Daily Record uncovers the tragic story as Jimmy Bell’s legacy is laid bare

Amid the turmoil at Ibrox, the Daily Record has highlighted the removal of an iconic part of both clubs.

Jimmy Bell served faithfully as an equipment man and bus driver and collected a variety of memorabilia from stars such as Paul Gascoigne, Fernando Rickson, Brian Laudrup, Ally McCoist and Barry Ferguson.

The legendary bus driver was tasked with introducing new arrivals to Ibrox’s traditions and culture and is credited with bringing a portrait of the English monarch to the Ibrox home dressing room.

Steven Gerrard looked amused as he was led through the inner sanctum. It has to be admitted that Bell wasn’t a big fan of Maurice Johnston or Kevin Kyle.

Over the years, Bell built up a mountain of old shirts, boots, pennants, flags and scarves, with Jim McAllister of Morton brought in as his assistant shortly before his death in 2022. McAllister stayed as head kitman for less than a year.

According to the report, McAllister fell victim to James Bisgrove (hissing boos) when the witness successfully made a claim of unfair dismissal in court, which went unchallenged.

Last summer Micky Beale insisted new signings visit Bell’s Gloryhole, but it appears his widow has drained the venue of decades of tradition over the past 15 months.

In a highly emotional article in the Daily Record, Scott McDermott writes:

It was a meeting place. A shop talk for players, coaches and supervisors alike. New signings were recruited here as the first point of contact. An induction center. The hub where anyone who didn’t know what the club was about quickly found out. They had no choice. The smell of history, prestige and success hit their noses as soon as they walked through the door. Whether they came from Aberdeen or Argentina, they were indoctrinated. This small area was part of the Rangers fabric.

Now? Unless something has been tacked on recently, it consists of four plain, white walls. It wasn’t just his artifacts that were removed. His very essence was emptied. That hint of nostalgia has been replaced by a stench of neglect. This place is Jimmy Bell‘s old kitchen room in Auchenhowie. What was once a Rangers treasure trove is now like any other equipment room.

Without any tradition. It used to be part of the Holy of Holies. The legendary kitman’s pride and joy was born over decades of service. But as we speak, the stuff that made it so special is sitting in a garage. Jimmy’s widow Janice removed it – such was her disappointment and disgust at the way the club treated her late husband’s successor.

As well as appointing a chairman, a CEO, a head of football operations and an academy director, it appears that the 2012 Tribute Act will also need to restore the Kit Room to its former glory.

Coverage of the McAllister Unfair Dismissal Tribunal is very limited, with only one article covering the £13,000 award in the Daily Record.