Bill

1-1 in extra time. Benfica down to 10 women. Eight minutes to go.

The UK has severe anti-corruption legislation, more stringent than even the US. The lengths businesses have to go through when doing deals overseas is extreme. If those requirements were applied to the SNP then a lot of people would be in prison and the SNP out of business. But because it's a political party, the SNP appears to be immune to normal transactional requirements and it can even deny anyone the right to scrutinise its dealings. Now that's real corruption and it appears the SPFL is able to enjoy the same lack of scrutiny.

No but it certainly does sound like some countries I'd rather not be associated with. The UK wasn't one of them until Labour created fiefdoms and handed them to intensely opaque and dishonest groups like the SNP.

Absolutely but entirely in keeping with so much else in the Sturgeon's Shithole. Corruption is rife and accountability non-existent.

You could well be right but business is business and good people do deals with bad people every day without loss of reputation. There are usually only two barriers to overcome - can the acquirer demonstrate they have the funds - and can both parties agree on payment terms, warranties, etc. If Laxey decided for some other reason to sell instead to another party then you can bet your boots there was a compensatory arrangement on the side.

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then but wasn't there was some issue about payment terms/deferred payment or some such. Perhaps cash on the nose was important to Laxey at the time.

In a country of useless acronyms, it turns out the SPFL is pure SNP.

I think on the whole we're heading in the right direction. Sometimes we move quickly, sometimes more slowly. Sometimes we have setbacks. Perhaps it's also about expectations ... I expect some mistakes to be made along the way and place far more store in the direction of travel and the ability of the entire club to recover from mistakes, learn some lessons along the way and keep on pushing forward. I moaned like hell about the Sydney OF debacle but it actually wasn't terminal and the club managed to extract itself and move on, it won't ever happen again. For what it's worth, recent days probably show that, while the club has a really annoying tendency to take its eye off the ball with supporters, they just might actually respond better than Murray ever did. Maybe that's not saying an awful lot.

If you're expecting perfection first time every time then you will always be disappointed. Mistakes and misjudgements will inevitably be made by all involved. I can say with some experience that progress often depends as much on dogged persistence as on perfect decision making - which is why far more will always be achieved with the club and supporters acting in a cooperative partnership. This rebuild is nowhere near completion and the tasks involved are large of often complex, what's essential is that there is a clear direction of travel and that everyone consistently pushes in that direction. This is the main reason why Club1872 and the RST before it have been such massive failures and contributed almost nothing to the task in hand.

I'm grateful to David Edgar for this initiative. For me it's about more than just waiting passively for the directors to volunteer information, I think effective communication also depends on the average fan seeing with his or her own eyes that these questions are being asked on their behalf. I thought the tone struck by H&H on this occasion was spot on and in complete contrast to the confrontational stuff from Club1872.

For what it's worth. If there are grievances or a loss of morale among the players and it has been left to fester to the extent it's affecting results then my attention also focusses on the captain and the other senior players. They have a clear responsibility for seeing things like that don't happen and, if they do, to see they are addressed. There's a limit to what players can do but what they can do is still significant. In this, the captain has a designated responsibility and if it turns out he's doing less than he should then GvB isn't the only one whose role should be questioned.

Too late, you're mugshot is already there

I notice we've been spared the sight of the forum moderators .... which is a small blessing.

I think it's important to maintain access to this information if at all possible.

It's one thing highlighting the negative aspects of our season so far and it's right these things are debated but when it turns into wallowing in exaggerated pessimism it actually becomes part of the problem. Some of the stuff recently has been out of all proportion to our position and overall progress. Claiming the league is already lost in the middle of September is ridiculous.

I really like the new look but the Podcast Team section isn't without its challenges for the unprepared. I do hope the Online Museum data will be brought to the new site?

I have a conspiracy theory that the conspiracy to protect Celtic FC is far reaching and very influential.

Surely some flaw in your analysis my friend. It's common knowledge the league has long since been lost.

Do you remember what that MP's name was?

You’re playing a very dangerous game with your damned optimism. There’s no room for such reckless positivity in this hog wallow 😉

I still don’t really understand why he was treated so poorly before he left Rangers.

It says a lot about Aberdeen FC that they actually believed they were making a valid point. No wonder Scottish football is the hopeless mess it is.

Surely Club1872 is ample proof that owning large numbers of shares gives you no particular access to anything.