Nimmo Smith’s Black Cap

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I see a bit of debate on the blog this morning on Lord Nimmo Smith’s SPL Commission, which has retired to prepare its report.  In March last year former Rangers owner, Sir David Murray, insisted no Rangers players had “side contracts”, inferring there was no case to answer.  This line has not been peddled since.  Instead, various excuses are offered in mitigation.

BBC’s award winning The Men Who Sold the Jerseys documentary established that a large number of players received money in connection with playing football which was not recorded with the SPL and SFA.  Even Rangers counsel at the First Tier Tribunal conceded tax should have been paid on five of these players.

The real issue for Nimmo Smith is how to impose an appropriate punishment for illegal registration on this scale, which is consistent with punishments recently handed out to Spartans, Dunfermline and others, all of whom were kicked out of competitions, and fined up to a quarter of their annual income, for offences relating to single games.

For a couple of years now we have discussed the toxicity of matters surrounding the Rangers group of clubs.  Actions carried out during the Murray and Whyte eras put Rangers into liquidation with vast governance issues plaguing the game and the new club which inherited their player registrations.

On the assumption the SPL Commission concludes Rangers were guilty of fielding illegally registered players in hundreds of games, what would an appropriate punishment be?  Forget about stripping titles, or reclaiming prize money, both of which are merely consequences of the facts being established, not punishments.

I have total confidence Nimmo Smith will submit a report beyond reproach on whether Rangers broke the rules, but would he send for a Black Cap before handing out a sentence?  I’m not so sure.  Spartans and the rest might feel their 25% annual income fine for a single-match offence might become an embarrassment to some of the game’s administrators.

“Without fear or favour” was what we were promised last year.  Let’s see.
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  1. RT, thanks – not sure if that’s good or bad?

     

     

    Hoopy Do, thanks also, I wasn’t thinking of “the puddle”, of which I am aware!

  2. Apropos of nothing at all. Think I’ve seen everything now: couple of folk sitting at the front in Largs watching the ferry crossing to Cumbrae, braving the snow. Breed them tough in Ayrshire.

  3. Earlier post was absolutely correct, if the allegations against said dead club are not proven then it is only fair that apologies are given, to enable us to reach that stage there may be a need for some kind of peace and reconciliation commission, whereby the same dead club will have its opportunity for offer profuse apologies for the blight that it cast over this game, this city and indeed this country since its unfortunate inception.

     

     

    In hindsight, put me down for a no.

  4. Sanctions available to LNS Panel:

     

     

     

    “G6.1 Upon determining that a breach of or failure to fulfil the Rules

     

    has been established, the Board or, as the case may be, a

     

    Commission may:-

     

     

    G6.1.1 give a warning as to future conduct;

     

     

    G6.1.2 give a reprimand;

     

     

    G6.1.3 impose a fine;

     

     

    G6.1.4 annul the result of an Official Match;

     

     

    G6.1.5 order that an Official Match be replayed;

     

     

    G6.1.6 impose a deduction of points;

     

     

    G6.1.7 award an Official Match (with such deemed score

     

    as it thinks appropriate) to a Club;

     

     

    G6.1.8 order the playing of an Official Match or Matches

     

    behind closed doors;

     

     

    G6.1.9 order the closure of all or part of a Stadium for

     

    such period and for such purposes as it thinks

     

    appropriate;

     

     

    G6.1.10 order the playing of an Official Match or Matches

     

    at such Stadium as it thinks appropriate;

     

     

    G6.1.11 subject to Rule G6.3, order that a Club be

     

    expelled from the League;

     

     

    G6.1.12 withdraw or withhold the award of a title or award;

     

     

    G6.1.13 order any Club, Club Official or Player to pay

     

    compensation to any Club, Player, person or

     

    party;

     

     

    G6.1.14 order any Club, Club Official or Player to comply

     

    with any obligation or direction;

     

     

    G6.1.15 cancel or refuse the Registration of any Player

     

    Registered or attempted to be Registered;

     

     

    G6.1.16 order that a Club concerned be debarred from

     

    Registering Players for such period as it thinks

     

    appropriate;

     

     

    G6.1.17 order that any person, persons or group of

     

    persons be prohibited from attending at such

     

    Official Match or Matches and for such period as

     

    it thinks appropriate;

     

     

    G6.1.18 make such other direction, sanction or disposal,

     

    not expressly provided for in these Rules, as it

     

    shall think appropriate; and/or

     

     

    G6.1.19 make such order as to expenses, including the

     

    expenses of the Board and/or, as the case may

     

    be, Commission and/or other party, as it thinks

     

    appropriate.

     

     

    G6.2 When imposing a direction, sanction or disposal the Board or,

     

    as the case may be a Commission, may apply such number and

     

    combination of the directions, sanctions and/or disposals

     

    provide for in Rule G.1 as it thinks appropriate, may make such

     

    provision for time to comply with any one or more of same as it

     

    thinks appropriate, may defer for such period or until such event

     

    as it shall think appropriate the decision on or imposition of a

     

    sanction or sanctions and shall be entitled to suspend the effect

     

    of any such direction, sanction or disposal for such period

     

    and/or on such conditions as it thinks appropriate.”

