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?
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Cowiebhoy on 15th November 2015 8:57 am
Goooood morning CQN
Big day today, as we get the best 14 players in a Celtic shirt since 1965
*didnae realise it was post 1965 so that’s big Frank, Dunky Mackay, Paddy Crerand and Charles Patrick oot of mine.
Mine is up tae 1975 as that when I left the country”
Faither
McGrain and Gemmell
Murdoch, McNeil and Connelly
Johnstone, Dalglish, McBride Hay and Lennox.
rub a dub dubs:
wee Bertie, Stevie Chalmers and Dixie.
Of the Celtic players I have seen my team would be :-
Gordon
McGrain Gemmell
Murdoch, Van Dyke,Connolly
Johnstone, Dalglish, Larsson, Nakamura, Lennox
Subs : McNeill, Morajavik, McBride
kickinthenakas
I have had similar conversations with people like that – Denial, silence, obfuscation and finally defiance..
I put something up here a couple of days ago about how this whole saga about them taps into a cultural mindset that is so deeply ingrained. They have assimilated it into their whole way of thinking and even when confronted with the logical, moral and ethical sense of all that they did wrong – they still crawl back to their comfort zone and shout about bigotry.
Whatever we (fans of other clubs) achieve is going to have to be done on our own.
The fans and (more importantly imho) secret fans of that club actually see very little wrong in what they have done.
The crime for them was in getting found out. Now they want to cover it up or diminish their shame by whatever means is available.
Roddy Forsyth, Richard Gough and Dave King’s peddled nonsenses would be parody journalism in any other civilized country, but in Scotland they are printed in earnest.
I posit a notion from (Richard) “Goughland”..
If the MetPol had not raided Portsmouth, Newcastle and Rangers in that fraud enquiry, and not found the documents that they passed onto HMRC, – NONE of the HMRC stuff would have been uncovered and they might, conceivably, been still paying EBTs and winning tainted trophies. – and laughing at the rest of us.
Yes, the Murray “buy with no money” regime may have come crashing down in the recession but what did for Murray and his club were the twin attacks from HMRC and Lloyds TSB.
Murray and Rangers cheated the British tax payer not once but TWICE.
The FIRST one was the HMRC – DOS/EBT scandal.
The SECOND was the 690 million pounds MIH losses written off by the crashed HBOS bank after Gordon Brown persuaded Lloyds TSB to buy HBOS. An unspecified amount of that 690 million was used to prop up the fraudulent regime at Rangers.
For example. where does anyone really think the money that was used to pay Dado Prso 1.9 million and Michael Ball 1.5 million came from?
I think you’ll find that some or all of it came from the 690 million losses of the MIH group and some creative accounting.
Yes, they cheated HMRC, but they also, and separately, cheated the ordinary taxpayer when the 690 million was absorbed by the government bail out of HBOS and LTSB.
They cheated the SFA. But since the “SFA” were at best knowingly blind and at worst complicit in that deception, that really means that they cheated the rest of the clubs and all the fans of those clubs.
The continued silence from the SFA over the RES 12 stuff sent to them last year AND their failure in every other situation to be seen to be acting fairly and transparently, makes their position untenable.
The SFA think that their articles of association protect them from any club rocking the boat too much.
Hubris and arrogance is their enemy within.
Just like those guys you talked to.
HH and NOWA to the folk of Paris
Gerryfaethebrig on 15th November 2015 3:16 pm
Fantastic gesture by Mrs GFTB. I know that the family will be delighted and honoured with this support.
The treatment is starting to make a difference with Shay starting to develop a stronger neck which will allow him to hold his head up better. His chest is also getting stronger. All possible due to the kindness of others helping him and his family.
Need to shoot as Mrs CRC’s birthday and we are going out for a wee family meal
HH
CRC
Wee piece on Evan Williams on fishul site. hh
http://www.celticfc.net/news/9515?
