All that glitters.......

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

Had those young pioneers from the Gareloch, had even a slight foretaste of just what they were about to create when they arrived in Glasgow perhaps they would have recoiled in awe. And awe is a good word.

For from humble roots emerged one of the greatest sporting institutions in the world. A football club with outstanding achievements both on and off the football field. But the achievements of this football club go way beyond the football arena. Social and historical factors have shaped this football team to be much more than just a club....Rangers FC became the representation of a people. They were, and to a considerable extent, still are, the club of choice for the Scottish Protestant.

Perhaps had someone told the McNeil brothers or their friends Peter Campbell or William McBeath, that the football club they created would become one of the greatest institutions in the world, they would have been filled with trepidation. But the love of the game of football combined with an incredible pioneering spirit, gave birth to the club we now love. We shall return to the previous sentence at a later point.

Tradition, heritage and history are particularly important at Rangers. There is an expectation that such matters should be respected and honoured. Its the Rangers way. Woe betide the usurper who seeks to diminish or cast aside such traditions or heritage.

And yet a considerable part of that heritage and history is under threat. But Im not speaking about the usual suspects – the offended brigade or the newspaper hacks, a far greater danger exists in the form of greed.

Blue Dignity’s thread concerning the prospect of the Old Firm moving to England a couple of weeks ago seemed to indicate that the latest proposal seems to be far more likely to succeed and is not just wishful thinking.

Of course a move which sees Rangers eventually moving to the EPL, presuming we successfully negotiate the lower division (which we appear to be destined for )if the move comes to fruition, may seem mouthwatering - rubbing shoulders with Man Utd....Liverpool Chelsea etc.

And of course the main driving force behind such an incentive is to be one of the recipients at the pot of gold at the end of the Sky Sports Rainbow. Seems to be an obvious choice should the opportunity arise. Sound financially and for the good of Rangers.

Or is it ?

Didn’t the deal with JJB seem like a good move on paper ? At the time we were assured it was a win win situation. But look how that deal has panned out. Loss of revenue...loss of identity. Visitors to Glasgow Airport could be forgiven for thinking there is only one football club in Glasgow.

This move is not been driven by a pioneering spirit or love of the game....but rather the love of money. Many observers down south have expressed concerns regarding Sky’s controlling influence within the game and the obscene amounts of money which have become involved. Is this what we really want for our club ? Does anyone else feel that eventually this will implode on itself ?

How much of our identity, tradition and heritage will be lost if we leave the Scottish League to compete in the league of another country, purely for financial reasons ?

The Scottish League which we compete is far from perfect. But it is the league upon which our success has been built. It gives us the platform to perform with the best in Europe and those special European nights we have all enjoyed at Ibrox.

Perhaps before we rush to join the unedifying sight of the dogs eating from the Sky Sports table we should consider very carefully just what the implications for our football club will be.

Because at the moment the only arguement I seem to be hearing in favour of this move appears to be driven solely by Sky’s gold.

Its perhaps worthy of remembering that all that glitters is not gold.

[Guest therabbitt]

This deserves a bump!!

I completely missed this article first time round, I presume everyone else did too.

[tommy2212 151]

This deserves a bump!!

I completely missed this article first time round, I presume everyone else did too.

me too

D'Artagnan is the finest writer on the board

[JR 1,480]

Top drawer D'art, as I've come to expect

[orangeyin 0]

thats a good read how can we be sure we are going to make it down in england if it was to happen i know we have a big support we might be glasgow rangers and while we are in the lower league will players want to come to us

[bombaybadboy08 15,660]

Great piece

[Guest therabbitt]

This deserves a bump!!

I completely missed this article first time round, I presume everyone else did too.

me too

D'Artagnan is the finest writer on the board

I'd place Andypendek and D'Artagnan on the same pedestal as each other! But there are loads of other great writers that contribute all the time, each is a credit to themselves and to the site.

[minstral 5,375]

Must say D'artagnan is the best writer of articles on our board.

[laudrupforever 17]

Studying to be a journo atm and will happily take notes from D'art. top notch mate, once again.

