I have often heard Archie MacPherson tell a story about John Greig being sent out by David Murray to stop work on a hotel complex at Ibrox.
The ex-Rangers captain told the man with the jackhammer to stop his noisy digging.
Surprised by this, the man with the pneumatic drill thought that he had just to stop for a period because of the ear-splitting racket.
Instead, he was informed by Mr Greig that the entire project was over!
Essentially Dick Advocaat laid down the law to David Murray that if he didn’t get a base capable of providing players with a World Class Breakfast, then he was off.
There was money for a hotel or a training ground, but not both.
Murray blinked, and the little Dutchman prevailed.
Archie’s vignette is both amusing and instructive.
It highlighted the fork in the road and the limit of Murray’s ability to fund the dreams of The People.
Today Celtic outlined their plans for the land around the club’s stadium.
I had known the broad outline of these proposals for some time, but a source asked me to be circumspect apropos this exciting real estate development.
Across the Clyde, the situation could not be more different.
Celtic’s arduous journey to pre-eminence has been difficult, from Fergus McCann’s 11th-hour rescue operation in 1994 to the long road from Seville to financial sustainability.
Most The People still dream of a sugar daddy.
However, this dignified chap got it in one.
It is now the fate of The People to follow follow the Espanyol of Glasgow.
For example, an agent representing a promising young player would not even consider Sevco as a possibility for their client if Celtic were at all interested.
The hotel development is part of an exciting future for the biggest club in Scotland.
Meanwhile, as this was being unveiled, the Sevco High Command was in London on a three-pronged operation today.
- They attempted, once more, to access liquidity from the distressed finance sector. These hardnosed chaps have been described to me as “extreme lenders of the last resort”. For the avoidance of doubt, their rates are extremely punitive.
- This dignified delegation was also in touch with “restructuring specialists”. These folks are often referred to as vulture funds. Essentially they access investment, but they move their own people in, it is essentially administration without the deduction of points.
- The Sevco High Command in London has also been interviewing candidates for the new post of Director of Fantasy.
Both (1) and (2) are further evidence of the extreme financial difficulties that the Holding Company Vehicle is in at present.
Of course, in the real world bills have to be paid, especially football ones.
My information was that the monies due to Morton FC had not been paid by close of play on Friday, February 17th, 2017.
I am led to believe that this should have been in Morton’s account by close of business on Thursday.
When I spoke to my source on Monday morning, he told me that it was still unpaid.
I’m glad that it was all taken care of in the end.
However, I was not surprised to learn of the possibility of a late payment as this is the behaviour of a distressed Holding Company Vehicle.
Those fundamentals have not changed, and whoever is appointed Director of Fantasy at Sevco, it will still be a loss making business without a credit line from a bank.
Dear reader, I realise that the output here is very different from that which is found in the radar press.
I am confident, as I was apropos the death of the original Rangers Football Club in 2012, that events will ultimately vindicate the narrative that is extant here.
My promise to you is that the content here does not contain any contaminated lamb and is free from any harmful PR additives.
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Wow!!
I wonder why JP Taylor told CQN a couple of days ago that he knew nothing about a hotel being built or the threat by GCC to stop parking within a mile of parkhead. I thought this person was there to keep the supporters (mugs) up to scratch.
One would think that Lawwell was toying with them as he announced the proposed development.
With the Emirates on the doorstep, city centre 5 minutes away by cab, ditto Tollcross international swimming centre, it’s all good news.
I suspect a hotel may actually have given them a better return than Murray Park has.
Just imagine, producing their own World Class Chefs!
Do you think the whole “we are currently interviewing for a manager” is just nonsense to inform the bears its being addressed but it isnt really?
Thats what i took from the story.
“The Espanyolification continues”. Surprisingly insightful for a Sevconian.
Some great lines in there Phil.
“It is essentially administration, without the deduction of points”.
“Diretor of fantasy”.
Keep em comin…..
