A programme article from Livingston that refers to ‘the club then known as Rangers’ has provoked an online storm from furious Sevco fans.
With the Scottish football authorities ducking away from the issue various versions of the history of the club at Ibrox have emerged using phrases such as ’emerging from liquidation’ and ‘being relegated to the bottom tier’ have been banded around.
The reality of administration and liquidation are sidestepped despite the finality of liquidation and the secretive Five Way agreement produced by the football authorities in the summer of 2012 including the rushed introduction of temporary membership of both the SFA and SFL to allow Sevco to play a Challenge Cup tie at Brechin.
Setting the record straight, and sparking anger online, today’s match programme from Livingston stated: “This weekend three years ago, the club then known as Rangers beat Hibernian 1-0 to go nine points clear of Motherwell at the top of the Scottish Premier League, a further point ahead of third-placed Celtic.”
The article added: “Despite the best efforts of administrators Duff & Phelps to secure a buyer for the club, even awarding preferred bidder status to Bill Miller before the American tycoon withdrew his bid in May 2012, but in the end their efforts were in vain with 140 years of success, both domestically and in Europe, was consigned to history when, four months to the day after entering administration, the club was liquidated on  14 June 2012.”
Some straight talking from the SFA in 2012 would have helped Scottish football to plan ahead and allow fans of the Rangers club to regroup and start afresh without the moonbeams of Charles Green to feed their delusions of adequacy.
As a club Livingston know more than most about insolvency having twice survived administration hanks to producing a CVA that at least saw some sort of payment made to creditors.
Rather than suffer the soft ten or fifteen point punishment that Rangers and Hearts received for administration Livingston found themselves relegated two divisions in 2009 and forced to pay a bond of £720,000 to the SFL in case they failed to fulfill their fixtures.
With another administration expected soon at Ibrox fans across the country will be watching closely at how the SFA apply their own rules. After granting Sevco membership in 2012 the SFA attempted to give the new club a place in the SPL which was voted down by clubs with the SFL doing likewise with a proposal to put Sevco in the First Division.
Announcing the decision to relegate Livingson two divisions in 2009 the SFL stated: “At a meeting today of the Scottish Football League Management Committee, Livingston Football Club were found to be in breach of Rule 76.2, relating to insolvency.
“The sanction imposed was to place Livingston FC in the Third Division for season 2009-2010. We believe a Third Division placement offers Livingston FC the chance of continuing their membership of the Scottish Football League.”
During the summer Dundee United signed Charlie Telfer from Ibrox paying a development fee for just two years, equal to the time that Sevco have had SFA membership.
Sevco won the match 1-0 but remain six points behind pace-setters Hearts who play Alloa next Saturday while Sevco opt out of a visit to bottom of the table Cowdenbeath due to international commitments with only Marius Zaluska named in his international squad.
CLICK HERE for Lennon’s frustrations looking in from the outside