The Scottish Football thread

[IAceI]

Why not sack him before the start of the new season though? Not, what, 2 games into the new one?

[Cadj]

That's just Romanov being Romanov.

The timing of it is the only weird thing, the actual sacking of Jefferies is fully warranted.

[Cadj]

Paulo Sergio Bento Brito is our new manager.

Was at Sporting Lisbon last season.

[EddieG]

Any relation to Ernesto Wamberto ?

[Marcos]

Jefferies really does have a habit of getting involved with crazy chairmen, first ours trying to discuss player selection behind his back and then Mad Vlad just being his usual self!

[Lineker]

From the Hearts website:

Hearts majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov has stated he is not surprised by the reaction against him by certain sections of the media and other individuals in Scottish football following the decision by the club to part company with former manager Jim Jefferies.

Mr Romanov stated: "Judging by the pre-planned squeals the media monkeys are making, Hearts has hit the point with the move. I believe that with only one competitive win in 15 games, only fools and idiots would not raise questions and suspicions.

"I now understand why Scotland is in 61st place in FIFA rankings behind such poor football countries like Lithuania, Albania and Gabon."

Oh Vlad. How did we ever manage without you?

[Cadj]

He's 100% correct too.

[Lineker]

Doesn't really explain why he offered Jefferies the role as Director of Football instead, though. Does it.

[Lineker]

Emilio Izaguirre taken to hospital with suspected broken ankle in the Aberdeen vs. Celtic match.

EDIT: Celtic manager Neil Lennon confirms Emilio Izaguirre suffered broken leg in win at Aberdeen.

[Kaney]

Gutted, he's by far the best player Celtic have and arguably one of the best in the league.

[IAceI]

Wanted us to go after him before the start of the season, we need a left back and he's pretty decent.

Also have Celtic managed to convince Wolves to sign Darryl Murphy? How does he keep getting contracts!?

[Kaney]

Was it not Motherwells Jamie Murphy that was linked to Wolves? I haven't heard anything about Daryl going anywhere.

[IAceI]

It was on the Sunderland boards as Darryl Murphy, but they probably just heard Murphy and thought "that can't be a common name" . Thought it'd be too far fetched, Darryl can stay at Celtic collecting his money again!

[Lineker]

Hearts have insisted that an outstanding tax bill will be paid in full on Tuesday following a threat to put the club into administration.

A petition for an administration order was lodged by the Advocate General for Scotland on 29 July, granting Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs the right to serve the order on the club.

But a Hearts spokesman told the BBC: "The situation is under control.

"The amount will be paid in full tomorrow."

Hearts were issued with a winding-up order by HMRC in July 2009 over the same case.

However, that was subsequently cancelled when a payment agreement was struck between the two parties.

Sheriff Officers last week visited Hearts' Scottish Premier League rivals, Rangers, as the Glasgow club's dispute with the HMRC continued.

Papers were served as part of the process of payment.

Rangers face a bill of £2.8m that they are willing to pay, but the club dispute a fine that comes with it of about £1.4m.

[Lineker]

Its been said today that there is a genuine possibility that Rangers could go bankrupt!!

Rangers' former chief executive Martin Bain has had almost half a million pounds of the club's assets frozen after a judge agreed there was "real and substantial risk of insolvency".

Mr Bain is pursuing a £1.3m damages claim against his ex-employer at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

Judge Lord Hodge granted a warrant which would ring-fence £480,000 of the Ibrox club's assets.

He said there was risk of insolvency if the HMRC tax case goes against Rangers.

Lord Hodge said that in reaching that view he was concerned with the degree of possibility and "not actuality or even probability of insolvency".

Mr Bain raised his damages claim alleging breach of contract following the takeover at Rangers FC by venture capitalist Craig Whyte from former owner Sir David Murray.

Lord Hodge said he was not persuaded on the material before him that Rangers were presently insolvent "either practically or absolutely".

The court heard that the football club faces two tax claims and the larger could leave them with a bill of £49m - £35m in tax, plus £14m in interest and penalties.

Lord Hodge said he accepted that proceedings were at an early stage, but added: "I am not persuaded that the outcome of the Revenue claim is too remote in time for the court to form a view as to the existence of a risk."

He said: "Having regard to the structure and terms of the takeover deal I am satisfied that there is a real and substantial risk of insolvency if the tax case were to be decided against the defenders (Rangers) in favour of the Revenue in the sums being spoken about."

Nicholas Ellis QC, counsel for Mr Bain, had told the court: "There already appear to be circumstances from which it would appear to be appropriate to draw an inference that the defenders are presently practically insolvent or at least verging on it by not paying their debts as they fall due."

But Brian Napier QC, for the Ibrox club, said the motion for an arrestment was opposed and claimed that Mr Bain had not shown there was a real and substantial risk of insolvency.

The chairman said they were able to meet debts as they became due.

Mr Ellis said the club's accounts for last year did show a healthy position with net assets of about £70m.

