WARNING to Johnston and his GANG of 10.

[Joe O'Rourke]

[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]In normal circumstances if a company defaults on their trading by acting illegally; you would expect that they would receive the appropriate punishment from the authorities; you wouldn’t expect other businesses that have to trade with them to be punished also.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]Well that is what’s likely to happen if Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston gets his way; he is the driving force behind moves by the other 10 clubs in the SPL to consider re-writing the rule book.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]As it stands at the moment the major issues within the SPL like finance require an 11-1 majority; effectively giving Celtic and the EE the power of veto if they vote together; this was down to the hard nose negotiating by wee Fergus who demanded the power of veto for the big 2 in 1998.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]If Johnston gets his way; you can bet there will lots of changes of rule proposed; he is at this moment and time charged with drawing up a new charter for the other 9 clubs to consider; and they won’t stop at redistribution of wealth.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]What would stop them pushing through league reconstruction; and going for a league of 16 teams. They could push through a cap on the size of our playing squad; or resurrect the old 3 foreigners rule. They could force Celtic to impose a cap on wages; stopping us signing quality players. There would be many options open to them to handicap us.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]This agenda is being driven by Johnston who sees an opportunity to benefit his own team by using the present plight of Rangers to drive a better bargain for his club; and obviously for the other 9 teams as well; we as Celtic supporters must do all in our power to stop that happening.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]This guy has never been a friend of Celtic or our supporters; I well remember the title party the EE had down there with his full agreement. But like the rest of the narrow minded chairmen in the SPL; he needs the green pound to survive; and the people who will decide if he gets it or not; are the Celtic Supporters.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]In normal circumstances there would be an opportunity to call for a bhoycott of Rugby Park on April 7th; but a couple of circumstances won’t make that feasible.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]First and foremost; it might well be that; this will be the game when we clinch the League Championship; so to deny the Celtic support the opportunity to celebrate would just not work.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]It would also been seen by the Scottish media as sour grapes because we lost the league Cup Final to Kilmarnock; and they would make great play of that point; not that I give a toss about what the hacks think.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]But because we would not bhoycott that particular game this season; that doesn’t mean we won’t do it next season; and that threat must go to all the 10 clubs who see an opportunity to benefit from a certain situation.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]Another well-known anti-Celtic chairman; John Yorkston at Dunfermline also sees this as an opportunity to increase the size of the Premier League; therefore helping his two-bit club to remain in the top flight of Scottish Football; St Mirren’s Stewart Gilmour is in the same boat.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]There will be some clubs who are somewhere in the middle who will be less likely to dance to Johnston’s tune; clubs like Heart’s and Hib’s who get decent crowds; although Hib’s are struggling on the playing field at the moment.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]All the clubs we play increase the cost of a match ticket when they play us; in some cases they even increase the prices in their food outlet’s; they take every opportunity to milk every last penny out of our supporters; well that must stop.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]It is well documented that along with EE we contribute 85% of the commercial income of Scottish Football. Every team get a basic 4% share of the pot; the champions get a further 13%; and the runner’s up get a further 11%; it then decreases in descending order; in effect; the champions and runners-up (if it’s the EE) get 32% of their 85% input.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]What they want to do now is; to make it an even share of the commercial interests; we are the supporters who are sent to places like Inverness and Aberdeen at dark o’clock in the morning to make lunch time kick-off’s; and next year even further to Dingwall.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]The present deal allows for 4 of Celtic’s home matches to be televised; under a new voting system they could force through a new deal that would increase that number dramatically; making a lot of fans season tickets worthless to them.[COLOR=#000000:3007b154]We need to send out the message to the 10 clubs involved in the proposed changes; if you don’t deal with the EE in the appropriate manner; and if you force through changes that make us once again the victim’s; then we will make you pay by withdrawing our financial input to your clubs.

[Joe O'Rourke]

:mad::mad:

