What More Do They Want?

[Duncer]

Rangers were fined £160,000 by the SPL, they lost their place in the Champion's League, they had ten points deducted, they were banned from Europe for three years, (not that it matters any more), the SPL witheld their £900,000 for coming second last season, and they were then voted out of the SPL and had a transfer embargo imposed. To top it all off the club went under and are now in the Third Division, if they can get SFA membership?

It now appears that the main stumbling point holding up acceptance by the SFA is that the SPL wants a share of Ranger's TV rights for the Third Division. I think they can go to Hell!

Given that the SPL are the ones who kicked Rangers out, or their member clubs did, this is a bl00dy cheek. It also, in my opinion, displays the level of bigotry and hatred against the club.

[Everhelpful]

Could never understand why SPL Clubs voted against Rangers considering their Fan-Base which travels to Away Games. Perhaps I am missing something as a lot of Clubs in the smaller Divisions also voted against them.

[Duncer]

Given that they voted Rangers out of the SPL I don't see why the SPL clubs should get a single solitary cent of any new TV deal. It should be shared with the smaller clubs and let the SPL see what Sky are willing to offer them.

Away allocation for Brechin sold out today and it's great that money is being spread around. I still think Scottish football missed a glorious chance for radical reconstruction. My preference would have been for two leagues of 18 and a pyramid system for ambitious non-league clubs.

[Everhelpful]

Pretty good preference Duncer,I would like to see it happen.

[Duncer]

Play-offs too.

[ayrforce1]

You may get more answers if you give the details of how this all came about. I think they were fortunate to get into the SFL as they did not meet the qualifying criteria. As regards reconstruction I don`t see why that could not proceed with your team in division 3.
2 leagues of 18 consisting of which teams? Did Rangers not have a master plan for Scottish football some years back where some of the smaller clubs were to be booted out?
Transfer embargo does not start until September giving them a few weeks to sign players. Perhaps you could give us a few lines on taxation and EBTs.
I do agree with you as regards the SPL, they should have no claim on tv rights, and if they had merely relegated Rangers they would probably been back within a season. Bigotry and hatred, try to see both sides of the story.

[Duncer]

ayrforce, no decision has yet been made on the EBT's, so their relevance please? Furthermore, other clubs have used them, Celtic and quite a few English Premier League clubs included. The details of how this came about are well-known and have been on numerous threads, where I said quite clearly that I expected Rangers to be punished and wanted Division Three. How would reconstruction come about with Rangers in Division Three, given that I suggested leagues of 18? As for which teams, how about the top 18, with Rangers going into the new second tier? As for bigotry and hatred, I am well aware of all sides of it, but we are talking about the context of this question, so less of the obfuscation.

My question was just how much punishment Rangers are supposed to take? The continued blood letting is proof of where the bigotry lies at present.

[ayrforce1]

EBTs should be dealt with and because you claim that other clubs used this system does not mean it should be excused. Which of the punishments do you consider unjustified? Your heading is What more do they want?, which to me signifies that you consider your club to have been harshly dealt with. You suggested leagues of 18 not me . You were happy to accept Division 3 and so you should be , a back door entry in my opinion, and I would still like to know which clubs you would not welcome to the new structure.
Let the punishment fit the crime.

[Duncer]

My point isn't that Rangers should be excused; it is that they have already been punished enough, hence the title "What More Do They Want?" Given the punishments already in place why are the SPL trying to pick at the carcass for more, such as TV rights?

I do not claim that other clubs used EBTs - they did, that is why Celtic paid he tax on Juninhos contract pronto, and we still haven't had a rulng on the legality of EBTs so, at present, Rangers are guilty of nothing in that capacity. The only question to be decided about EBTs is how they were set up.

I do believe that Rangers have been hashly dealt with, and that bigotry and hatred played a part in that decision making, although that can only ever remain conjecture. All of the punishments, in themselves, would have been appropriate but, as a group of penalties, I feel they are excessive.

As for the new structure, I've already stated that I favour a meritocracy with feeder leagues for those clubs that are interested, although many junior clubs are not.

In what way does punishing Rangers ump[teen times fit the crimes of Murray and Whyte?

If your user name suggests that you are an Ayr fan I would be more than happy to discuss this over a few beers at the Shire game on Saturday.