Big Rangers Administration/Liquidation Thread - All chat here!

[AyrshireTon]

Has anyone considered the likelihood that Sevco may not be able to fulfil their fixtures? Do they have a team and can they guarantee a ground to play at?

I reckon having a team wanting to go into your top flight with little or no guarantees should be taken into account by the SFL.

Gretna were unable to promise this - off to division 3 (and fold).

Livingston were going to guarantee this, but we're not allowed to say so - off to division 3.

To even talk of letting them into division 1 is ludicrous.

[welshbairn]

The Scotsman, Regan interview in full. Even worse than the bit posted earlier.. rangers newco slow lingering death for scottish footbal if rangers in third division 1

Posted article in case it disappears again.

By STEPHEN HALLIDAY

Published on Thursday 5 July 2012 00:21

SCOTTISH Football Association chief executive Stewart Regan has warned that football faces a “slow lingering death” in this country if newco Rangers are denied entry to the First Division of the Scottish Football League following the emphatic rejection yesterday of their application to retain top-flight football at Ibrox.

Regan’s remarkable comment came as he insisted admission to the First Division is now the only viable option. He also made the startling warning of “social unrest” if Rangers cease to exist.

The Scottish Premier League turned down Charles Green’s bid to have Rangers’ existing share in the organisation transferred to his newco for next season, with ten of the member clubs voting against the application. It is understood Green cast the only vote in favour, while Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston is believed to have abstained.

The SPL will now await the outcome of an SFL meeting next week when that organisation’s 30 clubs will vote on a proposal to accept newco Rangers into the First Division in the new season ahead of an amalgamation of the league governing bodies from 2013-14.

There is considerable opposition and resistance to the plan among SFL clubs and their supporters with many believing Rangers should have to apply for entry to the Third Division in the wake of their spectacular financial collapse.

But Regan last night bluntly asserted that Scottish football simply cannot afford to have Rangers outwith the top two tiers of the league structure, with his argument not confined to the commercial impact their absence would have.

“Without Rangers, there is social unrest and a big problem for Scottish society,” claimed Regan. “They have a huge fan base and to contemplate the situation where those fans don’t have a team to support, where those fans are effectively left without a game to follow, I just think that could lead to all sorts of issues, all sorts of problems for the game.

“Tribalism in football is really important. It is part of the game. People follow their clubs with pride, it is passed down from generation to generation. There are thousands of Rangers fans whose fathers and parents and grandfathers have been Rangers fans. You can’t contemplate a situation without that and if Rangers weren’t to exist that could have real dire consequences.

“There is a lot of emotion around this subject because Rangers are a huge institution in Scottish football history and they are where they are. Their fans have been hurt, they don’t know what’s happening. There hasn’t been a great deal of leadership at the club and there hasn’t been a huge amount of communication from the football authorities.

“The SPL have now decided that Rangers won’t be coming back into the SPL. From our perspective it’s important we set out the landscape because there is only one solution for the game now.

“The only solution for the game now is that Rangers come into the Scottish Football League and they come into it in the First Division. If Rangers were to go anywhere other than the First Division, then there would something in the region of £15.7 million worth of losses to the game.

“For the bigger clubs at the top of the league, that’s half their annual distributions. For clubs at the bottom it is basically wiping out their entire distributions, for some of the smaller clubs it’s a huge proportion of their annual turnover.

“The same will be true for most clubs. Perhaps clubs could survive for a short period of time but it’s not sustainable. Even if Rangers end up in the First Division, there is still going to be a £5 million loss of income to the SPL clubs. The game is not sustainable so there would be a slow lingering death for the game in Scotland. It would then trickle down to the SFL. From our perspective as the governing body and we cannot allow that to happen.

“If we allowed that to happen, it would simply be a dereliction of duty. Therefore, this whole decision-making process has been one of the most challenging and complex decisions that I have ever been involved in in 27 years of business as sport.

“Some clubs in the SFL are afraid of the implications of the decisions. There is the moral argument, the fear of a fans’ backlash and there are financial implications to consider. But when we look at the alternative, it is not possible to think about it without thinking of the game withering on the vine. We cannot contemplate that and the message has to be that Division One for Rangers is the only show in town as far as the future of Scottish football is concerned.”

