The question on many people's lips as we enter season 2012-2013 is how will the new Rangers cope with life in the lower leagues? In recent times, a number of clubs have made an impressive charge from the bottom league to the top league. Gretna achieved the task four years after entering SFL3, as did Livingston. Inverness completed the task in seven years and Ross county in ten. However, these were clubs that were making the step up into SFL3. How will the new Rangers cope with their staff and supporters seeing entry into SFL3 as a massive step down?
In the last five years in Scottish football we have witnessed severe consequences encountered by three teams who have failed to keep their financial house in order. Livingston fell into administration for the second time and were demoted from SFL1 to SFL3 for being unable or unwilling to post a bond to guarantee that they could fulfil their fixtures throughout the following season. Dundee then fell into administration for the second time and were allowed to remain in SFL1, but were handed a 30 point deduction. Rangers entered administration and were then liquidated, before rising like a Phoenix from the ashes, landing in SFL3 as a newco. The new Rangers can take heart from the performances of Livingston and Dundee, who overcame the challenges that lay before them in spectacular fashion.
In the last five years in Scottish football we have witnessed severe consequences encountered by three teams who have failed to keep their financial house in order. Livingston fell into administration for the second time and were demoted from SFL1 to SFL3 for being unable or unwilling to post a bond to guarantee that they could fulfil their fixtures throughout the following season. Dundee then fell into administration for the second time and were allowed to remain in SFL1, but were handed a 30 point deduction. Rangers entered administration and were then liquidated, before rising like a Phoenix from the ashes, landing in SFL3 as a newco. The new Rangers can take heart from the performances of Livingston and Dundee, who overcame the challenges that lay before them in spectacular fashion.
Livingston were cast down two divisions only days before the start of the season. The guilty parties had left the club and the new owners were left with the punishment. Sound familiar? The Livingston staff and fans rallied. Fans volunteered to do jobs for free to help the club overcome the financial difficulties of dropping two divisions overnight. The players and coaches that remained approached the challenges of playing football in the lower leagues with a steely determination. Their desire was to resurrect their club's fortunes by working their way back to SFL1 as quickly as possible. They achieved this in the shortest time possible. Two years later, they were back in SFL1, with pride restored, footballing reputation intact and two league titles to their name thrown in for good measure. A tremendous achievement in the circumstances.
The Dundee story is also one that can encourage all concerned with the new Rangers. Dundee as a club were dealt a 30 points deduction for financial misdoings. Again, this was not the fault of the players or the coaches, but they were left to live with the consequences. To that end, they felt a personal sense of injustice about the punishment. In what is notoriously the most competitive league in Scotland, many expected Dundee to be relegated on the back of the points deduction. Everyone at the club rallied to fight to keep the club in SPL1. Dundee went on one of the most impressive run of results in recent memory to not only keep themselves in the division, but finish in a healthy mid table spot, despite the 30 point handicap. Through producing some great football, they overcame tremendous odds and achieved something they can be proud of.
The Dundee story is also one that can encourage all concerned with the new Rangers. Dundee as a club were dealt a 30 points deduction for financial misdoings. Again, this was not the fault of the players or the coaches, but they were left to live with the consequences. To that end, they felt a personal sense of injustice about the punishment. In what is notoriously the most competitive league in Scotland, many expected Dundee to be relegated on the back of the points deduction. Everyone at the club rallied to fight to keep the club in SPL1. Dundee went on one of the most impressive run of results in recent memory to not only keep themselves in the division, but finish in a healthy mid table spot, despite the 30 point handicap. Through producing some great football, they overcame tremendous odds and achieved something they can be proud of.
When facing severely challenging circumstances, we are left with two choices, both of which are a question of attitude of the mind. This is commonly known as the human fight or flight response. This psychological trigger is part of our in-built survival instincts, dating back to the dawn of humankind, which lives on today in our limbic system. For example, on being attacked by a deadly animal, man is faced with a survival choice of either running away from the danger, or meeting the challenge head on by fighting the beast off. In sporting terms, the run response is that of throwing in the towel. The more negative among us will often make that choice and will struggle to get anywhere in life. For some Rangers fans, their view is that their club is dead and rather than fight to make it great again, they will walk away from football, at least in the short term. Many of the Rangers players decided not to transfer to the newco, but move on to top flight clubs in other countries. They had fought to save the old club by taking substantial pay cuts, but when asked to join the fight to push the newco up the leagues, they decided that was not what they joined Rangers to do. So, when other Opportunities opened up, they ran towards them and away from the challenges that the new Rangers face.
In sporting terms, the fight response is that which was adopted by those at Dundee and Livingston. They were motivated by something deep inside that compelled them to fight to restore the reputation, pride and standing of the club they loved and cared about. Motivation is a powerful force when it is fired up to the max. The most successful people in their field are always described as being highly motivated. Everybody is motivated on some level, but only a select few achieve the highest levels of motivation and fulfil their full potential. Motivation was the driving force that helped both Livingston and Dundee achieve outstanding football feats, game after game, until the job was done. The road to the SPL for the new Rangers starts in the mind. If all concerned with the club embrace the challenges and believe that they have a unique opportunity to take their club from bottom rung to top rung in Scotland in the space of a few years, then we may indeed witness another extraordinary footballing feat in the seasons ahead. Who knows, they may even re-write the history books and become the first team to win all four leagues in a row.
In sporting terms, the fight response is that which was adopted by those at Dundee and Livingston. They were motivated by something deep inside that compelled them to fight to restore the reputation, pride and standing of the club they loved and cared about. Motivation is a powerful force when it is fired up to the max. The most successful people in their field are always described as being highly motivated. Everybody is motivated on some level, but only a select few achieve the highest levels of motivation and fulfil their full potential. Motivation was the driving force that helped both Livingston and Dundee achieve outstanding football feats, game after game, until the job was done. The road to the SPL for the new Rangers starts in the mind. If all concerned with the club embrace the challenges and believe that they have a unique opportunity to take their club from bottom rung to top rung in Scotland in the space of a few years, then we may indeed witness another extraordinary footballing feat in the seasons ahead. Who knows, they may even re-write the history books and become the first team to win all four leagues in a row.
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