Jump to content

A reflective article by an untainted London journalist


Muirheadbear

Recommended Posts

Do not give this site links the article reads

Today's Daily Record carries a magnificent piece of polemic by sports writer Keith Jackson about its coverage of the continuing crisis facing Rangers football club.

In fact, once put into historical context, it turns out to be a self-serving piece of revisionism. It makes no reference to the paper's 180 degree turn.

The Record's record in its coverage of the lengthy financial shenanigans at Rangers shows that it has nothing to shout about.

According to Jackson's account, the paper has been at the forefront of exposing dodgy dealings down the years.

In January 2011, he writes, the Record "revealed the truth" about the "ruinous financial chicanery" of the then chairman, Craig Whyte.

I think he meant January 2012. But that's a mere slip. The point is that Jackson, the supposed exposer of Whyte, had previously portrayed him as the club's great saviour.

In November 2010, for example, Jackson described Whyte as the "financial whizzkid from Motherwell", a "high roller" who had become "Scotland's youngest self-made millionaire."

In a breathless piece of puffery, Jackson told of the venture capitalist's exploits that made him "millions from playing the markets" and able to control "a vast business empire".

Whyte's wealth was "off the radar", wrote Jackson, and enabled him to acquire a castle in Grantown-on-Spey, "one of the most historic buildings in Scotland."

Jackson and his then boss, Jim Traynor, depicted Whyte as a man of considerable wealth and thereby gave confidence to the club's fans that he was a good bet to become its owner.

At that time, and afterwards when Whyte acquired the club, the Record (in company with other newspapers) failed to investigate whether the fanciful claims about his riches stood up to scrutiny.

As Channel 4's reporter, Alex Thomson, revealed, in July 2011, Traynor even went to so far as to submit an article about Whyte for Whyte's approval prior to publication.

In February 2012, Whyte was forced to put Rangers into administration. And a month later Whyte was deemed "not a fit and proper person" to own a football club following an inquiry on behalf of the Scottish Football Association. He was also fined £200,000.

But this sad saga runs on and on. Traynor quit the Record in December last year in order to become PR of Rangers, having been appointed by Whyte's successor, Charles Green.

Four months later, the board of the reconstituted Rangers entity (Rangers International Football Club) issued a statement saying Green and the club's commercial director, Imran Ahmad, were to be the subject of an inquiry following allegations about their management of the club.

And Green, now a "consultant" with Rangers, could possibly be ejected from that position too, a claim reported by the Record now that it has cast off its Ibrox cheerleading role. Or is it secretly cheerleading for a group within the club? Is it just not possible for it to be entirely impartial?

Anyway, one single, simple fact emerges from all this - Rangers football club got into trouble a long time ago and the mainstream media, whether by commission or omission, failed to do its job. Rather than hold the people in charge to account, it acted as a spin-doctor.

Belatedly, the Record shows signs of realising the error of its ways (without apologising to its readers for those errors). Jackson wrote today that Rangers is "a club which continues to self-harm spectacularly."

If only he had written that three years or more ago. Then again, Traynor was his boss at the time. It's no wonder, perhaps, that the former journalistic colleagues have fallen out of late.

Link to post
Share on other sites

It's roy greenslade,he's an ira supporter,3 names friend.

Greenslade divides his time between Brighton and Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland. He is married to Noreen Taylor, the former Daily Mirror journalist and mother of actress Natascha McElhone. He loves to party with 3 names.
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Upcoming Events

    • 30 March 2024 15:00 Until 17:00
      0  
      Rangers v Hibernian
      Ibrox Stadium
      Scottish Premiership
×
×
  • Create New...