VP
No secret – pretty common knowledge around Glasgow at the time – just another cover up by the huns
After getting that lot off my chest here’s a wee humourous thing from Tony’s Huddle.
http://wp.me/p6DYht-oa
Tony’s Uncle Gerry has a gift – he makes people laugh.
No One Walks Alone
In case of interest… New blog! This one is about Alan Brazil telling us to ‘move on’ from EBTs…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/11/15/ebts-theyve-done-us-all-a-favour/
Tbj
I know mhate,it was the cover up I was getting at…so called turmoil in huns dressing
room,players going bananas…..then …….silence…..nada.
knowyirplacetimmy
Quonno
Blurred lines
Alan Brazil? The voice of a man who loves to spend money, how did his Alan Brazil Racing Club go? I used to listen to his show in the morning, then it dawned on me he was an utter fud, a part time ” Sellic man” and full time self publicist. Still driving the Lexus and swinging the Calloway he ruthlessly plugged on his show ….his bleating about the rise in income tax for earnings in excess of £150,000 a year was a joy to listen to, but not nearly as pleasurable as watching him trying to kiss ass with the cops who were taking down his particulars, that was available on You Tube a while ago. Anyone remember him co – commentating on the Scotland v England friendly last year? A disturbing 90 minutes of career ending television.
VP
What astonishes me is the brass necks of mccann dodds etc to sit there without a single element of embarressment as they spout crap on TV. .. now we have this dick who abuses kids having the front to come out with fantasy about Henrik … they know no shame
Radio Scotland discussing the cheats…..
They are nearly saying that Ebt’s were cheating….. Nearly that is
He was a terrific player mind you, and probably would have served us well, as a player….it’s all about opinions.
HH
John Lennons Imagine playing as I post. If only John if only!!! H H
Right Wing Radio’s Alan Brazil is a bit of an arse. His comments highlighted by The Clumpany are no real surprise. The whole of the media want the huns back because either they are huns, or they want the Old Firm myth and the sectarian pound. Utter bollocks. Feck off Alan Brazil.
Soosiders ih? :-o
:-)
Good Afternoon Timland.
Trying tae pick a first 11,it’s to difficult,I’ve narrowed
it down to 20 player’s,I will not leave oot 9 absolute
legends, sadly none of oor current side are included.
TBJ…….allegedly, is the word yer looking fur.
Interesting discussion on Shortbread just now
CRC: Did you get my email?
Alan Brazil. Clown.
Remember talk sport is owned by Ulster television or something along those lines, same as sky sports….. By the way the journos on radio Scotland are now “bored” with the Ebt story, pathetic
Sorry , last post got split in two….does this mean I am confused or just bad with a keyboard?
HEBCELT on 15TH NOVEMBER 2015 4:29 PM
Interesting discussion on Shortbread just now
———-
Vary unusual sentence.
Hoooopy Birthday Mrs CRC, it’s a medal you should be getting!
By the way…. Happy Birthday Mrs CRC
Mick, my pick..
Boric
McGrain Mc Neil Elliot Gemmel.
Murdoch Mc stay lubo.
Jimmy J larson Dalglish.
Subs…We wouldn’t need any…The game would be won. HH
Nye
I say it like it is – no apologies from me for telling the truth mate
Sipsini, no Amido in your team?
What gets me is the so called Celtic minded fholks saying “move on..forget about it”
If we had done it ,there wouldn’t be enough lamposts to cover the hangmen.
UP THEMS!
DOC on 15TH NOVEMBER 2015 4:33 PM
Hoooopy Birthday Mrs CRC, it’s a medal you should be getting!
—————————
I disagree ,mrs crc has won a watch there.
Happy Birthday
HH CQN
I hope you don’t mind me posting quite a long human rights post. Feel free to scroll past but please at least look at the photo and the expressions of General Gallardo and his grand-daughter on his release – this is what human rights can do. We may not be able to change the world but we can help change someone’s for the better, and for that alone it is worth the small effort and expense of sending a card.
