WHO'S MANNING THE DRIP-FEED

Traynor just about has an orgasm gleefully telling us about Stephen Thompson resigning from the SPL board. After last week's revelations that everything in the SFL isn't as rosy as he likes to make out, it's business as usual: let's attack the SPL. According to Jabba, Thompson stands accused of 'drip-feeding stories to the media.'

So who has made these allegations? 'SPL sources' apparently. So somebody, presumably not Thompson, is drip-feeding this story to Traynor; if the story is true, that is!

So what stories did Thompson supposedly leak to the media? Considering that all the Scottish media, especially Traynor, just keep feeding the Ibrox faithful the manure supplied by Green, then what did Thompson let slip? What big stories about the SPL have broken in the last few months? No, I can't really think of any either. So either Thompson leaked nothing, or he did drip-feed stories that our Fourth Estate decided to ignore because it didn't concern Sevco.

So, according to Traynor, this resignation causes a problem for the SPL, coming as it does amid 'widespread calls for radical change.' Widespread calls? My God, he's really full of his own importance, isn't he. The only one that keeps banging on about it is Traynor himself. Oh, wait there was a letter from Steven Pressley, wasn't there? And the SFL want a slice of the pie. As I've said before, there are more voters for the Monster Raving Loony Party than there are supporters of SFL teams. That is, with the exception of Sevco; the real reason for the calls for re-organisation is to benefit them.

Traynor's agenda is clear. He wants to try to instil a lack of confidence in the SPL so that reconstruction will be demanded to the benefit of Green's new team. Does he really expect everyone, outside of the Sevco supporters, to fall for this?

'You'll be oan a drip-feed, Traynor, if ye don't shut it!'

ROLLING HEADS

He really can't help himself, can he? 'Heads will roll,' he says. So what's got Traynor so angry? Elgin City sold too many tickets for a match against Sevco; in fact, quite a lot too many. But why should Traynor be particularly angry about this? It's fairly obvious if you've been keeping up to date with his diatribes.

Since Green's new team was refused automatic entry into the SPL Traynor has had it in for football's top tier. In his eyes the SPL teams had no right to act this way and he has argued constantly that the SPL is corrupt, vindictive etc etc. Meanwhile the SFL, by way of contrast, is a model of probity, a beacon of sporting integrity shining out to the rest of the footballing world. So this piece of financial impropriety hurts old Jabba more than anyone could know.

So the SFL is not whiter-than-white. What, then, does Traynor have to say about it? Nothing, really. Most of his article is taken up with hurling abuse at Neil Lennon, disparaging comments about the SRU (!) and deriding journalists that are still having a go at Sevco and its 'long-suffering supporters.'  I wonder what 'journos' he's talking about? You'd be hard-pressed to find any 'journos' that haven't been bending over backwards to tell us the truth according to Green!

The Daily Record has banned comments on its football stories and, from what I can see, practically all stories. I have dealt with this issue before on here but the main problem seems to be that not everyone that posts on the forum toes the party line. There were always vile, bigoted, racist comments from those of an Orange persuasion, which were left up and often not removed for hours. If, however, anyone was to question the morality, or even legality, of Green's operation then that post would disappear almost as soon as it was typed.

Recently I started going to the website of The Scottish Sun, where comments are allowed. Again, however, comments cannot go against the party line. It is open to anyone to read through the Insolvency Act 1986, which is easily accessed on the internet. Of interest are Sections 207 and 216. I won't go into it here, you can easily read it for yourself and see what I'm talking about. Once you've read these parts try, as I have, to post something about it on The Scottish Sun website and see what happens!

So who are these 'journos' of whom Traynor speaketh? Surely he can't mean all the bloggers out there? Certainly some of these blogs have followers running to four or five figures. Others, like mine, are probably only read by the blogger himself proof-reading what he has just written! It's good to know, however, that this qualifies me as a journalist!

He also decides to have a go at the Green Brigade. Personally I have neither a drum to beat for nor an axe to grind with these folk; they liven up matches but can sometimes get carried away. They have Traynor, however, practically frothing at the mouth. They 'don’t know if they’re football fans or political activitists' and 'apparently anyone in this brigade shouldn’t be questioned or removed.' This is rich coming from the apologist for a support that barely has any songs about their team, instead relying on the songbook of the Orange Lodge! Neither Rangers, nor the new version of The Beast, have done anything about this situation; in fact, it is practically encouraged!

