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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So Swally Pies didn’t hear anything. Well, it seems Rangers employee Andrew Dickson did and he was, presumably, sitting behind Swally in the stand. His half-time tweet has upset Orcdom:
“A second half request: could the lads in the enclosure across from the main stand sing songs about Rangers please? Cheers”
Watching Man utd v Qpr and what a dreadful waste of money that M’bia is.
He gives new meaning to the words lumbering and ponderous.
How much did they pay for this lump of wood?
See when sevco go to the wall, will they come back as the ACME footballing Co.
I’m just thinking of Wile E Cyote
Fraser Airds tweet now deleted
Allez LeCoist heard the Sevco fans requesting a wave, but didn’t hear sectarian singing?
MEEP MEEP
SOAL-A cheeky wee fiver @ 14/1, mate foned me after i text him result,he got a tip for it last night and never passed it on .
I am sure swally meant to say that he didn’t hear anything different this week -probably doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about
headtheball
15:50 on
23 February, 2013
Ally says: “our shupporters have been nothing short of shenshational home and away this sheason”. Aye right y’are!
>>>>>>>>>>>
Is fat sally Sean connerys love child.shhhh
Has Ally demanded to know the names of the ‘singers’ yet? or has ole steak bakes for ears still praising the ‘indefensibles’.
FFS lay of ally, he’s too busy battling his food demons to be concerned about the lyrics sung by a few young rascals today.
We know this won’t go anywhere with the msm – they will be on full gb watch tomorrow
ernie lynch
16:10 on 23 February, 2013
Greengo getting desperate …..he knows another season playing these same teams is going to destroy his ‘pension’ plan …… He can talk to anyone he likes, but nothing will come of it … ‘the duper of the duped’…….hehe
AV equalise at arsenal – arsene going ballistic
All of a sudden tomorrow has become a very big game for the Green Brigade.
Ross County 2 up against murderwell……hooraaah
Ross co 2-0
Stand by for whataboutery on the call ins next week and our club being dragged into the sewer pit of thir songbook.
Mccoist is a coward.
Scores to the minute:
Hearts 1-2 Inverness CT
Kilmarnock 1-1 Aberdeen
Ross County 2-0 Motherwell
St Johnstone 1-0 St Mirren
buzzz buzzzzyyyyy buzzzz, buzzz buzz,
buzzzz buzz
It will be good to welcome ole Bomber Brown to Celtic Park tomorrow; I wonder if he could do a re-run of his infamous speech at our front door tomorrow.
Keep Comedy in football CSC
estorilbhoy 16:28 on 23 February, 2013
Mccoist is a coward.
………………………………….
Exactly, and we’ve known that since the night of whispering incident. He’s a despicable man.
Scores to the minute:
Hearts 2-2 Inverness CT
Kilmarnock 1-1 Aberdeen
Ross County 2-0 Motherwell
St Johnstone 1-0 St Mirren
Roy croppie,
Could they not put his speech up on the big screens before the start of the game tomorrow? It will guarantee everyone getting there on time :))
I can sympathise with swally – it’s difficult to hear anything with a jumbo sausage roll in each ear
Scores to the minute:
Hearts 2-3Inverness CT
Kilmarnock 1-1 Aberdeen
Ross County 2-0 Motherwell
St Johnstone 1-0 St Mirren
estorilbhoy
like it:)
He should do the half-time draw but as long as he doesn’t crack too many jokes, my sides have just about recovered from his speech.
From the first half BBC……
“A second smoke bomb goes off in Dingwall and a horrible stench of sulphur dioxide hangs in the air – now two dozen police and stewards are hovering over about 50 very noisy away fans.”
The lad aird who sent the tweet was on the bench for 86 mins -how could he hear but swally couldn’t?
“Aberdeen manager Craig Brown is a mild mannered gent but he will have steam coming out of his ears over ref Euan Norris’s decision to book Niall McGinn. A clearer penalty you would struggle to find.”
Philmacs veiws on the hunchbacks sing song…
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/bigotry-at-berwick/
3-0…..YAHOOOOO
SSB glossing over the vile bhun behaviour (still persisted after many decades) ….. 2 arrests, actually less arrests than previous games this season …… They are all a complete and utter disgrace……. Bitter, hateful cretins who have brought shame on Scotland for so long…….and they continue to play it down….
Hearts 2-3 Inverness CT
Kilmarnock 1-1 Aberdeen
Ross County 3-0 Motherwell
St Johnstone 1-0 St Mirren
a ceiler gonof rust,
despicable yes, man, no chance
gsu
Phil…..
Berwick-upon-Tweed is a lovely town with a turbulent history.
Today they were visited by a troubled people who have a shameful history.
The good old song sheet for the Good Ol Boys was in full force during the first forty five minutes at the home ground of the ‘Wee Rangers’ as they took on the New Rangers.
So much so that Ray Stubbs of ESPN apologised to viewers as the teams came out for the second half and said they would be contacting the police.
ESPN has done the state some service.
The Glasgow based media have had numerous opportunities to do their civic duty so far this season regarding the singing by Sevco fans and have not done so.
The post match reaction from the Sevco manager was something to behold.
“If they were a little out of order” must be in line for some sort of understatement award for the media friendly Mr McCoist.
The fact that Sevco put out an official statement expressing their “disappointment” at the chanting before the match was even over indicates that the penny dropped rather quickly that this could be very bad for the new outfit at Ibrox.
Of course it would help if the club stated what it considered to be “inappropriate” for their fans to sing.
For teams in the bottom tier of Scottish football a trip to Berwick plays the same role as a trip to Inverness for SPL clubs in the central belt.
It is the long alcohol fuelled journey.
Today even the early kick off could not prevent the…err…high spirits.
Perhaps the Sevco chaps thought that as they were outside of Scotland then the new legislation would not apply to them in their trip across the Border.
Hate crime legislation does exist to cover public gatherings in England and Wales.
The Northumbrian police could, of course, be guided as to the nuances of the Ibrox sub-culture by FOCUS officers.
Hopefully some of these fine Sevco chaps will soon find themselves in an English court and will be called upon to explain their quintessential Britishness to a judge and why that involves chants about the Pope, paedophiles and Fenian blood.
Well done ESPN!
Chapeau.
Fans of the Zombie club singing sectarian songs ad nauseam? Scottish media doing its best to play such behaviour down? Shome mishtake shurely?
Everton fans asking the age old question
______________________________________
Fourth Official @FourthOfficial_
What does Steven Naismith actually do?