BBC’s series, Scotland’s Game, has become compulsive viewing. Tales of redemption for Celtic, Hearts and others, and tales of woe for some. Last night’s episode had a few remarkably frank admissions.
One which caught the eye was former-Rangers former-manager, Alex McLeish, who admitted his title winning team “would’ve been behind [Celtic]” had they not funded their squad through EBTs. We should all take note for when the Big Tax Case reaches the Supreme Court.
Pleased to see the appropriate amount of damage done to Rangers by majority owner and chairman, David Murray, was correctly attributed, with one or two character defects throw in for good measure by contributing journalist, Tom English.
Aberdeen have nailed their proverbial flag to the mast this week with the word, “No previous meeting found” on their fixture list comment on a forthcoming game against Newco. It’s a simple comment, it’s accurate, has been confirmed in writing by Uefa and will position the club shoulder-to-shoulder with their fans.
Get it right, Celtic.
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Beyonce
COYBIG
PETEC
………..
You’ll Never Walk Alone….with the
…Jubilant-Jobo-Hunskelping-Choir
Keep it lit fella.
KILL ULTRA on 2ND SEPTEMBER 2016 11:46 AM
Cheers for that.
Can I just clarify something?
I don’t, and never have, worked for the Celtic Charity Foundation either as an employee or as a third party consultant.
Any involvement I have with the charity foundation is purely on a voluntary basis and performed in my own time — which is sometimes very difficult as I do have other things that I must do and which have no connection to Celtic in any way.
I am much more interested in the charity side of things — the original ethos of the club — than any function that the PLC performs, although I recognise that proper business governance is a must and we are saddled with the PLC model whether we like it or not. Personally I don’t – although I have to recognise that I am in a minority there and that I am perhaps throwing stones from outside the glasshouse.
With regard to the PLC and Res 12 — Hmmmm.
What’s the point of rowing a boat but swimming the last 100 metres to the shore?
By all means drop me a line.
Cheers
BRTH
“No previous meeting found”
You won’t see that on any official Celtic fixture list
Good Afternoon.
A busy day in Clumpany Towers yesterday. Four new pieces about Sevco statements, Mike Ashley, Philippe Senderos and liquidation lies…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/the-senderos-negotiation/
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/jibe-talkin/
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/telling-tales-on-his-big-mikeness/
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/09/01/yet-another-sevco-statement/
calling out the celtic board is that a first for paul 67
So when that new enquiry into EBT’s gets underway Big Eck will be the first witness…..
In one clip he blew a massive hole in the LNS enquiry.
TONYDONNELLY67
……………………………
You’ll Never Walk Alone…in the Jungle.
Auld Fenian Eeeeedjit – CSC
Chin up mhan ;-)
….oot-zzzzz…..
Paul67
Might be a good idea to tell those you know on the PLC….To tell the truth.
The ‘Big Lie’ cannot be peddled by Celtic.
Surely you can see that.
HH
Aberdeen aren’t using the Sevco badge either. Respect.
Aberdeen apologised yet?
BMCUW
Fair point – hence the need to be thinking about next year now. Who would we ship out, what do we need, can we get any of those on Bosmans, who of our out of contract players sould we keep/let go? All that needs to be part of strategic approach to the team, taking into account the need to qualify to be able to spend. I think defensive midfield is the key area that needs filling, so I’d use my January clear out to fund that, plus some bosman signings if possible.
With that sorted, I think we ought to have enough to qualify for the CL next year, and then look at the other positions as and when we know what’s happening. Fortunately we have short term options then (keep Jozo and Kolo; keep Lustig until the end of the summer window and replace if we qualify) and we may also have some other kids (Ralston?) coming through over this season that mitigates the need to replace some of those I’d ship out, as well as sustained good form from McGregor, Henderson, Armstrong, which may mean we don’t need to replace 3 midfielders in one go. But we have to be clear who is in line for the chop, and what we might need to do to replace, regardless of qualification. If we don’t qualify, it may mean loans,free transfers or sub-optimal players for 12 months to tide us over – I’d swallow that if it meant we were able to bring in 1 or 2 proper players as part of the rebuild strategy.
The main problem we’ve had the past few years is that our so-called strategy wasn’t working – it was a collection of projects with numerous failures and a few who came good and we sold on. It meant we were self-sufficient (ie no debt to buy players) but did nothing for the team. The missing element was ensuring we had a core of good players who were happy to stay 3-4 years (truthfully, we’ve only had Brown and Lustig in that position) with room for 3-4 projects in the squad to polish up and, if neccesary sell. It’s what we did during the early part of Lennon’s time (Forster, Lustig, Ledley, Brown, Hooper) with the likes of Wanyama, VVD, Ki, etc fulfilling the project side.
