[David62]

Hopefully the new club will emerge from the ether debt and bigot free. As for a possible move south, it certainly seems a more interesting, and potentially lucrative, prospect than playing amateur teams in the lower echelons of the Scottish League. Given the status of the club, they may even be allowed to start further up the pyramid than the Northern Premier Division, bringing the dream of the English Premiership ever closer. It already has the approval of UEFA so why not?

[TOSCS]

(Original post by David62)
Hopefully the new club will emerge from the ether debt and bigot free.

How will the latter be possible though? If anything, it will be worse because the die-hard fans will remain, and there will be less of a media spotlight on them (not that they ever seemed to care anyway). I don't think you appreciate just how much bigotry is woven into their club. Barely any of the songs they sing are even about Rangers. It's all just about hating the Irish and hating Catholics, which is a problem in Scottish society not just Rangers. 'Supporting' Rangers was always just an acceptable outlet for this hatred.

As for them playing in England, it looks like they'll finally be getting their wish. Berwick Rangers next season

[TrulyEpicLawls]

Or they could make it to the SPL in 3-5 years.

And that's assuming the SFA and SPL don't arrange things so Rangers get put straight back in the SPL, which is completely viable at the moment.

[NDGAARONDI]

They'd have to start from the very bottom like all new clubs. AFC Wimbledon had to do it so why should anyone have special dispension?

[David62]

(Original post by TOSCS)
How will the latter be possible though? If anything, it will be worse because the die-hard fans will remain, and there will be less of a media spotlight on them (not that they ever seemed to care anyway). I don't think you appreciate just how much bigotry is woven into their club. Barely any of the songs they sing are even about Rangers. It's all just about hating the Irish and hating Catholics, which is a problem in Scottish society not just Rangers. 'Supporting' Rangers was always just an acceptable outlet for this hatred.

As for them playing in England, it looks like they'll finally be getting their wish. Berwick Rangers next season

I think Alex Ferguson might give you the hair dryer treatment for that one. My understanding is that prior to "the Troubles" in Ulster, the club was less affiliated to unionist politics and was supported by the good folk of Govan and
surrounding area. I know some die-hard Rangers fans who stopped going to Ibrox after all the bigotted chanting started. I think maybe it would be easier to shed these maggots if the club was playing in England and without the Old Firm games to egg them on. But maybe its just wishful thinking

[TOSCS]

(Original post by David62)
I think Alex Ferguson might give you the hair dryer treatment for that one. My understanding is that prior to "the Troubles" in Ulster, the club was less affiliated to unionist politics and was supported by the good folk of Govan and
surrounding area. I know some die-hard Rangers fans who stopped going to Ibrox after all the bigotted chanting started. I think maybe it would be easier to shed these maggots if the club was playing in England and without the Old Firm games to egg them on. But maybe its just wishful thinking

You are quite simply clueless if you think the anti-Irish sentiment at Ranger started in the 70s and 80s. Even the very foundation of Celtic in 1887 came about because of the appalling way in which Irish immigrants were treated in Glasgow.

[bluenose14]

No. They've got the infrastructure to compete with the best in England so it's just another club for everyone else to compete with. And Celtic would most probably want to enter the English leagues as well. Then with the two of them in the league sectarianism becomes an issue.

[TOSCS]

(Original post by bluenose14)
No. They've got the infrastructure to compete with the best in England so it's just another club for everyone else to compete with. And Celtic would most probably want to enter the English leagues as well. Then with the two of them in the league sectarianism becomes an issue.

Good point, English football has enough problems with racism as it is without involving Rangers.

Out of interest, could you explain to us how Rangers have "the infrastructure to compete with the best in England", given that we are talking about a club which has run itself into liquidation.

[Sephiroth]

(Original post by David62)
I think maybe it would be easier to shed these maggots if the club was playing in England and without the Old Firm games to egg them on. But maybe its just wishful thinking

You mean like playing away to Berwick next season? We'll have to see.

This is the best opportunity Rangers will ever get to join the English leagues however. They've already been knocked down a few leagues so going a bit further to start at the bottom of the English leagues will have a far less impact on them than if they were making that decisions while at the top of the SPL.

[TOSCS]

Anyone who thinks Rangers will lose the bigotry as a result of this is living in cuckoo land. They weren't playing against Celtic when they stood doing Nazi salutes in Tel Aviv, they weren't playing against Celtic when they sang about murdering Catholics against Osasuna. They don't play Celtic for 34 of their league games yet their songs are there to be heard loud and clear. Their bigoted songs aren't even about Celtic, they're about Catholics and the Irish. They won't cease to hate these people just because their new team plays in a different league.

If anything, it will only get worse as they're much more likely to get away with it at smaller grounds with less policing.

Scottish Football (with the exception of its corrupt leaders) has shown great courage in finally standing up to the bullying tactics so long relied on at Ibrox, but I fear we are about to see their worst yet. A culture of entitlement nourished by a century of being allowed to treat rivals as second-class citizens has bred a type of person who does not take losing well. Hell, they even wreck the place when they win.

