Guest Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 This is quite a long piece from the West Lothian Courier from 9 days ago. It's worth a read, and shows how little has changed. Look at the stuff wrt Hegarty.......it hasn't happened. The "Ambassador Day" attracted five people. It's the same old stuff, and is completely inconsistent with the guff he came out with at the stadium meeting where he wouldn't put in money til the fans did. Doies anyone really think smaller debts are going unpaid while he has the money to make grandoise statements about clearing the bigger ones? QUOTE: ANGELO Massone has promised to personally clear the full debt owed to West Lothian Council by the end of the month to show supporters he intends to be with Livingston for the long-haul. The Lions chairman revealed in an exclusive interview to the Courier he is set to pay the outstanding balance of rent arrears for last season and also for the season before that. And he hopes this will finally show critics of the club he is the right man to lead Livingston back to the SPL. Massone said: “We want the negativity between everyone to stop. All I want to talk about is the future of Livingston FC. “I will continue to put money into the club to show supporters a good sign and I will definitely cancel the debt with the council by June 30. “I will do this to show this will be a long-term project at Livingston and I reiterate the debt will be paid off in full by the end of June. “It makes sense to clear this with the council and show them and everyone else we want Livingston to be a success in the long term. By June 30 I will pay the rent for last year and for the year before I arrived here in Scotland by putting more of my money into the club. “We all want to build a good club and I must say I have had unbelievable support from fans when walking around in Livingston and many of them have said they are behind me and my project for the club.” The outspoken owner also addressed the management position, an issue which has been up in the air since the suspension of Paul Hegarty in April. “We hope to set an appointment with Paul Hegarty this week to resolve the issue of the managers job and I can’t say too much until all that is sorted out,” revealed Massone. “But we will know more after this meeting and we’d like to have someone in charge of the team by the end of next week and we have candidates in mind.” Since the end of the season four players have left Almondvale while top-gun Leigh Griffiths is tipped to follow them but Massone insists Sparky may be back in August to lead the line for the Lions next season. He continued: “We have lost Gordon Smith but he wasn’t a first-team player, Gary Miller has also left but Murray Davidson and Dave Mackay both wanted to leave so we let them go. “On the other hand though David Winters and Danny Griffin have resigned with us and we hope that young players like Mark Torrance, Keaghan Jacobs and Chris Malone will improve next season in the first team. But of course we are also ready to sign others players as well. “Speaking about Leigh Griffiths it depends on whether a big offer comes in for him. If it does we will sell him but if that doesn’t happen then he will stay with us. “I must say that Griffiths was great on and off the pitch for us last season. He gave 100 per cent and was totally committed and he should be an example to all players next season. “Our performances on the pitch last season mirrored the way the club was going off it and our form and league placing was very up and down. “We need stability on the field and it is our target to finish in the top-five places in the league. In a perfect world we will fight to go to the SPL but at least we want to be in the top five.” Doubtless it has been a turbulent first 12 months in charge for Massone but he seems determined to turn things around this summer and has revealed plans for a series of community initiatives this summer. The first is a special Ambassador Day which takes place at Almondvale on Saturday. The idea is to get supporters from every town in the county along to help create events, bond with local businesses and be a direct contact for the club. And the chairman reckons these kind of events are crucial to help set the roots of the club deep within the community. He added: “Ambassador Day is a very important day for the club and we want the whole of West Lothian involved. Hopefully we can get someone from every town in the whole county along and we think it could be a very good project for the future and build a supporter base in the area. “We’d like to invite all supporters along on Saturday. We want to use this great stadium to arrange things to help the community and we are also hosting a charity match. It is our hope that we can take donations for charity at every home match next season.” Meanwhile, West Lothian Council have welcomed Mr Massone's promise to clear the debt, which is reported to be in excess of £280,000, but council leader Peter Johnson has warned that June 30 is an absolute deadline. He said: “We take the view that June 30 is an absolute deadline regarding the club bringing to us a credible plan to pay the outstanding debts. Mr Massone can be under no illusions that it is an absolute deadline and WLC can’t allow the club to continue with this substantial debt beyond this period. “The end of the month is a line drawn in the sand and we are not prepared to go beyond that. “We need firm proposals to clear the debt and if an offer to buy the stadium is part of that then we will consider that. “However the council would require Mr Massone accept restrictions on the use of the stadium as senior football must remain in Livingston. “There would be stringent conditions attached to any sale of the stadium to prevent anyone looking to move out of football, redevelop and turn over a profit. “The key from our perspective is that Livingston FC have been making their repayment schedule but if the debt is not cleared then we would be forced to take appropriate action.” 