Imran Ahmad, one of the founding fathers of Newco Rangers, was yesterday awarded £600k damages for malicious prosecution. He was charged with fraud in 2015 in connection with the deal that secured ‘a basket of assets’ from Rangers administrators three years earlier.
This brings the total payout from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) for malicious prosecutions in connection with the administration of Rangers to over £52m. The club failed to make provisions for legal challenges by HMRC, which were eventually lost. Assets were sold off to a newco, Sevco Scotland Ltd, later renamed The Rangers Football Club Ltd, before the club was put into liquidation.
The events of 2012 were often theatrical. The initial asset purchase agreement was signed with Sevco 5088 Ltd, before Sevco Scotland assumed the right. Any dispute surrounding this matter was concluded behind closed doors.
Administrators then went through the public motions of trying to sell players’ employment contracts, signed with Rangers to the Newco. This innovative move failed, with Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty, Steven Naismith, Allan McGregor and others walking away.
The administrators also renamed Rangers as RFC 2012 PLC and permitted the Newco to use the trading style “Rangers”. This was seen as crucial by Sevco in picking up business which had previously gone to Rangers. They were able to present a sense of continuity to football fans, although hopes of entering the same league Rangers had played in were thwarted by a Dashing Grassroots-to-Boardroom Manoeuvre across the country.
Within hours of the assets auction being won by Sevco, a consortium of ‘Rangers people’ were keen to buy them. A campaign then followed which was often unpleasant, the assets’ new owners had no business or emotional connections to Oldco.
During this time, police, then COPFS, investigated actions around the sale and purchase and authorised charges. Reputations, including that of Mr Ahmad’s were burned. If you are looking for ‘clean hands’ in this matter, however, you may be disappointed.
£52m is an enormous portion of Scotland’s judicial budget – approximately £10 for every man, woman and child. In paying out for a malicious act, you accept that there was an intent to do harm to the victim, not simply to act without due care.
That is quite an admission from COPFS, who as recently as 2019 declined an offer from Mr Ahmad to apologise and walk away without further consideration. They really, really, did not want to admit to being in the wrong, but were left with no option.
This is how Scotland operates in our times, at least when it comes to football. An inquiry will follow many years from now, when all the actors have left the stage and memories are unable to recall details. Forgive me for being cynical.
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Fairhill bhoy
Yes arrogance.
Arrogance from folk who really don’t have much of a clue but are happy to see us back as second fiddle to our rivals just to be able to satisfy their bitter jealousy.
Kinda weird to me but while our opponents galvanise we seem to have danced a media tune and one in support of a manager passed his best to get rid of the one guy our rivals fear the most from our club.
The media inspired a revolt when they sniffed a chance in 2020/1 and enough malcontents danced along with it and of course we are seeing it play out again.
I am delighted for Mark that he is moving on. Obviously to a better position away from the toxicity of our bitter and gullible fan base. I am sorry for the club that I have supported for 60 years or so that this has happens as we are enjoying our most successful domestic period in our history.
Still maybe Congleton or Hammond will return and save us. LOL. A few years playing second fiddle might just make our support see what we had.
TURKEYBHOY on 2ND MARCH 2024 12:11 AM
Chairbhoy,
Read back on yourself sometimes.Why do you go on the offensive when anyone disagrees with your set in stone thoughts?.You accuse quickly anyone who veers a tad from your seemingly,righteous path.
Pot, kettle, black……no?
B78…sycophantic Celtic supporter.
BURNLEY78;
I used to think you were just disconnected from reality, but now I know better.
You are a troll mate. Nobody could possibly believe what you’ve just written there because it’s deranged.
Celtic fans were out led by the media when they got angry about the state of our club in 2021? Really? It was the media who tricked us into believing that we were a mess, nothing to do with us actually being in a mess, as reflected in results and performances and a manager having a meltdown?
The manager, by the way, is such a world class operator that his only job in management since leaving Celtic was in Cyprus. What management career would he even have but for getting this job twice? And who decided that he was the guy for this job?
But we imagined that. And drove both of them out of the club. Wow.
It’s funny, then, that no sooner is Mr Chairman back here but we’re back to messy situations, managers being undermined and results and performances not up to snuff because the manager’s brief and his list of requirements, which he set out right at the start, by the way, weren’t met.
