We had an interesting couple of announcements from the Scottish Premier League yesterday. Safe Standing areas, where instead of a seat, spectators have a crush barrier in front of them, is no longer against league rules. Before the introduction of standing areas council Health and Safety officials would need to give approval, as do the police. Council approval should be straightforward, crush barriers separating each row of spectators make the environment safe, but I’m less sure the police will be keen.
Policing huge stadiums with seated spectators is straightforward compared to policing standing fans. Disturbances tend to cause those involved to stand up, drawing immediate attention to the incident, while knowing exactly who is sitting on which seat would allow transgressors of the Scottish Governments new interpretation on making the sign of the cross to be pursued after the event.
League rules (note: not the law of the land) have also been updated to clarify the definition of “Unacceptable Conduct” as ‘using words, conduct or displaying any writing or other thing which indicates support for, or affiliation to, or celebration of, or opposition to an organisation proscribed in terms of the Terrorism Act 2000’.
New rules on how clubs are expected to tackle Unacceptable Conduct, with fresh procedures, if necessary, have also been introduced. Clubs are now required to bring occurrences of Unacceptable Conduct to the Match Commander. Failure to do so will bring the club into breach, should an incident subsequently be reported, by TV spectators, for example.
Clubs are also charged to “Take reasonably practical steps, including consultation with police, to identify those who engage in Unacceptable Conduct”, which creates obvious dissonance with the new Safe Standing Area policy.
We’ll see how these rules work out in practice but look out for an interesting consequence. Some Celtic fans are often cited as singing about the IRA (who are on the Proscribed list in their various historical formats) but they are not the supporters who sing most about that organisation(s). That ‘honour’ falls to Rangers fans, who are bound not to sing in “opposition to an organisation proscribed”.
The notion that Rangers (and let’s not forget Hearts) are compelled to identify and sanction any of their supporters caught “effin’ the IRA” in fear any TV viewer reports them is what keeps this country unique.
Box clever.
CQN Magazine, issue 5, will be out soon. After 4 issues online and shipping single copies from Magcloud in the US, we’ve ordered a print run locally. You can order now with credit/debit card or Paypal and buy direct from the UK for only £5 by clicking on the link below.
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Awe_Naw
Hmmm…… Collum hand picked, let’s hope Celtic don’t allow him to feature. It’s getting worse by the minute here.
jimmci says:
21 December, 2011 at 10:56
It’s been awe-naw’d
jimmci says:
21 December, 2011 at 10:56
He was under oath in the presence of her Majesty do not forget.
Hail Hail
Awe Naw
‘Whyte will not want money being arrested by HMRC’
HMRC can only freeze funds if there is any money in the account
After being caught with his pants down regards previous HMRC, McIntyre + Bain arrestments, do you really think Whyte would leave a substantial amount of money in Rangers a/c’s?
Good Morning to the Celtic family from a damp Central Scotland. Well a question this Morning could Celtic do the unthinkable ? Celtic are interested in purchasing the Maritimo striker for a fee believed to be £3 million but the player is considering other otions.Now currently a striker who has already scored 128 goals in the SPL has become available for the signing on fee this would be likely to save Celtic around £2 million and secure a proven SPL goal scorer.Who is this striker that I speak off ? he is none other than ex Poundland hero Kris Boyd who is available on freedom of contract in January can you imagine the knuckle draggers if this happens also the scenario of there are 5 mins left in an old firm match at Ibrox and it is 0-0 when up pops Boyd and scores the winner for Celtic.Naw I didnae think you could. H.H.
Joe Filippis Haircut says:
21 December, 2011 at 11:01
Never happen. It’d be flagged as offside.
tomtheleedstim @ 10.49
Me
And Boydchencko would get booked for eating the ref’s monster munch at hauf time
Ten Men
The same account that the ticket money for the Old Firm game was paid out of ?
HMRC can freeze an account so that the account cannot be operated until that money has been paid to HMRC .. if that means placing the account to be technically in the red it can and with the bank and the laws full co operation. It does not change anything it just makes life more difficult for whomever is being targeted by HMRC
Hail HAil
Good morning from miserable Manchester.
I see Suarez has been given a 8 match ban for using racist language.
Looks like a bit of posturing on the part of the FA. Showing Blatter how to deal with racism.
Joe Filippis Haircut says:
21 December, 2011 at 11:01
You’re right Joe I canny!!!
