Roddy Forsyth: There are simply too many messengers for any media cull to make a difference

Scottish football has echoed to the sound of small arms fire – and the pounding of some heavy artillery – as three SPL chairmen unleashed their armoury in the past week. And, as is so frequently the case, it was the messengers who got caught in the crossfire.

By Roddy Forsyth

Geoff Brown was peeved about the exposure of St Johnstone’s interest in Paul Cook on the social networking sites. “We have got Twitter, Facebook and everything else to contend with – by the time we met Cook on Monday afternoon he was 1-4 at the bookies,” said Brown, whose particular grouse was that the odds against Cook had collapsed before he had even met the Sligo Rovers manager.

Mind you, the lesson from that particular episode should be particularly instructive to those whose weight of money shrunk the odds in the first place. Who alone benefited from the process once Cook had requested more money for his services than the canny Brown was willing to outlay? Step forward, our old friends the bookmakers.

Of course, it should never be forgotten that when a barrage is aimed at the media, the idea is usually to draw attention away from some vulnerable section of the outpost under siege. What price that being the motive for the rambling declaration of non-cooperation from Tynecastle?

Apropos Paulo Sergio’s remarks, in his media briefing before Hearts played Dunfermline two weeks ago, that Iain Brines had given more than one explanation for his decision to disallow a goal by Eggert Jonsson in the Scottish Communities League Cup defeat by Ayr United, the club’s website announced that: “The media raised Paulo’s comments with the SFA to seek a reaction and the manager faces quite severe sanctions.”

Result – a complete suspension of media activity. Now, even if you are reading this with your finger moving along under the words as you sound them out, you will have instantly grasped the absurdity of this particular farce.

Manager makes claim about referee – in terms which evoke memories of last year’s controversy over Dougie McDonald and his conflicting versions of the decision to rescind a penalty kick awarded to Celtic at Tannadice. Manager expresses unhappiness about SFA appointment of same referee for weekend league game.

Manager does so in front of broadcast cameras – one of which relayed the proceedings to the Hearts website – as well as radio and newspaper reporters. Reporters promptly contact SFA to ask for its response – effectively putting the governing body of Scottish football on the spot.

In this respect, the media’s reaction to Hearts’ subsequent ban resembles that of Bill Paterson’s dour Scot in Licking Hitler, the David Hare play about a black propaganda unit in World War II. When Paterson is met with a squeamish refusal after he devises what he considers to be a scheme certain to alienate German civilians from their own soldiers, he cries out in anguish: “Millions die! Is that no’ what ye want?”

But then, what Hearts want is for reporters to stop asking players if their wages have arrived yet.

The situation of Craig Whyte, in respect of the BBC Scotland documentary which alleged possible criminal impropriety in his conduct of business affairs which he denies, differs from the other two in that potentially damaging charges have been aimed directly at him. His belligerent response to the BBC was to be expected no matter what the strength of the allegations might be – although the promised defamation writ against the Corporation has not been received – but his subsequent press briefings generated as many questions as they yielded answers.

Asked if it was the case that he had been disqualified as a company director, Whyte replied that he was “not comfortable getting into specific allegations”. To which the ordinary reader is almost bound to observe: “Well, it’s either true or it isn’t, mate.” Whyte has risen without trace.

Asked by this correspondent to cite a single instance of a moribund or struggling company he had turned around, Whyte declared that he did not discuss his private life.

The category error is as obvious as it is bizarre. Dress as a nun, stand on your head and play the trumpet in your own kitchen equals private life. Buying and selling companies and managing “a billion pounds of assets” (as was stated in the statement to the Stock Exchange on the day of Rangers’ takeover) equals public life.

Or it would do if any details were available of how Whyte has conducted his previous commercial activities. It can be argued that all that matters is whether or not he keeps Rangers afloat and steers the club away from the financial excesses of the previous regime.

On the other hand, the endless and increasing quantity of chatter about Rangers which is recycled online and elsewhere does neither him nor the club any favours – quite the contrary, in fact. And, in that respect, there are far too many messengers for any kind of cull to make a difference.

Taken from telegraph.co.uk