All this fuck the SPL stuff

[T_Cradle85 3]

Don't get me wrong, the clubs that (if it turns out this way) vote for the newco not to get the 12th share in the SPL should be remembered, and we shouldn't let them off with it when we get the chance.

But what is bugging me with some of our fans is the attitude of "fuck the spl, let them die" and hoping/expecting that the league will be a complete joke of a league.

No doubt this may be the case, but have any of us stopped to think what the consequences of this will be? 3 years time when we are looking to win the 1st Division and gain entry back in to the SPL, what are we expecting to enter back in to?

We'll be a team of talented young domestic lads, with a great fighting and winning mentality (here's hoping for some cup success along the way?) but if we are all "fuck the SPL, hope it dies" etc, then aren't you all worried that there is fuck all for us to come back to? That when we do come back, there is no TV deal, there won't be any decent (lol, like there is now) clubs to play against. A SPL filled with Ross County, Inverness, Raith Rovers, Partick Thistle etc? How is that going to help us in the future? How is that going to help us get back on top? We'll be walking in to a league with no prospect, no hope, and playing against teams of mediocre level, all fighting for ONE champions league spot, that will have 4 qualification places.

I'm all for hurting who ever fucks us over, but let's be honest, for The Rangers to succeed, we actually do need the SPL to sort it fucking self out in time for our eventual return, so that we can take our strong team, and keep building back up, so that we can dominate this league once again, so that we can get the chance to fight in Europe and play against the big boys once again.

[Chef 436]

They ain't really vocal or been seen using actions towards rangers that shows any consideration for our part.

Fukk the sfa, I'll support my country

[Gaffbear 4,096]

I don't think for a minute that clubs will die without us in the SPL but it will hurt terribly and will teach them a lesson.

They will all be skint and struggling praying we make it back in.

I've never arse kissed in my life and i hope to God my club doesn't either.Yes we have done wrong but that doesn't warrant the disgusting anti Rangers bile coming from all corners..The made up sanction,the new improved ones just for us sanctions,the lining up to boot us as we struggle for breath by every SPL club and their bogtrotting supporters.The constant pish from our 2 governing bodies(who incidently are meant to help member clubs in trouble).

To me they have pushed us too far and personally i would rather join the Unibond 3rd division south than the SPL at the moment

[The Monk 3,207]

IMO we won't go to Division 3, also there are pros and cons for SPL and Division 1 so I'm pretty much on the fence between these. The next 5 years or so have to be sacrificed for a complete a rebuild of our club and the SPL as a whole but together we can get there.

[theiconicman 2,977]

The anger towards the SPL is due to the complete lack of remorse with which they have treated the CLUB (the individuals behind it are due all crticism and sanctions) and have gone out their way to be vindictive with their timing (delaying bids etc) and their penalties.

They act like we do not matter to Scottish football, they have bleated in the press we're not needed in Scottish football.

Two faced doesn't cover it. Fuck the SPL and the SFA, we look after our club, let them worry about theirs.

[T_Cradle85 3]

Agree with all replies so far, they have been some amount of bile coming from certain sections, and I do hope some of them feel the pain we have endured, and they struggle to find their life line.

But it is the seeming mentality of some fans that I come across, that are all "fuck the spl, I hate them" and demanding we have nothing to do with them, hoping for a demise, but then what do we hope for when we get back to the SPL?

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,504]

fuck the SPL teams. Live off our money for many years only to kick us when we are down

if in 3-5 years time we get back there with a crop of storming youngsters we as a club will be streamlined and living within our means. That's more important than what state the SPL is in

the most annoying thing about this is that we could have been 5 years into our rebuild job if player power didn't win over the manager

[2daludaludalu 390]

Fuck liewell and his puppets at the sfa

[Bad Robot 21,141]

Don't get me wrong, the clubs that (if it turns out this way) vote for the newco not to get the 12th share in the SPL should be remembered, and we shouldn't let them off with it when we get the chance.

But what is bugging me with some of our fans is the attitude of "fuck the spl, let them die" and hoping/expecting that the league will be a complete joke of a league.

No doubt this may be the case, but have any of us stopped to think what the consequences of this will be? 3 years time when we are looking to win the 1st Division and gain entry back in to the SPL, what are we expecting to enter back in to?

