stuartcraig

Yes. In the future clubs won't be allowed to run up £12 million debts whilst boasting to their competitors about how progressive they are. Stuart

Maybe its because I'm not a Livi fan and therefore don't understand the need to grab at any prospect of rescue, no matter how thin, but upon reading Rankine's latest allegations my reaction was "meh". The guy is hardly shining a cleansing light into the dark and sinister workings of the High Arcane Order of The League Management Committee. If he'd said that Ballantyne had worn a white, pointy hood while chairing LMC meetings then I'd have though, "yeah, you have something there" but, as it is, it just seems like a desparate attempt at public character assasination in an attempt to influence tomorrow's session. Stuart

Absolutely! We need to clear out the dead wood and bring in a progressive administration who's focus it is to make life as easy as possible for asset strippers and property developers. For too long these paragons of virtue have had to pay lip service to "the rules" rather than being allowed to be honest about their intentions from the start. Stuart

Neil Rankine, the scourge of corruption in the scottish game. http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sport...line.5621701.jp The citizens of Gotham can sleep soundly tonight thanks to the efforts of this masked avenger. Stuart

If WLC are like every other local authority in Scotland then they'll be preparing for to cut services in the next financial year. Trivial things like teaching, social work, care of the elderly etc. Vacant job posts will be left empty and temporary (and possibly permanent) staff will be made redundant. I'm sure that the council leader's magnanimous generosity lets him feel like a big man, but frame it in the context of the wider council's finances and he looks a lot less clever. Stuart

The residents of which are all closely inter-related. Stuart

Somehow I can't see the result of an execution being declared null and void, and the execution being replayed with different participants. Stuart

Hey, don't shoot me down for having an honest opionion. Stuart

Hmmm, dunno. I like the presentation, but the content is somewhat lacking. Stuart

Meanwhile, Airdrie Utd fans expressed concern at being asked to step up to the 1st division forum with only 3 days notice. A fans' spokesman said "We just don't have the personnel required to make an impact in the forum. Sure we're good at responding to constant accusations that we're Clydebank in disguise, that we think Hitler was a nice fella who's just a bit misunderstood and that Kenny Black is a bit scruffy (that last one is true actually), but we're always going to be on the back foot unless we look to add some attacking options. We need to sign a poster capable of laying down some seriously bewildering sh!t. I hear that Waffen minty fella is currently a free agent, so we may knocking on his mailbox door in the next day or so". Elsewhere, Cowdenbeath fans ruled out the possibility of picking up some of the posters let go by Clyde at the start of the close season. "We already have plenty of grumpy old men and 17 year olds with poor spelling and grammar" a Cowdenbeath fan is quoted as saying. Stuart

I'd rather have been celebrating it in June 2010 (assuming we had succeeded at the 1st attempt - which would have been fairly doubtful). Stuart

There was no club called Airdrie Utd at the time Ballantyne bought Clydebank or at any time before then (only a proposal to create one). My question regarding league membership was simply a device to highlight this fact. Jim Ballantyne bought Clydebank FC, changed the club name, strip and moved them to Airdrie. League membership stayed with the company and club which Ballantyne bought. These actions were allowed within the terms of the SFL's rules. Irrespective of the moral rights or wrongs of those actions, those are also the facts. There was no transfer of league membership from one club or company to another. That is also a fact. Your assertion, that the SFL has already allowed this rule to be broken in the case of Airdrie Utd, is not supported by the facts. Stuart

Really? What league did this Airdrie Utd play in at the time? Stuart

"The consortium says its business plan for Livingston's future hinges on it remaining in Division One. " What happens if Livi are relegated at the end of this season under normal circumstances. Do they walk away then? Stuart

Is that not like giving someone a 1000 year jail sentence. Better to give them a 25 point penalty two seasons in a row. Stuart

It's nice to see that the embarrassing events which have taken place at your club over the past few months have left you with a strongly developed sense of humility. Were you an "Ambassador" by any chance? Stuart

I don't want to piss on your parade, but I've been to meetings where the prospective saviour of a club makes the right noises. They didn't follow through on their promises in that instance. I'm not saying that this will happen again, but I would have thought that Livi fans at least would have developed a healthy sense of sceptism having been through this on 3 occasions now. I would have thought the taxman wouldn't accept anything less than 100% by default. Stuart

Yeah, but isn't he the same guy who say the deadline was yesterday at midday? At least he's consistent. Stuart

So you still can't prove it didn't happen then? Keep trying. Stuart

Are they insolvent? Is the definition not that they cannot pay their debts. I would have thought that the jury is out on that, since we don't know what kind of cash or commitments the latest white knights are going to make. Obviously I'm no accountant. I'd suggest that this is exactly the time. The consequences need to be plainly and clearly laid out well in advance so that the league doesn't leave clubs like Livi wriggle room should they fail to pay their debts in full and so clubs like Clyde don't feel cheated when they try to pay theirs Stuart

So that'll be "no" then. Stuart

Have they really? Yeah, there has been a bit of a circus over the past 6 months (or is that the past 3 - 4 years) but, at this point, Livi haven't tried to avoid paying their debts and have promised to fulfill their football commitments for the next season. Hopefully the SFL have demanded concrete financial evidence that Rankine and the other fella have the resources to keep these promises and, while I think they would be perfectly entitled to hammer them should they renege on these promises, it'd be a bit premature to punish them just now. I also think the SFL should bring in fixed penalties for financial irregularities e.g. 30 point deduction applicable within the current season should a club fail to pay 100% of its debts upon leaving administration and explusion from the league following full insolvency. Unfortuanately, if the latest reports are anything to go by, they seem to be looking to create a loophole. Stuart

F*ck me! It's Rip Van Winkle. Where have you been every other time this debate has been resurrected in the past 7 years? So to continue this never ending argument, do you have proof that members of the SFL didn't encourage Jim Ballantyne to follow this course of action? Bill Barr spotted a weakened club he could pick clean like a vulture and acted accordingly. Airdrie's debt was serviceable. It's only when the directors walked away and the accountants took over that it spiralled. Hooray. It's the grammar police. Aye, those 2 boys were f*ckwits. Looks like we don't have the monopoly on f*ckwits though. Stuart

Do we know that the club's debts won't be paid though? Rankine seems to be doing the same at Livi as he tried to do at Airdrie i.e. become preferred bidder, take over the running of the club with promises that a deal will be struck which the major creditors accept. If they fulfill that promise then I don't see any problem with allowing Livi to continue. Hell, the deal might even fall through at the end of next season, just in time to promote Airdrie from the 2nd when we lose our 4th playoff final in a row. Stuart

I've corrected it for you. Stuart