It seems like it if often Statement O’clock at Ibrox on a Friday evening and yesterday was no different.
You can read it here.
This morning I had a text exchange with someone very close to the action.
He would, in the vernacular of Planet Fitba be considered “a blazer”.
I contacted him because I wanted his view on Stewart Robertson on the SPFL board.
My take was that his position on that body was now untenable.
However, I wanted the considered assessment of someone who understands the lay of the land on the 6th floor at Hampden.
This is what he sent me:
I’d say he has been for a couple of weeks. His club – one of the leading 2, therefore carries significant and traditional weight – is openly at odds, and casting clear doubts, over the day to day running and organisation of the company. Which leads to some conclusions: he is still on the board, so he has chosen not to resign, which may be the honourable thing to do, or he has been told to remain on board come hell or high water. You have to assume he is at odds with fellow board members. He may seek to be a Trojan horse, but there is zero evidence of any success if that’s the case. The company and board members must be wary of what they discuss with him, but at the same time, they have a legal duty to cooperate and consult with him.
So there is / are clearly other reasons why he is still there. Traditionally, but not always, one of the leading 2 is always represented on board or in a senior position. If he steps down then there may be no replacement from his club, therefore by rotation his place on the board would go to the other club in the top 2, and that is clearly something he and his club do not want. They want to be in a position of influence, which clearly isn’t working, or more likely want to be in receipt of all available information. If the latter is the case, and it’s the logical conclusion, then he clearly doesn’t understand his directorial duties on the board of the company.
You also have to assume he hasn’t been asked to resign – I fear such a request would have leaked out if so – therefore the next conclusion is that the company seek some value in his board presence. If so, what?
All told, there’s something not quite right. He is still there – which must be his choice, his club’s choice, and the leagues choice (effectively the other club’s choice too). Which could indicate they (all 3 parties) don’t want a Celtic rep on board at this time. My slight hint as to why would lead me to a conclusion of not wanting to fall into public perception of the whole thing being run by Celtic anyway.
When we switched from texting to talking (my decision), he agreed that this entire brouhaha was a cynical marketing plan by the Ibrox club to keep their fans onside for the purposes of season ticket sales.
Of course, don’t expect to read that opinion in the local media.
They are too busy with hard-hitting stuff like this.
Journalism?
I could weep.
If I were Mike Ashley, or any creditor of Rangers, I would certainly be seeking my money now – at least a significant sum of it being ring fenced.
Regardless of how poor their finances were before, they like any club are set to be hammered over the coming days, weeks, months & years (though only for those with the resources to ride it out that long).
Ashley however has an issue in that the courts have yet to put a tangible figure on an actual award. Others have yet to be assured any award will be favourable towards them but nonetheless have a claim to make, see Memorial Walls, Hummel, Elite etc. Close Brothers, less so if the loan is still extant – in which case a serious bill is very tangible & may be close to being fully crystalised.
And then there’s Dave King. Friend or foe.
The problems surround them – poor souls!
Might this therefore be the behaviour of a fear riddled, desperate organisation, wildly lashing out in all directions, unable to see so far as the nose infront of them as they stumble around in the depths of utter blackness, possessing only a barely lit torch,. All the whilst fearful of being flanked by predators, known, imagined & unimaginable.
Faced by serious multi-faceted extistential threats, their wild, loud roars and increasingly aggressive stances do indeed posture as to present an alert & capable combatant but internally all too aware that they’re actually being predated upon. All too aware of their vulnerabilities & of the fate that awaits them.
Either they starve slowly & wither into the nothingness or they are pounced upon & mauled unceremoniously.
Lashing out at all and sundry could be deflection, bluff & bluster! It could be of design. It could be an action chosen to assure a siege mentality that could deliver to them a few extra blue pounds. It coukd be!
I happen to believe the explanation to be far simpler…they are desperately scared, desperately insecure & desperately unhinged.
