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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What would be good next would be if Hearts could report a sudden upsurge in season book renewals, showing any doubters that there will be rewards from the paying public for clubs that uphold integrity.
‘Victories were achieved not by sporting merits’
In a nutshell. The berrs will love this.
HH
philvisreturns on 21 June, 2012 at 14:08 said:
the 1970′s was materially much poorer than it is now.
As for our industrial base, our heavy industries were dead men walking before Mrs Thatcher came to power in 1979. Successive Labour and Conservative governments had spent decades pumping ever greater quantities of taxpayers cash into loss-making nationalised industries.
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Now successive labour & coalition govs pump billions of pounds of taxpayers money into corrupt banks, cut sweetheart tax deals with Vodafone et al, assist a corrupt media organisation to increase their profits whislt simultaneously destroying the NHS and the rest of the public sector.
When people ask why multi-millionaires are allowed to evade tax, they’re told that if they have to pay more, they’ll leave the country!
And if you think the closed shop is a thing of the past…compare and contrast the proportion of female doctors and teachers who are in senior posts against the total number of women working in these professions.
Always had faith vlad would stick it to the establishment he’s hated and criticised for ages
Looks like the MSM have a job on their hands spinning Romanov’s statement.
If you open your window, you can actually hear the bears heads going ‘pop’ as they explode reading Vlad’s statement!
Big G
He’s just paranoid, so he is.
HH
Summa of Sammi…. on 21 June, 2012 at 14:50 said
Nae Shawfield dugs wi` wee Willie,then.
The Welsh commie ( related to our Neil ,the Welsh windbag ?) is still stuffing up the Oz economy which ,amazingly, seems able to withstand her ideology.
Tot siens,mineer.
Time for an Ozzytims reunion in Sydney.
Nie?
Big G
….but spin it they will. Well, not `spin` exactly, more a character assassination to show that these are just the words of a fanatic and should be ignored.
JJ
Michael Johnston heartened by Killie season ticket sales
By John Barnes
BBC Scotland
Chairman Michael Johnston is encouraged by a five per cent rise in season ticket sales at Kilmarnock compared to the same period last year.
But he warns that the club will need an extra 1,000 fans at home games should a ‘newco’ Rangers not be admitted to the Scottish Premier League.
And he admits that forward planning has been hindered by the uncertainty.
“The next few weeks are critical in terms of preparing the playing squad for the new season,” said Johnston.
The 12 SPL sides will meet on 4 July to decide whether a new Rangers should be granted entry to the top flight.
Michael Johnston, Kilmarnock chairman is concerned by the potential loss of revenue should that vote go against the Ibrox club.
Pre-season training for Killie begins on 25 June and some out-of-contract squad members have yet to be offered new deals.
Manager Kenny Shiels would also like to recruit some of the signing targets he has identified.
“The uncertainty over Rangers’ participation in the SPL and the potential consequences of that for the level of gate receipts and TV revenues received via the SPL has meant that we have not been able to press ahead with our plans,” explained Johnston.
“For that reason, the news on season ticket sales offers encouragement and, hopefully, we’ll be able to continue to report positive news as we proceed through the renewal process.
“It’s a sobering thought, however, that we’d need around 1,000 additional adult season ticket sales to make up for the loss of two home fixtures against Rangers next season – but if that becomes a necessity, then that’s what we’ll aim to do.
“So, we’re looking for the wider issues to be resolved quickly, which will allow us and the rest of the SPL clubs to finalise budgets and pre-season plans and get back to playing football.
“Now, perhaps more than ever before, we need our true supporters to back the club – regardless of who “Club 12″ turns out to be.”
The soon-to-be liquidated Rangers were replaced by a Club 12 on the SPL’s fixtures list, with Kilmarnock hosting them on day one of the new term .
A change of tone from Johnstone? Is the reality beginning to kick in that FC Sevco won’t be there next season?
If economies are to right themselves, financial institutions must become again genuine supporters of people who want to make good products that people want or need to buy and use. Profits for the banks will be smaller and there will be fewer of their employees charging around in Pagani cars, but such is life.
Prof Steve Keen is one of my new heroes. He says: “You don’t need economists to have an economy. But you do need engineers to build a bridge.”
Mon the engineers.
Big G,
It will be treated like all his protestations and receive very little air time
“It’s a sobering thought, however, that we’d need around 1,000 additional adult season ticket sales to make up for the loss of two home fixtures against Rangers next season – but if that becomes a necessity, then that’s what we’ll aim to do.”
