Rangers Newco cause picked up by media

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The Daily Record today report: “Record Sport understands Rangers would fight tooth and nail against any move to impose more than the statutory 10-point penalty” in the event “the Ibrox side have to start again under a new name”, presumably if the existing company ceases to exist.

If the Record are, in fact, reporting Rangers’ position accurately, this is the first salvo in their campaign to gain control of the consequences of a corporate failure.

The Record go on to say: “Clubs who can’t exit administration by a CVA must hand over their assets to a new entity and after shares [in the SPL]are transferred to a new company agreement has to be reached with the SPL over a return to the top flight”.

The glaring observations from this aspiration is, of course, that agreement does not have to be reached with the SPL over a return to the top flight, and that clubs who cannot exit administration by a CVA (Creditors Voluntary Agreement) must dispose of their assets to the benefit of the unsecured creditors.

The debate is framed by the newspaper to suggest a range of outcomes of between 10-25 points is possible for Rangers Newco FC to pick-up the SPL shares and league position of the existing Rangers FC, with a 25 point deduction being wholly unpalatable to the new company.

There must be absolutely no presumption that a newly formed company, who happen to own Ibrox, are entitled to parachute into the SPL ahead of the current Scottish Football League members, or ahead of an existing SPL team in a relegation spot.  In the event of a club failure the league can and, if necessary, must complete the season with 11 teams only.

Scottish football cannot establish a system whereby an oligopoly can vote on a system which stiffs creditors and prejudices competitors outside of the oligopoly.  Football across the world is trying to clean up its reputation, we cannot allow Scotland to become a laughing stock.  Let your club know your feelings on how they should vote when the time comes. It’s time for fans of Celtic, Aberdeen, Dundee United, St Mirren, Hibernian, Motherwell, Dunfermline and others to make their voices heard.

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  1. James Forrest is Lennon on

    BontyBhoy:

     

     

    This is NOT about Rangers. Get that through your nut. I would be of the same frame of mind if it was Motherwell, Hearts, Dundee Utd or Hibs. This is about a bent put up job, a carve up, a dodgy backroom deal which allows a football club to dodge not only the rules of the sport but the law of the land.

     

     

    Scottish football could NOT survive an outcome based on it.

     

     

    You talk about a league which expelled its leaders and current holders being a laughing stock?

     

     

    I think it would be a deeply principled act, which would be seen as such throughout the world game. Said club has BROKEN THE LAW. Which part of THAT is unclear to you?

     

     

    This is NOT about it being Rangers. This is about it being WRONG. Pure and simple.

  2. DBBIA

     

     

    I forgot to say in my last post that these applications have shown me as being somewhere in England when I’m actually in the Kingdom.

     

     

    Same with google search results.

  3. Celtic must vote against any proposal to give the “new” rangers a bye back into the SPL; otherwise the “Old Firm” tag, which we have been desperate to get rid of, will never be more relevant

     

     

    Will the other clubs who moan about the “Old Firm” strangling their progress have the guts to vote against a Rangers newco? I’m not convinced.

  4. I have to agree with lots of people who have already stated, that if huns mark 2 were re admitted straight into the spl, with the help of a vote from a celtic board intent on the preserving the balance sheet, they would have to reconsider supporting our wonderful club which they have followed through thick and thin for a lifetime.

     

     

    The last few years have been very difficult to maintain a season ticket (even sharing one) and trying to travel from Ireland regularly enough to convince the wife it is worth the money!!!

     

     

    If indeed OUR club were to go along with a vote to let ‘them’ straight back in just under a slighter different name, i think those empty seats around paradise would increase overnight and fear many of them would not be filled again!!!!

     

     

    I really hope that is not the case and if lawell et al have any sense at all that situation will not be allowed to happen

     

     

    Hail Hail

  5. And so operation save a Hun has begun, this cannot be allowed to happen even if it means taking the footballing authorities to the highest court in the land to fight it, Celtic must take a stand against them being allowed to waltz back into the SPL like nothing has happened, a simple 10 point deduction is not a severe enough punishment for the years of financial doping that the forces of darkness have been engaged in.

  6. BontyBhoy says:

     

    28 October, 2011 at 13:15

     

     

    ‘I don’t see us reaching any kind of positive future in a league that stops half way through to kick out its second biggest club and current league leaders.’

     

     

     

     

    If the huns are liquidated then they won’t be kicked out of the league, because they will no longer be in existence.

     

     

    They will, as a legal entity, no longer exist. They therefore cannot be kicked anywhere, because there will no longer be a ‘they’.

  7. TBB,

     

     

    Sorry if i misrepresented your post. I don’t have time to review what we said… although I did understand your point above.

