Steve1872 4 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Chairman's Statement As you may be aware the member clubs of the Scottish Football League are holding a meeting tomorrow to discuss the current proposals for change within the Scottish game. Unfortunately there has been a great deal of ill-informed speculation and erroneous reporting on our position in relation to various, hypothetical scenarios. We believe it foolhardy to comment on â??questionsâ? that have not as yet been put to the club by the SFL Management Committee. When Ronnie MacDonald bought the Accies in 2003 we were within a few days of administration or indeed Liquidation due to the clubs enormous debt level for a club of our size. We had a total breakdown between our board and the supporters in addition to the punishments from the authorities. No club, until now, has been in such a critical position and we hope Rangers will be the last club to be in such a desperate position. In many ways the current Rangers situation mirrored our own and we should be aware the effect liquidation has on the supporters who in many ways are the innocent victims of management. We would urge all clubs to work together to reshape the leagues in a fair and equitable manner and to make decisions purely for the long term prosperity of our game and the enjoyment of the supporters of all clubs. Harmony must be restored between all clubs for the good of our game and the continued existence of all Scotlandâ??s Clubs. Les Gray Chairman http://www.acciesfc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1885:chairmans-statement&catid=44:news&Itemid=140 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinker 887 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Finally a voice of reason? 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54andcounting 0 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 That must be the FIRST supportive and most sensible statement towards RFC from ANY Scottish club. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
biggordy 0 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Mr. Gray deserves credit for having the courage to speak up, especially when others are cowering in their bunkers. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
amms 0 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I wasn't on much over the weekend so I might have missed it but did anyone post the statement from Clyde? If not here it is: http://www.clydefc.co.uk/news/2012/06/30/4134/ "The Club has received a set of papers in advance of the SFL meeting on Tuesday. The essential intent behind those papers is to induce the SFL clubs to agree a proposal to allow a Newco to enter the SFL in the First Division in exchange for a range of structural changes to the current set up and some small financial inducements. Some of the proposed changes have merit in principle. The Board believe that any proposals for change should not be rushed, as these have been. They also have to be done by consensus and not through threat or inducement, again, as these have been. The papers include a proposal to allow a Newco to enter the First Division. This is contrary to the rules of the SFL and nothing within the papers justifies this proposal. As a club owned by its supporters and recovering from having been on the brink of extinction, the Board of Clyde Football Club recognise the damage done to the credibility of Rangers Football Club by its successive owners, and the subsequent impact on staff and supporters. These proposals do nothing to restore that credibility. It is not for us to become involved in punishment, that is a matter for the SPL and SFA. The SFL clubs are being asked to change their rules so that the SPL and SFA can apply sanctions that fit short term financial interests. It is not for us to tell any club what they should want for themselves, but to enter anywhere other than the Third Division risks Rangers Football Club being burdened with the legacy of commencing its rebuilding in a manner that they later look back on with regret. Rangers Football Club does not need to be handed a competitive advantage, they are more than capable of returning to the SPL via the Third Division on their own merit. Rebuilding from the bottom can restore the dignity stripped from the club by its former owners. The papers use emotive language to threaten a future of financial meltdown and they carry the implication of the destruction of the game should a Newco not be entered in the First Division. If things are as bad as indicated then Scottish Football is in a far worse state than is being acknowledged. In which case it is time to accept the bankrupt model needs fixed and not supported and perpetuated on the back of this proposal. The fact that other clubs might face similar financial distress because Rangers Football Club enter the Third Division is hardly a reason to compromise the integrity of the SFL and further compromise Rangers Football Club. Rather than attempting to prepare a soft landing before delivering sanctions, it would be better to contemplate more radical change that might actually underpin financial stability in the long term for clubs that balance their books. Perhaps an amnesty from sanctions for clubs that are forced to face insolvency procedures in the next 2 years as a result of the current turmoil, and an automatic entry to the Third Division for any club liquidated and reformed in similar circumstances. This would allow 2 years to properly restructure the Scottish Game for the benefit of all and undo the damage that has been created by the current structure which encourages club directors to trade integrity for cash, and then spend beyond their means, willingly risking the very existence of football clubs. If we could believe that the game could be less self interested long enough to resolve this, then this, and other far better ideas, might be worth contemplating. SPL clubs that have openly stated their opposition to a Newco being given immediate access to the SPL have taken the position based on their, and at times, their supporters' view of what is the right thing to do. However, the vote has still to be taken and proposals such as these are premature. If the SPL clubs vote as indicated on the basis of the increasingly discredited notion of sporting integrity, it would be questionable if the SFL clubs did otherwise. The reality is that we are faced with unique circumstances and it would be foolish to pretend otherwise. That probably means that compromise for some is inevitable, and perhaps even worthwhile for everyone in the long term. The solution however is not this hastily cobbled together proposal. The Board of this club sees no merit whatsoever in adopting this proposal." I like the humility of the Hamilton statement, but I find it hard to find much wrong with the Clyde statement either. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Read that Amms the famous "Amnesty for future insolvency events because of big bad Rangers" 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
amms 0 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I thought they had a point on that though. It's not in anyone's interest that more clubs go to the wall, the sport needs reformed and as long as reform is taking place I could live with it. Frankly I wouldn't wish the last few months on anyone, well almost anyone. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I thought they had a point on that though. It's not in anyone's interest that more clubs go to the wall, the sport needs reformed and as long as reform is taking place I could live with it. Frankly I wouldn't wish the last few months on anyone, well almost anyone. Neither would I mate but you can't have an amnesty for them just because they've almost kicked us to death. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
amms 0 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 At some point someone needs to step back and say enough. We're fucked, we can't be unfucked now, what's done is done. Forcing others to go down the same road we are won't help us now. It won't help anyone. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54andcounting 0 Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 At some point someone needs to step back and say enough. We're fucked, we can't be unfucked now, what's done is done. Forcing others to go down the same road we are won't help us now. It won't help anyone. Hopefully, and I mean this btw, that at no time should there be any other club along with their fans having to go through what we've went through....well, except septic, arabs, saints, pars and such. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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