boabie

I didn't think to google it mate. Having done that I see that Brennan has had his say too.

The manks, much like the Edinburgh manks can't have anything worthwhile to say about their own teams it would appear.

Was it not by today that King was supposed to be making his 20p a share offer ?

I don't think he'd get a single seller at that price but has anyone any news or update ?

Thanks in advance guys.

Take it from me there where a lot more than Torbett into it at Parkhead and a lot of people knew of the goings on within the club .

For a start there was Torbett, Cairney and the photographer who'd child pornography in his locker at the Scumdome.

" they all agreed Aberdeen had dominated, and had just suffered a mad five minute spell. "

and probably just like yourself I jdidn't see it that way at all 26th.

We could have been 2 up at half time. We went flat for 20 minutes just after the break but fortunately the sheep played like...., well, sheep. They had nothing to offer except a couple of shots which our keeper dealt with relatively easily.

We deserved our first goal. The sheep, much like most teams do throughout a game, made a mistake and were punished by ruthless finishing for our second.

The sheep then tried to move players around to get back into the game, leaving spaces in their defence which once again our strikers capitalised on scoring a third and almost a fourth.

Rangers deserved to win. The sheep in trying to implement a plan B got punished.

Had it been the manks on show they'd be getting praised for showing their "class" and withstanding a period of home pressure.

In short, they don't even bother to hide what's going on these days.

It's also not about 'individuals' it is about a cover up by football clubs. The question everyone needs to ask themselves is 'how they are going to respond'. Start putting pressure on politicians. Don't wait for someone else to do it.

That's exactly the position I take Walter. It's those who covered things up I want to see prosecuted.

The Children & Young Persons Act - placing kids in danger, should do.

As for taking action, I've been fighting for years for this whole matter to be brought out into the open.

" Whilst programmes like this draw attention to the behaviour of individuals such as Torbett, ho has “vehemently denied ” the allegations, his defence lawyer is now in a position to voice concerns about him receiving a fair trial.

In fact, theres no chance of him receiving a fair trial, and that is because of last nights programme and the repercussions. "

What a load of shyte. All that's required to see Torbett jailed again is for the guys who testified on camera last night to repeat their claims in court.

These barrack room lawyers do my tits in.

Unbelievable outcome from last night's programme - search for Celtic FC on newsnow - zero articles about the child abuse. Search for Rangers FC - multiple results. One of the most interesting articles is from a site called Gotthebattlefeveron. In it is a huge article highlighting every point that was made about Rangers then curiously says at the bottom of the article "The documentary also detailed allegations against other individuals with no links to Rangers which we wont go into further detail on." They are basically just admitting an agenda there. It's unbelievable.

Despite hosting thousands of expert detectives, Kerrydale Street has nothing at all to say on the matter.

I hope we stopped this months wages.

" THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE

Scotland on Sunday 18/08/1996

Celtic Boys' Club appealed to the dreams of a generation of football hopefuls, but they have only made the tabloids in a seamy tale of manipulation and abuse, report AUDREY GILLAN and RON McKAY

IT ALL begins in a shrine, the walls adorned with artefacts and relics, all carefully arranged and devoutly displayed, past which the faithful shuffled and nourished their own dreams of immortality.

Here, paradise seemed tangible, just a short trip away. But the changing faces who gaped in awe at this display of devotion were

gullible young boys who worshipped a team. They stared at the display of shirts and photographs, testimonials and autographs and

believed the man who told them that they could look down from the window, across the city to the football ground in the East End and

take all that lay before them.

Jim Torbett was 20 when he set up Celtic Boys' Club in 1966, seeking permission from the then manager Jock Stein to use the team's

name. He was only a few years older than the lads who trooped through his living room. Boys who left believing, as he did, in dreams,

certain that they were special, marked out for fame. Now 30 years on, those dreams have become nightmares for some, grown men

marked forever by the shy but enthusiastic man who took them to the heights and then the depths.

