SFA has opened an investigation into a number of ''inappropriate' Rangers related tweets made by St Mirren chairman John Needham

jaws73 said:
Better late than never from BBC Shortbread:

16 minutes ago

John Needham: St Mirren chairman subject of SFA investigation over Rangers tweets​

The Scottish FA is investigating tweets made about Rangers by St Mirren chairman John Needham.

Historical posts, including derogatory references to the Ibrox club's support, emerged over the weekend.
At least one of the tweets was made after Needham, who took over as chairman in the summer, was appointed on to the club's board last year.

He has since apologised on Twitter for the "inappropriate" posts to Rangers and their supporters.

"As a club chairman I have extra responsibility for the conduct and example I show," he wrote.

"These posts are completely inappropriate and do not reflect my character or beliefs as a person and I very much regret them."

St Mirren have been approached by BBC Scotland for comment.

The matter will be looked at by the SFA's compliance officer. It will also not be fast tracked, so an outcome could take several weeks.

A banker for over 40 years, Needham was appointed on to the club board in September by the St Mirren Independent Supporters Association, who own a 51% share in St Mirren.
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None so sorry as them as get caught.More thought and less bravado in future me thinks.
 
Chris the Bandito said:
I guess I'm in the minority here.

The dude shouldn't have twatted it (because he sounds like a 14 year old ned) but he should have the right to offend anyone he likes. Let's face it, most of us have called every other team and support plenty as well.

If he apologises - fine. If not, I don't really care. I wouldn't know him from Adam. But if he dishes it out, he doesn't get to complain about getting it back.

And for me that should be the end of it.

Scrambling around in the gutter pointing fingers and shouting "He said a bad word" with the likes of Humza Useless, Michael Stewart and Neil Lennon isn't really for me. I wouldn't want to be a genuine victim of actual wrongdoing and I certainly don't want to pretend to be one, especially over something so trivial.

I'm fine calling out the hypocrisy of those who hold Rangers to a different standard, for instance Graham Speirs who once lied that Rangers directors did similar but won't mention this when it actually happens, but this little cesspit of a country is still meant to have the right of free speech.

It should be fine to criticise or indeed insult without reproach another person's choices - including their rank hypocrisy, football team, political affiliation, religious leaning, and whether they want to %^*& children. As long as it doesn't go to the point where it is stirring up hatred against a group (like the SNP are wont to do) then this is hardly worth the electrons I'm spending on it.

The only things which should be legislated against are insults based on those things that a person has no control over - his/her race, gender, disabilities etc.

Everything else - if you don't like it, tell the person who offended you to "%^*& off"
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An honorable sentiment but unfortunately about 20 years out of date.
This is what we have always done, i.e. turned the other cheek, after all, we know that no-one is really offended by "hurty" words.

Look where that has got us. We as a club and support are demonised for everything we say, in fact, we are demonised for things we didn't say, fake videos anyone?

The only way we can hit back at our detractors is by using their tactics against them. Tough if someone who really should have known better gets hurt in the process. In fact, I would say someone with his background making these comments is actually worse than some ned moron making them.

This tactic has worked for our detractors for a long time and it WILL work for us but we have to constantly push back and highlight the hypocrisy and Selectarianism otherwise things will only get worse for us.
 
Bryanmc said:
So it’s ok for the chairman of an spfl club to wish a bridge containing Rangers fans to collapse all for the crime of supporting a football team ?
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Maybe I'm just cynical enough to think he was exaggerating a bit. I presume he is trying to wind us up and I really wouldn't give him the satisfaction of me giving a fcuk what he thinks.

But, even if I did care then yes I think he should absolutely have the right to say it.
 
Chris the Bandito said:
Maybe I'm just cynical enough to think he was exaggerating a bit. I presume he is trying to wind us up and I really wouldn't give him the satisfaction of me giving a fcuk what he thinks.

But, even if I did care then yes I think he should absolutely have the right to say it.
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Thankfully your attitude , which was held by many of us despite everything until fairly recently, is now largely a thing of the past among the broad Rangers support .

