The Covid 19 Pandemic is a truly serious game-changing situation for us all.
We are all currently staring into a future with no declared road map exit of
how we might move back to normality and the certainty of disruption now and
long into the future.
Against the background of lockdown to curb the virus spread we have all run smack bang into economic and social chaos.
We have gone from normality into unheard of times virtually overnight and with horrendous economic consequences coming every which way into the future.
Football is not important in the greater scheme of things but still has issues that need attention and urgently because it affects people’s lives.
This Week’s SPFL Plan to Move On
The SPFL are simply the members association who run our leagues on a “for the members, by the members, for the members” kind of way in theory.
For reasons known to them they collectively took the decision to start to draw an end to season 2019 – 2020 with its Covid 19 uncertainty.
This was probably to allow them and all their members (our clubs) to at least
start to plan for the future when income streams will return.
From speaking to those involved from the club side and reading and hearing more at a truly astonishing pace since Wednesday 8th of April, just 3 day ago, the SPFL decided in their wisdom that the best solution was to conflate two particular issues.
To back their case quite forcibly they also provided a dossier of over 100 pages of supportive material. All good bedtime reading for our club’s boards I have been told, but i haven’t seen it.
The issues the SPFL decided to conflate were to ‘pro-rata’ all games played so far this season so they could equalise and close the Championship and Leagues 1 and 2, with the Premiership going the same way if it became clear that fixtures could not be completed.
If and only if the motion was agreed by the members then the end of season prize money would be forthcoming from the SPFL bank almost immediately.
Money desperately needed by some members. A real lifeline in troubled times.
There was also another possible wee carrot dangled.
This might have been of a sort of half-hearted agreement to look at re-organisation of Scottish Football. This because despite the dossier urging clubs to vote yes, the SPFL knew some clubs would not be happy with their proposals and would not agree.
In the Real World of Challenged and Stressed Football Clubs
The SPFL conflation of “do this or no money” meant things like.
The title would be handed to Celtic eventually if Premier Clubs then followed suit, despite Rangers having a mathematical, albeit statistically unlikely, chance of catching their rivals.
Hearts would be relegated despite having enough games to catch their nearest rivals and stay safe possibly by a play off (if they hadn’t already been cancelled).
Partick Thistle would be relegated because they failed to play one league game while playing another SPFL competition and also had a bunch of games left to save themselves.
Stranraer would go down despite being proven late season successful relegation fighters.
Brora (declared Highland Champions) and Kelty (current leaders in Lowland League, by a bawhair over Bonnyrigg) would have no play off with a likely game against Brechin or whoever was going to be bottom of the SPFL2 league.
And these are just the tip of what football chiefs I’ve spoken with have termed an ill-considered iceberg of matters arising from a hapless attempt to bring some certainty to the SPFL membership.
72 Hours of Mayhem as Peter was Played Against Paul
People are interconnected today and from the moment clubs were pushed into a corner they discussed it together and in depth.
They all know who voted how why and when and have WhatsApp records too.
They all feel they could have done it better. I can’t try to sum up the sheer enormity and quantity of what has happened since Wednesday night but after I had penned a piece for SFM on Friday with suggestions that there was a civil war brewing that is just indeed what happened.
Every club effectively had a moral and economic choice and sometimes they were conflicting.
Friday was too close to call
I was in a few communication loops sitting at home on Friday afternoon as the vote unfolded.
I had been warned how close it was going to be and it was fascinating with first Inverness seen as the potentially key vote then an acceptance just before 5 that the whole thing had failed.
Then, 5.30ish, a different and quite hopeful view came out that after the vote had been seen to have failed that a 14, 14, 14, compromised was likely. Sense seemed to be prevailing. Then later and very late in the day a view that 1 vote (Dundee) had still to come and was in effect now the casting vote with all the power that casting votes carry.
Since then we have first seen Dundee castigated in the press and by unthinking media pundits as the villains for holding everything up.
(But that’s now old news).
Today (Sat 11th April), ICT Chief Executive Scott Gardiner was on BBC Sportsound alongside Richard Gordon, Michael Stewart Tom English, Kenny Miller and later on Willie Miller. It wasn’t a normal filler show in a period with no football.
It was truly amazing with some hard facts and honest insights. Uncommonly so.
I should have been forewarned after one well know football finance insider had tweeted last night (Fri) ahead of the curve that “Dundee will have earned some concession and will now change their vote” or words to that effect.
Wow he was ahead of the tsunami that burst this afternoon. If you haven’t heard BBC Sportsound at 2 pm today then the first hour or so is unmissable.
Since then matters have gone on apace we have now heard that Douglas Park, interim Chairman of Rangers, wants the SPFL CEO Neil Doncaster and legal counsel Rod Mackenzie (Rangers links) to stand down ahead of an independent inquiry.
