Gretna

[superfrank]

The bubble's bursting dramatically. They released 22 players today.

I think it was inevitable. You can't build success in five years on the back of a fickle investor. I say fickle because I find it sickening that as soon as Mileson got sick, he pulled the plug. I can understand he would want to keep money for medical expenses, etc. but it still smacks of betrayal. Gretna will undoubtedly be left languishing in the First Division at best but I'm guessing they will go under at the end of the season.

I feel sorry for the genuine fans.

[osarusan]

poor "supergretna"...........

but I agree, tough on the real fans.

[anto1208]

poor "supergretna"...........

but I agree, tough on the real fans.

the 4 of them must be gutted

[pineapple stu]

Gretna will undoubtedly be left languishing in the First Division at best but I'm guessing they will go under at the end of the season.

I'd say your second guess is more likely. If they survive, they could well go back to Division Three.

What's the story with their new ground?

[mypost]

"our budget is bigger, our players are paid more and our team is better"

Haven't seen him back since.

[Longfordian]

I thought Roddy and his mates were going to save them?. Mustn't have impressed the administrator any more than they did our own officials

[mypost]

They were going to get relegated, so he bussed it to Rotherham, just in time.

[OwlsFan]

the 4 of them must be gutted

There's more to football than Liverpool, Everton, Chelsea, Man U, Rangers and Celtic.

Not only the supporters I'd be disappointed for, but the people who built up and brought the club through only to be let down but I suppose that's the risk you take when you sell a club to major financiers.

[mypost]

They never had the fan base to survive the SPL. They only had a few hundred at their home games in the lower divisions. The club have to travel to Glasgow for home games now, which is a fair distance from the far south of Scotland, and their fans weren't going to follow them. Poor crowds, lack of funds, and the inevitable happened.

How are they going to field a team with 22 players released?

[pete]

Relying on 1 single investor is always going to be trouble especially when virtually no fan base to back it up. I find it strange they were allowed into the SPL with no stadium ready. They then proceeded to rent a stadium far from home base while looking to upgrade their own stadium. Even before the owner pulled the plug they were guaranteed to get relegated which would mean any upgrades to home stadium pointless.

Clearly it all started to go wring when got trashed by Derry City.

[superfrank]

I find it strange they were allowed into the SPL with no stadium ready. They then proceeded to rent a stadium far from home base while looking to upgrade their own stadium.

Inverness were allowed to play their home games at Aberdeen for the first half of their first season in the SPL, a few years back so it's not unprecedented.

[Cymro]

Clearly it all started to go wrong when got trashed by Derry City.

Obviously. I mean, they did walk the First Division that season but whatever.

Anyway, just a few corrections: their crowds at Raydale Park were actually more around 1,000-1,500 rather than a few hundred and if they had survived this season with Mileson's cash intact and the new stadium on its way they might have turned into a reasonably effective SPL club. Clubs like Inverness were just as small when they initially joined the league, and not in an unsimilar position with their ground, yet they are now an established SPL club. It wasn't doomed to failure, but it's clear that without Mileson they had zero chance of any sort of success in the SPL.

I think they will be able to complete their fixtures as a core of the professional squad remains (they had something like 40 pros on their books or something) and they have the youth squad to pick from too. But certainly they will not find life easy even if they survive this year.

[pineapple stu]

How are they going to field a team with 22 players released?

If all comes to all, you'll find many an amateur willing to play SPL. I'll play, sure!

[GavinZac]

Hated this little "experiment" all along, it disgusted me seeing SPL and SD1 players dropping down to SD3 for the cash and to get in on the gravy train early. When they walked every division up til the SPL, it must have been so hollow. Perhaps not for "supergretna" and his talk of finances and places but a strange ould dream for the few fans that would have been going a decade ago and will be in another decade, supposing they remain intact.

[pineapple stu]

All community activities suspended too. Serious battening down the hatches time.

[seand]

I haven't followed this in any great detail, but surely if the players have proper contracts he can't just refuse to pay them?

[Junior]

thats what happens when a company goes in to receivership/liquidation - just like any of its creditors, players and other employees may not be paid, though they will be first on the list.

[osarusan]

Hated this little "experiment" all along, it disgusted me seeing SPL and SD1 players dropping down to SD3 for the cash and to get in on the gravy train early. When they walked every division up til the SPL, it must have been so hollow.

Agreed. And the kind of fan I feel sorry for (if such a kind of fan exists at Gretna, which I'm sure it does) is the fan who has followed them for years, and has followed football for years, who can see that all this money and all the players, the whole thing will all end badly, but there is nothing they can do about it.

[pete]

All community activities suspended too. Serious battening down the hatches time.

They know they will be relegated so money spent on players is a waste at this stage. Could see some bizarre high scoring SPL games to the end of the season...

[Ceirtlis]

Obviously. I mean, they did walk the First Division that season but whatever.

Anyway, just a few corrections: their crowds at Raydale Park were actually more around 1,000-1,500 rather than a few hundred and if they had survived this season with Mileson's cash intact and the new stadium on its way they might have turned into a reasonably effective SPL club. Clubs like Inverness were just as small when they initially joined the league, and not in an unsimilar position with their ground, yet they are now an established SPL club. It wasn't doomed to failure, but it's clear that without Mileson they had zero chance of any sort of success in the SPL.

I think they will be able to complete their fixtures as a core of the professional squad remains (they had something like 40 pros on their books or something) and they have the youth squad to pick from too. But certainly they will not find life easy even if they survive this year.

They only got promoted on the last day of the season winning the league by a point. I dont feel particularly sorry for their fans. If there is enough of them it shouldnt take very long before they are back at the standard at which they were before some loon start throwing money at them.
Inverness is a much bigger place than Gretna.