You have been presented with a narrative that we should collapse the Scottish Premier League this summer and have the SFA register a new, two-division, league system to resolve the problems inherent in having too many bodies running our game. This is complete nonsense.
Those pushing for a SPL 2 are, perhaps with good intentions, trying to pull a deal together to reduce the impact of the demise of Rangers FC buy allowing a phoenix the chance to gain entry into the league structure two levels higher than what they now face.
It’s a stupid proposal.
As things stand, there is no chance of a Newco getting access to the SPL next season. Despite Neil Doncaster heavily advocating the notion, the idea is simply undeliverable. Our club has been committed to opposing the proposition from the beginning, while many others now realise they have to observe the strong feelings of their own supporters on the matter.
Doncaster should have realised this was a campaign he could not win before he boxed himself into a corner over it. SPL 2 is an attempt to address the ‘No to Newco’ concerns while bringing the income some in the game hope Newco will deliver.
The unnamed SFA source who briefed the BBC on this topic last week made no reference whatsoever to Newco, their focus was all on the administrative challenges of having multiple bodies in charge of the game, but this was disingenuous. If there was a prospect of Newco getting into the SPL we would not be having this debate.
Tell us the truth, be honest, and these random, ill-considered, notions will perhaps be received in a better light.
The hope is that fans of the former club, Rangers, bring their cash along to watch Newco, which would play SPL 2 football next season and would be subject to whatever penalties the various independent bodies impose for years to come for the illegal actions of Rangers. This would allow Newco to claim the history of Rangers, would perhaps maintain the existing BSkyB TV deal and would meet the ‘No to Newco’ demands.
There are several huge obstacles to overcome. The SFA will soon instruct Lord Carloway’s Appellate Panel to consider a new punishment for ‘Rangers’ for misdeeds during the Craig Whyte era. I expect him to suspend the ‘club’ for 12 months. A new independent judicial panel will consider the case against ‘Rangers’ for subverting our game for over a decade through the illegal registration of players. If/when the First Tier Tribunal finds against Rangers a fresh wave of charges will be brought against any club claiming to hold that identity – as a guide, think of the punishments for the Craig Whyte era multiplied by 12.
These three independent judicial panels will destroy whatever is left of what we used to call ‘Rangers’ and there is nothing the football authorities can do about it.
Sevco, who own Ibrox and have applied for SPL access, already face an enormous challenge to meet trading costs for a year, even in the SPL, never mind a lower league (as Dave King correctly concluded). They are prime candidates for another insolvency event any time soon. Best of all, a Celtic fan has now bid for the assets (more on this later)!
Even if Newco overcame these enormous challenges, the SFA and SPL executives, having realised they cannot convince fans of 11 clubs to hold their noses and put up with a Newco-Rangers, will now try to convince former Rangers fans to cough up cash to support a Newco that will be rendered impotent by the most severe penalties in the history of our game.
I cannot see former Rangers fans accepting their role as cannon fodder for St Mirren, Motherwell and (cough) Kilmarnock in a league where the Mighty Celtic romp home by 30 points.
I don’t have an objection in principle to a two-league SPL but plan it properly, don’t allow knee-jerk reactions to dictate thinking. There’s no point in us getting paranoid about this, it’s not some attempt to help the remnants of ‘Rangers’, it’s just a stupid proposal from people who have yet to see the big picture.
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Sorry there lads clicked submit before i finished post.
But I also think he’s a h*n!
TOM McLAUGHLIN 0854
I will read that-for sure-when I get back from the pub.
Meeting a hun mate who was still adamant on Wednesday that his cherished team would be fine.
Gonna by him a beer. And watch him cry into it.
Ach,not my style. Always been a gracious in victory,magnanimous in defeat type,so I’ll just buy a beer for him and leave it at that.
Probably……
Por Cierto on 22 June, 2012 at 08:49 said
Yes. Under the proposed deal would we not get £2.5M of the total £13M/season?
I’d like us to be the one’s to propose an equal split of the money among the teams. We could cover the loss of £1.5M by 2-3 fringe players, and I think the quaity of the competition would improve dramatically, which over time would see attendances back up again mitigating the loss.
IMO Fraser Forster has a cheek
Lenny showed exceptional faith in him when his performances were moderate at best
He has improved considerably over the last six months , after 18 mths coaching at CFC
If he doesn’t want to play for the Scottish champs …. FF don’t let the door hit you on the erchie on the way out
What’s all the excitement about jim spence and Aberdeen, I told you that last week! Old news.
