We are all familiar with brinksmanship; adopting what seems like an uncompromising position despite acute potential consequences. Correspondence recently released around the goings-on at Rangers International and associated companies suggests at least two combative parties have been edging towards the brink since last year. Now it is clear they are both well over the brink, it’s too late for either to back down.
The conclusion of Pinsent Masons’ report was released to the stock market this morning and found “no evidence that Craig Whyte had any involvement with Sevco Scotland Limited (now called The Rangers Football Club Limited), the company which ultimately acquired the business and assets of The Rangers Football Club P.L.C. from its administrators; nor which would suggest that Craig Whyte invested in The Rangers Football Club Limited or Rangers International Football Club plc”.
All of which, sharp-eyed observers will note, is exactly what Mr Whyte is so animated about.
Let me run through that list of companies which Mr Whyte was not involved with again:
Sevco Scotland Ltd: check
AKA The Rangers Football Club Ltd: check
Rangers International Football Club PLC: check
Sevco 5088 Ltd: wait a minute, they missed out Sevco 5088 Ltd!!
This is where the project resembles trying to push water uphill:
Rangers International plc claim Sevco 5088 Ltd is a subsidiary of theirs.
Mr Whyte claims to be a director and beneficiary of Sevco 5088 Ltd.
Pinsent Masons’ report’s published conclusion fails to comment on Mr Whyte’s status in connection with Rangers International’s claimed subsidiary company, Sevco 5088 Ltd.
The SFA prohibited the new associate member club from having any connection with Mr Whyte. Last week the SFA chief executive acknowledged the seriousness of the club potentially breaking the conditions of membership, but said the Association would await the outcome of the Pinsent Masons’ report. The published conclusions of which does not address the question.
Rangers International have just dared the SFA to act. They are familiar with the tactics of brinksmanship, however….
Just in case you are new to this subject…..
Hell will freeze over before any football association with Campbell Ogilvie as president will act on this matter. “Heavily conflicted” Campbell will ensure his board take no action.
I was delighted to read one man who knew exactly what he was dealing with when he took on the SFA. Echoing the comments made here yesterday, Fergus McCann said:
“Filling Celtic Park against Barcelona or Spartak or Rangers is the easy part.
“The part that really counts is consistent support at every game at Celtic Park and that will deliver the top-level matches.
“My time at the Croy CSC reminds me of the importance of dedicated support.
“The members knew that their role was vital, especially in the hard times.”
The future of our club is very much in our own hands and these are important times to fill out Celtic Park.
Waterstones, Stirling, 5-7pm TODAY!
I’ll be at Waterstones, Stirling, with Willie Wallace from 5pm until 7pm this evening. Willie will be available for photographs and signing copies of his autobiography, Heart of a Lion. If you’re from the area, call in, I’ll see you there.
Many thanks to all who bought tickets for the Celtic top signed by the Seville squad, we sold out last night. Thanks also to those who are bidding on the fabulous signed Messi top, you still have a few days left to get involved. The spirit of Walfrid is alive and well 125 years on.
Heart of a Lion:
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Talk Talk are the worst company i’ve ever dealt with.
!! Bada Bing!!
Worse than Rangers plc were? Duff and Phelps? 0:-)
Masty
Thanks fur the Info,pal.
He could Be related tae Bobo..he is Big Enuff.. Sixfeet Four.
Anyway.. If he said whit hiz bin Reported .. which Ah Paraphrased…
Ah Widnae Touch him.
Ah like Ma Celtic Players..
Demure and Shy… like..
Gary.. and Joe..
When ye think aboot it
Hiv ye evah Hoid.,,of a
Noisy Assassin?
Nice Talking ,pal.
Kojo
Still.. Laughin’
TBB
Before the final I would have moved on Stokes because of his inability to make the ball “stick” when it arrives at him and he is marked.
However at the final I thought he held up better ( see 3rd goal) as well as his all round game being better.
I would have no hesitation taking Russell based on watching him play without the benefit of your supporting case. I would therefore get JR regardless of the fate of other two and move on Lassad and Miku.
If Hooper goes we might get more of a physical front man to makes space for Stokes/ Russell.
C_F, Auldheid
It’s not going to happen. Forget about it.
celtic_first
Rather than an individual supporter approaching Celtic asking for a meeting with PL what about the shareholders forcing the issue here .
DD probably not wanting involved but the rest of the supporter based shareholders could ask for this meeting .
HH
Stokes v Russell debate
Missing the point lads.
Who has the best dabbities?
EC67
The Battered Bunnet
16:56
No justice, then? Ever? From any body?
FourGreenFields
Personally, I would rather Uly went and talked to Peter Lawwell man to man. It wouldn’t be “forcing the issue”, which I think would inevitably put Celtic on the back foot.
