Spare a thought today for Sevco’s Director of Fantasy.
I’m told that part of his duties last night was to be a conduit for the ire of the Sevco High Command to the rookie manager.
In fairness, the questions from south of the Limpopo had some basis in fact.
There were along the following lines:
“What has gone wrong since the turn of the year?
“You were given money in January. All we can afford, yet we are going backwards?”
I suppose when someone believes the PR generated hype it can change their view of themselves.
A well-placed source told me today that Mr Gerrard did not react well to the line of questioning.
Moreover, I’m told that there are also issues in the squad emerging around the attitude of Señor Alfredo José Morelos Aviléz.
When you take a step back this is a very challenging job for a debutant manager.
I’m told that Mr Gerrard had a recent sit-down apropos the summer transfer window.
I think that “what’s my budget?” would be a perfectly reasonable question in those circumstances.
What managers do not want to hear is something along the lines of:
“If money is generated from player sales then we will look at things on a case by case basis”.
The Pyrrhic victory of the Takeover Panel has merely generated another legal bill.
Here are the details I have to hand from an impeccable source:
Dave’s legal team clocked up £1.1m.
Arranging the money from South Africa to the escrow account in the UK cost £780k.
The Takeover Panel will have their costs paid and that, I’m told, was up at £1.4m
That puts the total bad news at £3.28m.
Ouch!
Now, will Dave pick that up, or will the basket of assets step in?
As for the millions that Dave had to find to satisfy the court, well that’s safely back in South Africa.
I am aware that some of the Ibrox klanbase thought that these funds would be made available to Mr Gerrard.
Oh dear…
Meanwhile, the wage bill at Sevco is eye-watering.
When you think that Davis, Defoe, Dorrans, and Murphy are currently costing the basket of assets a total of around £130k per week.
That’s £520k per month or £6.24m per annum.
Put it another way, that’s around a fifth of Sevco annual turnover.
It was difficult conclave when members of the High Command wanted to be, finally, brought up to speed about the loan from Close Brothers.
As regular readers will know, I have been consistently reporting that Dave runs a very tight ship from South Africa.
Consequently, things often happen that other directors haven’t really been in the loop about.
In short, Theresa May has a better handle on things that the chaps it the Blue Room!
Any objective assessment of the available data would tell anyone with critical faculties that the finances at Ibrox are not healthy.
The last thing they need is another big bill before the season ticket monies arrive.
Therefore, with that in mind, I was not surprised to learn today that the Sevco High Command recently reached out to General Ashley via a trusted intermediary.
Quite simply, they don’t want to have to face Big Mike in court next month.
You will not be surprised to learn that himself was not in a magnanimous mood.
Unlike Sevco’s defence last night he wasn’t feeling charitable.
Aon rud eile…
I would be grateful if you would give me your vote in the Football Blogging Awards.
This year I think I qualify in two categories and I would appreciate your support in both of them:
Best International Content Creator with Panini (Focus on clubs/leagues outside of England, or operating outside of England).
Best Established Content Creator with Grand Branding Company (Created in 2017 or earlier).
This site has now been on the go for eleven years so I think I can tick the box for hanging in there.
Have a great day!
Wee vote done.
Adh mor ort, Phil 🍀
Votes ‘done’ good luck.
How funny would it be if Celtic were to bring in more cash for the loss of Rodgers than the sale of Morelos?
Meltdown…
Of course the rumours about Morelos coming to Celtic aren’t true. Where would we find the sum of £20m for any player never mind a brainless thug?
Voting completed, Phil. HH
He’d be well suited to PSG, as backup to the Brazilian man-child.
You have my vote for both the international and established categories as detailed above.
Now join me in a quiet prayer that the ‘Morelos to Celtic’ transfer rumour is just a rumour.
I wouldn’t want that cretin anywhere near my club, can’t abide his diving, cheating, simulating, abrasive style of football regardless of how much a handful he’s supposed to be, he’s a liability.
