The Scottish Football thread

[METALMAN]

eh no Vladimir's a legend!

[Lineker]

How they managed to get AVB and Marcelo Lippi to do the Scottish Cup 5th Round draw is beyond me.

[Colly]

I was watching SSN earlier and AvBs link is that he did his coaching badges in Scotland. Still tenuous for me, should've got Biffy Clyro again.

[Cadj]

Because our league is amazing!

Nothing interesting in the draw, knew Hearts would get another SPL side and it just happens to be the one we never fucking beat

[Lineker]

Shares in Rangers Football Club have been suspended from trading on the Plus stock exchange after the club failed to file accounts on schedule.

The club said it expected to file accounts around the end of this month and that the delay was down to an ongoing dispute over tax.

It added that it was considering giving up trading on the Plus exchange.

This follows the takeover last year of the controlling stake of 85% of shares by chairman Craig Whyte.

Rangers is disputing a tax bill and penalties of £49m with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The club said its board was "considering the merit of maintaining its listing on the Plus market after 6 May 2012".

Mr Whyte said: "Given the structure of the shareholding in the club, there is very little, if any, tangible benefit for the club to be a listed company.

"The fact that the club has a majority shareholder controlling more than 80% means there is very little trading in shares.

"In reality, a public listing means more bureaucracy. Rangers does not need to remain a listed company in order for people to buy and sell their individual shares and since becoming chairman I have always questioned what is really being achieved with a public listing."

He added: "Whether or not we are a listed company, accounts will still be published and there will still be a shareholders' AGM. All shareholders would be able to hold the directors to account."

Rangers accounts were due to be filed at Companies House by the end of the year and the organisation's website regards them as "overdue".

Analysis

Trades on the Plus stock exchange can be small and infrequent. Less than £1,000 worth of Rangers shares have changed hands in only eight trades over the past two months.

It doesn't much matter to the Ibrox club if a handful of sellers can't find buyers, so directors are considering withdrawing from having Rangers shares publicly traded.

The downside of working within an exchange is that a company has to stick to rules on transparency, without which buyers of shares can't have confidence in what they're buying.

That's why it is important audited accounts are published. That's also why the Plus exchange forced Craig Whyte to admit in November he had been disqualified as a director for seven years.

Transparency can mean unwelcome publicity.

[ADG]

How they managed to get AVB and Marcelo Lippi to do the Scottish Cup 5th Round draw is beyond me.

They were at Hampden anyway to talk at a coaching seminar thing.

[Lineker]

Strathclyde Police are investigating complaints that Rangers players Kyle Bartley and Maurice Edu were racially abused on Twitter.

"Disappointing that in 2012 things like this are still happening," said Bartley, who is on loan from Arsenal.

"Hopefully the police will take action. Thank you all for the support."

And Edu, responding to a tweet from United States international team-mate Jozy Altidore, added: "Sad day when that's what people are tweeting."

[Lineker]

Worrying times for Cadj.

Hearts face the prospect of sanctions from the Scottish Premier League after failing to pay their players on time for a fourth successive month.

January's wages were due on Monday, with Hearts saying the majority of players had been paid.

However, the SPL has announced Hearts have missed the deadline and has called a board meeting.

A statement read: "The SPL board will consider the situation and decide upon the appropriate course of action."

BBC Scotland was told by the Edinburgh club that the process of putting money into players' accounts began on late Monday afternoon.

But the SPL statement added: "On January 4, 2012, a sub-committee of the SPL board made various orders relating to late payment of wages due to 14 Heart of Midlothian players.

"One of those orders was that Heart of Midlothian should make full payment of January salaries due to the 14 players by the due date of January 16, 2012.

"The Scottish Premier League has now received confirmation from Heart of Midlothian that the club has failed to comply with this order."

After wages were paid late in October and November, a further delay in December prompted 14 members of Hearts' first-team squad to submit a complaint to the SPL via the players' union.

Last month's pay, which had been due on 16 December, was received on 4 January - the day the SPL sub-committee adjudicated over the dispute, ordering the club to comply to a number of orders - including timely delivery of January's salaries.

A fine, docked points and a transfer embargo are all possible sanctions.

Hearts' recent turmoil off the field - owner Vladimir Romanov has suggested that he wishes to sell the club - has not been replicated on it.

Since the first-team squad instructed PFA Scotland to make the formal complaint on 16 December, Hearts have won five games in a six-match unbeaten run.

Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov says he might reconsider his decision to sell the club if changes are made to Scottish football.

He told BBC Scotland he wants changes to the structure of the game and how the media portray him and the club.

"It may well be that I won't leave Hearts after all," he said.

"There is many a buyer out there. But if there will be positive changes then I will be inclined to stay and invest money."

Romanov took control of Hearts in 2005 with the ambition of breaking the stranglehold on the Scottish title enjoyed by Glasgow duo Celtic and Rangers.

But the Old Firm have continued their monopoly in the Scottish Premier League and the Lithuania-based Russian businessman has unleashed several verbal attacks on football's ruling bodies in Scotland and the country's media.