So, to sum up, Traynor is raging. The SFL is not as perfect as he has, since his recent conversion, been making out. How best to deal with this? Deflect onto other matters that the Sevconians can get riled about. Blame the SPL, Neil Lennon, the Green Brigade, other 'journos,' even the SRU; but don't blame Elgin City or the SFL. It looks like Jabba has decided to stay in Leggoland!

'The extra tickets business was my idea,' Andy Robinson admits.

JABBA GOES TO LEGGOLAND

Traynor's latest rant beggars belief and puts to bed completely all his previous protestations of being neutral. For sheer triumphalism, rage, spite and thirst for vengeance it out-Leggats Leggat. In fact, he even steals from David Biggat's blog to try to blame Lloyd's Band for Rangers' demise.

Read the whole disgusting tirade here:

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/after-rangers-biggest-ever-win-1447935


"...certainly one of the most shameful tax cases in Scottish history." he says. How dare HMRC go after Rangers! Don't they realise that it is one of the sacred cows of Scotland? Our footballing authorities for years have turned a deaf ear to bigoted singing, as have our police and judiciary. Who do HMRC think they are?

"What was the point and what were the real motives behind the zeal with which some in HMRC, and the media, tackled this case" He has obviously completely lost the plot! So HMRC have some secret agenda in pursuing this case. This, again, is straight from the diseased mind of David Biggat! 

 "Blind hatred and poison has saturated this case which could actually have paid off for HMRC. They were offered £10m two years ago to settle but refused, probably because they wanted a trophy win to set a precedent which would allow them to pursue hundreds of other companies for untold millions." Again, he is virtually accusing HMRC of bigotry. Get this man to a psychiatrist, now!

"Companies who sell cups of coffee and mobile phones can escape payments for hundreds of millions but Rangers?" Again with the persecution complex!

"...it is a bitter and twisted chapter in a story which shines a light on a side of this country which should embarrass us" Really? It seems bigotry is okay but hating bigots is something to be deplored! Why on earth does he think everyone hated Rangers? Maybe he could trot out the old party line that it's down to jealousy!

"But now we all know the truth, although we haven’t a clue as to the identities of those at the centre of this sorry saga.

Bizarrely an anonymised form of the tribunal’s ruling was published yesterday revealing that evidence had been delivered by Mr Red, Mr Purple, Mr Turquoise, Mr Yellow, Mrs Scarlet and other colourful people."

Er...sorry, but what usually happens when names are revealed to the Ibrox hordes? Death threats galore and even bombs and bullets in the post. Of course, when the bombs don't work our justice system will be there to smile, shake a finger and say that they weren't meant to be viable. 

"...even if they’d won their case yesterday they still wouldn’t have got anything out of the Rangers they had pursued. They were forced into liquidation, remember. " Exactly. And so we come to the really shameful part of the whole episode, which Traynor always seems to ignore: the illegal sale of the assets to Green by Duff and Phelps. 

It is against company law to offload assets prior to liquidation in order to stop them being sold to pay creditors. Green got away with this and many creditors have been left high-and-dry and yet Traynor dares to take the moral high ground on Rangers' behalf!

Perhaps something that Traynor should be pointing out is that if HMRC had won this first tier tribunal then an appeal would probably have been forthcoming. HMRC have every right as well to appeal; and they will, despite Traynor's veiled threats. The decision was not unanimous, which pretty much equates to a verdict of 'not proven.' This is not vindication and any further tribunal might be brave enough to actually look at the evidence and come to a proper decision. Brave? They would have to be. This first tier tribunal's members have all been named; do you think fear of reprisals played no part in the decision?

So Traynor might be a bit premature in his celebrations but he has certainly nailed his colours to the mast as far as supporting threats and intimidation are concerned.

DECLINE AND FALL

So apparently what we need in Scottish football is change; and fast! Traynor joins the vast ranks calling for change, from the SFL to...er...the SFL. Rather than tell us all why change is needed, Traynor reverts to type and basically just has a bitter snipe at the SPL a-la-David Biggat. 

"...if the SFL, who were left behind when the SPL was formed in 1998, remain united they can succeed with their proposal and bring an end to the SPL which has been shown to be shambolic and vindictive."

Shambolic and vindictive? Whatever can he mean? Oh, that's right, it was sheer vindictiveness that drove the decision not to allow Green's new club into the SPL! Never mind that it would have been against all the rules, everyone should have been bending over backwards to accomodate The Rangers. Doing such a thing is what Traynor believes is integrity!

