Letters: Rangers ‘cure

Published on Thursday 16 February 2012 00:00

I can’t claim to be a football fan, preferring as I do to get my kicks at Murrayfield. Still, the downfall of a great institution like Rangers is clearly to be regretted.

However, if the worst were to happen and administration is followed by liquidation, this particularly thunderous cloud could have a silver lining – no more Old Firm games.

No more bile gushing from the terraces, no more vile, provocative sectarian singing, no more stretching of police resources to the limit and fewer wives and girlfriends dreading the consequences of the wrong result.

I am not suggesting that it is more than a tiny minority of supporters who behave in this manner, but in the context of Old Firm games the removal of one half of the equation might help to cure this cancer once and for all.

David Hamill

Preston Road

East Linton

George Cooper (Letters, 15 February) complains about Rangers being deducted ten points, but relegation should be the penalty for buying success ahead of rivals by the use of questionable financial methods.

If Rangers were to be allowed to continue in the Scottish League, in whatever form, then I trust that the SFA and SPL will ring fence their future television rights to ensure that Hearts, Dundee United and Dunfermline are paid the money they are due for transfers and match tickets.

Andrew Rosie

MacDowall Road

Edinburgh

While it is always sad to see any business in financial difficulty, I really am surprised at the column inches (not to mention the wailing and gnashing of teeth) devoted to the present problems of Rangers Football Club. As the club is neither a major employer nor essential to the Scottish or UK economies, one trusts that no public funds will be forthcoming to bail it out.

If administration is unsuccessful, it may well be that the public interest is best served by liquidating the assets of the company in order to pay the taxman what he is due.

Selling Ibrox off for housing development could maximise the exigible proceeds as the absence of football crowds on match days would certainly increase local property values to the benefit of residents and investors alike.

And, once grounds and players are disposed of, there will also be a residual value in the Rangers brand which, if major clubs like Manchester United are not interested, could be sold to another local club, such as Celtic.

John Eoin Douglas

Spey Terrace

Edinburgh