Liquidation of Rangers would wash 140 years of proud tradition away
RANGERS going into liquidation is unthinkable. It's as simple as that.
And that's why I was so worried when I saw that dreaded word rear its ugly head again yesterday.
It looks as though Craig Whyte doesn't want to sell his shares to Paul Murray and the Blue Knights consortium. There has even been a suggestion he would rather let the club die.
Hasn't he done enough damage already? If Whyte refuses point blank to sell his shares to Paul then liquidation becomes a genuine fear for the fans again.
For me, it has always been the worst-case scenario since administration engulfed Ibrox.
I'm speaking as a fan and former Rangers player - it can't be allowed to happen. Think of the history that would be lost if the club went bust. That's the thing that disturbs me most.
Rangers have a phenomenal 140-year tradition, with some great players and managers along the way. There have been brilliant times and different generations of supporters can say: "I supported that team." The same as their grandad and great-grandad did.
But that would be broken if liquidation became a reality.
People have so much passion for Rangers and it's a club known around the world. It's important those traditions and values are maintained.
I've heard punters say: "Even if they're liquidated, they'll come back with a new name and the history will still be there." But I don't agree - it just won't be the same Rangers.
A club should be the same from birth. It allows you to keep the same values that Rangers were founded upon.
The Rangers supporters would also never be allowed to forget it by Celtic fans. So I don't even want to think about that particular scenario.
It would be another black mark against the Whyte regime.
The best thing for him to do now, in the best interests of Rangers, would be sell to someone with the club at heart.
At the moment, that person is Paul and the Blue Knights.
The most important thing is to protect the name of Rangers Football Club and ensure the club continues as the same entity.
Unfortunately, the bidders appear to be dropping by the day. But Paul has always been there, constantly saying that his Blue Knights group will do everything in the interests of the club.
That's what everything should be geared towards right now. The administrators must look at a takeover with a business plan in place for the next five years.
What matters is that Rangers operate on an even keel again.
Whyte has always said he is working in the best interests of the club. So why wouldn't he want to sell to Paul when that appears to be his sole aim?
Brian Kennedy has now been ruled out of the running but he has spoken in glowing terms about Paul. Kennedy knows what Paul is all about and what he's trying to achieve at Rangers.
He's backing Paul and obviously believes it would be for the best if the Blue Knights gained control.
The administrators are duty bound to do what is best for the club and the supporters. They are there to find the best buyer.
If the person in question has a personality clash with Whyte - which appears to be the case with Paul - it shouldn't matter. It's not about that any more.
The question the administrators have to ask themselves is: "Who are the best people to take Rangers forward?"
It looks like that would be Paul's Blue Knights group and if he needed any more encouragement to buy the club, surely Sunday's Old Firm win would have done it? It was an incredible atmosphere at Ibrox and Rangers thoroughly deserved their 3-2 victory.
Kyle Lafferty has caused a bit of a stir with his comments about Rangers being better than Celtic and the best in the SPL. And he's right - to a certain extent.
On their day, Rangers are on a level par with Celtic. But what separates them is the size of their squads.
I would suggest that when Rangers get their best team on the pitch it's as good as, if not better, than Celtic's.
The head-to-head record this season would back that theory up.
Of the three Old Firm games so far, Rangers have won two of them at Ibrox quite convincingly.
Celtic won the other one at Parkhead with Joe Ledley's header - but Rangers had a good goal disallowed.
So the starting 11s are evenly matched. But you don't win titles with your best 11 players. You win a championship with the strength of your squad.
And that's why Celtic are way out in front this season. They have a stronger pool of players.
At the start of the season it looked as if Rangers' starting side might be good enough to win the league again but they didn't have the squad to cope with losing key men through injury or, in Nikica Jelavic's case, transfer.
They lost big players at key times. Jelavic was sold in January, Steven Naismith has been injured since October, Lafferty has been out for a long period and Steven Whittaker has missed a lot of games.
You saw it at Dundee United when Dorin Goian and Carlos Bocanegra were suspended. They are quality players and Rangers just can't afford to lose them.
Look at Celtic's squad depth. They have various options at full-back and in central defence. Mark and Kelvin Wilson are struggling to get a game and they have the likes of Cha Du-Ri, Adam Matthews, Thomas Rogne, Charlie Mulgrew, Emilio Izaguirre. The list goes on.
Rangers got their best defence back for the Celtic game and that backline was the most frugal in the SPL earlier this season. When they lost that momentum, with key players out, it all unravelled.
Rangers couldn't cope with the demands of the SPL and that's when Celtic's squad came to the fore. That's why they will be the SPL champions.
As told to Scott McDermott
No comments:
Post a Comment