Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson gave what passes as an unusually honest and frank interview to BBC Radio Scotland before his team beat champions, Celtic, this afternoon. Thompson represents one of the four SPL clubs on the league board who, unless the entire league agrees to change their constitution, will vote on whether a Newco will inherit the void when Rangers die next week.
I’m pretty sure Thompson’s mind was made up weeks ago, he clearly planned to vote Newco into the league, despite misplaced brinksmanship, but he’s been spooked by pressure from his own fans talking about boycotting games if he votes Newco in.
Here’s the dilemma. Gang of 10 clubs have pushed a mantra for years that they have been exploited by a Glasgow duopoly (although clearly they use less accurate phraseology). They complain about “the Glasgow media” and, don’t laugh, referee favouring the “Old Firm”.
Now, if he votes for Newco, he makes a lie of all of this. The power to change one of the key concerns for fans of provincial clubs lies in the collective hands of their chairmen. Can they really pass this up?
It’s decision time. Since Celtic Quick News first raised the alarm on this issue in October last year we predicted that only Celtic would vote against Newco. We are about to find out if we have 12 independent teams in the SPL or 11 Rangers supporters – and if they change the rules to give support to Rangers, this is exactly what they are.
I had a bit of sympathy for Thompson, a first for me. He spoke about the money going into United causing issues in his family and the consequences of losing circa £1m per year in a league without Rangers. Some harsh decisions ahead, if he does the right thing, but the alternative, voting for Newco and having Dundee United fans walk out on the club at the betrayal, gives him what he called a “lose-lose” situation.
I was delighted to hear this. He claimed to be undecided, but at least he is a man who now understands there are huge consequences if he votes for Newco. There are three potential financial hits if he does: some United fans will turn away from the game, Celtic fans will boycott next season and even Rangers fans have threatened to boycott if Newco is subject to penalties associated with their terminal football team. The combined cost of this may be less than £1m but not by much.
There are two extra points for Mr Thompson to consider:
Without Newco in the SPL he and he the Gang of 10 can breeze through their future-revenue-changing plan to alter the voting structure, which should help fill any shortfall. It would be humiliating if they had the chance to deliver what they wanted long-term but couldn’t pass up a chance to help the Rangers.
Also, this is not the end of the road for the terminal football club. Any Newco inheriting Rangers SPL share will also inherit the punishment for the alleged improper Registration of football players for a decade or more. The only appropriate penalty for this would be expulsion from the league.
It’s perhaps best to man up and take the trash out now.
You can buy a hard copy of the new issue of CQN Magazine via Magcloud here.
The graphic below is just for a flick through, to read the magazine go here to it’s dedicated site.
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NEILMCCALLUMLENNON on 7 May, 2012 at 10:29 said:
LOL, you got to love the way kids just say things without any fear of offending, love it!
Looking forward to when my kids are old enough to drive, I have told them I am going to get them to drive me around whilst I eat crisps and drink juice that will accidently get everywhere in their car.
Vaultbhoy
Statement from the Board of the Celtic
Trust
Over recent days there has been much
discussion amongst Celtic supporters,
(indeed amongst all football
supporters,) about the implications of
the present situation of Rangers FC Plc
(in administration) and how this will
impact on the future of the SPL.
Some Celtic supporters have expressed
disquiet that the various organisations
representing the Celtic support have not
publicly responded to recent events.
However, we would like to reassure
Trust members that the Trust Board has
been monitoring the situation closely
and has been actively involved in
developing strategies to meet future
situations. Over the past two weeks we
have:
· Held discussions with other Celtic
supporter organisations to devise a joint
response.
· Been a signatory to a letter sent
from all the Celtic Supporter
organisations to the Chairpersons of all
SPL Clubs and to Neil Doncaster Chief
Executive of the SPL, prior to the
meeting at Hampden last Monday
stressing that sporting integrity must be
paramount in any decision made.
· Had two meetings with the Celtic
Chief Executive at which we have
conveyed to him the very strong feelings
being expressed by the support
· Been invited to meet with Neil
Doncaster and this meeting will take
place on the first available date which is
Tuesday 8th May.
