A WEEK might be a long time in politics, but it is a comparatively short spell in the history of a 140-year old national institution. What have we learned about Rangers in the past seven days, during which, again, events concerning the ailing club have dominated the Scottish football agenda?
In truth we have learned comparatively little, other than just how big Rangers are in terms of Scotland. Were Celtic, the only other club of anything like similar size in this wee backwater of ours, in similar deep doo-dah, I doubt if the media agenda in Scotland would be so-skewed in favour of covering the on-going and painful saga of what may well be the club's death throes.
Not having a background in business journalism or economics, I am loath to put-in my twopenceworth - to quote General Chaing Kai Sheck on the fall-out from the French Revolution - it's way too early to comment on this.
The Celtic-minded will be shattered when it all ends. They haven't had so-much fun since the summer of 1967. If Rangers as we know the club does have to be liquidated and join the likes of St Bernard's, Third Lanark, Airdrieonians and Gretna as an entry in the history books - this will be another wonderful summer for the happy hoopsters, but I wager, come the end of the year, they will miss their old enemies. When all you have is hatred and the thing you hate is removed, there will be nothing left.
I honestly believe the end of Rangers will not be the end of the world for Scottish football, it will survive. Greater Glasgow has lost John Brown's, Stephen's of Linthouse, Beardmore's, Albion Motors, North British Loco and still flourishes. Motherwell has lost Ravenscraig and life goes on; Coates no longer dominates Paisley, Johnny Walker has walked out on Kilmarnock, following BMK, Glacier Metal, Saxone, Glenfield & Kennedy and others; Volvo came and went from Irvine. In my own wee Ayrshrie back-water, those scant few who went down the pit all their working lives and somehow managed to exceeed their alotted three score years and ten still consider Maggie Thatcher to be two swear words - ignoring the fact this village now produces more coal than it ever did - opencasting being more efficient than deep mining - and life goes on.
Why then should everything stop because Rangers go under?
But let's not forget - right now David Murray is guilty of nothing more than gross mis-management on a grand scale. He has, as yet, broken no laws; the Big tax case might find otherwise, but, until that happens, and there are no guarantees, he is only guilty of being a poor gambler - as his father was before him.
Craig Whyte on the other hand, has been found guilty of nefarious and under-hand conduct in the court of public opinion. Murray's recklessness and failure to face reality took Rangers to the brink - but it was Whyte who took the club over the brink into administration and probably into liquidation.
I feel Messers Murray and King, guilty by association with Murray, are not the men to rescue Rangers, should rescue be possible. What they need is that frightening woman from Country House Rescue. In every episode I have seen, she has had to persuade reluctant owners, striving to save a decaying country pile, to change their ways, accept the unacceptable and really change.
That is what Rangers must do and sadly, thus far in the administration saga, nobody around the club seems willing to do this. Wage cuts of 75% and temporary belt-tightening is all very well, but it will take longer and more-stringent economy measures and a huge amount of effort, to rescue Rangers.
It can still be done, but not I fear by anyone used to the excesses of the Murray years.
When David Murray's father went bust a fantastic young Ayr rugby player named Les McCall was landed with the task of keeping the Murray firm, Murray Forrest alive. Les and his trusty foreman Davie Alexander, worked all the hours God gave them to turn that firm around and make it a success. The reward for both was a far-too-early meeting with their maker.
Somewhere out there, there is a Les McCall who can revive the Rangers, brought down by the mis-management and reckless gambling of the younger Murray, whose legacy is a far-greater shambles of a business than his father lost. I wish him well in his task.
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