The first port of call for the bereaved is usually a state denial.
Moreover, there is extensive clinical data that the Kübler-Ross model is fit for purpose.
Denial –Anger –Bargaining –Depression –Acceptance.
In another life I was trained as a bereavement counsellor.
Getting people past that first phase was always a key objective of the therapeutic alliance.
When Rangers died in 2012 there was a brief window on insight for the Fitba Fourth Estate.
Then those who saw their role to promote the Old Firm brand got their collective act together.
They first tried to parachute Sevco Scotland Limited into the top flight.
This was rejected by SPL clubs as they were under pressure from their own fans.
Plan B was to drop the new club into the second tier of the professional game in Scotland.
It might have worked but for the bravery and integrity of the late great Turnbull Hutton.
On the steps of Hampden, he used the “C” word to describe the Scottish game.
Anything other than Sevco starting in the bottom tier would have indeed been corrupt.
From the start of their journey, Sevco has had the full support of the local media in pretending that they are Rangers (Est. 1872).
The folk in charge of those terminally ill titles know that if they sooth the Poundland Herrenvolk of Ibrox then they can sell a few more copies.
Despite that fact, the trend appears inexorable as they circle the circulation drain.
It probably never occurred to any of them to continue to tell the truth that they published in the summer of 2012.
Today Alastair James Johnston was given a platform to put out the same club myth.
Back in 2010, your humble correspondent was a lonely voice as a named member of the NUJ public stating that rangers were in severe financial trouble.
Meanwhile, the local media were trumpeting the arrival of a billionaire Bear who would financially fuel the Ibrox club to greater success.
It was clear that some of their fans bought the lie.
Quite simply they wanted it to be true.
From the moment that Rangers under the expert guidance of Super Salary were ejected from UEFA competitions, I stated here that Rangers would not survive the season (2011-2012) without experiencing an insolvency event.
Once that happened stated that HMRC would never permit a CVA.
Therefore, liquidation was the only possible outcome.
For the avoidance of doubt, a liquidated football club is a dead football club.
The chaps on the sports desks soothed their dignified demographic that liquidation was unthinkable and that an 11th-hour deal would be done with Hector.
This fella in Donegal called that out as pishful thinking.
Eventually, reality collided with the spin.
Oh that day in June 2012!
The fans were stunned.
One chap outside the stadium that John Brown played for said it was “like a death in the family”.
If the local media had have remained faithful to the truth then it could have been a teachable moment for both them and the Ibrox klanbase.
Instead, the Orwellian lie machine got cranked up.
Today Alastair James Johnston questioned the “mentality” to those who contend that rangers died in 2012.
There are many questions that your humble correspondent would like to put Mr Johnston.
For example, his role in submitting paperwork to the SFA for Rangers to be allowed to play in UEFA competitions in season 2011-2012.
I would have several forensically based questions on his knowledge of the tax affairs of the Ibrox club at that precise moment in time.
I would also ask him about how a child sex abuse victim of Rangers coach Gordon Neely was referred to the liquidators BDO.
Finally, I would ask him to address the apparent inconsistencies apropos his comments today and his references to the “murder of an institution” by Mr Craig Whyte.
A common theme throughout the death of Rangers and the Sevco shitshow since 2012 has been the craven obedience of the local media on matters Ibrox.
They didn’t question the financial doping of the Murray years and they have got on broad with the “Holding Company Vehicle” and “Engine Room Subsidiary” myths.
Consequently, Planet Fitba is now based on an Orwellian lie and truth is deemed to be a hazardous substance.
One thing that does continue to interest me as a journalist is the complicit silence from the Parkhead boardroom on this deception.
It is almost as if the chap driving the bus there sees the “Old Firm” brand as a part of his job description.
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Love it phil lol fucking love it
I’m convinced all the SEVCO attacks on Celtic recently is evidence they are going bust and have no answers. I’m convinced SDIR has done for them. They are trying to lure Celtic into controversy for max damage. Anything to take their stupid fans attention away from their own Board’s incompetence. Johnston knows it’s going bust.
Their accounts stated £11m to end of season needed. Nothing showed up arriving. Their perennial boy for sale Morelos is un buyable. A violent cretin with low emotional intelligence.
Was that not the chap that gave Sally his super contract just as Mr Whyte was coming through the door? “here sign this” I believe is what he told Sally?
Seems to me that was just another thing that the club couldn’t afford, also seems to me was a contributing factor to the liquidation?
I would ask him about that and how the “mentality” of his fanbase would feel if this sort of thing was in the papers they attempt to read.
