Let’s be clear, the job of chief executive of the SFA is thankless and destined for failure, of one variety or another. Even if you have the necessary skills to deliver commercial success (which the last two incumbents didn’t), if you appoint a national team manager who qualifies for a tournament, if your internal Data Protection systems are fit for purpose and you insist on doing the right thing, you are going to fail.
The SFA member clubs (there are over 90), it’s legions of utterly useless committee members, each without anything better to do than attend committee meetings, anchor the organisation in inept conservatism.
There was a gleam of light when Stewart Regan was appointed in 2010. They realised Gordon Smith, who did not meet the advertised criteria for the job, did not have the experience required to run an organisation of this size and profile. Regan, with enterprise-level commercial experience, as well as his gig at Yorkshire County Cricket, met all the criteria. He should have been a good appointment.
Instead, over 7 years later, his board made it clear his resignation was required.
Rejecting a request by the Scottish Professional League for a review of matters into the biggest club failure in the history of the game, one which tainted the immediate SFA past president and a current office holder, is a sack-able offence.
When the professional clubs ask the SFA to examine the conduct of its office holders, it has no choice but to do so. Those who attempt to cover up always fall on their swords.
I am led to believe there was an arrogance about Regan, who saw himself as an impenetrable big beast, who would seek shelter in the numbers of the Highland League, when the game’s other big beasts attempted to invoke corporate responsibility. He didn’t like dissent and could dismiss whatever he wanted as long as he held sway with those who populated the many and varied committees.
At the first sight of vulnerability, he was gone. Having asked for permission to speak to Michael O’Neill, only to be rejected was enough. He had burned all his bridges.
The SFA now need a competent administrator to downsize the organisation. The Association should be in the business of correctly registering players, training and appointing match officials, running the Scottish Cup and ensuring the various youth and other amateur elements of the game are properly resourced (which they are not currently).
Get out of Hampden, use Celtic Park, Ibrox, (new) Pittodrie, Easter Road or Tynecastle instead of pouring money into another sport’s coffers. Cull the useless committees, reign-in the gravy train and have clear and ethical rules of engagement.
Those hoping for change will do well to remember how we thought Gordon Smith’s replacement had to be better. Regan was, but he, and the next person, will be appointments of the system. Cultural change at the SFA will take years. But remember, at any point in time, a future SFA board can decide to review matters in the past, including the performance of Mr Regan.
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Am I alone here?
Ach well. There’s worse.
Well, this cheers me….and as ma sis says, I’m a 7 day Christian, so ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmkYDhjSLMs
ALASDAIRMACLEAN
Avery talented lad indeed. Funnily enough,I watched it via an e-mail I was sent the other day!!!
Hope yer smashin’,bud. I’m rooting for a County Houdini act.
BMCUP,
You, son.
Are one of life’s gentlemen.
Started writing stuff there, but ma wee mongrel’s looking at me.
The morn, the morn.
Really looking forward to the game . Our last performance has really wetted the appetite.
I wonder what our captain and manager think privately about that outrageous slur.
Scott Brown Celtic and Scotland captain will treat it with the contempt it deserves, and play his usual game,as BR asks.
However Levein should really have had the book thrown at him. Maybe literally.
HH . COYBIG.
Gerry fae the Brig
Prayers for Owen…and us!
Hi…..it’s only a fitba team. I know.
Here’s to you…..an everyone here,
Slainge
Actually,
I want to dedicate my participation in this performance to:
McJay
MacJay
Could never remember the spelling.
But hi boy…..miss your crack.
This is for you….from me…..
Gerry fae the Brig
Prayers for Owen…and us!
Hi…..it’s only a fitba team. I know.
Here’s to you…..an from everyone here,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05wldrq
Ach well ….wait for the whistle…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtwdCzfK4E8
ACGR – On Tuesday, that front 1-2 excited the Life out of me before a ball was kicked.
Broonie and Kouassi played very well.
I’m really hoping for the same team Today.
HH
With the TV cameras LIVE…… the linesman will be negated somewhat.
Moussa is gonna Rock.
All I can say is…….listen to the wee wans.
In yer own toon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrj5_Vzkxuk
Petec
Get Kouassi on the park,
Once wee Paddy Bhoy is fit & our best goalscorer Leigh where do we fit them all in ?
Play KT as a backie :-)
Jobo don’t be in “Veronica’s” till the early hours
Tenerife far more predictable weather than EK !!!!!
VFR`s team selection from last night:
” De Vries
Ajer Boyata Hendry Tierney
Brown Kouassi
Forrest/Musonda N’tcham Sinclair
Dembele Edouard ”
Was that Dembele OR Edouard or do you think, as we have so many good players,that we will be allowed the extra man?
