Livingston Relegated to the Third Division.

[Swoosh]

At a meeting today of the Scottish Football League Management Committee, Livingston Football Club were found to be in breach of Rule 76.2, relating to insolvency.

The sanction imposed was to place Livingston F.C. in the Third Division for Season 2009-2010.

We believe a Third Division placement offers Livingston F.C. the chance of continuing their membership of The Scottish Football League.

Note:
Airdrie United F.C. and Cowdenbeath F.C. have been promoted to the First and Second Divisions respectively.

http://www.scottishfootballleague.co...44&newsid=2837

Did not see this posted any where else. Possibly the best move for them.

[Phil D. Rolls]

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http://www.scottishfootballleague.co...44&newsid=2837

Did not see this posted any where else. Possibly the best move for them.

Mon the Blue Brazil!

Why did they just not put Livi out of the league, and let Spartans in? All they are doing is continuing the farce.

[JimBHibees]

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http://www.scottishfootballleague.co...44&newsid=2837

Did not see this posted any where else. Possibly the best move for them.

Seems unduly harsh IMO to put them in the third division. Given the SFL were wanting them to put up a bond of £720k this season for staying in the fiirst division maybe an indication the people intersted werent prepared or couldnt afford to do that. You have got to wonder if they will still be interested in a 3rd division club with next to no income coming in.

[G15 Hibs]

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http://www.scottishfootballleague.co...44&newsid=2837

Did not see this posted any where else. Possibly the best move for them.

I doubt it's the best move for Livi. The group that were taking over said the other day they were only doing it if they stayed in the First Division and that if they were relegated they'd pull out. It probably means the end of the club.

Not that I'd be that fussed to see them go, mind...

[Sylar]

Absolute ****ing joke of a decision.

The SFL should be punishing the Pisan *******s who put them into this position, not the group who potentially want to invest and save them.

As I understand it, the SFL still require evidence of a large bond (£760k) and the investors stated that they will walk away if the SFL make things difficult - Livingston FC will follow Gretna into the abyss.

All other clubs who are sailing close to the wind will be s***ing themselves now, as the SFL/SPL have set an example.

[Mibbes Aye]

I realise the SFL and the SPL are different bodies but I hope such a pragmatic and realistic approach is adopted when Homfc's time comes (the clock has never stopped ticking ).

Rather than unduly burdening their colleagues in the SPL with their woes it would be better if they were passported down to the lower reaches ASAP. At least a precedent has been set with Livi.

Mind you, it seems unfair to reward the yams when Spartans have a decent business model. I don't know the regulations for the East of Scotland leagues off-hand. They should maybe think about brushing up on their anti-sectarianism and anti-racism policies in anticipation of some certain visitors from the EH11 area though

[iwasthere1972]

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I doubt it's the best move for Livi. The group that were taking over said the other day they were only doing it if they stayed in the First Division and that if they were relegated they'd pull out. It probably means the end of the club.

Not that I'd be that fussed to see them go, mind...

Who in their right mind would want to put money into a club that will be playing in front of a few hundred people - maybe 1,000 on a good day next season.

Bleak times ahead I imagine.

A lesson to be learned for other clubs that are prepared to live outwith their means.

[Sylar]

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Who in their right mind would want to put money into a club that will be playing in front of a few hundred people - maybe 1,000 on a good day next season.

Bleak times ahead I imagine.

A lesson to be learned for other clubs that are prepared to live outwith their means.

But the club (as a business) was fine - Livingston have suffered the same fate Hearts are staring down the barrel of, with one man decimating the entire club. Why is he not being punished?

The scary thing is that Angelo Massone and Thomasso Angelini are free to walk into any other football club and do similar - Massone is also still a registered agent for a handful of players.

They should be prevented from every making another penny from football IMO.

[Phil D. Rolls]

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Who in their right mind would want to put money into a club that will be playing in front of a few hundred people - maybe 1,000 on a good day next season.

Bleak times ahead I imagine.

A lesson to be learned for other clubs that are prepared to live outwith their means.

And also for Hibs fans who moan about our board.

ps

Tick Tock

[hibsdaft]

never mind the implication for Livi - Airdrie up to the 1st division? **** that.

[iwasthere1972]

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never mind the implication for Livi - Airdrie up to the 1st division? **** that.

wee airdrie Jambo agrees.

[KeithTheHibby]

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never mind the implication for Livi - Airdrie up to the 1st division? **** that.

That is the most galling thing for me that they spawny *****ers have benefited again through another clubs failing.

