Rangers go into administration

[+Fraz]

http://www.rangersme...oard&Itemid=531

Nice one!

What a load of P***H

Both hilarious and pathetic at the same time!

[Oddquine]

http://www.rangersme...oard&Itemid=531

Nice one!

You think?

However, I have concluded that it would be a more honourable course of action to take rather than have the current gang of hypocritical SPL Club Chairmen decide our future when they have so vociferously, and so vindictively, demanded the most excessive and unprecedented sanctions against our club since we suffered the indignity of administration several weeks ago.

It would be a nice one if they had acknowledged that Rangers had shafted all the other the SPL cubs for years and won leagues and trophies by cheating. If they had accepted that what happened was solely Rangers fault, and nobody else's, not ICT's or any other SPL club over the decade or so, then maybe the reaction would have been different...but the rank arrogance displayed by the majority of Rangers fans who are heard in the media and online makes me want to kick the crap out of them.....with specially engineered steel toe-capped boots.

But they didn't....and it is reminiscent of the posts I have read on many forums from Rangers fans. It is everybody to blame but Rangers for their plight. All the rest of the SPL are vindictive, hate them, want to see them brought low because they are jealous of Ranger's success etc. They actually believe their own press as propounded by the Daily Ranger.

Imo, if they could buy Bury, and bugger off into England, where they'd have gone, if wanted, years ago, without giving a toss about the "good" of Scottish football...they'd have been off so fast you'd not have seen them for superheated dust...and what price Scottish Football, the SPL and the SFA then?

You know....that letter is exactly the reason that I, for one, would really like to see Rangers and their fans out of Scottish football forever....because they are an additional sodding embarrassment we really don't need when we already have an SFA who are as much good to Scottish football as a chocolate teapot on an open fire is to masking tea.

[CELTIC1CALEY3]

'Nice one' was a sarcastic comment. We are witnessing the greatest fan pressure that I can recall towards an alienation that has had to be tolerated. I have posted elsewhere that all clubs should come out now and support the principles behind the Olympic Flame. Propaganda from Rangers Media is basically what was linked.

[RiG]

Saint Johnstone are also rumored to be joining the No vote...

[Tichy_Blacks_Back]

The more you read about the players TUPE fiasco, the 2012/13 season tickets money fiasco, the fighting fund squabbling, the last ditch SFL deal etc the more you can see that somebody never did their homework properly.

I know some on here are dyed in the wool when it comes to Rangers and everything associated with the club but I actually do feel sorry for a lot of the decent Rangers fans who are seeing their club being torn apart. For what it's worth I work with a couple and they all believe that they should take the medicine and start in the 3rd but also that proper rulings are put in place should this happen again.

Like the banking scandal previously the people who should be punished are those who are behind this. I for one am hoping there will be a full investigation (and made public) so that those who were behind this scheme are fully exposed. All this bus and who was driving the bus analogy is just people trying to deflect blame for what many must have known was illegal from the outset.

PS - I don't believe they should be in the SPL next season either but I know that if this type of stuff was revealed as going on behind the scenes at my club I would not be happy either.

[Kirishima]

The open letter was very interesting reading. I liked how he said Ranger's fans are saying "so why wait for that to come to passm". And he did make a good point about the fact that at the moment it is just merely ‘straw’ pools.

A very poor letter, no amount of big words can cover up the blinkered attitude and bias in what should be a balanced letter. Pretty cringeworthy stuff.

[StockholmSyndrome]

Karma's a b***h. After the way Rangers have behaved all these years they have no right to be surprised if other clubs are vindictive towards them.

[Govan Jaggie]

Oh no, I'm a feckless and a bigot! Hang on, it was said by a complete numpty so I don't need to worry. That is the worst statement or defence I have read in a long time. Can someone not call a vet and put them out of their misery?

Edited June 23, 2012 by Govan Jaggie

[ICTRoughi]

http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/motherwell/107668-motherwell-board-says-loss-of-rangers-could-put-well-into-administration/

[Alex MacLeod]

Maybe they should do what some other clubs have to do and cut their cloth to fit. Move out high earners. We have to do it. Hearts are doing it. Maybe then we'll all get to a situation where all teams can compete on fairly even terms.

