If a Rangers newco are voted in to the SPL...

[fatcalf]

Found myself nodding all the way through that! All, with the exception that I would rather Scotland just had 2 leagues of 20 (or 1x20 and 1x22 to keep the same number of teams)

 

I'd be happy with that as well but probably pushing it just a tad.

[Haggischomper]

Atlantic league back on radar!

 

What do you think Rangers and Celtic will do if this gets the green light?

 

The fact is both sides of the Old Firm couldn't give a monkeys about the SPL and have been talking about an exit for years. So why should we have any compassion for them? Get them to fuck I say and let them wait until this farce of a league gets set up.

I fully expect to see the Scottish media, especially Traynor and wee Chico, get a campaign started to give this idea the bum's rush. After all, they HAVE been telling us for a month now just how much Scottish football needs the Old Firm....

[Juan Kerse]

16 team is plenty as an 18 team league would need 21 teams ready for the first season and we dont have that. 16 is way forward, more competitive less repetition. Bring in a sectional league cup to offset amount of games. Even throw the old firm in the same section to keep sky happy. In fact fuck it make them all regional as the derbies all over the place might actually bring fans out to it.

[joewarkfanclub]

When Neil Doncaster says the game would lose 20M quid what he really means is the OLd Firm would be fucked and we can't let that happen. We could cut our cloth to suit, Old Firm couldn't cos they would stand to lose the majority of the 20M between them. I'd quite happily take a 16 team league (prefer 18 though) with a reduction in quality and more home grown talent getting an airing, that is what our game should be about given the size of the country. We're never going to dine at the top table so we should concentrate on making the best of what we have.

 

I can't say I'd turn my back on Motherwell if the newco thing happened, but then I've given up on the SPL as an entity long ago, I hate elitism and the fact that we might think we're doing well at someone else's expense whilst someone else is doing well at our expense. The carve-up of gate money, TV income and prize money all benefitting the Old Firm more than anyone has to be stopped and this is the opportunity to do just that. Back to split gates, don't give a fuck about live telly, even spread of prize money and a bigger league will all help towards a bright future for the game. Moaning about loss of TV revenue is an extremely short sighted outlook and will kill the game eventually, so whatever way Doncaster wants to view it, we will end up losing that 20M anyway if fans stop attending.The game is fucked, recongise that and do something now and we might be able to get it back.

 

Spot on.

 

Back to the future.

 

Greed is not good!

[Brazilian]

Exactly. The 12 SPL clubs are represented by a six man board that makes decisions on their behalf. That board features;

 

Ralph Topping (chairman)

Neil Doncaster (Chief Executive)

Eric Riley (Celtic)

Stephen Thompson (Dundee United)

Derek Weir (Motherwell)

Steven Brown (St Johnstone)

 

These are the six men who have the final say on Rangers being allowed to transfer their SPL membership to a newco, and if so what sanctions are set against them for previous misconduct.

 

Our vice-chairman is part of that six man board.

 

I posted this in other football and was surprised at the lack of interest, but thought it maybe was relevant here, as the guy at the top of your list Ralph Topping is clearly not neutral in his representation of all the SPL clubs.

 

I'd also add that I have serious concerns over how Derek Weir will vote on this as I thought he quite clearly backed the ten team league with no concern for fan opinion

 

 

Rebel 10 damaging SPL, claims chairman Ralph Topping

By Jim Spence on the BBC website

Scottish Premier League chairman Ralph Topping has claimed that two potential sponsors have pulled out because of recent events and bad publicity.

And he has urged the 10 non-Old Firm clubs to withdraw their attempt to change the voting structure, suggesting it is damaging its commercial future.

Three club chairmen have told BBC Scotland they have been angered by Topping's letter to the 10 clubs.

And they question whether the SPL's board can now be viewed as impartial.

 

The board arranged a 12 April general meeting after the 10 clubs called for the 11-1 majority for major changes to be reduced to 9-3.

But Rangers' administrator, Duff & Phelps, has since indicated that it would vote with Celtic to oppose any change.

"Having spoken candidly to Rangers' administrators, they have made it clear to me that they will not be supporting the members' requisitioned resolution on 12 April," said Topping.

"On the basis that it appears likely the resolution will not achieve the 11 votes in favour that it requires and there is now some damage being done to the league's commercial prospects and, by implication, your own club's potential future distributions, I would ask you to consider whether you would, especially given current circumstances and uncertainties, wish to withdraw the resolution.

"It would seem to me that progress is far more likely to be made by 12 clubs engaged in debate about the future than by forcing a vote on a resolution that on the face of it has no apparent prospect of success."

