I’m not one for admiring Vladimir Romanov but yesterday when around 2pm HE PAID an outstanding Tax Bill to save Heart Of Midlothian FC being liquidated was a moment I saw him in a new light.
In a day which saw plenty of belly laughs (THE BIG HOOSE) this act was at the top of the list. What a cad Romanov is. It was comic timing – up there with Cooper – to pay Tax on the day (even at the precise moment) that HMRC proved they had a bigger gun than future Celtic legend Craig Whyte by forcing them into administration 5 days before they wanted too.
Vlad proved that he is sitting in his bunker laughing like the rest of us. Mowgli is having his loin cloth removed and Vlad is enjoying the view. The dirty sod.
Romanov and David Murray are birds of a feather. While most people go to Primark for vanity cases they both bought football clubs.
The whole Rangers in administration thing is being reported with a hint of agenda and a sprinkling of lies. The question that seems to being asked is: “What will happen to Scottish Football now Rangers can’t overspend?” and not: “What punishment befits Rangers for almost 22 years of overspending, having an insidious (almost bordering on incest) relationship with a bank that supplied them with a limitless credit facility – NOW Tax payer owned – and gross Tax evasion which the previous two owners have indulged in?”
Instead they are being asked for our sympathy. It’s like being asked to feel sorry for a lion tamer that has been eaten by a wild lion while trying to steal its cub.
We are finding previous board members not being laughed at and asked if they are smoking Indian bovine dung when they suggest that previous owners should pay the tax bill and the club shouldnae be held liable THOUGH they (THE CLUB) gained the benefits of not paying the Tax in the first place!
We are also being held accountable! Aye, us. The prudes from the East. No mention of the balance sheet that we recently produced (reduced debt, small profit, paid tax) and that we are actually in profit from our transfer dealings in the last 5 seasons (while Rangers have a £15m deficit during a period we were told that they were financially hamstrung).
Yes, we splurged the cash when Saint Martin arrived. We handed him a five year budget up top, had a wage bill that resembled the national debt of a small third world country but we trimmed and reduced as the years went by.
Off course we had the: “Where’s the Seville money?” cries (paying off getting to Seville turned out to be the answer) and the usual: “We are showing no ambition!” moans but events of this week has seen history being kind to this strategy and wave of support that Fergus McCann be honoured.
One of the most annoying things is that us – the Celtic support – are being portrayed as rabid tribal troglodytes who want to see our enemy dead and for us to get a chance to dance on their grave safe in the knowledge that they will never return.
We are only digging their grave at the moment. The corpse isn’t quite ready to be suited and boxed yet. It will. Soon. But…….do we REALLY think that R*ngers Football Club will die? Naw, what we hope is that R*ngers Football Club formed 1873, buggered into bigotry for money by John Ure Primrose and a constant sectarian shame both on these shores and abroad will be boxed and buried.
There will be a R*ngers afterwards. We are all not stupid enough to think that they will cease to exist. But they will be freshly packaged, without baggage and without history. THAT IS THE OUTCOME WE WANT. THAT IS OUR UPTOPIA.
Administration seems a cop out when you see it in black and white for what they have done. The10 points deduction still sees them safely in second place and their friendly administrator won’t let their best players (and Kyle Halfwittery) go as they are assets. Faceless youth team players, kitchen hands, janitors and others who struggle to pay the mortgage will pay for the greed of others.
That is wrong.
R*ngers have spent from 1997 £160m more than they have earned. They have deliberately avoided paying tax this season to the tune of £9m and since 2001 an estimated £35m due to the use of EBT’s. Murray invested £50m in 2004 when the share issue bombed and £25m a few years previously. This was all borrowed from HBOS via MIH. Borrowed from the tax payer in other words.
Over £200m to win a few tinpots. The scale of it is staggering. It’s grand theft financial doping. Or in other words cheating.
The self styled President of the best wee country in the world has waded into the affair stating that the best thing is if an agreement is reached for R*ngers to repay the Tax debt sensibly (sic) and for them to continue as a football club as, basically, we need them.
The headmaster is allowing the school bully to continue with his campaign of terror as his father is chairman of the school board.
Idiots will believe this if it is told often enough and it is beginning to (see the scare mongering regarding the future Tv deal).
We ALL know that our CEO was probably being economical with the truth when he said we wouldnae be effected if they went to the wall or disappeared for a few seasons. We would have to downsize further but we have the infrastructure in place. Would it be such a chore to go and watch a team of mostly homegrown players reared (or cloned) at Boaby Lennoxtoon?
I also remember us having a crap Tv deal when the Beeb had the rights in the early noughties. Let me think. Aye, R*ngers were part of that deal.