Regan admits the influence of television contracts, which are largely predicated on the presence of Celtic and Rangers in the Scottish game, are the biggest single factor in his determination to ensure the Ibrox club drop no lower than the First Division. “We have had dialogue with the broadcasters,” he added, “and we understand what the various stakeholders from Sky television, ESPN, Sport Five and a number of the SPL’s other commercial partners are likely to do in the event Rangers are not in either of the top two tiers. It’s not pretty. That’s why we cannot sit back and let that happen without trying to get all parties to accept this is the only solution which can keep the game afloat.

“Without Old Firm games, the value drops, the overseas deals are almost exclusively about the Old Firm derby and that would go immediately. Then you look at the rest of the game and what it is worth. It is fair to say the broadcasters would live with a year without Rangers in the SPL, because it could be a fantastic story for them, which is why I think First Division rights will be an interest as people will want to see how this club is going to bounce back.”

Regan conceded, however, that there can be no guarantee a financially weakened Rangers will climb back to the top flight at the first attempt. “If Rangers don’t get promoted, then the game has got another year to suffer with the financial consequences that brings,” he said. “I can’t predict what will happen, because Rangers at the moment are a weakened team because of everything that has gone on.

“They are a newco at the moment, they have got very few players on their books. They are going to be entering the SFL in whatever division with a weakened team and I don’t think it’s by any means certain they are going to come back in the way they or their fans might like them to recover.

“It’s going to be a slow recovery to get back to the football fitness they have shown in the past. So we can’t look into the future and say ‘what if they don’t operate in a certain way?’. We can only look at building the foundations, to change the game for the better and provide an infrastructure that can bring financial certainty to the other 41 clubs.”

Regan confirmed that sanctions will apply to newco Rangers in the First Division and also made it clear the formation of an SPL2 will be pursued in order to accommodate the Ibrox club if they are rejected by the SFL next week. “The SFA have to transfer Rangers’ membership from oldco to newco,” he said. “That can be done with any conditions attached to it that the SFA board deem fit. We would expect a newco to carry some of the sanctions which would have related to the club had it still been in the previous incarnation. The membership cannot be transferred on financial grounds alone. It has to have a degree of sporting integrity and that means sporting sanctions.”

[Leepylee]

Fair enough, and man of you to confirm it here.

Equally I don't imagine you'll get that many folk joining you, risking as it is arrest, a criminal record and related punishment, and a football banning order.

All wee need to do is pick a few games to all turn up to but NOT pay into, just stand outside and protest peacefully.

[Kyle]

Decent article in today's (or tomorrow's) Sun by Bill Leckie. A bit 'sensational' at times, but a decent 'idiots guide'. I actually think Leckie has come out of this whole situation quite well to be honest. Anything I've seen with his name on it has been quite reasonable.

Bill Leckie Article

[ayrmad]

I don't understand, surely all the SPL could do was either vote Sevco into the league or not and in the end chose the latter option. How is that a "sham"?

Regan’s remarkable comment came as he insisted admission to the First Division is now the only viable option. He also made the startling warning of “social unrest” if Rangers cease to exist.

But Regan last night bluntly asserted that Scottish football simply cannot afford to have Rangers outwith the top two tiers of the league structure, with his argument not confined to the commercial impact their absence would have.

“Without Rangers, there is social unrest and a big problem for Scottish society,” claimed Regan. “They have a huge fan base and to contemplate the situation where those fans don’t have a team to support, where those fans are effectively left without a game to follow, I just think that could lead to all sorts of issues, all sorts of problems for the game.

“Tribalism in football is really important. It is part of the game. People follow their clubs with pride, it is passed down from generation to generation. There are thousands of Rangers fans whose fathers and parents and grandfathers have been Rangers fans. You can’t contemplate a situation without that and if Rangers weren’t to exist that could have real dire consequences.

“The SPL have now decided that Rangers won’t be coming back into the SPL. From our perspective it’s important we set out the landscape because there is only one solution for the game now.

“The only solution for the game now is that Rangers come into the Scottish Football League and they come into it in the First Division. If Rangers were to go anywhere other than the First Division, then there would something in the region of £15.7 million worth of losses to the game.

“For the bigger clubs at the top of the league, that’s half their annual distributions. For clubs at the bottom it is basically wiping out their entire distributions, for some of the smaller clubs it’s a huge proportion of their annual turnover.

