Evening Times Article - another unbelievable piece from the press

[StuGers 477]

http://m.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/14754339.amp/

 

 

RANGERS should reach an arrangement with controversial player Joey Barton to avoid messy and embarrassing legal action, according to a solicitor at one of Scotland’s leading employment law firms.

 

Michael Briggs, of Thompsons Solicitors, said any pay-off could come close to matching Barton’s notice period if Rangers directors wanted to avoid damaging tribunals or a public court hearing.

 

But Mr Briggs said that, while the club would, in such circumstances, expect the player to sign a confidentiality agreement were his contract to be terminated, the former England star’s personality cast doubt on the value of such a clause.

 

 

The comments come as it emerged Barton had been suspended by the club for a further three weeks on top of the seven-day sanction previously handed out following a training-ground bust-up.

 

The Scottish Football Association is also investigating allegations he gambled on matches amid reports suggesting he placed money on the outcome of a Celtic match. SFA rules prohibit players, coaches, referees and club officials in Scotland from betting on all football.

 

Mr Briggs explained: “Under the law of contract, either party is entitled to cancel the contract subject to any provisions requiring the terminating party either need to give notice of termination or to make a payment in lieu of that period.

 

“This will almost certainly be the case in a high-profile professional footballer’s contract. If the club want to terminate Joey Barton’s contract, the only way they can avoid paying the notice is where the termination has been in response to a repudiatory breach of contract committed by the player.

 

“I do not think you can point to what has gone on in the training ground as having been sufficient to justify summary termination of the player’s contract.

 

“If [the extra three weeks is punitive], then the club will need to find something else on him to justify summary termination, which makes today’s betting revelations all the more curious.”

 

 

He added: “I’d say the most likely outcome would be for some kind of agreement where Joey walks for a certain amount. There is enough risk to both parties and to the club to cause added embarrassment that you’d think the club would come to some sort of agreement that falls short of the notice period.”

 

 

The most interesting thing about the article appears to be the recent modification of it with the following section removed:

 

"If he could successfully establish that the reason for this less favourable treatment was his Roman Catholicism, he will have a claim for direct religious discrimination. That might not be a good or indeed winnable argument but the threat of it (and of it causing sufficient embarrassment to the club) could secure a bigger pay-off.

 

 

 

Who actually sanctions these articles to be released? So basically a lawyer is giving advice to a non-client (drumming up business?) that if he makes questionable, maybe not necessarily true claims, his case might be deemed more favourable. Surely what he is suggesting is illegal?

Also, why the hell is the press giving this gutter journalism print? When has his religion ever come into it? Rangers employ loads of Catholics and have done for years. It is just another attempt to blacken the club's name no doubt. The whole campaign is definitely stepped up a gear since our return to the top.

[der Berliner 3,389]

You check NewsNow and sees what occupies the media. And it is hardly our cruise to the League Cup SF. Barton's dad killed a dog takes the biscuit here.

[Bluedell 5,378]

The most interesting thing about the article appears to be the recent modification of it with the following section removed:

 

"If he could successfully establish that the reason for this less favourable treatment was his Roman Catholicism, he will have a claim for direct religious discrimination. That might not be a good or indeed winnable argument but the threat of it (and of it causing sufficient embarrassment to the club) could secure a bigger pay-off.

 

The fact that Barton is a member of the National Secular Society may have caused them to retract the paragraph, but the fact that it was included initially shows the mind-set of the author and throws into question his views as an expert.

[26th of foot 5,912]

Gerry Braiden is the Herald's long term Local Government correspondent. When the Herald requires a bitter tinge in it's copy, both Gerry and Neil Cameron are the go to men. Michael Briggs, better known as Alfie Briggs has given Gerry what he wanted. The problem is that old journalistic maxim, 'if your'e accurate, you'll be objective' has been completely ignored. As has been stated, Barton is a member of the National Secular Society. Of course, the Herald has previous in this regard. A decade past, the then Literary Editor, Hugh MacDonald did a double page piece lionising AC Milan's Kaka for his philanthropy. At the heart was his rc conditioning, charity and good works being pillars of his faith. All of this in a build up piece to Hugh's green'n'grey hooped horrors playing Milan. The correspondence poured in, pointing out Kaka was a born and bred member of Brazil's fastest growing church, evangelical protestantism.

 

Reference Gerry's piece, it's up there with Phil McFournames signature, 'the Incubator'. Sadly, Gerry will be proud of it,

[Uilleam 5,592]

Unless this ambulance chaser has seen transcripts, statements and suchlike, his observations are purely speculative, and quite without value.

 

File under 'Mischief Making'.

 

Of course if he has had sight of documents, it begs the rather large question of source.

[boabie 230]

Thompson solicitors are a bunch of ambulance chasers who make a living out of taking hopeless cases to court. I'd suspect they charged a couple of hundred to provide the quotes.

The article itself is worthless garbage. Still, hardly surprising given all that's going on right now.

[StuGers 477]

In all seriousness - what the fuck is going on?

 

Have all these journalists and papers really upped the game or have I just been a bit blind to it all these years?

[MacK1950 2,263]

Sometimes it seems like a group of A*****ES gathering round a table and being asked what S**te can we write next to appease the yahoos.

[cooponthewing 1,139]

Sometimes it seems like a group of A*****ES gathering round a table and being asked what S**te can we write next to appease the yahoos.

 

I don't think you are that far off the truth mate??

[Uilleam 5,592]

Sometimes it seems like a group of A*****ES gathering round a table and being asked what S**te can we write next to appease the yahoos.

 

Would the collective noun be, in the newspaper trade, a "Chapel" of assholes?