[Poacher 0]

Definitely the kind of writing that deserves recognition. Good article.

[delparlane 5,759]

:clap: Couldn't agree more, D'art.

[pcbear 10,924]

Just because we would get money to throw at the team is no guarantee of success, many clubs in the EPL have thrown countless millions at there playing squad only to be a mid towards bottom EPL team, Man City, Sunderland Newcastle have prob spunked 200m between them in the last two seasons and you would struggle to make a team out the three of them.

[Guest johngers]

[Bakbear 3,586]

Had those young pioneers from the Gareloch, had even a slight foretaste of just what they were about to create when they arrived in Glasgow perhaps they would have recoiled in awe. And awe is a good word.

For from humble roots emerged one of the greatest sporting institutions in the world. A football club with outstanding achievements both on and off the football field. But the achievements of this football club go way beyond the football arena. Social and historical factors have shaped this football team to be much more than just a club....Rangers FC became the representation of a people. They were, and to a considerable extent, still are, the club of choice for the Scottish Protestant.

Perhaps had someone told the McNeil brothers or their friends Peter Campbell or William McBeath, that the football club they created would become one of the greatest institutions in the world, they would have been filled with trepidation. But the love of the game of football combined with an incredible pioneering spirit, gave birth to the club we now love. We shall return to the previous sentence at a later point.

Tradition, heritage and history are particularly important at Rangers. There is an expectation that such matters should be respected and honoured. Its the Rangers way. Woe betide the usurper who seeks to diminish or cast aside such traditions or heritage.

And yet a considerable part of that heritage and history is under threat. But Im not speaking about the usual suspects – the offended brigade or the newspaper hacks, a far greater danger exists in the form of greed.

Blue Dignity’s thread concerning the prospect of the Old Firm moving to England a couple of weeks ago seemed to indicate that the latest proposal seems to be far more likely to succeed and is not just wishful thinking.

Of course a move which sees Rangers eventually moving to the EPL, presuming we successfully negotiate the lower division (which we appear to be destined for )if the move comes to fruition, may seem mouthwatering - rubbing shoulders with Man Utd....Liverpool Chelsea etc.

And of course the main driving force behind such an incentive is to be one of the recipients at the pot of gold at the end of the Sky Sports Rainbow. Seems to be an obvious choice should the opportunity arise. Sound financially and for the good of Rangers.

Or is it ?

Didn’t the deal with JJB seem like a good move on paper ? At the time we were assured it was a win win situation. But look how that deal has panned out. Loss of revenue...loss of identity. Visitors to Glasgow Airport could be forgiven for thinking there is only one football club in Glasgow.

This move is not been driven by a pioneering spirit or love of the game....but rather the love of money. Many observers down south have expressed concerns regarding Sky’s controlling influence within the game and the obscene amounts of money which have become involved. Is this what we really want for our club ? Does anyone else feel that eventually this will implode on itself ?

How much of our identity, tradition and heritage will be lost if we leave the Scottish League to compete in the league of another country, purely for financial reasons ?

The Scottish League which we compete is far from perfect. But it is the league upon which our success has been built. It gives us the platform to perform with the best in Europe and those special European nights we have all enjoyed at Ibrox.

Perhaps before we rush to join the unedifying sight of the dogs eating from the Sky Sports table we should consider very carefully just what the implications for our football club will be.

Because at the moment the only arguement I seem to be hearing in favour of this move appears to be driven solely by Sky’s gold.

Its perhaps worthy of remembering that all that glitters is not gold.

Quite aside from being excellently written, it is also very well thought out. In all these years of debate over the merits of a move to the EPL I had never really considered it a possibility. It has always been no more than an hypothetical debate. With the hypothetical threatening to becoming the realistic D''Art makes the very pertinent point that it very likely would erode our foundations..

