The Scottish Football thread

[Lineker]

Martin Bain has officially resigned as chief executive of Rangers and is suing the club for breach of contract.

Scotland footballer Garry O'Connor has been charged with drugs offences, police have confirmed.

O'Connor, 28, who started his career at Hibs, was allegedly caught with cocaine in Edinburgh in May.

The striker was initially detained before being released pending further examination.

A report has now been sent to the procurator fiscal. The footballer is expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.

Defender Craig Thomson has been told to stay away from Hearts after he was placed on the sex offenders register.

It has been agreed that the 20-year-old should remain absent while the club conduct their own internal enquiry.

Hearts began pre-season training this week and will travel to the Il Ciocco complex in Italy on Saturday.

Last week, Thomson pleaded guity to two charges of indecent behaviour for lewd and libidinous behaviour towards two girls, aged 12 and 14.

The crimes took place over the internet.

Icelandic International defender Kari Arnason will travel with Hearts to Tuscany for a trial period.

The 28-year-old spent has been with Plymouth for two years but has been released due to the financial problems the League Two club are encountering.

Teenager Denis Prychynenko will also train in Italy, if he recovers from a knee injury, after signing a new three-year contract at Tynecastle earlier this week.

The German-born Ukrainian hit 14 goals for the Under-19s last season.

[Cadj]

Ian Black was also in court about cocaine possession this week.

Good times at Hearts right now, paedos, junkies and god knows what else.

Craig Thomson can fuck off though.

EDIT:

Well Hearts just released a statement and Craig Thomson is remaining a Hearts player.

Fuck sake.

Edited June 24, 2011 by Cadj

[Cadj]

Double post apologies but I think this deserves a post of it's own.

The Hearts Board of Directors has issued the following statement in relation to outside influences on players and the club.

"What's happening with the club today is not a new thing. For almost 7 years we have been fighting to shield the club from crooks, criminals and thieves. Many of the top players at the club have felt the bitter results of the swindles that have been carried out with them on their own skin. Skacel and Webster have returned to the club after realising where these 'football patriots' have led them.

"Over a short space of time 4 players at our club have been on the wrong end of the law. We note that 3 of them are represented by the same agent - Gary Mackay - who has been so vicious in his attacks against Mr Romanov.

"Taking into account the facts that have been omitted by the media it can be presumed that each of these cases is not a coincidence, but the result of targeted actions of a mafia that wants to manipulate the club and the results.

"Every year Hearts fights to be in the top 3, but even last season in the last 12 games of the season it was almost like someone replaced the team with a different one. Whose fault is that? Players? Manager's? Or it is mafia.

"Stealing players, bad games, problems with the law - all of that on top of record SFA fines. Problems are just shifted to another level.

"Mafia are dragging kids into the crime, in order to blackmail and profit on them. It is not possible to separate these people from pedophiles, and you don't need to do that. Each year we are forced to fight against these maniacs harder and harder. We are standing in their way not letting them manipulate the game of football in the way they want. As such they undermine us in every possible way they can.

"The task of the club is to tear these kids out of hands of criminals."

[Lineker]

Wow and damn.

[Lineker]

BBC Scotland has learned that the Scottish Football Association is likely to examine an outburst from Hearts.

Club owner Vladimir Romanov has a history of eccentric rants.

The latest statement, attributed to the board of directors, says: "We have been fighting to shield the club from crooks, criminals and thieves.

"Stealing players, bad games, problems with the law - all of that on top of record SFA fines. Problems are just shifted to another level."

The statement was released shortly after the Edinburgh club had announced that they were standing by defender Craig Thomson following an internal investigation into his conviction for "lewd, libidinous and indecent behaviour".

The 20-year-old full-back earlier this month pleaded guilty, was fined and placed on the sex offenders register in relation to his inappropriate conduct towards two under-age girls over the internet.

The statement added: "Every year Hearts fights to be in the top three, but even last season in the last 12 games of the season it was almost like someone replaced the team with a different one. Whose fault is that? Players? Manager's? Or it is mafia.

"Each year we are forced to fight against these maniacs harder and harder.

"We are standing in their way, not letting them manipulate the game of football in the way they want.

"As such they undermine us in every possible way they can."

Previous outbursts from Romanov have landed Hearts in disciplinary trouble and the Lithuanian-based Russian has more than once described the Scottish football authorities as "the mafia".

During the 2004-05 campaign, Hearts asked the SFA to investigate the "integrity of the decision" by officials to award a late penalty in a home loss to Rangers.

In October 2006, Hearts were fined £10,000 by the SFA for bringing the game into disrepute after further criticism of match officials.

And a £25,000 fine from the Scottish Premier League followed in February 2007 after accusations of the "buying off" of referees.

Earlier this month, Hearts were hit with a £100,000 penalty by the SFA's disciplinary committee for their poor on-field behaviour last season.

It is the seventh successive term that Hearts have been sanctioned and it is the highest-ever fine imposed on a club for indiscipline.

Hearts intend to contest the punishment, saying their disciplinary record has improved significantly.

A new judicial panel replaces the SFA's disciplinary committee and will be operational in time for the start of next season.

[Lineker]

Drinks company macb has withdrawn its support as the official water sponsor of football club Hearts.

The move comes after the club said it would not sack player Craig Thomson, who has been convicted of grooming two young girls on the internet.

The flavoured spring water firm said that as "a company with strong family values" it was left with no choice but to withdraw its support.

