Double, Double, Toil and Trouble Written & Posted by JCS For Rangers Media Do you think that William Shakespeare might have had some presentiment of the current bloodletting at Rangers when he penned Act 4, Scene 1 of Macbeth, his dark and brooding tragedy about ruthless ambition, regicide, murder and mayhem. “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble”, chant the three witches in Act 4 of the bard’s famous drama. Probably just what Messrs. Mather, Stockbridge and Smart are chanting at this very moment I should think. Or maybe it’s the McColl, Murray and Blin faction doing the chanting as they gather around their cauldron to brew up their next spell in the game of power politics being played out for control of the Ibrox boardroom. Of course, it might well be James and Sandy Easdale we hear chanting their incantations as they cavort around their cauldron hatching a plot to add Rangers FC to their growing business empire. But I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that dark forces are at work, after all Macbeth is set in Scotland, and it is a tale of reckless ambition, would-be tyrannical rulers full of enmity and suspicion determined to unleash a bloodbath and precipitate a civil war. Not an unreasonable description of what’s happening at Rangers these days, don’t you think? Like it or not, we are in the midst of a civil war within the Rangers family, with no apparent end in sight to the bloodletting and internecine strife that characterises this destructive boardroom feud. Fact is, there are a lot of cauldrons bubbling away at the moment, and as they all add their own version of “Adder’s Fork, and Blind-worm’s Sting, Lizard’s leg, and Howlet’s wing” to the “Hell-broth” that they’re currently brewing up, it would seem that a further ingredient has been added to the witches brew – that of former Rangers Chairman, John McClelland – who’s appearance has simply added to the poisonous atmosphere as each faction adds further to their own noxious mix. “Round about the cauldron go and in the poisoned entrails throw,” as old Shakespeare would say. Either way, it seems to me that not one of these ‘witches’ is exempt from some degree of responsibility for the unholy mess that we’re in at present. If many in theatre land think that Shakespeare’s Macbeth is cursed, then spare a thought for the fans – we’re cursed with a whole raft of witches and warlocks vying for the main role in our own tragic play! Each one of the cast in the Rangers drama could legitimately chant, “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble”, because each one of them is responsible for the toil and trouble that currently envelopes Rangers Football Club and, as far as I’m concerned, Shakespeare’s dark and brooding drama is a good analogy for the mischief and mayhem being brewed by the various warring factions as they continue to stir the pot at Ibrox. However, the announcement from the Stock Exchange last Wednesday appeared to signal a compromise – a ceasefire in the ongoing boardroom war – in order to avoid a damaging and bruising encounter at the forthcoming Emergency General Meeting. In essence, the reported compromise will see Messrs. Murray, Blin, Easdale (Sandy) and McClelland seated at the boardroom table alongside the current incumbents, Craig Mather, Brian Stockbridge and Brian Smart who, apparently, are no longer on the ‘must be ousted’ list. I can just see them all now at their first board meeting – ‘Hail good fellow, well met – delighted to have you on board old chap – what a wonderful development.’ No, I don’t believe it either! I suspect that the hatchets (that are, doubtless, buried nearby), will be kept razor sharp and within easy reach. This compromise has, of course, been ‘foisted’ on the various protagonists by the inescapable fact that neither side is sure of winning a vote at the EGM. The McColl faction is unsure if it has the support to deliver its ‘team’, and the incumbent board isn’t sure if it can continue to cling to power. Makes you wonder why McColl and Murray ever embarked upon this divisive manoeuvre when they were totally unsure of their shareholder support. Add to that, the significant speculation that McColl, Murray and Blin may not be shareholders at all, and their gambit seems to become an even more untenable one. It may be, of course, that all of the speculation about their shareholding (or lack of one) is nonsense. Perhaps, their investment is an ‘invisible’ one, purchased by means of some secretive corporate entity? If that’s the case, then – why? Why would anyone wish to conceal their shareholding when the very business is too persuade us that they’re committed Rangers men – you know, one of those who continually profess to have ‘Rangers at heart’. Surely being a Rangers shareholder would be a major plus in this grab for power, don’t you think? But please don’t misunderstand me, I only want what is best for Rangers FC – talented, highly skilled, qualified and experienced men, and women, at the