Tomorrow is the start of what must surely be Livingston Football Clubs last chance to ‘get it right’.

Let’s hope they grab it with both hands.

Thanks go to our team of contributors, and also to our many readers!

LiviNews.

The First Division side looked doomed after Angelo Massone, their chairman, refused to walk away for the £25,000 offered him by interim manager Donald McGruther, of administrator Mazars.

McGruther, appointed by the Court of Session last Friday after West Lothian Council took legal action to reclaim a £330,000 debt, was on the brink of liquidating the club.

However, following a three-hour meeting with the SFL’s management committee, a rescue package led by the former Cowdenbeath owner, Gordon McDougall, and the former Dumbarton chairman, Neil Rankine, was approved.

The pair will team up with the former Livingston director, Ged Nixon, who is currently head of supporters’ group Livi for Life’.

The SFL have demanded the payment of a “substantial” bond and a commitment to fulfil the club’s fixtures. Brown McMaster, the SFL president, said: “We’ll be looking for a lot of assurances from them, a lot of guarantees.”

The consortium believe Massone can be convinced to sell his stake, with Rankine meeting the Italian to discuss an offer in excess of McGruther’s £25,000. “I think one of the things Mr Massone wants is to walk away with a bit of dignity, rather than be run out town tarred and feathered,” Rankine said.

That will not stop all parties attempting to force Massone out if he digs in his heels, with the SFL confirming they will ask their member clubs to vote on changing their own insolvency rules which currently bar the Italian’s removal.

Even if they fail to obtain the necessary three-quarters majority, all parties have agreed for McGruther to run the club until the end of the season with financial backing from the new consortium.

This was thought to have been impossible, with McGruther claiming Livingston were doomed if Massone refused to walk away. If the Italian remains defiant and the rule change is adopted, his stake would become worthless. McDougall said: “He has to understand the issue. He must walk away.”

McDougall also confirmed the club’s players and staff would be paid, while those who were let go after Massone failed to meet McGruther’s noon deadline to sell would be given their jobs back.

David Longmuir, the SFL chief executive, insisted that the announcement was just the beginning of the process.

Warning the club could still face a points deduction, he said of the league’s stance: “It gives a signal to Mr McGruther and the interested parties that are with us today that we’re prepared to look at things, to give clubs a chance to survive, and that’s what we as an organisation should be doing and will always do.

“They the consortium will fund the club through the season, even if the rule change doesn’t go through, through the work of Mr McGruther.

“They will also place a bond of surety with us to ensure that if something were to go untoward that the clubs who will lose out on games in the First Division, for example, would be recompensed.”

It normally takes 21 days for clubs to vote on a rule change but the SFL are consulting their lawyers to see if the process can be sped up.

Massone was not present at yesterday’s meeting but he arrived at Hampden prior to its conclusion to hold court. He painted himself as the victim and accused the entire Scottish football establishment of being against him.

He attacked McGruther for failing to come up with a solution other than “Angelo must go”, insisting he had the funds to keep the club afloat.

McGruther, meanwhile, thanked the SFL for the decision, which ensured Livingston would be able to play tomorrow’s Co-operative Insurance Cup first-round match at Albion Rovers.

He said: “Without this, there would be no game on Saturday and absolutely no future for the club. With this, we have a fighting chance of achieving a full, ongoing sale.”

Angelo Massone, 38, from Edinburgh, was found slumped over the steering wheel of his car on 29 November last year. The car was stationary in Edinburgh’s Bonnington Road, but the engine was running.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told a taxi driver was so concerned he called the police and ambulance service. At first the police thought Massone was asleep, but then noticed a strong smell of alcohol. Fiscal depute Lisa Welsh said when Massone was asked to get out of the car he was unsteady on his feet.

Massone was asked to provide a specimen of breath but, said Ms Welsh, he told the police he could not talk or understand English. At St Leonards Police Station, Massone was given a sheet explaining his rights in Italian. He told officers it was not required as he could understand and threw it to the ground. At 0645 GMT, more than three hours after he had been found, he provided two specimens of breath. He had 59 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath when the legal limit is 35.

Defence solicitor, Graeme Clark, said his client spoke English in conversation and his understanding had improved since coming to this country. Massone, he added, had been at a restaurant. He had parked the car intending to take a taxi home and come back for the car late that afternoon. He had felt unwell and sat in the car with the window open to recover and get the taxi.

Mr Clark said Massone was the majority shareholder of a limited company which had severe financial difficulties. His client, he added, was experiencing great professional difficulties at present and had a very hectic schedule. He said Massone derived no income from the football club, but was a qualified lawyer in Italy.