Be assured that we will continue to
monitor events as they unfold and keep
members informed of developments. We
are totally opposed to a so-called
‘newco’ being admitted into the SPL.
Should this come about we will be
consulting with our members and with
other Celtic supporter organisations
with the aim of deciding on an
appropriate response.
In the meantime we are very keen to
hear the opinions of our members on
the present situation and would
welcome any contribution to the debate
members may wish to make. Any
member who wishes to do so please
contact us at celtictrust@hotmail.com
WHAT IF LLOYDS NEVER GOT 18m POUNDS FROM WHYTE ?
PICTURE the Rangers scandal as a giant battleground where everyone has been hit and bloodied to some degree.
In the biggest mess of all is public enemy No.1 Craig Whyte, who strode triumphantly into Ibrox last year and now wouldn’t be safe to walk the Glasgow streets.
Sir David Murray has become increasing toxic for leading the club to the edge of the abyss. Rangers company secretary Gary Withey is accused of obstructing attempts to release bank money which came from season-ticket sales. Lawyers Collyer Bristow have been alleged to have been unhelpful. Duff and Phelps, the administrators, have been accused of dithering and being Whyte’s lackeys. Ticketus were happy to profiteer from speculating on supporters’ loyalty and they’re panicking about not being able to get their £24m back. HMRC have not been paid by Whyte and are at least £15m down, a sum which could multiply by four. Players have lost up to threequarters of their wages. A handful of staff have lost their jobs. Ally McCoist is stressed to the hilt. Fans have been sick with worry. The SFA has been told their “fit and proper person” rules are powderpuff. Paul Murray, sacked from the board last year, now faces the pressure to deliver which comes with building up the fans’ hopes.
It has been like a financial cagefight and no party has escaped at least collateral damage. Well, perhaps one. There is one unmarked party in the story of Rangers’ disgrace, a key participant in the story, but now almost forgotten and free from the mudslinging. Who was it that Walter Smith said was “running the club” in the final months before Whyte’s disastrous takeover? Who was it who sanctioned Whyte before leaving the scene with all of its money paid up in full? Lloyds Banking Group must look at everyone still immersed in this carnage and, laughing up its sleeve, think ‘what a bunch of mugs’.
When Donald Muir joined the Rangers board in the autumn of 2009 he was variously described as a “turnaround specialist” and a “company doctor”. Lloyds put a gun to the club’s head and insisted that he went on the board. Former chairman Alastair Johnston said the bank made it clear that it was a condition of Rangers’ credit facility that Muir had to be a director. Muir was the guy who oversaw an aggressive clawback of Lloyds’ debt at Rangers. He ran the show. When it was said that club staff couldn’t buy a paper clip without running it past him first, the joke had a ring of truth. Because of Lloyds, Smith went two years without being able to buy a player. Because of Lloyds, he spent a while working without a contract as Rangers couldn’t afford to commit to one. It was “terribly compromising” to have Muir sitting in on meetings when the board wanted to discuss financial strategy, said Johnston.
When Muir joined the board Rangers’ debt stood at £33m. When he left – on the day Lloyds got out and Whyte took over – the liabilities were pegged at just £18m and falling. From the shambles of Rangers’ finances, Lloyds pulled off the miracle of getting back every penny they were owed. When Sir David Murray talked about selling Rangers only to someone with the club’s best interests at heart – gee, that worked out well – Lloyds’ view on where the club ended up was not so explicitly expressed. No wonder: now it appears they didn’t really care so long as they got their money back and were long gone before the big tax case verdict landed.
Well, that’s business. If Rangers say they don’t do walking away, then banks don’t do emotion. They weren’t under any obligation to look after Rangers beyond holding up Whyte’s proof of funds document from Collyer Bristow and saying, “Look, he’s got the cash – we’re off”. But what about Muir?
Muir and David Grier go way back. They’ve known each other for years. This time last year, Muir was on the Rangers board and Grier was the turnaround specialist advising Whyte on his takeover. Now Grier is a partner in Duff and Phelps, the administrators Whyte succeeded in appointing. So did Muir and Grier know that Whyte intended to fund the buy-out by flogging future season tickets rather than using his own money? How come Whyte felt he had the authority to go to Ticketus and get a £24m advance on the season tickets on April 7 last year, 28 days before the takeover went through? Ticketus had done previous deals with Rangers, remember. When Whyte offered to flog them Ibrox season tickets, it’s unthinkable that they would do anything other than pick up the phone to someone at the club and check his authenticity and credentials to sell. If Lloyds were “running the club”, and Muir was its man on the board, did he give that approval?
