Since Stewart Regan’s letter to the 93 SFA member clubs was uncovered by STV yesterday evening I’ve read what feels to me like unfounded concern at the news. Regan asked clubs to declare “any written agreement(s) falling within the scope of Article 12.3 which has/have not previously been lodged with the Scottish FA in the previous ten years, in respect of any current or former players of your club.”
The most pleasing point is that the letter was dated 9 March. A look at the chronology of events is perhaps useful.
Rangers troubles with HMRC have been public knowledge since 2010 but it was only on 22 February this year that questions were first raised (here, of course) as to whether the club registered the Employee Benefit Trust (EBT) payments with the SFA. Everyone knew Rangers players had EBTs, we knew HMRC were contesting that these should be taxed, but there was no reason to believe Rangers did not to declare them to the SFA (unless you count the “sniff test” on Sir David…).
The EBTs were noted in Rangers audited accounts so it appears clear that Rangers at least notionally believed they were both legal (which they were) and legally executed (which we will soon find out). When we took a shot in the dark on 22 February and posed the registration question, there was no reason to assume the SFA board had even considered the issue. I’m sure they hadn’t and like the rest of us, were caught cold by the question.
Earlier that day the SFA announced an inquiry into Rangers headed by Lord Nimmo Smith. His report was considered by the board on 8 March, when they presumably decided to send letters out to the member clubs the next day. In short, this issue has been active at the SFA every day since it was first raised.
Had we known this at the time I suspect our view of the (apparent) SFA inactivity would have been different. Maybe a PR lesson there.
Several friends and one brother have suggested that Stewart Regan’s letter is a prelude to an amnesty. I doubt this. The SFA chief exec does not have the authority to offer an amnesty and in his letter Regan says, “the Scottish FA reserves the right to refer any Club to the Compliance Officer, which might result in proceedings before the Judicial Panel”.
The letter is an attempt to establish if the problem is prevalent in one, or more than one club, a perfectly reasonable step at this stage. I’m guessing around 90 clubs will be able to respond within minutes.
As a result of this letter, the phoney war is over. Comments like “there were no double contracts” can no longer be reported as though they have some validity to questions over unregistered payments to players. Even those reporting from the back of the class will now have to recognise the validity of the questions we have been asking for weeks.
More on the nature of these questions later, specifically, is it cheating?
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Tom McLaughlin
Sorry “Gorecki” no “z”
I particularly recommend the recording by the London Sinfionetta with Dawn Upshaw – Soprano. Quite beautiful if melancholy.
BLLY’S BHOY
&
TOM McLAUGHLIN
It is a really moving piece of music.
I think this does it some justice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
OOOOOOOOOOOPS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miLV0o4AhE4
Billy’s Bhoy –
I know Gorecki’s Symphony No 3 very well. The Song of Sorrowful Songs is one of my favourite pieces. I listened to it yesterday. I love it. Thanks
Just been flicking through my “FAVOURITES” bar and discovered that most of the YOUTUBE content has been withdrawn.
Including the LUBO compilations!
Gutted is an understatement……..
My thanks to KITALBA for this belter of a tribute to one of our finest.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt-camlEHuA
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Try flicking through the sidebars,some fantastic stuff to be found.
check this ………dido and aneas/janet baker
start about 1.10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_50zj7J50U
Smashing piece from the Telegraph on Messi.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/players/lionel-messi/9158968/Lionel-Messi-is-footballs-answer-to-basketballs-Michael-Jordan.html
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Try THAT level of journalism,Jabba et al……….
Fortunes Favour Mibbes on 22 March, 2012 at 06:05 said:
…………
She’s a good Celt is Derryghirl, I have full permission to go to the game on her birthday, just need to return early and take her out :>)
Pint ….. Aye!
V
Aria Quick News.
Sublime.
Oh what a beautiful morning
Oh what a beautiful day
I’ve got the funniest feeling
A double’s still coming our way.
* Be careful who you wink at on the train, it’s a mad mad mad mad world *
TootingTim on 22 March, 2012 at 07:48 said:
Aria Quick News………………brilliant
Good morning from a sunny EH1, Cannot wait to finish this mornings work here and get home and out this Chity.
HH
Morning all from gay Paree, lovely morning (20C max today).
Tom English (in today’s Hootsman): he always looks as though he’s going to do a good article then continually spoils it by spouting rubbish about “internet crackpots” and “groups of Celtic people who want this investigation completed yesterday”.
Typical example of starting off well and spoiling it:
All Rangers directors in this period need to be interviewed, all Rangers managers if required and some Rangers players and agents, too. At the end of it there needs to be clarity – or as much clarity that satisfies most sane people.
Some, of course, will never be convinced of the findings even if God himself chaired the investigation and the four apostles sat on the board.
God and the four apostles!???!
That’s a cracker!
Personally, I’d settle for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
What are you afraid of, Tom?
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS –
Thanks for that video. I was a wee bhoy when Bobby was starting out in the Hoops. My big memory was when wee Jimmy was fouled by a Portuguese player, The Wee Man was lying right in front of me. Bobby came up and hugged Jimmy and looked towards the foreign player and shook his fist and mouthed “I’ll get you”.And he did. That was when I realised what Celtic was all about. I was only 7 but I knew we looked after each other.
This is a great club. The best in the world.
