Rangers will have to go to court to win SPFL battle
THERE was no shortage of standout lines in the stronglyworded statement which Hearts owner Ann Budge released to the media on Saturday evening.
Describing the explanation given by Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack for Ladbrokes Premiership clubs scuppering league reconstruction plans the day before – he said they had to focus all of their energies on addressing the issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic – as “incredibly sanctimonious” was one.
Branding the decision to inflict further financial hardship on clubs during the Covid-19 outbreak and football shutdown by ending the 2019/20 season prematurely and relegating them as “outrageous and shameful” was another.
But there was one sentence in Budge’s scathing 1,500 word-long missive which raised a much-needed smile in the midst of what has been a rancorous and depressing episode.
Deriding Hearts’ top-flight rivals’ reluctance to entertain a change to the 12-10-10-10 set-up at the same time as they were dealing with other challenges, she said: “Speaking for myself, I am pretty good at multitasking.”
Being unable to multitask is a criticism that is levelled regularly by women at men everywhere – including at your correspondent by his better half on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis.
How Budge must long for more members of the fairer sex to occupy positions of power in the boardrooms of Scottish football clubs and governing bodies. Is a male-dominated administration the reason the game here is in such a mess? Perhaps there should be some positive discrimination as we strive to emerge from this crisis.
All joking aside, Rangers will need to have the former Entrepreneur of the Year’s expertise in coping with more than one task in the days and weeks ahead if they are to deal with the seismic implications of coronavirus and win their bitter battle with the SPFL at the same time.
Ibrox chairman Douglas Park might have convinced a few clubs to vote in favour of an independent investigation into the handling of the resolution on the end of the season at the extraordinary general meeting tomorrow when he revealed the Glasgow club will be prepared to fund the external inquiry.
However, it will, regardless of the widespread disaffection with chief executive Neil Doncaster and his associates at the moment, be a huge surprise if 75 per cent of the Premiership, Championship and League One and League Two clubs back their bid.
Only four Premiership clubs need to oppose it for it to fail. It is safe to assume that Hamilton and Motherwell, who both have representatives on the board, as well as Ross County, whose owner publicly defended the hierarchy last month, won’t support the call for a probe. Will Celtic side with their city rivals? As the Americans say, you do the math.
So where do Rangers go then? Managing director Stewart Robertson, vicechairman John Bennett and chairman Park have all spoken to the media in recent days and have all been asked about the prospect of taking legal action against the SPFL. None of them were willing to speculate on their next step should they be defeated.
But the “dossier of evidence” they supplied the other 41 SPFL clubs on Thursday showed they had received legal advice from advocate Eoghainn CM MacLean about their chances in court.
“In the circumstances, Rangers has a reasonably good prospect of obtaining an order for Mr Doncaster’s removal as director and chief executive,” the dossier stated. “The prospect may be enhanced, if other clubs joined in an application for such an order.”
There would undoubtedly be several others willing to support them if they opt to go down that route; Hearts, Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Partick Thistle, Falkirk, Stranraer and Edinburgh City aren’t exactly enamoured with the executive just now.
Will Rangers, though, really be prepared to become embroiled in what will be a hugely expensive and timeconsuming business at a time when they are wrestling with an unprecedented emergency?
There is no doubt their loathing and mistrust of those who occupy the sixth floor at Hampden – or did until coronavirus arrived on these shores back in March – is deep-rooted and genuine. It is no secret that they want regime change. But would it really be the wisest use of their efforts and resources at the moment?
There is a possibility they may have to play matches behind closed doors for the remainder of the year due to social distancing restrictions. That will create all kinds of complications, both financial and logistical, in the months ahead.
The statements and actions of the Rangers directors since football was suspended have met with the almost universal approval of their supporters and has doubtless helped in the uptake of season tickets since they were put on sale at the end of last month.
If they were suddenly to relent it would not be well received by many fans. Especially when Celtic are awarded the Scottish title. Still, it might be prudent for them to put their campaign on the backburner and return to it at a later date given everything they are contending with elsewhere.
Unless, of course, they are prepared to give Sonia O’Neill a place on the board . . .
Will Celtic side with their city rivals?