During the last transfer window, the coverage of Sevco’s activity in the market was gushing.
The usual suspects in the media blithely spoke of “ten million” as a net spend by Pedro and the chaps in the Blue Room.
My sources seriously questioned that figure, although the increase in the Ibrox wage bill was real enough and continues to cause cash flow problems.
I note that Operation Get Rid of Bruno is getting serious now.
Even if the Portuguese stopper leaves Ibrox in this window he will still be owed the remainder of his signing on fee.
Now Sevco’s Director of Fantasy Mark Allen and young Master Murts have to augment a squad by spending the square root of zero this January.
Brighton was offered nothing up front for Jamie Murphy with £500k arriving in May when the Season Ticket cash turns up.
The English club demurred on that generous offer.
Then in the past week, two SPFL managers and a player who once plied his trade at Ibrox have called out Sevco for destroy bids and attempting to unsettle players.
Kris Boyd, Martin Canning and Steve Clarke have gone on record about how the Engine Room Subsidiary is behaving in the transfer market.
Despite this public data, the staunch chaps in the Stenography Corps can still put a positive spin on this shameful shambles.
That is certainly a skill.
It isn’t journalism, but it is something.
What we are currently witnessing is the public outworking of a policy to unsettle players in Scotland.
This is being done so that their clubs will accept Sevco’s ridiculous terms.
Of course, this should be called out in the media for what it is.
Speaking truth to power is what the Fourth Estate is there for.
Instead, Sevco are receiving praise for their …ahem…pragmatic approach to transfer business.
This sad little episode proves several things beyond a reasonable doubt:
Sevco have no money for transfers in this window.
Most of the Fitba Fourth estate are in the tank for the chaps in the Blue Room.
It is impossible for The People to experience embarrassment about anything apropos their beloved basket of assets.
Anybody else notice wee Barry’s comments about how Craig Whyte ran his old club into the ground in his column at the weekend yet no mention of Mr Murray who really did run it into the ground.
Its cool Big Mike will buy all the players they need when he comes in.???
No comment on the cup game being called off the day before Sevco had to travel north? One less expense for them, as bus and 5* hotel’s don’t come cheap.
You couldn’t give them a red neck with a blow torch!!!
Try a blue torch
Went to see Streep and Hanks in “The Post” today. There’s a film about real journalism from the top down and not afraid to stand up to any authority especially Richard “I am not a crook” Nixon. Shame on the Scottish Media for not doing similar, particularly in sports reporting.
There’s a case for saying they are abusing the loan system to the extent that it’s enabling them to field players they can’t afford, as much as Rangers did with EBT system.
With their gullible support and cheerleader hacks they are above embarrassment cos they are the peepul. The only thing that really hurts them is being shafted by Celtic. I take comfort in knowing that. They have no shame re transfer activity but they hate being pumped by us. Let’s rejoice in that little fact?
Been saying it for months that the compliant scottish press have been in cahoots with the intergalactic pr guru unsettling players to Sevco’s advantage. On the subject of, ” try beofre you buy” i dont have a problem with that.
Maybe if we had that approach we wouldn’t have been stuck with the likes of Scepovic £2.3 million, Pukki £3 million, Bangura £2.2 million, Fortune, £3.8 million and the one and only Rafael Scheidt for £4.8 million.
A cool £16.1m between them. If put in an inflation fact for the Scheidt deal it’s probably well North of £20m. Some very poor business done there. Over a long time span to be fair.
Unbelievable waste of scarce resources.Who recommends these players?
Derk Boerrigter 2013-2016. €3.5m or £3m plus three years wages and medical bills. Left winger like Sinclair. 16 games one goal for CFC.
has nobody picked up on Murtys comment if anyone coming for any of their players, bring along a b ig cheque book!!
I thought he was referringto the novelty jumbo sized cheques used for charity donations, lottery wins, stuff like that, so he can make the back page of the DR with a headline “Look! We actualy sold one!”
The SMSM are reporting what the gullibles want to hear ie that TRFC are in the market for new recruits to strengthen the squad. The fact that their offers are derisory and the payment terms are an insult to the selling club are mere details and not worthy of a mention!
Regarding Alves’ signing-on fee; I very much doubt they’ll be planning on paying this should he go. Into the queue behind Warbs and Pedro…
Tapping up is a decades old Deadco / Sevco tradition. If the SFA and SPFL had a ball between them, they’d do something about it.
Hi Phil
Yeah noticed earlier on in an article how this was the way to go Try and Buy so what happens if any of these chaps get a serious injury (heaven forbid) like young James McCarthy hope he gets well soon.
Also noticed the smsm is trying to sell Morelos with bids coming in but club scouts from Bristol etc tweeting that they haven’t even recommended him to their respective clubs but still they go shamelessly on.
As for Bruno I’m here to take your title do they really expect him to take a hefty pay cut??? Who buys an injured player what happened to a medical????
Well I suppose it’s what the gullibillies want to hear.
Now how long will it take for our good old smsm to link Brendan Rodgers with The Watford vacancy
Keep up the good work
HH
Waddell in the Sunday Mail describes Sevco’s “try before you buy” policy as “making perfect sense”. Celtic have been taking players on loan with the option to buy for a few years now – currently Edouard – and they were slated for it in the Scottish media. Also, the Ibrox club were forced into taking Murphy on loan because they couldn’t afford even the deposit on a permanent deal, so hardly a cunning plan that makes perfect sense.
Don’t waste your cash buying the Sunday Mason, Daily Ranger, Scottish Hun or Even No Tims – utter garbage the lot of them. Keep to Phil for the real footie news. Hail Hail
Why are clubs not reporting this “tapping up” to the authorities?
Cos the shitebag chairmen really want to sell and are afraid to rock the boat in case Sevco pull out (as if they have the money in first place), hunbelievable I know but that’s how it looks to me.