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
- ...
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- ...
- 45
- »
TBJ
Looks like he is back snortin the gear, fae that statement.
TBJ
He sure would :-)
HH
Tim Malone Will Tell, 6:29 pm
I’m like a wee boy on Christmas Eve, counting the days until Dec 2nd and the Appeal Window slams shut.
Then all the Gough bluster will be as relevant as an XXXXL Christmas pullover in January.
GFTB
IMPROPERLY REGISTERED reads better.
CHEATING reads even better. :)
Gough article??
Lunacy.
They are scraping the barrel now lads.
Running scared. Very scared….,
DD
More likely sniffing wee lads shorts
” My wee quiet mum used to say can never trust a catholic.”
Watched Mississippi Burning recently and i couldn’t help seeing huns instead of racists when the white townsfolk were being interviewed by the media regarding the search for the missing civil rights workers, such was their twisted attitude and way of looking at things.
That quote wouldn’t have been out of place from those townsfolk except swap nigger for catholic.
Could never see the difference between hating someone for the colour of their skin or because of their religion.
Its all racism to me.
Scum.
TBJ
Doon the Kelvingrove at night???
Thunder Road
You’ll have noticed near the end of that film, I paraphrase. “We’re from the south, we dont like niggers or papists. . . ”
The Klan as someone once described them
BT
I have just told them!
JJ
O.G. Rafferty
Good to hear my friend – I hope that you have a great Christmas :-)
Saint Columba day.
Paul lambert announced as new Blackburn manager
To Res 12 replies from earlier Cheers. Keep battling away.
DD
We will never get them on cheating, 99% of them think they had no advantage, chase them on the administration (no pun intended) boys guild or champions league the paperwork has to be correct
Thunder Road
Andy McInnes (Airdrie fan ?) wrote piece one Monday totally destroying Neil Lennon, he used Irish Catholic in his words, I said to a few of my mates replace Irish Catholic with “black person” the bam would face gaol time, I have never had a racist bone in my body due to my upbringing, I don’t care about colour, creed or religion, for me the person is the person, Andy McInnes like many of his cohorts chucked it when the then Rangers went bust
GFTB
Good on yer Mrs for trying to get something organised.
Let us know when a date is set and i will make sure im able to attend.
GFTB
KLOS for me sums up whole EBT thing
they got KLOS we got Big Rab
Though i am sure KLOS had a record of conceding in something like
25 consecutive Derbys
I remember Dickie Gough doing an interview a few years back just before a League cup final against that mob. On a podium erected just outside Hampden Dick was giving everyone an insight into how the cup final was going to go. At that point a few hundred Celtic fans burst into song. It’s the only song I know about Dick Gough TBH. I was wetting myself and called the wife into watch as well. Dick tried to continue for a few seconds but realising he was being drowned out he spat the dummy out and abruptly told the interviewer “this interview is over”. A classic piece of TV.
Does anyone have footage of that?
“Tonight Mathew, I’m gonna be……The *Blackburn Manager!”
.
.
.
* for about 2 years
Thunder Road
I think it might be Friday 29th January, Mrs & Miss GFTB have been writing lists tonight, for a private function its family friendly, once we know more I will run things by CRC and let CQN know, my nieces and step-daughters are already on the case and they think family alone we have 60 defines (the hall holds about 150) am not into the bingo thing but that should only be 8pm-10pm then a bit of music and plenty of Celtic chat, on Friday night we were reading Tony’s Huddle then then showed her the stuff about the CQN badges for we Shay and she knows my obsession with LMS, this night is all her idea and as I said all the women in the family are right up for it, we will know more on the next few weeks and obviously after Christmas we hope to have everything in place, by the way Miss GFTB said “I know that Lennybhoy will be there” apologies LB but she does remember you from The 4th of April !
GFTB
You are correct. They fielded ineligible players, improperly registered with secret, hidden side letters of contract. That is what we must bust them for. Like Sion, Legia and Spartans got busted for way less crime.
Have told every Zombie in my wee town for the last 2 weeks that they are cheats. In pub today no resistance from them,they know they have cheated. One told me WATP informed him yes the people who cheated Scottish football. Conversation stopper.
They can keep their poxy tainted titles I will never stop telling them the truth.
So we’re jealous of the huns.
Jealous of their 100 year ‘No Catholics’ policy?
Their history of fan violence?
Their decade of cheating through tax evasion?
Can there possibly another club in World football with a more wretched and shameful history?
Two full days of decorating tin the house gave me a chance to catch up on all the podcasts.
Celiac underground . Brilliant
Shortbread had illitirate baffoon one after another.
Lambert was the worst
Just like to say big congratulations to Sarah Howitt for winning the best documentary Bafta.
Nice to see nice people get recognized.
Daughter of our close friend, wee Norrie.
NOWA
Bosco
I remember that squirming interview with Gough well. His reaction to what was being sung, told me a story. Don’t have access to it. Sorry.
WATP ?
We Are The Purloiners
DAN on 15TH NOVEMBER 2015 4:57 PM
O.G.RAFFERTY on 15TH NOVEMBER 2015 4:49 PM
Going after individuals.
Wonder if I knew more that I thought when I posted a few days ago about the possibility of SDM erse covering side3 letters to side letters.
Interesting read from JJ.
Seem to indicate the the tax man is going after the individuals?
HH Dan
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/spending-like-the-borgias-time-to-move-on-conspiracy-to-subvert-the-rules-we-have-a-problem/comment-page-33/#comments
About to cheer on Ronny and Stefan’s country. Think they should scrape it tonight.
RWE
I hope you don’t mind me mentioning Tony’s Huddle, my good lady loved reading Tony’s Walk the other night, Tony’s Walk was the reason we started talking about wee Shay, family is more important than any game of football……
by the way for at the slightest bit of Celtic Connection av bet Stef Jo 2+ goals at 40/1 and hattrick at 500/1…..
Great Celtic video
http://vimeo.com/10234202
HH
Tony’s brother Martin completed his first marathon yesterday in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He is an inspiration to us all.
His mammy and me hope that the chafed thighs respond to the cocoa butter.
NOWA
B/T,
Filled in the consultation.
QUONNO on 15TH NOVEMBER 2015 7:36 PM
Yes would be very interesting if they went after individuals for unpaid Tax/NI. This would open a can of worms and perhaps the list of unnamed individuals who benefited from EBT’s would be made public. And why as non employees of the club did the receive them. What services did they render to be paid the EBT’s. Interesting and entertaining times ahead.
HH Dan
Hungarian keeper has washed the old trackie bottoms for tonight’s game.
Odegard starts for Norway with our SJ.
Yellow for S J as he dives in with one of those silly challenges.
BEATBHOY on 15TH NOVEMBER 2015 1:09 PM
A shaft of light in the darkness down south, AT apart, of course?
Under heading, “Moral lead of the week”
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/nov/15/said-and-done-english-football-league-rebrand
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/spending-like-the-borgias-time-to-move-on-conspiracy-to-subvert-the-rules-we-have-a-problem/comment-page-30/#comments
==%%===%%%==
The Guardian have the full story on RFC. Lock stock and two smoking barrels.
I’ll be really disappointed if after serious prompting from a serious source they are only taking a starting pistol to this, unless of course that was just the pistol going off….
GERRYFAETHEBRIG on 15TH NOVEMBER 2015 7:24 PM
I remember her as well, stole the show from you both.
Just let me know when, I’ll be there.
Right I’m off, flying visit…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!