What have we done wrong?

[Juancornetto 1]

I keep hearing that we need to be punished for this and sanctioned for that but as a football club what have we done to merit such vitriolic blood lust?

 

We all know that the actions of one man have brought upon the sanctions already imposed and while I think it's unfair to say that we(the club and fans) can't be separated from his actions I do think that's just an unfortunate symptom of being so royally shafted by Murray in the end.

 

What specific transgressions have we committed? I'm genuinely interested in people's views as to what these are.

[BlueMazza 0]

Everyone talks as though we have been found guilty of illegal EBT use. Which is interesting. Maybe we are, but as a country we assume guilt. Magic

[andy steel 0]

To answer your question, we have won trophies for over a century. That merits jealousy on a colossal scale. Big wow, we'll live with it (hopefully!). If someone from Inverness or Killie or wherever has such a piss poor life that obsessing over someone else's team is the be all and end all, that's their worry.

[stewarty 1,876]

So many things have been wrong but you are right to point out that much of the vitriol is based on the assumption that we are guilty of things that have not yet been determined. But this is an opportunity to bring the "establishment club" down a peg or two and to provide purpose to the lives of the put upon, the obsessed. This is victimhood on a grand scale.

 

Hence why we see all of this self interest dressed up as moral fortitude.

[der Berliner 3,245]

... and we should keep those in mind barking loudest these days. For the pendulum swings in both directions and one day or another ...

[Danny 0]

What have we definitely done wrong? Abso-fuckin'-lutely nothing. Speculation is tax evasion regarding the EBTs, and of course Whyte's definite retention of VAT and PAYE.

 

But in terms of the club as a whole - not a jot.

[Max Rebo's Big Blue Nose 0]

I was thinking about this last night as the guilty assumption seems to have been taken as gospel now (thanks to the Tims...)

 

As far as I can see we have the following charges against us...

 

1. Tax case into the EBT's used between 2001-2010 (approx). Still no outcome?

 

2. SFA/SPL investigation into the said EBT's/double contracts. Again no verdict delivered

 

3. SPL/SFA investigation into Rangers activities since that snake Whyte took over (non-payment of PAYE, debtors etc.) Again this ongoing...

 

Out of these, I'm presuming the 3rd charge is the one that seems most transparent but I fail to see how these equate to the claims of Sporting Integrity being challenged? Surely charge 3 is down to one man and his wreckless actions? I suppose if that means the club and ultimately the fans suffer then that is a tad unfair considering that the SFA should have done a better job at looking into Whyte in the first place

 

All in all I keep hearing the word cheat but I haven't many people back it up.

[der Berliner 3,245]

You do wonder what these chaps haring after us say to the team who won yesterday's Europa League trophy? Euro 130m in the red books, not paid tax and social insurance for their players for ages, spend 40m on Falcao and whatnot in wages on Deco ... and will have any repayment of tax debts suspended till 2020 - according to the SPanish government. Much like the rest of the Spanish league. Because ... it is their national sport and in the national interest.

What's Scotland's national sport again? Curling? Golf?

[bossy 0]

Just a couple of points.

 

We went into Administration and paid the penalty per the rules ... 10 point deduction. I accept that.

 

Businesses that go into Administration, by definition, cannot pay their bills. So it is illogical to punish us beyond the 10 points for not paying bills. Both Motherwell and Dundee owed the taxman when they went into Administration. There were no extra punishments for them. Motherwell paid 20p in the pound and Dundee (I believe) paid 6p in the pound to their creditors. Any extra punishments? Nope!!!!

 

The EBTs is another matter. I am far from being an expert on this subject but, for tax purposes, I don't think an EBT can be contractual otherwise tax would be due on it. Also, the little matter that they were disclosed in our annual reports for years and nobody at the SFA seemed to mind. I thnk that both the taxman and the SFA will have to unearth actual evidence that there were contracts to make their cases stick.

 

My fear is that Rangers will roll over and allow these 'punishments' to happen. While I haven't seen the actual evidence, I cannot help feeling that a competent QC would drive a coach and horses through the SFA case. But it might have to go to the TAS or the courts.

[Tannochsidebear 2,306]

In reality the only footballing crime that has been committed is going into administration.

 

The rules are quite clear and so is the punishment. Our punishment was enforced within a couple of hours of admin being officially announced.

 

Thats it.

 

The SFA are trying (why?) to land us (the club) with disrepute charges for our sole active Director not telling our sole active Director that he was up to no good. They are saying that the actions of one man for 9 months is more than enough to charge an otherwise properly trading club for 140 years with bringing the game into disrepute. I understand the appeal will go ahead towards the end of next week, and that the SFA, despite their 22,000 word hand-written judgement, do not have a legal leg to stand on, and an expected overturn of this kangaroo court verdict is a certainty.