Rangers - SPL or Third Division

[ian.ski309]

The biggest losers are the Rangers fans and staff....    A real sorry mess caused by a few individuals who didn"t balance the books properly...

As a long-suffering Swindon Town supporter, I have every sympathy with Rangers fans. After we"d been promoted to the top flight for the first time in our history in 1990, the news that we"d then been relegated two divisions due to financial irregularities was absolutely crushing. The Board move on, the players move on - it"s the fans that stay behind and suffer.

[HERBIEHACKIT]

rangers in d3 will give lower clubs a huge windfall. however spl clubs will miss out on the rangers gate money and a number of spl clubs are finding it hard going and could buckle without the rangers cash. sky have already said they are going to look at the spl contract. looks like it will be changing, so all of scottish football will miss out.rangers fans, players and other staff have not done anything wrong. it seems to me the ex chairman tried to use what he thought was legal loophole to avoid playing taxes and got his finger burnt. then he leaves the club with a sizeable sum of money. he is laughing and every one else is f-----, including scottish football. very short sighted decision not to allow rangers to play in spl.

[TheSnapper]

very short sighted decision not to allow rangers to play in spl.

Rangers went into administration owing up to £134m and will eventually be liquidated. Their expulsion and subsequent failed re-admission were standard as per SPL rules. They also face further sanctions pending the inquiry into non declared player payments. In short, they cheated, got caught and rightly should face the consequences.

The financial implications for Scottish football are clouding what should be a cut and dried procedure. It appears you would consider waiving the rules in lieu of those complications, now some might indeed consider that as short sighted.

[Jon MW]

...
The financial implications for Scottish football are clouding what should be a cut and dried procedure. It appears you would consider waiving the rules in lieu of those complications, now some might indeed consider that as short sighted.

This

I was actually really surprised that almost all of the clubs were so united in making sure the rules were applied as they should be - even though it was going to cost them money.

Obviously the clubs would have had to deal with a backlash from their fans if they"d ignored the rules and voted for the new Rangers to enter anywhere other than the bottom - but it was still a shock that it was so one sided.

[GoldieSnr]

If I was an investor in any one of the SPL Clubs, I would be challenging the Directors of that Club, to explain to me, why they took a decision that would put the Company in a position of possible Administration/Liquidation.

Company Law has clauses that clearly state a Directors Duties, and I believe that the Directors of all the SPL clubs have some explaining to do to their, shareholders.

[Jon MW]

If I was an investor in any one of the SPL Clubs, I would be challenging the Directors of that Club, to explain to me, why they took a decision that would put the Company in a position of possible Administration/Liquidation.

Company Law has clauses that clearly state a Directors Duties, and I believe that the Directors of all the SPL clubs have some explaining to do to their, shareholders.

That only applies if it"s a limited company - I don"t know the exact process but I would imagine even with the ones which are owned by ltd companies that the vote was taken by the people running the clubs rather than the people running the ltd companies that own the clubs. Even so it probably wouldn"t be too hard to cover commercial grounds for the reasoning if they put their mind to it.

[AAroddersAA]

very short sighted decision not to allow rangers to play in spl.

Rangers went into administration owing up to £134m and will eventually be liquidated. Their expulsion and subsequent failed re-admission were standard as per SPL rules. They also face further sanctions pending the inquiry into non declared player payments. In short, they cheated, got caught and rightly should face the consequences.

The financial implications for Scottish football are clouding what should be a cut and dried procedure. It appears you would consider waiving the rules in lieu of those complications, now some might indeed consider that as short sighted.

Completely agree with the above - in an ideal world.

In Scottish football though it"s likely to cause huge upset and maybe some SPL club will indeed fold without Rangers gate money and Sky investment. The clubs did vote on this so I suppose it is fair enough.

We will have to wait and see the outcome of this but I Rangers will be fine. Their fans do not suffer at all, they will just get promoted back into the SPL and it will be as you were. Some other current SPL clubs may well not be there. Rangers will then win the SPL (probably within 10 years) and will claim they took their punishment and climbed back to the top.

