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Neil Doncaster


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Just a few questions about comments that run consistent across the board.

 

See when people say he doesn't promote our game, and hes shite at the job, killing the Scottish game etc what do you mean?

 

This may sound like a ridiculous question but I don't understand what it is he does, or is supposed to do.

 

When folk say he undersells our game and should be doing more I can't help envisage him down in England with a sandwich board with a picture of a ball miles in the air on it. 

 

What are peoples genuine suggestions on what a more adequate leader could do to "improve the game" up here, because surely when TV deals and stuff come in and offer what they will pay, we aren't really in a position to negotiate greatly?

 

We've had Roy Keane, Virgil Van Dijk, Steven Gerrard, Brendan Rogers, Steven Naismith all play/manage in Scotland, and has the games' profile been raised much?

 

All genuine questions btw, I just want to know what it is that Doncasters job role is supposed to entail, what it is that he doesn't do in everyones eyes, and what they suggest would improve things up here realistically.

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when rangers went bust he talked down the game with the armageddon speech just before negotiating a new tv deal. what company would give a good deal after all the talking down of it.

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£400k salary and bonus in the last financial year. He's not going anywhere fast. He earns more than almost half the 42 SPFL teams each earn in an entire season.

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...a bit disco
1 minute ago, milky_26 said:

didn't he nearly cause them to go bust?

 

Certainly didn't help.

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26 minutes ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

Just a few questions about comments that run consistent across the board.

 

See when people say he doesn't promote our game, and hes shite at the job, killing the Scottish game etc what do you mean?

 

This may sound like a ridiculous question but I don't understand what it is he does, or is supposed to do.

 

When folk say he undersells our game and should be doing more I can't help envisage him down in England with a sandwich board with a picture of a ball miles in the air on it. 

 

What are peoples genuine suggestions on what a more adequate leader could do to "improve the game" up here, because surely when TV deals and stuff come in and offer what they will pay, we aren't really in a position to negotiate greatly?

 

We've had Roy Keane, Virgil Van Dijk, Steven Gerrard, Brendan Rogers, Steven Naismith all play/manage in Scotland, and has the games' profile been raised much?

 

All genuine questions btw, I just want to know what it is that Doncasters job role is supposed to entail, what it is that he doesn't do in everyones eyes, and what they suggest would improve things up here realistically.


The lack of money from media and sponsors is on him. The things in bold are all pretty fair selling points, and there are others too. Just sell the game for a decent price. Work on its image and play up the positives. The man gets paid an absolute fortune, more than many of the clubs in the SPFL do. Earn it. If he can’t think of a way of doing that, then step aside and we can bring someone else in who can. 

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He's responsible for agreeing to a TV deal that was predicated on the fact that there would GUARANTEE 4 Old Firm derbies a season. Regardless of how unlikely it is that one of them will finish bottom 6, this alone should have seen him run out of his job.

 

****

Edited by trotter
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So plenty of expletives and opinions on him, but the only real reason so far is the TV deal? Surely if we get offered X amount we have to accept it? If it is the best offer on the table? 

 

Something to do with talking down our game without Rangers in the top league someone else said? So tell me, (now please before I start do not think I am defending those scumbag cheats as my hatred for them goes far beyond anything Hibs could achieve) any league that loses one of its dominant sides is going to lose spectators? 50k people go every week, then probably double that watch the highlights, and probably quadruple that pay to watch the games live, so I again don't understand what else can be done?

 

I don't want to seem like I am defending the guy btw, I actually don't know what he is supposed to be doing at all, so therefore can't understand what he is doing wrong.

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I think your description of the TV negotiations is too simplistic. It is a negotation. We might want to sell, but the TV comapny also want to buy. If you were selling a car, you wanted £5k and someone offered you £500, you wouldn't just sell for that would you? You would negotiate a price.

 

I think he did more than talk the game down. He didn't say this might impact on the number of viewers, he used the word armageddon. Lets call it 'highly unusual' for a comapny chief exec to be so scathing of a product they are trying to sell. It is the same reason an estate agent will describe a house as a 'fixer-upper' rather that 'the pits of the earth'.

