ian1964 10,447 Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 By STEPHEN HALLIDAY Published on 01/05/2013 00:31 FORMER Rangers striker Mark Hateley believes Scottish football can not afford to wait for the Ibrox club to play their way back into the top flight. Rangers will collect the Third Division trophy on Saturday after their final fixture of the season at home to Berwick Rangers, completing the first stage of a currently projected three-year return to the Scottish Premier League following their financial collapse in 2012. But, as talks over league reconstruction rumble on, Hateley has called on any new set-up to fast-track Rangers into the top tier immediately for what he believes will be the wider commercial benefit of the game. â??It is a massive problem for Scottish football right now and it needs massive decisions,â? said Hateley. â??You can talk about sporting integrity, but this is bigger than that. Itâ??s about saving the Scottish game. â??If we carry on the way we are going, even if Rangers win the leagues and are back in two or three years time, it could be too late by then. â??If someone was hired to run a newly unified league body in Scotland, if I was being interviewed for that job, the first thing I would want is Rangers back in the top tier. You need to reconstruct from top to bottom and that would be my way forward. People are going to say Iâ??m only saying that because I played for Rangers, but I am looking at it honestly. â??Nobody wants to associate themselves with the SPL at the moment. You can do anything with reconstruction, you have a blank canvas. So you do what is right for Scottish football and that is having your best football clubs in your top tier. That attracts all the good things football needs. â??It is about understanding the Scottish game. To generate interest in the Scottish game, Rangers and Celtic are the top two in terms of commercial backing. Look at the Glasgow Cup final on Monday night. There were 6,000 people there for an under-17 Old Firm game. That is Scottish football, Rangers and Celtic, weâ??ve said it for many years. â??If you were to take Real Madrid out of the top tier of Spanish football, what would it be like? A one-horse race and nobody shows any interest or puts any investment into a one-horse race. â??The phrase sporting integrity might be used but sporting integrity is to save the football clubs. Rangers are down in the Third Division but theyâ??ve done their time. The biggest picture is the good of Scottish football and it is not about what has happened in the past. Itâ??s all about saving Scottish football.â? Hateley was speaking as he promoted the Rangers v Manchester United legends fixture which takes place at Ibrox next Monday. He will be joined in the Rangers line-up by Nacho Novo, who has recently expressed his desire to return to the club next season. Now 34, Novo is currently playing for Huesca in the Spanish Second Division. Hateley believes the former Raith Rovers and Dundee player, who scored 71 goals in 255 games for Rangers between 2004 and 2010, would be an ideal recruit for manager Ally McCoist. â??I havenâ??t spoken to Ally for a few weeks, so I donâ??t know which way he intends on going next season in terms of signing younger or older players,â? said Hateley. â??But, if you are building a young side, you need a certain core of experienced players. â??Nacho is one of those players. He is a very lively character, very enthusiastic. His personality is infectious in the dressing-room. He is a fansâ?? favourite and if you bring him in for a season, it could be only good for the club. â??He actually phoned me at 7.30am this morning, he is so excited about coming back to play in the game here next Monday. Heâ??s in a relegation dogfight with Huesca at the moment, itâ??s tough times for him. He had loads of good times with Rangers and heâ??ll be glad to be back. It will be like a trial game for him, trying to get a move back for next season.â? Regardless of whether Novo figures in McCoistâ??s recruitment plans, Hateley says the manager will simply be relieved to be spared the chaotic nature of his build-up to the current campaign. â??Last summer, he had just seven players turning up for pre-season training,â? added Hateley. â??Youâ??d have to say it was a quick fix, scrambling around trying to get a team together. â??Ally gave the fans a Third Division championship win. Thereâ??s been a lot of humming and hawing about the way they did it, but itâ??s a championship. This summer, itâ??s about bringing in players of a level which will be advantageous to taking the club forward in the longer run.â? http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/sfl-division-three/fast-track-rangers-back-to-top-says-mark-hateley-1-2914930 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Im against fast tracking. It saves the asses of the clubs that voted us out yet it could kill off the teams in the lower leagues who dont get a chance to play us next season. Every team in Div 3 has been a breath of fresh air for me in welcoming us to the league, why should we avoid Div2 teams next season to save Aberdeen, Dundee utd and the likes. Current Div 3 teams now have financial edge over Div 2 and possibly some Div 1 clubs now having had bumper pay days, thats unfair. A proper restructure, clubs running within their means and getting rid of crooks like Doncaster and Regan will save Scottish football. But agree on Novo part, would be a good addition. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
