Rangers Banter Archive August 27 2014

27 Aug 2014 12:35:15
just an opinion - I really think its time to put everything in Scottish football into a bin and start again.
Watching highlights on TV - most stadia are empty!!
Lots have only one or two sides!! plus waste ground
Some have astro turf!!
Mostclubs have no money!!
Most are part time!!
There are some clubs in the "non league" set up who are better off than so called pro clubs, and that includes some well run junior clubs like Irvine Meadow for example.
Time to change to a summer sport, move the whole season, and force a lot of tiny clubs to amalgamate. Take Stranraer v Ross County last night for instance. A premier club visiting, and still only 297 fans at the match. Utterly pointless.
Scottish football saddens me when I look back to the 50's and 60's when big crowds were common all round the country. Yes, facilities in some places are more civilised now but the game here is in intensive care and heading for the grim reaper.
Rantover.

The price to watch a game is mental. There should be set prices through out the board. premiership has a set price then less for championship and so on. I live next to Stirling Albion, and there season ticket price is £175 and under 12's are free if going with an adult. I support the gers but next year I am buying a season ticket with them as I struggle to make it through to ibrox and my little one wants to start going to football games. Me and my mates sometimes go to there for hospitality when we are going on a lads night out. £65 each, free drinks, lunch, half time buffet, meet the players and manager. great deal. But I digress.
I agree with a summer league. But I personally think for the size of our country we should have a 3 league system and should only play each other twice.
Although I feel UEFA should step in with the wages players are getting, you should have a max wage for players and a max transfer fee. This might stop promising young players leaving clubs to sit on a bench because the money it so good. The 3 foreign player rule should be imposed. This would help young players break into a team. Problem is UEFA is controlled by the big teams. If it doesn't suit them they spit the dummies out.

1) fintytint - great reply, I agree with all your points. I have lived here in N. Ireland for 32 of my 69 years and the footie is laughable. I just don't want to see the Scottish game go the same way

How do you impose the 3 foreigner rule when it's against European law?

27 Aug 2014 19:05:14
Good topic.

Summer foot ball is a great idea whose time has come. TV money and the ridiculaous focus on Spain, Italy, England and Germany to the exclusion and detriment to all else is, for me, what has destroyed football. In Scotland the particular trigger, though, was the establishment of the Premier League. At that point shared gates were done away with and what money there was in the Scottish game was focussed on the top two. That is wrong. Even with the establishment of the SPFL (SPL company renamed), the money passed down through the league came almost entirely from the team finishing second. The winners still get the same prize; now it is just a whole lot bigger compared to second place than it used to be.

Great topic wee bill

27 Aug 2014 19:28:34
Spot on Wee Bill, the football is complete cr.p and shows zero likelihood of improvement. The old firm rivalry kinda covered the cracks for a short time in the premier league, inasmuch both tried to improve due to competition. Celtic fans were whooping with joy when Rangers were demoted without realising the disaster this was for them also, add Hearts and Hibs now and it only gets worse. As for lower leagues the number of so called professional teams is a complete joke and at best there should only be about half the number of teams.

28 Aug 2014 08:22:52
@ stewie.
I understand what your saying, but a club can buy as many foreign players as it wishes, they are all being paid, its just that they can only play a set amount in European comps. If that is illegal then surely its illegal that women aren't allowed to play with men at the highest level, mixed teams are banned after age 12 I think.

Players and agents have killed the game. A fair wage for a fair days work. Players in England on £200k a week. Doctors and soldiers on a fraction of this a year. No player in my mind is worth more than £200k per year for kicking a ball about. Great players in the past earned no where near the money guys like Black get but showed more commitment and passion than that tube ever will.

@6

That would still be classed as a restriction of trade and the top clubs would go straight to the European courts. Think UEFA did try to reintroduce that not long ago and were told it was illegal. Don't fall out with the theory but in reality it won't happen.

Not to be pedantic with the OP but the chosen game to be looking at a crowd figure isn't a midweek cup tie between the most northerly and southerly teams in Scotland which has been played midweek when there are Champions League games on TV. I do agree with most of the points made to be honest!

Op its the imposters trying to run the game in scotland that are to blame imo if they had any sence they would walk away or if we had any sense we would protest to get them out ex cricket people that got chased out of england no league sponsers for 3 years now ffs what will it take wise up before its to late or maybe its already to late

27 Aug 2014 07:20:54
justice prevails, unfort we still have a long way to go until its the same with sporting integrity!!