The Immortality Project

The Immortality Project – or – Death and Denial – Guest Post by Humble Pie

Death has a tendency to put everything else into perspective.

My family recently suffered a bereavement. It wasn’t a sudden death but it was still far too quick and far too soon for any of us to get our heads around. As our loved one’s illness progressed, each of us, in our own way, began to prepare for the inevitable. In the end, whilst it was not unexpected, it was nevertheless very traumatic, for everyone concerned.

Grief is a strange and often debilitating set of emotions. Even now, a few months on, when the intense sadness and tears have given way (mostly) to disbelief, we still find it hard to fully comprehend what has happened. We might never completely ‘come to terms’ with that fact, however, we do accept that it DID happen, much as we all wish that it hadn’t.

Many of you will be familiar with the Kubler-Ross model of the five stages of grief; Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Well, I am aware of having experienced each of these stages over the last year, as well as a couple of others which I wasn’t prepared for (a lot of personal reflection, a little guilt and a not insignificant amount of pain).

It seems to me that the Rangers supporters have been purposefully ensnared in an interminable cycle of the first two stages of KR; alternating between the denial of the death of Rangers and anger at what they feel has been done to their beloved club then back again to denial. This, as any first year psychology student will tell you, is a very unhealthy state of mind which, if not addressed, can quickly lead to physiological and behavioural problems.

At its lowest level, for example, people throughout the ages have continued to set places at the dinner table for their long-dead loved ones. They know in their hearts that the person has died but are comforted by the familiarity of doing the same things that they have always done. However, in extreme cases people have even kept and maintained the actual cadavers of the deceased, dressed them, talked to them and watched TV with them, in a state of absolute denial.

In archaeology, accepting and recognising the inevitability of death through conducting ceremonial burial services is considered to be one of the very first signs of a civilised people. You see, grief is a uniquely human and cathartic process i.e. it can produce ‘a feeling of being cleansed emotionally, spiritually, or psychologically as a result of an intense emotional experience’.

In short, grief is ultimately a good thing which leads you through a series of natural psychological steps towards acknowledgement of an unalterable situation, allowing you to take stock, re-evaluate and start to move on with your own life in a positive way.

That is what should have happened with the fans of the old Rangers.

Instead, this ‘never-ending cycle of the undead’ was positively encouraged by those many unscrupulous individuals who saw a way of making a fast buck from maintaining the ‘Then, Now and Forever’ illusion. Worse still, this resurrection fantasy is being facilitated by the very people whom we have entrusted to stop this kind of thing from happening in the first place. If only the SFA or the MSM had told them the truth, they might have had a chance to actually face up to the situation.

Unfortunately, these two bodies were so complicit in Rangers demise, so right up to their necks in the brown smelly stuff, that they were too afraid to face the inevitable anger which would have rightly come their way. So, they made up grim fairy tales to feed to the bereaved souls about non-existent ‘holding companies’, the ethereal ‘club’ which transcends death and by suggesting that it is ‘all a matter of opinion’.

Ernest Becker, in his 1973 Pulitzer Prize winning book ‘The Denial of Death’, posits that “human civilization is no more than an elaborate, symbolic defence mechanism against the knowledge of our own mortality”. This fear of death acts as an emotional and intellectual response to our basic survival instincts.

‘By embarking on what Becker refers to as an ‘immortality project’, in which a person creates or becomes part of something which they feel will last forever, the person feels they too have become part of something eternal; something that will never die, compared to their physical body that will die one day’. When this ‘immortality project’ is threatened it leads inevitably to fear, depression, loss of identity and sense of purpose.

In that case, the initial reaction of the fans to the imminent demise of Rangers was entirely predictable and understandable. “No way, this can’t happen to us, we are the people”. However, as soon as the full realisation of their club’s inexorable slide into liquidation began to sink in, came the expected anger. But towards whom should their righteous wrath be directed?

“Who did this to us, who are these people?” they cried. “Not I”, said Sir Murray of the Mint, “for I was duped”, “Nor I”, said President Ogilvie, “for it was never my role”. “Nor I”, said Mr Smith, “for I never knew nothing or nothing”. “Not us”, squealed the media monkeys in unison, “for that’s what we were told”, “Nor us”, said the SPL “it was nothing to do with us”.

“Who then?, we demand to know who these people are”, howled the horrified hordes. “T’was the Whyte knight”, they all concurred, “he alone caused this calamity”. “And the bampots”, sneered the slimy slug. “And the taxman”, puffed the pundits. “And the unseen hand of Mr Lawwell”, whispered the bilious bears from the safety of their den.

There were even those who tried to warn them, not least Hugh Adam, Phil Mac and RTC but they didn’t want to know. Even when their very own Messrs Green and Traynor spelt out, in no uncertain terms, that liquidation meant the death of their club, still they chose wilful ignorance. The MSM, with access to the same information, encouraged them to keep their heads firmly ensconced, ostrich stylee, on the banks of that ironically blue and white river in Egypt. Which just goes to show ‘you can lead a lamb to knowledge but you can’t make it think’

The point though is that the Rangers fans have heard the truth and once you have heard something you cannot unhear it. Even if you reject it, even if you deny it, it gnaws away at the back of your mind, infecting your subconscious.

Almost a year ago, I posted the following on TSFM. http://theinternetbampot.wordpress.com/2012/09/ in which I postulated that the SFA were too frightened to say anything which might imply that The Rangers were a new club.

Looking back at that post, I am amazed at how little the landscape has changed.

A year on and it has become apparent that the corporate cancer that destroyed Rangers has continued to metastasize in its new host. Charlotte’s revelations may have shown us that the rabbit hole goes much deeper than we first suspected. However, in my humble opinion, the information provided has only succeeded in ‘poisoning the well’ and deflecting attention from the main culprits in this disaster. Layer upon layer of complexity has been added to an already opaque story and the majority of her utterances appear designed to engage the more enquiring minds on this forum and consume their excess mental energy.

I know that some people are bored with this ‘debate’ but, to my mind, the single most important step for the redemption of Scottish football is the fan’s acceptance that The Rangers, who currently ply their trade in the SPFL First Division, are a new club. Once they have accepted that then everything else that they perceive has happened to them will begin to make sense. They will see that rather than everyone having a fly kick at them when they were down, most were actually trying to help them. It will also dawn on them that the very people who have been telling them that there is an anti-Rangers conspiracy against them are actually the same ones who are screwing them over.

Rangers were not relegated to div 3, The Rangers applied as a new club and were granted entry into the bottom tier of Scottish football. They are not banned from European competition, merely ineligible as a new club without the requisite financial ‘history’. Any reference to ‘rulings’ from ECA, ASA, the BBC Trust and any internal or so-called ‘independent’ enquiries are completely irrelevant, as none of these bodies are the final arbiter in this case. Scots Law is clear that there is no distinction between club and company after incorporation, when the company dies the club dies with it. That is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of fact.

