I have two significant concerns about Walter Smith’s comments yesterday. He spoke about the events which followed Rangers liquidation in 2012:
“There was no necessity for Rangers to be put down into the Third Division.
“That will always stay in Scottish football. There will be a bitterness in the Rangers ranks. It will be a massive motivation for the club. It would certainly be for me.
“How can they forget what happened to them? Nobody could forget that.”
I’ve spoken to people at Celtic about security concerns ahead of the weekend. The game itself will almost certainly pass off without incident, but what happens on the streets of Glasgow and surrounding towns is anyone’s guess.
You will hear nothing even close to inflammatory from Celtic, senior fans groups, or anyone who cares about the club’s fans and wellbeing. Justifying bitterness due to (mis)perceived persecution ahead of this fixture is inciteful. I’m astonished Smith said this.
On his subject matter, let me give you an alternative scenario:
Newco Rangers are parachuted straight into the Premier League, hundreds of creditors are abandoned, they have a full squad of players and are not a penny in debt. They would have been out signing players within minutes of registration (they even tried to sign a player while still in administration).
With Oldco having won the league accumulating debts they would never pay in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Newco, free of legacy financial commitments, would have an excellent chance of winning again in 2013 and beyond.
This plan was one strand of Craig Whyte’s lunacy and it would have killed Scottish football. Celtic, and others, would have been left to consider, do we pay these millions of debts, or liquidate and spend the money on players instead? I had this very conversation with a senior figure in the game in October 2011, when the realisation of what Whyte was planning became evident. Utter mayhem would have ensued.
The damage done to the Rangers brand of clubs by allowing Newco access only to the bottom tier was huge. It’s consequences are yet to be appreciated by most fans. Newco may never win a top flight league.
But the question was not whether to impose a trauma on ‘Rangers’ or allow everyone to carry on as we had before, this was not an option. It was whether to allow the existing rules and processes to stand, allow responsibility for the enormous mismanagement of Rangers to be carried primarily by Newco, and have other clubs deal with the fallout, with or without a ‘Rangers’ club in the league.
Whyte’s plan replicated what he’d done in other industries, but it would have devastated Celtic in particular. We were beaten for years on the field by a team who could not pay their bills or correctly register their players, then we would be beaten again as they walked away from debts without consequence, which is why I wrote this article in October 2011 on the Prepack route for Rangers Newco.
Pretty much all of what I wrote about in that article came to pass, it had to be stopped (and you’ll never know the key movers in doing so). Smith should consider if the boot was on the other foot, if he would be happy to allow his club to be subverted in the manner he suggests would be good enough for others. It was simply never an option.
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Villareal one nil up away to Sparta Prague.
C’mon the Yellow Submarine
Klopp getting out-Klopped…
DD
Yellow submarine are. One up away in Prague
Good Evening.
In case of interest, here are a couple of new pieces.
One about an unexpected tribute to all 276 of dead Rangers’ creditors:
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/rangers-creditors-a-multimedia-tribute/
And one about the Daily Record seemingly trashing the Scottish Cup (apart from Sevco’s involvement):
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/lets-have-a-heated-debate/
Night just got better.
The Villarreal/Celtic Submari take the lead.
Shak pen 1-0!
Bada,
I think it’s only Erik who has picked up a card in the previous games.
Wee leigh shoulda been but luckily wasn’t.
HH
GM
Thanks for your post to me today.
YNWA Tommybhoy.
Schadengubbin at Liverpool?
Dd,
Yer very welcome.
Ktf
Delaneys
Sorry to hear of your family bereavement
Hope you are ok
GM-ta,stupid rule.
DD-sorry for your loss HH
Watching Dortmund bossing Liverpool in Europa Quarter Final…….memories of 2003. How far we have fallen since then.
Thanks bhoys, my cousin Thomas Delaney passed a couple of months ago. I posted to Kitalba who is a friend of my family as he had not been on. Tommy was a Tim fae Linwood,a Saint Cuthbert’s FP and good friend of our lurking writer Berr.
Tommybhoy rip.
2-0 Villareal
Semis for Villarreal! :-)))
Evening all
Gon the villareal.
55 and just put on my 1st kilt for the wedding on sat,if i say so myself i look BRAW:))))))))))))
Bada,
It sure is neebs. They need to either wipe them at the semi stage or make it 3.
I read somewhere it’s 3 in the earlier rounds but I’m not sure how accurate it is.
HH
Leftclick
I wore a kilt to my daughter’s wedding last year.
First and last time I make that mistake.
Good legs, weak hips. ;))
Lefty
Naebody will be surprised at that big fella.
Hope you all have a brilliant day!
HH
Thunder Road,
That just sounds sooo wrong
:D
HH
Leftie
Cowiebhoy mentioned to me you had a special weekend coming up and asked me to pass on his best wishes. May I add my own ya big fekin gem that you are!
God bless you and yours this weekend and for their future.
HH jamesgang
TR
Howdy amigo. How good was Baile Atha Cliath? When you getting through for a match. I will have a ticket for you any remaining games home.
HH
DD & THUNDER READ
Thank you,
Ho Geordie
We’re all metrosexuals on here….well almost all.
Pass me the moisturiser dahlin
HH jamesgang
DD
“Good legs, weak hips. ;))”
Very good 0:-))
JJ
Jamesgang
Thank you and yer special pal aka roaster fae cowie :))))))))))))
DD
When I worked in albion motors.. 1977 – 1983 .. my best mate was a guy from faifley. His dad and mum ran the Boulevard hotel .
He got married in a church in faifley and we wore kilts always remember him sitting on the leather cushioned chair at the altar and when his bare bum hit the cold leather he jumped up and shouted … FFS ;)
Jg,
Its just my crazed mind.
But if thunder Road can see his big fella, I think the kilt is too short.
:))
HH
DO
Sorry for your loss G.
Rip Tommy
Leftclicktic
I hope you all have a fantastic day on Saturday big fella!!
Leftclick
God bless your new family creation.
Paddy where’s yer troosers? ;))))
What a ball by Hummels!
Gute Nacht Liverpool.
Gearoid
Cheers pal. Makes me more aware of my own mortality.
You over for RC match?
HH
Geordie Munro
Yiv gave me a riddy ya bam!
Praecepta-fancied Dortmund,Villareal double 9/2……:(