Amazing that we’re supposed to judge Rodgers on results but the results of the head of recruitment don’t matter, the chairman’s tendency to interfere doesn’t matter … you are entitled to believe rot like that if you want, but this idea that rest of us are stupid because we trust what we’re watching with our own eyes is too absurd and ridiculous to take seriously.
Nobody could be as deluded as you are coming across. You want to talk about arrogance? Telling us to ignore what we see, what we hear, what’s right in front of our faces … that’s outrageous.
There are broadly two types of people in the world, I find …
If you put them in a classroom and wheel a block of ice in there and you ask them to describe it, half of the class will sit there and observe and write what they see. The other half will get up and lay their hands on it, and poke around it, and then go back and describe it.
You must be in the first group, because your view of this is so one dimensional and disengagned that it’s just utter nonsense. This isn’t the fan board it used to be, but there are still people on here who are phenomenally successful in business, and in life in general, incredibly smart and talented people and you condescend to them as much as some of the rest of us, and it’s tiresome. You’re tiresome. Your comments insult our intelligence man, but only to a point.
Now that I know you’re just a troll I can chill a bit more reading you, knowing your not serious. You can’t possibly be. That ivory tower is too high even for your ego to climb.
James you do realise the trophies Neil delivered as manager …
Fair play if you do not rate him .. I take it you never celebrated any of the trophies Neil delivered ?
Fair play if you want to have a wee dig at his time in Cyprus … but pretty poor stuff from any Celtic fan (in my opinion)
On that I will leave you in peace …
On the subject of Neil Lennon my mind is closed
Celtic legend .. player & manager ✔️
Could do with him in the middle of the park just now to give our defence a bit of protection 🍀🍀
GFTB on 2ND MARCH 2024 1:47 AM
As a Neil Lennon admirer….how d’ya think Iwata is doing right now?
Sean Thornton – Really sorry to read your news. It’s tough, but remember there’s lots of Tims out here that you’ve never met who are thinking of you and your family. Keep your loved ones close and you’ll get through it.
Hail Hail from MN.
Good Morning Timland…
TURKEYBHOY @ 12:11 AM,
There tends to be one main reason why I go on the “offensive”.
It’s to defend our manager from unfounded scurrilous attacks and allegations.
Brendan Rodgers, or “Fraudgers” as some prefer, has been open season for years since his face didn’t fit with some at Celtic Park.
Dominic McKay didn’t last long when his face didn’t fit – he seemed to do a good job, recruitment improved, revenue improved, football improved, profits improved.
Yet, he wasn’t allowed to do the job because he wasn’t a “team player”.
In other words, he didn’t toe the line with the grey brigade, didn’t do the you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours – so had to go.
Of course getting rid of Brendan last time wasn’t so easy, the dark arts were necessary.
Even more difficult this time around you’d think, our majority shareholder made a statement when he went back and got Brendan Rodgers to return.
We know Brendan must have had promises and guarantees or would never have come back.
He stated quite clearly then, that he was here to build a team for Europe, to take the club up a level.
He played the team game in the summer and made all the right noises, he was totally unsupported in his aims and objectives, that must have been sanctioned by the Executive and major shareholder when he took the role.
Not only that but the blame game started, finger-pointing and he was been drawn as the bad guy and fall guy again.
This is not untypical of the m.o.
BURNLEY78 on 1ST MARCH 2024 7:48 PM
As for game players like Brendan gambling on losing a league to make a point ….. well that will be interesting to see how that all ends up.
A few years in the doldrums for Celtic I fear. Still the Hun media and its bitter rebel Celtic malcontents will be happy with it all. Whilst rangers resume their ascendancy for a few years.
Yes, Brendan Rodger is making the team crap so he can make a point, deliberately losing points to put pressure on the recruitment team to get his own way.
Not playing superstars like Kwon and Tilio who could get us results, rather biting off his nose to spite his face by sending them off on loan – it will all end in tears as Brendan Rodgers (after six months) will be responsible for a resurgent R2ngers and an era of Domination from Ibrox.
What utter tripe…
You read this stuff as well as I do, what do you make of it?
Wittingly or unwittingly you feed into that by suggesting that when our manager asks for four first team players, players he NEEDED in the summer, it was unreasonable nonsense.
Then we get told we’d end up with Lee Congerton or Nick Hammond.
Is that the Lee Congerton that wanted, Fabian Schar, Timothy Castagne, John McGinn – the one that was offered the position of head of football after BR left, now head of football at Atalanta.
