If R*ngers Die Scottish Football Needs A Re-Alignment (It’s 1985 And We Didn’t Need A DeLoran)
Before 1986 Rangers, I believe, were playing in front of an average attendance of about the same number that showed up today. Years of spending more than they were taking in; Murray’s, Joe Lewis, King’s money has all gone. Even Craig White has already admitted that there is a £10M black hole in this year’s budget but even then he authorised new contracts for several players while bringing in five or six new players.
I may not be much of a financial analyst but even I know that spending more money and adding to your wage bill when you already have such a deficit is not going to help matters.
Before 1986 Rangers only ever sold out Ibrox when Celtic rolled up.
The question I’m really trying to ask is ‘are the glory hunters beginning to stay away?’ Now don’t get me wrong every club, and I mean every club, has such an element. How many fans have Celtic lost in the last three years?
‘Sleeping giant’ is the most over used phrase in football. But the simple fact is that if everyone was a giant then nobody would be a giant because everyone would be the same height.
I know this question will not be answered until Rangers see how many fans renew their season tickets but the problem for Rangers, if they are staying away, is two fold; Firstly having a securitisation over your season tickets demands a sell out otherwise you cannot make the repayments on the loan and you have less ready cash for weekly running costs. This could only result in more downsizing. Secondly, and possibly more important, where does that leave the current media driven story that the league will crumble without Rangers? If they can no longer sell more than half the stadium in season tickets then this disproves the lie.
As I’ve said before only time will tell which is true but I know a lot are already saying that they are not renewing.
Another current story being perpetrated by the media is that Rangers will simply liquidate the current company, form a new company (newco), and be voted straight back into the SPL.
Let us assume for a minute that a newco is formed.
Let us forget about the money owed to HMRC (that’s every one of us by the way), and all the other creditors which may possibly result in job losses in other companies.
The problem with a newco is that there can be no link to the previous company as it will be perceived that there is an avoidance of fiscal responsibility taking place. In other words, if Rangers lose the tax case and attempt to go down this route, then HMRC will simply present the bill to the newco and we will be back to square one. The Old Firm is dead because Rangers, along with there history since 1873, has died. If they attempt to keep the history then that is a link to the previous company and HMRC will be back in play. How will the powers that be attempt to sell this to Sky with a new TV deal?
Will Craig White pass a ‘fit and proper’ test this time as it is clear that he should not have the first time. Oh and since we are on the subject; how is the SPL’s current investigation going? After all it has only been eight weeks.
Is annually over spending £10 million every year condoned by the SPL/SFA?
If a newco is voted straight back into the SPL, WITH NO DEBT, where does that leave the other clubs with debt who are already struggling? Aberdeen, Kilmarnock, Dundee United, and Hearts are already carrying substantial debts. Having to compete with a debt free Rangers while they are still saddled with their debt to me is not even covered by the word unfair.
How many fans will desert the game from other clubs as our game will finally be shown up for what it is? When one club is promoted over all others to the extent of parachuting straight into the top league without ever having played a competitive game recognised by the SPL or SFA will leave fans from other clubs out with the SPL wondering if the lunatics have indeed taken over the asylum.
Finally, and probably most importantly; Can anyone tell me of any other league, in any other country where such an idea would even be entertained?
If we heard of this happening in any other country we would probably all give a little chuckle and say that it must be a corrupt league.
That is the crux of the matter; the whole integrity of Scottish football is now at stake.
Recent utterances of the Sky deal have said that there must be four Old Firm games a season. Before closing let me present you with a scenario; either Celtic or Rangers are having a horrendous season and are in seventh or eighth place in the SPL with two games to go before the split and six points behind the team in sixth. The other is comfortably in the top half of the SPL. Would the team in sixth place be cheated to make sure they did not win another point. Would the teams that have to play Celtic or Rangers in the two pre split games even bother showing up as they know what is in Sky’s small print?
Our game has little enough currently going for it as it is. What is the price for what is left of its integrity?