An unsatisfactory destination

One key component in the death of the original Rangers in 2012 was that the local media continually reassured the Ibrox klanbase that everything was tickety-boo.

It wasn’t.

The 1990s had been the age of the Sugar Daddy at Ibrox and unprecedented success as Celtic hurtled towards bankruptcy under the old board.

When the banking crash of 2008 removed David Murray from centre stage, a new benefactor was desperately needed.

Someone who had money to burn and loved the club.

The scene was set for someone with the putative CV of Craig Whyte.

Oh, how the Ibrox chaps celebrated!

Mr Craig Whyte was, apparently, a billionaire.

Indeed, his wealth was “off the radar”.

With this in mind, dear reader, for your close-season entertainment, I give you Mr Keith Jackson from a few years ago explaining to an Australian audience his key role in breaking that story.

Oh dear…

Here is my very much tongue-in-cheek analysis of the likely direction of travel for the Whyte regime ONE MONTH after he got the keys to the Big House.

In reality, it should not have taken a journalist in another country to cover a story that the sports desks in Glasgow should have been all over from the start.

This front page in the Herald was what happened when, very briefly, news journalists were involved in reporting what had happened at Ibrox.

Then, for reasons of commerce and cowardice, the Stenography Corps decided to go along with Charles of Normandy that Sevco Scotland Limited was actually the Rangers that John Greig played for.

The chaps at Hampden wanted season 2012-2013 to be Old Firm business as usual.

It’s almost as if liquidation hadn’t happened, and the whole show had merely been a bump in the road between league campaigns.

However, thanks to the No To NewCo campaign and the late great Turnbull Hutton, attempts to parachute the Phoenix Club into the SPL or the second tier were thwarted and therefore the new entity started at the bottom.

That was why the spin around “The Journey” was necessary.

Well, every journey has an end, a destination.

A few dignified types are starting to realise that they may have arrived and that Simply The Second Best is all they can hope for in the long term.

Consequently, I offer two cheers to this offering from the Sevco blogosphere.

A buddy sent it to me with a question.

“Are you providing editorial assistance to this lot now?”

It was easy to deny.

Apart from the dawning realisation of Sevco’s situation within the piece, the identity author also made it noteworthy.

As a general rule, I do not interact on social media with those I suspect of having contracted Unsurpassed Dignity.

However, this brief back and forth happened before the piece was written last month.

 

That, as you can see, was on May 12th.

The Espanyolification piece was on May 29th.

I’m sure it’s a coincidence.

The substantive point remains: what if this is now the natural order of things for those who comprise the home crowd at the stadium that John Brown played for?

What is certain is that shills in the press box won’t be asking them to consider that appalling vista.

For the avoidance of doubt, it is the perfect manifestation of Espanyolification when dear Philippe leads his players on a lap of honour at Ibrox because they narrowly avoided defeat at the hands of Celtic last April.

Finally, here’s some help for the Stenography Corps if they want to try their hand at this journalism lark.

The following questions are apposite:

Does Nils Koppen have plenipotentiary status, or is he merely an emissary for the executive chairman?

Is Philippe Clement aware of his transfer budget?

Just like the days of Craig Whyte, when the Ibrox klanbase was regaled with tales of the stealthy billionaire, it shouldn’t take a journalist in another country to fulfil the duty of the Fourth Estate on Planet Fitba.

Especially when the weather here in Dún na nGall is just how I like it.

Have a great week!