I occassionally speak to journalism students here in Ireland wearing the NUJ jersey.
In doing so I’m often struck by the self-evident quality of the young people who will be the next generation of Irish journalism.
As well as laying out the undoubted benefits of union membership I often receive questions about the activity itself.
For some, it is a trade for others a profession.
I’m ok with either description.
A term I often deploy when engaging in these discussions is the importance of “persistent questioning”.
Essentially, be a fekkin pest!
So here is vignette for illustrative purposes.
On August 2nd this year I initiated contact with Hummel HQ in Denmark.
My first task was to call their main office and get the name of their PR person.
With that done an email was duly sent with this image attached for ID purposes.
An automated reply immediately bounced back saying that yer man (I won’t name him) was on vacation.
That as August 2nd 2019.
Fair play I thought, the fella deserves to go on holliers…
I emailed him again on September 4th:
Hello XXXXX
Are you still on vacation?
I have a question for you.
Regards
Phil
The same day I received this:
Hi Phil
I am back
Feel free to send me your questions.
But just for your information:
We do not comment on any questions related to the ongoing case:
SportsDirect International v The Rangers Football Club
Venlig hilsen — Best regards
Right back the Hummel chap received this from me:
Hello XXXXX
I understand that you cannot comment on the ongoing case between SDRI v TRFC.
However,
Perhaps you can answer these questions:
Is Hummel pleased with the current commercial arrangement with The Rangers Football Club (TRFC)?
Is Hummel aware that Hummel merchandise was sold in a “pop up shop” in Glasgow?
Did Hummel have projections on the number of units that would be sold when the deal was signed with TRFC?
Have those targets, so far, been met?
Is the current commercial performance with TRFC what Hummel had projected when they signed the deal with the Ibrox club?
If not, is the commercial revenues higher or lower from the original projection?
Is Hummel considering extending their commercial relationship with TRFC after the current deal runs out?
Ok, XXXXX those are my questions.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Phil
I didn’t get a reply that day or the next.
So on September 6th I sent an email to get a response.
However, nothing came back.
I then waited until September 19th to send this:
Hello XXXXX
Can I have a response please to my questions of September 4th?
Regards
Phil
No response.
So today, I tried again:
Hello XXXXX
Are you going to provide a response to my question of September 4th?
Regards
Phil
I received this a few minutes later:
Hi Phil
Thanks for your mail.
As stated we do not have any comments on matters related to the ongoing case.
As I have also said to journalism students a “no comment” is often a response well worth eliciting.
My view is that if you stumble across a question that someone in power does not want answered then you may have unearthed something of true value to the public.
Of course, you dear reader can assess my questions and be the judge as to whether or not they are worth asking.
After all, I am asking them on your behalf.
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Why oh why is no one in the media prepared to mention the wee problem with Sports Direct which according to the timetable set by the judge could be unveiled any day now?
Is Maxwell and the SFA blazers all over this asking the obvious question of Kingco and their ability to see out the season in the face of a large bill from SDI?
Or has King told Maxwell to mind his own business and speak when he’s spoken to and not before?
There is no leadership coming from Hampden, in fact there is no leader.
Maxwell’s appointment has been an unmitigated disaster for Scottish football, though what could be expected from a CEO who would struggle with an O Grade English exam?
When the boss is unable to differentiate between complaint and compliant the game is well and truly up.
Does anyone know how many applicants were interviewed for the job with the mouth watering salary attached?
What attributes did Maxwell bring to the table that got him the gig or was he the only runner in the race?
Phil when rangers ,were down four fathoms from the top, did the SFA pay them the same going rate as those in that division 4321 it would have been wrong if they had received more as it would have been seen as a advantage
Phil…It was worth asking the questions…but I think you know you were never going to get answers.
You have, however, poked the hornet’s nest with a stick…and every little helps.
Keep asking them pesky questions.
Phil in relation to the Huns, what’s Danish for ‘Youse are well f****d?’
Du er godt kneppet.
I think it’s….Sevco…or something like that…:0)
Phil Any update on when the details of what Sevco owe to Sports Direct will be released? Did you say 23rd September or was it 1st date available after this date?
