This week I found myself journeying to the wilderness section of my bookshelf.
Ben Sherwood’s excellent “The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life” is highly recommended by your humble correspondent.
I particularly liked Sherwood’s use of psychometrics in assessing just what type of survivor you are.
The entire family took part in this test when I brought it home in 2010.
It had been the only book I had allowed myself on El Camino Santiago that year.
According to Sherwood, you are into one of the following categories:
The Believer
The Connector
The Fighter
The Realist
The Thinker
I was not surprised that the Bean a tí was in the “Believer” category.
The Big Fella was a “Realist”, Number One Daughter was a “Connector”.
Baby Doctor and her old dad were firmly in the “Fighter” category.
Well, colour me a middleweight…
We all agreed that the survivor profiling test, (based on a Likert scale for the social scientists among ye) was very accurate for our little brood.
Sherwood’s book is full of amazing personal testimonies of surviving against the odds and good practical advice on how to survive.
The “rule of threes” is still in my mind to this day.
The physiological ones are science based (e.g. three minutes without air, three days without water, etc.).
However, it was the psychological /spiritual one that hit home the most for me:
“Three seconds without hope”.
Right at this moment some of The People are close to being without hope.
For them, Rainjurrzz is about an imagined cultural superiority over themmuns.
Of course, this was recently ruthlessly exposed as tragic fascist pish in Trainspotting 2.
However, it is all that The People have to cling to amid the abject failure of their lives.
Their belief system in modern Scotland is as dilapidated and outdated as Ibrox.
Now across the city, Celtic Park gleams with newness and purpose.
Brendan Rodgers has transformed underperforming players and has been given the resources to bring in quality players like Moussa Dembélé and Scott Sinclair.
As we approach the fifth anniversary of Rangers FC being placed in Administration, it is worth looking at how The People dealt with a cultural survival situation.
When their club faced extinction, they sank to the challenge.
The default setting of The People was to threaten and smear the messenger.
Their objective was to close down the outlet of bad news about their club.
Now dear reader this works well on the denizens of sports desks in Glasgow.
Their obedient churnalism should be studied by journalism students for years to come.
However, your humble correspondent could not abide by the dignified ordinances emanating from The People.
Since the death of Rangers in 2012 the home crowd at Ibrox have been assisted in their denial by the local media
Of course, that is the same media that told them in 2010 that there was this guy called Craig Whyte and that he was a Bear and a billionaire.
In the shambolic first five years of Sevco the stenographers have worked tirelessly to shovel hope flavoured shite at The People.
The thing is what they can reasonably expect in the years ahead is to be the Espanyol of Glasgow.
Any discussions that focus on how the Holding Company vehicle can close the gap on Celtic assumes that the Parkhead club stands still.
For the avoidance of doubt, Mr Desmond has no intention of marking time while Sevco cobbles together a challenge.
The dignified celebrations last April really did it for him.
Moreover, Brendan Rodgers has stated publicly that he wants to leave behind a legacy at Celtic and that such a task will take him years to achieve.
The more intelligent among The People will, by now, realise that there is no hope.
They have been allowed to pretend that Sevco is Rainjurrz since the summer of 2012.
However, the Clans of Planet Fitba know that they are a tribute act for a dead marching band.
The quicker that The People realise that Rangers FC (est. 1872) did not play Brechin City in July 2012 then the better they will be.
“The new Rangers started life outside the top flight of Scottish football with a victory over Brechin City – but only after extra time at Glebe Park.”
Until then The people have little chance of having hope in their hearts, let alone of being able to walk on and start a new chapter.
Believing that Sevco is Rangers is killing them.
Until the denial phase is over then all they can do is to pull up a chair and look at themselves being a duped chorus for Renton and Sick Boy.
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Oh Dear!!!
More of a cry for help than a blog!!
Rangers are still very much alive and kicking and it eats you up inside!
Despite league position,Your lot will always be inferior to us…
You will always be second class citizens in our city.
“You will always be second class citizens in our city.”
You don’t really grasp this equality stuff, do you?
It is very sad.
Were you in Trainspotting 2?
Hahaaaaa, you’re talking nonsense like all the other deluded huns. The only thing thats stone cold is your old club, it died.
Phil I said it a few years back, it doesn’t matter what pish the papers print, what happens on the park can’t be hidden!
Taraaa
In the shadows get used to it.
Even though the flegeratti have no hope they’ll always get by with singing fuk they kafflicks and the pope.
The scenes in T2 are hilarious. No more, no more. An excellent potrayal of how William operates.
Of the millions of words that you have penned in recent years, eight of them, shown above, stopped me in my tracks….
“believing that sevco is Rangers is killing them”
It is the most brutal, honest, succint summary of what we, not just fans of all things Ibrox, have finally grasped.
Yes, many of talked of denial, press influence, same club….but…..deep down…way deep down, it is now an accepted fact.
Of course they have to challenge the numerous forums that set out the Realpolitik but the past weeks, and impending months, have convinced only the most delusional , who are dwindling in number, that the end is not close but imminent. It is inevitable.
And they see no rescue boats from Hampden, Hamilton, Shirebrook or South Africa heading their way.
As a boy in Govan, Greenfield Street, my Irish granny washing dishes or whatever in the scullery, used to cringe when the ibrokes roar was heard after the huns scored.
I hope, sincerely, that sevco go totally out of business. HH.
You have to wonder if that Was the gers rescue plan that washed up in hold-alls on a beach in England today?
A most excellent read, but alas the sad reality is that the peepal do not have that shred of humility that could jump start them into the proper mindset. I would say the belief that they are essential to the running of a successful league still lingers in their heads even after all that has happened. The sense of entitlement fuels the dream that some intervention by the Scottish government will occur is not entirely off the radar for some of the deluded after all they see themselves as the establishments chosen ones.
Have you ever noticed how chairman Whyte for a man they professed was a billionaire doesn’t have a belt on the picture? not very dressed for a man of means, I suppose it’s better than the picture with a hole in his shoe that they printed….
In all fairness,he may have a pair of trooser braces on.BUT I’d wager he doesn’t.
I mean he bought that lot for £1,ripped off I say.
Cheers Maestro Phil,keep gesticulating that baton.HH
Phil, surely that would be “The World Class Breakfast Club”, with Google Eyes singing “Don’t You Forget About Me”.
Very apposite.
This afternoon, whilst awaiting the bus at Cardonald, a young guy approached and attempted to strike up a conversation. Let’s just say that there was a very dismal “joke ” involving a dreadful pun on the word “striker”. On a bitter day his hurt was truly warming.
Brutality of truth can be most blinding. Time for pity as the joke isn’t funny anymore.
“hope flavoured shite”, you have a way with words
luvved that too . . .perfect description of the smsm’s pathetic output.