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If Rangers are allowed to stay as a Newco with no sanctions then they will have been granted that by the SPL member clubs. That would say to me that all the clubs condone what Rangers have done and, therefore, all the clubs, including ICT, will be guilty of failing to support sporting integrity.

I dont want to be a spokesperson for Rangers .. but as I have posted numerous times, you cannot compare Livi / Clydebank / Gretna / Dundee or any other team who faced sanctions/administration/liquidation to the current Rangers situation. The ONLYteam to have faced sanctions by the SPL (before Rangers) were Gretna. They were deducted 10 points and at the end of the season, relegated (by way more than 10 points). At this point they ceased to be a member club of the SPL and became a member club of the SFL. The SFL then sought assurances from them that they would be able to fulfill the next season's fixtures and when they could not, they were demoted to the bottom of the SFL's own structure (ie. D3) and subsequently went into liquidation. The same applied to Livi when the previous owner was playing silly beggars in the SFL's eyes. Already in D1, they could not guarantee to fulfill fixtures as a result of council action over the stadium and were also demoted to D3 and began their climb back up the divisions. Dundee were hit with the 25 point penalty by the SFL after going into administration for a second time ... the first time it happened they were in the SPL and received absolutely no penalty. Livi also received no penalty for going into Admin when in the SPL and Motherwell also escaped punishment so as much as many folk would like to say Rangers should be hammered and dropped to D3, it would be a far more savage punishment handed out than any of those that were vaguely comparable. In a sensible world, where the national sport had a singlegoverning body instead of three major ones and several other ones for various non-league bodies like junior, welfare, HFL, etc then dropping them to the bottom of the structure would make sense, and I would probably support that notion, but in reality, the SPL cannot drop Rangers to the bottom of someone else's league structure even if they wanted to...... you want to get pissed off at the SPL? then get pissed off at the cluster**** way in which Scottish football is organised (or disorganised). We dont need 3 governing bodies with three sets of rules and with built-in preferential treatment for some over the others, and making rules up as they go along ... we need a single entity controlling however many leagues we end up with and with set punishments for breaching certain rules including the option to relegate from top to bottom ... However, we need to draw a line in the sand, change things now and apply punishments moving forward. We cannot apply these retrospectively, we cannot let (some) use the situation for 'revenge' on Rangers but equally it does stick in the craw that the SPL can basically do whatever they like in terms of inviting Rangers (newco) into the fold as a replacement for Rangers (screwed-co) As for Caley Thistle ? Thats entirely different. I am a Caley Thistle supporter, have always been one since formation, and will always be one whether we are in SPL or any other division. My situation does not allow me to get to games very often, but you can rest assured that when planning future trips back home, it will not co-incide with games against Rangers.

For me, the sanctions matter not a jot and only serve to cloud the issue. It's not even about the NewCo being founded off the back of the demise of an existing club/business. The bottom line is that we have a system in place whereby new teams should start from the bottom an earn their place in the top league. Allowing a new team to bypass that setup for whatever reason, but especially financial reasons, makes the whole thing a farce. If you want to talk about precedents then ICT is the biggest of them all. We were a NewCo entering the league setup and we had to start from the bottom. Could you imagine the response we would have got had we requested entry straight in to the SPL? I am an ICT fan, I will always be an ICT fan. ICT are not the Board, they are not the current decision makers...and if those people were to support the admission of a NewCo straight in to the SPL then my disappointment would be with them. I would then find myself in a position I have found myself in the past whereby I have to decide if my disappointment at the people running the club outweighs my desire to attend games and all the other stuff that is a part of my being a supporter. I honestly have no idea where my feelings would sit on that as I appreciate that Club Boards probably face one of the hardest decisions they've ever had to make. Sell out and ensure their club books balance a little easier for a few seasons until they can hand over the reins (nobody wants to risk failure on their watch), or take a stand and face the hard work that comes with having the courage of your convictions. My biggest fear is the damage that would be done to board/fan relations. We've had situations in the past which have done damage there, situations which we have never fully recovered from. It's taken years to reverse some of the feelings in that regard, but IMO real progress has been made in the past couple of years. The above is a scenario that has been played out at every club at some point in time to varying extents, but I dread to think what the league would become if it was a scenario played out at the majority of clubs at the same time and to the potential extent which is being indicated by fans views. There's a very real possibility that if the SPL allow a NewCo to walk straight in to the league then TV, Sponsorship, Sanctions etc could be the least of their worries. We could end up with a league full of teams which would, quite literally, pull themselves apart. Clubs exist because of the fans, not despite them. Not something that can always be said of those who ru(i)n the game in Scotland.

Whilst its great that my team are in Scottish footballs top league, I've not really enjoyed going to any games. The SPL is a nothing league dominated by the twins of evil and probably always will be. I'd wager that the hierarchy of the SPL don't give a stuff about the 'also rans'. Its their beloved OF they rely on to secure the TV prize money and they'll do every they can to secure that even if it means bending the rules to allow a corrupt side to remain in situ. I love ICT but hate the SPL. As always with SPL games I will select my games with care and will avoid any OF game...home or away.