Sooner or later The Rangers fans are going to realise this fact and when they do, there will be hell to pay. Until they do, their new club can never become truly cleansed. Only then can they move on and only then can they join together with fans of other clubs to root out the real cancer at the heart of Scottish football.  That’s why the MSM and the SFA are still petrified to say anything. In the meantime the real creators of this disaster are sneakily positioning themselves further and further away from the scene of the crime.

I am sure the majority of us would happily accept a new Rangers, cleansed of its financial, emotional and supremacist baggage. A club that all decent Rangers fans could support without feeling any guilt about Rangers downfall or that they were being taken for mugs. The prospect of a new dawn in Scottish football, where sporting integrity took primacy and clubs lived within their means was very real. However, as usual the SFA couldn’t miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

The truth is that Scottish football is in the state it is in, not because Rangers died but because those with the power and mandate to effect the prognosis sat back and did nothing. I am sure that they believe that ‘time heals all wounds’ and that the longer this injustice is allowed to stand the more likely it will be accepted by the man in the street. No doubt the authorities feel it is in the national interest to ‘let sleeping dogs lie’. However I cannot accept this. I believe that it is vital that we are able to face up to reality so we can move on for the benefit of all football supporters.

Scottish football is at a crossroads right now, I think we all feel it. Rampant corruption has become so mainstream that many of our fellow supporters have began to accept this as the norm. However, it just doesn’t sit right with me and I suspect that many regular contributors and readers of this blog feel likewise.

We have quite lost our way and we live in a society which spends vast amounts of money paying people like Jack Irvine to ensure that we stay lost. The mainstream media treat us like little imbeciles and demand that we conform to their assumed ‘professional superiority’. The PR machine plays up to our stereotypes and feeds our fantasies while the poorest people pay to swallow their poisonous propaganda and relentless trivia.

So what can we do ? Clearly, battering out a few blog posts and strongly worded letters to the various authorities involved has been rewarded by the square root of FA.

How can we make this an opportunity for growth rather than contributing to the destruction of Scottish football ? It is not good enough to tear down a system unless we have a better system to replace it. However, I believe that it is not the system itself which is broken. It is that those charged with administering the system are hopelessly corrupted, hugely conflicted and unable to apply their rules without fear or favour.

By their incapacity and inaction (wilful or otherwise) the SFA have facilitated a motley crew of various spivs, chancers and con-artists to glean the last few meagre pickings from the bones of the emaciated loyal supporters of this new club purporting to be the once mighty Rangers. They have permitted these ne’er-do-wells to collectively appropriate many tens of millions of pounds from the Rangers fans, the creditors and the public purse. They have already allowed this corporate malignancy to spread to a new host, ‘The Rangers’, and the absence of ‘moral hazard’ makes it more likely that the disease will continue to spread.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “‘Nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

Someone else once said, “The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out, it’s just sort of a tired feeling.”

I sense that we are all beginning to get tired of this. It is time to stand together, all football fans, face the facts and direct our anger against the officers of the SFA who have allowed this sham to develop into a catastrophe.

I have no doubt that my humble opinions expressed here will raise the ire of many deluded souls. However, I am comfortable in the knowledge that the only people who get mad at you for speaking the truth are those that are living a lie.

RIP Big Man.

 

3,959 thoughts on “The Immortality Project


  1. Bangordub/Brenda – I think the watch was exchanged for a calendar – its now being exchanged for a 5 year planner.
    …………. By the looks of it The Mayan Calender will run full circle again before accounts are forthcoming .


  2. Tailothebank says:
    September 24, 2013 at 10:39 pm
    =====================================
    For the record I believe the team Celtic had out was a strong one and should have been able to win. In terms of the crowd I for one purposely chose not to go. There has been a lot of expense with European games and midweek games are a mad rush in any case for me. It’s not a lack of respect, more a case of prioritising. I can’t speak for the players but 27 corners does not suggest a lack of effort. It’s great that Morton had a big crowd there and as I say I wish your team luck in the next round. Will the final be at Celtic Park? Hampden is out of commission.


  3. helpmaboab says:
    September 25, 2013 at 5:35 am
    ===============================
    Aside from the fun talk of clocks, planners etc for the release of Sevco accounts, there is a serious question to be asked here. Is there no financial, regulatory, or football body willing to hold them to account (for want of a better word!) in terms of this, and take action against them if they simply don’t bother? Recently we have seen the public release of audited accounts from Hibs and Celtic, and I’m sure there have been others in the past few weeks. Why is it okay for Sevco NOT to issue accounts, and when will ANYONE call them out on this?


  4. Resin_lab_dog says:
    September 25, 2013 at 1:48 am
    15 0 Rate This

    Focus guys… Focus…
    For most of the night this blog has revolved around football, rather than the underhand shenanigans of the establishment! Get a grip!
    Whilst tonight result is – I admit – an entertaining distraction, I can easily get all this informed sports debate and discussion elsewhere.
    And now that not even the Tulloch, home of my beloved Caley can rightly be called a football free zone these days, it seems that soon there may be nowhere left that us chiselly old scroats can go for a proper old mither about the post armageddon apocalyse that has befallen our beloved sport, without having to confront the spectacle of grown men debating the intricacies of honest gladitorial contest played out in atmosphere of repectful rivalry between fans with more in common then dividing them.
    I think its about time the SFA did their duty and stepped in to bring this situation back to the shambles to which we have all become accustomed.
    (psst … Vince Lunny, that’s you cue!)

    ——————————————————————————————

    my uncle up that neck of the woods, would like to correct you
    . . .you mean inverness caledonian thistle
    . . .as caledonian [caley] merged with thistle to form ICT
    . . .although i’m not sure if that’s the club or the company !!!!!!!! ❗


  5. upthehoops says:
    September 25, 2013 at 7:15 am
    Aside from the fun talk of clocks, planners etc for the release of Sevco accounts, there is a serious question to be asked here. Is there no financial, regulatory, or football body willing to hold them to account (for want of a better word!) in terms of this, and take action against them if they simply don’t bother? Recently we have seen the public release of audited accounts from Hibs and Celtic, and I’m sure there have been others in the past few weeks. Why is it okay for Sevco NOT to issue accounts, and when will ANYONE call them out on this?
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Simples – the much-vaunted “fear of public disorder”.

    This is fuelled by the misguided belief that ra Berrs will take to the streets once the penny finally drops that:
    a. Their club did indeed die and what they currently follow follow is a tribute act,
    b. They have been led by the nose by a succession of shysters, spivs and chancers (plus a few “hoors and comic singers”, as my old boss used to refer to Supper Ally and his ilk) and,
    c. They are no longer, “ra peepul”.

