Rangers after their liquidation will start again from fourth division Scottish league. Following their plea to play Scottish football again, Rangers have been granted conditional membership of the Scottish FA that allows the former champions to play their League Cup first round tie at Brechin City on 29th July.
Rangers – Life after liquidationA look forward in future
Rangers will begin next season in the fourth tier Scottish league, Scotland’s lowest professional league, after the move was approved by the country’s soccer authorities on 27th July.
Rangers, Scottish champion a record 54 times, were put in bankruptcy protection because of tax debts exceeding $30 million. The team is now set to visit grounds with seats for just a few hundred fans next season.
With almost the whole team and its staff in an unsettled state the club will move forward in search of first division football which is not coming anytime sooner. It gets though for Ally McCoist and his side having only a few known players left in the club. Players like Lee McCulloch an experienced forward, goalkeeper Neil Alexander and Scotland left-back Lee Wallace have stuck with the club. These players have registered with Rangers last season and allowed their contracts to be transferred to the relaunched Ibrox club will be an integral part of the club next season.
A Double Boost
Rangers who saw many players leave or had to leave them due to salary issues with players not willing to have a pay cut made a double signing to start things off in the summer.
Rangers have confirmed in their official website the signing of former Hearts midfielder Ian Black and the re-signing of striker Andy Little after securing conditional Scottish Football Association membership.The duo become Ally McCoist’s first signings of the summer as the manager looks to swiftly bolster his decimated squad ahead of the new season, when Rangers will start life in the Fourth Division of Scottish football.
Black, who was out-of-contract at Tynecastle this summer having joined the Edinburgh outfit three years ago, has penned a three-year deal with the club.
Little, the 23-year-old Northern Ireland international, who spent the early part of last season on loan at Port Vale before returning to his parent club, returns on a two-year contract with the option for a further year.
Rangers kick off their summer with a game against Brechin City. However, they may be able to use the pair for the game as they have to be registered still.
With a new division, a new phase and with almost a new team Rangers and their fans will have a very different start to the campaign next term. But fourth division Scottish football will not be a tough hurdle to climb but still its a long way to go before they again see first division football