Dundee United chairman in no mood to ignore United fans’ views on Rangers

• Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson casts doubt on whether SPL clubs would allow ‘newco’ Rangers back into SPL

• Thompson says that legal action by Rangers has “hardened” views against club

• Prospective Rangers owner Charles Green will use CVA route as first option, but will resort to ‘newco’ if necessary

However, the Dundee United chairman also recognises that he must heed the words of those who have taken the time to compose letters and emails. These, he knows, have been written from the heart rather than in the desperate hope of getting a reaction. Thompson has been taken aback by the amount of correspondence he has received at the club on the subject of Rangers, and the contentious proposal that they be allowed to re-join the Scottish Premier League should they be re-born as a newco.

Thompson is caught between two stools. On one side, there is a responsibility to the financial health of the club he inherited from his father. On the other side, there are those dyed-in-the-wool fans, often from families whose affiliation to United goes back generations, who have supported the club both emotionally and financially over the years. Their views, too, must be taken on board. It is an unenviable position to be in.

Thompson sounded as though he was finding it ever harder to ignore the will of the man and the woman on the street. He stressed that Rangers will have to work “hell of a hard” to be allowed to remain in the SPL, should next week’s CVA [Company Voluntary Arrangement] fail to be voted through.

“You can’t ignore the fans because any business that ignores their customers is doomed to fail,” said Thompson. “That’s in any business, not just in football.

“I have been sent hundreds of letters and emails on the subject. Some of them are from people who have been season ticket holders for 30 years. People keep saying that it’s just the young 13 or 14-year-olds who go on internet message-boards and make a lot of noise. But it’s not just them, it is people who have been around for many years supporting the club. I’ve had people say they’ll ask for season ticket money back.

“I was told that, at Motherwell at the end of last season, every turnstile had a poster above it saying ‘no to newco’. It was the same at Aberdeen. Fans are feeling very strongly about it.”

Thompson has even had first hand experience of this mood among the fans as he goes about his day to day business. “I’ve even had people shouting ‘no to newco’ at me in the street,” he said. “There is a lot of feeling about it. Clubs must listen to the supporters.”

Thompson was speaking at a press conference to launch the club’s new home kit for 2012-13. Illustrating the need to raise income whatever way possible, the kit carries three separate sponsors logos. There is barely a square inch of fabric without a company name stitched into it. In addition to Calor gas, who have renewed their main club sponsorship deal for a further two seasons, the back of the shirt will sport the logo for GA Engineering, who have signed a two-year deal with United. The home shorts, meanwhile, will feature the logo for Dundee-firm Digital Goldfish.

It all helps off-set the slower-than-usual up-take of season tickets. The club have extended their ‘early bird’ policy to next month, so fans have an extra month to make up their mind about purchasing one. But the on-going situation with Rangers is possibly a more significant factor in the dip in sales so far. Fans are unwilling to part with their cash at a time when there is so much uncertainty stalking the game.

Many supporters don’t want to be associated with football officials who believe that barring Rangers from the top league would be an unacceptably savage financial hit to take. However, it is a catch-22 situation. The more fans withold money from the game then the more desperate clubs will be to preserve alternative streams of financial income. A TV deal with Sky which hinges on Old Firm involvement is as lucrative as it is going to get for Scottish football, and club officials are alert to this. However, Thompson believes that life without Rangers is possible, although clubs might have to cut their cloth accordingly.

“We need clarity sooner rather than later,” said Thompson, with reference to the situation at the Ibrox club. “I think that will probably come to a head next week with the CVA. That will start to dictate things. As things stand, Rangers are in the league next year. That may all change depending on the CVA. But all the public spats have been very damaging, there’s no doubt. A lot of people are fed up.

“Of course, you can survive without them [Rangers]. It might be a slightly different financial model, but you can survive without them. Whether that is what everyone wants is another thing.

“The fact they have taken the decision [on whether a newco should be re-admitted] away from the SPL board and handed it to all the clubs helps in many respects, because then we have to sit down and negotiate,” he added. “They are going to have to get eight clubs to vote them back in as a newco. That won’t be easy.”