I would stay with Wednesday`s team ( or maybe start with Charly instead of james)) and bring on Hendry if things are going OK.
Cheerio for now,
JJ
Hot Smoked
I also think Brendan will go with wednesdays starting 11, after the first half performance who would Brendan drop
Greenpinata
Broony has had far more serious issues to deal with than that clown Levien, our captain will thrive in proving the clown wrong, as for some of the pundits who think it will make the refs treat Scott more harshly ??? Most of them want to book him fir smiling or doing the Broony /
Another milestone from my youth passes. Time to practise the Temps moves in front of the mirror again
RIP Dennis Edwards
P.S. Alasdair McLean I caught the Ali Levack set live on the radio at the time and thought he had a very light touch for one so young
\o/ \o/ \o/
ALASDAIR MACLEAN on 3RD FEBRUARY 2018 3:26 AM
This takes 15 mins…..
But how about the young scots last weekend?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05wldrq
————————————-
Watched it again Al,yir boy very talented and a lovely young man,good to see his visit to ipox hasn’t scarred him :O) hh
A Poisoned Bucket by John James @sitonfence
“In the hours after Regan’s departure there was a thread on a website about who might succeed him. Hibs’ impressive leader, Leeann Dempster, was mooted only to be shot down by some contributors because she, apparently, once held a season ticket at Rangers. That’s an isolated and perhaps extreme example of the bitterness that’s out there, but this is not a poisoned chalice of a job we’re talking about, it’s a poisoned bucket”.” Tom English – BBC Freemasonry.
Now that the odious Stewart Regan has kicked the poisoned bucket, thoughts turn to his legacy and successor. Alan McRae, the former Cove Rangers supremo and now president of the SFA, took his tie out of his soup to write a glowing valedictory to Regan. Forgive me if I demur.
Regan faced three challenges in 2011-2013. How he dealt with them defined his legacy. When the SMSM finally woke up to the fact that Rangers were ineligible to compete in UEFA tournaments in 2011/2012, Regan followed up a call with Andrew Dickson with an email to the then Rangers Chief Executive Ali Russell. The Tax Justice Network wrote:
“The close relationship between the SFA and the club (Rangers) is also a concern. It is difficult to imagine any regulator, in any other sector, running press statements past the people they were regulating for approval. It is even more difficult to understand how a regulator can be seen to be impartial if it drops public statements it was planning to make about a company they regulate on the request of the company and arranges a private dinner between the chief executives in the following weeks.”
Regan lied that the £2.8m due to HMRC had not crystallised. Testimony under oath at the Craig Whyte trial unequivocally refuted this lie of convenience. To my mind Regan and his corrupt cabal of colleagues at the SFA, including President Campbell Ogilvie and Licence Committee member Andrew Dickson, wilfully ignored an overdue payable to grant Rangers a UEFA licence, in contravention of UEFA statutes on social taxes. Craig Whyte in his correspondence to Russell to veto Regan’s proposed press release, reminded Regan that the SFA were up to their necks in this fraudulent conspiracy and would be severely compromised if Regan’s proposed press release saw the light of day. I published it in full.
Regan should have been sacked on the spot.
However this was as nothing to what Regan wrote in 2012:
Dear all,
Many thanks for your contribution and support over the last two weeks in trying to deliver a programme of change that will move Scottish football forward whilst addressing the need to deal with the Rangers matter with integrity and in line with our own values as an organisation.
I was hugely encouraged with where we got to last night on a long and tiring phone call and I thank all of you for your efforts to move this issue forward.
I thought it would be helpful if I summarised where I think we are:
1. The Rangers Football Club will be relegated to the 1st Division of the SFL with immediate effect and will be replaced in the SPL by Dundee FC.
2. The television rights for Rangers FC matches in the SFL will be purchased by the SPL for the sum of £1m as a one-off fee for the season 2012/2013.
3. The two leagues will merge into a single league body – The Scottish Professional Football League – effective season 2013/14 – with a working party set up immediately involving representatives from the SPL, SFL and (if required) the Scottish FA to plan the integration of the two bodies – people, rules, rebranding, commercial considerations and so on.
4. A new Board of Directors will be appointed to govern the single league. The make up of this Board will consist of an Independent Chairman, CEO, 3 representatives from the Premier League, 2 representatives from the Championship/Leagues 1 & 2 and 2 Independent Non-Executive Directors.
5. Play-offs will be introduced immediately with the first matches taking place at the end of the coming season 2012/2013.