We'll be a team of talented young domestic lads, with a great fighting and winning mentality (here's hoping for some cup success along the way?) but if we are all "fuck the SPL, hope it dies" etc, then aren't you all worried that there is fuck all for us to come back to? That when we do come back, there is no TV deal, there won't be any decent (lol, like there is now) clubs to play against. A SPL filled with Ross County, Inverness, Raith Rovers, Partick Thistle etc? How is that going to help us in the future? How is that going to help us get back on top? We'll be walking in to a league with no prospect, no hope, and playing against teams of mediocre level, all fighting for ONE champions league spot, that will have 4 qualification places.

I'm all for hurting who ever fucks us over, but let's be honest, for The Rangers to succeed, we actually do need the SPL to sort it fucking self out in time for our eventual return, so that we can take our strong team, and keep building back up, so that we can dominate this league once again, so that we can get the chance to fight in Europe and play against the big boys once again.

finally someone who can set their sights without the red mist

[abundantbear 4]

The league will indeed degenerate over the 3 years without us, but our return could see a massive surge of interest in the league. First league old firm game etc which could benefit the entire Scottish game with more interest from further afield and perhaps increased TV revenue.

All coulds and perhaps these days isn't it?

[The Dude 20,026]

Don't get me wrong, the clubs that (if it turns out this way) vote for the newco not to get the 12th share in the SPL should be remembered, and we shouldn't let them off with it when we get the chance.

But what is bugging me with some of our fans is the attitude of "fuck the spl, let them die" and hoping/expecting that the league will be a complete joke of a league.

No doubt this may be the case, but have any of us stopped to think what the consequences of this will be? 3 years time when we are looking to win the 1st Division and gain entry back in to the SPL, what are we expecting to enter back in to?

We'll be a team of talented young domestic lads, with a great fighting and winning mentality (here's hoping for some cup success along the way?) but if we are all "fuck the SPL, hope it dies" etc, then aren't you all worried that there is fuck all for us to come back to? That when we do come back, there is no TV deal, there won't be any decent (lol, like there is now) clubs to play against. A SPL filled with Ross County, Inverness, Raith Rovers, Partick Thistle etc? How is that going to help us in the future? How is that going to help us get back on top? We'll be walking in to a league with no prospect, no hope, and playing against teams of mediocre level, all fighting for ONE champions league spot, that will have 4 qualification places.

I'm all for hurting who ever fucks us over, but let's be honest, for The Rangers to succeed, we actually do need the SPL to sort it fucking self out in time for our eventual return, so that we can take our strong team, and keep building back up, so that we can dominate this league once again, so that we can get the chance to fight in Europe and play against the big boys once again.

I posted similar last week. Its all well and good wanting to see the rest get whats coming but we really need to be careful what we wish for. As poor as the SPL is now its in OUR interests that it is kept as strong as possible.

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

Don't get me wrong, the clubs that (if it turns out this way) vote for the newco not to get the 12th share in the SPL should be remembered, and we shouldn't let them off with it when we get the chance.

But what is bugging me with some of our fans is the attitude of "fuck the spl, let them die" and hoping/expecting that the league will be a complete joke of a league.

No doubt this may be the case, but have any of us stopped to think what the consequences of this will be? 3 years time when we are looking to win the 1st Division and gain entry back in to the SPL, what are we expecting to enter back in to?

We'll be a team of talented young domestic lads, with a great fighting and winning mentality (here's hoping for some cup success along the way?) but if we are all "fuck the SPL, hope it dies" etc, then aren't you all worried that there is fuck all for us to come back to? That when we do come back, there is no TV deal, there won't be any decent (lol, like there is now) clubs to play against. A SPL filled with Ross County, Inverness, Raith Rovers, Partick Thistle etc? How is that going to help us in the future? How is that going to help us get back on top? We'll be walking in to a league with no prospect, no hope, and playing against teams of mediocre level, all fighting for ONE champions league spot, that will have 4 qualification places.

I'm all for hurting who ever fucks us over, but let's be honest, for The Rangers to succeed, we actually do need the SPL to sort it fucking self out in time for our eventual return, so that we can take our strong team, and keep building back up, so that we can dominate this league once again, so that we can get the chance to fight in Europe and play against the big boys once again.

