Humiliate your rivals in the Cup Final by putting five goals past them and, if you don’t pay the piper, you pay the consequences. Winning trophies while running up debts you cannot afford to pay is not a viable strategy. The consequences, if you are fortunate enough to survive, has to be painful, otherwise football removes the moral hazard of failure, making Hearts recent experience more likely to happen to other clubs.
Hearts season at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership is the cost of pouring millions of pounds creditors will not receive onto the Hampden Park pitch to hit five goals past a Hibs team, who live within their means. Many other teams were denied progress in the cups, or higher prize money in the league, while the fantasists were building to their 5-1 glory.
Billy Brown’s nonsense about rescinding a punishment for a club who are still in administration is yet another fantasy, but it was fostered in 2012, by the notion that Scottish football can change insolvency rules on the hoof to accommodate a failed club. If you want to change insolvency rules, knock yourself out, but there is near-uniform agreement that you cannot change rules when a favoured club falls foul, in order to benefit them.
This notion that because the rules were not changed to help Newco Rangers into top flight football, Scotland’s reigning Third Division champions would be outraged, is hardly news. The 11 top flight clubs, most of whom appear to be enjoying a competitive ‘Best of the Rest’ league race, and a whole clutch of lower league clubs, would also be outraged if Hearts were advantaged.
In October 2011, when Rangers fate was privately acknowledged, Craig Whyte, Neil Doncaster and SPL chairman, Ralph Topping, discussed this rule change ruse. It should have been a 30 second conversation; declined when first proposed. Instead, Scottish football was put through the real trauma of a fantasy fear of Armageddon. Now everyone who can’t pay their bills think they have the same entitlement to campaign for a rule change – and why shouldn’t they, the tabloids told everyone that changing the rules on the hoof was acceptable.
Hearts fans know this. They are heading for relegation, those I have spoken to have accepted the situation. For them, it’s all about ensuring the club survives and sorting things out for the long term, SPFL results don’t even register. I don’t know any who want to see their club go cap in hand for rule changes, the way Whyte, then Green, did. It’s demeaning and lacks dignity.
This is turning into my favourite domestic season yet. All the ‘They’ve suffered enough’ merchants better get their strategies sorted for the next episode.
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Good luck with your book Gordon J.
tully57, Kilbowie Kelt – thanks, much appreciated
TURKEYBHOY
That’s a remarkably positive post by your standards!
Delighted that we made an impression on your adopted country though. The problem now is to assimilate these players,who clearly have huge potential,into a team who have Champions League ambitions and who have a support who demand instant gratificati
Ooooops.
Gratification,pretty much a good last word in any conversation!
Good article. Here are my thoughts on another man who couldn’t live within his means:
As someone who has in the past wrestled with the “black dog” I am pleased to see that the clinical depression which prevented Gavin Masterton from appearing before Lord Bannatyne at the High Court in December 2013 seems to have cleared and he is back in the public eye.
But while happy for his return to health I am unhappy with his comments because if it wasn’t bad enough that he seemed to have used the Bank of Scotland as his personal piggy bank to finance his vanity schemes, Masterton has told his local newspaper, the Dunfermline Press that he planned to flog East End Park off to developers and build the Pars a new, smaller, stadium at Pitreavie Playing Fields.
This may seem perfectly reasonable to an outsider, but for the fact that Pitreavie belongs to the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust who were tasked with stewarding the gifts of Andrew Carnegie, for the recreational benefit of the local people and more specifically “for bringing into the lives of the toilers more of the sweetness and light”.
How Masterton or the Carnegie Trust can reconcile their actions (the Pitreavie playing fields have already been used as a cash-cow by Masterton’s chum David Murray, see http://www.tomminogue.com/blog2.php/2013/09/21/chapter-6 ) beggars belief.
Perhaps Masterton argued that he was the very epitome of the local person that Carnegie had in mind for gifts such as Pitreavie, and he deserved the lion’s share of “sweetness and light”?
Whatever the excuse for such greedy and selfish ambitions we may never know but these are people (Masterton and the Trust) who have no shame.
One lot have impoverished one of the biggest benefactions in the history of Scotland and the other has had a hand in ruining the 300year+ hard-earned good reputation of Scotland’s banking industry.