 

Where you might have a point is that he is an employee of the SPFL. The SPFL is basically the collective of the league clubs. Those league clubs have a far better understanding of what he is doing and how well he is doing than we do. If they believed that someone else would do a better job they could replace him easily enough. The fact they haven't suggests they think he is doing the job well. Blame lies ultimately with the club.

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Bridge of Djoum
21 minutes ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

So plenty of expletives and opinions on him, but the only real reason so far is the TV deal? Surely if we get offered X amount we have to accept it? If it is the best offer on the table? 

 

Something to do with talking down our game without Rangers in the top league someone else said? So tell me, (now please before I start do not think I am defending those scumbag cheats as my hatred for them goes far beyond anything Hibs could achieve) any league that loses one of its dominant sides is going to lose spectators? 50k people go every week, then probably double that watch the highlights, and probably quadruple that pay to watch the games live, so I again don't understand what else can be done?

 

I don't want to seem like I am defending the guy btw, I actually don't know what he is supposed to be doing at all, so therefore can't understand what he is doing wrong.

Hi, Neil.

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Overpaid waste of space who is part of the jobs for the boys club.

 

He sits on the SFA board too. What are his accomplishments apart from leaning towards Old Firm needs?

 

 

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9 minutes ago, Saint Jambo said:

I think your description of the TV negotiations is too simplistic. It is a negotation. We might want to sell, but the TV comapny also want to buy. If you were selling a car, you wanted £5k and someone offered you £500, you wouldn't just sell for that would you? You would negotiate a price.

 

I think he did more than talk the game down. He didn't say this might impact on the number of viewers, he used the word armageddon. Lets call it 'highly unusual' for a comapny chief exec to be so scathing of a product they are trying to sell. It is the same reason an estate agent will describe a house as a 'fixer-upper' rather that 'the pits of the earth'.

 

Where you might have a point is that he is an employee of the SPFL. The SPFL is basically the collective of the league clubs. Those league clubs have a far better understanding of what he is doing and how well he is doing than we do. If they believed that someone else would do a better job they could replace him easily enough. The fact they haven't suggests they think he is doing the job well. Blame lies ultimately with the club.

 

I'm not looking to have a point mate, I just have a total lack of knowledge on the man. I don't know what his job role is, why he is paid so much or what it is he does wrong.

 

And because he is slated all over the forum I just wondered what it is he has done so bad because the level of hate is normally reserved for Hibs or Rangers :lol:

 

So far, there isn't really any explanation.

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He’s earning £400K+, shat himself when Rangers went bust and we have s shite TV deal which panders to two clubs.

Can’t believe anyone needs to ask why he gets criticism. 

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Felix Lighter

You'd think better tv deals would be achievable given that we are told when the arse cheeks play the whole world tunes in, naw !? 

:mw_rolleyes:

 

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1 hour ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

So plenty of expletives and opinions on him, but the only real reason so far is the TV deal? Surely if we get offered X amount we have to accept it? If it is the best offer on the table? 

 

Something to do with talking down our game without Rangers in the top league someone else said? So tell me, (now please before I start do not think I am defending those scumbag cheats as my hatred for them goes far beyond anything Hibs could achieve) any league that loses one of its dominant sides is going to lose spectators? 50k people go every week, then probably double that watch the highlights, and probably quadruple that pay to watch the games live, so I again don't understand what else can be done?

 

I don't want to seem like I am defending the guy btw, I actually don't know what he is supposed to be doing at all, so therefore can't understand what he is doing wrong.


And that is precisely the problem WBAM, you are not paid an annual six figure salary to promote Scottish football, yet your emboldened comments there are the sum total of his efforts in promoting our game. Do you see? 🤷‍♂️

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11 minutes ago, Icon of Symmetry said:


And that is precisely the problem WBAM, you are not paid an annual six figure salary to promote Scottish football, yet your emboldened comments there are the sum total of his efforts in promoting our game. Do you see? 🤷‍♂️

 

Yeh ok, point taken. So what could be done on top of that to help the game improve? 

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43 minutes ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

 

I'm not looking to have a point mate, I just have a total lack of knowledge on the man. I don't know what his job role is, why he is paid so much or what it is he does wrong.