The TV money will not ALWAYS be there, take away the money and what would we have left? Outside the top half of the EPL, clubs struggle financially DESPITE the millions on offer. On the commentary of the Arsenal Chelsea game, one of the commentators actually said "Ärsenal are now a selling club" Arsenal for Christ sake. If Arsenal find themselves (albeit because of their new Stadium) in a situation where they are operating in the youth potential market then perhaps all that glitters is not gold? (mind you the commentator may have been flawed, Arshavin is hardly youth potential)

It may be that going to Inverness or Falkirk on a dreich freezing Wednesday evening in February is not the glamour we are coming to expect but that is what we have survived on for nigh on 140 years. Our focus should not be on how to get out of our environment but on how to improve our environment.

Despite all the debates over the years, I would not want a move to the EPL. Let them have their time in the sun, they are becoming nothing much more than the play things of millionaires, the American Businessmen, the Oligarchs and the Sheikhs. Without those sugar daddies the harsh realities of the world economy might already be starting to bite. Football has always been for everyone, for the people, in England it is becoming something else. I wouldn't want to be the unwelcome guest at that party.

[trueblue87 0]

Great piece D'Artagnan, you are an excellent writer and I have to say I also agree with the points you make.

The EPL is bound to implode sooner or later IMO, just look at the debts of the Top 4 alone. Owners view their clubs either as a hobby or as a business, it would make me sick if Rangers faced the same.

[reddrock 107]

Another great point and as normal put very well , it has indeed made me think for one .

But i would expect nothing else from the boards best writer

Rangers Media writer of the year in my eyes

Keep up the excellent work bud

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

This article does put me in the same camp as D'artagnan wrt going to the EPL. Our only reason for doing so seems to be the money and secondry consideration is the games against Man U, Chelsea etc. - however we have a tremendous league here and it is certainly become moore competitive, even although realistically only Rangers or Celtic will consistently win titles (such as it ever was).

I have to say I disagree with D'artagnan's point about being and remaining a Scottish Protestant Club (and please that was just for the record I dont want to hijack the thread debating that - we can do/ have done that elsewhere)

However chasing the Sky Gold has other issues - if we are allowed to go, why would Aberdeen, Hibs and Hearts not be allowed to go, perhaps a team from Dublin join or perhaps 2 from Holland- us moving opens up a can of worms wrt league structures, perhaps even leading to a UK league with a complete lose of our scotttish identity and to the detriment of our national team and nation as well.

There is alos NO guarantee that we would survive this change - let alone be in the top 4 (or 6 - although I would expect that there would be no guarantees) - look at Newcastle, or Leeds United.

And as Dart says 'what happens if sky money goes.

I think we all realise that some sort of change must come - the European Leagues (Champions, Europa) are the way forward with Rangers remaining in Scotland with our own league (perhaps with 16 teams) acting, as it does now, as the feeder competition for these and there formats should be expanded so that the money is more evenly distributed amongst clubs (so that country size alone does not determine wealth). It is the expanded European leagues that we should be lobbying for. The drive to the EPL leaves behind all the history of our own nations football for the sake of money, and expanded European league set up leaves the history intact but gives us a path forward and the extra cash levels the playing field.

[blueismycolour 0]

Had those young pioneers from the Gareloch, had even a slight foretaste of just what they were about to create when they arrived in Glasgow perhaps they would have recoiled in awe. And awe is a good word.

For from humble roots emerged one of the greatest sporting institutions in the world. A football club with outstanding achievements both on and off the football field. But the achievements of this football club go way beyond the football arena. Social and historical factors have shaped this football team to be much more than just a club....Rangers FC became the representation of a people. They were, and to a considerable extent, still are, the club of choice for the Scottish Protestant.

Perhaps had someone told the McNeil brothers or their friends Peter Campbell or William McBeath, that the football club they created would become one of the greatest institutions in the world, they would have been filled with trepidation. But the love of the game of football combined with an incredible pioneering spirit, gave birth to the club we now love. We shall return to the previous sentence at a later point.

Tradition, heritage and history are particularly important at Rangers. There is an expectation that such matters should be respected and honoured. Its the Rangers way. Woe betide the usurper who seeks to diminish or cast aside such traditions or heritage.

And yet a considerable part of that heritage and history is under threat. But Im not speaking about the usual suspects – the offended brigade or the newspaper hacks, a far greater danger exists in the form of greed.

