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“If ever fans required a reminder of the reasons for our campaign to secure our club’s home, it is the recent £200k windfall received by disgraced former finance director Brian Stockbridge, who in the past couple of days has been handed shares worth approximately £215,000 for which he has paid just over £7,000. It is the current board’s position that Brian Stockbridge was contractually entitled to these shares and it was therefore outwith their control. We reject this entirely. Mr Stockbridge could and should have been sacked for any number of employment related issues including his abysmally inaccurate financial projections, financial mismanagement of tens of millions of pounds of fans’ and investors’ money and several misleading statements to fans and shareholders. That this board allowed a compromise agreement to be signed, on termination of Mr Stockbridge’s contract, which allowed Mr Stockbridge a further £200k windfall is an absolute disgrace. His share option entitlement and any other financial benefit which Mr Stockbridge was due should have been removed as part of his contract termination. Mr Stockbridge has already received considerably more than he merited from our football club as have several others with whom he is closely associated. Did Mr Stockbridge’s close relationship with the Easdale brothers, who hold undue influence over boardroom matters, smooth his path to this further windfall? Furthermore, we believe that David Somers misled shareholders at the AGM on the subject of Mr Stockbridge’s share options. When a question was asked on this topic, the clear inference from Mr Somers was that this would not be an issue due to the option price of 70p, which at that time was almost twice the market value of the shares. Mr Somers clearly gave the impression that the option would not be taken due to the drop in share value. At no point did either Mr Stockbridge or Mr Somers make it clear that this option could be exercised for 1p a share – a crucial and highly misleading omission. Charles Green had a similar clause in his contract which entitled him to 1,028,571 shares. Can the board confirm whether this option was also allowed to remain following Mr Green’s contract termination? If so, can we expect a further windfall in the near future for Mr Green on top of the small fortune he has already bled from the club? Finally, despite repeated attempts to engage with Graham Wallace and the board over the issue of a binding legal commitment not to sell or lease back Ibrox or Murray Park, we have been unable to come to any agreement. It seems the board are happy to continue to alienate the thousands of fans who have supported our efforts through the Ibrox 1972 fund. As a result of this refusal from the board to give fans any legal undertaking over the club’s most prized assets, we are left with no option but to release all those who have supported the fund from their binding financial commitment. This will be confirmed to them over the coming weeks. We urge fans not to give their money to this regime in a lump sum payment via season tickets and to support the team on a game by game basis. The team deserve our loyalty, this regime, with its stranglehold on our club, deserves nothing but our contempt. Quite simply, they cannot be trusted and supporters simply do not know where their hard earned money is going to end up if they pass it over blindly."
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Not sure how genuine this is but it does tie in with the rumoured design....
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http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/486397/Rangers-gaffer-Ally-McCoist-happy-to-sign-experience Rangers gaffer Ally McCoist happy to sign experience RANGERS boss Ally McCoist has defended his signing policy after reuniting the ageing strike force of Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd. Published: Thu, July 3, 2014 Miller and Boyd. The duo have a combined age of 64, but while McCoist insists his team isn’t the ‘Dad’s Army’ of the Championship, he was quick to stress the Ibrox side would not have made it out of the lower leagues with a bunch of kids. McCoist, whose side face Buckie Thistle in their first pre-season friendly tonight, said: “I can understand people being sceptical with players coming back and the ages of these players, but, at the same time, we are not in a position to plan longer term. “Finances are dictating that the job is to get out of the division until the time comes when we can again spend money and bring players in. “A year ago, Kenny was scoring at Wembley for Scotland, and Kris was unbelievable at Kilmarnock last term. “I was really impressed with their desire to come back, do well and be part of our journey. “They’re tremendous pros and the younger ones will learn a lot from them. “When you are reaching 30, a fear goes through you that you’re nearing the end of your career and there’s a desire and a determination to look after yourself and play for as long as possible." He added: “We’re not ignoring kids and it’s nonsense to suggest otherwise. But you can’t flood your team with kids and then expect to get through two divisions. “There’s never been a case in recent Old Firm history where five or six kids have come through the ranks and into the first team. “But, if the younger lads coming through are good enough, they will play. Guys like Lewis Macleod and Fraser Aird have come in and stayed in. “Others, like Calum Gallagher and Robbie Crawford are there on the fringes and we’ll continue to give the younger ones a chance. “But it’s crazy to think we could have put seven or eight in the team and come through the leagues.” McCoist confirmed that former Hearts defender Marius Zaliukas, 30, is on his radar as he looks to add to his squad. He said: “Marius has come up to train with us for a couple of days, “I’ve always liked him as a centre-back, If we can bring him in then great, but we haven’t even spoken contracts or money.”