barca72 440 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Mark I thought you were a great player in your day, but as a columnist not so good. This is just plain wrong. You make this statement ' ... and it is not about what has happened in the past. It’s all about saving Scottish football.” Rangers are not responsible for the state of Scottish football, and it is wrong of you to lay that charge at their feet. The men responsible for the state of Scottish football are it's leaders, for allowing the situation to degrade to it's present state. What would be the point of Rangers accepting any form of fast tracking only for the same men to put the game at risk again the next time they have a crisis and don't know how to handle it? I think that before you ask Rangers to do anything these men - namely Regan, Doncaster and Lawwell - should be removed from any position of influence in the SFA or SPL or the Professional Game Board, for the good of Scottish football. These organizations should be made to pay Rangers for their loss of players, winnings, transfer monies and fines - after all we know Rangers were not guilty bar for Whyte's actions - but we know that they can't afford it so that, and only that, should be Rangers gift to the Scottish game. The illegal transfer ban would have to be removed immediately, and some kind of compromise negotiated with UEFA to ensure Rangers are allowed back in UEFA competitions immediately. Even with these concessions it would take Rangers a season or so to win the top league, but we can live with that for the sake of the game. Yes it is about what happened in the past and you know that as a support we shall never forget, but I am astounded at just how much you expect us to forgive, please remember again just what "sporting integrity" is. Without new leadership, the game's biggest club will quite happily take it's medicine. The rest can survive on their own bile. See you in Division 2. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gribz 743 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Mark I thought you were a great player in your day, but as a columnist not so good. This is just plain wrong. You make this statement ' ... and it is not about what has happened in the past. It’s all about saving Scottish football.” Rangers are not responsible for the state of Scottish football, and it is wrong of you to lay that charge at their feet. The men responsible for the state of Scottish football are it's leaders, for allowing the situation to degrade to it's present state. What would be the point of Rangers accepting any form of fast tracking only for the same men to put the game at risk again the next time they have a crisis and don't know how to handle it? I think that before you ask Rangers to do anything these men - namely Regan, Doncaster and Lawwell - should be removed from any position of influence in the SFA or SPL or the Professional Game Board, for the good of Scottish football. These organizations should be made to pay Rangers for their loss of players, winnings, transfer monies and fines - after all we know Rangers were not guilty bar for Whyte's actions - but we know that they can't afford it so that, and only that, should be Rangers gift to the Scottish game. The illegal transfer ban would have to be removed immediately, and some kind of compromise negotiated with UEFA to ensure Rangers are allowed back in UEFA competitions immediately. Even with these concessions it would take Rangers a season or so to win the top league, but we can live with that for the sake of the game. Yes it is about what happened in the past and you know that as a support we shall never forget, but I am astounded at just how much you expect us to forgive, please remember again just what "sporting integrity" is. Without new leadership, the game's biggest club will quite happily take it's medicine. The rest can survive on their own bile. See you in Division 2. Cracking post / statement! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JCS Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 As some of you have said, Mark was a fantastic player for Rangers, but I really think he needs to give the role of columnist a 'bye ball'. We all accept that Scottish football nededs Rangers but, regrettably, Scottish football apeears not to recognise that inescapable fact. We have undertaken to do the 'right' thing by winning our way back to the top - wherever, and whatever, the top may be - and by that route no one can allege that we have been given preferential treatment. Personally, I am opposed to any 'process' that would fast track us the SPL or its successor. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the gunslinger 3,366 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 i think rangers need to work their way back up or we will never hear the end of it. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Cooper 0 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 No thanks Mark. We need to do this the right way. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc 280 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 No thanks Mark. We need to do this the right way. Exactly, We can behave with integrity, even if others don't have a shred of it left. Onward and upwards to Division 2. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aweebluesoandso 290 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Working our way back to the top is the honorable thing to do, fast-tracking only benefits the corrupt SPL, they would get a weakened Rangers atm and get our blue pound for free. Not for me i'm afraid let the corrupt fookers rot and hopefully we will pass them on our way up as they are on their way down. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumshie RFC 0 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Work our way back up. We won't be eligible for Europe for another two seasons anyway. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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