Rangers Are Innocent

[Duncer]

So, after all the accusations of cheating, and all the snide bitter, (and in a lot of cases bigoted), comments from all corners, both the courts of the land and the SFL commission have decided we are INNOCENT.

[beejay1124]

W A T P

[anneasquith]

so you are, but a bit worse of financially :)

[Duncer]

I might add, time for a few reisgnations in the corridors of power at Hampden?

Not to mention numerous apologies from journalists with barely disguised agendas?

[Duncer]

anne, surely you mean a bit worse "OFF"?

And does that make it all right?

[bibblebub]

innocent and yet fined £250,000 for making undisclosed payments to players

[anneasquith]

off :)

[Duncer]

The fine is to be challenged.

It smacks of the SFL not being able to have anything else on the club. The same payments were found perfectly legal in a court of the land.

[Hopkirk]

It all sounds as innocent as Harry Redknapp's dog having a bank account in Monaco.

[Duncer]

EBT's are legal, doggie accounts are dubious.

[doctordb]

After all of this, they're still just rangers in just the fourth tier of just Scottish football. :)

[ichkeria]

I;m not a Rangers supporter, and I don't understand all the ins and outs of the financial irregularities, but I'm glad common sense has prevailed and they aren't going to be stripped of their titles, which would have been ridiculous.

[andrew1707]

I've never been a Rangers fan but I have admired the way they have conducted themselves through out this mess.

And they may be 4th Tier ....but, lets face it, not for long. In a few years they will be back in the SPL.

But in the meantime I hope St Johnstone take advantage of their absence to get a 2nd place in the league............

[Duncer]

In the words of Lord Nimmo's ruling, "Rangers did not gain any unfair competitive advantage from the contraventions of the SPL rules in failing to make proper disclosure of the the side-letter arrangements, nor did the non-disclosure have the effect that any of the registered players were ineligible to play, and for this and other reasons no sporting sanction should be imposed on Rangers FC".

If Lord Nimmo had checked the yearly club accounts he would have seen that the side-letters were disclosed there every year, but that's a side issue. Justice has finally been done and the witchhunt is over.

andrew 1707, good luck with St Jonhstone for the rest of the season; I'm a fan of Stevie Lomas, and you have our old goakeeper there as well. I just can't believe why it took him so long to get a full-time club as he is goalie?

ichkeria, the general jist is that there were no financial irregularities, just a crooked owner called Craig Whyte. Without him we would still be in business and in the SPL.

Am off drinking now to lubricate a night of nostalgia when I see UFO live in Glasgow.

[Duncer]

From the owner and Super Ally....

Rangers chief executive Charles Green

"On behalf of the board of directors at Rangers, I note the findings of the Commission. It is abundantly clear from the ruling there was no attempt by Rangers Football Club secure any unfair advantage or to cheat, as so many people asserted without giving any regard to the actual evidence.

"I would re-iterate that at no stage have I, nor anyone now involved in the running of this club, questioned the integrity of the Commission members. What I did question was the creation of a process which some people had predetermined. Every Rangers fan will be delighted that the Commission refused to get carried away on this agenda.

"It is a matter of fact that people within the SPL wanted me, at first, to surrender titles as part of a deal to enable Rangers to play again as a member of the SFA. I rejected and resisted that suggestion and today's decision vindicates the position of the Board and the supporters. In particular, I would like to thank the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund for their dedication and commitment on this matter..."

"It is fair to say that there was, at one stage, a very unhealthy desire to press on with an investigation into this matter when cool heads and clear thinking was required. Instead, there was a frenzied atmosphere around Rangers caused by the club's insolvency situation.

"This issue could have and should have been dealt with by the board of the SPL rather than embarking on an unnecessarily grand and expensive process. At the end of the day I am left with the impression that this has been much ado about very little and a great waste of energy, time and money.

"I think I speak for all Rangers fans in saying now, enough is enough. I have said before and will say again it is time everyone moved on. There are considerable challenges ahead for this club and Scottish football as a whole.

"That is where all efforts and energy should now be focused. We, as a club, will work with all parties who have the good of the game at heart. We are looking forward and I urge all Rangers fans to do likewise. We are rebuilding this club and are making great strides.

"The dark days are over and it is time now for all to embrace our ambition for a brighter future."



Rangers boss Ally McCoist

"I am delighted in many ways by the decision today. As a former player, I know how hard it is to achieve success on the pitch and the suggestion that somehow Rangers sought to gain unfair advantage was deeply insulting to me and others who had worn the Rangers jersey with immense pride.

"I found the whole approach to this matter by the SPL utterly bizarre and misguided.

"Our fans will take great heart from this and hopefully now - after all that we have been through - there will be a widespread realisation that it is time to move on.

"Rangers have a huge amount to offer Scottish football and we have always been more than willing to do our bit for the good of the game."