WIth BR in charge, we may be able to get teh balance right, with a core of Erik, Tierney, Brown, Sinclair, Griffiths, and a couple of others over the next couple of windows (defensive midfielder, other CB, Goalkeeper) then room for projects in the side – but more claculated projects than the previous grab and hope for the best approach we’ve had. Once you’ve got that, we could start doing what Porto, etc do – have a project (O’Connell) waiting to step into Jozo’s place when he moves on (he’s not a 3-4 year guy in my view) or Christie into ROgic’s position, etc. Rather than having the heart torn out of midfield/defence every other year and going into CL qualifiers with a distinctly lower class second choice – our second choices ought to be solid pro’s who can’t physically cope with playing every week or someone being blooded carefully to replace the first choice next year.
I decided not to watch these programmes as I thought they would be a blue wash.
From what I have read they have wholly lambasted Gretna and Hearts and tentatively stepped on the toes of the Rangers\Sevco myth. But hey it’s a step in the correct direction.
I fear the green violets will shrink further on the Old Firm myth when the 10th comes around. Well done the Dons. I don’t like you much but at least you have the cajones to stand up to the myth.
MWD
Get it right, Celtic.
—–
Paul 67. Your rallying call is pathetic. The club should have got it right when Rangers died.
Celtic have already played its major role resurrecting the Old Firm. Any written gesture will be as empty as PL’s Rory Bremner jibe. A sop to gullible fans, no more, no less.
Celtic absolutely MUST get their handling of the Sevco league game correct. No excuses for failing to do so. Giving legitimacy to something which pretends to be an entity which cheated the club, its fans and its shareholders would be outrageous.
BSR
Big Peter will probably apologize on their behalf:)
Without telling them first:)
HH
Big Jo @ the Back?
move the Viking into where Efe should be playing?
Or just give Efe that number?
I want the Hun wrecked Mentally on the 10th.
The Hun @ Hampdump played the game simply but at slow speed. :))
Zippitydoda
The ‘Big Lie’ demeans anybody that upholds it.
Surely the Celtic board cannot be seen to be backing a Hun agenda.
They should be chased if they persist in the lies.
Its not acceptable.
HH
Remind me again what the Aberdeen chairman said……..
BROGAN ROGAN TREVINO AND HOGAN SUPPORTS OSCAR KNOX, MACKENZIE FURNISS AND ANYONE ELSE WHO FIGHTS NEUROBLASTOMA on 2ND SEPTEMBER 2016 12:08 PM
———
BRTH Thanks, and Sorry. I remembered a post where you or someone else mentioned your involvement with the Celtic Foundation. I mistakenly interpreted that as being employed by that organisation.
Kill Ultra
Any written factual gesture in Celtic Fc programming for this fixture will be a welcome change from the PLC’s current stand. It will be one even I would personally welcome and thank them for. I’d even credit PL with good CEO’ing.
It’s time the truth be told, even if it is late.
MWD
GET it right Celtic…..run by gutless wonders…….its not just a player clear out we need
Very, very,very last one… (promise)
Whack Falafel Rah…
When I see the (largely Sky driven) hype and bluster re the last day of the transfer window, I am reminded of those chaps who race to the local petrol station at 8pm on mothers day.
Not for their mums are meal vouchers, Westlife CDs or other such notable gifts. Rather, some overpriced and rather bruised blooms with a tattered card that others dismissed.
Well done to Brendan for getting it right.
I don’t think its fair to keep calling them a new club.
They’ll be 9 years old when we clinch the 10 :)
If they’re lucky enough to survive that long…
HH
PETEC on 2ND SEPTEMBER 2016 12:16 PM
I want the Hun wrecked Mentally on the 10th.
——
Beautiful words Pete, beautiful words.
Well done to Tom English for correctly naming the person responsible for Rangers’ demise.
Good contributions too from Alex Thompson and Stuart Cosgrove. Expected a bit more from Spiers who was one of the few to be critical at the time. Maybe it was edited out?
Oh, and where was Jim Traynor!? Heh heh.
And really, i just dont get why a Celtic PLC are bowing and scraping before a mob of intellectually challenged bigots.
WTF is going on.
Is a Celtic PLC really going to side with the Huns, against their own supporters?
That is suicide.