“The same will be true for most clubs. Perhaps clubs could survive for a short period of time but it’s not sustainable. Even if Rangers end up in the First Division, there is still going to be a £5 million loss of income to the SPL clubs. The game is not sustainable so there would be a slow lingering death for the game in Scotland. It would then trickle down to the SFL. From our perspective as the governing body and we cannot allow that to happen.

“If we allowed that to happen, it would simply be a dereliction of duty. Therefore, this whole decision-making process has been one of the most challenging and complex decisions that I have ever been involved in in 27 years of business as sport.

“Some clubs in the SFL are afraid of the implications of the decisions. There is the moral argument, the fear of a fans’ backlash and there are financial implications to consider. But when we look at the alternative, it is not possible to think about it without thinking of the game withering on the vine. We cannot contemplate that and the message has to be that Division One for Rangers is the only show in town as far as the future of Scottish football is concerned.”

Regan admits the influence of television contracts, which are largely predicated on the presence of Celtic and Rangers in the Scottish game, are the biggest single factor in his determination to ensure the Ibrox club drop no lower than the First Division. “We have had dialogue with the broadcasters,” he added, “and we understand what the various stakeholders from Sky television, ESPN, Sport Five and a number of the SPL’s other commercial partners are likely to do in the event Rangers are not in either of the top two tiers. It’s not pretty. That’s why we cannot sit back and let that happen without trying to get all parties to accept this is the only solution which can keep the game afloat.

“Without Old Firm games, the value drops, the overseas deals are almost exclusively about the Old Firm derby and that would go immediately. Then you look at the rest of the game and what it is worth. It is fair to say the broadcasters would live with a year without Rangers in the SPL, because it could be a fantastic story for them, which is why I think First Division rights will be an interest as people will want to see how this club is going to bounce back.”

Regan conceded, however, that there can be no guarantee a financially weakened Rangers will climb back to the top flight at the first attempt. “If Rangers don’t get promoted, then the game has got another year to suffer with the financial consequences that brings,” he said. “I can’t predict what will happen, because Rangers at the moment are a weakened team because of everything that has gone on.

“They are a newco at the moment, they have got very few players on their books. They are going to be entering the SFL in whatever division with a weakened team and I don’t think it’s by any means certain they are going to come back in the way they or their fans might like them to recover.

“It’s going to be a slow recovery to get back to the football fitness they have shown in the past. So we can’t look into the future and say ‘what if they don’t operate in a certain way?’. We can only look at building the foundations, to change the game for the better and provide an infrastructure that can bring financial certainty to the other 41 clubs.”

Regan confirmed that sanctions will apply to newco Rangers in the First Division and also made it clear the formation of an SPL2 will be pursued in order to accommodate the Ibrox club if they are rejected by the SFL next week. “The SFA have to transfer Rangers’ membership from oldco to newco,” he said. “That can be done with any conditions attached to it that the SFA board deem fit. We would expect a newco to carry some of the sanctions which would have related to the club had it still been in the previous incarnation. The membership cannot be transferred on financial grounds alone. It has to have a degree of sporting integrity and that meanssporting sanctions.”

Some of the shit Regan, Chief Executive of the SFA has said.

Hoodwinked is the 1st word that enters my head.

[craigkillie]

The "EssPeeEll" stuff is embarrassing. Article makes sense though, apart from the harking back to the olden days.

[Leepylee]

Regan cockwomble and their like must realise that fans are the game without us they are nothin, clubs with paying fans are the difference between proffesional sport and amatures on a park playin to a few dozen family and friends.

what ever happened to that buisness saying"THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!" they need to listen to us, all of us as we are simply not prepared to pay for a product which we are not satified with. we want to watch our respective teams play football in a league competition where performance is rewarded and the breaking of rules is punished accordingly, as soon as you use monetory implications to make special cases for any team involved in wrongdoing then it ceases to be a competetive football league and becomes football entertainment. like WWE.

end of

Your right of course, but it's in this country's nature to not take a stand, mp,s steal, banks corrupt, factory's move and kill a town

And we all moan and wave our fingers at our keyboards but take NO real action.

Sadly I think everyone will attend matches as blindly as ever before, fooling themselves into believing they are watching a genuine competition.

[Dr Koop]

Seriously? Regan straightfaced sat in front of a journalist/journalists and warned of social unrest if a football team doesn't get its way?

What kind of organisation is he running? Are we going to find people being whacked for stepping out of line next?

