TheWeeBlueDevil 0 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Charles Green admitted defeat and began preparing for lower league football last night after the number of Scottish Premier League clubs saying they would vote against an application for his Rangers newco to be included in the top flight reached six. Oldco Rangers never played outside the top division in 122 years of league football but that will be the newco's immediate and embarrassing fate. Talks on league reconstruction will now determine whether the Ibrox club plays in the first division next term or is made to start in the third division. Either way an application must be made to join the Scottish Football League. The only certainly â?? unless clubs change their minds â?? is Rangers newco have no hope of gaining the 8-4 majority required to play in the top division next term. Each of the SPL clubs, oldco Rangers apart, will meet at Hampden on Thursday but the vote cannot be brought forward and there is no suggestion it will be cancelled, even if the result seems a fait accompli. Cancellation would need the unanimous support of each of the 12 clubs but oldco Rangers â?? essentially administrators Duff & Phelps â?? will not be present. Green, chief executive of the newco, has not indicated the request will be withdrawn. "We have to deal with the cards we've been dealt," said Green. "It's unfortunate that people have come out and made those comments when my understanding was that there was going to be a vote next Wednesday, but you know I can't control other clubs. First thing, we've got to get membership of the SFA, then start speaking to the football league. "I always want to play at the highest level and that's why we made an application to join the SPL. Whether you're a player, whether you're a fan or whether you're a director of a football club, you always want to see your club at the highest level. But cream always floats to the top and this club will come back and come back at the top, make no mistake." Green claimed his financial backers would not desert the newco in the Scottish League. "The consortium realise that if we went down the route where newco was the route, it was a risk. It doesn't alter their resolve. Those guys invested knowing these obstacles that were outside our control and the resolve's there to see this job finished." SPL clubs had been slow to go public with their voting intentions, and did so only after coming under enormous pressure from their own fans to vote "no to newco" or else face boycotts. Chairmen and owners agonised about weighing that against the probable reduction in income if the Ibrox club was excluded. But the demands of their own fans were overwhelming. After Hearts and Dundee United came out against the newco's inclusion last week, four more declared within 24 hours: Hibernian on Sunday evening and St Johnstone, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and Aberdeen in public statements yesterday. So far the oldco Rangers â?? still entitled to vote â?? is the only confirmed "yes" for the newco. Celtic have yet to declare, as have Motherwell, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Ross County. One survey of Aberdeen supporters had shown 97% opposition to the newco's inclusion, and club chairman Stewart Milne bowed to that yesterday. "Traditionally we have preferred not to make public our voting intentions, but in light of the interest and the fact other clubs have chosen to show their hand, I can confirm it is our intention to oppose readmission to the SPL for any Rangers newco," said Milne. Kenny Cameron, chairman of Inverness, said his club had responded to its fans' views and had also been contacted by other supporters who claimed they would boycott games in the Highlands if the club voted 'yes'. Steve Brown, the chairman of St Johnstone, issued a statement while in Switzerland for yesterday's Europa League draw. "Notwithstanding the potentially damaging financial implications, the board believes sporting integrity should not be sacrificed in favour of economic expediency." Meanwhile PFA Scotland said it had a constructive meeting with Green yesterday on the implications for players of the formation of the newco, despite Steven Naismith and Steven Whittaker exercising their right to leave the club claiming freedom of contract. Allan McGregor, Steven Davis, Kyle Lafferty and Carlos Bocanegra are weighing up a similar course of action. Green and PFA Scotland hold conflicting interpretations of the players' freedom to leave without transfer fees, but both parties said talks had been amicable yesterday. "We both acknowledged that, while we disagree upon the fundamental issues, we respect the other party's position and allow the process to flow without acrimony," said Fraser Wishart, the PFA Scotland chief executive, after meeting Green for the first time http://www.heraldsco...agues.17977997? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 4,146 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 "Turkeys don't vote for Christmas" they say? You see, turkeys have an IQ just above that of a dead rat. If you place a neat line of fine corn right to the axe, they will follow it with great enthusiasm and won't look back. We have to make sure our club survives for the time being, with or without a league to play in come August. And, since we can soon (hopefully) prove that we have been victims to a fraud, a fraud that brought us into administration, we can also show up the whole Scottish game for what it essentially is. