I am sure you are all aware by now that Rangers Football Club has ceased to exist. It entered administration in February and was liquidated in June, following a tax dispute with HMRC. A newco Rangers has failed in its bid to be admitted to the Scottish Premier League and is now applying to the […]
Newco Rangers – would we wish it on Woolwich Arsenal?
I am sure you are all aware by now that Rangers Football Club has ceased to exist. It entered administration in February and was liquidated in June, following a tax dispute with HMRC. A newco Rangers has failed in its bid to be admitted to the Scottish Premier League and is now applying to the Scottish Football League for a place in the lower leagues.
This is a disaster for the SPL. It is already one of the least competitive leagues in the world, with no team other than Rangers and Celtic winning it since Aberdeen in 1984-1985. This latest development will further diminish its relevance in the footballing world, as it will now hand the league title to Celtic for the next decade at least and further damage Scotland’s UEFA coefficient.
I wonder how Celtic fans are feeling right now? Rangers virtually bought the league title for the three seasons prior to their administration, while Celtic FC was run along far more sensible business lines. Rangers’ approach resulted in short-term success, while Celtic have played second fiddle for longer than they would have liked, with little recent success on the pitch.
But Rangers’ financial extravagance has now cost them their existence. They won the league title three seasons running, but they have now been cast into the wilderness. OK, the Scottish professional leagues are so bloated with small, mediocre teams, that it might not take long for new Rangers to climb back through the divisions, but they won’t be competitive for a good few years to come. Celtic are sitting pretty, having won the league title at a canter and will dominate for years to come.
But will this year’s title feel hollow? I think it will, a bit. They will know that they have won the league by default, when they would far rather have won it legitimately, on the pitch.
And how will Celtic fans feel, long-term? The further devaluing of the SPL will result in an even more marked lowering in the standard of player the league can attract as it becomes a one-horse race.
But, more importantly, how will the loss of the Old Firm derby be taken? A large part of the identity of a club like Celtic is its rivalry with Rangers. It is in the DNA.
[linequote]I hate Woolwich as much as the next Spurs fan, probably more than most. I despise them. They are a detestable, disgraceful club, with flaky fans and a very dubious history.[/linequote]
Even if the new Rangers make it back to the SPL, the Old Firm derby will be one-sided for many years and that will probably remove some of the bite from it. And that’s assuming that fans of the old Rangers will migrate to the new Rangers and that Celtic fans will regard them as the same club with the same history and the same rivalries.
I wonder how I would feel if the same happened to Woolwich? I can only imagine it, but it would probably go something like this:
BBC reports that Woolwich have been placed into administration, will be deducted 10 points and may go into liquidation. Cue delirium and me running around my house shouting ‘North London is ours!’
Then it starts to sink in. I hate Woolwich as much as the next Spurs fan, probably more than most. I despise them. They are a detestable, disgraceful club, with flaky fans and a very dubious history. Surely I will revel in their demise. Surely I will celebrate it every moment for the rest of my life.
But I don’t think I would. Part of being a Spurs fan is this rivalry. Part of our history is this long-standing hatred. It is what makes beating them so wholly satisfying. It is what provided us, as kids, with our best playground banter. It is why I am enjoying the fact that we are now competing on a similar level again.
Hand on heart, it just wouldn’t be the same without them. My football life centres on the North London derby. Those two matches per season provide the lifeblood of my support. Losing Woolwich would remove an intrinsic aspect of supporting the club I love. Competition and rivalry is what stokes the fire.
Would I pleased if they went under? For a fleeting moment, yes.
But let’s face it. Spurs just wouldn’t be Spurs without them.
[author name=”Schoolboy’sOwnStuff” avatar=”https://www.thefightingcock.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?avatar=318_1319031276.jpg” tag=”SchoolboysOwnStuff[/linequote]
All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.
21 Comments
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10/07/2012 @ 2:00 pm
…….its Woolwich phukkin Wanderers you tool!!!! #:)
10/07/2012 @ 2:09 pm
Nup. Much as I hate them, It would be worse trying to hate those bubble-toting fellas down the road or whatever.
On a serious note, you can’t really compare the 2 situations. The SPL whether they like it or not are a 2 horse race. There are no winners in the Rangers farce only losers: All the SPL teams lose serious income: Celtic lose a rival that will eventually make them worse than the championship quality team they currently are: The SPL itself loses credibility and the national team will become like the Irish team in that no-one actually plays in their country of origin.
Personally, I wouldn’t wish it on any team in the PL. Even new-age Chelski fans who forget about their lack of history.
