HMRC’s case against St Mirren, raised because they allegedly failed to pay Kieran Doran the National Minimum Wage, has brought the professionalism of our professional game under analysis. Doran’s first contract as a 16-year-old was for £1 a week, which was apparently never paid. The player subsequently wanted to give up the game for a trade (to study medicine) but St Mirren refused to release him from his contract.
By any reasonable measure this is amateur football. There’s nothing wrong with amateur football, in fact it has great potential, but NOT paying someone £1 a week cannot be described in any other way. St Mirren will not be alone.
I made no comment last month on Newco’s reluctance to pay holiday pay as I thought this was something of an open secret. Holiday pay as been a legal right in the UK since 1871, but at the periphery of our game some clubs just don’t pay it. I’ve spoken to an SPL chairman who openly admitted to the ‘ruse’ (not Celtic, before you ask).
Newco are far from alone on this matter, indeed, I would be amazed if top flight clubs were not guilty. The keenness to contract players from July to May is substantial, I reckon lowering some clubs payroll by 8%, while leaving no time in the calendar for players to take paid holidays.
We should stop pretending there are two distinct groups of clubs in Scotland: the amateurs and semi-pros of the ‘non-leagues’, and the 42 Scottish Professional Football League clubs. St Mirren are one of the biggest and best community clubs we have, they have enormous potential to thrive as such, but I seriously doubt their credentials as an economically viable professional club.
More than 30 other Professional League clubs would also be better served trading with a Community League mentality. Developing the potential of local kids and engaging with their community, without the burden of trying to compete in a worldwide talent pool.
The majority of Scottish football clubs were founded in the 19th Century. It seems like no one has subsequently asked: what is our purpose, why are we here, what will our future look like? Without considerable change, the best future 30 clubs can hope for a decade from now will be suffocating indifference, at worst there will be lots of all-seated follies wasting away.
Reminder for tomorrow:
There are new season tickets issued, if your old ticket is still in your wallet, swap it out or you’ll not get in to see the Mighty Celtic tomorrow evening. If you don’t have your new ticket, better get along early to sort it out.
692 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- »
The best imagine BBC programme yet.
On now, watch again,
Tony Morrison, Nobel prize winner.
What a women.
A black woman,
PS,
There’s a poet out there called
Paul Muldoon.
Nearly impressive figure as mouldy67,
But not quite
For those who can’t make the game or don’t have any online access, should be on in BV.
Gearóid1998: 16 roads suggested you might have contact with RayMac. If so, could you get in touch with me re Dublin2016 @
dublin2016@mail.com
cloghercelt: I phoned you earlier. Tomorrow isn’t a good day for me but Thursday or next week should be fine.
Cathach, Coneybhoy, WITS, cloghercelt and any other Dublin based Tims: heading into Bad Ass Cafe next Tuesday for Champs League match if you fancy making acquaintances. Would also be interested in your ideas for Easter 2016
Squire Danaher
I haven’t seen James’ latest I’ll look it out.
I agree the way that he was treated was shocking and I am sure that was a precursor to Jim’s decision to go. I have been disappointed in Richard Gordon who is supposed to be the boss of the sports section. How any sane person can believe that Richard Wilson brings anything of value to sports reporting I will never know.
Anyone Who has dissed Mhairi Black on here should go spend 7 mins watching her Speech…Labour..Eat your Heart out, 20years of age..Watch her speech and Realise..Independence is When not if….
Saint stivs
Yes, started watching it by accident and got sucked in. Fascinating and yet again a reminder of what public service broadcasting can be like. It’s not all Sportsound and Off the ball thank god :)
What is the Stars
22:00 on 14 July, 2015
Owen
Brilliant stuff
I never gave it too much thought and always presumed it was just some makey uppy type of slang words. Then when I heard they were getting grants to promote the” language” I thought I was just an old fenian bigot.
####
Ulster Scots is every bit as much a language as Scots.
So it is.
Bgx
I agree with you that a watch of Mhari’s speech would be time well spent. However, as I watched it, it wasn’t necessarily the politics that came to mind it was seeing an intelligent confident young woman demonstrating an ability that the people of Paisley recognised while the wider population couldn’t see past her age and an old Facebook account.
Well done Mhari a fantastic example to young woman everywhere.
God bless,
Vincent McBride
BGX – 23:52
“Anyone Who has dissed Mhairi Black on here should go spend 7 mins watching her Speech…Labour..Eat your Heart out, 20years of age..Watch her speech and Realise..Independence is When not if….”
Yep, Martin Luther King and JFK eat yer hearts out too – sort of…
If independence is “When not if…” does that mean the 20+% of SNP members who voted NO in last referendum might vote YES next time??
Hmmm, wonder the odds on that are once they factor in impact on their pensions and mortgages again…?
Good to know though that you fancy Mhairi even if she effin hates you and all the rest of us Tims cause- as Jesus said, “Love your enemy…” so yep, I love her too.
Will Mhairi Black ever do or say anything that’s critical of the SNP or any of her colleagues?
Will any of them?
Or are they all just party clones doing exactly as they’re told?
Ernie
Exactly
I blame the SNP
Just a wee tale about some of the( Sevconians ) Scottish loyalists who visited Belfast for the twelfth !
Six of the creatures stayed in the IBIS hotel in Castle Street Belfast. Maddened by mind altering substances they decided to attack a pub across the street . The Belfast bar. This bar is at the bottom end of West Belfast and is frequented mainly by Natonalists from that area.
They got more than they bargained for. In short they were overwhelmed and over powered by the regulars . The police were hastily called by the bar staff and thankfully, for the Scottish loyalists , the police were quick to arrive on the scene.