 

And because he is slated all over the forum I just wondered what it is he has done so bad because the level of hate is normally reserved for Hibs or Rangers :lol:

 

So far, there isn't really any explanation.

 

Explanations given: People don't think he has negotiated a good TV deal, marketed the game well more generally, or dealt with Rangers collapse appropriately.

 

It seems to me you don't like the explanations you've been given but there have been explanations. You asked "we aren't really in a position to negotiate greatly?" on a TV deal. The answer to that has been given. We are able to negotiate and that is one of the main elements of his job.

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9 minutes ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

 

Yeh ok, point taken. So what could be done on top of that to help the game improve? 


Promotion of the competition, the other clubs, playing up the old derbies and ancient nature of our league. I’m not paid to do this shit either tbh mate. If I was, I’d put a lot more effort in and make a better job.

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46 minutes ago, Saint Jambo said:

 

Explanations given: People don't think he has negotiated a good TV deal, marketed the game well more generally, or dealt with Rangers collapse appropriately.

 

It seems to me you don't like the explanations you've been given but there have been explanations. You asked "we aren't really in a position to negotiate greatly?" on a TV deal. The answer to that has been given. We are able to negotiate and that is one of the main elements of his job.

 

It's got nothing to do with "liking the explanations" :rofl:

 

Some of the abuse the guy gets on here is bizarre for someone who apparently couldn't get us a decent TV deal that's all. And paying 400k a year for someone who seems to only have the job of securing a TV deal is mental. But if that is his only job and his only criticism then yeah I agree, our TV deal is rubbish.

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13 minutes ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

 

It's got nothing to do with "liking the explanations" :rofl:

 

Some of the abuse the guy gets on here is bizarre for someone who apparently couldn't get us a decent TV deal that's all. And paying 400k a year for someone who seems to only have the job of securing a TV deal is mental. But if that is his only job and his only criticism then yeah I agree, our TV deal is rubbish.


What else does he do though? If that is all he does and he doesn’t do it well... We should have someone promoting our game and attracting more finances. He pulls in a salary in the Prime Minister ballpark, and what does he do to earn it? 

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7 minutes ago, Icon of Symmetry said:


What else does he do though? If that is all he does and he doesn’t do it well... We should have someone promoting our game and attracting more finances. He pulls in a salary in the Prime Minister ballpark, and what does he do to earn it? 

 

No idea that was one of my questions at the beginning. No idea at all.

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19 minutes ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

 

No idea that was one of my questions at the beginning. No idea at all.


That in itself should raise alarm bells.

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55 minutes ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

 

It's got nothing to do with "liking the explanations" :rofl:

 

Some of the abuse the guy gets on here is bizarre for someone who apparently couldn't get us a decent TV deal that's all. And paying 400k a year for someone who seems to only have the job of securing a TV deal is mental. But if that is his only job and his only criticism then yeah I agree, our TV deal is rubbish.

 

You were offered explanations and then claimed you hadn't been offered any. You still seem to be ignoring half of those explanations.

 

He is responsible for overall marketing of the leagues and league cup, not just the TV deal. He presided over two years of having no title sponsor for either. He agreed the overseas rights deal that collapsed. He negotiated a deal with broadcasters that resulted in the league paying broadcasters to cover Rangers games. At a time when it was clear the future of Rangers was in doubt (2011) he signed up to a TV deal that continued to contain a clause that would allow TV companies to terminate the agreement if Rangers went out of business. This resulted both in his desperation to fiddle the rules to keep Rangers in the Premier League and when he failed in that it resulted in him having to accept a reduced deal. One of his other roles is overseeing the operation of the league itself, which makes the attempts to bully the clubs into bending the rules for Rangers lies at his door. It also means the shambles around last year's League Cup semi-finals are on him too. Earlier this year he argued that the SPFL could be proud of its efforts to tackle sectarianism. A lot of fans would suggest that is rubbish. Another role is to be one of the key spokespeople and leaders for the game in Scotland. He has repeatedly been shown up as poor in front of the media and politicians, and is viewed as uninspiring and pretty unpleasant by many in the industry. There are lots of reasons why many fans dislike him.