We have finally woken up to how to fight fire with fire after almost 30 years of having shit directed at us from every single angle without any recourse because we took the “ sticks and stones “ mindset . Doesn’t work in modern society.
 
Blutoe said:
No, it’s not, but I can see where @Chris the Bandito is coming from. An ever decreasing circle of finger pointing and offence is becoming ridiculous
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I agree but that’s modern society. It’s horrible but we either play the game or we become more and more marginalised and let haters decry and besmirch our club and fans at every turn. We are now finally fighting back in the only way these people understand. If only we realised how collectively we really could call the shots again in this country.
 
Chris the Bandito said:
Maybe I'm just cynical enough to think he was exaggerating a bit. I presume he is trying to wind us up and I really wouldn't give him the satisfaction of me giving a fcuk what he thinks.

But, even if I did care then yes I think he should absolutely have the right to say it.
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Fair enough. What about him calling us "huns"?
Does he have the right to use a vile sectarian term against us?

I should emphasise, I actually agree that the use of certain terms, e.g. hun or 19th Century Terrorist, should really be a case of sticks and stones etc. and in a grown up society that would be the case. Unfortunately we live in Scotland so it is not the case.

They set the rules. We are only now starting to realise that they same rules can and should be used against them.
 
Papa_bear said:
I agree but that’s modern society. It’s horrible but we either play the game or we become more and more marginalised and let haters decry and besmirch our club and fans at every turn. We are now finally fighting back in the only way these people understand. If only we realised how collectively we really could call the shots again in this country.
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I am so glad you said this. I think there are more and more of us who are starting to realise that we do have the power to fight back and that the days of just taking their crap is a thing of the past.

I was very guilty of just moaning about how unfair it all was, but not doing anything, until recently. The more of us who recognise this and who complain and highlight these things the better chance we have of being dealt with fairly and on an equitable basis.

I also hate that we have to drop to their petty standards, but that is unfortunately the way things are at the moment.
 
Shota said:
We’ve had 2 open goals to fire at in the matter of weeks and the club have said nothing. Nothing as of yet this time but I won’t hold my breath.
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The SFA maybe opened the investigation after Rangers complaining. Just because the club hasn’t said stuff online doesn’t mean they haven’t done anything.
 
Minimising the nature offence with the language in those reports. BBC haven't said what any of the tweets were. Nu mention of hun etc
 
Cucumbear said:
That man has held senior positions within major banking institutions. I cannot believe he is that thick to make a tweet like that. Unless he was pashed at the time
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People in senior positions within banking would have gladly seen the club buried in 2012,our haters are everywhere mate and due to years of inaction by the club they aren't afraid to show it
 
Notice how the word inapropriate is used and not sectarian. Nothing will happen. If it was the other way about there would be uproar and it would be on every news channel and in every newspaper. The usual mouthpieces would all be out in force condemming it. Its a one way street in Scotland.
 
Chris the Bandito said:
I guess I'm in the minority here.

The dude shouldn't have twatted it (because he sounds like a 14 year old ned) but he should have the right to offend anyone he likes. Let's face it, most of us have called every other team and support plenty as well.

If he apologises - fine. If not, I don't really care. I wouldn't know him from Adam. But if he dishes it out, he doesn't get to complain about getting it back.

And for me that should be the end of it.

Scrambling around in the gutter pointing fingers and shouting "He said a bad word" with the likes of Humza Useless, Michael Stewart and Neil Lennon isn't really for me. I wouldn't want to be a genuine victim of actual wrongdoing and I certainly don't want to pretend to be one, especially over something so trivial.

I'm fine calling out the hypocrisy of those who hold Rangers to a different standard, for instance Graham Speirs who once lied that Rangers directors did similar but won't mention this when it actually happens, but this little cesspit of a country is still meant to have the right of free speech.

It should be fine to criticise or indeed insult without reproach another person's choices - including their rank hypocrisy, football team, political affiliation, religious leaning, and whether they want to %^*& children. As long as it doesn't go to the point where it is stirring up hatred against a group (like the SNP are wont to do) then this is hardly worth the electrons I'm spending on it.