Fear is crippling them & like anyone or anything facing a mortal threat, the fight or flight response comes into play.
Backed into the darkest of corners, in the deepest of caves, no sign of light on the horizon, nor sounds of friendly acquaintances.
Bereft of hope that they subject of a search & rescue mission, they fear each & every noise & movement is that if a merciless foe.
Delusion & paranoia have long since manifested themselves deep within their psyche. Now those thoughts are the unsuppressible lone functionality of a starving, desperate beast.
If only they had genuinely made some friends on their journey.
Perhaps then, they may have been signposted & redirected to a vantage of safe & secure footing.
Alas no, they were ignored & loathed.
Nobody therefore cared to protest their seemingly deep-rooted desire to plunge to the depths of their current abyss.
We laughed & mocked their every flounderingly desperate step in the wrong direction.
The scourge now reaps the very little they had sown.
Failure to prepare, is preparing to fail.
Mission accomplished!
Surely (Don’t call me Shirley) they can’t sell season tickets, there will be no football played in 2020.
What do they think they will be selling?
Sevco feel they have been dealt an injustice. They wanted the league to be declared null and void and they wanted the prize money forthwith for finishing second in a null and void completion. How absurd.
Sevco didn’t hold back. They demanded an investigation and sackings and suspensions.
Compare and contrast this to the response by the celtic board to the nimmo smith report. “we are surprised that there was no sporting advantage” rangers knowingly, deliberately and systematically cheated for over 10 years. In over 400 games they effectively paid their players with brown envelopes stuffed with £20 notes. The celtic board meekly sat back and accepted this blatant cheating. The celtic spokesman should have pointed whether or not there was a sporting advantage is of no consideration. When you cheat in sports you get disqualified. It really is that simple. This, of course, does not apply in Scotland where there is one set of rules for rangers/sevco and a different set of rules for everyone else.
If someone breaks into your home and you do nothing and they break into your home again and you do nothing then don’t complain if they break into you home again. Get yourself a baseball bat.
It is time celtic got a baseball bat.
r.i.p paul mcbride q.c
Spot on.
One of those things they don’t tell you about being a ‘Dad’ is the facts about dispensing with pets (can nae afford the vet fees – okay!) The pet rabbit who has contracted mixxie, the pet snake who has some kind of bowel cancer. That sort of thing. So for a moment you become the hands on dealer of a quick humane kind of death.
One time I decided to drown an all but gone little rabbit. Put the wee craitur in a strong cardboard box and stuck the box under water. You would not believe the fight that that little beastie put up – seemed like 10 long minutes.
Since then, I’ve watched individuals, teams, organisations respond to imminent oblivion by just such a blind fight against the dying of the light. I call it it ‘the dying rabbit syndrome’ and my good friends at CP know it well.
The nearer the end the more furious the fight. But honestly, how long can this go on!? Somebody- in the name o mercy – bring in the Vet.
Very well put.
You could huv just broke its neck, and not huv it fighten for its life
Hail Hail 🍀🍀🍀
What you’ve just described is illegal. Drowning animals including Trapped vermin such as squirrels and rats by drowning is cruel and illegal and you can be jailed for it.
Trapping a squirrel in a cage and popping it into a barrel of water is illegal. Shooting it in the head is acceptable.
I’m with Mikey Johnstone, sevco are damaging the Scottish game. What are they playing at? Their allegations are most serious.
SevcoRangers needs to present their alleged terrible evidence to the SPFL Board.
Why does it need to be kept secret? Why cant they simply go public with it? Show it to the world sevco!
WHY IS IT A SECRET? THIS EXTREMELY SERIOUS EVIDENCE.
If they have a smoking gun does anyone for a moment not think that their many friends in the media would have it splashed all over the place?
Joseph,in regard to your post at12 pm,they can’t die and be buried AGAIN,as has been noted in all the finest medical publications,dying is a one time event,having said that,a newco can,indeed die,following in the footsteps of its deceased parent club,and that is truly something to be desired.
