Gordon Strachan has blamed fan power for the demise of Rangers.
The former Celtic boss has never hidden his contempt for those outside his own footballing circle and was regularly sounding off about internet forums and radio phone-ins during his four years at Celtic.
Supporter anger played a huge role in persuading SPL and SFL clubs not to promote Sevco following the demise of Rangers.
Despite the warnings of Stewart Regan and Neil Doncaster most clubs followed the wishes of their fans as Sevco were refused a place in the SPL then in the First Division.
The new era of the SPL gets underway at lunchtime today when Celtic face Aberdeen but as two of his former clubs meet the former Middlesbrough boss questioned why supporters and lower league clubs were able to decide on the future of Sevco.
“Looking on from a distance there seemed to be a lot of fans talking about what should be done to the game,” Strachan explained. “The clubs appear to have listened to them so those fans now have a duty to go and support them.
“This whole situation is the chance for the phone-in fans and the keyboard cowboys to actually get out and support their teams.
“All those punters who said their team couldn’t get the chance to finish second — now they can. Let’s see what you’re made of.”
Strachan added: “One Sunday I was bored out of my skull and I decided to add together all the crowds in the Scottish Third Division. The total was 2,300 – and these clubs get to vote.
“I’m not having that. I think the strongest clubs — those with the biggest crowds — should have more of a say.
“Why are we listening to people who can only draw 200 to their games? If they can’t be bothered to support their local club why should we listen to them?”
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To a point he is correct, we have too many so called Professional / Senior clubs who “attract” crowds that many junior outfits would be embarrassed to declare.
Although action HAD to be taken against the now defunct club, in all honesty a lot more should be taken as they basically stole money from many of our clubs and won’t be paying it back – prize money, CL money etc. For 12 years cheating a few years in the lower leagues might be seen as worthwhile for some !! An eye for an eye – send out the message loud & clear – Cheats will pay.
One thing about WGS that puzzles me is the bit that he says larger teams should have the final say wellll WGS Celtic did say NO to SEVCO and who is the biggest team in the SPL hmmmmm remember who you are wee man you served the dons and the tic well but they had this coming to them for a long time even without the smaller clubs votes
Wee Gordon obviously has a bee in his bonnet about fans letting their feelings known, something I find a bit strange, especially in Scotland where the MSM is worthless and (deliberately)never covers the important issues.
WGS might not like fans influencing policy, but on this occasion for sure, the fans of every club in Scotland had the right to demand justice and integrity.
However, I can’t argue with his main point that the fans who made their feelings known, especially in the lower leagues, now need to get bodies into their stadiums. But there are already positive signs that this will happen.
If it weren’t for the fans behind sites like this, CQN, RTC & Phil, the huns would be sitting in the SPL right now debt free.
I think the ‘slant’ on this article is wrong. In my opinion, Strachan is not bemoaing the fact that fans had an infulence. He is pointing outthat the lower teams, who can barely string together a few fans and their dug to go watch them, get such a big say in Scottish football.
And I agree with him.
Scotland is not big enough to support the number of professional teams that we have. He is calling out for more of their fans to go support them. I think they should just be scrapped.
I could never imagine Jock Stein talking the way GS talks. Sorry but GS has no class thinking he is part of the “elite” who know better. Remember the quote by the Big Man “without the fans football is nothing”. GS would do well to remember that.
Can’t disagree with that but the clubs at the bottom haven’t got the fans and that is why we are where we are.If 10% of the fans who made their voices heard actually went and watched their local team then our game would likely not be in the financial mess its in.Thats the point WGS is trying to make I’d say,in his own unique way of course!
Lets not forget without the fans these pundits the sycophantic media the lamb munchers would all be unemployed.
It’s our game not theirs no cheating allowed thanks very much.
WGS gets a hard time of it in some quarters… but for me, the sooner he gets the Scotland job, and we get rid of levein the better….
Strachan is a fud, most of his success was down to luck, the trophies we one were in spite of him not because of him, as for his statment that he didnt have to explain himself to the fans. Fool
I wasn’t the biggest fan of WGS either but at the end of the day he had a severely limited budget to work with because of MON’ long contracts,won all the trophies in spite of the Huns cheating and got us to 2 CL 2nd rounds and pushed AC Milan (eventual winners) all the way to ET with a average team at best,especially compared to MON’ side.Some of that must of been because of him,no?
Absolute nonsence, Strachan won us 3 leagues and got us further in the champions league than any manager in recent times, I for one loved the great nights against ac milan, Benfica and Donetsk etc.
Sorry Pattaya, my reply was to Sands 1888, ur post was great and agree with everything you wrote.
Haha, no problem mate, I gathered that. I for 1 would like to see what he would be able to get out of the team we have now. Far more than Lennon ever will anyway.
WGS should shut up and go elsewhere, he may have won 3 in a row, but rangers at the time were extremly minging and he had it easy, I can never forget after we lost 4-2 to aberdeen he said “if we played like that every week he would be happy” also his statement that “we must support Walter when he was scotland manarger and if celtic players get injured in doing so then so be it”
I for one was delighted to see the back of the wee fud