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Noticing there has been some fairly sizeable share trades recently... Just over 50,000 sold today and several 10,000 buys at the end of last week.....
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Last eight. Who's your favourite to go all the way. At least this way we aren't given away any score predictions for the league.
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http://www.londonstockexchange.com/e...entId=12002687 Rangers International Football Club plc ("Rangers" the "Club" or the "Company") Issue of Equity The Company has made an application to the London Stock Exchange for 714,285 new ordinary shares of 1p each ("New Ordinary Shares") to be admitted to trading on AIM ("Admission"). It is expected that Admission of the New Ordinary Shares will become effective and that dealings will commence at 8.00 a.m. on 7 July 2014. The New Ordinary Shares are being issued pursuant to an exercise of the options granted to Brian Stockbridge (a former Director of the Company) on admission of the Company's shares to trading on AIM pursuant to Mr Stockbridge's original contract of employment with The Rangers Football Club Limited dated 17 September 2012. In accordance with the provisions of chapter 5 of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, the Company confirms that, following this issue, its issued share capital will comprise 65,810,341 ordinary shares of 1p each. All of the existing ordinary shares and New Ordinary Shares shall have equal voting rights. The total number of voting rights in the Company following the issue of the New Ordinary Shares is therefore 65,810,341. This figure may be used by shareholders as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the Disclosure and Transparency Rules. For further information please contact: Rangers International Football Club plc Graham Wallace Tel: 0141 580 8647 Daniel Stewart & Company plc Tel: 020 7776 6550 Paul Shackleton / David Coffman Newgate Threadneedle Tel: 020 7148 6143 Graham Herring / Roddy Watt / John Coles
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http://footballtaxhavens.wordpress.com/2014/06/20/so-willie-haughey-owns-celtic-park-but-the-question-for-celtic-shareholders-is-why/ Willie Haughey owns Celtic Park?
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.........that Ally McCoist showed me the door at Rangers. THE Northern Ireland internationalist says that McCoist spoke to him throughout last season and fully expected to stay at Ibrox. FORMER Rangers striker Andy Little says he was left stunned last month when he was axed at Ibrox. The Northern Ireland international didn’t take long to find a new club and earlier this month agreed a contract with Preston North End in England’s League One. Little, 25, is disappointed he wasn’t offered a new deal but understands why he was allowed to leave the League One champions. McCoist has brought Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd back to Ibrox since and Little said: “It was a massive shock. I was fully expecting to sign a new contract and stay at Rangers. “The manager had spoken to me throughout the season. I loved every minute of my time there but these things happen in football. “I think they needed to offload some players and I was the collateral, if you like. “I think the manager wanted to keep me but sometimes if there is another player he fancies more than you, he has to make that choice.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-transfer-news/stunned-striker-andy-little-still-3787254
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RANGERS have experienced a flurry of late season ticket sales since striker Kris Boyd made his emotional return to Ibrox last week. Boyd ended weeks of speculation when he signed a one-year deal with the SPFL League One champions - and is set to team up again with Kenny Miller. And his capture has since led to a surge in Light Blue supporters signing up to watch Ally McCoist's side in the 2014/15 season. The ticket office at Ibrox at the weekend was queued out of the door for long spells as fans snapped up season books for the new campaign. Lifelong fan Alan Anderson, from Cambuslang, was taken aback at the level of interest when he renewed his ticket at Ibrox on Saturday. He told SportTimes: "I was told the season ticket office was going to be open until after two o'clock and popped down half an hour before it shut. "But when I got there there were a lot of cars in the car park and people were queueing out of the door. "There was a great atmosphere among the supporters who were waiting to buy tickets. "I think most of them were, like me, buying season tickets because Kris Boyd has signed. "But people were genuinely excited about the season ahead and the prospect of playing teams like Hearts and Hibs. "I wasn't going to renew my season ticket, but I decided to do so when I saw that Boyd had