The latest from the SPL's disgrace of a Chief Executive is in a BBC report here http://www.bbc.co.uk...otball/18148989. The story suggests Rangers could start next season as a new company in the Scottish Premier League without incurring any sanctions - such as a points deduction or fine. It goes on to say that fans of other clubs have been demanding tough sanctions but that SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: "Newcos have been allowed within UK football for many years." The man is a complete discgrace. After the way Rangers have cheated their way to success in recent years the man seems perfectly happy for there to be a newco admitted straight back into the SPL, without any sanctions, to start raking in the profit whilst all the creditors (including the taxpayer) who have been cheated out of millions get nothing. This simply rewards immoral financial practices which if they are not actually illegal, certainly should be. Doncaster shames Scottish football and should resign with immediate effect. The article refers to the meeting next week when a vote will take place to decide what should happen to clubs who come out of administration in this way as "a new company". I trust that those voting on behalf of our club are clear about how the fans - the lifeblood of this club expect them to vote.

As mentioned by a few on the Rangers admin thread that they would stay away if things go as hinted I'd like to guage the level of support against such an action. Personally I am one of those who'll find another sport to support. Shinty's a good day out nowadays.

Smith could be the next Andy shinnie. He's our top assisted in the Scottish cup yknow

Scotty, there are 2 huge differences here. Firstly, none of the clubs you mention who went into administration whilst in the SPL were reformed as a Newco. The only way a club should get into the SPL is by winning the SFL. If an existing club goes out of business and a vacancy arises it should be filled either by the team which finished 2nd in the SFL or by reinstating the team which was relegated. There is no reason why a Newco should be admitted - after all, had the failed club been responsible in managing it's affairs, paid it's debts and taxes and signed playing staff appropriate to the resource legitimately available, there is no guarantee that they would not have been relegated in any case. Why should they receive preferential treatment for acting irresponsibly rather than responsibly? The second point is that even if some unpleasant wheeling and dealing goes on which leaves creditors millions of pounds out of pocket but allows the original club to come out of administration, there is no meaningful comparisson with other clubs who have been in administration. We should not be saying that clubs all receive a standard 10 point deduction for going into administration. It is like saying that a wee child who pockets a pack of sweeties from Tesco should be punished the same as the great train robbers - "well, theft is theft so treat them all the same". The scale of Rangers mismanagement is of a different order of magnitude and the punishment should therefore also be of a different order of magnitude. Throwing them out of the SPL would be perfectly reasonable because it would be giving a message that this level of financial mismanagement is not acceptable. Remember, paying for players they could not afford cheated the legitimate hopes and honest endeavours of other clubs to succeed and the SPL should see Rangers actions as hostile to fellow members and expel them. It would then be up to the SFL (or the English leagues) to consider whether or not they wished to allow them into their system. If the SPL does not have the moral guts to expel Rangers then at least the points penalty needs to be in proportion to the level of "crime". 3 points a game might be reasonable so that they started on minus 114. At least that would give them a fighting chance and they could still pip County on goal difference on the last day of the season.

What people in Inverness should bear in mind is that to my understanding we had to dismantle two clubs with independant supports because it was HINTED that it would help our case for to even get a team in the SFL. On top of that we had to spend money on our ground to get into the SPL also. We as a club have had to jump through hoops to get to where we are. A great deal of expense and heartache has gone into ICT's rise to the SPL. Why should a team that has had so many advantages that other sides have not had be able to walk straight back in?

It's all well and good saying there is no money for a trip away to England or abroad but the point is that the pre-season games have got to prepare us for tough SPL games right at the start of the season. A good start is important to get points on the board because failure to get those early points might be the difference between relegation and survival, or top six or not. Matches against Wick and Huntly will prove very little, We need to assess how new members of the squad can perform against quality opposition so that the correct line up, properly prepared is in place for the first game of the season. Shelling out to pit ourselves against some quality English opposition might prove to be a very sound investment.

i would still support caley no matter what but as for Scottish football i wouldnt care about it because they never let Gretna back in and they put Livingston to the 3rd division so why not do it for rangers

I would carry on supporting ICT but would not give Rangers a brass penny so trips to Ibrox for me. Have not voted as that is not carrying on as I do now but is not exactly turning my back on the spl either. However Alex folk have to do what they feel is right for them so fair play to those who feel they have to stand up for what they believe is right. I think there will be quite a few in the later category and if I hadn't the kids to consider (who don't get politics yet) then I may have joined you.

Ummm....if his internet is down then how could he have seen it on one website but not another??? String Theory I believe....

That was Aaron commenting on the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland's guide to contraception I think.

Of course it does - nothing to do with him feeling that he has been constantly played out of position, often made a scapegoat, dropped and started again on a regular basis and not played to his strengths.

Well we need a manager..... We have one ;) Hector the Tink?