John McCluskey is, in the unimpeachable judgment of former Celtic star Charlie Nicholas, the best young player he ever saw. Last

week, McCluskey -who has fought drink, addiction and his own demons - was sitting in an upmarket Glasgow hotel, sipping cappuccino

and waiting to make a statement to police that Torbett had sexually assaulted him. He had been so badly affected by the Dunblane

massacre, he said, that he felt he had to make a stand.

Just two days before, the Daily Record had spread across five pages allegations that the boys' club founder had abused him. His

allegation was supported by Ally Brazil, the former Ipswich and Spurs striker, another graduate of the Celtic academy, who claimed that

Torbett kissed and fondled him when he was only 14. Within hours of the story hitting the streets, and the newspaper setting up its

abuse hotline, dozens of calls had come in and another man - Frank Cairney, the man who had been brought in by Jock Stein to get rid

of the smears and innuendoes which for years had hung around the boys' club - was also being named as an abuser.

Whispers that something was not quite right with Celtic Boys' Club had been around since its inception. Some boys passed through the

ranks unscathed, ducking slaps on the bum and over-enthusiastic spongings when they lay injured on the pitch. But others are alleged

to have suffered at the hands of a man who abused his position in pursuit of paedophile perversions. It seemed some of the weaker

boys, those with less skill, less certain of a place on the first team, those with less parental guidance, became easy prey. They would be

enticed back to Torbett's house with promises of meals and ice cream and sometimes less innocent pursuits would follow.

When Fergus McCann finally arrived in the halo of television lights at Parkhead in 1994 he knew that he faced a formidable task:

rebuilding a stadium, a team and the belief of a support which had seen years of failed promises and dismal performance. What he did

not expect -by way of an anonymous letter sent to him almost as soon as he was through the door - was a disturbing report of years of

abuse at the boys' club. Officially, the club was entirely separate from Celtic but McCann appreciated that it was inextricably bound to

Parkhead in the minds of the public, and indeed in the hearts of some of the players and former players - like Peter Grant, Paul McStay

and Tommy Burns - who had graduated from it to the big time of professional football.

McCann quickly went about trying to establish the truth, or not, of the accusations. He called in Jim Torbett and asked him to meet

Celtic's lawyers and confirm or deny, in an affidavit which could be passed to the police, the accusations. Torbett repeatedly refused.

He asked Ally Brazil and John McCluskey to make their allegations formal. Brazil refused at that stage. McCluskey agreed, but only if

his statement was not passed to the police.

Ironically, McCann was playing out, more than three years on, a sad little tableau which had occurred at Parkhead under the old

regime, ruled over by the Kelly and White families. In 1991 the boys' club had been to Kearney, New Jersey - an annual tour to the Irish

part of the state with players staying at the homes of Catholic families -and one boy, no longer at Celtic but now a professional player in

Scotland, had alleged to his hosts and to his own family that he had been assaulted by the team's general manager, Frank Cairney.

The boy's father took him to Celtic Park to have it out with Liam Brady who was then only months in the job as team manager. The

club's chief scout John Kelman was also present.

It was Brady's first serious and most affecting problem in a troubled time at Parkhead which did not last long. He listened to the boy,

believed him, and insisted to the board that Cairney had to be removed, not only from the boys' club but from any association with the

main football club. So, overnight, the man who was used to having his run of the place and the ear of the management, was cast out.

It was agreed, by Brady, the boy and his parents and the then Celtic board, that the police would not be informed. The young player

was assured that the alleged incident would have no effect on his future career at the club. However, signed statements were taken by

Celtic's lawyers from the four adults who had been on the New Jersey trip. All were sworn to silence.Cairney was now away from the football club and its nursery - business commitments was the given reason - but Jim Torbett was backplaying a major role, first as a fund-raiser then back with the boys' club. Torbett had maintained his connections with Celtic. Pre-

McCann board member Kevin Kelly, still honorary president of the boys' club, is a fellow director of Torbett's company The Trophy

Centre, and current board member Jack McGinn is an employee.