signed. "I think a lot of people were the same as me. "I don't necessarily like who is in charge at Rangers at the moment, but I am, as the slogan goes, prepared to support the team and not the regime." Rangers announced to the Stock Exchange a fortnight ago that "approximately 17,000" season tickets had been bought by fans this summer. That is in stark contrast to the 34,000 supporters who made the Gers one of the best backed clubs in Britain for the second stage of "The Journey". The Union of Fans - an umbrella group comprising six supporters organisations - has been urging fans not to renew their season tickets. The UoF and former director Dave King set up Ibrox 1972 Ltd in the close season and urged supporters to pledge their money to it instead. They want Rangers to give them security over the stadium and the training ground at Auchenhowie in return for the cash. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-revel-in-boyd-ticket-bounty-169185n.24618366
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Dundee have revealed chief executive Scot Gardiner will leave the club at the end of June. Gardiner was recruited in 2012 to help "stabilise" the club and "build a solid platform for the future". A statement on the Dundee website read: "That work has now been completed and significant new investment secured. "With the club back in the Premiership and in good hands, Scot feels this is the natural time to move on and pursue other opportunities within the game." Gardiner said he has enjoyed his time at Dens Park, adding: "It is a fantastic football club and my thanks go to the board, my colleagues and the fans for the tremendous support I have had during my time here. "I will miss everyone but I leave confident that the club is in good hands and heading in the right direction." Dundee revealed that as part of a restructuring process, director John Nelms will serve as their managing director, director Ian Crighton has taken an executive role as chief financial officer and director Steve Martin will be commercial director. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28081515 -
WILLIAM HILL are offering the odds on the Gers to make it two league campaigns in a row without losing a match. BOOKIES William Hill are offering 16-1 that Rangers go through the Championship unbeaten. Ally McCoist’s side were undefeated in League One last season, earning a return for punters who had backed them at 4-1 not to lose a game. Rangers are 4-9 to top the Championship, with Hearts 7-2 and Hibs 5-1. The Ibrox outfit’s last league defeat was 39 games ago, when Peterhead beat them 2-1 in the old Third Division. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bookies-make-rangers-161-go-3784129
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Morning Folks, Confessions first, I'm a Hibbie but I come in peace. I wonder what you Rangers people make of the latest SPFL rule fudge to help Hearts out of their troubles ? Now before anyone says , but they are out of administration now, that is not the wording of the new SPFL Club insolvency rules adopted on 1st June last year. Rule E4 on page 37 of the SPFL rules states , " .......for each second or later season, during the whole or part of which such insolvency event or insolvency process is continuing and/or subsisting the club concerned shall be deducted 15 points ..... " Now Hearts may have completed the administration part of their insolvency process, but they are currently being run under a " Voluntary Arrangement " status supervised by BDO and this will continue until all the conditions of the CVA have been met. It is easily checked on Companies House web site. Their insolvency process will not be complete until BDO issue a certificate under the Insolvency Act 1986 of Completion of Voluntary Arrangement. Dundee F C had a similar form issued on 30/10/2013 which completed their insolvency process and is also on Companies House site. Hearts should be looking at a further 15 point deduction next season unless BDO complete the Voluntary Arrangement before the season starts, but this is being ignored by the authorities who don't seem to understand the new rules which were introduced just prior to Hearts insolvency event. Now we could complain, but we would just be accused of being bitter Hibbies ( which is probably true ) but you guys have real grounds for complaint, if the rules are being fudged to help Hearts ( it was all that bad Romanov's fault ) They will get away with it unless a real noise is made in the media and with the SPFL. 15 points off will help yours and our promotion bids and it is how the rules have been written. Anyway, good luck next season, hope you finish second , behind us, we are no use at play-offs. Actually have been missing you at Easter Road.
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See how many games he plays
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Anybody at this tonight ?
