For All The Ills Of The World - Nothing Sells Papers In Glasgow Like A Rangers Crisis

THE LONDON media is doing headless chicken impressions in its frantic efforts to nail the next naughty MP to be outed in the ongoing sex scandal, democracy in Spain is receiving a severe kicking, the economy is tanking as Brexit rolls towards its probably horrific conclusion, and Trump is still in the White House, and still tweeting nonsense.

 Not even this orange man can compete with Rangers for media attention

But, what's been the most-read story in The Herald, the West of Scotland contender for the title of “Scotland's National Newspaper”? Why, the punters most want to read about Rangers' continuing financial troubles. The club might be toiling, managerless, in fourth place in a one-team league, it might be being run by a glib and shameless liar, but, in Scotland, Rangers are box office, and how.

And that dear members of the Celtic Family is why your claims of: “Yer team's deid”, “Yer zombies” and all the other slings and arrows you launch towards Ibrox will not penetrate – just as Jack and the Beanstalk need its big, bad ogre, and Little Red Riding Hood requires a big bad wolf – in the childish world of Scottish football, there will always have to be a big bad Rangers to frighten the populace. And, some around Ibrox love that role.

As ever, when Rangers' finances are up for discussion, I took myself off to the Donegal Blogger's site. “Phil Four Names” has a pet accountant - “Rugger Guy”, whom he calls in whenever Rangers' money matters are to be discussed. This chap has had an initial look through the accounts and his verdict is - “Rangers are in an extremely-precarious financial position.”

Now, pardon me if I am wrong, but, Rangers have been in a precarious financial position, given or take a few £ million for about the last decade, during which they have had four owners, even more Chief Executives, seven managers, and I have lost count of the number of Chairmen.

The men at the top keep doing the same things, with the same result – financial problems and Celtic pulling ever-further ahead. This is chronic insanity, but, we all know Scottish football is mad. The way Rangers goes on proves it.

HUGE kudos to Celtic on breaking that 100-year-old domestic record and going 63 matches unbeaten. The first task of a football team, any football team, is to be the best in your league, and right now, Celtic are that by a mile.

 Brendan Rodgers has every right to smile, the way his team keeps on winning

In a normal sport, they would have the chance to move up a level and in-time, do well. I hope they can achieve this and again be competing at the sharp end in Europe, but, with the way the game is now slanted towards the mega-rich clubs, and the efforts to combat them via the Football Fair Play rules are, as yet not bearing fruit, it may be a year or two yet before that happens.

If I was a Celtic fan, I would be enjoying the moment, tucking into my ice cream and jelly and revelling, because, all things must pass, and, in time Celtic will lose and be overhauled.

Their first enemy is complacency: “Ach, it's only Kilmarnock, or Partick Thistle, or Dundee (delete according to hatred); we've won here every time I've played, here.” If enough Celtic players feel like that one afternoon, they will lose, and with the aura of invincibility burst, the troubles start.

Their next enemy is England. Some big English clubs might come in and pinch Brendan Rodgers, and maybe two or three key men in one transfer window, then they are in bother.

The third enemy is, maybe, another Scottish club will do a Dundee United and recruit a big-enough group of talented, driven, young Scots that they can withstand English raids and, under a seriously-talented coach, put together a season in which they beat Celtic. I know, this is the least-likely scenario, but, never say never.

That last record run came at the end of a decade in which Celtic won seven out of ten league championships; in the following decade, as Rangers regrouped under Bill Struth, they won three out of ten titles.

The following decade and more, up to World War II, saw Celtic win just two titles, as Rangers rammed home their dominance, which continued up until the arrival of Jock Stein in1965. So, as I have said, enjoy these days Celtic fans, history shows there will be pay-back.

Mind you, with the mess Rangers are in, maybe they should look for the challenge coming from elsewhere.

I HAVE a soft spot for Huddersfield Town, I went to a few games when I was doing missionary work in West Yorkshire in the 1980s. Mind you, that was in the old days of the Leeds Road ground. Also, Town nurtured three iconic Scottish talents, Alex Jackson, hat-trick hero of the Original Wembley Wizards, Denis Law and manager Willie Shankly, what's not to like about the club.

 The King, one of the reasons why I love Huddersfield Town

OK, their hey-day was back when Jackson patrolled the right wing, that's when they earned those three stars above the badge on their shirts. So, it's good to see them back. Yesterday's 1-0 win over West Brom took Town into the top half of the English Premier League; the goal was a cracker, as were some of their goalkeeper's saves.

I like their German manager too, I hope things go from good to better for this grand old club.

KILMARNOCK are at Murrayfield this afternoon, facing Hearts. I am hoping their excellent away form under new boss Stevie Clarke continues, Killie, after all, have rather a good record in that part of Edinburgh.

I was speaking to another journalist this week, who tells me he finds interviewing Clarke, as he is contractually obliged to do, hard going. It seems, getting a good line out of the Killie gaffer is akin to pulling teeth.

Stevie, I reckon from afar, is one of those bosses who enjoys the challenge of working with his players on the training pitch, of pitting his wits against the opposing boss on match day, and who would rather, if he could, delegate media duties, dealing with the scum of the press, to someone else.

But, in the Scottish football media, where most of the attention is focussed on the Bigot Brothers, club gaffers have to be able to promote their clubs, just to get a few column centimetres. Methinks, Stevie needs a crash course in dealing with the media.