Angela Haggerty, at the bat By Chris Graham

[ian1964 10,721]

Whilst chuckling at the latest installment of propaganda from a relatively new heroine of the Celtic online â??familyâ??, I thought it would be worth finding a proper description of the malady that is currently afflicting a rather large and vocal group of football fans in Scotland. I found the following:

 

The study of collective delusions most commonly falls within the domain of sociologists working in the sub-field of collective behaviour, and psychologists specializing in social psychology. Collective delusions are typified as the spontaneous, rapid spread of false or exaggerated beliefs within a population at large, temporarily affecting a particular region, culture, or country. Mass hysteria is most commonly studied by psychiatrists and physicians. Episodes typically affect small, tightly knit groups in enclosed settings such as schools, factories, convents and orphanages (Calmeil 1845; Hirsch 1883; Sirois 1974).

 

I am no sociologist or psychologist but Iâ??d imagine these types of issues manifest themselves in a complete refusal to accept any evidence that refutes the delusion that you are currently experiencing. So, for example, if you desperately want Rangers to have ceased to exist, and have been told by several of your high profile chums that they have indeed â??diedâ?, then you will obviously not want to hear from the football authorities that you got it so wrong.

 

In these circumstances it would appear to be best to ignore what you know to be true and just continue with the same old tired propaganda youâ??ve been trotting out for months. It must be particularly hard if you have taken the first faltering steps of your career based on these delusions and now find that youâ??ve made something of an idiot of yourself.

 

Up steps Angela Haggerty.

 

Angela, as some of you will know, has several remarkable skills. Firstly she can apparently read books upside down, if her appearance on Channel 4 news is anything to go by. Angela is also the editor of a fiction book loosely connected with Scottish football and written by the â??authorâ??, â??journalistâ??, blogger and bigot, Phil Mac Giolla Bhain. This work of fiction was recently reviewed in the Scotsman newspaper:

 

â??The sirens started to sound at the first of several references to Rangers supporters as 'the Ibrox klan'. The author makes no attempt to disguise his hatred for Rangers, stating at one stage 'please let this football club die'. And yet he yearns to be taken seriously as a journalist, repeatedly complaining that no-one from the mainstream media ever calls him. As the tale unravels, Mac Giolla Bhain starts to disappear up his own rear, declaring: 'I am aware of my own contribution and I rather like the guy I see in the shaving mirror every morning.' These are two classic mistakes: believing you are the story, and wanting a story to be true. When itâ??s not.â?

 

So there we have it, a work of fiction. One might be forgiven for wondering if perhaps Angela edited the book upside down as well as reading it that way. Perhaps she was just trying to get it to make sense? Either way, the review is not exactly a ringing endorsement of her work but it seems Angela has not learned from her mistakes. â??Wanting a story to be true, when itâ??s notâ? is very much the basis for Angelaâ??s work.

 

Angelaâ??s most recent foray into writing is entitled â??Why the word Sevco mattersâ?. Snappy. The first line will give you an idea of where we are going here: â??Yes, Sevco. Yes, a different club. Yes, it matters.â? We then go on to find out that, â??Yes, the new team plays at Ibrox. Yes, the new team plays in blue. Yes, the same supporters go to see them and yes, that is probably satisfactory enough for those supporters to believe it is the same club.â?

 

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes? Well, no. Actually Angela, that isnâ??t satisfactory. Here are a few things that are satisfactory though.

 

The SFA has already confirmed the clubâ??s continuance by transferring the license, albeit by blackmailing the club into accepting several sanctions and propping up the Sky deal. Angela is confused about this, she thinks â??Sevco is a new club and rules were created on-the-go by the SFA to accommodate it.â? She doesnâ??t enlighten us as to what these rules are or where we can read them. That is because they only exist in her head and the heads of those also afflicted by this mass delusion. The licence was transferred; there is no new club, Angela.

 

Then we have the European Club Association (ECA) which is the only body recognised by FIFA and UEFA as representing clubs at European level. Their stance on this is again quite clear. Rangers are the same club they have always been. They have been relegated and are therefore not able to hold the same level of membership of the ECA as before but â??it was concluded that Rangers FC was entitled to associated membership of ECA as considered to be a founding member.â?

 

This is somewhat problematic for Angela and her fellow deluded as it is not clear how â??Sevcoâ?, being a â??new clubâ?, could also be a founding member of an organisation that began in 2008.

 

Then we have UEFA. Now, Angela thinks UEFA donâ??t recognise Rangers as the same club because they will not grant the club a license. This wonâ??t come as a surprise but again Angela is confused. This is a Financial Fair Play rule and effectively exists for precisely the type of scenario that the club finds itself in. We are effectively banned from Europe for 3 years for going into administration and emerging with a new company in charge.

