Walking Down The Halbeath Road

[H_B]

Believe me, it'll be a helluva lot cheaper than paying the debts in full. Administration hasn't done too badly for Livingston or Dundee or Motherwell. As long as it remains the low cost, low penalty option, there will always be an "ambitious" football club happy to drink at that particular well. Jeez, the recognized field experts have now been there twice apiece inside a decade, and it really hasn't hurt them at all.

Yup.

Many Falkirk fans have commented that we did the wrong thing back in the day when we repaid our debts in full. It was a financially very costly choice.

[jagfox]

The Dunfermline situation is evidently entwined with the demise of Glasgow Rangers and SDMs business empire in general. Murray set-up his companies to deflect debt from Rangers and this worked for a while. Masterton bankrolled his Mega Casino type schemes until his core businesses started going tits up. Ironically his call-centre business Response lost their contract with Sky, the funders of the holy grail of English Premiership football. They were the drivers in setting up the SPL, a cabal where you were welcome as long as you banked with HBoS and built your ground with materials from MIM. Masterton then went about setti.g up his Stadia operation which got the debt running in his mini-empire and put Livi into admin and the bottom league on its ill thought out journey. Murray was meantime setting up tax avoidance schemes for his favoured employees while minimum wage workers were losing their contact centre jobs.

However, due to their standing in the business community in Scotland questions weren't raised by people who could govern their pandemonium. The problem is they and their lackies weren't very good at their jobs and racked up debts of hundreds of millions.

This fallout has resulted in the failure of their respective clubs and as usual it is the workers in these institutions that suffer. People will find themselves unemployed today and it will be due to the mismanagement of Murray, Masterton and their chosen lackies and family members.

If you're going to eat succulent lamb with these venture capitalists use a very long fork!

[DeclanG]

P.Gallacher, J.McMillan, A.Kirk, A.Dowie and S.Jordan among eight first team players made redundant by administrator Bryan Jackson.

[smpar]

f**k. That's tough. I'm guessing there'll be more?

[Beachbum]

Barrowman and Cardle.

[Cowden til i die]

How will McMillan afford to pay for #nandos and #tattoos and #haircuts and his Merc? Poor guy.

[Gaz FFC]

How will McMillan afford to pay for #nandos and #tattoos and #haircuts and his Merc? Poor guy.

He could get a real job and not just chase a white piece of leather round a grassy field once a week for 90mins and call it work.

[Cowden til i die]

#headloss

[sergie's no1 fan]

Gallacher will be one of the highest earners you'd think.

[cowdenbeath]

Gallacher will be one of the highest earners you'd think.

I would image all of the first team players who got paid off today would have been the highest earners as they were there last season.

[DAFC]

The Dunfermline situation is evidently entwined with the demise of Glasgow Rangers and SDMs business empire in general. Murray set-up his companies to deflect debt from Rangers and this worked for a while. Masterton bankrolled his Mega Casino type schemes until his core businesses started going tits up. Ironically his call-centre business Response lost their contract with Sky, the funders of the holy grail of English Premiership football. They were the drivers in setting up the SPL, a cabal where you were welcome as long as you banked with HBoS and built your ground with materials from MIM. Masterton then went about setti.g up his Stadia operation which got the debt running in his mini-empire and put Livi into admin and the bottom league on its ill thought out journey. Murray was meantime setting up tax avoidance schemes for his favoured employees while minimum wage workers were losing their contact centre jobs.

However, due to their standing in the business community in Scotland questions weren't raised by people who could govern their pandemonium. The problem is they and their lackies weren't very good at their jobs and racked up debts of hundreds of millions.

This fallout has resulted in the failure of their respective clubs and as usual it is the workers in these institutions that suffer. People will find themselves unemployed today and it will be due to the mismanagement of Murray, Masterton and their chosen lackies and family members.

If you're going to eat succulent lamb with these venture capitalists use a very long fork!

The unreported scandal of Scottish football. I think Romanov was right it was totally corrupt in favour of rangers.

[CallumH]

A tribute to Gavin

One afternoon a banker was riding in his limousine when he saw two men

along the road-side eating grass. Intrigued, he ordered his driver to stop and got out to investigate. He asked one man, "Why are you eating grass?"

"We don't have any money for food," the poor man replied. "We have to

eat grass."

"Well, then, you can come with me to my house and I'll feed you," the

banker said.