I see Metro Bank are up a creek without a paddle. Who will provide banking services for Sevco if they go bust (as looks likely).
Why would Hummel feel unable to comment on the ‘case’ when that case is (at present) involving only Sports Direct and Sevco? They wouldn’t seem to be compromising their own position if they were to comment….
Unless of course they already have their own legal action in motion?
Pat, Hummel isn’t technically part of the SDI case as a participant, but it’s naive to suggest they aren’t heavily impacted by what’s going on. The judge essentially ordered RIFC to breach their contract with Hummel so that SDI could get their exclusive deal back in place. Depending on whether that gets overturned or somehow rolled back prior to going into effect next season, it’s basically an iron clad guarantee that Hummel will be pursuing damages from RIFC for breach of contract by this time next year if not sooner. They would be absolutely foolish to jeopardize that claim by publicly discussing anything related to that contract.
Also worth noting that some of the particulars that Phil asked for (sales projections, etc) are things that are never, or almost never, disclosed with respect to a specific client or customer. It’s just bad business to be discussing that regardless of what the numbers are, good or bad. If the figures are good, it gives away competitive information that could be used against them when the deal is up for competitive bid again. The one semi-common exception to this is when there is a legal requirement to disclose – such as when Celtic had to file a statement with the stock market when Dembele was sold. And if the figures are poor, discussing them will upset the client and likewise tarnish Hummel’s reputation with other clients (“can’t these guys keep a secret?!”). Like I mentioned in an earlier comment to Phil, there’s zero benefit to Hummel for them to be answering any of the specific questions he posed to their P.R. official, and that’s true regardless of what the underlying facts are. They have a lot to lose and nothing to gain by responding in any substantive way. Doesn’t mean the questions aren’t worth pursuing, but it does mean we probably have to look for sources outside of the official company P.R. office. After all, what’s the cliche about news, P.R. and propaganda? 😉
I know that!
It was just a long-winded rhetorical question really….
They clearly have their own large Viking axe currently at the grinders!
Oh it’s very funny sometimes reading the comments, breathalyser appts should be developed. Just thinking👍
Rangers on the cusp yet again but not a hint of possible problems ahead from our trusted media.
Have I left it too late to venture into Paddy Power and ask whats the odds on the Champions are for winning the league by 20 points or over?
Thats factoring in the 15 points admin penalty and not taking into account an exodus of players and management.
Maybe 30+ points is worth a punt?
Wonder what Scoop Jackson’s take on matters is?
Perhaps another billionaire with wealth off the radar bound for Ibrox?
My understanding is the polnts deduction takes place the following season. Which would explain them throwing everything at stopping the run THIS season
When oldco fell into ‘financial difficulties ‘ in 2012… the deduction was immediate.
Pat, you’re correct in notes the points deduction was immediate in 2012. However the entire section of the rules regarding administration have been updated since than (and not just because of Rangers, but also other clubs filing for administration).
I believe the rules currently state that the points deduction is applied immediately unless it’s over the summer in which case the deduction is applied toward the upcoming season. Not 100% sure what the cutoff date is from one season to the next though.
Also, the penalty is now 15 points for first offense and 25 for any subsequent administration event within a rolling 5 year period. So any administration at this point I believe would be 15 points, and that would be for all clubs in the top 2 divisions at least as there definitely haven’t been any administration events involving any of those clubs in the past 5 years. Or in the case of Sevco, ever. 😉
deduction is right away
There is a genuine billionaire involved with Sevco…
Unfortunately for them… he’s the one whose going to bury them!
Aye, yer spot on there Joseph. The billionaire’s name is Donald Trump…once he gets f****d out of the White House after impeachment. I personally think he would fit right in. Moving from one shower of cheating, lying bastards to another. It would be a right laugh if nothing else. And the best part for us…there would be a REPUBLICAN in charge at Ibrox. What’s that I hear?…howling at the moon coming from down Govan way. Hail Hail
That should leave an opportunity for Boris to be Trump’s man on the job at Ibrox.
Come on, what could possibly go wrong with a man of such integrity and depth of knowledge at the wheel.
With Metro about to collapse Boris would have no problems using his City connections to find another banker willing to fill the gap.
Humbug you say, how dare you!
Not long now till the Rangers annual results are released.
