The news today that the Sky deal is on the brink of collapsing is not a surprise to anyone but the most ignorant observer of the Scottish game. How can it be? This is a danger which has been telegraphed for months.
It would be amazing if anyone didn’t see it coming.
Ibrox is the problem here, of course, as we always knew that they might be, but that they have somehow managed to rope Livingston in on their wee scam is even more worrying. I don’t know what objective Livingston have, but I do know this; in a system which needs eleven votes to pass, when you have that obstructionist one vote you are in trouble.
Once Ibrox establishes itself as a certain “no” vote then every other club has to vote yes for a major piece of policy to be enacted … and it only takes one of those clubs, which wants something for itself, to threaten to side with Ibrox and suddenly deals are being re-written and people are scrambling to get agreements over the line.
Is that what happened here? We don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least. The system, like most voting systems, are built with a certain amount of trust in mind. Nobody thought that one day you might end up with one club which sought to obstruct everything for its own sake, and thus encourage anarchy and mayhem. But here we are.
It’s not that nobody saw this coming; indeed, the Celtic sites were talking about it for long enough and viewed it as a stonewall certainty. It’s just that nobody in the governing bodies appeared to see it or, at least, take it terribly seriously.
How stupid are these people? Every time Ibrox has been allowed an inch they’ve taken a mile; this is a consistent thread that runs right through their recent history and it is an utter absurdity that the SPFL allowed them the leeway they did when they made a pretty serious attempt to pull down the entire executive of that organisation.
We warned at the time that they needed to act robustly against the board over there for bringing the game into disrepute. They didn’t do it. The cinch disgrace followed and we argued that the SPFL should deal with that robustly or invite the next disgrace.
And along came the next disgrace, and now it threatens Scottish football’s commercial deal with Sky. It doesn’t matter if you agree with that deal or not, or if you think it represents best value or not, but if Sky decides they’ve had enough of the silliness and walks away do not count on us getting a better offer from elsewhere when Ibrox can obstruct it for their own ends.
It is either unbelievable stupidity that has gotten us here or it is utter cowardice. Whichever one it is, this deal is clearly in real trouble, and it’s trouble that could have been avoided had those in charge of our game acted like it when they had they chance.
Now they are victims of events, waiting to see which way the wind blows.
Fukin BIN THESE CUNTS.. SCUM AE THE EARTH!!
For once they’re right, the deal is terrible but you’re to blinkered to say it
It’s a shi#e deal. Why has it not been put out for tender and then accept the best offer. If sky’s is the best then accept it, but how can you tell its the best on offer if no one else is getting the opportunity to submit an offer.
Who else wants it Paul,I’m not so sure anyone does.unfortunately Paul we are the jockland league but that’s what you get for being a wee insular secular country.hail hail.
Well you will never know unless you actively try and sell it by putting it out to tender.
They only make money on the glasgow derby’s, they are not interested in other games.
Italia 1 , Charlie’s Angels 0
RE – LE – GATED , CHA – CHA – CHA !!!!
RE – LE – GATED , CHA – CHA – CHA !!!!
( Repeat )
BBC SH-PORTS…..Now it’s over to Milan for an instant reaction from our Sh-porting Corresh-Spondents..
[Keevins-In–Da-Box ] : We Are Not Amused !! Nae Character What-So-Ever, Ally…. ,
Even Worser Than Yon Sevco(2012) Shower….!!
[Chauncy Gardener ] : Aye, Hugh , Totally Agree. The Manager’s Got Tae Go….!!!!
Big Jock Wid Hiv Hid Thae Wasters O’er Gullane Sands Next Week…
Make NO MISTAKE !!!!
( This Post Will Self-Erase In 5 Seconds…..)
Brilliant katana67,
Why are the league in such a rush to sign a new deal? The sensible thing to do would be to follow a version of the English model which splits the games in packages and to put them out to tender.
I think I’m right in saying that the money sky are offering is actually worth less per game than the current deal due to the increase in matches they are proposing. it will also tie us to SKY for another 6 seasons, who knows that other potential broadcast partners there could be in that time.
Totally agree but no sure who else is waiting in the wings?
I don’t really know if Scottish foobtall will get a better deal if this one collapses. I wouldn’t bet on it to be honest. But the fact is I hate Sky’s coverage of Scottish football and I hate Kris Boyd especially. So if BT picks it up for evsn less money per game then I think that’s a win for the fans , if not the clubs, because their coverage was MUCH better.
To be honest Davy ,I’m not sure any other broadcaster wants our game,it might come to a stage where BBC jockland buy the rights to our game god forbid.
Controversial I know, but I’m with them on this. That deal is terrible and nobody enjoys sky TV. SPFL TV (pooling the club TVs that already stream) would be much better, and cheaper. Heck even BT is better though we’d have to have an alternative to make the bid higher.
They’re right, for the wrong reasons.
I loved that last sentence Martin.
Hail Hail.
That’s a Jacob Rees-Mogg quote.
I’ve got to agree with most of the comments. To ensure maximum value of your product you must offer it to every potential customer. To offer this to SKY without knowing what we could get elsewhere is completely wrong. The other side to this is that Sevco are pushing to get rid of Doncaster which to me is no bad thing. Hate saying it but I think they are correct on this.
REMEMBER MARTINJAILS KLUB IS BACKING THE BIGOTED KLUB.
You are so right James ,the shower at Ibrox seem to be running our game ,not the SPFL or the SFA. but the mighty orange protestant regime at Ibrox,which our club had it any balls could have put the Huns in their place ,but here we are the whole of Scottish football in the hands of the Protestant established club , which according to them should be the only football club in Scotland if they allow it , Celtic board and the SPFL and SFA are pathetic,if Sevco stop this deal or put a spanner in the works , Scottish football should just stop and let Sevco win all the trophy’s on their own,I am now going to follow sporting Lisbon or Yeovil town because they’ve got the same strip but bigger balls than the Celtic board.
I’m sure that Celtic’s financial experts are very aware of potential markets elsewhere and have based their decision on sound information and principals. They will have concluded that this deal is the best one for all the clubs involved in the SPFL as a whole. The huns though are only interested in their own selfish aims and have thrown a spanner in the works purely for spite. They are not renowned for their financial expertise which caused the death of their original, now empty husk of a club. They are holding the remainder of the clubs to ransom and in doing that they are turning everyone against them. It can only end up badly for them both in the short term and the long one as very one is getting sick fed up of their constant, unpopular interferences.
Much rather have Celtic TV as the channel for watching our games, though it would need to improve of course. Also we can make our own deals across Europe, Asia, America, damn easier to say around the world.
We don’t need the rankers to decide our tv deal, we don’t need the SFA, we don’t need the SPFL, and we most certainly don’t need sly tv.
If for some reason, mibbies lack of ambition, we aren’t prepared to do our own Celtic TV option, and there may be good reasons for that which I don’t know, then BT on a reduced rate suits me fine. It is better coverage with better presenters and better pre match shows on a Friday night or follow up shows on a Monday or Tuesday. The rankers can have less of the cut if the SFA are too scared to sanction them.
Could sevco 2012 be looking to scupper any league tv deal as a way to force through the selling of individual clubs rights .
This may suit them and us but don’t know how the rest would benefit.
Then again I don’t think sevco 2012 would give a toss