    Once it dawns on the MSM, government and police in this country that despite the best efforts of Graham, Leggo, McMurdo, Dingwall et al, the chances of ra Berrs manning the barricades are up there with Annabel Goldie hosting a celebration of the life of Joe Stalin, then we’ll see Sevco being asked the questions that they should have been asked last year, when the IPO first saw the light of day.


  6. So does this mean that the final has to be played at Cappielow now?


  7. To Allan Moore…ex-class mate and ex-team mate…well done…and a Celtic fan to boot!


  8. Paul Murray – Who are these people

    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paul-murray-exclusive-tell-who-2298764

    PAUL MURRAY last night called for clarity from the Rangers board over the identity of its foreign backers.

    Murray, left, who has teamed up with entrepreneur Jim McColl to lead a shareholder uprising against the Ibrox regime, has urged the club to make public the identity of the money men behind investor groups Blue Pitch Holdings and Margarita Holdings.

    Murray’s move comes after the club’s lawyers asked him to hand over details of all those who are supporting his bid for control – and following an announcement on Friday that Blue Pitch and Margarita will team up to back the current board at next month’s agm.

    With around 15 per cent of the club’s shares between them, Murray believes Blue Pitch – who funded Charles Green’s £5.5m takeover – and Margarita could have enough votes to save chief executive Craig Mather and financial director Brian Stockbridge from the chop.

    And he insists the Rangers fans must not be kept in the dark about their identities.

    Murray said: “We spent all of last week identifying who we all are under the section 793 process, which is a legal mechanism for the club to find out who owns shares.

    “I’d like to ask: Has the club done the same with Blue Pitch Holdings and Margarita Holdings? Are they happy with the answers they got? And will they now make public the name of those involved in order that the Rangers supporters are afforded transparency?

    “These people could be about to have a huge say in determining the very future of the club but no-one knows who they are. The fans deserve to be told the truth.

    “We have fully complied with the club’s requests. Every requisitionist has given them authentication of the shares they hold and who the beneficial owners of the shares are.

    “So surely the same rules should be applied all round to all parties.”

    The club’s agm is expected to be held next month, with all directors facing a shareholder vote to determine if they are re-elected.

    Murray and McColl claim to have mustered the support of just less than 30 per cent of the shareholders after being urged to lead a revolt by a group of institutional investors, who are demanding changes.

    A spokesman for the Rangers Supporters Trust said: “One of the many promises Charles Green made was honesty and transparency of the ownership of our club.

    “Most Rangers fans would agree we don’t have that as long as we have shareholders hiding behind these nominee venture capitalist accounts.”

    Last night a spokesperson for Rangers said: “What was asked of the requisitioners was in line with protocol.”


  9. Well done to Morton.
    Tough luck Celtic, you can concentrate on other things now.
    Hoping for more upsets tonight especially Away Down in Gorgie 🙂
    And the Mighty Hibees scoring five.
    I’m hating this armageddonomnishamblesthingy.


  10. Lamp Post Sannies says:
    September 24, 2013 at 11:57 pm
    18 1 Rate This

    One of the arguments constantly rolled out against bigger leagues by the likes of Gordon Dalziel is that teams like (your)Morton(s) just aren’t good enough to compete with premier league clubs, never mind take on the champions.

    Well, his presience and understanding of the vagaries of Scottish football have been highlighted yet again tonight.

    From a competiton point of view there is no valid argument, in my opinion, against bigger leagues. Playing a wider variety of teams with less frequency means results like tonight’s would be more likely leading to closer points tallies at both ends of the table.
    ———–

    Well said, and could not agree more. Time to send out the coast guard to rescue the great teams set adrift on the SFL lifeboat all those years ago while the exclusive liner, that was the SPL, charted a course towards the rocks of Cape Repetitious Monotony. Style it after the EPL with 3 up/down with play-offs thrown in and this lets three new teams move up each year to get a much-needed boost.


  11. Danish Pastry says:
    Time to send out the coast guard to rescue the great teams set adrift on the SFL lifeboat all those years ago while the exclusive liner, that was the SPL, charted a course towards the rocks of Cape Repetitious Monotony. Style it after the EPL with 3 up/down with play-offs thrown in and this lets three new teams move up each year to get a much-needed boost.
    ==========================================================
    Yep but let’s start the planning NOW. Not at the very end of the season. (Who can forget all the frenetic nonsense in March of this year when various restructuring methods – some daft – were proposed?)
    Because if it ends up being done in a way that LOOKS AS IF it is for the benefit of one particular club then we will most of us be – rightly – against it.
    PS Bundesliga does almost the same 3 down / 3 up and that is for an 18-club league. Seems to work.


  12. mirrenman says:
    September 25, 2013 at 8:24 am

    Paul Murray – Who are these people
    ———————————————————————————————————————————————

    Looks like Paul Murray has been reading Ecobhoy’s contributions… must be a fan 😈


  13. UptheHoops
    Thank you for your reply this morning I conceded above that my off the cuff comment at full time was a bit OTT..Of course you had a decent team out and the cost of outings to matches is indeed considerable…in these difficult economic times..particularly on top of our season books
    However .i really sense that most Celtic fans really wanted a treble ..and you often have to go the extra mile to make sure of that kind of thing….
    In a very clumsy way..that is what I was trying to say!

    On a different point…one of the other posters passed comment about the underlying issue of finishing.
    The main reason IMO Morton are toiling struggling in our objective to get promotion/ play off place Vs last season is we don’t have a 25 goals a season striker ..really weak up front
    Celtic could well have the same issue at their more elevated level


  14. “The Rangers support are still talking about getting back where they belong (sic)”
    ______________________________________________

    Well I’ve heard it all now! They want to get back to the 3rd Div. It has to be, they have been no-where else.


  15. DOUBLE STANDARDS FROM GOVAN ? SURELY NOT !

    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paul-murray-exclusive-tell-who-2298764

    Mr Paul Murray speaking to the Daily Record today,

    “The fans deserve to be told the truth.”
    “. . . . in order that the Rangers supporters are afforded transparency”
    “. . . surely the same rules should be applied all round to all parties.”
    .

    The Creditors also deserve to be told the truth and be afforded transparency

    The Taxpayers also deserve to be told the truth and be afforded transparency

    The SFA also deserve to be told the truth and be afforded transparency

    HMRC also deserve to be told the truth and be afforded transparency

    All Scottish football fans also deserve to be told the truth and be afforded transparency

    The FTT & UTT also deserve to be told the truth and be afforded transparency

    Lords Nimmo Smith & Hodge also deserve to be told the truth and be afforded transparency
    .

    There. Fixed that for him lest he be accused of hypocrisy.