6. Enhanced parachute payments will be implemented from the end of the season 2012/2013 to soften the landing for club(s) relegated from the Premier League.
7. A revised all-through distribution model will be put in place to provide: a) An all-through distribution model for clubs 1-22 and a minimum guarantee for 20 clubs in Leagues 1 & 2, equivalent to what they would earn under the current settlement agreement.
8. A Pyramid System will be put in place which open up the bottom of League 2 effective from the end of season 2013/2014 with the first opportunity for promoted clubs to enter the league being 2014/15 thus allowing for licensing to take place.
9. Consolidation below the Third Division to take place to create a Lowland & Highland League structure effective 2014/15 with appropriate play-offs and promotion/relegation to be put in place. Clubs to be briefed that the previous season 2013/2014 will involve the opportunity to enter play-offs for the first time.
In terms of actions/timings I think the following needs to happen in this coming week:
A) A joint statement today from all 3 bodies confirming that productive discussions have taken place on a new blueprint for Scottish football. Consultation will continue over the next two weeks with a view to clubs getting together week commencing 2nd July to try and agree the way forward. (D Broadfoot to provide this and circulate to DL/ND for approval)
B) Rod P / Jim B to finalise the all-through financial model by Wednesday this week latest.
C) Neil / David to finalise the detail on Governance, Commercials and Play-Offs (ideally Monday/Tuesday) and incorporate these, plus the financials in B) above into a legally binding Heads of Terms ‘draft’ for presentation to each league body w/c 2nd July.
D) DL to organise SFL Board Meeting w/c 25th June to gain buy-in to the plan and also arrange an all club meeting w/c 2nd July
E) ND to gain support from SPL Clubs 28th June
F) SFL Clubs Meeting to be planned for 3rd July
G) SPL Club Meeting to be planned for 4th July
H) Scottish FA Board to sign off on the final plan post 4th July. Subject to approval all bodies (including Newco) to sign legal documentation.
I) Agree joint communication strategy
J) In parallel to A-D above, could Rod Petrie please brief Charles Green confidentially on the discussions from a Scottish FA perspective so that there are ‘no surprises’ and there is a general acceptance of the plan plus all of the other conditions discussed e.g. transfer embargo, fines, repayment of football debt, waiving rights to legal challenge, acceptance of relegation and so on.
K) Andrew to ensure our check list of disclosures relating to Newco and Fit & Proper Person criteria are delivered by 2nd july. The Board will need these plus the Heads of Terms above in order to complete this plan.
The Scottish FA Board have agreed to provide a one-off restructuring budget of £1m on condition the above plan is delivered.
I hope this covers everything.
Speak soon….now off to the airport!
Regards
Stewart”
Note how Regan delegates his attempt to shoehorn Charles Green’s basket case of assets to others and slips away on vacation lest the shit hits the fan. This plan was stillborn. True to form when Greenturned up to sign Draft 6 of the Five Way Agreement, Regan was leaving on the pretext of a social engagement. If a close family member had expired, he could have risen the following morning and driven to Durham. This was not the case. He chose to distance himself from the horse-trading lest it break down and he be called out as a fraud by Charles Green.
He should have been sacked on the spot for this dereliction of duty.
I have chosen to reproduce an excerpt from JJ Passim: An Open Letter To Stewart Regan, which was published 8 months ago and can be found in my archive. The foreword in Green Italic typeface is from Joe O’Rourke:
Another question which is being asked by football supporters of all clubs is in regards to the criteria which must be met to be awarded a European spot by the SFA for season 2017/18. Do all the clubs in Scotland which have been awarded a place meet the criteria?
I also note with interest this morning in the media, your colleague (should that be Brother?) SFA President Alan McRae state that it would be a “very boring and dreary” season in Scottish Football if our Invincible Treble Winners aren’t challenged. McRae doesn’t want just any team to challenge, he just wants it to be Rangers who are doing the challenging. I’m sure his predecessor will be proud of him.
This is coming from a guy who has contributed absolutely nothing to Scottish Football, at Amateur or Highland League level, a guy like you has been an embarrassment to Scottish Football, and those in power at UEFA must wonder how you both got into your high level positions.
Finally Mr Regan, I would like to ask you if you have changed your position on the questions sent to you by the group of Celtic Supporter Shareholders known as “ Resolution 12”. Although I never followed the Craig Whyte trial very closely, I read enough to suggest that contrary to what you claimed, the Tax Liability had Crystallised and therefore a European Licence should not have been issued to Rangers.
That means without a shadow of a doubt one or more people were telling lies, the question is Mr Regan were you one of them? I don’t expect you to answer that, but I thought I would ask the question anyway. There is also the case of the DOS/EBT with side letters schemes ran by Rangers; was the full truth put before Lord Nimmo Smith? Again were one or more people telling lies?
