I hear legendary Sevconian statement issuer, Jim “Rangers are dead” Traynor, is now firmly established in the Dave King camp. You may have found recent statements familiar, including last night’s, which focusses more on interrupting Celtic’s period of domination than building a well-run and sustainable football club.
Or it could be that Dave King is in Traynor’s camp, it’s hard to tell who is the monkey and who is the organ grinder when it comes to that lot and their long and dysfunctional relationships with PR masters.
My suspicions were raised when the Sunday Mail ran a complete non-story on their front page. Someone submitted a frivolous complaint to police – this is your news, Scotland. This was the kind of article which would be found in the same publication when Fergus McCann was in charge at Celtic; an unadulterated attack on the club. Now poor (not actually poor) Graham Wallace has to deal with them.
What price ‘loyalty’ after Traynor had his snout in the trough to a spectacular level too. We actually have a recipient of some of that enormous over-spend criticising the enormous over-spend. After his money was banked, of course. For the life of me I can never understand why the other lot put up with these types.
King’s eight point statement was an absolute hoot and completely inspired by Celtic’s position. There seems to be a pattern here: do wrong, then criticise others for doing as you did.
Point One:
King first addressed the liability for blame, and possible criminal investigations, which he believed should be heading towards the Rangers International board in the wake of comments made by chief executive, Graham Waddell, five months ago. He wrote:
….“It is beyond doubt that the CEO (and other board members) was aware last December that there was insufficient cash to last until the end of the season and the board failed to respond to my previous question in that regard. The CEO is now subject to a criminal complaint on this very issue but I believe that his comments were made with the full knowledge of the board. Certainly no one came out to contradict him. We should therefore expect any criminal investigation to extend to other board members.”
Dave King was a director of now-liquidated Rangers throughout the entire Craig Whyte era, when the club borrowed money from Ticketus to fund the payment of Lloyds debt, failed to pay social taxes and came crashing down. Whyte lied about the Ticketus deal but his non-execs kept their eyes, ears and mouths shut.
King was also a director of Rangers for over a decade, including the period of the David Murray-Campbell Ogilvie EBT shambles, which was proven to be illegal on five counts, the other counts are currently subject to an Upper Tier Tribunal.
Point 2:
“If cash was wasted as a result of mismanagement (presumably Charles Green etc.) then what steps are being taken to hold management accountable for this?”
As a non-executive director of failed Rangers FC PLC King was employed to ensure interests of stakeholders were being looked after. He failed singularly in this regard and has yet to be held to account.
Point Three:
“The board has conceded that it does not plan to effectively compete with Celtic in our first season back in the Premier League.”
This is sanity, not vanity. To suggest Newco throw so much money at the team that the instantly become competitive to Celtic is a sure-fire way of guaranteeing yet another insolvency event. These. People. Never. Learn.
Point Four:
“This is a great review for Celtic fans. It is stated that the board might only raise 20 million over the next 3 years. This paltry amount will guarantee that Celtic will be in a league of its own for the next few years- and possibly permanently thereafter. Celtic will continue to enjoy exclusive access to the Champions League windfalls and will go from financial strength to strength. The gap could become financially irreversible.”
Agree that Celtic will go from strength to strength and be remain a league of their own. Disagree that the review was great for Celtic fans. The review is little more than a laugh for Celtic fans, it changes nothing for us. I like the “permanently thereafter” line, though. It carries a bit more weight than “Generation of Domination”, which sounded ridiculous to some 9 years ago when it was first mooted but now sounds a tad understated.
Point Five:
“The board still does not have a clear plan for raising capital despite knowing for some months that a financial crisis was looming.”
Correct. On a related matter, Mr King has offered unspecified notions that he would encourage other people to buy tens of millions of pounds of shares, no clear plan has been identified, exactly what he accused Newco’s board of.
Point Six:
“It is interesting that the credit card companies agree with me that the season tickets should not be released to the club. However, it is genuinely shocking that this board has, for several months, withheld the knowledge that fans would not have access to credit card facilities when renewing season ticket purchases. The board preferred to blame “external parties” in an attempt to hide this serious non-disclosure. How can this board ask fans to ever trust them again?”
I think Mr King may have composed this comment ‘after a long lunch’. Credit card companies have not suggested season tickets should not be released to (sic.) the club, they simply don’t want anything to do with these transactions.
