no12

I preferred the subtlety of the original. Or perhaps you didn't see the Fast Show.

I can see that, "Owning a football club is like making love to a beautiful woman."

HA! Rick Mayall - yes! Just the right mix of evil and idiocy.

You couldn't make it up, could you? The last few months? Or longer when you come to think of it. I have no doubt there are books to be written about this when the dust settles - certainly Ally's memoirs should be a good read, and quite suitable material for a FILM! So, today's question, to lighten our hearts in this our driech summer of discontent: If we were making a film of this admittedly hard to believe plot, who would you cast? I'll kick off by giving my age away and suggesting Steve McQueen as Ally himself and Peter Lorre as Whyte. (Dead actors being quite acceptable, obviously).

I think it's easy to miss the point here. The relevant laws are for the protection of employees rights - to make sure workers can't just be cast aside if a company goes bust and transfers assets to a newco. If we think of players as employees it all makes sense.

I'm sorry, I've never seen anything in the Sun which shouldn't be considered as a work of complete fiction.

Hmmm. Was it absolutely necessary to define "the company" and "the club" as the same entity? Would it not have been beneficial to Rangers to define "the club" as being "the company's" asset? And, yes, £2.749m seems a ridiculous value on those players.

Shock! A sensible statement at last!

sic a parcel o' rogues

Good point. No harm in that. As long as there's nothing in the songs which expresses hate for others.

maybe you should read the thread.

No, not at all. We should change because our club deserves the best.

Blow football! Struth, I haven't seen that in decades!

Absolutely no! The problem is that some of us think we are hated because we're protestant. Some of us think that it's relevant to football that we're pro-union. Some of us, for some reason, imagine that our opinions on the monarchy are connected to sport. These problems are what our FOOTBALL club really need to leave behind. It's not a matter of leaving your culture behind when you go through the turnstile - it's a matter of knowing when it's relevant. If we don't, then some of us will still be quite fairly accused of prejudice, bigotry and arrogance. Remember - we are the people, but they are people too!

Having been brought up in a part of Scotland where it was totally unimportant what your religion was and having been a Rangers supporter from the age of 10, I was backing my club for years before I really learned what this bigotry stuff was all about. I thought it was ridiculous when I found out and I find it ridiculous now. "A Protestant club" indeed! It's a FOOTBALL club! No wonder the rest of Scottish football revels in our troubles - they would do the same if it was Celtic. Let religion and politics play their own parts in our lives but please let our Football be pure - it's time to grow up and leave this nonsense behind.

My guess is that, the way things are, Rangers in England would be much better value for money than buying a 2nd rate English club for more cash. Investors want more money - it's that simple.

Nah, more like: the last one left thinking Souness.

Aye, right. Singapore must be further away than I thought.

I guess it's going to take a while to leave behind the idiocy on both sides.

Aye well, we can't get rid of anyone's bigotry but our own.

No, I believe they are not. I think we have suffered for the almost universal discontent with the status quo. The SPL was a major mistake for Scottish football and introduced a class system of disrespect for the smaller clubs and a devotion to the great Sky dollar. We have borne the brunt of the resulting ire.

If it all means we hear a little less of Mr Traynor's arrogance then at least a little good has come of it.

My feeling is that the law and rules of association are different concepts - I'm sure there are those members of this forum who will correct me if I'm wrong. By agreeing to become a member of a club or association one agrees to obey and follow the rules of that organisation. These rules have nothing to do with law but are simply an agreement between club members. They don't have to be enforceable by law and it is not illegal to break them (Simply against the rules of the club).

I think I'd have been tempted to ask him one more question: "See if it's the third division, fancy a job as striker?"

I'm not obsessed with them, I'm just not going to pretend they're not there.