Where Do We Go From Here? Onwards And Upwards I Hope

OH! TO BE a fly on the Murrayfield wall this morning, as the hatches are battened down and the Ayatollah and his loyal minions prepare to ride out the storm created by: “The Russell Affair” and the three-pronged media attack led by “Big Barney” (David Barnes off The Offside Line, “Big Marko” (Mark Palmer of the Sunday Times) and in my own relatively-modest way, “Old Aristotle.”

 

Messrs Dodson and Howat - reviewing the situation this morning

Sadly for Scottish Rugby and the good of the game, the mainstream Scottish media has failed to follow-up on what was simply great, old-fashioned journalism from Barney. Well, Scotland beating England at cricket was always going to fill “the Andy Murray slot” - those few column centimetres on the Scottish red tops' sports pages not already allocated to the latest shite from Ibrox and Celtic Park – leaving no room for the biggest scandal in Scottish Rugby for many years. I am, however, although I have seen no mention online, assured the Scottish Daily Mail has touched the Russell story this morning in the print edition.

But, the total absence of even a mention on the sports pages of The Scotsman and The Herald, the two supposed house journals of the Scottish Rugby community perhaps further emphasises the decline in fortunes, circulation and influence of these once-mighty newspapers. I gave-up on Herald Sport several years and Sports Editors ago – just after Donald Cowey found the entrance to the escape tunnel, however, I expect better of Graham Bean: Head of Sport at The Scotsman and am sadly upset at his paper's ignorance of “The Russell Affair” this morning. I have not yet been down to the village to collect my hard copy of the paper, but, certainly no mention in the online version.

Scottish Rugby requires the Scottish Media to be on the case, and keeping it alive, holding Dodson and his minions to account for the damage they have done to the game – sadly, the papers have failed to stand-up and be counted – again.

My first reaction is to think, Dodson and his major minion “consigliore” Robert Howat will attempt to brazen things out. For a start, already committed to paying-out over £100,00 in damages and legal fees to Keith Russell, can the Union afford to make another pay-out to be rid of Dodson, and or Howat? They are now men with reputations severely-damaged by an Employment Tribunal judgement which records an incoherent and unconvincing explanation from Dodson and Howat as to why the decision was taken to dismiss Russell and relates a shocking failure to follow fair process and established procedures in carrying out that act.

The judgement goes on to present the SRU as an organisation: “dominated by an erratic and autocratic leader, assisted and empowered by a clique of subservient senior staff, who all operate in an environment unencumbered by the need to be accountable to the Executive Board and/or the SRU Council.”

Thanks in no small measure to the efforts of the Rangers-minded football writers of the fabled: “Lap Top Loyal” Rangers' top man – South African-based convicted fraudster Dave King – has been able to overcome the handicap of being labelled: “A glib and shameless liar” by an eminent South African judge, and then be considered: “a fit and proper person” to run Scotland's biggest football club. Scottish Rugby expects higher standards of its top men, and with no “Lap Top Loyal” among rugby writers to muddy the waters, we should expect retribution to follow for the way the handling of Keith Russell's wrongful dismissal was mishandled.

But, if messrs Dodson and Howat ought to have spent the weekend examining their positions, what of the other guilty men and women?

The Board, which includes, in addition to Dodson and Howat – Chairman Colin Grassie; President Rob Flockhart; Finance Director Andrew Healy; Council Representatives Jim Littlefair and Mike Monro; Chief Operating Officer Dominic McKay; and Non-Executive (Independent) Directors: Ian McLauchlan, Graeme Scott, Lesley Thomson and David McMillan. The Tribunal Judge, the vastly-experienced in such matters Judge Joseph D'Invero, concluded the SRU was dominated by: “An erratic and autocratic leader, assisted and empowered by a clique of subservient senior staff” - that's you Messrs Healy and McKay – guilty by association; “operating in an environment unencumbered by the need to be accountable to the Executive Board and/or the SRU Council.” 

Ian McLauchlan - the old Wee Beastie would have had something trenchant to say 

A question for the non-salaried Board members – Chairman Grassie, President Flockhart, Non-Executive Directors McLauchlan, Scott, Thomson and McMillan. A judge has just opined you were subservient to the whims of your CEO. The Ian McLauchlan I know will definitely not be happy with that idea. I cannot speak of the rest.

And, what of the SRU Council – the men and women sent to Murrayfield to stand-up for the clubs, the main stakeholders in Scottish Rugby. Four of the Council's 17 members: President Flockhart, Graeme Scott, the National Division Two representative, Jim Littlefair, who represents the Edinburgh Regional League clubs, and Mike Monro, the Caledonia North Regional representative, also sit on the main SRU Board.

Let's hope the White Shark can cut through the bullshit and show his teeth

The others, Vice President Dee Bradbury, Premier Division representative Peter Laverie, Colin Rigby, who represents the National Divison One clubs; Andrew Little, who speaks for the National Divison Three clubs; Willie Gardner, the Glasgow North Regional League representative; Adam Gray, for the Glasgow South Regional League clubs; Alan Brown, the Borders Regional League's man at Murrayfield; Graham Kerr, who sits on behalf of the Caledonia Midlands Regional League clubs; Dr John Halliday , the Schools Representative; Kenneth Knott, for Scotland's referees; Rosy Hume from the Scottish Women's Forum; John Jeffrey, our World Rugby and Six Nations representative and Ian Rankin, who holds his seat as our PRO1 representative, not forgetting Council Secretary Douglas Struth – how must they feel, having discovered their elected remit to hold the Board and the paid officials to account, could be, in such a cavalier manner, ignored by Dodson and the other paid executives he controlled. Time maybe for “The White Shark” & Co to bare their teeth.

And, how must all the clubs, from Champions Melrose down to the least-successful club at the foot of the lowest-level league feel, to realise, the people they elected and entrusted to stand-up for their interests were mere cyphers, to be ignored at the whim of the clique at the top? These representatives have failed the clubs – what do they do about this?

This can only end badly – the question is: will it, as it must, end in tears for the guilty guys at the top, or, will they, with one bound – be free and able to carry-on damaging Scottish Rugby.

Time for the good guys to stand-up and be counted.