Former chairman of Oldco Rangers, now director of Newco, Alastair Johnston, took aim in the media at Celtic supporters yesterday, saying “I always wondered about the mentality of certain Celtic supporters, not by any means most of them, who basically said our club died in February, 2012.”
Why do they do this to themselves? If it is an attempt to convince people that liquidation did not happen, it will fail. All that will be achieved is the re-telling of the facts. Rangers entered administration on 14 February 2012. It failed to come out of administration and a liquidator was appointed to dispose of the remaining assets.
Secvo Scotland Ltd bought a “bundle of assets”, including the stadium. The administrators, Duff and Phelps, changed Rangers name to RFC 2012 Ltd and gave permission to Sevco Scotland to use the word “Rangers” in their name. Without this permission, Newco would have gone through a similar naming process as Clydebank – Airdrie United – Airdrieonians, who were only permitted to use the word “Airdrieonians” 11 years after the liquidation of oldco Airdrieonians.
If I’m honest, if we were in those circumstances, I would tell myself every day that the Celtic I grew up with was the same as Newco Celtic. I would have no incentive to do otherwise, so Johnston and anyone else who cares, can think what they want about Newco.
He is welcome to his thoughts, if it helps him through the trauma of what he did as chairman of Oldco during the EBT years, and the club’s failure to prepare over many years for HMRC’s legal challenge. Johnston’s board made no provision to retain enough money to trade through HMRC’s challenge, despite that legal challenge being underway years before it got to the crunch.
What he tells himself does not change the facts. Oldco is in liquidation. All player contracts ceased. Assets were sold off, a deal to use the name had to be agreed. Sevco Scotland became an associate member of the SFA while Oldco was still a member. Oldco voted on whether to admit Sevco Scotland to the SPL. Sevco changes its name and were granted entry to the SFL Third Division.
Johnston played a role in the demise of Rangers. He was chairman and had a responsibility to direct the club away from dangers. He failed and now presents an alternative reality, which is easier on the mind.
He also said, “it will be 120 years or so before you can tie with us.” For each of those 120 years, Celtic fans and others will say, “But Rangers died in 2012”. Just as Rangers fans are content to believe their club continues, belligerent denial is not going to change how others regard liquidation. It’s over, Mr Johnston, you let your club die.
There was other guff about “thriving” not “surviving”. They think they are going to win the league and that their circa £11m annual deficit is an indication of thriving. Again, I disagree.
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Sub Judice.
Legal advice.
Accusations against our Club reps. and / or our players are justified.
Waiting till the heat dies down.
Waiting till a medical report has been received.
Waiting till a police investigation is concluded.
Guilty as charged ?
Hangovers.
Is Ryan ok ?
Mr Johnston, good story in private when meet up
Oldtim in my thoughts
“If it be now,’tis not to come. If it be not to come, it will be now.” (Hamlet Act 5 Scene 2).
Funnily enough not ‘Aye Ready’, but not a kick in the backside away from it.
This should have been the adage of the Celtic Board for the last eight years.
There was always going to be a challenge from a reconstructed Ibrox.
That we are not in a state of readiness to repel this challenge is quite frankly a disgrace.
Quite a few posters whose opinions I respect say that we need new signings.
I understand the desire for back up for Edouard but that does not improve the team per se. It just means we won`t suffer AS MUCH if/when Eddie is not available. So, if we are talking of IMPROVING the team,who of our current first team regulars is not good enough and with whom would we replace said player?
HOT SMOKED on 3RD JANUARY 2020 5:06 PM
Oh god. What time is it in Australia?
CORKCELT @3.14
Very well said my friend, indeed.
However the on going laying down to the them by our club is nothing short of scandalous. I know we have few , if any friends in Scotland but to me, the time has truly come for the club to take a firm hold of this crap and actually do something. If they don’t, then the fans should.
KINGLuBO
ERNIE LYNCH on 3RD JANUARY 2020 3:48 PM
Can anyone suggest a valid and honourable reason for the Celtic Board having said nothing about the same club narrative?
