I received a text early evening on 18th August last year: “Gongalves starts”. Former Hearts player, Jose Gongalves, was one of a handful of players FC Sion signed illegally in the summer 2011 transfer window and he had been named to start against Celtic in the Europa League qualifier, first leg.
As a contest, the tie was over. There followed two matches with considerable effort and drama from both teams but the eventual outcome was, literally, never in doubt, the courts would have their way. Sion would be expelled from the competition and Celtic would progress to the group stage.
Today Celtic’s only remaining competitor from the chasing pack for the SPL title is up in court to face the HM Revenue and Customs. The courts will have their way again but although you may feel the outcome of Rangers tax case is inevitable (I do), the impact on this season’s league championship is less assured. Should they lose, Rangers have the option to appeal, postponing any negative impact on the company until next season at the earliest.
If Rangers have, or can generate, enough cash to keep the lights on this season the league will be nip and tuck until the end of the season. The tax case will attract most attention but if you are looking for indications of how the season is likely to go, keep an eye open for cash related incidents.
Well done to Rangers’ broadcast partner, STV, for their story this morning on SPL discipline. They report the Ibrox club have the worst disciplinary record in the league, having accumulated a total of 41 bookings, contrasting starkly with the cool class at Celtic Park who are best behaved in the league with only 20 bookings.
With Beram Kayal out for the season Ki Sung-Yeung is the Celtic player closest to a suspension, a further three yellow cards would put the Korean over the threshold. Rangers have Lafferty one booking, Edu and Bocanegra two, with Goian, Broadfoot, Bartley and Whittaker all three away from a suspension. Lee McCulloch has only been booked twice this season but shows enormous potential.
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ElDiegoBhoy says:
16 January, 2012 at 20:51
One thing we agree on!
Was Billy Conolly not talking about starting up Third Lanark again?
Now would be a great time to apply I think……
Folly Folly
Once further thought:
Why does James Traynor have quite so much exposure on BBC Radio Scotland?
Hour upon hour every week is set aside to allow Jim Traynor to repeat his Daily Record brief.
Makes you wonder…
Eyes Wide Open:
100% right mate and it goes deeper than just a lack of interest or organisation.
Mate, it comes down to a mentality.
I have been talking for a few days now, and posted on this website earlier, about how they have had 30 years of being bankrolled or financed on debt. At no time in that period did they have to live within their means or experience hard times.
The mentality this has created is extraordinary, but understandable.
They are in trouble? How can this be? They should have to pay their own way? Jeeeeesuz nooooo ….
No, someone, somewhere, will emerge to fund their next phase of success. They are Ra Peepil. How could it not be so? How could it be that they will have to live within their means, and God forbid, actually have to pay what they owe? What world could allow it?
This is the mentality of the modern Rangers fan. Someone else will do it for them, whether Whyte or the SPL, or an understanding bank, or a mystery benefactor.
They, the fans, will not suffer, or have to pay. Why should they? This is how it’s ALWAYS BEEN … at least as far back as their memories go. There is always an answer, always a way out, always someone to write another cheque and fund the next revolution.
We, as you say, built our modern club. Fergus brought the plan and the startup cash. We did the rest. At no point have they ever been able to say the same. When their club was last on its knees they told the guy who’s money had funded much of their success that he would have to pay the debts that incurred on his jack jones, and so £50 million vanished into God knows what black hole.
They never paid then. They do not expect to have to pay now.
This is who they are. Ra Peepil.
Can’t believe it over 1000 hits on Naka V Bus in one day.
Only one guy who didn’t get it.
macjay1 for Neil Lennon
Newcastle!
Another point.
Does anyone think it is likely, or possible that commentators are not allowed to criticise aspects of the EPL?
I ask because you watch the absolute garbage that is Wigan, cheered on by maybe 15, 000 prawn sandwiches and no one would ever dare state they are a poor excuse for an EPL team.
Think about it, for all the minnows who have come up – they are referred to as Davids vs the Goliaths, living the dream etc etc
There is never any negative slant on the games, never derogatory comparisons or language used.
