Thomson to join Kilmarnock next season
Kilmarnock have agreed a pre-contract deal for Queen's Park midfielder Jack Thomson, with the 25-year-old currently recovering from an Achilles injury. (Daily Record), externalRead the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.
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The Herald Scotland
16 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
'Angry' MSP calls for compromise with SFA and SPFL over 'skulduggery'
He called for compromise from both sides so that a long-running dispute which has now raged for 15 years can be settled and change achieved which enables promising players to flourish at elite professional clubs and kids who fail to make it in the paid ranks to remain involved in the sport. The Scottish Conservatives politician was speaking following a meeting of the Health, Social Care and Sport committee at Holyrood which heard evidence from Nick Hobbs of the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland, Scott Robertson of RealGrassroots and Mahesh Madlani and Alex Waksman of Gunnercooke. RealGrassroots and the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland made complaints to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) back in December about four SFA and SPFL statutes which they alleged violated UK competition law and potentially constituted the economic exploitation of children. Read more: The CMA wrote to the SFA and SPFL in March reminding them of their obligations to comply with competition law and recommending they assess their practices. Whittle, while expressing his concern about the disputed 'no poach', 'no approach', 'unilateral extension' and 'development contribution' rules, admitted that he would now like to see the two factions reach agreement which benefitted the Scottish game. Hobbs, the head of investigations with the Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland, alleged the Wellbeing Panel which was set up to determine if players in the CAS set-up could be released from a controversial two year registration which they sign when they turn 15 acted in the interest of the clubs not children. 'The Wellbeing Panel is a really good example of the kind of attitude that underpins all of this,' he told the committee. 'On the surface, it looks and sounds like a very positive mechanism for facilitating that movement between the clubs where necessary. 'But when we met with the SFA we asked, 'In what circumstances would you envisage a wellbeing panel would refuse permission for a child to move from one club to another'. They weren't able to tell us. That strongly suggests to me that the wellbeing panel exists not as a mechanism to facilitate that movement, but as an obstacle to prevent it from happening. 'Children will tend not to raise complaints when there are significant administrative processes that they have to go through and barriers that they have to jump over. I think The Wellbeing Panel is designed to restrict movement between clubs rather than facilitate it. 'The underlying issue here, and it always has been, is that the clubs principally view these children as economic assets and have rules and processes in place which allow them to be monetised. That SFA has made rules which are in the interests of clubs and not of the children.' (Image: SNS Group) Whittle, who won European Championship and Commonwealth Games medals and competed in the Olympics during his running career, expressed hope that Ian Maxwell, SFA chief executive, and Neil Doncaster, his SPFL counterpart, would address the accusations in person when they are called in front of the committee following the Scottish parliament's summer recess. However, he revealed that he has two grandchildren who are members of the CAS system and stressed that their experiences did not tally with the evidence which had been given. He said, 'The changes which have been made to the unilateral extension rule are an adequate compromise if they're actually applied properly. The devil's in the detail here. The reality is that some do it properly, some don't. So I would like to see the application of the rule tightened up rather than the rule changed. The rule is not a problem. The application of the rule is where we need to start looking. 'There are some significant issues which need to be tackled. I have spoken to Mr Maxwell about this in a meeting we had at the SFA offices about six weeks ago. I was equally upset in that meeting as I was today. The 'no approach' rule, for example, doesn't make sense to me whatsoever. What nonsense is that? That's restrictive to everybody. 'But that's not getting to the nub of what the problem is. That's why I was getting so frustrated, because this is not getting us to where we need to be. We need to start with a blank bit of paper and say, 'What do we want?' We want a system here where we bring kids in at one level and they have the ability to route map all the way through to international level. 'But along the way there are other stations where their talent can be utilised, even if that's just playing five-a-side football with their pals. That's not happening at the moment. There's lots of things we could be doing and should be doing that would make it much better.' Read more: He added, 'I'm not optimistic the change that is needed can be achieved. If you get two sides so entrenched, it's very difficult to find compromise. My problem is this is a real grassroots issue, but all we heard from were lawyers. You're never going to get a compromise out of that. 'The SFA and SPFL will always be on the defensive if lawyers are involved. If it's a legal problem, deal with it in the courts. They kept saying, 'They're breaching this, they're breaching that'. But they've proved nothing. 'Some of the things they were saying in there did not reflect my experiences. I've got a couple of grandkids who are in the Club Academy Scotland system. One moved from a smaller club to a bigger club as well. I never saw any problems. Don't get me wrong, there are problems. If you've got 2,700 kids and you've got all these clubs, you know there is some skulduggery going on. 'But as it's not just in Scottish football where there are problems. In my sport, in track and field, if you move to a club without it being okayed you get a nine month ban. You need to have extenuating circumstances. The clubs have to agree or Scottish Athletics have to say, 'You're allowed'.' Whittle continued, 'I am quite frustrated. I think the SFA and the SPFL have got questions to answer here. But I heard a lot of conflated evidence here today which I was actually quite angry about. 'We need to get the two sides in the room with the same objective. We all have the same objective. We want to get all the kids to play football. We want all levels of football to be at their best. We want Scotland to win the World Cup. That's not going to happen obviously, but that's what we want. At the moment, the system is not allowing that to happen.' The SFA and SPFL were both approached for comment. Back in March, an SFA spokesperson said, 'We have been in dialogue with the CMA and will continue to monitor our policies and procedures in line with FIFA regulations.'