It is not clear why a man widely regarded as a child abuser was allowed back into a position of responsibility at the boys' club. Torbett

had been kicked out in 1976 after being confronted by the committee and, according to Frank Cairney's account of the meeting, had

broken down in tears and confessed. He was then summoned to a meeting with Jock Stein, at the end of which the big man physically

kicked him out of the door. And just to ensure that the boys' club stayed clean the legendary Celtic manager brought in another man,

Hugh Birt, as chairman of its committee.

Birt claims he was concerned about the behaviour of both Cairney and Torbett - who wheedled his way back in after Stein's death - and

raised the matter with the club. Before he knew it Birt was asked to resign. When he stood his ground and refused, he says, Celtic

withdrew his ticket to the directors' box and he had no option but to get out.

In spite of all these troubles, the boys' club, from humble beginnings in a hall in Maryhill, had become a great success and was now

seen as a crucial feeder of players for the senior club. It used Celtic's training ground at Barrowfield for coaching and matches and

became one of the country's most successful nurseries: its more famous graduates include current manager Tommy Burns, George

McCluskey, Roy Aitken, Charlie Nicholas, Paul McStay, and of the present side Peter Grant and Simon Donnelly.

But although the boys' club was hugely successful, rumours still continued to surround it. Former players began to talk to the press,

although none would go on record or make a formal complaint to the police. The New Jersey incident in 1991 was successfully

managed by the club and it seemed that nothing tangible would ever be proved. And then, in 1994, the new regime swept into Celtic

Park and the rumours flared up again. This time, the chairman was determined that nothing should be kicked under the carpet.

As McCann's investigation got under way, a lone Celtic fanatic Gerry McSherry, who resented the arrival of the new board, appeared

on a radio programme to question the transfer of a young player. Within days he had received a number of calls suggesting untoward

behaviour in the boys club. After months of investigation, McSherry began touting what he called the Paedo Files round various

newspapers and television companies and claims now to be under contract to the Record.

Last week, as the story developed from allegations against Torbett - who was suspended from the boys' club six days ago - to claims

that Cairney fondled boys as they sat in the front seat of his car, many men with long associations with the club began to grow uneasy.

Former players backed Big Frank whom they knew as a "father figure" and Burns rushed out to Cairney's terraced home in Viewpark,

Lanarkshire, after receiving a call from the man he considers a close friend. Leaving his house the manager was reported to have said:

"He [Cairney] has the whole of my backing and that of Celtic Football Club to a man."

The following morning Burns must have been wishing he had bitten his tongue. Incandescent at his manager's assumption that the club

would back Cairney, McCann issued a statement. "While I sympathise with Tommy Burns' personal position as a friend of Mr Cairney,

the club cannot condone or defend or take sides in a matter which involves a criminal complaint," he said.

Burns himself claimed that he had been misquoted and what he had in fact said was: "He has my backing and I'm sure he will have the

backing of several members of the first team who played for Frank at under-16 level."

Meanwhile, the allegations against Torbett went unchallenged. After hiding out at the east end home of William and Andrew Gilbert -

two young men who had played for the boys' club - he is said to have left the country. Yesterday, their mother Susan said that Torbett

was a close family friend - they sometimes travelled abroad with him and the boys' club - and that the allegations made against him

were rubbish.

DCI John Boyd at London Road police station, who has four officers investigating the allegations, said that his team had been taking

calls from a number of people who had not gone through the Daily Record. He added that the inquiry was at an early stage and that no

arrests were imminent.

At Celtic Park, the management is trying to keep its head down and stop the scandal interfering with play. Footballers like Peter Grant

and Tosh McKinlay - who came through the boys' club route - have nothing to say on the record. And the boy who made the complaint

against Cairney? He's playing his cards close to his chest. The chants from the terraces and jibes from his opponents would no doubt

be too much to take.

------------------------

It was a very "clever" piece of journalism which achieved exactly what Daly intended. Yes, it went on at Parkhead but their guy got jailed. It happened everywhere and there are many still to get convicted.

