Last night my brother reminded me of a comment he made after the 0-0 against Benfica on match day one of the Champions League, “I hope we’re not sitting with one point after five games”. Expectations can be as high as you like, but reality based on experience at that stage suggested Celtic would struggle to have more than a single point at this stage of the tournament.
A solitary point away from home in our Champions League history would lead the harsh realists to expect our trips to Lisbon, Barcelona and Moscow would be fruitless, leaving the enormous matter of tackling Barcelona at Celtic Park.
Two of those away games resulted in defeat, and we were behind in Moscow before one of the most significant fight-backs in modern Celtic history. It’s difficult to find perspective for the win over Barcelona. Suffice to say, they won 0-2 in Lisbon and 0-3 in Moscow. Celtic’s 2-1 remains the most astonishing result of this season’s Champions League.
Manchester City’s failure to qualify for the knock out stage, with their seemingly limitless budget, tells the story of how difficult this tournament is. England’s other mega-wealthy club, reigning European champions Chelsea, sacked their manager this week as the expectation they are likely to be eliminated at this stage dawned.
Beating Spartak and qualifying for the knockout stage will be suitable reward for a remarkable team.
The very first CQN Annual is NOW in stock and shipping order yours here! P.S. it’s great.
In case you missed the story, check out the Celtic Trust’s ‘Stand up for the Green Brigade‘ call on the 12th minute on Saturday. Full details on the Trust’s site.
P.P.S. Stand up for the Green Brigade.
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Young boys copying the Reverse huddle ….. Brilliant
Well said Professor Green. Great post Stringer Bell. They also admitted 30+ payments were not loans and subject to tax and so the FTT didn’t consider these, as the position was admitted. RTC and SFM estimate that dead Rangers (IL) will still have a tax liability of £19-20M…..yeah some victims! Oh, almost forgot to mention the £3M admitted fraud from the Wee Tax Case on top of the £60M of unpaid debts due to the ordinary creditors like the face painter, newsagents, shredding company, police, ambulance service etc etc. As I say, some victory!
MWD
of course
Seen on TSFM
As someone pointed out earlier. In the Mure judgement (para 120), RFC’s undoing in the SPL’s undisclosed payments investigation will actually have come from their own QC, Andrew Thornhill.
Mure comments as follows:
Mr Thornhill submitted, the employee should be taxed not on the emolument but on the benefit. It was irrelevant, he continued, whether the Remuneration Trust benefit was contractual. He conceded that where it derived from a (footballer’s) side-letter it was contractual, but not in the cases of bonuses paid to employees of other Murray Group companies.
Basically, Thornhill was only concerned about minimising the tax liability, arguing that Loans cannot be treated as payments or emoluments. It was immaterial to him whether the loans were funded from contractual or non contractual arrangements for the purpose of his argument to the FTTT.
The fact that he conceded that the side-letters were indeed contractual should be sufficient to have RFC hung by the short and curlies by Lord Nimmo Smith come Jan/Feb.
professor green
21:39 on 22 November, 2012
I’m loving the games this season, and watching a lot of the other SPL games……..why, because the RESISTANCE has gone, replaced by the SPORTING CHALLENGE …… And I get the impression the other SPL clubs are enjoying this new SPORTING environment …..
WE ALL KNEW THEY WERE RECEIVING ‘A LITTLE HELP’ FROM THEIR ‘FRIENDS’ FOR YEARS……
BT
Yes
PFayr
I only have your work addy. Are you able to pick up at home?
MWD
the quiet man
21:40 on 22 November, 2012
He he …..and HMRC will NEVER see that £60m….
pogmathonyahun aka laird of the smiles
21:28 on
22 November, 2012
cragleabhoy
20:55 on
22 November, 2012
Is there a link to the FTT decision in full?
Thanks in anticipation.
—————————————————
CLB
Google TC02372
Thanks for that.