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ALLY MCCOIST admits it is pleasing to see former Rangers stars showing a desire to return to the club and play a part in the journey back to the top of Scottish football. Kris Boyd’s decision to sign a one-year deal this morning was another massive boost for the manager after Kenny Miller joined the Light Blues for a third time on June 5. Having already enjoyed great success at Ibrox, McCoist believes it says so much about Rangers that experienced stars such as Boyd and Miller are desperate to return and he couldn’t be happier to have both of them on board for next season in the Championship. The manager said: “I’ve got to say I’m delighted with it. You have guys who have an obvious, genuine love for the club and they have suffered watching their club go through what we’ve gone through in the last two years. “It’s really, really pleasing and reassuring for myself and all the staff, and indeed the supporters, to know that great players who have performed for the club before want to come back and help the club through the next campaign. “The good thing for us is we have them in early enough that they can do the pre-season and get right back into it. “It’s one of those things we say that when you leave the club it’s always in your heart and I think that’s the case with, if not all, but the vast majority of all Rangers players that leave. “For example Carlos Bocanegra is away but he can’t wait to meet up with us when we go across to America. So there is something special about our football club and it’s fantastic. “It gives everyone a real boost that two players, Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller, who still have absolutely plenty to offer the football club in terms of their performances on the park, are willing to come back.” With Darren McGregor also joining Rangers this summer McCoist now has competition for places in most positions on the pitch but he still hopes to bring in further new faces as the club looks to gain promotion to the Premiership at the first attempt. He added: “We had to re-assess the squad and strengthen the squad for what will be a very, very difficult campaign next year. “We have three in so far and I would be delighted if we can add to that and strengthen the squad again for what will be, and I am stating the obvious, a tougher campaign. “The last few campaigns have not been easy by any stretch of the imagination but we’ve been comfortable winners in both leagues. “This will be different I would imagine in the respect the majority of the teams are full time. You would expect the level of competition to be higher. “We played three teams from the Championship last year and had two victories against Queen of the South and Falkirk and we lost the late extra-time goal to Raith Rovers. That gives us an indication of what we are facing.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7095-great-to-see-players-returning
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A KILMARNOCK pensioner was shocked to find a rare and valuable Scotland cap belong to former Gers player Bob McPhail lying in his loft. AN OAP has discovered a priceless piece of Scottish football history in his cupboard. Stewart Core, 78, found a rare Scotland international cap belonging to Rangers legend Bob McPhail as he cleaned out his house. The cap – which marks McPhail’s appearances for Scotland against Northern Ireland and Wales in the 1931-32 season – is now expected to fetch up to £6000 when it goes to auction. Father-of-two Stewart, from Kilmarnock, said: “Bob McPhail became a family friend after my dad sold him a house. “My dad worked for house builders John Lawrence Ltd and they became pally. “My dad was a lifelong follower of Rangers. I visited Bob with my father and he became known to me as Uncle Bob. “Bob played outside left for Rangers and played for Scotland 17 times. “He was known as ‘Greetin Bob’ because he was always appealing to the ref. “I understand that Uncle Bob had decided to give away his international caps and he kept his junior ones. “This cap was given to my father as a gift by Bob McPhail himself. “When my father died in 1966 my mother passed the cap on to me. “I never thought about it and found it in a cupboard when I was clearing things out. I decided to put it up for sale so that it can go to a good home.” McPhail was signed by Rangers from Airdrie in 1927 for the then substantial fee of £5000. He went on to become one of the most prolific strikers ever to play for the club, scoring 261 goals in 408 appearances. Only Ally McCoist has scored more league goals for the Ibrox club. McPhail won nine league titles with them. He was also a great success with Scotland – notching up seven goals in his 17 appearances. They included a double in a 3-1 win over England in April 1937 in front of a Hampden record crowd of 149,415 people. Stewart added: “The last contact I had with Uncle Bob was in 1958 when I married and was setting up my first home and I bought kitchen equipment from his firm. He was a generous chap. “I have no idea what I will spend the money on if the cap sells. “I’ll probably just put it towards doing my house up a wee bit.” The cap is due to go on sale at McTear’s Auctioneers next month. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/oap-finds-rangers-legend-mcphails-3771253
