasn’t even a booking. It was a deadly assault by a fingernail. I feel sorry for Greg.”
The Inverness gaffer also blasted the SFA’s new appeals system and claimed his club might not even challenge the decision in what he described as a “kangaroo court”.
He said: “The ref won’t speak to me but I don’t know if we will appeal this decision. I thought we had a chance with Chris Hogg last month when he was red-carded against Motherwell. I went down to Glasgow to face the SFA Compliance Officer but it wasn’t overturned.
“I faced a five-man SFA panel so the odds were five to one against, not great.
“They say the new fast-track system is good but it is a fast-track to nowhere. It’s a kangaroo court and there is no justice.
“If we appeal this time then I won’t go. Maybe we will get Paul McBride to represent us.
“The referees’ association are due here on Thursday. They better have a fleet of ambulances on standby.
“That’s three players we’ve had sent off here and we’ve lost all three games. The red cards have all happened when we’ve been doing well in the game.
“I feel frustrated. My players were doing well and we contained Celtic. We were growing in confidence before the red card.
“I also thought the second goal might have been offside.”
Inverness winger Jonny Hayes also blasted the officials on his Twitter page, saying: “Always hard playing Celtic with their 14 men.”
That sparked a cyber war with several Hoops fans hitting back at the Irishman.
But Hayes responded by tweeting: “Conspiracy? Against who? Come on, at least admit youse got (another) dodgy decision.”
Celtic boss Neil Lennon did admit the sending-off helped his side but hailed hero Stokes for taking full advantage.
He said: “I’m told it might have been a soft red card. It certainly put us in the ascendancy.
“However, we worked hard to get our goals and credit to Anthony. He has been a huge player for us in the past couple of months.
“On another day he might have scored a hat-trick.”
This was Celtic’s first trip to Inverness since the 3-2 defeat that cost them last season’s title.
And Lennon said: “I was delighted with the application and attitude of my players. We arrived with a little bit of trepidation because you never know what you’ll get up here but we handled it well.”
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy – I agree 100%…
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy
Well thought out post but I have to disagree.
The crux of your argument is that Neil should not act the way he (occasionally) does for fear he will be singled out for punishment.
I think he should act the same way as other managers and if he is treated differently by authority so be it, then fight the authority. this is what is currently happening.
Acting differently from others because he is “not allowed” to is admitting failure in the fight for an even footing. You will have another Tony Mowbray.
In other words, the only way to beat a bully is to stand up to them. And there are plenty of people trying to bully Neil.
Don’t join in with the tabloid lynch mob.
DON’T BUY THEIR PAPERS….ONLY GOOD FOR THE TRASH BIN
I am Neil Lennon
cheers aw_naw..
has it been aw_nawed? 0))
obonfanti1888 on 18 April, 2012 at 11:05 said:
Can’t believe that some people on here are swallowing the tabloid guff about our manager and seemingly even joining in the witch hunt
Well said obofanti 1888
Everyone of them commenting on Neil are a feckin disgrace .
If you cannot say anything in support of Neil you may as well head over to iPox and join in with them .
Jam67
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on 18 April, 2012 at 10:08 said:
67heaven
in the courts for years long after Duff & Phelps have departed the scene.
It will be used by D&P and the new owner as the promise of a 25m warchest for the daft wee demented huns for ST renewal
“aye ken Hugh bit wance we win the Cauliflower & Bisto money we´ll be quids in an we should make a bid fir Van Bommel and Messi”
Hail Hail
Hail Hail
share on F’book or Twitter
……………………………………….
That’s what I thought………the financial vultures are descending on ‘ the big hoose’ and they can’t see it …….
On the Classic Football Shirts Site there’s a 98/99 Celtic away shirt with Burley (8) on the back for 44.99! C’mon own up who’s selling it? You will get 99p if your lucky.
GREAT POST FROM LAST MIGHT
wonkyradar on 18 April, 2012 at 00:51 said:
The treatment Lenny receives seems to me a bit like when some authority defines your behaviour as insane then proceeds to interpret everything you do as a manifestation of insanity. But its only because an abusive authority narrowly defines your “normal” responses as transgressive & in contradistinction to the establishments rigid concept of normalcy. All this jazz has been said better than me by Foucalt. What I really mean to say is that Lenny reacts normally, as we would all do, but his behaviour is warped through a very narrow prism of establishment defined acceptability…that wisnae any clearer…the bastards are stitching him up. The more you appeal your sanity- by showing emotion- the tighter they make the straightjacket… Some Tims really need to understand Lenny needs complete 100 backing from all of us- this is political.
HH
Peace. One & All.
————-
steviebhoy66
I am also Neil Lennon. HH