10/07/2012 @ 2:10 pm
I would gladly welcome their demise to the lower leagues! Fuck em, I hate them so much I don’t even want to play against them unless it was a cup game then the occassional lesson from our youth squad would be great day out. I would hope that they plummet so far down the league(s) that they could no longer afford to reside in North London and we can make emptycrates our training pitch or our publiv toilets either or!
10/07/2012 @ 2:10 pm
Couldn’t agree more. Arsenal are a huge part of what makes Spurs. Like it or not, the two clubs need each other.
10/07/2012 @ 2:11 pm
And you call yourself Spurs fans!? I along with nearly every Yid I know would have a ball if they were relegated!
10/07/2012 @ 2:12 pm
We don’t need them! We existed before they arrived and we will be here long after they are gone!
10/07/2012 @ 2:21 pm
Please don’t lynch me for it, but I’ll admit to actually liking Arsenal. Having lived up in Scotland my whole life, I never grew up surrounded by the rivalry and have always admired their attractive style of football.
10/07/2012 @ 3:32 pm
Keiran best you stay in Scotland, Arsenal have only started playing that way since the French Kiddie Fiddler arrived at the club ,before that it was 1-0 or 0-0 every week absolute shite football.
10/07/2012 @ 2:28 pm
No issue with the Scum imploding, unlike a lot of Spurs fans, my enjoyment of the game is not dependant on those idiots.
I would be quite overjoyed with them in the 4th layer of English football and us playing in the CL and winning Cups, as a previous poster mentioned, this isn’t Scotland, will have plenty of competition still for us to play against.
10/07/2012 @ 2:29 pm
Kieran. Consider yourself lynched! Thats just ridiculous. That style of play is new to them; historically they are not an attractvie team. they are pure scum and should be viewed as such. Thats said i agree with the main ethos os this article – i love the derbies and i love the rivalry. Would probably enjoy them being organically relegated for a year or two but would hope they did “a newcastle” and came back up to be fairly competetive again. I love the derby days too much!
10/07/2012 @ 2:34 pm
It won`t be the scum down the road that will be the first, it will be Manure with the Glasiers bleeding them to death, that will be the first of many but in Levy we trust and our books are ok as long as who ever comes along wanting to buy us at some stage doesn`t borrow all of the money to do so like they did with Manure, the scum down the road can join them as well
10/07/2012 @ 2:59 pm
I would actually miss them and West Ham as to be fair I might hate them but a lot of friends support those teams and I would miss the banter associated with playing them. However, I would banish Chelsea without a second thought. They really are the worst club I know with no redeeming features.
10/07/2012 @ 3:40 pm
I would probably say let them rot anyway but if, like in Scotland, they had been cheating for years to gain an advantage at our expense I would be certain that I would welcome the harshest possible punishment that they could get. I think that you have to seperate the rivalry and the sporting side of it and the main decision has to be sporting. Seeing a major rival who cheated like that getting mauled for it would be the icing on the cake.
10/07/2012 @ 6:36 pm
I doubt it. There were legions crying into their beer at the prospect of losing the NLD last year before we missed the chance to get a free stadium with perfect rail links etc etc. everyone loves to hate, it gives people energy. So, no, no-one wants ars@nal to disappear and die.
10/07/2012 @ 8:02 pm
A free stadium? Levy wanted to knock the Olympic stadium down and build a new one on the site. I don’t think that was going to be done for nothing, was it?
As for the scum, I find it difficult to believe that Tottenham fans wouldn’t want them to disappear altogether.
10/07/2012 @ 7:03 pm
Think about it! Woowich’s demise into League One! Having them, like a 7 year old, looking through the
window, hands cusp around their faces from forehead to chin, into the Rolls Royce parked down
the road! Mmmmm!
10/07/2012 @ 7:49 pm
Would we wish it on Woolwich Arsenal?
Yes Yes and Fucking Hell YES
10/07/2012 @ 9:09 pm
would rather it happened to Chelsea to be honest. They deserve it more than Le Arse, even with their dubious, vote rigging, parrot murdering history
10/07/2012 @ 9:10 pm
There’s enough hate and vitriol left with Chelski & Spammers. They would not be missed if they went back to where they never rightfully came from in the past. They never won promotion, it would be ironic if they didn’t “earn” relegation but found themselves in the Conference. They would probably take their ball and join the French League.
12/07/2012 @ 9:39 am
agreed it would definitely leave a massive gap in the fixture list, and hate them as I do the season would be lacking something if there was no more north london derby. Who would we hate then? Chelsea on the other hand I would happily see sink without a trace. They’re just animals. Which begs the question, do I hate Chelsea more than Arsenal?
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