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.........and share the 1914/15 league title. By Gary Ralston GARY says that the Premiership champions have an opportunity to lead the way on behalf of Scottish football this summer by requesting a fitting tribute to the Hearts players who made the ultimate sacrifice. HEARTS start the new season in the Championship and it would be an act of graceful benevolence from Celtic if they end it with a top-flight title. The Premiership champions have an opportunity to lead the way on behalf of Scottish football this summer by requesting a fitting tribute to players who made the ultimate sacrifice. It would be a touching act of remembrance if Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell approached the SPFL in the coming weeks and asked for the 1914-15 championship to be retrospectively shared. The new season kicks off on August 9, five days after we pause and reflect on events 100 years previously when World War One was declared. It is estimated total casualties from the conflict was 37 million, including three million alone from Britain and the Commonwealth. It was a slaughter of innocents from all nations that lays bare the great lie of sport’s tragedies, usually uttered when a millionaire fails to score with a free shot from 12 yards. The real tragedy for Scottish football was the deaths of James Speedie and James Boyd, aged 21, Henry Wattie and Duncan Currie, 23, Tom Gracie, 26, and Edgar Ellis and John Allan, just 30 years old. It was the compromised career of Paddy Crossan, gassed and wounded twice at the Somme, and Alfie Briggs, who returned from war and never played again, suffered from severe depression and died in 1950 with two machine gun bullets still embedded in his back. They were among the 16 who signed up from Hearts for McCrae’s Battalion soon after the outbreak of war, foregoing their careers to play for a bigger team and a greater goal. They were not alone, of course, as McCrae’s Battalion attracted players from Hibs, Falkirk, Dunfermline and Raith Rovers, all following Lord Kitchener’s fickle finger of fate to the killing fields of France. No football team in Scotland was unaffected, including Celtic, where players also signed up, and who, in 1918, won the Navy and Army War Fund Shield, played to raise money for the families of those who had fought in war. Seven former Celtic players died in World War One. And William Angus, who won the VC for outstanding bravery, was wounded 40 times and suffering the loss of an eye during a daring rescue of an injured pal on the edge of German trenches. But no team suffered more than Hearts during a period when the SFA were under pressure to postpone the season all together, with Airdrie chairman Thomas Forsyth declaring: “Playing football while our men are fighting is repugnant.” At the start of the 1914-15 season Hearts won eight league games on the trot and hopes were high they would win their third title and their first in 18 years. However, the strain of the war effort told in the end as exhaustion from their army commitments took hold to such an extent even trainer James Duckworth suffered a mental breakdown under the pressure. As a result of innoculations, non-availability and additional military training, their form inevitably crumbled. Hearts led the league for 35 out of 37 weeks but eventually succumbed and defeat to St Mirren and Morton allowed Celtic to overhaul them to win the championship by four points. Striker Tom Gracie topped the scoring charts with 29 goals but played the closing weeks of the campaign with leukaemia. His body broken, he died in a military hospital the following year. Jimmy Speedie was killed at Loos in September 1915 and Currie, Ellis and Wattie all fell at the Somme, that repugnant slow march to death ordered by their own generals. Hearts would not hit such grand heights in football for almost another half century, with the last of their four championships won in 1960 after earlier success in 1958. The season after they came so close to the championship they finished fifth and on one occasion could not even raise a team to travel to Morton. A shadow of the club they once were, in the 1916-17 season they finished 14th, used 46 players and were in such a state they finished a match at Ibrox with only 10 men because Fred Gibson had to leave early for work. Hearts fans have never forgotten the bravery of their men and every November they gather at Haymarket for a service at the memorial erected by Edinburgh’s city fathers to mark their sacrifice. In recent years, a cairn has been established at Contalmaison and a bronze plaque was also recently unveiled at Tynecastle, 100 years old this year, to recognise their heroism. Scottish football, led by Celtic, have the ideal opportunity to do the same. It would be a poignant gesture if they asked for the history books to be rewritten and that one campaign shared. Players come and go in Scottish football but this squad of 16 deserves always to be remembered. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gary-ralston-celtic-should-honour-3773982