But he argued that the picture was not as healthy as shown and that was made clear in the transfer of the majority interest between companies controlled by Sir David Murray and Mr Whyte for the sum of just £1.

The deal was structured with precautions looking to the risk of insolvency.

He said there were two tax claims with the smaller for £2.8m but with penalties it could rise to about £4m.

The larger claim for a total potential of about £49m was due to go to a tribunal and he could not say what the outcome would be.

But he added: "If the Revenue are successful, given the amount of the claim, it is not at all surprising that precautions have been taken to structure the deal in a way that protected the acquirer in the event of insolvency."

He said that in the other tax case he understood £2.3m in a bank account has been arrested.

Glasgow law firm Levy and McRae also went to court over an outstanding bill against Rangers last week.

Mr Ellis pointed to it as an example of Rangers not settling their debts as they fall due.

He said the court action was clearly important to Mr Bain as an individual and an arrestment was sought to protect any award he would receive.

Rangers are contesting the action and have raised a counter claim against Mr Bain alleging breach of contract and fiduciary duties, which he denies.

Mr Napier argued that Mr Bain had held responsible positions at Rangers over a period when the two major alleged debts relating to tax liabilities were claimed to have been incurred.

He said the outcome of the tax case against Rangers could be a long way off. He argued that for there to be a real and substantial risk of insolvency it had to be "proximate in time".

A spokesman for Rangers said: "In a week where the focus should be on football, the conduct of Martin Bain, who always claimed to have the best interests of Rangers Football Club at heart, is truly astonishing and I am sure our supporters would agree.

"The club is disputing any money is due to Mr Bain and we will be vigorously appealing the decision. It should be noted the case taken against Rangers has not yet been proven or even heard yet.

"All that has happened today is that a sum of money has been set aside if the club were to lose the case."

A source close to Craig Whyte added he was "angry and dismayed" that Martin Bain had taken this action, when he claims to have had Rangers' interests at heart.

"It was clearly intended to embarrass the club in the run-up to the first Old Firm game of the season," he said.

The source also claimed the details of the counter-claim by Rangers against Martin Bain, with claims he breached his contract and duties as a company director, could be "explosive".

[Crybaby Bunting]

I'm sure I read that the law firm that went to court were owed something like £40k. Now if they can't afford to pay that, why are they paying some players something like that per week?

More importantly, if you can't take a £40k hit, you'll struggle to take a £2.9m hit and as for the £49m? Sweet Jesus Rangers could be buggered.

Interestingly, as Rangers are part of the two clubs in Glasgow rather than being the bigger of two clubs in one district (ala Real Madrid or Barcelona) I don't see the local taxpayer wanting to step in and 'salvage' the club. Just imagine the carnage if Celtic fans were given higher taxes to bail out their rivals...they'd better hope there's an Arab out there who likes rain

[Lineker]

A football fan cleared of assaulting Celtic manager Neil Lennon has been jailed for eight months for a breach of the peace.

John Wilson, 26, was accused of a sectarian attack on the football boss as his side played Hearts at Tynecastle stadium in Edinburgh on 11 May.

A jury at Edinburgh Sheriff Court found the charge against Wilson not proven.

The decision came despite Wilson telling the court he had lunged at Lennon and struck him on the head.

However, Wilson, 26, a Hearts fan, was convicted of carrying out a breach of the peace at the side of the pitch during the game.

The court previously heard claims, denied by Wilson, that he had called Mr Lennon a "Fenian bastard" at the Scottish Premier League game.

He was cleared of making the sectarian remark during the incident after jurors deleted the allegation from the breach of the peace charge.

Wilson was also given a five-year football banning order at court.

Passing sentence, Sheriff Fiona Reith said: "The crime of which you have been convicted by the jury was a serious one.

"A breach of the peace can sometimes be a quite minor crime but sometimes it is not.

"In this case it was not minor at all, it was serious, and with serious potential consequences in the context of what was already a highly volatile atmosphere in the crowd of over 16,000 football supporters."

He has been in jail since 12 May so he has already completed more than half of his sentence.

Television viewers looked on as Wilson invaded the pitch and charged towards Lennon during the match earlier this year.

The incident unfolded after Celtic went two goals up.

Wilson, who has three previous convictions for breach of the peace, told the court the incident must have been "awful" for Lennon and said he had written a letter of apology to him.

At the trial the jury of eight men and seven women took two and a half hours to find Wilson guilty of conducting himself in a disorderly manner, running on to the pitch, running at the away team dugout, shouting, swearing, causing disturbance to the crowd and breaching the peace.

Earlier Lennon said Hearts versus Celtic games were "more raucous than usual" but this particular game in May "had a bit more of an edge to it" with a lot of abuse coming from the stands.

During his evidence, the court heard that the atmosphere in the ground after the match was "very tense" and "quite intimidating".

A Crown Office spokeswoman said: "The Crown takes all forms of hate crime very seriously. Bigotry and hate have no place in a modern Scotland.