Uly on his own would get a much better insight. Not everyone could do that, but he could.
Walter when he was made a ‘non executive’ director.
“I must make it clear, however, that I will not be playing any role in the day-to-day running of the Club or the team. It’s the manager’s job to run the team and the chief executive’s job to run the Club’s affairs.”
Snyde (i know i know) saying Inter Milan after Wanyama.
So the Huns have re-arranged the deck chairs on the Titanic. Big Deal.
Auldheid
HIya ,Pally.
Ah agree wi .. All o’ yer stated your Sentiments.. in reference tae..
Stokes.. Hooper… Russell ..and Miku and Lassad.
Lassad, is Bettah that Miku.. Ah will Allow..
Heck..
Ah am Bettah than Miku..
At… Fa’ing Doon!
Which is Whit.. He Specializes in!
Johnny Russell.. despite his lack of Physical Presence..
Is a Guy with a Big Future.
Hope we get ‘im.
He has .. Snap and Pizazz.. and he Has the quick feet tae go wi’ those.
Which Ah Like tae See in a Striker..
The Last Celtic striker who hid Those qualitees..
wiz..
the IMMORTAL .. Henryk Larsson.
Johnny, is Nae Larsson.. Ah wull admit…
Although..
Henryk.. wiz Nae Larsson …EETHUR.. when he wiz .. Twenty Two!
Kojo
Still… Laughin’
istanbulcelt
Never thought of that, I can cut to size, and don’t need to rob one, I already have one.
Thanks for the brainwave >}
……………………………………………
Masty
No can do, totally hun free here, and I thank the lord for that.
HH
Warszawabhoy
I so enjoyed that post. You have succinctly organised my feelings about what is really going on. Glad that there are smarter people than me looking at their attempts to “snow” us. I would be embarrassed to be employed in MSM because of the ineptness they have displayed over the last two years. I considered using a different word other than ineptness. I’ll leave it there. HH
celtic_first
Fair point , something’s got to happen because this problem won’t go away .
If Sevco are fast tracked backed to the SPL and allowed to claim to be RFC with all that clubs history intact then a large percentage of supporters will decide to walk away .
Just my opinion .
HH
Jungle Jim
I’m not sure there is a long term strategy. Its all being made up as one unbelievable event follows another.
No one is in charge. The SFA said they would wait for the PM report which tells them nothing and with CW looking like it is going legal, the SFA will not want to risk giving unconditional permission for The Rangers to carry on as if no risks exist.
Can they afford their business model? Have the SFA seen the actual books, not what The Rangers tell them?
What contingency exists if Ibrox closed whilst ownership contested.
Should SFA not be responsible for giving Rangers supporters the assurances they want before they buy SBs by saying SFA have conducted a thorough audit for themselves?
This is where SFA are seriously derelict in their responsibilities to the game as a whole.
If I were the Leagues I would be asking the SFA what steps THEY were taking to safeguard the other clubs as other clubs do not trust those running The Rangers.
The Rangers suppprters clearly do not, it might take even more than the Myth appointment to get them turning out in the same numbers as last year, so why should other clubs?
So many questions, so many twists and turns, not the stage for developing a strategy.
Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton’s convictions were/are a total joke, the fact that a key witness was arrested and pressurised into withdrawing his evidence JP was convicted on circumstantial evidence ie: he was seen in the VICINITY, the witness was then shown to be a compulsive liar by members of his own family,and in fact was proven that he himself was not in the VICINITY..sorry if the quotation marks I was only trying (badly) to highlight the innocent part of your quote,,,
kojo
demure and shy
like yer goodself..
Mark Hately:
Chatting with the tea lady is like having a new chairman.
sixtaeseven
the tea ladies job is more important that the new chairman
I just finished a book called “Where is Joe Merchant”, and it got me thinking….
“WHERE IS SALLY”…………???????
I don’t want to start a list but my guess is VEGAS for the “All you can eat Buffets”….????
Any clues or sightings anyone..???
I feel that the Huns know they are doomed. Timing is of the essence for them. In the meantime they (the huns) will talk up the team, buy a couple of players, win a few matches, sell lots of season tickets, try to raise the share price at AIM and extend the court litigation over as long a period as possible (adjournment, adjournment, adjournment) so that the main spivs each get a big bag of money. See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya.
weeman67
if sally is in vegas he better move his erchie, because there will be 2k tims decending on it next week.
TET
Make sure you remove the Euro coin from the handle first. :-)
Happy grilling!
Ulysses McGee
No point going to PL, Celtic are stuck.
Enjoy the next two hun free seasons and hope its even longe as The Rangers struggle to build a sustainable business model.
