Irish English bloke turns the spotlight on Mather

[Carsons Dog 9,878]

He seems a bit confused about Ally's role in it all though.

LAST summer, when Ally McCoist’s request for nine new players was granted by his then chief executive, Craig Mather, who was at fault? This was a club that had financial problems, that didn’t have the luxury of adding players to an already gob-smacking wage bill and yet added them anyway. Who was to blame?

It wasn’t McCoist. Managers everywhere will push their luck from now until kingdom come. It’s part of their gig. They go to their boss with a sob story and a cap in hand and hope for the best. Sometimes they get a result and sometimes they don’t. And McCoist got a result. You cannot blame the Rangers manager for recruiting but you can most certainly blame Mather and his financial director, Brian Stockbridge, for allowing him to recruit.

McCoist looks after matters on the field, the others were supposedly monitoring things off the field. They flunked it. They looked at the state of the finances and either mis-read them or ignored them and added to a wage bill that was drastically in need of a cut. This, of course, has been the way of things at Rangers for far too long. Mistake follows mistake. Irresponsibility follows irresponsibility follows irresponsibility. The names change but the hubristic decision-making remains the same. Mather and Stockbridge are guilty in this instance, but only one of them remains. Quite how Stockbridge is still in his position is a wonder to behold.

That’s not to absolve McCoist, whose public comments over the past would indicate that he hasn’t fully grasped the situation he is in at Ibrox. Or maybe he has and is railing against it, like a man raging against the dying of the light. A week ago, McCoist said this about the Rangers way of doing things: “It makes sense to me that we continue to have a higher wage bill than the opposition that we’re playing against.” Higher, yes. But how many times higher? Ten times? One hundred times? A thousand times? It brings us back to the old question: why spend money that you don’t need to spend? That’s a question that too many at Ibrox – Graham Wallace, the chief executive, excluded – continue to struggle with.

McCoist, pictured left, continued: “I didn’t give the contracts out and it would be unfair of me to comment on previous people within the club who made those decisions. I would certainly not be critical of them.”

Wouldn’t be critical of them? Well, he should be. He should be very critical of them. McCoist was given permission to bring in players on wages that Rangers could not afford by executives who should have known better, executives whose decisions have landed Rangers in another desperate mess. He’s almost duty-bound to criticise them. Mather was a disastrous chief executive for Rangers but his was just another ill-advised appointment in a long series of ill-advised appointments.

The Rangers manager said on Friday that he now understands the “severity of the situation”. That’s progress at least. The first step towards fixing a problem is to accept that you have a problem in the first place. Mather never could. Others, too, some of whom are still at Ibrox.

McCoist was right in supporting his players over the pay-cut proposal but only in so far as that the cuts should have been made higher up the tree first. The executives should have taken a pay cut and should have announced it publicly.

That would have been good leadership, but good leadership is not something this Rangers board – or many that went before it – would recognise.

The bottom line is that costs must be cut – and players and suits alike need to take their share of the pain. McCoist has too many players offering too little and being paid too much. He needs to accept that. It seems he’s still struggling with the concept at the moment. And he’s not alone at Ibrox. Wallace has much work to do. In many ways he is fighting against the mindset of the club’s past in an effort to secure its future.

[CheckMateCharlie 228]

I can't read anything that cunt writes without hearing his fucking slimey voice in my head. No thanks.

[RockwellGers 15,340]

Nothing to see here, an article by English/Irish Tom absolutely dripping with, nay, drenched in bias

[Carsons Dog 9,878]

Nothing to see here, an article by English/Irish Tom absolutely dripping with, nay, drenched in bias

And contradictions

[Thewhitesettler 2,714]

A lot of words, but doesn't really say very much. The whole piece could've been put into one sentence, Rangers CEO is trying to cut the out-goings of the club.

[kplfishtank 4,746]

Bitter bastard like most of them. When we are back at the top I will take satisfaction knowing they are hurting badly

[Carsons Dog 9,878]

A lot of words, but doesn't really say very much. The whole piece could've been put into one sentence, Rangers CEO is trying to cut the out-goings of the club.

And "it's fuck all to do with Ally - or is it?"

[siddiqi_drinker 14,635]

Tarrier Tom can get tae fuk

[pcbear 10,932]

Not just Tom English (most of our journos) how many times can you rehash the same article by printing the same stuff week in week out month in month out? regurgitated pish part 340.

And another weeks slip by and still no Celtic/council stories in print, a real story that real journo could tear into.

[nachothelegend 1,932]

Do they really think we actually go out and buy this pish of a newspaper.

[loyalfollower 1,543]

Same article as spiers. Just worded differently. Cue an orwell prize

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

Another Rangers hating scumbag, looking after his pal Ally.

