Coisty in rage at fansâ?? treatment

[ian1964 10,548]

STEWART REGAN pitched it as the dawn of a new era.

 

David Longmuir hailed Hampdenâ??s day of destiny as historic. Neil Doncaster simply called it exciting.

 

But last night Ally McCoist told the three architects of league reconstruction all theyâ??d done was deliver another huge slap in the face to Rangers and their fans.

 

The revolutionary 12-12-18 shake-up would keep the Ibrox club in the bottom tier next season, rendering this yearâ??s Third Division title race all but meaningless.

 

And bitter McCoist let rip as he blasted the proposals at Murray Park.

 

He said: â??Itâ??s a farce. You canâ??t do it. Itâ??s just not right.

 

â??The people who came up with the â??sporting integrityâ?? term must accept itâ??s not right. It canâ??t be right.

 

â??The ones again who are getting the mickey taking out of them are the Rangers supporters. There is absolutely no doubt about that.

 

â??They have embraced the whole situation.

 

â??Has it been ideal? No, of course it hasnâ??t.

 

â??But the one thing they have done is embrace the situation, supported the club. They have completely supported the SFL, they have completely supported the Division Three teams and opposition.

 

â??Now they might get asked to do the same thing again.

 

â??Itâ??s a slap in the face for us and for our fans.

 

â??Weâ??re trying to attract players to come to the club. We had six players for pre-season and didnâ??t know what was going on. Itâ??s unbelievably difficult.

 

â??And this would just be another massive stumbling block in our attempt to attract players.â?

 

Rangers were reinstated to Division Three when they were liquidated last summer.

 

McCoist instantly accepted his clubâ??s fate â?? vowing to lead Gers through the divisions and back to the top.

 

Now, though, he fears league reconstruction will scupper his vision and sicken the supporters who have stood by the club.

 

McCoist insisted: â??Our fans are resigned, and the club is totally resigned, to the idea of us coming back on this fantastic journey.

 

â??Thatâ??s what weâ??ve prepared ourselves for â?? Division Three, Two, One and back into the top league, whatever that may be.

 

â??So straight away that has been taken away from us.

 

â??The goalposts on that fantastic journey have been moved. Itâ??s a magical mystery tour. And itâ??s becoming more of a mystery.

 

â??You must listen to fans. You donâ??t have to agree with them. But everybody listened to their fans when it came to deciding on what to do with Rangers.

 

â??So I would have thought it was an obvious thing to listen to your own fans when it comes to matters of your own football club and your own league.

 

â??You could worry about fans drifting away next season, although judging by the reaction of our fans this season, they would support us through thick and thin.

 

â??They have been unbelievable, so you would expect them to be the same again.

 

â??But would they be unbelievable going away from home, to places they have already been? I donâ??t know.

 

â??Without naming any teams, if we are fortunate enough to get promoted, it would be very unfair to ask our fans to travel to the same places supporting us again.

 

â??That is nothing against those teams, who have been wonderfully hospitable.â?

 

All 12 SPL outfits have agreed to the deal, which will be rubber-stamped if 75 per cent of SFL clubs agree to it later this month.

 

McCoist, whose club does not have a say, is praying they donâ??t.

 

Eight clubs need to vote against for the plans to be scuppered.

 

But McCoist knows keeping Gers in the bottom tier could help many smaller clubs survive.

 

He said: â??Money talks, sadly. I really hoped the SFL clubs would have shown complete unity. Iâ??m not saying they havenâ??t, because nothing has been agreed. But what I would cry out for is the SFL clubs to show complete unity.

 

â??I think the plans are wrong, regardless of the timing.

 

â??We can say we might not agree with it, but if itâ??s what the public wants, and Iâ??m not sure it is, those running the game want and itâ??s for the good of the game, then so be it.

 

â??But me? Iâ??m not happy with 12-12-18.

 

â??Not going into great detail, I would think three leagues of 14 is a better idea than what has been suggested.â?

 

McCoist also spoke of his frustration as the deal to bring Mat Ryan on trial collapsed.

 

The Aussie keeper pulled out of the move, citing the uncertainty over which league Gers will play in next season.

 

McCoist sighed: â??That indicates the problems weâ??re being faced with constantly.

 

â??He was very highly recommended and itâ??s a disappointment, but weâ??re learning to deal with disappointments.

 

â??So weâ??ll have to look elsewhere if thatâ??s the case, which it seems to be.

 

â??Trying to look ahead to attract players is difficult.

 

â??The club whoâ??d be in the same boat as us would be the club who came up with us, if we were lucky enough to be promoted.

 

â??At the same time, they would have the benefit of playing us again next season.

 

â??Itâ??s completely unfair on the two clubs who might move up from the Third Division. Itâ??s just not right.â?

 

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/feeds/smartphone/scotland/4739919/Coisty-in-rage-at-fans-treatment.html#ixzz2HkWNely2

[ian1964 10,548]

BHEAST boss TLB backs controversial league reconstruction plans

 

TLB last night threw his support behind Scottish football’s reconstruction plans and slammed the snipers who have slaughtered the proposed revamp.

 

THE SPL and the SFL agreed in principle this week to a restructuring that would see the organisations merge in a 12-12-18 structure and SFA chief executive Stewart Regan hailed the plans as a new dawn for the game.