Awe Naw
Thanks.
Does it say that they have paid Celtic for the tickets ?
Have Celtic confirmed payment ?
Say the final decision comes after the end of feb, that’s 6 mil in wages he has to find, end of march add another 3 mill, mounting up by the day.
It’s obvious that he is waiting for the decision, but he dosen’t have a bean, there may well be someone funding him, but why throw good money after bad, it disny make any sence.
HMRC can’t arrest money unless they are due money, and if he is paying Tax and NI late they would have done it before now, like the 350k for the derby tickets.
Whatever the case may be, the fireworks will be going off soon enough.
BST – tried to post my reasons twice but blog is knackered today.
TET
No but Celtic have never said anything officialyl on this ???? or am I mistaken ???
I can´t imagine that RFC have printed up fake tickets and are selling them mainly to off duty Strathclyde police officers without this having been rumbled by now. Jingle has also reported to the huddles masses that Whyte has rustled up the money already and that has not been disputed since 9th Dec.
Gotta go .. will pick up the other stuff later
Hail Hail
If we get the balance right in midfield the defence will have the day off regardless of the centre-half pairing.
Ten Men Won The League
There was a rumour linking Jelavic to Spurs for £8m in January. You may remember Hutton going to them for £9m. The Spurs manager at the time said, “Who is Alan Hutton?”
Spurs are owned by ENIC, the company Murray persuaded to invest in Rangers, only to subsequently withdraw when they saw the state of their finances.
Harry Redknapp is the Spurs manager. He sold Pedro Mendes from Portsmouth to Rangers, in his words, ‘to balance the books.’ Portsmouth subsequently went bust a year after Redknapp left the club with overwhelming player debt.
You also may remember that Portsmouth, Newcastle, and Rangers were were raided in 2007 by the police. Newcastle was the club whose £8m purchase of Boumsong from Rangers, along with the £2m purchase of Portsmouth’s Faye (who later went Rangers on loan from Charlton), was subject to an investigation by the Stevens inquiry.
But I’m sure all of these facts are coincidental.
THE EXILED TIM says:
21 December, 2011 at 11:07
March is irrelevant if the decision comes during that month. If I was an MBB, I’d yank the plug before they’d finished reading out the full decision. Actually, I’d have pulled it in the summer having asset-stripped it to Ibrox (I mean hell), cos I’m like that ;-)
The players would become creditors as soon as the proverbial plug was pulled.
They do need to fund their operations til then though and that can really only be done by selling more silverware (possibly literally by now) or by shifting on some players.
There is a part of me that hopes they don’t go under because of the tax case: no more financial doping from Minty, stricter tax controls, an annual requirement to run within new Uefa financial guidelines.
Although one would foresee the last one being kind of moot, given the problems they’ll face soon enough (without the tax case).
MalmoCSC
up_over_goal says:
21 December, 2011 at 11:14
Wasn’t that bust what turned up the EBT stuff?
pmslCSC
mini huns have received a second winding up order, oh dear how sad for them!!
phil mac tweeting “they wouldn’t do this to rankers would they?”
SP
up_over_goal at 11:14
Perhaps more will come out at Harry Redknapp’s trial in the new year. He has the reputation of a “wheeler dealer” and has always struck me as a Del Boy type of charachter without any of the charm of Del Boy.
Mort
dirtymac
I agree with you that it would be better if they don’t go under, a newco is actually the worst thing that could happen, they would emerge debt free, and whoever is waiting in the wings can pump in serious dosh, not good for the rest of scottish football.
One good thing is a newco would have no acess to euro football for 3 years, but this would result in our board downsizing further, again not good for the club, then we have the newco being spirited into the spl scenario, what’s a board to do, Paul has said that he thinks the board won’t vote for newco straight back in, he may well be right, but it still needs another to vote the same.
Choices choices.
If the huns go so bust during the season a newco is required, they can’t take over the huns current points tally, all their results would be wiped for this season and nobody would be relegated from the SPl. Whoever wins the 1st Division would have to be denied promotion to allow them back in.
Now that would give the lawyers a field day!
Mort
It’s a pity – Spurs play good football. Unlike you, I quite like ‘Arry – he’s turned the whole team upside down face.
Quick question (think this is right but haven’t checked) – who is the only member of this and last season’s 1st team squad never to have faced the huns?