Sheriff Mhairi Stephen told Massone: “Clearly the circumstances indicate you must have consumed a significant amount of alcohol when you decided to get into your car and were seen by the passing taxi driver.”

The news is moving so quickly that for this time the best way to keep up to date with the latest fans thoughts is to log in to www.livilions.co.uk

Livingston’s administrator has started making redundancies after owner Angelo Massone rejected an offer to sell his shares to prevent liquidation, writes BBC Scotland.

Massone had earlier told BBC Scotland that he did not believe that Donald McGruther would carry out his threat.

But McGruther said: “I am really saddened because obviously the message of the last four or five days has not sunk in. This is the end.

“I am having to dismiss staff, although that does not involve players as yet.”

That would most likely come after Thursday’s meeting between interim manager McGruther, from administrator Mazars, and the Scottish Football League, with the club officially going out of the business later that evening.

The SFL already has a plan in place to re-promote Airdrie United to Division One, with Cowdenbeath moving up to Division Two and Third Division operating with only nine clubs in the coming season because there is not enough time to find a replacement club.

There were angry scenes on Wednesday when Massone arrived at Almondvale Stadium and was confronted by Livingston fans.

McGruther had offered Massone £25,000 for his shareholding saying that this would then allow him to sell the club for a similar amount to investors interested in taking over the club.

“I have the 25 grand to hand here, but Mr Massone is not interested,” said the interim manager.

“Basically, Mr Massone is now talking about introducing money which was not available three weeks ago or I would not be here.

“Frankly, money is not the issue. The supporters will not support the club, the players will not play for it and the local authority that took this decision to put me in are not going to reverse their decision to let Mr Massone or anyone supported by him back into the stadium.”

Massone’s Italian-based consortium bought Livingston last summer from former owner Pearse Flynn for £1.

The Italian businessman has consistently claimed to have invested large sums of his own money to keep the club afloat, but last season Livingston hit the headlines for the late payment of wages and stories of unpaid debts.

And it was landlord West Lothian Council, which is now owed £330,000, that finally took court action to recover its debt.

Massone has held talks with former Cowdenbeath owner Gordon McDougall and former Dumbarton chairman Neil Rankine in recent weeks without an investment or takeover being forthcoming to save the club.

And, just before the deadline passed, Massone told said: “My decision is to continue to work hard for Livingston Football Club and to find a solution.

“Now is the time to try to run the business, not to close the business immediately.”

The club chairman, who said his lawyer had advised him not to accept McGruther’s offer, called on politicians, potential investors and the interim manager to work together with him to save the club.

McGruther had taken action after Mazars concluded that the club was “hopelessly insolvent, without any discernible cash flow, and in need of an immediate cash injection”.

The interim manager said that there were parties interested in investing in Livingston but that they would only do so if Massone was no longer involved.

McDougall last week resigned from the board at Dunfermline Athletic, who said it would leave him free to help their Division One rivals survive, while Rankine told BBC Scotland he will interrupt his holiday and fly back to Scotland for talks with McGruther on Tuesday.

Livingston’s players turned out on Saturday without pay as they lost their Alba Challenge Cup tie away to Queen of the South in the hope that a rescue package could be found.

Angelo Massone, the Livingston chairman, has given Donald McGruther, the interim manager, no indication that he is ready to change his mind and transfer his majority shareholding by today’s noon deadline, writes The Herald.

McGruther, who has been appointed to take over the running of the club by the courts due to debts estimated to be in the region of £1.3m, has warned he will have no option but to initiate liquidation proceedings if Massone does not accept the token fee of £25,000 for his controlling interest.

Gordon McDougall, the former Cowdenbeath chairman, is ready to put together a rescue package in conjunction with the Livi for Life Supporters Trust but Massone must first sign over his stake, something he has said he is not willing to do.

Speaking last night, McGruther, of accountancy firm Mazars, said: “I’ve not spoken to him since yesterday Monday regarding the issue when he was made the offer.

“Unless he changes his mind the club will cease to exist.

No-one will want to invest in a club that they will not have control over.”

Neil Rankine, a potential investor, met McGruther at Almondvale yesterday afternoon to discuss the club’s plight.

The former Dumbarton chairman has previously said he is also interested in putting together a package but that all hinges on Massone meeting today’s deadline.

As the clock counts down, Roddy McKenzie, the club’s goalkeeper, joined the chorus of voices urging Massone to avoid making the club’s players and staff jobless.

“I think it’s up to Mr Massone, the ball is in his court,” said McKenzie.

“You could say the future of the club is in his hands. There is no way you can predict what’s going to happen because we have been trying to do that all season.

