Rangers Start in Scottish division 3

[gladgarethhasgone]

hi everyone

two threads in one day? you know im bored in work

just wondered what everyones thoughts on Rangers starting in Division 3 is? was this the correct decision? what effect will it have on scottish football?

i hear people feel it will kill the game up there but surely this gives the other teams in the league Motherwell, Hearts etc a chance to improve? does losing Rangers really effect the standard of football currently being played in the SPL? personally i feel this was the corect decision and starting in div 3 is the correct place for a new company/club. afterall the old rangers is officially no more, its not a takeover like pompey or plymouth.

thoughts as always, thanks

[Armster]

its the correct decision, if it happened to Darlo then rangers shouldn't be any different. They bypassed making the decision my cowardly calling the other clubs to vote them out though which annoyed me.

it wont be the end of the league as i'msure sky is signed in for a certain period and they'll readjust the leagues to get rangers back in the top flight in two seasons.

[gladgarethhasgone]

i think the decision is right but the way they went about getting around it themselves is wrong. if they had come out and decided it themselves then it would have set a good example and shown what will happen if you financially commit suicide. i hope another side, except Celtic, will use this opportunity to flourish

[Powlay]

Its technically the correct decision, a newco here would have to start lower down.

Skys rights were dependant on rangers/celtic in the top flight, thats not happened so there is the possibility of a smaller package i believe.

The knock on effect will be huge and people will lose jobs as money in scottish football just isnt there.

[neverbefore]

It'll kill football in the top flight for a few years. The only reason anyone cared about the Scottish league was because of the old firm derby.

For me, it's good ridence to bad rubbish. At least it'll minimise the bigotry for a few years.

[boksicdink]

can the SPL sustain three years of existence without Rangers!?

[JHalden87]

Even with Rangers the SPL brand was weak, without it it will be unbelievably weak. Hard to imagine a time where the SPL will bring through the likes of Arteta/Gattuso/Larsson again.

Problem with Scottish Football is the desire for cohesive restructuring is never there, the desire to give more even shares of TV revenue isn't there.

People are saying Rangers will be back in the SPL in 3 years no problem, I can't see there being an SPL to go back to.

If we thought Scottish Football was on it's knees with Rangers in the top flight, god knows where it's at now. Principled stances are all well and good but Scottish Football is in no position to make those stances with most of it's clubs barely managing to pay their players every month.

Wont be long before Celtic try and maneuver a way out of the league, the ship was sinking before and it will sink even faster now.

[gladgarethhasgone]

i think the SFA and SPL realise this and thats part of the reason they are forming as one. does the money drop substantially? i assume the SPL allowed that clause in the sky deal thinking it would never happen

[boksicdink]

Jhalden couldnt agree more with the point about the SPL not being there, or even Celtic being there.

they will the title next year, it is a given. but when there is no challenge left, how long will it be before, the Celtic team/players look for an actual challenge.

the SPL is a one team league now, just turning up at Celtic means a medal, but how much will that winner's medal be worth now? not a lot.

if i was a player like Hooper or another Celtic player with a bit of drive and ambition, id be looking to leave that league now too. there is nothing left

[JHalden87]

Let's not forget Sky dictates the SPL's viewership in America through the Fox Sports distribution, Sky basically control all of the SPL coverage across the pond where most foreign SPL fans are based.

There is no positive from this just negative, Hearts were already struggling to meet weekly payments to creditors and most SPL teams will absolutely struggle from this.

The TV revenue and marketing income is a pittance as it is, it's all very well for chairmen to play down the consequences but realistically I can see at least 2/3 of the SPL clubs going into liquidation in the next 12 months.

We will see administrations that much I am absolutely confident of, you can't take away half of the attraction of a league and expect to sustain revenue.

SPL with Rangers had clubs in messy financial situations, SPL without Rangers will make the number of clubs in that situation go up and the messiness of the financial situation worse.

If I was on the Celtic board - who have been well ran - I would probably be thinking to myself let's negotiate out our share in the SPL and hold talks with the English FA over entering their league system.

I don't think it's completely out of the question for that to happen.