It’s hard to avoid the latest episode of the long running Ibrox pantomime, but we’ll come to that later.

We’ve got our own performer at the moment. Well, sort of. He exited stage left  last week, but for some reason keeps coming back to speak to the audience;  although they have gone home and forgotten all about him.

As the days go by, it’s becoming apparent that the stories about John Guidetti not being the most popular chap in the dressing room may have had something to them. The Swede’s latest rant is at manager Ronny Deila, as he accuses the boss of telling fibbers.

“It [why I was dropped to the bench] was because I didn’t want to sign on.

“Deila said straight out that he would give priority to those players who wanted to be there. He said completely different things in the media than he said to me.

“If you are the top scorer and assist maker in terms of a number of matches and then still don’t get to play, then that is quite strange.” 

Actually, what Ronny really said , in his native Norwegian was;

Jeg er jævla lei av at ubrukelig drittsekk , og han er shite .

Leigh , du spiller . Kanskje det idiot vil få hint.

Strange how some words mean the same in several languages.

Trabzonspor are the latest club to express an interest in him. He should be okay. Turkish fans are noted for their patience and good behaviour.

A couple of Norwegians could be on their way, with Martin Odegaard, the wonder kid who went to Madrid , now available on loan, and Deila rumoured to be interested. I doubt he will bring him in unless there is an option to buy. Ronny has already said he’s not ready to be a  first team player for Celtic, and there seems little to be gained in just developing him for Real.

 So maybe we can discount that one.

Then there’s Veton Berisha, a striker who has scored seven from eleven this season for Viking Stavanger, who immediately denied all knowledge of a possible move;

“I don’t know anything about the Celtic interest, but it is of course very flattering.

“If the right offer comes along from an overseas club then I would consider it, but it all depends on which club is making the offer.”

However, we have a picture of his reaction to the news, which should please the ladies…

Newcastle are also interested, and I know that I said I would only comment on these stories if there was something in it, I have a hunch about this one. nothing more, and it’s based on a common factor he has with a few other signings….

Berisha was born in Egersund,^[1] and started his career in the local club Egersunds IK. He was considered as one of the biggest Norwegian talents at his age, and like his brother Valon, Veton was on a trial with Manchester City before he signed for Viking in May 2009, but didn’t join the club until the summer of 2010.^[2   

Just a thought. That’s all.

But is it new players we need ?

In order to lift the club to another level, and present a challenge in Europe, a number of factors need to be in place.

We’ve got the talented manager, who has fresh ideas and the respect of the players.

We’ve got the coaching staff, who know how to get these ideas across, and how to maintain a high level of fitness.

We’ve got experience, and we’ve got enthusiasm among the players.

We’ve got determination and strength among the players.

We’ve got a home support that makes Celtic Park an inhospitable place for visitors,

But there’s something missing.

Thankfully, someone has the answer;

CELTIC need a strong RANGERS to help

raise their value and keep up with the big

boys of world football

This revelation, by Robert Haigh, of Brand Finace, comes on the back of news that Celtic are ranked 34 in their list of the top 50 brands in football. to give this “list ” the credibility 2 it deserves, we must look at those above Celtic, and we notice that fourteen of them are EPL clubs.

I wonder if their supporters are celebrating this morning.

As Stoke are in the list, i may pop into their club shop, to see if there any any dvds of how they achieved this, or perhaps a commemorative scarf.

Or maybe they will let me have my photo taken with a copy of the bank statement.

If i’m lucky, maybe some old fellow will tell me tales of how it used to be in the old days, and how he can now boast to fans of nearby West Brom that they are not as good as them, and that their team of marketers is under contract and may even be picked for the England accountancy team.

Or I could stay home and look forward to the Champions League.

On reflection, for all those EPL teams, it must be a hollow victory. Sure they are making money, but not memories.

The biggest brand, Manchester United, according to Haigh have it all sussed;

“Despite not winning a trophy for two years they signed a record breaking sponsorship deal with Chevrolet and a kit supply deal with Adidas worth £750m.”   