I understand Mr Whyte (formerly of this parish) made his billions as a restructuring specialist
Any day now the investment will commence…..
the greatest Fantasy Director in History…
enjoy……
https://youtu.be/TzaZ3fYAhsU
as Jock Stein nearly said…..I wouldn’t need to sign a Catholic…a Protestant… a Hindu….a Jew ….or even a Zoroastrian fire eater… they can’t afford any off these guys. …I can get them ….whenever…..nice place to be.. !!!
Hi phil.
Read yer blog daily, wee question , whits happened to the usual dreamers from spam fc that used tae come on here slating ye for daring tae tell the inconvenient truth a boot their beloved club?.
By the way clumps latest is very funny,
Hail Hail chaps.
It’s braw tae be a Tim, so it is!!
A velodrome event here, a Champions League night there, easy access to Hampden concerts, SECC, the Vogue in Rutherglen… what more could one ask for?
Plus gradually expanding west to incorporate Brigton into the “Celtic Experience “.
what about beasts sweeping past on the plains.. just south of the river…..
Oh err missus beasts akimbo…. no need to import handsome wildebeests ….it’s a savanah out there…..!!!
Big Hotel to accomadate guys like Rod and others when they come up to make the draw, take in a game and get pissed, good shout saves him going into the town.
as much as i couldn’t really care about sevco
and as much as I enjoy your journalism
when are you OR JJ gonna have a go at SDM ?
the real scum in all this misadventure
How long before the State Aid nutter puts his head above the parapet questioning where Celtic are getting the funding from when his own club don’t have a pot to piss in.
I can see it now…..Sevco fans pretending to be Chinese tourists, booking a few rooms at a few hundred quid in order to smash up the en suites. Pathetic but to be expected from the knuckle dragging mob.
It is almost 2 years since the hostile takeover by King and Co.
What have they achieved apart from hand to mouth survival on a month to month basis?
No progress
No manager
No team
No clue
No ideas
No hope
No effective complaints from Ra Bears (SMSM compliant)
No saviour (sugar daddy pending)
No stock exchange listing (no mad)
No retail revenue
No credit line ………
No surrender (aye right)
Well summed up…
Couldn’t have put it better myself
Please stop mocking the afflicted.
Just worked out that going for 55 was the target to last 55 months before going bust yet again!! Looking more like a Good Friday liquidation with a rising from the dead on Easter Monday as the same team. Having been previously punished “unfairly” they can just carry on with the season in the same division. Ach just a fantasy that would never be allowed (outside of Scotland).
Great news day for the club and fans.Regarding the new pitch hopefully Celtic sticks with tradition and plants a sod of turf from Donegal in the centre circle,I have no doubt they will.
HH.
The Daily Rectum (record) peddles the imminent signing of a Director of Football and a World Class Manager whilst in the real world the club will be insolvent in a matter of hours unless the directors accept money at usurious terms eg 20% monthly. Such lenders need security.
Is it a floating pitch themed hotel with a casino incorporated? Asking for a friend with a castle….
On occasion I feel a bit sorry for the many decent fans following the permanently distressed tribute act….then I hear and see the ugly anti-Catholic/Irish/Celtic sentiment rear its profoundly disturbed head, and I then, once again, become completely lost in the warm euphoria of their pain.
Great news about the hotel. It will do good business from CFC and also from the arena and velodrome nearby.
Surely the plans must also include a casino.
Also, if Brendan is to get a new pitch, should it not be a floating one?
No bloody casino. Don’t need wide boys hanging around.
Shirley Mr King can just wire some money from his personal account to Sevco’s? Or am I missing something?!
This Director of Fantasy sounds interesting. Is it going to be Steven Spielberg?
As for Celtic’s hotel plans, I am sad to say that Sevco are going to go one better (if I may…)
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2017/02/21/celtics-yurt-hurt/
Clumps shurely it must a proper and qualified writer of horror,maybe Anthony Hinds.
Who has ongoing success with his best known work;Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell…
Cheers Phil,always great to hear bad news for hms serfco.