  16. Danish Pastry says:
    September 24, 2013 at 11:04 pm

    Btw, judging by the BBC interview I thought Neil Lennon was very gracious in defeat. Nice to hear.
    ——
    I, too, was pleasantly surprised by Lennon’s tone in the BBC piece and thought it worth saying so.

    To be perfectly honest, I loaded it up expecting to get another example of petted-lip whinging. All credit to him. Well done, Mr Lennon – keep it up! 🙂


  17. cowanpete says:
    September 25, 2013 at 8:53 am
    3 0 Rate This
    ——–

    Indeed Pete, it was a bit discouraging last year to see common sense suggestions about bigger leagues dismissed as being part of a pro-Ibrox conspiracy. There’s so much more to Scottish football than that quintessentially dysfunctional entity.


  18. Angus1983 says:
    September 25, 2013 at 9:49 am
    2 0 Rate This

    Danish Pastry says:
    September 24, 2013 at 11:04 pm

    Btw, judging by the BBC interview I thought Neil Lennon was very gracious in defeat. Nice to hear.
    ——
    I, too, was pleasantly surprised by Lennon’s tone in the BBC piece and thought it worth saying so.

    To be perfectly honest, I loaded it up expecting to get another example of petted-lip whinging. All credit to him. Well done, Mr Lennon – keep it up!

    ————————————————————————————

    Lennon’s big mistake yesterday was to talk about winning the cup before his team had reached the QF…..fundamental error, always likely to bite him hard. One game at a time and all that!


  19. arabest1 says:
    September 25, 2013 at 9:57 am
    2 0 Rate This
    ———–

    I only heard the afters, and it was the kind of thing you like to hear the manager of a side that has just been beaten by the out-and-out underdogs. I’m sure a treble was high on the list though, but there’s no divine right and all that. There’s only one club that has that, apparently. It was Armageddon on a stick, and I’m sure the result brought a smile to the face of dear old Arthur Montford.


  20. Paul Murray – Who are these people

    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paul-murray-exclusive-tell-who-2298764

    PAUL MURRAY last night called for clarity from the Rangers board over the identity of its foreign backers.

    Murray said: “We spent all of last week identifying who we all are under the section 793 process, which is a legal mechanism for the club to find out who owns shares.
    ————————————————————————————

    WE SPENT ALL OF LAST WEEK INDENTIFYING WHO WE ALL ARE ………..? Excuse me shouting but this is a joke. Surely ? A week to compile a list of names ?

    Murray is either an idiot on a whole board of idiots – or he thinks we inernet bampots are all idiots. Or both ?
    A week to compile a list of names ?


  21. I hope we can do to Barcelona what Morton did to us last night, I’ll be over the moon……again.

    Well done Morton and good luck in the next round.

    I’m gutted but loving the armagaddon.

    Never a penalty though 🙂


  22. very quiet today…..would be a terrible day to announce bad news!!!


  23. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    September 25, 2013 at 11:54 am

    Bad news? What bad news?

    They’re debt free and on their way back to their rightful place.

    What possible bad news could there be?


  24. Tailothebank says:

    September 25, 2013 at 8:58 am

    However .i really sense that most Celtic fans really wanted a treble ..

    Not a Celtic supporter and haven’t spoken to many about it, but from the posters on here and comments seen in response to the BBC’s reports on the game, it certainly doesn’t come across that people are upset about not winning the treble. I know the posters on each probably form a pretty small minority of Celtic fans, but I was pleasantly surprised at how welcoming they are of the fact that all 3 trophies won’t be won by Celtic this season (or recent seasons). Hopefully, having gone through years and years where only two clubs win everything available (most of the time), they now realise the benefits of other teams having opportunities too. I’d add it to the list of benefits from RFC’s demise – Celtic fans don’t mind missing out on trophies, provided it’s not to them!!


  25. nawlite says:
    September 25, 2013 at 12:46 pm

    I was out last night and only caught the result when I came in. Surprised ! yes, upset ! NO. I’m all for the share of the spoils going around, it also attracts more interest in my opinion if the big two don’t win for the competition aspect of sport. Whilst I’m all for my team winning I think it is a pointless exercise and less enjoyable pastime if you hump everybody and there is no competition. I want to go to a game and wonder if my team can get a win and sit on the edge of my seat.


  26. NTHM @11.54 am

    The calm before the storm?? 😉 Fridays are usually quite good for bad news stories 😛 in the hope that the rest of us are so excited it’s the weekend we won’t notice 😆


  27. In addition to summer football I would like to see the introduction of safe standing areas. It’s not something I would alway want to use myself, not with these knees, ankle, back … you get the picture. I really do think this would help revitalise the game. For me there is no doubt that people standing are much more likely to be boistrous, singing, enjoying the game and creating a better atmosphere for everyone. This can have a snowball effect, attracting more people to the game to soak up that atmosphere rather than watching it on the TV or whatever.

    http://fsf.org.uk/latest-news/view/celtic-we-want-safe-standing

    {There are some photos and links in the above article, I don’t know how to put them here.}

    Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell says he would like to introduce safe standing areas into Celtic Park. Lawwell saw the system work in Germany and says he thinks it’s the “safest way” to manage the “new vibrancy in football”.

    Standing is permitted in Germany and many Bundesliga clubs have safe standing areas. In December 2011 the Scottish Premier League expressed its support for safe standing pilots.

    Speaking to Press Association Sport Lawwell said he thought that it was time to deploy some of the systems used in other countries such as Germany.

    Lawwell said: “We feel there is a new vibrancy in football that has come from Europe and is now in the UK. It’s an energy and youthfulness and the safest way of being able to manage that is through safe standing.

    “These are new systems that have come in place that are extremely safe and we are very keen to explore that at Celtic Park.”

    Solution

    Lawwell said that young fans brought “an awful lot to the game” but said there were certain types of their behaviour he would not deem safe – a reference to persistent standing in seated areas.

    He said safe standing areas were the “ultimate solution for that” and explained the club still had to persuade the safety committee at Glasgow City Council, police, ambulance, fire service and the Scottish Parliament.

    “It’s not legislation but I think Holyrood need a policy review, rather than legislation, with regard to allowing this to happen as well. We will apply for that,” said Lawwell.

    Dozens of clubs from the professional English league system now back the Football Supporters’ Federation’s Safe Standing Campaign, including six from the Premier League. The Football League has also said it would like to “explore” safe standing areas.

    While the FSF represents fans in England and Wales – fans north of the border have Scottish Fans – if Celtic were to introduce such areas it would still be a boost for the Safe Standing Campaign. If safe standing is permissible in Scotland, why not England too?

    Find out more about the FSF’s Safe Standing Campaign…


  28. briggsbhoy says:

    September 25, 2013 at 12:58 pm

    BB, it’s a really interesting point. I wonder if the Celtic fans who post here and on the BBC report I mentioned are a ‘silent’ majority’. Are most of the Celtic fans in fact p****d about going out of the LC and missing the chance of a treble?

