Is Scottish Football heading For Oblivion

[Ozblue 4,331]

I have just read an article written by 'The Dude' entitled "Is Scottish Football on the brink of hating itself into oblivion". I know the Dude got a lot of criticism on here because he was writing a blog for a publication that are totally 100% anti-Rangers and the feeling was that he would be under pressure to write from a Rangers perspective which would be totally opposed by the head Rangers hating bigots of said publication.

Now I don't know if this article will be allowed to be printed by TDR, but if not, then I applaud the Dude for writing such a piece, which I totally agree on and could end Scottish Football as we know it.

I've C&P the article here.

Do you agree with the Dude? or do you think he's talking shite?

 

 

For as long as anyone can remember there have always been certain areas of Scottish football which, to most right-minded people, is utterly ridiculous, however, the last few weeks have taken a very sinister twist and it’s getting to the point where it’s causing damage to the game that just might be irreparable. Now, anyone that has read blogs I've written in the past, heard me on podcasts or even seen my stuff on social media will find it hard to disagree that I am genuinely passionate about Scottish football.I started my 'career' covering youth games across the Central Belt for nothing more than the occasional free pie and a Bovril. As garbage as the 'product' on the pitch can be, I love it. There's, unquestionably, better football available all around the planet but, at the end of the day, Scottish football is what I watch most of and what I enjoy most but the sheer hatred aimed towards Rangers over the last few weeks is reaching a point where it can't be ignored any longer.

Over the best part of the last decade, one of the main topics of discussion has been the issues over the use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs) and the long-term dispute over whether they were loans or taxable as part of the players' contracted financial package; the details of what has gone on are easy to find so I'll not go over them again but since the Supreme Court's decision that EBT's were contractual and therefore taxable, Scottish football has been on the brink of ripping itself apart. Supporters groups have released statements demanding investigations and stripping of titles, Celtic have demanded an independent review of an independent review they spearheaded in 2013 and fans of clubs across the SPFL Premiership have threatened boycotts of their respective clubs and sponsors. There's also a slew of petitions online (one of which, comically, has more people signed up than 8 of the 12 Premiership clubs get through the turnstiles on a typical match day).

Later today, the SPFL is expected to release a statement confirming that there will be no new investigation or new sanctions in light of the Supreme Court's decision and I half expect some fans, and I don't mean Rangers fans, will go supernova when their worst fear is confirmed and it's announced that the findings of the 2013 Lord Nimmo Smith commission that they rushed to convene is binding and there is no change in the SPFL's position. I don't even mind the nonsense about Rangers apparently 'cheating' and somehow having an unfair advantage over other clubs; it's an easily dismissed point and just makes its proponents look ridiculous as they argue a company's tax efficiency is related to sporting performance; Arsenal also used EBTs at a similar time to Rangers and I've yet to hear the argument they had some sort of advantage by doing so.

The problem is the almost life-or-death aura that's surrounded it all in recent days and weeks. Over the last 48 hours or so I've seen it compared as a 'cover-up' in the same manner that the Hillsborough disaster was proven to be. Aye, that's right. Someone put the deaths of 96 people at a football match on the same level as NOT PAYING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF TAX! Honestly, this isn't something any rational person should even think privately never mind publicly state on Twitter. I'm by no means a 'high-profile' member of the online Scottish football 'community' but I attract a fair number of utterly bonkers Celtic fans but, by and large, they are all harmless enough and probably feel a wee bit empowered by some of the anonymity provided by websites like Twitter, Facebook and various forums but there is an ever-growing number who seem to struggle to remember the relative seriousness of the 'offence' they spend so much of their time and money on in the name of 'justice'. The only vague explanation that I can come up with is that the most vocal have spent so much time and money being peddled nonsense by various Celtic bloggers that they simply NEED whatever fairy tale they've been spun to be true. Whether it's a 'Club Stand' season ticket holder; an Irish resident 'tarred with a sickening sectarian brush' or any of the others who've made more than a few quid off people's gullibility, many have spent five or six years making 'donations' and won't accept they've had the wool pulled over their eyes. Even now their preferred bloggers will be cooking up their latest fantasy to grab as they ask for their readers' hard money. Some of them are so entrenched in their positions that they'll argue that tax expert QC is wrong on the legality of EBTs and they, from their learned position as a part-time delivery driver for the local Chinese, are in fact correct. At one one point they even took out an advert in a Swiss newspaper bearing the tagline 'Persistence Beats Resistance' however, in reality, you can persist in telling the world that the sky is red and you'll always be wrong.