 

UEFA have just published their coefficients for European competition for 2012/13. Rangers are ranked 88th. Our history in Europe for the past 5 years is acknowledged, as normal, as part of those coefficient tables. So Angela would have us believe that a new club, formed at the start of this season, has somehow managed to gain a European ranking above the likes of Newcastle, Auxerre, Rosenborg and others - quite an achievement.

 

So the SFA, ECA, SFL and UEFA all recognise Rangers, the club that has existed since 1872 and does so today. Up against that we have Angela Haggerty, Phil Mac Giolla Bhain, Paul McConville, Brian McNally, BBC Scotland and various assorted waifs and strays from the online fan bases of several Scottish clubs who canâ??t bring themselves to accept that we survived. This is a mass delusion that will continue to be fed daily by the zealots who inhabit the green and grey corners of cyberspace.

 

So let me change that paragraph in your most recent ramblings for you Angela - for the sake of accuracy which I know you will value being a journalist:

 

â??Yes, the new team plays at Ibrox. Yes, the new team plays in blue. Yes, the same supporters go to see them. Yes, the team is called Rangers. Yes, UEFA recognise them as the same club. Yes, the ECA recognise them as the same club. Yes, the SFA recognise them as the same club, Yes, the SFL recognise them as the same club and yes, that is probably satisfactory enough for those supporters to believe it is the same club.â?

 

There we go, much better. Most satisfactory! Now, you were saying?

[aweebluesoandso 290]

Nice one Chris, booted the cowbag right in the Crease haha.

[Super_Ally 0]

Nailed the argument there. Makes this angela look a complete idiot.

[Max Rebo's Big Blue Nose 0]

Is Angela Hegarty the new Jeanette Findlay? Remember that IRA loving mouthpiece?

 

Good article as ever by Chris

[The Real PapaBear 0]

If that could have been better, i don't know how

[Ergatrude 0]

I think Chris should have been considered for our PR team. Always professional, objective, polite & blunt. The perfect blend for a debate. Go on Fury, you are doing us proud. WATP.

[biggordy 0]

She's like the "adhd" kid in the supermarket.

[GovanAllan 0]

Facts and Timmy go together like water and oil, nice one Chris.

[calscot 0]

I still fail to see why they are angry at us and not HMRC and Lloyds bank. They seem angry about the unpaid debts but it's obvious we've been the victims here.

 

Our club had about a maximum of £20m debt which was pretty manageable on a turnover of £50m and was being quickly paid off. Then HMRC put massive pressure on a made up debt of £75m and Lloyds bank put pressure on Murray to sell to a charlatan.

 

That resulted in our new owner not paying taxes and our holding company being put into liquidation - again by HMRC using a made up debt to force this. We came out with another company and debt free but lost £30m of players, a European ban and were demoted to the 3rd division plus fines and other sanctions.

 

How did we gain out of this? We've probably made a net £80m or more deficit. We didn't want what happened and were the biggest losers. How are we to blame?

 

HMRC could have stopped anytime and been at least £30m better off and therefore so would the tax payer and all the creditors. Lloyds could have waited for their money which was a drop in the ocean compared to the rest of their debtors.

 

They are really grasping at straws in trying to demonise us and weirdly are backing the very taxman that caused the problem and decimated the public purse.

 

They are a very strange lot.

[Thinker 887]

I still fail to see why they are angry at us and not HMRC and Lloyds bank. They seem angry about the unpaid debts but it's obvious we've been the victims here.

 

Our club had about a maximum of £20m debt which was pretty manageable on a turnover of £50m and was being quickly paid off. Then HMRC put massive pressure on a made up debt of £75m and Lloyds bank put pressure on Murray to sell to a charlatan.

 

That resulted in our new owner not paying taxes and our holding company being put into liquidation - again by HMRC using a made up debt to force this. We came out with another company and debt free but lost £30m of players, a European ban and were demoted to the 3rd division plus fines and other sanctions.

 

How did we gain out of this? We've probably made a net £80m or more deficit. We didn't want what happened and were the biggest losers. How are we to blame?

 

HMRC could have stopped anytime and been at least £30m better off and therefore so would the tax payer and all the creditors. Lloyds could have waited for their money which was a drop in the ocean compared to the rest of their debtors.

 

They are really grasping at straws in trying to demonise us and weirdly are backing the very taxman that caused the problem and decimated the public purse.

 

They are a very strange lot.

 

Has it ever been satisfactorily explained why HMRC let CW run up such a massive unpaid tax bill? Considering every negative detail of the BTC almost instantaneously found its way into the media through their leaky "confidentiality" sytem, they managed to keep the unpaid PAYE and NI under their hat for a hell of a long time.

 

Had it come to light as quickly as Hearts' debt, something could have been done about it and nobody would be able to wheel out the excuse/smokescreen that "Whyte bankrupted Rangers" to cover HMRC's misdeeds.