Celtic can’t get distracted by latest Rangers rumours

With news of Rangers financial matters hitting the headlines hard again Celtic need to hit hard too. No matter what the stories are elsewhere, the Hoops need to keep getting it right on the pitch which is where the real points matter.

It’s like a flashback to 2012 or earlier when you see stories that the taxman is owed a lot by the Rangers and that agreements are being struck for payments over time. Phil MacGiollabhain broke news of that on Tuesday in his blog.

Macgiollabhain was one of the key players in breaking through Scottish media reluctance back then to write anything other than positive news about the Ibrox side. So when he writes again now of substantial 7 figure sums outstanding to HMRC and then about delayed financial accounts, people’s ears prick up for many reasons.

But Celtic fans shouldn’t get over excited. The news of the Rangers demise in 2012 took a long time to move from rumour through story to fact. And of course, the hard fact from back then which some still find hard to swallow is the ‘liquidation’ being linked with their team.

Right now it’s just a tale of a business hit hard by the global pandemic and looking for some help from the Inland Revenue. Overdue sums owed to HMRC with payment terms agreed is likely to be fairly common for some business finances in these trying times.

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Then a second blog from MacGiollabhain on Wednesday added a bit more smoke with information to indicate there may yet be a small fire in place. He talked of the Rangers’ interim accounts being overdue, that he heard all is not well with them and that there is still ongoing discussion to finalise contingent liabilities. Those can often be a significant part of the real story behind whatever figures are presented.

Again let’s not reach any conclusions here. This is a football club already with financial constraints even before the pandemic, then being hit by a drop off a cliff style change in finances due to COVID. It’s not necessarily a story, or is it?

The Celtic AGM stokes the fire a little bit more with much debate over the lack of time and ability for shareholders to ask questions and a further shareholder resolution that’s been raised. It’s a critical point for many Hoops fans as there is still an ongoing issue about how the Parkhead board and the SFA dealt with Rangers’ poor finances back in 2011/12 when granting UEFA licences.

That all reminds us that while it’s wise not to get excited, when it comes to the Rangers’ finances there is a past precedent at Ibrox. There has been a heck of a lot of expenditure signing players and it remains unclear how it can all be funded. Not paying other bills is often how financial difficulties emerge. Individually any one of these points may not add up to much. Cumulatively a possible picture emerges.

Neil Lennon won’t be distracted by all this. He knows that it’s what happens on the pitch that matters. Celtic have had their own issues with poor performances and some awful results. He needs to get the team improving while racking up wins and points. Hoops fans can read all the financial stories. It’s very right that MacGiollabhain and others layout the facts they know for people to read, how significant they turn out to be remains to be seen.

Those people can draw their own conclusions and wait and see what does or doesn’t happen. In the meantime at Celtic, everyone needs to get behind the team and the manager and get the quest for 10IAR back on track again.