It's never Ally's fault it's everybody else's, starting to see a pattern in the media.

[simon 1,773]

I don't see what's wrong with that article. He's correct in everything he said.

[Guardian 4,281]

What's done is done.

The old board is gone.

Yes the shouldn't have backed Ally so much and Ally shouldn't have signed so many duds.

Learn from it and move on. The current mediafest is an orchestrated move to use old news to keep Rangers ,n the papers.

Otherwise they might have to report on something else.

Like a big land deal scandal brewing.

[simon 1,773]

What's done is done.

The old board is gone.

Yes the shouldn't have backed Ally so much and Ally shouldn't have signed so many duds.

Learn from it and move on. The current mediafest is an orchestrated move to use old news to keep Rangers ,n the papers.

Otherwise they might have to report on something else.

Like a big land deal scandal brewing.

It isn't old news though, it's current. It's what's happening at the moment.

Is the land deal thing being investigated at the moment?

[Dutchy 1,200]

This will be the same Tom English that continually goes on and on about how lemon was unsuccessful in getting any money from his multi-millionaire, tax dodging owner to replace his sold on players. Thus fail, fail failing in their CL bid.

Some are indeed successful and some aren't.

Isn't it great that Tom's such a financial wizard, the Hocus Pocus he comes out with is so enlightening.

[Bobby Hume 13,876]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAFUCKSAKEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

This mentally and identity challenged complete and utter clown(so sorry to all real clowns)of a person, just goes on and on and on and on, rehashing the same old song, and never misses a beat, does he?

Poor old Uncle Tom (Fuck I hate My name) English, thanks for the laugh!

[Muirheadbear 1,483]

I would never have signed Foster, Smith or Simonsen. They were Ally's mistakes as we simply did not and still do not need them.

[UKIP BEAR 370]

What's done is done.

The old board is gone.

Yes the shouldn't have backed Ally so much and Ally shouldn't have signed so many duds.

Learn from it and move on. The current mediafest is an orchestrated move to use old news to keep Rangers ,n the papers.

Otherwise they might have to report on something else.

Like a big land deal scandal brewing.

While Mr.Stockbridge remains at Rangers there will be dissatisfaction from large parts of the support.

I cannot believe that he is still in his job.

Craig Mather was a disaster and had to go.

BS must go too.

[Straight-Edge-Loyal 6,700]

While Mr.Stockbridge remains at Rangers there will be dissatisfaction from large parts of the support.

I cannot believe that he is still in his job.

Craig Mather was a disaster and had to go.

BS must go too.

BS wont be leaving and in any case the rebels would find a new.target pretty quickly Crighton for example

[Getstiffed 8,863]

BS wont be leaving and in any case the rebels would find a new.target pretty quickly Crighton for example

They already had their minions attempting that after he had the cheek to pony up some cash for shares.

Cheeky cunt.

[Straight-Edge-Loyal 6,700]

They already had their minions attempting that after he had the cheek to pony up some cash for shares.

Cheeky cunt.

Point remains give them fuck all no more weakness stand as one or not at all

[BLUEDIGNITY 34,090]

Not just Tom English (most of our journos) how many times can you rehash the same article by printing the same stuff week in week out month in month out? regurgitated pish part 340.

And another weeks slip by and still no Celtic/council stories in print, a real story that real journo could tear into.

Correct Mate same tedious shit bring printed day in, day out. Why do they need so many journos covering the same stories ? Slitty eyes won't let them print the cooncil/celtic story they are obviously willing partners or cowards, or both. I clocked the back page of the Sunday liam, apparently the lurgan bigot is on the radar of 'big' clubs, they'll put any shite in these rhags about the paedo's to deflect the truth !

[IbroxBurnzy 484]

Correct Mate same tedious shit bring printed day in, day out. Why do they need so many journos covering the same stories ? Slitty eyes won't let them print the cooncil/celtic story they are obviously willing partners or cowards, or both. I clocked the back page of the Sunday liam, apparently the lurgan bigot is on the radar of 'big' clubs, they'll put any shite in these rhags about the paedo's to deflect the truth !

It's ridiculous the shite they continually write and people take it as gospel.

Lemon being chased by top English Clubs,Samaras signing for Barca,and the list goes on.

[BLUEDIGNITY 34,090]

It's ridiculous the shite they continually write and people take it as gospel.

Lemon being chased by top English Clubs,Samaras signing for Barca,and the list goes on.

And the best of it is theses called journalists are reading forums and getting most of their stories from them, no new stories on forums, no new stories in the rhags, the are paying them for fcuk awe !