MANY SNOWFLAKES MAKE AN AVALANCHE: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL GREETING CARD CAMPAIGN
In November 1993 General Jose Francisco Gallardo Rodriguez (Pictured being greeted on his release from prison by his granddaughter, who was born during his detention. This is their first ever embrace. http://www.ecn.org/reds/mondo/americalatina/chiapas/grafica/General_Gallardo.jpg ) was sentenced to 28 years imprisonment after publishing an article criticising human rights abuses in the Mexican armed forces.
His detention was in direct violation of Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that everyone has the right to freedom of expression. After continuous campaigning on his behalf by human rights organisations such as Amnesty International, over 35,000 letters and cards were sent to him during his detention, he was released in February 2002.
Every Christmas Amnesty International asks its members to send cards to prisoners of conscience like General Gallardo, people who will spend the festive season in prison because they have acted, without use of violence, for their beliefs.
These cards have a multi-purpose, while being a great source of hope and encouragement to the prisoners themselves; they also bring their cases to the attention of the authorities, who will note their international mail.
The cumulative effect of these cards can dramatically improve prison conditions and even precipitate an early release from prison. A simple message of goodwill is enough – please do not discuss politics or mention Amnesty International in your card.
Please put your name and address on any cards sent – you might get a reply from the prisoner some day thanking you for your efforts – a letter from General Gallardo did arrive on Barra after his release!
The price of an international stamp and five minutes of your time can make a huge difference to these prisoners’ lives: “We are all very happy that our father has been released and we are profoundly grateful to Amnesty International. Without your support our father’s release would not be possible.” – Statement from the Gallardo family.
These appeals are simple to do and can be very effective if enough people send them, it’s not difficult or time-consuming, but it is the human right thing to do. The Amnesty International Greeting Card Campaign runs until the end of January 2015, so there is plenty of time to make good use of any spare Christmas cards.
Here is the link for the Amnesty International Greeting Card;
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/issues/Write-for-Rights-2015
TBJ…..when the alleged story broke,he went tae
Dunoon and got married………..allegedly!!!!!
doh!
should have read runs until January 2016
need to double-check before posting!
Moving on without justice being served just simply aint gonna happen. These people who have never spent either a penny following the game or felt the emotions of listening to those bastards giving us a superiority complex concert really dont matter.
Its not always we’re united on a subject but it seems to me we are on this. And united we’re really unbeatable. So let them spout their nonsense. It will be challenged at every turn now and it will only end one way.
As I said earlier today anyway. The Ibrox club are nothing. They were nothing before Murray and they are nothing now. Its all bullshit.
https://johnjamessite.wordpress.com/2015/11/15/illegal-tax-avoidance/
‘Rangers openly made the following payments to the trusts:
2010 £ 1.36m
2009 £ 2.36m
2008 £ 2.29m
2007 £ 4.99m
2006 £ 9.19m
2005 £ 7.24m
2004 £ 7.25m
2003 £ 6.79m
2002 £ 5.18m
2001 £ 1.01m
Total: £ 47.66m
The Court of session directives effectively deem these disguised remuneration payments were pre-tax earnings and that the core bill payable will be circa £24m- £25.26m contingent upon the National insurance rate that was applicable at the time of the ‘loans.’ Compound interest will work against the EBT beneficiaries. Interest charges are likely to be £10m-12m in addition to the principle sum. There will also be a penalty payment.This is likely be 75%-100% of the core underpayment amount. This could add another £18-24m to the bill. Individual beneficiaries could be facing a bill that was larger than what they received. The total bill will be in the region of £52m – £61.26m.
Rangers via BDO, will be subject to 13.8% employer NI, compound interest and a penalty.
This was not only an illegal tax avoidance enterprise.
It was inordinately ineffective as those who benefitted from it will be facing bills significantly larger than the ‘loans’ that they received’
Nacho may really have wished he had said No Thanks after all
Apologies for the colourful language.
VP, ya sook:-)
Ok, he is a top banana, but shhhhhh, don’t tel him.
For a Roaster that is.