If the Ibrox side think their imminent takeover will be their “Fergus McCann” moment, then just like Celtic, it will take 30 years to get to where we are now

Success does not happen overnight, it’s a process, and it takes a long time. Just over 31 years ago, Fergus McCann saved Celtic.

We are where we find ourselves today because of him.

Even after Fergus took over, we endured some more miserable years as Celtic fans, up until we stopped the ten in 1998.

And it continued for another couple of years after that until the arrival of Martin O’Neill.

When O’Neill arrived, we instantly won a treble, but even after that, we continued to slug it out with Rangers 1872 up until their demise in 2012.

We didn’t have it all our own way.

Their demise was the catalyst to us gaining a stranglehold on Scottish Football.

It has been that way since, and almost in the blink of an eye, since Fergus McCann’s takeover, three decades have passed.

Yes, three decades.

So, if the Ibrox side think that their trumpeted US takeover is going to be their “Fergus McCann” moment, they’d better be ready to bed in for the long haul.

One thing that they also seem to forget is how far Celtic are ahead of them at this moment in time.

The reality is, if they start to get close to us, we can just hit the afterburners if we want to.

Ibrox fans, in their delusion, think that success is something that will happen instantaneously once this takeover happens.

They do not think about the intricacies of a takeover like this.

And they certainly do not understand that the investors will expect a “return on their investment”.

In order for that to happen, they first need to become solvent.

Yes, solvent.

A club that loses £17 million in a calendar year is trading whilst insolvent.

So solvency will be the first step.

These guys aren’t just going to drop in and wave a magic wand, making all of the club’s debt disappear.

That’s just not how it works.

Fergus McCann certainly didn’t do that.

But he did work one piece of magic, and that was the redevelopment of Celtic Park.

That was a strategic decision, and it played a huge part in where Celtic finds itself today.

Fergus knew that the advantage of 10,000 extra seats over Ibrox would end up a huge advantage in the long term.

And so it has transpired.

Even after this takeover happens, if it happens, we will still have that advantage over the Ibrox side.

Are these US investors willing to invest in the expansion or refurbishment of Ibrox?

The age of Ibrox would ensure the cost involved is something like that would run into hundreds of millions.

Even if they were willing to do something like that, the current debt that the club is mired in will still have to be cleared.

They are looking to expand Elland Road, but the obvious financial advantage Leeds have in the English game will help guarantee and generate the finance required for a project like that.

Especially if Leeds are back in the EPL by the end of this season, which looks more and more likely.

The difference is, that kind of revenue is just not available in the Scottish game.

As I said earlier, the first step is solvency.

Become solvent, then profitability follows.

But in order to do those things, you need to live within your means, just as Celtic did under Fergus McCann.

While that happened, we were second to Rangers 1872.

And while we didn’t enjoy that status, and many of us still struggle to come to terms with those barren years, we understood why it had to be done.

Now, more than ever.

Ibrox fans will never accept that status, even though that has been their default status since 2016.

The harsh reality is even after their takeover, they’re going to have to accept that status for quite some time to come.

This is what they don’t seem to realise.

These guys are not Ibrox fans with deep pockets, who will fire their own money at the club out of love.

They are businessmen.

Businessmen who might, and might not, see the Ibrox club as a business investment.

They will expect to make money out of it.

Not throw money into a black hole.

And they will be willing to wait as long as it takes for the club to become profitable, and self sustainable.

These guys are not the Sugar Daddy the Ibrox fans are wishing and hoping they are.

There is no emotional connection to the club.

How they see it as a business opportunity is beyond me.

But I’m around long enough to know they certainly won’t be just firing money at the Ibrox club.

And even if they wanted to, UEFA FFP rules would not allow it.

These are the inconvenient truths Ibrox fans choose to ignore.

We are the ones who are constantly telling these truths to them, and they call us obsessed.

Instead of calling us obsessed, maybe pay attention to reality?

Someone has to point it out to them.

Since their own club and the media refuses to.

But if they think this is going to be their “Fergus McCann” moment, I’d say pay attention to the last three decades.

Then prepare for the long haul.

In the meantime, we’ll just grow stronger and stronger.

Billionaire investors?

We have one of them too.

And he doesn’t put a penny of his money into our club.

He just gets a handsome return every year.

And that’s exactly what 49ers Enterprises will expect.

In about 30 years time.