Daggers Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 Gretna 'no longer in existence' Administrators at Gretna FC have said they feel the Raydale Park side has ceased to exist as a football club. The only interested party in taking over the team has withdrawn its offer. David Elliot from administrators Wilson Field said he expected the Scottish Football League to expel the side within a "matter of days". He has concluded that the club could not continue as a business and would be unable to guarantee it could complete league fixtures next year. Gretna went into administration in March this year with debts of about £4m after backer Brooks Mileson withdrew his support. Last week the SFL relegated the club to Division Three. Mr Elliot said he would now look to market the Raydale Park ground "outside football". "I had one offer on the table which I decided at that late stage I would pursue," he explained. "The prospective purchaser had produced a business plan based on First Division football and so he has formally withdrawn his offer. "Effectively we are still technically in the Third Division but I can't complete fixtures next season." He said he had informed the SFL of that situation and expected them to expel the club soon. Financial mess "The problem with this club is it started off in 1946 with a group of ex-servicemen coming back from World War Two setting up a village football team," said Mr Elliot. "Then a few years ago Mr Mileson took over and injected a lot of money into the club and it enjoyed a lot of success on the football pitch. "But if you take away the benefactor - the person supplying the money - then financially you have a real mess." A number of clubs have already expressed an interest in taking their place in Division Three. Spartans, Annan Athletic, Preston Athletic and Cove Rangers are all preparing applications for their spot.
Daggers Posted 2 June 2008 Author Posted 2 June 2008 Brooks Mileson: 'This club is in my soul. I would have ended up croaking if I had not come to Gretna' The Independant
Joe. Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 I guess it was expected really. That's what happens when you rely on one man.
Fox You Forest Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 It is sad news. On the flipside though c'mon the Spartans.
fox123 Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 This is quite a sad story, to go from where they did, to playing in scottish Premier must surely be compared to Hinckley United playing Championship football for one season before folding.....I think more needs to be done to protect clubs going into administration/foldure. Docking points, relegating teams, all lead to the demise of a football club, and possibly down to poor chairmanship they have gone into financial ruin.....surely the football leagues have to have some impact on this due to the way they structure/structered the leagues.
Alexikokopops Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 People complain about Chelsea and the like "buying their way to success" yet no one seems to bat an eyelid when Gretna do the same. Is it not the same principal?
Floating Fox Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 People complain about Chelsea and the like "buying their way to success" yet no one seems to bat an eyelid when Gretna do the same.Is it not the same principal? Exactly. Hypocracy at its finest.
lildave3 Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 People complain about Chelsea and the like "buying their way to success" yet no one seems to bat an eyelid when Gretna do the same.Is it not the same principal? Yeah but it's never nice to see a club actually fold surely?
Stevosevic Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 They lived the dream for a while. Not the most popular club in Scotland.
Alexikokopops Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 Yeah but it's never nice to see a club actually fold surely? I agree with you there, I was just making some sort of serious point. Unexpected I know.
Finnegan Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 Exactly.Hypocracy at its finest. Yeah but it's never nice to see a club actually fold surely? What Dave said.
lildave3 Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 I agree with you there, I was just making some sort of serious point.Unexpected I know. A debate with me and thee. Highly unexpected.
ASH17LCFC Posted 2 June 2008 Posted 2 June 2008 They were playing non league not so long ago in england, so why does anyone really care ? They wasn't a big club and lived a dream for a few years.
Floating Fox Posted 3 June 2008 Posted 3 June 2008 What Dave said. If they actually had a fan base, then I'd care. But they dont, they don't deserve SPL, not even SFL. So Yes it is nice to see them die. And yes Im a miserable tw*t awake at 3am...
Daggers Posted 3 June 2008 Author Posted 3 June 2008 They did have a fan base, all twenty five of them - most of whom took turns to get lifts with the Chairman to away games. It's sad for them. They did nothing that all of us (OK, all bar a few miserable cnuts) hoped for when Mandaric arrived...a bit of investment, a bit of success and some promotion fun. Comparing Gretna to Chelsea is daft - Gretna's nearest comparison would be Rushden & Diamonds. They never tried to buy the SPL, they didn't send salaries crazy North of the border and they weren't owned by a bloke who made his money from the death and suffering of a nation's people through theft and corruption. But those 25 blokes had a damn good journey over the last few years, something to really sing about in the club bar when someone decides to reform the village team, as long as they can find a ground to play on. Gretna still has a soul - Chelsea pissed on theirs.
C-man Posted 3 June 2008 Posted 3 June 2008 Feel sorry for their fans from their division 3 days This could happen to Chelsea if Abramovich fucked off, couldnt it?
shen Posted 3 June 2008 Posted 3 June 2008 Feel sorry for their fans from their division 3 days This could happen to Chelsea if Abramovich fucked off, couldnt it? Or us if Mandaric leaves..
Daggers Posted 3 June 2008 Author Posted 3 June 2008 Or us if Mandaric leaves.. I doubt it - it comes down to the scale of the debt compared to the size of the club. Our debt is nowhere near the level at which we would fold...and I strongly suspect we'd have a list of buyers if the club entered admin. Who wants to pay money for Gretna? A village team? Chelsea will be fun though considering that Abramovic has it written into the contract that they will have to repay him his hundreds of millions within a year of him leaving. I hope he holds good on it too - I'd not shed a single tear for Chelsea.
Father Ted Posted 3 June 2008 Posted 3 June 2008 What a story though for (Ex)- Gretna fans to tell their kids.
Head Honcho Posted 3 June 2008 Posted 3 June 2008 Am I right in saying that their benefactor is still seriously ill and unable to finance them anymore rather then having turned his back on them? I think I read somewhere that he is unable to write cheques and is also unable to pass the reins to someone else due to the illness I may be completely wrong it's just something I read!
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