The DAMM bursters….I like that…fanx Jimbo Spencio
Having listened this morning I have to say Jim Spence has nailed this. There is a feeling floating around on the net and through twitter and facebook that fans of all other clubs are against this newco and for the right reasons.
A great man once said “Football without fans is nothing” and this is being shown as clear as day by the way the chairmen are now coming out and making things clear and voicing their supporters’ point of view. While nothing is confirmed there is a feeling and a momentum growing among supporters of all clubs (or at least all of our major clubs) that fan power will win the day here and with good reason.
They have inundated radio shows to tell the cheerleaders that their lies, propaganda and scaremongering were to no avail. The Laptop loyal and the succulent lamb brigade thought if you repeat the Sky deal lie over and over and long enough then they’ll all fall into line and give them what they want – Newco in the SPL. Well it has backfired spectacularly if indeed the dam does burst today and five votes for No are announced.
Clubs need Rangers (or the rangers tribute band)? Tosh. Clubs need their own fans to walk through the gates every single week and support them as that is where 75% or thereabouts of their revenue comes from – ticket and merchandising sales. Not sponsorship, not Sky TV and not one or two visits from the hordes of Mordor a season.
The media and their off the radar billionaire talk has failed and they must now (with some honourable exceptions like Jim Spence know their dinosaur-like existence is up. They have clung to the Murray coat-tails and chased their target audience with such veracity that they have forgotten what proper journalism is and instead they merely vomited back what they were spoon-fed.
There is a growing sense of solidarity and next season this could and I think will manifest itself with the highest attendances in the SPL at most grounds. I think it will reach record levels and the cup competitions will be sell outs at many grounds.
The clubs who have been wronged for 20 years will find that with a level playing field the fairweather fans will return and the game will be a spectacle bereft of the only thing worse than match-fixing which in essence was match finxing under any other name. No EBTs, no loaded dice – none of it.
This looks like a brand new dawn and I for one cannot wait.
To those who say the league will be over by Christmas I say mathematically unlikely at worst and when you look at the opening fixtures it seems highly likely that Celtic could have a number of difficult games in the early part of the season with European games, friendlies and hard away matches (not least at Inverness) to contest.
Every day things are getting better right now and for my money it would look like rangers, the rangers or I can’t believe it’s not rangers will be playing anywhere next season with around 6 – 7 weeks before kick – off.
We are living through history. My only regret is that my Grandparents were and are not alive to see it.
HH
Bobby Murdoch…..
I have adopted a fairly robust approach with Huns in my ken
IMO its about time they accepted reality
Feck them I say
Morning from a balmy Chilterns…
Guess the pressure on the Celtic Board will mount to announce their position.
Think they have done brilliantly to ensure we couldn’t be the story
Mr Romanov’s statement struck the Heart of the matter, there was a time when he would’ve been brought to book over this, who would dare now.
Ok Celtic your turn, a measured dignified NO will suffice.
Reiperman
Johnston’s a trumpet playing anything cleverly is beyond him
Por Cierto on 22 June, 2012 at 08:49 said:
”Should Celtic now be considering a redistribution of the monies and the voting rights in light of the support for integrity within the Scottish Game?”
If there’s no newco huns in the SPL the other clubs will be able to vote through whatever they want so the board won’t have to bother reconsidering anything, change will be foisted on them whatever their views.
The Prince of Goalkeepers,
That’s what I’ve been thinking all along, however it has now occurred to me that he must have had an idea that the fan’s voice would be heard.
Many huns, bred on triumphalism, will be unable to countenance life in the lower tiers, and will likely jump ship. While Kilmarnock are unlikely to provide much chance of success, they will provide some huns a platform to spout their bile on a bigger stage and of course against Celtic.
I can see quite a few of them switching allegiances to Kilmarnock.
Whether this is a scenario that Johnstone anticipated is anyone’s guess but I reckon he’ll stand to benefit regardless.
Morning CQNer’s.
I was talking to some huns and, some M/well fans last night.
M/well fans want – huns OUT the league and – SKY TV deal scrapped with, return to 3 O’clock on saturday’s!!
Huns said – put us in division 3 but, still believe they are being picked-on ?
Interestingly enough….M/well fans think the Celtic board will – SHOCK – everyone by – voting FOR the huns to stay in SPL ?mmm
Hail Hail
PFayr
Agree about Forster, sign up now or move on.
Pleasantly surprised with other teams voting no to Newco, looking like our vote will be irrelevant now.
Peterhead in December must be freezing.
Rieperman, agree, and he’s certainly in they right part of the country to pick up a few stragglers…
ernie lynch
Yes that a good point but is it not better they make a statement to the fact that in light of the other clubs putting integrity before profit that we show a willingness to have the change rather than having it “foisted” upon us. por cierto
PF AYR
I should have qualified the above by pointing out that my many friends back home in Kilwinning,who no longer have a team to support,are exempt from my usual good grace.