Glasgow Times
34 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
What SFA should do instead of throwing book at John Brown
There's nothing better than hearing what are, in essence, mostly fans with microphones, getting all hot and bothered about a refereeing decision that has gone against them, or getting wound up about one of your players who has gotten under their skin. And if your team wins? Delicious. A game doesn't even have to involve your team in fact for you to enjoy such schadenfreude at another's expense. Who could forget the mirth the rest of Scottish football had when Rangers TV's Tom 'Commentator' Miller gave us arguably the most famous example of such a meltdown, when he bristled at the celebration of Stenhousemuir forward Sean Higgins at Ibrox 11 years ago? 'Mr Higgins, get a grip of yourself, ya idiot,' Miller said through gritted teeth, his indignation making the shock of Stenny equalising all the funnier for everyone else. The Scottish FA haven't found some of the more recent output from Rangers TV quite so amusing, though. (Image: Sammy Turner - SNS Group) It is easy to forget sometimes that these are actually official club outlets, and so are bound by SFA rules and restrictions. Which is why the governing body will argue that they had little option but to cite Rangers legend John Brown for his comments around the infamous Nico Raskin goal that wasn't in the final day draw against Hibs at Easter Road. Except, one of the reasons why it is easy to forget that these channels are subject to SFA rules is that the SFA very rarely hauls the participants over the coals for what they say in the heat of the moment. Read more: The Rangers defence of the bold Bomber isn't so much based on an argument that it is acceptable for anyone on their club channel, never mind a Rangers ambassador, to call Scotland's referees 'corrupt'. I'm sure they will be having a word in his shell-like about that privately, even if they do offer mitigation for his words publicly by highlighting the 'emotional' context within which they were delivered. Rather, their ire stems from a feeling that they are being singled out for allowing such output on their TV channel when others have escaped censure for what they call 'similar, or stronger, remarks'. And in this, they have a point. I think most fair-minded fans of any club (or even Rangers fans who may agree with what Brown said) would understand that if you are going to publicly and explicitly label officials as 'corrupt', the SFA might have something to say about it. Scottish football is a febrile environment, and referees are (I believe, anyway) trying their best. Whatever your view on the standard of officiating, such comments questioning their integrity are over the line, and may even jeopardise their safety. That being said, you can't punish one and not the others. The injustice Rangers feel is indeed understandable when you consider the selective nature of the charge. Will the SFA now have an employee watching each individual club's own TV broadcasts of each and every match, combing through the footage to ensure there has been nothing said that could be considered out of turn? Because if there is to be consistency and fairness, that is what they will have to do going forward if this charge sticks. I have heard my fair share of moans and groans about the referees on these channels, and yes, even insinuations about their backgrounds and allegations of bias, on just about every single one of them. The SFA may be attempting to make an example of Brown as one of the more high-profile contributors, but their lack of action against anyone else over the years for similar offences just exacerbates a gnawing feeling that has been growing for some time within the Rangers support that the authorities are out to get them. These fans will point to other high-profile former players, like Tom Boyd on Celtic TV for example, who once said of John Beaton that 'he'll probably be welcomed down his pub tonight again' when commenting on the referee's decision not to award Celtic a penalty against Dunfermline back in 2019. Back then, the SFA reviewed Boyd's comments and eventually decided not to charge Celtic, who for their part, said they would have been 'astonished' if they were hauled before the SFA and promised to 'respond robustly' if they were. (Image: SNS Group - Craig Williamson) Let's be clear, both of these guys should know better. But it has been no surprise to see that the Rangers support have been delighted with the similar tack taken by their club, and their refusal to take the charge lying down. The response issued by a spokesperson was strong, and after CEO Patrick Stewart lost some credit with the Ibrox rank and file for criticising the infamous Graeme Souness tifo at the recent game against Celtic, he along with the new ownership of the club have the fans firmly on side with this