Battle lines are drawn

There's a long way to go in the Rangers saga.


Charles Green and his Sevco group has apparently bought the club's assets after HMRC told suggested that the Worst CVA In The History Of The Universe be inserted where the sun does not shine, but the knockdown fee of £5.5 million - which will effectively pay off administrators Duff and Phelps and no more, yet apparently buys the stadium, the ground and possibly (though possibly not) the contracts of the staff - appears sufficiently dodgy that I wouldn't be surprised if the liquidators attempted to derail it.

Green has another problem with the emergence of a consortium fronted by Walter Smith, who now want to buy the assets from Green for, well, not much more than Sevco paid for them. Green of course wants much more cash, but Smith is likely to be backed to the hilt by fans groups and has the power, through encouraging fans to boycott games and delay season ticket renewals, to make life very difficult for Mr. Green.

The shyster-in-chief, Craig Whyte, has been very quiet in the last week or so - surely he will be mouthing off to journalists again soon enough.

All this means that it is very possible that the Rangers situation will not become clear for some time yet; if there is some sort of legal action involved, it could be months, not weeks.

The SPL season starts in less than eight weeks.
A long, drawn-out saga might help a newco Rangers - the closer we get to the start of the new campaign, the less time there is for the authorities to get together and come up with a punishment for all their misdemeanours, and letting the newco in the SPL will increasingly become the easiest, simplest option. But a drawn-out process in the courts would be a disaster and possibly prevent them from starting the new season. We shall see.

What everyone has forgotten, with all the attention on the failed CVA and the start of the liquidation process, is the fact that the SPL investigation into dual-contracts, and the reconvening of the SFA tribunal are still to take place.

It is unthinkable that the SPL and SFA will now turn around and say "these were the actions of Old Rangers, we can't do anything to New Rangers"...though depressingly I expect Neil Doncaster, chief exec of the SPL, to try to hint at this. The SFA were of course told by the Court of Session that they could not impose a transfer embargo, and that the only punishment options are Exclusion, suspension, a one year Scottish Cup ban, and a fine. Rangers can't pay the fine. A cup ban would be laughably soft, not least because an SFL club got the same punishment this season for forgetting to sign a player registration in the correct place (and because, given Rangers' early cup exits the last few years, it would only be a 1 match ban!). So Rangers' attempts to circumvent football justice by crying to the civil courts may well backfire and result in a more severe sanction than they got first time round, simply because only those punishments even vaguely fit their crimes.

As for the SPL, it might try to push the whole dual contracts thing under the carpet, but they will definitely have to vote on whether a newco Rangers can be dropped straight into the SPL. It needs an eight-to-four majority (and scandalously, Rangers get to vote on their own punishment!). A few weeks ago it looked like a sure thing that the chairmen would bend over and take it, But there has been a dramatic hardening of attitudes.

Part of this is down to Rangers' own actions in the last few weeks. Going to the Court of Session threatened bringing the wrath of UEFA and FIFA on Scottish football (and might yet do if the SFA bottles punishing them properly). By doing so the Gers made it clear that, if they were to be hit heavily, they were willing to take Scottish football down with them. Moreover, it was revealed by the chairmen of Inverness and Ross County this week that Duff and Phelps had made it clear at recent meetings that the CVA would be expected and that liquidation would absolutely not happen...even though, in hindsight, the CVA could not possibly have been accepted. Rangers, in short, have displayed breathtaking arrogance in misleading their fellow clubs and in being willing to threaten the wellbeing of others in a desperate attempt to save themselves.

The other big factor has been the supporters. As has been constantly pointed out, a Bluenose-free SPL will probably command a less lucrative TV deal, and clubs will take a hit from not having the Rangers away support turning up once or twice a season. There might be less interest from sponsors too. But it's become increasingly apparent that this loss of income might be dwarved by the loss of home fans who can't stomach the prospect of the Gers getting off with no more than a slap on the wrist. Season ticket sales at all clubs are sluggish at best. With tickets hideously overpriced considering the entertainment value, and the economic situation difficult for many folk, people are ready to look for an excuse to give up season tickets; this could be it.
Aberdeen were the first to raise their heads above the parapet earlier this week - such has been the backlash from their supporters (who detest Rangers more than anyone else except Celtic) that they are coming out on the 'no to newco' side in order to prevent Pittodrie, already rarely half-full, from becoming as empty on matchday as a graveyard on Christmas Day. Dundee United have made it clear that they are going to talk at length to their supporters trust about what decision to make - it's safe to say the fans want the book thrown at Rangers. Inverness have said the same thing, and their chairman is well-known for close links with the fans - he knows that an SPL with newco Rangers in it would go down like a lead balloon. And Celtic? Whilst they probably stand to lose the most in absolute terms from Rangers being demoted/destroyed, a decision to collude in the survival and rapid return to prosperity of their deadliest rivals would be nothing short of commerical suicide and would surely result in the biggest supporter backlash of them all.

Rangers have already entered liquidation, and they have already been found guilty of serious offences by an SFA tribunal. These events alone would have been enough to see any other club slung out of the league. They are still under investigation for their EBTs, and they are still awaiting the result of the Big Tax Case...though a newco will not be liable for the cash should the tribunal find in favour of HMRC. But it is quite fair to say that newco Rangers will be incredibly fortunate if they do not find themselves travelling to Elgin and Peterhead next season. If they find themselves travelling to Dingwall and Inverness, then Scottish football will be, or might as well be, dead.

L.