A question I think is interesting - who will win the SPL First?

1. Rangers

2. One of the following:-

Aberdeen
Hearts
Dundee Utd
Hibs
Kilmarnock
Motherwell
Inverness
St Johnston

In ten years time which of these clubs will finish highest in the SPL.

Rangers
Aberdeen
Hearts
Dundee Utd
Hibs
Kilmarnock
Motherwell
Inverness
St Johnston

How much a punishment is it really? Not a lot anybody can do about it though.

[TheSnapper]

very short sighted decision not to allow rangers to play in spl.

Rangers went into administration owing up to £134m and will eventually be liquidated. Their expulsion and subsequent failed re-admission were standard as per SPL rules. They also face further sanctions pending the inquiry into non declared player payments. In short, they cheated, got caught and rightly should face the consequences.

The financial implications for Scottish football are clouding what should be a cut and dried procedure. It appears you would consider waiving the rules in lieu of those complications, now some might indeed consider that as short sighted.

How much a punishment is it really? Not a lot anybody can do about it though.

There is still the possibilty of further sanctions.

Is financial doping akin to an Athlete taking performance enhancing drugs? imho it is, the club/business break the rules so as to gain financial advantage which in professional sport = competitive advantage.

When found guilty of such transgressions, athletes are rightly stripped of their ill gotten gains. For a team example:

Juventus were stripped of 2 Serie A titles because of the 2006 matchfixing scandal.
McLaren were excluded from the 2007 constructors' championship and fined US$100 million for breaching F1 rules.

Would stripping some of their SPL titles won during the Period of transgression be a justified penalty?

[Scousebill]

Rangers will not get promoted each season. I have posted earlier that I think that it will take at least 5 seasons for them to make it back to the SPL. If other teams fall by the wayside then that is by fault of their own, not by Rangers. I know that teams have probably never thought of Scottish football without the money that both Celtic and Rangers generated but they have now learnt the lesson of not relying on the "golden eggs". Scottish football will survive, some clubs might not and unfortunately because of this other clubs will benefit. I think it was disgusting that Rangers and the SPL tried to bribe votes by using the immediate financial predicament and the enticement of a bigger SPL and play-offs to allow sub standard clubs into the SPL. The lower league clubs on the whole survive on next to nothing and they will continue to do so because of Chairmen who wish to spend money running the club. Rangers being in Division 3 is a benefit to these smaller clubs. Scottish football is in a spot of bother at the moment but I think it will all sort itself out over the next 10 years for the better. Surely only lessons can be learnt from this debacle.

[Scousebill]

I will bet anybody now, for a small charitable sum, that if Rangers do start again in the Third Division that they will not get three direct promotions back to the SPL...

They are bound too, I STILL don"t think they will start in Div 3 though

There are a few people who have this idea.

It strikes me as particularly unusual - everything to do with integrity and the actual rules suggests they should start in Div 3.

But financially everyone loses out by this - it"s most peculiar that the financial loss doesn"t seem to have swayed the argument.

Certainly not saying "I told you so" but it might even be another season before Rangers are able to make the step up.

[AAroddersAA]

I will bet anybody now, for a small charitable sum, that if Rangers do start again in the Third Division that they will not get three direct promotions back to the SPL...

They are bound too, I STILL don"t think they will start in Div 3 though

There are a few people who have this idea.

It strikes me as particularly unusual - everything to do with integrity and the actual rules suggests they should start in Div 3.

But financially everyone loses out by this - it"s most peculiar that the financial loss doesn"t seem to have swayed the argument.

Certainly not saying "I told you so" but it might even be another season before Rangers are able to make the step up.

Well they will not win the league but they will get in the playoffs and are favourites to win I would have though?

[Scousebill]

Just to reignite......

I nearly won a few quid when I did 3-0 to Motherwell in the first leg and did 3-1 in the second.... Doh....