Why don’t you do that anyway?
HH
VLAD
A TOP LAD
GIRFUY
FORMER HUNZ
Orcs on twitter telling Vlad to go home to his own country, now where have I heard that before??
But he warns that the club will need an extra 1,000 fans at home games should a ‘newco’ Rangers not be admitted to the Scottish Premier League.
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Is this because spectators will not be allowed in to the Dundee games?
Even if this is true(1,000 extra), then that’s the price of integrity!
Michael Johnston = BAWBAG
My guess is only 3 clubs will say Yes to NewCo.
9-3 Vote to say cheerio
Filling in that Scotsman survey is the best fun I’ve had all day. Just wondering how I should reword my second submission , hmmmmmmm………..
That article by David Edgar, good grief. Fed up with thems claiming they have been punished “enough” as if there was only ever one indiscretion!
Liquidation isn’t a punishment. It is a consequence of insolvency.
Being unable to participate in European competition isn’t a punishment. It is a failure of either of newco or oldco to meet an eligibility requirement for participation in European competition. Neither oldco nor newco are banned from Europe for three years. Oldco will never play another football match. It is in liquidation and does not meet the eligibility criteria to play in Europe. Newco is not even a member of a national association. It has not provided three years audited accounts. It is a million miles away from ever playing its first competitive professional match. It is for these myriad reasons that newco do not qualify for European competition. St Mirren do not qualify for European Competition. Are they banned? Are they being punished? It is the same thing for oldco and newco.
The SFA are set to punish Oldco for bringing the game into disrepute during Craig Whyte’s ownership of Oldco. Oldco did not contest the finding that they had brought the game into disrepute. A different punsihment is due in respect of this offence.
The SFA ought also to be considering a punishment for oldco taking them to court. You are not suppsoed to take the national association to court. I don’t personally agree with the justice inherent in that rule but the rule is there. A further punishment is due for this further offence.
Oldco were given a pre-ordained sanction for entering administration. They entered administration. This entirely appropriately applied sanction should not be included in any list used to justify the proposition that Rangers have been punished “enough” already.
The SPL are investigating the allegation of undisclosed payments to players by oldco going back a decade or more. This is a separate charge to the disrepute charges oldco face in relation to the SFA case mentioned above. A separate punishment is due in respect of any finding of rule breaches by Oldco. The punishment is that any game involving oldco in which an improperly registered player was used results in a retrospective 0-3 defeat. This clearly involves stripping of titles, although given how thoroughly corrupted those championships may be proven to be by oldco’s alleged rule breaches leaves the question of their retrospective award to runners up dubious, in my view at least.
Moreover, the SPL board is considering whether an enitrely newly formed club ought to be allowed to enter the SPL, the top division in the country. The alternatives are presented as punishments. Newco starting in division 3 isn’t a punishment. It is where new clubs start. In point of fact, it is where very few new clubs start. Letting newco into the third division would be a considerable accommodation by the SFL.
That the SPL clubs might have the temerity to ask Newco to accept a points sanction, or a reduction in entitlement to participate in broadcast revenues, as an entry requirement to the league is not a punishment. These are entry requirements. If the SPL decides on these entry criteria (which it shouldn’t, newco should start in division 3 if anywhere) prior to newco’s membership and requires acceptance of these terms as a condition of entry by newco, newco will have to suck it up. They are not, however, punishments on newco.
The Police, the Insolvency people, HMRC’s liquidators. All may soon, or may already, be investigating RFC Oldco and maybe newco. They may be doing so beacuse they believe they have appropriate, and different, grounds to do so. If there are myriad punshiments for myriad breaches of myriad rule books then so be it.
Fed up haring about “enough” punishments on Rangers. If they’ve broken hunners of rules, there are hunners of punishments. If you get life for jail without parole for murder, and still have an assult charge pending, you get hauled from the pokey to the court to be tried and convicted, even if the conviction is for a month or two. The complaint must be heard, and the conviction applied.
Just apply the rules.
