In the range of events I never thought would possibly happen, David Murray appearing on a podcast with Graeme Souness discussing EBTs is right up there! You would expect the master architect of the scheme that destroyed Rangers and a recipient of an EBT, paid when he was Blackburn Rovers manager, would keep well away from this subject. That they did not, tells you a great deal about the personalities of both.
Murray credited himself with giving Rangers nine-in-a-row and Gascoigne, and admitted to the sins of ambition and vanity. Ambition, that football fault which is so similar to being just perfect. Always be aware of characters throwing that around as their fault (I’m not going to mention our former vain and ‘ambitious’ character).
His technical defence was that auditors for Rangers and Murray International Holdings (MIH) both signed off on his EBT scheme. True, but wholly irrelevant. A quick explainer:
An EBT is a loan. Employers loan staff money every day. Crisis loans, relocations loans and loans to cover health-related issues are common. If it is a short-term matter, or in a small company, little or no paperwork is required. At other times, the loan needs to be formally written up. These loans can also be forgiven (often happens when a crisis loan is issued). No problem with this and no employment tax is due.
Rangers EBT scheme effectively paid footballers, managers and execs with these types of loans, however, for the footballers (at least), the loans were contractual obligations, with a clause which meant they never had to be repaid. In 2017, the UK Supreme Court ruled that these contracts were disguised renumeration and that employment taxes were due on them.
The contract invalidated the EBT structure. MIH possibly did not have the same contractual arrangements, so EY, their auditor, would be untroubled by the scheme. The point David Murray did not address, was whether Rangers auditor – Grant Thornton – were informed about the contractual nature of the club’s EBTs.
Grant Thornton are unlikely to defend themselves against this contagion, but no one pursued the firm for poor advice in relation to the signing of Rangers accounts. It is not credible to suggest that Grant Thornton knew of these contracts and no one has claimed they were told.
In adopting an ‘innovative tax strategy’, Rangers knew a challenge from HMRC was possible. They would have got away with it, were they not raided by City of London Police in relation to the Jean-Alain Boumsong sale to Newcastle (then managed by Souness). This transaction was subject to investigation by the Stevens Inquiry. That issue is worth an hour of your time reviewing the characters involved in the UK game at the time.
When this was going on, other things were crumbling around Murray. The Bank of Scotland went bust and was sold, with new oversight and a different appetite for his largesse. Rangers won three successive leagues in the run-up to administration, they were solvent and could have chosen to set money aside from Champions League qualification to offset a potential HMRC settlement. Instead, they returned to the roulette table year after year.
If I had my way, I would build a statue to David Murray outside Celtic Park. He has done more for our success than anyone not directly connected to Celtic. Without his navigation, Rangers would never have been liquidated, and Celtic would not have removed that “World’s most successful….” writing from the walls of what he vaingloriously called Murray Park. Celebrate the man, he is a gift to generations of Celtic fans.
Also, when he dies, I’m open to offers on writing a book.
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am not sure how he could be more disengaged???
everytime he steps out in public he should be engaged in a similar fashion
the fans have had the same shit for nearly 3 years now
3 months of tennis balls should help him see clearly
Thumped 7-1 at the sixes
Clunks….what’s the end game with the protests against DD?
What do the protesters want?
spikeysauldman on 3rd October 2026 3:44 pm
Tony Blair’s death will be celebrated as much as Thatcher’s if not more.
—–
Tony Blair originated the national minimum wage for working class people.
Massive improvement in education and health care.
Reduction in child poverty
Negotiation of the Good Friday agreement.
Three Labour general election victories.resulting in improved worker conditions and generational improvement.
Probably facilitated your university ” education ”
I vividly remember the euphoria while working in Norway when TB won . A new dawn .Hope.
I cannot comprehend celebration of death.
CQN has hit a new low with celebration of death of any individual.
I thought I had seen it all , but there is always something different and low bar Very poignant as I have just witnessed rain in Egypt for the very first time.
As a long standing CQN’er and visitor to Egypt I have just experienced two uniques
HH.
A voice
What do you think??
Greenpinata on 3rd October 2026 8:27 pm
In this era it’s sadly becoming the norm to celebrate the death
of anyone who put the nose out of joint .
A voice…I dont know what that means tbh.
What do I think?….I think they want DD to sell his control to the highest bidder.