Blue Dignity’s thread concerning the prospect of the Old Firm moving to England a couple of weeks ago seemed to indicate that the latest proposal seems to be far more likely to succeed and is not just wishful thinking.

Of course a move which sees Rangers eventually moving to the EPL, presuming we successfully negotiate the lower division (which we appear to be destined for )if the move comes to fruition, may seem mouthwatering - rubbing shoulders with Man Utd....Liverpool Chelsea etc.

And of course the main driving force behind such an incentive is to be one of the recipients at the pot of gold at the end of the Sky Sports Rainbow. Seems to be an obvious choice should the opportunity arise. Sound financially and for the good of Rangers.

Or is it ?

Didn’t the deal with JJB seem like a good move on paper ? At the time we were assured it was a win win situation. But look how that deal has panned out. Loss of revenue...loss of identity. Visitors to Glasgow Airport could be forgiven for thinking there is only one football club in Glasgow.

This move is not been driven by a pioneering spirit or love of the game....but rather the love of money. Many observers down south have expressed concerns regarding Sky’s controlling influence within the game and the obscene amounts of money which have become involved. Is this what we really want for our club ? Does anyone else feel that eventually this will implode on itself ?

How much of our identity, tradition and heritage will be lost if we leave the Scottish League to compete in the league of another country, purely for financial reasons ?

The Scottish League which we compete is far from perfect. But it is the league upon which our success has been built. It gives us the platform to perform with the best in Europe and those special European nights we have all enjoyed at Ibrox.

Perhaps before we rush to join the unedifying sight of the dogs eating from the Sky Sports table we should consider very carefully just what the implications for our football club will be.

Because at the moment the only arguement I seem to be hearing in favour of this move appears to be driven solely by Sky’s gold.

Its perhaps worthy of remembering that all that glitters is not gold.

Fight the good fight,

Sling your axe

Watch the speaker

Lead the packs.

All 4-1..........

[BLUEDIGNITY 33,749]

Had those young pioneers from the Gareloch, had even a slight foretaste of just what they were about to create when they arrived in Glasgow perhaps they would have recoiled in awe. And awe is a good word.

For from humble roots emerged one of the greatest sporting institutions in the world. A football club with outstanding achievements both on and off the football field. But the achievements of this football club go way beyond the football arena. Social and historical factors have shaped this football team to be much more than just a club....Rangers FC became the representation of a people. They were, and to a considerable extent, still are, the club of choice for the Scottish Protestant.

Perhaps had someone told the McNeil brothers or their friends Peter Campbell or William McBeath, that the football club they created would become one of the greatest institutions in the world, they would have been filled with trepidation. But the love of the game of football combined with an incredible pioneering spirit, gave birth to the club we now love. We shall return to the previous sentence at a later point.

Tradition, heritage and history are particularly important at Rangers. There is an expectation that such matters should be respected and honoured. Its the Rangers way. Woe betide the usurper who seeks to diminish or cast aside such traditions or heritage.

And yet a considerable part of that heritage and history is under threat. But Im not speaking about the usual suspects – the offended brigade or the newspaper hacks, a far greater danger exists in the form of greed.

Blue Dignity’s thread concerning the prospect of the Old Firm moving to England a couple of weeks ago seemed to indicate that the latest proposal seems to be far more likely to succeed and is not just wishful thinking.

Of course a move which sees Rangers eventually moving to the EPL, presuming we successfully negotiate the lower division (which we appear to be destined for )if the move comes to fruition, may seem mouthwatering - rubbing shoulders with Man Utd....Liverpool Chelsea etc.

And of course the main driving force behind such an incentive is to be one of the recipients at the pot of gold at the end of the Sky Sports Rainbow. Seems to be an obvious choice should the opportunity arise. Sound financially and for the good of Rangers.

Or is it ?

Didn’t the deal with JJB seem like a good move on paper ? At the time we were assured it was a win win situation. But look how that deal has panned out. Loss of revenue...loss of identity. Visitors to Glasgow Airport could be forgiven for thinking there is only one football club in Glasgow.

