SINCE Sunday, Charlie Green has been going around as if he is already Capo di Tuti Capi of the Govan family of football's Scotia Nostra. Fronting a press conference at Murray Park, seated beside Sandy Jardine in the Directors' Box at Perth, ushered into the away dressing room to address the troops prior to kick-off.
Haud-oan there pal; he hasn't, as yet, put a single penny into the Rangers rescue; he hasn't completed due diligence on the books; he hasn't put together the CVA which is the main plank of his attempted rescue and - most-crucially of all, the terms of any such CVA have not been put to, far less agreed on, by the creditors.
And the suggestions are that HMRC and Ticketus, the two big guns amongst those creditors may not be willing to play ball. Ticketus are, of course, sueing Craig Whyte for the reported £27 million they feel they are due. This promises to be a complex case; given wee Whytey's track-record, the cash he allegedly borrowed from Ticketus will be now be nestling somewhere offshore, well out of reach of the British legal system - and in any case - there are doubts in Scots Law as to whether or not Ticketus could legally loan the money to Whytey, without the permission of the other Rangers debenture holders.
HMRC, having been censured by the Westminster Parliament for letting some other corporate entities with apparently huge tax liabilities off virtually Scot-free, are now playing harder ball with the likes of Rangers. Also, there is the well-founded belief that Rangers will be only the first big football company to fall foul of "Hector" and his colleagues. IF they can nail Rangers, the millions they recoup from there will be followed by further millions from around the English Premiership and Championship. HMRC cannot be seen to be soft in dealing with these tax-dodging Jocks. Making an example of them will bring the English clubs they think are at it into line quicker.
Then there is the fact that, having taken too-much on trust when Whyte bought Rangers, and being forced to close and bolt the door well after Whyte - a person who failed football's "fit and proper person" test had leapt free - the SFA are looking closely at the make-up of the Green consortium.
They want names and backgrounds; they wish to make checks and since several names have emerged - rightly or wrongly - from people who have a poor reputation within English football, the SFA are keen to keep them away from the game in Scotland. In this instance, Stewart Regan, having formerly worked for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, is probably only too aware of the foul smell which lingers around Mr Green across the Broad Acres. Then there is the supposed involvement of Freddie Shepherd, hardly a paragon from his time with Newcastle United.
Green has not helped his case with his public utterances about providing Ally McCoist with if not a war chest, then certainly a transfer budget. Would you, if Rangers owed you money, settle for a ten pence in the pound settlement, only to see Rangers spending two or three million pounds on some exotic foreign striker? No, me neither.
There is also the collision between football law and Civil Law. Football's "pay football debts first" rules apparently conflict with Scots Law, which, in terms of a CVA or liquidation treat all creditors equally. Rangers owe money to Dundee United and Hearts in Scotland, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in England, Rapid Vienna in Austria, St Etienne in France and in Italy. UEFA are going to be asking what will happen to these debts. What happens if their appeal against the SFA sanctions falls and Rangers, either continuing via a CVA or re-established as a newcow is obliged to operate next season under the transfer embargo announced last week?
On the balance of probabilities - which is what we work to in civil law - the Rangers case is far from settled. There are more twists and turns to come and for all Mr Green's bluff and bluster, I still see liquidation as the most-likely outcome to this whole affair.
LIQUIDATION will naturally mean a Rangers Newco. Where will this newco play? Will it be set-up in such a way as to enable it to acquire an SFA licence to compete in Scottish football? If so, where will it play? Will the SPL usher "new Rangers" straight into their competition, or will they be required to start in the SFL? Might they even be invited to join the West of Scotland Superleague in the Juniors? In which case, while we may ultimately see the long-awaited and much-needed Scottish pyramid establised, in the short term, there will be much head scratching in Larkhall. Do the Blue Bears continue to follow-follow, or do they go to watch Larkhall Thistle?
Where will any newco play? There is a belief that the deeds to Ibrox and Murray Park have been hived off to another of Craig Whyte's companies. He might have sold his share-holding to Mr Green for £2 (nice 100% profit there) but, nowhere have I seen evidence that Green has also acquired the ground and training ground. If, as I believe he will have, Whyte has retained ownership of Ibrox and Murray Park, he will still have to be dealt with. Paying rental to Whyte for at least a couple of seasons will not make Rangers recovery any easier.
I don't think we will have a quiet, peaceful, pre-season. But, look on the bright side: Keith Jackson and Co will not be able to write so much pish about who Rangers are going to buy during the close season as they normally do. Nae transfers, nae pish talk in the Daily Ranger and the Hun. At least, with the Rangers revue continuing over the summer, we will be offered an alternative to England crashing and burning during the European Championships. And, from the SFA's point of view, it will keep attention away from their shameful and shameless conduct over the Olympic Games football.
Rangers - you have to love them.
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