Ibrox closed until the Ne’erday game against Celtic?? There’s much more to this story than meets the eye…
Eric Knott 
The rumours surrounding the closure of Ibrox continue to fly around.
Rumours will always be just that, rumours, but somewhere amongst all of the rumours lies the real story.
At this moment in time, Ibrox is firefighting.
They’re trying to deal with the biggest fires first, then they’ll tackle the smaller blazes later.
The biggest fire right now is the lack of a venue.
Find somewhere to play, and then they can tackle the next fire.
And so it goes.
This morning, it looks like SFA president Mike Mulraney, and CEO Ian Maxwell are going to ride in to the rescue.
In an article by Keith Jackson in the Record, it looks like the SFA chiefs are about to “green light an emergency plan”.
Jackson is right on script in this one.
It’s clear he has been told to inform readers that it’s all James Bisgrove’s fault.
Handy when the guy you can blame is thousands of miles away, and can’t defend himself, isn’t it?
As with most stories from Ibrox, I can pretty much guarantee there was a very good reason for Bisgrove leaving, and it wasn’t a delayed steel shipment.
You don’t say this about a departing CEO, and then throw him under the bus for everything that has now gone wrong at Ibrox:
I would like to thank James for the work he has done at the club over the last five years as Commercial and Marketing Director, and latterly, as our CEO.
Our commercial revenues grew significantly under James’ leadership, while in the last year, he was an integral part of the off-field restructuring the club has implemented.
The executive team James helped shape has firmly established itself and I fully expect its momentum to be uninterrupted.
We wish James every success with his new role.
Now all of a sudden, he’s the pantomime villain, and everything is his fault?
Here’s what Jackson was told to say about him:
The Ibrox club was plunged into a crisis last month when it emerged that blundering former CEO James Bisgrove had botched the planning of a summer renovation job on the Copland Road stand – before hastily jumping ship to a new job in Saudi Arabia. Bisgrove’s betrayal has left chairman John Bennett facing a race against the clock to find an alternative venue to house the club’s home games until such times as their own stadium can be reopened to the public.
Convenient, eh?
Bisgrove’s betrayal?
Well Bennett was hardly going to admit that he cocked up, was he?
So it was just as easy to blame the guy who fecked off to Saudi Arabia.
In any business, when you are the boss, the jefe, the head honcho, whatever you like to call it, the buck stops with you.
John Bennett is the head honcho at Ibrox, the buck stops with him.
Nobody else.
Blaming a guy who’s left the building is typically idiosyncratic, from a serially idiosyncratic club.
I wouldn’t expect anything less.
Bennett should have his hands in all pies in his position.
He should have known exactly what was going on with the “steel shipment”, if that’s what the problem really is.
Anything less is an abrogation of his duties as Chairman of the club.
But as I said earlier in this article, it would appear the first part of this raging inferno at Ibrox is about to be put out.
A venue is almost secured, with Hampden now the most likely ground to be used.
So there’s huge thanks going to the heroes of the SFA.
That should placate all of those disgruntled bears somewhat.
Somewhat, being the operative word.
Because they are disgruntled, and they are talking quite a lot about what’s happening to their beloved stadium.
Yesterday, over on Celtic365, Joe McHugh revealed that it may be January and the Hogmanay game against Celtic before Ibrox re-opens again.
This was discussed on popular bear’s forum, follow follow.
Below is the interesting tit-bit of info:
It would appear that some wiser bears are beginning to realise that there is much more to this story than a delay in a shipment of steel.
Of course, to get the real story, or at least to see some proper investigative journalism, they would have to read the stuff that those pesky Celtic bloggers are writing.
We aren’t afraid to call it as we see it.
And we don’t have a party line that we need toe, like poor Keith Jackson and the SMSM, who must be on song at all times.
I wrote an article on the 21st of last month, detailing the hazards of asbestos, after well known “employee” and follow follow contributor Empire, stated that the hazardous material was the cause of the stadium closure, see below:
Since then, Empire has been openly extolling the virtues of honesty and truthfulness when it comes to what’s going on at his beloved Ibrox.
He is indeed a rare breed.
As a result, other bears are beginning to wake up to the fact that the “problem” is down to much more than just a delay in a steel shipment:
Now that a venue is almost secure, the Ibrox hierarchy can now figure out a way to inform supporters about what’s really going on.
Or isn’t, or could be, or might be, or something.
Like I said, fighting fires on a triage basis.
But here’s the reality.
Something very serious is very wrong.
If the stadium, as is rumoured, is going to be closed for 6 months, then there are serious health and safety concerns about something.
I had a retired building surveyor comment on the situation.
Interestingly, what he had to say should be very concerning to Ibrox supporters, to say the least.
Here is a key take-out from his comment:
If they have hit asbestos without it having already being identified or the possibility of it included in the specification, then the ongoing implications of that are a logistical and financial nightmare.