"They are not interested in providing a structure which allows clubs they believe are a waste of space to breath and thrive – and it is time they were brought down." 

Strangely, this goes against what he professed to believe before. The team he 'supported,' Airdire, were put into liquidation by none other than St David of Murray. According to Traynor it was survival of the fittest, football was a business and devil take the hindmost! A different story now!

He also goes on about giving young players "the chance and time to flourish and that would help enhance the quality." Maybe he should have been telling his hero, Murray, that when he decided to up the ante by bringing expensive foreigners in; a route that other teams had to follow if they were not to be left way behind.

Maybe it is time for Traynor to face up to the truth. Our game in Scotland was ruined by Murray's ambition. Expensive English and foreign players ran riot over other Scottish teams and those other teams had to spend, spend, spend just to try to stay in touch. That is why clubs are teetering on the brink and, rather than league reconstruction, we should be looking at capping wages. 

It is also a painful truth that our country cannot sustain the number of clubs that are in existence at the moment. Football is now in competition with many other forms of entertainment and in a society that no longer sees it as acceptable that a man disappears all day on a Saturday while his wife does the shopping and entertains the kids. Two things need to be done: a re-branding of the game as a family-friendly entertainment and smaller clubs will need to look at amalgamating. A start has already been made on the first item since all the bigoted and sectarian songs have now been consigned to Division 3.

As to amalgamation, surely it would be better to have, say, twenty well-supported teams rather than the forty-two we have at present? It makes good business sense, which is something Traynor likes to bang on about.

But then, Traynor isn't really interested in good business sense or even improving Scottish football. All he wants to do is to tear down the whole structure in order to accomodate one team. His support for the SFL is completely disingenuous and if a certain team were not there now he would show utter disdain for any reconstruction plans coming from that quarter. 

Traynor is fond of pointing out how low attendance figures are in the SPL if you remove Celtic from the equation; well let's do the same for the SFL. Remove Green's team from the reckoning and you are left with three leagues that could not muster up enough supporters between them to fill one SPL ground. And yet, we are supposed to let the teams in these leagues dictate what goes on in Scottish football!

Traynor's real agenda comes out in the final part of his tirade:

"Also weren’t the SPL clubs fond of telling everyone they had no choice but to listen to their supporters during the close season?
Hopefully they’ll still be listening when the same fans tell them where to stick their SPL 2."

Can you hear all the SPL fans rebelling against their clubs and demanding that they go along with SFL plans? No, neither can I. So either Traynor's hearing voices or, not for the first time, he arrogantly assumes that everyone will go along with whatever he says. Sorry, Jumbo...er...I mean Jimbo, but SPL fans have already shown what they think of a certain club's cheating ways and then arrogantly assuming that it could start over and walk straight into the top tier. No amount of bluster and misinformation from yourself is going to change that!

SFL crowds show their support for league reconstruction.

JUST AS GREEN AS HE'S CABBAGE-LOOKING

Traynor starts off telling us about the crisis at Hearts and how they should have bitten Hughie Green's hand off when he tried to use the situation to his advantage. He then goes over his usual tired old ground about how our game is in trouble. He doesn't say it this time but he has said on numerous occasions that the game is in trouble because Green's Newco were not allowed into the SPL. 

'My God!' I hear you cry, 'Traynor is actually writing about another team for a change!' Well...er...no, actually. He might start off talking about Hearts but then goes off at a tangent to have a go at everybody for being anti-Rangers, Oldco and Newco. In a diatribe worthy of David Biggat and his Presbyterian granny, he apparently accuses every one of us, with the exception of the noble Ibrox hordes, of being hate-filled bigots! That's not just Celtic supporters, by the way, it's everybody!

Read this pearl of wisdom that Traynor lets fall from his lips:

'But then an awful lot of club directors and their fans haven’t been applying robust logic to Rangers for some time.

They’ve allowed their delight at this club’s plight to cloud judgment, always hiding behind that wafer- thin curtain of “sporting integrity”.'

 See what I mean? Is this guy for real?

He continues in the same vein:

'Although they insist Rangers are dead, killed by liquidation, these people continue to shout that the club owe more than £90m in tax, conveniently forgetting the final verdict on the EBT case has still to be announced.