I would imagine that Celtic would not want to be anywhere near Hampden just now.
I have the feeling that TRFC know they are in great danger of going down perhaps for keeps this time, and are prepared to take everyone with them.
The sevco club and the Klan make no sense in anything that is going on at Hampden . They have their man in there going along with things as they are yet their man appears to be on a sponsored silence for some reason all things Duggiegate regarding evidence. The reason they new club ain’t hit the admin button as yet is because had they done it before now , the 15 point deduction for being a new club would put Celtic 28 points in front in the league and not enough games left to catch us . Also should sevco want to be looked upon as oldco in admin then it’s a 25 deduction making it 38 points behind Celtic.
I can only think that Stewart Robertson is assuring the rest of the SPFL board that it is all just bluster and a marketing ploy required to stave off administration for a while. He’s assured them that they have no case to answer and asked them to just go along with it for now. It will just play itself out in the press/media until they’ve squeezed every drop out of the Sevco fans and will then fade away. As most of their bluster does. The SPFL board have agreed to this as facing another insolvency event at Ibrox would be worse so they agree to turn a blind eye to all the harmful mud slinging from them. Not sure if this is plausible for people in know but at this stage anything seems plausible in the realms of Scottish Football.
Phil has been predicting their demise pretty much since their inception, wrongly as it turns out, they seem to always find a way to keep on keeping on, but hopefully the current cataclysm will finally lead to their permanent obliteration.
Only 25 points if it’s within 5 years of the first administration.
I am fearful that them going under at this time of financial peril for all clubs will play into the agenda to immediately reinstate a team from Ibrox in the Premier League. Where as them going to the wall under any other, i. e. normal, circumstances, may indeed see them disappearing altogether. Which is the desire of all right minded people.
These idiots at Ibrox need put back in their box – tout suite! If I was in Maxwell’s position at the SFA, this is how it would be played out:
Monday 09.00 am:
ME: “Mr Park – you claim to have evidence of wrongdoing at the SPFL. I will give you exactly 24 hours to produce your evidence. It should reach my desk no later than 09.00 am tomorrow.
Tuesday 09.01 am:
ME: Mr Park – you might recall our conversation at precisely 09.00 am yesterday, in which you were told to provide evidence of wrongdoing at the SPFL. The time now is 09.01 – you are precisely 1 minute late, and still no evidence. Be at my office no later than 10.30 this morning. I will arrange a meeting with yourself, and other board members. The subject of this meeting will be to discuss you and your club/company, on a joint and several basis, of bringing the game into disrepute. Bring your chequebook!
How can any club, including Celtic, sell season tickets when we don’t know when/if the new season will start, how many clubs are going to be in the league, how many games it will comprise of, what stadium capacities will be if social distancing measures are still in force?
I said right from the first wail of indignant outrage from Sevco it was a season ticket marketing ploy, however, I repeat, how can anyone sell season tickets for an unknown quantity and unqualified event structure?
The clubs should be looking at their own TV channels to sell a TV season ticket with permission from UEFA to show games live if they are behind closed doors. Simple rules on piping “fan noises” “chants” etc into the stadium tannoys and draping flags over the empty seats to try to create some form of atmosphere must also be investigated and made public.
We have now had over a months worth of absolute hate stoking unparalleled nonsense from a couple of noisy clubs/companies who are either playing to an unhinged lunatic fringe or trying to save their own skins.
The Scottish media, almost to a man/woman, have enabled and encouraged this utter garbage when they should have called it out as naked opportunism to distract from certain clubs using a global pandemic as a smokescreen for their own failures.
It’s actually tragic.
There is a chap who is on almost every media outlet spouting “sporting integrity” at every turn. These idiots don’t do irony and the media outlets that sub contract clowns like this are shameless. I’ll give you £569,000.00 x 40% deduction of tax, national insurance and state pension contributions why this tax evading puppet should be nowhere near a microphone in the first place.
