In a neat twist to the old Scottish party drinking game ” I never liked you because… ” , former Celts are queuing up to lavish praise on the suddenly Guardiola-like Ronny Deila.

Perhaps its worth noting at this stage that the writer wasn’t exactly jumping through hoops when the season started, but gradually its become apparent what the manager is trying to do, and over the months I’ve bought into it. But its been a gradual process, and not something thats happened overnight, on the back of an easy win over a team of first division cloggers.

John Hartson has admitted to egg on his face, although its hard to see how any food ever misses his mouth, Chris Sutton is suddenly shouting from the rooftops in his favour, and Kenny Dalglish has been wheeled out to defend him.

Although the Dalglish claims are slightly different, in that he is rubbishing the general media view that the treble will somehow mean a lot less because you-know-who aren’t there. This in itself a remarkable claim, when you consider that the old Rangers won their nine in a row without any credible opposition for the largest part of the run.

Anyway, Dalglish blasted back;

“If you win a treble, you win a treble. It says nothing in the history books about not being up against such and such a team or that somebody was beaten in a poor result in the cup.

“They just say that you won the Treble and that should never be undermined.

“Nothing else will be recorded in the history books other than the fact that the winners of the Scottish Cup or the Premiership in 2015 were Celtic. The historians would need to tell you that Rangers, Hearts and Hibs were not in the league.

“Celtic have put themselves in a good position.” 

 The reason, of course that these sides are not in the league is that, whatever the mitigating circumstances are, they simply aren’t good enough. Although to be fair to the new club, they haven’t been around long enough to climb to the top.

If a treble is to be secured this season, Celtic will have to dispose of dundee United in both cup competitions. March looks like being an interesting month as well, with a league game,  cup final and a quarter final against the Tayside team, a league game against Aberdeen, and hopefully further involvement in Europe.

 So to emerge from all that with three trophies domestically would be an achievement that cannot be underestimated.

 There were no real surprises yesterday when Celtic were drawn away to Dundee Utd in the cup, making it seventeen away games in the last nineteen Scottish cup ties. However, conspiracy theorists may like to note that if you take the run back to 2005, its actually about even, so that means we must have had a run of home ties which have balanced it out.

 If the media had any interest in Scottish football outside Ibrox, they would be pushing the fact that there are just three Premier sides left in the competition, Inverness are the other, and presumably the SFA figured it wasn;t going to be cold and dark enough to send celtic there, so thats why they opted for Tannadice, and the fact that five teams out of eight are from lower divisions should give them the chance to promote the glory of the Cup. The dream of playing at Hampden and a day out for the fans.

 But they haven’t yet, and theres not really any sign that they will.

 As we said in the Diary yesterday, Celtic travel to Firhill tomorrow night ( I know, I know ) and a win is essential to keep the momentum going. After all, a winning side keeps on winning because its become a habit, and mid February is a great time to get into that groove.

Charlie mulgrew, Kris Commons and Mikael Lustig won’t start, but thats started speculation that the two new lads could come in. James Forrest made an appearance against Dundee, but as against Second Rangers, he seemed to be a little short of match fitness, which granted only comes with playing, but he may well make way for Mackay Steven. Stuart Armstrong will probably be on the bench, with a view to getting a run out later on, but the likes of Liam henderson are also banging on the door for a game, and he is relishing the challenge from the new guys;

“It’s brilliant for me that the two lads have signed, even if they are also midfielders like me.

“Stuart is a quality player and I’m learning from him already in training. He and Gaz are both lovely guys and I’m looking forward to working with them.

“The manager wants me in and around the team which is a great confidence booster for me.

“I’ve had to be patient but it was the same last season under Lennon. I was training with the first team every day. It’s been great and I just hope to get a few more appearances under my belt.

“My target for the rest of the season is to stay involved in the squad and hopefully make a few more appearances. I’ll keep my head down and keep working hard.

“I’m ahead of schedule because I made eight first-team appearances in the whole of last season and I’ve already made eight this season. So it’s an improvement for me and I’m learning every day from the manager and the players I’m training with.” 

Henderson is being developed slowly and carefully, a luxury which was not allowed to James Forrest, and maybe its time to take a step back with the winger, and allow him to take a couple forward after gently altering a few things about his game.

Looking ahead to the Inter game, the manager went out to have a look at them on Sunday as they beat Palermo 3-0 in a league game. Ronny , of course, is playing his cards close to his chest, and was fairly non-committal about what he saw.

“Inter are a good, strong team who are powerful, particularly in the midfield . And they have strikers who can score goals. In the end, they won the match quite easily.”

“We know it’s going to be a tough game for us but there are also opportunities because, as well as having strengths, Inter also have some weaknesses,”

 Full credit for him taking a look himself, which again points to a manager who is perhaps old fashioned in that he wants to see things for himself, and not rely on videos and hearsay. Combined with the decision to bring in the Dundee Utd lads, it could be evidence that he has strengthened his position at the club, and is, in fact, more in control than we might have thought.

Elsewhere, and the worlds longest running pantomime took another plot twist yesterday with the sensational news that Second Rangers have banned the Daily Record from Ibrox and Murray Park , after the paper said something that upset them.

 The Records Keith Jackson sprung into action,

 Er, who ?

Keith Jackson: Banned AGAIN but

Craig Whyte couldn’t ban us from Ibrox

and neither will Gers board

Thank the lord for the power of editing. Jackson, not always noted for accuracy, has penned a long piece on how his paper were the only ones who ever told the truth about the goings on at Ibrox, which is the first time that history has been written by the losers. Just the opening paragraph in the picture above gives you an idea of what to expect in the piece, and to be fair , it doesn’t disappoint.

