Following another messiah

“I say you are [The Messiah] Lord, and I should know. I’ve followed a few.”  This line is from The Life of Brian; John Cleese character insists he knows who The Messiah is, more than anyone, because he’s “followed a few”.  Monty Python cut to the chase, some people never learn from following false messiahs.  Never more true that at Ibrox.

A generation there lived through David Murray’s messianic reign.  A messiah was the way to make life good, so after Murray, they followed a series of chancers with no loss of faith.  From the outside, it looks like a manifestation of religious practice.

Conversely, Celtic’s Fergus McCann, who gave Murray his first bloody nose, was anything but a messiah.  He lacked all such tendencies, delivered what he promised and left with the league trophy in the boardroom and a cold draft.  Fergus set the Celtic support up for clinical analysis, or cynical analysis from some.

What do we know about the new messiahs at Ibrox?  They are not “Rangers fans”, they are straightforward investors, here for the return.  Nothing wrong with that, but it does mean no one should fantasise about investment beyond an achievable level of return.

We know they are restricted by Uefa’s Financial Sustainability Regulations (FSR).  Newco are superstar money losers.  The last year we have information on (2023-24), they lost over £17m.  They need to reach the Champions League on a regular basis, buy players cheap and sell at significant profits, or cut costs.  Reports from the US suggest they want to develop their own youth talent; a few weeks on the ground will dissuade them of that.

Money will not be the change factor many think it will be.  The proposed £20m share issue looks like the right size to keep the lights on until the end of next season.  What will change is the professionalism of the club.  Celtic have delivered vastly better commercial deals throughout this century, for no reason other than they are well run and Oldco/Newco were shambolic.

Recruitment will improve, there will be no more Michael Beale summers, instead, expect Newco to follow Celtic’s model: find value markets, get close to them, buy and showcase in European competition.  A few seasons of good management, solid recruitment and stable finances, and they will be a vastly improved operation.

Getting it right is not easy, no matter what you read in the comments section.  Clever and experienced people try and fail more often than they succeed.  You need to be prepared for failure and in Glasgow, than means be especially prepared.

Dave King’s comment this week deserves a response:   ““[The new investors] are coming in with a commitment not to win a league title, but to make Rangers [sic.] the dominant force in Scotland. That is what this project is about. It’s not about winning one or two titles. It’s about the next ten, 20 years and I think that’s why I’m excited about it, because I think they are the right people.”

Dave should know if they are the right people, he’s followed a few.  If you think US investors are in Glasgow to dominate Scottish football you really need to revise your meds.  They are here to achieve a return on capital, thoughts of being the top dog in town is frankly demeaning to them.  Suggesting they have talked about being here for 20 years, jeez!

They will (eventually) present a greater challenge than Celtic have faced since peak Murray Madness.  The gap in resources, experience and even the platform we start next season on is significant, but that does not guarantee anything.  There is always work to do.

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