It also suits their agenda to link all debts run up by the previous regime to the club in the Third Division. Yet the same folk are determined to make sure Rangers aren’t linked with all of the league titles won in the past.'

Aw diddums! He conveniently forgets that the opposite is equally true. Green's team, and its supporters, are keen to tell us all that this is the same club that won 9-in-a-row,  won the European Cup-Winners' Cup and have a world-record number of titles. It is a different club, however, when it comes to paying up, not just to HMRC, but to all the creditors that have apparently been shafted by Green's underhand, and possibly illegal, purchase of Rangers' assets.

So which one is it Mr Traynor? If it's the same club then let them pay up; if it's a different club then it is no longer called Rangers and has no history whatsoever. 

You've painted yourself into a corner there, Jim lad!

SCOTLAND'S MESSI?

When I was a lad we used to play at football in the back court. There was a set of railings for one goal and a midden dyke for the other. Depending on who was about the games could range from four to sixteen a side! We didn't really bother who won. It was all good fun and usually ended when folk started to get shouted in for their dinner or bed or whatever.

On a few occasions the dad of one of the boys would come down and join in. None of us wanted him but we were in no position to tell him where to go. He was about forty and could easily muscle all us skinny ten and eleven-year-olds off the ball. Needless to say, he scored lots of goals. Whenever he scored he would run around with his hands in the air celebrating, looking at all the windows to see if anyone was watching him. Behind his back we would call him all the names you can think of for male and female genitalia! Eventually, if he turned up we would all drift off to play at something else. He finally got the message and kept away.

Equally, a highly-paid SPL footballer should be expected to score with relative ease against part-time players. The Scottish Cup sometimes throws up some such circumstances and few of us would think one of our players was magnificent for scoring against one of these teams, filled with guys that work at a real job all week and then turn up to play at the weekend.

That is why it is hilarious to read the plaudits that the Daily Record are handing out to Lee McCulloch. 'Prolific Goalscorer' they call him. They talk about his 'extraordinary run of goals' and his 'impressive tally for the season'! Are they joking? Shouldn't somebody paid as much as he is be expected to out-perform teams of part-timers? The fact that his team is winning games by only a couple of goals really points to the fact that McCulloch and his team-mates are really not that good at all!

The Daily Record, in its wisdom, seems to be building McCulloch up as Player of The Year. However, just like that grown man that used to score bucketloads against us children, he is just a medium-sized fish in a small pond!

Ah scored against the weans again!

 THE END IS NIGH!

Among all the plaudits for Celtic's magnificent victory over Barcelona one voice still has to be all doom and gloom. It does not fit Traynor's agenda to praise Celtic for making Scottish football look good on the world stage; no, according to him things have never been worse.

Fair enough, Hearts are having financial problems but Traynor takes great delight in informing us that they are finished. Two more clubs are going to follow in what he calls a 'Domino Effect.' And the reason for the demise of these SPL clubs? It's all down to not allowing Charles Green's New Rangers into the Premier League!

'Despite the bravado and bombast of some fans and commentators who stupidly, and crassly, responded to the troubles of Rangers with glee rather than dismay and alarm, Scottish football is not booming,' he says. He doesn't do irony, does he? He pontificates with glee about the death of the SPL while lambasting others that want to play the game by the rules. No; scratch that. They broke the rules to even let The Rangers into the league at all!

Traynor has been moaning for days about how the SFA has responded to calls for Craig Levein to be sacked. 'Out of touch' is the phrase he uses to describe the panjandrums that run the Scottish game. In other words, they should be more in touch with the wishes of the ordinary fan. When it comes to the SPL, however, it's a completely different story. Remember how the SPL clubs consulted their supporters before voiting on allowing Green's new team into the Premier League? Apparently the SPL leaders should have ignored completely the wishes of the fans and welcomed Green's Newco with open arms! Talk about hypocrisy!

Rangers have set a precedent in Scottish football. No club need worry about going into liquidation. All that needs to be done is that somebody snatches the assets for a song and then they just carry on as if nothing has happened. Everybody in the Scottish media will pretend that the new club is the old club and everything will be fine. Sure, the club might end up in the lower leagues but it can look forward to bumper crowds and being debt-free! The SPL might even follow Traynor's advice and allow the club straight into the Premier League!

Traynor suggests that the only solution to the problems of Scottish football is 'emergency league reconstruction'! Who is that supposed to benefit? I'll give you three guesses!

Take my advice - liquidate!