John Welsh
As the Rangers administration saga continues to dominate the headlines in Scottish football, with the drama unfolding on a daily basis, supporters are still no nearer to discover their team’s eventual fate. Administrators Duff & Phelps insist that the club "will not cease to exist", but argue that a buyer must be found urgently, with the club still losing money and needing to save £1M per month.
There have also been revelations that Rangers’ debt could reach £100M in the near future and playing in European competition next season has been ruled out, as accounts will be not meet the 31st March deadline. One director, South African based Dave King, claims that liquidation is "inevitable", an argument which has received little support. Contrary to this assertion is the view held by former director Paul Murray, that the Scottish giants will be saved and that he will submit takeover proposals with the administrators in the near future. What is becoming clear is that Craig Whyte will no longer remain as owner.
While the future of Rangers will attract even more publicity in the coming weeks, football still needs to be played in the Scottish Premier League (SPL), against this wave of uncertainty. With speculation mounting over possible redundancies among the players, it is no surprise that form at Ibrox has slumped since administration was announced, with the ensuing 10 point penalty. In their latest home defeat against Hearts, the Glasgow giants were forced to play several youngsters including Ross Perry, Salim Kerkar and Andrew Little, with others on the bench. Their prospects for the rest of the season show few encouraging signs.
As Rangers become immersed in ownership and financial discussions, it would appear other teams in the SPL are reaping the rewards of their woes.
Celtic, for example, now have one hand on the SPL championship trophy given that, at the time of writing, the Hoops are 21 points clear of their Old Firm rivals. Already fans are talking about celebrating the longest title party in SPL history, but Celtic manager Neil Lennon will be keen to maintain his side’s current good form and ensure the players are focused on the task ahead. He will be aware that Rangers can easily reverse their current malaise, and while the present points gap appears insurmountable, the Irish-born boss will demand title success by at least a ten-point margin.
Perhaps the team best placed to gain from the demise of the Ibrox club though are Motherwell. With two Champions League places on offer for SPL clubs, the North Lanarkshire side would appear to be in prime position to join Celtic in next season’s tournament. The Steelmen may eventually finish second, or benefit from Rangers’ enforced absence from European competition. Whatever happens, claiming their first ever Champions League qualifying place will be a major achievement for a club which has won very few honours in Scottish football.
To date, Motherwell have only one Scottish League title, two Scottish FA Cup wins and a solitary League Cup to their name. Yet the side have maintained their SPL status since its inception and have represented their country in other European competitions six times since 1990. The Steelmen currently enjoy a healthy points difference over their potential SPL European rivals St Johnstone, Hearts and Dundee United, but supporters are keen to stress that their current good form needs to be maintained.
Fir Park manager Stuart McCall is a firm believer in keeping a level headed perspective on the present situation. "We won’t be talking about the Champions League until the end of the season, if at all", commented the former Everton midfielder. With the split in the SPL due shortly, Motherwell will be playing their rivals for a place in the Champions League, hence the need to stay fully focused.
Maybe the Yorkshire-born manager is trying to dampen rising expectations, but he believes that participation in the Champions League qualifiers will not suddenly elevate the club to greater levels. He has warned that despite a successful campaign, wages will need to be trimmed for next season. Although the Lanarkshire outfit recently announced profits of over £500,000, McCall expects to have to sell one of his top performers during the summer and continue the process for future seasons. Speaking about cost cutting among several of the top Scottish clubs, the Motherwell manager has claimed that: “At the end of the day, though, if it gets clubs back on an even keel then it will have been a good thing.”
Although the Fir Park outfit would gladly take a Champions League qualifying place, citing it as reward for the fans, concerns are growing about the feat being achieved by default. Motherwell would rather win the opportunity through merit. Steelmen defender Tim Clancy added his view of recent events by saying: "It’s never nice when you have to talk about players and staff losing jobs. I’d like to see Rangers get their situation sorted".
Perhaps Motherwell may become the reluctant beneficiaries of Rangers current plight, but their reasoning may also reflect the prevailing sombre mood within Scottish football. While the Ibrox club continue to toil, the adverse publicity does little to promote the national game.
