The Genie is now out of the bottle Mr Chairman

Last updated : 20 January 2009 By The Gub
As has often been said, timing is everything, and boy of boy did the banner man at Perth and the RST not have it down pat last week with that innocuous wee bannerette at Perth and then hard on its heels, the launch of the 17-point 'We Deserve Better' campaign from the RST.

First things first, that banner unfurled a week ago at Perth. Now he may well have laughed it off in public, but we all know that privately Murray must have been seething at such a public humiliation. But what is a chairman to do in such situations.

Well, he can rope in his St Johnstone equivalent for a start. Mr Geoff Brown if you are looking in. Why don't you just shut up regards the opinions of Rangers fans and concentrate on the fortunes of your own club. Between that and making sure your tractor gets its MOT, there's a good chap.

Now if Murray thought that banner was bad then he must have been positively reeling the next day when the 'WDB' initiative was unveiled. As per usual, it was time to call in the moral and journalist effluence, which constitutes his pals in the Scottish press. They were not to disappoint and it has been a steady and hypocritical offensive on his behalf ever since. And let's not forget Walter Smith's part in the proceedings either.

Again, regards the 17 point plan. There is a school of thought that maybe seventeen points were twelve points too many and the RST should have concentrated on maybe a handful of the most important issues. But the fact that there were so many key points just goes to highlight how wide scale are the problems, Murray's mismanagement has beset the club.

The reaction on Real Radio the following night to David Edgar's Wednesday night performance shows just how far the RST has to go in trying to reach the majority of the support. It was pathetic but to be expected unfortunately.

At no point did the Murrayites calling in make any attempt try and address the points the RST had made. Rather it was personal attacks on David Edgar's character. How dare anyone question Napoleon Murray's leadership? This would manifest itself in a more sinister fashion on the Friday night and it sums up the Midwich Cuckoos who it would appear follow Murray as much, if not more, than they follow Rangers FC.

It was Walter Smith's turn on the Saturday and his words will not be forgotten by this Bear in a hurry. The manager of Rangers FC it would appear has no time for those 'faceless' people on internet websites. It's strange because I would have thought that 99.9 % of Rangers fans, even those foot soldiers in Walter's blue and white army, would be faceless also, yet Walter has no problems with those people. Strange that.

Oh, and regards there having to be a majority of fans making their feelings known before you lot at Ibrox will acknowledge there are major problems at the club.

It may astound you to realise Walter, but there were a lot of Rangers fans out there thought John Greg should have been sacked after the debacle at Chesterfield in late October 1980. By no means were they in the majority; but did that make them any less correct in their assumptions?

The fact is we had to suffer another three years of dross under Greig before he had the good grace to say enough is enough. We simply do not have the luxury of another three years of you and your chairman, although from what I've heard from you since the summer, you doing the honourable thing does not appear to be on the agenda.

However Walter's words aside, it is the paucity and poverty of the argument in Murray's favour that is nauseating and if I were in the Chairman's shoes I'd be majorly concerned at those currying favour.

Andy McInnes, was on the top of his game on Monday just past. On one hand, he berated the RST and any other Rangers fans out there who have the temerity to question Murray's authority and handling of our finances. Then elsewhere he makes the point that the yahoos are in a position to 'cruise' past Rangers on and off the pitch.

So enlighten us puppy dog, whose fault is it that the yahoos from 20,000 odd fans less per home game, an antediluvian stadium, and in a complete business morass just a decade and a half ago are now ready to leave us trailing in their slipstream?

However, dumplings like McInnes and the Dungster, will always crop up when you always expect them to.

However, those who desire change have a problem much closer to home and you are surrounded by them at every home game. I refer of course to our fellow fans.

It's funny how you can miss things at the game because you are so caught up in the proceedings. My remote was on a three-way spin on Monday night as I watched a re-run of Saturday's match against Falkirk, clicked over now and again to watch the highlights of Arsenal's 2001/02 double season and also keep tabs on the impending Merseyside derby.

I never really heard it at the game but I caught the refrains of 'Murray must stay' after Kris Boyd's second goal scrimped over the line. Again, if I were Murray I'd actually be worried at this kind of support in the circumstances. Because here we were treated to a Rangers team that for around 25 minutes of the second half had a man advantage over Falkirk at Ibrox. Falkirk I said, not Fiorentina.

Yet the manager kept to his flat back four, which meant four defenders engaged to mark just one solitary Falkirk striker. It truly beggars belief when you think that this was a must win game, and also the chance to put pressure on the yahoos with their game at Aberdeen the following day. (And yes that went for us)

So we got that all important second goal and then lo and behold the manager took off his centre forward and sacrificed him for a defender. Again I'll repeat this was Falkirk at Ibrox, not a top European outfit. Yet a great many in the support saw this tactical garbage as the green light to think that all is well at the club?

So how do we sum up the events of the last week? Well I suppose it is one part glee that people at the very least, have now even ever so slightly had to question Murray's management of the club. However, that has been tempered with two parts woe as his PR machine has came out fighting and more importantly it would seem there is still a helluva long way to go before the average Daily Record reader really gives serious thought to where the club is heading.

We've also had the unbelievable scenario whereby Radio Snyde have come out firmly in the Murray corner. Can you imagine anything more unedifying than Keevins and McGuire defending you? Nah, neither can I.

Of course this pair are as transparent as a pair of Jodie Marsh's knickers. You know the ones she wears for special occasions. The yahoos in the press don't want change at Ibrox because anyone but Murray would signal an improvement at Ibrox and may be even fighting back on the sectarian issue.

The yahoos in the press do not want change at Ibrox because that would mean a vastly improved financial situation. The yahoos in the press don't want change at Ibrox because a good Bluenose coming in, one with his finger on the pulse would mean no more freebies for them.

Anyway, the hypocrisy of someone like Keevins who used his position in the press and at Snyde to agitate long and weary for change at Parkhead, and for the abolition of power for the old Celtic families, telling Rangers fans that they don't deserve a new order takes us way off the map.

His argument ran along the following lines; the Celtic dynasties were taking us nowhere, they have to go. It doesn't matter about NIAR or Lisbon, they have to go. His argument regards Murray in the here and now is entirely the opposite. Rangers fans have short memories this man gave you NIAR. Spot the difference?

It may be a long shot I know. But Keevins (and others') hypocrisy on this issue is should be something the brain dead in our support who tune into Snyde religiously keep in mind the next time they are tempted to phone in. Then again, if you tune into that programme and are of the opinion that station is impartial anyway, then perhaps not.

They say a week is a long time in politics, but hey it's been fun. That's if you are not a bright, snappy, brash and articulate Rangers fan who wants what is best for his club and who has given his mobile phone number to too many people, that is.

The events of last Friday night make it not so much fun. All I can say here and I offer up no comfort is that it is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. Because anyone who thinks Murray will fold and cave into public opinion a'la the Celtic families is in a for a rude awakening.

Last week we got the Genie of public debate out of the bottle - our most pressing task now it to keep the debate going and convincing our fellow Bears of the need for change.

The Govanhill Gub.