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The Black Stars are to face Portugal on Thursday in a decisive Group G clash that could still see the African side qualify for the round of 16. However, they will be without Boateng and Muntari, with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) announcing on the morning of the game that Boateng has been suspended over claims he insulted Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah, while Muntari allegedly attacked a member of the organisation. An official statement on Boateng said: "The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has approved coach Kwesi Appiah's decision to suspend Kevin-Prince Boateng indefinitely from the Black Stars. The decision takes immediate effect. "The decision was taken following Boateng's vulgar verbal insults targeted at coach Kwesi Appiah during the team's training session in Maceio this week. "Boateng has since showed no remorse for his actions which has resulted in the decision. Boateng's accreditation for the 2014 World Cup has been withdrawn with immediate effect." A separate statement on Muntari added: "The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has suspended Sulley Ali Muntari indefinitely from the Black Stars with immediate effect. "The decision was taken in the wake of his unprovoked physical attack on an Executive Committee member of the GFA and a management member of the Black Stars, Mr Moses Armah on Tuesday June 24, 2014 during a meeting. "Muntari's accreditation for the 2014 World Cup has been withdrawn with immediate effect." Boateng himself confirmed his exit to Sport Bild and revealed he and Muntari had a minor clash in training which sparked the row with Appiah. "Yes, I am leaving. I am no longer part of the team," Boateng said. "Yesterday, there was incident between me and Sulley Muntari in training. We joked after a battle for the ball. I told him that he had played the ball with his hand. He said no. I laughed at him and said: 'You're the ref now, or what?' We both laughed, but the coach stopped the complete session and asked why we both laughed. We told him that everything's OK. But he sent us to the dressing room. "I talked to the coach after training. I asked him why he was down on me and he started shouting at me. He also insulted me. Words like 'f--- off' were said. "I heard about my suspension this morning. I absolutely accept it, but nobody should believe that I have insulted the coach or have done anything wrong. I leave now, and wish my colleagues the best of luck for the World Cup and the Portugal match." Boateng was surprisingly dropped by Appiah for the Black Stars' first World Cup game against United States, with the Schalke player questioning his coach's tactics after the match. The double-sacking piles extra pressure on Ghana ahead of the Portugal clash following an earlier disagreement over World Cup appearance fees. The nation's president had to intervene to reassure agitated players that they will be paid their bonuses. Ghana's government has sent more than $3 million in cash by plane to Brazil to pay the appearance fees owed to the national team at the World Cup. http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cup/story/1913522/ghana-send-home-kevin-prince-boateng-and-sulley-muntari
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well a few weeks with no rangers games and old compo is lost and to make things worse the world cup has wetted my appetite for footie I just hope we at ibrox play a passing and free flowing type of game something that will have the fans begging for more , lets hope .
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Article submitted by Andy Steele: SDS Survey: No Issues? No Chance! News that a survey by fans' body Supporters' Direct Scotland has found that while the vast majority of fans felt the game in Scotland had no issues with racism or homophobia, it had a big, big problem with sectarianism. This highlights not just the issue of social attitudes and football, but, sadly, the problem people have with perceiving themselves as part of the problem. One can assume fairly safely that for such a result to be obtained a good proportion of respondents were either non-Old Firm fans, or if Old Firm fans, Celtic supporters. I would be willing to place a hefty wager that the only fans who feel strongly that there is little sectarianism in Scotland would be those supporters the others consider to be the problem: Rangers fans. One must always, in such debates, pander to the thin skinned and establish that yes, one does think there is an issue and yes, Rangers fans most of all need to deal with it. A major issue, though? I don't see it in my day-to-day life, though I may of course simply be lucky or blinkered. Having established that denial is not on the agenda, though, I'd like to examine the other two aspects mentioned, homophobia and racism. If Scottish football has no issue with racism it is because the game is played, watched, commentated on and written about in what is a virtual monoculture. The BBC can count Kheredine Iddeshane, who to guess from his name may be of middle east extraction, and STV Rhaman Bardwan, but that's about it. The sight of players from non-European backgrounds has diminished of late, while managers and chairmen are exclusively white. No racism? Well, maybe if we understand that creating an almost exclusively European ethnic identity for the game will go a long way to excluding those from without such a background, it may expain why there's 'no racism': there's no cultural mix in which it might appear. Perhaps, if we actively created an environment which encouraged diversity, and focused on policing the resultant mix effectively, we may find we're not quite so tolerant as we might like to think. Or we may not - who knows? Casual racism has certainly been part of my west of Scotland experience: I am inclined to believe that 'no issue' is a complacent and boastful conclusion not based on evidence. But since many have called long and loud for such an approach to sectarianism, it seems only logical to apply it to these other areas as well. And what about homophobia? 