Threat of the Third world

Billy Dodds

Football columnist

Sunday 1 July 2012

I have to say I had a little chuckle when I read some of the comments coming from Charles Green this week.

Steven Naismith and Steven Whittaker were both criticised for refusing to join the Rangers newco

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Billy Dodds

When the new Rangers owner put the boot into the players who have walked away from the club by claiming they were simply out to make a quick buck, I couldn't believe what I was reading. Is there a better example of the pot calling the kettle black?

Some of the statements that have been made this week have been, frankly, ridiculous. If you were in the shoes of any of the Rangers players, the one thing that would be uppermost in your mind is that basically, you cannot trust what anyone is saying. No-one has a clue about what is coming next in this story – the unpredictable is the only predictable thing about the entire mess. There will be more twists and turns in this tale yet before we get back to talking about football, back to trying to make Scottish football the best it can be and back to keeping football on the back pages. But, so far as the players are concerned, it is down to individuals to make their choice about what step they wish to make in their careers, and it is unfair for people to start pointing fingers at them. Some will want to stay and some will want to go and that's fair enough. Everyone is entitled to make that decision for themselves but I don't think the ones who made the decision to walk ought to be lambasted for it.Had they transferred over to the newco, there is every chance that Green would have sold them right away – there is no way the club can continue to operate by maintaining the salary structure that these guys are on – and if they were flogged, then just where would that money go?The problem is that there has been no transparency and players now need to look after their own careers. It's a short career and you cannot blame people for wanting to go and test themselves at the very top.But aside from the sniping that accompanied the departure of key players from the squad, there is the bigger issue of just where Scottish football goes from here – and so far no-one seems to have the answers to that one. It is an unprecedented situation and one that I fear could ultimately bring the game to its knees.The bottom line is that there seems to be agreement among most on the playing side – and I include the Rangers players and fans in this – that they want the club to be seen to do the right thing. And that means starting over again as a new company in the Third Division. It means working their way through the ranks and effectively paying off their debt to Scottish football. Only by doing that will they be seen to have earned their place back in the SPL, should they get there.But the people who are quaking in their boots at the thought of that scenario unfolding are the league bosses, because what that means is a substantial loss of revenue across the board. So what we have seen this week is a situation where the governing bodies are tying themselves in knots trying to come up with a solution that doesn't put noses seriously out of joint. And I don't think that solution exists. But what I would say is that Rangers going back to the bottom and working their way up is a frightening proposition for everyone who is connected to Scottish football. It is fine to shout about sporting integrity but what will happen when the financial reality starts to bite and other clubs find themselves struggling because the revenues have been so badly hit? There is not an easy answer to any of these questions, but the sooner an agreement is reached the better. It is only then that we can start to get back to the business of trying to rebuild the game and get back to talking football.There was one glaring omission that hit me as I listened to the English pundits wax lyrical about Roy Hodgson's men going out of the European Championship. Where everyone seemed to continually spout the theory that their lack of ball retention was the catalyst for their quarter-final exit at the hands of Italy, I couldn't help but think that the six Liverpool players in the squad might have had something to do with it.Excusing Steven Gerrard, who had a decent tournament, Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Glen Johnson were way off the pace at this level, while Stewart Downing and Martin Kelly didn't even play. Liverpool had a nightmare campaign last season and bringing along players who were a part of that was never going to bode well.

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Threat of the Third world

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