And I think that would be a disastet
r
Celebrating someone’s death is wrong in my opinion. However, there are certain individuals whose death I will not mourn…Netanyahu is an example. There are others…
A more neutral balanced detailed account of the War criminals time in office
Now a multi millionaire bankrolled by the Saudis
How Blairism Failed the Working Class
tribunemag.co.uk
https://tribunemag.co.uk › 2021/04 › did-blairism-work
13 Apr 2021 — … failed to break the cycle of deepening inequality … Blair himself blamed knife crime on the ‘black community’, and was …
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS on 3RD OCTOBER 2026 8:43 PM
Nethanyahu and Trump, I certainly will be glad the planet is rid of evil murderous basses
WBC….I know you weren’t addressing me but just thought I would agree with you re people’s death.
I never celebrated Thatchet or anyone else dying.
However…just to add to your point….I honestly believe that I’m one of the 5pc of human beings in the world and that’s the way i bring my kids up.
I hate people bring sick with jealousy.
Not a Celtic post.
Meant to read…..one of the 5pc of people who actually cheer people on in life
John Collins is a cure for insomnia
So, you’re thinking, ‘John Collins is sending me to sleep, I’ll listen to James McFadden instead…Zzzzzzzzz’
the Bada Bing on 3rd October 2026 8:55 pm
John Collins is a cure for insomnia
_________________________
And everyone on the BBC Scotland football dept…..would fekn send you to sleep, unless BILLY BILLY Gilmour
put’s a half ass pass in. 😤
On what planet is wearing balaclavas and throwing tennis balls at someone in their private time described as having a constructive dialog. Attention seeking wee boys.
spikeysauldman on 3rd October 2026 3:56 pm
A few weeks ago word was Chris McKay CFO was het.
I would love to be a fly on the wall.
it was a public event
Not a private round
Ah…never realised it was public.
Totally fine then
glad you agree!!
Pity Chris McCart was it, never saw Andy Robertson’s potential as a youth player at Celtic FC.
Thankfully others did…..including the original Jurgen……..Klupp
Beware virtue signaling hypocrites 😉
https://imgflip.com/i/b2n0wc
Brendan sold out…….
The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall that is……
Was detached from all things footie for most of today.
Just saw news of the “action” taken against DD
Balaclavas, eh ?
BTW, Clunks – the Celtic fans have a voice.
That they choose not to use it in sufficient numbers to speak what you want to hear?
… is a different issue.
PS – the tweet from the collective shared on here earlier?
Clearly shows where they stand.
I had an outside hope the brains trust in the collective
… would gradually disassociate themselves from balaclava clad tangerine lobbers and tennis ball tossers …
… to refocus attention on their action plan and longer term objectives.
Hey ho.
did the tweet from the collective get binned?
Anger at recent shambolic results on the park in big games was compounded yesterday by Celtic plc latest financial results.
The statements from the ‘interim’ Chairman and CEO typically lacked humility and did little to improve the mood.
Supporters are not fooled.
The stark reality is that Celtic FC is underachieving across the Club and the trajectory is alarming.
We have highlighted the signs of this decline since our formation.
We will continue to hold the Club to account and fight for the standards that the Celtic support deserves.
Celtic Fans Collective representatives met with Celtic FC yesterday to discuss the Club’s fan engagement strategy.
We also the took opportunity to express the deep frustration at the continued mismanagement of the Club.
A full update will be shared with members shortly.
We are committed to building on the foundations already laid and ensuring Celtic fans have a credible, unifying body that can represent and protect the interests of the support for years to come.
It’s a bit late if they did😂
From Shortie’s main news story:
“The Celtic Fans Collective have since released a statement, along with footage and images of the incident.
It read: “Dermot Desmond has essentially been allowed to run Celtic Football Club whilst using his wealth to hide from supporters and accountability. Fans took the chance today to send a message that this arrangement cannot continue.”
They represent all Celtic fans, don’t you know?
Good result for Scotland. Played as a team, fought for each other, knew what system they were playing; it will never catch on !
That was written up weeks ago,waiting to see if anything happened today
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2026/october/03/Celtic-Football-Club-statement/
Celtic Football Club condemns in the strongest terms the deliberate disruption which took place today at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews.
This was a premeditated action. The Club is aware that it was discussed and planned in advance at a meeting of the Celtic Fans Collective committee. Minutes of that meeting record a proposal specifically to disrupt the event at St Andrews using tennis balls and banners, coordination with supporters intending to attend, and an agreement that Collective funds would be used towards materials for the protest.