Yep - there is the bigger picture of Scottish Football here - Rangers don't live in isolation and we cant just say fk them all (my goodness who do we NOT hold a grdudge against - we have become more grudge orientated than any set of fans - and that is likely to carry on for years). The problem is every fan group (and their 'Chairmen' and the SPL and SFA) are all to busy looking after only their own corner to take a broader view)

However every team, every set of fans and the SPL and SFA all need to stop digging and start thinking.

I NEVER liked the US sports franchise system - but the one thing that system is good at is looking after their respective games interests. That should be the role of the SPL and SFA - looking after the collective interest of the whole BUT instead they are to busy looking at self interest.

I came acrooss a management phrase a good few years ago that I apply to companies that get to process orientated, to worried about 'systems and procedures' that they become inhibited in moving forward and being productive and it is 'To busy doing things right - to do the right thing' and that applies here.

Every one wants to do the things right!

Club Chairmen want to 'listen' to their fans - but what they should be doing is taking a leadership position and saying "Lets do what is right for the game" after all fans are only going to vote one way - for draconian measures - but sometimes it takes leadership to say "No that is wrong"

The SPL and SFA are caught in that same beauraucratic crap - their jobs have become 'process orientated' - all about procedures and applying them - the problem (as we all find out) is when procedures dont cover an eventuality we are left with common sense - but our beauracrats look to the procedures and when an instance is covered they have no place to go and lack the common sense to sort the situation.

The SFA and the SPL are running about trying to 'sort out' this unforeseen circumstance - all that needed to be applied was a little bit of common sense - but instead we went down the process and procedures route - and while some procedure can be helpful to any company in trying to deal with day-to-day matters the company that tries to deal with change, especially catastrophic change, by appplying procedures to them instead of 'Though and Leadership' is a company that will be crushed by events.

The SPL/SFA and Club Chairmen need to get out of there respective corners - stop looking at 'How to do things' and start looking at 'What to do' and someone - somewhere better take up a leadership role in this damm quick or Scottish football will be crushed by the ongoing events, not just Rangers.

[Guardian 4,281]

I posted similar last week. Its all well and good wanting to see the rest get whats coming but we really need to be careful what we wish for. As poor as the SPL is now its in OUR interests that it is kept as strong as possible.

It is not in our interests to keep it as strong as possible if we aren't in it, or in it but receiving no income from it.

They will never let us go to div3, that is a 100% certainty.

They will want div1 and will hand out money to keep clubs afloat til we return, so we get pumped stupid but they don't suffer.

We'd still be handicapped by them even then when we return.

I really hope we do not settle for this compromise as I don't fancy years of being kicked by them.

[Crespie6 334]

IMO we won't go to Division 3, also there are pros and cons for SPL and Division 1 so I'm pretty much on the fence between these. The next 5 years or so have to be sacrificed for a complete a rebuild of our club and the SPL as a whole but together we can get there.

i dont think there are ANY pros to Div1 - i think that would be the worst thing that we could get. if it did happen, all our top players would likely leave. there would still be a 'sporting integrity' argument thrown at us for not starting at the bottom (even though the people throwing this acquisation would be counting the coin they get from us as they do this), and there may be sanctions to deal with when we got back up. (not too sure on this last bit, but the first two are my main concern).

if we start at div 3, put a 5 year plan in place that the fans are aware of, and get the fans united behind the team, i think we will have a solid ship at the end of it. but if we are in the spl, its just going to be this 'look ahead one year' shit we've been watching for years now.

[Ricky_ 893]

Well heres a question to the OP;

read Motherwells concerns in their statement, about how they are concerned they may not be able to pug the overnight financial shortfall as they have bills & financial obligations based upon their current income.

If there was ever evidence that some of the SPL teams face a real possibilty of slipping into administration, then you just got it from the horses mouth.

So tell me this, forget about RFC for a second and think about the SPL without us, and the teams dropping like flies and going into administration, unable to fufill fixtures etc....

What happens then?

I've felt, since about 2007/08ish... that the SPL was in an unstoppable decline. the SPl screwed scottish football in 2002 when they rejected Sky. Whats happening now is just a result of the SPL's recession... a recession of their own doing.

