I've just heard SFL clubs are to involved in some form of consulatation exercise next week. I don't have any other details of that process.

The club Board meet on next Monday (2nd) and I'm sure we'll be discussing the matter.

If you've any comments can you email them to me on efstpress@hotmail.co.uk or call me on 0779 088 1760

Thanks

Eugene

Eugene, given the circumstances. Would East Fife be willing to extend the Season Ticket early bird offer for another week due to the board meeting being held after the deadline?
I`m not prepared to buy season tickets when I don`t know what the clubs stance on this farce is.

Rangers newco: 1964 bid to eject minnows could come back to haunt club ...

Interesting piece but surely no one in Scottish football could possibly hold a grudge for over 40 years!

All, for the record I do not give a hoot what happens to Rangers and I don't care what league they play in if any. My rationale is that EF will play in the 2nd division because we did not play well enough over the season to gain promotion but well enough to avoid relegation. For people to say they won't be back to watch EF or not buy a EF season ticket if the EF board don't do "the right thing" is bizarre, all in the name of sporting integrity!!! It is the easiest thing in the world to use the word “integrity” either in sport or life when it doesn’t have any consequence to the individual or their family. All I ask is that before anyone starts throwing stones have a look in the mirror and ask themselves if they have always done the “right thing” during their life.
For what it is worth I have already bought my season ticket and I won’t be able to attend all the home games, however EF is my team regardless of who we play against.
C’mon the Fife

Your rationale says that it would also be disgusting for a new team to go up to the First, bypassing others (including East Fife), without kicking a ball - ever. Did this new team play "well enough" to deserve to get voted into the First. It would be equally disgusting for any Club to vote for it. The "consequence" would be that Scottish Football would be even more of an embarrassment with the footballing world looking on.

What is bizarre?

What is all this looking in the mirror stuff? Have East Fife already decided to vote yes and we don't know about it?

Sounds like you may have royal blue leaning. Bizarre indeed.

Surprise surprise its SPF.

Is that you telling me what my rationale is or your interpretation? Because I have not said that all.

I will say it again, I don’t care what league rangers play in or any other team for that matter, I support EF.

Yeah your right SPF if it wasn’t for the rangers issue the world would be gazing adoringly at the Scottish football model to copy it!!!!!!

Bizarre = not supporting your team because of how the board votes. You either support your team or you don’t. If you want to direct how EFFC vote on any given subject then buy the club and you can have that choice.

Mirror = It’s easy to criticise and fools often do.

You mean the board doesn’t call you for your input and wisdom on the important matters of the day for the club!!!!

Yeah if struggling to support your argument trot out the old blue / green leaning one.

Jog on.

I think you will find it's more a case of fans asking themselves 'why the hell should I spend hundreds of pounds a season (some spend thousands) supporting my club home and away every season,for the authorities to place a newco straight into SFL1'. If you are happy with being p*ssed all over from a great height,then you are a bigger man than me.I will not spend another penny attending football if this farce doesn't end the way of them starting again in SFL3.

Correct and there is the prospect of facing the newco Rangers possibly the season after next and affecting our chances of promotion because they will have huge financial clout.

As things stand I think it's 50/50 if they will be playing in any league next season!

Aye, very good. I'll simplify it for you, you clearly need me to.

Is that you telling me what my rationale is or your interpretation? Because I have not said that all.

You said, "My rationale is that EF will play in the 2nd division because we did not play well enough over the season to gain promotion but well enough to avoid relegation."

Your rationale, in your own words, is that it's all about how our team 'played'. You've said 'play' twice' This new team have never played a game of football - ever. What have they earned ?

I said, "Your rationale says that it would also be disgusting for a new team to go up to the First, bypassing others (including East Fife), without kicking a ball (playing) - ever. Did this new team play "well enough" to deserve to get voted into the First."


I will say it again, I don’t care what league rangers play in or any other team for that matter, I support EF.

