WELL, well, well, so Rangers have been "saved" by the intervention of Mr Charles Green - a blunt-speaking Yorkshireman. Pardon me if I refrain from cheering. Having worked in that part of the world in a former life, I have found blunt-speaking Yorkshiremen to be, other than ruder, no different from the remainder of the English.
I am asuming here that Mr Green and his team have begun "due diligence" on the books at Rangers; given the Bill Miller team had barely opened their books before they reversed back across the Atlantic as quickly as they could, I wonder how long it will take the Green team to decide: "Oh Shit!".
Leaving aside the poor impression Mr Green made to the football world during his spell with Sheffield United and the uncertainty as to his motives, questions must be asked. For a start, he has a history of closing companies amidst allegations of "asset stripping" which is almost as worrying as was Craig Whyte's. Then there is the cloak of anonymity surrounding the other members of his consortium. OK, commercial confidentiality is one thing, but, how are we to know if the consortium are likely to meet the SFA's "fit and proper person" criteria? Will Mr Green, for a start? And, having been singed by Craig Whyte, will the SFA not look a little closer this time round? Indeed, can they afford not to? Right away, allegations of Freddie Shepherd's involvement concern me, given his colourful past with Newcastle United.
But, suppose the deal goes through, and as I write, there is no indication as to how HMRC will react on the "wee" tax case - far less the "big" tax case. Let's be fair to Mr Green, he has promised a club which will live within its means and be run prudently and properly. Well, this will be a first for Rangers FC over the last 25-years and perhaps longer.
How will this play with a fan base used to raptuously applauding the latest big-money signings on a rugular basis? How will it play with Manager McCoise, who is apparently wedded to the Souness-Smith-Advocaat-McLeish-Smith2 model of buying rather than breeding?
There is nothing wrong, per se, with regularly freshening-up the squad with injections of new blood - the problem is the way British football is wedded to the big transfer fee model. I would like to see Mr Green, or whoever, instructing his manager to recruit sensibly - through the purchase of Bosman's.
It says much about the intellectual powers of your average player that he is happy to allow his club to sell him during the final year of his contract, where, by holding out and seeing-out his contract, he could almost certainly prcure a better new deal for himself elsewhere under the Bosman regulations. Brian Laudrup did this when he moved from Rangers to Chelsea; ok, his time at Stamford Bridge wasn't successful, but he, rather than Rangers, profited from the deal.
More time on the coaching field, plus good use of the Bosman rules would surely make Mr Green a happy bunny, lead to financial security for Rangers and a fine future. If the club reverts to spend, spend, spend - how long before they are back in the smelly stuff?
Mr Green may have bought the club; he may have a cunning plan for the future, but, I have a feeling there are a few more twists and turns to come in this long-running Rangers saga. The fat lady hasn't yet started her practice scales.
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