The only things which should be legislated against are insults based on those things that a person has no control over - his/her race, gender, disabilities etc.

Everything else - if you don't like it, tell the person who offended you to "%^*& off"
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They started it. We need to fight fire with fire. Weve been losing the battle for years. Im not one who is easily offended by hurty words but we need to fight back.
 
Chris the Bandito said:
Maybe I'm just cynical enough to think he was exaggerating a bit. I presume he is trying to wind us up and I really wouldn't give him the satisfaction of me giving a fcuk what he thinks.

But, even if I did care then yes I think he should absolutely have the right to say it.
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Have we got other jibes by the same person about other fans other teams other faiths ?
 
ForGodForCountryForever said:
If you remove the Football element of the situation and apply the conduct to any Professional Occupation, really his position would be untenable and hed be fired/asked to leave.

However this is Scotland and hes apologised so everyone move on with no further comment.
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I've worked for companies of various sizes and seriously doubt any of the senior execs/directors I've known would dream of ever publishing the stuff Needham did. Childish or crass as a minimum but in truth vile & sectarian.
 
Chris the Bandito said:
I guess I'm in the minority here.

The dude shouldn't have twatted it (because he sounds like a 14 year old ned) but he should have the right to offend anyone he likes. Let's face it, most of us have called every other team and support plenty as well.

If he apologises - fine. If not, I don't really care. I wouldn't know him from Adam. But if he dishes it out, he doesn't get to complain about getting it back.

And for me that should be the end of it.

Scrambling around in the gutter pointing fingers and shouting "He said a bad word" with the likes of Humza Useless, Michael Stewart and Neil Lennon isn't really for me. I wouldn't want to be a genuine victim of actual wrongdoing and I certainly don't want to pretend to be one, especially over something so trivial.

I'm fine calling out the hypocrisy of those who hold Rangers to a different standard, for instance Graham Speirs who once lied that Rangers directors did similar but won't mention this when it actually happens, but this little cesspit of a country is still meant to have the right of free speech.

It should be fine to criticise or indeed insult without reproach another person's choices - including their rank hypocrisy, football team, political affiliation, religious leaning, and whether they want to %^*& children. As long as it doesn't go to the point where it is stirring up hatred against a group (like the SNP are wont to do) then this is hardly worth the electrons I'm spending on it.

The only things which should be legislated against are insults based on those things that a person has no control over - his/her race, gender, disabilities etc.

Everything else - if you don't like it, tell the person who offended you to "%^*& off"
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Correct. You are in a minority of 1.
Read the room ffs.
 
Shota said:
We’ve had 2 open goals to fire at in the matter of weeks and the club have said nothing. Nothing as of yet this time but I won’t hold my breath.
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Apparently, the club has written to the SFA relating to Needham's tweets.
 
Craigton said:
Fair enough. What about him calling us "huns"?
Does he have the right to use a vile sectarian term against us?

I should emphasise, I actually agree that the use of certain terms, e.g. hun or 19th Century Terrorist, should really be a case of sticks and stones etc. and in a grown up society that would be the case. Unfortunately we live in Scotland so it is not the case.

They set the rules. We are only now starting to realise that they same rules can and should be used against them.
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He doesn't have the right apparently because we live in the Stalinist enclave that is modern Scotland.

But he should have and I'd rather change the country than have to pretend to be offended just to get even. As I said I'd rather call out the Twittering bigots and hypocrites that set the rules.
 
Why the scare quotes around inappropriate?

Does STV not think that what he said was in fact inappropriate?

Typical pathetic Scottish media.
 
Meant to add let’s be honest we all know why Media / NBM / SPL / SFA ‘downgraded’ this tag to inappropriate conduct because those same terms are widely used by them and there staff and there members and there readers and there viewers and finally because they themselves think it’s great .

Well fvck them all it’s Not
 
Stupid comments for him to make but people are just so used to getting away with saying what they want about Rangers. No matter what it is.

I am guessing the SFA will find that he's a lovely upstanding guy and his comments were a little out of character and there is nothing to see here.
 
