Rangers legend demands apology over EBT debacle

[ian1964 10,389]

DEREK JOHNSTONE today demanded an apology from some of the most high-profile names in Scottish football in the wake of Rangers' victory over the taxman.

 

 

 

He said: "A lot of people in the game should hang their heads in shame. Rangers are owed a huge apology."

 

HM Revenue and Customs this week lost their appeal to the 'big tax case' verdict that ruled Rangers were not guilty of wrong-doing during Sir David Murray's time at the helm.

 

The spectre of the case cast a huge cloud over the club before a disastrous chain of events unfolded that led to Ally McCoist's side dropping down to the Third Division two years ago.

 

On Wednesday, the Union of Fans hit out at SFA chief Stewart Regan, Neil Doncaster of the SPFL, Stephen Thompson, Rod Petrie, Peter Lawwell and lawyer Rod McKenzie for their actions and comments during Rangers' troubles.

 

DJ told SportTimes: "They all came to the conclusion that Rangers were guilty before anything was proven.

 

"They all had their say and every one has been proven wrong.

 

"The most famous two words that were spouted was 'sporting integrity'. Well, where is the sporting integrity in what has happened to Rangers? The club and the fans have been proven right.

 

"I hope the club are recompensed for everything they have missed out on in the last two years."

 

Despite being cleared for the second time in the courts, the ruling is a bitter-sweet one for Rangers fans and the club as Ally McCoist's side look to complete their journey back to the top flight this term.

 

But Johnstone insists the actions of some should never be forgotten after Rangers and the Light Blue legions were vindicated once again.

 

He said: "A lot of people in the media jumped on the bandwagon as well. It was all built on ifs, buts and maybes, and too many people lined up to stick the boot into Rangers.

 

"It was absolute rubbish. I think there should be many, many apologies sent to Rangers in the next few days.

 

"It is good that it has all come out and Rangers have been vindicated. That is fantastic.

 

"But there are a lot of people who will have their heads buried in the sand and will be keeping a low profile in the next few weeks."

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-legend-demands-apology-over-ebt-debacle-170696n.24723784

[ian1964 10,389]

Derek Johnstone: No justice for Rangers

 

THE announcement that HMRC had lost their Big Tax case appeal this week would have brought mixed feelings for Rangers fans.

 

 

 

On one hand, they will be pleased it has come to an end and feel vindicated that the club has, for the second time, been found not guilty.

 

Yet they will also wonder what might have been if this had been settled sooner.

 

They have been put through the wringer for nothing - and it is an absolute scandal.

 

Unfortunately, we can't turn the clock back and the club are still dealing with the consequences of the actions of some individuals who have caused a great deal of pain and damage over the last few weeks.

 

Rangers were always confident that they had done nothing wrong in their use of EBTs, but nobody believed them and people were queuing up to brand them guilty.

 

You just have to look at some of the newspapers, the talk on the radio, on television and on the internet.

 

Everyone had an opinion on Rangers and so many of them got it wrong. They jumped to conclusions and had Rangers guilty from the start.

 

The club were accused of cheating, of cheating Scottish football, buying players they couldn't afford.

 

There were people demanding that the club be stripped of league titles and cup wins. And now, eventually, the confirmation comes, again, that Rangers were the victims in this.

 

There was a lot of nonsense, absolute nonsense, spouted about Rangers, and all those people are wrong.

 

It will sicken Rangers fans that everything they have been through has been for nothing - and it all comes down to two men: Sir David Murray and Craig Whyte.

 

It was Murray who sold to Whyte, it was his call, and we cannot forget that.

 

We cannot take him out of the equation and forget his part in this. David Murray has a lot to answer for and Rangers fans will hold him accountable.

 

When Rangers were available to buy, a number of interested parties were put off by this tax bill that the club were supposedly due to pay.

 

The tax man, and so many involved since, have done Rangers and put them where they are today.

 

It is a disgrace.

 

Once Whyte got control, it was a downward spiral and, due to the fact that he didn't pay tax, the club was brought to its knees.

