Ibrox’s Incredible Decision To Withdraw From The AngeBall Tour Is Absolutely Insane.

Nobody who reads this blog on a regular basis can think that I have the slightest bit of respect for the Ibrox board, because I don’t and I couldn’t make it more obvious.

They are irresponsible, unprofessional, without a single scruple, greedy, arrogant and amateurish.

But I am on the record, over the past few weeks, of giving them more credit than they are due.

I did not believe, not for one second, that they would pull out of the Australian event.

When the story broke that we were taking part with them, I did warn our board that the greatest threat to the whole idea of it was their support and their reaction to it, but I thought a threat was all that it would be.

One that would tempt their club to do something damaging to itself, but ultimately one that would be resisted.

I thought even they would balk at such obvious lunacy.

And I was wrong.

I have credited their directors with more sanity and sense and rationality than was justified.

Their decision to pull out of this event is incredible, and will have enormous consequences.

This is supposed to be my day off and I intend to take it as one, so I won’t do a major analysis of why or what those consequences are likely to be today, but tomorrow I’ll detail them and why this is a turning point in our relationship with their club as well.

For tonight, they have taken an action that is so reckless and self-harming that it simply blows my mind.

I thought that club had rendered me unshockable, and this has managed to do it.

The organisers must make it clear that the show goes on, that they will find another team to complete this tour and give the Celtic fans over there what they paid for.

I am immensely glad that this goes on without their club, for more reasons than just the obvious ones.

Ange deserves his homecoming to be a celebration of him and his football philosophy. He deserves to return to his native land in triumph, instead of having it overshadowed by one toxic football match.

He will get that chance now.

This whole thing will be better off without their presence … but boy, oh boy, is their withdrawal going to cost them in both the short and long term.

Their directors have detonated a grenade under their own boardroom table.

I cannot believe they’ve been this stupid.