Had a wee look at what St Midden fans are saying.

Mostly that he should walk for his actions, but a few who think its acceptable because we are “bigots”. The irony completely lost on them.
 
Gibraltar Loyal said:
Correct. You are in a minority of 1.
Read the room ffs.
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I can read it fine, thanks.

And if I don't mind Rangers fans disagreeing with me, why would I care about this nonentity saying something that I'd have shrugged off in primary school. I get the whole "We need to play the game" argument, and I agree that "Dignified Silence" doesn't cut it.

If he insulted me better and I was irate enough I'd say something nasty back on Twitter - a proportionate response. But someone shouldn't be facing legal consequences or losing their job for "offending" someone.

The criticism should be aimed at the people who make up the rules and then don't apply them - not someone who is just acting like every football fan has since time immemorial. Criticise the media for hypocrisy, NBM for being bigots, and most especially the Government for using manufactured offense about sectarian squirrels as a way to divide the population, curtail freedom of speech and to hide the real problems they are incapable of fixing. These are the fuckwits I get annoyed by.
 
Nothing will happen other than him being given advice on how to be more savvy when using social media. The club should be calling this out as sectarian, but they never seem to stick up for us on that particular front.
 
Chris the Bandito said:
I guess I'm in the minority here.

The dude shouldn't have twatted it (because he sounds like a 14 year old ned) but he should have the right to offend anyone he likes. Let's face it, most of us have called every other team and support plenty as well.

If he apologises - fine. If not, I don't really care. I wouldn't know him from Adam. But if he dishes it out, he doesn't get to complain about getting it back.

And for me that should be the end of it.

Scrambling around in the gutter pointing fingers and shouting "He said a bad word" with the likes of Humza Useless, Michael Stewart and Neil Lennon isn't really for me. I wouldn't want to be a genuine victim of actual wrongdoing and I certainly don't want to pretend to be one, especially over something so trivial.

I'm fine calling out the hypocrisy of those who hold Rangers to a different standard, for instance Graham Speirs who once lied that Rangers directors did similar but won't mention this when it actually happens, but this little cesspit of a country is still meant to have the right of free speech.

It should be fine to criticise or indeed insult without reproach another person's choices - including their rank hypocrisy, football team, political affiliation, religious leaning, and whether they want to %^*& children. As long as it doesn't go to the point where it is stirring up hatred against a group (like the SNP are wont to do) then this is hardly worth the electrons I'm spending on it.

The only things which should be legislated against are insults based on those things that a person has no control over - his/her race, gender, disabilities etc.

Everything else - if you don't like it, tell the person who offended you to "%^*& off"
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OOps didn't mean to like.

I think your argument wrong if we follow the line of no complain then the way things are going our haters are determined we won't have a team to support.
 
I would love to know where the boundary lies between inappropriate and hate driven or bigoted.

Surely sending out a tweet hoping for a bridge collapse with thousands of supporters on it goes beyond innapropriate?

Also, could someone link me to the responses of the First Minister, her very vocal Health Secretary, Dornan, some random senior policeman, Speirs, Stewart, English, Keevins, Leckie, et al? I seem to have missed them during the day.

They must be all over this surely? Usually very quick off the mark to comment on all things inappropriate or hateful or vile.
 
Craigton said:
An honorable sentiment but unfortunately about 20 years out of date.
This is what we have always done, i.e. turned the other cheek, after all, we know that no-one is really offended by "hurty" words.

Look where that has got us. We as a club and support are demonised for everything we say, in fact, we are demonised for things we didn't say, fake videos anyone?

The only way we can hit back at our detractors is by using their tactics against them. Tough if someone who really should have known better gets hurt in the process. In fact, I would say someone with his background making these comments is actually worse than some ned moron making them.

This tactic has worked for our detractors for a long time and it WILL work for us but we have to constantly push back and highlight the hypocrisy and Selectarianism otherwise things will only get worse for us.
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If we play their game really well, the best that happens is that everyone loses.

