5 years without European football - how can we cope?

[bigy 0]

If we were to be refused entry to the SPL and go to Div 3, it will be 4 years before we can qualify for Europe through the league, and 5 years before we can compete. Unless we win the Scottish Cup that means no European football until the 2016/17 season, after the next European Championships!!

 

2012/13 - Division 3

2013/14 - Division 2

2014/15 - Division 1

2015/16 - SPL

2016/17 - Can compete in Europe through league position

 

If this happens how can Rangers (as we know it) survive. Realistically crowds will be down, there will be limited TV and sponsorship money, and no European income. Yes, other clubs will also be impacted, but us more than most.

 

In my opinion, if this is what the SPL decide, then we should seriously look to join the English league structure at whatever level. If we could go in to League 2 or the Conference we'd have more income, bigger crowds, and in the time it would take us to qualify for Europe in Scotland, we'd be in the Championship or Premiership.

[smile 0]

The SPL need us for TV rights and sponsorship deals.

 

I've no interest in the English Leagues we are a Scottish club.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

cant see us being in division 3 at all.

[TheWeeBlueDevil 0]

This is a great article from the TRS site

 

- Rising from the ashes (by author Bob MacCallum)

 

http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/...from-the-ashes

 

This is a sad and dark day for our club, we have a long difficult road to travel to get back to where we want to be but we are the Rangers and we WILL once again rise from the ashes and reclaim our spot as the countrys biggest and best club.

[Thinker 862]

If this happens how can Rangers (as we know it) survive. Realistically crowds will be down, there will be limited TV and sponsorship money, and no European income. Yes, other clubs will also be impacted, but us more than most.QUOTE]

We'll survive by living within our means.

Scottish football had been in a downward spiral for the last 10 years, and we've been dragged down with it. European competition (beyond the qualifying stages) has become increasingly tough to achieve and that revenue can't be banked on. Last year's playing squad was vastly inferior to that of 10 years ago, and unless something radical happens to change European football, that trend was set to continue. DM's attempts to fight against the financial tide using "creative accounting" only served to slow down the inevitable decline for a few years - and now (thanks also to HMRC's bloody-mindedness) it's all caught up with us in one crunching collapse.

I believe we were always going to end up in a situation where we would have to be able to surive without European competition because Scottish football has become a European minnow.

[Guest east lothian blue]

It may be just me but we probably were going to make a limited amount of money from european football ,unless there was a large investment in the playing staff.

[johnnyk 158]

It may be just me but we probably were going to make a limited amount of money from european football ,unless there was a large investment in the playing staff.

 

I agree with that, Scottish teams will be out in the first few rounds of Europe for a while unless they get lucky and the co efficient will be low for decades to come.

 

We would need to cut back even more than we have but should be able to live within our means, it would mean less wages, less everything basically and with good fan backing we might even make a profit?

 

Welcome BTW

[Thinker 862]

Cutbacks would be easier to handle (and stomach) if we take the drop. Probably from a business point of view staying in the SPL would be preferable, but I'd rather watch us storming our way back through the lower divisions than see us ham-strung and struggling against Motherwell and Dundee United.

 

I've got tickets for Tenacious D tonight and was contemplating not going cos I'm too down. But then I remembered the new album is called "Rize of the Fenix" - it's all about making a comeback after a disastrous second album. Got to think positive.

[ascender 352]

It could be an exciting opportunity to build for the future by overhauling the scouting and youth systems, empty a coach who favours attractive football and have this all based on a firm financial footing.

[Gribz 743]

Got to think about the fact of being in the SPL with almost a youth team and a points deduction, we may even get relegated! In that scenario id rather start in Div 3 and work our way back.

 

If they vote us in then they get more income from TV and our support for that season but overhauling a 25 point gap when all our top players have left would be a horrible situation. Teams and their so called fans would get kicks out of us facing relegation. If we could keep our best players Id bet on us staying up but we'd be around 7th or 8th.

 

Its not only us who wont be playing European football, this has a massive knock on effect because we gain the majority of co-efficient points for SPL clubs. The SPL runners up and Cup winners would only see Europa league qualifiers and would need to play about 5 rounds to get near the group. Celtic who would likely win the league would probably have to play 2 qualifiers and could be unseeded and come up againt some tough teams and I dont see Mulgrew and Co getting past the likes of Arsenal, Inter or Marseille.