But he's well and truly gasted my flabber with this spot on article:
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COME on, Rangers, make your mind up. For more years than I care to remember, both halves of the Old Firm have been desperate to quit the SPL and play in a different league.
Well, the Ibrox club now have the perfect opportunity to break away to the Scottish Third Division. So what the hell are they greetin' about?
Liquidation now seems the most likely option for Rangers (just last night a bluenose pal was trying to convince me that the BIG Glasgow derby is actually Rangers v Queen's Park) but I don't know how the administrators can accuse the SPL of undermining their efforts to keep the club in business.
One quick glance at the Ibrox charge sheet tells you the prospect of docking Rangers 10 points for a couple couple of seasons is hardly Draconian.
What do they want exactly? Sent to their bed with no supper? Fifty lines? Sir Dave and wee Whytey to stand on the naughty step?
Let's just forget about punishing Rangers. To help this Scottish institution bounce back next season, I say we give them a 10-point start in the SPL and 100 per cent of the TV money.
I also think we should nominate one player from every SPL club to sell a kidney with every penny of the proceeds going to the Rangers Fans' Fighting Fund.
For the record, I don't actually want to see Rangers sent down to Division Three - that only punishes the diehard Rangers fans and they weren't the ones at the hey-didddle-diddle. But I appear to be part of a very small minority.
According to an online survey of supporters in the SPL, 93 percent say a Rangers newco shouldn't be re-admitted to the SPL.
And, if that's what happens, 55 per cent of fans say they would turn away from Scottish football and refuse to attend another SPL fixture. Have you got that, Mr Doncaster?
But listen, the Third Division wouldn't be so bad for Rangers. For a start, they could finally give David Healy a proper run-out in the team.
And they'd probably be back in the SPL within three seasons. Unless, of course, their old League Cup foes Falkirk get the better of them yet again.
Seriously, though, Scottish football is now in grave danger of sending out the clear message that cheating will be tolerated.
If proper sanctions are not taken against Rangers, sporting integrity goes straight out the window.
Every club with debts (and there are quite a few in the SPL) could just go to the wall and then look to copy the Ibrox model by bouncing straight back. If Rangers are given special treatment, the baw is well and truly burst.
My fellow columnist Mark Hateley says the SPL and SFA have done little to support one of its biggest members. Well, apart from turning a blind eye for the past 20 years to all their dodgy shenanigans behind the scenes.
But it's not the SPL or the SFA to blame for the current state of Rangers. It's all down to Sir David Murray and, to a lesser extent, Craig Whyte.
Meanwhile, Andy Goram insists there should be more support shown to those clubs that are toiling badly.
What? Like the way Sir Dave supported Airdrie when they were toiling by issuing a winding-up order on the grounds that "business is business"?
The threat from Rangers fans to boycott away games next season is laughable. Listen, if Rangers have no chance of winning the league, I can assure you they'll stay away from the games in their droves anyway. If you don't believe me, just have a look at the pre-Souness attendances.
By the way, don't bore me - again - with all that Eartha Kitt about the vast reduction in TV revenue if Rangers get kicked out of the SPL.
On the day when a Scottish Cup semi-final between a team from Edinburgh and one from Aberdeen kicks off in Glasgow at 12.15pm so the match can be screened on both Sky Sports and the BBC, I honestly couldn't give a Daffy Duck about TV deals.
In fact, let's take this perfect opportunity to put the fans first.
Kill the cameras, cut our cloth accordingly and, well, let's just see what happens...
PS: Paul Murray and the Blue Knights? Sorry, but if I were a Rangers fan, I wouldn't want a member of the "previous regime" anywhere near my club.
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Never Thought I'd Ever Agree With Tam Cowan
posted on 14/4/12
aye tim,I confess,as a teen my fiscal investigatory abilities were sadly lacking
money for a cargo was top priority in them days ffs
posted on 14/4/12
Murney the timing reeks
there have been quite a few admin events in British football in recent years
Why didnt the SFA update their policy using one of these as a benchmark,as opposed to the reactive bullscheidt we're getting now?
posted on 14/4/12
Without trying to seem arrogant DC it's probably because Rangers attracts more media attention than other Scottish teams, would probably be the same if it was Celtic in our position. They are trying to make themselves look better after the horse has bolted.
posted on 14/4/12
Without doubt,gus,bit late for that noo right enough
posted on 14/4/12
Why didnt the SFA update their policy using one of these as a benchmark,as opposed to the reactive bullscheidt we're getting now?
cos Campbell told them RFC(IA) would be ok running their legal tax avoidance scheme.
Pretty straightforward if you ask me.
posted on 14/4/12
The horse has bolted, and Rangers do not want to catch it.
Rangers fans should acknowledge the genuine anger out there, not only among tims, but more broadly at grassroots level.
Rangers have erred, big time. To complain at feather-light punishment is shocking.
Any newco must go to the 3rd.
posted on 14/4/12
Featherlight punishment
wrt to the 3rd,would have a lot less of a problem with this than leaving us sportingly and financially hamstrung in the SPL,purely for the rest to cash in
posted on 14/4/12
It's always gonna look biased coming from a Celtic fab but I think, purely for the integrity of Scottish football they have to start again in the third division.
Otherwise we'll be the laughing stock of the football world, and uefa would do us no favours in the future. The spl unfortunately has to take the hit for three years, with fans really digging in for their teams and turning up to games to keep their teams afloat
posted on 14/4/12
I wouldn't mind us going to the 3rd division. As has been stated; if we liquidate then it's only fair. It would also give the club a chance to re-build and hopefully develop Scottish youth.
I am not confident that we would go straight up the leagues and could see a couple of years in division one but we would get back to the SPL eventually.
posted on 14/4/12
We've already lost 10 points. As I understand it, if we go into a newco it's proposed we'll lose 20 more. A 30-point penalty in total. Plus we'd lose 75% of our SPL money. Plus we'd be barred from European competition for 3 seasons. And no doubt we'd face various other difficulties. But some folk would never be happy no matter how much we were punished, short of extinction.
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Thats what happens when yeez huv been cheatin bersterts fir years