Thanks to our situation, we look like it coudl be armageddon. What it holds in store for us as we rebuild? who knows. Who knows what it holds i store for Celtic, Aberdeen, Hearts... What does it hold in store for the Div 1 teams looking for promotion.

Anything which forces us into scrapping the whole fuckign thing and starting again has to be a good thing. Had RFC got a CVA through, we would have just carried on in a long, slow, painful death that the SPL was heading to anyway. This year the EPL announced a TV deal worth 30x more than the SPL. They grow. We decline. Only getting worse. Take a look at some of the shirt sponsors in the league ffs. take away the OF and SPL average attendance is on a par with English League 2.

[Weird_Beard 99]

Yep - there is the bigger picture of Scottish Football here - Rangers don't live in isolation and we cant just say fk them all (my goodness who do we NOT hold a grdudge against - we have become more grudge orientated than any set of fans - and that is likely to carry on for years). The problem is every fan group (and their 'Chairmen' and the SPL and SFA) are all to busy looking after only their own corner to take a broader view)

However every team, every set of fans and the SPL and SFA all need to stop digging and start thinking.

Unicorns and rainbows!

Great piece though. You should start your own cult.

[nelsonRFC82 305]

I do think fuck the SPL, and I do hope it dies a painful death without us!

I understand your point about what is left when we get back to the top, but I have felt for a long time that changes are needed throughout the structure of Scottish football. Scottish football has stagnated badly and is in need of significant reform. Our exclusion from the SPL (be it to Div 3 or whatever) may well be the catalyst needed for this change. Other teams may then face financial difficulties, and I hope they all remember the glee they felt at our problems as it could well be the last thing their clubs get to "celebrate"...we will come back from our problems, are they big enough & strong enough to do likewise?

Honestly think a country the size of Scotland does not need 4 divisions, more practical would be 2 divisions with a regional pyramid system, incorporating highland and junior leagues, for promotion below that.

Focus should be on improving youth infrastructure, improving the actual product on the field...ensuring fans are considered top priority in terms of value for money, timing of games, summer football even?

If we are faced with SPL expulsion, then we have the chance to implement such changes within our own structure (and is long overdue) and could well have us ahead of the game when the harsh realities hit home elsewhere!

Is the alternative that we get fucked over continuously by the SPL but only to the extent that they can still keep us going to provide financial lifeblood for the rest, and we strive to get back to full strength to win, what is already, a sub-standard product and ever-decreasing in quality?

[WaltersGotStyle 160]

fuck the SPL teams. Live off our money for many years only to kick us when we are down

if in 3-5 years time we get back there with a crop of storming youngsters we as a club will be streamlined and living within our means. That's more important than what state the SPL is in

the most annoying thing about this is that we could have been 5 years into our rebuild job if player power didn't win over the manager

Do you reckon Le Guen would have been a success?

[AljayBoy 2,298]

I do think fuck the SPL, and I do hope it dies a painful death without us!

I understand your point about what is left when we get back to the top, but I have felt for a long time that changes are needed throughout the structure of Scottish football. Scottish football has stagnated badly and is in need of significant reform. Our exclusion from the SPL (be it to Div 3 or whatever) may well be the catalyst needed for this change. Other teams may then face financial difficulties, and I hope they all remember the glee they felt at our problems as it could well be the last thing their clubs get to "celebrate"...we will come back from our problems, are they big enough & strong enough to do likewise?

Honestly think a country the size of Scotland does not need 4 divisions, more practical would be 2 divisions with a regional pyramid system, incorporating highland and junior leagues, for promotion below that.

Focus should be on improving youth infrastructure, improving the actual product on the field...ensuring fans are considered top priority in terms of value for money, timing of games, summer football even?

If we are faced with SPL expulsion, then we have the chance to implement such changes within our own structure (and is long overdue) and could well have us ahead of the game when the harsh realities hit home elsewhere!

Is the alternative that we get fucked over continuously by the SPL but only to the extent that they can still keep us going to provide financial lifeblood for the rest, and we strive to get back to full strength to win, what is already, a sub-standard product and ever-decreasing in quality?

To anyone else echoing the sentiments of the OP, I hope you have read the above and thought it over.