So less than a day after a yet to be agreed vote outcome and genuine internecine war is brewing and exploding with Mr Parks claiming he has damning information from a whistleblower.
In turn he has been asked by the current SPFL Chairman Murdoch MacLennan to substantiate his “very serious accusations”. .
So Who Scored the Own Goal and What Can We Do About It?
As of now I actually don’t care who did what and when.
Stuff has happened and in the fullness of time we can look at how it happened and what we can do to avoid it into the future.
Today we need to move forward and that needs leadership.
Here is a 5 point roadmap.
Ditch this divisive plan
It doesn’t matter how Dundee vote just consign all this crap to history.
Pay all the monies due
This week no strings and if that needs a vote then vote on that and that alone.
Agree what happens and how to end the season
Scottish Football Supporters Association say this must include no relegation and pyramid winners should be included. Don’t penalise anyone at this time.
And an interim plan would be fine of three leagues like nearly got agreed for 20 minutes on Friday.
Take time
End the season properly and fairly and plan for the future to reinvigorate our game for the greater good. The world has changed but we haven’t.
Involve all stakeholders especially the fans
This should all be on the record and transparent.
The Time To Stop The War is Now
Avataradam812 28th April 2020 at 12:56
An excellent point, Adam, and one of the reasons I choose never to give a thumb-down without having the decency to respond to the post I am thumb-downing. I am of the opinion, though clearly don't know it as fact, that a lot of thumb-downs are given when the point is not liked rather than that it holds, in the thumb-downer's opinion, no merit, and so they are unable to make a challenge that, itself, holds merit, or shows the original post to be wrong or just balls.
I personally like the TU/TD facility as it gives the poster an idea whether or not his post makes sense and/or is appreciated as holding merit by the blog. It has a negative effect, though, if TDs are not followed by a challenge/response and shows the blog up to be, at best, rather petty.
Smugas 28th April 2020 at 11:38
Can someone quickly remind me, what it was the three man (person?) panel was voting on that so attracted his cheeky chap pie ire.
……………
McCoist faces three counts of breaching disciplinary rules for calling into question the independence of the judicial panel that sat in April to hear a case against Rangers and their former owner Craig Whyte.
The Light Blues manager is also charged with “not acting in the best interests of Association Football” by calling for the panel members to be named in public.
Rangers were hit with a 12-month signing embargo and fined £160,000 after the hearing into the club’s financial affairs. Speaking the day after the verdict was delivered, McCoist told Rangers TV: “I found out the decision last night and I was shocked and absolutely appalled by the way this supposedly independent judicial panel was coming down on us in this form.
“Who are these people? I want to know who these people are.
……………….
https://twitter.com/ClusterOne2/status/1255114818614419456/photo/1
……..
Death threats because of McCoists actions.
sorry for late reply to your question.
Smugas 28th April 2020 at 12:12
===============================
I'm very much of a similar mind to you on all of this. Been highly scunnered with the lot of them for some time.
Scottish Football needs a reset.
Smugas 28th April 2020 at 11:38
…….
Forgot to add.
The club succeeded in their application for a judicial review at the Court of Session in Edinburgh as Lord Glennie backed their assertion that a Scottish Football Association judicial panel had exceeded its powers in administering the ban on registering players.
However, he proposed that the decision be referred back to an SFA appeal tribunal, which had upheld the decision that a transfer ban was appropriate punishment for a failure to pay more than £13million in tax last season.
The explicit punishments stated in the SFA’s rule 66 are a maximum £100,000 fine, suspension or expulsion from participation in the game, ejection from the Scottish Cup or termination of membership.
The independent three-man SFA disciplinary panel had considered ending Rangers’ membership, saying they viewed the offence second only to match-fixing in terms of seriousness, but decided a transfer ban was more appropriate
Having already administered the maximum fine, an SFA appeal would therefore only be entitled to throw them out of the Scottish Cup for a spell or else stop the club playing football altogether in Scotland.
…………
And after a lot of sabar rattling and noise (sound familiar?)
They agreed to the signing ban, and you can see why.
…………
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/9298583/Rangers-risk-fresh-sanctions-after-wnning-transfer-embargo-ruling.html
From President Macron today
“La saison de football ne pourra pas reprendre. Les grandes manifestations sportives et culturelles ne pourront se tenir avant le mois de septembre.”
…… or
“The football season cannot resume. The major sporting and cultural events cannot be held before September. ”
That might cause a bit of a rethink by UEFA when one of their big 5 leagues is forced to abandon their plans to complete their leagues during the summer.
The latest SPFL statement (or is it the start of the next round of lobbying)
Tuesday, 28 April 2020
Open Letter To All 42 SPFL Clubs
Dear Colleagues,
Following the SPFL, directors written resolution, which was passed with a large majority of SPFL clubs, we now need reconciliation and contrition from all parties if we are to safeguard the future of Scottish football.