The organ grinders are clever enough not to post their hatred on Social Media. The SNP and others who genuinely hate British society won't mind someone like Needham getting fucked. As long as they have the excuse to keep stoking hatred and division they're happy.

I'd rather take them to task for their inability to handle free speech, and their absolute need to manufacture hatred as a way of staying in power.

We'd give them a much bigger problem if we very publicly and magnanimously accepted Needham's apology - maybe offer him some rehabilitation via RCF if we want to turn the knife for fun.
 
Chris the Bandito said:
I guess I'm in the minority here.

The dude shouldn't have twatted it (because he sounds like a 14 year old ned) but he should have the right to offend anyone he likes. Let's face it, most of us have called every other team and support plenty as well.

If he apologises - fine. If not, I don't really care. I wouldn't know him from Adam. But if he dishes it out, he doesn't get to complain about getting it back.

And for me that should be the end of it.

Scrambling around in the gutter pointing fingers and shouting "He said a bad word" with the likes of Humza Useless, Michael Stewart and Neil Lennon isn't really for me. I wouldn't want to be a genuine victim of actual wrongdoing and I certainly don't want to pretend to be one, especially over something so trivial.

I'm fine calling out the hypocrisy of those who hold Rangers to a different standard, for instance Graham Speirs who once lied that Rangers directors did similar but won't mention this when it actually happens, but this little cesspit of a country is still meant to have the right of free speech.

It should be fine to criticise or indeed insult without reproach another person's choices - including their rank hypocrisy, football team, political affiliation, religious leaning, and whether they want to %^*& children. As long as it doesn't go to the point where it is stirring up hatred against a group (like the SNP are wont to do) then this is hardly worth the electrons I'm spending on it.

The only things which should be legislated against are insults based on those things that a person has no control over - his/her race, gender, disabilities etc.

Everything else - if you don't like it, tell the person who offended you to "%^*& off"
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Don’t disagree with your sentiment.

However, for me, it’s not just that he made these comments it’s more that this is how he views our club and supporters while holding a position of importance within the game. For all we know he could be involved in the decision making process of the SPFL at some point in the future and do we want a man with his dislike/hatred of our club near the levers of power.

He should be told to resign.
 
Chris the Bandito said:
I guess I'm in the minority here.

The dude shouldn't have twatted it (because he sounds like a 14 year old ned) but he should have the right to offend anyone he likes. Let's face it, most of us have called every other team and support plenty as well.

If he apologises - fine. If not, I don't really care. I wouldn't know him from Adam. But if he dishes it out, he doesn't get to complain about getting it back.

And for me that should be the end of it.

Scrambling around in the gutter pointing fingers and shouting "He said a bad word" with the likes of Humza Useless, Michael Stewart and Neil Lennon isn't really for me. I wouldn't want to be a genuine victim of actual wrongdoing and I certainly don't want to pretend to be one, especially over something so trivial.

I'm fine calling out the hypocrisy of those who hold Rangers to a different standard, for instance Graham Speirs who once lied that Rangers directors did similar but won't mention this when it actually happens, but this little cesspit of a country is still meant to have the right of free speech.

It should be fine to criticise or indeed insult without reproach another person's choices - including their rank hypocrisy, football team, political affiliation, religious leaning, and whether they want to %^*& children. As long as it doesn't go to the point where it is stirring up hatred against a group (like the SNP are wont to do) then this is hardly worth the electrons I'm spending on it.

The only things which should be legislated against are insults based on those things that a person has no control over - his/her race, gender, disabilities etc.

Everything else - if you don't like it, tell the person who offended you to "%^*& off"
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My instinct is to agree with this.

However, I think things have gone too far for that now. While we've got hateful people in the media and in recognised organisations like Nil by Mouth jumping on everything we say or do, regardless of how innocent it may be, just because it comes from Rangers or its supporters, then we absolutely have to expose the utter hypocrisy at the way the offense police behave.

I tend to agree that this is just a lot of childish guff from Needham but only by demanding it is dealt with, in the same manner that perceived slights by us are dealt with, can we keep the pressure on the bigots in the media and the skewed playing field being used by FARE and Nil By Mouth.
 
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