Tomorrow the Lie Of 55 will have another bizarre twist.
League dignitaries will not be invited, and the nine-year-old club will have their own flag to unfurl.
It is just another episode in the weird world of the Sevco High Command.
In the aftermath of the chaos and carnage of George Square last May, there was a moment of self-reflection in this piece by Andrew Smith in The Scotsman.
“That is required because all parts of civil society, our highest authorities and, in no small part, we in the media have all been enablers in allowing a corrosive sense of entitlement to be brewed with a cocktail of anti-Catholic/anti-Irish bigotry. The concoction percolates into a mindset that now twice inside three months – just ponder that, twice! – has resulted in Glasgow city centre disturbances that have been despicable in scale and nature.”
Once more:
“…we in the media have all been enablers….”
As regular readers will attest, I couldn’t agree more!
Since this league campaign began, there have been new rules for the press at Ibrox.
Firstly the £25k access fee has resulted in only a few official media partners being present at Sevco pressers.
These journalistic non-events include those delightful chaps at Follow Follow and the Heart and Hand Podcast fellows.
Of course, the latter outfit was recently embroiled in something of a scandal apropos two of their contributors.
Apparently, two of these Quintessentially British chaps (the one in the centre and the one on the right) have been sent to the Everyone Anyone rehab program.
I wish them well.
Then there was this yesterday.
Even Mr McCoist, the last ever manager of Rangers FC and the first guy in the Sevco hot seat, stated that this was “…going down a dangerous route if we’re stopping freedom of speech. We turn into Beijing; we turn into Moscow….”
Of course, earlier in the day, some of the Ibrox klanbase decided to win more friends on the journey.
The “security risk” nonsense should be a teachable moment for those involved in football reporting in Scotland, and the lesson from yesterday should be clear.
That the long-established policy of appeasement towards both Ibrox clubs and their klanbase is not yielding any benefits.
Indeed, it only costs the Fitba Fourth Estate their self-respect, and they get little in return.
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When the head of Scottish football is invited to comment on the BT debacle….and ends up giving a mealy mouthed four fifths of feck all explanation…it once again reinforces something that we should never forget…
This is Scotland….no other explanation needed.
They will never change themselves,they are incapable of doing so without being compelled by the Football authorities, until that happens they will continue to abuse all who come in contact with that horrible organisation.
Phil, your article suggests that some bodies ARE paying the 25K . Who ?
Quite simple. No sponsorship, no money. Remove every penny given to this rancid monstrosity. If already paid, demand it ALL back and sue where required. Complete blackout by media. Fight fire with fire. No publicity means dwindling monies. Take a leaf from Ashley’s book. No messing about. Get their sorry arses into court at the first opportunity, ban them from Euro competitions and make them play behind closed doors. Choke the streams of revenue. I’m sick of this abomination trying to dictate to everyone else how important they are. Let’s show them
It will NEVER happen. Far too many Worshipful Brotherhoods involved.
Any more statements from rffc after this latest week of shame??
As others have posted the old flabber was ghasted at the treatment of NL and CS. I don’t know why I was so surprised, along with the clear message also being sent to the SFA that they are also persona non grata leaves me wondering what the end game is?
Are they just blowing in the wind from one crisis to another? While seemingly trying to salvage what little is left of an already tarnished reputation the statement that “conjecture” as to the klubs intentions of “security” are unhelpful and counterproductive what are we supposed to think?
I may also add that police Scotland were on the ball with a swift response to the parades in Glasgow where racist singing was dealt with by way of arrests, this was heartening as I could never have envisioned.
Rankers and their associated offshoots are being further backed into a corner.
I’ve oft lived by the mantra “Enforced morality lacks the power of a choice” it’s only taken the arrests and hopefully convictions to finally get a grip of the poison they peddle, we will never eradicate it but at least it’s looking like enforcement is starting to have an impact.
My fabber has never been so gasted at what the ruling bodies in Scottish football are letting this klub of ill repute get away with. It’s meant to be the SFA, not the RFA!
Turning the city centre into a scene from Apocalypse Now, refusing to believe they are a new klub, knocking back a sponsor for spurious reasons and denying access to sports commentators for ‘safety’ reasons should have them pay some kind of penalty. You can only imagine the outrage this would cause had Celtic behaved in this immature, bombastic manner.
