Sir David Murray bought Rangers in 1988, two years after the arrival of Graeme Souness had kick-started the football club which had spent most of the previous two decades in the shadow of Celtic, then Aberdeen and Dundee United.
Murray maintained the highly speculative transfer policy of previous owner, Lawrence Malborough, achieving considerable domestic success during his first decade at the club.
Last year Celtic Quick News reported his greatest contribution to Scottish football:
“Within a year of taking control of Rangers Murray ended the most blatant sectarian employment policy still in place in Scotland when his club openly signed a Catholic football player for the first time since before World War I. For this, he deserves enormous credit.
“Many of you grew into adulthood in a country where a large part of the population supported a ‘No Catholics at Rangers’ policy. The sense of shock in 1989 when Rangers signed Maurice Johnston will be difficult to relay to a young reader. This was a taboo no one thought would end.”
After Martin O’Neill’s Celtic redrew the balance of power in Scottish football, Murray found it difficult to compete. He also perhaps found it difficult to lose. A highly controversial Employee Benefit Trust scheme was used to compensate dozens of footballers as well as non-football staff. The consequences of this scheme, the legality of which has still to be decided, brought the club to its knees.
Murray’s business interests had grown from its initial base in steel to encompass a huge property investment empire. When the recession brought a tightening of lending criteria and the property crash arrived in 2008, Celtic Quick News predicted Rangers would go out of business. The clock has been ticking ever since.
Murray sold Rangers to Craig Whyte a year ago, later claiming he was “duped” by Whyte, although former chairman, Alasdair Johnston, today disputes this claim.
All roads of this entire debacle lead back to Murray.
Prediction: Sir David Murray will pay a heavier price than anyone else involved in this mess. I’ll hold fire for now on what I think will be the more serious consequences but I expect Sir David, along with Ogilvie, Clark, Whitehouse and others will face an SFA Judicial Panel for what has happened at Rangers and that none will work in football again.
Many thanks for the info on clubs playing out-with their associations’ geographical area. No more needed.
You can buy a hard copy of the new issue of CQN Magazine via Magcloud here.
The graphic below is just for a flick through, to read the magazine go here to it’s dedicated site.
[calameo code=000390171f00e38a3786d lang=en page=58 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
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Talk about stupid huns and up pops rangersmedia. Priceless as always! I wish they would just take this opportunity to say sorry on their deathbed and die…
Once upon a time a wise man said…
“I have been lucky — lucky in those who were around me from the boardroom to the dressing-room. In time of stress, their unstinted support, unbroken devotion to our club and calmness in adversity eased the task of making Rangers FC the premier club in this country.
To be a Ranger is to sense the sacred trust of upholding all that such a name means in this shrine of football. They must be true in their conception of what the Ibrox tradition seeks from them. No true Ranger has ever failed in the tradition set him.”
Our very success, gained you will agree by skill, will draw more people than ever to see it. And that will benefit many more clubs than Rangers. Let the others come after us. We welcome the chase. It is healthy for us. We will never hide from it. Never fear, inevitably we shall have our years of failure, and when they arrive, we must reveal tolerance and sanity. No matter the days of anxiety that come our way, we shall emerge stronger because of the trials to be overcome. That has been the philosophy of the Rangers since the days of the gallant pioneers. “
Perhaps our familiarity with the greatness of these words, and their constant repetition amongst the Rangers support, causes us to fail to truly ruminate and meditate on the significance and entailment of our forefather’s foresight. They are worthy of revisiting and exploration…in fact if they are to claim the greatness which we attribute to them, then they MUST give us both meaning, explanation and encouragement given our current predicament.
The first paragraph speaks of unstinted support and unbroken devotion from the boardroom to the dressing room. It is a sad reflection of the times…and the chairmanship of Sir David Murray…. that the unstinted support at boardroom level which Mr Struth alludes to..has been sadly missing in recent years. Loyalty should not be to a charismatic and ebullient owner, but solely to Rangers football club. The saying that “no man is bigger than the club” is as applicable at boardroom level as it is in the dressing room.
End of.