 

All that said, the other side of the coin is that fans around the world tend to hate football administrators. There is also a strong argument that in some of these areas, particularly tackling sectarianism, Doncaster is just reflecting the will of the clubs. On the financial front, which it is clear is the main focus of clubs when it comes to his role, they clearly don't feel he is underselling the SPFL in the way many fans feel. The undercurrent to all of this is that most in the game believe that Celtic and Rangers are so big that their decision goes on most issues.

Edited by Saint Jambo
Typos
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The guy has done a magnificent job.  He has been a breath of fresh air for our game.  We have a TV deal on par with other heavyweight European nations like Hungary.  The deal is only about 5 times worse than similar sized country in Norway.  His handling of the Rangers situation in 2012 was also fantastic.  Trying to get them shoehorned straight back into the SPL after they died was the right thing to do.  He is a great ambassador for our game and I hope he remains at the helm for many years to come.

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1 hour ago, Saint Jambo said:

 

You were offered explanations and then claimed you hadn't been offered any. You still seem to be ignoring half of those explanations.

 

He is responsible for overall marketing of the leagues and league cup, not just the TV deal. He presided over two years of having no title sponsor for either. He agreed the overseas rights deal that collapsed. He negotiated a deal with broadcasters that resulted in the league paying broadcasters to cover Rangers games. At a time when it was clear the future of Rangers was in doubt (2011) he signed up to a TV deal that continued to contain a clause that would allow TV companies to terminate the agreement if Rangers went out of business. This resulted both in his desperation to fiddle the rules to keep Rangers in the Premier League and when he failed in that it resulted in him having to accept a reduced deal. One of his other roles is overseeing the operation of the league itself, which makes the attempts to bully the clubs into bending the rules for Rangers lies at his door. It also means the shambles around last year's League Cup semi-finals are on him too. Earlier this year he argued that the SPFL could be proud of its efforts to tackle sectarianism. A lot of fans would suggest that is rubbish. Another role is to be one of the key spokespeople and leaders for the game in Scotland. He has repeatedly been shown up as poor in front of the media and politicians, and is viewed as uninspiring and pretty unpleasant by many in the industry. There are lots of reasons why many fans dislike him.

 

All that said, the other side of the coin is that fans around the world tend to hate football administrators. There is also a strong argument that in some of these areas, particularly tackling sectarianism, Doncaster is just reflecting the will of the clubs. On the financial front, which it is clear is the main focus of clubs when it comes to his role, they clearly don't feel he is underselling the SPFL in the way many fans feel. The undercurrent to all of this is that most in the game believe that Celtic and Rangers are so big that their decision goes on most issues.

 

This is what I was looking for. It's not that I was ignoring any explanations, it's that they weren't as explanatory as this. I genuinely had no idea all this was him. If that makes me come across as ignoring people then please understand that he is a topic I have never bothered myself to find out about.

 

 

Edited by Wham Bam Austin McCann
EDIT: and I didn't claim I hadn't had any, I said i hadn't had any that would merit anywhere near the level of abuse i've seen. Folk are actually wishing this was an RIP thread ffs. And the only real explanation prior to yours was a TV deal.
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10 hours ago, Wham Bam Austin McCann said:

 

This is what I was looking for. It's not that I was ignoring any explanations, it's that they weren't as explanatory as this. I genuinely had no idea all this was him. If that makes me come across as ignoring people then please understand that he is a topic I have never bothered myself to find out about.

 

 

You missed last year’s farcical attempts at organising the LC semi-final???

You missed the Rangers stuff on his watch?

I’m really surprised that a poster of your calibre didn’t know these were SPFL issues and therefore, Neil Doncaster’s. 

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15 hours ago, Shaggy2 said:

He’s earning £400K+, shat himself when Rangers went bust and we have s shite TV deal which panders to two clubs.

Can’t believe anyone needs to ask why he gets criticism. 

As far as I can remember, the TV games have always centered round the old firm mostly away. 

 

No one, myself included, wants to watch St mirren v Hamilton.   Contrast to St Mirren v rangers and every goal is big. 

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I remember sfa and spl invited Barry Hearn to speak to them a few years ago. I’m not his biggest fan but he knows how to market “less popular” sports. He was pretty scathing about both Doncaster and I think Reagan at the SFA. Pretty sure they ignored everything he suggested.

