Two years after watching Rangers go into administration, quickly followed by liquidation, Barry Ferguson has spoken of the pain caused to his old club by Craig Whyte.
The Blackpool caretaker manager fell for the Motherwell born billionaire image built up about Whyte who snapped up the ailing club for £1 from Dave Murray.
In May 2011 Whyte was cheered into Ibrox as the new era began with only internet bampots doubting that his wealth was still on the radar.
Nine months later, following cup defeats to Malmo, Maribor, Falkirk and Dundee United under new boss Ally McCoist, the administrators were called in as the club refused to pay Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
“I put my hands up, he fooled me hook, line and sinker,” Ferguson, who was given a loan of over £2m without a repayment schedule from the old club admitted to the Daily Record about Whyte.
“Like most fans, I looked upon him as the club’s saviour. Rangers had come through a difficult financial period and here was the man who was going to fix it with all of his millions.
“What I didn’t know – what no-one knew until they read it in the Record Sport a few months later – was that they weren’t his millions at all.
“He had bought Rangers with money from Ticketus, after ?mortgaging off season tickets which hadn’t even been sold yet.
“He had paid for the club with money that was still in the pockets of the very fans who had put so much faith in him.
“In fact, looking back, what he did was absolutely disgusting. He took each and every one of us for mugs. He didn’t give a damn about the damage he caused or the people he hurt.
“It really does turn my stomach to think that he’s still wandering around out there, not in the least bit sorry for all the misery he caused.
“Angry? You bet I’m angry. I’m even angry at myself for ever thinking this guy was the real deal.”
Murray’s role in the liquidation of the club is often overlooked as fans bask in the glory of the trophies won during the nineties when the club was bankrolled by Gavin Masterton of the Bank of Scotland.
Murray famously knew the schooling and footballing favourites of every journalist in Scotland but was apparently duped by the naughty upstart from Motherwell whose father was a long standing friend of the Ibrox supremo.
“If Whyte was good enough for Sir David Murray then he was good enough for me, and the vast majority of Rangers fans, no question,” Ferguson added.
“Having spoken to David Murray since, I know that he feels a sense of regret for what happened next. He was as deeply shocked and saddened by the rest of us because he was given assurances that Whyte had the cash required to take Rangers forward.
“Whyte did have the money. He had millions of it. The only problem was, it just wasn’t his to spend.
“The guy didn’t sink that money into Rangers as he had promised. He just sank the club.
“And, although I’ve never actually come straight out and asked David Murray why he sold Rangers to such a man, I know he feels a deep sense of regret, and anger too. Whyte is the one big black mark he’ll always resent.”
With the £22m from the December 2012 share issue almost gone and income down to a trickle the administration of Sevco seems to be only a matter of timing.
What Ferguson will make of that is anyone’s guess but with no-one willing to tell the supporters that a club must live within it’s means it seems that further pain will soon be heading towards the Blackpool boss.
Awe BARRY, AND SIR MOONBEAMS MURRAY DIDNAE W.A.F.W.
But surely he had wealth off the radar, didn’t the Retard say that too?
Pay your EBT to Graham Wallace then ya Fud, you can’t pay it back to oldco because they are deed!
But donate it to the new club & help them, will you? No,because you are a Fud!
Honestly,how can he talk about them having financial problems yet has £2m of their money in his account?
FFS!
One can almost feel their pain, the promised land was to be theirs, only to find that its soon to be only a supermarket. Their obsessive desire to match Celtic lead to their demise, but their humour lives on.
why do they always blame agent whyte??? I mean who would sell a sound company for £1, again the bury there heads in the sashes pretty apt since there club went up in ashes
and another thing why does everyone connected to the old club want to go back i.e gattosser,kenny miller ect ect. because they all know that defunct place is just one big gravy train screwing every fan out of there hard earned money
What about the millions that have been lost through tax avoidance from the EBT scheme? They were laughing all the way to the bank, lining their own pockets. Its a disgrace that these characters are writing columns/in management positions, they are nothing but fraudsters. They should be be treated like pariahs and ostracised until they pay back the money owed to HMRC.
“He fooled me hook, line, and sinker”. No offence Barry, but that’s not exactly difficult, is it now?
And so the attempt to rewrite history goes on: ‘it was all Whyte’s fault, I was duped, I didn’t take any money, ragers are still alive, and I’m just as angry as Ally McAngry’.
