What can Rangers do to other SPL teams now that they’re in the third division? It’s going to take years before they can grab a dominant hold of the top flight like in years past, so for now, making some sort of financial dent in the accounting of some clubs is pretty much all they have to show for.
With a Scottish Cup match against Dundee United lined up for Rangers in Tannadice a few months from now, the only think Rangers can do besides beat their rivals is make sure they don’t get a lot of money out of it. Charles Green, the chief executive of Rangers, is known for making quite populist announcements in the time he has been in charge. His statement regarding the Dundee match is probably popular with those who care more about getting even than actually attending matches.
Rangers Football Club will not be taking its allocation of tickets for the forthcoming Scottish Cup match against Dundee United at Tannadice. This is a unanimous decision by the board, senior management and staff at Ibrox. Everyone at this club is dismayed at the actions of certain SPL clubs, which were actively engaged in trying to harm Rangers when we were in a perilous situation and we are acutely aware of their attitude to us.
Not all clubs who voted against Rangers returning to the SPL fall into that category and indeed we made Motherwell very welcome when we played them at Ibrox in the League Cup competition recently. However, feelings remain very raw and it should be no surprise that we as a club feel this way.
It is unsurprising too that there has been a reaction from our supporters to this particular fixture. The last thing we as a club want to do is to compromise security arrangements for any match. I therefore appeal to all fans not to travel to this match and to Dundee United not to sell tickets to Rangers supporters.
Our only regret is that this turn of events will not assist Ally McCoist and the team in what will be a very difficult fixture. We should make clear that the Club, the manager and the players all look forward to a situation where Rangers fans attend every match to support the team. The fans are our greatest asset.
Rangers don’t want teams that voted them out of returning to the SPL (which was probably the fair decision) making money off of their fans. Fair as well. There are quite a few third division clubs that have probably made major adjustments to their financial outcomes thanks to the surprising arrival of Rangers to the lowest professional flight in Scotland. No need to help the struggling teams that didn’t want them where they usually belong.
Actually, the only team that didn’t vote against Rangers was Kilmarnock, which means that if in the next few years the Gers will get a cup tie that sends them travelling to Rugby Park, Michael Johnston can relax, he’ll get the money. What is worth mentioning is that Dundee United weren’t really counting on a cup match to help them raise some funds, at least not when the season began. Not the greatest revenge in the world, but sometimes it takes small steps.