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Livingston boss David Martindale hits out at Nicola Sturgeon

.Williamson.

By .Williamson.
in Jimmy Bell's Kitroom

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.Williamson.

.Williamson. 82,146

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:lol:

Pulling no punches. 

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David Martindale has hit out at Holyrood hammering the whole of Scottish football over Rangers ’ Covidiots.

The irritated Livingston boss is dismayed at constant references to clubs being privileged during First Minister Nicola Sturgeon ’s briefings with his outfit alone having shelled out £250,000 just to
Martindale pointed to the fact the entire Westminster set-up wasn’t hauled over the coals when PM Boris Johnson’s chief advisor Dominic Cummings decided to break lockdown rules in the same way that all Scottish football has been bracketed together following the actions of Ibrox Five.

And the Lions boss says it’s time the game fought back to defend itself.
Sturgeon called for Scottish football to get “its house in order“ while also stating the majority of people don’t have privileges elite sport enjoys.

But Martindale said: “When Dominic Cummings was found out did the full Parliament or the whole of Westmister get chastised for it? They never.
That was an employee of the government, but you didn’t see the whole of government or Westminster or the party get the brunt of it. It was the individual who got it.

“For me, that’s where you’ve got to go with it. You’ve got to extricate the individual from the situation and it should be the individual who pays the price for it. Not the company they work for or their governing body.
It’s not Rangers’ fault, it’s not Scottish football’s fault. Why should Scottish football get stopped because, for want of a better word, five idiots broke Covid protocols?

I keep hearing, you’re privileged, you’re privileged. Yes, we’re privileged, but people need to realise there’s a lot of other industries back at work.
“I get we’re allowed to play football, but I do think it plays a huge part in society. As a club, we’ve spent a quarter of a million pounds to play football.

“It’s cost us that in Covid testing. To see five footballers and then the whole of Scottish football is getting castigated, getting a negative slant on it.
“The construction industry’s working and they’re not paying to work. And if it was five joiners that were at a house party, I don’t see them coming out and slating the full construction industry. I don’t see them slating the joiners’ company.

“I’ve got a lot of people in construction and they’re all travelling in cars and vans and they’re all on building sites. They’re working away as normal.
But, for some reason, Scottish football is getting held to a higher authority.
“It’s about time sometimes we fought back a little bit because we are all working and doing the best we can and I really do think it’s helping society.

“There’s a lot of fans write in and say they look forward to the games on a Saturday.
We’re allowed to keep playing football and it’s kept the sponsors and ensured we’ve not broken any obligations, but it’s cost clubs like Livingston a lot of money so we can keep the sponsorship coming into Scottish football.
“We’re in house [testing], but at the start we were £4,000 a week. The clubs that were using Signpost were roughly £6,000 a week at one point and that’s from the early June. It’s incredible.

We, as clubs, can’t control what players are doing outwith football.
So, for that to have an impact on the whole of Scottish football, I don’t agree with it. I can see where they’re coming from, but I don’t agree with it.
I feel sympathy for Rangers and I feel sympathy for Scottish football because we’re getting a bad name because of this and I don’t think we should.

“We’re in a privileged position, but how much of Scotland is out working now? Sixty or 70 per cent?
“Where’s the privilege for that. Are they paying a quarter of a million pound to go back to work? I don’t think they are.”
“And, for Rangers to get tarred with that brush as well? It’s five employees, what can Rangers physically do?

 

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RangersMedia

RangersMedia 35,961

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Without keeping players under lock and key, what can any club do?

What privileges are Livi players getting for instance? A decent joiner or plumber is probably making better coin than the majority of their squad out with a few players, but living a far more free life for the last 6-7 months. I imagine being a young, single footballer on the fringes of a team like Livi is an utterly shite existence at the moment. Possibly miles from home, not knowing many about you, and only a camera phone away from being a "covidiot".

Yes you get to play football, but I think people forget that it's their job. Ok it's a more glamorous job the getting to go down sewers to break apart jobby dams, but..... it's easy to forget the majority of players registered to play in our top 2 leagues won't even be in the 41% tax rate.

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East Enclosure Row N

East Enclosure Row N 2,823

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7 hours ago, AlCapone said:

Why is he mentioning Dominic cumming rather than Margaret Ferrier  seeing as he is having a go at Sturgeon?  Bawbag 

Cumming was on a jolly - so outwith the control of his employer - just like our players.

Ferrier was travelling for work after contracting covid, so different scenario and not like our case at all.

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Big Al 55

Big Al 55 9,248

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48 minutes ago, My Fathers Scarf said:

?

You said posters could be as tolerant and sensible as Martindale. His point was that the club and football in this country shouldn’t be held accountable for the actions of the 5 idiot players.

I haven’t seen anyone criticise the club in all of this, only the players so I’m struggling to see your point.

Are you suggesting we should be more tolerant of the suspended players, those players who made us UK wide news and jeopardised our Europe’s and domestic campaigns?

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AlCapone

AlCapone 7,678

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1 hour ago, East Enclosure Row N said:

Cumming was on a jolly - so outwith the control of his employer - just like our players.

Ferrier was travelling for work after contracting covid, so different scenario and not like our case at all.

Ferrier went to a hairdresser, visited shops and a supermarket whilst knowing she was positive. I would say that was a jolly and she is  an SNP employeee who is still receiving a salary. She was positive! It’s a scandal and a million times worse than Cummings. This alone show hypocrisy of sturgeon having a go at us

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AlCapone

AlCapone 7,678

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2 hours ago, Jimbeamjunior said:

Because its the job cummings was in, cummings wasn't an mp, he was an employee (like our players are) hence the comparison

That is not relevant. Ferrier is a member of the SNP and could have been sacked or disciplined  and forced to stand as an independent MP. Neither was done to protect the SNPs name 

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