WITH each passing week, events around the Rangers Tribute Act and the on-going soap opera "Edmiston Drive" become more and more akin to a post-modern take on Alice In Wonderland. This week has been no different.
First of all we had the last-minute, just as the transfer window was slammed shut, loan deal which took five Newcastle United fringe players to the RTA on-loan. Now, we have Kenny McDowall's admission, he has been telt: "Play these guys".
If these inter-related events do not demonstrate Mike Ashley is driving a coach and four through football's double-influence rules, then I am surely qualified to be the third brass monkey in the SFA board room.
I have been taking a lot of flak from some others in the soccer scribblers society, for my belief that Ashley fully intends showing-up football's rule that no person may exercise influence over two different clubs for the toothless rule it is.
As I have said before, if push comes to shove and Ashley sues the football authorities for "restraint of trade", I am sure he will win his case and walk away with a nice settlement for his trouble.
Remember, even the might of FIFA could not withstand Jean Marc Bosman's challenge. I fear the game will lose again, if Ashley pushes.
This of course, is all some way down the road, and such a challenge may never happen, but, of immediate concern is what effect bringing in half a new team at this juncture in the season will have on morale at Murray Park and on match-days.
Let's be honest, of the current Rangers squad, only Lee Wallace can, by the standards of the 1872-2012 club, be considered: "Rangers Class". Keeping him in the team leaves Kenny McDowall, or whoever is coaching the team with a problem, which of the reamining nine outfield diddies do I drop to bring in the new guys?
We have to assume these guys will be at least good enough for the Scottish Championship. Quite plainly, some of the guys whom they will replace are not cutting the mustard at that level. So, replacing them should strengthen the RTA team.
However, given some of them were taken to Tyneside as long-term "project" players, there is the feeling they are being sent north to develop. Which begs the question, had the RTA, right at the start when they took their place in the Second Division, done the sensible thing and tried to work their way back to the top with a young, developing team, might not they be in a better position today?
Ach! Look at it from a football-writer's perspective. If we hadn't had the RTA to keep us occupied these years, we'd have died of boredom.
THE shenanigans around the Toon Five is not, however, THE interesting development around Scotland's chaos club. The King over the Water is now making increasingly loud and confident noises, to the effect that he will soon - unless the SFA grows a pair - be the King of Edmiston Drive.
Apparently, he had my dear friends in the Lap Top Loyal eating out of his hand earlier this week. No succulent lamb, however. In fact, it looked to me to be re-heated mince.
One hopes Wee Peter has been got on-side, before things get nasty.
The fact is, while King might have the Three Bears and the other 49,997 Berrs behind him en bloc (and I doubt this), right now, with security over Murray Park, the rights to sell the replica strips etc, outstanding loans in place and so-on, Mike Ashley rather has the RTA by the short and curlies.
To date, the King has shown a marked reluctance to nget out his cheque book, I suspect he is going to have to to get rid of Ashley, otherwise, nothing will change.
Then, and while it would not surprise me in the least if the Hampden blazers didn't use their "discretionary powers" get-out clause to get him in, the fact is - there is no way both King and Paul Murray can pass any rigorously-enforced SFA "fit and proper person" test.
This one will run and run.
LET us not forget the other cheek of Scottish football's erse. The cynical and cowardly attack on the ten-year-old boy, on his way to Hampden on Sunday has rightly, been condemned by all right-thinking people.
Sadly, while they will post gleefully on the travails of the RTA till the cows come home, I have not seen much condemnation on this attack from the usual suspects among the bloggerati arm of the Celtic Family.
This attack shames the self-styled "Greatest Fans In The World"; it undermines the Celtic Family's hysterical claims to the moral high ground when it comes to the Old Firm whitabootery.
Such a pity Phil Ma Breeks Up and some of the other Celtic apologists cannot bring themselves to condemn the attack, being too-busy with their: "Let's all laugh at Rangers" agenda.
The fact is, while King might have the Three Bears and the other 49,997 Berrs behind him en bloc (and I doubt this), right now, with security over Murray Park, the rights to sell the replica strips etc, outstanding loans in place and so-on, Mike Ashley rather has the RTA by the short and curlies.
To date, the King has shown a marked reluctance to nget out his cheque book, I suspect he is going to have to to get rid of Ashley, otherwise, nothing will change.
Then, and while it would not surprise me in the least if the Hampden blazers didn't use their "discretionary powers" get-out clause to get him in, the fact is - there is no way both King and Paul Murray can pass any rigorously-enforced SFA "fit and proper person" test.
This one will run and run.
LET us not forget the other cheek of Scottish football's erse. The cynical and cowardly attack on the ten-year-old boy, on his way to Hampden on Sunday has rightly, been condemned by all right-thinking people.
Sadly, while they will post gleefully on the travails of the RTA till the cows come home, I have not seen much condemnation on this attack from the usual suspects among the bloggerati arm of the Celtic Family.
This attack shames the self-styled "Greatest Fans In The World"; it undermines the Celtic Family's hysterical claims to the moral high ground when it comes to the Old Firm whitabootery.
Such a pity Phil Ma Breeks Up and some of the other Celtic apologists cannot bring themselves to condemn the attack, being too-busy with their: "Let's all laugh at Rangers" agenda.
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