So it's official, the rags to riches story of Gretna F.C. has entered its final chapter. The former SPL side are on the brink of extinction and that will end a fairytale six years.
The club were only voted into the Scottish League in 2002 and through the money of wealthy benefactor Brooks Mileson, they rose through the leagues. Gretna claimed three successive league titles and a runner-up place in the Scottish Cup.
They claimed every title they could before gaining promotion to the SPL. They fought for every point and were a determined eleven but still found themselves last when the worst possible scenario hit.
Mileson withdrew his financial support and Gretna declared administration.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Already marooned to the foot of the SPL table, a further points deduction then confirmed the club's fate.
Unable to pay both their on- and off-field staff, mass redundancies followed as the club battled bravely against the threat of extinction.
Their meteoric rise through Scottish football was coming back to haunt them, as the realisation that they had been punching above their weight for far too long was resulting in disastrous consequences.
Football agency consultant Paul Davies was all set to prepare a bid to intervene in Gretna's inevitable fate. However, the offer was doomed when the Scottish Football League voted to demote Gretna to the Third Division.
SFL chief executive David Longmuir claimed the proposed business plan was "fundamentally flawed" and offered no guarantee of paying off the club's football debts.
Soon after administrator David Elliot placed their stadium, Raydale Park, up for sale to non-footballing parties.
Then the final few words of the Gretna tale were uttered to the SPL as a spokesman confirmed, "I have this morning received intimation from the Gretna FC administrator of their resignation from the Scottish Football League with immediate effect."
Game Over.
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6 months ago
It could happen to any club with a single owner, especially one pumping their own money in to an extent that the club can't live without them!
from 6 months ago
erm.. Chelsea anyone?
from 6 months ago
rings a bell Shyam haha
6 months ago
Next up Chelsea Fc.....hehe.....nothing personal chavs....
from 6 months ago
Another idiotic comment by the biggest idiot in the site....
from 6 months ago
Let's cool this down,Salomon.
6 months ago
This will not happen to Chelsea. If Roman ever decides to move on, they will have a squad full of sellable players if they need to balance the books, and Chelsea were already a powerful club before Abramovich became involved.
The won the FA Cup in 1997 and 2000, the League Cup in 1998, the Cup Winners Cup in 1998, The European Super Cup in 1998 and were runners up in the FA Cup in 2002.
They also finished in the top 6 for 7 years in succession before Abramovich bought them, playing Champions League football twice in that time.
Any comparison between them and Gretna is frankly absurd.
Gretna are comparable to the likes of Swindon, Bradford, one season premier league wonders who then dropped to the basement not long afterwards, but certaintly not Chelsea.
from 6 months ago
I don't think it's absurd Simon. Swindon and Bradford were not teams soley paid for by one man were they?
Chelsea woudn't have time to balance the books for two reasons.
1) When players don't get paid they are allowed to have their contracts ripped up and can walk away and find new employment.
2) This is impossible outside transfer windows.
Mileson was a man exactly like Abramovich, albeit on a different scale. Does Abramovich have things sorted for Chelsea should he die suddenly? Maybe he does but after what's happened to Gretna it begs the question.
from 6 months ago
Roman Abramovich has put all his expenses into a pool of debt which Chelsea owes to him,
according to financial experts this will be paid back when the club becomes profitable again but if the Russian lost interest and withdrew his support like Mileston, then Chelsea owe Abramovich a lot of money. Chelsea could go the way of gretna but not likely.
from 6 months ago
The players would still be paid though Andrew, even if Abramovich walked away. Chelsea have other revenue streams because they are a Champions league club who gets gates of nigh on 40000 and are on tv all the time, as well as global shirt sales etc etc. They would still be able to afford wages in the short term, giving them time to sell the players concerned and get their wage bill to a level that the business that was left could afford in the long term.
They could still loan players out during transfer windows, thus getting them off of their wage bill if necessary because the loaning lcub typically takes over the wages, or at least a percentage of them.
Chelsea could potentially 'do a Leeds' and drop down for a while to rebuild, at least on some scale (maybe return to being a mid-table side, instead of a title chasing one), but to go out of business altogher like Gretna with a fan base like theirs? I don't think so.
6 months ago
Unfortunate...Thanks for Sharing though,Mark.
6 months ago
In all seriousness I don't think that Chelsea will suffer a similar fate because they still represent a profitable investment for many corporates. Abramovich won't just up and leave suddenly without planning it in some way - he will sell the club to someone.. having just one owner means more instability - that's the whole point here, which obviously isn't good.
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