Can I borrow a couple of quid.....?

[CELTIC1CALEY3]

The story on the BBC website about Gretna adds no credibility to the SPL.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...tna/7250672.stm

[ElderBoy]

The story on the BBC website about Gretna adds no credibility to the SPL.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...tna/7250672.stm

:029: :029: :018: :018:

[CELTIC1CALEY3]

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/newsfeed...86908-20324037/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtm...9/sfngre119.xml

A few weeks back we were speculating that Gretna might be kicked out the SPL - Administrators may choose a different route.

As I posted earlier, this is not a good story for the SPL.

[Yngwie]

Is this story not just a simple case of the only person with authority to approve the payroll submission to the bank not being available to do so? Lack of contingency plan rather than lack of money.

[Kingsmills]

I doubt if this is the end of this story but it may very well be the end for Gretna. It may be just a blip if Mileson recovers. If he doesn't and his son decides not to carry on with his father's pet project then I doubt if the club have resourses of their own to carry on until next month far less the end of the season.

[RiG]

Irons and Collins have resigned with Wadsworth rumoured to be away as well.

[+Gringo]

I admire Mileson for what he has tried to achieved at Gretna. A TV documentary about him some time ago had him quote something like "most millionairs will spend their money on big boats in exotic places, I spend mine on football". I'd do the same if I was in that position too, but, I think he has gone too far with Gretna so far as the SPL is concerned. Now way can they get anywhere near breaking even let alone make some cash out of it. If Mileson doesn't recover from his illness, and I hope he does, then Gretna will, I'm sure take a tumble back down the divisions as fast as they came up.

[Kingsmills]

That's if they continue to exist at all.

[kencar]

Says on BBC website that Irons is the new Morton manager!!

[RiG]

Says on BBC website that Irons is the new Morton manager!!

Rats deserting a sinking ship...

[Guest birdog]

Says on BBC website that Irons is the new Morton manager!!

Rats deserting a sinking ship...

A man protecting his income?

[kencar]

Says on BBC website that Irons is the new Morton manager!!

Rats deserting a sinking ship...

That's definitely the phrase that springs to mind.

I wonder if administration is on the horizon?

[Kingsmills]

My thought exactly. I bet his salary at Morton will be substantially less but at least he's likely to be paid it.

[RiG]

That's definitely the phrase that springs to mind.

I wonder if administration is on the horizon?

:023:

[Kingsmills]

Administration might not help Gretna in their particular situation. It offers protection, or at least restbite, from creditors, but wont help the fact that there might be little or no income or resourses to pay day to day expenses.

[Heilandee]

Whilst i have the greatest admiration for Mileson and sincerly wish him personally all the best,i never understood the whole Gretna thing.It was painnfully obvious to all it was a project that could only survive as long as vast resources were being poured into it and could never be self sustaining.Why he chose Gretna is beyond me,I heard somewhere he originally wanted Carlisle and was knocked back so went on a mission to prove a point,not sure of the truth of that, but it may explain why Gretna

[Johnboy]

I think you're right about Carlisle, H/dee... There was a similar situation in the eighties when David Murray offerred to invest some of his  millions in Ayr United.

After several knock backs, and thanks to a friendship with Graeme Souness, he chose what was to him, the next best thing - Rangers FC..

Thankfully much more thought has gone into the development of ICT, than was ever the case at Gretna...

[Kingsmills]

I suppose that Iron's move to Morton might be seen in a more noble light.

Any compensation payable might just be enough to pay the players and other staff for a week or two. The players may well be able to survive for awhile without income givenwhat they are purportedly being paid but there will be office and other staff who will be relying on their pay to pay their rent or mortgage and to put food on their table.

[KingBeastie]

There wont be any compensation as Irons never had a contract.

Thankfully much more thought has gone into the development of ICT, than was ever the case at Gretna...

Inverness and gretna are not comparable, either as towns/cities or football teams.

[ictchris]

Gretna have been stripping back for most of the last year.  They stumbled over the line in the First Division and have now released practically all their half-decent players - Danny Grainger to United and McMenamin to Dundee, putting Bingham, Paatarlu and others out on loan and releasing (deep breath) Martin Canning, James Grady, Tony Caig, Ryan McGuffie, David Graham, Allan Jenkins, David Cowan, Niall Henderson and Colin Scott.  These guys have all been replaced with, for the most part, 18 year old loan players from England. 

I think what has happened is that after having a laugh with his team through the Second and Thrid divisions Mileson, or those around him, realised that to put together an SPL quality squad and upgrade raydale would require serious, serious money - he wasn't prepared to go for it and has been slowly running down the club since.  Sad for the Gretna fans but probably inevitable.

[RiG]

That's definitely the phrase that springs to mind.

I wonder if administration is on the horizon?

:023:

Looking Like A Possibility

[Scotty]

if that happens they receive an automatic 10 point deduction as well which would all but seal the certainty of relegation (if they still exist by the end of the season).

[Proctor]

As much as I dislike Gretna's SPL status when I compare it to what we had to go through to even get into the third division. I do not want to see them go to the dogs as I don't wish that upon any football club and its fans. I hope they can sort it out.

[CaleyD]

I can't see the club going in to administration as I understand that all credit and contracts are owned and underwritten by Mileson and not the club.

However, Gretna could very easily find themselves in a situation where they have no means with which to pay players and no means with which to pay rent to Motherwell.....and no bank in their right mind is going to be lending them money.

Motherwell would not be taking much of a gamble in allowing Gretna to continue there, they would just have to wait until the situation with Milesons health is resolved and he either writes him a cheque or the Trustees of his estate write them a cheque.  For the players and staff it's a whole different ball game as many are unlikely to be willing or able to wait any length of time for payment.

As others have said, Gretna was very unlikely to ever become "self sustaining", certainly not at SPL level, but I never envisaged that the threat of their demise would be presented to them in this fashion and always saw it as a drop back through the leagues as opposed to them being snuffed out overnight.

If nothing else it serves as a warning to other clubs that being bankrolled by a wealthy individual is not all it is cracked up to be, and it also highlights just how bad things could get for some of the larger teams that sail in similar ships (Hearts, Chelsea) should things go pear-shaped for their owners.

No real football fan wants to see any club go out of existence and not only do I hope that Mileson pulls through, but I hope that Gretna can get things sorted and see out the season and many seasons to come at whatever level they find themselves capable of competing at.

[MissICT]

I think Gretna will be relegated!!

They don't have the money to build a new stadium and they are just not financially sorted for the spl!!