"But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there,

under that tree."

"Bring them along," the banker replied.

Turning to the other poor man he stated, "You may come with us, also."

The second man, in a pitiful voice, then said, "But sir, I also have a wife and SIX children with me!"

"Bring them all as well," the banker answered.

They all entered the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as

large as the limousine was. Once under way, one of the poor fellows turned to the banker and said, "Sir, you are too kind."

"Thank you for taking all of us with you.

The banker replied, "Glad to do it. "You'll really love my place. The

grass is almost a foot high!"

[kiddy]

Lessons are never learned and corporate governance is never implemented. From Motherwell through to Rangers and now Dunfermline the same hand wringing goes on. The club is left to get on with making the best of the situation, people get shafted, there is a random points deduction which the football authorities see as them doing their bit. Actually history tells us that the football authorities are incredibly lax about punishing the advantage gained by poorly run clubs. Motherwell, Dundee, Livingston have all struggled with a very temporary blip and within a reasonably short space of time are back at the level they were before. Same will apply to Rangers.

The authorities never - never ever - intervene up front. They never risk the wrath of the supporters and club officials who spin a pile of shite that everything is alright. If they'd intervened in Rangers at any stage - whether when White was buying the club or when it was evident he was making a royal cvnt of running it - they'd have got their head and hands to play with. He destroyed the old Rangers and even now their fans are after every other cvnt in Scottish football because it was their fault in some way.

When this happens the only thing that will enable other clubs to learn lessons is if someone is finally expelled from the league. Anything else - points deduction, relegation or whatever - is just fannying about until the next shower of corporate wankers come along with a sob story. Expelling teams would focus a lot of minds and ensure that businessmen knew there was a real consequence to fucking about. It might also make supporters ask a few more questions and attend their AGMs where it is possible to do so.

Quality post from HTG, a really robust, and if necessary brutal, governance committee is needed in the professional game to ensure proper governance of our football clubs. Time the rule benders and serial adminitrationers were thrown out, after fair warning. We need clear and transparent proceedures on what happens in cases like this, not just the SFL making it up as they go along (after Longmuir has consulted with three influential chairmen and made his mind up before the meeting starts what will happen anyway).

The way that Scottish football is 'governed' is a complete joke. Yet again the SFL- i.e. thirty blazers- will sit and wring their hands and do absolutely nothing about this. It's happening far too often to be credible. In a few years time I predict all but about six to eight football clubs in Scotland will be part time. A large part of that will be down to business demanding payment up front from football clubs for services, and banks refusing to lend, having seen football club after football club jockeying business legislation in order to avoid the consequences of their recklessness at everyone else's expense. One administration too many- one set of local companies being fucked over again- yet another self obsessed group of polyester clad middle aged men whining its no oor fault ah just want a team tae support having happy clapped the results of the financial recklessness- one more big cheque for the likes of Jackson / McGruther- it's no longer sustainable.

This problem of serial administration needs to be tackled robustly and yet again the SFA / SFL will sit on its hands and do hee haw about it.

I can't stress how much I agree with this and with HTG's post. It is utterly soul destroying trying to watch Rovers make ends meet while other clubs go out and spend ridiculous amounts of money trying to sustain an SPL dream, getting themselves into trouble, only to go into Admin and reach a CVA. Meanwhile, Rovers go season on season with a dwindling fanbase trying to cut their budgets while struggling to compete with other teams. I'm not going to make any bold statements on what will happen, but I'd be exceptionally disheartened if the Pars managed to get a CVA and then pulled off a 'Dundee'. Scottish football in the whole needs a massive review, not some report by a politician. Even after Rangers went bust, we've yet to see so much to the change promised. The SPL have kept their ridiculous voting structure, the clubs still try to trot out same excuses for a smaller top tier, and we still have the same cretins in charge. There is absolutely no accountability in our game whatsoever.

yep, the number of times I've had to listen to calls for 'bottom feeders' with 'no ambition' thrown out the senior game, (i.e. Montrose) by 'fans' of clubs spending an absolute fortune beyond their means over the years, is galling. The reason we've struggled so much in the last decade is er, we have no money, and try to live within our means.

Then the same gummy nosed buffoons turn up on the point of tears on STV, bubbling aw ah want's a team tae support. F**k off. Do the maths. Don't expect everyone else to foot the bill for your catastrophic overspend (which you happy-clapped all the way).