    I know what I’m about to say is a sweeping generalisation, but the posts I have seen from Celtic fans are vastly different than the posts I see – and have seen today – from RFC* fans. We have talked before on here about the sense of entitlement and recent and past posts show that – consider how they celebrate winning against the comparatively poor (in both senses) opposition where they are now, while I imagine that most Celtic fans would be more humble/embarrassed. Is that because RFC* only ever want to win and it doesn’t matter who they beat, they’ll be proud of winning no matter the opposition? Any posts I have seen on Facebook following the Morton game last night are from my RFC* supporting friends who automatically assume Celtic fans will be gutted at missing out on the treble. Interestingly, the responses from my Celtic supporting friends are similar to those on here i.e. “I’m a bit disappointed, but it’s good for the game.” It says it all about the culture that the RFC* fans don’t believe the Celtic fans are being honest!


  29. Well, i’m a Celtic fan and I’m very disappointed to be out of the cup.

    I’ve only seen Celtic win 1 treble in my lifetime, and I hope celtic will win every match they play/competition they enter.

    i’m gutted we are out and another chance of a treble has slipped away. I’m happy for Morton fans though (not that i know any personally) and they’ll feel 10 feet tall today and will have a lot of bragging rights in work this morning and for the next 1000 years or so!! LOL

    I’ll be honest, i’m not Neil Lennons biggest fan, I’d be quite happy if he moved on. The performances from Celtic are generally below par domestically. 2nd exit of a cup to lower league teams in a couple of years – once – forgivable, twice is careless. can’t believe Celtic lined up with a 4-5-1 at home to a lower league team. can’t believe they are talking of winning the cup before they have reached the final.

    However, they have exceeded expectations in Europe. Something he does deserve credit for.

    Shame he can’t get a level of consistency.

    Congratulations Morton

    As for Celtic, well, lets go for the treble again next year. (and on days like this, the balance sheet counts for nothing!)


  30. Speaking as a Celtic supporter I am disappointed whenever we don’t win a game, at any level. However the reality is that in a one off game pretty much anything can happen. Celtic have proven that many times, either as the beaten favourite, or the winning underdog. I would argue that there is at least as a big a gulf twixt Celtic and Barca than between Morton and Celtic. In recent times we have won a game most people would have bet on us losing, and lost a game most people would have bet on us winning.

    So it goes.

    Good luck to Morton, I have a few friends from the area who support Morton and I am sure it meant the World to them, in a sporting sense. Good luck to them and to the rest of the teams left in the cup.

    On it being for the good of the game, of that there can be no doubt. The trophies being spread out a bit, different fans having the whole cup final experience, players seeing that they can beat the “bigger” team and gaining confidence from it can only be a good thing.


  31. Nawlite @ 1.31 pm

    And let’s face it rfc* fans and sevco fans are always honest and dignified 😆


  32. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    September 25, 2013 at 1:44 pm
    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    I’ll be honest, i’m not Neil Lennons biggest fan, I’d be quite happy if he moved on
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
    Stand by for a countervailing opinion on tonights SSB from regular caller Laurie.


  33. How many times have we all watched our team batter the opposition only to lose the game in the last few minutes ? as a Celtic fan I cant even count the times.
    So what,it’s football,sh!t happens.
    I spent the last few minutes of last nights game laughing my head off,I knew we would not score.but I didn’t care.It’s football,these things happen,Barcelona anyone.
    The excitement generated by probably the worst commentator I have ever heard was brilliant,It was because he was so bad that he was the perfect man for the job.
    We are Scottish football fans,we love it when the underdog wins,because we are usually that dog.
    My team lost,but the Sun came up this morning (somewhere) life goes on.
    Well done Morton and good luck in the next round.
    We’ll do it next year.


  34. Tic 6709 says:
    September 25, 2013 at 2:46 pm

    How many times have we all watched our team batter the opposition only to lose the game in the last few minutes ?
    ——
    Aye, it’s part of the game. The flipside is that sometimes it happens the other way round. 🙂

    What always gets me is the losing manager coming out with “We deserved to win” or “We did enough to win”. Having scored less goals than the opposition it should be self-evident that they didn’t, on either count.


  35. nawlite says:
    September 25, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    I’m sure there are some within the Celtic support who will be annoyed about last night, I’m not one of them. Should Celtic have been losing league games I’m sure the response from a large majority would have been more of the “not good enough” and “he or they needs to go and they are not good enough to wear the shirt” type reaction.

    I recall being in Belfast about 30 years ago and I was staying with a relative of my fathers who was a lawyer and one evening when I met him after work we were heading back to his car, we met a fellow lawyer. He could not find his car and couldn’t recall which car park in one of the back streets he had parked it in, he was very agitated. He got even more agitated when he discovered I was from Glasgow and he started berating me about how he had had a heart attack the last time he was in Glasgow at a Celtic match. He said everybody just assumed he was drunk and ignored him until somebody finally recognised he was ill. The funny thing was he said he got the heart attack because of the way Celtic played and it always got him stressed. “They could be two nothing up son” he says “and you still expect them to lose two goals in the final ten minutes, it’s terrible, I find it all incredibly stressful when I watch the Celtic, they just don’t play well”. I replied “well for me that’s what it’s all about on the edge of your seat excitement”.

    There was only one team I never liked being beaten by, no hints 😆


  36. Angus1983 says:
    September 25, 2013 at 2:52 pm
    What always gets me is the losing manager coming out with “We deserved to win” or “We did enough to win”.==========================================
    I would have no problem banning after-match interviews with managers, winning or losing. In every sport. In every country.
    Apart from that classic interview when Trappatoni was the manager of Bayern FC. They had just been humped and he was fuming. His German wasn’t great but he totally managed to slag off Thomas Strunz and then he stormed off in an Italian huff. Making “Ich habe fertig” and “Flasche leer” immediate entries in the German Book of Football Cliches.
    I am sure it’s on you tube well worth a watch even if you have no German.
    added:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU5bqG9Fx8g


  37. Rangers FC Official
    @RFC_Official
    #Rangers & @RFC_Charity are proud to be welcoming over 400 armed services personnel to Ibrox on Saturday:


  38. This sort of thing seems intended to boost the image of the faltering Ibrox regime more than the military, if you ask me. Stand next to a real hero to make yourself look good type of thing. I’m surprised the relevant authorities allow themselves to be aligned with Ibrox in this way:

    “RANGERS and the Rangers Charity Foundation are proud to be welcoming over 400 armed services personnel to Ibrox on Saturday as part of a special event to honour the brave men and women of our armed forces …”


  39. NTHM & DP

    Why?? After last years shambles?? Why are the armed forces playing along??


