SRU/McKie missed out big time re Scotstoun you have an LA onside and you walk away read all that guff in the SRU manifesto hollow words

Couldn't agree more Hugh but you also have the situation last year when Scotland won the Calcutta cup of every polititian climbing over each other to get photographed with it yet do nothing in return to support the sport. The number of letters I got from MSP's, mainly labour, who said that parliament was doing so much for rugby as well as other sports, and more than the tories did in the past, was sickening. The only ones who said they would take it further and ask a question of the minister for sport were Robin Harper of the Greens and Michael Matheson of the SNP

Commitment? Where's the SRUs own commitment to grass-roots rugby, to players, to supporters?

Did you get feedback from Robin Harper & Michael Mathieson on their questions to the Scottish Parliament on funding for Scottish Rugby?

Michael's my list MSP for the area I live in. I suspect he was too busy at the time debating which National Anthem should be played at our sporting venues to even ask a single question about future funding for Rugby Union in Scotland!

The cash going from Government coffers into Scottish Rugby has gone up in the last two years, sure there's always room for more, but until the SRU hold themselves to account for change or
recommendations the Government have asked then there's going to be no "quick fix" in the shape of cash from Matchstick Towers, Edinburgh.

The SRU have just brought out a "new" manifesto, entitled "Developing Rugby, Improving Scotland. The role of Rugby in the wider political agenda: A Manifesto for 2007".

Unfortunately nothing from within this "new" document is in fact "new"! It's the same manifesto with the odd wording change we've been used to seeing come out of the Murrayfield Whisky Emporium over the past five / six years!

The SRU have been to the Scottish Parliament on several occasions to convince more cash to find it's way to the Murrayfield coffers but even the MSPs and the committees, like most of us on the ground, are yet to be convinced about the business policy and manifestos from the SRU.

Now the SRU are heading back to Matchstick Towers, Edinburgh with the same manifesto (just a few wee wording changes) as they have previously gone with looking for Government cash.

The Government made suggestions to the SRU last time they arrived with manifesto under arm that would secure more cash for the coffers but the SRU seem more interested in winding up business at the Whisky Emporium rather than adopt some of the changes that the Government recommended.

Until the SRU can get their act together over their own finances and go through some of the recommendations from the Scottish Parliament then the deckchair shuffling from the Whisky Emporium isn't going to attract any significant higher levels Government cash in the near future.

Actually Michael Matheson was the most helpful of the lot. He not only replied to me but wrote to SportsScotland and forwarded to me the reply.

There are many things wrong with Scottish rugby but the constant criticising isn't helping, some positive suggestions would be more benefitial.

One question I would like answered is it's over two years since Norman Douglas, Bob Hogarth and the rest of the general committee voted out the executive board. At the time Douglas said change was needed and was quoted as saying

"A struggling national team, professional teams with no money nor proper support; financial losses still being made on things that simply should never have been undertaken; clubs struggling to stay in business; players disappearing at all levels - that simply couldn’t go on.

Well two years later and not much has changed and it was the clubs that instigated it. I think it's time that all parties within Scottish rugby started working together for the good of the game and not looking out for their own interests.

Did you ever wonder why Michael simply passed all the concerns on to SportScotland though? SportScotland gets funding from agencies such as the Government. They work with the Scottish Executive and with public, private and voluntary organisations. Why not bring the concerns straight to the table in Holyrood?

Maybe because Michael Mathieson already knew the answers to your concerns. Michael was part of the Enterprise and Culture Committee which sat in front of the various SRU figureheads many times and was part of that committee which all agreed together to suggest that the SRU made changes in some business areas before they came back to seek more and more cash from the Government.

The constant critising is about the SRU is because of their running the business into the ground, because of their sheer bloody mindedness of "we run things our way or no way at all".

They have been warned by the Government about the way they are running the show and need to adjust some things before the Government are going to release larger amounts of cash, many of the clubs have raised concerns, other business agencies have also spoken to the SRU about the money which is still pissing down the drain but it seems that Murrayfield Whisky Emporium does it their way or no way at all. How many businesses survive that way?

The SRU had £2 million of cash from Borders Council and agencies to hold an annual Sevens tournament in Melrose yet decided to turn down the outside funding and go their own way with the Sevens event in Edinburgh, which will cost the SRU money which simply isn't available.

The SRU clamber across the media waves protesting there's not much outside help for them but when some funding does come along they turn it down simply becasue they want to run the entire show themselves.

That's the kind of critisism that's needed to be brought into the public forum. It may be toolate now though but more people are now seeing through the constant spin and lies from McKie's offices.

did SRU not get quite a lot of money from public purse per Micahel Forsyth

Lineen obviously means 'no commitment to Pro rugby by the SRU' and he is spot on. We don't know how many teams there will be next year, where or for how long. Certainly one coach will be finding it hard to sign up new players or re-sign existing ones. The SRU needs to make its mid up now how many teams we will have, where they will be located and what their budgets are, and then set that in stone as a policy for the next 5 years, no more chopping and changing. Until they do that, building a team and marketing it has no continuity at all.

Disagree though with HB that 'the SRU is running the business into the ground'. It was already in the ground, before MacKay or McKie arrived. £23m in the red after 10 years of amateur control and profligate expenditure, and there was a lot more malt swilling around too under the old regime. The ship now seems stable and some good developments are happening - the A team, Regional Devt managers, Pro rugby academies, community rugby side, etc. The criticism of the 'Melrose' 7s doesn't sound right either, the SRU were faced with covering any losses from the event and thought Melrose posed problems for the crowd levels envisaged. ,Murrayfield reduced both, Sounds a fair enough business judgement to me.

Aye, but the running into the ground is still continuing under the supposed business minded professionals and yep the malt swillings still a favourite pastime...it's just that the malt's gone on to a more expensive brand under the professionals!

Won't be long till the business minded professionals who have a track record in winding up previous businesses before heading to the Whisky Emporium are out the revolving door to be replaced my newer business minded professionals.

Only person who'll be happy in this whole SRU saga are the bank managers ready to smash the Murrayfield doors in for payment - well apart from these business minded professional malt tasters who seem to have no trouble picking up their lavish wages from their bank accounts of course!

HB I have never really understood what makes you so angry but you should go to anger management or something.

The bank have been incredibly patient with the Union and if they had wanted to foreclose they would have done so by now.

I have met a few of the officals, committee members and staff over the years and the one thing I will say is that while I haven't neccesarily agreed with what they were doing, I don't think any of them didn't follow their conscience for the good of the game.

all good stuff but what motivates politicians with an election coming up--one word votes--how many votes in rugby no a lot especially in the Glasgow area

Well the title says it all really, Scottish rugby needs commitment, It needs commitment from all, Private Investors (although hopefully can be run with an easier comprimise than the current Edinburgh set up) From the SRU to make the trimmings where required, run the business like a business and commit necessary funding to ALL levels of the game. If we saturate one level of the game then where is the next generation gonna come from?. Lastly we as fans need to get out there and promote the game like it was our jobs to do so. Even if its just bringing a mate to the game, if we all did that we would double the crowd!.

Running the business as a business requires closing down the biggest loss making component, the pro-sides.