JABBA THE AGNIVORE

NON-STRIP CLUB

So the titles weren't stripped, even though they were found guilty; did anybody honestly think they would be? If it had been any other team it would have happened. Nimmo Smith should be ashamed of himself for caving in to the knuckle draggers. A fine imposed on Oldco? What is the point of that? Another shameful chapter in Scottish football history.

Meanwhile Mark Hateley had plenty to say about the subject in this morning's Daily Record. He feared for the game if the verdict went against Rangers. Why? Apparently the whole game will end up divided. Maybe he didn't notice but it is already divided; Green and his supporters against everybody else, including the English FA, UEFA, and even FIFA. Really what he means is that this is Rangers we're talking about and nobody should even dare to tackle them over anything.

'The last couple of years have seen Rangers vandalised and pillaged by all and sundry..' he says. Really? By whom? He also enters Leggoland by suggesting that there is a conspiracy to end the existence of Rangers. Like every other apologist for Rangers he is out to blame everybody else for what happened. No blame whatsoever is to be attached to Rangers. In fact, the newsagent, the face-painting wummin and everybody else that was swindled should be sending their claims in to Peter Lawell; after all, he caused everything that happened!

Let's take a look at what really occurred. Rangers spent millions trying desperately to emulate the achievement of Celtic in Europe. Murray said he wanted to 'wipe Glasgow Celtic off the face of the Earth.' All the other teams struggled financially to keep up and he nearly got his wish in 1994. It turned out, however, that Murray was spending money that wasn't his and the bank wanted their money back. He also used the dodgy EBTs to give side payments to players to give the team an extra advantage. 

All these chickens finally came home to roost and Murray found himself in dire straits. HMRC wanted their money, so did Lloyds TSB and nobody wanted to buy the club with all this debt hanging over it. Enter one Craig Whyte, the Motherwell billionaire, who was going to fix everything. Unfortunately, the man was a crook and the aministrators were called in. This is where things got really interesting.

The administrators, Duff and Phelps, were duty-bound to get the best return for the creditors but, instead seemed to see their job as doing what was best for Rangers. Still nobody wanted to buy until Green turned up with his idea for a CVA, offering a derisory 7p in the pound. Not surprisingly this was rejected and the liquidators were called in. True to what they had been doing, and against what they were supposed to be doing, Duff and Phelps let Green have the assets for £5m. This was potentially illegal, since the assets should have been sold to the highest bidder by the liquidators, but, this being Rangers, nobody batted an eyelid.

With breathtaking temerity, Green then claimed to have bought Rangers and did not ask for, but demanded entry to the SPL. The SPL hierarchy then passed the buck to the clubs, whose supporters were adamant that justice should be done and that the new club should not get automatic entry into the top flight. Back-door deals were then attempted to get Rangers into Division 1 but the SFL clubs also acted out of justice and allowed Rangers into Division 3. Legally Rangers should have been out of the leagues altogether but, again, this is Rangers we're talking about.

New Rangers was not registered with the SFA so, without precedent, the SFA issued Green with a temporary membership so his team could play in Division 3.

Green then claimed that his New Rangers was the same club and all the jiggery-pokery about 'holding companies' started up. Our media and footballing authorities went along with this lie and it was as if nothing had happened at all!

So the 'Big Conspiracy' was not to put Rangers down but to keep Rangers in the League to the detriment of other teams that had been working patiently to get in, to let Green pretend that he had bought the club and to let Green peddle the lie that his club was the same as the old club. Even the strip, with its kid-on stars, was allowed to remain.

And so we come to the First Tier Tribunal. Traynor and others let us know, in no uncertain terms, that this was only the first stage. It would mean nothing if Rangers were found guilty and appeals would be forthcoming. When the Tribunal decided largely, but not completely, on the side of Rangers, all these same commentators spoke of 'vindication' and declared that Rangers had been cleared of all wrongdoing. HMRC certainly don't see it that way!

Which leads nicely to the reason for Hateley's ill-informed rant; the investigation into Rangers' use of side contracts. Incredibly the tribunal found Rangers guilty but deemed that a meaningless fine was appropriate. Nimmo Smith declared that Rangers had fielded players that were ineligible but he could not see how this could be interpreted as them gaining an advantage! As Stuart Cosgrove pointed out on Reporting Scotland, what about all the teams over the years that were kicked out of competitions because of even one ineligible player? Rangers broke the rules, cheated effectively, but, again, this is Rangers we're talking about and they can't be treated like all the other teams. Possibly Nimmo Smith was influenced by his postman, who was not looking forward to a glut of 'Rangers Mail.'

So, really, it's difficult to see what Hateley is moaning about. Our footballing authorities have bent over backwards to accomodate Green's New Rangers and have again bent the rules in Old Rangers' favour. What more do these peeppil want?

Hateley also points to the empty seats at Celtic Park as symptomatic of the malaise in Scottish football; ie if Rangers had been allowed into the SPL this wouldn't be happening! Loony Leggat is always banging on about how The Sun has overtaken the Daily Record as Scotland's best-selling newspaper. He, of course, puts this down to some Papist conspiracy at the Record. The truth, of course, is more prosaic. Ask anyone why they now buy The Sun instead of the Daily Record and, apart from some right-wing nutters, the answer will be the same: it's cheaper! It's simple economics. The big problem facing football is that the tickets are too dear; nothing more.

Speaking of The Sun, this rag continues it's 'Anti-Catholic Week' with Bill Leckie banging on about the use of the word 'inappropriate.' Of course, he has to bring Cardinal O'Brien into it again, marvelling at how O'Brien's 'crimes' can be deemed 'inappropriate.' Beneath a picture of O'Brien, with others, in a criminal line-up, he lumps the Cardinal in with rapists and 'knife-weilding maniacs.' With all his disbelief at the use of the word 'inappropriate' he decides to miss one out: bigoted and racist singing being branded 'inappropriate.' I wonder why that would be?

A few people have posted comments asking why a sports reporter is writing about Cardinal O'Brien. The answer is obvious: it's his penance for daring to question Green and Rangers a couple of weeks ago. He can't take back what he said so he is looking for a way to suck up to the Blue Horde. Appealing to the lowest elements has always been a policy of The Sun and Leckie is continuing the trend. His anti-Catholic tirades are nothing short of disgusting. Or is that inappropriate?