Scottish football is posed for the most momentous stand-off in its history. The battle lines are clear:
Money v Morals, TV money v Season ticket money, Bank of Scotland v Fans
In 12 days the SPL clubs will vote on resolutions which will enable a new club to parachute straight into the SPL following the liquidation of Rangers without having to apply for entry to the Scottish Football league and rise through the pyramid. Five clubs can block their entry – for a few days anyway. Six, a majority if one member is liquidated, would be enough to ensure Rangers Newco SPL entry is blocked.
According to the SPL Fan Survey fans would overwhelmingly like to see any Newco football club enter the Scottish Football League, a position supported by a large number of Rangers fans, but the voices of fans are more easily discarded than that of the Bank of Scotland, who a large number of clubs depend upon to keep their own clubs out of administration.
In short, unless clubs can demonstrate to the Bank of Scotland that they will lose more money from disaffected fans by voting for Newco than they will by voting to retain the custom of Rangers fans, with accompanying television and sponsor money, Newco FC will be voted into the SPL.
Celtic will vote against Newco but fans from Hibs, Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee United, Inverness, St Johnstone, Motherwell and St Mirren have to do more to make their case directly with their clubs. Irrespective of fan views, I reckon Dunfermline shareholders would rather relegate their own team than Rangers. Don’t even ask about Kilmarnock.
The Gang of 10 may speak as one. If they get rid of Rangers they will be able to out-vote Celtic and have a unique opportunity to change voting rights, allowing them to capture long-term money currently going to Celtic. This, together with overwhelming fan pressure, might be enough to persuade some, but this issue is more complex.
Despite initial opposition to changing the voting rights, Duff and Phelps may vote with the Gang of 10 on voting rights as part of a deal to allow them to sell a place in the SPL. Yes – trade votes in order to sell a place in the top league. Sporting integrity dismantled forever.
Since we first raised the alarm on this vote back in October I have been convinced Newco would be ushered into the SPL but the weight of opinion from fans from other clubs is stark. Over half of respondents to the Survey say they will not attend SPL games if Newco is voted straight into the league.
Even the Bank of Scotland would have to recognise the business sense in siding with the fans if this view is made firmly enough.
Truth is, no one knows which way this one will go, but this is a once in a century opportunity for fans to make a stand.
Bids for the original canvass painting of Neil Lennon by US based artist, Joseph Gormley, has topped £600! Keep an eye on the auction, which ends tomorrow, 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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How much like a 90s celtic rangers match was that?
I’m incredulous
bt
very good mate.
I think the club mean business here.
Has there ever been a Champion league final contested by two teams who were not the respective champions of their country
That’s how brutal the game can be – only time he’s been off his arse and boom!
Listen to the commentators tell us it was a MESSI mistake…
U
1.5 games to go, chelski will need to win by 2 clear goals at home IMO.
I think it’ll be a draw going into the Barca home game.
V
Dharma Bam
Aye, usually Laudrup on the break.
EBT’s were a real barsteward.
RIP Tommy Burns
So many similarities from the southern and northern landscapes of Hunnery.
Stamford Bridge and Ipox
Thug Terry and Thug McCullough
Nomark Cole and Nomark Whittaker
Racist Fans and Racist Fans
Criminal Owner and Criminal Owner
Succulent Laptops and Succulent Laptops
Off Radar Debt and Off Radar Debt.
It’s like watching paint dry, peel off and die in slow motion.
HH
Paul67 et al
Paul, that is interesting. Might be useful to have a closer look at that particular period, in relation to the Bank’s built-in lending policy.
Good fitba goal by Chelsea
Mickebhoy- I just remembered the worst of the season- A guy who owes RFC (IA) £100,000 via an EBT running the organisation charged with investigating them
mickbhoy1888
liverpool v milan? i know liverpool were not EPL champions, not sure about milan at the time.
If Saturday 19th May means Hibs V Hearts followed by Mourinho V Drogba , i`ll just get the Sunday flight home from Barcelona.
nice goal by Chelsea but TERRIBLE defending by Barca.
Both Pujol and Mascherano get pulled to the player with the ball leaving Drogba completely free.
If that had been Celtic doing that the blog would have gone into meltdown with demands for Heid and Big Mick to be brought back.
If Barca do that on Saturday Real will tear them to bits on the counterattack.
Bhoys and Ghirls
Can i give a mention to a very interesting football game taking place on Friday night
Blantyre Celtic play blantyre rangers in a league game at Blantyre vics park.
If Blantyre Celtic win they will be crowned Champions! .gers sit 6 points behind with three games to play
This would be a fantastic achievment for a team run on a shoestring against a team that has had all sorts of money thrown at them from all corners of the local Orc community.