The sponsorship deal is worth more than £5,000 to the Edinburgh club.

A spokesman for Hearts said the club had no comment to make on the withdrawal of the sponsorship agreement.

The charity Children 1st earlier called on Hearts to dismiss Thomson after he was placed on the sex offenders register.

The 20-year-old was fined £4,000 for his lewd, libidinous and indecent behaviour towards two girls, aged 12 and 14, over the internet.

Hearts said it was keeping the player because there were "mitigating circumstances" which provided assurance his conduct would not be repeated.

A spokeswoman for macb said: "As a company with strong family values, we are left with no choice but to terminate our relationship with the Hearts football club.

"Along with countless others, fans and co-sponsors alike, we are extremely disappointed with the club's handling of this situation and as a result can no longer continue our support."

Last week Thomson issued an apology via the club website, saying he was "fully aware" that he had "let everyone down".

On Monday, manager Jim Jefferies said he was determined to prevent the case becoming a "sideshow" which affected the rest of his team.

"You don't want your club to be associated with anything like this," he said.

"You accept as a manager that you'll have to deal with problems along the road. But I have to be honest and say I've never felt like this.

"There's a big part of me that is sorry the player got involved because I knew what the reaction would be and he can't have any complaints because it was a bad, bad thing he did. He has made a grave error."

Surely if more sponsors pull out (and they will), the club will have no choice but to sack him. Amazed they haven't.

[Cadj]

We had a water sponsor?

Thomson will (hopefully) fuck off eventually once Romanov realises he's no longer a sale-able asset (that and he's not particularly great anyway, he was terrible last season) and that he's losing money from sponsors and fans.

[Lineker]

He's been suspended now.

[Crybaby Bunting]

All of the Hearts players have a choice of what number they want on their shirt next season.

Craig Thomson requested anything under 15.

[Kaney]

Rumour is Craig Thomson is going to Falkirk. He's always wanted to play with the Bairns.

[Starvinho]

Whats the difference between Craig Thomson and a greyhound?

A greyhound waits for the hare to appear!

[Lineker]

Things just went from bad to worse for him:

Police have confirmed they are making inquiries into fresh allegations against Hearts footballer Craig Thomson.

He was placed on the sex offenders register earlier this month after he admitted lewd and libidinous behaviour against young girls over the internet.

The club initially stood by him, but he was suspended two days ago.

Officers are looking into information they have received suggesting there may be evidence of another victim.

A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: "We are making inquiries into the possibility that another person has grounds for complaint."

The 20-year-old was convicted on 17 June at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for indecent behaviour towards two girls aged 12 and 14 on the internet.

On Friday the Scottish Premier League club said Thomson's "grave error of judgement" was due to "naivety and possible wrong outside influence".

The full-back resumed training at the club with immediate effect.

He issued an apology via the club website, saying that he was "fully aware that I have let everyone down".

Hearts posted two statements on the matter on their website. The first read: "The club views this matter very seriously and does not condone the behaviour of the player. Appropriate action to prevent any further development of unlawful activities has been taken.

"In reaching this decision, the club accepted that there are sufficient mitigating circumstances that provide significant assurance that the player's conduct, no matter how distasteful, was the result of a grave error of judgement due to naivety and possible wrong outside influence rather than anything more sinister and it will not be repeated."

Then, early on Friday evening, the club issued another statement which refers to "outside influences on players and the club".

The club's initial backing of Thomson was widely criticised.

The official supporters' club of the Scottish Premier League outfit, charity Children's 1st and Scottish lawmakers were among those calling for Hearts to take action against the player.

And Hearts' water sponsor cancelled its contract with the club on Monday.

The club then suspended him on Tuesday.

A Hearts spokesman said they were aware of the fresh allegations but were making no comment.

And in other naughty boys news:

Dundee United star David Goodwillie has been accused of assaulting a man in Glasgow city centre.

The 22-year-old striker is charged with repeatedly punching and kicking John Friel on the head and body in Queen Street on 3 November 2010.

Mr Goodwillie, of Craighall Street in Stirling, did not appear in person at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

No plea was entered on behalf of the Scotland player and Sheriff John Baird continued the case until next month.

The Scottish Young Player of the Year made his competitive debut in December 2005 with Dundee United, appearing as a late substitute in the defeat over Rangers at Ibrox.

He has represented Scotland at all international youth levels since appearing in 2005 and received his first call-up for the senior team in November last year.

Earlier this week, Dundee United rejected a £1m opening bid from Rangers for the player.

[Cadj]

Craig Thomson has been sacked (Y)

[IAceI]

Hoorah for finally coming to the right decision weeks after the rest of the world said it would have been a good decision to sack him immediately.

[Cadj]

Yeah that's Vladimir Romanov for ya.

[Lineker]

They're apparently transferring him to either FBK Kaunas or MTZ-Ripo.

[IAceI]

So he's being told to get out of Scotland? Is he being punished or not!?

[Lineker]

It's Romanov's finding a way to keep him on the wagebill, he probably thinks he can just transfer him back over once he thinks this has all died down.

[Cadj]

The Scottish Premier League is expected to drop plans to reduce the number of teams in the division to 10.

At Monday's AGM the league will examine the possibility of changing the current 12-team structure by introducing promotion/relegation play-offs.

Fantastic news!

Common sense has prevailed for once in the SPL.

[Colly]

So, Scottish football is back, and I'm watching it because I'm that ruddy bored. That said, I find this July start properly weird, and so does Terry Butcher.