What we need to get across to EVERYONE we speak to on-line or – shock horror! – in person is that they cheated not just us, not just every SPL club (present and relegated) but the single mother, the nurses, the forces, the education system, health care, the highway agency, the binmen and anyone else who pays taxes or relies on public funds.
They cheated everyone.
This should not be sympathised. It needs to be punished. We are looking for them to be treated like any other club. Something that might not sit well with authority. There is a swell of support from other clubs for this to happen. The turkeys are going to vote for Christmas if they listen to the fans.
We are not just wanting to dance on the grave we want to ensure that our gemme is seen as transparent and fair. We want a beautiful future and that means cheating must be punished. Hey, we will take a hit but in the long term it will be worth it.
So, tomorrow, the next day, next week and next month when discussing the only story in town make sure that we mention cheating, make sure that you the figures that they have stolen from the public purse to feed a superiority complex that came with large fries and an endless refill.
Cheating must be kept on the agenda and not swept underneath the carpet.
I just mentioned the figures to a Falkirk fan. I told him that they were cheated out of the 2009 cup final and probably their SPL place due to clubs overspending because they were polluting the pond.
He said: “Does that mean we get the cup added to our honours?”
“If you want” I replied.
“I hope their sat navs can find Annan….!” He laughed.
It’s game on.
yes this should never be forgotten, neither should the biggest scandal in world football when celtic trainers abused their youth teams, cairnie and torbett, and celtic sweeping it under the carpet for over 23 years, allowing these men free, so when you lot cheer in your glory just remember how your club acted,shame, and remember when you celebrate the championship, remember rangers lost the league, you never won it, firstly 15 points ahead then 10 points deducted,,,oh yes. rangers lost the league,
🙂
Sad and predictable. Denial. Your a future Jeremy Kyle guest with your issues.And I won’t mention your maths or observational skills.
LORD OF THE WING EVERY LETTER IS IN MY HEART FANTASTIC god bless you and please everyone ignore 11 52 comment from aSAD LITTLE BIGOTED LOW LIFE UNEDUCATED PIECE OF CRAP WHO IS SO CLOSE TO TOPPING ITSSELF A CAN SMELL THE ROPE 140 YEARS OF BIGOTRY AND SHAME ALMOST OVER
The amazing thing is, your post actually sums up the mentality of your club, the same mentality which means your club is now nothing but a irritating fly to our prestigious club. A soon to be splattered fly. HE HE HE HE HE HE HE!!
wow @Jim with such intelligent and thought provoking arguments(Bile) like that it is hard to argue against you…………….you really are a fuckwit!
jim why r u even reading this post, never mind commenting on it? U should be on sites about ur own club and reading, if you can, about whats being done to save ur tax dodging team from going under, in which case they would b sorely missed by every club in the SPL… aye, so they would, think ur problem is – hate celtic more than you love rangers, just like the rest of your kind
@Jim….15 points ahead..?? Not when you lot finally got punished for cheating ‘her majesty’ [whom you seem to love so much]. I wonder if you’ll be singing ‘god save the queen’ when you wake up and realise that you cheated the person you love and that person is going to make sure you don’t exist anymore..!! You can’t cheat and expect to get away with it….no matter how many funny handshakes you try..!!
Jim’s just angry about his club and how the death of it will be slow and painful. Rancers fc will re-appear to compete mid table while we throw bread crusts to the support from the ‘top of the league’ for many years to come. JIM, that’s reality for ya Hun
The media are idiots. They keep peddling this fairytale where either Rangers come back strong and debt free but are deducted something ridiculously lenient like 10 points for 2-3 seasons and all is well (the happily ever after ending for everyone, Rangers SAVE the day and save scottish football from oblivion by gracing us with their presence), or the doomsday scenario, where Rangers are forgiven and allowed to carry on and save Scottish football from the rabid, angry, bitter Celtic support. Why does it have to end 1 way or the other? I’d be happy for Rangers to be told to start in division 3, make a public apology, lose all of their history and every title and cup won is given to its rightful owner. The benefits for the lower leagues are obvious, justice will seen to be done and the SPL clubs outside the Old F!#m would have a chance at european money, longer cup runs, better attendances and a decent chance at actually winning something.
The more I think about it the more them being relegated to division 3 seems more and more fanciful. They – Newco or Old Co – will be financially hamstrung for the foreseeable with the sort of transparency that has been lacking since 1986.
The administrators have already admitted that they will fail to get a Euro license for next season as they can’t produce accounts. ‘Stars’ will leave for much cheapness and be replaced by those they have loaned out to Dunfermline and such.
The SPL and SFA will be forced (hopefully) to put in a draconian penalty to stop others attempting the Fix. It’s a win, win but only if no bail out is forthcoming (which it isnt as the politicians are just paying lip service) and for me the only outcome seems liquidation and a new club who will have to deal with the asset owner.