Its the way you would expect it to be in my opinion – sky have to promote their package – its in their interests to find the positives to keep or maintain the level of vested interests, so why on earth would you call your own product crap – or question why the watching public would watch, let alone pay to watch it??
You wouldnt.
Why then, why do the exact opposite rules to apply to the SPL?
We all know Burley is a snake – however, essentially they pay him a lot of money to run the product they also pay a lot of money for into the ground week after week after week.
I just cant get my head around it.
It doesnt make business sense
It doesnt make viewing sense
It doesnt make any sense (ok ok bar the fact outside the FGC its tripe)
But you know what I mean!
notthebus says:
16 January, 2012 at 21:09
Cheers.
I said it looked bleak.
Rieperman- Heard your call tonight, very well done, but could not believe it when I heard Hugh Keevins later accusing you of hatred.
His treatment of Seanbhoy was also disgraceful but by this time he was on the run, he had totally lost the plot.
He seriously overstepped the mark (Mark!) tonight, but fair play to Sheelagh for giving him enough rope, Jim Delahunt is a bit cuter he jumps in to save Hugh from embarrassment, Sheelagh just lets him rant on to show him up as the deluded and bitter old fool that he is, good on you my girl!
TET,hamiltontim-JM,DP,WH.
James Forrest is Lennon says:
16 January, 2012 at 21:09
As always you are spot on.
I suppose it goes even further than their football club, a lot of them got jobs, were kept in jobs because of the ‘school’ they went to, who their dad was or their good old uncle billy.
Man was once a hunter. After man has everything handed to him his whole life – watch and wait for the reaction the day nothing arrives in front of him. The last thing on his mind is to go and hunt for his food – hes too busy thinking about whose fault it is he doesnt have what he usually has.
p.s. (Where the hell did I come up with that one, sometimes I worry!)
Eyes Wide Open says:
16 January, 2012 at 21:09
The Irish contingent alone among our support would fill that half empty stand at Wigan
Bada
Step to a hint?
notthebus says:
16 January, 2012 at 20:32
Ki kicks the ball into the water
http://vimeo.com/34907010
——————————-
not happy with that clip at all, thats a dangerous situation our Dave Ki is in, its not Mission Impossible like Tom Cruise, he cant be doing his own cunning stunts.
that should be left to a stand in double, like Flecky, who stared in many blockbuster hits before retiring to the seaside
or something like that
Tonight I think the consequences debate shifted firmly and very publicly in our favour thanks to a few smashing calls on a phone in.
The opening salvos have been delivered and the defenders of ra peepil immediately went on the run, backtracking, hurling unjustiified insults and lastly, in the case of Darrell, letting a very vital cat out of the bag.
These phone in’s are generally pretty putrid and I gave up on them a long time ago but I’m listening again, enjoying the way the sensible Celts bombarded the jurrassic journo with facts and well reasoned arguments. We are framing the debate for fairness, equality and integrity and they do not like it.
My only concern is when the judgement comes to pass and they eventually fold – the streets may not be safe. But for now, I’m really enjoying the debate.
TJ
john greechan-daily mail -last week carried a postage stamp sized article on bigots abusing
Poraig Harrington-basically-they asked for his autograph-they tore it up in front of him
accompanied by f***** b******he ended the piece -not with any condemnation-just an ambiguous -“nice”.
Compare todays headline-about rangers players being abused on twitter-he ends with”…ugly abuse…very serious offence”
Serves me right for reading that crap -i know-never again-this last wee while has been an education in
how seriously biased scottish press is
can anyone suggest a fairminded paper please?
notthebus/ saint Stivs
looks like it was shot on a green screen, the biggest danger he was in was getting a hard muffin and a ulcer from his cappuccino being too hot
BadaB
DP ?
The other two are on the link I posted, please save me the bother :>)
James
You need to read the Rangers accounts from 1988 onwards to understand the financial context.
David Murray broke the mould of Scottish football in the early years. He grew the business profitably for a number of years, and we should recognise that.
We should also recognise the change in his approach mid 90s, which precipitated the current crisis, and the descent to madness in 2007, that remains stupefying.
verdantvic says:
16 January, 2012 at 21:25
“can anyone suggest a fairminded paper please?”
Andrex?