HH
Something for Neustadt-Braw, Davidopolous and bangers everywhere :
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/aug/10/sausage-party-review-seth-rogen
thetimreaper,
The wee man is going to experience the real hun for the First Time.
I want them shut up ASAP.
Scotland Knows
I hope the Legends like BSR go along to the game. I respect Everyones decision when it comes to Celtic.
‘Am sittin’ here wondering’……does anyone else hope that the prodigal Tony Watt can come back with the correct attitude and play for Celtic again?
Imagine, if you can……..
Sinclair….Dembele…..Griffiths….Watt…….Roberts
“Tony Watt is a shock contender to lead Scotland’s attack for the World Cup qualifier against Malta after talks with Scotland assistant Mark McGhee over the summer convinced the management team the Hearts’ striker’s bad attitude and sloppy habits are a thing of the past.”
NATKNOW
Just what are you trying to Imply? Oh…it’s a cartoon, i see…
;)
I’m not hoping for a lot. I’d settle for no mention of “back,” “return” or, God forbid, “O** F***.” Looking forward to seeing “Celtic v The Rangers” on the front of the programme. Maybe that is expecting too much.
Good Afternoon.
It is sometime since I wrote anything of any substance containing any analytics of what happened over at Ibrox during the Murray years.
Over a period of time the details of the Ibrox business operation during David Murray’s tenure has been analysed repeatedly on forums like this and on blog pages which are aimed at football fans of all clubs. so it is not just a matter of interest to Celtic fans.
Not only that, but interest in the entire affair should not be restricted to football fans as there is clear evidence of conduct which must alarm the professions in general, banking in particular, those who are interested in proper sporting governance and last, but not least, the Government and the British tax payer.
Beyond that, we also have to face the reality that in Scotland we have a sporting press which dances to the editors tune and the media proprietors profits and losses. It is in the financial interests of those who control, have invested in and who work for the media to report all footballing matters through the tinted (and indeed tainted) glasses of a Celtic & Rangers vista with little heed being paid to other clubs or indeed the truth.
The fact is that Celtic & Rangers, or “The old firm” if you like, sells.
Any story must be sesationalist if possible and designed to appeal to or outrage one set of fans or another. If you can get a story which appeals to both sets of fans — whether it piques their interest or causes outrage is immaterial — then you have struck gold.
It is against this background that no one in the “Sports Establishment” or in the media circus really wants to focus on what is a clear and evidenced set of facts.
Those facts include the following:
1. Between 1989 and 2011 Rangers Football Club (Rangers PLC) amassed losses which in real terms came to over £180 Million.
2. During that period, the club were directly or indirectly (via MIH) funded by the absolutely disgraced management of the Bank of Scotland.
3. During the same period, the same bank financed the majority of the other senior football clubs in Scotland, and during that time they reigned in the available finance to those clubs whilst continually extending further credit lines to Rangers until such times as it became plain that the club was operating at an unsustainable level of debt. Eventually they sought to reduce their “book” damage by funneling money through MIH which allowed Sir David Murray to shore up a totally failed share issue in 2005.
4. Throughout this period, the governing body of Scottish Football and the body which regulated premier league football failed to take any steps which would safeguard the interests of small individual investors in Rangers Football Club. There was little, if any, attempt at real club financial regulation by the Scottish Authorities nor any detailed, or even cursory, examination of the strange and unsettling financial model and practice which was enveloping Scottish Football as a whole where the contrast between the one bank’s attitude towards Murray and Rangers was in stark contrast to their practice everywhere else.
5. Despite having a written mandate from all clubs which allowed them to make independent enquiries, The SFA failed to make any enquiries whatsoever as to the status of paid or unpaid taxes by the football club concerned at any juncture even when it became plain that there was a major and life threatening dispute between HMRC and RFC. There was no clarification sought about the nature and the practices behind EBT schemes employed by Rangers PLC nor was it ever questioned as to why one club would employ such a scheme while all others did not.
Last night’s BBC program gave a clear explanation for this corporate malaise and failure.
Alex McLeish – a man for whom I have a fair amount of respect – made a plain and honest statement when he said that he was well aware that without the ability to operate at a certain level, by whatever means, Rangers would not have been able to compete with Celtic.
And it is apparently essential for Scottish Football that Celtic and Rangers should be able to compete.
McLeish’s confirmation of both his knowledge and the accepted need to compete with Celtic absolutely matches the statements given in evidence by Sir David Murray to the First Tier Tribunal when that forum heard the details of the big tax case.
