So much happened yesterday, I’ll be as brief as possible:
Newco Rangers sent their counsel to the Court of Session to protest Charles Green’s contract with the club, stating it should pay legal expenses, now crystallising ahead of his forthcoming criminal trial.
In opposing Green, James Wolffe QC raised various objections, but as is often the case when people speak on behalf of Newco, included an arbitrary insistence that Newco operated the same club as the now liquidated Rangers.
Green’s QC, Jonathan Brown, put his pit boots on before stating his client’s case, but tantalisingly, before lunch informed the court that he would return to the same club/new club debate later. And didn’t he. Brown explained that Sevco Scotland purchased the assets of Rangers, not the club itself, with poetic prose adding:
“The team are paid by Sevco, plat at a ground owned by Secvo, are trained by a manager who is employed by Sevco and fans buy tickets from Sevco. That is the business that is being carried on.”
Adding that Rangers were “a collection of assets”, “What if the players were sold to one person and Ibrox to antoher, where is the ‘club’ then?”
I had to look away from court reporter, James Dolman’s Twitter feed at this point. It was like watching an acquaintance being humiliated. Not something you want to see.
Lord Doherty will determine if Newco should pay Green’s costs in due course, but this will be soon, as Jonathan Brown noted, “the rainy day has arrived”.
This next bit is really important:
Soon after court ended, Dave King was out with a rambling statement on the Newco website. If it was designed to play to the galleries, it hit the spot. If it was designed to influence what happens to his club, or how others will regard his input, it was surely an horrendous mistake.
It was a hard day to be chairman of Rangers International FC PLC. The court hearing only happened because the club objected to its contract with Green, so the unedifying episode could easily have been avoided. Despite this, sometimes you have to shut your mouth.
Sure, some Newco fans love a bit of grandstanding, but you know what yesterday’s statement will achieve. If the objective of the statement was to convince other Scottish clubs not to consider disciplinary action against Sir David Murray, or oldco Rangers, for their actions, it was an almighty miscalculation.
Threats seldom work. This one is unlikely to curry favour: “If the history of our Club comes under attack we will deal with it in the strongest manner possible and will hold to account those persons who have acted against their fiduciary responsibilities to their own clubs and to Scottish football.”
In short:
Don’t threaten clubs you are trying to influence.
Don’t grandstand to your own fans if you are trying to influence other clubs.
Keep a poker face. Keep your mouth shut, even if it means taking grief from your fans for the lack of public reaction.
King’s statement also addressed the sporting advantage issue from what we now know was an unlawfully operated tax scheme. While the EBT scheme saved tens of millions of pounds, and King earlier intimated this did provide a sporting advantage, yesterday he insisted the advantage was financial, that the shareholders were “committed to providing funding to the club” and would have done so, if required.
Here’s the thing, in 2012 another King statement revealed, “I have made a claim of £20m on the basis of non-disclosure by the then chairman, David Murray, of Rangers true financial position as far back as 2000.”
That commitment to further shareholder funding seems predicated on some controversial information. According to King, of course. Controversial enough to launch a £20m claim, but not to inhibit investment.
For the war-chest hunters among you, if you read this article covering King’s 2012 statement, you’ll find a strong clue.
One other quick but important point:
Some media are attempting to portray questions of sporting advantage as Rangers being punished for spending money they could afford, a travesty, as so many other clubs have done likewise.
This must surely be a deliberate attempt to misunderstand the issue and manipulate the debate.
No one suggests Rangers should be punished for spending money they could not afford. The questions are straightforward:
Did Rangers break tax law, break SFA rules and break SPL rules, when contracting football players?
Did they disclose matters openly with authorities (in other words, inadvertently make mistakes), or did they conspire to subvert the rules by hiding incriminating information?
Spending like the Borgias? Time to move on. Conspiracy to subvert the rules? We have a problem.
Don’t be distracted by potential ramifications to these questions, they are irrelevant for now. We should consider no more than did they break all of the above rules, should any the rule breaking be interpreted as an oversight, or does evidence of conspiracy to subvert the rules exist?
1,674 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- ...
- 45
- »
Cowiebhoy
Your fishin.
Anybody can have as many tries as they like.
And please can me and Paddy have our walloper
status back as it just seems more manly and authoritative
to us than the common garden roaster.