It is not going to be Celtic that get shafted but the clubs in SFL2 and SFL1 or whatever they become. Not until 2016 will the bias in their favour work directly against Celtic so enjoy the break.
By then Celtic might be so far ahead financially the bias will not matter, but if the SFA culture is the same then as it is now Celtic will be largely responsible for the consequences to Celtic.
There was a game about 18 months ago in which Stoksies’ intervention hauled Celtic and Neil Lennon from the brink. Three nil down at half time at Rugby Park and we were going nowhere until the bold Anthony showed the way with two goals out of nothing (I think it was Charlie that got the equalizer).
Since then, I think he has matured as a player, both as a goal scorer and provider.
I for one want him to stay at Celtic Park.
Mind Ye..
If Ye want Ma Honest Opinion o’ MasterGriffith..all kiddin’ aside..
which is a Big Sacrfice ,tae ask me tae Mak..
but.. Ah will ..in this case.
Ah Believe that Young Griffith , could be a Great Buy fur us.
Yep.. He wid cost us.. but .. that is the Trouble wi Transfer Fees..
they Cost Money.
He disnae Hae all the Fitba’ Tools.. that Ah wid Like tae See ,at this Disposal..
Howevahhhhhhh..
If He DID.. then ..
There wid be Nae chance that we could get him fur under
Ten or Twelve Million!
Right?
If Ah Wur King..
Ah wid .. Contact .. Wolves.. tae Find oot if Griffith or is it Griffiths?… is Available.
If he is… Great..
He should cost us .. aboot the Price of Two Mikus and Wan Lassad.. wi a Squish o’
Wan Bangura!
Which wid be a Bargain, at today’s Market Prices.
Kojo
Still…Laughin’
G
TBB
Do you mean no chance of UTT finding for HMRC or no chance the sheer size of tax avoided will impact on perceptions ( or was it a physical CF you referred to)
The longer the Huns hang on the better. If they go bust next month, Sevco2 will start in bottom Div Season 2013/14 if they go bust next year Sevco2 will start in bottom Div Season 2014/15. Sevco will never die. It will keep sprouting new heads as the years roll by. In the meantime we will be mopping up Titles but imo we should be looking outwith Scotland to ply our trade.
corkcelt
sounds like a plan..
Ulysses,
I posted this earlier and was a bit surprised that it elected no comments.
Not through any personal vanity, but due to the attitudes that haven’t changed since 1902.
I was looking to see if there was any reference to Celtic going from Stripes to Hoops when I came across this in Willie Maley’s book.
thomthethim
14:46 on 30 May, 2013
Plus ca change…..,
Does anyone remember the 1902 Glasgow Cup Final.
It was the year before Celtic First wore the Hoops.
The game was Rangers V Celtic at Ibrox and ended in a 1-1 draw.
Celtic assumed the replay would be at Celtic Park, but to quote Willie Maley:
“But there were difficulties to overcome : they had not reached the stage when they could expect justice in the council chamber, and they were evidently prepared for trouble when the Glasgow FA committee met to make arrangements for the replay.
Rangers claimed that as the Association had selected Ibrox as the venue for the final, the game ought to be finished on that ground.
Celtic argued that it was only fair that the game should go to Parkhead, as Ibrox was the ground of one of the contesting teams, and to return there would be to give Rangers an advantage. In addition, it was pointed out that Rangers’ members tickets had been available for the first game – a privilege denied Celtic’s members-and to repeat this would be grossly unfair.
The question was put to the council and Ibrox won by one vote.
Thereupon, Mr. John O’Hara, the Celtic representative handed in an official letter stating that in view of this decision his club scratched to Rangers !
Consternation reigned and the directors of both clubs, who were in waiting, were asked to try and come to some arrangement, but both were adamant – Celtic refusing to play unless at Parkhead, while Rangers sheltered themselves behind the Association’s decision, and arrangements were made to present the cup and medals to Rangers in due course”.
plus ca meme chose,
Still didn’t find out why we changed from stripes to hoops the following year, though !
I think we changed from Stripes to Hoops because we knew that a wee bit further down the line we would be playing our biggest ever match against a team with Stripey jerseys.
We wanted them to remember that Hoops are better.
;o)
Because of the tax avoidance schemes that have received a lot of press attention in the last few weeks, the UTT may feel some extra pressure to come to a finding within the spirit as well as the letter of the regulations. Good!
Masty at 17.18
Demure and Shy?
Not I.
Look,pal..
Ah Made a Bargain Wi Godot..
When Ah last Met Him in Heaven..
When He told Me. that Ah Hid tae Go Back doon tae Earth..
Because….It wiz in Ma Contract.
Anyway..
Ah said … Godot..