Boy, If that statement from Vlad could be described as a bombshell……Then maybe the one from PL (Hmmm!) will be the “Nuclear” news we have been waiting for:)
Teuchter
I can imagine the old ‘batphone’ between the Chairmen might have been red hot the last few days…looks like the whole ‘Yes’ campaign could grind to a halt.
traditionalist88 on 21 June, 2012 at 15:07 said:
Jungle Jim on 21 June, 2012 at 15:09 said:
Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire on 21 June, 2012 at 15:11 said:
Paranoid, character assassination & very little air time, definately, but he has the vote and that is all that matters :)
HH
I need to lie down as Mad Vlad’s statement made sense to me! I agree regarding SKY, huge subscription in Scotland and we are paid peanuts. If I had not already cancelled SKY/ESPN I would do so right now.
What am I saying here? Influenced by Mad Vlad, never thought I would see the day…
The roll of honour
Celtic, Hibs, Aberdeen, Motherwell, Hearts, St Johnstone…
‘crushed nuts?’ ‘Naw, Layringitis!’ on 21 June, 2012 at 15:05 said:
Labour govts supported loss making industries in the `70s because they chose to.
Govts. today support banks because they have to.
One Nation again…
A man was caught with a fake gun by armed police outside Celtic’s training ground acted out of “stupidity”, a court has been told.
Ross Hind took the imitation firearm to the facility at Lennoxtown in East Dunbartonshire.
The 20-year-old was caught when armed police responded to an alert at the Glasgow club’s training ground last May.
The incident happened a month after Celtic manager Neil Lennon and other figures connected to the club were the target of a mail bomb plot.
At Glasgow Sheriff Court on Thursday, Hind, of Alton Holdings, Milton of Campsie, admitted having an imitation gun without lawful authority.
His co-accused Gary Booth, 18, and 22-year-old Katrina Henderson had their not guilty pleas to the same charge accepted by the Crown.
Hind’s lawyer Gerry McClay told the court: “This (incident) is basically stupidity rather than anything else.”
Sheriff John Beckett QC continued bail and deferred sentencing for reports until next month
Glendalystonsils likes a mr whippy with his lime green jelly on 21 June, 2012 at 15:18 said:
Which club will you be supporting in your second submission? I supported Celtic in my first, Hibs in my second, Hearts in my third, Newco in my fourth…
Glendalystonsils
It’s awe right for you, The last time I checked – I supported Morton:)
Teuchter
EFRAIN Juarez has now completed his move to Mexican side, Club America. The versatile midfielder joined Celtic after impressing for his country in the 2010 World Cup, and spent almost two years with the Hoops, making 20 appearances and scoring two goals.
Juarez spent the first half of last season on loan to La Liga outfit, Real Zaragoza, and was unable to force his way into Neil Lennon´s first-team plans on his return.
Speaking of his time at Celtic, Juarez said: “In my experience there were very good moments and a few that were not so good. In the end I don´t consider it a disappointment.
“The coach, Neil Lennon, is always seeking changes and I was among them. He changes the players and for the beginning of the second part of the season the team started to work, so that wasn´t good for me.”
Everyone at Celtic would like to wish Efrain every success in his future career.
Sounds like Vlad has suddenly become interested in Hertz again.
Timing could be key as this could start the domino effect of clubs speaking their minds.
I hope so!
HH
/Bishop B
“the football mafia represented by Rangers’ former owners” should not gain entry”
LOVE IT!!!
!!Bada Bing!! on 21 June, 2012 at 14:11 said:
hen1rik-Do the inmates of FF still think there’s a Labour Government?
share on F’book or Twitter
Going by that statement they do lol.
it makes no sense for
aberdeen
hearts
hibernian
dundee utd
even motherwell
to vote em back in
theyve got a chance to win the league
12pts lost instead of 24pts
if new club was in there
Good luck to the Mexican Mod.
I have thought of a new name for them….Rangers and Third Lanark Re-United
Sad to see Efrain Juarez leave. Dont think he was ever given a proper chance to stake a permanent place in the team. £3 million wasted, hope we at least got some of it back. Wish him all the best
Sheik Yerbouti
Only problem is the clubs who think newco will be rubbish and think they can take the points and their pennies in one fell swoop.
HH
macjay1 for Neil Lennon on 21 June, 2012 at 15:23 said:
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Not sure what your point is. Both Con, Lab and coalition govs supported and ‘loss making’ industries.
They only had to support corrupt banks because if they hadn’t then the lie of the risk-free, super efficient PFI scam would have been exposed.
That aside it doesn’t explain hidden subsidies to law breaking organisations.
My point overall was ‘meet the old boss, same as the new boss’