Mancini: It’s time Bridge moved on
up_over_goal at 11:45
is it Victor?
Mort
EXILED TIM, Celtic demanded Rangers to pay cash up front for tickets for the game on the 28th. A request for mitigation was denied and money was received.
whitedoghunch says:
21 December, 2011 at 11:46
90,000 grand a week for not playing, that’s insane!!
And he knocks us back, mental!!
greenjedi says:
21 December, 2011 at 11:41
That’s what I’m thinking. TeamFC would have very strong grounds for suing for numerous millions based on lost revenue. This money would have to come from the SPL pot, meaning all clubs would suffer.
Given their recent form, the club in question would be Dundee FC. Having gone through a rather strong mid-season punishment, I don’t think there would be much support for ‘just letting it go’ from that quarter.
Dundee, more than almost any other 1st division side, would likely miss out on massive revenues from the SPL and would also be most strongly placed to stay in the SPL if they’re promoted. To take that away from them in order to promote a Newco could open up a lawsuit for millions (tens of?).
I wonder if the collective boards in the SPL would have the stomach for that battle?
Thanks Paul.
Paul67 what was the normal procedure prior to Rangers being in such a precarious position?
NEILMCCALLUMLENNON says:
21 December, 2011 at 11:53
Money was paid a month or so after the game. This always worked in our favour, in that the cash was in our account for a month (earning interest) for all our away games where we almost always sold 4-8,000 tickets, whereas the teams coming to Paradise held on to the proceeds of the 500 or so people that came to CP.
Hilariously, the orcs have responded in kind to our insistence that they pay up front, although I do wonder if the MBB has asked for 53 years ticket sales in advance.
Kilbowie K
If you are lurking a wee bit of advice mi amigo.
A few weeks ago I staked a few bob the hartz would finish bottom of the spl, due to the impending fire sale, I assumed that kids would would make up their team for the remaining fixtures.
The 60/1 odds were too good to miss.
Question is, if they do a Gretna and can’t fulfill their fixtures, do I get my money back ?
James Forrest: 2012 Ones to Watch
NEILMCCALLUMLENNON, normal procedure is for clubs to give each other credit. Leage rules state that payment is due within 10 days of the game. Celtic declined to offer credit to Rangers or Hearts for recent matches and sold tickets to Hearts fans direct.
Thanks Paul67 it explains what our club think of the financial predicament of the side from Govan.
Hail Hail
new article posted.
Ard Macha @ 10.31
I”m confused. I thought Whyte’s purchase of Rangers included any potential tax liability.
I think I even heard the rangerstaxcase blog mention how Murray and his team were very surpoised that he undertook this risk.
I have read the rangerstaxcase blog this morning and, as far as I understand the situation (and I am a financial numpty), it is this:-
1) Rangers are liable to pay any tax levied against them once that amount plus penalties has been agreed and the appeals process exhausted.
2) Murray Group also have tax liabilities arising from EBT “mis-application” (that’s my generous term for it as I am full of the Christmas spirit).
3) At the time of the sale of Rangers to Mr. Whyte, it was written into the contract that Murray Group would undertake the tax negotiations on behalf of both groups but Rangers and Murray Group would both pay for the lawyers fees involved and Murray Group would not be liable to pay any of the tax penalty levied and agreed on Rangers.
In effect, Rangers are not directly represented in the negotiations with the tax man, but are still liable for much of the bill.
And Craig Whyte agreed to those terms, in writing, so, unless that agreement has been recently re-negotiated, there is no truth in the Follow Follow rumour that Craig Whyte is in negotiation with any secret Masonic Tax group to procure favourable terms. It is just desperate spin.
Now, as I said, I am a financial numpty and do not possess “off the radar” wealth like Mr. Whyte, so I would ask the more financially astute posters on here to check what I’ve written and clarify what I’ve got wrong.
After all, I’d hate to be guilty of misinformation as I’d have to change my name to Darell or Jack and I don’t think I look like a Dawwyll.
THE EXILED TIM says:
21 December, 2011 at 11:58
If Hearts are unable to complete their fixtures, every remaining game will automatically be treated as a 3-0 win for their opposition.
If those results meant that Hearts finished bottom of the table then I would assume that you would have a WINNING bet.
I would think that the sooner this happened, the better it would be for you.
That is only my opinion, but I don’t see any other way they could possibly settle that particular market.
Good luck.