That only leaves me to reiterate the position of the Celtic Supporters Association. After the six blind officials match at Hampden our members passed unanimously a “Vote of No Confidence” in you, I think you can safely add your colleague Mr McRae to that now. I also think it is time that you actually asked the supporters of all the member clubs in Scotland if they have any confidence in you to take Scottish Football forward. I would safely predict that UKIP would be more popular than you. For the benefit of Scottish Football please go now.”
Joe O’Rourke,
General Secretary,
Celtic Supporters Association,
Independent Shareholder in Celtic Football Club.
JJ: Stewart Regan has been exposed in a blatant lie. Given his attempt to cover his arse in an e-mail to Ali Russel and Andrew Dickson he is fully aware of this lie. The DOS/VSS tax debt crystallised at the beginning of March, 2011. To state that it had not crystallised at the March and June cut-off dates is a lie. Stewart Regan lied to assist Rangers as he concurs with McRae’s view that a strong Rangers is good for Scottish football. His lies were to the detriment of other clubs who paid their social taxes.
However let’s not hang Regan for a lamb when we have the sheep of his involvement in the LNS fiasco. Could someone explain to me why the Chief Executive of the appellate body, the SFA, saw fit to impose himself on a supervisory committee apropos a Scottish Premier League inquiry? If Nimmo Smith – Lord is just an honorary title – had come to the rightful conclusion that Rangers had gained an illegal competitive advantage would Regan have buried it? What part did Regan play in limiting the scope of the LNS inquiry to exclude the illegal tax evasion of the DOS/VSS scheme? Why was the compromised Campbell Ogilvie allowed to lead testimony for Rangers to save his own neck? Why was Sandy Bryson allowed to fudge a binary issue with the preposterous ‘imperfectly registered but eligible?’
Why was Andrew Dickson who submitted Craig Whyte’s application to be a football director not censured by the SFA? It is common knowledge that Dickson did not disclose that Whyte had been previously disqualified as a company director for seven years. Dickson had full access to the Titon report.
In his role as an experienced administrator regarding club licensing what part did Dickson play in advising RFC Finance Director Ken Olverman how to report the status of the DOS/VSS bill to UEFA given that Dickson knew that it was an overdue payable that had crystallised in March?
Why was Mr Dickson not censured for knowingly withholding the side letters detailing EBT payment to players, managers and directors from the SFA and SPL? Did he fail to mention his own EBT of £33,000?
Could Mr Regan explain why a central figure in the EBT tax evasion of Rangers was elected to the SFA congress in 2015?
Why was Rod McKenzie of Harper Macleod solicitors also appointed to the SFA congress in 2015? Was this his recompense for only looking under the rocks that the SFA had deemed ‘appropriate’ for the LNS commission?
As the ultimate arbiters of the Scottish game why do the SFA allow the SPFL to engage in the lie of Continuation? Does it not behove the SFA to contact Neil Doncaster to take him to task on his transposition of historic titles to a new club formed in 2012? The SFA know that Rangers Lite are a new club as they initially issued them with a conditional licence.
As for Regan stating that Whyte was still banned from Scottish football did he think that Whyte gave a flying fuck about his perspective? To suggest that the SFA handled the Rangers implosion with the utmost probity and without fear or favour is the rhetoric of the revisionist.
Scottish Football does not need a strong Rangers. It needs a strong SFA.
The LNS Commission was a sham. Allowing Campbell Ogilvie to advance a skewed narrative that saved his neck and the stripping of titles was unconscionable. Bryson’s ‘imperfectly registered but eligible’ statement was also a blatant lie. Each and every game in which Rangers fielded or had an ineligible player in their squad should have resulted in a 3-0 win for their opponents. If Regan had shown some leadership and applied SFA rules we all could have moved on.
Regan’s legacy is that we cannot move on and allow tax evasion to go unpunished. The SFA should be abolished. It should be subsumed as the SFL was into the SPFL. Neil Doncaster and Rod McKenzie should play no part in this new organisation.
As for English’s advocacy of Leeann Dempster how can one possibly allow a Rangers season ticket holder of 20 years, who is of the view that we should Move On, to maintain the SFA’s status quo?
Was English giving a nod to the cabal of senior Freemasons who run BBC Scotland?
If Dempster is given the SFA gig Scottish football is going to hell in a poisoned bucket.