  40. Can anyone tell me why there has been absolutely no share trades on the Rangers today?


  41. Hmmm. Michael Johnson of Kilmarnock

    What interpretation of which rules stop him charging fans of his team less?

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24259755

    http://spfl.co.uk/docs/067_324__therulesofthespfl_1375800603.pdf

    Admission Prices, Admission to Grounds and Ticket Distribution
    I26 The Home Club, in its absolute discretion, shall determine admission charges for
    League Matches and Play-Off Matches.

    I31 Except as provided in Rule I32, a Club which is the Home Club for a League Match
    or a Play-Off Match is prohibited from charging higher admission prices to
    accommodation designated for supporters of the Visiting Club than for broadly
    comparable accommodation designated for use by supporters of the Home Club at
    the same match.


  42. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    September 25, 2013 at 3:35 pm
    3 0 i
    Rate This

    angers FC Official
    @RFC_Official
    #Rangers & @RFC_Charity are proud to be welcoming over 400 armed services personnel to Ibrox on Saturday:

    It’s getting close to their favourite time of the year, you can almost smell the scent of the poppies from the tail end of September.
    Tax dodgers and charity pilferers celebrating the Armed Forces? you couldn’t mark their etc. etc.


  43. Why this saturday? Why so early? Maybe they don’t think they’ll make it to November? Where are those audited accounts 😉


  44. More mystery about the overseas Rangers shareholders.

    Former Rangers director Imran Ahmad who was also a major shareholder in the company with 2.2 million shares but got his marching orders after it was discoverd he had been posting confidential club information on a Rangers fan website under pseudonyms including ‘In the know’.

    Back in 23 October 2012 he revealed that ‘Blue Pitch Holdings’ had 4 million shares and linked the name Mazen Houssami to Blue Pitch. But he went further and said: ‘On that pre IPO list of investors the Celtic lot don’t seem to understand are some of the brightest people in the financial services industry.

    ‘Arif Naqvi pulled out due to blog sites printing complete rubbish about him thus selling his shares to Housammi. Mr Naqvi just bought a fertiliser company in Egypt for £1.3 billion and is looking to buy another 4-5 similar companies in Egypt – he can’t be f*cked with the noise he was getting about a little investment like Rangers – doubled his money in 3 months and went on his merry way.’

    Without a complete Annual Return for TRFCL it’s impossible to know whether Mr Ahmad got things correct or not and how many shares Mr Naquvi bought and whether he doubled his money in three months by selling them to Mr Houssami or Housammi but Blue Pitch Holdings certainly appears to be one of the original Sevco 5088 Ltd investors who eventually became a shareholder in TRFCL and then RIFC Plc.

    But there is another side to this story and fuller details can be seen at: http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/ecojon-on-the-greenmcmurdo-discrepancy-and-mr-naqvis-investment-in-rangers/

    Back in February this year McMurdo the Younger, who is currently blogging hard for the current Rangers Board, said that Naqvi had invested £2 million in Rangers but Charles Green denied that and issued a statement: ‘I would like to clarify that in the case of Blue Pitch Holdings, the legal beneficiary is Mazen Houssami and not Arif Naqvi of Abraaj Capital’.

    Green added that he had approached Naqvi ‘early on in the process about a shareholding’ and explained: ‘But HE HAS NOT PROCEEDED on the basis that the investment fell outside the core geography he invests in.’

    So we have Imran Ahmad as ‘In the know’ and McMurdo claiming Naqvi invested and Green saying he didn’t. Obviously it’s possible that Ahmad was McMurdo’s source but I can’t state that as a fact.

    But the real cracker is what McMudo added: ‘I am led to believe that it was Orlit Enterprises that introduced Arif Naqvi of Abraaj Capital to Rangers’.

    This all becomes quite confusing because Green stated he was a personal friend of the fabulously wealthy Mr Naqvi so if anyone was doing the introducing then it would be Green you would have thought.

    However the fact that Orlit were allegedly involved is interesting – remember Orlit and their court action and threat of a winding-up order for unpaid commission for introducing investors to Rangers. Well we know they were paid by Rangers and the action was withdrawn but we don’t know if the money owed to them had any connection with bringing Mr Naqvi on board.

    So if Mr Naqvi doubled his money to £4 million in three months presumably that will show in the accounts and also in a completed Annual Return for TRFCL. I await the production of audited accounts and a completed Annual Return and perhaps the questions will be answered.

    Some more info on investors:

    http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/who-are-the-mysterious-sevcorangers-investors-some-answers-guest-post-by-ecojon/


  45. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    September 25, 2013 at 3:35 pm

    #Rangers & @RFC_Charity are proud to be welcoming over 400 armed services personnel to Ibrox on Saturday:
    ——————————————————————
    If the armed forces made an offer to every top league club to send some representatives along at this time of year then fair enough, that is at least looking out for their own PR. Maybe they did. But if they have just allowed themselves to be aligned with one club’s PR (as happened last year) that would just be tawdry (even without the tax-shirking and charity double dealing associated in the public mind with that particular club).


  46. Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    September 25, 2013 at 3:35 pm
    5 0 Rate This
    ———–
    Snap at 3:35 pm! Some timing 😎


  47. Talking of the RFC charity…

    I’m planning ahead for a family holiday next year, but budget is tight.
    I wouldn’t mind going on a free holiday – maybe white water rafting here in the States ?

    Who do I contact at the RFC Charity to claim a free holiday…? Allegedly… 🙄


  48. ecobhoy says:
    September 25, 2013 at 4:21 pm
    2 0 Rate This
    ———-

    How does the doublng of money trick work? Three months lending of £2m = £4m repayment? Big talk bravado? Or an odd use of the millions put into the club by fans?


  49. Danish Pastry says:
    September 25, 2013 at 4:43 pm
    ecobhoy says:
    September 25, 2013 at 4:21 pm
    ———-
    How does the doublng of money trick work? Three months lending of £2m = £4m repayment? Big talk bravado? Or an odd use of the millions put into the club by fans?
    ===============================================================
    There was a lot of talk early last summer that the original investors were promised that they put cash in and got cash back and that this was apparently backed by a debenture which was prperty-backed.

    However it was again said and I have no physical proof of this and I don’t think anything has come up in CF that instead of cash-back there would be shares in the Plc. Apparently some told Green where to go and it was said at the time Naqvi was one of these and he got paid in cash as per the original deal. I often wondered at the time whether the IPO was meant to happen a lot sooner than it did.

    But don’t forget that if Naqvi was in as Imran Ahmad suggests and if you look at my link in my original post you will see the totally separate linkage I was making to Naqvi – then he was in and out long before the IPO and if he was repaid then there’s a possibility that Moussami/Mousammi bought the shares that Naqvi wasn’t apparently accepting.