Thanks in anticipation.
H.H Mick
Darrnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKtvbau5CX0
The Jam
Saturday’s Kids
modceltscSC
4 minutes extra time. Have we not seen enough.
Good away goal tho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3h–K5928M
I Can’t Explain
The Who
That Bosnia goal shouldnae count as the Irish support in the stadium didnae see it scored, cos of the fog.
The Sandy Bryson judgement.
GERRYFAETHEBRIG
Have another go mate.
H.H Mick
roy ….
you an iris dement fan? think she’s brilliant… got to give it to the yanks ….no one does country music like them…. except maybe for Alexander brothers (… just joking)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9IUj1mDENg
Another chance Mist
Michael, they have taken you away :-)
So it’s the team which includes George Connolly
I just need to change Pat Stanton for George :-)
Brilliant effort from your fellow Wallopers this weekend Bhud, absolutely brilliant what a bunch of Celtic fans can organise and contribute to anywhere in the world
Well done you Aussie bhoys
Full Time One All draw. I’m happy as a sandbhoy.
I haven’t the foggiest what went on in the second half there but I don’t think I mist much as a football spectacle.
Looking forward to cheering on the Boys in Green at the Aviva on Monday night
Goodnight Timland
Thoughts and prayers for all the victims
in Paris,away to watch the depressing news.
Shocking news from Paris
NITOL
Meant to add Melbourne Mick
I can see your point
Who would want to be associated with the Roaster that is Doc :-)
Hail Hail
very good result for Ireland … that is a good BH team….. hopefully, the away goal will be enough to get Ireland through
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiE06Ughc-Q
In a Big Country
Big Country
HH
Russia’s athletics federation has been provisionally suspended by the sport’s governing body for its alleged involvement in widespread doping.
The IAAF took action after the publication of an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report that alleged “state-sponsored doping”.
IAAF council members voted by 22-1 in favour of Russia being banned.
Its president Lord Coe said: “The message could not be stronger. This is a wake-up call.”
He added: “It is entirely up to Russia to make changes.”
Ps well done Ireland.
Can emdae remember Charlie Tully taking a shy and hit it off a Celtic players back???
Jobo Baldie on 13th November 2015 9:31 pm
You can manage my finances any day
HH
CORKCELT on 13TH NOVEMBER 2015 9:35 PM
Thanks for the flattering reply earlier. Can you send me your email address so you can decided my opinion.
Melbourne Mick…
My first try is the lions, I will post my second team tomorrow:)
I put a fiver on hibs at 20/1 a few weeks ago with PP, now being offered nearly £12 to cash out , never seen that before what do the bookies know?
Big Cup Winners…. 9.21
It started back in the mid eighties when Ayr United told dodgy Dave the first to beat it, he didn’t pass their fit and proper test, it all came tumbling down with the Bankers (not rhyming slang) dodgy D was valuing Govanbrokes at £100m in the accounts to “acquire” collateral and offset the losses in the books that might have been cooked (all allegedly) by the way the knight of the realm for business not long ago went bust owing the “crown” hundreds of millions of pounds but still a de his family “preffered creditors” ….. I didn’t realise he knew what creditor meant, the irony is lost in the skullduggery
Goodnight all……and God bless our brothers in Paris. Is there no depth?
Unlucky Ireland …. we’ll finish the job on Monday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZSMDaewz2A
The Associates
Party Fears 2
jutejamnmusicCSC
At least 18 dead
God bless the victims and their families
Looks like a hostage situation also
No problem Lennon’s Passion. tfalvey7@hotmail.com
Lads – from earlier thanks for replies. I was just venting but I really appreciate the time and the thought. The Celtic family – what’s not to love?
18 dead in Paris per BBC
Terrible happenings in Paris. At least 18 killed in restaurant shootings and explosions.
18 people dead now in Paris close to the Stade de France stadium…horrific..
THE EXILED TIM on 13TH NOVEMBER 2015 9:09 PM
Superb
Alternative Glibby statement
https://twitter.com/rlMarx1/status/665223485350891520
————-
Very Good!
I remember charlie taking a sh*t on a ragers players back.
H.H Mick
Shocking at least 18 people killed in Paris
there are some animals out there
Thoughts and prayers