The second paragraph could have writers waxing lyrical for page upon page. But I will cut to the chase, because after all…we welcome it.
It bestows upon us an allegiance to a sacred trust…a kind of covenant. An adherence to a set of standards which requires an almost mystical, even ethereal understanding of our traditions, they are not written down…. but by virtue of something, way beyond this writer’s understanding, they appear to be imbued in those who are called. Perhaps Mr Struth’s words are epitomised in this following popular saying….
Bluenoses are born, not manufactured. We do not choose, we are chosen. Those who understand, need no explanation. Those who don’t understand, don’t matter.
Mr Struth attested that no true Ranger had ever failed in the tradition set before him. I would respectfully suggest to you that our current predicament has come upon us because the men representing us, charged with guarding our traditions and heritage, have not been “true Rangers”. Perhaps there is a lesson here for Duff & Phelps…its not the content of your wallet which is important…but your love and understanding of the Rangers.
In essence…have you been called.
Mr Struth’s third paragraph requires no vindication. The whole of Scottish football has benefited from Rangers success. In a country where our defeat of the “auld enemy” serves as an almost “opiate for the masses”….. a Wee Blue Devil and a Slim Jim were at the forefront of some of those memorable victories. Not particularly surprising for a club whose players have accrued more international caps then any other in history.
That of course takes no cognisance of the financial benefit to every Scottish club, who host the Rangers, and their travelling support, a support who have never fallen short of the traditions set for them.
“We will never hide from it. Never fear, inevitably we shall have our years of failure, and when they arrive, we must reveal tolerance and sanity. No matter the days of anxiety that come our way, we shall emerge stronger because of the trials to be overcome. That has been the philosophy of the Rangers since the days of the gallant pioneers. “
But we do fear.
Because we have deviated so far from Mr Struth’s vision that we do not know what tomorrow will bring for our club. His vision spoke of a unity from the boardroom to the dressing room. But it was more than just a unity of purpose. It was something far deeper. It spoke of men steeped in the Rangers tradition running the club from top to bottom. Men who did not choose but were chosen. Men who never failed in the tradition set them.
Mr Struth’s words are not a reflection of yesteryear….they are a guarantee of our tomorrow.
The concepts of which he spoke are not our history…they are our future.
It wont happen tomorrow, or the next day, but it will come to fulfilment.
One day Rangers men, steeped in the tradition of their calling, will stand at the helm of our club.
And how will that happen ?
Because those who have and guarded and cherished the precepts from yesteryear, will ensure they become our tomorrow.
That is the power and potential of the Rangers support.
Awake and realise your potential, fulfill the traditions expected of you.
hamiltontim on 23 May, 2012 at 15:33 said:
I agree, but live in hope he has a nugget or two for the old Internet bampots.
But it will be the talk of every steamie tomorrow.
traditionalist88
8th of June does look like the highlight. I will need a rather large carry-oot that night…
Busy day Paul!
I’m sure others will say it too but here is my own ‘thanks’ to you.
God knows how you find the hours AND keep your day job going too. You are keeping it going I trust?!?!?
Anyway the days and weeks ahead sure to be traumatic but historical.
Should I ever meet you I promise to buy you one.
HAIL HAIL
Doc, might take your adivce there. I’ll maybe take advantage of sky plus this time and record the apprentice, tho with a heavy heart might i add.
historical = historic
for the pedants
lol
ASonOfDan on 23 May, 2012 at 15:30 said:
I think there has to be a letter going out to the creditors 14days in advance of a creditors meeting, not sure if thats from duff and duffer or a group proposing a CVA(green).
Doc
That”ll do for me!!!
The Herald reckons that a letter about a CVA meeting won’t go out until Friday – and it has to give 14 days notice.
Paul, what a tempo today! Have you broken the record for the number of articles in 1 day? I imagine there will be more to come….perhaps around 9 o’clock? ;-)) Brilliant analysis as per.
There will be a few perps shaking in their boots the noo. DungChaser (who probably needs to go and a few others, including (Sir) Davie.
Even Govan is Green & Wh(y)te! Mibbee turning black and blue later on methinks!