Ah wull Go Back.. but, wi’ extreme Reluctance…
Howevahhhhh..
This time , when Ah go Back..
Grant me. one Wish…
Okay, Kiddo. Godot says..
Whit wid That Be?
And Ah Told Him..
and He .. said..
Granted..
and that’s How..
Ah ended up wi’ hivin’ such a
Brass Neck!
Fur.. If Ye Hiv a Brass Neck..
why.. that is Awe ye Need tae Be a Roaring success in Show Biz…and
Politics.. ( Baith ur the Same Thing.. actually!)
Kojo
Still Laughin’
kojo
Fur.. If Ye Hiv a Brass Neck..
why.. that is Awe ye Need tae Be a Roaring success in Show Biz…and
Politics.. ( Baith ur the Same Thing.. actually!)
and running the sfa…
No Bobby Does It Petta @ 1408,
I dont know if anyone has subsequently answered your question as to the pronounciation of Celtic with a soft “s” as opposed to the hard “k”, but according to Graham McColl in his “The Official Biography of Celtic – If you know the History”, the soft “s” was used more as a reflection of the Club being founded in the late 19th century, when the word “Celtic” relating to the people and their society, was generally pronounced in this fashion.
The pronounciation of the team stuck.
Re the Hoops, all he says is that they were introduced for the opening game of the 1903/04 season (a 2-1 victory over Partick Thistle). They soon came associated with success as the club went onto a run of 6 succesive League Titles 1905-1910 and so they stayed more or less unchanged from then until the mid 90s.
Apologies if this has already been posted.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
C_F
There are umpteen different strands to the sorry, shabby mess. What do you mean by ‘justice’?
Their financial shennanigans killed them. Is that not just?
There is nothing left but a registration at Companies House, an outstanding tax appeal, and a Liquidation process.
In due course, there will be an outcome to the appeal, a completion of the liquidation, and a dissolution notice at Companies House.
If HMRC’s argument prevails at appeal, then the basis upon which Nimmo Smith concluded that no sporting advantage had been gained will have been undermined – that basis being that since the scheme was considered to be lawful by the FTT, all other clubs could have legitimately used the same scheme, but elected not to.
Nimmo Smith however declined to consider the 5 cases where the scheme was ruled to have been applied unlawfully. Neither did he consider the Discount Options Scheme that paid Flo and de Boer millions each via a wholly unlawful scam.
There will be no further action taken on this matter by SFA irrespective of the appeal outcome. That is where the majority of the problems lie. Rangers chose to break the law and the football rule book. The SFA elected to turn the blind eye. It will not change anytime soon. The SFA has consistently declined to uphold its purposes when matters turn to their enfant terrible. From licensing to player registration, they will not apply the rule book to their favoured sons. It’s a scandal. It will remain scandalous.
As for new issues, clearly there are emerging doubts on the ownership of the assets sold by D&P. There is a 50% chance – a lawyer’s chance – that the company titling itself ‘Rangers’ is in fact… a bunch of folk in blue strips pretending to be ‘Rangers’ while ‘Rangers’ itself – the intellectual properties – sit idling on a shelf beside the Sevco 5088 certificate of incorporation.
Equally, there is the same chance that they are in fact what they claim to be – which is a new company entitled to call itself after the old company that is being liquidated. If the courts eventually decide, then there will be justice, whatever its face.
It would be an injustice in some respects if RIFC settled the current claim, as this would indicate, but not prove, that RIFC was not entitled to call itself ‘Rangers’. A rum do.
If the courts establish that Green pulled a switcheroo on Whyte’s crew, there will be all manner of sequalae, from stock market investigations to fraud procedings. Last season’s ‘Rangers’ fixtures didn’t actually occur. That’ll give Campbell a bit of a head scratcher…
If. The consequences are so severe on so many people that an accomodation will be found.
In summary:
Rangers were wiped out by their disingenuousness.
Whyte has subsequently been wiped out by being stupid enough to personally guarantee the money used to settle Rangers’ bank debt.
Green and his cronies are desperately trying to hang onto the money they think they can get away with before their schemes are wiped out.
In the midst of this, they have put forward Walter Smith as Head of Corporate Governance and Guardian of the Shareholders. He’s so utterly unqualified that it’s quite the perfect ruse actually. The guy they’ve put up is publicly untouchable, knows all the SFA puppet strings to pull, and hasn’t a scooby doo what Green and the rest of them are doing right under his touchingly blue nose. He’s almost a Trojan Horse, only perhaps even more legnedary.
Justice? We live in an era where justice is often reduced to an accomodation, not a value. Ask Nimmo Smith. He ought to know after 50 years in the justice game.
In its place we have common or garden comeuppance. Fancy some of that instead?