[Woody1985]

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But the club (as a business) was fine - Livingston have suffered the same fate Hearts are staring down the barrel of, with one man decimating the entire club. Why is he not being punished?

The scary thing is that Angelo Massone and Thomasso Angelini are free to walk into any other football club and do similar - Massone is also still a registered agent for a handful of players.

They should be prevented from every making another penny from football IMO.

I'm not saying you're wrong here...

Is there any documented proof that Massone has screwed them?

TBH I've not read anything about the demise of Livi. However, from what I recall as soon as the boy took over there was a dispute of some sort in relation to 600k. IIRC Masson said the boy, Pearse Flynn(?) was due him it as part of an agreement of the takeover. Again, IIRC the funds were within the club and Massone had to pay Flynn.

I think something dodgy has been going on since the start and someone has been ****ed over somewhere down the line. Can anyone elaborate on the timeline of events?

The impression I get from Massone is that he's tried to take over a club and seen it as an easy way to reach the SPL and make a bit of cash. Something along the way has gone drastically wrong. From what I could tell from his body language on TV was that he was genuinely gutted that Livi had gone into adminsinistration.

[Mikey]

At least they're being consistent. The precedent was set with Gretna and they've done the same with Livi.

I wonder what price you'll get on the yams to win the 3rd division in season 2010/11

[Jonnyboy]

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Mon the Blue Brazil!

Why did they just not put Livi out of the league, and let Spartans in? All they are doing is continuing the farce.

As I understand it, Spartans have significant debt and are unable to bring their new stadium up to standard - that is, finish it. I'm told Spartans were let down by a body that was meant to offer up a grant of some sort. If all of that is true then it's unlikely the SFL will admit them

[erin-go-bragh87]

Livingstone have been relegated to Division 3 for breaching insolvency rules. Surely thats the end of them now....

[jabis]

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I'm not saying you're wrong here...

Is there any documented proof that Massone has screwed them?

TBH I've not read anything about the demise of Livi. However, from what I recall as soon as the boy took over there was a dispute of some sort in relation to 600k. IIRC Masson said the boy, Pearse Flynn(?) was due him it as part of an agreement of the takeover. Again, IIRC the funds were within the club and Massone had to pay Flynn.

I think something dodgy has been going on since the start and someone has been ****ed over somewhere down the line. Can anyone elaborate on the timeline of events?

The impression I get from Massone is that he's tried to take over a club and seen it as an easy way to reach the SPL and make a bit of cash. Something along the way has gone drastically wrong. From what I could tell from his body language on TV was that he was genuinely gutted that Livi had gone into adminsinistration.

3rd division and F****d
what more proof do you need ?

[Coco Bryce]

Who cares?

Gretna were relegated from the SFL last year, also Airdrie had to start again from Div3, so why should Livingston be an exception?

[Ed De Gramo]

Thats what they get for bringing in a sugar daddy...Hearts next please

tick tock

[Sylar]

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Thats what they get for bringing in a sugar daddy...Hearts next please

tick tock

What a rediculously uneducated statement.

He inherited the club with c.£280k debt from the Flynn regime, with the squad remaining the same, give or take 4 additions during the summer period last year. Massone, for whatever reason, decided not to pay the monthly bills to the council, electricity board, local contractors (who helped refurb the stadium bar) and eventually the players and staff. He said he done this to "prove the Council and fans a lesson".

He continually lied to supporters, SFL officials, local businesses and the media about what was going on behind the scenes, and the full extent of the problems he created has only now become visible. By the time Massone was ousted, the debt at Livingston was £1.7m. This is despite the sale of Leigh Griffiths, David McKay, James McPake and Murray Davidson, which was around £250k. No Livingston fan knows where on Earth £1.5m has gone to, as the squad remained the same, and if anything, decreased in costs as players left. Rumours are abound that Massone pocketed a lot of the money and redeployed it into his own businesses, however, this is nothing more than a rumour.

He was using club funds to pay for a townhouse in Edinburgh, where he resided when not in Italy.

One man alone has turfed a Scottish club out of the game. Since being put into Admin the last time, Livi cleared their board, reduced their squad and were finding a level in the 1st division, until Flynn upped and left.

Angelo Massone is the sole reason for the inevitable dissolution of Livingston FC.

[JE89]

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But the club (as a business) was fine - Livingston have suffered the same fate Hearts are staring down the barrel of, with one man decimating the entire club. Why is he not being punished?

The scary thing is that Angelo Massone and Thomasso Angelini are free to walk into any other football club and do similar - Massone is also still a registered agent for a handful of players.

They should be prevented from every making another penny from football IMO.