Do you not care that East Fife and other established teams who've earned their right to, stay in, or get promoted to play in their respective leagues while there will be a non-football vote to allow a new team to enter, and unbelievably leapfrog, two leagues ? You tell me...?

Yeah your right SPF if it wasn’t for the rangers issue the world would be gazing adoringly at the Scottish football model to copy it!!!!!!

What's that got to do with anything ? Fact is it would make the state of Scottish Football, and its image to everyone else, even worse and more laughable - would it not ?

Bizarre = not supporting your team because of how the board votes. You either support your team or you don’t. If you want to direct how EFFC vote on any given subject then buy the club and you can have that choice.

Possibly your worst 'point'. It's surely not bizarre for fans, who love their Club and who love Scottish Football, not wanting to let their Club ignore the vast majority's strong feelings (BEFORE the Club has actually decided) on letting this new Club in and promoting them 2 leagues, both for the integrity of the game and because they would bypass us and other 'fair' Clubs. Again, why is that bizarre in the slightest ???

Mirror = It’s easy to criticise and fools often do.

Again, has a decision been made, has the Club been criticised here ? Do you know something the fans don't ? The fans are making their stance clear in the hypothetical (and unthinkable) scenario that East Fife votes to let a new Club sraight into the First. Again, why are you mentioning mirrors ?

You mean the board doesn’t call you for your input and wisdom on the important matters of the day for the club!!!!

I don't know what you mean - at all. Please enlighten me ? Look at the feeling of everyone so far. You seem to be the only one on this issue.

Yeah if struggling to support your argument trot out the old blue / green leaning one.

See above. Your arguments are those that only a Ger could possess. Are you Rangers-sympathising board memeber ? It's the only conclusion I can come to.

Jog on.
I will if you can answer the above, properly.

I understand the argument for putting rangers in Div 3, however I am not convinced that this benefits EFFC. If this is the case lets hope EF supporters pour out of the woodwork to buy season tickets by the bucket load to replace the TV money that will disappear. Unless a cash rich fan appears as the knight in shinning armour.

Just a thought but if neither of these options materialise how long before "fans" are calling for the board or managers head due to the inability to buy players / attract players for the wages that EF will pay?

As the old saying goes be careful for what you wish for as you may just get it.

I have held a grudge against Raith Rovers a lot longer than that, and will probably continue to do so! But it is very annoying when the board of the lino-lickers do the right thing, make a statement about newco, and take the moral high ground whilst my own team do nothing, say nothing!
Stop fannying around, state our views clearly, if a vacancy appears in the SFL every applicant should be treated the same, and all new members start in the 3rd Division - no exceptions, simples!

It's more that just benefiting East Fife, it's about turning the already fragile game in this country into a complete and utter, unfair, sham. Turning even more folk off attending games than the 500 hardcore currently.

What has East Fife and TV money got to do with anything, please explain ? You are sounding more and more like a fan with an Old Firm huge soft spot.

East Fife is about getting locals through the gate to watch competitive football with pride in their team.

If Scottish football turns into the Irish or Welsh league standard but it's more competitive and we get more into Bayview (more than 500-600), then it's for the better.

East Fife and loads of other SFL and some SPL Clubs are at their lowest ebb, tell me what TV money has to do with anything ? Football is DYING in this country - mainly due to locals abandoning local teams and following those two teams (either in the pub or by actually getting on buses).

East Fife are not at their lowest ebb.
And other than Rangers, none of the SPL clubs are at their lowest ebb. If they were, they wouldn't be in the SPL.
TV money would benefit East Fife if Rangers drop into the SFL because the TV rights would be sold to Sky or ESPN. We'd get a share of the money, and that would be a significant boost to our budget.
Football is not dying in this country. Look at East Fife attendances from 30 years ago. If anything, they were worse than they are now. If the game was dying, clubs would be closing.
Locals have gone to watch Celtic and Rangers since public transport and coach hire began. It's a free country. No point moaning about it. We should be looking instead to the people who consider themselves East Fife supporters but don't come to games.