[CaleyD]

The issue is surviving until such time as you can make meaningful reduction in costs. Clubs, including ours, will have set budgets for next season on the basis of the expected TV and Commercial income. Players will have been contracted on that basis and other financial commitments will have been made. You can't just tear up a players contract and they will also have buy-out clauses etc...one way or another you have to give them money to get rid, and you can't give them something if it doesn't come in.

Motherwell appear to be similar to us financially, insofar as not having debts, but also having nothing in the bank. Which means that if TV and other Commercial partners cancelled contracts for next season then they need to find the best part of £1 Million to plug the whole or go into voluntary administration because they quite simply do not have the money needed to trade. They would have to clear out every member of staff drawing a wage (players and off-field), turn off the power, stop pitch maintenance...everything that needs paid for comes to an immediate halt because they have no money.

This is a very real consideration for a few clubs.

[Alex MacLeod]

Wish I could suss how they arrive at their figures. TV monies and league sponsorship monies are in place for coming season. There has been no move to change any of that. They may lose out on a few bums on seats but so will every club. Fact is, and its a well known fact, that the people of Motherwell and indeed those who run the FC also have sympathies for the west of Glasgow and a tendency to join them in July festivities each year.

[CaleyD]

If you have information showing that TV and Sponsorship monies are in place for next season then you should share it with the SPL and SPL Clubs because they are unaware of such a commitment.

[Yngwie]

D is right, there is currently no TV deal in place for next season.

[Oddquine]

'Nice one' was a sarcastic comment. We are witnessing the greatest fan pressure that I can recall towards an alienation that has had to be tolerated. I have posted elsewhere that all clubs should come out now and support the principles behind the Olympic Flame. Propaganda from Rangers Media is basically what was linked.

And readers who don't know you know that how? The odd <sarcasm> or a would indicate a different meaning to your comment, and would make responses to it more appropriate. An exclamation mark indicates more surprise than disbelief, from the perception of someone who left school 46 years ago.

Apologies if I have interpreted your post erroneously.

As an aside.....what principles of the Olympic Flame? The principles which allow people guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs to compete in 2012? Can you explain the difference in mindset between those Olympic principles and the current Scottish Football debacle....one has let proven cheats, after minimal punishment, back in to prosper.......and the other is trying very hard to do the same.

[Alex MacLeod]

If you have information showing that TV and Sponsorship monies are in place for next season then you should share it with the SPL and SPL Clubs because they are unaware of such a commitment.

The main league sponsor, Clydesdale Bank, has one more season to run. They are not pulling out early. Sky TV have a deal in place. They have publicly said they wont be pulling out. They may renegotiate but they wont pull out. Motherwells figures are based on neither of those two puting the cash up. They are over dramatising because the Grand Master says they should.

[CELTIC1CALEY3]

Oddquine,

Nobody beyond a few making money or desperate for success supports drug cheats. There are lots out there who have gotten away with it. Those caught are punished according to rules or statute. As the Dalai Lama said in Inverness yesterday you can forgive but forget is a different word. Some drug cheats have served their sentence and are free. Dundee and Motherwell have served their sentence and are free. Rangers are just beginning their sentence. We will forgive one day, but we will not forget.

The olympic principles followed by the majority and monitored by those able to are surely the principles of Scotland? Fairness, decency, honesty, compassion,

• respect – fair play; knowing one’s own limits; and taking care of one’s health and the environment
  
• excellence – how to give the best of oneself, on the field of play or in life; taking part; and progressing according to one’s own objectives
  
• friendship – how, through sport, to understand each other despite any differences
  

....should that not also be the basis of the SPL's rebirth? 12 teams, 12 votes, decision by majority, not minority two? Rewards by sporting integrity not excessive borrowing and use of 'loans' to players?

[Gabby]

If you have information showing that TV and Sponsorship monies are in place for next season then you should share it with the SPL and SPL Clubs because they are unaware of such a commitment.