Following today’s incident, the Celtic Fans Collective published footage of the disruption on its own social media account together with a statement supporting the action and the message it was intended to convey.
Celtic Football Club has never sought to prevent supporters from expressing criticism of the Club, its Board or its shareholders. Supporters are entitled to disagree with decisions, to make their views known and to protest peacefully. What occurred at St Andrews represents a significant and unacceptable escalation.
A group purporting to act in the interests of Celtic supporters deliberately took a dispute concerning Celtic Football Club beyond Celtic Park and beyond football, to the home of golf, and disrupted an internationally recognised sporting event involving participants, organisers and spectators who have no involvement whatsoever in that dispute. In doing so, those responsible have sought to attach the name of Celtic and its supporters to their conduct on a public and international stage.
Celtic’s reputation has been built over generations, and our supporters have earned a worldwide reputation for the extraordinary passion, loyalty and commitment with which they support their Club. That reputation was built over many decades by generations of Celtic supporters.
Those responsible have brought shame upon the name of Celtic Football Club and upon a reputation which generations of Celtic supporters have spent more than a century building.
Over the past year, however, the conduct of the Green Brigade and those operating through the Celtic Fans Collective has increasingly threatened to undermine that hard-earned reputation. Repeated acts of disruption and escalation, culminating in today’s pre-planned disruption of an entirely unrelated sporting event, risk creating an image of Celtic supporters which is wholly unrepresentative of the overwhelming majority of those who follow the Club.
The reputation of Celtic supporters belongs to the entire Celtic family. It does not belong to any self-appointed group, and no such group is entitled to diminish it in pursuit of its own agenda.
The Club no longer accepts that the Celtic Fans Collective can credibly claim to represent the wider Celtic support. Those responsible for today’s events certainly do not speak for the many thousands of Celtic supporters who express their views passionately, peacefully and responsibly.
The Club will not be intimidated or coerced by organised acts of disruption. Nor will decisions concerning the stewardship of Celtic Football Club be dictated by those prepared continually to escalate their behaviour in an attempt to exert pressure upon the Club, its employees, directors, shareholders or others associated with Celtic. There is a line between protest and deliberate disruption. Today that line was crossed.
The Club has repeatedly sought engagement with supporter groups and, where restrictions have previously been imposed, has sought to provide a route by which relationships could be rebuilt on the basis of responsible conduct. Most recently, the Club met representatives of the Celtic Fans Collective in good faith in an effort to engage constructively with the concerns they wished to raise.
It is therefore particularly regrettable that, while the Club was continuing to engage in good faith, the Collective was planning and authorising further organised disruption. This follows the pattern of events surrounding the Stuttgart fixture earlier this year, when constructive engagement was similarly accompanied by plans for disruptive action.
Today represents a further and more serious escalation. This time, the disruption was taken entirely outside Celtic and outside football, intruding upon an unrelated sporting event and targeting an individual while participating in that event in a private capacity.
The conduct of the past year, culminating in today’s events, has demonstrated that the basis for constructive engagement has been fundamentally undermined. Accordingly, the Club will no longer recognise the Celtic Fans Collective as a representative body speaking on behalf of Celtic supporters and will cease all engagement with the Collective with immediate effect. The Club is examining today’s events. Any individuals or groups who are established to be involved in planning, facilitating or participating in this action will be banned indefinitely from Celtic Park.
No supporter requires the permission of Celtic Football Club to disagree with its Board. But equally, no supporter group has an entitlement to repeatedly disrupt events, intimidate individuals or seek to coerce the Club and then claim to do so on behalf of the Celtic support.
Celtic will continue to listen to and engage with supporters who wish to make their voices heard constructively and responsibly. There are many established channels through which supporters can do so, and today’s decision does not diminish the Club’s commitment to meaningful supporter engagement. But engagement requires responsibility. The Club will protect its employees, directors, shareholders and supporters.
The reputation of Celtic Football Club is non negotiable
From the board
The reputation of Celtic Football Club is non negotiable
😂😂😂😂😂😂
keep throwing the balls
Keep the disruption campaign moving
while participating in that (public) event in a private capacity.
fore!!!!!!!!!
As I wrote a couple of weeks ago when I wheeled out my old mate Pareto, Celtic have wasted far too much time and energy trying to blow smoke up the rear end of the wrong people.
Hopefully this statement now recognises that.