Goodnight all
“Oscar Knox celtic warrior YNWA”
https://mobile.twitter.com/Wee_Oscar/status/271630229972320256/photo/1
Limahl
Plastic seats surrived in the Jungle longer than
WTF
Ghuys
Just catching up on SFM , seems the 2 gentlemen described the loans as employee loans and therefore through a route I am 100% unclear on , makes them part of reclaimable money to Oldco. Therefore, BDO if sufficiently motivated could chase the cash. If it was me then I would start with the biggest freeloader, tax dodging, smug, arrogant, twat that I could find on the spreadsheet, step forward (S)DM
Anyway, I think Beram deserves a start on Saturday, Thimas may need a run out if he is fit, as we need defensive backup for Spartak , as Vic is out.
Bdoherewegocfc
Will Nimo Smith get access to these side letters in the possession of HMRC ? Or will he be reduced to trying to piece together bundles of shredded paper from the bins at Ibrox ?
This has so far to run it’s difficult to see how this will end. I doubt they’ll grap those titles out of the dead clutches of Rangers though.
I also heard tonight on Radio Clyde ( I was working on an all day audit for tomorrow and needed something to break the brittleness) … anyway the guy said he phoned BDO and the gentleman there said that they are now in Liquidation. Thats the power of the Zombie. You lift the phone, the BDO chaps are quite happy to chat.
The same guy also said that there was a petition being led by an MP into the whole sorry mess. I think the angle is to give the zombie some proof that this was indeed a papal conspiracy led by Opus Peter Dei and …Phil ma whathisname..if you cut him hed bleed f’in shamrocks.
However, I think there may be some merit in everyone demanding some transparency and an enquiry would make total sense for everyone. I would also demand that they add in an enquiry into the FTT and how it is perceivable to state that loans you never pay back are still loans.
Even though the money paid was classed as a loan, is it not still a payment that was
given and not declared on the contracts that were given to the sfa.
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
21:47 on
22 November, 2012
This season has been the most enjoyable for years. I never looked forward to playing them, in fact I dreaded it, because we were never on a level playing field. WE had to perform magnificently to get a result.
I was never a fan of paying for the pleasure of listening to them spouting their sectarian bile at our home. Long may it continue…
Do Celtic have grounds to take legal action against those responsible for the FTT given that their findings may impact on their ability to sue for loss of earnings?
What a goal from young boys …..2-2 ..2 mins to go ……
….PFayr
20:17 on 22 November, 2012
______________________
Thanks for your wise advice. ( I hope the bill is not in the post.)
I know the pointlessness of getting angry with attention-seeking ignorance.
Sadly old leopards are the least likely to change their spots.
Good Luck.
An Dun
21:52 on 22 November, 2012
‘Will Nimo Smith get access to these side letters in the possession of HMRC’
It’s worth remembering just how the huns sought to obstruct the investigation at every turn.
Just like they did when they were sued by one of the widows of the Ibrox disaster.
‘We have noted that the Group had not been forthcoming in producing documentation at various stages of HMRC’s enquiry. Relevant information had become available via other sources, particularly the City of London Police’s investigations.’
‘Unable to elicit the requested information by correspondence, HMRC had served statutory notices under paragraph 27 Schedule 18 FA 1998 on 21 September 2007 to request the administration files for Mr Purple (sub-trust 13), Mr Skegness (sub-trust 38), and Mr Berwick (sub-trust 63). Only Mr Purple’s and Mr Skegness’s files were handed over at the time as Mr Berwick’s had been seized by police. Significantly, neither files handed over contained the side-letters, which were later recovered. It was highly probable, as the Respondents submit, that Mr Red, who was directly involved in handing over the files, had deliberately removed the side-letters germane to the players’ administration files.’
Watching City, Chelsea and now Liverpool struggle in Europe really drives home our achievements this season. Hail Hail Lenny !
professor green
21:54 on 22 November, 2012
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
21:47 on
22 November, 2012
ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON………MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY …..THEY WERE SUCH A HATE-FILLED SHOWER OF SAD CRETINS ……HAIL HAIL, BHOYO…
blantyretim.