We face huge challenges to ensure we can get the new season up and running on target and safely for all involved, and it is vital that all stakeholders collaborate and engage meaningfully with the Joint Response Group’s task force working groups, pooling our knowledge, experience and resources for the greater good.
As SPFL directors, we have volunteered our time freely, in uniquely difficult and challenging circumstances and have participated on a fully-functional SPFL Board, which we believe has operated in an entirely fair and even-handed manner. We have each put our own self-interests behind us, to do what is best for Scottish football but have had to endure our professionalism and integrity as well as our compliance with our legal duties to the Company being openly called into question in recent weeks.
All of the SPFL Board meetings have been conducted in a fair and even manner, with everyone being able to voice their opinion and fully digest the many and varied issues that we have had to consider in forming our decision making.
In an attempt to reduce its own costs, ultimately for the benefit of all 42-member clubs, the SPFL furloughed several staff and a number of the executives voluntarily took salary cuts. As a result, only an executive team of five remain to administer and manage the on-going business of the organisation as well as planning for the end of the current Season and for Season 2020/21. Their workload has been extremely onerous, managing a huge number of additional tasks – liaising with the SFA, medical officers, the Government, UEFA, other league bodies, our commercial partners and clubs.
As a consequence, has everything been done perfectly and has it always been fully communicated? Of course it has not, and this is a point we have already raised to ensure the organisation is future- proofed for subsequent boards after we stand down. Indeed, at our request, the SPFL Chairman will be issuing a comprehensive Q&A document within the week, addressing many of the claims or questions that have been put into the public domain. We trust that this will give you, the members whom we have been appointed to represent, the same high level of comfort each of us has in the actions of the SPFL executive team.
We are unaware of any impropriety or any disregard for appropriate qualities of corporate governance. If Rangers Football Club has a dossier of evidence which shows anything to the contrary, then we would repeat the call for it to be brought forward immediately, because we, as club representative directors, have a clear duty to interrogate any allegations of misconduct or the like which it contains.
The SPFL Board is dealing with a fast-moving set of circumstances, with a skeleton staff trying hard to prioritise matters. It’s an unenviable job, and we are sure the many fair-minded people in Scottish football fully understand this.
All of the executive team retain our full support and admiration. Further recrimination and division will only decrease our chances of playing football matches in Scotland any time soon. The players, fans and officials deserve our best collective efforts. At a time when thousands of people in our communities are dying of Covid-19, Scottish football needs to reflect and consider how this looks to the outside world.
In keeping with SPFL Rules, we will now have a general meeting on 12 May, when clubs will have the chance to either support or reject the resolution requisitioned by Heart of Midlothian, Rangers and Stranraer. We live in a democracy and the SPFL Articles are clear – if 75% of the clubs in the Premiership, as well as 75% of the clubs in the Championship and 75% of the clubs in Leagues One and Two vote that we should spend our executives‘ time on matters other than Seasons 2019/20 & 2020/21, and clubs’ money on lawyers’ fees, then we will.
But if the resolution fails to gain the support of enough Members and the requisitioners nonetheless continue on their current course, the cost to our game will be incalculable.
Yours faithfully,
Alan Burrows, Motherwell FC
Les Gray, Hamilton Academical FC Ewen Cameron, Alloa Athletic FC
Ross McArthur, Dunfermline Athletic FC Ken Ferguson, Brechin City FC
Peter Davidson, Montrose FC
Not the best statement in the circumstances.
We are doing the best we can, while although we admit some failings, everyone should just get together and stop the recriminations.
Aye right.
Last paragraph is the most enlightening.
Im also intrigued if they thought their inaction in 2012 was “incalculable.”
Sorry EJ – To add for “Requisitioners” I read Rangers* in so far as Anne Budge has certainly said publicly that she wasn’t personally aware of impropriety, but was happy to support a club who genuinely felt they did. I therefore assume – which is always dangerous – that if the members vote naw that she will not “pursue her present course.” I cant speak for Stranraer of course!
Come to think about it,
perhaps the Internet Bampots are being too harsh on the SFA, the SPFL and the 42 senior clubs, with our unrealistic expectations?
Back in 2012 everybody and their dug saw how they all totally mismanaged an, arguably, self-inflicted crisis WRT the collapse of Rangers.
Today we have an externally created crisis for them to manage.
Just like in 2012, the Ibrox club is not being helpful whatsoever.
…and just like in 2012, nobody at Hampden or the clubs seems particularly interested in what the paying punters want…
It does make you wonder how the professional game has survived this long in Scotland – despite the governing bodies.
Smugas 28th April 2020 at 16:06
Last paragraph is the most enlightening.
