Unfortunately for Derek, though, he has absolutely no idea about what he's talking about and cannot back up his estimation of Supporters' Trusts as worthless with anything more complicated than "I just don't like them."
The fact he's actually allowed a forum for this drivel either speaks volumes for the dearth of talent for the various broadcasting outlets and newspapers or he's being put up there by his Celtic minded hierarchy who will doubtless be doubled over with laughter at an erstwhile Rangers favourite as he cements his reputation as the unwilling David Brent of the airwaves and newspapers.
Nobody who heard his bumbling, dense, inept, ill-informed beyond words performance on Clyde 2 on Wednesday January 14th could possibly NOT have felt at least a twinge of embarrassment for the man as he utterly humiliated himself live on radio with regard top what he thought about Supporters' Trusts. Clearly without even the slightest grasp of what they were about, Johnstone freely admitted he didn't know what they were for but still felt qualified to state that "He still didn't like them."
The listener could almost sense the embarrassment felt for DJ by his radio colleagues and it was easy to picture them looking at their shoes or wishing they could shove those words back into his mouth as soon as they left it. It really was cringe inducing stuff as DJ let rip with a cascade of anti-Trust invective then presented what he believed to be facts about the Rangers Trust membership, only to be eloquently put right by a member of the RST Board. Fumbling for a retort, DJ countered with, "I still don't like them."
Picture David Brent's stand up comedian act when he welcomed the Swindon workforce to Slough and how embarrassed you felt for him; then multiply that embarrassment 100 fold for what those of us felt listening to Derek Johnstone's performance on Radio Clyde. Then remember David Brent is a fictional creation while Derek Johnstone is very much all too real.
Not content with making a total fool of himself on the radio, he then compounded things by going into print in the Evening Times two days after his Radio performance. To say his huge bout of self pity was pathetic is to be letting him off lightly. He started off his column by making reference to the names he'd been getting called on "A certain Rangers fans' website" and how he'd been called an 'Uncle Tom', 'Patsy' and so on.
Talk about throwing the rattle out the pram! Apparently he's beyond criticism because he forecast two defeats for Rangers against Man United and that the League was over after the 0-0 draw with Livingston. Talk about missing the point! He'd been slated on that 'certain' website for his appalling performance on the radio! Spurious facts about how much Murray had invested in Rangers, ill-informed drivel about Supporters' Trusts and an unwillingness to even TRY and understand a new concept were behind the well deserved criticism he got. And if Rangers are not beyond criticism, then neither are you, Derek. Neither is the RST as long as it's informed criticism and not what you think it is or what it isn't about.
Laughably, in his column, he tells us that he doesn't think Supporters' Trusts can achieve anything then states regular dialogue between the Board and Supporters is the way to iron out differences. I suppose even a broken clock is right twice a day, but unwittingly he's defeated his point about Trusts being useless by supporting what one of the major aims of EVERY Trust in the country is! And the reason dialogue becomes possible is because of the shares Trusts either own or control. No business can ignore the wants and wishes of their major shareholders and with the membership of the 10 month old Rangers Supporters' Trust now accounting for over 10% of the Rangers shareholders they've became impossible for the Ibrox Board to ignore.
As for DJ, the two unwilling comedy turns he's produced in the last three days at the time of writing suggest Ricky Gervais may have been listening to Radio Clyde when he got his inspiration for the hapless boss of the Slough Paper Merchants' office.
Yours in Rangers,
Ayrshire Billy Boy