“You cannot pass on that which is undefinable, this is a new Rangers,” Donald Findlay QC

On 1 November 2014 former Rangers vice chairman Donald Findlay broke ranks with the Ibrox myth-makers in an interview in the Scottish Daily Mail in which he stated that the post liquidation Rangers are a ‘new entity’ which must establish ‘its own history and tradition’.

Findlay stated: “It is a different club. They may play at Ibrox and they may play sometimes in royal blue jerseys. But you cannot pass on that which is undefinable. And that is spirit and tradition and all the rest of it.

“To me this is a new Rangers which has to establish its own history and tradition. But it’s not the Rangers I know. To me, genuinely, it is a new entity.”

Findlay also believed he is not the only supporter of the now liquidated football club to hold these views, but most prefer to remain silent.

“The view I have is one expressed to me by a lot of other Rangers supporters” declared Findlay.

“You can buy assets,” he conceded, “but you can’t buy history. You can’t buy tradition. History and tradition are in the heart and in the mind. You can’t buy that.”

Charles Green was able to buy the assets of the doomed club in June 2012 after the creditors voted down the CVA proposed by the administrators Duff & Phelps, who were selected by Craig Whyte and appointed by the Court of Session on 14 February 2012 as Rangers slipped into administration.

Findlay, currently Chairman of Cowdenbeath FC, his first role in football since being exposed singing sectarian songs while vice Chairman at Rangers (1872) and having to resign. Findlay gave the interview a few days ahead of Rangers’ (2012) visit to Cowdenbeath’s Central Park on lower division league duties.

In an earlier league fixture the programme editor at Livingston FC was forced to resign amid threats of future boycotts by the traveling support and online abuse on social media site directed at the West Lothian club and indeed the editor.

In an attempt to take the heat out if the situation the Livingston chairman issued an apology for any offence taken by the Rangers (2012) supporters but did NOT retract the factual basis of the programme feature, that the Rangers Livingston lost to that day was a new club.

In previous seasons in their short history, while further down the Scottish leagues, supporters of the new club bullied other clubs, such as Montrose, who dared to tell it like it is by calling Rangers a new club.

Supporters of all other teams in Scotland are all aware of the facts regarding the demise of the football club whose name – Rangers Football Club Ltd – is displayed on those infamous gates at Ibrox. Ask yourself this question, when they were erecting these gates, did they decide use the name of the club or the holding company on the gates, if they were separate things? Surely they would have just used the club’s name? Or maybe the used Rangers Football Club Ltd because  that was the club after all!

Of course visiting supporters to Ibrox remind their hosts of the uncomfortable truth by singing “You’re not Rangers anymore”. At times like this the truth really does hurt down Govan way. Indeed it hurts so much that they have now restricted the number of Celtic fans that are allowed in their stadium, as we’ll see at the end of December.

Despite Rangers knowing that everyone else knows their status as a new club, a narrative emerged where the word liquidation is never used. Instead the club “emerged from administration” and was “demoted” to the bottom tier due to the behaviour of one man – Craig Whyte. It wasn’t their fault – they are victims and everyone else in Scottish football – including notably Celtic, Dundee United and Raith Rovers – kicked them when they were down. And they wanted payback – something old co failed to achieve towards hundreds of creditors from the face-painter to HMRC.

The role of the SFA needs to be mentioned. Supporters of other clubs point to Campbell Ogilvie, the heavily compromised President of the SFA remaining in post throughout this Rangers collapse despite being up to his neck in the muck of the Rangers’ demise. These supporters believe, with good reason, that everything and anything the SFA could do to assist Rangers – was done. It was only an online rebellion by season ticket holders of other Scottish clubs that prevented a new Rangers being parachuted into the second rather than the fourth tier back in the summer of 2012.

Despite all of this the Rangers supporters believe that they have actually been harshly treated by the SFA!

The national BBC News on the same day that Findlay’s interview appeared in the Daily Mail, broadcast the demotion/ same club myth to the UK on the evening news while reporting on that day’s League Cup Semi Final draw which set up the first ever meeting between Celtic and the new Rangers at Hampden the following February.

Many Celtic supporters have questioned our own club and back in November 2014, pointed out of that if an ex- Rangers (1872) vice chairman can make such a statement then Celtic should have come out and state the facts, as Celtic FC believed them to be, regarding the Continuity Myth.

A joke by Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell tagging the new club as Rory Bremner FC was seen as being entirely insufficient to these Celtic supporters who believe that the club should have done the following:

1. State clearly that Celtic regard Rangers (2012) as a new entity, with no claim on the history of the liquidated club.

2. State that as such there is no track record between Celtic and this new club which was founded in the summer of 2012 by Charles Green.

3. State that Celtic regard the term ‘Old Firm’, the joint descriptive term for Celtic and the liquidated club, as having died with Rangers FC upon their liquidation.

4. State for the avoidance of doubt that ‘Rangers’ were never demoted. Instead the current club were given preferential treatment in being allowed a place in the fourth tier to fill the gap created by the demise of Rangers through liquidation.

Scottish football will never be allowed to move forward while this same club/ demoted unfairly Continuity Myth remains – Montrose, Livingston, Cowdenbeath and other smaller clubs were brave enough to stand up and tell the truth. It’s just a pity that Celtic didn’t do the same.

Four years on from Findlay’s frank interview in the Daily Mail, Scottish football has unleashed a monster of their own creation on the game. And it’s probably too late now to do anything about it.

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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