When the SPFL's statement is released later today it won't change a thing. With a section of fans proposing crowd funding a judicial review of the Lord Nimmo Smith decision, which the then-SPL members insisted upon a full four years before the outcome of Rangers' tax case, it's not going to get better any time soon either. What comes out of Celtic tomorrow once will also make for an interesting reading. I'm not convinced that Peter Lawwell stepped away from the SPFL board for any other reason than he can dispute it as Celtic Chief Executive despite having been a participant in every meeting involving the SPFL board to come to their stance. Celtic have as much an obligation as anyone to move on, realise they tried to get their pound of flesh in 2013 and accept that Rangers have already been punished.

If Celtic and the fans of other clubs don't, and they continue to push what should be a non-existent issue, they might just end up with victims of their own hatred.

 

 

 

 

 

[quabba 440]

I don't think he's talking shite. The beggars will stop at nothing to get titles stripped. Won't matter one snotter what the SPFL release today.

If after today any other club still pushes for more sanctions then the Rangers Board should come down hard ( aye right, I hear you saying) and say get to fuck for any tickets for the away games and cut away fans allocation at Ibrox. Time to get tough with these bastards as they have had it all their own way for far too long. 

[K.A.I 36,183]

It's already in oblivion 

[Blueshoff 11,750]

1 minute ago, K.A.I said:

It's already in oblivion 

This.

When a sizeable number of other clubs fans are more interested in the tax and other affairs of another club rather than watching and supporting their own team its fucked 

[WATP-FOREVER 5,231]

Should be that Scotland is heading for oblivion - and the only way to stop it is to get rid of those inherent timmigrant fuckers anyone with an inclination to fly a tricolour, support hibs or the other fenian oirish club must be extradited to the land they sing of.

[rossDas 1,071]

The coordinated sandwich eating session will be the straw that breaks the camels back. 

[Fred H Crawford 1,182]

A very good article , that deserves to be read by a wider audience . Unfortunately the substance of the Dude's points won't mean fuck all to those out there who would rather see harm come to Scottish football and the clubs they profess to "support" as long as it means that big bad Rangers continue to be punished !

Lieswell will continue to pull the strings of the others in keeping the clamour for reviews of reviews going , whilst working on an exit strategy for the tarriers ( Euro / Atlantic league etc.) playing the victim card as they go . 

The game in this part of the world is piss poor as it is , without constant infighting and never ending threats of bhoycotts and legal action, aided and abetted by a compliant section of the msm it has to be said .

[Frank Reynolds 3,359]

Scottish football is a joke, no better than a pub league.

[Gazza1212 1,212]

28 minutes ago, K.A.I said:

It's already in oblivion 

This.

It's only in the coming years they will realise the damage has already been done.

[Prso's headband 35,340]

When he says the petition is at more than 8 out of 10 clubs average turnstile that tells you all they need to know.

Instead of aspiring to be the country's most successful club, to heap praise on world record holders in their own country they would rather bring down that club so that the all encompassing, moral club take that title by default. 

The inferiority complex in Scottish football has killed the game. 

[CoatbridgeBear 7,113]

6 years late

[RFC55 108,716]

That's a good blog @The Dude

get to fuck out of the record and keep producing stuff like that mate 

[markem 7,251]

Very good blog  (depressingly accurate) -  whether it's an excellent one depends on where it is published imo.