In particular if the contractor has actually been appointed. If this is not included in the specification it’s not incumbent on the contractor to carry out these works ( he may not be qualified to do so anyway)
If they are asked to proceed, they can name their own price.If they are asked to postpone works then their penalty clauses will kick in. Asbestos can be removed or encapsulated ..either way, as the man says, its an extremely costly business.
An extremely costly business.
And, as I discussed in my article on the 21st, it can take a long, long time, to remove it all.
You know, like half a year?
Now, I’m wondering if the issue is asbestos, how the hell James Bisgrove did not know it was there?
I mean, someone like him should know this kind of thing, shouldn’t he?
I guess once he was informed of it, he made a split second decision, and ran off to Saudi Arabia.
Indeed.
Now obviously, I’m only surmising here, you know?
But it’s kind of ironic that my surmising seems to add up, in a lot of ways, isn’t it?
So I’ll continue to surmise, and present this to you.
When have you ever, down through the years, through all of the stadium renovations around the UK, seen a club have to relocate to another stadium while one stand is renovated?
Apart from when a full stadium demolition occurs, as it did in late 1994 for Celtic.
Remember Old Trafford in 1995?
Celtic Park re-opened with two stands remaining to be constructed in 1995.
Anfield remained open for the rebuilding of Liverpool’s main stand in 2015/16.
So why can’t Ibrox start the season with the Copland Road end closed, and the other three stands open?
Now, this has been paid lip service in today’s article in the Record.
But I’m guessing Jackson said it to ensure all bases are covered in his party political broadcast.
There’s no doubting now that the Ibrox side will commence their season at Hampden Park.
But the reality is they cannot start their season at Ibrox because there is a major health and safety concern.
The kind of concern which does not allow for the public to attend matches there.
A concern that may keep the stadium closed for six months.
The financial implications in this situation could be huge.
With Hampden almost secured, logistical issues may not be so bad.
But how do Ibrox hospitality packages etc. tie in with Hampden hospitality packages?
Re-organising all these kinds of things will be a nightmare in itself.
You can also be sure the Ibrox side won’t be getting Hampden for free, so this will impede on the profits made on their own ticket sales.
I guess it depends on the generosity of the SFA.
Lots of smaller fires to be fought.
Eventually, what’s really going on at Ibrox will all come out in the wash.
But I can pretty much guarantee it isn’t a delay in a steel shipment, and James Bisgrove has been made an easy scapegoat in all of this.
That may be part of the problem, but it certainly isn’t the entirety of the problem.
Celtic could not hope for a better beginning to the season.
Who knows the financial impact this will have on the Ibrox side in the long term?
It’s impossible to quantify.
But there are many factors to it.
The biggest being the cost of rectifying whatever has gone wrong at the Copland Road end.
There is much, much more to this story than meets the eye.
Jelly and Ice cream anyone?
Phil Mac 😂the only man for the truth inside ibrokes
i thought we had the worst board,in the world..but hey ho..rangers have come to the rescue,,,long may it continue..
Hogmany’s not in January. And the game’s on the 2nd of January. That’s not Hogmanay either.
Two weeks ago these clowns were talking compensation for Bisgrove
I think your on the wrong site phlem?
Who cares about sevco my issue is it will cost them a fortuneand the sfa will try harder too get them the league. HH
Investigation into the allocation of previous Safety Certificates ?
From journalist of the year (yeah I know) to tower of the party line that’s Keeth
It’s a non story.
You wish…
If it is true and asbestos has been exposed in the Copland stand, then it is reasonable to assume that asbestos will also exist in the broomloan and Govan stands.
Phil Mac, despite having good sources, unfortunately believes his own hype and likes the sound of his own voice while belittling other real Celtic bloggers take on what’s happening…he seems to forget the term ‘plastic Paddy’ applies to him, a glory hunter at best…. Joe McHugh is the best independent blogger out there hands down
Agree with you 100% Pedro, I would not be blogging if it wasn’t for Joe McHugh. I consider him my mentor, and it is down to him that I have the website I have. We are in constant contact, and help each other out whenever we can. Unlike Phil Mac, I am the real deal, a born and bred native Gael, but a Celtic supporter for over 40 years now, thanks to my late Grandfather, who took me to Celtic Park to see a game against Dundee United when I was just 8. I will not slag off or put down other bloggers in any way, but I will call out bull shit when I see it, and there are some sites out there who are no more interested in Celtic than my dog. In fact my dog has more interest. For them, it’s all about the clicks and the story is secondary. As for Phil Mac, I believe he lives off past glories and this is the main reason he holds himself in higher esteem than other bloggers. I guess he earned that, so who am I to question it?
