Less than a decade ago we were on our way to nine in a row, the Manky Mob were well behind, talking about being part of an Atlantic League with some of the ‘bigger' clubs from the smaller nations. I remember having a bit of a giggle about that. The Champions League was the only place to be, we still harboured ambitions in that direction and looked towards making our mark sooner rather than later.
So where did it all go wrong? Well, after blowing ten in a row, Tricky Dicky became the main man and his scattercash approach to business, aided and abetted by Murray's arrogance – remember his smug ‘for every fiver…' quote? – got us into trouble with the bank which culminated in the great fire sale of 2003. It has been downhill all the way from there.
Yet we have had opportunities to regain the upper hand, especially after Helicopter Sunday and Septic's Bratislava brainstorm. But with indecisive leadership, the balance of power was allowed to tip back in the opposite direction and it should be a source of great shame to both David Murray and Martin Bain that, after a year with no European income, the Other Lot are looking to strengthen their squad to compete at the level where we should be.
Most Bears prefer to focus on events on the park and God knows that is more than enough to have us all reaching for the Grecian 2000. But our football shortcomings are symptomatic of mismanagement at the head of the house. PLG is doing the job with his hands tied behind his back – was he aware of how tight things would be when he agreed to join our club? – his main summer signing targets went elsewhere and we have been left with second and third choice options. And we are paying the price big time!!!
Furthermore, a rational look at the landscape offers little hope of improvement in the immediate future. While Gordon The Garden Gnome can point to a massive lead at the top of the SPL and the prospect of Champions League football to attract better players to Breezeblock Boulevard, PLG can offer only an against-all-odds battle which, while some might be up for the fight, many will shy clear of.
It is a sorry state of affairs and it will surely continue to be this way while David Murray remains in charge of our club. Securing the services of PLG was a major coup – aye, I know some are unconvinced! – but the latter part of the Minted One's reign has been a mix and match of bluff, paper shuffling and the tired old smoke and mirrors routine. It cannot be allowed to continue.
So many ‘little' things, like the minute of applause instead of silence in memory of Bobby Shearer, the recurring appearance of the team in an all blue strip for no reason at all and the sinister attack on the club's own website on those inclined to protest peacefully after the recent Dunfermline game, marks Rangers as a club in crisis; denying its identity and lacking direction in the bid to turn things around. It says it all about those on the payroll that the official website praised those who bad-mouthed the true fans who are worried about where we are going, amazingly turning the whole thing on its head by referring to ‘real fans' rounding on troublemakers!
So while our rivals swan around with the big boys, pretending to be one of the elite, Rangers continue to slide. Anyone with half a brain needs only take a cold look at events of the past ten years or so to figure it out. We tried to run before we could walk, hoping the Caat Man would take us straight to the top instead of putting together a plan for steady progress. We drifted off the straight and narrow path, subsequent penny-pinching took us from over-ambitious to unambitious in an instant and we are now toiling to impose ourselves in the football backwater which is the SPL. Despite progress in the UEFA Cup, we can only dream about real success in Europe.
The only consolation at this sad time is that nobody really takes Lawwell's big talk seriously. Having heard Murray make similar mutterings in the past, the real major players in Europe ain't likely to be taken in by the rantings of a jumped-up nobody from this silly wee country of ours.
For the time being, however, Rangers are no more than bit part players on the fringes of the real action.
LITTLE BOY BLUE