Rangers vote raises SPL questions
Charles Green said Rangers will accept their fate
Rangers newco have been voted into the Irn-Bru Third Division in a day of drama which leaves huge questions over the future of the Scottish Premier League.
An overwhelming majority of Scottish Football League clubs - 25 to five - who met at Hampden decided to place the Ibrox club into the bottom tier with SFL chief executive David Longmuir claiming it was a decision based on "sporting fairness, the fundamental principle of the SFL".
It was a massive blow for the SPL and the Scottish Football Association, who were hopeful that Ally McCoist's side, who had been denied admittance into the top league, would be parachuted into the First Division, with SFA chief executive Stewart Regan claiming that putting Charles Green's club into the Third Division would bring financial catastrophe and a "slow, lingering death" of the game.
After the historic vote Inverness revealed they would be holding an emergency board meeting to discuss the financial implications of the decision which is certain to lead to a loss of revenue to all SPL clubs and put the future of several of them in jeopardy.
SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster forecast that SPL clubs would lose £16 million next season if the Ibrox club were not admitted into the First Division.
The prospect of an SPL 2 - a possible contingency plan to keep Rangers within one season of a return to the top flight - was flagged up by the official Light Blues' website with a statement which said: "It was mooted last week that plans for an SPL2 would swing into action in the event of today's outcome but it is not known if this will be the case."
However, the show of solidarity by the SFL clubs, from which Longmuir took "great succour", would make it all but impossible for SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster to pull that off.
There was also speculation surrounding the prospect of the Govan club being invited straight into the SPL at its AGM at Hampden on Monday, but that would leave the top flight stripped of any credibility and leave Doncaster's position untenable, if it is not already under threat.
But Green, who, along with Regan, addressed the SFL meeting, said they would accept Rangers' fate.
Green said: "We wish to play a constructive part in Division Three and encourage our fans to support the other clubs within the league by attending matches and delivering to them the benefits of having Rangers within their league."
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Many SFL clubs haven't played Celtic or Rangers in decades, and their finances are far more secure than most of the SPL teams who play both teams four times a year.
Time for Doncaster and Regan to go, bunch of short sighted fatcats intent on a one tier league with two teams, Celtic and Rangers playing each other 38 times a season, great vision.
Time to get rid of these foreigners and replace them with Scottish people with a real desire to improve Scottish football rather than simply make money. People with an optimistic and ambitious vision for youth development and a balanced and competitive league.
A bright future lies ahead for Scottish football, if we clean out the blind fools in charge.
Remember this also breaks the Old Firm's strangehold on voting power within the undemocratic 11-1 voting system of the SPL. This means other SPL teams can now vote through for a fair share of TV revenue as well as make real progress on things like league reconstruction and perhaps even enlargement.
As a suporter of a league 2 team in England I have no axe to grind with anyone or any thing to do with Scotish football, but in a sporting sense I think the right decision has been made, but feel for their suporters.
I think the powers to be that run football, have made an error with the so called "Fair Play Rules". The so called "BIG" clubs will remain at the top of the pile with no chance of a lesser supported team being able to gate crash their monopoly. I have no problem with a "Sugar Daddy" buying a club, and It would make far more sense to make the owners of any club responsible for the clubs debts and any offences.... That way it wouldn't be the the club itself and its supporters that get shafted everytime.
Hey Someone (afraid to use your real name ?)
Why do you whitter on about people being illiterate ?
You are a complete and utter MORON, read your own posts and weep !!
You spelt inbreeding as inbreading and also spelt thieving as theiving, so take a look in the mirror and you will see exactly what everyone on here knows you are, a complete and utter wa**er.
We will follow Rangers, under any name or banner, to where ever they play, simple as.....
We don't do walking away, not like other scum glory hunters...
I am a Dundee FC supporter and feel sorry for Dunfermline. They were relegated on points yes. But were also playing in a league which had a corrupt member!