'Get fucking up, ya poofy cunt' is, for the student of English, a fascinating sentence, but it's hardly indicative of a tolerant atmosphere. You'll hear it, and variants thereon, at every ground every week when an opposition player is apparently injured, though: 'no issue'? When 'Off the Ball' described a poor flag as 'poofy' I actually, for the first time in my life, got off my arse and complained. I got a reply: it was drivel. Credit where it's due, though, the programme presumably realised they were out of order and have since addressed the issue interestingly and humourously. What the incident that riled me shows, though, is that many of us are actively discriminatory without even realising it: Stuart Cosgrove was no more actively trying to put down homosexuality than I am actively trying to create a Protestant theocracy when I sing 'No Surrender' at Ibrox. The effect, nevertheless, can be non-inclusive. My singing of that song is based on the fact that it creates a great atmosphere first and last, and not in any way because I care about or know about Irish or religious history. Others, though, hear my singing and feel excluded or offended by it. What to me is a noise is to others an insult - if Tom English, easily the best analyst of the game at the moment, is freaked out by it I have to think twice. That's not to say I will agree with him, but it gives pause for thought. Plainly all these issues are hyper-sensitive with absolutes thin on the ground, but there's simply no way we have absolutely 'no issue' with racism or homophobia. I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that in our game, all three of these issues exist to varying degrees, but only one is taken seriously and, conveniently, it's the one that can be blamed on someone else. Sectarianism deserves to be taken seriously, but so too do other forms of bigotry: not least sexism, which in Scotland remains rampant. I find women as sexually stimulating as the next man, assuming he's straight, but that's no reason to objectify them or base a professional appraisal on their chests or backsides: that's still the default position of far too many men. We've plenty issues which could do with being addressed both in the game and in the country, but the first step we take will have to be from our own front doors. Blaming everything on Rangers and Rangers fans while insisting the rest of the land is a paradise of tolerance and diversity is doing no-one any favours: a more honest appraisal of our own prejudices would reveal some or all of these issues, far from being non-existent, might be visible in the mirror tomorrow morning as you shave. http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/252-sds-survey-no-issues-no-chance
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The Scottish FA President, Campbell Ogilvie, has paid tribute to “astute, forward-thinking and passionate” former Chief Executive, David Taylor, who died today, age 60. European football's governing body UEFA - for whom David worked with distinction as General Secretary and, more recently, Executive Director - confirmed the sad news after the 60-year-old had taken ill. A Scotland supporter since childhood, David became the first Chief Executive of the Scottish FA in 1999, succeeding the long-serving secretary, Jim Farry. “On behalf of his friends and former colleagues at the Scottish FA, and throughout Scottish football in general, I would to express our profound sadness at the tragic news of David’s death," said the President. “I would also wish to send our deepest condolences to his wife Cathy, and their children James and Alan, at this dreadful time. “David was a solicitor to trade but it was his love of Scottish football and, in particular, the Scotland national team that stirred his passion during his tenure as Chief Executive. “He was great company, had an astute business mind and a forward-thinking approach to the game that, allied to his patriotism as a member of the Scotland Supporters Club, helped take the Scottish FA forward administratively. “It was no surprise to any of us who witnessed his work at close hand when UEFA came calling for his services as General Secretary in 2007. He has remained a friend and supporter of the Scottish FA and the game in general in this country and he will be dearly missed by all of us.” Born in Forfar in 1954, David was educated at Dundee High School before graduating from Edinburgh University with an LLB degree in law. He qualified as a Solicitor and practised until 1985, during which time he added to his legal qualifications with an MSc in Economics, and an MBA. He joined the Scottish Development Agency (now Scottish Enterprise) in 1985, and held a succession of senior positions before being appointed the first Director of Scottish Trade International - a body set up to promote Scottish business overseas - prior to his appointment to the Scottish FA. http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=13456&newsCategoryID=1
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As title - What is wrong with the guy? Who the f*#k bites people??????? (Dracula excluded obv) -
.............and far-right symbols in European football. http://www.farenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Signs-and-Symbols_web_single-pages_reduced.pdf
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Thought it worth expanding upon this on the main site as well as creating its own thread. http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/251-dave-king-disposes-of-15million-shares-in-micromega Lots of speculation about the relevance of this from it being unimportant to of utmost interest. Certainly seems worthy of discussion in any case.
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All over twitter this evening.