Ok, lowest ebb was the wrong choice, but football is dying here none the less, even with TV money. Look at all of the Clubs in recent years who've been in trouble. Apparently, there are several SPL/First Div teams on the brink. Look at Killie, Dunfermline, Dundee, Raith etc.
East Fife's average gate is as low as it's ever been barring the odd season (we're not even in the bottom leagie - 1300 at home to SPL Pars in the Cup ?!). If you don't think football is dying in this country, why does a city the size of Aberdeen (250k) get 9k a week with no rivals ? Why do they and similar SPL Clubs lose players to English 3rd tier clubs etc?

It might be a free country but we all know fans who used to have East Fife scarves who now go to watch Old Firm or don't go at all because of the very fact that Scottish football is dying. How many Scottish Clubs are in the black ?

We should be looking to anyone and everyone from Levenmouth to come and support East Fife, especially that Rangers are now dead (and Celtic will wither without them).

This is my last answer, because I am just correcting stuff that is wrong.
You cite Killie, Dunfermline, Dundee and Raith as examples of Scottish football dying. Killie have just won the League Cup for the first time in their history. Dunfermline spent last season in the top league. Don't you remember them in the bottom league under Jim Leishman? Dundee are run by idiots who have done their best to put them out of business, I'll grant you that. Raith made the Scottish Cup semi-final and missed promotion by a whisker two years ago. Reports of these clubs' deaths are greatly exaggerated.
East Fife's gate is not as low as it has ever been. Look up the books.
Aberdeen are not dying, they are building a 21,000 capacity new stadium.
I don't know any former East Fife fans who now go to watch Celtic or Rangers. Genuinely, I can't think of one.
Plenty well-run Scottish football clubs are in the black.
I agree that we should be looking to everyone from Levenmouth to support East Fife. But better not let on that we're asking them to go along to a funeral, eh?

Plenty ? So how many of the 41 are in the black ?

Winning the League Cup doesn't mean that they're not one bad financial choice from being part-time or going into administration like Motherwell, Airdrie, Gretna, Dundee etc etc - there will be more. As for Dunfermline, they were in the Cup Final not long ago and are now skint. Dunfermline can't wait to get bumper derby, winning-team crowds in the First. You think just because a Club survives or lives in an overdraft that Scottish Football isn't dying ?

Aberdeen will fill their new stadium ??? Remind me, what is their average attendance and the poulation of their city and surrounding area ? What were their crowds 20-25 years ago as a comparison ? Why is this (when Rangers and Celtic crowds have grown since the 80's) ? The Aberdeen point can be said of Raith, Hibs, Hearts etc etc etc.

No fans have stopped following East Fife for the Old Firm ? NONE ? I've relatives who get on the Celtic bus and others on the Rangers bus - all of whom were Bayview reglars - for decades. I know of a fair few others who gave up on East Fife to follow the Old Firm.

Dunfermline have already stated they want back into the SPL, so you are wrong in saying they can't wait for 'bumper' derby crowds in the 1st.

Your relatives never were East Fife fans in the first place if they now get onto busses going to watch the OF. East Fife fans do NOT change allegiance. The people that now go to watch the OF were never East Fife fans!

All very well saying that but in a year or two our crowds will probably drop below 400, you can sit there saying you are a "real" fan but in reality if the club is to survive in the long run it needs to attract more supporters to matches (people you might consider to be "fake fans")

For the final time:

Forget Rangers. Forget Sky. No Rangers should equal no Celtic in a few years - they will f*** off or fold without them.
No Bigot Corporation = competitive leagues
Competitive leagues = more fans through the gates
Lower admission prices = more fans through the gates

3 guys paying £5 each is better than 1 guy paying £13 - the club would be £2 better off AND 3 guys make more noise than 1.