In November, Romanov said that he would consider selling the Edinburgh club and that he would look to make the club survive financially without further injections of cash from himself.

Since then, Hearts have undergone a programme of cost-cutting, including squad departures, and the late payment of wages prompted players to make a complaint that led to a warning of sanctions from the Scottish Premier League.

Romanov still says that he will listen to any group looking seriously at buying the club, who say they have now paid the required January wages on time.

However, he also admits he would be interested in a proposal that would allow him to retain ownership of Tynecastle Stadium and lease it back to the new owners of the football side of the business.

"I would be interested in that," he said.

Romanov concedes that salaries have been paid later than the due date but insists that all players will receive the money they are due.

"The fact is that there has not been an instance when the players have not been paid," he said, again stressing that the sale of midfielder Eggert Johnsson for about £200,00 to Wolves was crucial.

"I told everyone about the late December wages that, when the Eggert Jonsson money was paid to us on the first working day in January, the players would be paid.

"I have paid out £30m to the tax man for wages that I have paid out since I came to Hearts."

Romanov says that he is already putting plans in place that will ensure that Hearts will be self-sufficient and not require him to put in more money by the end of the season at the latest.

Despite the wages dispute, Hearts' recent form has improved and they have overtaken Motherwell to lie third in the SPL.

[Cadj]

We've paid the players, if we get anything more than a slap on the wrist (wouldn't be surprised, the SPL are a fucking joke) then it's ridiculous.

[METALMAN]

I would dearly love for Hearts to get docked points.

[Cadj]

We've been charged with upsetting the SPL because we're mean.

The Scottish Premier League Board met this evening to consider the alleged failure by Heart of Midlothian FC to comply with the terms of the order made by the SPL on 4 January 2012 that the club pay the January wages due to the relevant players on the due date of 16 January 2012.

As a result, Heart of Midlothian FC are being charged under SPL Rule A3.1 with failing to behave with the utmost good faith to the SPL.

A hearing date will be notified to the club in due course.

And here's the rule

A3.1 In all matters and transactions relating to the League and Company each Club shall behave towards each other Club and the Company with the utmost good faith.

What a fucking joke.

[Colly]

Roughly translated:

Be excellent to each other, and party on dudes?

[Lineker]

The Scottish Premier League has decided to take no action against Hearts over late wage payments.

Hearts had failed to pay its players on the scheduled pay day, Monday 16 January, meaning wages were late for the fourth month in a row.

However, the SPL said the club would not face further sanctions.

The club's chief executive David Southern told BBC Scotland he was extremely satisfied with the outcome.

Manager Paulo Sergio said last week that it would be "ludicrous" if the club suffered a points deduction.

A statement from the SPL read: "The wages did not reach the players' bank accounts until the morning of 17 January.

"However, the SPL board sub-committee found that the club's directors believed that, by irrevocably instructing their bank on 16 January, that was sufficient to make payment and comply with the order.

"Because the club's directors believed that they were complying with the order, Heart of Midlothian were acting in good faith.

"Accordingly the charge against the club was dismissed."

Later, a Hearts spokesperson said: "We are satisfied at today's outcome.

"Both the SPL and ourselves worked constructively to assess the circumstances that led to the hearing and we can now move on having resolved the situation.

"The matter is now closed and the club will be making no further comment."

[Lineker]

Ryan Stevenson fires parting shot at Vladimir Romanov.

[Lineker]

Rangers are looking to compensate the loss of Jelavic by signing ex-Ger Daniel Cousin on a free.

[Lineker]

Rangers Football Club has lodged papers with the Court of Session, notifying an intention to declare an administrator.

[El Dandy]

This is bad news for Scottish Football, regardless of what some fans say, the SPL need both Rangers and Celtic to maintain their image. Even though the SPL is not the greatest quality of league, it survives on rivalries such as Old Firm and Gers/Aberdeen to rake in as much money as possible. Dark days ahead

[Crybaby Bunting]

Oh fuck off, so you'd rather Rangers didn't suffer a penalty so that the Old Firm can continue to sour the league?

Even if Rangers ceased to exist tomorrow, what's the worst that would happen? Sure, the league would have to re-negotiate the Sky deal but that deal does fuck all to benefit clubs that aren't Celtic or Rangers.

Just imagine Aberdeen, Motherwell or Hearts coming second and getting a Champions League qualifier. Surely THAT's better for Scottish football than letting a club £50m in debt get away with murder.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

It's massive news though.

I remember recently hearing an interview with some Scottish manager or something saying that a few of the clubs kind of depend upon the income from huge crowds when they play at Celtic and Rangers.

[Hobo]

Oh fuck off, so you'd rather Rangers didn't suffer a penalty so that the Old Firm can continue to sour the league?

Even if Rangers ceased to exist tomorrow, what's the worst that would happen? Sure, the league would have to re-negotiate the Sky deal but that deal does fuck all to benefit clubs that aren't Celtic or Rangers.

Just imagine Aberdeen, Motherwell or Hearts coming second and getting a Champions League qualifier. Surely THAT's better for Scottish football than letting a club £50m in debt get away with murder.

They won't unless they win the league, Scotland has 1 CL place now.