Muir described himself as a Rangers supporter and a guy who cared about the club. He was Alex McLeish’s mate. Well, he may have worked wonders for Lloyds, but how big was his role in placing Rangers in Whyte’s hands? Can he look himself in the mirror today and feel he served “his” club? Muir’s not likely to be seen at Ibrox any time soon, but in December he had a VIP seat at the Old Firm game. He sat beside Whyte.
If the SPL commercial league vote for Newco i will be done with scottish football. I am still somewhat amused that having lived in Scotland i still cant believe what is happening. I should know better but i always thought fairness and true sporting integrity would prevail.
NEILMCCALLUMLENNON on 7 May, 2012 at 10:29 said
Ha ha magic!
Never mind the sharks here comes trouble.
Just read the Kilmarnock’s chairmans comments on admitting a Newco into the SPL. One thing that nags me is his comments on the “commercial benefits” that come with having Newco in the SPL. There are three Celtic-Newco games before the split… so if the Sky television deal is dependent on 4 Celtic-Newco games a season, are teams that face Newco before the split, mindful that if they beat Newco, they could be in danger of not fulfilling the Sky contract? Does this imply match-fixing?
AWE NAW 1016
WASPS?
Leaving aside the acronym,no-one has ever explained the need for a wasp.
Not sure there is an ecosystem on the planet that couldn’t survive without them,tbh.
Maybe Jimbo’s clumsy call-to-arms,I dunno.
iki on 7 May, 2012 at 10:28 said:
Its not as simple as that for me, name me a professional sport which has impeccable credentials for sporting integrity, even Cricketers are in jail for cheating, its just not cricket chaps.
Celtic may vote with the best possible outcome they can get when the SPL do eventually have that meeting in which the SPL man up, it may be today? The politics in all of this may mean for example to get Celtic’s vote the rest of the SPL will have to agree to a clause which has sanctions on Rankers which they find unpalatable.
I will wait to find the details on just how the voting questions are framed, and just exactly the nature of the politics Celtic faced in the meeting before i make a judgement, none of the consequences of the above will stop me buying a season ticket
Before the game at Tannadice yesterday they interviewed a few Dundee United fans on the radio. None were in favour of Newco in the SPL, and a few said they would not be back.
One made the argument that in footballing terms it would be a good thing for his club and that a team competing to win trophies would attract more fans.
It’s a pity that a few SPL chairmen don’t have such a forward looking view on the game.
BMCUWP
That part was Awe Nawed ;-)
TheEntertainerCSC
As soon as Newco are voted in Celtic will hand over letter of resignation giving 2 years notice.
Lets see how the tv deal pans out after that.
Uefa will also be a bit more sympathetic towards us leaving Scotland.
Got Sky customer service on speed dial, as soon as vote in Sports and ESPN cancelled.
HH
My support of Celtic is not dependant on the morality/integrity of Rangers/SFA/SPL
——–
My support for Celtic is also not dependant on the morality/integrity of Rangers, the SPL or the SFA.
My support for Celtic is dependant on the morality/integrity of Celtic FC PLC board. If it is evident to me that all the PLC do is vote ‘No’ and proclaim ‘STRONGLY’ that there was no more they could do then I will not return until DD and his supporters on the PLC board are gone. I expect full transparency of the process’s and lengths Celtic PLC have gone to in order to stop the ‘Evil Mutant’ club returning into the SPL.
I also expect some on-going actions to be considered publically.
MWD
Celts, I’m told theres a gig organised for Sept. in Blackpool.
any enquiries to Ton Che Dan on here.
or ask me :¬)
On songs i would advise listening to The time has come by Cara Mc Cann on You Tube. What a moving song. beautiful
There are so many scenarios that will arise fro newco admission. What if they had to play celtic and win to make the top 6 and therefore complete the sky deal would celtic be made lie down and accept defeat for the commercial interests.
celtictrust (aka moaning commitee) – NO THANKS
Bill Miller needs to do this all by Friday otherwise it will be too late for Hun Frankenstein but surely any alteration to the SPL rules needs to be ratified by the SFA in accordance with the SFA articles.
