Big Hoos Rescue - Continued

I AM not a big fan of reality television. Big Brother, I had one and never understood him, so events inside that house left me cold. X Factor, Britain's Got Talent - where? Strictly, on ice - leave it out. Moving home - STRESS. Cookery programmes - there is but one Goddess and Delia is her name.

It's the same with make-overs, although, I have a sneaking respect for that scary wee wummin who would march in and rescue delapidated country houses; perhaps because there is one near me which I would love to get my hands on, once my still-in-production bonkbuster novel lands me the big Hollywood advance.

Whenever a country house has come-up for rescue, there has usually been some elderly scion of the family who has attended the Ian Paisley School of Political Debate: "No, no and thrice no" to any sensible suggestions for changes which look likely to restore the family and house's fortunes.

Now the good doctor and his cohorts might indeed have not surrendered, but, they still reached a sort of accommodation with Martin McGuinness & Co.

For Dr Paisley, in the on-going Rangers saga, read the Blue Knights, the Blue Order and for all I know, the Blues Brothers. I reckon they want one thing and cannot see past this, which is to be told: "Go forth sinner and sin ye no more", carrying on as before - without even the inconvenience of ten Hail Marys and five Our Fathers, which Celtic might have expected for the same class of misdemeanours.

Ra Peepul wish to continue being Ra Peepul, the biggest, strongest, loudest and most-annoying beasts in the Scottish Football jungle. I am utterly convinced, had the Blue Knights won, they would have continued down the failed and discredited path already trod by Sir David Murray.

That, as I keep reminding Sports Editors who would rather forget, is the path to destruction for Scottish Basketball and so-nearly for Scottish Football.

I have reservations concerning Bill Miller. I firmly believe a lot more of the smelly stuff has still to emerge from Rangers travails - not least the fact that wee Whytey still owns the club, the ground and thr training ground: he still wants a more-than-fair wedge for all the smelly stuff he has brought on himself: Celtic, who seem to be pulling the levers around Hampden these days, want their bigger rivals if not totally crushed, then at the very least rendered impotent in the short term, while some of the lesser clubs are relishing the chance to put the boot in.

As I see it, the only way to take Whyte out of the equation is to liquidate the club. Were HMRC to win the BTC and to have that announcement made prior to Miller turning his 'preferred bidder' status into that of 'owner', then, liquidation becomes even more likely.

This game aint over. Miller, being an American, is surely au fait with the trans-Atlantic concept of triple overtime in basketball, or extra innings in baseball. That's where we now are with Rangers, and the whole thing could yet come down to penalties.

That said, Miller's modus: pay-off the debt gradually, cut the club's cloth better and live within means is the only sensible option. I wish him well, but warn him - his biggest bother will be persuading everyone around the club to buy into this. Wedded as Rangers men are to spend, spend, spend, this will not be easy.

Still, if Dr Paisley could sit down with Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams and help turn-around Northern Ireland, perhaps Ra Peepul will buy into self-sufficiency and living within a budget - and the Big Hoose can flourish again.