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdinburghPar1975 Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 As observerfromafar has asked, what did happen with the 12th June date, also with the court cases in the small claims court and also his personal appearance. There seems to have been quite a few deadlines passed with no comment at all... I've previously stated I have no desire to see any club struggle financially but there is still a huge chasm between the fans and i feel that this will definately hinder any attempts to solve anything should the worst happen. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdinburghLivi Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 The thing is, unless the debt really is around £200k as Mr. Massone has claimed the Livi fans have to simply wait for administration to have a club we can be proud in again. No chance will McDougall take on a club with a massive debt so that's really our only shot of getting rid of Massone. It's really really sad that it's come to this. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AND180Y Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 The thing is, unless the debt really is around £200k as Mr. Massone has claimed the Livi fans have to simply wait for administration to have a club we can be proud in again. No chance will McDougall take on a club with a massive debt so that's really our only shot of getting rid of Massone.It's really really sad that it's come to this. You will never get asked to be an ambassador making posts like that!! McDougall doesn't have the cash to sustain Livi in the 1st division even if he does get it out of admin and debt free. The business model/fanbase doesn't support it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livi Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 (edited) Rumour has it Livi chef has walked out over non payment of wages Edited June 13, 2009 by Livi 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 McDougall doesn't have the cash to sustain Livi in the 1st division even if he does get it out of admin and debt free. The business model/fanbase doesn't support it. Gordon McDougall has said (Daily Record) "The club will float where it finds its level" If that is at a lower level than where we are now that will do me fine because as things stand at present the club are heading for oblivion under Angelo Massone. I am just hoping that there is something left that the man can work with. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryfield Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 "I will continue to put money into the club to show supporters a good sign and I will definitely cancel the debt with the council by June 30."I will do this to show this will be a long-term project at Livingston and I reiterate the debt will be paid off in full by the end of June. Meanwhile, West Lothian Council have welcomed Mr Massone's promise to clear the debt, which is reported to be in excess of £280,000, but council leader Peter Johnson has warned that June 30 is an absolute deadline. He said: "We take the view that June 30 is an absolute deadline regarding the club bringing to us a credible plan to pay the outstanding debts. Mr Massone can be under no illusions that it is an absolute deadline and WLC can't allow the club to continue with this substantial debt beyond this period. "The end of the month is a line drawn in the sand and we are not prepared to go beyond that. Looks like the end of June then. Will this be the chink of light the Airdrie fans have been waiting to see? No one wants to see a team going bust, but this saga should stop now. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdinburghLivi Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 You will never get asked to be an ambassador making posts like that!!McDougall doesn't have the cash to sustain Livi in the 1st division even if he does get it out of admin and debt free. The business model/fanbase doesn't support it. Oh, the horror Don't mind to be honest, as long as I have a club. McDougall apparently increased attendances at Cowdenbeath during his time there, hopefully he can do the same thing for us which could possibly see us grow as a club in the future. There's definetely potential for a big fanbase in Livingston, we just need to utilise it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamonds2002 Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Looks like the end of June then.Will this be the chink of light the Airdrie fans have been waiting to see? No one wants to see a team going bust, but this saga should stop now. We really need at least a season in the second. Another season of the negative pish we endured last year will drive even more fans away. Hopefully we should win more than we lose next year in the second 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingfaetheSooth Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Catching up on the thread on livilions - and it looks like it is the Italian Consortium's takeover vehicle, Livi Dream, who is taking the action against Flynn. So even if the case is won and the £600K is owed - it looks like the football club will never see the money. As a poster on the thread has said, the court case is really