Get the SPL to f*** and have a SFL with 2 divisions with another 2 "Blue Square" type leagues (after Rangers are well and truly buried and any newco is aborted). 18 team Premier League, 18 team Championship, 10 team North/East league and 10 team South/ West league made up from the remaining 5 SFL teams (assuming Celtic f*** off) and a further 15 teams from the North/ East and South/ West who apply to join. The 6000 capacity all seater rule for top flight entry to be scrapped before the last of the real stadiums are destroyed.

Just stating a fact Fred. Who says I'm a 'real' fan of East Fife like? I didn't say that, did I? You are right in saying that we need to attract more fans to survive, but haven't said how? You would need to have a winning team every week, if you want those that now go to the OF matches back again. They won't be interested unless the team is winning every week and they would probably go to the nearest club that is doing better than us.

Personally I'd rather not see them back anyway, cos they will just be moaning b'strds every chance they get. If the club can truly become a community club, then there is a chance that the kids now, will grow up with a real connection to East Fife and that is the only way I can see us increasing crowds that will support the team regularly, win or lose. It happens in England, why not in Scotland??

Good to hear your a fan of the Supporters Trust movement Jocky, fan ownership and running the clubs for the community is the way forward.

Hi Guys,

I've lived away from Eastern Fife for the last couple of decades, and have arrived back in the last year. I was in at Bayview a couple of times last year, and was thinking of attending more matches this year. The question is: Is Scottish League football a proper sport, as opposed to a WWF style entertainment? Does East Fife have any chance of making it all the way to the top, or is it fixed in favour of the big clubs?

The rules are very clear for newcos wanting to apply to the SFL. Whether or not they are followed will answer the above question for me, and this answer will allow me to plan my Saturday afternoons for the forseeable.

I only get to two or three East Fife games a season and maybe six or seven Hibs games, so I will be no great loss, but I will not be back inside another Scottish football ground if the rules of our leagues are subverted by corrupt administrators.

Although Newco do not have the credentials to join the SFL at any level, I (and I think most other supporters) would accept them into Div3 by special dispensation.

I kind of agree with your last paragraph. It would stick in the craw for the newco to be admitted just like that to the SFL Division 3 but given the circumstances and being realistic I am prepared for that to happen. However the newco here has an opportunity to become a proper football club. Any religious crap would have to be stamped upon immediately, the newco should put together a constitution clearly outlining what the new club stands for and totally distancing itself from the now defunct Rangers FC. Any fans that start the no surrender or follow follow shit would have their season tickets revoked immediately. The new club would also be on a probation for 3 years regarding financial matters and the bigotry etc. and perhaps their strip is not allowed to be blue.

A few conditions in other words. If the newco directors, trustees etc do not accept these sorts of things then the answer to any application to join the SFL should be no.

Basic facts here

Who cares about Newco, who cares about if they get back in, wear blue, green or yellow, who cares if they sing pathetic songs, who cares if people from across your street get on buses or support them down the pub. Who cares not me ! Why ? Because we are EAST FIFE, SUPER EAST FIFE and that's all that matters. Screw the lot of them, I just laugh at them, they are gone, finished they are not Glasgow Rangers it's over, finished, done. They fell by the way side forever, so it doesn't matter. Finally for those of you who are uptight about it. Listen here, there is every chance that the newco will flop drematically next year. Transfer chaos, fans at their throats and most importantly a manager who only knows how to take on teams when he has better players and more of them at his disposal. Dundee, Falkirk and Dunfermline, I feel may put the boot right into them on the field. McCoist is not the man to sort them out on the park.

So, this new club will play at Ibrox, have the same fans, sing the same songs, wear blue and be called Rangers (or The Rangers, which sounds more Glaswegian)...pretty much identical.

Also Man Utd used to be called Newton Heath and identify as the same club, whilst Celtic were called The Celtic Football and Athletics Club, but dropped the 'and Athletics'. So even a name change doesn't deny us our history.

We're the same old club, just going through a turbulent period. That's all.

The other clubs you mention weren't liquididated and wound up. Rangers were and now they cease to exist.

Oh and the name "The Rangers" was rejected by Companies House.