Celtic fans have lost the opportunity to watch their team triumphantly stroll to the clubs second 9 in a row and celebrate in our stadium. We have lost the opportunity to possibly see another Scottish Cup won that would cement greatness beyond any measure of four consecutive trebles – all achieved whilst the alleged rivals and challengers were “back” in the top league! We are the ones who have been affected the most. The Sevco lot had chucked it one month ago, but now they think we are wanted the league stopped?
Again, tragic.
Their behaviour and that of the Scottish media leads directly to their hate driven agenda. I should pity them, but the football authorities in Scotland spawned a monster worse than their cheating predecessor.
Shame on them all.
A season ticket is a contract. Last season the clubs could protest force majeure. And, believe it or not, even that is debatable. Google CAS, Morocco, African Nations Cup. And, ebola. I think that if someone is infected at these games then they are liable under the current set of circumstances, even if enter at own risk is emblazoned on those tickets. Behind closed doors games will demand the testing of 30 players, four match officials, 4 coaches? Ball boys/girls? Associated staff – shall we say 50 minimum? Who is going to administer/interpret those tests? False negatives seem to be a problem and that is with experts doing it. I think that they are going to be busy for some time yet. Multiply 6 fixtures by 50 and you are at 300 tests absolute minimum.
This is complete and utter BS and UEFA know it
Aye. And WE have a small league.
Robertson’s position on the Board of the SPFL is untenable. He is at odds with all other Board members.
He is also conflicted as his Office bearing role at TRFC/RIFC requires him to battle the SPFL, which he is a Director of.
He must stand down or be sacked. This situation cannot continue.
I suggest CELTIC nominate a neutral professional of national note and integrity as an interim.
At the very least, Robertson must temporarily step down (Conflicted) until the issue is resolved and Sevco’s protestations are exhausted.
The fact Robertson has not stood down in these circumstances shows how Tawdry, no class, disregarding convention, bent and corrupt the Sevco club is.
Hard to see how they can sell seats when they do not know what the product to market is actually going to be. Can they honestly just proceed in selling that product ignoring the elephant in the house?? Probably.
Apart from the announcement that Celtic are champions and the asterisk debate, the next round of strong statements from the board will be when the SPFL decide to play out the Scottish cup. Probably with no fans present. With Celtic having the chance of a 4th Treble and sevco not being part of that competition. Crayons at the ready.!
I assume there is still a Uefa cheque to come in so that should see them throgh the next few months, however there could be a major issue with that if some of the sponsors withhold some monies.
As you always say Phil, it’s about the numbers and ironically 55 will be the figure which decides the title! UEFA have 55 associations who will determine the season’s end and this will be 9 in a row and desrvedly so. Trying to compare the SPL situation with the Dutch where two teams are tied on points is laughable. Sevco trying to stop 9 but being steamrollered by 55. Beautiful.
The inquiry debacle is merely the latest round of ” anything at all to sell season tickets to the Sevconians to stop them Walking Away.
Why don’t Rangers just come out and admit that stopping Celtic’s 9 IAR, then a certain 10, is behind every word, every statement o clock coming out of Ibrox.
They know it’s the language the dumbest fans in the world are familiar with and will help Season Ticket sales without which they will be dead and buried yet again.
As our media run out of former players to plead their sporting integrity shit what next?
A blue mystic in contact with long since passed Ibrox stalwarts giving us the thoughts of the long time departed?
Would be no surprise. Gabriel Mackay will probably be all over this at the Daily Ranger.
Poor soul, though anything that keeps him away from numbers will be most welcome.
He has ten fingers, beyond that he can count to twelve, remarkably.
Celtic’s thirteen points is beyond him.
He will however be able to compute ten in a row, failing a DIY or agricultural accident.
I have it on good authority that ” Matt Polster ” is well up the list of nominations to be Bayer Leverkusen player of the year after his cameo performance at Ipox in the Europa League first leg.