Please leave the WEE HOOPS a good luck message on there Facebook page .
HAIL HAIL
Neils hearing tomorrow folks, lets hope Celtic blow them away!!
1 Neil Lennon
Mickeybhoy- thats the same organisation that employs, trains and selects the referees who should be impartial, even though the chairman of their organisations owes RFC (IA) £100,000 for an EBT
Competition entered
Chelsea`s tactics have been good although Fabregas could have scored. Game on. :-)
mickbhoy1888 on 18 April, 2012 at 20:36 said:
Has there ever been a Champion league final contested by two teams who were not the respective champions of their country
———————-
1999 man u v Bayern
Pretty sure neither were champions and that manu were 1st to win it as non champions.
Just checked Wiki and thats all right
“Manchester United became the first team to win the European Cup or Champions League having failed to be the champions of Europe, champions of their country, or the winners of their country’s domestic cup the preceding season. They had finished second in the 1997–98 season to Arsenal, but had qualified through UEFA’s expanded format, which had been introduced a few seasons earlier. Had Bayern won the cup, they would have become the first team to achieve this feat, having also finished second in the Bundesliga to Kaiserslautern the season before.”
HH
I learned at half time that my Bhoy has 20 shillings on Drogba 1st goal / Barca to win 2-1 at 90/1. He has a decent chance.
Jobo
Laudrup, the big submarine!
I also remember harald brattbakk’s first game, against rangers at new year. If it wasn’t for goram being on unbelievable form, he wouldve scored about 5 goals that day.
Think it was probably just plain brown envelopes in those days, if hugh adam,s to be believed.
Hi guys a bit off topic but looking for some travel advice. Going to Clearwater in Florida for a couple of days. Has anyone been to a reasonable hotel on Clearwater beach that they would recommend. Thanks in advance.
totally off topic – is a high rate of obesity a natural consequence of capitalism ?
Anyway , I hope lennie sticks to speaking the truth and exposing the falsehood which is their rules and regulations and standards.
One major flaw in the Barcelona side is the lack of an alternative goal scorer to Messi. I read/ heard somewhere that the next highest scorer after Messi has eleven.
If (big if) you can stop Messi scoring you are a good bit down the road.
Paul The Spark.
The Hilton Clearwater Beach Hotel
TT
I fancy Chelsea to scrape another.
I hope not.
TT
Here we go…
Or maybe not.
Paul the spark
Don’t forget to visit in Tampa Tims at Dunedin (about 4 miles away). They are in Flanagans pub on Main Street and will welcome you warmly.
Paul The Spark on 18 April, 2012 at 20:56 said:
I also stayed at the Hilton bout 3 years ago, it was magnificent!
Danni Alves could play for us his crossing is terrible!!!!
Drogba does my head in…what a cheat…..
I detest cheats like him….
pity, he is a great player too…
Drogba has been on the grassmore often than Bob Marley!
off to bed
one for the road…
30 teams will be in the third qualifying round of the 2012-13 Champions League
30 = 13+17
13 including…
Celtic (Scotland)
+12 others
and
17 of 34 from…
34 = 31+3
31 here…
2nd qualifying round…
KR (Iceland)
Ironi Kiryat Shmona (Israel)
Shakter Karagandy (Kaz)
Molde (Nor)
Ekranas (Lith)
Ventspils (Lat)
Helsingborg (Swe)
Flora Tallin (Est)
Dinamo Zagreb (Cro)
HJK Helsinki (Fin)
Ulisses (Arm)
BATE Borisov (Bel)
Shamrock Rovers (Ire)
+18 others
and
3 from 6 here…
1st qualifying round
B36 Torshavn (Far)
Linfield (NIr)
+4 others
will look at it in more detail in days to come
more info here…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012%E2%80%9313_UEFA_Champions_League
ps – the stuff in there about rfc(ia) is quite funny
goodnight
Aldersyde avenue
Thanks for that but going with my brother in law and his family as well and they are all huns. Will maybe surprise them and take them there.
Good point re. Messi. Madrid have Ronaldo scoring as many as Messi but then have Higuian and Benzema with around 19 each. It amazes me how rarely Ronaldo or Messi get injured. They play a huge amount of games and rarely get substituted. Throw in all their international duties and they must be two of the hardest worked players in world football . . . and best rewarded of course.
Drogba has surpassed those submarine movies everyone was talking about earlier.
He plays like a hun
Barca will just keep playing and playing and playing, then they’ll score 2 of 3, either in this game or the next.
garcia lorca on 18 April, 2012 at 16:24 said:
I read what you said earlier, many other posters have expressed the same.
I too will stand with Neil Lennon.
He stands for us in the face of threats, intimidation, violence and attempts on his life, he deserves our support for those reasons alone.