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWeeBlueDevil 0 Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 SFL clubs say no to newco but yes to quick solution Richard Wilson Sports writer The Scottish Football League board will meet today to discuss proposals for merging with the Scottish Premier League and taking Rangers newco into the first division. David Longmuir has put all 30 clubs on notice of a meeting being called to vote With six top-flight clubs now having indicated an intention to vote no to the transfer of the SPL share, the key issue is how the SFL teams will react to accommodating the club. Talks were held last weekend among the SPL, SFL and SFA over plans to merge the two leagues into a single body, but there are several details to be agreed. David Longmuir, the chief executive of the SFL, has, though, put all 30 clubs on notice of a meeting being called to vote on the issue. The proposals would also include the introduction of play-offs between the first division and the Premier League and new revenue-distribution rules. However, the supporters of some first division sides are uncomfortable at the notion of Rangers playing in their league next season, not least because they fear it would compromise the title race. Partick Thistle fans have been vocal in their protest and the Firhill club has pledged their views will be of “paramount importance” in their actions. A statement from the Firhill board read: “We want to ensure the sporting integrity of our game is upheld. At the same time, however, we also need to be mindful of the commercial situation within Scottish football, especially that of Partick Thistle. We believe Scottish football needs to be restructured – financial distribution needs to be fairer for all clubs and we believe play-offs must be introduced between the first division and SPL as a bare minimum. “However, before making any decision which will affect Partick Thistle we, as a board, will look at all the facts and make what we believe is a fully-informed decision which will benefit Partick Thistle and Scottish football. We are keen to emphasise the views of our supporters will be of paramount importance to us. “Working closely with the ‘onethistle’ group, we would make use of every avenue open to us to seek the views of, and canvas opinion from, our supporters to help us better formulate a position that promotes the best interests of Partick Thistle and Scottish Football as a whole. The future of the sport in this country is too important not to involve the lifeblood of the game, the supporters, in making the important changes necessary to safeguard the future.” Doing so quickly is equally important, according to John Christison. The chairman of Arbroath has urged the SPL to bring forward the July 4 vote so that SFL clubs can finalise their fixture lists – and even which division they will be playing in – for the new term. Christison said: “Surely for the sake of clarity for all clubs this vote should take place quicker and allow us all to plan for the future? We don’t know what league we will be in as there is no precedent and we don’t even know what the fixtures will now be for the very first game of the season in the Ramsden’s Cup. “If Dunfermline Athletic are readmitted to the SPL, will Forfar Athletic play Rangers? Or if Dundee go up will it be Brechin City? How do these clubs plan when they don’t know who they are playing?” http://www.heraldsco...lution.17977681 Apologies if these articles have already been posted. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 4,146 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Can we first have SFA membership please? When will this be decided, btw? As I said before, it seems that time will become an issue, whether it is a new league structure, us in the SFL 1 or SFL 3. Not to mention us getting any players signed or sold, if we are allowed to. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Gotta love this ...... "The future of the sport in this country is too important not to involve the lifeblood of the game, the supporters, in making the important changes necessary to safeguard the future.” Aye, the lifeblood are the fans - so lets involve the fans.... ooohhhhhh, wait a minute... lets involve all fans except Rangers fans.... muppets. Especially when you consider that our crowd at Ibrox is close to being more than all other non-SPL games collectively. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunslinger 3,366 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 first thing he's ever said that's definitely true. we will be back. not until green leaves mind you. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplythebest 0 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 first thing he's ever said that's definitely true. we will be back. not until green leaves mind you. How do you know? Give the guy a chance, nobody else is stepping up. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 first thing he's ever said that's definitely true. we will be back. not until green leaves mind you. Can't help yourself can you it's like you have Green Tourette's 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunslinger 3,366 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 hes just never going to have enough backing from the fans. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 4,146 Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 But those who have are a) no there yet, and b) would face the very same problems. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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