Can we ever imagine a Scotland without the Old Firm?

[Jacky1990]

5 minutes ago, Squonk said:

The sheer audacity of a supporter of a club that died a self-inflicted death through insolvency giving lectures on where we're all failing is quite breath-taking in its arrogance and lack of awareness.

We're all just not trying hard enough to find tax loopholes or avoidance schemes so we can pay for players we simply cant afford IMO. Living within our means and adjusting our meaning of success to balance that? Pfft, amateurs. 

The arrogance and lack of awareness would be breath-taking if it wasnt so ingrained in their support. Its almost a prerequisite. 

[Dons_1988]

Just now, VincentGuerin said:

I think that's a generous take on it.

The interview is just standard football-politician stuff. What is he meant to say in public?

But you like Aberdeen, so you go for the generous view. I don't really like Aberdeen, so I'll stick to my view that they're c***s. Cheers.

So we’re agreed you didn’t know what you were on about and it’s a partisan view. Been a pleasure 

[DukDukGoose]

1 minute ago, VincentGuerin said:

I think that's a generous take on it.

The interview is just standard football-politician stuff. What is he meant to say in public?

But you like Aberdeen, so you go for the generous view. I don't really like Aberdeen, so I'll stick to my view that they're c***s. Cheers.

Myself and @Dons_1988have both been very critical of Milne, Cormack and how the club have operated at various times.

Just because we don't subscribe to the "wanted to take Rangers place" theory, doesn't mean we are generous towards the club and it's decisions.

[gannonball]

5 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

Obviously felt that setanta going through on a simple majority was harmful. 

Not defending it as it was a c**t move but this idea that he had any ambition to become a force is absolutely laughable. 

They day after rangers had finished trying to poach our manager he literally did an interview saying ‘everyone wants to see rangers back at full strength’ at a time when we were actually competing to finish above them. 

Milne was an arsehole but folk have got the reasons why wrong. 

So are you seriously suggesting that he was looking back on a dodgy deal from 10 years ago and that the proper diddies can’t be trusted to vote through stuff? I’m sorry but he clearly had an eye on the extra cash from things staying much the same.

Edited April 8, 2022 by gannonball

[ahemps]

54 minutes ago, RB-Scotland said:

You could maybe cap it outside of marquee players, which I think the MLS does too. If we were on a level playing field recruitment wise outside of 3 or 4 players they pay stupid money for, I think the league would be a lot more even.

There are a lot of ideas I think that could keep the big boys happy while still attempting to cut the gap.

You have one there with marquee players.

A wage cap that doesn't include the wages of players who came through the youth systems so the likes of McGregor and Forrest wouldn't count towards Celtics salary cap.

A soft cap with a tax on it. So say 20m was the cap clubs could spend above that with a tax on anything more so if Celtic were paying 60m then 40m of that would be subject to a tax at say 5%. 5% of 40m = 2m. That 2m could go towards facilities for youth football or something to benefit the game.

I think ideas like this could get the bigger clubs on board. They are not game changing but the direction of travel in terms of money distribution have all been heading towards favouring the small pool of elite clubs. Change that direction of travel the other way with small steps at a time may be achievable rather than wholesale changes that won't get off the ground.

[VincentGuerin]

4 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

So we’re agreed you didn’t know what you were on about and it’s a partisan view. Been a pleasure 

Well. I know as much as you. You just speculate differently from me.

Much obliged.

[Dons_1988]

2 minutes ago, gannonball said:

So are you seriously suggesting that he was looking back on a dodgy deal from 10 years ago and that the proper diddies can’t be trusted to vote through stuff? I’m sorry but he clearly had an eye on the extra cash from things staying much the same.

Ah now things staying much the same is a more reasonable theory that is worth exploring. 

A secret plot to become the 2nd force? No. 

[Otis Blue]

It's certainly an enticing dream isn't it ... all other 40 clubs get together and either vote them out or form a breakaway league on their own. There would still be "bigger" clubs who would naturally dominate, but the financial chasm wouldn't be as great.

Trouble is, it won't happen. The rest of Scottish football hasn't got the balls to do it, and the cub BODs (particularly in the top league are too wedded to the cash generated by the OF - you just have to look at the top league cartel that was consciously constructed by our "bigger" clubs to maximise revenue from the OF and to keep the Diddy clubs firmly down in their place - such a parcel of rogues in a nation, eh?

I'd go for it tomorrow and to hell with European coefficients etc.

PS Forget the what if the OF goes down to England stuff .... England doesn't want them. If we want shot of them we'd have to do it ourselves.

[Dons_1988]

1 minute ago, VincentGuerin said:

Well. I know as much as you. You just speculate differently from me.

Much obliged.

If you know as much about Aberdeen as me then I’ll go with the classic P&B trope. Obsessed. 

[Jacksgranda]

6 minutes ago, VincentGuerin said:

I think that's a generous take on it.