The many questions around Celtic FC and the total inaction of Stein, "open secret" McNeil and others was not even mentioned. Stein appeared to me to be made out as the hero of the piece.

No mistake - this was a sly attempt to smear Rangers. It probably succeeded.

"Celtic Boys' Club founder Jim Torbett yesterday was convicted of sex offences against three young players.

A jury at Glasgow Sheriff Court found him guilty of acts of shameless indecency between 1968 and 1974.

As the verdicts were read out at the end of a seven-day trial the wealthy 51-year-old businessman hung his head in the dock and occasionally stared at the jury.

The jury, by a majority, found him guilty of indecent offences against Mr James McGrory, 44, Mr David Gordon, 38, and former Scotland footballer Alan Brazil, 39, between 1968 and 1974 when they were teenagers.

Sheriff Margaret Gimblett, who was told that Torbett, of Beaconsfield Road, Kelvindale, Glasgow was a first offender, deferred sentence until November 27 for background and community reports and continued bail.

The sheriff warned Torbett that although she was allowing bail he should not assume that when he returned for sentence he would ''retain his liberty''.

The sheriff also told him he would now be placed on the register of sex offenders.

Torbett, who lives in a #100,000 flat and who drives a Mercedes to his successful Trophy Centre business in Glasgow left court with friends refusing to comment.

Two issues dominated the trial - the evidence of the three victims and whether Celtic and manager Jock Stein were involved in a cover-up going back over 20 years.

Rumours had circulated for years about Torbett and young boys at the club - which acted as a nursery for Celtic and produced players such as Paul McStay, Charlie Nicholas, Tommy Burns. and current striker Mark Burchill.

The alleged cover-up emerged during the evidence of Mr Hugh Birt, 61, the club's photographer who resigned as president of the Boys' Club in 1986.

Mr Birt claimed that, after he became president in 1974, Celtic legend Jock Stein told him he had kicked Torbett out the door.

He said the matter was all ''covered up'' by Celtic as to why Torbett was put out.

Mr Birt said that when Torbett returned to the boys club a few years later as a fund raiser the allegations about him started up again.

He claimed he took them to Mr Stein, and told Celtic vice chairman Kevin Kelly about them but nothing was ever done.

Mr Birt said when he became president of the Celtic Boys' Club in 1974 the first thing Mr Stein said to him was to ''keep the image of Celtic clean''.

The court heard the scandal came out into the open two years ago when Mr Gordon, a taxi driver, spoke to a newspaper. "

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12364258.Celtic_Boys_apos__Club_founder_guilty_of_shameless_indecency_Anger_over_allegations_suggesting_that_Jock_Stein_was_involved_in_20_year_cover_up/

The SFA must investigate whether Celtic knew of child abuse allegations by Torbet & others and if so why they chose not to inform the police.

 

If it is discovered they deliberately tried to cover up these allegations then there must be suitable punishments administered including the removal of honours won by the club during these times.

 

There must be no leniency whatsoever shown towards any individuals or clubs involved.

Celtic accounts showed nearly a million pounds paid to Torbett while he was in jail serving his sentence. Why was never explained. How he was later able to wander back into a job over there was also never explained. The "good name of Celtic" was the ONLY thing they wanted protected. The abused kids simply didn't come into it.

Celtic paid for the BC's strips and uniforms [green blazers with club badge and grey trousers]. Every piece of funding came through Celtic.

According to the obsessed on a couple of their forums, the reason you couldn't get a ticket is because the club have held back hundreds. You can get one of those ones if you part with £200. That gets you a pie at Ibrox and a bus to the match.

If these folk didn't exist we'd have to invent them.

The tv programme is on BBC Scotland, 1040 pm tonight.

We still get a 50/50 split for tickets - that is, the tickets left after the SFA and member clubs receive their allocation.

Naturally we had to be brought into the story though -

"Fresh allegations of child sex abuse have been made against the founder of Celtic Boys' Club, a BBC Scotland investigation has revealed.

