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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Played a few games of 5’s in my day with ole Craw Baptie. To be fair none of us could get near him, let alone try to land one on him ;-)
Think he was working with Arnold Clarks by then…
Dallas
Seemingly, the bold yin took to wearing a black beret to school during the hunger strike. He proceeded to wear a black armband in memory of the 10. Legend!
Thoughts and prayers RWE
Jc2. my opinion of Mick improved at that game. Firstly. One of our players did what some of us wanted to do to Baptie and secondly, did what I have wanted to do to someone in car sales, for years now.
DD
9.12pm
In modern studies we were asked to pick a political party to stand for and had to present our arguement for said party (circa 1986) I stood up an said my party is Sinn Fein and my party stands for……..
Cue the teacher… “Get back to your seat and stop being a cheeky wee…….”
Not sure why my modern studies teacher didn’t think Sinn Fein were a political party considering some of their MPs had more votes in their constituents than some blinking prime ministers
Delaney’s, he was extremely brave to do that in the hun hellhole that VD was.
JC2 / Dallas
Remember laughing at a wag shouting “Pick on someone yer own size, McCarthy!”
RWE
Sad news, you really are going through it.
Thoughts with you and your family.
HH
YNWA
Rods new album
track 5 .. We can win …
it’s no secret that i love football-and indeed only recently retired from my esteemed position
as the world’s oldest competitive right back. On this track i’m trying to capture that buzz of walking to the ground on match day , hopes high,jangling with anticipation and gazing towards heaven for a win.
This is one for the Celtic family, the Green Brigade and indeed all sports fans . Remember,there are only two things in life you can’t change: your mum and the team you support.
he wont be selling many albums down govan way..
The 2nd best ambassador for the tic , after Jay Beatty
Hungary in
RWE…
Thoughts and prayers with you mate.
Hungarian keeper deprives us of a cracking last 15 minutes.
They think it’s all over. . . .it is now!
30 years of hurt over. . . . For some anyway.
Auldheid
Better than nothing, great oaks etc :-)
HH
GFTB
Dallas and I have a loud and proud Protestant mate who is Celtic through and through. Provos through and through. He went to the most bigoted school in the west end and fought and beat every hun in the school. He then rubbed their blue noses in it. Still a regular attender in Paradise. :)
Even Jo Inge- Berget can’t save them now…..
Sleep tight y’all.
2 1
3-1 now. 4 mins reg time plus maybe 3.
Need a Celtic Centenary year finish the Norwegians!
Sorry, 3-1 on aggregate.
Beat bhoy
Them norwegians are no good. No real soccer tradition over there
Maybe Norway will sack their manager. …and offer the job to ronny
Some Freaky Wheaty going to be downed in Budapest tonight!
Why is STV promoting a friendly between England and France, we are really a big feartie , half arsed excuse for a country.
Is there about to be a coup d’etat over Govan way? Park back on board of directors, his son still there with the other two who will back anyone who’ll give them a blazer and pair of brown brogues. As the only one with any cash has Park had enough of the criminal and his ramblings and decided they need to cosy up to Big Mick?
WC…
Spot on post mate, my kids have steered me clear of Facebook, feck it I’m hooking onto it ..
Rwe
Thoughts and prayers with you and yours. May perpetual light shine upon your sister in laws soul.
HH
What is the stars
Just a wee appetiser for the main course tomorrow night.
DD
My wife is one of the nicest people you would ever meet (Lennybhoy would agree) growing up she went to Orange Walks, they were told it was a day out, I was disgusted but she is too important for me too make a judgement because she is a magic mother, the last wee while (since BMCUWP) day oot she is interested in the badges and the story behind them, as far as I am concerned Celtic will always be Celtic and some of my best nights have when we haven’t won……BUT cheats are cheats,ma couple of posters on here like a wee dig at Peter Lawell,mi like Mr Lawell, he makes one massive mistake, stand up for the guys who pay your wages, I think the GB and any other fan should start videoing the police that are videoing them…..play the at their own game, GB apart I like Peter Lawell…..I think the silence just now is justified, why quantify the tax evaders, there will be no appeal…….. As an earlier post mentioned a sensible Hun, they are misguided, Stockholm Syndrome “we didn’t do anything wrong it was Craig Whyte” for the record apart from not paying the over inflated footballers taxes our Craighy Bhoy done heehaw wrong., Sir Dodgy Dave the 1st set him up as his patsy……..
JC2, great comment , adding to the enjoyment of what happened.
The radio version of only excuse saying Crawford Baptie sounded like a snack you would by from a bakery.
https://youtu.be/VPg77gQJzjU
9.35pm
WITS
In your dreams, we beat Ajax then Fenerbache takes care of itself, drop me am post to get you a ticket for Basle
Delaney’s , another reason I like Cokey is , he’s a big fan of the Jam.
He stood his ground and to paraphrase Paul Larkin, they tried beat him but he still won.
Good night all and sleep well.
Beat bhoy
Looking forward to tomorrow. Heading to game. Missed Germany game. Actually gave away a ticket for it. Long story
Dallas
Cokey took his politics from the Stiff Little Fingers albums I loaned him to tape. ;))
WITS
Enjoy and win tomorrow.
Vive La France!
Stars
Hope you are a very happy bhoy this time the morra.
HH
RWE
Your posts on here are an indication of you and your families courage and strength.
I’m sure that will get you all through another awful tragedy.
CQN
Good night and God bless, appreciate what we have and give your family that wee extra cuddle, Miss GFTB Sid to me today “Dad I love going to mass with you” under my breath I was muttering ya wee shoite making me go to mass……
Fellow Celtic fans take care and give the ones close to you that extra hug
RWE cyber hug to your good self and Mrs RWE, remember the good times they far outweigh the bad times