Phil the reason the celtic board are on a sponsored silence on this issue is because they are part of it with sevco . I blame the celtic fans on this matter as they continue to buy season tickets and buy into the big fix . Sevco are having a right good laugh at us as we make plenty noise about it being corrupt but don’t follow that up with any action . But there will be trouble ahead for the board because if sevco cheat their way to the title this year only then will the celtic fans rebel then . But that will be all to late as sevco would have achieved their ambition of stopping 9 in a row . Fans will stop buying season books then to make their point but it’s to late as they should have done all this way back in 2012 when the big fix was allowed to continue. So don’t expect to hear anything soon from the board in regards to what Johnston has been spewing out as they probably helped him pen the dross he talks . KERCHING will always come before any fans thoughts and make no mistake about it the BENNY’S are back and the celtic board and fans helped it along the way . So no more crocodile tears about it being an injustice.
It is an injustice. An injustice perpetrated on Celtic, its shareholders and its supporters. Any talk of judicial reviews and belated sanctions imposed on servo are a waste of breath.Nothing will be gained by it.
The way to get retribution is to beat them on the field of play and continue winning trophies.
Maybe Lawwell will us achieve it with this current window.
BENNYS????? Mate give it a rest! Awful patter
It is not patter mate it never was and never will be it’s the term I use to describe the Klan or Sevco a dont hear anyone shouting about dont use these terms when describing them . What do you want to call them the famous Glasgow rangers .
I call them The Neely Dunn’s,now.It has a certain ring to it and also rhymes with the name of the old,dead club,I believe.I make you right pal,if that’s what you wanna call them then you’ll get no complaints from me.
If you calling the Huns “Benny’s” is all that some posters on here have to worry about then I wouldn’t mind swapping problems with them.
When you think of it,”Benny’s” is quite an apt moniker for them.
You batter on Scudmissile,fill yer boots.lol
Any time i and a good few others see your constant use of UPPER CASE BENNYS and various other annoying phrases like CHISLER we just scroll right past with the best of intentions not to pull you up on it but it is that annoying it becomes impossible. Tell me how many folk engage with your comments on here other than to plead with you to give it a rest? Easily the most annoying guy on here bar none.
Agreed…I don’t go to football games…if the Celtic travelling support threatened to stop going it would be fixed before breakfast time.
The ball is always at the customers feet….if they get completely off the hook then The Green Brigade and fellow travellers are to blame….no one else
I was under the impression that Johnston has yet to be deemed fit and proper by the SFA.
Of course these things take time, and time appears to be going backwards at Hampden.
King has acted as de facto shadow CEO of the football club without anyone at Hampden batting an eyelid.
It would be interesting to see who actually signed off on the paperwork presented to the SFA declaring that all taxes were tickety boo.
That person has made a fraudulent claim and should have been locked up for his part in the fraud that led to the Ibrox club being awarded a UEFA licence.
Phil, I have ported before, Sevco and Celtic are two cheeks of the same ar’s. Money talks and without Sevco pretending to be Rangers, Celtic’s shareholders were down on profit.
The bigotry is rife on both sides and it’s this that drives the money men. If you can’t ,or won’t see the truth no one can help you. Both teams need the other as it makes money for both. You only have to look at gate figures to see that Celtic’s gate receipts were the only ones to drop when Rangers went bust. Take off the green specs and as you often say , follow the money.
Oh dear! Alastair.
It’s in the SFA rules that no club or its office bearers (that’s you Alastair) will bring the game into disrepute by speaking out against another club.
Celtic is habitually over the years slagged off by sevcorangers office bearers in the media with impunity. However, Celtic always maintain a dignified silence.
Johnstone needs cited by the SFA for his warped mentality.
The Supreme Court decision on the unlawful status of EBTS was only three years ago or so. Take the SFA/SPFL decision to not strip the 12 years of EBT titles (wee and big tax cases) to the High Court for Judicial Review. There’s a six year statute of limitation from the Supreme Court ruling date.
The Supreme Court ruling overturns the Lord NIMMO Smith finding that EBTS and the titles were lawful. The SFA/SPFL are still sitting on the LNS pishery even after SC overturned it.
This is a dead cert winner and better than Res12.
Once the titles are ordered to be stripped it opens up the question from old club or new? Who has legal claim on titles anyway? Then it all crashes down. Their Lordships have already stated it’s not the same Rangers. Not the same legal entity.
Can you point me in direction of lordships ruling. Genuine request. Thanks.
I must include myself among the millions of folk who understand that the word liquidated means the end of something, death if you wish.
If they had any principles at all (ano, ano) then they would pay back the hundreds of pounds they screwed other businesses out of and maybe that would help boost their survival myth. HH
Happy New Year to all.