And now we have the revisionism of Materton’s loans to make him look like a benefactor in the mould of Carnegie!
Try not to laugh as you read this article published on 10 January 2014.
Clash over £11.5m East End loan loss
• By Gary Fitzpatrick gfitzpatrick@dunfermlinepress.co.uk
POLITICAL controversy is growing over the “astonishing” loss on a loan between the Bank of Scotland and former Pars supremo Gavin Masterton’s East End Park Ltd which left the public £11.5 million out of pocket.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said the disastrous deal would have been enough to embarrass disgraced former banking boss Fred Goodwin.
However, Mr Masterton has responded to the criticism saying the loan arrangement kept the club from going into liquidation.
The £12.2 million loan from the Bank of Scotland to East End Park Ltd in 2008 was not repayable un¬til 2043. It was seen as controversial in some quar¬ters because of its apparently favourable terms and Mr Masterton’s previous position as chief execu¬tive of the bank.
When the club went into administration last year the stadium was sold to a supporters group for £700,000. With the bank in public ownership after the 2008 Government bail-out, the public purse was hit hard.
Mr Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said, “It’s astonishing that a £12 million loan can deliver a £700,000 return. Obviously hav¬ing such a large write¬off will result in raised eyebrows.
“For the football club it’s good news in some ways because the Pars supporters are getting a good deal.”
However, he added that in banking terms “such a dramatic loss would make even Fred Goodwin blush”.
Dunfermline MP Thomas Docherty said, “I don’t think it was a bargain basement deal. I think it was a fair price for that land going forward but certainly there have to be questions asked about the reckless banking practices from the earlier period.”
Current club chairman Bob Garmory said, “At the time East End Park Ltd went into administration we were already in discussions with EDO about purchasing the football club and the two situations became linked.
“The Pars supporters went ahead and bought two organisations which had gone into administration, one a football club and one a football ground.
“Whether it was bargain basement or not, that’s not for me to say. We went ahead and dealt with the two sets of administrators and went through due process.”
A former employee of Mr Masterton, who asked not to be named, hit back at politicians for “jump-ing on the bandwagon” and said it was time local people were reminded what the Pars former major shareholder had done for jobs in the area.
He said, “Gavin worked all his days bringing jobs to, and saving jobs in, Dunfermline and West Fife.
“Do people truly think that Bank of Scotland chose to locate their Card Services Centre because they liked the Pitreavie area or picked Bothwell Street for a major new bank branch for the same reason?
“Gavin was chairman of the Rosyth 2000 Project and through that he was successful in ensuring the continuity of employment at the dockyard hi the darker days for that area in the 1990s.
“First Scottish Group, which is part of his group of companies, also relocated from Edinburgh to Fife bringing more local employment to the area.”
He added, “The reality is there are probably thousands of local families who have directly or indirectly benefited over the years through these employers but Gavin is far too modest to take any credit for that.”
Mr Masterton told the Press, “The arrangement with BoS went through all the internal approval processes at the bank and very clear commercial terms were agreed that would ensure a full return to the bank at the end of the loan period.
“Ultimately, it was the football club, not my¬self, that was the beneficiary of this arrangement as the loan took care of the debts that the club had amassed for many years prior to me taking on the stewardship role that came with being the major shareholder.
“The plan, as discussed with BoS, was to sell the Halbeath Road site and two supermarkets were in discussions with us which, if one of these potential deals could have been progressed, would have gen¬erated sufficient income to repay BoS in full, pay interest due and meet the costs of relocating the stadium to Pitreavie where a new, smaller stadium would have been constructed.
“This is exactly the same deal that St Mirren and other clubs have benefited greatly from. Provisional plans had been drawn up by consultants appointed to progress the sale and preliminary discussions had been held with Fife Council.
“The end result would have been to clear all the historical debts of the football club and leave it with a new stadium that was fit for purpose. As with any project, timing is everything and the recession unfortunately destroyed the values that may have arisen; an impact that has also been felt by many other businesses.
“Had we not commenced that plan at the time, the only alternative would have been to put the football club into liquidation, an outcome that was only avoided by the bank’s agreement to this approach.”