CannaeWaitCSC
HH Gerry
Doc is Neil Lennon
cheers
hamiltontim on 23 May, 2012 at 15:33 said:
Agree mate,it is now time to name and shame.
Weary Dave got a 10 year contract extension at the Death Star for his 40th [ + EBT].
There was a lot of rockn’ going on that night
Cruising time for the young bright lights
Just down past the gasworks, by the meat factory door
The five lamp boys were coming on strong
The Saturday night city beat had already started and
The pulse of the corner boys sprang into action
And young Billy watched it all under the yellow street light
And said “tonight, of all nights, there’s gonna be a fight”
Billy don’t like it living here in this town
He says the traps have been sprung long before he was born
He says “hope bites the dust behind all the closed doors
And puss and grime ooze from its scab crusted sores
There’s screaming and crying in the high rise blocks”
It’s a rat trap, Billy, but you’re already caught
But you can make it if you wanna or you need it bad enough
You’re young and good looking and you’re acting kind of tough
Anyway, it’s Saturday night, time to see what’s going down
Put on the bright suit, Billy, head for the right side of town
It’s only 8 o’clock, but you’re already bored
You don’t know what it is, but there’s got to be more
You’d better find a way out, hey, kick down the door
It’s a rat trap and you’ve been caught
In this town, Billy says, “everybody’s tryin’ to tell you what to do”
In this town, Billy says, “everybody says you gotta follow rules”
You walk up to the traffic lights,
Switch from your left to right
You push in that button, and that button comes alight
It tells you
“Walk, don’t walk
Talk, don’t talk”
Hey Billy take a walk…with me
Do you want that misery
Sweethearts run free
Little Judy’s trying to watch “Top of the Pops”
But mum and dad are fighting don’t they ever stop
She takes off her coat and walks out to the street
It’s cold on that road, but it’s got that home beat
Deep down in her pockets she finds 50p
Hey, is that any way for a young girl to be
“I’m gonna get out of school, work in some factory
Work all the hours God gave me, get myself a little easy money
now, now, now”
Her mind’s made up, she walks down the road
Her hands in her pockets, coat buttoned ‘gainst the cold
She finally finds Billy down at the Italian cafe
And when he’s drunk it’s hard to understand what Billy says
But then he mumbles in his coffee and suddenly roars
“It’s a rat trap Judy, and we’ve been caught”
Paul67. If Rangers are found guilty of cheating HMRC out of millions of pounds of revenue I would expect if it were you or I we would face criminal charges.Now in my opinion Sir David Murray has got off very lightly up to now.I will not hold my breath that he will face criminal charges and lose his knighthood in this biased bigoted wee country we live in.H.H.
. a Wee Blue Devil and a Slim Jim were at the forefront of some of those memorable victories. Not particularly surprising for a club whose players have accrued more international caps then any other in history.
——————————————————————————————-
They still don’t get it .
Scotland caps given by committee of local masonic lodge.
ASonofDan
Won’t we all!
HH
ASonofDan
No sense of triumphant imperialism in that contribution, at all!
What a load of empty, shallow, W*NK!
But, unfortunately, this is representation of their distorted mindset; that they truly arra peepil whose success and dominance reflects the natural order for the “masses”
DieYaHun!
HH
representation=representative
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon on 23 May, 2012 at 15:41 said:
According to the Herald is Friday a deadline that is movable, a deadline that is absolute or another line the quicksand ragers find themselves sinking in?
If no proposal for a CVA is forthcoming, how long do they have, a week?
Now the fsa have made it clear responsibility for every club rests with its board.
Will uefa hold the sfa board responsible for allowing the cheating hun play in uefa competitions
Wednesday 23 May 2012 10:03
Creditors owed money when Leeds United went into administration in 2007 have received payouts totalling nearly £600,000.
United’s former administrator, accountancy firm KPMG, today confirmed the dividend of 4p-in-the-pound had been paid to unsecured creditors.
The cash has come from funds generated by the sale of Leeds after they went into administration.