  8. Paul67

     

     

    WE the Celtic fans must make it quite clear to everyone in Scottish Football that they face a BHOYCOTT if they lie down to rangers on this.

     

     

    I IMPLORE ALL CELTIC FANS to attend the protest in George Sq tomorrow at 12:00.

     

     

    Our Voice Must be Heard!

     

     

    Hail! Hail!

  9. Bonty, let me put it another way.

     

     

    If someone commits suicide do they get kicked out of the Masons?

  10. The Battered Bunnet says:

     

    28 October, 2011 at 12:49

     

     

    Totally agree with you.

     

     

    The Celtic support need to unite to fight this. Use the new media and all other avenues at our disposal to highlight this injustice and the Celtic board must be made to understand what the backlash would be if they did not oppose this.

     

     

    Dan

  11. We must not let the old media set the agenda here Paul 67…………….The ONLY outcome should be the newco elected into the lowest league, and only if elected to do so. ALL leagues/trophy’s won since they started cheating awarded to the runners up in those years.

     

     

    That still does not recompence teams from revenue stolen from them (us) but it is the minimum we should tolerate.

  12. Lennon n Mc....Mjallby on

    I just hope the fans of the other clubs in the spl can see and care about the seriousness of the whole situation and feel repulsed at how the huns can use the national media to do its dirty work for it otherwise this whole situation comes down to other clubs spiting themselves because Celtic would be seen as gaining all the advantage.

     

     

    I do hope other clubs fans will see it for what it is and act accordingly.

  13. why shouldn’t rangers be booted at the league regardless of their league position?; fact is they have broken the law and cannot be allowed to get away with it; letting a new rangers back in as if nothing happened would see scotland become more of a laughing stock than it already is.

     

     

    lawwell spoke of “sporting integrity” once before; hopefully we’ll be hearing more of that phrase from him in the coming months

  14. James Forrest is Lennon says:

     

    28 October, 2011 at 13:04

     

     

    A terrific summary,incorporating the equally impressive Paul 67 leader.

     

     

    If this situation is fudged then I would need to think long and hard, if after 50years I want to continue funding, via Celtic, a series of competitions which in effect are weighted against us.

     

     

    Celtic should publicly stay out of it but let new friend Reagan know in no uncertain manner the implications to the SFA of a soft ” sentence”

  15. Serie A, for all it’s perceived shaded dealings, saw fit to punish Juventus for the match fixing scandal.

     

     

    You can decide whether tax fixing is worse than match fixing but in terms of Italian football Juve have a similar status and appeal as the Horribles have over here.

  16. James Forrest, yes, a 25 point deduction would be a dream result for Rangers.

     

     

    El Juarez Bravo, I don’t think a ballot will be effective. Best strategy is to raise awareness, make sure everyone knows what scenarios are on the table and that the clubs have a choice.

     

     

    We should also use whatever online resources we have to send a clear message to our clubs. It will be crucially important to make sure we spread this debate beyond the Celtic support, make sure every club in the league is engaged.

     

     

    Honest Mistake, we can forget the paper value of the club. £4m over Whyte’s £18m is the fair value I estimated. The actual price will not be far removed from this. The administrator will not believe he can raise >£22m.

     

     

    ASonOfDan, well said.

     

     

    Bawsman, I hear you.

  17. Lennon n Mc….Mjallby says:

     

    28 October, 2011 at 13:27

     

     

    sadly i think the fans of other clubs are too gormless to see whats happening and will probably swallow the PR tripe about it “being good for scottish football” to let the new rangers back in; hope I’m wrong though.

     

     

    After all, for years they have moaned about the old firm duopoly…..well, here’s their chance to end it; will they have the balls to do it though or will their habitual self preservation instincts kick in?

     

     

    the celtic support has to make its voice heard in the strongest possible terms, let our board know what the consequences may be if they vote the hun back in.

  18. James Forrest is Lennon says:

     

    28 October, 2011 at 13:04

     

     

    There’s been many excellent posts on this subject, but for me these posts sum it up. Oustanding posts, JF

     

     

    Only been lurking intermittently, keep up the great work all.

     

     

    Paul67 – outstanding work again!

     

     

    hh

  19. If Celtic do fight this then look out for the media campaign painting US as destroying Scottish football, putting jobs at risk etc and being small minded because of the traditional rivalry blah blah blah. Meanwhile, the illegality and years of cheating by Rangers will never be mentioned.

     

     

    As usual, it will be twisted to make us look like the bad guys. Oh yeah, and it will be all Neil Lennon’s fault too.

