Topping aiming to modernise SPL, but dismisses talk of Old Firm exit

Published on Tuesday 20 October 2009 22:43

BASED on the accepted wisdom that bookmakers seldom get it wrong, Celtic and Rangers would be advised to forget their ambitions of leaving the Scottish Premier League.

Ralph Topping, the chief executive of William Hill, began his unpaid tenure as the new chairman of the SPL yesterday with a confident prediction that the Old Firm's itchy feet will remain unsoothed for the foreseeable future.

The 58-year-old, whose success in his day job was reflected this week in a ten per cent rise in the share price of the bookmaking giant, hopes to be a modernising force in the SPL boardroom. Despite last week's latest exhumation of the saga surrounding a desired relocation to England or a European league for Glasgow's big two, Topping is certain they will simply have to stay put.

He is full of praise for Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell and his Rangers counterpart Martin Bain, but is dismissive of Bain's prediction that the Ibrox club will be playing their football elsewhere in 10 years time.

"The story has been running for about eight years," observed Topping. "It hasn't happened yet, they keep knocking on the door, but that door is not necessarily going to be opened to them.

"As a bookmaker, William Hill are currently quoting Rangers and Celtic remaining in the SPL until 2019. We are taking a very realistic view on that.

"I've met Martin and Peter, they are exceptionally strong individuals who would do well in any business environment. Every chief executive has the duty to look at developing the commercial environment of their club, so I can see what they are doing to satisfy shareholders.

"But there is a difference between having ambition and living in the real world. I prefer to live in the real world and I don't see it happening.

"What happened last week was that Peter was at a football conference in England, which I also attended, when someone stuck a microphone under his nose. He gave an honest answer to a question and the whole furore kicked off again. But you have to put it into some form of context and assess the likelihood of it happening.

"In day-to-day terms, they (Lawwell and Bain] manage their clubs well and make a significant contribution to the SPL. I'm happy with that. They go back a long way, are part of the fabric of Scottish life and we would like them to continue in the SPL."

Hibernian, the club Topping has supported since childhood, could go top of the SPL with victory at Ibrox on Saturday but he appreciates the current odds of 150-1 on the Easter Road club to win the title is a poor reflection of the product he has been recruited to assist.

"The third favourites in any race should not be 150-1," he said. "Everyone would like to see a more competitive SPL, there's no doubt about that. It would be great if one of them could do what Sir Alex Ferguson and Jim McLean did with Aberdeen and Dundee United in the 1980s. To achieve that, clubs like Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen have to get more income.

"Another 3 million or 4 million would make a massive difference to these clubs. That has to be a priority for the SPL, but also for the clubs in the way they market themselves to their local community and the way they sell their businesses."

Topping, whose role is a non-executive one with chief executive Neil Doncaster responsible for the full-time management of the SPL, will not shy away from upsetting the sensibilities of the organisation's 12 member clubs. "I'm a great moderniser and I like to see change and progress," he added. "My motto is 'smash the vase and put it back together again'. The SPL board were shocked when I told them I would be waiving the fee for this job.

"I really want to be in a position where I have nothing to lose. I want to be true to my principles and to the way I work in normal life.

"I want to be free to say what I think and to make it clear where I think the SPL should be going.

"Sometimes industries don't welcome outsiders coming in and telling them what they should be doing, so I think it's a positive sign that the SPL have appointed someone they know is interested in modernising business.

"Ultimately, I can't force anyone to do anything in the SPL, which is why I am happy to work without a fee. There are a few questions the SPL has to ask itself, the biggest being about putting the good of the league above the interests of the clubs."

How The Scotsman proved to be a sound bet at Willam Hill interview

RALPH Topping will be wolf watching in Spain this weekend rather than witnessing Hibernian's bid to scale the summit of the SPL at Ibrox.

Now required to adopt a more neutral view of Scottish football following his appointment as the new SPL chairman, it is perhaps fortuitous that wildlife enthusiast Topping will be indulging his hobby on holiday while the club he has followed since the age of seven take on reigning champions Rangers.

Not that Topping will ever renounce his love of Hibs to which he says he owes much of his success in the business world with bookmakers William Hill. The son of a policeman and native of South Queensferry, Topping was raised by a Hearts-supporting father but emerged as something of a black sheep of the family.

"I was kidnapped when I was seven by one of my father's friends who took me to Easter Road," smiled Topping. "My father's side of the family, especially my grandfather, were Hearts daft, while my mother's side supported Rangers. My grandfather threatened to cut me off when he found out I had become a Hibs fan.

"I was fortunate to watch some great football at Easter Road, including the night when we beat a terrific Napoli side including Dino Zoff in 1967."

Topping revealed he also owes a debt to The Scotsman for helping him take one step up the ladder of his rise from shop manager to chief executive of William Hill.

"I was going to London for an interview in 1986," he said, "and The Scotsman had a 'word of the day' which was atavism.

"When I arrived, the man interviewing me was watching a snooker match involving Eddie Charlton, the slowest player in the world, which he had a bet on. He just said 'sit down Topping' while he waited for it to finish. I didn't think it was going to go well at that stage. "He then asked me what team I supported. I told him, and he said 'Ah, the Hibees'. It turned out he had attended Fettes College and used to go along to Easter Road. He then asked me to name the Famous Five, which I did.

"He then asked me about Graeme Souness getting sent off on his debut for Rangers at Easter Road the previous weekend. The Scotsman word of the day came into my mind and I told him it was a classic case of atavistic behaviour. I got the job."