Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson’s comments to yesterdays’ Herald are worthy of attention. During the summer, when United received a £1m bid from Rangers for David Goodwillie and Blackburn Rovers were hovering, Bank of Scotland, took an active part in the deliberations. Thompson told the Herald, “The bank wanted me to take £1.2m for him, but I said no to that. I had to stand up against the bank.”
Thompson more than doubled the money on offer for Goodwillie, allowing him to shave over £2m off their bank debt, but this exchange took place only a few months after the same bank told former Rangers chairman, Alastair Johnston, to accept the bid for the club from Motherwell born thousandaire Craig Whyte or the bank would demand same-day repayment of Rangers borrowings.
Bank of Scotland, part of Lloyds Banking Group (LBG), are significantly exposed to Scottish football and required a taxpayer bail-out two years ago, so although their interference in the running of clubs could seem overbearing, we shouldn’t be surprised at it. It’s business, and if you are employed at LBG with a responsibility to your taxpayer-shareholder, it’s necessary business.
Fortunately, Celtic are free from such interference, as are Rangers, thanks to their aforementioned benefactor, but if a liquidation event at a large club threatened income streams to the league I would be amazed if the Bank didn’t use the ‘Vote Newo FC into the SPL or repay your borrowings immediately’ line.
Stephen Thompson, who sits on the SPL board, might not have a choice on whether or not to vote a Newco FC into the SPL ahead of 30 Scottish Football League clubs, but he and his fellow board members will be able to set the tariff on any exceptional league entry to what would become a financially privileged football franchise.
12 seasons of cumulative benefit from financial mis-dealings should result in 12 seasons of penury at whatever points rate the league calculate benefit was accrued. For one scenario I have in mind, around 15 points per season sounds fair, with an expunging from the records of any trophies ‘won’ by Financial Doping.
This is measured, deliverable, is in the power of the SPL board to impose, and sets a minimum moral hazard to inhibit future mis-deeds.
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CF
thought you had gone off line ?
re the moral issue …..a large talking point …for later
HH
Celtic_First says:
12 January, 2012 at 23:38
“Peter Lawwell appears to be the person who is the head and chairman of the sporting integrity committee for the SPL.”
Who said that?
share
****
W. Smith.
I would want to nominate Joe Ledley’s header and Fraser Forster’s “save” as highly significant turning points. A halt to our momentum in recovery would have been hard but a reverse could have been fatal too. A declining team that could still take 3 points from us at CP could have been enough to change the psychology of the support.
We would still be talking about being behind an “impoverished” hun team and we would be demanding a £6m striker, a £6m CB, a new keeper and an EPL hardened midfielder.
My view is, though, that we have not yet fully turned anything. We are merely 2 points clear of Rangers with a long way to go.
…..and he is now on the inside at the SFA. So, perhaps he’s on the case. I hope so!
Oooops.
Peter Lawwell, I mean, not W. Smith!!
THE EXILED TIM says:
12 January, 2012 at 23:33
Kilbowie Kelt
In your heart of hearts, what do you think the club will do ?
___________________________________
We, none of us, know how we will react when we are faced with the totally unacceptable.
Hopefully,…’ Cometh the hour, cometh the man.’
@serge
Great find mate remember this well the guitarist
to the left of the singer had same strat as me
and ive still got it.
H.H
Drambowiecelt
Here’s 1 more for you bud, HH
http://youtu.be/_jPZgLszqRY
Just watching the Bucket List. Great Film.
Made me think though…
If I was a Hun?
What what I like to see my club do before it died?
1. Win the Champions League.
2. No.1
3. No.1
MWD oh and how I laughed… And laughed… And am still laughing.
We all know that we’ve been cheated since 1999 by them.
Why don’t we all pack it in now? Are we hypocritical merely sitting here waiting to see if they are reborn before walking away?
James Forrest, i believe the Commons incident got the players closer together and their mojo seemed to return. I also believe the Rennes home game (3-1) followed by Hoops late winner against Motherwell was a very crucial point in the season. The Motherwell win showed guts, and plenty of it. Frasers pen save against the minis was a massive boost as it continued the run.
SffS
@serge do you know alex and the team??
or just a fan.
Drambowiecelt
Just a fan, got the singles when i was 18 :-) back in 98/99 i think. great band.
Hamiltontim
You go. We’ll Follow Follow you.
:-)))
MWD
hamiltontim says:
12 January, 2012 at 23:54
‘We all know that we’ve been cheated since 1999 by them.’
We suspect, we don’t know.
And Celtic have not been complicit in the cheating.