 

Topping points out that he would comply with the wishes of the clubs but points out that he has gauged the reaction of the SPL's broadcast and commercial partners to what he suggests is comment that does not paint Scottish football in a positive light.

"On the commercial front, I am aware of two companies who were strongly attracted to the idea of sponsoring the SPL when Clydesdale Bank's tenure comes to an end in summer 2013," he said.

"Both companies were viewed as serious potential bidders for the title rights.

"Unfortunately, both companies have now decided to withdraw their interest in the light of recent developments in the SPL.

"It will not have escaped your notice that Sky and ESPN have so far failed to return draft contracts sent to them in 2011.

"I have spoken to one of our live broadcast partners who is concerned about current uncertainties with Rangers and who at the time of our conversation was anxious to learn more about recent talk of clubs resigning en masse from the SPL."

The SPL did not wish to respond to the criticism of Topping's letter by the three club chairmen.

[du_du_dubordeaux]

The SPL is a front for sellick and rangers

[Ianc]

Post it everywhhere including to the board.

http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2012/04/11/spl-reduce-scottish-football-to-farce/

[underboyleheating]

It will be interesting to see how badly affected clubs will be if the Rangers newco are accepted straight back into the fold. I reckon it will be minimal, but I for one wont be back at another SPL game.

IMHO all member clubs should consult with their fans before taking it up the arse from any Rangers newco.

[Lobey_Dosser]

Hope Weir/Dempster arrange some sort of meeting with fans in relation to April 30th.

[The_Craig]

It will be interesting to see how badly affected clubs will be if the Rangers newco are accepted straight back into the fold. I reckon it will be minimal, but I for one wont be back at another SPL game.

IMHO all member clubs should consult with their fans before taking it up the arse from any Rangers newco.

 

I'm the same. Go to League and Scottish cup games. I would find it hard to go back with any form of enthusaism knowing all the clubs are after is cash.

 

There's a couple Junior sides that will be seeing my hard earned on a regular basis.

[Martin]

There are so many rock's and hard places to get stuck between in this whole fiasco.

 

Ultimately, no Rangers will mean administration and possibly liquidation for a number of SPL clubs, I don't think we can shy away from that.

Motherwell are in one of the stronger positions financially I feel, so on a selfish level we could say we should just grin and bare the lean years in the name of integrity. But what about others? Can we really expect chairmen to conciously vote to plunge their club into financial crisis?

 

I agree their HAS to be tough sanctions against Rangers, but it's a delicate business, we all know how most SPL clubs are run on a shoe string. So surely we have to come to a solution which allows clubs to continue, but at the same time punish Rangers suitably?

[The_Craig]

There are so many rock's and hard places to get stuck between in this whole fiasco.

 

Ultimately, no Rangers will mean administration and possibly liquidation for a number of SPL clubs, I don't think we can shy away from that.

Motherwell are in one of the stronger positions financially I feel, so on a selfish level we could say we should just grin and bare the lean years in the name of integrity. But what about others? Can we really expect chairmen to conciously vote to plunge their club into financial crisis?

 

I agree their HAS to be tough sanctions against Rangers, but it's a delicate business, we all know how most SPL clubs are run on a shoe string. So surely we have to come to a solution which allows clubs to continue, but at the same time punish Rangers suitably?

 

Well no.

 

Once Rangers go out of business, there will be no Rangers but a space free in the SPL. Their punishment will be liquidation and loss of 140 years of history. No more "54 and counting". All those 5 star tattoos will be redundant because they will be gone. There will be no CVA but liquidation and selling off of assets to pay off creditors.

 

If whoever buys Ipox wants to start up a new club, they will be more than welcome to apply to the SFA and SFL to join the league.

 

But the SPL is a cabal of greedy money men thinking about £££'s and self-preservation rather than the long term good of OUR game. And their short-sightedness will be the death of the game in Scotland.

[Martin]

Well no.

 

Once Rangers go out of business, there will be no Rangers but a space free in the SPL. Their punishment will be liquidation and loss of 140 years of history. No more "54 and counting". All those 5 star tattoos will be redundant because they will be gone. There will be no CVA but liquidation and selling off of assets to pay off creditors.

 

If whoever buys Ipox wants to start up a new club, they will be more than welcome to apply to the SFA and SFL to join the league.

 

But the SPL is a cabal of greedy money men thinking about £££'s and self-preservation rather than the long term good of OUR game. And their short-sightedness will be the death of the game in Scotland.

I agree with the sentiment, but the question still stands, do you expect chairmen to vote their clubs into financial turmoil?

[fatcalf]

I agree with the sentiment, but the quesion still stands, do you expect chairmen to vote their clubs into financial turmoil?

