Rangers feeling blue - Sunday League football at Ibrox?

They say Friday the 13th is unlucky for some. This month, on that date, the artist formerly known as Glasgow Rangers will find out at what level they will be playing their matches next season. It's safe to say that this is by far the highest profile case of club punishment ever seen in Britain. There have been relegations, points deductions and transfer embargoes, but a top-flight club potentially sentenced to non-league football is a very real spectre. Whether things will get that serious, it's huge.

Television companies will have to cope with at least one year without Old Firm derbies (in the league at least), another Scottish club finally get a crack at Champions League football (Motherwell), and Third Division players may get to play at Ibrox after all. It's all change in Scotland.

Club 12 open the season at home to Berwick

Their fellow Scottish Premier League clubs voted unanimously to expel Rangers from the division, and they now wait a vote of clubs in the Scottish Football League on Friday 13th July - the potential outcomes are likely to be either: Begin the new season in Division One, in place of either Dundee (runners-up last season), or Dunfermline (relegated from the SPL); go direct to Division Three, the bottom of the system (allowing other clubs to filter upwards); or not be allowed to enter the league at all, and be sentenced to limbo.

This site has never made pretentions of any serious journalism, and in Rangers' case I'd leave anything investigative to the peerless blog Rangers Tax Case, who has done more than most to expose the club and it's lies. I could add that it's pretty ironic that a club whose fans have such allegiance to the Queen, are willing to withold/swindle the Crown out of millions of pounds in tax...

Craig Whyte, wannabe Flock Of Seagulls frontman

There are several companies, big and small, that have suffered and been put out by the Rangers situation. Among them are Arsenal. Not directly perhaps, but as part of a century old partnership between the two clubs, Whyte sold sixteen shares in the London club, which had been held by Rangers since 1910 (Arsenal were going through financial difficulties at the time), then diverted the money away from Rangers. Arsenal fans have a right to be upset for more reason that one - the shares were sold the Alisher Usmanov fronted Red And White, while a close link between the clubs has been lost, possibly forever.

For all the flak thrown at fans of the Old Firm clubs, albeit a minority, it's hard to say that they deserve what has happened. Celtic went through huge financial difficulties in the late 80s/early 90s, and survived in their current form. The Rangers fans, who not that long ago were enjoying Champions League football, are now worried if they'll be playing league football at all.

These guys may get a game for new Rangers

Having been to Ibrox (albeit for a pre-season friendly in 1992 against Marseille), it was certainly a venue fit for the top flight. Ultimately, the club will bear the responsibility for the actions of those acting in it's name. That the purchase of the club could be leveraged against the future sales of tickets shows that the system is deeply flawed.

From Old Trafford to Stair Park, Rangers will be hoping in the back of their mind for any league football at all. They may not have many of their existing players left, but most importantly, the fans will remain.