  20. Will our largest shareholder front Celtics stance if newco situation becomes a reality, what about our new Chairman? is he a man who will have the gravitas and integrity to front the clubs objection to newco waltzing back into the ole SPL, i think its a definite no to the previous two options and we are left with pistol pete wealthiest CEO in Scottish football………………………………… anyone see a problem here

  21. Green Manalishi – I’ve realised that I’ve reposted your youtube link romPaul’s previous post – sorry

     

     

    In the meantime, post Fritzsong’s statement everywhere possible

     

     

    ” Rangers have been run unsustainably,

     

    buying success has led them to ruin,

     

    the use of EBT is being judged as being illegal by HMRC”

  22. garygillespieshamstring on

    If Celtic support newco being reinstated in any way, I will never set foot inside Celtic Park again.

     

     

    It pains me greatly to say this, but I could not forgive such a course of action.

     

     

     

    ggh

  23. obonfanti1888 says:

     

    28 October, 2011 at 13:22

     

     

    No I dont think any of them will vote against it. Look what Neil Lennon has had to put up with and he hasnt even done anything. Do you think anyone will want to be publicly known as the man who sent Rangers to the bottom of the heap ? Can you imagine the pressure the any Chairman even swithering about the decision will be put under.

  24. .

     

     

    Celtic Cross @ 12:55..

     

     

    I Believe Celtic are on the Case and Helping the Bhoy and his Family..

     

     

    polishturnstile Anthony R. Hamilton

     

    Injured #Celtic fan, Sean Cantwell, undergone heart/plastic surgery and is recovering well. Out of intensive care soon. Needs help still..

     

     

    Summa

  25. The Battered Bunnet on

    Paul said yesterday that, in the event the SPL clubs vote to immediately admit Newco Rangers to the SPL, there was ‘nowhere else for Celtic to go’. I wonder if that is entirely true.

     

     

    You know, there is absolutely nothing to stop Celtic, or any other team, resigning from the SPL and asking for membership again of the SFL. Go for it.

     

     

    Preposterous as it sounds at first, it would present the other SPL members with a stark choice: Abandon the SPL concept and join with Celtic in a league that values sporting integrity and good governance; Or hang onto the coat tails of a newco Rangers that will be somewhat diminished in all respects for a number of years to come, and hope it all works out.

     

     

    Who’s to say which league is the ‘premier’ professional division in Scotland?

     

     

    As soon as consensus is lost, so is authority. An SFL Division 1 featuring Celtic and say Aberdeen, Hibs and Dundee Utd with the current 10 D1 clubs is no lesser a competition than an 8 club SPL featuring Newco Rangers, Hearts, Dunfermline and Kilmarnock, and a whole lot more handsome too.

     

     

    Moreover, SFL sponsorship from Betdaq (with love from Dermot) for the new league would likely turn a few heads away from the attractions of a corrupt SPL. A subscription TV offering built on the Freeview platform is feasible in jig time. It could be done, and Dermot is the man to let it happen.

     

     

    Extending that idea – Celtic simply refusing to be a part of some cobbled together nonsense – what might be done with the English Football League? Would we be prepared to swap the SPL fixture list for trips to Barnet, Cheltenham and Morecambe for a few seasons, on the chance of accessing the Championship or EPL in due course?

     

     

    Moreover, what if the Betdaq idea was solid, made commercial sense to Dermot, and he was prepared to put up say £30M per season for 3 seasons to create a Betdaq Championship featuring the top clubs in Scotland and England outside of the EPL. Betdaq remain No 2 in the online betting business. No 1 gets all the real dough. Something like this might return positively for the brand. Most certainly, it would return in spades for Dermot if in due course Celtic were permitted to compete for promotion to the EPL.

     

     

    What of the Irish and Welsh leagues? Can we foresee a ‘Celtic Nations’ League, along the lines of Rugby Union? It would certainly create a major boost to clubs in both Wales and Ireland. Isn’t it about time that Belfast and Dublin had substantial teams playing in substantial company?

     

     

    And finally, is now not the very time to be re-examining Regional European competitions? A League comprising say Celtic, Hearts, Aberdeen and Hibs, competing each week with PSV, Anderlecht and the likes, with access to and relegation from the league from the ‘top leagues’ in each country annually. The SFA could take this moment of crisis and turn it into a triumph of marketing and innovation. (OK, that last bit was a little glib…)

     

     

    Point is, we have nowhere to go only if we choose not to look at the possible destinations in front of us. Scottish professional football is facing a crisis. What are we going to do about it? Compound the crisis by making the entire game anathema to creditors? Sell sporting integrity for a few thousand travelling fans and some lose change from Sky?