Since Jobo is holiday bound and Lennybhoy might still be celebrating his family doo, the coupon this fine Saturday
BMCUWP- Northampton
Jobo – Morton
GFTB – Motherwell
AWALK – St Mirren
TET – Notts County
Lennybhoy- Peterborough
Pog – Derby
If dabbling, bet responsibly
There will be a Celtic hattrick today, the young guns are used to the 3G stuff, and big Kirkie Briadfoot is even slower than me (just) and he has a couple of decades of a head start
Bus full – we’re on the road again.
Hello this is WEE BGFC. Hoping for a successful afternoon for the ‘Tic the day. Must wake Da. C’MON THE HOOPS!!!!!!!
HH
WEE BGFC
This other so called season ticket holder, Leanne Dempster,what is her position at Motherwell,is she a Lawyer or an Accountant,
Timbhoy3
I think the former hun season ticket holder is at Hibs these days but you probably know that, any thoughts on the champions visit to Killie ?
WeeBigGeorge
Plains to Ayrshire ? Make sure your father is up before 10.15am !!!!!!!
Morning from Philadelphia CSC
Bad enough having to be up at 7am to watch the hoops but worse when yer daft brother forgot to switch his alarm off which was set for 4..
Love this city so far and met up with bhoys from NYC,Boston, LA , Canada Ireland and a few from. Scotland,
Nearly forgot the Tim’s from central and South America
BT
Enjoy the game and have a couple for yer uncle Neil.
HH
SFTB ( last night )
Celtic fans already sure that Jozo Simunovic can’t play on plastic along with Brendan’s press conference comments, does this mean not mean Jack Henry would go straight in?
I’m going for ;
…………………De Vries…………………
…………………………………………………
Boyata……….Simunovic………..Ajer
…………………………………………………..
……………………Brown……………………
……………………………………………………
Forrest………………………………..Tierney
……… Ebouie………….Ntcham………….
……………………………………………Sinclair
……………………Dembele……………………
JOBO-just back from Tenerife last night,we had a great week.Hopefully the weather keeps getting better for you:-))moon the hoops today from a slightly colder Hamilton
Ment to ask,have I missed anything :-)))))
Fairhill Bhoy
You have more holidays than the teachers on here :-)
Hopefully Santa Pee fir me in August, or if MissGFTB gets her way it will be Seton Samds !!!!
Aff oot up the street, working on a Saturday actually saves me money
Enjoy the game fellow Celts
BT
Phllly will be a sea of green tomorrow with the Eagles going for the superbowl. Bars will be packed. The fans have a reputation for being a bit mental – so make sure yer camera is at the ready :-)
GERRYFAETHEBRIG
My best mate’s first house when he got married was in Port Seton. Had many a good night in the area.
He now lives on the Blackwater Estuary,next to Bradwell nuclear plant. First house beside Cockenzie nuclear plant. Brought up near Hunterston.
No wonder he has such a warm glow!!!
“It was a busy day on Wednesday for various reasons, but we’ve had a great window.”
“I must say a big thank you to Dermot Desmond, Peter Lawwell and the board for sanctioning everything we wanted to do.”
Brendan Rodgers
BSR
Aye…………….that Rodgers guy is a big toady innaw……………….
Teuchter
I’ll find a quiet spot somewhere although the Boston and Detroit bhoys are going for the Patriots to win,, TCB’s ;-))
Thanks to everyone who offered condolences and prayers for my uncle Neilly
We had a great send off for him and John Carrigan and his staff in Carrigans Blantyre did him proud.☘️☘️
“Charly Musonda Jr 67 all the best as you start your 1st game with Celtic away today…… Mom and Dad will be cheerin.”
Angela Musonda
On Regan’s successor: this is how a professional organisation would go about it.
Of course not being professional they cannot embark on a process to make them professional.
Catch 22
but anyhoo – this from a Tweet to Tom English (I know I know)… whose business practice knowledge wouldn’t cover one of the edges on an old thrupenny bit.
” On the basis that you cannot fix a problem with the same thinking that created it & that SFA needs to be more professional, why not hire business consultants who can identify structural faults and make recommendations to fix?
You then appoint a Project Management Board to oversee a project manager, whose job it is to implement the agreed recommended changes.
That requires a skill set that Leanne Dempster may or may not have, but it creates a profile of what the job requires and so who should be recruited.
Gets around the poison too by being open and accountable.”
Catch 22. Wits it like?
DENNIS EDWARDS R I P
https://youtu.be/oUsSToCvAoU
https://youtu.be/tp1MRAUw4Uk
D9COMEDY on 3RD FEBRUARY 2018 2:03 AM
Bada Bing
I also went to St Thomas’s, you must remember Sister John.
Sister John and Sister Brendan….good cop, bad cop….;)