    But I can’t see anyone other than Rangers paying Naqvi’s profit and if they did what is it under in the interim accounts? OK they weren’t audited but you would expect a figure – possibly up to £2 million – to show in the 12 month audited accounts we are waiting on.

    This is the problem when mystery people own any business and especially a football club. In the beginning Blue Pitch was the biggest investor in the original consortium. Don’t forget that original 1p investors could have made 94 times their money from the time they invested in May/July 2012 until January 2013. So I don’t think a doubling of cash in three months would be that special.

    I would really love to know if any of the commission paid to Orlit or claimed by them was in respect of Naqvi especially as he was such a good personal friend of Green’s 🙄


  50. ecobhoy says:
    September 25, 2013 at 5:10 pm
    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    I’m liking your pulling together of these “loose ends”.


  51. Eco,

    I do hope you’re not suggesting that Orilt received their commission (using RFC* funds) on the back of the transaction that allowed Navqui to double his money (with RFC*funds) because of the involvement of a good friend of theirs who may or may not have been on the RFC board at the time. 😉


  52. Smugas says:
    September 25, 2013 at 5:34 pm

    Eco,

    I do hope you’re not suggesting that Orilt received their commission (using RFC* funds) on the back of the transaction that allowed Navqui to double his money (with RFC*funds) because of the involvement of a good friend of theirs who may or may not have been on the RFC board at the time. 😉
    —————————————————————————————————–
    Others might but not I, Sir 😈


  53. TW says:
    September 25, 2013 at 4:28 pm
    Not The Huddle Malcontent says:
    September 25, 2013 at 3:35 pm

    #Rangers & @RFC_Charity are proud to be welcoming over 400 armed services personnel to Ibrox on Saturday:
    ——————————————————————
    If the armed forces made an offer to every top league club to send some representatives along at this time of year then fair enough, that is at least looking out for their own PR. Maybe they did. But if they have just allowed themselves to be aligned with one club’s PR (as happened last year) that would just be tawdry (even without the tax-shirking and charity double dealing associated in the public mind with that particular club).
    ===========================================================
    I actually think it would be up to clubs to invite the Armed Forces if they wished to celebrate National Armed Forced Day which is usually in June, Obviously being outwith the football season makes the National date unsuitable for football clubs.

    I don’t see it as the Armed Forces allowing themselves to be aligned to Rangers PR as the decision on this is for individual clubs and their fans to make IMO.


  54. I believe that I was one of the first to post comments at the time of the last Armed Forces Memorial when it took place at Ibrox about a year ago. I expressed my absolute disgust at what went on, and received over 250 TUs, although this isn’t always the best indicator of approval or disproval.
    I can also remember that other more capable posters followed this up by writing to the top brass in the military.
    Eventually a response was received, which from memory indicated that in future the services would be very careful if something similar ever occurred.
    Could I ask that if anyone has a copy of the response could they please either post it on here, or alternatively if the moderators are not keen, could this be PMd to me.
    I will delay making comments on the recent invitation and await with interest the going ons at Ibrox.
    I think that it would be safe to assume that further correspondence with the military top brass will result.
    The bears really can’t help it,,


  55. billyj1
    We better not jump the gun[no pun intended] on this one ,with what is about to come out it might need more than the local trouser rolled up plod to stop any riots at the sevco run properties of Ticketus ,the proverbial is winging its way towards the fan[s] and when it hits it going to hit big time,some where hoping the bears would be in hibernation before this happens but the rumbles from the jungles are indicating otherwise ,oh dear its a holiday weekend in Glasgow this weekend ,bit of advice for us all ,Blackpool is looking good this weekend.


  56. I think we are maybe getting ahead of ourselves re the invitation to the Armed Forces.

    I think many on here including billyj1 above did their bit it trying to stop a repeat of the undignified spectacle that occurred last year.

    However that is miles away from offering free tickets or whatever it is to members of the armed forces and perhaps making a mention of them on the day. Even a wee bit at half time isn’t that out of order as any club is entilted to show support for one charity or national organisation as they see fit.

    If it was 400 nurses being invited to Fir Park then nobody would bat an eye.
    (There’s a joke in there but I’ll leave that to others).

    T’Rangers have, for whatever reason, chosen to shine a light on our troops. As long as it is done with dignity then I for one can’t see the problem albeit many of those cheering on the day will be the same ones that cheered for the oldco taxdodgers and as we know they don’t do irony.

    End of the day when your out in Helmand do you want a free ticket to Ibrox or the taxpayers providing you with a decent helmet!!


  57. FIFA
    Sounds bad ,that does .
    Do you think the army will be called out to keep order


  58. It must be the lull before the storm.

    There was only 1 trade in Rangers shares today at 4.19pm for 3 shares with a trade value totalling £1.52.

    Who knows what it all means?


  59. Tailothebank says:
    September 25, 2013 at 8:58 am
    =================================
    Tailothebank, I would have replied sooner but my Company has very strict guidelines on Internet use and posting on messageboards and forums is prohibited. Incidentally it is a rule I agree with.

    I will get to Morton later, but thinking back to last night I certainly would have wanted Celtic to win the treble, but although there was much disappointment at going out I have thought long and hard at just how good a place the club is in right now, and such a defeat is not the disaster it would have been in the 90’s, when the club was initially in a terrible place. However, through the efforts of the fans and the saviour Fergus McCann, a solid base was formed that has remained ever since. When I listened to the Chief Executive getting interviewed last night on the financial results he was very forthright and made it clear without Champions League income downsizing would be required. Just imagine the positions were swapped and David Murray was still in charge at Ibrox.

    So onto Morton. I remembered last night some years ago they had a chap called Hugh Scott as owner who basically ran them into the ground, and only the actions of fans and some astute businessmen saved the day. A colleague at the time told me he was paying a monthly direct debit into a fund to held keep the club going. Clearly, your club means as much to you and your fellow fans as mine does to me. So when all is said and done yes, I wanted to win last night, but we move on. I have Barcelona to look forward to and you have the excitement of the quarter final draw – a home tie would be good eh?

    All the best, and this truly is a great forum. More power to it!


  60. I posted a complaint to the bbc re the Jim spence brouhaha. Received this response from bbc complaints dept this evening…..

    “Thank you for your correspondence. We received and responded to complaints about remarks made by Jim Spence on Sportsound (4 September), a number of which are subject to further scrutiny by the BBC’s independent Editorial Complaints Unit. On the issue of personal safety, we take our duty of care to staff very seriously and we have in place policies to ensure that, when security issues arise, staff receive the support they need”

    Make of it what you will…


  61. billyj1 says:
    September 25, 2013 at 6:30 pm

    . . . at the time of the last Armed Forces Memorial when it took place at Ibrox about a year ago. I expressed my absolute disgust at what went on. Eventually a response was received, which from memory indicated that in future the services would be very careful if something similar ever occurred.

