It’s less than four days since the SFA, SPL and SFL chief executives met at Hampden to devise a plan to destroy and rebuild Scottish football within three weeks, coincidentally, allowing a Newco access to the second tier of the Scottish league pyramid.
Just as the SPL clubs rejected Neil Doncaster’s strong advocacy that they co-opt Newco directly into the top tier, Scottish Football League clubs are already showing an unwillingness to be boxed into a corner.
Before today’s meeting of the SFL board Raith Rovers have already pinned their colours to the mast, “the board of directors of Raith Rovers FC is unanimous in its view that we shall certainly not cast our vote in favour of any integrated plan that in our view compromises sporting integrity by involving the admission of any ‘Newco’ directly into Division One”.
Earlier this year Raith were caused considerable cost and inconvenience after Rangers manager, Ally McCoist, publicly demanded to know the identities of the SFA Judicial Panel who penalised the club for not paying social taxes. Rangers already knew that a Rovers director was on the panel.
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ernie
The title was a bit of a giveaway! :-)
But I believe you.
We’re gonna need a bigger blog.
OK so Raith Rovers are a no, as are Livingston. Surely the 2 clubs who could be promoted (or spared relegation) will be a no as well, so thats 4 and counting!
Gene’s a Bhoys, 2012
Games moved on from that stage…
Fantastic.
SSN……………………………………Sevco 5088 march to Hampden cancelled Sandy Jardine says he can’t make it
Will New Rangers FC end up in rags and traipsing from town to town, begging pub teams and Junior sides to give them a game? (thumbsup)
Looks like Fraser Forster is not coming back to us.
Pity.
Yes it is all vey reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s finest novel Murder On The Orient Express.. they all took turns to stab the dead man once.. justice for his past unpunished crime.
This might be an appropriate juncture to repost an article from today’s hootsmaun for those who might have missed it.
By CRAIG P STEWART
Published on Tuesday 26 June 2012 00:00
IRONY will be at the forefront of the minds of certain members of the Scottish Football League with long memories when they vote on the future of ‘The Rangers’.
Five clubs which will be involved in determining which division the Ibrox club will play in next season – Albion Rovers, Berwick Rangers, Brechin City, Stenhousemuir and Stranraer – may think back 48 years when the boot was on the other foot.
In 1964, this gang of five survived an attempt to oust them from senior football in a move led by Rangers.
The Glasgow giants wanted to reduce the number of clubs in the then top two divisions from 37 to 32 and proposed that the minnows should drop out.
Rangers proposed that the five clubs with the smallest gate receipts should be kicked out and were at the vanguard of moves to make it happen, including sending out correspondence to the other member clubs and deliberately excluding the targeted clubs.
Amid much legal wrangling, the smaller clubs – supported by Celtic and their chairman Robert Kelly – survived the move. SFL Operations Director David Thomson recalled: “The book that was launched to mark the centenary of the SFL in 1990 records what happened. The five clubs were in danger of being voted out. However, Stenhousemuir committee member Robert Turpey, who was also a lawyer, and strongly supported by the other clubs, was successful in raising an interim interdict on their behalf.”
The matter was eventually resolved out of court in November 1964 amid promises that the clubs would remain in the SFL and any new league that was formed. Thomson added: “That decision probably marks the start of a move to three professional leagues that started a decade later when the Premier League along with Divisions 1 and 2 were created.”
However, Rangers’ role in the wrangle caused a lot of anger at the time, especially in Stranraer. Present-day committee member Shaun Niven said: “I know that a lot of people in the town were unhappy with what had gone on. Stranraer are Scotland’s third oldest team as we were formed in 1870 after just Queen’s Park and Kilmarnock. We waited over 80 years to be admitted to the old-style Division Two and to be told after ten years that we were not wanted caused a lot of resentment. The clubs that had been targeted rallied round to win their case and remain in the SFL to this day.”
Looking at Rangers’ present predicament, Niven added: “This situation is another of the great ironies that football throws up. We could now determine whether Rangers get into the SFL and what division they come into after they tried to throw us out all those years ago.
“This whole situation is full of issues going full circle as it has probably accelerated the amalgamation of the SPL and the SFL 15 years after they were spilt apart by SPL sides led by Rangers and Celtic. Now one league body is seen as the way forward.”
Berwick, of course, took a measure of revenge on the park less than two years later when they defeated Rangers 1-0 in a Scottish Cup tie, and now the fate of the club that wanted to expel them and four others could sit in their collective hands.
If it comes to a vote at the SFL, Stranraer would have to balance the prospect of placing Rangers in the First Division for the good of the game overall against their own promotion to the Second Division, as they were the losing play-off side last month and weigh up the benefit of eight local derbies against Queen of the South and Ayr United to an overall package that benefits the SFL overall.
Niven added, “Nothing will be pre-judged based on what happened nearly 50 years ago. If we have to make a decision we will do that based on what is best for Stranraer FC and Scottish football overall.”
Our governing bodies just don’t seem to be capable of understanding the groundswell of opinion across the country regarding this matter.
They seem to be so completely focussed on assisting Newco that they are willing to let the Scottish game be torn apart and made a laughing stock. I live down south and am regularly hearing conversations amongst football fans down here that Scottish football is now “such a basket case, who on earth would want to go and play up there”.
Our credibilty outside of Scotland is taking a complete battering. This is no longer entertaining or funny, the governing body must put an end to this nonesense and punt newco out to re-apply to join at the bottom (if Newco are even in a position to do that).
Just cannot believe this is being allowed to rumble on.