The SFA/SPL etc is a farce in it's current set up. By the Gers dropping to Div 3, it effectively negates the no entry to Europe for 3 years punishment; allows us to develop youth for retention for when playing at the top level again (or selling for a profit); and strikes a blow against every other club in the top division who live off the back of our, the fans, hard earned cash. If a side-effect of this is the eventual collapse of Scottish Football in it's current format then I'm all for it. Then hopefully the way will be clear for a new Football Association of Scotland to be built from the ground up, with consultation of the fans high on the list of priorities.

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,504]

Do you reckon Le Guen would have been a success?

maybe in time? We are now talking about a 3-5 year period of rebuilding, when we had the opportunity back then to do it.

Even if le guen got the sack we could have continued the route of low wages, focus on youths and keep the debt down. But instead Murray's ego and a lot of the fans couldn't handle a couple of seasons behind that mob

now it is forced upon us and we may well have less income to do it than we would have back then

[Danny Morrison 64]

Fuck the SPL.

They are bigots.

[delparlane 5,641]

Yep - there is the bigger picture of Scottish Football here - Rangers don't live in isolation and we cant just say fk them all (my goodness who do we NOT hold a grdudge against - we have become more grudge orientated than any set of fans - and that is likely to carry on for years). The problem is every fan group (and their 'Chairmen' and the SPL and SFA) are all to busy looking after only their own corner to take a broader view)

However every team, every set of fans and the SPL and SFA all need to stop digging and start thinking.

I NEVER liked the US sports franchise system - but the one thing that system is good at is looking after their respective games interests. That should be the role of the SPL and SFA - looking after the collective interest of the whole BUT instead they are to busy looking at self interest.

I came acrooss a management phrase a good few years ago that I apply to companies that get to process orientated, to worried about 'systems and procedures' that they become inhibited in moving forward and being productive and it is 'To busy doing things right - to do the right thing' and that applies here.

Every one wants to do the things right!

Club Chairmen want to 'listen' to their fans - but what they should be doing is taking a leadership position and saying "Lets do what is right for the game" after all fans are only going to vote one way - for draconian measures - but sometimes it takes leadership to say "No that is wrong"

The SPL and SFA are caught in that same beauraucratic crap - their jobs have become 'process orientated' - all about procedures and applying them - the problem (as we all find out) is when procedures dont cover an eventuality we are left with common sense - but our beauracrats look to the procedures and when an instance is covered they have no place to go and lack the common sense to sort the situation.

The SFA and the SPL are running about trying to 'sort out' this unforeseen circumstance - all that needed to be applied was a little bit of common sense - but instead we went down the process and procedures route - and while some procedure can be helpful to any company in trying to deal with day-to-day matters the company that tries to deal with change, especially catastrophic change, by appplying procedures to them instead of 'Though and Leadership' is a company that will be crushed by events.

The SPL/SFA and Club Chairmen need to get out of there respective corners - stop looking at 'How to do things' and start looking at 'What to do' and someone - somewhere better take up a leadership role in this damm quick or Scottish football will be crushed by the ongoing events, not just Rangers.

Very good post for the most part, though I do take issue with your statement that "we have become more grudge orientated than any set of fans". In my eyes this is a direct backlash against the abuse that has been heaped upon us by every other club since the start of this fiasco. I am all for taking deserved punishment, but for every other team to be screaming about "sporting integrity" and bleating on ad nauseum that we "lack humility" just beggars belief (especially considering the chequered history of some of these witchfinders.). I think other clubs would see a lot more "humility" forthcoming from us if they weren't blinded by their own hatred of our club and grabbing every opportunity to stick the boot in. If you back a dog into a corner, it shouldn't come as a surprise if it bares its teeth and retaliates.

[T_Cradle85 3]

Here we are again, a section of fans now saying "fuck the rest of them"

Now I do not think we should do things that benefit the rest of them, but in the long term, where does this attitude of "fuck them, let them die without us" leave us in 3 years time?

No top league, no safe european spot, no tv deals, no scottish football, and no money across the board.

I don't think punishments and staying in the SPL is ideal, and we better fucking fight our corner, but don't we reckon that claiming the moral high ground (as some would have us believe) to go to the lower divisions is cutting our nose off to spite our face?

