After yesterdays piece asked for involvement of the Celtic Trust , the Celtic Supporters Association and the Resolution 12 guys to get together to plan for the , er, revelations of the next month or so, the general attitude was one of  support.

All it will take is a few phone calls or a few messages to get off the ground, and the wheels will begin to turn and the SFA will know that they aren’t going to get away with their actions of a few years ago.

Or inactions.

It depends how you look at it.

There will be more information released into the public domain after the next round of court cases, and when that information comes to light, a strategy must be in place to deal with it.

The more who are involved, the more chance there is of getting the right strategy in place.

Finally, paraphrasing  that old warmonger Churchill , it may not be the beginning of the end, but we are approaching the end of the beginning.

It’s not just about Resolution 12, its not just about the non payment of taxes, its about the entire business establishment in Scotland, and perhaps eventually it will lead to those who abused the system for so many years facing the consequences of their actions.

But only if we work together, and involve other supporters of other clubs.

What was interesting comes from the replies to the diary earlier in the week,

Something to think about, now, that should get the hackles up…from Barcabhoy , on Kerrydale Street.

Barcabhoy, as we have seen, was perhaps the first to mention the unique financial structure at Ibrox as far back as 2006.

In the extract below, from the Kerrydale Street site, he is answering a post from another user..

I think all involved will find it much easier not to consider title stripping than actually do so. By the time such a decision would be made we’d probably be winning or have won our 49th title and we’d automatically become Scotland’s most successful club considering they’d have won 48 outright and 1 shared (presuming the stripped ones weren’t awarded to us).

The outrage at such an act from both the media and the hordes is not something anyone would want to take on. The best we can do to punish them for their impudence is to win 10 in a row (or more) and overhaul the 54. That wouldn’t be satisfactory to most here but I think it’s the best we’ll get.[/quote]” 

The reply, which had me reaching for the pitchfork and a bus timetable for the car park, was..

What Murray did wasn’t “Imprudence”

It was out and out cheating , and it went on for over a decade

Secondly “it’s the best we’ll get “

We aren’t getting anything. Nothing at all . 

The cheating has gone unpunished, Murray has not had a sanction imposed on him or even had a charge to face. That’s a scandal. I don’t want any title awarded to us, although there is a case to do so.

I certainly though don’t want the records to show that the titles were won by a club who’s owner engaged in long term cheating to win those titles.

Why should Rangers be any different to Lance Armstrong , Juventus or Melbourne Storm. A cheat is a cheat and they can’t be allowed to get away with it.

I don’t blame the players, it really is little to do with them . Murray though knew exactly what he was doing and why. For Titles and financial gain. This wasn’t incidental benefit. This wasn’t some kind of unintended side effect. It wasn’t an accidental consequence

It was the entire purpose behind the use of EBT’s . To cheat, and more so to set out to cheat because Murray knew that he had to lie to HMRC and to the SFA and SPL . 

In 2006 on this forum , I made what is generally accepted was the first comment anywhere on Rangers use of EBT’s and the need to have them investigated. The reason i commented then was because I was offered EBT’s for my business. I knew that in some settings they MAY be legal, but not in the setting where you had to provide side comfort letters .

Those letters were to persuade your employees that they could benefit from avoiding tax , but if there was a problem the company would pay the tax and they would never have to repay the loans. 

I declined to use them as they seemed nothing more than a dodge which had deception at it’s core. My Finance Director said exactly that to me when he reported on what had been offered to my company . I doubt that any responsible finance director would not have waved a red flag all over these and even if he had been bulldozed by a headstrong and reckless Chairman to use them, he would insist on a provision on the balance sheet in the event it went wrong.

None of that happened at Rangers . Although they did go through a number of finance directors who left on a fairly regular basis. 

So spare me the notion that it’s not something anyone wants to take on. It’s something we have to take on . Every club should take it on. Many clubs were cheated , not just Celtic. Many clubs lost £ Millions in prize money, because they were honest and played by the rules whilst Murray’s Rangers cheated their way to prize money and titles .

