Glenn Gibbons: ‘Charity shop’ signings betray reduced ambition at Rangers

Events at Celtic Park and Ibrox on successive nights this week brought a pulsating, almost spooky testament to the perceptiveness of Gore Vidal’s famous assertion that “It is not enough to succeed; others must fail”.

The old controversialist, of course, would have been thinking in generalities when he made the observation, but, in the process, he could hardly have devised a more appropriate definition of the terms of separation that apply to that singular entity formerly known as the Old Firm.

As Celtic’s elated fans celebrated the victory over Helsingborgs on Wednesday which assured their participation in the wildly enriching group stage of the Champions League, their joy would be at least a little heightened by the realisation that, 24 hours later, the other half of a long-standing, but now dissolved, partnership would be playing Falkirk at such an early stage of the Scottish League Cup that those “big guns” from the SPL with European commitments have not yet made their entry.

The juxtaposition of those two occasions gave potentially significant explicitness to the contrast in fortunes of the country’s two biggest clubs. It has long been this column’s view, for example, that the most curious corollary to Rangers’ irreversible slide towards administration and, eventually, liquidation is the widespread readiness among so many of the Ibrox club’s followers not only to accept, but to embrace their change of status, from perennial league championship contenders to toilers in the hinterland of the Third Division.

This almost insouciant approach to a severe downturn seems to betoken a failure – or, more likely, a deliberate refusal – to recognise the gravity of the club’s commercial situation and the problems that may arise as a result. When, at the height of the crisis, it was hinted that legislation could be introduced to allow Rangers actually to remain in the SPL, there was a clamour of protest among their fans, a declaration of their insistence on “starting over” in the fourth tier.

So much emphasis has been placed by Ibrox supporters on the damage their club’s absence from the top division may do to the other members of the SPL that they have basically ignored the signs – already becoming evident – of the difficulties landing on their own doorstep.

In a newspaper hotline, one deluded soul (he was probably only allowed out for the weekend) insisted that Rangers “should never go back to the SPL” and that when (not if, you will note) they reach the First Division in two years’ time “we should just stay there”.

That kind of dopey gesture of defiance, a poor substitute for common sense, is quite preposterous when made by a fan possibly deranged by anger and disappointment. It is, however, quite shocking when something similar springs from someone with the responsibility of the manager, Ally McCoist.

At times, the former striker seems to have surrendered clarity of thought to the impulse to take the populist route. McCoist has been quite specific, talking of being “made to feel welcome” and “comfortable” in the Third Division.

It is an approach that is extremely unlikely to be shared by his chief executive, Charles Green, as he strives to regenerate the business through substantial outside investment and the establishment of lucrative revenue streams. He will already have encountered the obstacles to that kind of ambition presented by having to play in the Third Division.

And, despite his sometimes bizarre public utterances, McCoist is too smart not to realise that what Celtic enjoyed on Wednesday – and the rewards that are to accrue from their endeavours – should also be the preserve of a healthy, vibrant Rangers. Instead, he is seen to be “strengthening” his squad by shopping in football’s equivalent of the charity shop, the emphasis on quantity rather than quality.

Anyone who takes issue with that impression should pay attention to the Rangers manager’s own words during the week: “We need to get bodies in, and plenty of them, as soon as possible. We’ve had four or five trialists in. One or two have impressed, which is great, but we haven’t made a final decision on any of them yet.”

If this undertone of uncertainty does not convey a sense of urgency modified by an inhibiting poverty, McCoist’s recounting of recent seepage from Ibrox should leave no-one in any doubt of the need for financial prudence: “In the last week or ten days, we’ve lost Alejandro Bedoya, it looks like Maurice Edu is away, Kirk Broadfoot is away and Dorin Goian is away.”

For Rangers supporters looking for portents of a glorious future, it will hardly be encouraging to realise that the departures of these comparatively high-maintenance “assets” were not resisted, but encouraged.

Media jury out and awaiting fresh evidence on Levein

Pitfalls proliferate in football writing as in any other occupation, but the avoidance of them can be punished rather than rewarded. Few readers, for example, will be familiar with the precept of not bringing in the verdict before the trial. This requires the forbearance not to condemn, say, a manager or a player prematurely, without what may be considered sufficient evidence.

It is a principle that can be ignored by fans intent on giving professional commentators a hard time, but is especially relevant at the outset of the national team’s qualifying campaign for a major championship. An example is Scotland’s imminent quest for a place at the World Cup in Brazil.

The double-header at Hampden against Serbia and Macedonia which kicks off Group A is a week away, but there appears to have been for a considerable time among fans a palpable antipathy towards Craig Levein. If the manager appears to have been given an “easy ride” by the media, it is an impression that will soon crumble under the burden of adverse results.