At least the reporters of Record Sport have been officially spared from any more awkward Ibrox moments as for some time now covering the decline of Rangers Football Club has felt like a gross intrusion on someone else’s grief.

A club which was contesting in a European final less than seven years ago has been dying on its feet since the end of 2010, or whenever it was that Sir David Murray first stared into Craig Whyte’s ever widening eyes.

The rapid decline of Rangers, since that very day, has become the most unedifying sight in the history of Scottish sport, even though there have been no shortage of rivals who relished, sometimes understandably, often ghoulishly, in every moment of their misery.

This is a club which has been mutilated beyond all recognition and not just because of the deep scars which came with the horrors of administration and then liquidation. 

 And just like he never mentions anyone else he lifts stories from, Keith neglects to give credit to the authors of the book ” Helpful Scary Words For Horror Writers ” either.

No, it was not the insolvency of 2012 which disfigured Rangers so badly. Rather it has been the grotesque behaviour of those who were meant to be nursing it back to health. 

Eh ? It wasn’t the death of Rangers that hurt it, it was all the kings men who could put humpty back together again who are to blame ? Keith is now borrowing from the “Guide To Great Fantasy Writing Handbook “

Even as it was being carried back from beyond it was also having its pockets emptied by a pair of big Yorkshire hands.

For four years now it has suffered internal abuse on an almost daily basis. It has been kicked by its various owners and their cohorts so many times that, today, it sits cowering in a corner waiting for its next beating.

On the pitch and off it, Rangers have been robbed of any sort of decency or class. It has regressed into a quivering wreck of a football club and the current regime are as guilty as any other for its current sorry state.

The truth is Rangers have not had a board of directors which has been even remotely fit for purpose since Whyte first slid over the threshold in his little pointy shoes.

Throughout it all, this newspaper has – without fear or favour – consistently exposed what has really being going on behind those old famous front doors when other newspapers have often found it easier to turn a blind eye. 

Sorry, what was that ?

Throughout it all, this newspaper has – without fear or favour – consistently exposed what has really being going on behind those old famous front doors when other newspapers have often found it easier to turn a blind eye.  

 If he really believes that, then its about time for him to chuck it.

 Even Chris Jack or Matt Lindsay , two other prominent memebrs of the esteemed Scottish sports media, would be hard pushed to match that sort of revisionism or inaccuracy.

 But Jack, at least, is having a go..

Dave King cleared by SARS ahead of bid for Rangers throne

DAVE KING has been cleared to ‘operate on a normal unrestricted basis in the business environment’ by the South African taxman following the settlement of his lengthy dispute with the authorities.

Really ? Thats fantastic.

The businessman is edging closer to power at Rangers as he looks to overthrow the under-fire Light Blues board and take a seat at the Ibrox top table alongside Paul Murray and John Gilligan.

And SportTimes has seen an email from a spokesman for the South African Revenue Service that confirms King is free and able to continue as a company director following the end to proceedings which lasted 11 years.

The news came as the London hotel earmarked to host the next month’s powerdeg general meeting, which could see the former Ibrox director win power, dramatically pulled the plug on the event.

King agreed a £43.7million settlement with SARS in 2013, but his tax dispute has repeatedly been cited in some quarters as prohibitive in his bid for power at Rangers. 

Tax dispute ? I suppose thats one way of putting it.

In the email, the SARS spokesman states: “Following his settlement agreement, which was approved before court, with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and other government institutions in August 2013, SARS did provide Mr Dave King with a written notice to confirm that the litigation and the tax dispute between Mr King and SARS has been settled in terms of the relevant provisions of the Tax Administration Act, Act 28 of 2013.

“Mr King was also informed that as far as the legislation carried out by SARS is concerned, Mr King is not disqualified from serving as a director of any company and is able to operate on a normal unrestricted basis in the business environment.”

Hurrah ! He’s on his way !

Hurroo !.wait a second…

 Oh, Thats that then.

The Ibrox board have postponed their EGM, apparently the hotel didn’t want them-although there is a sneaking suspicion they wanted the money up front and no-one had a valid debit card to hand.

It seems there were worries about the possible attendance of hundreds of supporters , intent on causing disruption beofre, during and after the meeting, but thats clearly nonsense, as Sons Of Struth founder member Craig Houston explained, whilst simultaneously angling for a job within the MSM propaganda machine

 “Rangers fans can certainly be angry and they can be frustrated, but they know how to conduct themselves. 

You line ’em up and I’ll shoot them down….

Yep, they sure do.

Paolo di Canio, in the colours of the Milan side who couldn’t wait to dump him on us, was featured yesterday. We really should have read between the lines when they paid his plane fare.

Heres one , a man who made the greatest cross in a European game ever….

Name the man and the game.

Finally, something a wee bit different. A Very Different Paradise, a semi fictional account of the end of war years by Robin Dana is available on kindle/amazon. It deals with Matt Busbys time as Celtic manager after the war and before you point out the obvious, yes, I know that never happened. But what if it did ?

I’m nearly finished it, and I have to be honest, I’ve slowed down the pace I’m reading it at, because I find that there is so much in the story that makes you think about things. What I would ask, and I can thoroughly recommend this book, is that you get hold of it and read it.

Then, when the review goes on line, we can discuss it, because it is a book with so many ideas and angles within, that it would be quite wrong just to do a review, so instead, we’ll do a sort of Etims book club.