David Murray - The man, the myth, the maths and the mess

Last updated : 11 September 2003 By The Govanhill Gub
One of the scariest, but nevertheless most important issues, that surrounds the financial catastrophe Rangers FC finds itself in at the moment, and indeed for the foreseeable future, is the large percentage of Rangers fans that still apparently refuse to believe or confront what is staring us in the face. It goes without saying that we are, all of us, entitled to our own opinions. But it is the level of, the poverty and paucity of the Murrayites' argument that concerns me. Still as the old adage goes desperate times do call for desperate measures.


For example one of the latest debates/excuses doing the rounds on the FF message boards in the last wee while has been the curious notion that it is wrong to blame David Murray for the fiscal black hole threatening to consume the club. All he did wrong (if indeed it was wrong) was 'chase the European dream on our behalf.' It is utter codswallop!


Chase the E dream? With who, Walter Smith a man who once asked what a tactic was? A man who failed abysmally in the European arena in seven tries out of eight? Now I have no intention or desire to harp back to the early to mid 1990s. But if people want to put their heads in the sand and refuse to point the finger of blame at the guilty parties involved, then I'm sorry but this is one Bear who is not prepared to indulge them their flights of fancy.



What we also need to remember at this point is that Murray always insisted he would never sack his 'friend' Walter. It was ENIC who basically instigated managerial change at Ibrox in the autumn of 1997 after Walter failed in two European competitions in as many months.



The bottom line is, by allowing 'his friend Walter' to stay in the managerial seat at Ibrox no matter how the team performed in continental competition, no matter the humiliation then the argument that Murray was 'chasing the European dream' on our behalf is worthy only of contempt!



Of course apologists for the ex Chairman will tell you that the Smith years aren't part of their argument. Perish the thought. Rather it was the Advocaat regime that has brought us to our knees. Well I'm afraid that one won't wash either.



'Chasing the European dream'? You're putting me on. If you want to look at a British club who are actually intent on making their mark at the highest level then look no further than what is happening down at Stamford Bridge. Look at the amount of money they are spending and the real top-of-the-range talent they are spending their roubles on. Now there is a club that is 'chasing the dream'.




Let's see now, Veron, Makelele, Crespo all players who have made their mark at the top and then in players like Joe Cole a youngster who certainly has the potential to go all the way. Compare and contrast with Advocaat's spending spree when he took over. Over £5m on a Russian sidewinder who was only interested in grazing out on the right wing? Around £4m on a very ordinary, veteran centre half because of his nationality? (Please Murray fans take me to task on this one) Just over £2m on a Romanian crock who never played a game for the club. Three and half million smackers on a Frenchman who didn't even want to play with Newcastle in the glamorous EPL, far less the SPL and whose body language gave the game away everytime he took to the pitch.



Now I realise full well that Advocaat inherited a shambles (and have said as such on many occasions) and that money had to be shelled out and quick. But for Murray fans to now turn round and claim we were ready to crack the big time with the overall calibre of player Advocaat brought in smacks of revisionism that Timmy would be proud of. Moreover it is an even bigger load of tripe than the notion that Walter could cut it at among the big boys.
The plain hard and simple truth is, we didn't chase any European dreams. We shelled out Broadway wages for what to all intents and purposes was vaudeville.



Of course the financial straw that broke the camel's back was the quite appalling and needless £12m frittered away on Tore Andre Flo in November 2000. Again maybe Murray backers could explain how that transfer was helping us 'chase the E dream' when he wasn't even eligible to play for us in European competition that season?



It is more than a little ironic, but I believe the beginning of the end for David Murray's special brand of management of the club began in the year that his admirers would tell you was the date of his biggest triumph at Ibrox. That's right the NIAR year of 1997. That's the year you may recall when Murray charmed (or blagged whichever way you care to look at it) £40m off Joe Lewis and his chums at ENIC. That is the year when Auchenhowie SHOULD have been established. That's the year when Walter spoke of resigning (at the summit domestically) but instead was thrown around £14m to play with that summer to bag the 'Big Ten.'



Since then our spending/financial prudence/common sense has born all the hallmarks of a runaway train that is way beyond anyone's control. It is in my opinion all down to this man Murray's arrogance, ego and most of all inability to admit that his judgment has been seriously flawed on many occasions.




Let's go back to the close season of 1998 when DA took over what to all intents and purposes was a footballing equivalent of a demolition site. Nowhere is there an admission on Murray's part that perhaps allowing Walter to stay on after tendering his resignation at the previous October's AGM was a mistake on his part. (It was certainly a complete reversal from his actions when Souness wanted to leave six-and-a-half years previously) All we were treated to was bluff and bluster about how HIS pride was hurt and a promise to spend, spend, spend like never before so it wouldn't happen again. This was designed to do one thing. Take our mind off the fact that it was his poor judgment allied to Walter's management methods running out of steam that had allowed a poor, poor Celtic to pip us at the post.



Of course history was to repeat itself just over two years later only with more serious long-term effects when Murray used his personal friendships at the Bank of Scotland to ride roughshod over the Bank's natural wariness at lending out another £12m for the aforementioned TAF. Again this was a signing without rhyme nor reason and was designed specifically to try and take our minds off the fact that a galvanised Celtic had, for the first time in Murray's time in control at Ibrox, finally got their act together. So instead of a calm appraisal of what was happening at the time, Murray's arrogance had plunged us even deeper into debt. The rest as they say is a present day that is a frightening economic reality to behold.