This move is not been driven by a pioneering spirit or love of the game....but rather the love of money. Many observers down south have expressed concerns regarding Sky’s controlling influence within the game and the obscene amounts of money which have become involved. Is this what we really want for our club ? Does anyone else feel that eventually this will implode on itself ?

How much of our identity, tradition and heritage will be lost if we leave the Scottish League to compete in the league of another country, purely for financial reasons ?

The Scottish League which we compete is far from perfect. But it is the league upon which our success has been built. It gives us the platform to perform with the best in Europe and those special European nights we have all enjoyed at Ibrox.

Perhaps before we rush to join the unedifying sight of the dogs eating from the Sky Sports table we should consider very carefully just what the implications for our football club will be.

Because at the moment the only arguement I seem to be hearing in favour of this move appears to be driven solely by Sky’s gold.

Its perhaps worthy of remembering that all that glitters is not gold.

Excellent assessment of the whole situation and to be sure the pitfalls are there but we must be part of the Big Picture if indeed there is one on the horizon. And you can be sure the travelling people in the east end will jump on it if they see an advantage over us. So we must be ambitious in this. Our traditions are sacred to me and I still hold by what has gone before, more than most probably and we must stand by them to the death. Unfortunately the errosion of them hasn't came from outsiders but from inside our own hallowed walls but I see a glimmer of change there and hopefully the fightback is on. Keep Believing. W.A.T.P. and No Surrender not one inch.

[*Manticore* 1,893]

Excellent, thought provoking piece D'Art.

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

Had those young pioneers from the Gareloch, had even a slight foretaste of just what they were about to create when they arrived in Glasgow perhaps they would have recoiled in awe. And awe is a good word.

For from humble roots emerged one of the greatest sporting institutions in the world. A football club with outstanding achievements both on and off the football field. But the achievements of this football club go way beyond the football arena. Social and historical factors have shaped this football team to be much more than just a club....Rangers FC became the representation of a people. They were, and to a considerable extent, still are, the club of choice for the Scottish Protestant.

Perhaps had someone told the McNeil brothers or their friends Peter Campbell or William McBeath, that the football club they created would become one of the greatest institutions in the world, they would have been filled with trepidation. But the love of the game of football combined with an incredible pioneering spirit, gave birth to the club we now love. We shall return to the previous sentence at a later point.

Tradition, heritage and history are particularly important at Rangers. There is an expectation that such matters should be respected and honoured. Its the Rangers way. Woe betide the usurper who seeks to diminish or cast aside such traditions or heritage.

And yet a considerable part of that heritage and history is under threat. But Im not speaking about the usual suspects – the offended brigade or the newspaper hacks, a far greater danger exists in the form of greed.

Blue Dignity’s thread concerning the prospect of the Old Firm moving to England a couple of weeks ago seemed to indicate that the latest proposal seems to be far more likely to succeed and is not just wishful thinking.

Of course a move which sees Rangers eventually moving to the EPL, presuming we successfully negotiate the lower division (which we appear to be destined for )if the move comes to fruition, may seem mouthwatering - rubbing shoulders with Man Utd....Liverpool Chelsea etc.

And of course the main driving force behind such an incentive is to be one of the recipients at the pot of gold at the end of the Sky Sports Rainbow. Seems to be an obvious choice should the opportunity arise. Sound financially and for the good of Rangers.

Or is it ?

Didn’t the deal with JJB seem like a good move on paper ? At the time we were assured it was a win win situation. But look how that deal has panned out. Loss of revenue...loss of identity. Visitors to Glasgow Airport could be forgiven for thinking there is only one football club in Glasgow.

This move is not been driven by a pioneering spirit or love of the game....but rather the love of money. Many observers down south have expressed concerns regarding Sky’s controlling influence within the game and the obscene amounts of money which have become involved. Is this what we really want for our club ? Does anyone else feel that eventually this will implode on itself ?

How much of our identity, tradition and heritage will be lost if we leave the Scottish League to compete in the league of another country, purely for financial reasons ?

The Scottish League which we compete is far from perfect. But it is the league upon which our success has been built. It gives us the platform to perform with the best in Europe and those special European nights we have all enjoyed at Ibrox.

