There’s a news management thing happens during the international break. Football news generally goes quiet, internationals do not really bring the same number of readers as the club game.
Games and results drive the football media business, with transfer ‘information’ dominating times in the calendar. If you are in the business of writing about football, as these breaks approach, you will maybe stick a piece up your sleeve, to bring out during the fortnight. You will spot everywhere, including here.
This week, UK football outlets have gorged on EPL referee, David Coote. Who seems to have a lassez-faire approach to actions and consequences. Two videos were made public this week.
In the first, from three years ago, he appears ‘tired and emotional’ to use the old euphemism, when making derogatory comments about Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp. The second, taken during this year’s Euros (where he was officiating), shows him snorting a white powder. As far as news management goes, someone has knocked it out the park this week.
It’s unlikely we will ever learn who was behind the leaks, although David Coote will surely know. Nor are we likely to learn what went before, and there has surely been some actions before this.
Football referees are as prone to weaknesses as the rest of us. If some are so weak they sniff white powder without checking for cameras, football has a problem. This week will end Coote’s career, with financial consequences for the rest of his life. How compromised was he?
It may be that he was only weak when it came to some videoed comments on superficial racism and illegal substances, while he remained beyond reproach to threats of ending his career if he did not bend to an extortion demand. Let’s hope.
Betting is huge business and the majority of betting on UK games takes place beyond these borders. Money is placed on more than just the result, too. A compromised referee is worth a fortune in the wrong hands.
David Coote is no longer vulnerable to exploitation and maybe the release of these videos is a consequence of him declining to participate in a wider criminal act. Any other referee who has been subject to the videoing of inappropriate acts has a lesson on what can happen. If referees are no different from the rest of society, some may take drugs, gamble themselves into debt and indulge in other nefarious activity.
The wages in England are huge and in Scotland are big enough to accommodate some intrusion. Credit checks, bank statement inspections and background checks would be a reasonable response to an outed human fraility.
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Don’t know who is commentating.Another twat.Ralston,who has been excellent,not being biased,Souter as well,has mentioned Tony 3 times,an aimless ball upfield,a stupid tackle,and a wasteful pass.
Only thing good is Tony getting games against top players.
stivs
gilmour aint shit
He ait no calmac
My biggest worry is mcginn on the bench with mclean starting
the gaurdain has binned x-twitter and will no longer post.
st pauli just done the same,
i dont follow so dont know, do celtic have a twitter account, do the green brigage, do a host of cscs ?
do the right thing, dont be supporting the right wing.
i seen a wee comment that mcginn carries an injury
well that makes sense, get him on for the last 20 then
This” Battle” between us and them,for the signature of Lennon Miller ( Scottish media ),has got me a nervous wreck.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Kenny McLean 47th cap…..Callum better away from carrying tadgers like that
Clunks,
I agree,Gilmour ain’t shit.
He is tonight though.
TB
I dont think so
Last few games, he has played well
(and I spit that thru clenched teeth)
and then he does that
You may be right TB
hope not, but, getting set up here for rope a dope.
saint stephens upper port glasgow circa 1980ish.
sunday afternoon, all the local fitballers would go up all afternoon for a bounce game.
often there several morton players, junior players, guys at aberdeen, st mirren, dundee united.
michael conroy didnt, maybe he did in previos years.
included was martin doak, tough, tall, fast, but the port average height was 5ft 6.
i mentioned to my nephew, i played fitba with martin doak, but he would remeber me, he must be proud og his bhoy playing for celtic.
he then said martin is his granda.
ffs, where did the years go.
gauld for christie
mcginn and his ass for mclean
conway for dykes
SAINT STIVS on 15TH NOVEMBER 2024 8:45 PM
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Whole point of these shows and these so called opinions is to stir up controversy and debate. That’s all he’s doing here.
Means they get calls and texts from more people that they would if they went with the majority.
😃👍
stivs, spent a couple years in greenock and the port from 93/4-96
was a great time
with great peoples
good mate from the time who was a couple years younger than me was a chap with the nickname hippo
also gary, who got a doing on his stag night, maybe a few years before I arrived, liked a smoke did the bhoy
Quite impressed with Croatian Baturina- who unfortunately plays for Zagreb.
Could anyone explain to me the hoo haa over Billy billy Gilmour ?🫤
i dont know a hippo or gary who got a doing, got any family names ?
Ryan Gauld showing some quality
VoguePunter
“Could anyone explain to me the hoo haa over Billy billy Gilmour ?🫤”
———————————
Bit harsh! He’s produced 3 drop goals for our Rugby team tonight
Imo, Gilmour having a very poor game but he is not the only one. We are not in the same league as Croatia as regards technical ability. It’s the get tore into them mindset so prevalent here to compensate for that ability.
stivs, am going back nearly 30 years
worked as a manager in burger king, the people in the above are lost in the sands of time and fun
Great people
And when we needed to go into the port to get a bit of solid
We blessed ourselves
Tonight:
Football Union of Russia 11; Brunei 0
TEN different scorers ! Surely a record?
SFTB
Very true and the commentary team are raving about him but,we are playing fitba tonight😁
get mcginn into them
scotland 1 -0 croatia
1:0- that puddin Dykes was offside but not interfering with play
Grit and determinatuon .
I have a foot in both camps here but that was a lovely goal for Scotland
Awe FFS ! I’m getting pelters tomorrow on rank ..went on rant telling them to shut the fek up aboot McGinn .
the feckin hampden whisler is back, he spoiled many a great celti occasion for me, sat a few seats behind me at hampden, looked like the big man from chewin the fst so i never bothered to say shut up
SFTB,
I am surprised that the goal was not questioned.
Why is Craig Gordon speeding the game up?
they want to win 2-0 for the head to head with croatia,
other than that, qualification is nil
stivs, names I remember in greenock were kay and gary mclean (and another brother I cant remember)
julie macconachie,
gary the stoned manager, hippo,
mark mccready and a girl called laura whose toilet we may have snorted illicit substances with john squires (aka stone roses, he had a gig in greenock((absolut vodka bar)) for the sea horses early on in their tour)
All over- 3 points
luke mccowan is a better footballer than gilmour.
confirmed even though comentary didnt tell us, mcginn had a knock