Apart from Trumpet,who is 6’4″,and a really good guy who doesn’t deserve this heartbreak(!)
If all clubs were to declare today or at least the minimum required amount of no’s, Newco would then immediately apply to SFL.
I would rather we all waited until Independence day to find out and have newco sweating on the timing of the application to the SFL, and hope they miss the cut-off….
On the whole, it could be a major boost for the lower league clubs to have a newco visiting with a potential several hundred plus….
Kev Jungle
No chance. If Peter Lawwell voted for them to stay he knows he can hand in his resignation letter along with it plus I don’t believe that he would vote for them.
Celtic would lose too much money from our support if they did. It would be madness.
It sounds to me like Well fans thinking about a defunct label – the Old Firm doesn’t exist any more.
Here is the link to the New Statesman article, in which CQN, RTC and Phil get honourable mentions.
….PFayr on 22 June, 2012 at 09:00 said:
”IMO Fraser Forster has a cheek
Lenny showed exceptional faith in him when his performances were moderate at best.”
The stats suggest his performances were always good.
What changed was the attitude of the fans.
Forster wasn’t made particularly welcome by the support and it will only take a couple of poor performances for the doubters to find their voice again. That might be part of why he’s playing hard ball.
Snake Plissken on 22 June, 2012 at 09:13 said:
______________________
I apologise….
I should have stated that
M/well fans(that I spoke to)
think that, Celtic will wait until
they’ve sold a certain amount
of SB’s before they make said
SHOCK announcment!!
Hopefully thats more clear.
Hail Hail
Snake Plissken on 22 June, 2012 at 09:13 said:
Unless of course he waits for Hibs and Motherwell (or any two others) to publically declare “No”, then he doesn’t have to.
I’m completely not in favour of that, it would leave a suspicious whiff. In fact I’m not even in favour of publically declaring “No” after 5 other clubs. We need to do it at worst at more or less the same time, but prefereably as one of the first 5.
If we don’t there will always be those that will say we were going to vote “Yes” but our hand was forced.
announcment=announcement
typo
KevJungle__ Murdo 78/87 on 22 June, 2012 at 09:09 said:
Where did you meet these people Kev, were you doing a survey on the mean streets of Lanarkshire, funny how you met some ‘Well fans who backed up your anti Lawwell agenda…mmmmmmm
KevJungle__ Murdo 78/87 on 22 June, 2012 at 09:18 said:
They’ll be waiting a long time for that announcement. By the end of today there will be no reason for any of the clubs that might have voted “Yes” to make a public declaration. It will be totally academic.
Spency has just confirmed what we already knew. Vlad was the unknown. St m.Mirren or the Mothers will be the tipping point. Once five have declared the rest will follow. At this rate I think sevco will vote no as well. Send them packing.
starry plough @9:21
________________________________
It was just a general talk thingy at work last night amongst…
fellow Celts – huns – M/well fans – H/accies – Airdrie and, some Hibs fans.
About 180-200 folk.
As I say, it wasn’t anything official – just talk.
I’m only saying like.
Hail Hail
ASonofDan:
Ahem…
You’re NewCo til July (repeat ad nauseum)…
St Mirren Statement At 10am ??? I Wonder Is It A NO
starry plough
My – anti Lawwell agenda was kept out of the said discussion although, most of the folk there are, well aware of my mistrust of our hierarchy.
Hail Hail
Bryan McGinley @McGinleyBhoy67
Hello, greetings from Aberdonia. Our sevco votes have been counted and verified. I’m pleased to announce the results as follows.. #NoToNewco
After the last few days, surely this is what Scottish Football Fans, apart from a few exceptions, believe to be true,
“Without fans who pay at the turnstile, football is nothing. Sometimes we are inclined to forget that” Jock Stien.
He was always away ahead of his time por cierto.
weeminger on 22 June, 2012 at 09:23 said:
_________________________________
I think your probably right.
I’ll wait and see.
Hail Hail
Kev Jungle
Fair enough pal. I think it is going to become academic shortly anyway but Celtic should still send out the message now that they have always wanted no newco in the SPL just so people don’t fret because you know some folks will be on here and elsewhere going ballistic is Celtic say nothing.
Lot of club chairmen talking a good game.
Treat it cautiously.
There are a lot of knuckle crunching hours between now and July4th.
Always rememmber. It’s never in the bag until it’s in the box.
That should read IF Celtic say nothing. Sorry