Chris Sutton has questioned the fabled #goingfor55 that has been trotted out of Ibrox since Mark Warburton and Joey Barton led the new club into the big boys playground in 2016. Neither man lasted the season out.
Neil Doncaster and accomplices may have decided to transfer the ‘honours’ of the club still in liquidation to the fantasy 2012 creation of Charles Green but fans across Scotland know how hurtful the chant of ‘You’re Not Rangers Any More’ is.
The mythical claim of 54 titles needs taken apart while the accolade of ‘Most Successful Club in the World’ isn’t something that causes alarm on the streets of Madrid.
Counting the titles of the old club certainly deserves attention with five 21st century league crowns won while fielding ineligible players. Contract details for stars such as Tore Andre Flo, Ronald de Boer, Stefan Klos, Barry Ferguson, Alex Rae, Neil McCann, Steven Thompson and Billy Dodds were kept back from the SFA and SPL.
In July 2017 The Supreme Court ruled that for a decade they had been paid through a scam of disguised remuneration, during the trial of Craig Whyte former owner Dave Murray admitted that the scam allowed them to use players that they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to afford.
Linking the current campaign with one in the 130 years ago Sutton told Daily Record readers:
People talk about asterisks, but there should be question marks – and this is what Rangers fans should be thinking – over what the hell happened in Dubai?
There should be exclamation marks about Alfredo Morelos, the shape he was in after the winter break. Don’t worry about asterisks.
I was reading this morning, if you want to talk about asterisks, should Rangers have 54 titles?
In the first season of the Scottish league in 1890-91, Rangers and Dumbarton shared the title, didn’t they? But Dumbarton scored seven more goals.
They didn’t use that back then, they went to a play-off. But, therefore, maybe there should be an asterisk against Rangers for the first season?
Why don’t we ask Ally about that? It went to a play-off, they drew 2-2, I don’t know who was administrator back then, but it didn’t go to extra time or penalties – why not?
I know it gets dark early in Scotland but just play it to a finish, use Golden Goal – what’s wrong with them?
This season’s title success was Celtic’s 51st, all achieved by players properly registered with the football and tax authorities.
The hoops have now won 110 recognised trophies, the old Ibrox club achieved 115 with Celtic on course to overtake that with the world record of Al Ahly, currently on 118, the next target although the Egyptian side are capable of adding to their total.
