Proclaimers worried by prospect of Ibrox no more

Published on Thursday 16 February 2012 03:57

CELEBRITY Hibs supporters The Proclaimers famously fronted Hands Off Hibs more than 20 years ago when Hearts owner Wallace Mercer infamously launched a bid to take over the stricken club. Twins Craig and Charlie Reid now fear for the future of Rangers after the Glasgow giants were placed in administration.

The pair, who were at Easter Road yesterday to launch the SPL Trust Music Box, are both planning to attend this weekend’s visit of Celtic and they know the travelling support will already be celebrating the league title after their fierce city rivals were hit with a ten-point penalty.

Craig said: “We’ll be here on Sunday, if only to see the party in the away end. They’ve won the league and their bitter rivals are humiliated. But whatever you do or don’t think about Rangers, if a major employer and a major force in Scottish football went to the wall, it would be horrific. It would also be disgraceful if they are liquidated then reform as another club. If I was a Rangers supporter I’d be ashamed of what was going on at my club.

“We’re old enough to remember we were so close to going under. When you remember that very clearly any supporter who’s seen that, you’ve got to temper your enthusiasm for spending.”

Charlie remembers too well the anguish of Hibs going so close to collapsing and feels for the Rangers fans.

He said: “The punters who buy their tickets at Ibrox have to pay their taxes. Everyone will be sticking the boot into Rangers just now and it would be a tragedy if the club goes, a real catastrophe. But that level of mismanagement season-in, season-out, I’m astonished it was allowed to carry on and that the Scottish authorities here didn’t act more quickly like they do in places like France.

“I take no joy in what’s happened to Rangers, a team that rich, that successful, that well supported, it should never have come to this.”

The pair would love to see Hibs manager Pat Fenlon be given more cash to spend on players but know from first-hand experience that the club can’t live beyond its means.

Charlie added: “It’s been tough as a Hibs fan since John Hughes left. You have to question the balance at Easter Road. Off the park it’s right... [but] I’m glad we’re in the position we’re in compared with Rangers or some other Scottish clubs.”

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JohnBeattie

Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 11:27 AM

Their music is pure crap...like their club

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Please choose a name

Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 10:26 AM

It is becoming clear that Whyte's strategy from the outset has been to accumulate monies by not paying taxes, borrowing against future 4 years worth of season ticket sales, selling assets like Jelavic and not paying other debts some to other football clubs on shoogly pegs themselves. Administration and possibly liquidation was always the plan with Whyte bailing out quids in and someone else coming in and restarting rangers as a phoenix club without any debt and with a clamour for special treatment because they are rangers and automatic reinstatement into the SPL. Meanwhile we the taxpayers are left with the bill and several other SPL clubs have their very existence threatened by losing out on hundreds of thousands of pounds. This is a very plausible and shameful outcome. If this is allowed to happen then Scottish football no longer exists as far as I am concerned. The other SPL clubs (excluding celtic) must use this opportunity to to rewrite the rules and bring back a semblance of balance to football in this country. That has to be the minimum price for allowing rangers to continue to exist. The mold must be broken.

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The Saint

Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 09:57 AM

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Pete the ex-pat

Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 09:42 AM

I'm not sure the headline truly reflects the interview - the Reid boys know that they were close to going under but Hibs fans came together and saved their club. it was only in '94 that Celtic were an hour away from going under, but McCann galvanised the Celtic support into backijng a flotation of Celitc as a plc. Everyone knew Rangers spending was massively out of control, but rather than reign it in they continued to buy titles, continued to ramp up debt. They were wanred about the offshore tax uissues, but players and board members appratenlty continued to feed at that trough, and that's not even what sunk them! They were busted for not paying tax SINCE the Whyte takeover! As the Proclaimers say "that level of mismanagement season-in, season-out, I’m astonished it was allowed to carry on and that the Scottish authorities here didn't act more quickly" - or at all. And now these same lax authorities, and the political establishment are saying we should change the rules "because its Rangers"?!? You couldn't make this up!

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StockportJambo

Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 09:10 AM

Pending Moderation

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Gorgierules

Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 08:37 AM

No sympathy for Rangers here, maybe if they paid their taxes they wouldn't be in this mess.

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