Yesterday morning I touched base with my Shirebrook source to gauge what he expected later in the day from the High Court in London.
Suffice to say he was rather sanguine about the entire situation.
Therefore, when the news broke that General Ashley had once more vanquished Sevco in court I wasn’t surprised.
The full judgement has yet to be published and if I get more details before that then you will see them here dear reader.
However, I think it might be just worth walking this back to the summer of 2017.
Two years ago Planet Fitba was breathlessly told that Mr King had won a famous victory over those bounders at Sports Direct.
I stated at the time that the devil would be in the retail.
Of course, my evidence-based caution was drowned out by the noise of the triumphant klan and the exultant Stenography Corps.
They were both convinced that Deliverance was at hand.
Instead, Big Mike was preparing to make them squeal.
However, it worked and Ashley had his warehouses emptied of old Sevco stock.
Of course, at the victory presser, there was no mention that the great new deal had cost Sevco £3m.
That inconvenient truth would only be revealed when the year-end accounts were published.
Amid all of the dignified celebrations, General Ashley was happy to remain silent as he made money from the shopaholic klan.
The staunch boycott was over and they could empty Big Mike’s shelves.
I later learned that throughout this period the senior folks at Shirebrook were warned to keep quiet.
Ashley was coining it in and he was happy for King to pretend that he had won.
Finally, it did dawn on the neurosurgeons in the Blue Room that the new deal they had signed up for was even more beneficial to Sports Direct than the one Ashley had agreed with Charles of Normandy.
Oh dear…
I think it is fair to say that it was not the Conveyancing Consigliere’s finest hour!
Faced with this situation the Convict Chairman decided to get creative.
Indeed, as creative as a professor of creativity with 41 criminal convictions for creativity.
General Ashley looked on smiling as the Sevco car boot sale cunning plan was revealed.
Of course, he was far too polite to interrupt his enemy as they were making the mother and father of all legal mistakes.
Mr King’s fiendishly unclever plot ultimately led to the pop-up shop magically appearing outside a Sevco affiliated pub on a match day.
Yes, a pop-up shop!
All the while Ashley has been lawyered up and taking his time, step by step, and methodically thrashing the basket of assets in the High Court in London.
One of the things that Sports Direct insisted upon when they drew up the 2017 deal was that it was signed and sealed in England.
It is almost as if Big Mike was anticipating future litigation and, for some reason, he wanted that in London and not Edinburgh.
I can’t think why…
So, how does this end?
Well, not well for Sevco.
So, dear reader, please use the search function on this site and look at June 2017 and beyond.
Amid all of the dignified rejoicing in the mainstream two years ago who had the accurate reportage?
The heroes on the sports desks or this pesky Fenian in Donegal?
The Stenography Corps played an important role in preventing the Ibrox klanbase from realising that the original Rangers was in mortal peril.
Indeed, I dissect that in the media section of Downfall.
I am now convinced that the Fitba Fourth Estate has decided to double down on their coverage of matters Sevco.
Ah well…
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Well done SHANE LOWRY KEEPING THE FLAG FLYING HIGH 🇮🇪 HH
Just when you think that the Scottish media couldn’t get any more ridiculous in their bigging up of all things Rangers then along pops up Ralston at the Daily Ranger with an absolute belter as he refers to Steve Davis as Antrim’s answer to Andrea Pirlo!
No doubt Davis is a decent player but comparing him to one of Italy’s greatest ever players is a tad over the top to say the least.
Hopefully by the end of the season Ralston and his mates are choking on their printed words……Andrea Pirlo, oh come on.
Why do you read that rag?
Its on the internet
Giving them clicks is as good as buying !
Pretty sure that today and Saturday’s home game Ibrox friendlies were designed to bring in some quick cash revenue.
Presumably Blackburn today, and Derby on Saturday, would be on the normal fixed fees for the visitors that goes with the territory.
On top of the fee there are the usual costs attached to hosting a game, stewarding, police etc.
With an 18 thousand crowd today, paying admission fees considerably less than an SPFL league game, plus the additional costs aforementioned, there wouldn’t have been much left to contribute towards the transfer fees and wages of the new additions.
What a surprise, at least 10 teams now interested in Tavernier.
It’s only a matter of time before PSG, Bayern, Real Madrid and Barcelona are also linked with the Rangers captain.
The fat controller must be burning the midnight oil on this one.
Of course Newcastle could trump them all with no cash changing hands and Ashley releasing his grip on the merchandising contract in return?
There is NO CHANCE of that happening. MA will squeeze far more cash out of them than Tavernier is worth.
I have no interest whatsoever in football, but have followed this saga over the past several years from a “how not to run a business, except into the ground” perspective. One thing that popped into my head: do these “pop-up stores/car boot sales” need any sort of permit from the local authority (Glasgow City Council?) and if so, was such permit obtained?
Wondered about that one myself. Also wondered if the absence of any such permit could, or would, result in Prosecution of the Popper Uppers!!
There will be NO poppery at Ibrox.
Thanks and well done Phil for monitoring this sham of an organisation that is Sevco.
What’s the likely court order ? Sure whatever it is , it won’t be great news for the klan.
How long will this run ?…….
The theme tune from Deliverance seems entirely appropriate for the Klan.
The big question we all want to know the answer to is….. “How much will Sevco have to pay in compensation?” It could mean an acceleration down the slope to liquidation yet again. When will the axe fall?
Ashley will not liquidate he will takeover and squeeze the life out of them and empty the klans pockets
You can’t be liquidated “yet again”, after your liquidated you cease to exist.