Shyster v Shyster 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 (edited) Catching up on the thread on livilions - and it looks like it is the Italian Consortium's takeover vehicle, Livi Dream, who is taking the action against Flynn. So even if the case is won and the £600K is owed - it looks like the football club will never see the money. As a poster on the thread has said, the court case is really Shyster v Shyster That would be correct. If it's LiviDream versus PF, then Livingston FC stand a very good chance of being bypassed in proceedings entirely. The scenario of Griffiths being sold (say 200k), LiviDream winning the case (600k) and LFC, Livingston Council and every other debtor not being able to touch a penny of it is very real. You can consider it as likely or as remote as you wish, but there exists a scenario where time is being bought so that someone or some group can take to the hills (probably legally) with every single penny. That Massone thinks he could buy a Scottish club for a quid, and in return liquidate 600,000 pounds in assets is quite frankly, completely mad. That PF would sell on a club a club whose debit and credit columns cancelled each other out, is not surprising. That he did so for a quid would seem to be about right. That he would do so with 600k's worth of assets sitting there ripe for the taking just isn't a believable scenario at all. That there are still some lost souls who see him as "keeping the club alive and our only real option" is testament to the profound truth of the circus owner's quote ...."there's a sucker born every minute". Hell hath no fury like a balance sheet unseen. There is only two outcomes here. PF keeps the cash in his pocket, or Massone puts the cash into his pocket. In both outcomes, Livingston Football Club sees not one penny. Anyone who thinks the cash is coming LFC's way is just plain daft. Think about it.............I give you a quid, and in return you give me something I can sell for 600k....................yeah right. I see they have now been fined 5k for not submitting their books in good order. Thats another 20 season ticket sales money disappeared into the ether, and the contributions of 50 people daft enough to give them 20 quid by Paypal donation. Edited June 16, 2009 by Guest 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glasgow Loon Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Fined £5k but suspended till the 30th sept by the SFL. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 (edited) Fined £5k but suspended till the 30th sept by the SFL. Yep, you're right, so it's just another dent in the door panel of their reputation....for now. I see their official sites has another of their grammatically clunky news announcements whereby the "structure and staff of the club for next season" will be unveiled tomorrow. This should make for interesting reading. The ambassadors are going to find out what it is they are expected to sell to Joe Public..... Edited June 16, 2009 by Guest 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Not wanting to dance on anyones grave considering the problems we had and still have to extent financially but why are the SFA giving them leeway by suspending the fine until September 30th?The deadline for lodging accounts(properly)was the end of the season which every other club seems to have managed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCL Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Not wanting to dance on anyones grave considering the problems we had and still have to extent financially but why are the SFA giving them leeway by suspending the fine until September 30th?The deadline for lodging accounts(properly)was the end of the season which every other club seems to have managed. I think it's crazy to fine clubs when they are obviously struggling financially. Surely the SFL aren't in the business of forcing clubs out of business ? Much better to apply football related penalties such as points deduction which will still affect the club financially in the long term anyway due to relegation. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AND180Y Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I think it's crazy to fine clubs when they are obviously struggling financially. Surely the SFL aren't in the business of forcing clubs out of business ?Much better to apply football related penalties such as points deduction which will still affect the club financially in the long term anyway due to relegation. Hardly a lot of money, I mean what can 5 grand buy? Oops, a couple of months in an Edinburgh townhouse maybe. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally G Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 (edited) http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/c...hicleRegLetter= Pm if interested Edited June 16, 2009 by keithgy To Merge 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 If fining him gets him out quicker then good. Should have been payable immediately IMO or at the very least give him a fortnight then oot! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCL Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 If fining him gets him out quicker then good. Should have been payable immediately IMO or at the very least give him a fortnight then oot! It's not him personally that's been fined, it's the club. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 It's not him personally that's been fined, it's the club. All our debt is the clubs but it's him who has racked it up. Why separate this lot from the rest? The buck stops with him. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.