Pinky Regan: “Gee, Brain, what do you want to do tonight?”
Doncaster The Brain: “The same thing we do every night, Pinky—try to get Rangers into the SPL!”
(thumbsup)
Ole Partick Thistle will continue 136 unbroken years of football when season 2012-2013 kicks off.
Looks as if FF is stalling on signing in the hope that an EPL club offer him a contract. If that is indeed the case it is time to look elsewhere. We do not need players who do not wish to play for Celtic be that FF or big Vic. If it were up to me I’d be offering Artur a deal to bring him back to paradise and we can afford to lose one of our midfield saleable assets the transfer fee received from Vic alone should finance the acquisition of a couple of decent quality experienced players
For Craigy Whyte it was never about the money, it was always about stuttering stammering and saying ehhh errmm ehhh errmm during interviews – he was that kind of guy.
Whenever you’re in doubt about any decision, stop, breath deep, relax, and think what would ole shooter Craigy Whyte do, if he was in my shoes.
ehhh CSC
Chuck Green “I blame Nat West/RBS. The £50m I deposited for Sevco 5088 seems to have disappeared.”
RaRaRasputin
The STV lad Grant was very good at picking up on points.
I had been banging on as I do (no laughing at the back, at my advancing years I’m proud of it) Now where was I?Oh aye club licensing and how it was a barrier.
I did so because I noticed msm made no attempt to distinguish membership of SPL and automatic membership of SFA from licencing requirements.
Even when drawn to attention msm eg Clyde and associates avoided delving.
Eventually a guy on Twitter asked STV Grant if I had a point and he contacted the SFA who confirmed it was not a given and Tweeted as such.
Within a week club licencing started to appear in msm and much wider over blogs as a hurdle for Newco, especially the 3 years accounts.
So good on STV Grant but if I can add to Barcabhoy’s point, WITHOUT msm guys like Spence,Alec T, STV Grant teaming up with the bampots then the valid points made would not have reached the minds of supporters and public at large who are greater in number than the bampot community.
So heres to the msm men of honour and here’s to the bampots for creating a new reality.
As Jake Burns said:
“The man who lives by the gun now
Bound to die by the gun now”
KTF
bournesouprecipe – Whenever you’re in doubt about any decision, stop, breath deep, relax, and think what would ole shooter Craigy Whyte do, if he was in my shoes.
He’d steal your shoes. (thumbsup)
Paul67
Karma is a bitch you do not want to cross eh?
philvis
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Wonder what way Albion Rovers will vote?………….Considering their manager had to take Craigy White to court to get him to pay for roofing materials he supplied………..I wouldn’t be entirely hopeful of swinging a ‘yes’ vote there if I were Greeny boy.
OG Rafferty – Is it your gut feeling that a property deal is imminent or have you heard something from a credible source? Or are you in the property game yourself?
“Whats that skippy…..chuck is down the well ..and the the rovers are sayin….GIRUY!!
dearie me skip “”
“another fosters?”
The clock is tock tock tocking, there’s no tick left
oglach on 26 June, 2012 at 11:55 said:
Totally agree man. The big goalie can go and jump in the sea. If he really wants to go the most over inflated/hyped league in the world, and probably to a pishy wee team like Southampton, let him go. We want players who WANT to play for us. Disappointing about big Victor if it’s true.
BringBackTheHolyGoalieCSC
oglach on 26 June, 2012 at 11:55 said:
Looks as if FF is stalling on signing in the hope that an EPL club offer him a contract. If that is indeed the case it is time to look elsewhere. We do not need players who do not wish to play for Celtic be that FF or big Vic. If it were up to me I’d be offering Artur a deal to bring him back to paradise and we can afford to lose one of our midfield saleable assets the transfer fee received from Vic alone should finance the acquisition of a couple of decent quality experienced players
There’s nothing like jumping the gun is there based on some reports from newspapers.
Fraser Forster has every right to seek out the best deal for him and his family, just like Artur Boruc did in 2010 when he rejected the offer of a new contract so that he could go and join Fiorentina.
Mort
Mort on 26 June, 2012 at 12:06 said:
True to an extent but the Champions League qualifier is coming and we need to know. It’s make up his mind time. He did the same dithering last summer. Not acceptable.
DeniaBhoy, 12:03
It’s not gut feeling and I’m not in property.
bournesouprecipe – He’d steal that too if he could. (thumbsup)
Know what bothered me about the keeper situation, a few of us predicted exactly this last season when we had decent options, lost opportunities eh.
I expect Mr Green’s phone bills to be huge today and tomorrow…
Fraser Forster is not as good as he thinks he is. IMO.
We’ll see what he’s like when he’s had to run about like a blue ar*ed fly for 90 minutes trying to keep some bottom half EPL team in that division.
You will definitely sow what you reap big man.
Good bye.
“I’m in Manchester for the Stone Roses concert, or I’d be up there on the streets about this”
A Sevco 5088 fan
Priorities CSC
re Livi and from the horses mouth
I asked if he would vote for a NewCo to enter SPL and David Stoker, a Director of Livingston replied:
@davidstoker_lfc
@TyroneBhoy would be a board decision and we haven’t discussed it but almost certainly a no.
Mort
No player, even if he’s 6′ 8″ tall, is bigger than the club.
Get rid!
Philbhoy – You will definitely sow what you reap big man.
Which way does causality work in this universe, again? (thumbsup)
Paul 67 –
Maybe Raith Rovers don’t see it as an act of revenge . Maybe they simply want to do what they believe is the right thing to do. It is called integrity.
Scottish football will get its vengeance by doing right and living free.