Gilmour and clubs of the heart

Stewart Gilmour was angry a year ago when Scottish Football League clubs offered Newco Rangers a place in the Third Division, rejecting a proposal to parachute them into the First Division, saying “This is horrific news for St Mirren Football Club. The consequences are terrible, catastrophic even.

“The St Mirren board will meet in the days after that SPL meeting and decide what is the best way forward but we are already looking at major redundancies [no they weren’t].

“Unfortunately, the people in the SFL have not bought into that [proposal to put Newco in the First Division]. I just hope they realise the damage they have done to Scottish football.”

I. Just. Hope. They. Realise. What. Damage. They. Have. Done. To. Scottish. Football.

Few could understand his anger at the time.  Gilmour voted against parachuting Newco into the SPL, perhaps left with little choice by their fans and his fellow directors, so it was bizarre he felt comfortable criticising others for doing exactly what he did.

Nothing has changed.  Gilmour wanted Newco in the second tier of Scottish football a year ago and he wants exactly the same now.  This is the Great Blue Hope.

Newco prophesised the failure of Scottish football without them at the head.  Now, with Gilmour’s assistance, their projections look less foolish.

I make no personal judgement on Gilmour.  If I was an SPL club chairman and Celtic needed me to vote one way to enable their financial survival, I would do it without question.  We are football people and this is how we are wired.  The club of the heart comes first.

It’s too late to salvage Newco.  Invitations to a newly formed second tier are a fantasy, but you can set your watch on a forthcoming media campaign backing the idea.  We shall not be moved.

We are putting the next edition of CQN Magazine together.  If you would like to advertised, get in touch, advert@cqnmagazine.co.uk.
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