[bluenose14]

(Original post by TOSCS)
Good point, English football has enough problems with racism as it is without involving Rangers.

Out of interest, could you explain to us how Rangers have "the infrastructure to compete with the best in England", given that we are talking about a club which has run itself into liquidation.

Massive fan base which in theory would help them rise through the leagues pretty quickly. Then if and when they reach the premier league I could see them being a far more attractive proposition for investors than the Wigans, Readings etc. of the world.

Obviously this would all be the new Rangers.

[TOSCS]

(Original post by bluenose14)
Massive fan base which in theory would help them rise through the leagues pretty quickly. Then if and when they reach the premier league I could see them being a far more attractive proposition for investors than the Wigans, Readings etc. of the world.

Obviously this would all be the new Rangers.

By the admission of their own directors, Rangers do not have a massive fan base at all. Their selling point was their rivalry with Celtic, which is why everything they did looked to fan those flames. Without it they are nothing, as we now see.

[bluenose14]

(Original post by TOSCS)
By the admission of their own directors, Rangers do not have a massive fan base at all. Their selling point was their rivalry with Celtic, which is why everything they did looked to fan those flames. Without it they are nothing, as we now see.

They had an average attendance of 46,000 according to wiki last season. That would probably increase in the premier league if they were playing more competitive opposition on a weekly basis. That attendance pisses all over most clubs in the premier league.

And what do you mean as we now see?

[TOSCS]

(Original post by bluenose14)
They had an average attendance of 46,000 according to wiki last season. That would probably increase in the premier league if they were playing more competitive opposition on a weekly basis.
That attendance pisses all over most clubs in the premier league.

It could only increase by 5k, and given that half of their stadium was empty for most of last season I'd take that figure with a pinch of salt.

And what do you mean as we now see?

All their players are leaving them and their new club is in tatters, compare on contrast to Celtic who are signing players and arranging exhibition games against Real Madrid in America etc etc. Rangers needed the rivalry a whole lot more than Celtic did.

[shyopstv]

I don't like Rangers either but that post makes no sense. They are going to be playing in the Third Division next season, of course they are losing players. Why would Celtic be losing players? If the roles were reversed ad Celtic had been put in the Third Division do you really think that Rangers would still be the team losing players while Celtic sign players and tour America?

[scriggy]

(Original post by TOSCS)
All their players are leaving them and their new club is in tatters, compare on contrast to Celtic who are signing players and arranging exhibition games against Real Madrid in America etc etc. Rangers needed the rivalry a whole lot more than Celtic did.

Are you actually being serious?

Of course all their players are leaving; to stay would leave their careers in shreds. How were they meant to sign players when they had no idea what league they would be assigned too, not to mention the fact that the club doesn't have two pennies to rub together?

That has nothing at all to do with the Old Firm rivalry, and Celtic would be facing the exact same problems were the roles reversed.

[TOSCS]

(Original post by shyopstv)
Why would Celtic be losing players? If the roles were reversed ad Celtic had been put in the Third Division do you really think that Rangers would still be the team losing players while Celtic sign players and tour America?

If the roles were reversed, Rangers would be in a much worse position than Celtic. That is my point. Even their financial model (outwidth the cheating) was based on Celtic, "for every fiver they spend, we'll spend a tenner".

Rangers were a tumour to Glasgow football, an embarrassing younger sibling that constantly got the family in trouble. They benefited greatly from the 'Old Firm' tag because every time they caused havoc the blame was, absurdly, spread across the two clubs.

No more guilt by association.

[David62]

(Original post by TOSCS)
You are quite simply clueless if you think the anti-Irish sentiment at Ranger started in the 70s and 80s. Even the very foundation of Celtic in 1887 came about because of the appalling way in which Irish immigrants were treated in Glasgow.

I bow to your superior knowledge of the subjugation of Irish catholics. However, I don’t buy into the “all hope is futile” mentality. Although there is a history and tradition of sectarianism associated with Rangers - which I maintain, became more intense from the 1970s - I know enough Rangers supporters who are not bigots to give me hope that the club could transform itself, and maybe that would be made easier if it was playing in England away from the bigot-breeding Old Firm games.

[Jordan_1]

(Original post by TOSCS)
If the roles were reversed, Rangers would be in a much worse position than Celtic. That is my point. Even their financial model (outwidth the cheating) was based on Celtic, "for every fiver they spend, we'll spend a tenner".

Rangers were a tumour to Glasgow football, an embarrassing younger sibling that constantly got the family in trouble. They benefited greatly from the 'Old Firm' tag because every time they caused havoc the blame was, absurdly, spread across the two clubs.

No more guilt by association.

Yes because Celtic aren't bigoted in any way what so ever ****ing idiot.

[Fusion]