 

[With Heart and Hand 8,949]

Scottish football has been in the dump for years it's just that many Scottish fans and many SPFL board members and SFA leaders refuse to accept the idea that we are at the same level as the likes of Luxembourg etc and are not likely to get any better the way things are going

They fucked themselves by acting like SKY owed them something but they'd rather blame Rangers who were the only reason we were seen as competition in Europe in the first place 

[Alves70 393]

56 minutes ago, quabba said:

I don't think he's talking shite. The beggars will stop at nothing to get titles stripped. Won't matter one snotter what the SPFL release today.

If after today any other club still pushes for more sanctions then the Rangers Board should come down hard ( aye right, I hear you saying) and say get to fuck for any tickets for the away games and cut away fans allocation at Ibrox. Time to get tough with these bastards as they have had it all their own way for far too long. 

Septic as a club can't do a thing to pursue title stripping as no doubt the SPFLs advice on the matter probably came from their own club lawyers Harper Macleod. They will know legally it would be a waste of time and money to pursue anything in the courts. Officially all they can really do is issue a statement that's about the extant of the action they can take.

As for other clubs I think even Aberdeen's official position is let's move on as we saw at the weekend from Stewart Milne. 

The matter will be put to bed today and other than a few lunatic bloggers fund raising to higher a few scam lawyers that will ultimately come to nothing title stripping is officially consigned to the dust bin and will never happen.

 

[surfsup2 1,535]

There getting boring now ffs you think they wud be all over there own team are they no still in Europe ?‍♀️

Maybe it annoys them that they now know we don't give a F about any of them only Rangers ??

[Blue Avenger 22,567]

The harmony of a nation is seriously compromised with these malcontents, ably faciltated by their protagonists in SNPIRA.

Every last one guilty of crimes against the sovereign state of the UK and the ordinary people of Scotland.

Their bedrooms adorned with portraits of their heroes. Those murderers in the form of McGuiness, Sands and their heinous ilk. Adorn their terrorist flag of war and openly display their hero worship of a proscribed organsation who killed amd mamed innocents across the UK. Bringing terror to a nation for over 30 years such was their hatred.

Their bombs and their bullets are tucked away for now, but what has changed in their mind sets? Nothing! As their terror campaign was defeated, their murderous leaders took to playing the political game to subvert national institutions. Mounting their propaganda campaign, to try and steal the moral high ground to to undermine the majority. The terrorist remains within and the bombs and the bullets at the ready when that fateful day inevitibly comes around again and their frustrations boil over, as they are again told NO to a unified rhepublic.

The plastics here in the west of Scotland are possesed with the rhepublican fever. The rhabid dog that needs put out of it's misery, as it's illness festers and runs wild to ravish all in it's wake.

Time the law abiding people of Scotland put this rhabid dog out of it's misery once and for all, unless the civil liberties and peace and harmony of the majority are to be forsaken.

There is no place in a civilised society for these mindless malcontents who will go to any lengths to secure their goal and they must be disposed of, rendered impotent by every means necessary. We start with the ballot box.

There will be NO SURRENDER!

 

[quabba 440]

6 minutes ago, Blue Avenger said:

The harmony of a nation is seriously compromised with these malcontents, ably faciltated by their protagonists in SNPIRA.

Every last one guilty of crimes against the sovereign state of the UK and the ordinary people of Scotland.

Their bedrooms adorned with portraits of their heroes. Those murderers in the form of McGuiness, Sands and their heinous ilk. Adorn their terrorist flag of war and openly display their hero worship of a proscribed organsation who killed amd mamed innocents across the UK. Bringing terror to a nation for over 30 years such was their hatred.

Their bombs and their bullets are tucked away for now, but what has changed in their mind sets? Nothing! As their terror campaign was defeated, their murderous leaders took to playing the political game to subvert national institutions. Mounting their propaganda campaign, to try and steal the moral high ground to to undermine the majority. The terrorist remains within and the bombs and the bullets at the ready when that fateful day inevitibly comes around again and their frustrations boil over, as they are again told NO to a unified rhepublic.

The plastics here in the west of Scotland are possesed with the rhepublican fever. The rhabid dog that needs put out of it's misery, as it's illness festers and runs wild to ravish all in it's wake.

