IN yesterday's blog, I made a plea for a return to interest in football, rather than football finance and politics, matters which have dominated the debate since Rangers went into administration. Clearly, the time is not yet ripe for a return to football over financial folly.
I have never deviated from expressing doubts about the ability of Sevco, or as I call them: I Can't Believe It's Not Rangers (ICBINR), to function properly in the new season. These doubts remain. However, we have at this juncture to look at the reality of the situation.
The whole affair - from the moment David Murray pocketed Craig Whyte's £1 coin (I hope he kept it safe, by the way - that small coin could be one of the truly great treasures of the National Museum of Scotland in 100 years' time - the coin which brought-down Scottish football), the whole affair has been a farrago of lies, deceit, mininformation and poor decision-making - and the fat lady still hasn't picked-out her dress, far less began her vocal warm-up.
We have seen the true spirit of Scotland at work - the nasty, small-minded leaders of a nasty, small-minded game, being nasty and small-minded. I am a Scottish nationalist; I intend voting for Independence, in the 2014 Referendum - assuming Westminster doesn't find a way to scupper it; but, I fear Scotland being run by we Scots. We could all be back to the 21st century equivalent of Clan Wars, within a generation.
I hear strident calls for the heads of Stewart Regan, Neil Doncaster and Campbell Ogilvie. Davbid Longwell seems to have dodged the tumbail thanks to his performance on Friday. To those calling for the afore-mentioned heads, I caution, Ogilvie's position has been untenable since the moment his EBT was revealed, if not before; the SFA President should lang syne have been, at the very least, on "gardening leave" - my personal choice is, he ought to have resigned.
But Messrs Regan and Doncaster are functionaries - they run the SFA and SPL secretariats. They may have been negligent in the advice they gave to the club representatives, they may have been too-negative; the Alex Tomson leaded e-mail certainly looks bad for Regan, but, it is the club representatives who actually run the game. Regan and Doncaster might have single votes through their positions on the SFA and SPL boards, but, they have to look at the bigger picture, the club representatives act through self-interest alone.
And clearly, all their self-interest said was: "Let's kick Rangers, hard".
Now that Rangers have been kicked into the long grass, the club reps are suddenly wakening-up to the fact - they have for so long lived off the crumbs from the Rangers table, they still don't know how to function on their own.
The fans are just being fans. They know nothing other than that their clubs would win more trophies, were it not for those cheats at Ibrox. When it comes to unthinking sheep, the qaverage Scottish football supporter makes the people of North Korea look like the ultimate bunch of free-thinkers.
The one correct thing which has come of this whole Rangers mess is - we are at the start of a whole new ball game in Scotland.
ICBINR will, if it is to survive, have to shake-off the old habits, quickly. I actually believe, whilst still harbouring my doubts as to whether or not Mr Green's backers will hang around for the longer haul, before they can take their profits, and as to whether or not they actually have the seed money it will take to pull "the Rangers brand" back to profitability and honour.
However, IF Green can get the hard message across to Ally McCoist and his management team: "You have to piss with the pricks you've got - it has to be Broadfoot, McCulloch and the Apprentice Boys - you must work harder on the training park and make-do with the players you have": then, ICBINR can and will shoot rapidly back to the SPL.
For the rest, a period of swift retrenchment and better house-keeping is called for. I see problems for Celtic and their fans in adjusting to being the new "Establishment" club. That club will, after all, take the biggest "hit" from the demise of Rangers. The others, IF they believe, can shock them and we may yet have the flatter playing field we crave.
But, everyone outwith the Ibrox hordes HAS to realise - much as you hate them, "Rangers" has not been killed-off. The toxic management - Messrs Murray and Whyte - might have gone, but the "Rangers brand" survives and goes on.
I remember reading, some 50 years ago, an article in the old Beaverbrook-owned, broadsheet, Sunday Express, about how to make money on the Stock Exchange. In those simpler times we were told to invest in the "Four Rs" - Rangers, Rolls-Royce, Rover and Rowntree - and we wouldn't go far wrong. We might not make spectacular amounts of money; but, back then the Stock Exchange wasn't the casino it is today; but, we would get a fair return on our investment.
Not one of those "Four Rs" is under the same management today as back then, indeed, all four entities have gone through various ownerships, but, three of them have been through fire and come out stronger, the fourth, Rangers, is now starting that process.
Much as the Celtic Cyber Crew might wish to see Rangers dead, frequently though they may tell us: "Rangers are dead", they should be aware - Rangers are alive, badly-wounded but alive; and as we all know, a wounded big beast is a dangerous big beast.
It isn't over yet.
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