The Rangers support, club and potential owners are condemned to worry about the judgment of three hearings, with no date of resolution on each to leaven their anxieties. The club is braced for rulings from the SFA appellate tribunal over a punishment for bringing the game into disrepute, faces an SPL inquiry on alleged dual payments and awaits the verdict of the "big tax case" on the use of employee benefits trusts (EBTs).
The last has become almost a mythical beast. Its dimensions stretch from nothing to £75m. It marches with a heavy footfall, with many believing it carries the greatest threat to the existence of the club. Yet for all its substantial proportions no one can say when it will arrive.
Conversations over the likely date of the publication of the verdict by the first-tier tribunal resemble nothing so much as the exchanges in the car taking the weans to the seaside. Continued cries of "are we there yet?" are met by noncommittal responses.
The Rangers Tax Case blog, winner of the 2012 George Orwell prize for political writing, has addressed many aspects of the case but remains in the dark over judgment day. "Rumours develop where our demand for the information we want to hear exceeds the supply. Even if I get 20 extra tweets a day asking "when will we know the tax case result?", I will still not know. It could be today. It will likely be within the next month. However, we could be waiting for months. Rumours of a 90-day deadline for a first tier tribunal (tax) to publish its findings were simply not true." This tweet was posted by the blogger in April.
Inquiries to HMRC are met with the response: "Press officers are bound by the rules of confidentiality and are expressly forbidden – in common with all HMRC staff – from discussing details of individual taxpayers."
So what is happening with the case? The HMRC website tells appellants "you will receive a decision in writing as soon as possible". It adds of "standard or complex cases": "You may receive a decision at the end of the hearing, followed up with reasons for the decision in writing shortly after, but it is more common for the decision to be given, in writing, later."
The hearing on Rangers was concluded in January, so does a wait until at least June constitute "as soon as possible"?
Two tax accountants contacted by Herald Sport, speaking on condition of anonymity, agree there is a simple explanation for the wait. "This is not a particularly complex case. Indeed, I would suggest it is fairly black and white with the news being bad for Rangers," said one. "So there is no reason to believe that time is passing over the difficulty of reaching a verdict. The reason why we are waiting is simply more mundane. The wheels of justice move slowly in the tax authorities and this is not helped by restricted budgets placed upon them."
There has been a theory that a judgment had to be rewritten after mistakes were found, but the tax expert said: "The authorities would have had all their ducks in a row in this case. There is no reason to think that they are pondering the complexities of articulating a verdict."
He pointed out that although the case had extraordinary significance for Rangers, and perhaps for many other clubs in Britain, it could be settled on matters of fact, not legal opinion.
"If there is evidence of side letters, if there are documents proving that payments were non-discretionary, then the Rangers legal team is placed in a very difficult position. If the evidence exists then Rangers not only will lose the case but will have difficulty in launching an appeal. You can appeal on a matter of legal opinion but not on a judgment reached through fact."
He added: "The most persuasive argument for the delay is that there is a pile-up in issuing judgments."
A second expert expressed little surprise about the wait, though he was similarly certain about its outcome. "I have only read what is in newspapers and what has been broadcast," he said, referring to the BBC Scotland documentary detailing the use of EBTs at Ibrox. "If these claims stand up there would seem to be strong evidence that backs HMRC's case. Some clubs using EBTs have settled out of court. Rangers will have been offered other expert advice but if they are found to have made regular payments in to EBTs as part of a contract then they are stuffed."
As to the likely date of a verdict, he said: "Looking back at my diary, I see we had a case at a tribunal in January 2011 and received the verdict in August."
The wait could then stretch through the summer. There is, too, no quick resolution to the SPL inquiry over dual payments. Indeed, Neil Doncaster, the chief executive, said last week that he thought the "full information" on dual contracts would "only emerge on the outcome of the big tax case".
He added: "Ultimately, our board may have to make a decision prior to then, as to whether they have sufficient information at that point to conduct a disciplinary process."
Meanwhile, Charles Green, who leads a consortium seeking to take over the club, may or may not meet fans' representatives today. The SFA annual general meeting also takes place at Hampden. The talking therefore goes on. Rangers, though, desperately need decisions – for good or ill – before any progress can be made.
