Ex-Gretna boss Davie Irons: It would be ridiculous if Rangers were relegated to third division like we were ..... reports Daily Record
DAVIE IRONS was kicked down to the Third Division with Gretna – but he swears it would be crazy to do the same to Rangers.
Instead, the man who had helped steer the now defunct Raydale outfit to the top flight with three straight title wins, prays the Ibrox scandal will trigger a revolution in Scottish football.
Irons insists our game is a shambles and demands the reintroduction of play-offs that would offer promotion from the First Division to the SPL.
He wants a switch to a summer season that would make our football more attractive to television.
And he admits he is gutted to see a country such as Greece progress to the quarter-finals of the Euros while Scotland stays at home.
Irons insists powerbrokers driven by self-interest have made our game a shambles and fears it would plunge even deeper into farce if Rangers were banished to the Third Division.
Now boss of Stenhousemuir, he admitted the Ibrox club must be punished but said: “I understand the arguments about sporting integrity but it’s incredible we are talking about Rangers being shunted into the Third.
“The authorities need to make a ruling and there’s plenty to consider in terms of punishment but the issue goes much deeper than the crimes of Rangers.
“The entire debacle has thrown up a much wider picture of the sorry state of Scottish football.
“Whatever happens, let’s hope it triggers a revolution.
“If it brings play-offs from the First Division into the SPL and a change to the league structure it would be a step forward.
“Move to a summer season and let’s see if Sky want to broadcast our games in the months when there is a gap in the market.
“Our game is a farce and it’s time for radical change. The people making the decisions have so much to answer for. They have turned Scottish football into a mockery.
“The entire game is full of people who are only looking after themselves.
“The higher up you look and the more power people get then the bigger the questions being asked of them and I just shake my head at how self-preservation is killing our football.
“Look at the state of our game? Greece are in the quarter-finals of the Euros and it’s sad to see a country such as that miles ahead of us.
“We need a revolution and we need it now.”
In 2005 Irons formed a management pairing with Rowan Alexander that set Gretna on the road to glory before the club imploded just months after being promoted into the SPL.
And while Gretna were then harshly dealt the 50-year-old believes football’s lawmakers must think carefully before sending Rangers down three divisions. He said: “I just find the whole thing crazy.
“We enjoyed a fairytale at Gretna but Rangers starting off in the bottom league would be a nightmare.
“Gretna were originally demoted to the First Division. But then the powers-that-be decided to put us into the Third Division and that ultimately killed the club.
“You could say that set the precedent. Rangers may have a bigger debt but it’s a similar situation.
“However, the thought of Rangers in the Third Division is ridiculous, it’s bizarre.
“It would be a league of nine part-time clubs against a full-time outfit.
“It would be a romp every year as they moved back to the SPL which would take away the competitive element of every league they are