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Ben Hayes - Charlton Athletic programme

Scottish Premier League

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Moving beyond the burger

Submitted by WG on Thu, 04/04/2013 - 12:08

Catering in UK football stadiums faces a shake up after US stadium catering provider Centerplate acquired loss-making British company, the Lindley Group. They have catering contracts at Celtic Park and White Hart Lane among other locations.

The new owners are seeking to move catering at grounds beyond the traditional cup of Bovril (not that many people drink that any more), the lukewarm pie or the burger of dubious provenance. Indeed, some fans have been saying 'Neigh' to them following the horse meat scandal.

Hearts owner goes bust

Submitted by WG on Tue, 02/04/2013 - 13:32

Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov has virtually all his assets and money wiped out after his bank Ukio Bankas was placed into interim administration.   Romanov has said that he will sell 51 per cent of the club to supporters' groups and he doesn't care about the price.    Hearts are currently around £25m in debt.

BT buys ESPN's sports channels

Submitted by WG on Tue, 26/02/2013 - 09:43

BT is buying ESPN's sports television channels in the UK and Ireland as it steps up its challenge to BSkyB in the pay-tv market.   Last June BT agreed to pay £738m for the rights to 38 Premier League matches including 18 'first picks'.   The move removed ESPN's status as the only rival to Sky and made the US company's withdrawal from the British market more likely.

Financial boost at Celtic

Submitted by WG on Tue, 12/02/2013 - 17:17

Celtic have reported a big boost to their turnover and profits in the six months to December 2012.   The profit from trading was just under £15m compared with a near break even figure of £0.18m in the same period last year.   Turnover increased by 71 per cent from £29.27m to £50.06m.  Net bank debt fell from £7.05m to £130,000 making the club virtually debt free.

Slim profit for Kilmarnock

Submitted by WG on Tue, 08/01/2013 - 09:37

Kilmarnock made a trading profit of £11,384 for the year ended 31 May 2012, down £186,597 from the previous year.   In the present state of Scottish football, any surplus reflects credit on the club concerned.

Kilmarnock's net debt rose by £83,000 to £9.84m.    This is less than the value of Rugby Park at £11.3m. Turnover went up by £300,000 to £7.4m.    Player and staff costs were just over £3.5m, a figure that has been stable for four years.   This is less than 50 per cent of turnover, a recommended target that few clubs achieve.

Hearts hit by new sanctions

Submitted by WG on Mon, 31/12/2012 - 17:26

Hearts have been hit by new sanctions after they failed to pay bonuses and appearance money to players and coaching staff and also failed to tell the Scottish Premier League (SPL) 'in a timely manner' about their latest financial shortcomings.   They have been handed a further registration embargo by the SPL.

Hope for Hearts as the year ends

Submitted by WG on Wed, 26/12/2012 - 19:25

It's been a tough few months for Hearts on the financial front with the club being threatened with liquidation at one stage,  Although challenges remain, the picture is brighter as the year draws to a close.

Fan takeover at Hearts?

Submitted by WG on Wed, 21/11/2012 - 10:05

Supporters Direct will meet with Hearts for a fifth time today in a bid to persuade Vladimir Romanov to sell to a fan-based group.

Earlier in the week a £4.5m bid for the club by a consortium of unknown investors headed by Angelo Massone.  He was in charge at Livingston in a disastrous spell which nearly brought the club to its knees.

How Hearts lost their heart

Submitted by WG on Thu, 08/11/2012 - 18:21

I developed a serious interest in football in 1953 when I started to go to matches at Charlton with my father.   As my knowledge of the game developed, it became apparent that Scottish clubs often did not have obvious geographical names like their English counterparts.   Given his Scottish ancestry, my father made sure that I followed football north of the border.

Hearts on the brink

Submitted by WG on Thu, 08/11/2012 - 10:04

The long drawn out saga at Hearts may be entering its final phase with the possibility being raised that the club might play its last game against St. Mirren on Saturday 17 November.   In a letter to fans, the club has said 'This isn't a bluff, this isn't scaremongering, this is reality.'

For the third time in a year the club faces liquidation over unpaid taxes.   Revenue & Customs presented a winding-down petition to the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Monday over just under £450,000 in unpaid PAYE and National Insurance.