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I originally wrote this over the weekend and didn’t get an opportunity to post it due to the database issues that GersNet unfortunately suffered. Even after the recent developments with Imran Ahmad taking the club to court for the sum of £3.4M I am still going ahead and posting this.

 

There was a time (I am sure some of you may remember) where I would have been all over the recent shenanigans surrounding the power struggle for our club, but a few things have changed in the last few years which have meant that I have taken a step back and no longer having my finger on the pulse of what is going on. This is something that I am not ashamed to admit to, so apologies if anything written here is inaccurate or not up-to-date.

 

Now, that doesn’t mean that I don’t care, I do, passionately, like we all do. However, for the best part of a decade I have typed warnings that we as a club were heading for disaster. Looking back, this ‘campaign’ and losing battle took some of the fun and enjoyment out of following Rangers and it alienated me from the vast majority of Rangers fans who refused to believe that our club was in any danger.

 

The mess we currently find ourselves in can be traced straight back to Sir David Murray’s door. Without his reckless mismanagement of the club, there would not have been Craig Whyte, there would not have been administration, there would not have been liquidation, there would not have been Duff & Phelps and there would not have been Charles Green etc, etc, etc….

 

Now, this is not going to be a customary Cammy F rant, I am a changed person. For those lucky enough not to remember my inane rantings, I would rant tirelessly about SDM and basically anything related (or otherwise) to our great club.

 

I hope my old Gersent friends forgive me and let me reminisce a little. As a fresh-faced youth growing up in the sticks I had two passions, football and music and my choice in both was hardly ‘en-vogue’ at the time. Rangers, under legend John Greig were going through one of the worst periods of their recent history (until this last year and a half) and the first wave of Punk and come and gone, but this kid passionately followed both.

 

I spent years follow following Rangers and punk bands to all corners of these isles and beyond meeting up with many kindred souls some who I still like to think of as friends. Now, it was on a rare occasion that I found someone who supported Rangers and liked Punk music. To most they appeared mutely exclusive.

 

There was one day that I was chased from Ibrox for wearing a Sex Pistols ‘God Save The Queen’ t-shirt. Ah, the naivety of youth! However as time marched on and times and attitudes changed, you began to see familiar faces at Ibrox and at concerts. In fact, about a decade ago I have the pleasure of seeing the Dead Kennedys at King Tut’s and met many people there whom I would also meet at Rangers games. In fact, I would take this opportunity to say that if you ever get the chance to see the likes of Rancid, Bad Religion, Cockney Rejects or The Angelic Upstarts do so as you won’t be disappointed. To witness The Upstarts blasting out Soldier, Green Fields Of France and Last Night Another Soldier is always a pleasure.

 

So for longer than I care to remember I slowly but surely got totally engrossed in Rangers and Punk music and did so until just over two years ago when we were blessed with our twin boys. The boys were born dangerously premature and were both in hospital for a while. These events changed my perspectives overnight. I still passionately cared about Rangers but I admit that they fell down the pecking order.

 

Our smallest went through an operation in Yorkhill just prior to being released from hospital after a torturous 15 weeks (99 days) on the day that we clinched our 54th title at Kilmarnock. In fact we heard that he was fine and coming back to the ward just as Kyle Lafferty scored the opening goal and we were 3-0 up by the time he was delivered back to the ward. Conveniently you could see the ever impressive structure of Ibrox from the wards window and I spent hours with him telling him endless stories of past glories witnessed at Ibrox and beyond. In fact, we took the bigger of our boys who had been released from hospital by this time to Ibrox to see the return of the victorious players / management team and the wee bugger slept through it all.

 

Apologies, I digress. I decided there and then that my words of warning had fallen on deaf ears and whatever happened with Rangers was out of my control and that there was nothing I could do to change what was becoming inevitability. I stood watching the celebrations and knew that this was the end of Rangers as we knew and loved the club. I understood that all the glories were coming to an end and that soon we would run aground and everything would fall apart.

 

The consequences of administration and liquidation are still being felt and I fear / predict that we will still not fully realise the ramifications for sometime.

 

So the current infighting, power-struggle, call it what you will is frustrating and is in danger of ripping this institution apart, something that our many enemies have failed to do. The rhetoric that is being thrown around is disgusting and it now appears that the vocal element have pinned their colours to the anti-green mast.