[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]In normal circumstances if a company defaults on their trading by acting illegally; you would expect that they would receive the appropriate punishment from the authorities; you wouldn’t expect other businesses that have to trade with them to be punished also.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]Well that is what’s likely to happen if Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston gets his way; he is the driving force behind moves by the other 10 clubs in the SPL to consider re-writing the rule book.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]As it stands at the moment the major issues within the SPL like finance require an 11-1 majority; effectively giving Celtic and the EE the power of veto if they vote together; this was down to the hard nose negotiating by wee Fergus who demanded the power of veto for the big 2 in 1998.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]If Johnston gets his way; you can bet there will lots of changes of rule proposed; he is at this moment and time charged with drawing up a new charter for the other 9 clubs to consider; and they won’t stop at redistribution of wealth.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]What would stop them pushing through league reconstruction; and going for a league of 16 teams. They could push through a cap on the size of our playing squad; or resurrect the old 3 foreigners rule. They could force Celtic to impose a cap on wages; stopping us signing quality players. There would be many options open to them to handicap us.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]This agenda is being driven by Johnston who sees an opportunity to benefit his own team by using the present plight of Rangers to drive a better bargain for his club; and obviously for the other 9 teams as well; we as Celtic supporters must do all in our power to stop that happening.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]This guy has never been a friend of Celtic or our supporters; I well remember the title party the EE had down there with his full agreement. But like the rest of the narrow minded chairmen in the SPL; he needs the green pound to survive; and the people who will decide if he gets it or not; are the Celtic Supporters.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]In normal circumstances there would be an opportunity to call for a bhoycott of Rugby Park on April 7th; but a couple of circumstances won’t make that feasible.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]First and foremost; it might well be that; this will be the game when we clinch the League Championship; so to deny the Celtic support the opportunity to celebrate would just not work.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]It would also been seen by the Scottish media as sour grapes because we lost the league Cup Final to Kilmarnock; and they would make great play of that point; not that I give a toss about what the hacks think.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]But because we would not bhoycott that particular game this season; that doesn’t mean we won’t do it next season; and that threat must go to all the 10 clubs who see an opportunity to benefit from a certain situation.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]Another well-known anti-Celtic chairman; John Yorkston at Dunfermline also sees this as an opportunity to increase the size of the Premier League; therefore helping his two-bit club to remain in the top flight of Scottish Football; St Mirren’s Stewart Gilmour is in the same boat.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]There will be some clubs who are somewhere in the middle who will be less likely to dance to Johnston’s tune; clubs like Heart’s and Hib’s who get decent crowds; although Hib’s are struggling on the playing field at the moment.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]All the clubs we play increase the cost of a match ticket when they play us; in some cases they even increase the prices in their food outlet’s; they take every opportunity to milk every last penny out of our supporters; well that must stop.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]It is well documented that along with EE we contribute 85% of the commercial income of Scottish Football. Every team get a basic 4% share of the pot; the champions get a further 13%; and the runner’s up get a further 11%; it then decreases in descending order; in effect; the champions and runners-up (if it’s the EE) get 32% of their 85% input.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]What they want to do now is; to make it an even share of the commercial interests; we are the supporters who are sent to places like Inverness and Aberdeen at dark o’clock in the morning to make lunch time kick-off’s; and next year even further to Dingwall.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]The present deal allows for 4 of Celtic’s home matches to be televised; under a new voting system they could force through a new deal that would increase that number dramatically; making a lot of fans season tickets worthless to them.[COLOR=#000000:7eaa4661]We need to send out the message to the 10 clubs involved in the proposed changes; if you don’t deal with the EE in the appropriate manner; and if you force through changes that make us once again the victim’s; then we will make you pay by withdrawing our financial input to your clubs.

Nice to get a word in :D

Pensionerbhoy

Somehow I don't think I am sending this reply properly. It's my first time and my It skills are in the - bracket! HELP!!

[pensionerbhoy]

Sorry JoeI think my reply should have gone here and not in the main post. Now you know why I have not posted before. Senility and two planks are not the friends of the space between the ears, especially when it has shrunk over the years.Pensionerbhoy

[Joe O'Rourke]

No problem mate, thanks for taking the time to reply.

[pensionerbhoy]

Joe. Is there anything I can do to help from here? At your disposal.

Pensionerbhoy

[Admin]

The 10" combined average home attendance : 69,053.

"The 2" combined average home attendance : 95,683.

[Guest]

Joe, I know it's easy for me to say, living in Canada, but, I've long been for a boycott of away grounds. I read today that the Semi ticket prices are unfairly weighted against the Celtic supporters, AGAIN. Seriously, how long can Celtic supporters be expected to put up with this blatant and barefaced contempt.

Hail Hail

Ex-Portonian
Tell big-Fra Martin said hello!

[Joe O'Rourke]

paul, is that the figures for this season?

[Kiwibhoy]

Perhaps a more immediate concern?

[URL:8f91182c]http://www.scotsman.com/news/tom-english-sky-will-fall-in-on-scottish-top-flight-without-old-firm-rivalry-1-2191668[/URL:8f91182c]

If there's no Sky money coming in from outside, everyone's in trouble.