{"id":15599,"date":"2020-04-28T08:06:03","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T07:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=15599"},"modified":"2020-04-28T08:06:03","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T07:06:03","slug":"celtic-diary-tuesday-april-28-the-scottish-football-power-struggle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=15599","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Tuesday April 28: The Scottish Football Power Struggle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place to find the reasons behind the screaming from Ibrox, or maybe, which is more likely, we’re not looking in enough places.<\/p>\n

The Ibrox club, backed by Hearts and Stranraer, have been granted their wish for an EGM of all forty two Scottish clubs. They have promised, with ample time, to provide the evidence they have of what they have termed “maladministration “, and let’s face it, anything to do with administration, and they’re the experts.<\/p>\n

The BBC reported…<\/p>\n

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The SPFL has called an extraordinary general meeting for 12 May after requisitions by Rangers, Hearts and Stranraer.<\/p>\n

Rangers have called for an independent inquiry into the ballot on ending the lower-league season.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Ibrox club have also stated\u00a0they will produce evidence<\/a>\u00a0supporting their stance “well in advance” of a meeting.<\/em><\/p>\n

An SPFL-commissioned investigation into Dundee’s belatedly decisive vote found\u00a0“no evidence of impropriety”.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

After Dundee retracted their no vote and backed the SPFL proposal, it was passed by an 81% majority of clubs, prematurely ending the Championship and Leagues One and Two because of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, Stranraer have been relegated from League One.<\/em><\/p>\n

The resolution also provided a mandate for the Premiership to be cut short, which would relegate Hearts, but the top flight could yet be played to a conclusion. Separately, a task force is assessing possible league restructuring.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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It’s clear why Hearts and Stranraer are hitching their carts to the “rangers ” rant, but why would “rangers ” want to have a go at, and possibly destroy the organisation that represents the clubs, and has one of their own on the very board they are accusing of maladministration ?<\/p>\n

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One theory is that they are skint. Well, thats probably a little more than a theory, and there is an insolvency event looming that would render any application for Europe next season illegitimate should it happen now, or give Celtic a 15 or 25 point lead next season, depending on whether or not they admit to being a new club, should the event occur after the season is declared over.<\/p>\n

The null and void option they shout about is merely to stop nine in a row and play to the gallery.<\/p>\n

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In that sense, all of this is a deflection away from their problems and a desire to create the siege mentality that would enable them to sell season books to a support that sooner or later will see through the scam that has led to quite a few pockets being lined at their expense.<\/p>\n

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A strategy neatly outlined by Chris Union Jack<\/em> on twitter….<\/p>\n

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The Rangers* Covid strategy. <\/span><\/div>\n
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Claim @spfl \u00a0<\/a><\/span>is corrupt <\/span><\/div>\n
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Get SMSM to promote narrative <\/span><\/div>\n
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Claim unfairness to apply administration punishment<\/span><\/div>\n
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Go into admin Claim \u201cForce Majeur\u201d See rule E8.3 <\/span><\/p>\n
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@spfl <\/a><\/span>Appeal panel are corrupt as always claimed if they deduct points.<\/div>\n
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Blame others<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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However <\/span><\/em>@spfl \u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/em>appeal panel could request to see accounts (E30) which may demonstrate Rangers* were already heading to administration prior to the Pandemic. Question is whether they would ask?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
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\u00a0Overdue payables, of course, were what should have denied them a European licence when Craig Whyte was desperate to save the club. someone , somewhere lied about them in 2011, and someone covered up that lie.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a0 Claiming Force Majeur, the covid pandemic, would allow for leniancy when they reveal their troubled state, but as they haven’t produced any interim accounts yet, its difficult to see how bad things were before the health crisis, and they probably haven’t finished producing them yet, which by the time they do, might show that they were doing fine up until then….<\/div>\n
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\u00a0That way, they’d get a European licence and not face a huge handicap when next season starts, whenever that may be.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0So, we can see why they would do it, but what do they have to gain from destroying the reputation of the SPFL board, which contains one of their own ?<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Who would stand to gain from that-they already have a man in a position of influence ?<\/div>\n
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Ah….it’s obvious really….<\/div>\n
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\u00a0There will be a narrative to follow which will claim that there is no need for two bodies to run Scottish football.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0The SFA will step in as mediators and as we know, they are fairly benevolent to anything that operates out of Ibrox, and the SPFL are not, as we saw when there were attempts to shoe horn the new club into the Premier League or the new second tier premier league.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0In England, the FA run the top league, and in Scotland, one can only assume that the SFA harbour similar ambitions.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0A successful coup against the other clubs in the league, who frankly will be sick of keeping their financial house in order whilst one club is allowed to breach each and every rule of financial fair play in the manner of their predecessors is the only way for this version of Rangers to survive their current plight.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0This is an attack by the Ibrox club on all the other clubs in the League set up because the other clubs are sick of their shenanigans.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Should it succeed, and success will come of they cast enough doubt and there is enough public support-the media are already onside- if the credibility of the SPFL is shattered and that, of course, leaves the way open for the SFA to take over Scottish football and that way they can close the door on their previous associations with the original Ibrox entity and what they have done to ensure it’s continuity.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0With “rangers ” threatening to up sticks and move to England, will it be the SFA who “persuade ” them to stay ?<\/div>\n
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Even though there is no chance of that lot ever being admitted to an English set up, they have long memories down there….<\/div>\n
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\u00a0They do like a bit of battle fever on the other side of the river, and this one is gearing up to be the battle that decides the future of Scottish football.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0With the SPFL, as poor as they may be, we get representation for all of the clubs.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0With the SFA, it’s rolled up trouser legs, handshakes and representation for just the one…<\/div>\n
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\u00a0And, of course, succulent lamb all round.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Alex Rae must be looking forward to his share of the luncheon vouchers…last night on Radio Clyde Superscorebard he advanced the theory that clubs shouldn’t be docked points for entering administration….<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Celtic fans have been distracted from this, and whilst there is no evidence that there is a link between Talkshite Radio and Ibrox, if you don’t count Ally McCoist, experience has taught us that we were once not paranoid enough, and so with that thought in mind, let’s examine the outburst from Mike Graham, a Talkshite host, a little more forensically…<\/div>\n
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\u00a0These are his tweets…<\/div>\n
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\u00a0Celtic are looking into the matter, and there will be action taken.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0However, it would be far more efective for fans just to ignore this guy, and to ignore his station.<\/div>\n
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\u00a0There may be no connection to the Scottish media narrative, and it might not be a deflection.<\/div>\n
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In fact, Lee Clayton, the head of Talkshite, said , back on 2 April this year that running a sports station without sport meant he would have to do things differently…. (Press Gazette )<\/div>\n
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\u201cSo it\u2019s not been without its challenges, but I think we know what our responsibilities are to our listeners and right now that is to continue to inform, continue to entertain and also to give them some escape.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the feedback that we get is \u2018don\u2019t give us too much news. We know where to get that \u2013 we can go to Talkradio. We know where to go for our news. Give us something that allows us to escape from it and give us something to make us smile\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that\u2019s what we\u2019ve been trying to do\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Maybe Graham..a surname which lends itself to many anti-Celtic minded people, was just following company policy.<\/p>\n

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How fortunate for him it coincides with his hobby of baiting Celtic fans to get him that wee but of publicity.<\/p>\n

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Turn Talkshite Off.<\/p>\n

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It makes BBC Scotland look positively fenian.<\/p>\n

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We didn’t do a caption competition yesterday, so we go back to Saturday for this…<\/p>\n

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R.St.Parsley<\/div>\n