In 1633 he was forced to recant his belief that the earth moves around the sun. Under heavy pressure he recanted his heresy against Church orthodoxy and saved himself from death by torture, burning or some other ecclesiastical nicety. He would spend the rest of his life under house arrest.
Yet, as he left the tribunal it is said - “The moment he was set at liberty, he looked up to the sky and down to the ground, and, stamping with his foot, in a contemplative mood, said, Eppur si move.”
And so it is with Rangers.
Assorted haters, in various guises, have sought to denigrate the club and it’s fans. Hence, the Scottish media has been replete with references to “the new club” or “newco Rangers” and such bitter nonsense.
Such wretches, having failed to see the club destroyed, are now reduced to a public bar style discussion on the metaphysics of the nature, form and existence of a football club in a desperate attempt to rationalise their hatred.
Yet, for all the pseudo-intellectual chicanery their deceit runs aground on a large rock - the simple fact that Rangers exist.
If it looks like a duck, walk like a duck, and quacks like a duck - then it’s a duck.
You’ve got the bizarre spectacle of many of the Scottish media’s self-styled football gurus trying to cope with the fact that they believe 50,000 people part with hard cash turn up every other Saturday to sit for 90 minutes in an empty stadium not to see a club that doesn’t exist. Not only do the Rangers fans do this but visiting fans, players and officials all play their part in this elaborate charade.
Rangers exist - and they move on.
Hateful thinking will not change that.