I hope they catch the loathsome barbarous shag-haired bag of guts that broke Jobo’s window, and still failed to halt the weather forecast in EK.
PaddyMcCourts……
Tom you started this!
The only classical stuff I remember is peer gyn by Handel ?
But on Sun after the game I was in a shebeen and was listening to some punk classics, loved it and it cheered me up.
V
J.S Bach is the daddy of all bass guitarists.
Question of the day:
Why do the automated ticket gates at Glasgow Central never work properly?
Scotrail “The Hun of the railway tracks”
Spring’s here in Glasgow don’t forget to put your clock back one hour on Saturday night.
*Ticket collectors grumpy must be an Orc*
Fortune Favours
I prefer the official vide of Angel Dance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LREVZSIcL8
bournesouprecipe
Sorry, old chap. It’s one hour forward that one has to set it..
How come the early trains always early and the late trains always late?
PeteTheBeat
I’ll set them up – you bat them away :-)
P.s. for Ibrokes should we not set the clock back a 100 years?
Morning all. It’s looking like a lovely day in North Ayrshire, Long may it continue.
Another day nearer to their demise.
Family of 4 with £20k income this April will be on average £253 worse off compared to today says shadow chancellor.
“Some, of course, will never be convinced of the findings even if God himself chaired the investigation and the four Apostles sat on the board.” – Tom English, The Hootsmon.
Tom, I think you may have meant ‘the four Evangelists.’ There were actually twelve Apostles, including one back stabbing, liar who was exposed as such by a cock.
Other biblical groups you may wish to refer to: There were ten ungrateful lepers, numerous whitened sepulchres and one brood of vipers. There were scribes, a particularly odious group of writers who had a penchant for succulent, first born lamb. Pharisees, the establishment who felt threatened that they were losing their power. In their favour, even THEY paid their taxes though. And there were Levites – corrupt men of the law who ‘walked by on the other side.’
Ring any bells, Tom?
On reflection, probably best to stay away from Gospel analogies altogether. It is, after all, the story of one individual’s struggle for truth and justice to prevail amidst a bunch of murderous, lying, cheating hypocrites.
Is it a coincidence that the gang of 10 rear their heads again and demand change when rent-a-quote Yorkston is back on the scene. The guy who’s stewardship of a good club like Dunfermline has brought them to the brink of financial ruin, now wants more of the pie to cover up his mis-management. And he wants us to pay for it.
Not against a ‘fairer’ voting structure, not against a more even distribution of TV income, totally against failures dictating to those who generate the wealth. Think that the 10 have scored a massive OG by meeting without us and them and trying to force change rather than negotiate.
If they were truly interested in the good of the game they would change the league structure to what the supporters want, not maintain the status quo to protect a TV deal that is only interested in 4 games a season.
sixtaeseven
lol, I see you got in there before me. I’ll need to get up earlier in the morning!
Well we are well isolated in Scottish football we have the gang of ten trying to change the rules behind our back.We have those who blame us for the troubles at Ibrokes,we have those who would like us investigated for EBTs.I feel today that it has now been shown thjat we stand alone in Scotland and Celtic alone can fight for our rights in this down right biased society we live in our haters have no shame they have threatened our manager they have attacked our manager.We have very few friends if any in Scottish society but we must stand strong and fight for fairness and decency in both football and Scottish society.H.H.
seventyxseven ‘gelee et glace’
Hey, good stuff there! How are the lakes’n’valleys looking this fine spring morning?
Billy’s Bhoy , BMCUW , Tom Mclaughlin ,
Jeez guys. Thank you. What a way to start the day. Both uplifting and humbling . I worked in Poland about 20 years ago and got the chance to visit Krakow with Mrs Sanna . We visited Auschwitz , not because we thought it would be a ‘day out’ but because we felt we had to – if we meet up , talk to me about it – it’s one of the few things apart from family and Celtic that i get emotional about .
We went on a bitterly cold February day and , as well as the physical chill , the emotional impact of the place left both of us in a raw state.
I would recommend it to anyone , not as a pleasant experience , but as something that allows you to better understand the good and bad in humanity .
HH
Sanna (awaytoexperiencemoregorecki csc)
seventyxseven
Great minds, eh?
Yes, I’m any early riser.
If I got up any earlier, I’d meet myself going to bed.
;o)
Hi Tooting,
feckin hacks!!
All beautiful here, the sun is shining and the lake and mountains are magnificent. Crowd of us meeting on Sunday for the match. Cant wait.
sixtaeseven
Aye we’re the kinda dawn brigade, sandwiched in between the night shift from Oz and the breakfast bhoys.
seventyxseven ‘gelee et glace’ on 22 March, 2012 at 08:46 said:
Lovely spring morning in the north valley too still a wee bit fresh for my liking, are you guys watching the game in Lausanne??
Starry
Aye, Starry, Swiss Tony will be here for the match (he’s been away alot recently.) Btw, did my first skiing lesson two weeks ago. Another one this Saturday morning. I’ll email you from A&E. I’ve been trying to find your email ad. Drop me a line so I get it again.
Bournesouprecipe
Are you trying to make everyone two hours late for the game on Sunday?
Clocks go forward mon ami!
seventyxseven ‘gelee et glace’ on 22 March, 2012 at 08:55 said:
You got mail….
Looking forward to Sunday in a strange kinda way!
SP