Heh.
Bet Murray wishes he had bought Ayr United now.
There must be a petition started by the fans of all Scottish clubs to ensure that the SFA/SPL/Authorities do the right thing. The basis of sport is fair play. It cannot be any other way. Rangers have cheated for years. They have cheated everyone from their own fans to the taxpayer to the fans and Chairmen of every other club in Scotland. They have bought goods and players and have procured services with the knowledge that they were unable and unwilling to pay. This must be condemned in no uncertain terms and prosecutions must happen.
In the Australian Rugby League, when Melbourne Storm were found to have breached financial rules over recent years (in their case a series of annual Salary cap restriction) they were stripped of their titles by the sports governing body (jointly controlled by Rupert Murdoch’s News Ltd so he or his journalists can be contacted if there are any questions about how it can be done!!!).
The vacated titles weren’t re-awarded to the runners up – they were simply stripped from Melbourne Storm and left vacant.
We in Australia lack the advantage of a well organised and effective Establishment but even the likes of us got to this solution very fast and no-one disagreed – even the offending club accepted it as a fair cop.
Why isn’t this same solution being proposed in Scotland – which of course has an efficiently run Establishment of the kind we lack ? I wouldn’t even push the claim to have half a dozen of the “titles” re-allocated to us if they were simply and clearly vacated.
Does anyone who is closer to the action want to advance this as a solution ?
Hail Hail
I don’t want the titles. They can be left blank. You’re right about our establishment. It’s all ready descending into farce and who can shout loudest and bully better.
Fantastic article and bang on the money on every point. Well done
Cheers.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/21438
LOTW – Do what you can to make it reach the 100,000 signatures needed.
This won’t go un-punished!
https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/21438
I’ve seen this on numerous Twitter Feeds and FB pages. It’s out there.
Get it signed troops.
Don’t know if this has been re-published on any of the News Now sites thus far but all Celtic fans should read this – and Rangers fans for that matter – to finally see just how the media (print journalism being the most culpable) were deeply complicit in taking the establishment team to where they now find themselves. A BBC Scotland report the other night claimed that some Rangers fans had seen Craigy boy as the ‘Whyte Knight.’ Not strictly true unless we’re talking about fans with laptops who work for red tops. People like Leckie, Traynor, King and Jackson to name but a few have effectively acted like cheerleaders and PR operatives for Rangers and the Murray vanity project. I won’t make any comment on the following. Just read:
Bill Leckie Summer 1997:
Not a bad week all round, really.
Sunday, watched Scotland do the bizzo in Minsk. Chuffed to bits for Gaz McAz – can you believe it’s a year since Wembley? Me neither.
Don’t want to speak too soon, but I’d say we can start thinking about France next summer thanks to our reserves showing so much bottle in Belarus.
Once we get Hendry, Calderwood, Collins, McGinlay and the rest back we should be well on for turning them at home and then topping it off with a win over Latvia.
But then I’m the bloke who stood on the terraces in Monte Carlo Monte Carlo confidently predicting that we’d score any minute.
Sunday night, swam in the glorious warm waters of Brazil v Italy. Wonderful. You watch Zagalo’s team getting nearer and nearer the Class of 1970 and you just can’t wait to go down the park and practice your keepy-uppy.
They should have played extra-time, a day and a half of it, then next goal’s the winner, but headers and fancies only. One to watch over and over, if you hadn’t been a plank and forgotten to set the vid.
Still, there was always another day and that day was Tuesday. Went and bought a 1970 Brazil No.10 shirt for the occasion, then remembered – tsk, tsk, silly old me – that I was going to watch the game in a boozer full of E**lishmen.
Honestly, I’d forget my head if the knuckle-scrapers didn’t want to kick it off for me. Shouted a lot that night, mainly things like “Ole” and “Oh no, looks like a goal by Romario”. All good clean fun.
One nifty bit of marker pen artwork later, “10? became “1-0? and by the time I explained my theory that, just as Rik in the Young Ones was spelled with a silent P, Paul Ince’s surname actually had a silent M, it was turning into an evening to remember.
And then there was Thursday and the news that the finest player I have ever seen in Scottish football wasn’t doing a runner after all.
All I can say is, massive respect is due to Rangers – and Muz in particular – for keeping Brian Laudrup in the game.
And before all you Celtic fans – including the one standing over me with a rolling pin as I write this – start giving it the there-ye-go-ah-always- knew-he-was-wanna-them paranoia, remember one thing.
Rangers also beat you when Laudrup WASN’T playing.
This time last week I was all set to write a piece on how they had finally, eventually, taken the leap forward they’ve threatened for so long; but then the news broke that their greatest asset was leaving.