 

I do yes, for the integrity of the league and the game in general they really have little option. If they vote with their finances at the forefront then the SPL is officially no longer a competition and they will suffer financially from those who walk away, and I think fans will do so in sizeable numbers. Our fans are our lifeblood, same as the other diddy teams, and to risk losing a lifetime of support for a couple of years financial struggle would be just as daft IMO

[The_Craig]

I do yes, for the integrity of the league and the game in general they really have little option. If they vote with their finances at the forefront then the SPL is officially no longer a competition and they will suffer financially from those who walk away, and I think fans will do so in sizeable numbers. Our fans are our lifeblood, same as the other diddy teams, and to risk losing a lifetime of support for a couple of years financial struggle would be just as daft IMO

 

I agree. This really is a water shed moment for Scottish football where we may see "fan power", or however you want to call it, coming back. We have it to an extent with the Well Society but reading other fans forums, most non-OF fans are very much of the same opinion as myself and would walk away from SPL football.

 

Perhaps our chairmen will suprise us...

 

[Lobey_Dosser]

Where have these proposals stemmed from? It appears that the proposals have been cobbled together to protect Rangers in the event that a Newco emerges.

 

I hope that certain chairman come out in the next few days and distance themselves from this shambles.

[Martin]

I do yes, for the integrity of the league and the game in general they really have little option. If they vote with their finances at the forefront then the SPL is officially no longer a competition and they will suffer financially from those who walk away, and I think fans will do so in sizeable numbers. Our fans are our lifeblood, same as the other diddy teams, and to risk losing a lifetime of support for a couple of years financial struggle would be just as daft IMO

 

Fair enough, I suppose it really comes down to how many fans feel that strongly about it. I get the feeling some people underestimate the impact it would have, it'd be a huge scaling down job, wage cuts, players out he window, and I can't see ticket prices getting any cheaper. I don't know what would happen with things like the Well Society too. The whole landscape would change, and things clubs have been working on for years would grind to halt.

 

I'm not necessarily against a newco having to start at the bottom, it seems only fair, I'm just not so sure it's realistic..

[steelboy]

Where have these proposals stemmed from? It appears that the proposals have been cobbled together to protect Rangers in the event that a Newco emerges.

 

I hope that certain chairman come out in the next few days and distance themselves from this shambles.

 

i don't know about that.

 

this pretty much makes it impossible to come out of admin before may 14th which guarantees they will have a points penalty next season.

[Lobey_Dosser]

i don't know about that.

 

this pretty much makes it impossible to come out of admin before may 14th which guarantees they will have a points penalty next season.

 

Why does this delay proceedings for Rangers though? The proposals can only be viewed as a positive.

 

Said elsewhere but the timing of this news is very convenient, given that a preferred bidder should have been announced today.

[DunnyMFC]

I was wondering when (if) this newco Rangers waltz into the SPL and there is a mass exodus of the fans walking away from Scottish football could we possibly see a new Scottish football league set up run by the fans? Like a FC United but a much bigger scale.

[steelboy]

Why does this delay proceedings for Rangers though? The proposals can only be viewed as a positive.

 

Said elsewhere but the timing of this news is very convenient, given that a preferred bidder should have been announced today.

 

i'd be suprised if anyone bought them before the meeting. who would put down money before you know what the situation is?

[Lobey_Dosser]

i'd be suprised if anyone bought them before the meeting. who would put down money before you know what the situation is?

 

There spl status seems more secure than ever. Maybe there will be more interest now...

[steelboy]

There spl status seems more secure than ever. Maybe there will be more interest now...

 

what's the value of spl status if they are effectively out the title race before it begins and can't get into europe?

[Lobey_Dosser]

Todays news doesn't change the Europe situation does it?

 

League title still a possibility for a debt free Rangers chasing a 10 point deficit.

[Spiderpig]

Lets be honest about this the SPL needs Rangers in it, so of course a newco will be voted in, with the financial and points penalties applied as appropriate, its all about money and nothing else. If Rangers / Newco were denied entry to the SPL and relegated to Div 3 then Sky TV would walk away, or offer a fraction of the money on offer just now.

So apart from the loss of TV revenue, every other SPL club would suffer as well, in motherwells case the loss of around 5 or 6k ticket sales 2 possibly 3 times a season at £25 a time thats approx 200 to 250k lost income, not to mention catering / hospitality etc.

So if that is repeated over the other 9 Clubs (celtic excepted) and combined with reduced or no Tv money then the SPL will lose tens of millions each year, at this time it has no sponsor in place for next season either !!!

 

So yes Rangers / Newco need to be penalised but not at the expense of the other teams, which is what would happen if they were not in the SPL. I hope Motherwell vote yes to these proposals as they go a long way to protecting our clubs income and survival.