Then, Rangers were completely dominant in Scotland. Just the season before we had won the Treble, gone 44 games unbeaten in all competitions and had come within one goal of the European Cup Final. We had YEARS on Celtic. Now, look at the state the Club is in.
>From being a Club that could attract Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup we have sunk to such a level we are forced to scout around Europe looking for free transfers. Our Youth Development Scheme is no longer solely in Rangers' hands. We are in the grip of a horrendous debt. And to cap it all, there are substantial rumours that Murray was well on the road with a leaseback scheme with regard to the Stadium itself as a way of trying to alleviate the financial problems he has to take responsibility for.
Not content with this, for 3 out of the last 4 seasons, Celtic have not been provided with a challenge as they humiliatingly won the league with embarrassing ease.
How is it possible Rangers have went from such a position of strength to one of abject weakness in a decade? For answers all you need to do is look back at recent issues of Follow, Follow and it's not the purpose to recount them here. All the purpose here is to suggest you think how you felt almost ten years ago to the day and compare it to how you feel as you walk into the Stadium today. Not pleasant, is it? Murray failed to capitalise on the huge advantage we had on Celtic. He has surrounded himself with self seeking sycophants who refuse to see the damage this has caused our Club. He and they have failed our Club. He and they must be replaced immediately. Who by? It's well within the realms of the possible that a consortium of Rangers minded businessmen can be put together to buy Murray out and subsequently replace the likes of Bain and McClelland with people who want to serve Rangers with the respect a tradition like our Club has merits.
On the subject of worthless entities at Ibrox, it was infuriating to watch Rangers supporters at Tannadice being arrested for the crime of nothing more than standing up in a stand that was at least 80% below capacity while Lawrence McIntyre, the alleged security chief, sat back and did nothing. From the comfort of his seat in the Directors' Box, where yours truly was situated close to at the game, he sat and watched Rangers supporters quite possibly end up with criminal records for doing absolutely nothing wrong. His job as security chief is to ensure the security of Rangers supporters. That involves entering into dialogue with police forces who are being ridiculously heavy handed with Rangers supporters. He failed in this. Although, anybody who was in that horrendous crushing in Stuttgart could tell you the welfare of Rangers supporters is way down his list of priorities. The man is simply a disgrace to the position he occupies.
Why have the media circled the wagons around Neil Lennon over the abuse he was on the receiving end of at Tynecastle? The guy is nothing more than a bigoted, verminous thug who brings any abuse he gets upon himself due to the way he acts both on and off the park. Strangely though, he's - apparently - receiving "racial² abuse. Maybe Mark Walters could tell the journalists and Martin O'Neill what it's REALLY like to be on the receiving end of that particular strain of prejudice. Bananas being thrown at a player on account of his skin colour constitutes racial abuse; being called a 'cheating, fouling wee shite' which is what Lennon is, does not. Describing it thus merely demeans and cheapens what sportsmen like Walters had to endure.
This stuff even surpasses what we had to endure 20 odd years ago. One thing is certain: the manager simply cannot afford mistakes in the transfer market in the close season. Successive seasons like this one simply are unthinkable.
Yes, we'll support Rangers evermore. The Club as an institution and the eleven guys in the jersey on the park on any given day we'll support evermore. The current custodians are another matter. It's to be hoped that the message that we won't simply accept everything they do on account of their position has well and truly sunk in. If they need to be removed for the good of the Club then they will be. How it happens is up to them; the easy way or the hard way.
Ayrshire Billy Boy