So why this wee blast back to the past? Well it's simple really. In the last issue of the mag, GS said that he felt it is basically time for David Murray to call it a day at Ibrox. Given our many, many hours of discussion on the subject over the years from diametrically opposite sides. It is, all in all, a seismic shift in his thinking. Nevertheless it is I believe a point of view that is now being nurtured in the hearts and minds of Rangers fans all over the globe.




If you look honestly and seriously at David Murray's financial handling of Rangers FC then it is hard to get away from the fact that all told he has been an unmitigated disaster for the club. It has been a smoke and mirrors act that has now been well and truly rumbled. Only it is the Rangers support that will pick up the tab and not the man whose ego gambled with our long-term well being in the first place.




Now I'm the first to admit that I'm not someone with a real financial or business brain. And there will be thousands of punters reading this either in the mag or the website who've forgotten more about how business and finance works than I'll ever know. But will someone point out what David Murray's real monetary successes at Ibrox have been? I am serious.




People point to the fact that Rangers are bigger business and generate millions more in revenue than ever before. But couldn't we say the same of all the other 'big' clubs? Certainly football has gone through a massive boom time (unfortunately for us especially down in England) in the last decade or so and the EPL has given the English game a lustre it has never previously known. But as sure as night follows day, after the boom comes a bang. I think the fall-out from the bang at Ibrox is there for all to see with high wage earners being barged out of the club this summer. This is only the beginning.




Then there is the fact that despite being almost the finished article in 1988 when Murray came to Ibrox. Despite being a 90% post Taylor Report stadium BEFORE the Hillsborough Disaster. Despite spending tens of millions on ground refurbishment, Ibrox today holds only 6,000 more people than it did when DM took over.




Then we have perhaps DM's greatest financial trick. Despite all the financial woes and incompetence that riddled CP, despite that mob being miles, if not years behind in terms or revenue and having to build a stadium. Despite being outnumbered in this country I'd say by a nominal 4-1, the yahoos at present have a bigger stadium and revenue than Murray's Rangers. You could also say that for the first time since the original Ibrox disaster way back in 1902, Rangers have become a selling club. It is all down to this man Murray's financial juggling with the club.



Lest we forget, there are also the parts of the Ibrox operation he has cherry-picked for himself at Rangers' expense. Nice little earners like Azure Catering for example or Response Handling or the mob that does the Smart Cards. David Murray may well be a financial genius but while he's still in clover Rangers FC find itself in the grubber.



Now if you don't want to judge David Murray on his financial dealings then I can assure you there is precious little else that is left that can bring you good cheer. The blunt truth is, if anything his 'Custodianship' has been an even bigger disaster for the club than the financial side of things. Let's see now,


Allowing deliberate lies abut the origins of the club to become accepted as fact



Allowing journalists to have a wee giggle at the victims of the Ibrox Disaster



Allowing journalists to refer to Rangers fans as 'Orange Scum'



Allowing journalists to tell lies that Rangers fans threw 'exotic fruit' at Mark Walters to recall but a few from over the years.



Now all these instances viewed on their own might seem quite harmless. But when you put them altogether then it makes for truly gruesome reading. Of course when you also add in the ongoing incompetence that is the everyday norm at Ibrox. Then the only conclusion that we can arrive at is David Murray's 'Custodianship' has been and remains a catalogue of negligence that would not be tolerated at any other football club or indeed sporting organisation in the world.




Of course the suggestion that this man Murray deserves the title of custodian of the club is as risible as it is contemptible. DM's 'custodianship' can be summed up thus. The man who told us that youth systems/set-ups were unnecessary and obsolete because of Bosman has a proposed youth academy named after him. Meanwhile the reputation of the fine, young men who formed our club lies in tatters because of the same man's utter disregard for our heritage.




Do you want or need other examples? In April just past, Mark Hateley, who is actually employed by Rangers FC to 'Promote the Rangers brand' came out in print and said he was of the opinion that Jamie McFadden moving to Rangers would be a bad personal career move for the player. Seriously can anyone think of another company in the world that pays people who talk down their own product?





While we're on the subject of Hateley. There was the recent case whereby he was supposed to be helping coach players at Dundee. So once again we have the extraordinary situation whereby someone who makes a living traveling the world at Rangers' expense is coaching players who might, just might put one over on Rangers? It is an absolute joke and further testament to the sheer neglect and overwhelming incompetence that is all pervading at David Murray's Ibrox.





We also have the crazy situation whereby Rangers FC discriminate against employing people who support the club if the position pays over a certain wage level. Again no one is suggesting that RFC employ people purely on the premise that his or her old man has a season ticket in the Copland. But surely where you have two applicants of equal ability and qualifications, then it is utter madness not to choose the person who will go that bit extra for you when the chips are down? As I say it could only happen at David Murray's Ibrox.




Then there's the recent shambles of 'Ticket Tuesday'. Basically in every part of Murray's Ibrox operation you will find a shambles as the club lurches from one mess to another. Sadly there is no Plan B to fall back on, then again there never has been. Murray's entire business plan over the period has been a short-term 'This'll shut them up for the time being until I get something else in place round the corner' approach. Only now because of the debt nobody is falling for it anymore. Simply put there is no longer a get-out around the corner.




The bottom line is David Murray's time at Ibrox has been and gone. Not because GS or yours truly says so but because he has nothing to left offer us, and the utter devastation at all levels of the club that are there for all to see speaks for itself.




Believe it or not but I hate the notion of people leaving Ibrox under a cloud but every fibre of my being tells me that is what is going to happen in DM's case.



This is going to be a long, protracted and dirty war. All I can ask my fellow Rangers fan is simply this, are you up for the fight?




THE GOVANHILL GUB