SENTINELCELTS

This began as a discussion between myself and a work colleague, regarding a recent non penalty decision, in which he claimed his club were looking for transparency and honesty in the game. Yes, you could have knocked me down with a feather. It led to a lengthy discussion where “pot kettle black” immediately sprung to mind.

The discussion also ventured off somewhat to this same club nonsense, that he clings onto like some comfort blanket. I began to remind him, that, of which all my fellow Celtic supporters know regarding honesty and transparency, the real story of how his old club went to the wall, because they had no honesty and even less transparency.

I reminded him that everyone knows that all this continuity myth is pure tripe, and is actually impossible. A fiction developed that somehow the “club” and the “company” are separate, engine room subsidiaries and more …which as every man and even his dog knows is certainly not the case.

There is no legal difference or distinction between the club and the company. They are one and the same. There was, and is, no separate club and company.

In reality, no matter what anyone tells you, it is undeniable that Sevco merely purchased assets, (Ibrox Stadium, Murray Park training ground and a car park), nothing else. They did not purchase a single share in Rangers, if they had done, then they would, most likely have been liable to pay off all the debts incurred by that club. No they merely purchased assets.

Had Sevco purchased Rangers plc, there would have been absolutely no need for them to apply to join the SPL. The very fact that they had to apply to join is all the evidence needed to prove that Sevco is not and was not Rangers.

If I purchased Jimmy Johnstones’ football strip, or his boots, or changed my name by deed poll to “The Jimmy Johnstone” does that give me claim to be the great Jinky himself ? No it certainly does not.

Rangers were liquidated. It is impossible to transfer something from yourself to yourself. So I wasn’t having his nonsense that it was transferred from club to company. No it was certainly was not.

Sevco, who incidentally did not qualify for SFA membership as Sevco did not have three years worth of audited accounts (which was required for SFA membership).

I suggested we should look at the events and who was ultimately responsible for killing his Rangers. As could be expected his side of the debate blamed or involved several parties, among them, Craig Whyte, HMRC, the SFA.

I suggested we look at some of his other suspects…..

Dick Advocaat. The little dutch manager spent over £35million in 1998 his first season in the bears hot seat, he would spend another £36million in the following two seasons, and a further £11million after that taking his spending spree to over £80 million.

Walter (The Cardigan) Smith. In 1991 Smith as manager, was allowed to spend £50million in buying players that would include household names such as Paul Gascoigne, in his second spell in charge he would spend £26million. Bear in mind no other club in Britain at that time was outspending these Rangers managers, also bear in mind that while these outrageous spending sprees were going on, using EBT’s, and during this spell HMRC were looking for around £50million in unpaid tax from Rangers.

Both of the two mentioned above may have spent millions on players and contributed greatly to who killed Rangers, but who was actually behind sanctioning these lavish spending’s ? while their HMRC debt was steadily growing to something in the region of £75million.

David Murray. SDM bathed in media acclaim and was no doubt a pure ego induced showboat, so the work colleague claimed that while David Murray had control of Rangers it was their best period, they now had bragging rights within the Scottish game, as they saw top names in football brought to the club. He was the man sanctioning this extravagant spending, he brought the big names to their club, and was famously quoted as saying “For every fiver Celtic spend, we’ll spend a tenner.”

Something you might say that actually occurred when Celtic bought Chris Sutton for £6million so SDM went out and bought Tore Andre Flop(sp) for £12million.

But my colleague forgets (most conveniently) that SDM never spent his own money, but instead used other peoples money, whether that be from cash injections from outside of the club, using bank loans or money owed to HMRC and other creditors.

You could put forward a very strong argument that all of the above three shared greatly in the downfall of their club, one may even consider that SDM was the most reckless of the three in their fall from Scottish football as he sanctioned their money burning exercise….. but I will present you with the name of the man who was really responsible for their downfall, and this is an undeniable fact.

The man truly responsible may have come as a shock to him, however, I left my work colleague in no doubt, it was none of the above, it was actually….

John “Jock” Stein CBE

Should anyone ever ask you who killed Rangers, then you can unequivocally let them know that this great man was responsible for their death.

Rangers died while trying to emulate the greatest manager Scotland has ever seen, with their “spend spend spend” devil may care philosophy.

He was the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967. Jock also guided Celtic to become the first Scottish team to win nine successive Scottish League titles between 1966 and 1974.

Yes, his Rangers died, while recklessly spending other peoples money, playing ineligible players, defrauding the tax man and countless others, while trying to catch up with, or hang on to the coat tails of Scotland’s greatest ever manager, and greatest ever team.

All their spending was “without a doubt” undertaken with their obsession of trying to play follow the leader, and it killed his Rangers and they were eventually liquidated, attempting a feat that was both futile and one they would never complete.

So to my work colleague and his club who crave honesty and transparency in the game….here endeth the lesson.

Let that sink in.

God bless you Jock.

Hail Hail

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