July 5th – Action Mesothelioma Day ? Will the Bill Struth be disclosed this Friday from the Bigot Dome ? Raise it to the ground and surrender their confetti shares for the very expensive clean up operation
The goings on at Ibrox reeks of the Rangers of old – run on dodgy dealings and pulling the wool over the fans and SFA’s eyes! Any other team would be getting booted from pillar to post but not Rangers they’ll be bailed out by SFA again!
The cesspit is closed for god knows how long and billy the willy claims its a non story! You have to take your medication regulary willy or it will have serious cosequence’s like it is now! God help your poor old mother.
This Govan Shit show of course =a tumbleweed transfer window for us as per.Pistol Pete and the Grey Brigade won’t put the boot into their business partner when they’re down.
Yeah Malloy bhoy, we have the worst board in the world!
After all, we are the only club who operate in the black, have the best stadium in the UK, and between 2000-2024 have only won 18 league titles, 12 Scottish Cups and 11 League Cups, including seven trebles in there.
Personally, I tend to make my own judgements and don’t allow media to get inside my head, I think our board are not too shabby! But that may be just me of course. 🤷🏼♂️
Hail Hail
Maybe there’s a clue in their alleged new sponsor ‘Simply AsBESTos’
The question of why you can’t play with one stand closed might be the crane can’t be moved as the damage to the pitch is already done and they won’t fix it to then damage it again. I want them to suffer as much as possible as they would gladly have seen us go down the drain but unless someone in the know comes out with facts,,not supposition count me out.
if the sfa are going to bail/help them out will they charge them the same as celtic when we had to play at hampden? I doubt it it would bankrupt them HH
Whatever is happening at ibrokes, the gift that seems to constantly be giving is hilarious, and costing them an arm and leg in costs is equally hilarious if not more , long may it continue, might have to buy incontinence pants as I’m constantly pissing myself laughing at their absolute incompetence at managing their own affairs and going bankrupt again because of it . Billy boy enjoy the ride into oblivion, ha ha .
Why the SFA (and the SPFL ) appear to be falling over to help this club is a mystery . This is the club which , in its short existence , has caused more trouble and damage for the SFA /SPFL /Scottish Football than anything since The Clydebank blitz !
The Kelvingrove Museum isn’t large enough to display all the ”statements” issued by Sevco in which it variously complained, whined and threatened the SFA , the SPFL , the referees , the Scottish Government , the Police , the Courts , other Scottish Clubs , the Statues in George Square and Uncle Tom Cobley ! And for what ? Because they were NOT giving in to the paranoia of the neanderthals occupying the ‘Big Hoose ‘ .
The Scottish Clubs own Hampden ( through the SFA ) so THEY should be consulted on the terms under which theRangers are allowed a temporary lease – and it should not be on terms that give them an undue advantage over other clubs . This situation has been of their own making – it is NOT incumbent on the SFA or anyone else in Scottish Football to bail them out !
sevco are fecked lol, redevelopment of Ibrox years ago, saw the Hampden redevelopment money being given to Ibrox, to help their fellow masons, who now want to use Hampden as the Ibrox masons cut so many corners the debtdome is falling down lol ,
I am aware that a lot of folks are in the dark regarding the Ibroxland stadium and when it shall open again ,but here’s a thought ? Let’s say that a deal is done and the tribute act play their home games at Hampden ? They would play their cup tie games there too , if drawn each round at home and if the old ancient big hoose stays shut for a longer period ,wouldn’t that be a huge advantage for theRangers if getting to the semi finals and finals of League and Scottish cups ? Playing the finals venue regularly would be a huge advantage to them ….. wouldn’t it ? Dum de dum dum ….dum de dum dum duuummmmm!
Hey William
Your mother is probably your sister ya thick TIM
A new club in a old stadium there was always going to be teething problems there manager is also taking this new team to another old stadium called Hampden that will also bring its problems sevco what’s happening?
Jim the Dim Tim,
You’ve pished yerself for years ya smelly Alky tramp
It amazes me that you lot know more about us bears than even we do ffs
How that twat thinks you have the best stadium in the UK is beyond faking laughable !! It’s made of Meccano FFS 🤣
Aye meccanno without asbestos and full of silver inside
Would like to know if the SFA are charging the proper amount for the ibrox club to use the national stadium let’s face it wouldn’t put it past them to let them use it for nothing just look at the guys of a certain persuasion running the SFA.
Who cares !
They are not the yardstick.
Celtic first.
No Old Firmism.
Catch on.
Celtic in Europe.
Discuss.
Is that not an unfair advantage for Ranjurs playing their games at Hampden when it comes to the league cup semi&final?…IF they get to the Semi final they will have got to know the pitch better than someone not playing at Hampden..🤔
Alright Billy boy or should I say mastermind, you not got any colouring in books to do or as usual you’ve ate all the crayons again , your a proven liar as Chris has outed you for , you’re nothing more than a two bob halfwit and a fantasist liar , keep up the moral victory as you sevco zombies are obsessed with , your as bright as a blackout Billy boy , anyway isn’t it someone else’s turn with the tooth , keep playing your banjo cleetus.