Joe,
Great still of the GB’s, 4 Horsemen of the
Apocalypse.They were not ALL bad.Would
love to see this banner back,when Sevco go into Admin.
Wee Fud says, ” he took each and everyone of us as mugs. ”
You couldn’t put it better,as that is what
you all ARE. GULLIBLE MUGS.
All,except Murray Mint,who was happy to
recoup a £1.For 4 years to tried to wash his hands of this toxic club.No handshakes
were forthcoming,secret or otherwise,for a sale.
This was now Minty’s END GAME.He realised the EUROPEAN CUP,even with Flo,
could not be BOUGHT.
Then, up pops the King of Kings of the Spivs.Our Superhero Craigybhoy.While
Minty sails off into the sunset, not giving
a F@@@
The Knight plays a blinder and he is the
only ONE who is not a MUG !!
It still irks me to see that no-one ever highlights the large part the sfa played in all of this corruption, and ironically, as a result, continue to not only turn a blind eye to it all, but keep on doing whatever they can to get their establishment club, even though they are no longer, into a position of power. Corruption at the sfa and spl level is what has killed the Scottish game. No more, no less. Yet it is allowed to continue because of their similar love for goats.
The game in Scotland will never be the same, unless a complete and total overhaul of people in power with too much personal stake, happens. The biggest problem of course is with the small mindedness of people in the game in Scotland, no matter who comes in, has been schooled by the likes of the lying Dougie McDonald, cheating and bigotted hugh dallas, incompetent and biased willie collum, inept stewart regan, already implicated campbell ogilvie, and the indescribable mr longmuir, and people like them. The problem is deep rooted. We just need to get out.
Sir David Murray destroyed Rangers with his financial recklessness . In so doing he also savaged Scottish football as clubs sought to compete with the club who had an unfair financial advantage. Never a word of remorse outwith a regret for selling to Whyte . Liquidation was inevitable and he knew it . He got £1 and saved his reputation in the eyes of the fools who still believe he was blameless.
Now we have the victim culture. We are not to blame : everyone hates us but just wait to we get back and get our revenge on those who caused this. There are none so blind and that most certainly includes Mr Ferguson .
Well said,sir Dave is to blame
Like fooling that knuckle-dragging wee tool is difficult! Pay your EBT money back if you love the club that much. No? Thought not.
Would you want someone as on the ball as wee barry to be your football clubs manager? God help Blackpool
who instigated the “myth” billionaire with “wealth of the radar” ???….. aye that wid be phfudd traynor eh !!… just for the record, wheres the phfudd now ????
Let me get this straight. Ferguson took a loan of £2m from Whyte without a repayment schedule – and he is claiming he was ‘fooled hook line and sinker’. Eh! Is it me or does does anyone else fall for this crap.
Silver,
The 2M was an EBT,from Murray Mint’s
time in charge.
Nothing to do with our Superhero Craigybhoy.
Just putting you in the picture,Silver.
I think you better check your facts Peter. The EBT was totally separate.
Silver,
I know my facts !!
Wee Fud got 2M,no strings attached,
under Murray Mint’s watch.
It has nothing to do with Craigybhoy.
Read up on it,knowledge is king !!
You hurt, you bleed, you are angry at the way the holding company that now puts a team out at Ibrox (whatever it is called) is going tits up – so why the fuck don’t you pay back your loan?
Roses are red the huns are a goner
Its been 2 years now and I’ve still got a stauner
Happy Administration Day !
bawwy bawwy bawwy. Tuttuttut.2m .hand it back
You would like to think wee Baz, the epitome of what the former club were all about, would have been standing outside Mr Wallace’s office door with a cheque for £2 million when he scribed his latest piece of guff. In fact being captain he should’ve been the first in a long line of troobloos. But, it seems, that isn’t the case for Baz or the rest of his cronies. What it does show them up to be is a bunch of badge kissing leeches. If they loved the former club that played at Ibrox they should have been battering the door down to help them out. Now for round two. Bring it on.
“What I didn’t know – what no-one knew until they read it in the Record Sport a few months later – was that they weren’t his millions at all.
WHAT,!!!! No one knew, all you needed to do was read Phil Mac or Celtic quick news, both of those sites asked daily, who is this man? How much is he worth? Because no one could find out which is a huge flag