———-
The PLC Board are the Board of the company in principle, not the club. The Website has details of all Board members and these details pertain to the company. I can suggest two principle reasons. 1, not having a version of Rangers around was bad for the company, therefore the Board were not going to pour fuel on that particular fire. 2, they are not interested in getting involved, they see it as petty and irrelevant.
To me although Celtic is a Public Limited Company we are run like a Private Limited Company, which in effect means give us your money and shut up , see you next year at season ticket time when we will spin the story of the Celtic family the club ethos and the atmosphere, I wonder when a significant number will say enough.
Celtic40me @ 5:08
Is that an anagram of your suggested changes?
My own view on the same club myth is that you just have to make peace with yourself. I believe they are a new club. I don’t argue with anyone about it, if they have a different view thats up to them. Nothing will convince me otherwise.
I don’t know why Johnston has spoken out. The revisionism is laughable and embarrassing. To me it makes no sense. I’m guessing its a squirrel or an ego trip. Because he is a Chairman, folk with think he’s smart, intelligent and worthy of respect. That is a long way from the truth. We know what he’s said in the past (no surrender – dear oh dear) and what he did and didn’t do in terms of diligence and corporate responsibility. I think he’s an idiot, incompetent and has no shame. I’m not going to spend 5 seconds of my life caring about what he says.
We have short term objectives and we need to concentrate fully on them. Anything else is just wasting time and energy.
Sevco had gambled. The have an 11 million deficit each year with current squad. That includes Europa league adding about 8 million. The deficit without europa league group football is 19 million or there abouts. Getting into the champions league group stage would maybe get then into a break even with their current squad. Failure to get into European group stages is very risky and also a very real possibility. Sevco have gone and done what ranger done before them.
Their approach is not sustainable and at some point they will have to address the issue head on. There is no cushion for failure. That fact is never discussed.
While celtic and co balance the books and have a wee bit of long term planning, they gamble and hope. Their problem is that it’s no always sunny outside.
HH
HOT SMOKED
Haha, no sorry, I was worried that you’d opened the door to another one of Sydney Tim’s marathon James Forrest rants
Video emerges of Rangers star Alfredo Morelos being called a “wee Orange b******” in the street
Another piece of the hun jigsaw….
Delightful compendium and commentary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcCchVpQkpM
THE LONG WAIT IS OVER on 3RD JANUARY 2020 3:28 PM
Neither Alasdair Johnson , nor anyone else , can argue with Companies House – all the information anyone needs is retained there for public consumption and record keeping:-
Oldco Liquidation :-
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC004276
Newco creation :-
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/SC437060
MCNUT (from 2 earlier posts)
“Seems we have all bought in to the belief that ‘Rangers’ are now a winning-machine that can’t be stopped.”
“I said “seems” = the general consensus – not everyone of course.
However in my book they are now favourites.”
—————————————————————————————–
I don’t understand your first proposition as clarified by your second statement.
You are entitled to state that, in your opinion, they are favourites.
You are entitled to speculate that you, personaly, think the majority of Celtic fans think of them as favourites ( no research has been done on this but I strongly suspect you are wrong)
But what you did say was “we” i.e. all of us, not the majority or the minority or even 50:50, but “we”.
The use of the word “seems” does not qualify the word “we”; it merely acknowledges that your view is subjective. It is subjective not just on the number of Celtic fans who share your views but on whether Rangers ( I prefer Sevco BTW) are, actually, a winning machine or whether, in the real world, they cannot be stopped. The word seems qualifies the whole sentence and does not specifically qualify the first pronoun.
I could use the word seems to make up any nonsense.
I could write- “It seems to me that you have been pushing a despondent line, since you came on CQN recently, that the league was basically lost on the 29th and only winning all games, including future games against them, will change that certainty.”
That may or may not be an accurate reflection of your view but when I reach for the word “seems”, I can give myself carte-blanche to make any allegation, sensible or ludicrous.
“It seems to me the moon is made of green cheese”
“It seems to me that Alastair Johnston is a man incapable of lying.””
“It seems to me that Rangers did not liquidate in the same manner as did Third Lanark, Clydebank, Airdrieonians and Gretna.”