The man is a complete tosser who has ruined a football club. Everybody saying good - think about the supporters - how would you feel if it was Hibs, secondly - the players who have mortgages to pay, families to support. They've not been paid in weeks and can't see them getting paid anytime soon. No doubt players will be released all due to one arrogant pr!ck.

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Thats what they get for bringing in a sugar daddy...Hearts next please

tick tock

They didn't have too much choice. And it wasn't the fans or players who brought him in and essentially they are the ones who are punished. The guy should shot

[Jonnyboy]

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Thats what they get for bringing in a sugar daddy...Hearts next please

tick tock

What, you mean like Tom Farmer?

[Ed De Gramo]

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What, you mean like Tom Farmer?

Sir Tom's more like a Sugar Grandad

[jabis]

massone £1.5 million

vlad thinks BIG

tick tock

[BSEJVT]

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But the club (as a business) was fine - Livingston have suffered the same fate Hearts are staring down the barrel of, with one man decimating the entire club. Why is he not being punished?

The scary thing is that Angelo Massone and Thomasso Angelini are free to walk into any other football club and do similar - Massone is also still a registered agent for a handful of players.

They should be prevented from every making another penny from football IMO.

Sorry Scott but thats just not accurate.

Livingston have been mismanaged from the word go and the chickens have finally came home to roost.

[Woody1985]

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3rd division and F****d
what more proof do you need ?

Erm, quite a lot actually.

Because it's gone tits up when he was in charge doesn't mean it's all his fault.

That's why I mentioned the thing about the 600k. I don't know the exact scenario but if Massone thought he had that 600k in the bank then they probably wouldn't be where they are now.

Perhaps he was ****ed over when taking over the club and due diligence wasn't carried out correctly, all legal docs signed in relation to who would get what i.e the 600k. Maybe the language barrier was an issue, maybe he employed some donkey to deal with all the legal procedings. Business deals go wrong sometimes. It's not rocket science

[Hibs Class]

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Who cares?

Gretna were relegated from the SFL last year, also Airdrie had to start again from Div3, so why should Livingston be an exception?

Airdrie isn't a fair comparison. IIRC old Airdrie went into liquidation and were then allowed to fail. Airdrie United then bought out Clydebank FC, relocated them to Airdrie and renamed them, and effectively took their place in the league. So a) there wasn't a similar punishment for old Airdrie as was given to Gretna and Livi and b) Airdrie United effectively hammered the last nail into Clydebank's coffin.

[--------]

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Airdrie isn't a fair comparison. IIRC old Airdrie went into liquidation and were then allowed to fail. Airdrie United then bought out Clydebank FC, relocated them to Airdrie and renamed them, and effectively took their place in the league. So a) there wasn't a similar punishment for old Airdrie as was given to Gretna and Livi and b) Airdrie United effectively hammered the last nail into Clydebank's coffin.

Clydebank were dead and in the coffin.

The Airdrie United people may have screwed down the lid and put the coffin in the back of the hearse, but they didn't kill them off.

I'd say that the Steedman brothers were much more likely suspects - after all, they had previous history in that they made a fair attempt to kill off East Stirlingshire when they set up ES Clydebank in 1965.

And the Bermudan guy (Hall?) who asset-stripped them and used the cash to set up football training centres in the US.

FWIW, I don't get the impression that these reprieves are actually doing Airdrie United a lot of good; they could perhaps do with having a season or two in Div Two to sort themselves out.

But no doubt the idea of Airdrie in trouble will bring much joy to as many of my fellow posters as are already gloating over the demise of Livingston....

Short memories - it could just have been us ourselves not too long ago.

[Hiber-nation]

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What a rediculously uneducated statement.

They should have deducted them 30 points like they do in England and saved all this hassle of last minute changes to fixtures for some of the 3rd division clubs struggling to make ends meet.

[Sylar]

Exactly the point - their decision doesn't just affect Livingston, but to do this with the season only 4 days away from starting, people will have made travel plans, programmes will have been printed, tickets sold, hospitality/sponsor packages sold in preparation for the fixtures which were showing last week.

David Longmuir (the fanny who signed off on this action) looked into the cameras at last week's press conference when Livi were saved and told them "go and prepare for your 1st division campaign".

The entire league management committee should resign en masse, as their action has brought the game into disrepute.

Livi can now appeal the decision, and then appeal the appeal, thus halting all fixtures involving LIvingston, Airdrie and Cowdenbeath for 6 weeks, so that's another 18 clubs affected and potentially losing revenue from lost fixtures, whilst the whole scenario is resolved?

It's an absolute farce, through to the core.