If all of the 231 verified claims by unsecured creditors were settled in full, the amount paid out would be just over £18.5m.
But KPMG say that, under the terms of the deal that rescued United from administration, the 4p-in-the-pound dividend is all the unsecured creditors are currently entitled to.
A one-off additional payment of £4.75m will be split among creditors if Leeds win promotion to the Premiership before the start of the 2017-18 season.
Would a decade of systematic fielding of ineligible players (due to a failed tax avoidance ruse) constitute ‘bringing the game into disrepute’? And if so, would it be possibly one of the most, or the most, disreputable episodes in Scottish football history? And if so, what is the ultimate sanction that the SFA can apply in ‘disrepute’ cases?
you’re a busy man today Paul67, ain’t you enjoying this fine sunshine we’re having? :D
hamiltontim @ 15:33
I understand where you’re coming from on that mate but I think it’ll be more to do with who’s saying it rather than what he has to say.
By that I mean what we have all be reading and writing about over the past 18 months can just be passed off as internet bampotary. However when the BBC makes these claims everyone has to sit up and take notice.
The MSM can’t just say that the show is talking pash as the BBC’s legal dept would never air something so explosive unless they had done their homework and had proof. So my take is that this is just underlining what we all know and have known for soooo long.
I cannae wait. Ice cream and jelly at the ready!
HH
/Bishop B
Doc is Neil Lennon
The players revert back to their full contracts on 1st of June. Duff&Duffer previously stated they have no money to cover the clubs expenses from that date either.
Doc is Neil Lennon,
I think Friday is the date they except it to happen – not sure if that is different from a deadline.
The money runs out somewhere around the end of the month. There was talk of Charlie Green putting up a few million to keep things going but I wouldn’t believe that unless someone actually saw the money/
sfa as well
new article posted.
Once upon a time there was a tavern
Were we used to raise a glass or two
Remember how we laughed away the hours
Think of all the great things we will do
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya hun
Die Die Die
Die Die Die Die Die Die
Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I’d see you in the tavern
We’d smile one another and we’d say
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya hun
Die Die Die
Die Die Die Die Die Die
Just a night I stood before the tavern
Nothing seemed the way it used to be
In the glass I saw strange reflection
Was that lonely woman really me?
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya hun
Die Die Die
Die Die Die Die Die Die
Through the door they came familiar laughter
I saw your face and heard you call my name
Oh my friend we’re older but no wiser
For in our hearts the dreams are still the same
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya Hun
Die Die Die Die Ya hun
Die Die Die
Die Die Die Die Die Die
ASonOfDan on 23 May, 2012 at 15:35:
All they have is their chequered history – and that’s about to be altered dramatically.
Ten years from now the person who wrote that will be writing about a club called Glasgow Rangers that used to play at Ibrox Park … ‘dignity’, blah, blah … ‘welcome the chase’, blah, blah … ‘proud traditions’, ect, ect, ect…
AsonofDan.The point you make about the ist of June is very valid if there are no funds to run the club after that date you can bet your last pound coin that the administrators will be for the offski they wont work for nothing.H.H.
HamiltonTim, your right
It will be an anti climax.
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon on 23 May, 2012 at 15:51 said:
Point taken re-deadline, I was being facetious more than anything, don’t find the MSM trustworthy somehow;-)
It would be more than surprising that Green would put money into a company that is expected to go into liquidation. He’s not a fool and wouldn’t throw money away. They really only have week or so to go then. Good.
Paul,
Phew!
And the wheels are still turning.
Thank you
HH
Viva la revolution! Let the heads of the aristocrats roll!
Up with the guillotine!
Not so much a velvet revolution as a Digital revolution.
ASonOfDan on 23 May, 2012 at 15:37 said:
traditionalist88
8th of June does look like the highlight. I will need a rather large carry-oot that night…
I truly hope so ’cause that will be a great BIRTHDAY present for ME!
IfCarlsbergdidBirthdaysCSC
Gerry
Paul
Do you think Moonbeams might quaff a few oysters then dreepie off the end of his yacht around 9pm tonight?
Has anyone checked the Hun pension fund recently?