Can this all be completed by Friday ?
Has this already been planned for and that´s when Toppings conflict arose ?
Hail Hail
MWDEE
is the upside down blog name a protest about something? if so I’ve missed it.
Interesting post on RTC earlier
~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
Torquemada says:
07/05/2012 at 3:08 am
75 0 Rate This
The “should we turn our backs on the game” debate is complex and neither side has a monopoly of insight or wisdom. My tuppence worth:
I first saw Celtic in 1958. They were a part of my life from the moment my family settled in Glasgow in 1954 and have remained so from then until now. I always knew we were being cheated — we all did — but a great part of the joy of following the club was to be successful in the face of the sectarian cheats. Bent refs and linesmen could disallow only so many goals, after all, and we continued to win trophies, though not nearly as many as we should have done, given the quality of the players we kept on producing.
But there is a difference between knowing we were being cheated in the sense of being discriminated against, and finding out that the whole sport has been weighed and formulated to ensure one team ALWAYS wins, or as near as dammit, which is what we now know to have occurred from the day and hour David Murray took over Rangers. We now know that the football authorities wilfully turned a blind eye when Rangers borrowed unsustainable amounts of money from a compliant bank — financial doping — in a desperate attempt to equal our two greatest feats. They achieved one of their aims. How empty does it look now?
We now know that the football authorities turned a blind eye to double contracts and tax dodges that allowed Rangers to compete with a much superior Celtic team and manager from 2000 and, according to Hugh Adam, much earlier. We know they knew because Rangers directors were part of the fabric of the SFA. And we now know that Rangers were allowed to spend money they did not have at a time they were not paying football debts — the £25m post-Kaunus — that allowed Sir Walter Myth to cheat his way, with the help of countless ”honest mistakes” to the three-in-a-row that has kept them alive thus far.
But if the rules of the very sport itself are now changed or ignored to facilitate the re-emergence of this disgusting, dead entity then I am done. This will be beyond cheating. This will be corruption on an industrial scale. This will be an admission on the part of the Scottish football authorities that, yes, you have caught us cheating but WTF are you going to do about it? And all while they laugh in our faces. You see, the reason the vast majority of Rangers fans are not embarrassed by the cheating — including those in the media — is that they GLORY in it! It reinforces their pathetic belief that they are the people. They LOVE to win by cheating! Their cries of paranoia! paranoia! are, in fact, whoops of triumph.
If Celtic fight to face these bastards down, as Bob Kelly did in the Fifties, Big Jock did the Sixties, and MON did in the Noughties, then I will stand shoulder to shoulder with my beloved club. But if Celtic abstain or, unthinkably, vote for commercial reasons to allow this travesty of a Newco’s admission to the SPL to take place, then I will walk sadly into the night. I don’t have that much time left that I can afford to waste it on washers
If the vote goes ahead and money wins Newco will be complete tomorrow its all done and dusted just waiting on the nod.
Any alteration to the SFA articles cannot be made later than the 28th February in each year by the full member or the Director desiring such alteration to be made .. and yeah I am quoting from the SFA handbook
Hail Hail
Typical May bank holiday, children sleeping till lunch time, snooker on the telly
roast gently bubbling in the oven, men washing cars.
Satan destroying Scottish Football.
Offski CSC
All of the hand wringing interviews with the SPL chairmen over the weekend were pitiful. All doing their best to appease their fans, ‘struggling with a difficult decision’, ‘needing to do whats best’, whilst they are clearly going to vote Newco into the SPL with the minimum level of sanctions.
They would be better spending their time working on business plans to make their clubs sustainable with out having to bend over backwards and inside out to accommodate a not-so-new RFC. And to provide the necessary 4 OF games a season, what will happen if they don’t make the top 6? More hand wringing and changing of rules? As our host says ‘ Throw out the trash now’…
I will always support Celtic, emotionally and financially, regardless of the stitch-up that emerges from Hampden today.
Too many generations have gone before for me to walk away in a fit of pique.