“We are hoping the club can come through at the other end. If not you are looking at a lot of players and staff losing their jobs.

“We have not spoken to the chairman, I don’t know if there would be any point, to be honest. There has been no dialogue between the players and Mr Massone.”

Livingston, whose players are unlikely to be paid their monthly wages on Thursday, play Albion Rovers in the Co-operative Insurance Cup on Saturday. Fraser Wishart, the PFA chief executive, met the squad yesterday afternoon to inform them of their options should the club cease to exist.

Because Livingston have not yet officially been condemned to administration, the players believe their contracts are still valid.

“We are just all going about our business and trying to be as professional about it as possible,” added McKenzie.

“You never know, we might be looking for a new club soon so you have to keep yourself fit. I suppose there is a for sale sign around every players’ head at the moment.”

Donald McGruther, of accountancy firm Mazars, dramatically raised the stakes yesterday when describing the club as “hopelessly insolvent”. He is due to meet with the Scottish Football League on Thursday.

The worst case scenario will see McGruther inform league officials of the club’s liquidation and inability to fulfil this season’s competitive fixtures, which are due to continue on Saturday in the Co-Operative Insurance Cup against Albion Rovers.

The Livingston players played without payment in the Challenge Cup on Saturday, and went down 1-0 to Queen of the South.

The prospect of the West Lothian club being liquidated is a very real one given Massone’s vow yesterday to reject an offer of £25,000 for his shares. “I have consulted my lawyer, who has advised me not to accept the offer,” said Massone.

A plea was issued via Livingston’s official website last night, urging the Italian to accept this final attempt to save the club. “For the sake of our club, please accept the £25,000 offer and leave, Mr Massone,” the website said.

Supporters Trust members emerged from a meeting with McGruther last night, pleading with the Italian to go.

“There is no future for him, he has to realise that,” said Trust spokesman Ged Nixon. “I can only assume that this is a case of brinkmanship. This is all down now to one man. £25,000 is the difference between the club having any chance of survival.”

McGruther confirmed last night that the figure is not open for negotiation. “I don’t have time,” he said. “This has all got to happen this week.”

McGruther is due to meet with interested investor Neil Rankine today. The former Dumbarton owner will fly in from the south of France to renew his bid to take control of the club, although he will only act in conjunction with other willing partners from the local area. But time is now of the essence.

Rankine or former Cowdenbeath chairman Gordon McDougall, another who has been in talks with Massone regarding the sale of Livingston, have until tomorrow lunch-time to come up with something concrete. If not, Livingston will cease to exist as a football club after 14 years of league membership.

McGruther painted a stark picture yesterday as he provided an up-date on a situation which had grown markedly worse on Friday, when West Lothian Council asked the court of sessions in Edinburgh to intervene following the repeated failure of Livingston to pay a £330,000 debt. The club was placed into interim administration.

“Livingston Football Club Ltd is hopelessly insolvent, without any discernible cash flow, and in need of an immediate cash injection,” a statement from McGruther said yesterday. “There is no possibility of the club continuing to trade under the interim manager or any subsequent administration process. Any shareholding in the club is thus of no value.

“Despite the foregoing, on behalf of the creditors I have offered to buy the shares which represent the controlling interest in Livingston FC from Angelo Massone for £25,000, subject to certain conditions. Deadline for transfer of these shares is noon Wednesday 29 July 2009.”

The sum, McGruther felt, is one which creditors could tolerate being paid to Massone, who has angered many with his manner during the club’s long drawn-out financial struggles. “It is a compromise figure to satisfy the creditors,” said McGruther.

After learning that Massone had rejected the £25,000 offer for shares he paid Pearse Flynn just £1 for a year ago, McGruther said it would not be revised. “There are parties interested in acquiring the club, but it is obvious that the main barrier to a successful sale is the control Mr Massone exercises over the company shareholding. The limited company represented by these shares is the only entity recognised by the SFL. Without a transfer of the shares no interested party can contemplate investing in the football club.”

McGruther admits time is against Livingston’s survival. He will, though, meet with Rankine today and hear what the businessman has to say. Without Massone’s agreement to sell at the price set, these discussions will prove redundant. Rankine claims he has already offered Massone £100,000 for his shareholding. This, said Rankine, would have allowed the Italian to walk away with his head held high. “Now they are running him out of the country,” he said from France yesterday, although he felt the situation was salvageable.

Even if Massone accepts a £25,000 fee for his shares, it will not necessarily prevent sanctions being placed on the club by the SFL. The deadline of noon tomorrow has been set in order give the SFL time to deal with the problem of a second First Division club going bust in successive summers. Before the plug was finally pulled on Gretna, the SFL had already voted to relegate the club to the Third Division after a consortium failed to convince the management committee that their proposed bid for Gretna was credible enough to sustain them in the First Division in the up-coming campaign.