     

     

    Doesn’t sound like much of a solution to me.

  26. as important as this situation is, I hope the bhoys are prepared for tomorrow, a repeat of the 2nd half from wednesday night would do just nicely

  27. 25 point deduction – DOH…….

     

     

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  28. bournesouprecipe says:

     

    28 October, 2011 at 13:40

     

     

    Can we discuss the tax case at the ole gazebo?

     

     

    bjmac also has a major tax case running, BlantyreKev is taking care of the business. Is the cheque in the post yet, Kev?

     

     

    I did see there was the old technology functionality Vs portability argument earlier….bsr did you start it?

     

     

    hh

     

     

    bjmac

  29. Can Rangers go to war with BBC but still take its broadcast cash?

     

    The test of how far Rangers want to take their war with the BBC will arrive on Saturday week, when Dundee United are at Ibrox

     

     

    The true test of how far Rangers want to take their war with the BBC will arrive on Saturday week. If it seemed timely that the club withdrew all co-operation with the broadcaster amid a gap in home matches, that belies the apparently entrenched position of the Rangers owner, Craig Whyte.

     

     

    Last weekend Whyte made it clear that any member of the Rangers staff who speaks to a BBC employee, even off the record, would be sacked. Whyte made repeated allegations of agenda and bias towards the BBC. The screening of a documentary last week about the businessman’s background had the Rangers owner promising to sue. There are a lot of phoney, cranked-up battles within Scottish football but this isn’t one of them.

     

     

    For all that sceptics believe Whyte is using this offensive to pull a veil over Rangers’ current, unquestionable off-field bother, he will find backing in the Ibrox stands. Supporters like nothing more than a public defence of their club. In this case, the BBC had already riled Rangers in recent months – and been forced to apologise – over some dubious editing of footage featuring Ally McCoist in a television news package.

     

     

    Still, wild allegations by fans about deep-rooted or ingrained bias against one club should be laughed off. The Rangers support, after all, would be quick to ridicule similar claims if they emanated from the other side of Glasgow.

     

     

    The specifics of this messy scenario aside, there is a wider issue relating to media rights holders’ role in the Scottish Premier League. As part of its annual seven-figure, cross-platform deal, the BBC offers online and radio commentary on every SPL match. Exclusive pre- or post-match interviews with managers are guaranteed. Rangers denied the BBC entry to the general pre-match and post-match press conference around last weekend’s win at Hearts. McCoist, moreover, did not carry out his routine pitchside BBC interviews at Tynecastle.

     

     

    The Scottish Premier League’s silence on such matters is intriguing, and hints that it wants this matter to disappear quietly. It is with the SPL, after all, that the BBC holds a contract; and from which it has sought clarification since last week. Are set penalties in place in the event that a club fails to co-operate with a rights holder? If the league has only guidelines, and not set rules, then clubs can act as they see fit.

     

     

    Dundee United’s visit to Ibrox next Saturday will be fascinating because a ban on live BBC commentary would seem an obvious breach of a media contract. If not now, at that stage the SPL’s power over clubs would certainly be tested. Hearts are in a similar position, in refusing to speak with any external media at all. Is it reasonable that clubs claim their share of the SPL’s supposedly crucial broadcast income without meeting obligations?

     

     

    The true value of that investment will become clear in the not too distant future. The BBC is in discussions regarding the extension of its SPL deal, which expires at the end of the season, with clubs having an option to continue, to re-negotiate or to break the main broadcast contracts they have with Sky and ESPN at the same juncture.

     

     

    It must not be ignored that the frustrations of Rangers and Celtic in relation to current commercial income mean they would be perfectly amenable to negotiating their own broadcast deals. The remainder of the SPL can legitimately argue that Old Firm matches can’t take place every week.

     

     

    The diminishing value of sports broadcast rights means the odds remain in favour of the SPL retaining the status quo for another two years at least. Still, the sight of little more than 4,000 people turning up for second-placed Motherwell’s match at home to Kilmarnock last Saturday lunch time posed questions.

     

     

    If clubs can legitimately argue that declining attendances are offsetting the monies received from broadcast deals, a move to SPL Television – as is being investigated – may not be so fanciful. However convincing bank managers that guaranteed cash should be ignored for the risk of a pay-per-view deal would take some doing, there is potential merit in the sale of a channel which has the key attraction of exclusivity. The BBC would almost certainly need to be retained as a broadcast partner, with sponsors keen on the free-to-air outlet its coverage provides.

     

     

    For now, Rangers are not of a mind to retain the BBC in any capacity. It will be fascinating to see who blinks first.

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