Ibrox Noise has been quoting X account FitbaZone for a week or so now as a credible source. We were given this information by way of those who call it a credible source, namely Chris Jack, SPFL Media Watch and Sky Sports Scotland. All 3 of the above give credit to FitbaZone and appear to endorse the content.
A source with a growing profile
FitbaZone produced 4 stories, Ivor Pandur, James Penrice, Cammy Devlin and Jack Butland. There have been quite a few stories coming from that account and, of course, as we know now, Ivor Pandur and Jack Butland did indeed happen.
However, there are 2 gigantic caveats to this story which create confusion and subterfuge. FitbaZone has since changed its name to ScotsportX. Every comment under their stories seemed to deride them and discredit them as fiction and fabrication. We find this a little bit odd. Why are they changing their name and concealing what they are when it appears they may have got some stories correct and exclusively right?
The Lewis Ferguson claim
The one that set everyone against them was the claim from FitbaZone, now ScotsportX, that Lewis Ferguson had agreed to join Rangers for a fee of £12.9M up front and a further £4M in instalments, making a grand total, of course, of £16.9M.
This story has not been backed up or verified by anybody else that we are aware of, and everybody was deriding the account for doing so. Consequently, the comments mocked the account for changing its name so many times and being a fabricator and fiction account.
Who broke the story first?
However, that Pandur story and that Butland story stand out as being factual. The further caveat makes things even murkier. Well known journalist Alan Nixon also broke that story about Pandur and Butland.
The problem is that we know the exact timestamp that the journalist did so on his Patreon. FitbaZone broke that story originally around 11pm that day. Nixon published the same story at 10AM. Patreon doesn’t give timestamps but we did some digging.
Consequently, Nixon broke it. So if FitbaZone is just stealing the story from Alan Nixon, then we know the categorical truth that FitbaZone, or ScotsportX as it now is, is simply a stealing and fabricating account using someone else’s information.
Credible sources
That then begs the question why credible sources are following that account and taking it seriously. Chris Jack and Sky Sports Scotland? Seriously?
More digging to do
It is all a bit murky. But we do know that the Butland and Pandur story was definitely Nixon’s.
The bottom line is that it certainly adds some intrigue to what is already a chaotic summer transfer window for Rangers in which many changes are most definitely happening. That said, we would most definitely take Lewis Ferguson no matter what.