jaf

"We have detonated the global economy to pursue a lockdown experiment that may not have worked, according to the latest evidence. This diabolical revelation should be a world scandal. It should also be a sobering moment of enlightenment for Britain, as we seek to salvage our economy while learning lessons on how to better protect the vulnerable. Instead the Covid narrative becomes ever more surreal. The broadcast media is more interested in scalping lockdown flouters than questioning whether shutdowns have served any useful purpose. World-class studies that suggest lockdown did not alter the pandemic’s course are mysteriously vanishing into internet obscurity on first contact with the official narrative. Our greatest minds have resorted to unpicking the issue on offbeat YouTube webinars. No global NGO or lockdown country has launched an investigation into their impact...."

This is a very interesting statement. And gives great hope. Let’s hope this means what I think it does regarding the future of the virus.

Two home games v Hearts, or one v East Fife and one v Montrose ?? It is narrow minded, which is the same as being done out of self interest, which is how EVERY club are acting

I’m not suggesting you reorganise in who can afford to play. For the reasons you identify that won’t work. im suggesting your league sizes are determined by how long your Available season is.

Absolutely. I have been saying this for weeks. It’s utter madness to try to reconstruct a league when you don’t know when you might be able to play games and how long you will have for the season

This could be the happiest sight of the last 3 months - thank you for giving us all hope; not much hope of that here anytime soon sadly, given the way the fear has been built up.

I'm sure I read the testing would cost the English Premiership £5m - doubt there is the money in the Scottish game to sustain that, even with half the clubs in top league compared to England

One of my favourite days in football. Seriously pish game though!

Its a good point. In music, 'facebook live' concerts have just illustrated how good live music is as an experience as they have compared poorly with being at a gig. This may sustain live music post lockdown as people realise what they miss. The same may apply to football in a different way. Whilst I think football is the ultimate habit, break it and its easy to find other things to do, and that is a real threat, I think football without spectators will be soulless pale imitation of the real thing, and even broadcast of such games will compare unfavourably. This may remind broadcasters, clubs, authorities and others that fans that go to games are an essential part of the experience, even to a TV audience. And so we may be more considered moving forward. That, at least, is my optimistic hope.

This is a copy and paste that I do approve of. I will no doubt read this in the economist if my wife ever finishes this weeks as I get it ‘second hand’ Interesting piece and shoes the scale of challenge ahead.

That’s what I said! In three paragraphs less!

One mans defeatist is another mans realist. I said the requisitioners needed to demonstrate what would be the other side of all this and then they may gather more support. They failed. Had they articulated what life after this board looked like perhaps they would still have failed and perhaps they wouldnt. But by not doing it, we can agree as it’s a matter of fact, they definitely failed

that's what we are supposed to have - and the members wont be any different, so how is the representation going to change? do you honestly think some football chairs are good guys, and some are wanks, and just by changing the people the world is a different place without changing the rules around how they operate? will your board be elected under the current articles? changed articles? how many on board? from what divisions? how are board members selected/elected? whats the voting structure - does it stay the same? to eliminate self interest you need fundamental structural change, not shuffling a few people around

that's not quite right in terms of the clubs It is 80% until October in the employees/players hands, however after end of July, the cost burden is to be shared between employer/club and government - details awaited

Perhaps Gardiner will just release his CV this time

Nope, I am saying that if , at this time of all times, if you are going to call for the removal of something, you really need to sell a vision of what might come after.....if they had articulated that, they may have got more support

Hard to know how it can be called 'a threat' , if it was never going to pass anyway?!

Yes. The leaked WhatsApp messages suggest that Dunfermline and Alloa were 'threatening' clubs that if the existing resolution - call the season - was not passed the alternative would have to be null and void and divide the money equally between all 10 clubs.

But are they? Is it not entirely logical, that if you don't call the season, and you cant play it out, then the remaining option is to null and void it? And is it not entirely fair that if you null and void it, it didn't happen, and so funds should be distributed equally? It seems entirely logical to me - in fact we would have been much better off under that scenario - relegation off the table and greater share of funds - perhaps we should have been in Alloa and Dunfermline WhatsApp group pushing for that, rather than ICT and Dundee?!!!

That's the big weakness here, those pushing for change are not articulating what the future looks like beyond the enquiry and desired removal of Doncaster. We can assume Gardiner will be in frame to replace him. In his own mind at least. Heaven help us all. We can assume all the board will probably resign too. They have to. Who runs the SPFL in between times? How do they heal the divisions? How long will the report take? None of the loudest barrels during this phase are likely to be favourites with the quiet compliant clubs to take over and win board elections, and if they do so they are surely the wrong people to heal division? What happens if the enquiry exonerates Doncaster and the Board and we have wasted months when we could have been trying to save the Scottish game? Presumably like the Deloittes report, no one will accept it? How do we end the farce? I just don't see how this resolution is anything other than a distraction at the most important time for our national game.

Anything much over 40% and I think Doncaster (and McKenzie) probably needs to walk anyway, as do much of the board. However I cannot really seem them breaching 30% unless there is a dramatic day today. In the scenario that Doncaster did go, I expect the first application in the job application email inbox will be Scott Gardiner. If you think that Doncaster is bad...…………...

….all of whom could have stepped forward and applied to join the Working Group to get involved early in the process? And some did.

The problem is some of them use the cash of the future to pay the liabilities of the past. If the cash stops coming in, and they mothball in effect, they have a problem. That's anyone with a current ratio of less than 1, it means when everything is ingathered that is due, and added to cash reserves, and everything is paid out that is due, above 1 means there is money left, below 1 means there is not. There are at least 18 clubs with a current ratio of less than 1.

We are supposed to be on the cusp of change. That change is fan ownership. Hopefully at that point, everyone will coalesce around a common goal and, if they have something to offer, step forward to ensure the fans organisation, and ultimately the Board, feature a broad church of views and skills. It will only be what we make of it. You need to decide what you dislike less Jim - democratic fan ownership (lets just assume it ticks all the boxes you would want it to, rather than get into that debate for the moment), or the status quo.

Is Scott Gardiner not all over the Rangers dossier though, so is it really any surprise? I still think he wants Doncasters job and a few are being used as pawns in Gardiners game