There’s still a long way to go if we are to see a clean and honest game in Scotland.

Back at the ranch, and there were a few raised eyebrows when none of the Celtic contingent started for Scotland last night. Manager Gordon Strachan explained he’d rested them as they had a game last Sunday, which does make you wonder why he didn’t ask them to join the squad until after this one.

The ginger ninja went with the usual suspects who have performed so poorly of late, and they didn’t let him down, achieving a level of consistency that is beyond comparison in Scotland teams.

Still , you pick the same donkeys , they’ll take you at the same speed along the beach.

Canada were the opponents, and they took the lead early on with a goal from Fraser Aird, of Falkirk, suggesting that Strachan is looking at Championship football in the wrong country when it comes to picking his players.

Scotland did equalise, sending the crowd into raptures, well, maybe crowd is too strong a word, so a draw was about right.

Well, probably about right. I didn’t think Scotland were playing last night, and it was only when I turned the game on I realised I was right.

Although its still a way off, the media have begun their countdown to the Scottish Cup final, and for once, they are right about something.

Rangers record against Celtic in Scottish Cup semi-finals is

unbelievable but could be about to end

Absolutely, played one, won one-albeit on penalties, and for a club who started only five years ago, its an incredible achievement against the current five in a row champions, who have also made one World club final, two European cup finals-winning one, and a UEFA Cup final.

Oh wait…

Ibrox side haven’t lost against their bitter rivals in six encounters and almost 100 years but former Hoops star Joe Miller believes Brendan Rodgers’ side could be about to change all that.

Surely a wee error there..it should read..

An Ibrox side hasn’t lost against their Glasgow neighbours  in six encounters and almost 100 years but former Hoops star Joe Miller believes Brendan Rodgers’ side could be about to change all that.

Happy to help.

There was more general hilarity as Dave King , the man behind the current version of “rangers ” jetted into town to meet the new manager

There is no suggestion that the laundry behind him, clearly some kind of cruel joke, has anything to do with anything other than cleaning clothes, and not as some cruel japesters have suggested, its where they keep the cash.

Manager Pedro has him sussed though, intercepting a rather blatant attempt to nick the Portuguese fellows wallet to pay for the food.

Keep your eye on this one, Pedro, he’s reported to be a wee bit dodgy.

Dave, of course, always keeps his eye on new people. Well, one of them, anyway.

The clamour in the press to get Barry “Baz “Ferguson in as the number two-a fitting description if you ask me- reached a new high-or low, if you like-yesterday..

‘Barry Ferguson’s will to win is outrageous – he wouldn’t be daunted by joining Pedro Caixinha at Rangers’

Aye, its frightening-it doesn’t work-but its frightening

As of match played 25 February 2017^[87]

Scott Linton, Clyde’s “defender cum midfielder” speaks very highly of Baz in this Evening times puff piece.. well, they were certain to find someone if they looked hard enough..

“I know the position that Clyde are in in the table at the moment doesn’t look fantastic. Anyone looking in from the outside might think Barry didn’t do a great job here

Those on the “inside ” weren’t too impressed either. Thats why he isn’t there any more.

“I thought: ‘If there’s anyone I am going to learn from it’s the ex-Scotland and ex-Rangers captain’. 

Maybe he should get his agent to do his thinking for him.

Or his dog.

“The first thing that struck me about Barry when I started playing under him at Clyde was his sheer will to win. I always used to tell anyone who asked me what he was like was that it was just outrageous how much he wanted to win, to win anything. 

Didn’t help him. He didn’t win anything. If he had, he’d have still been in a job.

the amount of hard work and effort he put in to bring Clyde success was incredible. 

Perhaps football coaching and management just isn’t for him..so I guess it’s Ibrox then.

We asked your thoughts on this image yesterday..