Rangers â?? The Fight Continues

[Frankie 8,148]

What risks are you talking about here? I suppose a failure to come back from demotion would impact the future, but I fail to see what - imo - a deserved punishment could have on our heritage. Plus, I just can't see us failing to come back, unless a huge percentage of fans walk away from the club.

 

First off, I understand and probably generally agree with moving to Division Three. The adventure would be refreshing and perhaps allow Scottish football to become interesting again at all levels.

 

However, I do think there is a danger.

 

1. Would we be guaranteed entry to Division 3? No.

2. Would we be guaranteed promotion year after year? No.

3. How many fans would we willing to pay £400-900 for season tickets for at least 3 seasons in lower division football? Not 37,000 IMO.

4. Could the club afford the same infrastructure for these 3 seasons? Unlikely.

5. Will any SPL sanctions be suspended for our return to that league? It's possible.

 

With respect to our heritage, our club has never been relegated and moving to another league would affect our history forever. I don't fancy that.

[Frankie 8,148]

Heard from where you can't come on and spout statements willy nilly to suit your agenda. Where's your heros on their white chargers surely TBK can scrap together enough money to step in, but then I heard yesterday they were arguing over who's round it was at lunchtime (see what I did there).

 

I'm not sure TBK are still interested.

 

The problem with posting stuff about rumours is that even if they are true at one particular time, by the time they reach the lower echelons of the food chain (such as myself) they're often out of date. That's why sometimes it's better to leave the more outlandish stuff out of the debate.

 

If I'd posted half the stuff I'd heard over the last year I'd be laughed at non-stop as some of it has proven to be spin-riddled claptrap. The skill is separating the fact from the fiction and that isn't easy believe me.

[Frankie 8,148]

surely he has at least the 5.5.

 

.

 

 

D&P said yesterday he had only provided the majority. I'm told (though things can change) he is struggling to raise the rest of the cash.

 

There's more to come on this - probably tomorrow .

 

However, personally I still think he'll complete the newco purchase but look to sell very quickly to another party. A quick and easy double-yer-money job.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

greens here to make money. that money is in the spl.

 

the 3rd division will only happen if its forced on us.

[amms 0]

First off, I understand and probably generally agree with moving to Division Three. The adventure would be refreshing and perhaps allow Scottish football to become interesting again at all levels.

 

However, I do think there is a danger.

 

1. Would we be guaranteed entry to Division 3? No.

2. Would we be guaranteed promotion year after year? No.

3. How many fans would we willing to pay £400-900 for season tickets for at least 3 seasons in lower division football? Not 37,000 IMO.

4. Could the club afford the same infrastructure for these 3 seasons? Unlikely.

5. Will any SPL sanctions be suspended for our return to that league? It's possible.

 

With respect to our heritage, our club has never been relegated and moving to another league would affect our history forever. I don't fancy that.

 

I agree there is a danger but there is a danger in whatever we do next, at least this direction has some semblance of integrity about it. There is no way we could charge £400 - £900 for a season ticket in Div 3, and nor should we. Our squad would consist of players considerably poorer than it does now and so our wage bill should reflect this. I accept the infrastructure of the club still needs funded but it's unrealistic to expect anyone to pay that for Div 3 or Div 2 football.

 

I agree we might not be promoted, every game would be a cup tie for the opposition and the players at that level know the league, the teams in it and the players in it, we don't, we'd have a learning curve. However if that brings the depressingly high number of our support who believe success is something we are entitled too, rather than something we work for, to their senses it might not be a bad thing in the long term.

 

We'll undoubtedly loose match going support, it's inevitable, but we'd still dwarf every other team in the league attendance wise. Those that stop attending will return if/when the good times return. Every club has a percentage of their support who only turn up for 'big' games, we're no different.

 

Our club has never been relegated, that's something we are rightly proud of, however at this time if actually leaving the Scottish set-up isn't an option for us I'd rather drop to Div 3. It just feels like the right thing to do.

[Frankie 8,148]

I agree there is a danger but there is a danger in whatever we do next, at least this direction has some semblance of integrity about it. There is no way we could charge £400 - £900 for a season ticket in Div 3, and nor should we. Our squad would consist of players considerably poorer than it does now and so our wage bill should reflect this. I accept the infrastructure of the club still needs funded but it's unrealistic to expect anyone to pay that for Div 3 or Div 2 football.

 

I agree we might not be promoted, every game would be a cup tie for the opposition and the players at that level know the league, the teams in it and the players in it, we don't, we'd have a learning curve. However if that brings the depressingly high number of our support who believe success is something we are entitled too, rather than something we work for, to their senses it might not be a bad thing in the long term.

 

We'll undoubtedly loose match going support, it's inevitable, but we'd still dwarf every other team in the league attendance wise. Those that stop attending will return if/when the good times return. Every club has a percentage of their support who only turn up for 'big' games, we're no different.

 

Our club has never been relegated, that's something we are rightly proud of, however at this time if actually leaving the Scottish set-up isn't an option for us I'd rather drop to Div 3. It just feels like the right thing to do.

 

All very fair arguments and obviously if people want to take advantage of our club's situation to kick us while we're down, I'd hope we'd reply in kind.

 

However, I just want to make the point that while the romance (and revenge) may appear attractive, there is a substantial risk involved.

[amms 0]

Absolutely, a huge risk, I agree. Cutting off our nose to spite our face is a big danger in all of this and you are correct to point that out.

At this time the concept of an 'AFC Rangers' in the style of Wimbledon or FC United of Manchester is equally appealing to me just now. I accept that these are emotional responses rather than rationale ones. Unfortunately football is emotional, my attachement to Rangers is emotional, not rationale, as is yours I'd say, if it wasn't I'd be doing the work I'm being paid to currently rather than posting on here. Whatever decision is made regarding our future will need to take into account our emotional stance though, they'll need it to see us through this, without it we run the risk of being permanently hamstrung.

[andy steel 0]

I don't share your distaste for having a relegation on our battle honours. It's not as if we've played crap and gone down - there are extenuating circumstances, as I'm sure I don't have to say!

 

We've been sick. Really, really ill. And we need time to recuperate. Not just the three-seasons-and-we're-back timeframe but anything up to 6-10 years. To get finances into a sane kind of order, or as much as one can expect from a sports club. To get the youth set-up operating effectively. To create a whole new ethos of what football is about. And I don't believe we can do that in the SPL, with the petty jealousies and inadequacies of other clubs and fans always getting in the road.

 

We need the time to gain strength out of the glare.

[Bluedell 5,329]

greens here to make money. that money is in the spl.

 

the 3rd division will only happen if its forced on us.

 

Yea, I think that would apply to whoever owned us. A large chunk of the fans would prefer a division 3 option rather than playing handicapped in the SPL but the finance guys wouldn't want it.

 

The only thing that may get them to change their minds is if a lot of season ticket holders say they are not going to renew if the handicapped SPL is what we are looking at.

 

I'll renew if we are in div 3. I'll have to think about it if we are SPL with a large penalty and a lack of "sporting integrity".

[Max Rebo's Big Blue Nose 0]

Why would we charge 400+ for seaon tickets? We will have zero debts and a radically reduced wage bill. Surely we could offer attractive packages to fans while we are in the lower leagues to encourage healthy support? I reckon we could renter the top flight in rude health tbh.