It’s time something was done but it will take those who were involved in the 5WA to do a u-turn and for the SFA and SPFL to actually do their job and run the game as is their remit. Wishful thinking, I know.
While Skintco F.C. make the rules and run the League they’ll think no one will notice the burning smell from the cooked books.
HH
Sevco do believe they are in a “league’ of their own. Their reputation is notorious on a global scale now. Yet ignored in Secular Scotland.
They are a horrible club…. our Board helped them get to where they are now…shameful.
In a secret location a (still to this very day) secret document was signed by 5 men from 5 entities.
Before them on a table lay a grotesque result of Petrie dish genetic mutation.
The Birth Certificate of Frankensevcos Monster that was rubber stamped in 2012 was drawn up to satisfy the whims of its creators.
A grotesque parody of now defunct Football Club was to be unleashed into the Scottish Leagues as high up the Divisions as they could force it but ultimately started life in the leafy backwaters of Brechin by a well trimmed hedge.
Fugly was free to roam as it pleased safe in the knowledge that even without a brain or indeed a pulse he could rampage through the towns and Cities as he pleased without so much as a care in the wurruld about the carnage he left behind.
Now we find ourselves in the old familiar position where like his predecessor he’s running fumes,living beyond his means and the SFA /SPFL stand back mouths agog as he careers through the Hampden rule book laughing like a deranged hyena on glue.
You reap what you sow Mr Dungcaster don’t say you weren’t or haven’t been warned.
As is always the case follow follow the money…
Ps if it’s sympathy you’re after Neil try looking in the Dictionary in between shit and syphilis.
Every which way they turn, the eyes of the world are upon the new Rangers and their bigotry, racism, and their banal and quite frankly backward ways. They are bringing shame on our country, and the people of Scotland along with it. They must be brought to book and change their archaic thinking and draconian culture before we are all tainted by their hatred and dishonour.
I still to this day, cannot believe, that PL was not fully aware of what was going on with the 5WA. If HE was as ignorant of it as he claims, it was a gross dereliction of duty on his part to allow it to go unquestioned.
In allowing, through their silence in 2012, the authorities to sanction the creation of this Frankenstein abomination of a club, the Parkhead board need to accept a share of responsibility in everything that’s happened since.
Their silence then and attitude since have been shameful.
Every Club owner in the top flight would have been made aware of the proposal to facilitate the move of the Phoenix Club straight into the top Division.
You have to remember these guys don’t operate on an emotional level like Supporters do all their emotions are tied to one thing and one thing only.
Money.
It made better financial sense to have a Rangers ( any Rangers) playing in the League than without for the simple fact is if 50,000 paying punters did walking away then this would have put a massive dent in Scottish Footballs credibility as a product.
A product that even with them still struggles to sell.
Like it or not to lose one of the two biggest supported Clubs in our game would have been catastrophic for almost all concerned.
Whilst it went against their wishes to force this new entity to the bottom of the pile it did create an opportunity to put some much needed funds into the lower League Clubs who Cup ties aside seldom if ever get the opportunity to have a full house twice a Season at their Grounds.
Meanwhile the League and FA also enabled themselves to have the opportunity of pushing the two cheeks of the same arse Old Firm narrative to prospective buyers.
Today a Tribute Act will make a rather large song and dance about winning their 55th Title whilst simultaneously reinforcing the illusion of 150 years of unbroken history to its gullible but fervent fanbase.
It will be a festival of delusion doused in the superiority complex that has seen a fan base go from abject misery / mourning to heightened levels of deluded expectations in 9 years.
9 years incidentally that have seen over £100m chucked at creating this charade and counting,
£100m to win what was effectively a one horse race due to implosion at Celtic Park and a Petrol Cap Cup.
The fact this same entity has decided to lock out those who ultimately sanctioned this laughable set of circumstances just makes it even more absurd.
It is a plot even Terry Pratchett would have struggled to come up with.
It’s a bit like Tim Henman buying the memorabilia of Bjorn Borg,
Headband
Trainers
Racket
Sweat Stained Clothes
Cheap blond wig
Then hitting the Sun beds of London renting Wimbledon to celebrate his 66 Career Titles in front of his adoring fans and of course the gushing,sycophantic BBC 🤷🏻♂️
And all because the Lawn Tennis Association agreed to secretly approve a document that states if it looks like a Borg,walks like a Borg and assimilates like a Borg then it must be a Borg. 🧟♂️
The peepul who created the Tribute Act are all driven by money.