Nick Hammmond, the guy who brought Ivan Toney to Celtic Park, the guy who was in Barry Fry’s office trying to close the deal for Toney – but Barry Fry said he brought no money, how embarrassing, who do you think was holding the purse strings? Nick Hammond is now with Leeds United.
Most supporters have saw the issues, most supporters thought four first team players a reasonable request under the circumstances, most supporters seen Ange get his way with the signings, a short time ago.
You say that the January window is difficult, this year more difficult than usual, well three points.
If we had done the heavy lifting in the summer when all our boats were lined up, the January window would have been so much easier.
The FSR and recession had made the environment difficult for many football clubs, Celtic were in a great position in cash terms 70 mn in the Bank that could be used to prise away cashstrapped Clubs prized assets, yet we didn’t have the wherewithal to get the business done.
Yes, the job is difficult, so is mine, that’s why I get specialist training and have to go the extra mile at work, no different for many of us these days. If you are a specialist, if you are professional you deliver on the job.
Our manager’s one and only signing since he came back looks head and shoulders above the plethora of players our recruitment team brought in.
Now, I didn’t say you were angry, did I? You seemed “hurt”, that’s how your post and the one straight after read to me, if I picked that up wrong then apologies, yet maybe you should read back your posts as well.
Hail Hail
This exchange is why the establishment is in panic mode.
“No state has a right to exist. Not the Soviet Union, not Czechoslovakia, not the Zionist apartheid state of Israel. ” Sky’s deputy political editor
@SamCoatesSky
speaks to George Galloway at his victory event in a car dealership in Rochdale.
https://x.com/SkyNews/status/1763543602930634873?s=20
George Galloway is the Muhammad Ali of politics no media or politician can lay a glove on him…
oot.
Good morning from a rather wet 3 degree Garngad.
Cannot sleep..😪 I get up Mon – Frid at 5.30am (without an alarm clock) and come the bloody weekends I cannot sleep. Nightmare.
After my phone being away for repair I got it yesterday, well DPD delivered to wrongstreet and when I went around it was stuck in letter box. Took it home installed all my apps and it still has the same fault. Now it is off after being roasting hot and will not come back on. Got to give them another chance to repair or they replace. Another nightmare.
Anyway is Cal Mac out injured as that phone business took up all my Friday evening?
Drambowiecelt – Thanks for your post regarding the horrible diatribe about my Mother from another poster.
It sounds and looks as though the Shipwrecks had a ball.
That’s 2 I have missed.
Definitely be at the next one.
HH
D. :)
Top of the morning all & Dave 🤪 I can relate that ealry riser and earlier to bed now.
Calmac apparently has a big boot on due to his calf and achilies injury.
It has been a season for i injuries to key men for sure.
Imagine if Kyogo had went to Asia Cup 🙄
Or if we hadn’t signed the big fella on deadline day. 😯
Here is wee classic for you this fine morning 🤩
🎶
https://youtu.be/L3UQLtWMcvA?si=CCgwBDl3dqg8RWR1
B78 @ 12:43am.
To my mind there can only be two explanations for that post. Either Kevjungle has your login on you are fishing. No other explanation makes sense.
Maestro – Cheers
D. :)
Burnley78
I regard you as a well informed, and generally positive poster.
Genuine question – how would you some up our journey these last 12 months? How are we trending now? Currently?
Keen not to get bogged down in a ‘last 20 years’ comparison. I don’t see that it’s relevant for the current squad.
There may be a site where that can be discussed all day. Celticreflections or something.
Again, what do you make of the last year, this season? Our failure to retain our treble, our capitulation in Europe, our current 2nd place in the league.
Many thanks
James F @ 1.49am great post and bang on the money.
D. :)
31003 1.52am
Had turned phone off before you posted..
Iwata in the last couple of games is giving our defence a bit more protection and “keeping it simple” Neil Lennonesque :-)
Early days but I like your comparison…
Off to work … no rest for the wicked
https://youtu.be/2l5Q7E2iTzA?si=9arzDeduuz4tWcyw
SEAN THORNTON….
Very sad news about MICK.
May he rest In Peace.
YNWA.
https://open.spotify.com/track/68Ns85MX5sLEbeQLqIIhNo?si=npYAPhHPRTC3nb88ZlT_-w
Sean Thornton
My prayers are with you and your family.
