Rather unsurprisingly, the green half of Glasgow has been enjoying their Ibrox-themed schadenfreude today.
In the digital age, confirmation bias is the order of the day.
So, what’s the real scéal?
For several months, two independent and well-placed sources have suggested to me that the current regime in the Blue Room would like to find a buyer.
Neither of them stated that scenario as an assertion, just a suggestion.
Something that might happen given the available evidence.
I spoke with one of them today, and he reminded me of those conversations.
His view was that there was an over-supply of private equity companies on Wall Street looking at a definite shortage of European sports brands.
He said the Ibrox renovations could be part of a strategy to make the place more attractive to prospective buyers.
The lipstick option…
This narrative allowed me to view the current work on the stadium that Mr. Bomber played for.
One of the main bits of speculation since yesterday is that a toxic cavern of deadly asbestos has been uncovered.
It is undoubtedly nasty stuff.
My first campaign as a baby trade unionist on the railway was against asbestos.
In the late 1970s, I was a delegate to the Trades Council meeting on Clyde Street when sensible teenagers were getting chemically altered in discos.
Colleagues in the T & G were all out to rid the industry of that fatal dust.
I remember my late uncle by marriage, who was an electrician having to dress up as an industrial astronaut to gut the stuff from train carriages in my Springburn factory.
So, is there any of it in Ibrox?
I don’t know, and unlike many in the Celtic blogosphere, I won’t pretend that I do.
However, I learned this morning from an inside source that, indeed, “something WAS uncovered” when work started.
Then, he told me that “a specialist team” had to be brought in.
As for the start of the season, I wouldn’t fall off my lovely new garden chair if Sevco gets mate’s rates at Hampden.
Brotherly love and all that.
Murrayfield and the SRU will be a far more expensive proposition for sure.
Whichever it is, if they turn up to Celtic Park all homeless and dishevelled and get turned over, already out of Europe, then that’s a very bad start to the season for dear Philippe and the project manager Chairman.
My guy told me that £5m had originally been set aside for this work, but that budget was now blown apart.
On that one, I spoke with a real industry professional this morning.
He’s English and has no skin in the Glasgow feud.
The professionally qualified project manager told me that no one in his line of work would attempt that job without all the materials being in situ before work started.
I asked him why, and his answer was short and straightforward:
“The narrow time window and an overrun was unacceptable for the client.”
It’s almost as if the people running Sevco are complete amateurs.
Almost…
Oh, I’m sure that those stadium tours with Mr Bomber will be wonderful.
After all, it isn’t the first time that he has been something of a raconteur at the stadium he played for.