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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oops, inconsequential should be irrelevant, talk about re-enforcing a mistake, oh dear
Gary Numan is older than Gary Oldman.
BSR
I told you all that LG was useless but naeby listened tae me.
I wish his goals to chances ratio was as good :)
Good Evening.
Here is my latest. Any similarities with people alive or dead is entirely coincidental…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/raw-demotion/
Mr Pastry
At some point the question of Celtic’s role in Res12 will be answered. In that answer the phrase “smoking gun” will play a part. So too will “communication breakdown.”
But that is a distraction to first getting the bell answered.
Isn’t Harry Forrester the wee cute guy in One (mis)Direction?
Kenny Miller will be the only player in the semi final to have played for all three “Old Firm” sides
Neilson said the CLUB came out of administration.
None of the panellists correct him….
West Ham v Man U FA Cup on BBC 1,7pm ko
PHILBHOY
After the Hamilton miss, – Ronny should have said enough ( poor judgment IMHO )
could have cost us points
Glass two thirds
Do you not come out of administration to enter liquidation ??
:-))
THOMTHETHIM
You look handsome in the Hoops.
HH
Watching Paris SG and Man City last night it was difficult to muster any support for either side, both of whom were chequebook creations costing 700 millions according to pundit Eamonn Dunphy. We had Man City who had only one Englishman in it’s ranks and I doubt if he even was born in the city. At the end of the day,I would have l would have enjoyed seeing the EPL side sent packing.
Personally I’ve always hated it when the Sevco fans are referred to as “Zombies”.
I think that term should never be used when referring to thems.
As the Sevco “Games of Throes” nears the end of season IV, I think we should refer to thems by their proper name…
“The Whyte Walkers”.
With any luck, there will be no season V…
Longclaw CSC
MRCANAMALAR@anytime – you use the word obfuscation quite a lot – are you sure you know what it means – it means to obscure and confuse – when you ask questions you do the exact opposite – questions and their answers shed light on subjects, ideas, situations, thoughts and actions – Who, What,Why, Where and How are always the type of question that I ask when I want to know more – HOW is that obfuscation?
THE CLUMPANY
I am, or was, an avid reader of your posts, however, after your horrible attempt to link one of my all time literary hero’s, the poor misunderstood, Sméagol, to the sectarian, racist, deluded, huns, I will regretfully scroll by you in future.
Sméagol, even when he turned into the monster Gollum, is far far nicer than those horrible ugly bastards huns.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkein will be turning in his grave.
You really should know better!
BSR
Agree.
I played amateur fitba’ and if you missed two in a row the honour passed to someone else.
Mr Pastry
Given your fear ‘cqn attack dogs’ I’ll try to be scrupulously fair and gentle.
Your interactions with those involved in Res12 are quite ‘high maintenance’ while your reactions to HT’s evidence on the Farry situation is taking obtuse and turning it into an art form.
One more cynical than me might almost think you were on the wind up…….hope that’s not too ‘attack dog’ an assessment.
ScrappyDappyDooCSC
HH jamesgang
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 13TH APRIL 2016 6:43 PM
THOMTHETHIM
You look handsome in the Hoops.
HH
****
Thanks,
I thought I played well, but I was mutually released after the match.
I blame Lawwell.
Is anyone seriously asking who Harry Forrester is?
Watch any Barcelona game and you will hear them refer to Lionel Messi as “the old Harry Forrester”……
AULDHEID@6:40 – Of course I did not wish to reduce the Resolution to that of a parking-permit – however the principle is much the same – conditions must be met to secure a permit or a licence – were they met, if not, why not?
I have always said that I support the thrust of the resolution, however in order to finally ‘put it to bed’, this type of information needs to be uncovered.
Surely at the end of the day you want to know where the ‘buck stops’ – I am not playing ‘devils advocate’.
Hankray@6.47
Couldn’t agree more. Thought the psg players were looking like a bunch of guys just having a bad day at the office……
More than a club?
More like, little more than a pay cheque
HH jamesgang
Blantyre kev 6, 29 yest
Great post
HH
JAMESGANG@6:49 – Don’t read them then – stick to your ‘easy to maintain’ mantra – just like the “one club” mob.
Does the English league escape Fines by playing early on CL days .
Jamesgang
In my opinion he’s a plant or a troll who I usually ignore. Sometimes however, inaccuracies need to be corrected.
Hope you’re well but have stopped growing :-)
THE RESOLUTE MR PASTRY on 13TH APRIL 2016 6:59 PM
In truth, I don’t read them often.
It does help when catching up!
But even reading a sample tells me what I need to know.
Woof woof!
HT – I think you demonstrated uncharacteristic patience!!!
OttoDaFishCSC
HH jamesgang
Canamalar
Which Celtic pubs were told not to celebrate Easter and the uprising? I drink in one of the biggest in Scotland and we were not told not too
Why don’t the can man and mr pie face not just start their own thread and leave the rest of us out of it? Talk about staying away from here, no wonder.
Prestonpans,
Nope.
They hope to lessen any fine by kicking off early but they still get a baw kicking for breaching rules.
10% of the leagues ‘sweetener’ money was withheld after they done it the last time.
HH
West Ham looking up for it, I always had a soft spot for them…hope they win tonight.
Patsy..,
“when you ask questions you do the exact opposite”
Is simply a lie.
Questions and the ones you ask are not for enlightenment, this is obvious especially when you are provided with the answers to the very few relevant questions you ask.
Your questions are designed to lead people away fron the truth by posing irrelevant questions that emphasise dead ends or irrelevance, make no attempt to seek the truth, such questions are not pointing at the truth but distract from the truth by misdirection and confusing issues.
So when you do it it is obfuscation, see I do know what it means eh
Masty
Don’t know which pubs but there was an article in The Irish Voice this week which had the polis confirming it mate.
HT
Anobody and I mean anybody tells me not celebrate Easter and especially this year can go take a flying copulation
Masty,
I think one bar was stopped from showing a movie / filum and the story has grown arms and legs.
Also, is did Thomson really visit Lennoxtown to ask Celtic not to over celebrate goals and take it easy on the huns. I find this hard to believe.
Would love it if it were true mindya.
HH
Masty,
Ask yer pal tony he posted the links, I’m too busy starting my own thread
Geordie..,
Had you paid attention you’d have understood it was a fair bit more than that, the Celtic club was also warned a few people posted naming places.