 

Whyte had a record of corporate troubles and run-ins with the authorities. He has a lot to answer for, but I doubt if he will care what he has done. He has caused so much damage to Rangers and put the fans through hell.

 

But HMRC are very much complicit in this as well. They helped bring an institution to its knees over nothing.

 

All the heartache, all the problems, all the pain, has been for nothing and Rangers fans are rightly angry.

 

The big tax case was all ifs, buts and maybes, and they have now been proven wrong - twice.

 

This supposed bill of £80million or £100m put off prospective buyers and allowed Whyte in the door.

 

There is nothing that can be done for Rangers unfortunately. It has all happened and the club has to make its way back.

 

But I hope we haven't heard the last of this and people will be held accountable for this chain of events.

 

The other thing that is ongoing at the moment is the BDO investigation into the whole affair.

 

Any money raised through BDO action will go into the creditors' pot and hopefully as many people as possible that Rangers owed money to will get as much as possible back.

 

It is hard to comprehend how much damage has been done to the Light Blues in the last few years. It has set the club back years and years.

 

They were thrown out of the top flight, have had no European football, been denied prize money and lost millions of pounds worth of players.

 

Rangers have had to rebuild from the bottom, but the club will return to the top once again.

 

Even if HMRC had won this case, they wouldn't have got any money because the case was against the old company.

 

Taxpayers have got to be asking why so much time, effort and money was spent on this case? They have got nothing to show for it.

 

But Rangers, and the fans, will have to deal with the fallout and ramifications of this mess for years to come.

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangerscomment/derek-johnstone-no-justice-for-rangers-170650n.24716353

[Tannochsidebear 2,306]

I am stunned and astonished that big DJ has got this one spot on. Well done big man.

[RANGERRAB 3,253]

The big question which must be answered now is just how Whyte managed to get Rangers.I don't believe for one minute SDM willingly sold to Whyte. LBG's involvement in this must be investigated

[calscot 0]

LBG Are highly complicit in the whole debacle - they forced Murray to sell which pretty much made the club unsellable. They did both of the sides of the equation by effectively calling in their loan.

 

The problem is that the BTC was looming and if it was lost, anyone who bought the club could stand to make an immediate 18m loss, which is why no-one legit would touch it. Under a normal sale where the debts are passed on with the same terms, a buyer would have nothing to lose if he bought the club for a pound. Losing the tax case would have led to the same scenario of administration and subsequent liquidation of the company, but without investment the new owners would have lost nothing.

 

Of course, if the club was sold this way it would be worth more than a pound, but even a few million might have been worth the risk rather than a hefty 18M.

 

Without LBG, Murray could either have kept the ownership of the club and fought it out, or sold to someone, anyone, who wasn't a Craig Whyte.

 

As they say, this was a perfect storm where so many bad conditions came together at once.

[Doc 280]

LBG Are highly complicit in the whole debacle - they forced Murray to sell which pretty much made the club unsellable. They did both of the sides of the equation by effectively calling in their loan.

 

The problem is that the BTC was looming and if it was lost, anyone who bought the club could stand to make an immediate 18m loss, which is why no-one legit would touch it. Under a normal sale where the debts are passed on with the same terms, a buyer would have nothing to lose if he bought the club for a pound. Losing the tax case would have led to the same scenario of administration and subsequent liquidation of the company, but without investment the new owners would have lost nothing.

 

Of course, if the club was sold this way it would be worth more than a pound, but even a few million might have been worth the risk rather than a hefty 18M.

 

Without LBG, Murray could either have kept the ownership of the club and fought it out, or sold to someone, anyone, who wasn't a Craig Whyte.

 

As they say, this was a perfect storm where so many bad conditions came together at once.

 

In a storm you might expect a bit of help from your fellow man. There was precious little sign of that. The league and the SFA were making the concrete boots even bigger if anything.

[JTP 0]

Don't forget yella teeth and his "financial doping is cheating" comments.