Rangers are under new ownership today and will now and forever be known as Rangers FC (newco).
by Marc Roseblade
Charles Green officially took over the Glasgow side but now must wait for the SPL committee to decide if they will allow the Gers to play in the SPL in the upcoming season.
(On a side note, anyone see the irony of the last chairman being called Whyte and the new one being called Green?)
It appears that the SPL chairmen are between a rock and a hard place as they try to manage the feelings of their supporters with the financial shortcomings that may occur should Rangers not play within the top tier of Scottish football.
SKY & ESPN have both stated publicly that they will withdraw their TV funding, reputed at being £80 million over 5 years, should Rangers not participate in the SPL. Other high profile sponsors may follow suit should their be no old firm matches to enhance the SPL profile.
Fans of many of the SPL clubs have already been vocal about their opposition to allowing the Ibrox club to remain in the top tier, with the examples of Livingston and Airdrie being used as examples. They are also withholding season ticket monies and new merchandise sales from their clubs as they make clear their opinion of how Rangers should be treated.
Rangers should also be aware of how their own fans perceive the situation, with many asking the club to accept the punishment handed down to them and make the move down to division three.
In our opinion, this would be the best thing to do for Rangers.
Due to the newco status of Rangers, they are unable to play in Europe for the next three seasons and playing from the bottom up would generate huge cash funding and awareness of lower league teams.
The downside to this would surely mean that promotion from division three, two and one would be almost guaranteed for Rangers in the coming years, therefore bumping the other participating teams in the leagues from the chance for promotion.
It’s a difficult situation that all clubs face in the coming days but for the sake of a faltering credibility of Scottish football, the decision makers must make this decision swiftly in order for the league schedules to be finalised.
Say hello to Rangers FC newco, Scotland’s newest football club, wherever they may play.