They escorted six badly beaten and disorientated sevconians from the premises to the safety of a police van.
Of course the forensics had to scoop up the ear of one of the unfortunate sevconians in order to facilitate its medical reattachment in a nearby hospital !!
As the sevconians were dragged away by police they screamed that they would return the following night with a throng of a loyalist mob to wreck the place and destroy the bar and a taxi place opposite which had the temerity to have its signage in bilingual English and irish.
Needless to say that last night the bar had nearly one hundred people in it , most not partaking in alcohol and all ready for an attack.
It never materialised, thankfully !!
What is it with these people ??
Scottish football does not need that mindset of people polluting the game with their vitriolic supremacist bile.
The world and society have changed.
Their world must change with it !!
Bgx
Thanks for directing me to mhairi blacks speech. Was excellent.
And They All Jump in…20yoGirl talks about Social injustice and Gets slagged off on CQN…Cool…Wonderful..Celtic Supporters..Stand and support you against social injustice everywhere..Unless you happen to be an SNP MP..Then…Then your on Your own…Brilliant
Quantum…It was really good man..No probs..
Every time Mhari Black opens her mouth, I want to leave the country.
Stringer bell..which Country?
BGX
Just to clarify my reply to Ernie earlier i said “Exactly,I blame the SNP”
That was actually in reference to the silly conversation/banter about the Ulster Scots nonsense and not about young Mhairi Black
BGX
Scotland .
Ernie- aye that Labour party is pure full of MP’s criticising the Labour Party (RIP). Is that your mark of a good polly I.e. wan that attacks or criticizes their own?
If you can’t apply the same measure to your own perty then…???
Wits..Never saw it mate..
Stringer bell….Sorry..i thought you might be english and Mhairi had inspired you to relocate to Scotland, my mistake..
Big night for Celtic. I’m not confident, more hopeful than anything.
Too early for us. We are prone to mistakes. We tend to get nervy when CP gets agitated.
Earlier in the thread I predicted 0-0
Sill think it will be a close call.
I see guff about CL Groups Stages as being success for us.
That is where we have gotten to these days. When did we lower our expectations for the club?
Is this self preservation for the manager/ board?
BGX
Well just in case you thought I was ganging up on young Mhairi
I wasnt,I stay away from the SNP/ANTI SNP row on here
There are enough other things to fight about
Global Warming,Isis,IRA,Capitalism,Imperialsim,Songs,Deadco,Catholicism,Atheism
Vietnam War,Iraq War,Spanish Civil War and anything that Canalmar is for I pretend to be against just to keep him on his toes
It was Bastille day today I forget to get a row getting about the rights and wrongs of the French Revolution,
Dam
Stringer Bell, not wanting to get into a political debate but I felt the as you did every time Ed Milliband stuttered his way through his lies, except I wanted to smack the lying wee toady.
Now, when the lovely Annabel opened her mouth my thoughts were in a different plane altogether.
Still a wee kitten, so she is.
Thanks to guys that posted the pictures of the new look Celtic Park. I’m looking forward to seeing it tomorrow. It looks good in the pics and I expect it to look better in bright Glasgow sunshine.
I expect a cricket score tomorrow. No disrespect to Icelandic football, but it’s Icelandic football.
Wits…All i was saying was Mhairi Black made a speech that if say Corbyn of labour would have made, he would have been praised for it, and rightly so, But because shes SNP she got ripped into on CQN…That aint right imo..CQN loyal just cant help it..
Almore 23.49
Good chance I will make Bad Ass next Tuesday.
Hail hail
BlantyreTim
__________
Yer family will be well-chuffed wi TOHG on the Celtic Park walls – HH
Sorry to read about yer other news – very sad.
Vincent RIP
Take care pal.
….oot. YNWA.
Jungle Jim said “I am now worried that Joe Hansen`s might have been a one off season. I hope I am equally wrong this time”.
The amount of shit you babble in the ACGR mobile en-route to paradise that disnay surprise me Jim. No need for a panic of the score. I’ll give you the full therapist treatment tomorrow on the way down and ease your fears.
4PM take off. Make sure your seat is in the upright position and armrest is down:_)
WITS, whit about the romans? FFS pal, up yer game.
Sorry WITS, I see you covered the Romans under Catholicism.
Please accept my humblest apology.
BGX
23:52 on
14 July, 2015
Anyone Who has dissed Mhairi Black on here should go spend 7 mins watching her Speech…Labour..Eat your Heart out, 20years of age..Watch her speech and RealisBGX
23:52 on
14 July, 2015
Anyone Who has dissed Mhairi Black on here should go spend 7 mins watching her Speech…Labour..Eat your Heart out, 20years of age..Watch her speech and Realise..Independence is When not if….
e..Independence is When not if…
AGREED .The best “Maiden “speech I have heard since Bernadette Devlins.A speech I would love to have heard from a Labour MP,but sadly,all they can do is side with the Tories on Welfare cuts.A disgrace to their heritage,and idiots like Ernie,TT,Neganon,still pander to them..
Today si the first trip to see Celtic this season. Leaving at 1330. We should comfortably beat this lot. I predict 4-1.if we can’t get past the first of three qualifiers ther is no point in trying to play Real, Bayern or PSG
I have Evry faith we will click from the start.
Shifty to come on from the bench and score 2.
HH
I looked at the linsey sharp thread on hunmedia and it completely reinforced my reasons for despising their sick support.
I hope the despicable wee boot’s dodgy foot falls off and her new club die just like her old one.