'No to newco' a sound view, but 'yes' supporters must also be heard

Michael Grant

Chief football writer

Monday 2 July 2012

SPARE a thought for the poor souls hiding away around Scotland who might want to whisper "yes to newco".

Steven Davis opted not to follow Steven Naismith and Steven Whittaker's lead when the time came to exit Ibrox

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Michael Grant

They must exist. Perhaps there are thousands of them. Maybe the majority of Scottish League clubs will turn out to be supportive of letting Rangers join them at first-division level, but are too nervous about openly saying so. If not, and there is widespread or unanimous objection to the option favoured in the "Your Game, Your Club, Your Future" document sent around by the Scottish Football League executive, that's quite a slap in the face for the governing body.

The "no to newco" campaign has been a brilliant success. It has served as a refreshing demonstration of how club owners and chairmen can be brought to heel – however reluctantly – by those to whom they are answerable. Club after club fell to the protest at SPL level and the mood has now swept up a growing number of lower-league clubs. Enough to deny Rangers admission to the SFL at first division level? That's hard to say, because the majority required to vote them in at that level isn't clear yet. It could be two-thirds of SFL clubs or 75%.So far only the "no" side has really spoken up. Maybe that's a near unanimous position, but that's hard to believe. Views have been clouded by blind tribalism, but even among fans of any given club, it is too big an issue for only one opinion to exist. The shame is that those who might think some good could come from all of this, or that there may be something in it for their own club, are nervous about saying so lest they get shouted down as Rangers apologists.No-one is well served by this debate being reduced to crude, simplistic terms. "Yes" or "no" to newco. "Tough" or "lenient" on Rangers. Those who might have the temerity to think the idea of planting them in the first division has justifiable wider consequences – or "balances the need for short-term redemption with a least-worse-case financial scenario" as the SFL document puts it – haven't felt bold enough to say so. That's a pity, as it's a view that needs to be heard.The Scottish League has already failed on one crucial respect. The document says "we need some clear communication priorities for the SFL" and talks of "logical and positive communication to eliminate doubt, threat and insecurity". They want the Rangers-in-the-first-division option to be embraced but have done nothing to sell it or set an agenda which might have made it sound appealing. Instead of using the media, they have played hard to get. Clubs will be consulted tomorrow but the momentum is already set: Raith Rovers, Falkirk, Clyde, Morton and others have jumped on to the "no to newco" campaign from SPL clubs and swept it into the lower leagues. Anything else is a much, much harder sell now.But the document talks of £16m being lost to Scottish football if Rangers have to start in the third division. That figure demands explanation. If it's accurate, it is a chilling sum. Clubs should be deeply worried about that, and be asking questions rather than rushing out statements.Of course Rangers into the first division is a fudge and a deliberate redrawing of the league structure in order to accommodate them. It's an ugly compromise and – to use the phrase associated with Tony Blair's re-election in 2005 – people may have to hold their noses if they vote for it. But if that helps to preserve other clubs at something close to their current levels without the risk of redundancies or administration, and acts as the catalyst for broader changes for the good of the whole game, it has to be looked at with maturity instead of being shouted down as a cheat's charter.If the warnings of economic meltdown without Rangers in either of the top two divisions are justified then let's hear far more details. "No to newco" is a perfectly sound view, but this debate is too important for only one side of the chamber to have a voice.AND ANOTHER THINGSteven Davis had the talent to captain Rangers but his last act at the club cast a doubt over whether he had the personality for it. Throughout the prolonged negotiations between Duff & Phelps and the players over a pay cut to spare redundancies, Davis was a shrewd, influential and valuable voice in the talks. He served the club well.But last week the cat got his tongue. Other than a numbingly predictable late-night statement about how much Rangers meant to him, the club captain offered only the most cursory explanation and no insight or views on what had gone on at "his" club. If having the Rangers armband was really the privilege he had always claimed, he should have honoured it by committing to the sort of open conference held by Steven Naismith and Steven Whittaker. The end result may be the same – departure to England and no transfer fee for Rangers – but at least those two showed supporters respect by facing awkward questions on why they decided to go.Allan McGregor and Kyle Lafferty have been even more silent, highlighting the ease with which players disconnect these days. Supposedly a team heavily populated by "Rangers men" has performed at Ibrox for the past three or four seasons. You wouldn't know it from the way they've scattered with barely a word to those who paid their wages.

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'No to newco' a sound view, but 'yes' supporters must also be heard

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