I would listen to what is going on you hear so much about what at ibrox if they don’t have the merchandise work can’t on I am not sure about asbestos in the stadium who said there is it’s only here say don’t don’t believe it if that was the reason they would have to close every stand it would cost a fortune to put it right
Jim the dim Tim,
You are nothing but a pished stained Alky Tramp. Also by supporting Paedophile FC That makes you a paedo enabler who has no moral compass. What a sad and confused life you must lead. Must be the alcohol that’s addled your tiny brain. Why don’t you seek help from alcoholic anonymous.
There is a real film called Billy liar , where he lives in a separate reality where anything he believes is true, a bit like you Billy as you are a liar and fantasist to boot , keep taking your deludamol, and stay aff the meths as it’s giving you hallucinations again , have you saved up enough bottles to buy your new home haz mat suit yet dumbass, HE,HE
Billy Boy
says:
4th July 2024 at 9:04 am
Jim the dim Tim,
You are nothing but a pished stained Alky Tramp. Also by supporting Paedophile FC That makes you a paedo enabler who has no moral compass. What a sad and confused life you must lead. Must be the alcohol that’s addled your tiny brain. Why don’t you seek help from alcoholic anonymous.
=============
It must be so difficult living with your mental illness.
Speak to a doctor Billy and tell them about your obsession about child abuse and how you have by now went on a football site and constantly repeated the same thing about it at least 30 to 40 times and just see what their reaction is.
Get help son and get well soon.
Jim the dim Tim.
What are you going to write about when you sober up. Probably pink Elephants.
Is it true that you get extra benefits for being a pished stained Alky because people like you certainly don’t work. You are quite happy to leech of the state, mooching bastard
Billy Boy, Neely and Dunn mean anything to you…? Sendthemtotheliquidators FC….
Klub borrowed any money from the SNP to stay alive recently, thieving kunts even stole from your dead queen, stiffed your armed forces tae, blood sucking zombie bastards you are Billy Boy…
Chrissy nae pals,
It’s you that needs your hard drive checked. You sound every much like a pervert and without a doubt look like one too. Is your eyes too close together. Your the guy that thinks a box of Frosties is a jigsaw.
Pedro
9 ex Paedophiles that were employed by PaedophileFC have been jailed. That rancid paedophile club covered up the evidence for over 5 decades. The fact you are on here trying to defend them makes you an A grade nonce
Still not acknowledged Neely and Dunn, that makes you a fully paid up member of Denial FC, Scotland’s shame….#paythevictims, #obsessedwithchildabuse
2 paedo’s carried out their abuse IN THE MANAGER’S OFFICE FFS, wished well by 2 managers, and sent them to the liquidators so the #newklub/#oldklub wouldn’t have to pay the victims…..Scotland’s Shame….how’s the asbestos removal coming along…?
Pedro
You must be a paedo. Little pervie prick
Why does anyone think Phil is going to answer them?! All I see is ‘Phil, what do you think of’ and ‘Phil, what do you make of that’…the guy rarely answers people, and when he does, he talks down to them because they’re not ‘real NUJ approved journalists’, or real Irish people (he’s from Bailleston), or they’re not in the know like him, or an author (he’s no Stephen King either) or tries to outprove them with one word attempted putdowns like ‘irrelevant’, ‘wrong’ etc…humility is not in his agenda unfortunately. Granted the guy has some half decent inside info, but he’s no Joe McHugh.
Billy liar , keep frothing at the mouth , your comedy gold , you really are a useful idiot , only highlighting what you imagine, continually contradicting yourself, at least you keep me and fellow fans amused laughing at you , you really are the idiots idiot.
Jim the Dim Tim
Paedo enabler. When did it start
At School
At church
Or in the home. That would be my guess. Having an affair with your sister can warp people’s minds.
Comedy gold idiot , don’t you get the irony, a useful idiot right enough, Billy liar , as bright as a blackout.
Billy boy
says:
4th July 2024 at 1:48 pm
Jim the Dim Tim
Paedo enabler. When did it start
At School
At church
Or in the home. That would be my guess. Having an affair with your sister can warp people’s minds
=======================
I am at a loss to understand how a grown man, even one with severe mental issues like yourself, can go on to a blog and write bullshit like that.
The thing is, if anyone close to you found out that you constantly write this shite then they would be too embarrassed to admit to knowing you.
Surely you must realise this even though you real problems.
I suppose its all you have in life.
Quite tragic.
It must be said Jim the Dim Tim
Your patter is utter pish.
Not as bad as what you’ve got going on in your head Billy, as plenty of people on this site have already mentioned, you are more to be pitied rather than laughed at .