one. And so, we now await the outcome of the hearing tomorrow, where a maximum fine of £100,000 could be applied to Rangers. What the SFA could perhaps do instead is defuse the situation by using this incident to draw a line in the sand, rather than using it to draw battle lines. At the risk of sucking a little more of the fun out of our lives, they could, for instance, publish specific guidelines making clear from this point on what is and what is not acceptable on club TV channels, rather than dusting off an already existing but rarely utilised rule to hammer one club in such a selective manner. Then, no one would be able to deny knowing exactly where they stand, and what to expect if their contributors, while still allowing for a certain level of partiality, step out of line. What Brown said was daft and misguided, but if the SFA are going to go after club TV channels for having daft and misguided content, they will have little time for anything else. As Rangers pointed out, their energy would be better spent on other matters, like improving refereeing standards, for one.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
I won Premier League title but Rangers was my biggest ever club – it would be same for Conor Coady
The England international is a top target for Russell Martin and he's been urged to make the most of the chance to play in Glasgow Conor Coady has suffered the blues in his last couple of moves but the England defender has been told signing for Rangers would be the biggest move of his career. The Leicester City centre back has held talks with Ibrox chiefs over a potential summer move. Several clubs in England are also invested in the 32-year-old – who was a £7.5m signing from Wolves and who also spent a loan spell at Everton. Coady is currently on media duties for the Under 21 Euros but Rangers are leading the race and former Light Blues hero Colin Hendry insisted signing up for Russell Martin's Ibrox revolution would be massive. Hendry – speaking to Coin Poker – said: 'I think that depends on what he's looking at this point in his career. "When I moved to Rangers, being Scottish, it was a huge move for me. One of my ambitions was to play for Rangers and win titles, play Champions League football, and I did that. 'I actually fulfilled that dream of mine in my career, went back, got involved and won the Treble. 'For Conor, it's a bit different because he's an English lad, 32 now, and has had a good career in the Premier League with the likes of Wolves. "His last couple of moves in blue haven't worked out as well as he probably would have liked (Everton and Leicester), so I hope this one will be different for him if he does end up at Ibrox. 'What I would say is this – Rangers are a giant of a club. If he signs, Coady will be playing for the biggest club that he has ever played for in his career and there is a brilliant challenge waiting for him. 'When I went to Rangers, it was the biggest club I played for, even though I was at Man City, won the Premier League with Blackburn. It's big. It's not going to be any different for Conor Cody either if he joins. 'That would be a big move for him, an attractive move. If the finances are correct, and if he wants it, then it's a move that has the potential to suit all parties.' Hendry has been keeping tabs on his old club and he's predicting a bright future for Gers under Martin – because the new boss knows exactly the demands. The Scotland legend said: 'He played for Rangers so it shouldn't be that much of a culture shock for him. He knows the crowd. 'He knows the passion of the fanbase up there, so there can be no doubts about his knowledge of knowing exactly what's required managing Rangers Football Club. 'This is the thing that all Rangers managers struggle with, when you're the manager of Rangers, there's only one team to beat and there's only winning and losing. 'You either beat Celtic and become the champions or you finish second and it means nothing. That's the reality of Rangers. 'Rangers have appointed former players before, and I think that helps, because it is a unique club in that sense. I don't think people who aren't in and around Glasgow or Scotland understand just how big Rangers are. 'Giovanni Van Bronckhorst went back there, did alright. Russell is a similar appointment. He's a younger coach as well. 'Russell seems to have always been on the up in terms of his managerial career. He's gone from club to club, climbing the ladder. 'Rangers is a big job. It's a two horse race in Scotland. It's been like that since the 80s really. Aberdeen had a bit of strength and Dundee United, but Scottish football is all about the two Glasgow giants. 'There can only be one winner. Rangers will not recognise finishing runner-up to Celtic as success. It's a tough old league. It really is. And as far as the Old Firm, it's still the biggest game in the UK in my opinion.'