It is the only official “on the record” statement from the man who controlled Rangers throughout the period.
The entire business model and business practice deployed at Ibrox was designed to gain as much an advantage as possible and to enable the Ibrox club to compete with and beat Celtic.
Confirmation from the owner and sometime chairman and director, and confirmation from a respected football manager (a former Scotland manager and captain) both of whom were privy to and beneficiaries of the scheme concerned.
It is to be remembered that the failure to disclose side letters and secondary contracts has been admitted as being a practice which was followed to avoid any POSSIBLE sanction from the football authorities for potential breaches of the rules, and that later a judicial panel would describe such conduct as “as close to match fixing” as could be imagined.
There is every possibility and probability that many who worked at Ibrox, who invested in the club, and supported the club with their season ticket money were completely oblivious to the poor business governance and decision making that was leading the club to disaster.
However, the same cannot be said for those in charge at the SFA and those who were in the know at the Bank of Scotland.
Both of these bodies have supervisory roles when it comes to its members or its borrowers.
The SFA has a duty to ensure that all clubs play by and adhere to the same rules. They have checks and balances to ensure this and they have the powers to make enquiry and seek clarification. The fact that while armed with accountants, lawyers and compliance specialists they allowed Rangers to run up huge debts and employ an unlawful tax scheme for years, and to avoid proper player registration consistently without question is a matter of corporate failure and professional shame.
The Bank has a duty to shareholders and savers to invest in businesses wisely and prudently with proper due diligence and business management being employed to protect investors funds and to ensure that the banking decisions reached are based on solid knowledge and proper business compliance.
It doesn’t always work out of course, no one and no business is perfect, but repeated losses totalling £180 Million over a thirteen year period is hard to support especially when the business concerned fails to adhere to professional governance essentials and embarks on at least two questionable, challengeable or unlawful tax schemes with catastrophic financial consequences if deemed unlawful.
However, for the sake of Scottish football and for the benefit of media sales and press access, much of this detail will be ignored, brushed under the carpet and forgotten about.
The attempts to preserve the “Celtic and Rangers thing” was scuppered when fans absolutely rejected any new club (following the liquidation of Rangers PLC) being shoe horned into the premier or first divisions and forced club chairmen to think again.
Had it been left to the clubs themselves, at least at the outset, then ” normal service” would have been resumed as quickly as possible.
Many media outlets will simply say “let’s move on” and many Rangers fans will argue that anyone who wishes to investigate and learn from this abject business failure is no more than a Rangers hater.
However, as can be seen from the recent changes afoot at UEFA, Scottish Football is being left behind financially and is perhaps considered a backwater which contains two big clubs and a shower of “diddies”.
Even Fergus McCann recently stated that having any kind of Rangers out of the top league was “bad for business” and that the other teams were fed by Celtic and Rangers and went on to imply that they should just toe the line.
With respect to Fergus, that is not acceptable to this football fan.
I welcome Celtic playing against any football club but only if the same rules, on field and off field, apply to all.
Other football clubs are to be respected no matter what their financial or playing strength and there is far more to Scottish Football than just Celtic and Rangers.
However, until there is a full examination of just what happened at Ibrox, how it happened and the effect it had on clubs beyond Celtic then we will collectively have learned nothing.
That is not good for fans of either Celtic or Rangers, and it is sure as hell is not good for football fans who are hell bent on supporting other clubs without whom we have no league, no cup competitions, no farmework and no justifiable case for maintaining a league which falls within the ambit of UEFA.
If we can’t run and supervise football properly in Scotland (both on the pitch and off it) why should UEFA continue to have us come under their umbrella at all?
“One which caught the eye was former-Rangers former-manager, Alex McLeish, who admitted his title winning team “would’ve been behind [Celtic]” had they not funded their squad through EBTs.”
So, Mr McLeish. As a manager of the former club, you now admit that it gained a sporting advantage from the use of EBTs. Do you believe that the titles and cups won with the assistance of financial doping should be removed from the records?
Our next league game will be the first against a new club. Let’s tell everyone loud and clear. It’ not the resumption of anything, the return of anything or the continuation of anything. The o** f*** died with Rangers.
BRTH
Time for a bit of rest and relaxation,and perhaps some DIY
Don’t Involve Yourself!
Conscience clear,of course you defend yourself,but you’re talking about National Enquirer stuff.
Got the goods,I’ve just not released it yet.
Ffs,gaun yersel.
BRTH,fill yer cowboy boots on him.