helm – and Frank Blin may well fulfil that criteria. But why Frank Blin I wonder, when the world is full of highly skilled, highly talented people. Why must we always rely upon the ‘nod and wink’ appointment – the friend of a friend? Why do we never ‘test’ the market for the undoubted talent that is out there, and appoint by means of a robust, competitive process? But whilst I acknowledge that Frank Blin has potential, Paul Murray certainly does not. Isn’t this the man who embarrassed us so many times last year with his amateurish leadership of the Blue Knights, his incomprehensible bids, his double-speak and his ‘now you see me, now you don’t’ performance. Having left us high and dry following his last cringe worthy throw of the dice with Brian Kennedy, he now wants to sneak in through the back door. Paul Murray – the Grand Old Duke of York – has had his day, and it’s time for him to bow out once and for all whilst he still has a modicum of dignity left – and so should John McClelland. Both will forever be identified with the ‘Old Guard’; with those that presided over the decline of our great club. Both are ‘damaged’ goods, tainted by the failures of the past and unlikely to bring anything new or innovative to a business that now needs dynamic leadership and fresh ideas. Now, I hasten to add at this point, that my criticism of the McColl camp doesn’t mean I support the Mather, Stockbridge and Smart triumvirate – nothing could be further from the truth! Indeed, I consider Craig Mather to be the Uriah Heap of the Rangers Boardroom.“Ah! But you know we’re so very umble, and having such a knowledge of our own umbleness, we must really take care that we’re not pushed to the wall by them as isn’t umble.” Yes, humble appears to be Craig Mather’s best suit, and I suspect that Charles Dickens would have recognised some of Uriah Heap’s traits in our humble Chief Executive. And still on the Dickens theme, it seems to me that our Director of Finance, Brian Stockbridge, must be a graduate of the Wilkins Micawber School of Accounting, “Annual income twenty pounds, and annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen shillings and sixpence, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds nought and six, result misery.” Not knowing what you have in the bank, what your income and expenditure is and having a mind that becomes a complete blank when questioned about the financial state of the business, is a pretty major flaw in any Director of Finance, particularly one who seems to adhere to the Micawber philosophy that “something will turn up”. As for Brian Smart, well, apparently he’s another financial and accounting ‘wizard’ with over 35 years of financial management and accounting experience – makes you wonder why we’re in such financial turmoil with such ‘expertise’ at our disposal? So there you have it – not a very palatable choice for us ordinary fans is it? On one side we have the near-billionaire who refuses to invest, the Grand Old Duke, the failed Old Guard and the convicted fraudster. On the other side we have Uriah Heap, and his two financial not-so-whiz kids. Given that line up, I suppose it’s hardly a surprise that the ink is barely dry on the so-called compromise agreement and already confusion reigns, as the warring factions cast furtive glances toward their razor-sharp hatchets. Compromise appears to have become confrontation as charge and counter charge is exchanged over the interpretation of the so-called compromise agreement. It’s contingent upon, “the provision by the Requisitioners of a vote of confidence and continued support for the current Directors and to all necessary regulatory approvals” says Craig Mather. “We wish to make it clear that this is contrary to our understanding of the agreement we had with the board.” says McColl indignantly. What next, pistols at dawn! Now that is something that Shakespeare and Dickens could make a drama of! What a start to the new ‘era’ of cooperation and compromise, eh? A potential Rangers board filled with ‘Requistioners’ and ‘Resisters’; a board utterly divided, where suspicion, distrust, enmity and hostility characterise their relationships. Call me an old cynic if you wish, but what we’re being offered is a volatile and poisonous mix likely to explode at any moment – yet we are utterly powerless to stop it. This is a battle for the hearts, minds and voting clout of the major investors – a battle where the fans are simply cannon fodder. This is not about what we, the fans, want; we are only worthy of serious attention during June and July each year when the infighting magically stops to facilitate season ticket renewals. Maybe you think I’m too hard, too caustic, and too critical of our boardroom warriors – maybe I am, but I make no apology for it. I’m sick to death with every one of them, and I’m sick, sore and tired of being treated as an appendage while they make our club a laughing stock! #Clark#
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 08:32:23 +0000