Armstrong, Convicted Dave, playing with fire
News that we are after a second Dundee United midfield player will prove popular, Stuart Armstrong has been tipped for progress for a couple of years. He is another Ronny Deila-type player, a strong runner who can get up and down the field. As usual, I’ll reserve judgement until we sign him, and I’ve had a chance to watch him properly.
You have to admire his balls. Dave King assertion that a conviction for tax fraud is a “favourable settlement” goes beyond parody. I’m unsure if some PR flop put those words in his head or if he concocted the notion by himself, but just as you cannot shine a turd, it is impossible to spin an undisputed criminal conviction. He was convicted of criminal offenses. If this is your measure of favourable, your standards are truly deplorable.
I fail to see why King even is discussing such matters with the media, unless he’s currying favour with the Daily Record. These assertions will make no difference whatsoever to the stock market, or any reputable nominated adviser, nor will it hold sway with the SFA. It is also a futile battleground. In the event King gains control of newco Rangers, he doesn’t need to be a director to exercise de facto control, Paul Murray has been his man for years. Mike Ashley is not a director, and he owns less than 9% of the club, but he appears to be able to dictate play quite comfortably.
Without a trace of irony, King told the Record: “The enthusiasm that this board adopts to ‘media management’ and its failure to act in the interest of shareholders and other stakeholders is exactly why they should be jettisoned”.
Trying hard to avoid the merest whiff of media management himself, King then added, “History will judge this board as one of the worst the club has ever had. There is not one individual who puts the club above personal interest.”
There you have it folks, our pal Dave is a man you can trust.
Just as the Newco board didn’t have enough on their plate, interim manager Kenny McDowell tendered his notice, although in true ‘Rangers’ tradition, he’s not going without a pay-off. It’s an added vote of no confidence the regime could do without. They now face the embarrassing prospect of allowing an interim to remain in control as a lame duck, or put a second manager on gardening leave.
Mike Ashley’s prospects of a successful turnaround look bleak in the face of such uniform and orchestrated antagonism. I wonder if he’s the kind of man who takes manipulation lightly? If not, the manipulators are playing with fire.
CQN11 St Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance is on Friday 13 March, at the Kerrydale Suite, Celtic Park. The focus of an excellent night’s entertainment will be funding the construction of a kitchen at Chibwata Primary School in Malawi, for Mary’s Meals.
Email me if you would like to reserve a ticket, celticquicknews@gmail.com or book directly via the links at the bottom of this page.