It is not shocking at all that the decision by credit card companies was not shared by fans for a number of months. Wallace would have spent much of this time looking for an alternative. It would have been inappropriate for a PLC to disclose sensitive financial negotiations to the general public months before that information becomes relevant.
Point Seven:
“The board continues the blame game and takes no responsibility for the current debacle. In truth, it is this board’s stubborn refusal to secure fresh equity that is the cause of the present fragile state of the club’s finances. The board clearly hoped to muddle along by using the season ticket advances from fans. This review should reinforce to fans that this board cannot serve as an appropriate custodian for their season ticket money.”
If fans want to know who to blame for the death of Rangers and the undignified mess Newco are in, they need look no further than the boards headed by Sir David Murray and Craig Whyte, both of which Dave King served on. Blaming Wallace instead is nonsense.
Point Eight:
“The board has admitted that Rangers is not presently a “going concern” and yet offers no plan on how this will be dealt with in the short term. Fans could once again lose their season ticket advances if given to the club at this time. It is unconscionable that this board has done nothing to bolster the finances since the last AGM.”
Fans of Oldco or Newco have never lost their season ticket advances. What is he thinking of? Does he know what club he’s talking about?
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TD@12.20
As you say.
Paul’s blog and Paul’s rules.
I think it’s best when people say what they have to say direct to the poster. I also would prefer it if the poster took heed.
You have to remember that the person who complained may not have been a poster on here. So don’t let your suspicions cloud your interactions.
You have a right to post whatever views you have, however foolish I or others may find them. Because the opposite applies.
However, there are rules which have to be respected and upholding those rules is not grassing. The rules are mostly to do with bad language and personal defamation.
However, I have complained (directly to the posters) about other practices such as revealing private details of a poster on here, against their will in order to belittle them instead of taking their argument on. I think that behaviour is sleekit and crooked and does not become Tims of whatever view.
Most posters on CQN are good people but there are a few who let the side down by their hard hearted and callous behaviour and views.
In my eyes, your biggest sin was in defaming Jeanette Findlay, someone who was not posting on here and who was not attacking you. You do not have to agree with her views or the views of The Celtic Trust or the GB but publishing details of her salary and personalising the argument to her was beneath you, IMO, and was a much bigger offence than ruffling a few feathers and gratuitously blaming PC attitudes for hindering you.
You have a fan base on here. You are a funny guy. You don’t have to be the CQN character you have become. You can be better than that.
All the best.
Bobby M. and Hamilton .
Hail Hail
LiviBhoy – God bless wee Oscar
12:12 on 30 April, 2014
NatKnow – Supporting Wee Oscar
Like I have said previously. Injuries will be a major factor on the squad. We need strength in depth to compete on the domestic and European front.
Will Kris Commons have a season like this season again? I’m not sure he will. He will still be a huge player for us of that there is no doubt. It takes a bit of pressure off him in both goal scoring and creation with the addition of Griffiths already and the goals he is scoring and creating. It would also allow him to take a rest in games if he is struggling with a knock.
It would appear that Derk Boerrritger and Aimdo Balde are not up to it. I suspect Balde may be sent out on loan as he has been described as a project from the day he signed so that project can;t be discounted after one season. He will however learn nothing from a handful of sub appearances a season and playing full matches at a lower level will help his development and also give Celtic a chance to see him playing and decide if he has a future.
Derk Boerritger would be the best player in the league if he was able to play as good as he talks. He loves the media. He is never out the papers. I have seen nothing from this guy to think he will make it at Celtic. He is not brave enough or good enough. Deboer called him an injury prone player and he has be proven spot on so far. I’m not sure he is worth keeping and I doubt we will get half the money back we paid for him. I would love to be proven wrong but my guy instinct is the guy won;t make it in the Hoops. If we can get £1.5m for him I would grab it.
Pukki looks like he has something. A smile would be a good start though. The lad never seems to be happy. Will he make it? The jury is out. Not usually one to encourage players to have a pint but Pukki is certainly one that looks like he could benefit from a ‘team bonding’ session. Is he one of football’s prospets who never really fulfills his potential? Clubs rate this boy. He has been at some fairly big clubs but never lasts long. I don’t think he gets Celtic yet. Maybe attending a few CSC events will make him realise that the fans want him to do well and they are behind him. Maybe he just needs a pre-season. Pukki is a player. No doubt about that. He just needs to have some of the belief that Boerritger has and he would produce the good regularly.