There will be fuck all to come back to! As a poster pointed out (apologies I am on page two now and haven't quoted you directly), the likes of Motherwell will struggle to survive, as will others. So when they all drop/fall to their knees, what does it leave us to come back to?

3 years of playing in lower leagues, and eventually coming back to a dead league - no better than the likes of the Polish, Latvian, Estonian leagues.

Or a year or two of punishments (fucking harsh ones at this) that keeps us in the league, and allows us in a few years to be able to push forward again.

They won't extend the current (illegal) transfer embargo, so let's assume at worse that's 12months. At worse a year of 25pts deducted, or 3 years at 10pts each year. Will see us 1 year of falling very short of a Euro place, or a few years of still being able to get second place, and CL qualification.

A loss of revenue income is going to be hard to take, but it won't be anywhere near as big a loss as going to the lower leagues.

I am not admitting defeat and saying we should accept the draconian punishments that these clubs will want to hit us with, what I am saying is that we should think long term. What will we come back to? What will we have to play for? Where could we end up in real terms????

Let's all take the tinted glasses off for a moment, and seriously consider what will happen to the top flight football without us.

[*Manticore* 1,893]

We'll see what's there when we get back....

[Ricky_ 893]

Here we are again, a section of fans now saying "fuck the rest of them"

Now I do not think we should do things that benefit the rest of them, but in the long term, where does this attitude of "fuck them, let them die without us" leave us in 3 years time?

No top league, no safe european spot, no tv deals, no scottish football, and no money across the board.

I don't think punishments and staying in the SPL is ideal, and we better fucking fight our corner, but don't we reckon that claiming the moral high ground (as some would have us believe) to go to the lower divisions is cutting our nose off to spite our face?

There will be fuck all to come back to! As a poster pointed out (apologies I am on page two now and haven't quoted you directly), the likes of Motherwell will struggle to survive, as will others. So when they all drop/fall to their knees, what does it leave us to come back to?

3 years of playing in lower leagues, and eventually coming back to a dead league - no better than the likes of the Polish, Latvian, Estonian leagues.

Or a year or two of punishments (fucking harsh ones at this) that keeps us in the league, and allows us in a few years to be able to push forward again.

They won't extend the current (illegal) transfer embargo, so let's assume at worse that's 12months. At worse a year of 25pts deducted, or 3 years at 10pts each year. Will see us 1 year of falling very short of a Euro place, or a few years of still being able to get second place, and CL qualification.

A loss of revenue income is going to be hard to take, but it won't be anywhere near as big a loss as going to the lower leagues.

I am not admitting defeat and saying we should accept the draconian punishments that these clubs will want to hit us with, what I am saying is that we should think long term. What will we come back to? What will we have to play for? Where could we end up in real terms????

Let's all take the tinted glasses off for a moment, and seriously consider what will happen to the top flight football without us.

the whole point is hopefully Scottish Football collapses, and starts again from scratch.

ever since 2002 when the monkeys in charge knocked back the SKY deal and ended up having to settle for a fraction of the money with the BBC, then moving to the doomed setanta, before SKY came to the resuce again, they ruined the league. It's been in steady decline since 2002. It was also a decision that plummeted 3 SPL teams into administration, and was roudn about the time our finances started to get really fucked.

The other clubs are so desperate to get us out because they are sickened and scunnered turning out every season (well, the numbers are consistantly dropping) just to see their no hope teams compete in a 2 horse race. GEtting us out, even if it means riskign there own finances is what they want so bad. Us back in means they missed their chance, it's back to everyone else trailing the OF by 20+ pts per season. There is no competition for them. If the fans of the other clubs were also allwoed to vote out Celtic and have a league without the OF, it would be unanimous.

If you own a public swimming pool, and it gets contaminated, you can add more chlorine. Adding chlorine though can upset the pH balance. So you can add more chemicals to balance that out. Each time you add something, the water becomes less pure & eventualy it can get out of control. Refilling the pool means its out of action for a couple of days until you refil it. That will cost you money too, to close for a period of time, and some angry customers who show up for a swim don't get in. But soemtimes your water just gets so fucked you have no choice but to take the unpopular decision. Empty the entire pool and start again from scratch. Take the opportunity to do any reconstructive work that might need done. After doing so your future will be brighter for it.