Sun Tzu - Who Will Win the War for Rangers?

[Frankie 8,114]

It isn't often Chinese military treatises can be applied to Scottish football but Tzu's famous 6th century book 'The Art of War' certainly seems to be being read by a variety of people when it comes to a few important issues - be it the political influence vacancies at the Scottish Football Association or those vying for the ownership of Rangers in recent months. Obviously the former is interesting in itself but we'll concentrate on the latter subject for this article.

 

Military strategy then? How can that possibly be relevant to the Rangers ownership debate? Well, the metaphor for this piece is a simple one but a cursory look at each chronicle in 'The Art of War' shows there is arguably a distinct pattern being followed by those involved - be it 'Laying Plans', 'Illusion and Reality' and 'The Use of Intelligence' or any other of the well known chapters in the book. Indeed, one could be forgiven the master of illusion himself Sir David Murray will have a well-thumbed copy in his personal library.

 

All joking aside though there is a serious aspect to this. The future of our club is a subject none of us can laugh about and the ownership battle being waged is one that should concern us all. For the last six months especially, this issue has gained incredible momentum - from front page, heavy gauge headlines; to petty arguments across the online community. The only consistency is that many of the relevant people appear to be inconsistent. The 'preferred' bidder seems to change on a week-by-week basis, excuses are made depending on the individual, characters are blighted if subtle differences are found, misinformation is released to create mischief, different media are used by different parties - all tactics which could be taken from Tzu.

 

Just how do we believe then in this apparent propaganda war? Do we believe the unofficial blog-writer who is uncertain of his information and loyal to his selected website? Do we believe the journalists who have their next wage rise to protect based on 'exclusives'? Do we believe fan representatives who appear closer to one bid than the other? Do we believe the club who need our season ticket money? Do we believe the potential owner trying to save several million pounds via the use of whatever means possible? Is there no-one with a vested interest in all of this?

 

One way not to be on the losing side means perhaps it is best to question all parties - with a vacuum of credible information one of the few facts in this debate. After all no-one seems to know the plans of any of the parties as it stands. Non-Rangers fans like a Duffy or an Ellis may have their money banked off-shore and their business history criticised but are they any worse candidates than the Rangers fans who have their assets in limbo or those who may wish to release private club challenges through endorsed journalists.

 

How can we be certain any of these people are acting on our (or our club's) behalf? Does being a Rangers fan automatically mean they deserve our immediate trust? How can we be sure an outsider understands how important our club is to us all? How can we be expected to answer such vital questions?

 

There is a war going on for our club and every time you or I open a newspaper, read a forum or consult our peers; we're soldiers in it. An easy example of this is where fan groups back protest and wave such banners without even saying why they do so. We even have the ridiculous situation of lone bank shareholders asking valid questions at the front-line of the Lloyds AGM while those 'officers' who criticise hide in their chosen newspaper bunker! Fortunately none of us will be sacrificed for our part but neither should we under-estimate how important we are to the success of any buy out - and, of course, the club's future.

 

To that end, some of us have been consistent in our message to all involved. We demand clarity, we expect leadership and we seek honesty. Without those virtues any of the relevant parties lack the mandate to own our club and assume our interests.

 

Who will be the first to step forward and show they deserve our support? Who will win the war for Rangers?