Genre: Opinion/Argumentation

What else is on the Football Circle? The latest football news Loading... Tuesday, 24 April 2012 Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word It is indeed a sad, sad situation as Elton John once observed. A club, crippled by over a decade of mismanagement, has been held to account for practicing business in a fashion that has brought the game in Scotland into disrepute. Rangers Football Club, one of the big two in Scotland is starting to face the reality of choosing not to abide by the law of the land and the natives are truly restless. Financial woes cast a long shadow over Ibrox In the latest twist to what has been an extremely turbulent season for the Govan giants, the Scottish Football Association have found Rangers guilty of bringing the game into disrepute, both over the handling of documentation with their new owner and failing to pay another club proceeds from the gate for a Scottish Cup tie. The result has been a 12-month transfer embargo and a fine of 160,000. Craig Whyte, the controversial owner was also penalised but it was met with the same indifference that would if Gok Wan told Freddy Kruger that stripes were bad for his complexion. "It doesn't affect my life" Whyte remarked. It may not have any direct impact on Motherwell 'businessman' but the repercussions for Rangers could be catastrophic. With the club effectively banned from making any forward strides in terms of strengthening should they find their way out of administration, the already diminished value of the club has taken a further blow. Will either of the consortiums linked be interested in a club that cannot do any business in the transfer market over the next year? Given the serious nature of events, Rangers fans are understandably furious at the actions of the SFA. Calls for boycotts, marches and demonstrations have all been made in the 12 hours or so since the penalties became public knowledge. There is a genuine fear and belief that the national association are delivering the final blow to a dying animal. They may well be right. As much as fans find the actions of the SFA objectionable, surely the distain should actually be directed at those at the helm of the club over the last twenty years. David Murray embarked on a spending spree that forced the club into serious debt and if allegations are proven true, also frittered away tens of millions of public funds as well. Craig Whyte, after purchasing the club for 1, has negated to pay tax or indeed any creditor and has ushered the club to, what many suggest, is the natural conclusion to years of profligacy. Even this season, where HMRC have confirmed Rangers have failed to pay over 15m in PAYE and National Insurance, they have signed 10 players, seven of which are full internationals. Celtic aside, no other SPL club could dream of such a spree this season. However, the ire of the Govan masses has been directed at those who look to regulate the sport in the correct manner, a manner that has been alien to the 2 previous owners of the club. So much so in fact, that ultimately it could be to the detriment of the club. Constantly looking at the agendas of others is something commonplace within the Glasgow football environment and in this case seems to have hidden the inevitable truth from the fans of Rangers. Who can blame them though, led by unrepentant executives and sycophantic media, the fans are now at a loss to how the outlook could be so bleak. The message coming from Ibrox is clear. The SFA has acted to the detriment of Rangers, Scottish Football and the Scottish populous. This is the line being used by Duff and Phelps, Rangers ineffectual administrators and is being articulated in a more impassioned fashion by the fans For observers with no emotional attachment to the club though, there continues to be an air of disbelief that one of the biggest clubs in Britain has been driven to the brink. What there is not an abundance of however, is sympathy. Two decades of extravagance was viewed with envy by every other club in the country. The rest of Scotland were definitely seen as the have nots as Rangers played out their football version of Dynasty under David Murray. Now, as it becomes apparent that the golden years where largely funded by taxpayers, you will be hard pressed to find a fan outside of Ibrox who thinks that the sanctions are anything other than deserved. Murray:  Responsible? This is a view that is further enforced by the lack of responsibility being shouldered by the club itself. The spokesperson for the Rangers Supporters Trust has drawn baffling comparisons between the sanctions handed out for not paying other clubs monies due to Neil Lennon's suspension for touchline disorder. The Administrators, despite continuing to lose money on a daily basis, have accused the SFA of making Rangers less of a viable business option. David Murray, the 'cash rich chairman of the last 20 years points the finger at Craig Whyte and Craig Whyte evidently could not care less. The bottom line is that if the club had been run in a reasonable manner, within the laws of the land, we would not be discussing SFA sanctions, administration or any of the other issues that appears to be raising their heads at the moment. Clydebank and Gretna no longer exist as Professional clubs for that reason; Dundee, Livingston, Airdrie and Motherwell have all felt the pain of Administration. None of those clubs were hard done by at the hands of Football Associations or Creditors, just the suits in the boardroom. It is no different with Rangers. If they had faced up to their deficiencies at a point where action could be taken, they would not be in this mess. If the hierarchy were in any way repentant, then maybe Scottish Football might be more willing to deal with them with a sympathetic hand. However, it would seem for this club, sorry seems to be the hardest word.