  5. Maidín maith gach duine

     

     

    check out the Irish girls rant after the Juve game

     

     

    we all felt her pain,but my God the language is terrible

     

     

    youtube- young Celtic fan rant after Celtic loose

     

     

    apoligies if already posted,can’t do the links stuff

     

     

    Hail Hail

  6. Maidín maith gach duine

     

     

    check out the Irish girls rant after the Juve game

     

     

    we all felt her pain,but my God the language is terrible

     

     

    youtube- young Celtic fan rant after Celtic loose

     

     

    apoligies if already posted,can’t do the links stuff

     

     

    Hail Hail

  7. bigbones8867,

     

    Sadly, I saw part of that clip. Had to switch it off. The girl let herself down with her language. Not a good advertisement for our club. She’s young, I hope she learns from it.

  8. Eurochamps67 / Friesdorfer / RoberTressel / hoopy-do

     

     

    Thanks for your various comments.

     

     

    There are indeed pleanty of good places to run in EK but on SAturday mornings I take part in an organised event – ParkRun. There are runs all over the UK (in fact all over the world) with my local ones being Pollock Park and Strathclyde Park. I tend to do the former in the colder weather and the latter when it’s nice and warm. In case you’re still interested and haven’t yet nodded off there are more details here.

     

     

    http://www.parkrun.org.uk

     

     

    EC67 – was my 2013 PB this morning but nowhere near what I used to manage before I turned forty-ten last July!

  9. Rubicon

     

     

    absolutely

     

     

    wonder if her parents seen it

     

     

    grounded indefinately in my house for that.

     

     

    needs some manners put on her

     

     

    Hail Hail

  10. The Battered Bunnet,

     

    Thanks for clearing that up.

     

    I really hoped that was the case (for obvious reasons)

     

     

    cheers

     

    medtim

     

     

    ps auld medtim here is heading to Scotland today from his home in sunny Cyprus.

     

    Will see my beloved Celtic “live” tomorrow for the first time since v.Hamburg in the Europa League.Can’t wait!

     

    I am then off to Argentina,Chile and Uruguay for a great wee trip.

     

    All that and it’s my birthday today too.

     

    One lucky,lucky guy

  11. Barcabhoy @ 9:18

     

     

    “Should Rangers be found innocent, then the entire Scottish football community owes them a massive apology. Not only Rangers, but the management of the club from 2000 onwards deserve a public apology for what they have gone through in terms of trial and investigation.”

     

     

    I know this paragraph was probably necessary to keep with the flow of your blog but in my view you overstate any “victim” status old Rangers can cry if the LNS investigation finds in their favour.

     

     

    When you play around the edges of rules and regulations, you invite trial and investigation. Old Rangers took the decision to try and gain an advantage by adopting unconventional means of remunerating players. They did so fully in the knowledge that this may not be in the spirit or intention of the corresponding league rules. For their own reasons they chose not to err on the side of caution and proof check with the football regulatory bodies whether their style of remuneration was in compliance with those rules. They didn’t want anyone to know.

     

     

    Trial and investigation is what you sign up to when you adopt such a policy. You can’t cry “victim” when you force the process upon you.

  12. Bom dia,

     

     

    Has CQN turned into a runners forum? Well if so, this is week back at it for me. 8 long, hard, pech filled k’s for me along Ipanema beach this morning. Sun annoyingly hot at this early morning making the lithe, tanned bodies glisten, the less fit struggle and out of touch fet fez like me howl in anguish!!

     

     

    Right off to take the Rio Prodigy swimming

     

     

    Ate Mais!

  13. The Comfortable Collective on

    it seems to me the only things which tupe’d over from rangers to sevco were the bigoted supporters and the dirty fucking cheating referees.

  14. Oh dear.

     

     

    When you see the pen the huns have just got to equalise, it’s no wonder there won’t be much apologies going their way.

     

     

    Cheating, plain and simple.

  15. The Hat – I have a feeling the football regulatory authorities were fully aware of oldco shenanigans.

  16. Rules for the huns and rules for everybody else.

     

     

    Berwick denied a stone wall pen.

     

     

    I suppose it has all been decided prior to the game, can’t have a couple of thousand knuckledragers rampaging through a quiet border town.

     

     

    Make sure they don’t lose, come what may.

     

     

    And they call it sport.

  17. Even FF are saying it was a stonewaller to Berwick. And they are even bemoaning the choice of songs by their travelling ‘support’!

  18. Things I love to see in football in general and Celtic in particular:

     

     

    – High tempo passing and movement, especially the latter

     

    – Attacking the high ball when in space, rather than waiting for it to arrive.

     

    – Running straight at the GK when one-on-one to get right in his face and make him play the ball hurriedly.

     

    – Having a player on both the near and back post when defending corners.

     

    – Cross the ballin early and at pace from the flanks.

     

    Oh, and winning of course, but not at all costs.

  19. kikinthenakas

     

    I thought that bud , when I seen the years.

     

    Im an ML4 Bhoy the good part of ML4 (mossend).

     

    I hated every minute of it,

     

    But when I look back now they were Great days,

     

    Merry street Singing “seasons in the sun” then getting belted of Mr Weir (art teacher) thinking this wont be sore,HOW WRONG WAS I :)).

     

    Artur H, Peter McC Eddie C some of the Newarthill Bhoys I remember.

  20. Rioskorrie

     

    12:12 on

     

    23 February, 2013

     

    Bom dia,

     

     

    bloody hard life isnt it.

     

     

    enjoy.

  21. Just tuned into the Huns game to hear continual sectarian singing. Police don’t appear to be doing anything about it. Funny that.

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