Is it 100% Sky said no Old Firm for 1 season ?

[mouse]

I've never actually heard this confirmed and obviously I would guess the SPL would only want us away for 1 season.

The mess could be if other div 1 teams say no

[BlueThunder]

Someone will broadcast the SPL no matter where we end up. It may or may not be SKY but it certainly won't be anywhere near the current offered contract.

I haven't seen any quotes from SKY re: us dropping to division one. There is no guarantee we'd bounce straight back anyway

[beerbelly]

Dont think anyone has heard it confirmed, mainly paper talk.

PS Bluethunder you must be only person in Scotland to think RANGERS would get promoted up from the lower divisions.

[Skip]

I am pretty sure they said they would cover next season but would still have to renegotiate. I don't think sky will play their hand untill they have to but it won't be good for the spl

[Ricky_]

Papertalk, talk i dont believe for a second.

SKY are utterly cut throat. They won't pay the same cash per-season for a TV package which holds about 10% of the commerical value that the SPL with RFC, 4 OF's & a title race holds.

in 2002 the SPL ditched SKY and ended up with a pittance for 1 season when the BBC came to the rescue. The following season they got a healthy deal with setanta.

That 1 year in the wilderness without a decent TV revenue, was enough to tip Dundee, Motherwell & Livingston into administration.

[JCDBigBear]

I've been on holiday so can't remember where I read it as my internet access was intermittent but a SKY spokesman stated they would stick with the SPL but the deal would need to be renegotiated. Haven't seen anything from ESPN. Commercially, these tv people will lop a fair percentage off the current package. Any Gers fan worth his salt should have ditched both SKY and ESPN and told them why. Even the fans of the rest of the SPL are hardly likely increase their take-up of PPV football channels. Sponsors will not pay the same. Not even certain that current SPL sponsor will be happy at their deal.

Motherwell, Kilmarnock, St. Mirren, St. Johnstone, ICT, Ross County are six clubs who are likely to lose approx £1m per season in the SPL if Rangers aren't in the top flight. Their average home support is approx 4,000. If only half of their fans turned up with half boycotting, these clubs would probably be financially better off voting Gers into the SPL.

[sheffieldbear1]

This is my first post... I have been reading for a while but I feel I now need to comment.

I am surprised by a few things.

The traitors who have jumped ship make my blood boil, absolutely disgusting. At least transfer to the new co and them move on so Rangers at least get a fee. Completely selfish, typical footballers.

Also the 'cutting off your nose to spite your face' attitude of the SPL teams who are saying no.

I personally want to start in the 3rd divison, I don't want to move to England. My reasons being, did you see where Wimbledon had to start again? They needed about 7 promotions to get to League 2. There is no way Rangers would be allowed in one of the top leagues, so we need to do our best to stay in Scotland. Enjoy the ride for 3 years, win some more trophies, visit some new grounds and enjoy the show in the SPL as your St Johnstones, Inverness, Dundee United's go into administration. My prediction is when Rangers get promoted back into the SPL in 3 years time, there will be a few SPL teams starting again in 3rd Division.

Thanks for reading my 1st post.

Remember, karma is a bitch.

[OlegKuznetsov]

I've never actually heard this confirmed and obviously I would guess the SPL would only want us away for 1 season.

The mess could be if other div 1 teams say no

Sky don't even want us to be out for one match, ya numpty!

They will put up without us for one season and no more, hence the SFL Division 1 with SKY coverage of Rangers games.

[Johnny Hubbard]

was the idea to resurect the Glasgow Cup to hold out the hope of a Rangers Celtic game ?

[sassaaaa]

People don't realise the power Sky has , whatever decision is made they will be the main ones behind it .

[StornowayBlue]

was the idea to resurect the Glasgow Cup to hold out the hope of a Rangers Celtic game ?

I believe so - Yes

[Shuggy]

People don't realise the power Sky has , whatever decision is made they will be the main ones behind it .

Yup, the choice may boil down to division one or no league at all.

Sky can't be that powerful though else Rangers would still be in the SPL.

Shuggy

[debear]

I was told by a SPL clubs cheif exec that this was the case.

[bluenose_72]

But what if SFL clubs vote against us?

[Ricky_]

I was told by a SPL clubs cheif exec that this was the case.

i dont mean to discredit you debear, but my best guess would be that "1 year without RFC" is the currently bargaining position of the guys 'running' the SPL.

it's been obvious for sometime now that it isn't viable for RFC to remain in the league due to the reaction it would cause from other clubs fans. But the SKY deal stipulates 4 OF's as a 'must'.

meaning it's lose/lose for the SPL.

I don't think SKY have said "OK guys, we'll agree to making a loss and stumping up for 1 shite season that nobody will watch, if you get RFC back in the league next season". I very much think it's the case that the SPL bosses are frantically scrambling around in the background trying to come up woth all kind of plans, such as SL-SFL mergers to get RFC into division 1, to try and please SKY.

Alot of people are set to lose alot of money. SKY know no loyalty, they only know the dollar. I honestly don't think they'll entertain the same per-season price, i think they might offer a cut price without RFC then "back to normal" with them ack in next season. If RFC go to division 3, i think it's likely the plug gets pulled completely.

[Danny Morrison]

Tbh as much as Old Firm fans might claim to detest each other, and there is no doubt we do.

Both clubs - at board level - know it is better for Scottish football and indeed for themselves if both are in the SPL.

Celtic needs us in the SPL. They need us to maintain the 11-1 voting structure. They need us for the SKY TV deal. They need us for the derbies. Whether some like it or not, on either side, there is mutual dependence.

