It’s a sad, sad day for any set of fans to witness their beloved club to be dragged through the footballing oblivion of administration. And that is exactly what Glasgow Rangers fans are experiencing.
Rangers, a household name both domestically and internationally, look to have been forced into starting their footballing life afresh in the third tier of Scottish football.
Ally McCoist – Manager of Rangers
Due to the negligence of previous ownership, Rangers finances have plummeted to the point that they were liquidated last month. Subsequently, under administrators heralded by Charles Green, Rangers were effectively transformed into Rangers Newco, a name that pleaded to defend its stay in the Scottish Premierleague. However, after only gaining two votes from the fellow clubs, the third division awaits.
However what effect will this have on Rangers Football Club (Newco) and the rest of the Scottish Football League? I’m no accountant but I can imagine that the interest in the Scottish Premier League will have diminished, markedly due to the absence of the Old Firm derby. Added to this, gate receipts will probably decline simply due to the fact that there isn’t much of a pull in Scotland. Other than Celtic, many fans abroad probably haven’t heard of half of the teams plying their trade in the supposedly elite Scottish division – this said with all due respect to those teams.
A lot of people have questioned why so many clubs have decided to cull against Rangers Newco in preventing them to remain in the Scottish Premierleague. Their argument is that in the long run, it is those teams who voted against who will suffer, simply due to the points mentioned above. But the common consensus is that, if it weren’t Rangers who went into administration, not many would defend their fight – besides it was their fault that they were in that mess and subsequently should accept the consequences.
A lot of questions have been asked as to what would become of Rangers themselves. With the likes of Whittaker, Ness and Davis having abandoned the sinking ship, it will take a lot for the prestigious Glaswegian club to return to the top, added to the likely possibility of more players departing. Not many will stick around – and if they do, those players deserve utmost respect for staying loyal to the club. Many fans will argue that the likes of Gino Buffon stayed with Juventus a few years back as they were relegated due to the match-fixing scandal. However, they had the finances to pay wages – as well as a very distinct possibility of returning to the top flight within a year, all culminating with the Old Lady winning the Serie A this season. Conversely, Rangers Newco will take at least three years to get back to where they were, probably a lot more.
Either way, it’s a sad state of affairs for Rangers Football Club. Probably speaking on behalf of most football fans, I’d love to see Rangers back in the top division.
Comments welcome.
Related articles
- Rangers: the vote that never was? (blogs.channel4.com)
- Rangers: Rangers in crisis: Gordon Smith believes ‘there is a lot of anti-Rangers feeling out there’ (dailyrecord.co.uk)
- Rangers: Ally McCoist: Newco Rangers should start life in the Third Division (dailyrecord.co.uk)
- Rangers: Rangers in crisis: SFL clubs won’t have say over what division Ibrox side play in (dailyrecord.co.uk)
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