Earlier this evening a trusted Ibrox source emerged from a week of Purdah.
He told me that it had been a somewhat tense week for several members of the Sevco High Command.
On Monday the Blue Room chaps went into dignified conclave to game out how the AGM would go.
However, firstly they had to discuss the fact that their manager had rather gone off script apropos the possibility of losing his striker Alfredo Morelos.
You will note that the ex-Liverpool Under 18 coach remained on message at the RIFC AGM.
My guy said that several members of the Sevco High Command had speculated how their esteemed chairman was going to spin the car crash accounts.
As usual, he didn’t disappoint.
His remark about the “debt-free stadium and training centre” had jaws dripping in the Blue Room.
However, it was clear that The People approved of the message.
Dave made some ambitious claims about self-sufficiency in two years.
Of course, Mr King would have been confident in thinking that there would have been zero journalistic scrutiny from the chaps on the sports desks.
However, there are other journalists abroad in Fair Caledonia.
I’m told that an evidence-based analysis of the RIFC financials by the BBC created high-Level anger.
Apparently, Douglas Fraser’s piece lacked the necessary succulence.
However, I can find very little here to take issue with.
Of course, Mr King was in Scotland for the AGM and another of those pesky court appearances.
According to reports, he gives evidence tomorrow in his case with the Takeover Panel at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
He is certainly a man in demand, as those world-class administrators at Hampden also wanted a meeting with him while he was in Scotland.
However, the South African domiciled convicted criminal didn’t take the SFA up on their generous offer.
I’m told that yesterday at another Sevco sit-down a senior member of the High Command asked Mr King to consider his position.
Apparently, what ensued was a frank exchange of views.
My guy said that the timescales have changed at Ibrox on the financial situation.
The money that was needed in January as per the RIFC accounts will now be required next month.
I was steered in the direction of £5m as the likely sum that is needed to plug the hole.
A good run from now on in the Europa League simply cuts Sevco’s losses for this season.
They remain a loss-making business without a credit line from a bank.
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Thats incredible. BBC tea time news has also signed up to the Omerta pact on King/TOP/COS.
How can that be?
Can you imagine the headlines if Lawwell publicly stated that some major Celtic shareholders were criminals?
Looks as if King is a very sore loser.
Oh, and STV tea time news didn’t mention King’s Court of Session appearance, never mind his claim that some of his major shareholders are criminals.
Takes one to know one I suppose.
King’s version of Murray’s sniff test I suppose and we all know how that turned out.
Those ‘bears’ … they do love to celebrate a home draw!
As has been pointed out here – not only is Mr King not the’official’ club chairman but tends to get treated by the Scottish media and the sfa like he is some sort of satellite administrator for the game in Scotland.
Statements and media comments coming out of every media orifice the moment that something ‘irks’ the fans or board.
For once (and it may just be show) the SFA May just have decided to take a stand! Mr King seems able to demand an audience when HE wishes in order to influence who inhabits which office st a Hampden , so seems only fair that he should be called to account when the statements get out of line.
Maybe he’s doing the old ‘Rainjuurz old club new club’ thing?
“As the club chairman I demand a meeting!”
“I’m sorry, I am merely a majority shareholder – that’s a matter for the board not myself!”
Whether he and ‘the club’ are hauled over hot coals for their reaction or not …. King WILL have done his bit and seriously influenced the refereeing schedule for the rest of the season.
I will be very surprised if Mr Collum is tasked with officiating at any further matches featuring sevco this season. Whether it is argued as a safety measure or otherwise it will be a fact that King has yet again managed to manipulate the running of the game to suit his own ends.
Sevco games are unsafe for certain referees as of now!
The national champions are considering a zero uptake on tickets (on safety grounds) for upcoming Glasgow derby.
Uefa instructed by police Scotland to allow reduction of away European support to iBrokes to a minimum . Again on safety grounds – that was all over the media wasn’t it!?!
See the common denominator here?!
But …. there’s an agenda against them!
I would laugh, but the hypocrisy is so ‘off the radar’ it just makes me despair!
Whit! 48 hours since the SFA charges were made public yet no statement o clock from Ibrox?
After the performance of those cheating Fenian officials at Ibrox last night perhaps two statements will follow as soon as Dave clears up that wee TOP problem at the Court of Session.
Big well done to the Bhoys last night. Ball retention was excellent and the score in no way reflects their superiority.
Benkovic is a joy to watch, Brendan must be wishing if only.
The Austrians are a very classy outfit so getting the point required will be no mean feat.
Come on the Hoops.
Why would the SFA want a meeting with Mr King? Mr King is not on the board of the ‘club’, or even the business that owns the ‘club’. He is Chairman of the delisted PLC that is a holding company (no laughing at the back please) for the Limited Company (I said no laughing) that owns the football ‘club’. Snigger all you want, but it is in the accounts. Frankly it makes me somewhat nauseous so I must pop off to the loo.
Debt-free stadium and training centre?
Is that why there are charges held against both the stadium and the training centre as documented at Companies House? Asking for a friend…
I read a post match sports headline after the rangers 0-0 Villareal result; ‘rangers fans fume (it might have been rage) over Candeias red card’ seems like that’s all they ever do, fume, rage and abuse.
Scotland’s shame.
It’s hilarious because the 2nd yellow card can only be appealed as a case of mistaken identity.
The yellow card will then be transferred to Morelos who currently is one yellow card away from missing the next European game.
Oh dear.
Joe,I thought exactly the same thing(re Morelos) watching events unfold last night and thought to myself that they would have to suck it up as EUFA are less malleable than the SFA.Fast forward to the present and it seems that Candeias was rightly booked for a stamp on the Villarreal player (mibbe he should count himself lucky not to have received a straight red for violent conduct).I wonder,did the director in charge of the camera’s get caught up in the heat of battle and forget he had a camera with a view of the action from behind the Broomloan Road end which might have shown a more informative perspective of the incident instead of continually showing the same angle ad infinitum.Still,now that it appears to have been cleared up,perhaps the silver lining is that they will save the cost of the failed appeal.I also note there is no mention in the SMSM of the orange shirted troglodyte giving the referee’s assistant the benefit of his opinion on the rules of “The Beautiful Game.”How remiss of them !