But I will never set foot in another away ground, nor will I attend a Scotland game.
I’ll be hugely disappointed if the current men in charge of Celtic acquiesce in this corruption – but in truth, I will not be hugely surprised.
Lionroars67
You are right that no sport will hold 100% integrity. Take cycling for example.
On the other hand there is a difference between professional athletics where some cheat fro advantage and the sport tries to catch them and WWF wrestling which purports to be a sport but the outcome is known beforehand.
If RFC are parachuted back into the SPL with no or limited punishment Scottish Football becomes a branch of the WWF. I have no intention of funding that through a season book.
I’m also with MWD on this. If the Celtic Board shrug and say we voted against, what could we do???????????……… then they are complicit because…….. there are a whole host of actions and strategies that could and can be applied.
Not renewing does not change my position ans a Celtic supporter, it just means I personally will not fund the future being a WWF future.
Personal choice……… you can if you want to.
HH
Bobby Murdoch .
Wasps .?
I like wasps —– they kill /eat beasties that eat my crops —- whitefly /blackfly / caterpillars / slugs / beetles etc . They do it well. They save me a lot of work.
They are also eaten by honey buzzards —– it is great to sit on the terrace and watch a honey buzzard gliding and swooping to catch a flying wasp .
37 different types of wasp in Sicily.
Has anyone actually seen the full text of the proposed amendments that make up the Cheats’ Charter – not the summaries, the text that would be inserted into the rules?
I haven’t seen the detail anywhere – and we all know how important the detail is.
If Celtic abstain from the vote calling it a sham and legitimised fraud on behalf of Rangers and the SPL and Scottish league who have been an integral part in the situation arising in the first place through incompetence are not fit to govern our game obviously … then what´s wrong with that ?
better than voting no and then losing 11.1
Hail Hail
WMD
it’s a start
MWD
The singing reference may be to a rendition of the BotOB with add ons. It came over on the telly pretty clear.
Before we fall out and you withdraw my upside down rights my personal view is that BotOB should not cause offence to anyone and should not draw concern.
HH
Italiabhoy @ 11.01
Your views are correct but the other issue of cheating needs to be addressed. The newco route allows for the double contracts to be dismissed and once thats done newco will find a new way to cheat without fear of punishment.
AWE NAW 1046
AWE NAW IT WISNAE!
It’s there,in the article,for real.
Unless you hacked into it,which frankly wouldn’t surprise me!
But anyway. Wasps. Why? There is simply no good reason for them.
FeckinhatewaspsCSC
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon..!!..Truth and Justice will always prevail on 7 May, 2012 at 10:36 said:
“Celtic will not vote for them to be allowed into the SPL, and that is fact ..!!!”
No, that is a prediction.
It may prove to be correct, of course.
Is toddy Forsyth a current bun by any chance …..seems to think like one….
“See me.
See Cellik.
If Cellik don`t dae what ah think they should dae, then, tell ye what ,ah`m oot ae here.
Nae ifs ,nae buts.
Nae merr season tickets frae me.”
At the very moment our forefathers could only have dreamed of, our ” conditional ” Celtic supporters choose to specify their conditions for continuing support.
There`s a particular Anglo Saxon phrase that springs to mind.
The second word is ” off .”
Lenny go bragh.( forgive my Gaelic illiteracy )
fritzsong on 7 May, 2012 at 10:31 said:
He didn’t seem to have the confidence to beat his man then come into the box. on the second point, all season long there has been no-one in the box able to capitalise on good crosses.
———————————
Perhaps why his crosses were pretty inaffective yesterday, not getting to by line for a better angle.
Definitely a dimension missing from our team. With Hooper´s finishing and strength we could really benefit from that sort of player. We already have this Polish centre back on the way. For me, its the summer´s priority.
Regardless of how other SPL clubs vote, Celtic can not and in my opinion will not vote for newco Rangers.
Boycott zombie Rangers!
Iki ……. A fact….given……. honest !!!!!?…… I don’t do predictions
KJamBhoy on 7 May, 2012 at 11:09 said:
We really do need to work on getting men into the box…..no point in majoring on wing play if we don’t get men in the box…very frustrating all season (for me)