Dundee United have added a sensational new chapter to the Rangers crisis story by revealing they will be voting against letting the newco into the SPL.
On a day of drama that saw Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov earlier disclose that he would be casting his ballot to block the transfer of the SPL share to the new Rangers, United followed up on Thursday evening to make it a double whammy for Charles Green and his Ibrox consortium.
Following a scheduled meeting of chairman Stephen Thompson and fans’ representatives at Tannadice, a statement was issued that will stun Scottish football in general and the new Rangers in particular.
The Tangerines, displaying a united front of directors and supporters, stated that the newco should not be let in to the top flight, citing the need to uphold sporting integrity in Scottish football as the rock on on which they have built their position.
So when the chairmen gather at Hampden Park on July 4 Thompson will be saying no.
The statement read: “Dundee United tonight met with supporters’ groups to discuss the newco situation prior to the all club vote on the proposal to transfer Rangers’ share on 4th July.
“Following what was a robust and constructive meeting, the club’s position on how we will vote was substantiated by the viewpoint of the various supporters groups.
“The meeting finished with all in agreement as to what the correct course of action would be. The board of directors of Dundee United are unequivocal in the belief that a form of sporting punishment must form part of the reasoning behind any decision made and, therefore, cannot vote the newco into the SPL.”I feel tired and drained” See Saturday’s Courier for an exclusive interview with United chairman Stephen Thompson”General sporting integrity and, more importantly, the integrity of Scottish football must also play a significant part in the decision-making process,” the statement read.
“It is our belief that any form of sporting punishment must be unambiguous in the message it displays. The financial well-being of the club, both in the short and long term, must also be at the forefront of our thoughts. We would encourage our supporters to purchase season ticket books as a show of support to our club.
“The board of directors will act in the best interest of Dundee United and our supporters and Scottish football on this matter. The financial consequences of not showing this support for our club are extremely serious.”
So United have placed their head above the parapet and will now come under pressure because of that.
However, they will also surely have a groundswell of support from a swathe of their fan base, many of whom had been holding back on buying season tickets because of their concerns over how United would vote on the issue.
The United fans’ representative groups are right behind the club’s decision.
In a joint statement, they declared: “Representatives from ArabTRUST, the Federation of Dundee United Supporters’ Clubs and the Dundee United Business Club met tonight with Stephen Thompson to discuss the results of the canvass of their members on the newco situation.
“Almost 100% of ArabTRUST members polled stated that a newco application to the SPL should be refused and this was repeated in a similar exercise with Federation Clubs and the Business Club.
“Some 45% of those polled indicated that they would not purchase their season tickets if a newco was admitted. A further 16% indicated they were still undecided as to how a yes vote would affect their season ticket purchase. Some 63% stated they would cancel their Sky subscription if the broadcaster withdrew its coverage of the SPL, with a further 11% undecided on this issue.
“Following a full and frank discussion and a constructive exchange of views, we are delighted that the club has confirmed that they will not vote in favour of a newco application to the SPL.
“We call upon those supporters who indicated that they were waiting on confirmation of this before purchasing a season ticket, to get behind the club and purchase their ticket before the end of this month.”