ian1964 10,618 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Hearts owner Ann Budge out to shake up Scottish football by putting herself forward for a place on SPFL board. By Gordon Waddell TYNECASTLE chief will seek votes from other clubs at next Monday’s agm along with Rangers' new managing director Stewart Robertson. QUEEN of Hearts Ann Budge has decided to challenge the SPFL’s hierarchy by putting herself forward for a place on their board. And Rangers have also made their move to return to the game’s powerbase by putting new managing director Stewart Robertson up for election. The league body’s yearly boardroom shake-up takes place at next Monday’s agm with all 42 clubs now notified of the candidates for the six spots up for grabs. Budge, who has been outspoken on the way the game has been run over the past season, is gunning for one of the three Premiership seats on offer, currently held by Celtic’s Eric Riley, Aberdeen director Duncan Fraser and Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson. And she’s understood to be a favoured candidate of the SFA for a position in power to help move the game forward. In a surprise move, as well as the three current directors, she’ll also be joined on the ballot paper by new Kilmarnock chairman Jim Mann, despite only being four months into his role at Rugby Park. However, the pair face a tough task, with any elected member requiring eight votes from the 12 clubs to take or retain their place. The competition for the Championship places could be even fiercer, with four candidates going for their two allocated spots. It’s Rangers’ first attempt to rejoin the game’s top table since their liquidation and re-introduction to the lower leagues. Former Motherwell director Robertson is attempting to unseat either Eric Drysdale of Raith Rovers or Alloa’s Mike Mulraney. But he’ll also face more competition from another political heavyweight in Hibs’ Rod Petrie. The SFA vice-president is intent on spreading his own influence across both the game’s governing bodies. Only Championship clubs can vote for their own reps, and each will need the votes of seven of the 10 clubs to succeed. It’s believed to be doubtful whether either of the two challengers will find that level of favour. Brechin’s Ken Ferguson is the only board member standing unopposed. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/hearts-owner-ann-budge-out-6068749 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darthter 542 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Is it just me or does anyone else think it unethical to have the same person on the board of the SFA & SPFL??? There could also be an argument for having the same CLUBS represented on both boards..... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,562 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 QUEEN of Hearts ... political heavyweight ...Rod Petrie ... since their liquidation ... It is rather amusing that some idiots simply can't help themselves in trying to prove their status. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,459 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 This is good news. We've been without representation for too long now at both the SFA & SPFL. I do think however that it will be easier said than done for Stewart Robertson to get elected due to the vice-like grip Liewell and his cohorts now have on Scottish football 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete 2,499 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 This is good news. We've been without representation for too long now at both the SFA & SPFL. I do think however that it will be easier said than done for Stewart Robertson to get elected due to the vice-like grip Liewell and his cohorts now have on Scottish football He has 1 chance. No chance! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERRAB 3,459 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 He has 1 chance. No chance! It's a start if nothing else. And it lets Liewell & his cohorts know our intentions. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zappa 0 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I can't see Stewart Robertson getting 7 votes out of 10, but it's definitely a step in the right direction to be signalling our intent. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trublusince1982 243 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 No matter it's just a mattet of time till the feck it so badly we can take full control. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aweebluesoandso 290 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 We just need to keep knocking on the door, if that doesn't work start shouting agenda, sectarianism and bigotry. It has worked spectacularly for the oppressed. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,618 Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 Michael Gannon: It's time Rangers had a place back at the SPFL top table MICHAEL reckons it's time Rangers - and Heart and Hibs - once again had a presence in the SPFL board as they deserve their say when it comes to making big decisions in our game. THINGS are going to get interesting for the SPFL in the next week or so. Their agm is usually about as exciting as a wet weekend in Wick. But not this time. Monday’s meeting could see the place shaken up rather than the yearly re-arranging of the deckchairs. It’s a big deal Ann Budge has made her move to get involved. It’s a bigger deal Rangers are stepping out of the shadows. Budge has been a breath of fresh air at Hearts – her wind of change has rid Tynecastle of Mad Vlad’s toxic stench. Her brand of commonsense would be welcome in a boardroom where it’s been lacking for too long. But it’s also important for Rangers to have a presence in there. It’s time they came in from the cold. Stewart Robertson has stuck his hand up for selection just a few weeks after being made Ibrox MD. His club hasn’t been represented at the top table since the nuclear summer of 2012 and have been absent from the new-look set-up following the merging of the leagues. In fairness, it’s easy to see why they were AWOL. You wouldn’t have wanted any of the succession of charlatans at Ibrox over the last three years anywhere near influencing our game. You wouldn’t have trusted that lot to run a tuck shop for fears they would be munching sweets on the fly. But while the new regime is not exactly off to a spectacular start, they have began the cleansing process. It’s time for them to get back in the tent. Rangers should have a presence when it comes to the big decisions in our game. So should Hearts – and Hibs. In fact our big five clubs – those three plus Celtic and Aberdeen – should arguably have seats nailed down at the top table. No matter what divisions they may occupy at present, they are the major pillars of our game. Their fan bases alone give them a combined responsibility to be custodians of our game. Unfortunately, they have let the country down for too long. The Rangers meltdown has caused mayhem throughout the game, the mismanagement at Tynecastle resulted in further damage and Hibs only have themselves to blame for their appalling performances on the pitch. It’s not cool to say it but the top flight has been diminished by their absence. Take three of the top five clubs out of Holland, Portugal, Austria, anywhere, and it would leave the place looking like the morning after an empty at a teenager’s maw’s house. But they all seem to be clawing their way back at various paces and deserve to be in the gang. More so than some. At the moment the SPFL board has three reps from the Premiership, two from the Championship and one from the bottom two divisions. Fair enough? Well, not really. The clue is really in the league name. The second word’s the giveaway – professional. It’s a miracle they’ve not been done by the Trades Description Act given half the teams in the game are not actually professional. They’re semi-pro. They may have lost some influence when the leagues rejoined but the big clubs still missed a trick in the botched restructuring two years ago. There should have been a 20 pro-team set-up and the rest regionalised. As much as we love the small clubs in the bottom divisions, they are not professional sporting bodies. Not when they are paying guys 50 bucks a week. They have their place in the pecking order and in their communities. But not at the thick end. The game needs streamlined and it needs to be led by the big five and the rest of the full-time clubs. If noses need put out of joint in the process, then so be it. Sorry chaps, it’s been fun but off you pop. Budge could be the one to do it. As usual the voting will be political. The what’s-in-it-for-us brigade will tick the box that suits them best. It’s the way it’s always been. So will Scottish football vote for a shake-up or more of the same? Don’t bother, I think we all know the answer to that one. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/michael-gannon-its-time-rangers-6076063 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.