 

Fine-tuning is still required before the final vote but the structure should see the two top leagues of 12 split into three leagues of eight after 22 games.

 

The top eight in the top division then play for the title, the bottom four join the top four in the second tier to contest promotion and relegation and up to four of the bottom sides in the bottom eight will be relegated into the 18-team national league.

 

Cynics, including Rangers, have lambasted the proposed changes, but TLB says he’s backing the fresh plans and hit out at those sticking the boot in.

 

He said: “We’re supportive of it. This is what the majority of the clubs in the SPL see as the best way forward.

 

“It needed changing and we think it’s going to change for the better, although the proof will be in the pudding.

 

“People don’t like change and there will always be factions that aren’t happy with it.

 

“We are the ones in the game trying make it work. It’s people on the outside who chip away at it. They are the ones who don’t come up with anything better.

 

“They sit in front of the TV while others are out there doing it, and they will just chip, chip, chip away. But that’s a social thing, not a football thing.”

 

Ironically, the changes will see Celtic’s share of the financial pie slightly reduced, but TLB added: “Sometimes you have to look ahead. The people who run the game have to look at the future product.

 

“You always want a more competitive league, although I think the best team will win the title anyway.

 

“The gap has been pretty big between the big two and the rest over the last four or five years although Hearts broke it up in 2006.

 

“Since 2004, Real Madrid and Barcelona have shared La Liga.

 

“I was at a meeting with Neil Doncaster a year ago where we were told that, financially for the SPL, 10 teams was the best way forward.

 

“Obviously they are prepared to take a hit on that for the betterment of the game.

 

“Play-offs are also very exciting. When I was at Leicester we got in on the final day in sixth place. Crystal Palace finished third and I think there was a difference of about six or seven points.

 

“But we ended up beating Palace in the final with more or less the last kick of the game. It gives a really competitive edge to the end of the season.”

 

TLB also dismissed suggestions that the latest proposal is a last throw of the dice for a game which is dying in Scotland.

 

He said: “The Rangers thing has obviously taken a huge proportion of the crowds we were getting in the SPL away, but it has made other clubs competitive and given us some other good crowds.

 

“We went to Aberdeen and there were 18,000 there. Hearts, even with their financial troubles are still getting healthy crowds as are Hibs.

 

“There is a still a real love and passion for the game. I don’t think that will ever go away.”

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/celtic-boss-neil-lennon-backs-1530782

[foggy dewhurst 0]

this new setup will never work it will never bring fans back to the stadiums more like drive them away i know we dont have a say in scottish football until the club can show four seasons of accounts but i would be looking at the courts to put a block on this reconstruction i dont know how thats up to mr green and his board to start earning their corn .

because if we let the rest walk all over us it will rear up again in a couple of years time when the sfa see that the new seup is a disaster and when they change it again we will be in a lower division much to the glee of them accross in the east who will have a clear run at the big money .

[der Berliner 3,405]

You read half a sentence of TLB's mumblings, want to print this on a baseball club ...

'However, the league must not be compromised by changing the rules during the course of the competition and these decisions should not be made on an ad-hoc basis'

 

... and whack him with that till his IQ is up to 10.

 

BTW, those were the words of his one-time and current boss ...

 

CELTIC Football Club believes that today's announcement by the SPL of a possible extension to this season's league campaign has compromised the integrity of the competition.

 

... opposing a suggestion to extend the league schedule, forcing us to play 4 games in 8 days with a European final coming up ... yes, the day Celtic's view and henceforth definition of sporting integrity was born.

(Celtic reaction BBC link)

[Thinker 887]

Eight clubs need to vote against for the plans to be scuppered.

 

I can easily see 8 teams voting against the plan. Why would the 8 Div2 clubs who would go into the new merged bottom division opt for 2 games against us next season when they would otherwise have had 4? And, just like us, they'd be dumped into the bottom flight playing against lower quality opposition.

[kuznetsov 0]

of course celtic are for it, it makes their life alot easier. they now have free reign over scottish football for as long as they want.

[RANGERRAB 3,369]

of course celtic are for it, it makes their life alot easier. they now have free reign over scottish football for as long as they want.

 

When will the rest realise this?

 

Are Celtic afraid of a challenge? is that their problem?

Edited January 12, 2013 by RANGERRAB

[der Berliner 3,405]

When will the rest realise this?

 

Are Celtic afraid of a challenge? is that their problem?

 

Honestly, after last summer, nothing surprises me about anything the SPL teams and the SFA do. We'll see how the SFL teams vote soon enough.

[kuznetsov 0]

When will the rest realise this?

 

Are Celtic afraid of a challenge? is that their problem?

 

i dont think the rest care. they know they will never be able to challenge celtic over the course of a season or match them financially so what is the point in even trying.

 

of couse they are rab. they want to be seen as the biggest and most successful club side in scotland and when they overtake us, the world. the only way they can do that is by keeping us out the way for a period of time and boy have they done that!

[DUDE 0]

The revolutionary 12-12-18 shake-up would keep the Ibrox club in the bottom tier next season, rendering this year’s Third Division title race all but meaningless.[/url]

 

Am I missing out on something?