Oh,happy days are here again……..
Schadenfreude ya bams☮️
Some fantastic results,performances and high scoring in the CL tonight,better still,am quids in.
Why would they pay even more money out they don’t have to ‘Restructuring Specialists’ when they can make the no-brainer decisions that need to be done themselves, and for free? Is it because they just want to be able to blame someone else for the pain and hurt that these decisions will entail????
Phil – I read your blog daily and enjoy it.
However, I have lost a bit of faith. You dropped the nets under the roof story like a hot spud when it didn’t materialise. Any chance of an update or even an acknowledgement you got this wrong? You cant just ignore it.
Patience.
Developing story…
ok tks
Excuse me missus ! Do you mean to tell me that they are NOT the people ?
My flabber is gasted.
I remember the good old days of super casinos, floating pitches and 5 star hotels,(maybe that’s where they got the idea for the badge that they now can’t afford on their tops).
A wee word to the wise, me and my mate Spade are in for the Arsenal job when Wenger leaves. I widnae put ma hoose on it, unless your name is Barton.
So GCC backhanders and more cheap land deals.. Shocking!!!
Mr Lawell what about the supercasino, the floating pitch and the moving walkway to the train station???
Can we put Rangers history in a cupboard in the museum,it may be going cheap soon.
That would be the funniest thing. Their history in oor museum.
Let it float, let it float, let it float.,……
I’m hearing the Celtic hotel optional glass bridge from mezzanine level into the South stand will have a moving walkway.
The large outside revolving plasma screens will be ace. More advertising reach.
The Celtic airship drone which will slowly circumvent the stadium at 150 metres, showing camera footage from above during matches and carrying advertising will be unique.
Lasers from the drone will play 3D moving images on the Celtic Park playing surface. Does anyone want to play on the park with the Lisbon Lions from ’67?
We get a a hotel and Sevco are lucky to get a hostel..The days of hovering pitches, roofing that closes and a casino have long gone from Govan (Never to return).
I would have thought the blue legions would have been on the march by now, occupying the steps of the club that Bomber Brown played at, but not a squeak not so much as a mention of complaint on sons of guff…It looks like they have been told to sit on their balls like a good dog Mr Brown included..
No, no, not at all.
Club 1872 have put out a statement about arranging a sit down with Robertson to answer some concerns their members have……………………some people will just moan about anything!
Anyway, the upshot was that it was agreed with Robertson that there would be a meeting set up to further arrange another meeting so that these concerns could be addressed.
At the time of writing the initial meeting date, to set up the second meeting, has not been finalised.
Something about the Board having a jolly in London whilst interviewing a 26 year old, with extensive experience coaching children, for the DOF role.
What, no floating pitch, no casino included in Celtic plans ?
It reeks of a club who have resorted to desperate measures…..who are prepared to go to any lengths to keep the lights on with the darkness of administration closing in from all sides
Wouldn’t it be wonderful in the proposed new developments had “heated driveways” and the Hotel offered “World class breakfast” on it’s menu. I think the PAMPERS are in the offing soon down at Edmiston Drive………Probably All Mainstream Personnel Enjoy Relaying Shite!!!
Would the gentlemen like a side dish of EBT’s with the order ?………
Eggs Benedict on Toast
Brilliant Patrick
Hi Phil, Amazing piece of news and handled with dignity and honesty by the club’s representatives. Oh and by the way, just for the record, the guy down the road from me has definitely not ruled himself out of the manager’s job at Sevco, and neither has his wife.
Seems a bit far fetched. Are you sure? Have you double checked with Keith Jackson?
Heard today from a Govan-minded Guy that his local bookie refused a bet (not from him) that The RIFC would be in Administration before April!
Another word was heard from a very reliable source in the East End that Mr Warburton had not been paid his last month’s wages…..Which is why he was looking elsewhere for a job!!!
Another mention was made that Mr K Millar has not been paid for a similar time????
Oh the joy the joy, good enough for them.
That gives me nice warm glow Phil