Remain Vigilant

The news that Walter Smith has returned to Rangers as a Director should please every Rangers Supporter.

I’m afraid, as many bears will be celebrating  this morning, I fail to share their enthusiasm

While it could be seen as the ultimate endorsement to the Charles Green Consortium, I am unconvinced.

While Green speaks well, and acts like a Chief Executive should, with drive and charisma, and credibility that Craig Whyte or Martin Bain would never have, I have one remaining concern

Being the eternal worrier I ask Rangers fans to remain vigilant, because Smith has been fooled before. His own “consortium”, including “The Blue Knights”, advised him when he was being asked to front their bid for the club to wrestle control of the club from Green in June, that the deal was done.

He was embarrassed and humiliated by the powerbrokers within The Blue Knights, and my only hope is that he has now detached himself completely from that group, and embraced the new regime, with Green at its head.

If he has been much more careful and had lawyers do due diligence on Green before committing, we might just be able to have real confidence that this is an endorsement we should pay attention to.

Charles Green is not silly. He’s been all things to all men in his drive to make the IPO a success and this should be noted and remembered. Getting Smith on board could just be a calculated way to gain customer confidence.

I would hope that, with hindsight, Smith can see that Craig Whyte’s gross mismanagement was allowed to happen because of the mismanagement by Murray and Bain before him, and Murray selling the club down the river to save his own skin.

I am slightly concerned that Smith’s return could pave the way for many former club executives and employees from the Murray regime to return.

I took some criticism last week for asking Rangers fans to be vigilant. That remains the case this morning.

Walter Smith, as good a Ranger as he is, is no better judge of Character than anyone else. His refusal so far to condemn anyone from the Murray era should ring alarm bells.

His 9 in a row captain Richard Gough this morning “wrote” about previous regimes and specifically mentioned Whyte but NOT Murray

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/leaguedivision3/4639246/Youll-NEVER-make-a-better-signing-Charles.html

This is common amongst players and employees of Rangers during this period, and a real concern that Murray apologists will never acknowledge his part in the darkest period in our history. That includes Smith.

As the club moves towards a bright new future, I can’t stress enough how much I want to believe Green is the right custodian for the club, and that Smith recognises just why the club needs to be rebuilt.

I believe that in order to move on we need confidence that the mistakes of the past can be acknowledged, and that nothing like it can ever happen again.

Bill.