Just a case of timing, so be prepared for the release of some well timed rabbits to muddy the waters any time soon. Will they go for the 31st October to coincide with the do or die rallying call from our esteemed, dishonest Prime Minister?
No matter, if the results show another loss despite the additional Europa revenue from last season, then the financial situation is indeed grave.
The current investors have already taken a severe hit, exchanging hard cash for worthless shares, will they step forward again to fill the gap?
Close Bros wait in the wings and who knows what havoc a large bill from Sports Direct will cause.
The auditors notes to the financial results will make for interesting reading, no doubt carefully crafting the appropriate words in terms of future trading prospects.
Another few interesting weeks ahead.
Scottish sports media too busy talking up Mr Ger’ard as the next ‘Pep’ and Liverpool bound ultimately…
Personally I think Mr Klopp has the most ‘windey-up’ of nature’s and a sense of humour that defies his nations (rightly or wrongly) perceived ‘reserved character’.
I’m certain he was struggling to keep a straight face in that interview.
When the Sevco bubble bursts the same media will say how they knew all along (true) but couldn’t comment on legal grounds (lie).
The ‘weekend investors ‘ will cry about why “nobody told us?” (They did)
And. “Why were these people allowed control of our club?” (You wanted them)
I’m definitely feeling a sense of
Da (ve King) Ja Vu. coming on !
The one other question I would have asked was what was Hummels thoughts on the many photos of all the counterfeit Hummel branded gear that has emerged over the last couple of seasons, and are they trying to track down who is behind it and where it was being manufactured!
I would sign off that question with an emoji face with a squint eyes 🥴
Just read your questions several times. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I can actually smell the next Court case coming.
A question for anyone with more legal knowledge than me. There are no shortage of those incidentally. If SD’s final bill forced an administration event and Sevco managed to dump all the outstanding debt that they could where would that leave Hummel and Elite. As yet they have, to the best of my knowledge, nothing owed at present. Could they still take legal action against a post-admin sevco for breaches of contract with a pre-administration sevco if it is essentially the same company.
If anyone gets back, try to make the answer idiot proof. Ma fuckin heids birlin just thinkin oot the question!!
@Charger
The answer to your second question, is ‘yes’ Hummel / Elite could still take legal action against RIFC for claims incurred prior to the administration event. The process gets immensely more complicated though because the claim gets intertwined with the administration process, and even in the event they are successful in obtaining a favorable ruling on the merits of the case, they will be treated in court as one of many creditors at that point. So the ultimate payout would be dependent on ability to pay and what other creditors are also owed.
On the first part of your question, I wouldn’t hold my breath on the upcoming ruling from SDI case directly pushing RIFC into administration, although it could ultimately occur indirectly if the board don’t get operational costs under control to a level where paying the eventual verdict is manageable. I’m not aware of a single case where the terms of a civil ruling were so onerous that it resulted in imminent administration. I know for a fact that’s not even possible in some countries (USA specifically) as judges sometimes have to get creative in stretching out payments or coming up with alternative remedies to avoid an administration event. I do not know for certain what limits might be applicable in this case, but it would not surprise me at all if the judge has to get creative here either, particularly if the judgement is in excess of the cash on hand or if the ruling would trigger a liquidity event between now and next summer. After all, if you’re SDI, what good is getting a judgement for £10m if the verdict results in a liquidation for pennies on the pound? Better to take a smaller amount or over a longer period, or more likely, both.
Not saying you are wrong on this, but not in way you are suggesting it. The judge’s responsibility is not to the company’s ability to pay a damages verdict, only determine legally what the extent of the damages are that are owed to Plaintiffs. He may suggest that the 2 parties come to an agreement on payment, but if the amount owed is simply too large that is not his responsibility.
However, there is separate matter being overlooked by many, namely that after the verdict Ashley will, I believe, become the biggest creditor they have. As such, I think he would be able to control any potential Insolvency event (much like HMRC with RFC). Could that explain why some of the Board were down in the square mile looking for a pre-pack Admin deal? By that I mean that they would pre-empt Ashley becoming biggest creditor and they could control what happens with the Insolvency.
Any legal folks know if that is case?