DAVID66 on 2ND MARCH 2024 6:26 AM
…………
Davie Bhoy…..We all had a great time in The Shippy yesterday but YOU were STILL missed.
The Beers were flowing and the banter was good.
i didnt leave until around 8.30pm….so I had been drinking for around Nine Hours.
I am just a wee bit FRAGILE this morning….I think I am too auld these days for long Bevvy Sessions….but I WILL continue to put in more Practice til I fall doon !
LOL.
All the best to you Davie Bhoy and ALL the family.
Hope to see you soon.
Let me know when your Phone is fixed…..or IF you get a NEW Number etc ?
HH My Big China.
Superbru Latest
Brendan Rodgers 2-0 Paul67
A few facts.
Celtics first 75 years we win 39 domestic trophies at an average of 1 every 2 seasons.
In the 60 years since 1963 (including the lions) we have won 76 domestic trophies which is an average of 1.25 per season.
In the Lions and Quality Street Kids 20 years era 64/83 we won 29 domestic trophies so just under 1.5 per year. A fantastic feat. And of course the big cup.
We then had a spell in the doldrums of 20 years to 2003 where despite Seville etc we won just 9 trophies at .45 per year. A decaying stadium and near bankruptcy but even then coming out of that we were a basket case. Cassidy to McDonald to the rangers supporting Halfords guy as CEOs who were simply not a fit for what was needed.
We have just enjoyed a 20 year spell under Quinn’s initial direction and Lawwell control or influence when we have won 34 trophies in 20 seasons or 1.7 trophies per year.
34 trophies in a period where we also beat more top tier European teams (top 4 leagues) than any time in our history and came back from a financial mess in 2003 into being solvent and sustainable.
Despite illegal cheating for 8 years and living outwith their means for the entirety of this period our rivals won a third of the domestic trophies which we won in this period, although they did have 2 success duo runs in the lower tier European competition.
All of this achieved against the usual bias in our game from officials and media.
The momentum has continued into the past 5 years when Celtic won 11 out of the past 16 trophies at almost 70% success rate delivering 5 out of 8 trebles in our history in the past 7 years. A period when our rivals had massive upward momentum returning to the top tier yet their trophy haul including current year is not even 20% of Celtics.
The stats don’t lie over the long term. Of course football macro dynamics are working against clubs like ours from small countries. Every few years one will have its day in the sun but it ain’t sustainable. Of course lawwell made a few mistakes and isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. When we replace Peter Lawwell in running the club whoever it is had better hit the ground running as these stats are incredible and not opinion. It’s against these that they will be judged in the long run.
I am sure the perma malcontents will have their long list of potential successors of course just as they have never misplaced a pass in their lives and careers.
I think a return to a wee period of shadow beckons.
Sean Thornton
Very sad to read about your brother when reading back.
Prayers are with you and your family.
Ave Ave
B78,I don’t think anyone is disputing how successful Celtic have been in the last 20 years,but I think they are disputing how successful PeterLawwell has been.In terms of the club running as a successful business attracting very good sponsorship, yes he and others done a good job but as far as sticking his nose into football matters his tenure leaves a lot to be desired.Lots of Celtic fans were perturbed by the clubs lack of ambition during his tenure,downsizing seemed to be the priority rather than speculating to accumulate .Sell for £25M replace for £2.5 M.Everyone was delighted with the trophies we won but every season we failed to properly support our various mangers with transfer funds to at least having a go at the Champions league last 16.Dermot Desmond pushed the boat out to land Brendan in 2016 due to Newco’s directors over celebrating their semi final win against us whilst generally acting like huns.We spent decent money for about a season and a half then reverted to type.Peter Lawwell has took ” bucket loads of cash” out of Celtic whilst the club bought countless projects instead of the quality required often missing out on players for comparative buttons.
Sean Thornton
So sorry to read back about the loss of your brother. Thoughts and prayers said for you at this tough time.
Re above facts about Celtics recent domination.
I mentioned the previous CEO folks :
Cassiday. newspapers
Macdonald. Aerospace
Mcleod. Walmart
All had great cvs and great track records in their respective businesses, not even arguably better than Peter Lawwells but football is different. It’s makes people behave in strange ways.
Lawwell coming from more humble background and modest career did not carry the same ego into the job. The kind of ego which was rampant across the city both with Murray and Bain as well as their fanbase. This was key to their downfall and our success. I had a professional foot on both camps for 7 years at this time so saw it first hand.
