You could hear a pin drop!
Well folks. It would seem that I
might have been wrong in my, admittedly simplistic, wonderings about the chances that Rangers would charge less than 5% on their ticket tax now that they are laying off some of those “admin” jobs which apparently caused them to have to join with Celtic in finding a new way in which to weaken the finances of the rest of the SPL.
As promised, I did indeed write a letter to Sir David Murray, asking if he was thinnking of reducing the tax. I also asked him what made him ever think that taking money from the 10 no Old Firm sides would be likely to see his “dream” of facing stronger competition in the Scottish leagues, or to put it in his terms create a “more interesting menu”.
And guess what?? (okay, the title of the blog entry may have given you a clue)
I have heard nothing in terms of a reply. Zip! Zilch! Nada! Nowt! A big fat Zero!!
I find it a little bit strange actually that, in a business which is supposedly a form of entertainment, the owners and chairmen of the current/chief execs SPL clubs find it either impossible or beneath them to write back to a member of the public who has written to them in good faith.
Since the start of this season, I have now written emails, letters or both to the chairmen of ELEVEN out of the twelve SPL sides.
Only TWO have had the decency to reply to me.
I must admit that, given the subject of this blog, I never really expected Sir David Murray to reply. But I need to be honest here. I feel that the men and/or women running the eight clubs that never so much as acknowledged that they received letters from me should be ashamed of themselves.
I decided to take on the task of highlighting how the FANS felt about this. Their fans. I never once looked at this simply from a Hearts fans perspective. I was attempting to try and do something that could have possibly benefitted their clubs.
I’m having WAY too much fun writing to my new-found pen pals to be giving up any time soon
Yet only ONE letter popped through my door. My pc only bing-bonged ONCE to tell me a new email had arrived. My telephone only rang the once – and that was to follow up on a posted reply.
As for the journalists that I wrote to. I can only say “Thank You” to each and every one of you! (could anybody spot the sarcasm there?)
Of all the press and media people I have contacted, only four saw fit to either contact me or publicise the petition in some way. So I would like to give genuine thanks to
Mr Mark Donaldson
Mr Stuart Bathgate
Mr Andy McGilvray
Mr Tam Cowan
It has amused me to no end over the last few weeks that several members of the press/media have been commenting on a bias which their fellow hacks seem to have towards the Old Firm. Strange that this should be there thinking after decades of saying it wasn’t so.
Could it be that they are just being a teeny bit spiteful due to a fear that, if Celtic and Rangers DO manage to head down south to pastures new, that some of these “long suffering” fellas who have suffered “years at the coal-face of Scottish football” might just find their services are not in quite the same demand to report on the clubs who are left to fend for themselves?
Don’t worry though dear reader. The above text does not mean for one minute that I have decided to call it a day. I said a couple of times, fairly early on in this little campaign, that I thought I was reaching the end of the road. No more though! I’m having WAY too much fun writing to my new-found pen pals to be giving up any time soon.
In fact. This blog (and the petition) will run until either this unfair, anti-competitive tax is dropped or Mr Lex Gold and his chums at the SPL have a vote and manage to have OFFICIAL notification of this practice written down in the SPL Handbook! (or of course the “big two” bugger off down to England)
So, I will keep writing and I will keep updating this blog. Just because I can!
The Sound of Silence??? Not from my side of things there won’t be!!
Take care ’til next time kids.
Yes folks, I’m afraid that is what this blog has become – and has been for quite some time if we are to be really honest. Due to a distinct lack of support from, well almost anybody really, I have decided that, much like the pictured writing implement, there’s “no point” in continuing banging my head against a brick wall.
Hello, once again, dear reader. As you will no doubt remember from previous blog entries. I wrote to Sir David Murray on 20 April regarding the handling charge. I also wrote a little entry stating that I had heard nothing in reply. So, in fairness to Rangers, it is only right that I keep you up to date and tell you that Rangers Football Club have now sent me a reply.
The one thing that you can practically guarantee is that this potential re-structuring of the SPL television deal will affect the 10 no Old Firm sides far more than it will affect the “Big Two”.
With the news, earlier this month, that Rangers have offered their office/admin staff voluntary redundancy, I began to wonder to myself what this move could mean for the rest of Scottish football and, more importantly, the SPL.