New alleged victims of Jim Torbett have come forward claiming he sexually abused them during the 1980s and 90s.

Torbett "vehemently denies" the allegations against him.

The investigation also reveals new claims about former Hibernian and Rangers coach Gordon Neely, who died in 2014.

An alleged victim claims he was repeatedly raped by Neely from the age of 11. It has also been claimed that when allegations of abuse surfaced, Neely was sacked from Hibs but the police were not informed.

He then joined Rangers where it is claimed he began abusing boys there. Rangers also sacked him over alleged abuse. The club claims it informed the police.

The allegations about Torbett and Neely are made in a BBC programme Football Abuse: The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game, to be screened on Monday.

They include:

New evidence that the reasons for Torbett leaving Celtic Boys' Club in 1974 were covered up

Claims that Torbett was allowed to return to the Boys' Club despite being sacked for abuse

The first evidence from former Celtic Boy's Club players claiming they were abused by Torbett in his second spell at the Boys' Club during the 1980s and 90s

New evidence that Neely abused boys at Edinburgh youth teams and top flight clubs including Hibs and Rangers from 1980 until 1998

Missed opportunities by football clubs and the authorities to stop Neely's abuse

Celtic Boys' Club was founded by Jim Torbett in 1966 with the permission of the then Celtic FC manager, the late Jock Stein and former chairman Sir Robert Kelly.

It was created as a separate entity from the football club, but it has been closely linked throughout its history and acted as a feeder club, producing a string of Celtic greats including Roy Aitken, Paul McStay and Tommy Burns.

Torbett had two stints at the Boys' Club, the first from 1966-1974. He returned to the Boy's Club around 1980 and stayed until a series of Daily Record stories revealed abuse claims against him in 1996.

He was jailed for two years in 1998 on conviction of abusing three former Celtic Boys' Club players, including former Scotland international Alan Brazil, between 1967-74.

At the trial, former Celtic photographer and Boys' Club chairman Hugh Birt claimed Torbett was fired in 1974 after child abuse allegations arose.

'Became a hero'

Birt, who died four years ago, told the court Stein, then honorary president of the Boys' Club, sacked Torbett as a result of the abuse claims.

The BBC has spoken to three additional sources close to the events in the 1970s who support Birt's evidence to court that Torbett was ejected from the Boy's Club by Stein, following complaints of child abuse.

Stein was then the Celtic manager as well as honorary president of the Boys' Club.

Torbett returned to the Boys' Club in around 1980 after Stein had left Parkhead. But no allegations against Torbett in his second period at the Boys' Club have surfaced - until now. "

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-39553258

to the tune of Tiffany's "I think we're alone now" from the 80's.

You're fecking joking ! Surely ?

What kind of halfwit would do that ?

I'm still none the wiser what the song is.

I'll play the match back later today and see if I can catch it.

Looks like the club are only increasing by around £15 to £30 depending on where you sit.

I'm satisfied with that.

https://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/season-ticket-renewal-available/

The tarred one mentioned it a few days ago. I'll be honest, I hadn't and still don't know what he's on about.

Provans article just proves the point about yesterdays news being todays chip shop wrapper.

He was totally wrong. Yet again he was shown up to be a fud.

Will he retract ? No chance. But I expect this "expert" will be called again to comment in the days before we next play the manks.

Makes you wonder how they will approach their game with the sheep if we're closing in on them.

The sheep couldn't beat the manks if they were given 4 of a start mate.

Bottlers of the highest order.

If feeling a wee bit depressed take a look at the timplosion on Kiddyfiddler Street.

" Aberdeen you are a disgrace. You've let your fans down, you've let your city down, you've let St Johnstone down, but worst of all you've let me down. "

The sheep were a side just waiting to be found out and nowhere near as good as they were bummed up to be. That was my thought before todays match .

In truth we've been the better side each time we played them this season.

With luck we'd have buried them before half time this game.

Hyndman going off baffled me but the result speaks for itself. Well done Pedro.