Fake, Pretend, Simulate, Deceive and Defraud

[Frankie 8,890]

I canâ??t stand Katie Price or Jordan or whatever other name that particular indictment of our modern culture of worshipping celebrities goes under. Surgery-enhanced boobs, plastic lips and a personality more akin to Medusa than Snow White means I always struggled to understand why anyone found her attractive. In saying that, one has to grudgingly admire her spirit and ability to make the most of her opportunities. She may be a fake but she certainly achieved her goal.

 

The same can be said of some online accounts associated with current events in Scottish football. The infamous Rangers Tax Case site along with its Orwellian offspring The Scottish Football Monitor and a Twitter account called Charlotte Fakeovers may have perceived credibility via awards and mainstream media debate but theyâ??re equally false and just as deceptive as the people they profess to keep in check. Iâ??d also contend their cowardly anonymity is hardly a suggestion of innocence but of joint-guilt - in the same way as a Mafia informant hides away in Maine under so-called witness protection. Sure, their words may be intended help to paint the bigger picture but without the full context are we really any closer to the truth? To that end, it can be argued their information actually hinders the overall process.

 

Of course this doesnâ??t mean that their message should be ignored and weâ??d be daft not to acknowledge the dubious activities of those involved with Rangers over the last few years. However, the scale has certainly changed of late â?? from creating uncertainty over risky tax schemes to what appears to be inferences of criminal liaisons to defraud not just the Rangers support but previously successful companies. It seems no-one is safe from the mud being thrown: from wordplays on MIH head-office locations to inferences that Lloyds Banking Group and some of our current shareholders instigated some kind of ownership conspiracy. Essentially this is no longer a subject that can be covered via stuttering BBC journalists and bad data-room graphics. This should now be a wide-ranging police investigation with the primary aim of delivering genuine justice.

 

And whatâ??s important to remember here â?? and what is becoming clearer every day â?? is that Rangers Football Club can no longer be considered the perpetrator of any crimes but appears more and more to be the victim. With every leaked tape, document and transcript the suggestion that our football club conspired to cheat becomes ever more ridiculous. Yes, it seems some of the beneficial owners may have been involved in some questionable business dealings but, in recent times especially, this hasnâ??t been done to benefit the football club but those who seen it as their own potential cash cow.

 

This couldnâ??t be more clearly shown than by a look at the club now. Board factions; media leaks; fit and proper tests; shadowy â??interested partiesâ?? and no visible business strategy of note. We may have just recently won the Third Division but the future looks as uncertain now as it did this time last year. The irony is even if someone did come out and tell us our finances were safe and the club ready to embark on a range of improvements, we still couldnâ??t believe it. The last two years has seen all fan trust eroded to the point of nothing. We simply donâ??t know where to turn.

 

With that in mind, these faceless bloggers and websites have been more successful than their actions have ever merited. From erroneous calls on the EBT case which helped sink the oldco; to out-of-context private information illegally drip-fed by people soon to be behind bars, their work has hardly been credible or reliable yet theyâ??ve succeeded in making Rangers Football Club the basket-case it is today. Is it any wonder that those in the media who harbour a grudge over its past success now eagerly partake in any chance to try and kill it off?

 

Unfortunately, that job has been made easier by the bizarre actions of those who appointed themselves custodians of our club. From multi-millionaire businessmen being â??dupedâ?? to club Chief Executives scoring the proverbial Anton Rogan of own goals; the club really is an utter mess. I wonâ??t pretend to know how we begin to fix the huge problems facing us but I would say that while we canâ??t afford to ignore the pseudo whistle-blowers neither can we let them dictate the ongoing narrative.

 

In conclusion, we have to take control back of our own destiny. Yes, thatâ??s easier said than done but Rangers fans can no longer stand aside and allow others to decide the future of our club. Iâ??m hoping that process will begin very soon. Not before timeâ?¦

[the gunslinger 3,366]

This couldn’t be more clearly shown than by a look at the club now. Board factions; media leaks; fit and proper tests; shadowy ‘interested parties’ and no visible business strategy of note. We may have just recently won the Third Division but the future looks as uncertain now as it did this time last year. The irony is even if someone did come out and tell us our finances were safe and the club ready to embark on a range of improvements, we still couldn’t believe it. The last two years has seen all fan trust eroded to the point of nothing. We simply don’t know where to turn.

 

 

tat bit is what worries me. the stuff on that site is all for d@p etc to worry about not rangers.

[Frankie 8,890]

 

tat bit is what worries me. the stuff on that site is all for d@p etc to worry about not rangers.

 

That's the point I'm trying to make mate.

 

Yes, we have to keep an eye on such stuff but it's irrelevant in many ways to the more important issues facing us now. We're losing all sight of what it means to support and run Rangers in our own way.

 

We're letting others do it for us.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

i think its important we find out what happened to us and this helps in that.

 

but it's far more important we sort out our future. if its true we have burned through over 11 million quid in the last 5 months that got to be explained. especially as we are busy right now getting players and increasing costs.

[chilledbear 16]

We need someone to speak for the Supporters, ask questions, demand answers, someone with authority who would have the backing of the majority.

[Anchorman 0]

In conclusion, we have to take control back of our own destiny. Yes, that’s easier said than done but Rangers fans can no longer stand aside and allow others to decide the future of our club. I’m hoping that process will begin very soon. Not before time…

 

Judging by various forums we seem to be a severely fragmented support at the moment - more than I can ever recall. There was a brief spell last year (blink and you would have missed it) when we were united and I felt then, to quote Bob, "everythings gonna be alright". But now..................

While we are so divided we make the job so much easier for our enemies, and I feel very sad to say I can't see that changing any time soon. I agree with what you say Frankie but we need to get a 'seige mentality' created amongst our support again, which creates the type of infectious energy needed to rally our troops into 'fight back mode'. As we stand at the moment we are being rolled over and allowing our bellies to be tickled.

[chilledbear 16]

Frankie, reading your last paragraph, is there something in the pipeline?

[Frankie 8,890]

We need someone to speak for the Supporters, ask questions, demand answers, someone with authority who would have the backing of the majority.

 

I'd agree with that mate. Club and support need leadership.

[Frankie 8,890]

Frankie, reading your last paragraph, is there something in the pipeline?

 

Not sure mate. It's more of a hope than anything else but we need someone to take the bull by the horns so I think I'm going to do a bit of brainstorming to see what's possible.

 

Won't happen overnight but its definitely something we need to aspire to in the shorter term if possible.

[D'Artagnan 173]

Wonderful article Frankie.

 

With regard to the Police Investigation - it must be huge. We know they are investigating the takeover and also the leaking of the confidential information. At some point however there must be considerable overlap as some of the characters in this fiasco seem intertwined between investigations.

 

My own suspicions are that as they dig deeper there will quite a few more than Whyte in the dock and quite a few reputations left in absolute tatters.

 

But one thing is clear as you have highlighted - our club are the vicitms of a considerably complex fraud.