Oh dear.
I’m afraid that The People and those fine chaps in the Stenography Corps have been rather misinformed.
Firstly some facts:
There WAS contact between Mark Allen and the UK based agent of Martin Škrtel.
However, even before transfer fee and signing on fee could be fully discussed it was difficult to see that his wage demands could be met.
I’m told that there is sometimes a bit of a Laissez-faire attitude to taxation in Turkish football.
Consequently, for Mr Škrtel’s current take home pay to be matched at Sevco he would have to be paid approximately £90k per week within the UK.
However, the pretence of a big money move for the Slovakian international defender was understandable.
Moreover, it was a good move to show the call history from a Sevco mobile phone to a couple of handpicked stenographers.
This proved that there was contact between the ex-Liverpool defender and the basket of assets.
No lies were told, but the breathless shills on the sports desks ran away to make happy up happy clappy stuff.
At the end of it all a couple of weeks of feel-good publicity and some more season ticket renewals.
Such is the way with the Impecunious Revolution at Ibrox.
I’m also told that one chap in particular within the Blue Room was less than Zen like apropos my last report.
He was particularly irked about the news getting out regarding resignations that were currently Parked.
The upshot is that all is not well on Planet Sevco.
I know it and they know it.
However, they do not want The People to know it.
Of course, the Sevco High Command does have staunch allies in the local media.
Those chaps are vital in keeping up the pretence to the Ibrox clientele that all is rosy in the dignified garden.
In many ways it’s just like being back in 2011.
This now resembles an unethical longitudinal study that is testing the limits of credulity in a selected population.
Such experiments should be more stringently regulated.
What gets bigger the more u remove ,a sevco hole , HH ,
I don’t think Celtic have gone far enough in their response to the oh so predictable slashing of their Ibrox ticket allocation.
With 800 or so fans hemmed in on both sides by home fans I fear for the safety of our support when Celtic stick another four or five in the pokey at Ibrox.
Refuse the reduced allocation on safety grounds.
If Gerrard doesn’t stop 8 IAR they will be begging us to take as many as we want season 2019/20.
Last two paragraphs absolutely nailed it sir
This is a bare faced move to curry favour with their fans by slashing the Celtic allocation and divert attention away from the lack of funds available to Gerrard to enhance his squad.
So far I believe Goss and Martin have gone back down south, with Murphy now permanent and nobody quite sure what the Cummings situation is.
With Arfield and McGregor added to the playing squad the payroll is bursting at the seams.
Europa Cup group stage qualification entails the same number of games, eight, that Celtic face in the CL. Whose in better shape to make it through?
Either of the senior goalkeepers,John, Alves, Cardoso, Dorrans, Miller, Wallace, Pena, Herrera, Dodoo, Forrester, MOH, Rossiter, Docherty, Halliday all have to be moved on, deadwood and not good enough.
That’s 15 players minimum.
Windass and Morelos might be punted to add some cash to the warchest.
Ditto Tavernier, as long as the buying club doesn’t expect him to do any defending as he’s simply atrocious.
Thats a total of 18 out which is never going to happen so the dressing room will be full of unhappy players.
It’s clear that with funds to add quality to the squad at a premium then finding money to pay off the contracts of the unwanted is a non starter.
Lets see how Gerrard and Allen solve that little conundrum.
Oh well, only a matter of time before they slashed the Celtic allocation for Ibrox.
Now they will only have 800 opposition fans dancing in the stands instead of 7,000.
No doubt they must be sick at the sight of Celtic fans partying in the Broomloan.
Funny how this annoucement has come out just as the Skrtel deal collapses, what a coincidence.
Is there any truth in the rumour doing the rounds, that when the SA judge described King as a “Glib and shameless liar” he nodded his agreement……..and she didn’t believe him!!
I understand Lehman Bros are underwriting a global rights issue aimed at bringing it £300m to fund next seasons SPL and European campaigns.
Cue the so predictable Skrtel backlash from fans as the deal collapses.
Too old
Too slow
No sell on value
Holding our club to ransom
Stevie G will have other targets.
He surely will have but how far down his list of must haves will he drop before he realises that King has sold him, and his advisors, a pup and that the Rangers he’s signed up for is not the same Rangers of the SDM era where bank and OPM monies were plentiful plus throw in a couple of illegal tax scams.
Murray’s attempt to emulate the Lions drove the club over the edge.
At least Gerrard won’t have those expectations weighing him down, though if he’s still on board as Celtic head into season 10 IAR he will be under pressure that not even he’s experienced before.
Ian Maxwell has already had plenty to say about his credentials and ability to carry out his new job. Let’s see if he also has the bollocks to tackle the nonsense of The World’s Most Embarrassing Club, beginning with a public reiteration of what’s acceptable to be sung from their stands. Taking them to task on their regularly pathetic, yet often threatening “statements” (although we may miss the comedy value of such), but most of all it should be very interesting to see if he will scrutinise and accurately report to UEFA should he find that he may have a rogue operator within his set-up.