Of the final few months prior to the administra¬tors being called in, Mr Masterton said, “My family and I, along with a number of close friends and advisors, were working tirelessly to bring forward solutions that did not require the football club to en¬ter administration but we were constantly frustrated in all our efforts in that regard by a very determined and well-co-ordinated group of individuals.
“There had been a recovery plan in place for the football club and that had been in place for at least a year prior to the administration and quite simply, administration of the club and the East End Park Ltd did not need to happen.”
He added, “I will always regard my time with the football club as a very positive thing and recall with great fondness and pride the many highs that the club were able to achieve. I have stated before and will say again, I wish the current stewards of the club well and hope that they can achieve all they now aspire to for the football club.”
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy:
I can’t remember him ever again being given the stage to be the same player.
Skill endures, class endures, confidence is brittle; and married to confidence is attitude and married to attitude is sporting genius.
dontpatmadug
11:19 on 13 January, 2014
We do actually give youngsters their chances throughout the seasons……but, agree with you, not often enough …… problem is, we won’t accept defeat and criticise team selection etc …. NEIL just can’t win, either way….hahahahahahaha
How many international players do Celtic need in there team to beat SPL teams with no internationalists in theirs?
Surely Celtic are capable of beating these teams carrying a couple of kids.
The History books will tell you that the Celtic kids are better than the other kids.
So what exactly is it we are scared of?
hahahahahahaha – what a pathetic way to end a post.
Great article and so true as well.
I don’t think I can handle any more ice cream and jelly…but i’ll try!
On another note, I wonder if the wee Murderwell fan (nny) Tam Cowan will highlight the big attendance and strong showing of the Celtic ‘Youth Team’ in the Antalya Cup in his rancid urine soaked Daily Toilet Roll Record any time soon. I won’t hold my breath. This is the man who was suspended for making a fool of women’s football – you know – the kind of fitbaw they watch every week at fir park.
Wee Fud!
Gordon J.
Hope the launch goes well. Hope the book proves to be a success.
The giallo genre is big in Italy..
If you find yourself looking for a translator —— !
kitalba
Fair point. I have seen him a couple of times since. Can’t remember how much game time he was given but has definitely regressed. I wonder why he wasn’t involved at the week-end. As you say this would have given him a similar platform. I’m sure I read a few weeks ago that he might be going out on loan.
Dylan definitely has what it takes if he can rekindle his form against Real Madrid in that friendly. He tore Sergio Ramos apart.
On the SFA role following Ranger’s demise, the 5 way agreement and the legitimacy and indeed need for a transfer of SFA membership.
http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/single/?p=12716240&t=8837773
I understand that there are several mass murderers in jails up and down the country who are asking to be released after serving only a few weeks of their sentence because they have
‘suffered enough’.
I’m joking of course. Such a perversion of natural justice couldn’t happen in any walk of life,
could it?
DOMBHOY67
I went off Cowan when he humiliated Rudi Vata on Offside.
The fella clearly had to translate the question and answer before replying,which made the interview process difficult.
But that was no excuse for him to fill the gaps by being a total twat.
Paul67, Wackelpudding (lit. shoogly pudding) und Eis are at the ready.
Gordon J
Congratulations on your book being published. Is the launch a ticket event or can I just turn up on the night. I’ve noted it in my diary and will try to get along.
I suggest that any proposed changing of the rules involves , as a non negotiable precondition, no promotion from League 1 next season.
Let’s see who likes them apples…
There are good kids on Celtic’s books, quite a few of those kids are Scottish. Year in, year out those kids wipe the floor with the domestic competition and don’t disgrace themselves against continental opponents either. But just when they leave puberty in their wake and are ready to become men, Celtic buy projects to obstacle to negation their progress.
Projects, projects, projects, I’m buggered if I can understand why we pay a transfer fee and inflated wages for projects when we really do have a fair few home brewed projects worth the stage.
If I was an up and coming Scottish kid who was good at football, Parkhead would be Grey Skull to me.
kitalba
13:04 on 13 January, 2014
…………………………..
Grey Skull was actually the home of the goodies in She-ra: Warrior Princess. The place to avoid was Snake Mountain, home of the evil steak bake munching Skeletor.
kitalba, I agree, would certainly give some of those who played last night a run in the team now.
