Changing room chat: Warriors score a first for community

Published on Thursday 26 November 2009 23:00

STENHOUSEMUIR have changed the legal status of the company behind the football team with the decision announced at their Annual General Meeting on Monday. The Ochilview club have become the first football league club in Scotland and they reckon the first in Britain to move from a Private Limited Company to a Community Interest Company.

Designed to safeguard the future of the club, a club statement advised that the move was being done to stop 'the club being taken over by people who did not have the best interests of the club at heart and could cause problems of the type well known in modern football in the UK.'

A CIC is similar to a normal established company and the club will continue to be run by its present Board of Directors and is subject to normal company law, but it must act for the good of the community, and cannot prevent any profits and assets being diverted away from its supporters and the community, for example sell off Ochilview to a property developer if that is not in the interests of the community.

The move may allow the club to obtain grants to expand facilities and Stenhousemuir's eligibility for such monies has been enhanced by its move to a CIC as it has shown that is working for the community.

Neville top of the table for gloating

WHEN it comes to gloating, few can do it as well as Gary Neville over Liverpool. The Manchester United defender revealed little sympathy for the Anfield club when asked about their Champions League exit, saying: "As a team, you get what you deserve don't you? We are where we are because we deserve to be there and it's the same with Liverpool. They just haven't performed well enough in the Champions League."

In 2006, Neville was fined 5,000 for his celebration in front of Liverpool fans after United scored a late winner at Old Trafford.

Sting in the tale for Juve doctors

NOBODY likes them but two Juventus doctors now have cause to despise wasps.

Not content with causing untold misery during the summer months, the world's most pointless insect was at the centre of the drugs row involving Fabio Cannavaro in August.

The defender had previously been cleared of wrongdoing after failing a drugs test, two days after receiving an emergency cortisone injection for a sting.

However, two Juve doctors, Bartolomeo Goitre and Luca Stefanini, now face three-month bans for their mishandling of Cannavaro's sting.

TALES FROM THE TABS: McGHEE WANTS SHAKE-UP

MARK McGHEE has been vocal in his belief that the SPL is facing terminal decline and now the Aberdeen manager has come up with a controversial plan to re-invigorate the top flight which is unlikely to go down too well in the City of Discovery.

According to the Daily Express, the Dons manager believes the league is in need of radical change, and part of that shake-up would be to merge Dundee's two clubs and invite Irish sides to compete in the SPL.

"I could imagine the appeal to a broadcaster if we had teams from both sides of Ireland, especially if you had a Dublin City v Rangers or a Belfast United v Celtic or Aberdeen," said McGhee, before adding: "I have said it before, albeit a bit guarded, it has to be a consideration that both Dundee clubs amalgamate. A team in Dundee could support 16,000 or 17,000 per week and that is what the SPL needs."

Meanwhile, the Sun reports that West Ham have lined up 4million-rated Rangers keeper Allan McGregor to replace Robert Green. Gianfranco Zola is ready to swoop for the Ibrox No1 if Green moves to Sunderland, who are in the hunt for a keeper with Craig Gordon out injured.