Maybe I'm too quick to find silver linings but, coming so soon after Big Eck's defence of the fans at Newcastle and the Ibrox Press Office's seemingly sympathetic response to fans complaining about Queersy Spiersy's anti-Rangers rants, could it be that somewhere within The Brox somebody has decided that enough is enough.
Whether the Minted One paid any head to the Blue Order's DEFEND OUR CLUB
banner on Saturday or the Freckled One has finally twigged that, no matter
how matey he was with the Hack Pack in the past, as manager of Rangers he is
seen as a legitimate target and, unless the club's enemies are taken to
task, they could cost him his job. Make no mistake about it, if the Press
Gang are allowed to maintain their hostility, the negativity will begin to
filter through and it is the manager¹s coat which will be on an increasingly
shoogley nail. And having long since lost the goodwill of the fans, Murray
maybe sees facing up to the Septic-minded media as a quick way to score
brownie points with us Bears.
Whether cynical self-preservation is the motive or not, the decision to
fight for Alex Rae has to be applauded because it is the right thing to do.
Sure, Rae was reckless going in the way he did but the ball was there to be
one and he rightly saw it as his duty to win it. If Dadu decides to use his
head to shield the ball, he is the one who is at fault and any rational
human being (and I¹m sure Alex Rae is one) would expect him to get his bonce
out of the way pretty damned quick. In that crucial fraction of a second, he
went for the ball on the assumption that Dadu would act sensibly,
unfortunately the CSKA man didn¹t and now Rae¹s European campaign may well
be over before it has started.
Referee Jan Wegereef was right on top of the incident, rightly penalised
Dadu for dangerous play and, amidst the subsequent melee, got Rae out of
harm¹s way and restarted play as soon as possible. Having initially defended
his decision and made no mention of anything contentious in his report, the
Dutchman subsequently backtracked a bit and admitted that the TV cameras may
have seen more than he did, possibly covering his own back, fearing that he
too might incur UEFA¹s wrath. But it all leaves a bad taste in the mouth and
makes Europe¹s football legislators looking like misguided vigilantes.
Whatever happened to the age-old maxim about the referee¹s decision being
final? By taking the draconian steps they did, despite the ref saying no
action was necessary, they have questioned Jan Wegereef¹s ability and
integrity and effectively left him looking over his shoulder whenever he
takes charge of a match. What does he do next time he is caught up in a good
old-fashioned stramash? Does he call it as he sees it or does he brandish
cards right, left and centre, just in case TV cameras see something he
hasn¹t? UEFA have opened a can of worms here. By undermining the referee to
slap a five match ban on Alex Rae, they have set a very dangerous precedent
and have left the way clear for every decision to be questioned, to be
scrutinized over and over again, for onfield issues to be overruled by men
in suits.
By taking on UEFA, Rangers are not only fighting for themselves, our club is
making a stand for every player, every referee and every other club who
might find themselves caught on the wrong side of over-zealous legislation.
Referees are appointed to officiate at games, they have two linesmen, a
fourth official and an observer in the stand, yet UEFA are now saying that
five pairs of eyes are not enough. By allowing media-led crusades any input
in the decision making process, motivation in such a lucrative field can
quickly stray from misguided to corrupt. How long before doctored pictures
appear on the scene? Don¹t laugh! Not so very long ago, a leading newspaper
in this country faked pics to manufacture a story which endangered the lives
of thousands of servicemen in a war zone. If they¹ll do that, meddling in
football business is no big deal.
Yet the Scottish media men reckon Rangers would get more respect if they
accepted Rae¹s punishment. Respect? Where our club is concerned, these
jokers don¹t know how to spell the word. From smart-arsed one-liners about
the Ibrox Disaster and the drowning of William Wilton to prolonged campaigns
to ridicule Rangers and demonize the fans, they are piling on the pressure
and won¹t rest until they have all but driven our club into isolation,
unable to go about legitimate football business without snide innuendo and
blatant lies casting clouds of doubt and fear over our presence.
So got for it, Rangers! Leave UEFA in no doubt about the injustice of their
suspension of Alex Rae, defend the player, the referee and our club, then
turn your attention to the Sellick-minded liars with laptops. If they want
to have a pop at our club, let them do so in the knowledge that they will
have to justify every word they write and, when they can¹t, they can expect
to be treated like the morons they are. I live in hopeS
Meanwhile, what can we expect from Switzerland on Monday? I¹ll be astonished
if UEFA admit they got it wrong and wipe out the ban altogether. But if
Rangers present their case articulately and forcibly, some form of sense may
prevail and the ban could be reduced, possibly to just a couple of games.
After all, had the ref acted like the Scottish Hacks maintain he should
have, Alex would have been red-carded and incurred a two/three match ban in
the process. It is still patently wrong that the referee¹s original decision
cannot be accepted but, knowing UEFA¹s history of dreadful decisions, I
reckon a reduction is the best we can look for.
But I hope we are witnessing a change in the climate within Ibrox. Maybe
Murray and his lackeys are not yet ready to man the barricades to defend our
great club but maybe, just maybe, somebody is beginning to take more
interest in the coverage of Rangers affairs and has at long last detected
the hostile slant which seems to envelope all Ibrox-related matters. Like I
said earlier, I live in hope.
LITTLE BOY BLUE