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Another week, another club in crisis

Another week, another club in crisis. Darlington, Kettering and Portsmouth have each created their own headlines of late with varying degrees of financial problems, but all facing the scenario where the very existence of their club is potentially under threat.

This week, however, the story cranked up several gears as Glasgow Rangers were forced into administration. The concerns and worries of Rangers’ fans are no more or no less important than those Kettering supporters who will this weekend make the long trip to Barrow, not knowing if their supporters trust’s grim proclamation that KTFC are "all but dead", will come to pass. But it is undeniable that Rangers being under threat has made more people sit up and take notice.

Five Live even devoted their phone-in on Wednesday morning to the issue and one contributor to the programme was FC’s very own Andy Walker, who since the autumn has been handling our press and communications. Andy’s piece can be heard here
(scroll to 41:30 for his bit).

Andy makes a series of excellent points in the few minutes he was afforded and even managed to keep Nicky Campbell quiet for the most part. He highlighted the need for supporters to be placed at the very centre of their club’s governance. He pointed out the irony, or rather absurdity, of clubs only coming to supporters for help when in crisis. He argued for the need for clubs to be placed at the very centre of their communities and to deliver a benefit to them. He even managed to get a plug in for the Community Shares Scheme!

But it was his co-caller, a Celtic fan, that offered another perspective. He suggested that Celtic’s honours board might be extended to account for the trophies that he argued Rangers had won whilst spending beyond their means or allegedly avoiding paying tax. He delivered his point a little flippantly and it isn’t a new argument but it is one that is gathering pace - why should other clubs be effectively penalised by the unsustainable actions of others?

Indeed, Supporters Direct Scotland (SDS) acknowledge this very issue in their statement on the Rangers crisis:

SDS continues to call for stronger regulation of the sport ... fundamentally the conditions still exist for clubs to overspend year-on-year threatening not only their own viability but the viability of other clubs and crucially the sporting integrity of the league. This is why SDS support UEFA’s Financial Fair Play initiative.

UEFA’s Financial Fair Play would go some way to addressing this problem, Supporters Direct’s club licensing proposal would go even further. Aimed at securing sustainability within the game and its clubs and increasing the role of supporters in the running of their clubs, the proposal is a fantastic piece of work and, if given serious enough consideration by the powers that be, could have a dramatic impact on football. The proposal can be read here

I would encourage everyone to read it, because ultimately it will be down to us as supporters to exert the required pressure for change. Otherwise the sound of rattling of buckets will continue to be heard from Ibrox to Nene Park.

Jules Spencer is an FC United board member.




First Posted ~ 15:42 Thu 16 Feb 2012
News ID ~ 4058
Last Updated ~ 02:08 Tue 16 Feb 2021