Football is a funny game and does strange things to people when they are involved in authority. Keeping your feet on the ground must be so difficult. Keeping your head even more so.
I fear for what will happen next with us. Not least because our rivals are dancing and celebrating our internal strife as they start to see some green shoots. They detesting Peters controlling influence of the game as they saw it.
I also have no idea who would possess the right skill set for the next phase we seem bereft of a clear strategy now and I don’t envy the next leader.
Sean Thornton
My condolences to you and your family, may Mick Rest in Peace.
SEAN THORNTON
Very sad news about your brother.
May he rest In Peace.
Lawwell is long past his sell by date, he has been at the club too long for our and his good, it is not his club and with a functioning Board of NEDs and an open process for recruitment we can and will go on and thrive, Celtic is not about 1 or 2 important people that it seems to be in the eyes of some people shows how myopic we have become. Big wide world out there, let the first team of Celtic be the priority in that it can be the best it can be every season and there will be few gripes, 67 million in the bank tells me it wasn’t, anyone can hoard money and stick it in the bank but it isn’t going to develop the team . That is my last word on this and I don’t want a reply. Get the best recruitment team in and Chairman and that will start the process.
“….we seem bereft of a clear strategy……”
And who is responsible for that?
B78,
Good on you for not resorting to the name calling that you have received from others.
I always enjoy your posts, whether I agree with them or not 👍
I imagine a lot of the ire towards Mark Lawell is the assumption – rightly or wrongly – that he has been responsible for the last few windows.
Can I ask- do you think the summer and winter windows were a success?
When do you think the last successful window was.
And if you don’t think the last X numbers of windows have been a success (fair enough if you do) who or what do you blame? And how would you resolve it?
Why Ivan Toney rejected Rangers and Celtic for Brentford as striker reveals transfer talks
The England striker held talks with Steven Gerrard and Neil Lennon before being persuaded to join the Bees by Thomas Frank
By Ryan McDonaldEditor
09:51, 21 AUG 2023Updated09:53, 21 AUG 2023
Ivan Toney has revealed he held talks with Rangers and Celtic before joining Brentford in 2020.
The England hitman was on the Old Firm’s radar three years ago after catching the eye as Peterborough’s top goalscorer. But the frontman – who is currently serving an eight-month ban from football due to gambling breaches – knocked back a move to Scotland in favour of ambitious Brentford, who were in the English Championship at the time.
Toney had visited Glasgow and even met former Hoops boss Neil Lennon at Lennoxtown but an agreement could not be struck and the Parkhead side eventually signed Albian Ajeti instead. However, Toney revealed he could have made a sensational move across the city to Ibrox after speaking with Steven Gerrard – but opted for a switch to the Bees after being told he would be their number one striker.
Opening up on the Old Firm’s interest, Tony told the Diary of a CEO podcast: “I did speak to other clubs. I actually went up to Rangers and spoke with the manager there, which was Steven Gerrard at the time.
“We spoke a bit, but there were two strikers at the time and they were looking to bring another one in, so there would’ve been four strikers. I think the formation that they played, the majority of the time was one striker up top. So I would have been third choice, something like this.
“We went to Celtic, we spoke to Celtic and I think it was the same there. I’m one of three strikers or something like this. I think at the time when I was moving, I wanted to be the main guy.
“The crucial thing for me is playing games. Even though I back myself and compete with other strikers, I want everyone to know that when I’m bursting through the door, I’m the main man up front.
“I feel like when I spoke to the manager at Brentford, he pretty much said you’re the main guy and I don’t see anybody taking your spot. So make sure you produce the goods, it’s yours really.”
We have a very good manager ✅️
Faithful fantastic fans & great worldwide support✅️ so in my humble opinion all we need now is fit for purpose ambitious board and when all are doing there jobs properly t
we are almost unbeatable I believe over to you DD.
🙏
Big two page article on Anthony Stokes in Daily Mail south of the border apparently ……not just Scottish version !
Burnley
When we replace Peter Lawwell in running the club…
I thought the club was bemused at the abuse directed to our hands-off chairman?
Anyhoo, what you can read into B78’s impassioned defence of the Lawwell family is that the plc tree has well and truly been shaken and they know material change is afoot.
Let’s see if it’s as detrimental as B78 foresees. I hae ma doots.