Guest Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Unfortunately tea and sympathy will be all it generates.If nothing changes, McGruther cannot guarantee the club will fulfil the fixtures and it's game over. McGruther has kind of screwed this up by means of his extension given that there would be absolutley no extensions......... He will be gulping pretty hard, as he now has to find (and quickly) £10,000 to £20,000 to cover the administrators costs. The man McGruther tried to give it a big chunk of sombre gravitas, and has now ended up looking like a bit of a prat. Still think there will be some bollox deal struck before the next deadline (or the one after that). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Silverheels Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 From The Guardian, 18 June, 2002: Gretna have been admitted to the Scottish League in place of Airdrieonians, putting an end to the hopes of Airdrie United and five other teams. Scottish Football League secretary Peter Donald has admitted that the murky recent past of Airdrieoneans was the major reason why would-be replacement Airdrie United was strangled at birth by rival chairmen. The club, set up by accountant Jim Ballantyne, existed only on paper but had been the hot favourite to be voted into the SFL's Third Division to fill the void left by Airdrieonians, who were shut down by liquidators KPMG at the end of last season. A playing staff had been recruited ready to sign on the dotted line, 1,500 fans had pledged to buy season tickets and many were sure also to travel to away games. But the 27 SFL chairmen eligible to vote turned down the obvious financial benefits to instead welcome Gretna back to Scottish football for the first time since 1947. Ballantyne had made strenuous efforts to disassociate himself from the financial mismanagement that had seen Airdrieonians disappear under a mountain of debt. The accountant even offered to pay back some of it as a gesture of goodwill if the application were to be successful. But [b]the chairmen decided that to allow Airdrie United to emerge from the blackened ashes of Airdrieonians would be setting a dangerous precedent that might see cash-strapped football clubs disappear only to reappear under a different guise[/b]. [b]Donald said: "I think the potential precedent that may have been set may have been a major factor. [/b] [b]"There was certainly concern about that and I think it was certainly one element that went towards it."[/b] Just days before the vote, Airdrie United tried to play a trump card by announcing it had secured an agreement with KPMG to use the vacant New Broomfield Stadium on matchdays. But Donald revealed that such a deal was not enough to satisfy SLF rules as a five-year agreement was necessary. He added: "Following the sad demise of Airdrieonians, there was very limited time for Jim Ballantyne and his team to prepare and they were almost victorious. "I don't know what is going to happen to Airdrie United now but there may be an opportunity for the club to make an application in the future." That depends, of course, on the willingness of the backers to continue and of securing a place in another league. But Donald offered Gretna as an example that perseverance does eventually pay off as the club had tried before to be accepted into the SFL. He said: "Their application proved they had learned from previous experience. They continued to improve facilities and had a reasonable playing record." The voting went to a second ballot, with Gretna having won the most votes first time round but not enough to secure a majority of 14. That was achieved in the second ballot, with UniBond League Gretna polling 16 ahead of Airdrie United's 11. Now Gretna will kick off their new career back in their homeland with a home match with Morton on August 3. Gretna secretary Ron MacGregor declared: "It is a great day for Gretna Football Club. We can now come back to Scotland." Airdrie United chairman Jim Ballantyne could not hide his disappointment and questioned whether the SFL chairmen had made the right decision. He said: "I am adamant that Airdrie had more to offer Scottish Football than our rivals, but the Scottish League chairmen thought otherwise - and I have to accept that." Ballantyne wished Gretna well as he pondered the future of football in the town. "I am desperately disappointed by this decision, not just for myself and my fellow directors but, most importantly, for the people of Airdrie. "They wanted to continue the town's 124-year association with senior football, and the whole community - people in the street, politicians and businesses - were 100 per cent behind us. \ "Yes, it's hurting but I do congratulate Gretna on their victory today and I genuinely wish them well in the Bell's Third Division." Gala Fairydean, Preston Athletic, Cove Rangers, Huntly and Edinburgh City were the other disappointed candidates. So, according to the SFL, a precedent may have been set in the case of Airdrieonians/Airdrie United. Let's see what happens with Livingston. Now that they have formally gone into administration, is this really the end of the line for them in the SFL? It certainly seems that way, if history is any indication. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qos_75 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 You could have always, you know, voted against it. That's an inconvenient truth. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivo den Bieman Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 McGruther has kind of screwed this up by means of his extension given that there would be absolutley no extensions.........He will be gulping pretty hard, as he now has to find (and quickly) £10,000 to £20,000 to cover the administrators costs. The man McGruther tried to give it a big chunk of sombre gravitas, and has now ended up looking like a bit of a prat. Still think there will be some bollox deal struck before the next deadline (or the one after that). Others have suggested that there can't be a deal done now, the timescale is too tight. I still have that nagging feeling that a deal will be struck, too, but it looks now as though that's based on what's happened in the past, rather than what's more than likely to happen in the immediate future. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARoverinLeeds Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) Emmm..............luckily for you too as you no longer have anything like 10,000 useable seats. Listen, you collected your 900k for whoever it was, and built your two stands. Great. But there was no business plan behind it. It was cost but no dependable revenue generator. Now, if you believe your version of our history is the accurate one, then doubtless you are equally open to the accusation that Raith Rovers willingly became a vehicle for money laundering of drug generated cash. Fair? Unfortunately, that is a fair assessment. We've had our fair share of dodgy c***s run our club. And we have paid with our dearest blood, so in essence we got what we deserved. Edited July 29, 2009 by ARoverinLeeds 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airdrie76 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) Others have suggested that there can't be a deal done now, the timescale is too tight. I still have that nagging feeling that a deal will be struck, too, but it looks now as though that's based on what's happened in the past, rather than what's more than likely to happen in the immediate future. I can't see anyway as to how the administrator can tell the SFL that Livingston can definitely fulfil it's fixtures. So at best I would imagine they'll be tipped into Division 3 tomorrow. The League has no option. Even if Massone had gone they couldn't guarrantee that any deals with other creditors would be done. The adminstrator is effectively doing now what he said he would and is laying people off etc. Tomorrow was always going to be THE big day regardless of what happened though. Gretna should have taught us that. Massone is clearly an Italian Walter Mitty though. I'm not entirely sure where the belief that the man will accept a deal comes from. He clearly sees the council, all other creditors and a large chunk of support as enemies. And I don't think he'd have any issues at all with killing the club. £25k is buttons to him in his make believe world and he seems to see himself as blameless. Everyone was saying a deal would be done today. It wasn't. What now? Another 50 posts of I have a feeling a deal will be done tomorrow (but again with nothing to back up why)? It's clear the league have been discussing this and have a plan. Tomorrow is effectively the first day they can put it into place. Edited July 29, 2009 by Airdrie76 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livi 293 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 On. Another. Planet. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/8175201.stm Seeing John Bain pleading with him as he walks in...sums it up. Gutted. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoss Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Did Raith not have the casting vote on the creation of the SPL with all its bizarre and franky stupid rulings? You could have always, you know, voted against it. That's an inconvenient truth. I thought it was the switch to four leagues of ten we had the casting vote on, the ground criteria weren't introduced until later were they? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simplistic Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 On. Another. Planet.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/8175201.stm Seeing John Bain pleading with him as he walks in...sums it up. Gutted. Says on this that the interim manager has now said he has until 2pm tomorrow to sell his shares. see the bit at 6:37 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zupa Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 On. Another. Planet.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/8175201.stm Seeing John Bain pleading with him as he walks in...sums it up. Gutted. Arrange the following words, pot crack . 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCL Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 So the months of meetings between the "Trust" and WLC to hatch a plan to get rid of Massone haven't quite worked out the way they planned. By trying to get rid of the disease it looks like they've killed the patient. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speckled tangerine Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 On. Another. Planet.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/8175201.stm Seeing John Bain pleading with him as he walks in...sums it up. Gutted. Even a cold hearted ex Thistle fan started to have a modicum of sympathy after seeing that BBC interview. The club has no chance. He's like Hitler in his Berlin bunker moving around armies that don't exist anymore. He's under the belief that having stuck two fingers up to the administrators at Midday today he's untouchable. For God's sake will somebody please issue the coup de grace. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDoctor Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Even a cold hearted ex Thistle fan started to have a modicum of sympathy after seeing that BBC interview. The club has no chance. He's like Hitler in his Berlin bunker moving around armies that don't exist anymore.He's under the belief that having stuck two fingers up to the administrators at Midday today he's untouchable. For God's sake will somebody please issue the coup de grace. I actually burst out laughing when he said, "I believe I am the best person to save this club". I shouldn't have laughed really as it's no laughing matter. Livingston have no chance with this guy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_7 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 The press absolutely crucified him there. He just seems to make it up as he goes along! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalJedi Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 (edited) (qos_75 @ Jul 29 2009, 17:05) Did Raith not have the casting vote on the creation of the SPL with all its bizarre and franky stupid rulings? (Dunning1874 @ Jul 29 2009, 17:20) You could have always, you know, voted against it. (qos_75 @ Jul 29 2009, 17:33) That's an inconvenient truth. I thought it was the switch to four leagues of ten we had the casting vote on, the ground criteria weren't introduced until later were they? That's the way I remember it. We built the new stands with the Cup and UEFA cash before the 96/97 season. We were relegated in 97/98 and the SPL formed a couple of years later. We did spend £250k or so in 99/00 to get the ground SPL compliant. Edited July 29, 2009 by DigitalJedi 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyrshireTon Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 On. Another. Planet.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/8175201.stm Seeing John Bain pleading with him as he walks in...sums it up. Gutted. My impression is that the man has no clue what has happened over the last month or so. "We are not in administration, we have an interim manager" - WTF?? I am deeply sorry for the Livi fans - this lunatic foreigner has effectively killed the club and does not appear to know this. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Silverheels Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Watching the video, I actually felt quite sorry for the crazy, delusional fool. He doesn't seem to comprehend what is going on, and what his actions entail. It was like watching a kid with Downs dancing at a wedding. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finnersaintee Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 had to laugh at the point a livi fan shouted to massone "we'll even pay your taxi!" Genuinely sad for all the the livi fans, I hope but doubt this will get sorted. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
partick_twinny Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 On. Another. Planet.http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/8175201.stm Seeing John Bain pleading with him as he walks in...sums it up. Gutted. I'm just catching up now, but I couldn't believe what I was hearing in that interview. The man really does not understand the situation does he? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Broon Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 After watching Massone on the BBC I reached the conclusion that he is "Totaly Insane". Talk of the SPL what a joke. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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