Had this vote gone to secret ballot, Celtic would have most certainly voted yes. That fact they are silent at the moment tells its own story.

We’d have done the same if it was the other way around.

[bearsrus]

People don't realise the power Sky has , whatever decision is made they will be the main ones behind it .

i'm truly amazed at the number of people who think SKY hold the cards in all of this,

from day dot every club has known their cloth will have to be cut accordingly, re us not being an SPL member,

if SKY had so much power over the SPL, then why have 6 clubs already vetoed us going beck in to the top tier??

like it or lump it, SKY dont hold a full house here, other SPL member clubs have had plans in place since Whyte took over!!

[MrSifter]

Something lost in the mists of time is the deal Sky offered a few years ago and the Chairmen in the SPL went for Setanta. Rangers and Celtic both said the Sky deal was better but were over ruled.

It's fascinating that this shockingly bad business decision is never mentioned. It cost all Scottish Premier League teams millions. That is the business acumen of those in charge of the other ten clubs.

[debear]

i dont mean to discredit you debear, but my best guess would be that "1 year without RFC" is the currently bargaining position of the guys 'running' the SPL.

it's been obvious for sometime now that it isn't viable for RFC to remain in the league due to the reaction it would cause from other clubs fans. But the SKY deal stipulates 4 OF's as a 'must'.

meaning it's lose/lose for the SPL.

I don't think SKY have said "OK guys, we'll agree to making a loss and stumping up for 1 shite season that nobody will watch, if you get RFC back in the league next season". I very much think it's the case that the SPL bosses are frantically scrambling around in the background trying to come up woth all kind of plans, such as SL-SFL mergers to get RFC into division 1, to try and please SKY.

Alot of people are set to lose alot of money. SKY know no loyalty, they only know the dollar. I honestly don't think they'll entertain the same per-season price, i think they might offer a cut price without RFC then "back to normal" with them ack in next season. If RFC go to division 3, i think it's likely the plug gets pulled completely.

This person was involved in the discussions.

[Ricky_]

Something lost in the mists of time is the deal Sky offered a few years ago and the Chairmen in the SPL went for Setanta. Rangers and Celtic both said the Sky deal was better but were over ruled.

It's fascinating that this shockingly bad business decision is never mentioned. It cost all Scottish Premier League teams millions. That is the business acumen of those in charge of the other ten clubs.

Thats not what happened.

the SPL rejected SKYs £42m deal thinkign they would comeback with a better offer, or someone else would give them a better offer.

no-one did, and then all they were left was the BBC offering a fraction of SKY's offer.

They also suggested SPL PPV Channel, which the gang of 10 wanted, but RFC & CFC used the 11-1 rule to block it. The response from the gang of 10 was they resigned from the league, but were talked out of it by the SPL, and the deal was done with Setanta.

Your right though, it did coste veryone millions, and is 1 of the reasons (but by no means the main reason) why Murray realised we were up the shitter. Motherwell, Livingston & Dundee (all in the SPL) ended up going into administration because of the shortfall caused in that year were the BBC had the rights.

I fully expect there to be a much worse scenario this time round. No RFC goes beyond just TV money, it will impact every single revenue stream the clubs have. Sponsorship deals wont be worth as much, their biggest live gates of the season are gone.

And to add to the misery, CFC fans groups have stated they will boycott the away games if the 11-1 rule is abolished (which it will be).

[surfsup2]

To be honest the only spl games we watch are the gers away games..and the English prem...so I think Sky are holding a lot of power..As will not be tuning in to any spl gamesas holds no interest.

[bearsrus]

To be honest the only spl games we watch are the gers away games..and the English prem...so I think Sky are holding a lot of power..As will not be tuning in to any spl gamesas holds no interest.

[hemdale1873]

I've never actually heard this confirmed and obviously I would guess the SPL would only want us away for 1 season.

The mess could be if other div 1 teams say no

That's something i was thinking as well, has it been 100% comfired yet?

Are sky really going to hand over £80,000,000 for a tv contract on the chance that Rangers might not be back in the spl in 12 months time? Rangers are obviously going to be weakend next season and even more so if it's div1 can sky 100% guarantee that Rangers would be back in the spl a year from now and that other clubs won't kick up a stink about it like they are doing at the minute?

My guess is no matter what league Rangers are in the spl deal with sky as it stands will be binned, and a new one signed for about 10-15% of what they would have got, bit like when the bbc took over after the spl turned down sky in the early 2000's.

[mouse]

Sky don't even want us to be out for one match, ya numpty!

They will put up without us for one season and no more, hence the SFL Division 1 with SKY coverage of Rangers games.

And to go back to my original post have sky said this somewhere officially? (The Numpty)

[FlippinEck]

This is my first post... I have been reading for a while but I feel I now need to comment.

I am surprised by a few things.

The traitors who have jumped ship make my blood boil, absolutely disgusting. At least transfer to the new co and them move on so Rangers at least get a fee. Completely selfish, typical footballers.

Also the 'cutting off your nose to spite your face' attitude of the SPL teams who are saying no.

I personally want to start in the 3rd divison, I don't want to move to England. My reasons being, did you see where Wimbledon had to start again? They needed about 7 promotions to get to League 2. There is no way Rangers would be allowed in one of the top leagues, so we need to do our best to stay in Scotland. Enjoy the ride for 3 years, win some more trophies, visit some new grounds and enjoy the show in the SPL as your St Johnstones, Inverness, Dundee United's go into administration. My prediction is when Rangers get promoted back into the SPL in 3 years time, there will be a few SPL teams starting again in 3rd Division.

Thanks for reading my 1st post.

Remember, karma is a bitch.

Welcome to the forum and I hope you are spot on!