That should help the fans feel better. In fact, no doubt at one of their supporters club AGMs there will be a club thinking of changing it’s name in celebration and recognition of the achievement.

 We’re not that badly off where we are, really.

We are still making memories.

Football is what happens on the pitch. Not in the boardroom.

Speaking of boardrooms. Dave King came out to speak to the hordes yesterday and outline his plans for the season ahead.

It’s twenty minutes long, and if you haven’t seen it , have a look.

Dave King Interview

A nervous King faced some questions from a compliant media, and yet still managed to give the impression that he would make a bolt for the airport if anything tricky came along.

 And , predictably, the press gave him praise for his, er, vision.

The Daily Mail told us;

Rangers’ next manager to be handed multi-million-pound war chest as

chairman David King vows to spend ‘whatever it takes’ to guarantee Scottish Premiership return 

Where have we heard that before ?

Hang on. the interview was conducted by Level 5PR, who are fronted by-

 Are there any more examples of him simply re hashing the old soundbites ?

Rangers FC as we know them are dead. It’s all over ( Daily Record, June 13 2012 ) 

No, can’t see that one.

Instead, we have King force feeding yet another meal of lamb to the media.

And they swallowed it again.

There were warchests, promises to compete with Celtic, unlimited transfer budgets, no helipads or floating pitches, right enough,  but there might as well have been for all the credibility in anything else he said.

In the Edinburgh News there’s even an article that they will outspend hibs to win the first division. It’s all been said before, and even if they do it , it will finish them off.

King wants to sell 35,000 season books, at an increased price, to raise the money to pay for all this.

Of course, it won’t be nearly enough even if they do, but then accountancy never was there strong point, and neither was paying for things.

There was news on the thirty million he pledged to invest, or was it twenty ?

Er, no.

” King is adamant he and the board will provide the finance.. “

Aye, okay.

I’m going to buy some, and then sue the papers for telling me to buy some when it all goes tits up again.

Arsene Parcelie, from KDS, summed up the appeal;

One of Kings trusted scribes, Roddy Forsyth of the Telegraph, has penned this.

Roddy Forsyth On Dave King

Read it, and pick out your own inconsistencies, your own moonbeams.

 I’d do it, but I haven’t the time. Life expectancy is still only three score and ten, and it would take me beyond that.

What we can conclude is that from his body language and tone of voice, the game is almost up for King. The words are simply what he thinks-or what Level % think-the support need to hear to get them to part with their cash.

Bizarrely, some of them are going for it;

He knows it’s a gamble, he knows the support might just turn away this time. after all, they’ve been fleeced before, and King hasn’t said or shown anything different than the others who have helped themselves to the Ibrox cash.

He only hopes that  with some season book money in quickly, he can  try to placate Mike Ashley this Friday.

It’s looking like thats why he wants some money in.

Ashley has security over his loan.

It won’t be administration this time.

This time, it’s do not pass go, do not collect £200.

For all his posturing, King  has no choice.

He has to pay up, or come to some arrangement.

If i may offer a little advice to King, then perhaps he should not use Level 5, who are merely repeating old phrases and tired cliches.

If you want to “influence “opinion, and get people to believe what you say, then they should hire this guy;

Remember Lee McCulloch ?

This made me laugh yesterday;

It’s good to laugh.

Charlie Adam, now with Stoke, fetured in yesterdays picture, as he received his travelcard from Gordon Strachan, It’s only valid this weekend, but entitles him to free travel all over Europe.

It’s a special gift from Scottish football fans.

Just kidding. It’s for getting 25 caps. Even Strachan looks surprised.

Right. I’ve got my hands on a copy of the Scottish Sports Journalist Final Exam paper.

Help me out. It’s a picture question’

You are attending a press conference on behalf of a red top newspaper. It’s your turn to ask the three men at the table a concise and interesting question.

What do you ask ?