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Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Sports Hotline

Rangers face punters fury over Sky TV and SPFL dilemma as with trouble hanging over Ibrox - Hotline

It might be Champions League week but most of the Hotline attention was on the proposed Sky deal and whether the SPFL should be accepting it.

Willie Mercer, Dumfries, certainly doesn't think so. He emailed: "Why on Earth does the SPFL think it has got a great deal on offer from Sky TV? Looking at bare numbers of the current contract of £25million for 48 games, to increase the offer to £30m for 60 games, by simple maths is less per game on the new deal.

"Football is not an industry where economies of scale will offset or justify accepting a reduction in income per game. Also to accept this offer for a five year period would, in real terms result in a net reduction in income for the clubs year on year. Reduced income per game each year on a fixed £30m per year deal whilst incurring and absorbing increased costs year on year for the 5 years.

"Allowing for inflationary cost increases incurred over the 5 years by the clubs and achieving the same value per game shown, the SPFL should not be considering anything less than a deal which calculates to a total value of £160m over the 5 years.

"While this in itself would only represent a no ground lost deal for the clubs it is better than the offer the SPFL have been asking clubs to sign up to."

Rangers, of course, have not signed up and Jimmy Mac, from Glasgow, has no doubt that their dispute with the SPFL over cinch is behind it.

He said: "It's plain to everyone except the anti Rangers mob that SPFL chairman Murdoch MacLennan is the instigator against Rangers with the cinch deal. Neil Doncaster is MacLennan's puppet and does what he's told - only fools cannot see through MacLennan.

"The SPFL (aka MacLennan) was out of order over the original cinch deal. They were informed before any deal signings that Rangers FC had a prior deal with Parks but thought Rangers would buckle with MacLennan leading the pressure.

The SPFL are responsible for dragging an unwinnable case to court - they alone are responsible for all court costs and I have no doubt Rangers will involve their solicitors TO claim all lost monies in court."

But Gerry Kelly emailed: "Who do Rangers Football Club International think they are? Their team is garbage, they are suing a potential investor now and now they want Douglas Park's legal fees paid by the SPFL. Seems to me there is trouble in Ibrox over finances!"

Stephen Johnstone, Ardentinny, emailed: "Dave King mocks the Rangers Board for not splashing the cash in the transfer market...well Gio Van Bronkhorst in my mind has spent enough on players and after the horror show at Celtic his players need to turn up at Ajax not looking like a bunch of tailors dummies/ mannequins like at Parkhead or they will be all on the transfer list. Also, stop blaming the keeper - he is only as good as the ten in front of him."

Eddie Easson, Ballingry, Fife, emailed: "Like the proverbial bad penny Dave King turns up with the usual guff about everyone owing Rangers. He forgets about the wee people they shafted, the face painter, the paper shop to name a couple."

Celtic 's weekend win still had their fans purring. Robert Frew, Glasgow, was obviously missing some Hotline regulars yesterday, saying: "6th September 2022 will be a date to remember. Boris Johnson leaves office and there are no ridiculous comments from John Bruce, Gary Stevenson or Alfie Mullins on the Hotline. We could name it ‘Tail between your legs’ day."

William Hutchison, Aberdeen, said: "To the Hotliner who said Rangers have beaten bigger and better teams than Celtic in Europe last season ....doesn't that make it more embarrassing that they lost to a smaller and weaker team?"

Tam Williamson, Lanarkshire, added: "Watching the Rangers fans heading for the exits before half time in Paradise was like watching a modern day movie of the infamous Highland Clearances. And it's great to know that wee Barry will be watching future Old Firm matches once again from behind his settee."

But Robert Brown, Bellshill said: "Now that all the over the top praise of Celtic's win over Rangers is dying down, as a Gers supporter I would have been more impressed if Celtic beat a good Gers team and not one who played so badly my local junior team Bellshill Athletic could have beaten them."

And Andrew Lamb in Fraserburgh wrote: "Whilst I take nothing away from Celtic's well deserved Old Firm win, Rangers fielded pretty much a second 11. Surely Gio needs a back 3 with Souttar, Goldson and Davies and Yilmaz needs a chance at left wing back. Tom Lawrence and Ianis Hagi were also badly missed."

Finally, Mike Barron, Inverurie, emailed with a decent point: "When Celtic and Rangers are playing in Europe I back both but I feel we are suffering similarly to the start of the Bosman period when clubs brought in external European players to the detriment of the Scottish team.

"At the weekend there were a total of three Scots starting the derby match. Celtic had two (Greg Taylor and Callum McGregor) while Rangers had one (Jon McLaughlin, and he must be on a shoogly peg).

"Celtic had 2 Japanese, and one from England, Croatia, USA, Denmark, Sweden, Israel, and Portugal. Rangers had four from England, two from USA, and from Croatia, with one from Finland and Northern Ireland,

"Absolutely no encouragement for promising Scots coming through the coaching ranks!"

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