Socrates MacSporran

Socrates MacSporran
No I am not Chick Young, but I can remember when Scottish football was good

Friday 11 January 2013

Old Dogs - Old Tricks

IT IS as the old cliche has long reminded us, impossible to teach an old dog new tricks; thus, Charles Green, a blunt Yorkshireman who seemingly cannot help but continue the ages-old caricature of all men from the broad acres being plain-spoken men, not afraid to speak their mind.

He is also, the more he opens his mind, seeming living proof that a well-balanced Yorkshireman is thus, because he has a chip on both shoulders.

Another gentleman apparently having difficulty learning new tricks is Mr Green's Communications Director, wee James Traynor. Now were James still "Chiefy" Traynor, sports supremo of the Daily Ranger/Daily Rhebel (delete according to whether you are of the Orange or [Irish rather than Yorkshire] Green persuasion), Charlie boy's latest utterances, including his ludicrous threat to take UEFA to the Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg, would be a cracking story.

Cue Traynor, wearing the hat he hung-up in December as Chief Sports Writer at Anderston Quay, blasting Mr Green all over his tabloid pages for coming up with such pish.

But, Traynor is now supposed to be Green's mouthpiece to the world, ensuring that Rangers get the most-sympathetic hearing from the world at large. In that position, why didn't James gag his boss, or, at least tell him, before he went public: "Charlie, this is pish, shut-up or you'll be laughed at by everyone.

In any case, even if he believes he has a case, doesn't Mr Green remember the can of worms the late and unlamented Duff & Duffer opened when they went to court, ignoring in the process SFA protocols.

The body of the Scottish football "kirk" wanted Rangers punished for the excesses of the Murray years and the shambles of the Craig Whyte months. That punishment took the form of banishment to the basement, from which the club must emerge on merit and having served their punishment. Bleating about the unfairness of winning a division then having to win it again is rubbish.

Rangers should win the fourth tier of Scottish football this season. This will take them into the third tier next season. If the 12-12-18 proposals are ratified in time to be implemented come August, they will start off season 2013-14 in the third tier - exactly the same place as they will start if nothing happens.

Rangers, should they win SFL3 and find re-organisation places them in the new unified league set-up's third tier will have moved-up. Mr Green should shut-up and get on with it.

If he truly believes that he has a case for taking his club out of Scottish football, presumably into the English pyramid, then let him fight for that perceived "right" through the proper channels - via UEFA and the Court of Arbitration in Sport in Switzerland. Such a move would be costly and, I believe, in the end futile.

Mr Green missed the boat for moving Rangers to England. He just might have been able to do it had he applied to join Division Two of the Northern League last summer, at the time when he had acquired Rangers from Duff & Duffer, but didn't have SPL or SFL membership.

Back then, as a club with no league to play in, he MIGHT have been able to pull it off; more especially had he perhaps at the same time bought a struggling English club such as Portsmouth then were, moved that club lock, stock and barrel to Glasgow, called it Portsmouth Rangers and put it in the Football League, Division One - the moment he secured SFL membership for his club, that door closed on him.

Mr Green's best plan, as I see it, is to build bridges with the other SFL clubs, demonstrate the folly of these unworkable 12-12-18 plans and push for something better.


1 comment:

  1. 'Blunt' is very close to the word I would use for the outspoken Englishman, but not quite. You make some very salient points in your summing up of Chucky boy, however I do not think for one moment that he is as stupid as he comes across. All the proverbial drum banging and hand washing is merely to whip up support for the great unwashed of Govan. Let's face it here, Sevco fans are loving every single minute of him seemingly fighting their desperate corner. They haven't got much else to celebrate about seeing as how they have no history, no money, no decent players, no human support and their donor club were badly humiliated in front of the whole world. Scotlands secret shame was unmasked during the 'cheatgate' scandal not so long ago. Everyone not wearing blue with an IQ over .5 is aware Chucky is a blustering dud only in it for the end result... money. History dictates that the downtrodden simply adore a hero, all be it an English one.

    Leaked info from several of the players who previously turned out for the now defunct R*angers FC (RIP) have admitted that Green is, and I quote from one former zombie, "a complete off the wall plum who will destroy everything in his wake". How reliable is the info? Jabba Traynor didn't say it, the Daily R*anger didn't print it, so it must be true. Actually, it came from an oul battlehorse with the initials SN.

    A nice guy is SN. I remember some years ago when we laughingly submitted a quote for some remedial work to be done to the boardroom over at Greyskull and won it. Fiscal sense never was very good in Govan it would appear. SN helped my guys unload their vans on arrival. He was obviously looking to better his career even back then.

    I often wonder if that open bottle of pish we left behind the plasterboarding is still there.

    ReplyDelete