In answer to your last paragraph, no. I don’t know the answer. However going back to the point made by Benjamin about any court award being paid in stages. This could have the effect of crippling them financially for a few seasons. If MA agreed to such a payment plan he would also want interest on the outstanding amount(s). And for the avoidance of doubt, as Phil would say, we would NOT be talking Bank of England rates.
I was once employed at a level where I was told by a man who taught me leadership, he said “Always keep that passion in you to ask those questions”
I’m inquiring by nature, I want to understand things, I need to make sense.
I learned that when you ask an awkward question it doesn’t always need an answer as the silence oft speaks volumes.
Keep up the good work Phil
Phil, I love your reporting and frequently visit your site, but I think you’ve hit a dead end here. The P.R. officials of any organization are employed to publicly advance the interests of their employers. This isn’t rocket science, and I’m sure you would agree with this point.
The questions you asked of them, however, are either requesting proprietary confidential information (specific figures for sales, units sold, etc as well as projections for the same) which would be used in future contract negotiations, or they are questions for which there is no possible answer that would advance Hummel’s interests. Or both.
In the first case, they’re going to decline to answer specifics regarding sales, projections, etc because doing so — regardless of the specifics in the figures — would put them at a competitive disadvantage in future negotiations both with the current client (Rangers) as well as others. In the second case, as a matter of policy, they’re not going to comment regardless of what the underlying facts are because the simple act of revealing the information — regardless of the specific content — would harm their commercial interests or their reputation. There’s no upside for their P.R. office to respond to your questions, and it doesn’t have anything to do with the underlying factual nature of any of the issues you’ve questioned them about.
The fact that Hummel has refused to answer these questions is not surprising, nor do I think would it be fair to infer anything from their non-answer other than to acknowledge the fact that answering such questions is not something that is in their interest and not something they are likely going to do through official P.R. channels.
I suspect a better line of questioning that might get at some of these points would be to ask some specifics around next year’s kits when Rangers, at least as of the legal rulings effective as of today, will be prohibited from directly working with Hummel. So, do they have an anticipated launch date for next year’s kit? or an anticipated announcement date revealing the design? Or what the retail price(s) will be next season, and where they can be purchased by customers either online or in a store? Those are things that they would regularly tell members of the press under ‘normal’ business operations because revealing that information and getting it publicized helps Hummel sell their product to end customers and make more profit. Under ‘normal’ business conditions, there is no valid reason why they would refuse to share such information to the extent that it exists (i.e. they have a schedule, design, prices, etc and they’re all known), so refusing to answer these questions would strongly suggest that it is not ‘business as usual’. But as we fully know about the injunction, getting Hummel to acknowledge that ‘something isn’t normal’ in their relationship with Rangers isn’t actually that useful from a news standpoint. We already know that from the court orders.
I don’t know that the P.R. people at Hummel will be able to give you any useful information at all to the extent that they’re doing their jobs well. Unless they’re really bad at their jobs, the best case scenario is that they confirm something we already know. But more realistically they’re not going to provide, directly or indirectly, any useful information whatsoever.
Quality work Sir, quality work.
Do not be put off.
HH
Phill just watch a great wee video on YouTube .Derry City Ireland 1964 (Radharc). Give it a go and you will see how and why the troubles occurred.ruralbhoy
From the tone of Hummel’s first response to you, it looks as though they may have been “got at” by a certain p.r. company, some 5 LEVELS above you.
I would also hazard a guess that your specific questions to them will be played out in their own course of litigation with the Close-season Cup Winners – however, if that is not the case, then one wonders what they have to hide by not even making an off-the-record comment, one that you would be requested to withhold from publication until a specific time/date.
Either way – sevco are propelling themselves upstream in a floating conveyance without a means of propulsion!
Any news on the Court case?
As you said, a “no comment” speaks volumes.
Phil you do realise that you have published the chaps name at the end of his first reply to you?
No, I haven’t.
Venlig hilsen is Danish for “best regards”…
He was also a Danish vampire slayer.
Ha ha , he mistakenly thought it was Van Hellsin ‘s cousin .
Does this mean that Hummel may have their own case pending? When is the judgement on SDI compensation due?
Think that means best regards- in Danish…?
Yes keep asking.