Or, is it simply a case of seeing how long it takes him to fall into line with “expectations”?
I know which scenario is more likely!
I see the crazies on IN are now mind readers as well as they flog the Celtic need a strong Rangers crap and Scotland needs a strong Rangers.
Of course their version of a strong Rangers is a team sweeping all before them domestically and restoring their version of the natural order which must be a distant memory in their minds.
They forget that the circumstances that previously drove their domestic domination are long gone.
DOS/EBT illegal tax scams and access to unlimited borrowing from the bank within a bank at HBOS.
Do they think that Celtic fans go home after handing out a crushing 4 nil, 5 nil, 5 one defeat to their team, close the curtains and weep about how we miss a strong Rangers?
Is that how they would react if the boot was on the other foot?
We will sell out ST this year as we go for a historic 8 IAR, for only the second time in our history, plus a treble treble.
Ditto 9 and 10 with ST tickets for the latter being like gold dust.
They are incapable of accepting that the reasons why they are where they are, are all self inflicted.
Murray duped my erse, incentivised to get rid of the club, not the company?, with HBOS rewarding him with part of his MIM business.
Whyte and then Green cheered down Edmiston Drive as saviours…..that went well.
Now there is a dysfunctional board running the show with the Gerrard appointment the last throw of the dice.
Nothing will change as long as they continue to look outside their own for the source of their problems.
Long may it continue.
Close Bros must be keeping a keen eye on transfer activity as they would rather have their money back with interest rather than auction off the catering equipment or big screens.
Regulate?? That very word must be avoided at all costs..?
I would suggest that some low-life has broken into Ibrox and stolen all their training videos, and left them with a dvd copy of Wayne’s World 2, where a naked Indian and the spirit of the late Jim Morrison tells Wayne to “book them, and they will come”. This explains the Skrtel story rather succinctly.
I’m rather surprised that there has been no reportage of the reason why Andres Iniesta stayed inside the Nou Camp until 1am recently was that he was contemplating an excellent offer to play for the 6-year old club, vying for their 55th league title, and earning a guaranteed salary commensurate with his undoubted talent. I’m sure that deal could easily be sweetened if he was offered the chance to keep the Petrofac Cup by his bedside – surely, a guaranteed deal-breaker?
Laboratory conditions, surely
There is a story here.
That story being Rangers cannot afford nor attract even over the hill players that might have a slim chance of stopping celtic.
I was particularly amused that even the hand-picked heroes of the MSM’s Sevco promotional team seemingly had to be shown telephone ‘contact’ as proof of the ‘story’. Is Jim’s word not good enough?! On a related note (and if I may…) have you seen that Sevco has apparently invented the world’s first perpetual motion machine? BIG NEWS! https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2018/05/23/when-sevco-really-disappoints/
Wait for the ‘World Cup window’ to open up… Every player Sevvie G comments upon in Russia will be linked to a move to Sevco Arena. The full moon will last all summer over Govan with no end to the scale of incoming talent or the power of the moonbeams alighting on the grey gloom of the hallowed Albion Car Park.
Homosapiens Ibroxia must be kept in a state of ‘expectant dominance’ at all costs. The constant bogus big name links will be more than necessary for project Sevco and will continue all summer. Unfortunately none of them will prove to have any substance… Maybe that’s why the marching season conveniently falls during the off-season?! Gives them something to feel ‘superior’ about.
I see a future of pseudo sporting-pseudo showbiz- reminiscing for sevco FC …
A kind of ‘Flag Waving, Squaddie Parading, Poppy Wearing, Catholic hating Harlem Globetrotters’ … Playing more games and Making more money and selling more tickets on ‘LEGNEDS’ matches than on competitive football. The league will become an inconvenience to them as they are guaranteed to win nothing and could instead be raising funds for charity (well it does begin at home!) . Plus… They wouldn’t have to put up with the regular embarrassment if being scudded home and away by Celtic on a 6 tines a season basis.
How about a rename ?
‘The Hard-up Globe-trotters’ would do.
LEGNEDS – was that a typo or intentional?
Deliberate fun making at Hun boffins’ misspelled banner.
Originated at the final match the blessed cardigan took charge of at the crumbledome. Some of the klan decided to display their literary skills in appreciation of Walters contribution to tbe now deceased club, by draping a sixty foot long banner along the front of the upper tier of a stand. It was supposed to read, “Walter Smith is a Rangers Legend.” Unfortunately “Legend” was a six letter word too far for them. They quickly pulled the banner back in, but not before millions watching on SKY TV had seen, and were pishing themselves laughing, at Walters new LEGNED status. You really can’t help wondering how many of them were involved in producing it and what the sum of their combined IQ’s might be.