Perhaps before we rush to join the unedifying sight of the dogs eating from the Sky Sports table we should consider very carefully just what the implications for our football club will be.

Because at the moment the only arguement I seem to be hearing in favour of this move appears to be driven solely by Sky’s gold.

Its perhaps worthy of remembering that all that glitters is not gold.

Fight the good fight,

Sling your axe

Watch the speaker

Lead the packs.

All 4-1..........

Hello bro long long long time no speak.

[blueismycolour 0]

Had those young pioneers from the Gareloch, had even a slight foretaste of just what they were about to create when they arrived in Glasgow perhaps they would have recoiled in awe. And awe is a good word.

For from humble roots emerged one of the greatest sporting institutions in the world. A football club with outstanding achievements both on and off the football field. But the achievements of this football club go way beyond the football arena. Social and historical factors have shaped this football team to be much more than just a club....Rangers FC became the representation of a people. They were, and to a considerable extent, still are, the club of choice for the Scottish Protestant.

Perhaps had someone told the McNeil brothers or their friends Peter Campbell or William McBeath, that the football club they created would become one of the greatest institutions in the world, they would have been filled with trepidation. But the love of the game of football combined with an incredible pioneering spirit, gave birth to the club we now love. We shall return to the previous sentence at a later point.

Tradition, heritage and history are particularly important at Rangers. There is an expectation that such matters should be respected and honoured. Its the Rangers way. Woe betide the usurper who seeks to diminish or cast aside such traditions or heritage.

And yet a considerable part of that heritage and history is under threat. But Im not speaking about the usual suspects – the offended brigade or the newspaper hacks, a far greater danger exists in the form of greed.

Blue Dignity’s thread concerning the prospect of the Old Firm moving to England a couple of weeks ago seemed to indicate that the latest proposal seems to be far more likely to succeed and is not just wishful thinking.

Of course a move which sees Rangers eventually moving to the EPL, presuming we successfully negotiate the lower division (which we appear to be destined for )if the move comes to fruition, may seem mouthwatering - rubbing shoulders with Man Utd....Liverpool Chelsea etc.

And of course the main driving force behind such an incentive is to be one of the recipients at the pot of gold at the end of the Sky Sports Rainbow. Seems to be an obvious choice should the opportunity arise. Sound financially and for the good of Rangers.

Or is it ?

Didn’t the deal with JJB seem like a good move on paper ? At the time we were assured it was a win win situation. But look how that deal has panned out. Loss of revenue...loss of identity. Visitors to Glasgow Airport could be forgiven for thinking there is only one football club in Glasgow.

This move is not been driven by a pioneering spirit or love of the game....but rather the love of money. Many observers down south have expressed concerns regarding Sky’s controlling influence within the game and the obscene amounts of money which have become involved. Is this what we really want for our club ? Does anyone else feel that eventually this will implode on itself ?

How much of our identity, tradition and heritage will be lost if we leave the Scottish League to compete in the league of another country, purely for financial reasons ?

The Scottish League which we compete is far from perfect. But it is the league upon which our success has been built. It gives us the platform to perform with the best in Europe and those special European nights we have all enjoyed at Ibrox.

Perhaps before we rush to join the unedifying sight of the dogs eating from the Sky Sports table we should consider very carefully just what the implications for our football club will be.

Because at the moment the only arguement I seem to be hearing in favour of this move appears to be driven solely by Sky’s gold.

Its perhaps worthy of remembering that all that glitters is not gold.

Fight the good fight,

Sling your axe

Watch the speaker

Lead the packs.

All 4-1..........

Hello bro long long long time no speak.

Indeed my good man, I'm a bit like Dr Who, many, many have tried to bring me down but I just morph into someone else and voila ... I'm here again.

Very few of the old crew still on the go or maybe they have had to morph with the times too.

One thing is constant is that your articles never lose their shine, power to your keyboard.

Next time , you never know, I could be morphed into a mad kebab munching ayrshireman but you will ALWAYS know me by my noise.

Fight the good fight.....

Artemis Loyal.

[blueballss 2,975]

Great piece

and always thought provoking!!

[Nikke 0]

Great article!