The main league sponsor, Clydesdale Bank, has one more season to run. They are not pulling out early. Sky TV have a deal in place. They have publicly said they wont be pulling out. They may renegotiate but they wont pull out. Motherwells figures are based on neither of those two puting the cash up. They are over dramatising because the Grand Master says they should.

Sky don't have a deal in place, what they have said is they won't walk away. My word Sky will re-negotiate, and while they won't walk away, the deal will be worth a small fraction of the original terms. It would be commercially irresponsble for Sky to continue with the original terms, they simply will not get the same return on their investment without Rangers. If I had to guess I would say that Rangers' supporters would represent 40% of their viewers.

40% would be Celtic and 20% would be all other clubs combined.

I don't believe that Motherwell are overstating their financial situation. If anything, they are planning on a worst case scenario which is the only finacially responsible thing to do at the moment. The difference is that Motherwell are being up front about it. Let's be clear, every Chairman in the SPL is doing the exact same thing.

[CaleyD]

Alex....Paper talk from "Sources close to SKY" said two weeks ago that they were offski....then last week it was "Sources close to SKY" said they won't walk away....there's nothing official from SKY one way or the other and that's one of the biggest problems. Yes, there's time left on the old deal, but that is/was a deal that included Rangers in the league....Rangers are now gone, so that deal is effectively null and void. Commercial Partners are in the same boat and Clydesdale Bank is only one of many.

IMO, we will have a TV deal of some kind, but that is only an opinion and opinions don't put money in the bank. Gabby is spot on with what he says about clubs having to look at worst case. Let's face it, I don't think ANY club thought Rangers were going in to liquidation...they certainly didn't seem prepared for such a scenario and look what happened.

There's a huge information void and Clubs are having to fill in that void with guesswork, just as we are. Without some kind of certainty from TV and Commercial Partners then you need to work on the basis of not having them. Maybe fans should be turning their attention to getting answers from these people, because clubs don't have the answers to give us.

[Alex MacLeod]

Skys said they would honor the deal for one season without Rangers. That to me says they will continue for this next season and renegotiate after that. It may be that they continue with the original contract which would have run to 2014 had the new one not been agreed last november. The old contract was £3 million a year less than the new one.

[Yngwie]

Skys said they would honor the deal for one season without Rangers.

Link?

[ICTRoughi]

So, Steven Whittaker and Steven Naismith the latest to do walking away. Will they even have a team to compete for the new season?

[CaleyD]

Alex, just saying it over and over doesn't make it true.

Here are the two "Sky" stories....

Daily Record - 14th June - "Sources" say Sky will walk away - http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/rangers/2012/06/14/rangers-in-crisis-sky-tv-threaten-to-tear-up-tv-deal-if-ibrox-club-is-demoted-to-division-three-86908-23895647/

The Sun - 18th June - "Sources" say Sky will not walk away - http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/4378835/We-wont-walk-away-but-we-want-new-deal.html

No official Sky statement anywhere in that, just alleged chat with insiders and people close to Sky...and being reported by dubious press outlets at that!!!

[Alex MacLeod]

So why is everyone second guessing what they may or may not do? Had Rangers not gone into admin but instead had cut there budgets to manage their affairs and as a result finished bottom of the league would Sky have pulled out? Would there be such argument to ensure Rangers stayed in the league? Would the rules have been changed to ensure they couldnt be relegated? Many people are trying to make supposition fact but the truth is in the first four words in the last line of your comment above. No official Sky statement.

[KirkieRobRoy]

The whole problem with the SPL is that it's seen to DEPEND on some notional SKY telly deal that DEPENDS on two teams continuing to dominate the league and playing each other four times a year. It's that narrative which is turning people away from fitba in their droves - well, that and lots of other things.

This whole mess is a chance to re-order the leagues and the funding arrangements as well as encouraging teams to spend according to their means and not a penny more, and start rebuidling Scottish football again.

The SFA-sponsored initiative to merge the SPL and SFL seems to be a means of just returning to the status quo after a decent interval.