I think we’re all forgetting about the millions Sevco will collect from the sale of Alfredo More or less.
Then there’s the share issue,
The investors wanting to be associated with the StevieG revolution ,
The empty directors seats to be filled and the soft loans that go with them.
The financial turmoil in Sevconia has been greatly exaggerated….
Roll on Christmas when the search for a new manager begins…..
Phil, colour me bemused but are the Grimm Brothers not a factor in all of this. Surely their (ahem) overdraft needs to be cleared before any other debt, lest they take the secured assets?
Phil; regardless of when the directors make it official, June, July. August or even September, the auditors must account for it as it is a material change in cicumstances. The dating of the resignations wont/shouldn’t make a difference.
On a totally different matter ,on 21st may BBC Scotland news reported that a Celtic kit man admitted to a child abuse claim and handed himself into Northern Ireland police.sally McNair being the reporter ,made no mention of the fact that the offence was in 2014/15 and said kit man left the club 20yrs before act and had worked with numerous clubs including Falkirk and Hibs.Funny the report outlined Celtic only days after the rangers abused was told to become no277 in line at the liquidation queue.
Noticed that myself.
Excellent, Phil. HH
But Phil this could be explained as Johnny Turk or whoever not playing cricket. You know the old decency bullshit.
Which leads me off on a tangent and indeed BBC’s report of PMQ’s (be patient with me). I wish I could cut and paste. Nevertheless Mark D’arcy refers to when Sir Vince Cable was addressing the PM. Apparently a certain Mr Nigel Dodds was seen to grimace and gesture behind Sir Vince, being conscious that he is on camera behind the ageing Lib Dem.
Tomorrow or soon thereafter one Nelson Mc Causland will be wheeled out on Radio Ulster, and will bleat on and on about good manners, decency ad nausea. This is his standard level of debate.
Let’s hope some more journalists can call out the misleading jibberish seeping out of Sevcoland.
Apart from Skirtel, let us not forget Alphonsus More or Less and the mystery of the Chinese millions.
I recall a video doing the rounds a few years ago starring…..wait for it…… Bozo Johnston. The blond hallian tucked a rugger ball under his uxter and charged down the wing of the school gymnasium.
Alas an unsuspecting child ? found himself in the path of the runaway Tory……the child stood no chance. Spiffing. Raaather.
Wouldn’t the auditors of their half year results be remiss in their duties if someone told them that this was happening and they still signed off the accounts?
Hi Phil….I’m not sure if you’re “bothered”…but your exclusive regarding two more Directors at Sevco leaving…is being “questioned” on a Pay per. View site.
The writer confirms that he has his sources actively involved in proving you correct…
(Or incorrect…as the case may be.)
The war, it would seem, continues.
Dear oh dear oh dear.
Aw naw that’s no Martin aff an aw noo!
Will Sevco ever catch a break?
Lets assume that Arfield, McGregor and the Murphy deals had all been approved by Stevie G and just required his sign off.
No problems, no transfer fees, perhaps signing on fees spread over the length of the contracts and Murphy’s instalment payments agreed for his transfer fee.
Skrtel and the Brighton defender are a completly different deal.
These are Gerrard must haves so someone, Robertson?, better get the finger out and get the deal done.
It’s only a few weeks ago that Mr King promised Stevie his full backing, they even shook hands on it.
However, and its not just a question of Skrtel’s wage packet, the Turks will be astonished at Rangers transfer fee payment terms including the unlikeliest of add on clauses.
However anyone who has holidayed in Turkey will know that these guys are no mugs when it comes to bartering and perhaps could even teach Rangers a lesson or two.
With most of the dross still on the wage bill, Alves and Cardoso still with another year on their contracts, offering Skrtel a max of around €30k would be pushing the boat out, never mind attempting to match his Turkish wage delight.
First big test for backing the manager and it’s a fail at the first fence.
Jack at the ET, after weeks of talking up the move for Skrtel, is backtracking and claiming that the player was never on Gerrards list of targets.
Of course that claim has been shown to be a downright lie with the player’s agent confirming contact with Gerrard.
How does Jack and his ilk get away with it, lying for a living?
Of course nothing will ever beat the Motherwell billionaire with wealth off the radar claim, the biggest lie of all and I believe the journo who told that porkie is still in employment.
Personally I hope that these two fine members of their profession are still in situ as Celtic march to 10 IAR….
Joseph
I see your wealth off the radar and raise you with all the “Rangers” players were assaulted by Hibs fans.
Who is this rangers you speak of?
I know I know, I did use inverted commas to labour the point but yes knuckles wrapped!
Who are these rangers you speak of?