That £50k bargain spend on Kamara isn’t looking that cheap now after he set up the 1st Dons goal last night with his loose pass.
The Dons will be doubly delighted that in addition to moving on to the semis they will pick up a sizeable cheque from their share of the gate.
It looks very like here we go again for the Ibrox club.
A stack of players either on loan elsewhere whilst those signed by Gerrard/Allen ain’t good enough.
A defeat at Celtic Park at the end of the month will see a double figure points gap. I doubt there will be many in their support who will be cheering for finishing second in the face of 8 IAR and a historic treble treble.
Voted Phil! Thanks again from Canada for the many hours of endless information and entertainment! Good luck!!!
Doesn’t had news come in threes ???
https://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/17497933.amp/
I wonder what’s next!?
Is it not Killie at the weekend?
Ides of March and ‘all that’!
You have MY votes…
I’m wondering if there will be a statistical ‘blip’ on % of Scottish population who called in sick today!?!
Apparently it’s a noted phenomenon on days after Sevco exit a cup competition.
Even with the wind howling where I am .. it’s always a beautiful day when Sevco have had their season prematurely ended….
And it wasn’t even Celtic that had to do it!
Double happy that they don’t get their ‘day at Hampden’ and it’s not up to Celtic to try to dispatch them as the ‘referees’ would be at ‘Sevcon 4’ in the honest mistake-ometer..
Now… how can I listen to the radio Snyde Hun misery phone in at the same time as the BBC Scotland’s Kenny McIntyre Sevco appreciation show this evening??!
I don’t want to miss a minute of that entitlement addled pain and confusion.
I once worked with a guy who was regularly, as his workmates termed it, “Off with a bad result!”.
Cruel,but so delicious🤣😂
I hope you managed both Joe.
I believe the morelos rumour was started with a throwaway comment by @JohnMcKenzie on Twitter.
He has previous for this though,although his comments on Scooby Doo being a ‘cat’ I can exclusively reveal are ALL TRUE.
Thing is,poor Scooby doesn’t know that,hence the canine behaviour.
These cartoonists just can’t be relied upon to get the correct type of animal,far less it’s gender…..may be we should ask some children that have ‘experience’ with these things…
I mean what in the name of the wee man is all that about? Asking children about a life choice,when they barely know what they want for their dinner.Sexual adjustment or realignment shouldn’t be anywhere near any under 16s imho.
Let them gain some life experience before messing around with Mother Nature,then maybe they’ll make a better informed choice.
Thanks for the info Phil,let battle commence and hope General Ashley prevails
Aon rud eile.
HH
ps.Cast my votes for you in both categories.
G’luck🍀
And voted. Must admit their demise is a bloody long time coming. In fact more second comings than Lazarus. Still it gives you lots to write well about and endless entertainment, even more so the the Brexit shambles.
Many thanks.
Appreciated.
There are huge parallels between Brexit and Sevco.
A very rich vein of metaphors down the word mines…
They’re equally unpalatable!!
Phil; what’s going on with these social media reports of Morelos to Celtic? Surely that is just pishful thinking on another Level….
Internet Tim’s at the ‘crank’ I rather suspect…
Ach away n fling shite at yersel!!! The wee nyaff has got purple marks all over his body caused by folk poking him away with 12′ barge poles!!! And not a one of them was caused by anyone at Parkhead because we wouldn’t let him get THAT CLOSE!!!
It started on a fake twitter account with the Sevco Logo etc, a Columbian Sports News agency account cut and paste it and ran with it, then it was picked up by the hard of thinking on all sides over here.
Bingo! Rumour catches like wild fire!
Presumably the request to Mr Ashley for mercy wasn’t accompanied by a large cheque for a portion of the profits generated by Sevco’s recent retail sales…?
That’s quite enough from you…
To be fair, he’s got a wicked sense of humour!!