The people who accepted it as a straight replacement are driven by money.
The Association’s who rubber stamped it are driven by money.
The Association’s who turn a blind eye to it are driven by money.
The numpties who believe it to be the same entity despite mourning the loss of the previous entity are soon parted with their money as fools often are.
All of those involved knew this and agreed to it before resurrecting 2angers from the dead.
The truth doesn’t actually matter in this.
All that matters is the money keeps coming in.
Without it the whole shit show collapses around them.
Do you not think that had the spawn of original club playing out of Ibrox not been allowed in the leagues that many of the 50,000 supporters would in time migrated over to lower league clubs thereby putting regular gates into these other clubs benefitting long term stability. That was a price worth paying even for Celtic who would have seen a financial rebalancing required.
Many would have walked away to bitter to watch Celtic saunter to Title after Title without a challenge.
Sure some would go follow Hearts or Kilmarnock bit I don’t think those who run the game would have risked it.
Besides trying to sell our game without the O/F 🙄 would be nigh on impossible.
We know this because they have struggled to sell it with a pretend O/F since.
You’d hardly know about the disgraceful Lennon and Sutton “security risk” issue if you read the SMSM. The BBC in particular should hang their head in shame at their failure to cover the story. You can be sure this would be all over the BBC and other media outlets if it were Celtic doing this.
So do the sevco fans agree with the board of their clubs holding company that there is a security risk? If so that is shameful. Alternatively, sevco fans should be up in arms that they have been traduced in this manner. Which is it to be? Stick up for the board and accept the disgraceful image of being a security risk to ex celtic players. Or disagree with the board and salvage some reputation?
Derek Ferguson was on radio Scotland today. Not sure if what he said was in connection with this story but he said any time he had been to Celtic Park he had been treated with respect.
The media should be all over this. Uefa and BT Sport should be taking action. It is an absolute disgrace.
Can I get odds on this flag having either WATP or FTP emblazoned upon it?
Gulag?
What gulag?
Or are you espousing anti-socialist views you have?
I’m surprised you accommodate the historically misguided asseverations of “Klan” memnbership as if to subscribe.To use a socialist analogy to describe the very real fear of the Queens Eleven hierarchy to the inevitable anti-Irish racism that would undoubtedly unfold if Sevco fans were to see Lennon and Sutton at the tax evasion station is akin to slagging us socialists off.
Please don’t or it’s a metaphorical gulag for you in the eyes of socialists.
Pleased to commune with you though its a pity its to upbraid.
Honestly this is becoming an embarrassment not just to secvo but to the management of Scottish football and the media who pour so much money into Scottish football. They should say NO we will not accept this situation and unless safe access is not restored immediately to our correspondents then media coverage from our broadcasting platform will cease at Ibrox till this situation is resolved.
The hit Scottish football would take would result in terrible pressure put on the governing body and UEFA that sevco would be sin died and monies witheld which would hopefully lead to their rotten existence and a blessing to Scottish football.
A super article, Phil. The issue perfectly described. Chapeau!
‘in ther’ ane wee world’ as my old grampa’ would say.
Worryingly, as far as I can see it seems that there are some dangerous knock-on effects to this stance being ignored, social responsibilities for one. Talk about feeding the monster.
Who puts the bell round the cats neck and all that.
Cheers Phil.
In fairness, Ally McCoist is a great pundit and well spoken whenever he’s involved. I’m not surprised he was disgusted.
This whole saga just reeks of sevco. In a few years we’re going to look back on this era and laugh at how ridiculous Scottish football got.
In fairness, Ally McCoist is an absolute tit but even HE could see no mileage in trying to defend this garbage.
I see nothing to laugh about in this situation. And I CAN’T see a few years making it any funnier.
A wild guess at the original design for the Ibrox SPL flag;
It will include a huge “55” : to reinforce to everyone that 2012 didn’t actually happen.
“1872 – 2021” : to ‘validate’ the planned 150th celebrations for next year.
“Everyone Anyone” : to confirm to UEFA that the club is not anti anything. No, really.
…and maybe a “WATP!” : just to acknowledge Ibrox traditions. 🙁
Only the Ibrox club can turn a normally happy occasion into a vengeful, angry event – to score points against the League administration.
Karma anyone?