End of Scottish football???

And so the decision of where to put Rangers Newco has been decided!! Div 3 it is, and possibly the end of Scottish football?? Now, my dad is a Rangers fan, and I too, also follow Pompey, so I think we are well versed when it comes to talking about clubs in Crisis!!

I have no doubt that if you fall foul of the rules, that you have to be punished, and it is always going to be difficult when it comes to a football club, as fans (whoever you support) are not to blame. We pay week in week out, buying tickets, merchandise etc, and ultimately it is us who pays!

I will get onto Pompey soon enough, but as for Rangers, what does this decision really mean for Scottish football? I know we all joke about there only being 2 teams in Scotland, but now we are down to one!! I know there has to be a level of consistency in football, as Livingstone were relegated to Div 3 a few years back, and I am sure they wouldn't be happy if Rangers were just relegated to Div 1, but there is a bigger picture to consider here!

Recently a number of teams have said they can only sign players, or keep players on the back of games against Celtic and Rangers, and the gate receipts and revenue it brings in - also included in that is possible tv money. Straight away, that income is halved.

I cannot imagine Sky Sports, or any other TV company rushing to cover Scottish football anymore, and I wouldn't be surprised if Sky aren't currently going through their contract with a fine tooth comb to see if they can exit the deal. Remember Granada Thursday night football, and how that deal has helped ruin many a club who borrowed against future income! Well welcome to the Scottish version!

I am sure one or two diehard Celtic fans will be chuckling with the news, but am sure as well, there will be an awful lot who realise how bad this is going to be for Scottish football. With all due respect, there will be no competition for Celtic now, and the league may well be over by Christmas. The only way clubs can compete with Celtic is that in the coming years, players won't want to join Celtic, despite their history and size, because their will simply be NO competition. I can see Celtic being a place where players go to get a final payday and a trophy!

It may have been a  drastic decision, but I feel the whole league system could have done with a shake up. Instead of a premier league of 12 teams, and then 3 leagues of 10 teams, why not just have 2 divisions of 21 teams? Surely, that would make it more competitive?

I just think there are too many chairman out there who thought this was a way to get their club up the league, and for their sake, I hope it's not a decision that comes back to haunt them, more so for financial reasons, as I hear one or two of them are on the brink of administration, and whilst Rangers can survive, we all remember what happened to Gretna!

So, Rangers will play on in Div 3, personally, with their fan base, and loyal young players, I don't think it will take long to rise again - the only problem is will there be anything to return to? Good luck to them, and the 5 clubs who were knowledgeable enough to vote to keep Rangers in the higher divisions!