Brilliant article if the Celtic board dont speak out and want the complete truth to be told, then they lose credibility and sevco and their supporters can easily carry on peddling a lie , and play the victim card, as always facts dont mean a hell of a lot when it comes to Scottish football and rangers, it never did, and a new club built on lies and supported by those in power now masquerades as victims as the same club, that was liquadated in 2012.
I agree with everything you have said today. Scottish football is and always has been corrupt.
The most shocking aspect of this dishonesty is the role played by the directors of our football club.
We have been the victims of the most obvious and deliberate cheating and yet the celtic directors have said and done nothing.
This does not make sense.
Are they taking bribes?
Are they being intimidated?
What’s going on?
Well said Phil , we are preaching from the same pulpit , what will it take for the majority of Celtic fans to understand that the Celtic board and the chap with the heated driveway in particular are in the old firm conspiracy up to their necks and are desperate for the club from govan to be back challenging , it keeps the tills ticking over and that’s all they care about , integrity, five way agreement , all of them are in it together , I urge all Celtic fans to wake up to reality Celtic fc are complicit in the cover up .
Is it possible that there is an addendum to the mysterious 5-way Agreement that contains just such an undertaking by Celtic and the Board? Maybe even a section that they will not revisit anything that transpired prior to the liquidation of Rangers?
If such an addendum existed, and believe me similar thoughts have crossed the minds of many Celtic fans, it would NEED TO remain buried for all eternity. Public exposure of such a document would result in an outburst of cold fury from our fans that it could cripple us.
The certain knowledge, that had the boot been on the other foot, we would NEVER have been granted such an agreement, would be seen by the fans as an unforgivable act of betrayal by the board.
Is there any other reason for keeping silent,other than money I mean?Because for me,the board’s procrastination and eventual termination of Res.12 paints a very dark picture.
A picture,like you say,that could cripple us and would be the end line for many,myself included.The longer we all are left wondering what has happened,well,that nightmare scenario is growing and starting to look more plausible with the passing of time.
Some Machiavellian manoeuvring has gone on at some point,of that,I’m almost certain.
FFS that’s some scary shit,Hammer House of Horror wae a Celtic twist!
And you’re bang on,given the chance they’d bury us and dance on our grave too.
Thanks Phil🇮🇪
This 5 way agreement pishery thing why has no one called it as a Freedom of Information Request. It gets mentioned on all other matters .
I think that would work for most other cases.However,I think anything of a darker nature shall,like the aforementioned one,remain buried for infinity;committed to memory even.
Although,if you think that’s a viable option,by all means go for it.
IF I could get a bookie to take a bet that the above scenario had taken place,I bet on that.
For I’m at a loss as to explain why Celtic seem very reluctant to speak up over lots of issues, and this issue runs deeper than the Marianas Trench.
We should seek a new board,coz this isn’t the actions of a board that is open and honest,major skullduggery is afoot and it is plain for All to see.
Thanks for keeping us updated with your views on that lot! It will be interesting to see if some prized assets are sold this month to raise more firewood. Slippy G may be tempted with big bucks down south as the managerial merry-go-round
PS a couple of minor typos your trained eye will see on second reading 🙂
Brilliant journalism as always, I do not comment often but do read all your comments with interest, do not lighten your step but walk with purpose.
The truth exists only falsehood has to be invented.
HH
Alastair Johnston is welcome to call my mentality into question any time he so wishes, but at the same time, he should also bear in mind that I will forever call into question his HONESTY and INTEGRITY, of which he is sadly deficient!
When Squinty Eyes can be deemed “fit and proper” by the SFA faster than a Mason can bother a flock of goats, but it takes well over a year (with still no decision either way) by the same organisation to decide on Johnston’s “fit and proper” status, I will take absolutely NO critique from a man of his lack of standing!
Could the reason why this corrupt mouthpiece has decided to crawl out from under his rock be that pressure is about to be applied to the blazers at Hampden to pass this arsehole as “fit and proper”, with a follow-up announcement that he is about to assume the role currently held by the Glib and Shameless Liar? If so, Ian Maxwell’s arse should be in a sling, along with Petrie, Rae, and the entire cabal!!
The last sentence puts everything succinctly into context, I couldn’t agree more.
HNY to you and yours Phil
Well Said ,Phil,and Fair Play to the Celtic Faithful Still Fighting for Resolution 12 to Be Taken Forward….Shame on the Current Celtic Board for Tgeir Inaction in This…..Wee Fergus would Never ave Let This Go….
Thought provoking article as always Phil. A Happy and Prosperous New Year to you and your family.
Just watched the new Star Wars with my niece and discovered that, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Emperor Sidious actually survived. How does that fit in with your somewhat blinkered view of the apparently obvious? Sometimes you need to look deeper into the truth to find the answers that fit the narrative! Just saying ….
Nail on the head mate money is king hence the lie lives.