    Could I ask that if anyone has a copy of the response could they please either post it on here, or alternatively if the moderators are not keen, could this be PMd to me.
    ================================================================
    For obvious reasons this subject can get emotive so I think we should be clear on the facts. What happened last year at Ibrox was meant to be an act of remembrance for the fallen. What took place was in the utmost bad taste and the Armed Forces Scottish Command instructed that their forces would not be put in that position again by making it clear that the only appropriate act of remembrance was a period of silence.

    What is being held this year at Ibrox is a celebration day in recognition of our Armed Forces which as far as I can see will be very similar to what happened last year. The difference being it is not an act of remembrance this time so there is room for more of a fun and festive atmosphere.

    I really think we have to lighten-up on this issue as it really is up to individual clubs what they want to take place in their grounds and fans should have a say as well.

    The worst thing about last year, from my perspective, was that there appeared to be no officers present during the march onto the pitch and I believe was a major factor in the subsequent breakdown in discipline which ensued and I have no doubt the top brass were apalled by what they saw.

    I also have no doubt that the same top brass will have this year’s celebration event monitored as the Armed Forces are very jealous of their reputation and PR and quite rightly guard it.

    But the service personnel taking part are volunteers and no one forces them to go to Ibrox – they want to go and what’s wrong with that ❓

    The Daily Record carried the reaction story to last year at: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/rangers-remembrance-day-parade-branded-1558062


  62. jerfeelgood says:
    September 25, 2013 at 7:13 pm
    0 1 Rate This

    I posted a complaint to the bbc re the Jim spence brouhaha. Received this response from bbc complaints dept this evening…..

    “Thank you for your correspondence. We received and responded to complaints about remarks made by Jim Spence on Sportsound (4 September), a number of which are subject to further scrutiny by the BBC’s independent Editorial Complaints Unit. On the issue of personal safety, we take our duty of care to staff very seriously and we have in place policies to ensure that, when security issues arise, staff receive the support they need”

    Make of it what you will…

    Same for me. Doesn’t answer my point about the BBC apologising for employees speaking the truth. I didn’t mention personal safety either.


  63. If Rangers are continuing to give away tickets to their home matches, then providing them free to the armed forces is something to be welcomed. Many clubs down here do it – and quite a few are part of the Tickets for Troops charity – https://www.facebook.com/ticketsfortroops – where it is the charity that gets the recognition. Rangers don’t seem to do charity very well!


  64. Upthehoops
    Class response..but Did you have to mention HS? I had erased that name from my personal Mental hard drive.
    Agree a win Vs Barcelona for you and a Home tie Vs Hibs (or even better Aberdeen) for us would do Scottish football VERY nicely !


  65. The sight of armed forces personnel wandering about, in uniform, wearing Rangers scarves absolutely appalled me. The same would be true had they been wearing a Celtic scarf, a Motherwell scarf, a Morton scarf or any other scarf.

    They are employed by all of us and paid by all of us. They represent us when they put that uniform on and there should be nothing there to indicate a favouritism for any group, organisation or section of society.

    What the lads and lassies want to do and who they want to support when out of uniform is a matter for themselves, subject to the rules they agreed to when they signed up. However parading about a football ground wearing one teams scarf whilst in uniform is so wrong as to beggar belief. Whether it is supposed to be some sort of fun day or not is irrelevant in my view.

    With regard last year’s disgraceful display of “remembrance”, I only hope some of the people there and those responsible for them were taken to task over that.


  66. Tailothebank says:
    September 25, 2013 at 7:43 pm
    ============================
    Sorry about casting up the bad memories for you! Hugh Scott sticks in my mind because when he took over Morton an acquaintance of mine who had gone to school with him and kept tabs on him thought Morton would rue the day he arrived. How right he was. Your club seems to have a good board now though – I’m sure they enjoyed the whisky in the Celtic Park Boardroom last night!


  67. Tif Finn says:
    September 25, 2013 at 7:55 pm

    I’m afraid that other than agreeing with you wrt last year I don’t really go down the line of disgrace to the unifom wearing a scarf in the particular circumstances and I would have the same view for any football club.

    I am sure that the necessary instructions will be passed and this time there will be no total breakdown in the command structure as seems to have happened last year. However if the GOC Scotland states that it is acceptable for his troops to wear football scarves whilst in uniform in a football stadium then I personally won’t complain.

    Similarly if they want to play football in uniform and that is deemed acceptable then fine. However for all we know that might not be allowed and personally I would rather wait and see what actually happens.

    As to other issues again let’s wait and see what happens on the day. Personally I hope the 400 have a great day out and I am sure lessons will have been learnt.

    The modern army is not the one of my grandfathers or even my dad’s days in uniform. Times change and I am happy to leave it to those in charge of the troops to decide what is acceptable and what isn’t. But I accept different individuals will have different viewpoints and that’s fine.

    We all expect a lot of our troops and they too often have to pay a heavy price either in death or terrible physical and psychological injuries. All I ask is for anyone considering this issue to try and separate the fact that the event is taking part at Ibrox being hosted by Rangers. I can imagine what it was like for the troops out on the pitch with 40+K fans cheering and singing – it would be hard not to lose calm whether a soldier or a civilian 🙂

    It’s also worth remembering the young age of lots of those taking part and from memory there were quite a lot of TA soldiers there as well. I make no excuses for last year but am trying to set the scene for this year which is a celebration of our troops and a thankyou for what they do outwith Ibrox or any other football stadium..


  68. Extract from TRFC website
    ======================

    “RANGERS’ bid to sign Marius Zaliukas is all but over after the Lithuanian turned down the club’s contract offer to pursue other options.

    The former Hearts player spent just over a week training with the Light Blues earlier in the month and manager Ally McCoist was keen to bring him on board.

    A proposed deal was presented to him almost a fortnight ago and Zaliukas had gone back to his homeland to consider it.

    But having spoken to the defender, McCoist appears set to admit defeat in his attempt to recruit the 29-year-old, with the ex-Tynecastle star choosing to look elsewhere instead…”
    =============================================================
    So a 29 year old without a club has rejected a TRFC offer – and mid-season ?

    The Bears Den posters are now consistent in their comments that he ‘wasn’t good enough’ for their club anyway – or words to that effect.


  69. ecobhoy says:
    September 25, 2013 at 9:07 pm
    =============================
    The whole concern I have with the Ibrox troops thing is what the extreme element of the Rangers support (and that element is significant in size) perceive the armed forces to represent. The same as what they perceive the Union Flag to represent, and the same reason as why they love the anti-Catholic exclusivity of the Monarchy. If past and present Rangers boards are pandering to that warped mindset (and you can’t rule it out) then shame on them forever.

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