UCF2008

You might have a point, but somehow I don't think that those who discovered this stick to beat us with are going to just forgive and forget.

That's a worrying thought.

My reading of it is that although the EBT's were declared in our annual accounts, they weren't disclosed in contractual form to the SPL. Whether we could afford the payments or indeed their legality isn't the issue here. Non-contractual player payments is. The dual contracts side of it comes into play in terms of proving that certain players were given these payments outwith those contracted payments lodged with the SPL. As for the fact that they were declared in our accounts. Yes, they were there for all to see. However the devil's in the details and just like HMRC discovered that they could pursue us on a technicality, so did the SPL.

If we're to have a line drawn under all of this and start with a clean slate then the EBT / dual contract issue needs to be brought to it's conclusion. There's no point in it hanging over our heads. The exact findings of the SPL investigation haven't been disclosed, although it's believed we have a case to answer. If wrongdoing on our part is proven during any of those title winning seasons and the crime is deemed serious enough to warrant stripping of those titles then yes, I would accept that punishment.

Despite what a number of fans seem to think, there's nothing positive about Rangers in Div3 either.

The problem with the SFL isn't lack of competition. The problem is lack of interest and finance. Our climb through the leagues will probably upset the applecart in terms of competitiveness offset against some financial gain for the other clubs. We don't want to stay there.

I'd be expecting results from the fraud squad investigation to be more troublesome for that pair than the proposed BDO investigation.

Good article but I would have to say that several of our graduates would beg to differ on this point. Burke and Fleck immediately spring to mind while the likes of Ness, McCabe, Wilson, Wylde etc are hardly what you would describe as hulk-like. Also, the likes of Rijkaard, Bergkamp and Kluivert weren't exactly pint-sized.

By the same token it could be argued that because the SPL refused to transfer our membership that our SPL history is now 'broken'. Considering that we're going to be out of the SPL for at least a year, then it goes without saying that there's a break there. That break however is no different from the one which occurred when the SPL was formed. Otherwise we'd only have either 4 stars or none at all on our shirts.

So long as we acquire an existing FA membership of the oldco or club, then we can be regarded as the same club. Doesn't matter if there's a gap. Don't want to start another move to England debate but same would apply there.

Not sure what you're referring to here Pete. Suspension wouldn't fuck our history. If the SFA however refuse to transfer our membership from the oldco and we're forced to re-apply as a new club then to some extent you might have a point. Those who want Div3 with no sanctions might do well to appreciate that the only way to guarantee this would be to do just that and apply as a new club. Then our history and it's continuation really would be open to debate.

Can't argue with that.

What's in it for Green? If Di Stefano's plan involves buying back the assets Sevco's ridiculous valuation might just hold some weight ...or none at all. Lots of possible outcomes if it goes that far.

If nothing more, it makes a nice change to speculate about positive outcomes for our club.

He claims to have no interest in pursuing this any further than rescuing the oldco and attempting to have it accepted into England / restored to the SPL. Once that's achieved the club would either be owned by middle eastern investors or the fans. Probably just as well as I agree that he may have some issues with Fit and Proper Persons testing.

I think Ogilvie has avoided demands for his resignation over his EBT by agreeing not to get involved in the SFA case against Rangers as it would be seen by some as a conflict of interest.

a) AFAIK he's not legally qualified. b) His English is pretty decent for an Italian.

It's hard to tell what exactly Di Stefano is planning. He seems to be claiming that the because HMRC rejected the CVA that the oldco could have minimal or zero liabilities. Not too sure how HMRC and BDO will react to that. What level we could enter at would be at the discretion of the Football League and it's member clubs. TV and sponsorship could be a contributing factor though. Like I said before, I think direct entry into the EPL has next to no chance. More than likely would be Conference level which is similar (probably better) in standard & attendances to SFL Div3. I think if we were to be accepted to England then UEFA would object to us having more than one team. We might be able to get round it by renaming and rebranding one though.

It was estimated to be 6-8 weeks following the creditors meeting on 14th June.

I would imagine the SFA may well try to involve FIFA / UEFA if they were to dispute any attempted move to England. I also anticipate an official statement from the English FA / The Football League within the next day or so claiming that 'there's currently no mechanism...' or similar gibberish to what Longmuir was spouting for sometime up until the speculation became a reality.

You might have a point there Pete. Probably depends whether Regan would risk killing Rangers altogether based on the smallest of chances that transferring SFA membership to the newco might facilitate a move to England for the Oldco. Also, if he doesn't transfer the membership then England would be next port of call for the newco. Taking this into account it would seem there's not much the SFA can do about it other than hope Di Stefano is full of shit.

I think that's got as much to do with Di Stefano's credibility (or lack thereof) as anything else though. I'll admit that the notion of parachuting straight into the EPL is about as ridiculous as you could get. Beyond that though, I see joining the English leagues as a realistic possibility and have believed so during most of the administration process.

You're probably right, but then in all probability it's got more chance of coming to pass than what's actually happened over the past 12 months.

Saving the Oldco would also bring Whyte and his shareholding back into the equation. Given what Di Stefano's been saying about the insolvency and the administrators failure to 'institute proceedings or obtain at least Restraining Orders against the Companies that benefited from the fraud' which caused the insolvency, I wonder if D&P or Whyte would be willing to deal with him.

I think that could be a stumbling block. Considering D&P claimed to have a 'binding contract' with Sevco for exclusive rights to the clubs assets, I think Sevco could be more than a little bit pissed off at D&P already with regards to several million pounds worth of player assets getting lost in transit, never mind this. That said if anything comes of Di Stefano's plan and the Oldco is saved, irrespective of what league we'd be playing in, I think Green & co would be under intense pressure to sell those assets back to the oldco.