The newco are called "Sevco5088"

Cease to exist? Not yet. Hopefully the only difference between this season and last season is the level of football we're playing. So in what way would they cease to exist...it must be metaphysical and beyond my comprehension. ;)

Listen, I'm not here to noise you up. I honestly respect genuine football fans, as opposed to glory hunters and admire your devotion to your town's club. I can appreciate why you don't like Old Firm fans.

Rangers man, It is over, the fat lady has sung. Your history is exactly that, with a big fat line drawn under it. Why can you not see this. GLASGOW RANGERS FC has gone. I hope you all find a new club, if it plays at Ibrox, wears blue and has the same mob watch it so what.... It is not the once proud and some would say noble club which fell into bad hands in the early 1980's .. Hope you enjoy your new football, i just pray the SFA wake up and use this oppourtunity to move forward and reconstruct our system.

Per istam sanctan unctionem et suam piissimam misericordiam, indulgeat tibi Dominus quidquid per (visum, audtiotum, odorátum, gustum et locutiónem, tactum, gressum deliquisti.

Would we REALLY lose so much as stated below?

If Rangers go to the Third Division – or even the First and are not competitive – it’s going to affect the whole of Scottish football in a drastic way.”
But last night the worry for a lot of SFL clubs was what might happen if Rangers aren’t admitted to one of the three leagues outside of the SPL.
The full extent of the chaos within Scottish football was laid bare yesterday by one vastly experienced club official, who requested anonymity in the currently toxic atmosphere which can pollute sensitive issues within the game.
And he put forward the case for and against Rangers being admitted to the SFL in stark financial terms before getting to the emotional argument that has prompted a series of clubs to raise objections to having Ibrox on their fixture list sometime soon.
The club official said: “Each year the SFL receives £1.8million under the terms of the settlement agreement drawn up when the SPL was started up.
“It’s like a divorce settlement and that money works out at roughly £60,000 per SFL club.
“If the payment wasn’t there some clubs could struggle by without it – but others would go to the wall.
“It’s not just Rangers and their supporters who have been affected by the crisis engulfing the game in this country. This goes to the doorstep of all 42 clubs in Scotland.

No chance. Was this from the Daily Record or some other tired west coast red top?

The "journos" who write crap like this aren't bothered about the SFL clubs and pull these figures out of the air, using anonymous (non existent) "sources" to back them up.

The reason these people are so worried is that they might soon have to start working for their news stories instead of filling sports pages daily with all sorts of press releases from Rangers and Celtic.

I'm very happy that the East Fife board have listened to the fans and treated nonsense like this with the contempt it deserves.

Panwithin...spot on...rangers newco or whatever...never have cared never will. really dont understand not buying season tickets....at worst Rangers in the premier league in a few years and we dont exist?????????

Hey Newco. Three strikes and yer out. STRIKE ONE!!!

You better watch out Maureen, you will be tagged as a rangers fan / director / share holder / david murray himself with an attitude like that

Both of the Rangers fans I know are refusing to buy season tickets for the newco. I spoke with one of them the other night, and he told me he doesn't know a single other Rangers fan who has bought a season for the newco.

During the conversation, my position changed from SFL-3, to getting some other team in their place, especially if the league could also announce an extra 2 places up for grabs the following season to give the new-club time to sort itself out.

I think it's only a matter of time before a new-club comes in, hopefully at SFL3 level. I'm not in favour of any kind of sanctions or special rules for the newco, but perhaps the SFL would consider contacting all clubs to advise on what is and what isn't sectarian abuse, and would enforce points deductions on any club if their supporters transgress, without fear or favour.