Suddenly all the summer’s advances – the arrival of a foreign coach, the signing of Thern and two top-drawer defenders, the Defenders lost their sheen.
You wondered just what a downer there would be on the day their Great Dane went walkies for good.
A couple of seasons ago, last summer even, you wouldn’t have bet tuppence on Muz being able to talk the boy round. But something has happened at Ibrox, something you can’t put your finger on, which seems to have propelled them into a different orbit.
And so, as Ajax sat back waiting with a spacecake and an Oranjeboom and Fergie came out gloating that the player was his, Muz quietly got down to the business of making Laudrup stay.
Were I a Celtic man, I would be so afraid. No manager, no sign of a manager, two biggest names threatening to do a bunk, no sign of new blood, season ticket holders in a major huff.
Call me picky, but things do not look good. And hell mend them.
I cannot believe how quickly and how far Fergus McCann has allowed things to slip, especially after Tommy Burns took them so close.
It is easy to say now that Burns was a failure, but what is nearer to the truth is that he was a very good manager with the wrong club.
The closer he got to toppling Rangers, the more his emotional attachment to Celtic overtook the rational thinking his job required.
Others would disagree, but I reckon Burns will go on to be a huge success elsewhere, starting in King Kenny’s bootroom at the Toon.
What is not up for argument, though, is that Celtic are in a far worse state without him than they were with him. Rangers are leaving them further and further behind with every passing day and there is no white smoke from the Parkhead chimney to signal a comeback.
The Ibrox men are, I reckon, one more signing away from finally leaving their greatest rivals – and, therefore, the rest of us – so far behind them they will be no more than a dancing dot on the horizon.
Who is that signing? I’d go for Batistuta – though Muz says no – but whoever they end up with he will be big time and he will be here soon.
It’s enough to make any Celtic fan hide behind the couch. Sorry? Oh, you already are …
The Internet is a wonderful thing for digging up what the meeja hoped were long buried corpses of ejaculation, hyberbole and ego massaging.
Chico had one the other day brought up as well. Traynot admitted that he knew about ALL of the Romeo Dunn’s problems but needed the evidence even though he knew it was the truth.
What a horses.
Muz ?! Hahaha ! Great find.
Well said on all fronts.
The facts are that these cheats and corrupted thieves have made every attempt to get the country pregnant. They have raped all of us and the time has come for them to pay the piper.
Had their plight just been mismanaged funds I would have had more empathy. But the fact is it was far worse than bad money management. it was grand larceny. Theft, tax evasion, corruption, and for what? because they thought as a crown affiliated organization they could and not be held accountable. Consider the spin-off? yes, this is exactly what the rest of the country needs to consider! The spin-off is that every football club, regardless of who they are, which religion the represent, or anti-religion group they represent, what they spend, how it affects jobs, families, health care, pensions, wellbeing etc, can do exactly as they like and spend what they will never in a million tears earn, but it’s okay because, yes, rangers did it and the government said it was okay!
Well said. While politicians continue to emit hot air over the situation with an air of romanticism that the situation hasn’t got. This isn’t as you rightly say some club that has over stretched this is some club that got greedy at the whim of a egomaniac then buggered by a shyster.
The SFA must be looking at themselves going fit and proper?
Neutral observers, intelligent commenter’s and partizan meeja lackies have been using the words: “Institution”, “Worldwide fanbase”, “Culture”, “fabric of the country” but none are mentioning the CHEAT word.
That has to change so we get a balanced argument to drag us away from this one-sided wail fest we have just now.
Whit a feckin superb post… well done. One of the best parts of this superb week was watching the hun supporter break down in tears live on telly as he looked lovingly over Ibrokes. My play back button on ma sky remote is worn oot…
That and he looked like he was Rick Parfitt circa Live Aid in 1985!
Still waiting for the cracked crest in the rags. I hope the knuckle dragging cheats go into oblivion. Society does not need them.
Celtic fire back. Interesting.
Bang, Bang.
http://www.celticfc.net/newsstory?item=2194
Brilliant article.
What really stands out for me is how their fans have just sat and watched it happen..and even now they are still in complete denial. “We are the people” ?! Not so much. They are as complicit as the media..and where have the Trust disappeared to ?
You couldn’t find a wider contrast in comparing fan reaction when we almost went to the wall. It really highlights a fundamental difference between the two sets of supporters.
That 1st poster is an animal. Imagine using things like that to get back at Celtic. What a vile human being and twisted mind
The thing that really annoys me is the last 3 titles they cheated us out of.
As we acted with caution Rangers risk appetite to spending was appalling.
Smith spent a fortune in his 1st 2 seasons which funded 3 in a row.
Strip the cheats and tax dodgers of these tainted titles.