Im also intrigued if they thought their inaction in 2012 was “incalculable.”
Sorry EJ – To add for “Requisitioners” I read Rangers* in so far as Anne Budge has certainly said publicly that she wasn’t personally aware of impropriety, but was happy to support a club who genuinely felt they did. I therefore assume – which is always dangerous – that if the members vote naw that she will not “pursue her present course.” I cant speak for Stranraer of course!
========================
Just to correct the highlighted bit. She said that she wasn't personally aware of "bullying". She did however believe that there were issues with, or abuse of, process that merited further investigation.
Every day we get closer to an unnecessary civil war.
Every day we see the ugly side of football politics, the hypocrisy and the very short memories people in football and the various hangers-on including the media have.
I’m minded of two songs that sum it up.
“It ain’t what you do but the way that you do it” by Sy Oliver and James Trummy Young
and
“The lunatics have taken over the asylum” by Fun Boy Three.
And to sign off one song by Sam Cooke bearing hope.
“It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will”
But as I sing the verse in my head I just don’t know whether to believe our clubs either really want change or are capable.
Another Joint Response group statement just issued. Lots of people on lots of committees.
https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/news/coronavirus-joint-response-group-update-28-april/?rid=13929
Rod Petrie : “We will continue to adhere to the government advice but equally we have an obligation to undertake the necessary preparatory work to ensure the national game is ready to return at the appropriate time.
“We are also mindful of the crucial role football can play as the national sport during the recovery period and have noted the proposed return of the Premier League in England by the Department of Culture Media and Sport in England ‘to raise the spirit of the nation’.
easyJambo 28th April 2020 at 15:47
…………
No Stewart Robertson signature on that letter.
The ibrox club did state that they would show their evidence well in advance of an EGM. That will be any time in the next week to be well in advance.
Easyjambo @ 15.47 and CO @ 17.13
Thanks for the posts. May I make an admittedly pedantic, but crucial, point about the following extract from the letter?:-
“… clubs will have a chance to either support or reject the resolution requisition from Heart of Midlothian, Rangers and Stranraer”
I might be wrong in my assumption that there is no Rangers (admittedly, leaving the SEVCO thingy aside, there has been a The Rangers since 1912). Did the liquidation, and subsequent shenanigans with 5WA not happen? Or are they feart to mention it?
Next whinge (my favourite word of the day so far – thanks Charlie), and I accept I might just be having an off day here, but is Stuart Robertson not inevitably conflicted by dual Directorship in this whole charade? Is he basically looking to ‘shaft’ an organisation he is part of (by extension of SEVCO’s anti Doncaster, McKenzie and McLennan campaign)
Finally, it would appear to me that UEFA have just been ‘telt aff’ by Macron (no football in France till September?). Lives come first, and if they, in their greed, don’t get that, then they really are living in ‘cloud cuckoo land’. They will just have to accept that the politicians and health experts will ultimately decide and , after all:-
”A Smith and Wesson beats a full house ” (can’t recall who said that!).
bect67 28th April 2020 at 17:20
”A Smith and Wesson beats a full house ” (can’t recall who said that!).
=========================
It's attributed to a Yorkshire born riverboat gambler from the mid 19th century called William "Canada Bill" Jones. He emigrated to Canada in search of a fortune which he made, and lost, working on boats in the USA.
Among his attributed quotes are:
StevieBC28th April 2020 at 13:25
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StevieBC 13.25
With all these references to the Bard
The currently very appropriate
“ a plague on both their houses” seems apt.
I don't suppose it would be worth even trying to find whether there's a freephone number!
"Court of Session Rolls
Friday 1st May
Preliminary Hearing
CA9/20 David Whitehouse v the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland
CA10/20 Paul Clark v the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland &c "
John Clark 28th April 2020 at 18:56
I don’t suppose it would be worth even trying to find whether there’s a freephone number!
==============================
Probably not.
I note that new case numbers have been allocated. I don’t know why that would be required.
I would’t imagine that there will be anything of great interest in the cases until the proof hearing is scheduled.
Jingso.Jimsie 28th April 2020 at 19:34
TRFC is desperate to crash the bus & to do it now. Why? That’s the question for me. What’s so rank-rotten at Ibrox that someone thinks the way out from under is to attempt to destroy the SPFL & its board?
………….
Maybe they were told to do one in their application for a european licence, it’s the only thing i can come up with, the second placed prize money was never going to keep the lights on,so why the hissy fit? they were never going to win the league, so why the hissy fit?
They have went in some mood about something.
Tom English demanding that Murdoch Maclennan puts himself in front of a group of journalists. Presumably so they can all ask him if he’s a Celtic fan who can’t stand Rangers. There is no way Maclennan would be given a fair hearing. Their mind is made up.