st mirren say no to spl

[Steve1872 4]

St Mirren have become the seventh Scottish Premier League club to object to the newco Rangers entering the top flight next season, insisting sporting integrity must outweigh the financial consequences facing the club.

 

The Saints chairman, Stewart Gilmour, informed the Rangers' chief executive, Charles Green, and the manager, Ally McCoist, in person that his board could not support their application to join the SPL. Green's consortium require an 8-4 vote in their favour at the meeting next Wednesday to remain in the top flight but have been effectively consigned to the Scottish Football League, in either the first or third division, a week in advance.

 

Gilmour admits that "major cutbacks" are necessary at St Mirren and the omission of Rangers from the SPL will increase the financial burden on clubs. But he said: "I met with Charles Green, Alistair McCoist and other representatives of Rangers newco last week. I made it perfectly clear that our directors' view was that our club would not be voting for a newco entry to the SPL, directly to the officials of Rangers newco.

 

"This meeting was held in confidential circumstances to allow both parties to enable the other to see their respective positions. A very positive meeting was held. However, the position of St Mirren has not changed and our stance of sporting integrity was maintained against the very pressing commercial arguments."

 

The chairman added: "Regrettably, the commercial, and hence financial, impact is still not clear to the club. We are very hopeful that this aspect will become clearer in the next few days.

 

"It has been impossible for the clubs to downsize as quickly as we would like due to the contractual obligations of the club. These are considerable and must be maintained to ensure the club does not slip into the fate of others. It is possible that major cutbacks may have to be made within the company. This may well involve people in the club losing their employment â?? not a good situation â?? so please accept that the club will be unlikely to be signing any new players until this situation is clear."

[pete 2,499]

St Mirren have become the seventh Scottish Premier League club to object to the newco Rangers entering the top flight next season, insisting sporting integrity must outweigh the financial consequences facing the club.

 

The Saints chairman, Stewart Gilmour, informed the Rangers' chief executive, Charles Green, and the manager, Ally McCoist, in person that his board could not support their application to join the SPL. Green's consortium require an 8-4 vote in their favour at the meeting next Wednesday to remain in the top flight but have been effectively consigned to the Scottish Football League, in either the first or third division, a week in advance.

 

Gilmour admits that "major cutbacks" are necessary at St Mirren and the omission of Rangers from the SPL will increase the financial burden on clubs. But he said: "I met with Charles Green, Alistair McCoist and other representatives of Rangers newco last week. I made it perfectly clear that our directors' view was that our club would not be voting for a newco entry to the SPL, directly to the officials of Rangers newco.

 

"This meeting was held in confidential circumstances to allow both parties to enable the other to see their respective positions. A very positive meeting was held. However, the position of St Mirren has not changed and our stance of sporting integrity was maintained against the very pressing commercial arguments."

 

The chairman added: "Regrettably, the commercial, and hence financial, impact is still not clear to the club. We are very hopeful that this aspect will become clearer in the next few days.

 

"It has been impossible for the clubs to downsize as quickly as we would like due to the contractual obligations of the club. These are considerable and must be maintained to ensure the club does not slip into the fate of others. It is possible that major cutbacks may have to be made within the company. This may well involve people in the club losing their employment – not a good situation – so please accept that the club will be unlikely to be signing any new players until this situation is clear."

 

Hopefully no Rangers supporter will pay a penny to enter St Mirren park in the near future. Enjoy your financial meltdown.

[amms 0]

Ally McCoist was at the meeting? Did everyone else know he was attending meetings with Green, how did I miss this?

If McCoist is attending meetings with Green it does to shine a slightly different light on what Green is up too and indeed his relationship with McCoist. Or am I reading too much into this.

 

Anyway, St Mirren, sporting integrity, yada yada yada.

[Blue Moon 1,122]

I wish everyone would stop using the phrase "sporting integrity". Iam getting really sick of hearing it. It is becoming really hackneyed. I wish this was all over.

[simplythebest 0]

We still only need 9 men.

[Steve1872 4]

Naturally we hope that if our partners mentioned above do not invoke exit clauses in their contracts we would not have to go down this route. The decision on those matters is outwith the control of the club, let us hope that the possible scenarios are not as severe as they could possibly be and that we show those partners our support to convince them to support Scottish Football.

 

As events unfold this may be an opportunity for real change in Scottish Football, St Mirren shall throw their weight totally behind a 16 team league structured in a similar way to the Belgium system with a large number of crossover games at the end of the season to determine Relegation, European places and Champions.

 

This with a change in the distribution model would allow us to look after the interests of all full time teams in the country on a football and financial basis. With a ten team league below this for aspiring SPL clubs and a pyramid system beneath that, this would allow all clubs to develop and find their place in Scottish Football.

 

The poll conducted has confirmed the opinion of the Board, which has enabled us to confirm our position publicly, in addition a sixteen team top league has been the fans expressed view and this now may be possible to rebuild a solid future for Scottish Football, Scottish Football Clubs and its Supporters.

More of statement

[Steve1872 4]

As events unfold this may be an opportunity for real change in Scottish Football, St Mirren shall throw their weight totally behind a 16 team league structured in a similar way to the Belgium system with a large number of crossover games at the end of the season to determine Relegation, European places and Champions.

Would this freshen up Scottish football?

[54andcounting 0]

Some quality players brought through the youth system will enhance Scottish football, if relegating Rangers from the SPL to wherever makes that possible then other associations throughout Europe should adopt the same system i.e. pick the best side from your league and demote them and watch the game grow. Quality.

[andy steel 0]

This with a change in the distribution model would allow us to look after the interests of all full time teams in the country on a football and financial basis. With a ten team league below this for aspiring SPL clubs and a pyramid system beneath that, this would allow all clubs to develop and find their place in Scottish Football.

 

And they say we are the ones in denial.

 

Clubs have found their places in Scottish football. Lack of interest from their own communities, ludicrously high admission prices, mediocre product and alternative attractions have seen all but 3 clubs in Scotland level out at their deserved position - nowhere. We have joined them there through insanity, which I hope is temporary. But no amount of taking the money generated by Rangers and celtc will lift these clubs above the bog standard.

 

That this is so is confirmed by their sponsor agreements - why on earth do SMFC have a deal which is reliant, in black & white, on the presence of the OF? If a club is not attractive enough even to bring in the local corner shop, they have to face their reality - as things stand, they are at best an irrelevance and at worst a blight, a drain.

 

There's only one way for clubs on the brink to rise, and that is by adopting proper football. Will they do it? Nah, easier to sponge off someone else and whine about how they are keeping you down. Well, don't hold your breath for the money you think you see coming over the hill, money you will take from the OF and which you could never, ever generate through the efforts of your team.

 

With my son, I attended a superbly well supported Scotland u-21 game last season in Paisley, it must have been a near sell out. Never again. To quote Fergus, not one thin dime. Not because I object to them voting no - that seems right to me. It's because I object to the hypocrisy of people bleating about integrity while attempting to ponce off others. The likes of the Paisley Pimps FC can get fucked, either literally or metaphorically depending on your taste. Grrr.