If Livingston are removed from the First Division, there could be a reprieve for relegated Airdrie United, and Cowdenbeath could be promoted to the Second Division – with no time left to find a new member club.

Interim manager Donald McGruther, from administrator Mazars, was appointed on Friday by the Court of Session.

And he said on Monday that the football club was “hopelessly insolvent, without any discernible cash flow, and in need of an immediate cash injection”.

He said there were potential buyers – but only if Massone left the club.

Massone’s Italian-based consortium bought Livingston last summer from former owner Pearse Flynn.

The Italian businessman has consistently claimed to have invested large sums of his own money to keep the club afloat, but last season Livingston hit the headlines for the late payment of wages and stories of unpaid debts.

And it was landlord West Lothian Council, which is now owed £330,000, that finally took court action to recover its debt.

“There is no possibility of the club continuing to trade under the interim manager or any subsequent administration process,” said McGruther.

“Any shareholding in the club is thus of no value.

“Despite the foregoing, on behalf of the creditors, I have today offered to buy the shares which represent the controlling interest in Livingston Football Club from Angelo Massone for £25,000, subject to certain conditions.”

McGruther said that the Italian must pay this amount by Wednesday at 1200BST or the club would cease to exist and lose its place in the Scottish Football League.

“Should this deadline pass without the share transfer, I regret it will be necessary to commence the liquidation of the assets of Livingston Football Club Ltd, including all its contracts, especially player contracts,” said the administrator.

Livingston’s players turned out on Saturday without pay as they lost their Alba Challenge Cup tie away to Queen of the South in the hope that a rescue package could be found.

Massone has held talks with former Cowdenbeath owner Gordon McDougall and former Dumbarton chairman Neil Rankine in recent weeks without an investment or takeover being forthcoming to save the club.

McDougall last week resigned from the board at Dunfermline Athletic, who said it would leave him free to help their Division One rivals survive, while Rankine told BBC Scotland he will interrupt his holiday and fly back to Scotland for talks with McGruther on Tuesday.

“There are parties interested in acquiring the club, but it is obvious that the main barrier to a successful sale is the control Mr Massone exercises over the company shareholding,” added the administrator.

“The limited company represented by these shares is the only entity recognised by the SFL.

“Without a transfer of the shares, no interested party can contemplate investing in the football club.

“It is Mr McGruther’s intention to acquire the shares on the creditors behalf in order to transfer them at the same price to any incoming purchaser.

“Without a change of ownership, it is thus impossible for the interim manager or any future investor to give the assurances the SFL will rightly seek regarding fulfilling the forthcoming season’s league fixtures.

“Accordingly, the deadline is timed to allow the interim manager to attend on the SFL to report progress towards a sale, or alternatively on failure to acquire Mr Massone’s shareholding, and thus the inevitable demise of the football club.”

The Livi for Life Trust fans group has consistently urged Massone to leave the club and, along with West Lothian Council, has expressed confidence that the club could survive should the Italian leave.

THE Livi for Life Supporters’ Trust last night claimed they can still save the ailing First Division club along with interested investor Gordon McDougall – if chairman Angelo Massone finally walks away. 

The entire future of the cash-strapped club – placed into interim administration by West Lothian Council on Friday – appears to rest with the controversial Italian relinquishing his shareholding. McDougall, who has officially resigned from the Dunfermline board to help Livingston, appears the only saviour.

Massone is understood to want £500,000 back from Livingston for his turbulent year in charge and if he fails to back down the Almondvale outfit could go to the wall later this week.
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Ged Nixon, local businessman and a prominent member of the Trust said: “Massone has to relinquish his shareholding. He has to entertain selling up to the administrator and do the right thing. If he doesn’t relinquish there could be nowhere else to go.”

Don Paul, Trust chairman, added: “I know Massone is still hanging around and the message from the fans is that you have done enough damage, move on.”

St Johnstone midfielder Murray Davidson last night admitted his relief at preparing for the SPL season rather than fearing for his job at crisis-hit Livingston. The 21-year-old left Almondvale in a cut-price double deal with Dave Mackay earlier this summer but has kept a close eye on the unfortunate events in West Lothian due to his many friends there.

Davidson said: “I was just a young lad coming into the club after they were coming out of administration the last time in 2004.

“A lot of my closest friends in football are still at the club. I know it’s a bad time, a dreadful situation.

“I’m just relieved to be at St Johnstone and looking forward to an SPL season. I wouldn’t want to be going through that at Livingston.”