Had a lovely glass of port in Lisbon so decided to bring a couple of bottles back,gave one to my brother and he had a taste of it and said that’s as good as it gets,ended up buying a couple of cases online,it’s on it’s way already according to a mail I got about 10 minutes ago.I’ll try and save you one.
Mullet and Co
21:57 on
22 November, 2012
Good point, however I believe they would be prudent to await any possible appeals procedure and also the dual contract tribunal’s decision.
Mullet and Co
21:53 on 22 November, 2012
‘I also heard tonight on Radio Clyde ( I was working on an all day audit for tomorrow and needed something to break the brittleness) … anyway the guy said he phoned BDO and the gentleman there said that they are now in Liquidation. Thats the power of the Zombie. You lift the phone, the BDO chaps are quite happy to chat.’
The significance of that call was that the guy had phoned yesterday saying BDO had told him the huns weren’t yet in liquidation and the suggestion was that everything could be reversed. One assumes he had been talking to the security guy on the desk at the front door.
an dun
22:02 on 22 November, 2012
CORRECT ….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For Vimhan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgkT6lslc7E
ernie lynch
22:00 on 22 November, 2012
An Dun
21:52 on 22 November, 2012
‘Will Nimo Smith get access to these side letters in the possession of HMRC’
It’s worth remembering just how the huns sought to obstruct the investigation at every turn.
Just like they did when they were sued by one of the widows of the Ibrox disaster.
‘We have noted that the Group had not been forthcoming in producing documentation at various stages of HMRC’s enquiry. Relevant information had become available via other sources, particularly the City of London Police’s investigations.’
‘Unable to elicit the requested information by correspondence, HMRC had served statutory notices under paragraph 27 Schedule 18 FA 1998 on 21 September 2007 to request the administration files for Mr Purple (sub-trust 13), Mr Skegness (sub-trust 38), and Mr Berwick (sub-trust 63). Only Mr Purple’s and Mr Skegness’s files were handed over at the time as Mr Berwick’s had been seized by police. Significantly, neither files handed over contained the side-letters, which were later recovered. It was highly probable, as the Respondents submit, that Mr Red, who was directly involved in handing over the files, had deliberately removed the side-letters germane to the players’ administration files.’
____
So what chance they’ll cooperate with Lord Smith ? They’ll stick 2 fingers up, scream about Lawwell’s witch hunt and the MSM will back them up, citing the FTT result as prove of their innocence.
Oldtim
How was your trip
MWD
yes
ernie lynch
22:04 on
22 November, 2012
Their stupidity knows no bounds. The big tax case had no bearing on HMRCs decision to refuse a CVA.
Professor Green,
Thank for your consolling comments and wise analysis. The sad truth is, however, that, with a few honourable exceptions, we are dealing with people in the Scottish football media and the Scottish football officialdom who are not remotely interested in the truth and would have difficulty recognising it ,if it hit them in the face. They are merely interested in the survival of a club which has brought greater disgrace to Scottish football at home and abroad than any other. If you don’t believe me, ask the Mayor of Barcelona or the Chief of Police of Manchester.
After reading through all the posts, while watching the Liverpool game, can I just say, ma heid is absolutely nippin’
Weefra HH
AAAAH
Podium on page 10.
Weefra H)
Ive gotta annoying pop up at the side of my screen with wee bugs running all over it. How can I stop it?
Professor Green
22:11 on 22 November, 2012
Their stupidity knows no bounds. The big tax case had no bearing on HMRCs decision to refuse a CVA.
________
True. But they’re refusal to fully co-operate with HMRC from 2004 onwards, paved the way for Whyte to buy the club as no-one else would touch them with the tax case hanging over them. They got what they deserved. Complete masters of their own destruction.
I’m saying good night to all, will check in to-morrow and if anyone is talking about football, I’ll join in.
The Boy Jinky.
I enjoyed it a lot except for the result,were you reading about the Port,I always drink Port when in Portugal,this was a new one to me so ended going online today and ordered a couple of cases.
I’ll not be at the ICT game so maybe catch up with you at the Russian game.