I used to have massive sympathy for clubs in this plight and I re-iterate that I want Dunfermline to get through this. But the self-pitying tears, and dodgy double-glazing-tycoon business gymnastics, are wearing very, very thin, and the business infrastructure needed to support the professional game will suffer as a result, in the short, medium and long term.

Of course the people that could intervene meaningfully and effect change- the game's governing bodies- won't.

In all honesty I don't really care whether we are perceived to be 'light years' ahead of other countries.

The governance remains shambolic, amateurish and utterly ineffective when clubs hit administration.

I completely concur with all that is said in the above posts & the sentiments regarding Corporate Governance.

Whilst the majority on P&B have gone on, at length, about "wealth redistribution". I have been banging on that financial regulation should be the cornerstone of ANY reorganisation of our game.

That opportunity was missed last summer, when the SFA should have enforced its position, as governing body, by steamrollering through the SPL &SFL.

By removing these two bodies, & in doing so the mechanism for clubs running their own competition, it would have removed self interest from being THE main driver in our league setup.

The staff of these two "redundant" bodies should then have come under the control of the SFA & been set up purely under the auspices of running the SFA controlled League setup & ITS FINANCIAL REGULATION. Where Association Member Clubs are invited to take part, whilst their books are audited annually & spending budgets set.

Only then can we get somewhere near as level a playing field as is possible. Where it comes down to ability, or inability, to put a team on the park within budget constraints. Where taking promotion or relegation becomes part of the game & winning something seems worthwhile once again.

Edited March 28, 2013 by kiddy

[johan scott]

Utter nonsense to say Dundee haven't suffered through admin. The loss of players first time round led to relegation, we then had 7 seasons in the first div, and are only in the SPL because of Rangers' collapse. We have no credit with any bank and can only spend what we have, not moaning, we deserved all we got. I'm sure Livi fans would tell a similar tale. Believe me, admin is no joke, and hurts your club for years to come--unless you're Sevco of course. Thought Masterton's apology was a joke, tho still waiting for similar from Melville! Best of luck to Pars fans, you, players and staff are the victims of the fuckwit directors.

[Parscelona]

Seemingly Tracey Martin (one of Masterton's two daughters) has left the club.

Remove the other one Bryan.

[chrisholton6]

The majority of the debt run up is due to one man, the man who caused all the problems in the first place Masterton, if u take into consideration the financial hit he is taking to the tune of approx 8 million you could argue he is getting what he deserves. I have always deplored clubs who go into administration . Dundee, Livingston, Gretna, Motherwell, Airdrie, Clydebank etc . Just because its my club my opinion doesn't change however. Would prefer this than the club not existing at all. To all taking pot shots at the Pars in our shitest of hours think hard because no matter what you think you know your club may be next.

Big shout out to Raith, Patrick & Cowdenbeath for all their offers of support over recent weeks. Hope to be seeing & playing you all in the near future.

[Paranoid]

He could get a real job and not just chase a white piece of leather round a grassy field once a week for 90mins and call it work.

It's harder than you think. I guess you have never actually played football. Besides 'tain't leather no more.

[Scary Bear]

The majority of the debt run up is due to one man, the man who caused all the problems in the first place Masterton, if u take into consideration the financial hit he is taking to the tune of approx 8 million you could argue he is getting what he deserves. I have always deplored clubs who go into administration . Dundee, Livingston, Gretna, Motherwell, Airdrie, Clydebank etc . Just because its my club my opinion doesn't change however. Would prefer this than the club not existing at all. To all taking pot shots at the Pars in our shitest of hours think hard because no matter what you think you know your club may be next. Big shout out to Raith, Patrick & Cowdenbeath for all their offers of support over recent weeks. Hope to be seeing & playing you all in the near future.

Did you take your inspiration for this post from Rangers Media?

'All down to one man' - check.

'To all taking pot shots in our shitest of hours' - check.

'Your club may be next' check.

[Lord Snooty]

How much do these guys actually earn?

[ScottyC]

I couldnt actually give a shit if we're relegated or not. The SFL can dock points and it would probably leave a truer points tally on how we've been playing these past months. Surely we're gonna get something extra from the SFA for not handing over gate reciepts to Hamilton as well.

And its not one man, its various people associated to one man (including some fans)...