KITALBA
It was pretty much the same after the breakthrough of The Quality Street Kids.
Plenty of our youngsters had to move to get a game,usually for around £40k.
Some of them came back and bit us on the arse,but tbh few really cut the mustard after they left.
In fact,few since Kenny Dalglish have made it at all after leaving us.
Brian McClair and Stilyian Petrov spring to mind,as does Henrik.
But three in thirtyseven years is not good.
Admittedly Vic and Artur looked the part before their injuries,but Gary Hooper has defo gone backwards despite a wee glut at the end of the year.
That record depresses the value of our players on the market,and other clubs know this.
Hi 3mick3, just saw your earlier post. I was called away suddenly so just had to drop the debate suddenly. Yep we are off to Lanzarote Tues. 21st until Feb 1st. Apparently the Hal’penny Inn still opens for all Celtic Games, so I’m hoping to take in 3 games there. Look forward to meeting you there.
Did Willie Malley ever ‘buy’ projects?
Did Jock Stein ever ‘buy’ projects?
Did Lou Macari ever ‘buy’ projects?
Did John Barnes ever ‘buy’ projects?
Did Martin O’Neill ever ‘buy’ projects?
Did Gordon Strachan ever ‘buy’ projects?
So projects are new to our game. Next thing you know we might have two headlights and a coach for our forwards.
What did John Robertson do at Celtic Parkhead under O’Neill?
What did Thompson do under Lennon?
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy:
I know.
Never mind the ‘fare dodgers’ of Scottish football have our honest mob signed
Ryan Gauld, Ryan Jack, Stevie May and Taylor Sinclair yet?…
More imortantly have they got shot of Sami (he goes with best wishes), Joe Ledley (thanks – purely business), Scott Brown (wishful thinking), James Forest (rather have the money than the player) and Fraser Foster (much rather have the money than the player…not to mention Pukki ( somethings just don’t work out), Baldi (I still think he has something which I have a sneaking feeling will emerge at his next club), Rogic (awya back hame tae the sun) and any others taking a wage and not contributing.
Oooh and while I’m at it extend and improve contracts for Commons (new captain), Matthews, Izzy, Mulgrew, Lustig, Kayal and others who are the future?
…none of the above – thought so!
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy:
That aside (Grey Skull) what do you think about the point of my post and how Scottish football players who chose to be reared in Celtic appear to have their careers hit a roadblock come their twentieth birthday?
alright Celts,quality weekend reading the old blog and as usual the humour shining thro
a wee example below and i am paraphrasing so apoologies to those that made me laugh out loud
Ryecatcher-that Willie Vaas does good pictures even tho he is on the dark side
St.Stivs- aye he does a wide range of wildlife photography!!!
(people on train looking as i guffaw out loud)
Then as the convo continues
Ryecatcher- You know how that Willie Vaas takes pics for the darkside,do Celtic have anyone taking pics?
Tricoloured Ribbon- The Police!!!
made me laugh
Hail hail :-)))))
Happy the repentant sinner than the recalcitrant recidivist
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS:
Off the top of my head Davie Hay, Lou Macari and to a lesser known majority – John Hughes at Cyrstal Palace. Ask Wuillie Wallace about Yogi at Palace.
Cults
sicknot Kayal…not for me
Cultsbhoy
Kayal? What has he done to deserve a new and improved contract? Surely biton and now Henderson are ahead of kayal in midfield?
kitalba:
Bobby Murdoch at Middlesbrough por cierto
BMCUWP
Harsh on Hooper ….set up a goal last week
he scored more in Dec than our stike force have managed since Oct
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
12:43 on
13 January, 2014
If he cant win either way then why not go the way that would get create more interest for the support and save money as well. :)
Por Cierto:
Yes, but mate I do put my head in the sand with that one, I refuse to accept that we as a club would ever release such a man, such a player.
Congratulations to the young Celts for pushing on and asking a question or two of our manager.
special congratulations to Liam Henderson,good lhad from a good family.with their backing i wish him every success for the future.
hail hail
And now all you need to coach is a badge… how many badges would Bobby Murdoch have gotten just by walking onto a park?
KITALBA
All you mentioned were prior to 1977.