I think if Celtic get Snodgrass it is a statement of intent. Celtic got last sumer all wrong. We let our spine go and in my opinion didn’t release the funds to the manager or didn’t allow him to get his No1 targets. With the money Neil Lennon has made for Celtic through CL monies and transfer fees he should have at least been able to get more of his No1 targets than VVD who looks the part. We have not secured any Bosman signings which in itself is interesting. It has been an avenue we have been strong in for a few years but as yet we have not secured anyone through this route for next season. There is still time to get Bosman players in and I am sure the club are working on numerous targets.
The lessons need to be learned from last season. We need to bring in quality who can start in the first team if required. I think Snodgrass ticks that box. We can not afford to have £1m+ players on the bench for a whole season and not delivering when they get the chance on the field.
I don’t mind anyone making mistakes in life. Learning from them is the key though. Making the same mistakes again and again is foolishness.
LB
————————————————————-
Yep – we definitely need to improve the squad overall to cope with injuries etc. I would be delighted if Kris had another season like the one just past, but like you I don;t think we can rely on that happening. Derk doesn;t look to have what it takes and I think he will be on his way out. Amido – well, let’s just say there’s a long way to go. I raised the issue of him only getting 5 mins here and there in the past. I still don;t understand why he is used like this. Maybe if we could transplant Derk’s brain into Teemu’s head we’d have a player? :-)
Re: the squad building strategy – we’ve had some success and some failure. We should be looking to come out of any transfer window in a better position than we went in. I think we squandered money on some less than average players last year. Whether that’s because we are unwilling to pay the transfer fees or wages for something better I don’t know, but I hope we’re not sitting here in May next year saying the same things. It would feel like treaing water. What we need to see is progress.
Livi
That post was everything I wrote about earlier – an unconscious bias to bum up the Snodgrasses of the world and bin those foreigners all too quickly.
The short answer is all transfers are a risk. Snodgrass may not be able to rise to our high standards after his trips through mediocrity. Who knows but sometimes it takes time.
Who knows if Balde gets top scorer next season. He offers something different up front and I hope he makes it. Pukki is a clever player who looks bewildered at what passes for football pitches here. Derk is heavily influenced by what we all read. His appearances don’t suggest sick note and there have been flashes of a player there with the skill and speed we need. Clear of injury and a bit more empathy from the fans might help.
I’m off to watch YouTube clips of this flawless genius called Robert, a man I’ve never heard of nor seen in my puff.
Big Wavy
TD(martyr)67acting12
Awe diddums. Somebody took umbrage at your absolute gash.
I’ll happily call you out to your face over a pint anytime anywhere.
Heard your not so much of a cretin out of print though. How does that work.
I admire your indestupidability though.
Hail! Hail!
MWD still wishes the post office queues were long though. Saying YES again.
I cannot see why anyone would be concerned about some one reporting one or more of there posts to Paul67.Cqn has a range of posters who hold a range of views on many topics the only thing many of us have in common is we are Celtic supporters and even there we disagree what is best for our club.I have said before everyone is entitled to thee opinion but some times childish insults appear I feel more sorry for the person throwing the insults than I do the person receiving them as if that is the level there debating skils have reached they are to be pitied.So Tony Donnelly keep posting your views ut dont expect everyone to agree with you. H.H.
Captain Marmite, the Witch-finder General is on the loose with a label gun and keyboard.
Oh Mammy
Hide under the internet, quick!
Hutchybhoy
yep but who are you ?
HH
BMCW
I’m not the least bit interested in who the grasses are, they know who they are.
Not interested?!
How wee laughed. :-))))
MWD feels the pain. YES he says and YES he does.
new article posted.
67H
I buy the Times most nights.Not any more.. Its on its knees just now lets put it on its erse!!!!
SFTB
Peter Lawwell doesent post in here, doesent stop people from ripping into him?
So I don’t get your JF accusation, and for the record, you brought her name up.
“The Rangers board may think they’re above the law……..”
How true, Billy, how true.
Good afternoon from a bright Manchester.
Hoping to mind yoy all in good spirits.
Hail Hail
Mind yoy = find you
Sorry to the Smelling Police.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/10268711_490336917760524_8493454442484402154_n.jpg
Hmmmm?