Having previously posted my ambivalence regarding which league rangers newco lands in, in preference of league reform. I now find myself firmly behind the Division 3 option. Not out of s desire to further punish rangers, although they quite rightly deserve to be punished, but to shoot down all the sanctimonious twats Doncaster, Reagan, and the SPL Chairmen, who on one hand spout forth about sporting integrity, but then try to tell the SFL what to do to save our game. Stick rangers in the 3rd and if it bankrupts half of them so be it

That's what makes this get worse every day. I can understand fans have different opinions or even no opinion on a subject which isn't directly connected to us, but when Regan and Doncaster dictate how clubs should vote then we have reached the thick end of the wedge.

If the new Rangers were parachuted onto Division 1 and the transfer ban stayed in place, there would be a possibility that they could get relegated as their squad will be mainly young lads. What would the SFA,SPL, SFL do then ? They would probably declare that for one season only, the team finishing bottom rather than top should be promoted !
The SPL clubs want their cake and eat it. They want to punish Rangers by relegating them but they only want them out the League for one year and are wanting the SPL clubs to help them by allowing Newco into Division 1. With the players left at Ibrox, I don't believe that they would be Champions next season anyway so instead of the First Division clubs benefiting for a couple of seasons, put them into Division 3, where moat Rangers fans think they should start, and let almost all Scottish clubs benefit.

Exactly.

There is also a possibility of administration as the fans are not backing Greene and there is a £4m sum of footballing debts to be settled before joining the SFA.

They'll need to start the season on +50 points just to make sure.

Looking at the other side of extremity. What if the do get back to the SPL in 1 year - being debt free and with new investment they'd be in a position to dominate Scottish football for years. The only was for the rest to compete would be to liquidate-then-sfl1 route.

Some great points made on this thread. I'm sure you'll not be surprised to know that the Rovers, Pars, Aberdeen and Falkirk forums raise exactly the same concerns. This Friday could see the mother of all stitch ups as Longmuir is proposing only to give SFL clubs a vote on whether Sevco be admitted to the SFL at all. But it will then be the League management committee ( Jim Ballantyne included) who will decide which division of the SFL they are placed in, ie Div 1. It's more important than ever that the NOs stand firm which may mean refusing Sevco admission to the SFL full stop, resisting any nonsense about SPL2, then proposing a vote of no confidence in Longmuir. I didn't think he'd done too much wrong prior to this, but he's obviously too spineless to stand up to Regan and Doncaster.
If any EF fan has any issue to raise with Stewart Regan, or if you would like to congratulate him on his handling of this affair, his PA's e-mail address is anne_mariemcghie@sfa.com

if there is any stitch up the and the newco is 'placed' in Divsion1 the SFL clubs across all 3 leagues should just refuse to play. There would be no leagues of any description then. It's the 3rd or nothing

Oh and a boycott of all Scottish national team matches. The fans have the power!

I admire your sentiments neebur, but don't you get the impression that Regan and Doncaster could quite happily live without Divs 1 2 and 3?
It would appear Dumbarton are the latest club to vote Yes to Sevco in Div1. Another ground on my boycott list. They're happy to take the dirty money from the SPL even although this will decrease their chances of surviving Div 1.

Gutted that's another club said Yes to this vote and Hamilton might say yes aswell after their chairman said its putting the clubs under pressure. I knew Airduhrie would say that they would support them, half of their supporters are mostely Rangers fans and probs they felt sorry cause they had to takeover clydebank when they went bust. Still a few clubs still to decide on their decisions yet...I hope they don't feel sorry for them and say ayee like them and Stenny, I won't ever be at Olichivew that's for sure I will be watching the score on the BBC instead of going there Mon The Fife!

Good grief.Just shows,some people don't mind being taken for a complete sucker!

It might just be a shot in the dark, but I wonder if it might be worth informing the league's main sponsor, ie AG Barr, of any dissatisfaction re the SFL's proposals and general handling of this issue.
They can be contacted at: info@agbarr.co.uk

Good idea.

Would also be a good idea to let the sponsors of all teams that support Newco to Div 1 that their clubs and their products will be subject to a boycott.

If we're going to be pressurised and bullied then two can play that game.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if after Newco being parachuted into Division 1, they end up being relegated to Division 2. How would they change the rules then ?