The interview is just standard football-politician stuff. What is he meant to say in public?

But you like Aberdeen, so you go for the generous view. I don't really like Aberdeen, so I'll stick to my view that they're c***s. Cheers.

The feelings mutual, so don't worry about it...

[DukDukGoose]

2 minutes ago, gannonball said:

So are you seriously suggesting that he was looking back on a dodgy deal from 10 years ago that the proper diddies can’t be trusted to vote through stuff? I’m sorry but he clearly had an eye on the extra cash from things staying much the same.

Yes.

No television money would have been catastrophic. Aberdeen took years to recover. He's done interviews where he mentioned we had to drastically reduce the budget. The club had to pay £500k a year in youth academy costs hoping they'd bring through a superstar, rather than invest it in the first team. Big things were expected from Fyvie and then he got a horrendous injury. 

We ended up as bottom six fodder for years. So yes, I would seriously suggest that he looked back and saw the carnage that caused within the club as a reason to vote that particular way.

[Jacksgranda]

10 minutes ago, yoda said:

Wasn't the voting structure thing at the same time as County and the Paisley Saints blocking the 8-8-8 nonsense? 

What does Setanta have to do with it? 

That's just been explained.

[AJF]

Acting out of spite in defiance against a vote that occurred 10 years earlier? Sounds very Rangers-y from Milne.

[VincentGuerin]

12 minutes ago, Merkland Red said:

Yes.

No television money would have been catastrophic. Aberdeen took years to recover. He's done interviews where he mentioned we had to drastically reduce the budget. The club had to pay £500k a year in youth academy costs hoping they'd bring through a superstar, rather than invest it in the first team. Big things were expected from Fyvie and then he got a horrendous injury. 

We ended up as bottom six fodder for years. So yes, I would seriously suggest that he looked back and saw the carnage that caused within the club as a reason to vote that particular way.

Wait. Did the other clubs all get to keep some money that Aberdeen didn't?

[Hoose Rice]

15 hours ago, AB1872 said:

1-0 away in a Europa League Quarter Final. I’ll take that back to Ibrox. I’m sure I’ll get my £48 worth now

Other Scottish clubs haven’t even qualified for a group stage in how long?

St Johnstone lost to a Welsh mob ffs. Hearts to a team from Malta

Its never been so poor 

This Rangers team went undefeated in the league Ffs

You obviously have forgotten about the hedge moment.  

[AB1872]

Just now, Hoose Rice said:

You obviously have forgotten about the hedge moment.  

Somethings you can never forget. No matter how hard you try.

Then again I also remember that club going a whole domestic league campaign a couple of years later. 

[Hoose Rice]

33 minutes ago, Merkland Red said:

Myself and @Dons_1988have both been very critical of Milne, Cormack and how the club have operated at various times.

Just because we don't subscribe to the "wanted to take Rangers place" theory, doesn't mean we are generous towards the club and it's decisions.

We took years to recover, Hearts almost went bust.  We still voted for the 10-2 vote to be changed. 

You're just making excuses mate.  Hibs got relegated and hearts were erm cabbaged rangers down the pan, Aberdeen second.  That's why you voted against changing the rule.  Now it's goosed for good. 

[Hoose Rice]

1 minute ago, AB1872 said:

Somethings you can never forget. No matter how hard you try.

Then again I also remember that club going a whole domestic league campaign a couple of years later. 

Good for them, first title.   You sat slagging off other teams in Europe while neglecting the fact that part timers from where?  Luxembourg pumped you.  

[VincentGuerin]

2 minutes ago, Hoose Rice said:

We took years to recover, Hearts almost went bust.  We still voted for the 10-2 vote to be changed. 

You're just making excuses mate.  Hibs got relegated and hearts were erm cabbaged rangers down the pan, Aberdeen second.  That's why you voted against changing the rule.  Now it's goosed for good. 

The Aberdeen lads on here seem a decent sort, but I think they're reaching a bit here.

In most aspects of life you just follow the money, and Milne was shown what looked like an ideal opportunity to walk into a healthy advantage over Hearts, who were on life support, Hibs, who were a fucking mess themselves, and to beef up a bit on that lovely cash before Rangers came back. Not unreasonable to think that once Rangers did return, Aberdeen would have banked themselves a nice wee cushion over the only other clubs in their bracket.

It's pretty obvious.

You need to reach a bit to say that a move that represents obvious self-interest wasn't actually motivated by it. We all do it for our clubs, but this is just a bit silly.

[DukDukGoose]

3 minutes ago, Hoose Rice said:

We took years to recover, Hearts almost went bust.  We still voted for the 10-2 vote to be changed. 

You're just making excuses mate.  Hibs got relegated and hearts were erm cabbaged rangers down the pan, Aberdeen second.  That's why you voted against changing the rule.  Now it's goosed for good. 

I'm not making excuses. That's why he voted the way he did.

Whether he was correct to do so is another matter. I wasn't to become the 'second force' though.