JOCK Stein, when managing Celtic, used tp delight in getting "spoilers" into the Scottish papers, whenever Rangers were set to claim the back page splash with a new signing of some other big announcement. I cannot help wondering what the Big Man would do, were he in-charge at Kerrydale Street today.
Would he bother even trying to compete with the tsunami of bad publicity which, in spite of the best efforts of my friends in that antedeluvian ludge - Lap Top Loyal, continues to break over Ibrox? Or would he refuse to believe there is no such thing as bad publicity and keep competing?
Take today for instance, which began with suggestions. or should I more-properly say further suggestions, that Rangers International Football Club Limited is a real basket case, and ended with the in no way surprising discovery that the long-anticipated EGM of the club will, after all, be held at Ibrox - since yet another London Hotel has pulled out of hosting this event.
What was it Oscar Wilde or one of his circle said about the only thing worse than being talked about was not being talked about - that strikes a chord with events round this benighted institution.
What strikes me as strange about this whole, long-running saga, is the apparent disinclination of the SFA to get involved, to perhaps call-in the directors and tell them bluntly: "Put your house in order or we will have to do something about it".
Just what they could do is another matter.
I said, way back, when liquidation of real Rangers occured, the Tribute Act which Charles Green formed, was very lucky to only be demoted to the Scottish Second Division. For my money, they should have been asked to start from the Second Divison of the juniors' Stagecoach West of Scotland's Central League.
Maybe, if they had been made to do this, a wee bit of financial reality might have set-in, a wee bit of responsibility might have been shown and a dignified return to the big time might, in time, have been managed.
It is often said: those who fail to learn from their mistakes are bound to keep repeating them. The old Rangers, in the last days of the Murray regime, when the rot set in, lived way beyond their means.
The new Green club made the same mistakes, and now, umpteen Chairmen and Chief Executives later, they are still living beyond their means and making the same old mistakes.
Still, it keeps us journalists writing - even is many in the msm are not writing the correct stories, for fear, perhaps, of upsetting Ra Bers!!
AS I have admitted in the past on these pages, I spent a most-enjoyable fewyears, back when I was in full-time journalism, working for the Paisley Daily Express and covering St Mirren on a weekly basis.
I have, therefore, a big soft spot for the Buddies and in particular for the long-suffering ones who used to occupy the old North Bank at Love Street. I know many of these Buddies would like nothing more than to see the currently unemployed Paul Lambert installed in the managerial vacancy at the club, which Gary Teale is currently keeping warm.
Lambert would be a good and popular choice as Saints boss, but, I fear, he might now be a little too-expensive for the current Paisley board. "The Fat Controller". as Chairman Stewart Gilmour is lovingly known in Paisley, doesn't like to pay big bucks, Paul has been earning these for a few years now - so, great though I think PL would be for the club, I don't see it happening. More's the pity.
I have long seen Billy Stark as a far-better Number Two than a Number One - a Lambert-Stark Saints Dream Team. Now, that's a tantalising prospect.
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