Scotzine · @scotzine
8th Dec 2014 from TwitLonger
Saving Rangers by Chris Graham
FEBRUARY 14, 2012
Well the moment we all feared may soon be coming to pass. Rangers yesterday formally notified their intention to enter administration. There is no question that there are tough times ahead for the club and the supporters but we all have a part to play in the outcome of this story and we would do well to keep our own counsel during the fight that is about to take place.
Let’s assume for the moment that Rangers are going to enter administration – which seems likely despite the fact that there are still ten days for HMRC to back down and reach an agreement with the club. It’s worth noting that this is a step that Craig Whyte had to take against the backdrop of HMRC possibly winning the tax case. If he hadn’t, and they had won, then there is the very real prospect that they would have sought to liquidate the club. That would be the real worst case scenario. No matter how unpalatable this all is, there will always be a Rangers Football Club and it is very important that we remember this because you can bet that there will be people out there who will try to tell us otherwise.
Firstly we will have those who say that we should punished over and above the SPL rules on administration. Indeed Celtic and their media friends are already making noises to this effect. Talk of 15 point penalties, penalties every year for 3 years and other draconian punishments like starting in Division 3 have all been mooted. The SPL has very clear rules on this – a one off 10 point penalty – but that is not going to stop our detractors from claiming otherwise. The usual suspects are already writing about how we cheated and should be punished further, stripped of titles etc etc. This is where the Rangers fans come into the fight. If ever the club needed us to stick up for ourselves then it is now. We cannot let other clubs in Scotland take advantage of the situation we find ourselves in. I’ve heard suggestions that any club which speaks out against us should suffer from a boycott of their home games with Rangers with the money being kept for the club once this mess is sorted out. I would wholeheartedly support a move like this. It’s time to show other club chairman who are so keen to put the boot into the club just how much they need us.
The second thing that the fans and the club need to do is take careful note of both our friends and our enemies during this time. Some are not yet clear. I’ve been critical of Alastair Johnston on this blog before but it remains to be seen what his motives are in all of this. He has at times spoken well of his wish to extract the club from the mire it finds itself in but I remain disappointed that he could not have secured that future when he was in charge.
Perhaps in the coming weeks he, or some other figure, will emerge to help the situation and if that is the case then they should have our thanks. However, there are many in the media and public life who are already nailing their colours to the mast. I hope they will find that Rangers fans and the club itself have long memories. It is a very short term attitude for these guys to stick the boot into us now because the club will remain and they will always need us more than we need them.
One other thing which I have noticed starting to gather pace is the idea that by entering administration we somehow lose our history. This is nonsense and should be treated as such. It doesn’t and never has mattered what company runs a football club – it is the club itself that is important. Motherwell and Dundee have both emerged from administration with their club records intact. Indeed Celtic, when they were rescued at the 11th hour by Fergus McCann, not only changed their company name but also the club badge and the name on it. I have never heard any suggestion that their history should be expunged and I don’t recall anyone clamouring for that to happen at the time. Of course we now live in different times where Celtic and their fans tend to fight the war off the pitch because they cannot win one on it. Gleeful Celtic fans would have us believe our club will die. Reminding them of the above fact should be all that is necessary but I suspect their delusion will continue.
Most importantly Rangers fans should never forget how we arrived at this point. David Murray may have presided over the club during some of its most successful years but his legacy is that he has brought the club to the brink of ruin. Murray still has many friends in the media who will try to convince us this is all Craig Whyte’s fault, and perhaps he will shoulder some of the blame if he cannot guide us out of this situation to our satisfaction, but only one man brought us here. Murray is due to make a statement this afternoon – anything short of “I created this mess and I will ensure it is cleaned up” is not going to appease the Rangers support.
There will be a lot of pressure applied to a lot of organisations and individuals in the coming weeks and months. Rangers still have many influential friends in Scotland despite what the media might lead us to believe. Can the Scottish Government afford to have Rangers enter administration with the possible economic implications that would cause? Can HMRC afford to be forced to accept a tiny settlement? Will the SPL and SFA bow to the pressure from others in Scottish football to stick the boot into Rangers? When the time comes the support need to be ready to mobilise to increase the pressure and ensure that the best interests of the club are protected at all times.