Time the law abiding people of Scotland put this rhabid dog out of it's misery once and for all, unless the civil liberties and peace and harmony of the majority are to be forsaken.

There is no place in a civilised society for these mindless malcontents who will go to any lengths to secure their goal and they must be disposed of, rendered impotent by every means necessary. We start with the ballot box.

There will be NO SURRENDER!

 

Couldn't have said it better myself mate

[Siam69 26,861]

The only vague explanation that I can come up with is that the most vocal have spent so much time and money being peddled nonsense by various Celtic bloggers that they simply NEED whatever fairy tale they've been spun to be true. Whether it's a 'Club Stand' season ticket holder; an Irish resident 'tarred with a sickening sectarian brush' or any of the others who've made more than a few quid off people's gullibility, many have spent five or six years making 'donations' and won't accept they've had the wool pulled over their eyes. Even now their preferred bloggers will be cooking up their latest fantasy to grab as they ask for their readers' hard money. Some of them are so entrenched in their positions that they'll argue that tax expert QC is wrong on the legality of EBTs and they, from their learned position as a part-time delivery driver for the local Chinese, are in fact correct. At one one point they even took out an advert in a Swiss newspaper bearing the tagline 'Persistence Beats Resistance' however, in reality, you can persist in telling the world that the sky is red and you'll always be wrong.

Nail on the head, the thick as fuck cunts.

What a way to lead your life, in some fantasy world, where you allegedly support Celtic, but eat, breath and sleep Rangers, first thing in the morning, last thing at night.

Mental, and I do mean mental.

Funny as fuck as well, great value, can't wait for the meltdown later, glorious 

[buster. 1,114]

The way finances are going in the modern game, Scottish football, along with other similar sized leagues are being marginalised.

I think that Scottish football manages to press the 'fast forward button' on that marginalisation and in so doing gets left behind some of the similar sized nations.

There are various reasons behind this with one being the level of hatred and how that has manifested itself.

[cushynumber 25,178]

the question is whether they can move on

1. The bloggers wont stop because it has made them money and relevant to a section of their support.

2. A large part of their support has solely concentrated on us for 5 years to the point of obsession. They won't and can't admit that its all been for nothing.

[Blue Avenger 22,567]

The mindset of your average plastic malcontent rhepublican knows no bounds. They are a cancer.

Today it's title stripping, tomorrow it's something else.

 

[Bad Robot 21,138]

46 minutes ago, Prso's headband said:

When he says the petition is at more than 8 out of 10 clubs average turnstile that tells you all they need to know.

Instead of aspiring to be the country's most successful club, to heap praise on world record holders in their own country they would rather bring down that club so that the all encompassing, moral club take that title by default. 

The inferiority complex in Scottish football has killed the game. 

and dont forget they identity crises some clubs and fans have 

[Davie Mr Magic Cooper 515]

That was a clear, well written article by 'The Dude'. Credit where credit's due. That was a good read.

I would never entertain writing for the Record, but I fully understand his reasons behind it and I'm in no position to decry him for doing so. If 'The Dude' can get to publish his articles from a Rangers standpoint without them being chopped so much that it dilutes the content, then one of his reasons for doing just that is fully justified. It should be of benefit to us as we need all the 'Rangers men' we can get in publications, as there are certainly more than a few tarriers out there.

I'm not sure from the OP as to whether this is the original, intact version from 'The Dude's' website, or actually from the Record. I hope it's the latter.

As for obllvion, if we're not already there, we're standing right on the very edge and there's only one major contributor to that. if the manky mob weren't as rabid as they unquestionably are we wouldn't be in this sorry state. If they curtailed there hatred for us, then I'm sure the wee puppy dog clubs would ease of a bit too. 

[Ozblue 4,331]

1 hour ago, K.A.I said:

It's already in oblivion 

I would certainly agree with you,John, but it's not gone past the point of no return (yet) although it's fucking hurtling to the buffers at a rapid rate. If these idiots from other clubs are so determined to boycott their home games that will send their respective clubs to oblivion, then there is only going to be ONE club that will be the beneficiary....Rangers FC.

Let the Autocannibalism begin.