That’s the crucial difference.
James Forrest
Excellent observation, and a brilliant post.
Our manager is a fascinating personality, and is someone on the threshold of greatness.
Or not.
And there’s the rub.
For someone with his genius/failure personality, he is doing very well.
If his environment is not carefully managed it could all go wrong.
I’d love to have a chat with him.
ok mate
you remember that wee sneaky guy andy bell?
he gave them never muind the rain
dont know how to do links mate but good track at the time.
oops never mind the rain edit
Drambowiecelt
Do you remember these guys from Glasgow
Whiteout – No Time http://youtu.be/lAoISuV5Arg
Drambowiecelt
Yeah Andy Bell from Oasis? Great song mate. I was a big fan of Ride before they split up. HH
*Greenock, Not Glasgow. HH
actually greenock mate
lol your fast
hamiltontim
“Why don’t we all pack it in now? Are we hypocritical merely sitting here waiting to see if they are reborn before walking away? ”
No hypocrisy here. They are entitled to a fair trial. I should not be their judge. There is a lot of evidence against them but, if Craig Whyte can come up with a plausible explanation…..
Now, once the proper authorities have confirmed their guilt, let them feel the full force. My club should not enter a plea in mitigation on their behalf.
Drambowiecelt
Some good Scottish bands back then, I have The Gyres singles aswel. Think they were from Hamilton. Very under rated i thought.
ernie
Pedantics mate we do know so what are you waiting for? Celtic knew about the EBT system but chose not to go there. Surely, by your logic, our PLC must have been aware of the huns wrongdoings?
HT
We have been cheated since they took control of the football in scotland, and we have tried our damnest to overcome it to no avail, we now have the oportunity to change that, should we just carry on accepting the back of the bus? or should we challenge them ?
I know where I want to be, but I accept that others may not feel the same.
Time to change things mi amigo, or forever be at the back of the bus.
HH
KTF
More rumours about Thatcher’s death on twitter.
Hopefully true.
Árd Macha
Goodnight bhoys.
The blog has been good the past few days, long may it continue.
Take care and god bless
HH
KTF
“Somos el Celtic”
@serge
Ilike the cut of your musical drift
right now i would recommend the soviets
ive got all their unreleased material from 5 years ago
a member was highlighting their efforts for the tommy burns cause
the other day getnin there son.
Ard Macha…and anyone else interested in such nonsense
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/01/491077.html
tet
H.H
@KINGOH
ELVISCOSTELLOCSC
Hamiltontim @ 23.54
I don’t think we are being hypocritical, no.
You’l always get cheats. What would be totally unacceptable if that cheating was allowed to go unpunished because of purely financial reasons. If this was any other club there wouldn’t even be this discussion, c.f. Gretna and Airdrie. The game cannot be so openly rigged in favour of the rich. Football has been tainted enough by money but this would take it to a new level.
They can continue in the SPL if they avoid liquidation. If it is the newco route then they start at the bottom like any other club. The punishment is on oldco in the form of stripped titles. Whoever runs newco should not be punished for the sins of Murray but neither should they be rewarded because they happen to be inheriting the fans of a former club.
hamiltontim says:
13 January, 2012 at 00:09
‘ernie
Pedantics mate we do know so what are you waiting for? Celtic knew about the EBT system but chose not to go there. Surely, by your logic, our PLC must have been aware of the huns wrongdoings?’
Your arguments are getting poorer and poorer.
The wrong here isn’t that the huns used EBTs.
It’s not even that they used them incorrectly thereby rendering them ineffectual as tax avoidance devices.
It’s that a newco huns will be allowed straight into the SPL.
And Celtic will have let it happen.
That’s the game changer.
The SPL and Celtic will have declared that the SPL cannot afford integrity.
That’s not a league nor a club I’d want to have anything to do with.
You can compromise on integrity on most aspects of life and reach an accommodation with your conscience. You can’t do that with sport. Without integrity sport is meaningless and pointless.
Kingoh says:
13 January, 2012 at 00:14,
That’s what I read on twitter.
The only reason I posted it was because Phil Mac Giolla Bhain vouched for the journalist.
Árd Macha
Seven Fishes:
That Heisenberg has a lot to answer for man ….
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16518267
Drambowiecelt
Thanks mate always welcome to something new as i hadn’t heard of them. Just listened to the waitress & love the guitaring. Love the voice aswel actually. Will get stuck into zamzar tomorrow night and download as many as i can.
Im huge into The Draymin at the moment. Fantastic band from Dunfermline. HH