The debate and discussion around the League setup in Scotland can often become a tedious affair where the respective sides of black and white assume their positions and the truth, as is so often the case, lies somewhere in the grey area in the middle.
Any weariness about the subject does it an injustice, though. The future of Scottish football, and the national team, is on the line and every stakeholder - from club chairmen to the man on the street - should be interested in how this all unfolds.
The saga took another twist on Wednesday evening when Rangers announced that they will be withdrawing from the Lowland League after two seasons of participation. The Ibrox board and Auchenhowie hierarchy have been amongst the most vociferous backers of Colt sides but the collapse of the Conference League proposal has seen them change direction.
Why have Rangers chosen to quit the Lowland League?
The Old Firm entered the Lowland League in season 2021/22 and finished tied on 73 points as Rangers pipped Celtic to second spot on goal difference. Bonnyrigg Rose were the champions on that occasion and this season it was Spartans that claimed the title as Rangers again took the Glasgow bragging rights, this time by a single point, as Hearts finished 13th out of 19 teams in their debut term.
In their statement, Rangers cited the 'Scottish FA’s decision to withdraw a vote on the proposed introduction of a ‘Conference League’ at tier five in the national football pyramid' as their reason for pulling out of the division.
The Lowland League - which is sponsored by former Ibrox chairman Douglas Park - confirmed their intention to plan for the 2023/24 season with 18 clubs.
Rangers are grateful for the manner in which they have been hosted by the Lowland League and the clubs over the past two seasons and wished each of them 'the very best for the future' as they confirmed their unexpected resignation.
Where does this leave the players?
Rangers have long been advocates of a more competitive structure for their top academy talents to allow those players to make a smoother, and more regular, transition into the Ibrox first team.
The Lowland League has served a purpose in that regard but critics will argue that not enough players have made the jump to justify that setup, or the formation of another league.
Nations across Europe have their own versions of the B Team model and Rangers stated that 'all 10 teams who contributed most to the development of players for last year’s World Cup have B teams operating in national senior leagues.'
The issue of how kids make the jump from Academy football to first team football has long been an issue in Scotland and the problem is exacerbated at Ibrox given the demands that are placed on players, both domestically and in Europe. Ten Academy players featured for Rangers last season but even highly rated talents like Leon King and Alex Lowry face a fight for their spot going forward.
Rangers are adamant that the best option for players in the 18-21 bracket is to be playing professional football in a professional division. They believe the Conference League would have been a 'positive' move towards that but the eldest and most promising players now won't have a traditional training and match model to follow in the coming months.
What will the B Team do instead to play regular football?
Boss Michael Beale has previously insisted that the most important part of the week for the B Team squad was not, in actual fact, their match at the end of it. Their time to shine is when the call comes for them to train with the first team and it is in those moments where they must really catch the eye.
It remains open to debate just how much the Colts benefitted from the Lowland League and whether that would have changed significantly in a Conference League that was going to slot in under League Two in the pyramid.
Would that have allowed players to establish themselves in Beale's squad? Rangers clearly think so and they remain committed to 'finding the most innovative and challenging environments for our young players, not only for the benefit of our club, but also for the benefit of other clubs and the Scotland national team'.
The coming term will now see Rangers expand on their 'best v best' programme as matches as lined up against English and European opposition. Beale and Neil Banfield are well connected with Academies south of the border and James Bisgrove, the new chief executive officer, continues to expand his network on the continent.
Rangers will participate in the SPFL Trust Trophy and City of Glasgow Cup and will have six UEFA Youth League fixtures to look forward to should Beale guide his side into the group stages of the Champions League this season.
Do the SFA still support the Conference League blueprint?
The short answer is yes. Speaking at the Annual General Meeting last week, chief executive Ian Maxwell outlined the benefits of a B model and highlighted the fact that Scotland's performances at youth level drop off as players rise through the ranks from Under-17s to 19s and then into the 21s squad.
Rangers have held positive talks with the Association and are hopeful that a solution can be found in the medium term but all parties are now back to the drawing board after a vote - which Maxwell admitted could have been 'divisive' - on the proposal was shelved following widespread dissent across the game.
The SPFL Deloitte review - which was commissioned by Aberdeen, Hearts, Hibs, Dundee and Dundee United - highlighted player development as a key priority. The SFA clearly have as much of a vested interest as the clubs and Maxwell vowed to engage with all stakeholders to 'see what that player development pathway looks like going forward'.