 

Was there not also a period under his watch where the league had no sponsor too? 
 

 

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Doncaster is a clown, but folk are kidding themselves if they think TV companies will pay a great deal more for the spfl, in terms of interest Outwith Scotland there little to none,  other than for the arse cheeks. 

Yes it's not a nice truth, but it's the truth none the less. 

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1 hour ago, VALDOS' said:

Doncaster is a clown, but folk are kidding themselves if they think TV companies will pay a great deal more for the spfl, in terms of interest Outwith Scotland there little to none,  other than for the arse cheeks. 

Yes it's not a nice truth, but it's the truth none the less. 


Exactly the small time thinking that keeps the useless tit in a job.

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1 hour ago, VALDOS' said:

Doncaster is a clown, but folk are kidding themselves if they think TV companies will pay a great deal more for the spfl, in terms of interest Outwith Scotland there little to none,  other than for the arse cheeks. 

Yes it's not a nice truth, but it's the truth none the less. 

 

‘Now’.

 

The gulf in finance and general lack of interest from abroad was nowhere near as large in 2009 as it is now. In 2008 for example Rangers made the UEFA Cup final and even Aberdeen made the last 32 and drew with Bayern Munich.

 

Doncaster had a half decent and marketable product and proceeded to help drive into and through the ground.

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2 hours ago, Shaggy2 said:

You missed last year’s farcical attempts at organising the LC semi-final???

You missed the Rangers stuff on his watch?

I’m really surprised that a poster of your calibre didn’t know these were SPFL issues and therefore, Neil Doncaster’s. 

 

I didn't miss these events, just didn't know if it was all down to him. 

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2 hours ago, flogel41 said:

I remember sfa and spl invited Barry Hearn to speak to them a few years ago. I’m not his biggest fan but he knows how to market “less popular” sports. He was pretty scathing about both Doncaster and I think Reagan at the SFA. Pretty sure they ignored everything he suggested.

 

Was there not also a period under his watch where the league had no sponsor too? 
 

 

I'm pretty certain he left the event before Barry Hearn spoke, which is embarrassing that he should do that. 

 

He must walk with a permanent ache in his lower back and elementary canal seeing as he has Peter Lawell elbow deep in him. 

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3 hours ago, flogel41 said:

I remember sfa and spl invited Barry Hearn to speak to them a few years ago. I’m not his biggest fan but he knows how to market “less popular” sports. He was pretty scathing about both Doncaster and I think Reagan at the SFA. Pretty sure they ignored everything he suggested.

 

Was there not also a period under his watch where the league had no sponsor too? 

 

1 hour ago, tokyowalnut said:

I'm pretty certain he left the event before Barry Hearn spoke, which is embarrassing that he should do that. 

 

He must walk with a permanent ache in his lower back and elementary canal seeing as he has Peter Lawell elbow deep in him. 

 

A bit off the Doncaster topic, but the 'Barry Hearn could transform Scottish football' line is one of the dullest in Scottish football. Running and marketing Scottish football is much more similar to the challenge of owning Leyton Orient than it is to his involvement in snooker, darts, boxing or fishing. He owned Leyton Orient for almost 20 years, saving them for financial disaster, but failing to do anything of note with them. 

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Footballfirst

Doncaster is the Chief Exec of the trade association known as the SPFL.  He is therefore employed by the clubs and is answerable to the clubs for his performance in the role. 

 

In my view he has repeatedly failed to promote the game on behalf of all but two clubs, yet the other club execs, including our own, appear to accept the situation that the game is run primarily for the benefit of those same two clubs.

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Big Slim Stylee

I genuinely don’t know where to start. He’s an absolute liability. His inability to look beyond his bum-club chums in Glasgow has smothered any hope of doing anything good for the game.

 

His overall modus operandi seems to be “ the product’s shite so what do you expect?” as he signs another deal for sweeties. 

 

His appointment to the SFA board was an absolutely shocking move that negates any chance of improvement any time soon and then as the ultimate expression of jobs for the boys.

 

He embodies all that is tragic about the Scottish game. I can’t stand the arrogant, useless prick.

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