By all means debate the future but, please, first get that screaming f*cking jessie out of the SFA.

[Dindeleux]

Just about to listen to Sportsound

[ayrmad]

Just about to listen to Sportsound

You'll be a wee bit let down, once the Traytor entered the programme went south.

[Dr Koop]

All wee need to do is pick a few games to all turn up to but NOT pay into, just stand outside and protest peacefully.

What needs to happen is that Scottish football needs to be made ungovernable until the people who run it stop taking copious quantities of chemical refreshment. Judging by the hyperbole the game can be easily brought to its knees and the goons to the negotiating table before the entire planet wheels of its axis and spins towards the sun.

[Kyle]

Just about to listen to Sportsound

you're in for a treat, my friend. Cosgrove is unplayable in that form - the Scottish media's version of Messi.

[Ric]

The Scotsman, Regan interview in full. Even worse than the bit posted earlier.. rangers newco slow lingering death for scottish footbal if rangers in third division 1

Posted article in case it disappears again.

That's the first time I've read that.

Wow... just wow... that is incredible and Regan should be removed from his post forthwith. While what he says may have a grain of truth in it, he seems to suggest that the rule of law is in danger should the SFL not vote to allow Sevco into the 1st. That is stunning in itself. He then goes on to say that those in charge have failed in their duty to communicate and inform. This, surely, is basically saying he has failed in his own remit.

It's such a clusterfuck of a statement that I can't even begin to digest it fully. Regan should be utterly ashamed of himself for that.

[ayrmad]

The formation of an SPL2 will be pursued in order to accommodate the Ibrox club if they are rejected by the SFL next week.

That's the money shot.

[Ric]

The formation of an SPL2 will be pursued in order to accommodate the Ibrox club if they are rejected by the SFL next week.

That's the money shot.

Regan's comments are despicable, however it doesn't in any way back up why the SPL vote is a "sham" as you claimed.

[ayrmad]

Regan's comments are despicable, however it doesn't in any way back up why the SPL vote is a "sham" as you claimed.

The guys voting may or may not have known this but they were just going through the motions as the SFL will be doing.

If the SFL vote for the 3rd we get SPL2 with Sevco in tier 2, if they vote them into the 1st we get Sevco in the 2nd tier with bells on.

What sort of vote is that?

Wouldn't shock me if they left MJ out of the loop due to his previous outspokenness.

[craigkillie]

The guys voting may or may not have known this but they were just going through the motions as the SFL will be doing.

If the SFL vote for the 3rd we get SPL2 with Sevco in tier 2, if they vote them into the 1st we get Sevco in the 2nd tier with bells on.

What sort of vote is that?

Wouldn't shock me if they left MJ out of the loop due to his previous outspokenness.

You can't have an SPL2 if there aren't teams to play in it.

[craigkillie]

what should we do if they are shoehorned into Division 1 or a gerrymandered SPL2 ? Boycott the National team ?

The Scottish Cup is the obvious one.

[ayrmad]

You can't have an SPL2 if there aren't teams to play in it.

I'm sure they'll get enough volunteers if that's all that's on offer.

I think Turnbull Hutton was trying to let us know something fishy was happening.

[cowden0]

Apologies if posted already but I am so happy to still have a team to support. Just when i thought all hope was gone this -

At an Emergency Board Meeting held at Central Park tonight (4th July 2012) the Board again considered the matter.

The Board decided that it would support any application by “Rangers” to join the SFL but would vote against the present proposal which, amongst other matters, would admit “Rangers” directly into the First Division of the SFL.

This decision has been taken in the interests of football and the best interests of Cowdenbeath FC.

A Board spokesman said “If integrity in our game is to survive, then Rangers must start off SFL life in the Third Division. This is an SPL problem but the Clubs of that league have taken their decision for reasons which they must explain to all Scottish football supporters. The SPL and SFA should have resolved this long before now. They have tried to pass the buck to the SFL clubs and have tried to force them to accept “Rangers” into the First Division – to provide the greatest benefit to the SPL. This lacks any integrity and casts a dark shadow over our game. Cowdenbeath FC condemns this approach. The Board is in no doubt that our stance is consistent with integrity and the long term financial future of our Club. We ask all supporters of what ever Club, who share our views, to rally round and back us in the Season ahead”.

Now to send an apologetic email to my club for my disparaging email sent last week.