followfollow wrote:I am utterly disappointed on how a club with a history of 140 years can have these matters looming over the head. Surely in the past ten years, there many people aware of the situation.
I think a lot of the damage was done during the Advocaat years with the highly paid Dutch imports.
Family back home are saying the Strathclyde police wish to postpone the old firm game in March due to possible violence. The latest thing I have heard that they have been trying to pay HRBC and they have declined to accept the offer but accepted Vodofone's worse credit history.
Below is n extract from a letter on the ESPM website, he makes interesting points on how many other clubs have been excused for silimar dealings.
I have yet to see anything specific cited in either the SPL/SFA rules beyond general rules around disrepute and breaching articles of association. It seems to me we have a growing suggestion new rules and penalties should be created which flies in the face of natural justice. The only clubs I ever recall being stripped of titles are Juventus and Marseille both of which were cases involving match fixing (happy to be corrected on this point if anyone has examples). Clearly Rangers improved their cash position by using EBTS but applying this logic should Chelsea lose the EPL titles because of Roman's largesse? Should Hearts lose the Scottish Cup won during Vlad's era? What of Livingston who were allowed to win the League Cup whilst actually in administration? Should Celtic lose the trophies they won when Desmond and not the club's bank account funded Robbie Keane's wages? (Just a wee joke there to lighten the mood Bhoys. I know he won nothing) Any arrangements by which a team lives beyond their means can be considered unfair. The issue of levelling the sporting playing field, possibly with a salary cap, is a debate football generally seems reluctant to have.
The most relevant example I can think of regarding tax would be Portsmouth. Currently in their second administration they came out their first through a CVA. One of their creditors who was HMRC. In simple terms their decision not to pay the tax man, who due to the CVA received pennies in the pound not the full amount due, never resulted in any calls to strip them of their FA Cup. Arsenal too reached an agreement with HMRC on tax issues allowing them to make partial payment and avoid a potential tribunal. What penalty was imposed on them for “cheating” in the period they under paid?
I am not suggesting Rangers do not deserve punishment, I am merely requesting that they are treated in line with any other club and that vested interests are not allowed to create new rules and punishments which fly in the face of any true justice.
Fair point Big Yin !
Just reading what has been going on of late in the press,
I think the HMRC will punish ( Fine ) Rangers for their indescretion, but they will not let the club fold.
They will work with the Huns to try and sort out a possible agreement.
This agreement might make it hard for Rangers to purchase players, like the Dutch imports of years ago and
they might be on par with players from Hearts etc. for the next few years.
P.S. But its still great stirring the Huns up about it,,,,,,,,,,