The Battered Bunnet at 21:08
‘Why does James Traynor have quite so much exposure on BBC Radio Scotland?
Hour upon hour every week is set aside to allow Jim Traynor to repeat his Daily Record brief.’
I had no sooner posted than I regretted not making that very point …
For information, I also wrote to Shortbread a few years ago complaining of Traynor’s ridiculous level of exposure; almost needless to say, I never got a response.
One of the points I made was that if that’s the level of journalistic output/investement, then they can hardly be expected to be taken seriously, yet all the while they remain probably the most influential media outlet by a country mile.
I can only imagine (or, as a licence fee payer, hope) that he’s a cheap option.
FF
Hope Wigan get relegated and we step in and bring young McCarthy home. Quality player in a gash side. Has blossomed into an excellent midfield player…. and as I type he brings a great save out of Joe Hart…… this boy should have never slipped through our hands…..
If WH is the obvious……can you imagine just how, cat-biting, heid-banging, moon-howling the knuckledraggers will be if that comes to pass…………..
Unhinged, box-office telly……..Can’t wait.
The other one (main one) has car showrooms but best known for a bus hire company which hails from hamiltontim’s home town.
iki says:
16 January, 2012 at 21:27
verdantvic says:
16 January, 2012 at 21:25
“can anyone suggest a fairminded paper please?”
————
the blondes have brains monthly digest ?
Got it now, too much or not enough vino tinto :>)
Divitbhoy says:
16 January, 2012 at 20:32
Aye wee Dwarrrrrryl is good at those wee snippets that are designed to stop the hordes from taking to the car park
IMO his trouble is he is a fan and knows that the hordes could not handle the truth .
Besides there are still shelves full of soon to be outdated tops to be shifted ,IMO if they go kerplunk then CW will have missed an opportunity there ,instead of punting them at half price with a match day ticket thrown in ,he should advertise them along the lines of
ROLL UP ROLL UP GET YOUR LAST EVER RAGERS FC 1873 FOOTBALL STRIPS LIMITED EDITION AS NO MORE WILL BE MADE .and double the price
hail hail
bankiebhoy1 says 16 January, 2012 at 21:31
I wish he would have showed some ambition to buy out DDs shareholding.hh
TET -Done Man City -2, should be up by now.
Bada Bing
That is why I think that the rest of the Scottish clubs should never allow any newco into the SPL ,as if they do what is to stop real backers from walking in and bankrolling them all over again
hail hail
iki-i asked for that-and you may be right-it might be the only one out there
bankiebhoy1 says:
16 January, 2012 at 21:31
If WH is the obvious……can you imagine just how, cat-biting, heid-banging, moon-howling the knuckledraggers will be if that comes to pass…………..
Unhinged, box-office telly……..Can’t wait.
===============
If WH might be involved, then whats his angle, really why would he ? there are lots of other failing business out there (bigger businesses) that are surely more attractive than the 19th Century toilet block.
confused.
Mark & Sean,
Just want to add my thanks for sticking it to them tonight. Keevins
reaction to the first call was absolutely shameful. He was clearly rattled.
That’s the first time that i’ve felt their stoic defence of the indefensible is starting to
crumble. to hear Daryll admit to seeing 2nd versions of contracts was stunning. It was like an
involuntry surrender. Well done, guys!
I know an ex hun player and a hun celebrity. They did not know who Whyte/White was. Now he is a billionare hun fan? Does this mean we might have unknown billionaire fans out there. It’s not credible is it?
He has been known to attend Fir Park though!
Well well!
Davie Provan said Dzeko and Aguero to be replaced by Frannie Lee and Mike Summerbee,great save by Corrigan there.
Folly Folly says:
16 January, 2012 at 21:29
I understand his fee these days is a large Donner and a litre and a half of Lambrusco.
My, how times have changed.
succulentandfineCSC
fergus slayed the blues says:
16 January, 2012 at 21:34
Sportops, sportops, hehhyurr sportops, two furra pound
!!Bada Bing!! Kano 1000 says:
16 January, 2012 at 21:38
Oh dear.
anybody here from the bristol csc or forresters pub let me know please cheers neilybhoy(bath)