The great questions of the day sometimes have no answer – why does the phone go the minute you get in a bath? Why do sports shops only hire neds? And why will someone in your house need a poo as soon as you bleach the throne? So maybe this is a question that will hang in the air like a Charlie Adam corner: something we’re all aware of, but that has no use. And the question I ask is, what does David Murray get out of being the owner of Rangers?
In the past you could point to ego massaging from fan and media – cometh the hard times, that has dried up quicker than the man who mistook Immodium for tic-tacs. You could point to exposure that might help in other areas of Murray’s business life, but in these straightened times I can’t imagine anyone prepared to cut a poorer deal just for the cachet of bargaining with SDM. There was the drive to lift the club into the higher reaches of European football – well, the TV money and our own mistakes have dealt THAT one a killer blow for some years to come. I haven’t forgotten getting to the UEFA Cup Final, and it was special, but if we’re honest it’s not what either Murray or the fans wanted.
Instead we have the position where Murray will be highly unlikely to pick up any Scottish paper for fear of what is in them. He’s probably not bothered that much by what is said, but no-one likes to be criticised. In particular, a man who has built up an extremely successful empire will not like to be criticised on financial matters by fans who have struggled to pass O Grade arithmetic, or sports writers whose knowledge of budget gets as far as car hire. And to cap it all, our game against St Johnstone on Tuesday night saw the first ‘Murray must go’ banner.
In fact, the banner is question seemed oddly polite, with it’s use of SDM’s Christian name. Somehow ‘David Murray must go’ seems far more reasonable, less strident. It’s almost a courteous request rather than a torrent of abuse.
Not that any media outlet will bother with that subtlety – one banner does indeed make a summer where Rangers are concerned, and from now on Murray will be portrayed as a fox at bay, ridden down by the Ibrox fabric part Hunt. Tally Ho! Although I hate to think what bit of him they would cut off in place of ‘the brush.’ They’ll be on the lookout for any more signs of protest, and with every shout of abuse Murray’s place in history takes another knock.
And with that in mind, it returns me to my question – what on earth does he get out of it in 2009? No big name signings, in fact the reverse, with big name sales all the rage. It’s only a matter of time before Murray appears in the adverts between ‘Postcode Challenge,’ urging potential buyers to hurry on down to Ibrox for the best bargains in Glasgow. No wonder Larry’s Laminate Land can’t get any airtime these days – we all know where the dead wood is to be found already.
I urged Murray to go before now, lest his legacy become ever more tarnished. I think his insistence on the ‘right stuff’ being found in any buyer is a little romantic in these days of economic turmoil – frankly dedicate server anyone who has a few bob to invest would be welcomed with Hosannas, riding down Edmiston Drive on an ass, while we supporters fanned him with palm leaves. And now, as his reputation takes more and more hits, I just can’t see what he’s getting from it.
Time to fly down to the Cote D’Azur, David. Put your feet up and ponder the mysteries of life. And if you can answer the question about bleaching the toilet, be sure to post the answer on RM.
This article was originally published on Rangers Media, the premier source for all things Rangers FC.
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