 

Now before going any further, I do not believe EITHER camp have demonstrated enough to convince anyone that they DESERVE to be the custodians of this club going forward. I have time for Green simply because he put his (or someone else’s) money where his month was when we needed someone to lead us out of liquidation. He also showed that he was no pushover and stuck up for us and club on more than a few occasions.

 

We also have a situation where even the two most prolific and well known Rangers bloggers are backing different sides and populate their blogs with reasons to support their preferred option. I will give them credit as both have put up stern defences outlining why they are supporting Green or McColl,

 

All the other ‘groups’ that have emerged since those days intrigue me, as they, like Green had the opportunity to purchase Rangers for £5M (in fact they could have gotten Rangers for £1 from SDM), but for whatever reason, they baulked. It would be safe to assume that they baulked due to the uncertainty of the ‘Big Tax Case’. Is it coincidence that once we had ‘won’ the Big Tax case, everyone and their dog wants to own Rangers?.

 

The latest and very public attempt to have Rangers removed from Green’s control is hard for me to support as I don’t see how they plan to fund the takeover and the ongoing costs of running Rangers.

 

So what’s the point of all of the above? Nothing really, other than allowing this oldtimer to reminisce a little, to remind everyone that we as a support were never privy to the truth from the boardroom and that we are in danger of doing what our enemies have failed to do. Also, there are two sides to every story and personally, I will never believe a word written by Rangers hater Keith Jackson and his Rangers hating paper The Daily Record.

 

In conclusion, it is this fans opinion that if we were as vocal and venomous in our mistrust of the SDM regime, we might not be in this current mess.

 

Cammy F – Punks Not Dead and neither are Rangers (just yet).

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Thanks Cammy great to read one of your rants again. My son was also in hospital for months after his birth so i know how taxing that is. While I did not disbelieve you about SDM I admit I was a fence sitter. I agreeit is a pity we were not more vocal against SDM but I think we were blinded by success and a belief SDM was putting his own money into the club. Now I see how naive I was. As you say age and experiences change yor view on life.

Great to see you back.

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A well argued and thought-provoking read as ever Cammy. I remember your rants from the old days when Gersnet was young very well and I wish that more of us had listened to you and seen the train wreck coming. We are where we are, still alive and kicking despite the best attempts to bury us, and I just hope that whomever comes out of this current battle on top can put the best interest of the club ahead of their own for a change.

 

Hope your little ones are well and healthy now.

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Boys are great Pete and doc and keeping me busy - hence the lack if posts over the last few years. Still read the forum when I can as gersnet has and imo will always be one of the better rangers sites.

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My twins have their first day of school tomorrow, they aren't tiny, helpless mites anymore. No matter how small they start off they catch-up eventually. Enjoy your time with them, they grow up fast, particularly twins when you simply don't have a spare minute.

 

I actually think it's the inaction of the SDM years that's created a lot of the militancy we see now. People are mistrustful of our board and with good reason.

Ironically I think McColl is actually doing what you say you were doing in SDM's time. He's not trying to takeover the club he's warning the support to be vigilant and asking for a more balanced board.

That strikes me as hard to argue with.

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The years under SDM were brilliant, especially when you look at what went on in the decade before his arrival.

 

Are we doomed to never see a Laudrup Gascoigne or Albertz type in a 'Gers shirt ever again?

 

You and I are in the same camp on that one, 54+; people forget all too easily that we had the privilege top watch some of the best players in the world in a royal blue jersey and were one goal away from the Champions League Final; but realistically the answer to your question is - probably not in our lifetimes.

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Good to see you back in writing action Cammy and great to hear that your boys are doing well.

 

Can't say I agree with you about Green, but that's a subjective issue. Personally, I don't understand the "he saved the club" and "he stuck up for the club" viewpoints at all.

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Good to see you back in writing action Cammy and great to hear that your boys are doing well.

 

Can't say I agree with you about Green, but that's a subjective issue. Personally, I don't understand the "he saved the club" and "he stuck up for the club" viewpoints at all.

 

Don't think that I stated that Green saved the club, just pointed out that he put his (or someone elses) money where his month was whilst others hummed and hawed....

 

As for sticking up for the club I was alluding to him challanging the illeagal signing ban, refusing to give up any of our titles etc. It is my opinion that if SDM of the likes had still been in charge that they would have continued down the 'dignified silence' route and allowed us to be shafted even more than we have been.

 

I realise the the whole Green subject is very emotive, I just believe that NO ONE has shown that they deserve to be the custodian of our club, well not that I have seen anyway.

 

Cammy F

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