So, let us conduct a wee CQN experiment (and I know we are not representative of the whole Celtic support but I am willing to bet on a similar outcome within any group of genuine Celtic fans) :-
Who believes
1) Celtic can win this league even if they do not win both outstanding league games against Sevco.
2) Celtic can only win this league by winning both future league games against Sevco.
or 3) Celtic have lost this league because Rangers are a winning machine.
I am going for 1)- let’s see what others think……..
SFTB
Celtic will need 4 pts from the two Sevco games in my opinion
What the huns thrive on is momentum…I’m sure social media is a platform that’s important to thum……………
….that’s why certain characters are eager to spread the notion of hun success beyond reasonable reality. It prays on the mind.
There is something in our psyche that shrinks from it like Kryptonite.
We know the score.
I believe we will still win the league . The only exception being if Sevco beat us in both remaining games , but I can’t see that happening . I think we’ve had a wake up call and will come back after the break re-galvanised.
Glendaly
I thought the LCF would have been enough of a wake-up call for anyone
SFTB………….
Huns games will be the decider.
Us to come out top.
HH.
Dessybhoy
I will be generous to MCNUT’s proposition and include your scenario as a vote for option 2.
Anyone who thinks we can still win the league by getting only 3 points from the 6 available against Sevco will count as a vote for option 1.
So, far with 2 voters it is 1 vote for 1) and 1 vote for2) with no votes for MCNUT’s early favourite- option 3)
Bankiebhoy makes it 2:1 for option 2.
SFTB, Number 2 for me .
SFTB…has to be 2 for me…games against them seem ( :0) ) vital…
ERNIE LYNCH on 3RD JANUARY 2020 3:48 PM
Can anyone suggest a valid and honourable reason for the Celtic Board having said nothing about the same club narrative?
I will give it a go Ernie,in a corporate speak kind of way.
Celtic are a plc
That is they are an artificial entity,as is the case with all companies be they private or public.
No matter how emotional our involvement that is a fact,we go by the majority of the shareholders,alas as corkcelt referred to a while ago,5 or 6 individuals own 80+ %,
So in terms of shareholder democracy those who took the biggest hit.decided to ignore
In terms of speaking out,they do not need to as a corporate entity,as individuals they can fart about ‘Rory bremners’ til the cows come home,it doesnt matter/count!
In corporate terms they(Celtic plc) may between a rock and a hard place,if they say anything they are open to challenge(ship sailed anyway) and you do not get any corporate entity speaking about the business/knuckle practices of another,ie in our high streets a lot of shops/stores have hit the wall,those shops left only talk of the market and it’s effect,not the high street shop who are now non existent.
In the case of Celtic,it was the markets works team who cheated.hence little activity and little suprise at not pursuing.
Why should Celtic oxygenate them by speaking out.We define them and it only defines every hun conspiracy going and with Scottish Meejah may be construed as Celtic accepting all that went before,if Celtic don’t,as has been the case,it can cause grief among our own.
They may/may not be valid Ernie,and honour can’t be attached to an artificial entity,even tho it may be justified,in plc world it doesn’t exist.
It’s precarious position for the well run corporate entity,by far Scotland’s biggest club
to be in,especially if an 8 year old stops 9.and at mo work has to be done.
Ps. pursuing thro courts in Scotland is a no go.
Lol the more I write the more honour goes oot the windae.
HH
4:1 for option 2
1)
In Lennie I trust.
SFTB.
Option 2.
Number one for me
SFTB
I think we’ll need at least 4 from 6 points available. Possibly more. I’d love to think less!
Hot Smoked
I hope you love me but I don’t know if you respect me! So not sure if your earlier post was referring to me.
In terms of purchase we need a Kent and/or Sutton type and have done for several seasons. The over dependence on a pretty regularly injured French star who may well attract a £20m bid in the coming weeks is terrifying.
And midfield muscle to support the captain supreme.
But in my post, I also mentioned tactics and attitude. Gerrard has outplayed and outflanked both NFL and Rogers in most of the head to head encounters to date.
HH jg