"While we note the decision of the jury in this case, we will continue to prosecute as a hate crime any offence where there is a sufficient, credible and reliable evidence to do so."

Behind bars, where scum like him belong.

[Cadj]

Easy win.

[Lineker]

Evidence of alleged criminality in the past business dealings of Rangers FC's new owner has been uncovered by a BBC Scotland investigation.

It found that Craig Whyte was banned from being a director for seven years.

The BBC heard allegations that Mr Whyte controlled a company despite his ban, an offence which could incur a two-year jail term. It was later wound up after misleading potential shareholders.

Mr Whyte denied all the claims "in the strongest possible terms".

The 40-year-old businessman from Motherwell owns an 85% stake in Rangers.

Mr Whyte paid Sir David Murray £1 for the Glasgow club six months ago, and settled its £18m debt to Lloyds Banking Group.

Rangers: An Inside Story, which will be broadcast on BBC1 Scotland at 19:00, heard allegations about the man who took over the 138-year-old club in May.

The BBC understands Mr Whyte was banned from acting as a director after the government began pursuing his company, Vital Holdings Ltd, for failing to produce satisfactory accounts.

The programme also uncovered evidence that HM Revenue and Customs was chasing some of Mr Whyte's companies for unpaid taxes.

The programme heard claims about Mr Whyte's involvement in a company called Re-tex Plastic Technology, during his ban.

Re-tex was wound up in 2003, after it offered to sell shares to the public using company statements which were said to contain false and misleading information.

The firm was investigated by the UK government's Insolvency Service - the agency that probes corrupt business practice.

Robert Burns, head of investigations at the agency, said: "We took the view that the company was being controlled, or certainly had the involvement of, an individual who was disqualified. That raised concerns."

When asked who that individual was, he said: "I'm talking about Craig Whyte, who had been disqualified as a director in June 2000, for seven years.

"We found a number of suggestions, and indeed evidence, that he was in some way, shape or form, behind the company. For example he was signatory to the bank account, he was giving instructions to certain payments.

"In relation to his involvement in running the company then it is an offence and the individual can be prosecuted. Clearly there would have had to be a criminal investigation and a trial."

Responding to the claims, Mr Whyte's lawyers said he had a small investment in Re-tex, but was never a director or a de facto director.

Mr Burns told the BBC that his team had uncovered evidence that Mr Whyte had taken two sums of £100,000 from the company, apparently to pay a tax bill.

"There's no trace of the money being received by the Inland Revenue," Mr Burns said.

He told the programme that Mr Whyte had appointed fake auditors called Mullet and Co, which signed off misleading Re-tex accounts.

Mr Whyte's lawyers said their client had no control over Re-tex's bank account or finances and denied "in the strongest possible terms" withdrawing any money from the company accounts or appointing any auditors.

The Insolvency Service believes a convicted fraudster, Kevin Sykes, was one of the individuals behind Mullet and Co.

Mr Burns said: "We have investigated a number of companies which Kevin Sykes has been behind.

"We also know Mr Sykes because of a Serious Fraud Office investigation. In October 2004, he was convicted and received a sentence in total of eight years for his part in a theft from a pension fund which totalled £3m."

This conviction came three years after Sykes' last known involvement with Craig Whyte.

The documentary reveals other previous links between Mr Whyte and Sykes, with the latter acting as secretary in four of Mr Whyte's companies which were dissolved in the late 1990s.

Mr Whyte moved to Monaco for several years around 2000, following his disqualification and the demise of 24 companies in which he was involved.

In March 2001, Sykes told his bankruptcy hearing at the High Court in London that he travelled to Monaco to be paid in cash by Mr Whyte for "outsourcing services".

Mr Whyte's lawyers said its client had never been a close business associate of Kevin Sykes, and denied paying him a retainer.

Rangers' finances have hit the headlines in recent months, after a judge ruled more than £3m of its assets should be frozen, pending further court action.

The Court of Session in Edinburgh heard that a disputed tax bill of up to £49m left the SPL champions at a "real and substantial risk of insolvency". The tax hearing is due to begin next month.

The documentary comes just days after Rangers announced it was withdrawing all co-operation with the BBC.

In a statement, Craig Whyte and Rangers FC said: "As a result of the BBC's approach, Mr Whyte and Rangers FC believe there is a strong risk that the programme will mislead and misinform viewers about matters concerning the club, and has suspended the BBC's access to the club.

"Mr Whyte and Rangers wish to reassure viewers - and those of the club's valued fans who may be watching - that the best interests and secure future of the club are and will remain their priority."

BBC Scotland Investigates - Rangers: The Inside Story was broadcast on BBC1 Scotland at 19:00 on Thursday 20 October, and will be available for a week on the iPlayer.

[Lineker]

The BBC programme in question.

Fans concerned about Whyte claims

Craig Whyte to take legal action against the BBC

Worrying times to be a Rangers fan, for sure.